Topics

1

In Memoriam, Happy Birthday / RIP Gary Brooker, 76

« on: February 23, 2022, 08:48:09 AM »

Gary Brooker, lead singer of English band Procol Harum, dies, aged 76

Gary Brooker, the lead singer of the rock band Procol Harum, whose 1967 hit A Whiter Shade of Pale mesmerised baby boomer fans with its psychedelic melancholy, has died at the age of 76.

The pianist, composer and lyricist as well as frontman for the band had been treated for cancer. He died peacefully at home at the weekend.

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/feb/22/gary-brooker-lead-singer-procol-harum-dies-aged-76

2

In Memoriam, Happy Birthday / RIP George Frayne, aka Commander Cody, 77

« on: September 27, 2021, 07:42:32 PM »

"George Frayne IV, who led the band Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen, a group that combined
elements of the rock counterculture with a love for roots music in the early 1970s, died Sunday at age 77.'
Frayne had been receiving treatment for cancer for several years."

https://variety.com/2021/music/news/commander-cody-george-frayne-dead-roots-country-rock-lost-planet-airmen-1235075409/

Lost in Ozone while riding in his Hot Rod Lincoln for all eternity...

3

In Memoriam, Happy Birthday / RIP Chick Corea, 79

« on: February 11, 2021, 10:10:49 PM »

Keyboardist helped Miles Davis usher in the fusion revolution and founded his own game-changing groups,
including Return to Forever

"Chick Corea, the virtuosic keyboardist who broadened the scope of jazz during a career spanning more
than five decades, died on Tuesday from a rare form of cancer.  A post on his Facebook page confirmed
the news.  Corea was 79"

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/chick-corea-obit-1127283/

4

In Memoriam, Happy Birthday / RIP Leslie West, 75

« on: December 24, 2020, 11:05:11 PM »

"Leslie West, the towering guitarist who created the hard-rock milestone "Mississippi Queen" with his band Mountain,
died Wednesday morning.  West’s brother, Larry West Weinstein, confirmed the musician’s death to Rolling Stone.
He was 75.  The cause of death was cardiac arrest.  On Monday, West was rushed to a hospital after suffering
cardiac arrest at his home near Daytona, Florida, where he never regained consciousness."

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/leslie-west-dead-1106777/


In their day, Mountain was a well-known rock band.  Now, fifty years on, they're just another obscure name (despite
Mississippi Queen being played on classic rock radio).  Nantucket Sleighride and Theme for an Imaginary Western
are among my all-time favorite rock songs, particularly for the sense of melancholy they evoke.

5

In Memoriam, Happy Birthday / RIP Sean Connery, 90

« on: October 31, 2020, 07:59:41 PM »

"Sean Connery, the irascible Scot from the slums of Edinburgh who found international fame
as Hollywood’s original James Bond, dismayed his fans by walking away from the Bond
franchise and went on to have a long and fruitful career as a respected actor and an always
bankable star, has died in Nassau, the Bahamas.  He was 90.

"His death, in his sleep either late Friday or early Saturday, was confirmed by his family."

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/31/movies/sean-connery-dead.html

6

In Memoriam, Happy Birthday / RIP Ennio Morricone, 91

« on: July 06, 2020, 03:54:45 PM »

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/ennio-morricone-dead-prolific-italian-composer-was-91-858358

7

In Memoriam, Happy Birthday / RIP Ram Dass, 88

« on: December 24, 2019, 02:43:18 AM »

Ram Dass (born Richard Alpert; April 6, 1931 at Boston, MA) died peacefully at his home
on December 22, 2019, on Maui.  Memorial services in Maui and Taos, NM, will be announced
as soon as details have been finalized.

https://www.ramdass.org/obituary-ram-dass/

8

In Memoriam, Happy Birthday / RIP Ginger Baker, 80

« on: October 06, 2019, 05:26:30 PM »

Ginger Baker, esteemed as one of the most virtuosic drummers ever to sit behind a kit
through his innovative work with English rock bands Cream and the short-lived Blind Faith,
died on Sunday.  He was 80.

His Facebook page posted, "We are very sad to say that Ginger has passed away peacefully
in hospital this morning.  Thank you to everyone for your kind words over the past weeks."
Baker’s family had previously issued statements on Twitter and Facebook saying that he was
"critically ill" and asking fans to "please keep him in your prayers."

Baker revealed in 2013 that he had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease after a lifetime
of smoking.  He underwent open-heart surgery in 2016.  He also suffered chronic back pain
from degenerative osteoarthritis.

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2019-10-06/ginger-baker-obituary-virtuoso-drummer-cream-dead

9

In Memoriam, Happy Birthday / RIP Robert Hunter, 78

« on: September 24, 2019, 01:41:20 PM »

Robert Hunter, the poet famous for writing many of the Grateful Dead's best regarded songs, has died at 78.

"It is with great sadness we confirm our beloved Robert passed away yesterday night," Hunter’s family said
in a statement released to Rolling Stone.  "He died peacefully at home in his bed, surrounded by love.  His wife
Maureen was by his side holding his hand.  For his fans that have loved and supported him all these years,
take comfort in knowing that his words are all around us, and in that way his is never truly gone.  In this time
of grief please celebrate him the way you all know how, by being together and listening to the music.  Let there
be songs to fill the air."

https://variety.com/2019/music/news/robert-hunter-dead-dies-grateful-dead-lyricist-1203347694/

10

In Memoriam, Happy Birthday / RIP Peter Fonda, 79

« on: August 17, 2019, 01:47:02 PM »

Peter Fonda, the tall, lanky actor who became a star and a counterculture sex symbol
in the film "Easy Rider," carrying on the Hollywood dynasty begun by his father, Henry
Fonda, died Friday in Los Angeles.  He was 79.

The death was confirmed by his family, who said the cause was respiratory failure
because of lung cancer.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/16/arts/peter-fonda-dead.html

11

In Memoriam, Happy Birthday / RIP Rutger Hauer, 75

« on: July 24, 2019, 05:09:37 PM »

"All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain."

Rutger Hauer, the versatile Dutch leading man of the ’70s who went on star in the 1982 "Blade Runner"
as Roy Batty, died July 19 at his home in the Netherlands after a short illness.  He was 75.

https://variety.com/2019/film/news/rutger-hauer-dead-dies-blade-runner-co-star-1203278050/

12

In Memoriam, Happy Birthday / RIP Paul Krassner, 87

« on: July 22, 2019, 10:53:32 PM »

Mr. Krassner died on Sunday at his home in Desert Hot Springs, Calif., his daughter, Holly Krassner Dawson,
said. He was 87. She did not give a cause, but said he had been in hospice care.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/21/obituaries/paul-krassner-dies-at-87.html

(The Times' web site has began the obnoxious practice of requesting the creation of a free account
in order to read their articles, but it can be circumvented by turning off the page style.
In Firefox:  View -> Page Style -> No Style
Similarly, their ten articles per month restriction can be avoided by deleting their cookies.)

13

In Memoriam, Happy Birthday / RIP Dr. John, 77

« on: June 07, 2019, 11:50:31 PM »

Mac Rebennack, the pianist, singer, songwriter and producer better known as Dr. John, who embodied
the New Orleans sound for generations of music fans, died on Thursday.  He was 77.

A family statement released by his publicist said the cause was a heart attack.  The statement did not
say where he died.  He had been living in recent years on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain, La.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/06/obituaries/dr-john-dies.html

14

In Memoriam, Happy Birthday / RIP Leon Redbone, 69

« on: May 31, 2019, 05:05:17 PM »

Leon Redbone, who burst onto the pop-music scene in the mid-1970s with a startlingly throwback
singing style and a look to go with it, favoring songs from bygone eras drolly delivered, died on
Thursday in Bucks County, Pa.  He was 69.

His family announced the death on his website.  A specific cause of death was not given, but
Mr. Redbone had retired from performing in 2015 because of ill health.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/30/obituaries/leon-redbone-dead.html

15

In Memoriam, Happy Birthday / RIP Hal Blaine, 90

« on: March 15, 2019, 05:17:14 PM »

The drummer who was a member of, and coined the name, "the Wrecking Crew."

"Hal Blaine, the ubiquitous drummer whose work in the 1960s and ’70s with Elvis Presley,
Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, the Beach Boys, Simon & Garfunkel, the Ronettes and many
others established him as one of the top session musicians of all time, died on Monday at
his home in Palm Desert, Calif. He was 90."

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/12/obituaries/hal-blaine-dead.html

see also:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_recordings_of_songs_Hal_Blaine_played_on