Obituary
Sarah Harding Dead: Girls Aloud Singer Dies at 39 After Cancer Fight
Harding said earlier this year that she was told by a doctor that she will likely not be alive next Christmas. In her autobiography, released in March, she said she decided to announce her illness in the hope that others who have concerns would seek medical help and not leave a cancer diagnosis until it’s too late. Harding found fame in 2002 as a contestant on the ITV talent show “Popstars: The Rivals,” which paved the way for her joining Girls Aloud alongside Nicola Roberts, Kimberley Walsh, Cheryl Tweedy and Nadine Coyle. The group had several hits including “Sound of the Underground,” “Love Machine” and “The Promise” before it split up in 2013. After Girls Aloud, Harding appeared in several movies and television shows as well as a stage adaptation of “Ghost” the movie. She won the reali...
R.I.P. Willard Scott, Today Show Weatherman Dead at 87
Willard Scott, the longtime television personality and weatherman on NBC’s The Today Show, has died at the age of 87. Al Roker, Scott’s longtime friend and Today successor, announced the news of his passing on Saturday. “We lost a beloved member of our @todayshow family this morning. Willard Scott passed peacefully at the age of 87 surrounded by family, including his daughters Sally and Mary and his lovely wife, Paris,” Roker wrote. A cause of death was not immediately disclosed. “He was truly my second dad and am where I am today because of his generous spirit,” Roker added. “Willard was a man of his times, the ultimate broadcaster. There will never be anyone quite like him.” Advertisement Related Video Scott’s six-decade career in broadcasting began on the radio as the co-star of the imp...
Arnold ‘Arnie’ Pustilnik, Bill Graham Disciple Who Managed Train & Santana, Dies at 75
Over three decades, Pustilink worked alongside Graham to transform the promoter’s namesake company into the premier rock concert promotion outfit of the 1970s and ‘80s. He eventually rose to co-head of the management division alongside Mick Bridgen, and, following Graham’s death in a helicopter crash in 1991, helped keep the promoter’s legacy alive by continuing to steward the company’s management clients into the next decade. Born in 1946, Pustilnik left his native New York sometime in the early 1970s for the San Francisco Bay Area, where he lived as “a hippie selling sandwiches on the streets of Berkeley,” Brigden tells Billboard. Pustilnik, who is remembered for sporting a flowing ponytail around the office in his younger years, linked up with the already-established Graham around that ...
Mikis Theodorakis, Greek Composer Behind ‘Serpico’ and ‘Zorba the Greek,’ Dies at 96
But the towering man with trademark worker suits, hoarse voice and wavy hair also is remembered by Greeks for his stubborn opposition to postwar regimes that persecuted him and outlawed his music. The Greek flag was lowered to half-staff at the Acropolis as three days of national mourning were declared. “He lived with passion, a life dedicated to music, the arts, our country and its people, dedicated to the ideas of freedom, justice, equality, social solidarity,” Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou said in a statement. “He wrote music that became intertwined with the historical and social developments in Greece in the postwar years, music that provided encouragement, consolation, protest, and support in the darker periods of our recent history.” Born Michail Theodorakis on the eastern...
R.I.P. Inge Ginsberg, Holocaust Survivor and “Death Metal Grandma” Dies at 99
Inge Ginsberg, a Holocaust survivor who later became known as the “Death Metal Grandma,” has died at the age of 99. According to the New York Times, she passed away due to heart failure on July 20th in a care home in Zürich, Switzerland. In her youth, Ginsberg fled the Holocaust and helped US spies during World War II. Her life took her all over the world, and she lived in New York City, Switzerland, Israel, and Ecuador at various times. Ginsberg would go on to write songs in Hollywood and also worked as a journalist. When she wasn’t on the job, she wrote poetry. Refusing to give up her passion, her songs and poetry would become the crux of her foray into heavy metal in her latter years. Advertisement Related Video Fronting her band, Inge and the Tritones, Ginsberg appeared on Swtizer...
Iron Butterfly Drummer Ron Bushy Dies at 79
He made his mark with an extended drum solo on the band’s epic hit “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida,” from 1968, the full cut of which runs to 17 minutes. “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” peaked at No. 30 on the Billboard Hot 100, one of four Iron Butterfly titles to impact the chart. Its parent album hit No. 4 on the Billboard 200, while 1969’s Ball went to No. 3. Though the band would pause on several occasions, and reunite with different lineups, Bushy was a constant. In an interview with Vinyl Writer, published in February of this year, Bushy hinted at several songs that were never fleshed out in the studio. “Actually we had three new songs that were never recorded,” he explained. “Unfortunately, some of the band members did not want to do music anymore. Now, some of our I.B. members have pass...
R.I.P. Lee “Scratch” Perry, Reggae Pioneer Dead at 85
Lee “Scratch” Perry, the pioneering reggae and dub music producer and singer, has died at the age of 85. Andrew Holness, the Prime Minister of Jamaica, announced news of Perry’s passing on Sunday. “My deep condolences to the family, friends, and fans of legendary record producer and singer, Rainford Hugh Perry OD, affectionately known as ‘Lee Scratch’ Perry,” Prime Minister Holness wrote in a statement posted to Twitter. “[Perry] has worked with and produced for various artistes, including Bob Marley and the Wailers, the Congos, Adrian Sherwood, the Beastie Boys, and many others. Undoubtedly, Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry will always be remembered for his sterling contribution to the music fraternity. May his soul Rest In Peace.” The Jamaica Observer reports that Perry passed away Sunday (August 29t...
R.I.P. Ed Asner, Most Decorated Male Performer in TV History Dies at 91
Ed Asner, the most decorated male performer in television history, has died at the age of 91. According to a statement from his family, Asner passed away Sunday morning. “We are sorry to say that our beloved patriarch passed away this morning peacefully,” his family said in a statement. “Words cannot express the sadness we feel. With a kiss on your head — Goodnight dad. We love you.” Asner was the recipient of seven Emmy Awards, the most of any male performer in television history. He won five Emmys for his role as Lou Grant on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and its titular spin-off series, Lou Grant. He also won an Emmy for his role as Captain Thomas Davies in Roots, and for his role as Axel Jordache in the mini-series Rich Man, Poor Man. Beyond his work on-screen, Asner was an accomplished vo...
Kenny Malone, Prolific Nashville Session Drummer, Dies at 83
“He expanded the vocabulary of Nashville drumming, and was always an innovator who invented his own unique style of hand drumming, often combining sticks and brushes with hand percussion to create a unique sound and feel that left lots of space for other instruments and the vocals,” Pomeroy said in a statement. Malone, from Denver, enlisted in the Navy and served 14 years, playing as a musician in the U.S. Navy Band. He came to Nashville in 1970 and started working with famed Nashville producer “Cowboy” Jack Clement and soon became one of the most utilized drummers and percussionists in town. The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum said he worked on records by Bobby Bare, Garth Brooks, Johnny Cash, Emmylou Harris, George Jones, Barbara Mandrell, Charley Pride, Kenny Rogers, Dottie ...
Rolling Stones Drummer Charlie Watts Dies at 80
“Rock swings with a heavy backbeat,” Watts once explained to writer Chet Flippo. “It’s supposed to be fun, and that’s why I like it. It’s dance music…Heavy backbeat, that’s what it is.” And that sensibility became a hallmark of the Stones’ enduring sound. “To me, Charlie IS the Rolling Stones,” Keith Richards once told Billboard. “We can be as wild as we want, all over the place, but Charlie never falls out of place. He keeps it all locked in and moving forward.” Wyman, meanwhile, saluted Watts as “an economist” in both his playing and his instrument. “I look at all these drummers that have all these pieces on [their kits] to band around on, and Charlie has, like, seven,” the bassist...
R.I.P. Marilyn Eastman, Night of Living Dead Actress Dead at 87
Marilyn Eastman, the actress best known for her role as Helen Cooper in Night of the Living Dead, has passed away. She died peacefully in her sleep in Tampa, Florida on Sunday night. She was 87 years old. Marilyn Eastman’s son, John Eastman, broke the news in a Facebook post, writing, “Marilyn was a Stage, Television and Radio performer as well as a writer and producer. More importantly, she was a hard working single mother who raised my brother and I on her own. I cannot overstate how much she enjoyed the affection and attention shown to her by countless NOLD fans, and up until several weeks ago, was planning personal appearances.” Born in Davenport, Iowa on December 17th, 1933, Eastman was driven in life by a need to explore and create. As such, she moved to Pittsburgh in the early ’60s ...
R.I.P. Don Everly, One-Half of The Everly Brothers Dies at 84
Don Everly, one-half of influential musical duo The Everly Brothers along with his brother Phil, died Saturday (August 22nd) at the age of 84. “Don lived by what he felt in his heart,” a representative said in a statement. “Don expressed his appreciation for the ability to live his dreams … with his soulmate and wife, Adela, and sharing the music that made him an Everly Brother.” A cause of death was not specified. The Everly Brothers arrived onto the scene in the late 1950s, performing rockabilly and rock ‘n’ roll songs in close harmonies that would influence bands for years to come. Throughout their career, they had over two dozen Top 40 hits, including “Cathy’s Clown,” “Wake Up Little Susie,” “All I Have to Do is Dream,” and “Bye Bye Love.” With 35 Top 100 singles, they’re second to onl...
