Obituary
Jane ‘Nightbirde’ Marczewski, ‘America’s Got Talent’ Contestant, Dies at 31
Jane “Nightbirde” Marczewski, a contestant on season 16 of America’s Got Talent, has died following a battle with cancer. She was 31. The singer passed away on Sunday (Feb. 20), TMZ reports. “We are saddened to learn about @_nightbirde’s Passing,” AGT host Terry Crews wrote on Instagram Monday. “Our Condolences goes to her Closest Family & Friends in such of This difficult time. We Love you, Nightbirde.” Judge Heidi Klum also shared a tribute to the singer on her Instagram Story. “We love you. Rest in peace @nightbirde,” Klum wrote alongside a photo of the Zanesville, Ohio, native. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Marczewski soared on America’s Got Talent in June 2021 with a heart-warming, golden buzzer-winning audition featuring her origina...
Jamal Edwards, Trailblazing British Music Entrepreneur, Dies at 31
Jamal Edwards, the trailblazing founder and CEO of SBTV, the British youth media platform with hip-hop at its heart, died Sunday (Feb. 20) at the age of 31. Edwards, who grew up on a council estate in Acton, West London, was a teenager when he started SBTV in 2006, a venture that has helped guide the careers of Dave, Skepta, Stormzy, and many others. In those early days, Edwards, an early-adopter of YouTube, used his channel to give exposure to his talented friends. It still does, only Edwards’ circle of friends grew. Over time, he’d work with the likes of Nicki Minaj, Ed Sheeran and Jessie J. Explore See latest videos, charts and news Today, the broadcaster he built from the ground up is a multi-million pound business with the strapline “Connecting Worlds,” while operating with the same c...
Dallas Good, Singer and Guitarist of The Sadies, Dies at 48
Dallas Good, the singer and guitarist of Canadian rock band the Sadies has died of natural causes, the group confirmed on social media. He was 48. The Sadies shared the sad news in an emotional post to Facebook on Friday (Feb. 18). “It’s with unfathomable sadness that we announce the sudden passing of Dallas on Thursday, February 17th. Forty eight years old, he died of natural causes while under doctor’s care for a coronary illness discovered earlier this week, the band wrote.” The Sadies added, “A son, a brother, a husband, a friend, a bandmate, a leader, a force to be reckoned with, we have no words for the shock we are all feeling. We join the rest of our music community and fans in grief. The stage is dark today with the all too soon passing of one of music’s brightest lights. We love ...
Splice Staffer Christina Lee Remembered After New York Murder: ‘Our Hearts Are Broken’
Christina Yuna Lee, a senior creative producer at Splice, was found dead in her Lower Manhattan apartment on Sunday after she was fatally stabbed by a stranger who followed her from the street, up six flights of stairs and into her home. As news spread of the horrific event, friends and co-workers took to social media to remember the 35-year-old. “Over the weekend out beloved Christina Lee was senselessly murdered in her home. Our hearts are broken,” said Splice in a company statement, posted to its social media channels. “Always dedicated to making beautiful and inclusive artwork, Christina is irreplaceable. As we start to process this tragedy, we ask that you remember Christina Lee as the magical person she was, always filled with joy. We wish peace upon her family in their grief.” A gra...
R.I.P. Ivan Reitman, Ghostbusters Director Dead at 75
Ghostbusters director Ivan Reitman has died at the age of 75. According to Reitman’s family, the filmmaker passed peacefully though unexpectedly in his sleep on the night of Saturday, February 12th in his Montecito, California home. In a joint statement, Reitman’s children Jason, Catherine, and Caroline said, “Our family is grieving the unexpected loss of a husband, father, and grandfather who taught us to always seek the magic in life. We take comfort that his work as a filmmaker brought laughter and happiness to countless others around the world. While we mourn privately, we hope those who knew him through his films will remember him always.” In addition to the two original Ghostbusters films, Reitman helmed such comedy classics as Twins, Kindergarten Cop, and Dave. His early c...
Jon Appleton, Electronic Music Pioneer, Dies at 83
A composer, professor and pioneer in electronic and electro-acoustic music, who helped develop the Synclavier, an early digital synthesizer, has died. Jon Appleton died Jan. 30 in White River Junction, Vt., at the age of 83, his son JJ Appleton said Wednesday. Explore See latest videos, charts and news Appleton, who was born in Los Angeles, became part of the faculty at Dartmouth College in 1967 and developed one of the first programs and studios for electronic music in the country. “That really was a pioneering vision of his to create a center for electronic music at Dartmouth and it propelled Dartmouth very quickly to the forefront of the work in electronic, electro-acoustic music,” said colleague and friend Theodore Levin, the Arthur R. Virgin Professor of Music at Dartmouth. While he w...
R.I.P. Snacks the Cat, Best Coast’s Honorary Third Member
Best Coast’s Bethany Cosentino has announced the passing of her beloved cat, Snacks. Indie rock’s favorite feline was 14 years young. “I always knew this day would come, but I hoped it never would,” Cosentino wrote in an Instagram post. “I said goodbye to my angel baby Snacks this afternoon. He was not just my cat. He belonged to all of you. He was the third member of this band. Our mascot. Our cover star. Our merch king. He meant everything to me and I’m going to miss him so much, but I know he will live on forever by way of the legacy he created simply by being himself. He loved you all so much and he knew you loved him. 14 wonderful years. I’m so honored that I got to be his mom. I love you forever Snacks. Long live the king.” Beyond starring in many-a-cute Instagram photos, Snacks famo...
Syl Johnson, Chicago Soul and Blues Singer, Dies at 85
Syl Johnson, a Chicago soul singer and blues artist whose work was sampled by top hip-hop artists, has died at age 85, his family said Sunday (Feb. 6). “A fiery, fierce, fighter, always standing for the pursuit of justice as it related to his music and sound, he will truly be missed by all who crossed his path. His catalog and legacy will be remembered as impeccable and a historical blueprint to all who experience it,” said a statement from his family, including Johnson’s daughter, Syleena Johnson, a Grammy-nominated singer. Explore See latest videos, charts and news Family members did not give further details on his death, including the cause. His death comes days after his brother, fellow blues artist Jimmy Johnson, died at 93. Syl Johnson was known for 1960s hits including “Come On Sock...
Lata Mangeshkar, Singer Known as the ‘Nightingale of India,’ Dies at 92
Lata Mangeshkar, a legendary Indian singer with a prolific, groundbreaking catalog and a voice recognized by more than a billion people in South Asia, has died. She was 92. The iconic singer died Sunday (Feb. 6) morning of multiple organ failure at Breach Candy hospital in Mumbai, her physician, Dr. Pratit Samdani, told reporters. She was hospitalized on Jan. 11 after contracting COVID-19. She was taken off the ventilator after her condition improved in late January but her health deteriorated on Saturday and was put back on life support. Explore See latest videos, charts and news Mangeshkar received a state funeral and Prime Minister Narendra Modi flew in from New Delhi to pay his last respects. Modi laid a wreath next to Mangeshkar’s body, wrapped in the Indian flag, as thousands, includ...
Donny Gerrard, ‘Wildflower’ Singer, Dies at 75
Donny Gerrard, who scored a hit with “Wildflower” as the lead vocalist for the group Skylark, has died. He was 75. Gerrard died Thursday (Feb. 3) and had been under hospice care amid a battle with cancer, publicist Bill Carpenter told The Hollywood Reporter. “Our dear brother Donny passed away early this morning at home, peacefully, surrounded by family,” said Adam Ayers from Red Light Management in a statement released Thursday. Born in Vancouver, Canada, on March 19, 1946, Gerrard was the singer for the early 1970s band Skylark, which counted producer David Foster as a keyboardist. Their 1972 breakout ballad “Wildflower” peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was later sampled on Jamie Foxx’s 2005 platinum-certified hit “Unpredictable.” Explore See latest videos, charts and news By...
Dominican Producer Xtassy, Of Famed Production Duo A&X, Dies at 37
Xtassy of the famed Dominican production duo A&X (Alcover and Xtassy) has passed away at the age of 37; at press time Billboard could not confirm his cause of death. The heartbreaking news was confirmed by his longtime colleague Alcover (real name: Milton Restituyo) on Instagram around midnight on Friday (Feb. 4). “Shattered is not even the slightest expression of what I feel right now,” Restituyo expressed in the caption. “Thinking that we don’t have you with us, I can’t assimilate it to write it down. My little brother I love you, we became men, fathers, dreamers, professionals together, you inspired me every day we shared. You are a legend and legends never die! I carry you with me forever. God give us strength to understand your will. There is a mother without her son, children wit...
Glenn Wheatley, Australian Music Icon, Dies at 74
Glenn Wheatley, the former musician who earned a place in the ARIA Hall of Fame with The Masters Apprentices before pivoting into artist management, whereupon he guided some of Australia’s most successful recording artists, including John Farnham, Little River Band and Delta Goodrem, has died at the age of 74. The music man was reportedly hospitalized with COVID-19 prior to his death Tuesday (Feb. 1) in Melbourne. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news It was Wheatley who put all his chips on Farnham in the mid-‘80s, when the singer’s own chips were down. Wheatley engineered one of music’s great comebacks by connecting Farnham with “You’re The Voice,” a protest song written by Chris Thompson, Andy Qunta, Maggie Ryder and Keith Reid. He presented it to...
