Forums → Popular Media → Deceased Music Artists "R.I.P." (General Discussion)
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Since a lot of music artists have died over the past time and no general thread was available to discuss these great artists (personal preferences set aside), I decided to start one to have a place to discuss them and what they achieved and gave to us to remember them by!
Feel free to add any artists that passed away recently, no need to add artists that are deceased long ago, since that would only fill this thread with unuseful information already known to the world. So... Recently deceased artists only!!
Rest In Peace...
To start the thread off, two wonderful artists have passed recently, one know by his hits and one known a bit less -unless you are a fan of the old school Rock Genre... first:
# Jimmy Ellis of The Trammps (74 y.o.a.)
Jimmy Ellis, frontman of the Trammps, has died at the age of 74. He passed away yesterday in Rock Hill, South Carolina from complications of Alzheimer's disease.
Ellis was best known as the singer of the band's 1976 song "Disco Inferno", which became a smash hit in the United States in 1978 after it was included on the soundtrack for Saturday Night Fever. The Trammps also scored hits on the R&B charts with their cover of Judy Garland's signature tune "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart", "Hold Back the Night" and "The Night the Lights Went Out", which was inspired by the New York City blackout of 1977.
(Source: www.rollingstone.com)
What he has left us to enjoy still...
* Disco Inferno
* Shout
* Hold Back The Night
* Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart
* The Night the Lights Went Out
Another (completely different) artist that has died recently...
# Ronnie Montrose (64 y.o.a.)
Ronnie Montrose, who is best known for his fiery guitar work as a member of the band Montrose, died Saturday. It is believed that the cause of death was prostate cancer, which he had been battling for the past few years.
"A few months ago, we held a surprise party for Ronnie Montrose's 64th birthday," a statement said on Montrose's official website. "He gave an impromptu speech, and told us that after a long life, filled with joy and hardship, he didn't take any of our love for granted. He passed today. He'd battled cancer, and staved off old age for long enough. And true to form, he chose his own exit the way he chose his own life. We miss him already, but we're glad to have shared with him while we could."
Born in Denver, Colorado, Montrose got his first break when he was invited to play on Van Morrison's 1971 album, Tupelo Honey. Additional appearances on recordings by Herbie Hancock, Boz Scaggs, and the Edgar Winter Group soon followed before he formed his own band, Montrose, in 1973. In addition to the guitarist, the band consisted of a then-unknown Sammy Hagar on vocals, as well as bassist Bill Church and drummer Denny Carmassi.
The quartet issued one of rock's all-time great debuts that year, their Zeppelin-esque album, Montrose, which spawned such soon-to-be hard rock standards as "Rock the Nation," "Bad Motor Scooter," "Space Station #5," "Rock Candy" and "Make It Last," all of which featured Montrose's tasty guitar playing. Hagar, however, would only remain with the band for one more release (1974's Paper Money) before exiting the group.
Still, the two Hagar/Montrose albums proved influential to subsequent bands, as evidenced by all the rock acts covering Montrose tunes, including Iron Maiden, who covered "I've Got the Fire" and "Space Station #5." Interestingly, Van Halen (the group Hagar would eventually front for two separate stints) would cover the songs "Rock Candy" and "Make It Last" during their early club days.
Montrose the group (with singer Bob James filling Hagar's spot) would soldier on for a few more releases in the Seventies before the guitarist issued an all-instrumental solo album, 1978's Open Fire. He went on to form Gamma, which issued three albums between 1980 and 1983. From the Eighties onward, Montrose would alternate between issuing additional recordings from Montrose, Gamma, and as a solo artist.
Ronnie Montrose and Sammy Hagar appeared to eventually bury the hatchet, as the original Montrose line-up appeared on the singer's 1997 solo effort, Marching to Mars, for the song "Leaving the Warmth of the Womb," and even played together again on stage several times afterwards. For the past few years, Montrose had played solo shows throughout the U.S.
(Source: www.rollingstone.com)
What he has left us to enjoy still...
* Bad Motor Scooter
* Rock Candy
* Space Station #5
* Rock The Nation
For the both of them... Rest In Peace... your contribution to the world of music will be missed!
- 51 Replies
@ Darkduck : Thanx for the effort in elaborating a little on the artists you mentioned! Excellent! =D
I'll elaborate a little for you there toemas...
Stephen Ray "Stevie" Vaughan (October 3, 1954 - August 27, 1990) was an American guitarist, vocalist, songwriter, and a notable recording artist.
Often referred to by his initials, 'SRV', he is best known as the leader of the blues rock band Double Trouble, with whom he recorded four studio albums.
Influenced by guitarists of various genres, Vaughan emphasized intensity and emotion in his guitar playing, and favored vintage guitars and amplifiers. He became one of the leading blues rock musicians, encompassing multiple styles, including jazz and ballads.
On August 27, 1990, while departing a concert venue by helicopter in East Troy - Wisconsin, Vaughan was killed when the helicopter crashed into the side of a ski hill. His death triggered a global outpouring of grief and as many as 3,000 people reportedly attended his public memorial service in Dallas.
(Source : Wikipedia...)
Sorry for the double post, but I just learned that Donna Summer has died this morning. Reports tell that the "Queen of Disco" died after a struggle with breast and lung cancer at the age of 63. Full report goes as follows...
# Donna Summer (63 y.o.a.)
LaDonna Adrian Gaines (December 31, 1948 â" May 17, 2012), known by her stage name 'Donna Summer', was an American singer/songwriter who gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s.
She had a mezzo-soprano vocal range, and was a five-time Grammy Award winner. Summer was the first artist to have three consecutive double albums reach number one on the US Billboard chart, and she also charted four number-one singles in the United States within a 13-month period.
Donna Summer died today, May 17th - 2012. AP reports that she died in the morning at her home in Key West, Florida at age 63 following a battle with breast cancer and lung cancer.
The "Queen of Disco" has a long history of high ranking and well recognisable music throughout the decades. Here's a list with examples of her hits :
# Love to Love You Baby (1975)
# Last Dance (1978)
# MacArthur Park (1978)
# Hot Stuff (1979)
# On the Radio (1980)
# State of Independence (1982)
# She Works Hard for the Money (1983)
# This Time I Know it's for Real (1989)
She will surely be missed... another queen of the disco era is gone... =(
And the sad news keeps continuing as it seems... what a lot of people feared has finally happened... 
Robin Gibb, one-third of the Bee Gees, died Sunday after a long battle with cancer, his spokesperson has confirmed via a statement. Gibb was 62 years old.
"The family of Robin Gibb, of the Bee Gees, announce with great sadness that Robin passed away today following his long battle with cancer and intestinal surgery", reads the statement. "The family have asked that their privacy is respected at this very difficult time".
Two years ago, Gibb battled colon and liver cancer, but despite making what he called a "spectacular recovery", a secondary tumor recently developed, complicated by a case of pneumonia in April. The singer was hospitalized last month and fell into a coma at one point, although he was later said to have regained consciousness and communicated with family members. 
Gibb was born in the Isle of Man in 1949, along with twin brother Maurice. (Maurice died in 2003 of complications from a twisted intestine; eerily, Robin had surgery for the same medical issue in 2010). Along with their older brother Barry, the brothers began harmonizing as a trio in Australia, where the family moved in 1958. Although the Bee Gees had some success in Australia - they hosted a weekly variety show there - they didn't truly arrive until they returned to England and signed with manager Robert Stigwood. Robin's quivering, vulnerable voice was featured prominently on several of the group's earliest and most Beatles-eque hits, including "New York Mining Disaster 1941", "I Started a Joke", "Massachusetts", and "I've Gotta Get a Message to You".
(Source and full story : www.rollingstone.com)
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And another death in the world of music last Friday...
# Peter Jones, drummer of Crowded House (45 y.o.a.)
Peter Jones, who played drums for Crowded House, died on Friday at the age of 45. Australia's Herald Sun newspaper reports that he had been suffering from brain cancer.
The band left a statement on its website confirming Jones' passing:
"We are in mourning today for the death of Peter Jones. We remember him as a warm hearted, funny and talented man, who was a valuable member of Crowded House. He played with style and spirit. We salute him and send our love and best thoughts to his family and friends."
Jones was born in Liverpool. He had worked as a school teacher and played drums as a session musician with bands like Harem Scarem, Deadstar and Stove Top. In 1994, he joined Crowded House, replacing founding drummer Paul Hester, and played on the live concert CD Farewell to the World. The band, whose hits include "Don't Dream It's Over" and "Something So Strong" broke up two years later. Although Crowded House reunited in 2007, Jones did not join them.
Crowded House Frontman Neil Finn, who founded the band in 1985, paid tribute to the late drummer on Twitter:
"I am very sad to hear tonight that Peter Jones has died. A Great man and a wonderful drummer. RIP Pete."
Source : {url=www.rollingstone.com/music/news/peter-jones-drummer-for-crowded-house-dead-at-45-20120520]www.rollingstone.com[/url]
Unfortunately, here comes more artists
Robert Nix
During a career that spanned five decades, Robert Nix held down the beat for many famous rock ânâ rollers while writing and recording songs with the band he helped start in 1970. The co-founder and longtime drummer for the Atlanta Rhythm Section died at 67-years-old on Sunday morning (May 20), according to a statement on the bandâs Facebook page.
âOur thoughts today are with Robert Nix, our founding drummer, who passed away this morning,â a statement attributed to co-founder and vocalist Rodney Justo reads. He died at the Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. leaving behind his wife and three kids.
Nix, like Justo, got his start as part of Roy Orbisonâs band the Candymen. During the â60s and â70s however, he freelanced to befriend and jam with southern rockers like the Allman Brothers Band and Ronnie Van Zant, while spending time with the eraâs A-listers like the Beatles, Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin. He recounted his story in an undated interview with Sweet Home Music.
Along with lending his talents to Lynyrd Skynyrdâs âTuesdayâs Gone,â Nix wrote and recorded songs on nine ARS records. âSpooky,â âSo Into Youâ and âChampagne Jamâ (the title-track from the bandâs platinum selling album from 1978) were co-written by Nix. He was with the Atlanta Rhythm Section from 1971 to 1979.
According to the Wells Funeral Home, services for Nix will be held at 3PM May 24 at the Batesville Presbyterian Church in Batesville, Miss. Visitation will be held from 1PM until service time at the church, where he was a member.
source: {http://ultimateclassicrock.com/robert-nix-atlanta-rhythm-section-drummer-dies/}
Donald "Duck" Dunn
One of the steadiest, and in the eyes of his peers, most beloved bass players ever, Donald âDuckâ Dunn, passed away on Sunday, May 12 at age 70.
As a member of Booker T & The MGâs, and also as a mainstay of the Stax house band, Dunn served up the low end on records by Otis Redding, Sam and Dave, Albert King, Eddie Floyd and many more. The MGâs disbanded in the early â70s, but Dunn, Cropper and other members of the MGâs played in the movie âThe Blues Brothersâ and toured with John Belushi and Dan Akyroyd under that tag as well in 1980. In 1993, Booker T & The MGâs reunited and took on the role of backing band for Neil Young for an incredible tour, eventually backing the singer and guitarist on his 2002 album âAre You Passionate?â
source: {http://ultimateclassicrock.com/2012-deaths-donald-duck-dunn/}
Ironic how the Motown battle is going on in the 'BotB' thread right now and this morning it was in the news that one of the artists of that popular era, in which Motown started, has died...
Herb Reed, founder of The Platters has died at the age of 83...
Herb Reed, the last surviving original member of 1950s vocal group the Platters who sang on hits like "Only You" and "The Great Pretender", has died. He was 83. Reed died on Monday in a Boston area hospice after a period of declining health that included chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, manager Fred Balboni said.
Reed was a Kansas City, Mo., native who founded the Platters in Los Angeles in 1953. Then a quartet, the group won amateur talent shows, and performed nights and weekends up and down the California coast while the members worked days at a car wash and at other odd jobs.
(Herb Reed, far left, points to lead tenor Tony Williams in an undated Platters photo.)
Reed came up with the group's name, inspired by '50s disc jockeys who called their records platters. The group underwent several lineup changes, even adding a woman singer to become a quintet, before signing their first major recording contract in 1955.
Founder Reed sang bass on the group's four No. 1 hits, including "The Great Pretender", "My Prayer", "Twilight Time" and "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes".
The Platters were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998. Their recordings are in the Grammy Hall of Fame. The group's popularity reached across racial lines and genres, "achieving success in a crooning, middle-of-the-road style that put a soulful coat of uptown polish on pop-oriented, harmony-rich material," according to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's website.
( Source : www.billboard.biz )
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Another artist who died a year ago came to my attention when hearing him on the radio today...
Andrew Maurice Gold, born August 2, 1951 was an American singer, musician and songwriter. His works are known worldwide and include the Top 10 single "Lonely Boy" (1977), as well as "Never Let Her Slip Away" (1978) and "Thank You for Being a Friend" (1978) which was later used as theme song for the hit TV series "Golden Girls".
Gold was a multi-instrumentalist playing the guitar, piano, bass as well as drumms. Next to that he was also an artist, producer, film composer, session musician, actor, and painter, often to be called a 'op wunderkind'. He started his career, barely finishing high school, when enlisted by Linda Ronstadt to play in her backup band to expand this into his own successful recording career with worldwide sales of records.
He died June 3, 2011 at his home in Encino, California. Even though media reports spoke of renal cancer, his family clearly stated it was because of a heartattack. He was 59 years of age.
(Source : New York Times a.o. )