Music History

Blues guitarist Luther Allison died of cancer in Madison, Wisconsin, at the age of 57.

Diana, Princess of Wales, died at the age of 36 in a car accident in Paris. Elton John released a reworked version of "Candle in the Wind" dedicated to her memory, and the recording became the best-selling single of all time.

Jazz musician Nat Gonella, founder of the big band The Georgians, died in Gosport, Hampshire, England, at the age of 90.

English jazz trumpeter, singer and bandleader Nathaniel Gonella, founder of the big band The Georgians, died at the age of 90.

Gene Page, an American conductor, composer, arranger and record producer, died at the age of 58 after a long illness. He worked with artists including Barbra Streisand, The Supremes, Jefferson Starship, Jackson 5, Elton John, Marvin Gaye, Barry White, The Righteous Brothers, Aretha Franklin, Cher and Dobie Gray, and produced Whitney Houston's „Greatest Love of All“ and Roberta Flack's „Tonight I Celebrate My Love“.

Rockabilly and country singer and songwriter Charlie Feathers died in Memphis, Tennessee, at the age of 66 from complications following a coma caused by a stroke. He was a member of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame and was also known for 1950s hits such as "Peepin' Eyes".

Dick Latvala died at the age of 56 after falling into a coma caused by a heart attack. From the early 1980s, he managed The Grateful Dead's archive of live recordings, which later became the “Dick's Picks” album series.

Spice Girls manager Bob Herbert died in a car accident in Windsor, England. He was involved in the formation of the Spice Girls and Five, and managed the group Bros in the 1980s.

American big-band trombonist and studio musician Warren Covington died in New York at the age of 78.

Robert Fisher of the new wave duo Naked Eyes and the group Climie Fisher died of cancer at the age of 39. With Climie Fisher he had the 1988 UK hit “Love Changes Everything” and wrote songs for Rod Stewart, Milli Vanilli, Fleetwood Mac and Jermaine Jackson.

Johnny Byrne, guitarist with Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, died in Liverpool, Merseyside, at the age of 59 from motor neuron disease.

Jerome Smith of KC and the Sunshine Band died after being crushed by a bulldozer while working. He was a member of the group, which had the U.S. No. 1 hits “Get Down Tonight” and “That's the Way (I Like It).”

Maurice Kinn, founder and publisher of the British music magazine New Musical Express, died in London at the age of 76.

Alan Caddy, guitarist for The Tornados on their American and British hit "Telstar", died at the age of 60. He was also an original member of Johnny Kidd and the Pirates, played on their hit "Shakin' All Over", and worked as a session musician and arranger.

Alan Caddy, guitarist with The Tornados, who had the 1962 hit “Telstar”, died. He also contributed to early British rock arrangements.

Oscar-winning composer, arranger, producer and musician Jack Nitzsche died at the age of 63 at Queen of Angels Hospital in Hollywood from cardiac arrest caused by a recurring bronchial infection. He was known for his work with Phil Spector, The Rolling Stones, Neil Young, Buffalo Springfield and The Walker Brothers; with The Rolling Stones he also worked as an arranger and keyboardist. He contributed music to the films “The Exorcist” and “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” and co-wrote the Oscar-winning song “Up Where We Belong” with Buffy Sainte-Marie and Will Jennings for the 1982 film “An Officer and a Gentleman”.

American musician and songwriter Allen Woody, former bassist of The Allman Brothers Band and co-founder of Gov't Mule, died at the age of 44 in New York City. When he was found dead in a hotel room in Queens, initial reports listed the cause of death as undetermined; a later toxicology examination linked it to an apparent heroin overdose.

Ron Townson, singer with The 5th Dimension, died on August 2, 2001, at the age of 68 from kidney failure.

Skladatel, hudebník, herec a virtuózní hráč na harmoniku Larry Adler zemřel v Londýně ve věku 87 let. Proslul spoluprací s Georgem Gershwinem, Kate Bush, Stingem a Ralphem Vaughanem Williamsem i vlastními virtuózními vystoupeními.

The American soul singer and pianist died at the age of 61 and was found dead at her home in Beloit, Wisconsin, after her heart problems worsened. She was best known for “The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s In His Kiss)”, which reached number 6 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1964; she was the first artist to have a hit with the song. After her initial success, she released another seventeen singles, with “Let It Be Me” (#5 in 1964) and “There’ll Come a Time” (#26 in 1969) making the biggest impact on the Hot 100. “The Shoop Shoop Song” was used in the opening titles of the 1984 film Desperately Seeking Susan starring Madonna, and in 1990 Cher recorded it for the closing credits of Mermaids; her version reached number one on the UK singles chart and was also successful in other European countries.

Aaliyah Haughton, a 22-year-old American R&B singer and actress, died along with eight other people in a plane crash in the Bahamas shortly after takeoff. She had been filming the music video for “Rock the Boat” there. Her third studio album “Aaliyah” continued to be successful after her death and has sold more than 13 million copies worldwide.

American saxophonist Jay Migliori died of cancer at the age of 70. As a session musician, he recorded with The Beach Boys, Frank Sinatra and Frank Zappa and was a founding member of Supersax, a tribute group dedicated to Charlie Parker.

Michael Houser, founding member and lead guitarist of Widespread Panic, died at the age of 40 from complications related to pancreatic cancer, which had been diagnosed earlier that year.

The lead singer of the American hard rock band Drowning Pool was found dead on the band's tour bus during Ozzy Osbourne's Ozzfest tour in Manassas, Virginia. An autopsy concluded that he suffered from a form of heart disease. More than 1 million copies of the debut album Sinner had been sold in the US since its release in June 2001.

Singer, songwriter, and guitarist Roger Voudouris died at the age of 48 after a prolonged illness of the liver.

Ed Townsend died in San Bernardino, California, from a heart attack at the age of 74. After the success of his 1958 hit “For Your Love”, he focused primarily on songwriting and production and co-wrote Marvin Gaye's “Let's Get It On”, which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Singer and bassist Tony Jackson of The Searchers died in Nottingham, England, at the age of 65 from a combination of health problems including diabetes, heart disease and cirrhosis of the liver. His distinctive voice was heard on the group's early major hits “Sweets for My Sweet” and “Sugar and Spice.”

Rick James, known as “The King of Punk-Funk,” was found dead at his home in Los Angeles at the age of 56. His album “Street Songs” reached No. 3 on the U.S. chart and the single “Super Freak part 1” reached No. 16. During his career, he placed thirteen albums on the Billboard 200 and 29 singles on the R&B chart. He also worked as a songwriter and producer for Motown.

Oscar-winning composer and conductor Elmer Bernstein died at the age of 82. He was known for, among other scores, The Magnificent Seven, To Kill a Mockingbird, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Airplane!, The Blues Brothers and Ghostbusters.

Al Dvorin died at the age of 81 in a car accident near Ivanpah, California, while returning to Las Vegas after appearing at an Elvis tribute show at Trump 29 Casino in Coachella, where he hosted the program with Elvis impersonator Paul Casey. Dvorin was the longtime announcer at Elvis concerts, introducing them for 22 years from 1955, and became famous for the distinctive phrase “Elvis has left the building”, which he used in the early 1970s to announce that Presley would not return for an encore. At the time of the accident, he was riding in a car driven by Elvis photographer Ed Bonja. He was never paid for recordings of his announcements and harbored resentment toward Elvis Presley Enterprises because of this.

American cinematographer David Myers died following a stroke. He worked on numerous music films, including “Woodstock”, “Elvis On Tour”, “The Last Waltz”, “The Grateful Dead Movie”, “Mad Dogs & Englishmen” and “Cracked Actor: A Film About David Bowie”.

Singer, songwriter and actress Laura Branigan died in her sleep at her home in East Quogue, New York, from a brain aneurysm at the age of 52. She was best known for the hit “Gloria”, which reached No. 2 in the US and No. 6 in the UK in 1982. Her song “Self Control” reached No. 4 in the US and No. 5 in the UK in 1984. She also portrayed Janis Joplin in the American musical “Love, Janis”.

English singer and actor Carl Wayne, best known as the lead singer of The Move, died at the age of 61 from esophageal cancer. He sang lead vocals on the group's songs "Blackberry Way" and "I Can Hear the Grass Grow" and also performed with The Hollies.

American blues singer and guitarist Little Milton died at the age of 70 after suffering a brain aneurysm on July 25, followed by a stroke and a coma.

Carlo Little, The Rolling Stones' original drummer from 1962 to 1963, died in Cleadon, Tyne and Wear, England, at the age of 66 from lung cancer.

Francine Barker, the original singer of Peaches & Herb known as “Peaches”, died at the age of 58.

Country and bluegrass fiddler Vassar Clements, known among other things for his work with Bill Monroe's Bluegrass Boys, died in Jamestown, New York, from lung cancer at the age of 77.

Robert A. Moog, American engineer, inventor, pioneer of electronic music and inventor of the Moog synthesizer, died in Asheville, North Carolina, at the age of 71, four months after being diagnosed with brain cancer. At the age of 14, he built his first electronic instrument, a theremin, and in 1970 created the portable MiniMoog, described as the first compact and easy-to-use synthesizer. His first commercial synthesizer was launched in 1964 and had a major influence on and changed the music industry. In 2001, he received the Swedish Polar Music Prize. Wendy Carlos's 1968 Grammy-winning album “Switched-On Bach” played a major role in bringing him wider recognition. His instruments, particularly the MiniMoog, became essential tools for many artists, including The Beatles, Stevie Wonder and Pink Floyd.

Robert Moog died at the age of 71; he was a pioneer of the synthesizer and electronic music.

Hal Kalin of The Kalin Twins died at the age of 71 from injuries sustained in a car accident in Charles County, Maryland.

Barry Cowsill of The Cowsills died at the age of 50 by drowning during the flooding in New Orleans caused by Hurricane Katrina.

Barry Cowsill, bassist for The Cowsills, died at the age of 51 in New Orleans due to drowning during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. His final phone messages to his family were left around Sept 1–2; his body was discovered on December 28, 2005, at a wharf and identified via dental records on January 3, 2006.

Arthur Lee, singer and guitarist of the psychedelic rock group Love, died in Memphis at the age of 61 after battling acute myeloid leukemia.

John Locke, keyboardist with Spirit and Nazareth, died in Ojai, California, at the age of 62 from cancer.

American R&B singer Barbara George, who reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “I Know (You Don't Love Me No More)” in 1961, died at the age of 63 in Chauvin, Louisiana, from a lung infection related to liver disease and hepatitis C. Although two more of her songs reached the Hot 100 the following year, she never repeated the success of her first hit and largely withdrew from the music industry in the early 1980s.

American entertainer and talk-show host Mike Douglas died suddenly in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. He hosted The Mike Douglas Show from 1965 to 1981 and had the 1966 hit “The Men In My Little Girl's Life,” which reached No. 6 on the Billboard chart.

Bruce Gary, American musician, producer, and drummer for The Knack, died at the age of 55 in Tarzana, California, from non-Hodgkin lymphoma. He was best known as the drummer of The Knack on their multimillion-selling hit “My Sharona”. He was also a sought-after session musician and recorded or performed with George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Sheryl Crow, Rod Stewart, and Jack Bruce.

Canadian composer John Weinzweig died at the age of 93.