Obituary
R.I.P. DMX, Legendary Rapper Dead at 50
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-09T16:14:18+00:00“>April 9, 2021 | 12:14pm ET Legendary New York rapper DMX has died following a drug overdose that led to a fatal heart attack. He was 50 years old. According to a statement released by the rapper’s family, DMX passed away Friday, April 9th. “We are deeply saddened to announce today that our loved one, DMX, birth name of Earl Simmons, passed away at 50-years-old at White Plains Hospital with his family by his side after being placed on life support for the past few days,” the rapper’s family said. “Earl was a warrior who fought till the very end. He loved his family with all of his heart and we cherish the times we spent with him. Earl’s music inspired countless ...
Howard Weitzman, Power Attorney Who Represented Michael Jackson Estate, Dies at 81
Weitzman, a partner at Kinsella Weitzman Iser Kump, was a perennial on Billboard’s Top Music Lawyers list, including the latest edition, which came out last week. The litigation heavyweight was cited most recently for his work with the Jackson estate, most notably for its dispute with HBO over the Leaving Neverland documentary and the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeal’s December ruling in favor of the estate that the case must by arbitrated. The lead attorney on more than 300 civil and criminal jury trials, according to the bio on his firm’s website, Weitzman represented some of the biggest names in sports and entertainment during various points in his career, including O.J. Simpson, Marlon Brando, Ozzy and Sharon Osborne, Magic Johnson and Arnold Schwarzenegger, as well as talent agencies ...
R.I.P. Walter Olkewicz, Twin Peaks Dead at 72
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-08T01:31:18+00:00“>April 7, 2021 | 9:31pm ET Character actor Walter Olkewicz, best known for his roles on Twin Peaks and Grace Under Fire, has died at the age of 72. Olkewicz passed away early Tuesday morning at his Reseda home in Los Angeles, as revealed by his son, screenwriter Zak Olkewicz, to The Hollywood Reporter. Over the past 20 years, he struggled with health issues and had a series of knee surgeries that caused infections, forcing him to take a leave from acting. In Twin Peaks, Olkewicz portrayed the Canadian bartender and croupier Jacques Renault during season one. He returned for Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, Twin Peaks: The Missing Pieces, and the 201...
R.I.P. Paul Ritter, Chernobyl and Harry Potter Actor Dead at 54
Paul Ritter, the English actor known for his roles in the HBO miniseries Chernobyl and films like Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince and Quantum of Solace, has died at the age of 54. According to a statement released by his agent, Ritter passed away Monday (April 5th) from complications related to a brain tumor. “Paul was an exceptionally talented actor playing an enormous variety of roles on stage and screen with extraordinary skill,” Ritter’s agent said in a statement. “He was fiercely intelligent, kind and very funny. We will miss him greatly.” In Chernobyl, Ritter portrayed Anatoly Dyatlov, the deputy chief engineer at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. The 2019 mini-series went on to win 10 Emmy Awards and two Golden Globes. On-screen, Ritter will be remembered for his role a...
R.I.P. “B.B.” Dickerson, War Co-Founder and Bassist Dead at 71
Morris “B.B.” Dickerson, co-founding member, co-vocalist, and bassist of War, has died at the age of 71. According to Billboard, Dickerson passed away Friday (April 2nd) following a long, undisclosed illness. War’s origins date back to the late 1960s, when Dickerson and several other future members of War served as the backing band for football player Deacon Jones. After record producer Jerry Goldstein caught the band in concert, he linked them up with former Animals singer Eric Burdon — and the rest was history. Burdon and War released their debut album, Eric Burdon Declares “War”, in April 1970. It peaked at No. 18 on US albums chart, due in large part to the hit single, “Spill the Wine”, which peaked at No. 3 on the singles chart. The group’s sophomore double album, The Black-Man’s...
R.I.P. Gloria Henry, Dennis the Menace’s TV Mom Dead at 98
Gloria Henry, the American actress who famously played Dennis the Menace’s mother on the widely popular CBS family sitcom, has died at the age of 98. News of her passing was confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter. Henry portrayed Alice Mitchell, mother of Denis Mitchell, on Dennis the Menace for four seasons between 1959 and 1963, staring opposite Jay North (Dennis), Herbert Anderson (Henry Mitchell), and Joseph Kearns (Dennis’ neighborhood nemesis, Mr. Wilson.) Tragically, the show’s run was cut short following the death of Kearns, who suffered a cerebral hemorrhage mid-way through season four. Even after the show’s cancelation in 1963, Dennis the Menace lived on in syndication for decades to come, with episodes often airing on networks like Nickelodeon and TV Land. The show&n...
Morris ‘B.B.’ Dickerson, Founding Member of War, Dies at 71
Morris “B.B.” Dickerson, a founding member of the band War, has died at the age of 71. B.B. Dickerson, bassist and vocalist for the funk rock band, passed away peacefully at a Long Beach, Calif., hospital on Friday (April 2) after a long, undisclosed illness, a representative confirms to Billboard. Dickerson, who was born in 1949 in Torrance, Calif., and got his start on the bass guitar at the age of 12, helped develop War’s signature sound co-writing and playing on tunes like “The Cisco Kid,” “Why Can’t We Be Friends,” “Low Rider,” “Summer” and more. You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It begins with giving you back power. Get to meet Beautifu...
R.I.P. Brian Rohan, “Dope Lawyer” for Grateful Dead and Ken Kesey Dead at 84
Brian Rohan, the San Francisco “dope lawyer” who represented celebrity clients like Grateful Dead and author Ken Kesey, has died at 84. He passed away at home in the Bay Area after a six-year-long battle with cancer, confirmed his daughter Kathleen Jolson. “My father grew up very straitlaced, and he was fascinated by what he saw in the Haight. He was looking for somebody to help, and he saw that nobody was there to protect the kids flocking to San Francisco,” Jolson told the San Francisco Chronicle. “He worked until the last day of his life, clutching his phone in one hand and his iPad in the other. He fought for his clients, he fought for his friends, and he fought for what he thought was right.” Born in Tacoma, Washington in 1936, Rohan spent his high school years rocking the debate team...
Power Trip and Obituary Honor Riley Gale With ‘Executioner’s Tax (Swing of the Axe)’ Performance
For the first time since lead singer Riley Gale died last year, the surviving members of Grammy-nominated Texas band Power Trip got together to pay musical tribute to their late frontman, joining John and Donald Tardy of metal behemoths Obituary for a studio performance of Power Trip’s “Executioner’s Tax (Swing of the Axe).” Power Trip’s surviving members — guitarists Nick Stewart and Blake Ibanez, drummer Chris Ulsh, and bassist Chris Whetzel — also affirmed their desire to carry on, Stewart telling the Los Angeles Times, “We do want to continue to play music together; we just are not sure what that looks like at this time.” > In the tribute to Gale, who died in August 2020 at the age of 34, the band held up a photo of Gale, saying “rest in peace, brother,” before l...
R.I.P. Tavish Maloney, Oso Oso Guitarist Dead at 24
Oso Oso guitarist Tavish Maloney died on March 24th at the age of 24. The cause of his passing is currently undisclosed. Several days after Maloney’s death, Oso Oso lead singer Jade Lilitri shared a lengthy tribute to his longtime friend, in which he described the guitarist as “a rock star in every sense of the word.” Lilitri added, “he treated the stage like church and the audience like God.” Lilitri said Maloney was “healthy happy and ready to thrive” when they last saw each other. They were filming a movie together and had plans to work on an album this summer. The full tribute includes stories about growing up together in Long Beach, New York. Read the whole thing below. Musicians like The Hotelier’s Christian Holden, Prince Daddy & the Hyena, Kississippi, Mom Jeans, Retirement Par...
R.I.P. Malcolm Cecil, Synth Pioneer and Stevie Wonder Collaborator Dead at 84
Malcolm Cecil, the influential jazz musician and producer credited with co-designing and constructing the world’s largest analog synthesizer, died Sunday (March 28th) at the age of 84 after a lengthy battle with an undisclosed illness. Hailing from London, Cecil cut his chops by playing bass alongside some of the UK’s most celebrated jazz musicians, including Dick Morrissey, Tony Crombie, and Ronnie Scott, in addition to leading his own quintet called The Jazz Couriers. In the 1960s, he teamed up with Cyril Davis and Alexis Korner to form Blues Incorporated — the highly influential rhythm and blues band whose rotating cast of collaborators included Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Brian Jones, Charlie Watts, Ginger Baker, Jack Bruce, and Davey Graham. In fact, as the story goes, Jagger and Ric...
R.I.P. Rob Vitale, Singer of New York Hardcore Band Black Train Jack Dies From COVID-19
Rob Vitale, the lead singer of New York hardcore band Black Train Jack has tragically died from COVID-19 complications. His death was confirmed by a number of figures in the NYHC scene, including Sick of It All. “Our hearts are heavy tonight,” wrote Sick of It All on Facebook on Sunday night. “We lost our friend to COVID. Thinking of all the shows, the tours all the good times and laughs we shared. Rest In Peace Rob.” Sick of It All drummer Armand Majidi added, “Tonight we honor a truly good man who departed this world far too early. Rest easy Rob. It was a pleasure touring with you and sharing many fond moments. @bobeatsbtj you were loved by many and will be missed dearly.” Black Train Jack got their start in the early ’90s and landed a record deal with Roadrunner Records. They released t...
