Obituary
Wanda Young, Singer of The Marvelettes, Dies at 78
Wanda Young, a member of the 1960s Motown group The Marvelettes, has died, Rolling Stone reports. She was 78. Young, who also performed under the name Wanda Rogers, was the lead vocalist on Marvelettes songs like “I’ll Keep Holding On” and “Don’t Mess With Bill.” Further details about her death were not available at press time. “We are so saddened by the news of Wanda Young of the Marvelettes passing,” Motown official Twitter account wrote on Thursday (Dec. 16). “What an impact she has had on the world of Classic Motown and the lives of so many. Her legacy will continue to live on.” Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news We are so saddened by the news of Wanda Young of the Marvelettes passing. What an impact she has had on the world of Classic Motown ...
R.I.P. Leonard “Hub” Hubbard, Longtime Bassist of The Roots Dead at 62
Leonard “Hub” Hubbard, the bass player known for his work in The Roots, has died at the age of 62. His wife, Stephanie, told The Philadelphia Inquirer that he died of multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer. Hubbard was first diagnosed with the disease in 2007 and had been in remission until last month. “It happened quickly,” his wife told the local Action News station. “He didn’t suffer a lot.” Raised in West Philadelphia, Hubbard joined The Roots in 1992, back when they were called The Square Roots. Soon after, they dropped the “Square” from their name and released their first album, 1993’s Organix. Hubbard played on all of the band’s records, including 1995’s Do You Want More?!!!??!, 1999’s Things Fall Apart, and 2004’s The Tipping Point, until his departu...
R.I.P. Michael Nesmith, Co-Founder of The Monkees Dead at 78
Michael Nesmith, co-founding member, vocalist, and guitarist of The Monkees, has died at the age of 78. “With Infinite Love we announce that Michael Nesmith has passed away this morning in his home, surrounded by family, peacefully and of natural causes,” his family said in a statement. “We ask that you respect our privacy at this time and we thank you for the love and light that all of you have shown him and us.” According to a representative for the band, Nesmith passed away from heart failure. The Monkees formed in 1965 when television producers Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider recruited Nesmith, Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork, and Davy Jones to be in a sitcom of the same name. As Dolenz recalled, “The Monkees was a TV show about an imaginary band, a band that wanted ...
Ralph Tavares, Eldest Brother of R&B Quintet Tavares, Dies at 79
Ralph Tavares, the eldest of the five brothers in the Grammy-winning R&B singing group Tavares, whose hits included “It Only Takes a Minute” and “Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel,” has died. Tavares died at his home in South Dartmouth, Mass., on Wednesday, two days before his 80th birthday, the group’s manager David Oriola said. The cause was not immediately clear. Explore See latest videos, charts and news The brothers, sons of immigrants from Cape Verde who were based in New Bedford, Mass., began performing together in 1959, settling on the name Tavares in 1973, the same year they had their first hit, “Check It Out.” Tavares sang alongside his brothers Antone Laurence “Chubby” Tavares, Perry Lee “Tiny” Tavares, Feliciano Vierra “Butch” Tavares Jr., and Arthur Paul “Pooch” Tavares. Ano...
Michael Nesmith, Monkees Singer-Songwriter, Dead at 78
Monkees singer, songwriter, and guitarist Michael Nesmith died Friday morning of natural causes at age 78, according to Rolling Stone. Nesmith wrote some of the group’s most notable songs, including “Mary, Mary,” “Circle Sky,” and “Listen to the Band.” “With Infinite Love, we announce that Michael Nesmith has passed away this morning in his home, surrounded by family, peacefully and of natural causes,” his family said in a statement. “We ask that you respect our privacy at this time and we thank you for the love and light that all of you have shown him and us.” Nesmith was a founding member of the Sixties pop-rock band and co-star of the iconic TV series, The Monkees. Last month, he and fellow Monkees member Micky Dolenz ended a farewell tour in Los Angeles. “It is with deep sadness that I...
R.I.P. Lina Wertmüller, First Woman to Be Nominated for Best Director Oscar Dead at 93
Lina Wertmüller, the Italian filmmaker who in 1977 became the first woman to be nominated for the Best Director Oscar, has died at the age of 93, Deadline reports. She passed away at home in her birthplace of Rome. Wertmüller had a long career in entertainment. After graduating from drama school in Rome, she began working in theater, where she had roles in set design, publicity, and puppeteering. She toured for years with an avant-garde puppet group. In the 1960s, Wertmüller set her sights on film and worked closely with the director Federico Fellini. She served as an assistant director on his 1963 film 8 1/2 before her directorial debut, The Basilisks, arrived that same year. Advertisement Related Video Wertmüller rose to international acclaim in the 1970s with films like T...
Robbie Shakespeare, Legendary Bass Player Who Formed Sly & Robbie, Dies at 68
Robbie Shakespeare, the two-time Grammy Award-winning bass player, record producer, and one half of the iconic rhythm section Sly & Robbie, died Wednesday (Dec. 8) at the age of 68. The late musician is remembered as one of the all-time greats on the bass guitar, and for shaping the sounds of reggae and dancehall music, across a career that earned him 13 Grammy nominations, snagging wins in 1984 and 1985. Jamaica’s Culture Minister Olivia Grange remarked that Shakespeare was among the country’s “greatest musicians.” Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news I am in shock and sorrow after just receiving the news that my friend and brother, the legendary basist Robbie Shakespeare has died. Robbie and Sly Dunbar, the drummer, as Sly and Robbie, have bee...
R.I.P. Robbie Shakespeare, Sly & Robbie Bassist Dead at 68
Robbie Shakespeare, the Jamaican bassist and producer who contributed to countless groundbreaking records as one-half of Sly & Robbie, had died at age 68. The Gleaner reports that he passed away in a Florida hospital following kidney surgery. Raised in Kingston by a family of musicians, Shakespeare learned to play the bass from legendary reggae musician Aston “Family Man” Barrett. He met his longtime musical partner, drummer Sly Dunbar, playing in the Revolutionaries, the house band at Channel One Studio. The pair split off from the studio in the 1970s and founded their own Taxi Records, and also continued playing as studio musicians on records like Culture’s 1977 record Two Sevens Clash and Gregory Isaacs’ 1978 LP Cool Ruler. Sly & Robbie were also members of the Compass Poin...
Robbie Shakespeare, Influential Sly and Robbie Bassist, Dies at 68
Known as one half of dynamic rhythm duo Sly and Robbie, bassist Robbie Shakespeare passed away at the age of 68 according to a Tweet by Olivia Grange, Jamaica’s Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment & Sport. The reggae legend collaborated with everyone from Bob Dylan to Grace Jones, Mick Jagger to Yoko Ono, and was revered both in and out of the reggae community. The cause of his passing has not been confirmed. “Words cannot describe the sadness we feel at the loss of our dear friend Robbie,” Ringo Starr’s son, drummer Zak Starkey posted on Instagram. “A giant of a man who brought deep outta space bass to the world and so much great times to us in Jamaica. We will miss you so. Truly thankful to u for yr massive part in our music — we could not have done it without you.” This is a ...
‘America’s Got Talent’ Contestant Skilyr Hicks Dies at 23
Former America’s Got Talent contestant Skilyr Hicks died Monday, Dec. 6, at age 23, TMZ reports. The singer-songwriter’s mom, Jodi, told the site that Hicks was found dead at a friend’s home in Liberty, S.C. Jodi also shared that the young artist had struggled with mental health issues and substance abuse. Chief Deputy Chad Brooks of the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office told TMZ that the suspected cause of death is a drug overdose. Billboard has reached out to the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office and America’s Got Talent for comment. Hicks appeared on season 8 of NBC’s talent competition in 2013, when she was only 14 years old. During her audition, she shared that she would be performing a song that she wrote in memory of her father, who died a few years earlier. “He made some bad decisions ...
Stonewall Jackson, Longtime Grand Ole Opry Member, Dies at 89
Stonewall Jackson, a Grand Ole Opry member who had a longtime career in country music, has died. He was 89. Jackson passed away on Saturday (Dec. 4) following a battle with vascular dementia, the Grand Ole Opry confirmed. Born in Tabor City, North Carolina, Jackson was then raised in Georgia before heading to Nashville. Jackson was known for his classic country singles that charted on the Hot Country Songs chart, including the country No. 1s “Waterloo” (1959) and “B.J. the D.J.” (1963), as well as songs like “Life to Go” (1958) and “Don’t Be Angry” (1964). Explore See latest videos, charts and news In an interview with Music Charts Magazine, Jackson recalled the excitement of being offered a five-year contract with the Grand Ole Opry on his first invitation to play there in 1956, after Wes...
R.I.P. Jonshel Alexander, Child Actor in Beasts of the Southern Wild, Shot and Killed
Jonshel Alexander, the former child actor who co-starred in the 2012 Oscar-nominated drama Beasts of the Southern Wild, was shot and killed over the weekend in her home state of Louisiana. She was 22 years old. As multiple outlets report, she and an unidentified man were both shot in a vehicle in New Orleans on Saturday. She was pronounced dead at the scene, while the man drove himself to the hospital for treatment. Alexander leaves behind a one-year-old daughter. Alexander was only 12-years-old when she played Joy Strong, friend of the protagonist Hushpuppy (Quvenzhané Wallis), in Benh Zeitlin’s debut feature film. She beat out over 4,000 other actors for the part, her mother Shelly Alexander recalled. “She brought life to everything. Jonshel was feisty, jazzy, spoiled...
