R.I.P. Dave Rosser

On Wednesday, Dave Rosser, guitarist for The Afghan Whigs, passed away at the age of 50.

npr.org

Rosser was a newer edition to the band, joining them for the 2014 reunion, Do to the Beast, though he had previously worked with Greg Dulli in The Gutter Twins and the Twilight Singers. He was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2016, but stayed with the band to record their latest, In Spades, released two months ago. His fellow bandmates announced his passing on Facebook.

Goodbye, Mr. Rosser!

Songs to remember him by:

The Twilight Singers - "She Was Stolen"
The Internet - "Under Control"
The Afghan Whigs - "I Got Lost"

R.I.P. Leonard Cohen

On November 7, at the age of 82, musician and poet Leonard Cohen passed away.

Throughout much of his career, Cohen was not a top-selling artist, but many of his songs have become widely recognized due to myriad covers and he is considered to be one of the greatest songwriters of his generation.

Cohen started as a writer, but pursued a music career starting in 1967. He's released 14 albums over those almost-50 years. He enjoyed a late career resurgence with three albums released since 2012 that were among his most celebrated and successful. Old Ideas, Popular Problems, and You Want It Darker all cracked the top 20 on the US charts and saw the highest sales ever in his career.

Though not intended to be his final record, You Want It Darker, released in October just a few weeks before his death, feels like a prophetic release, with thematic elements of religion and death.

So long, Mr. Cohen!

Songs to remember him by:

"So Long Marianne"
"Hallelujah"
"You Want It Darker"

R.I.P. Phil Chess

On October 18, at the age of 95, Phil Chess, founder of Chess Records passed away.

npr.org

He started Chess Records in 1950 with his brother Leonard. The company had previously been named Aristocrat Records and produced a wide variety of music style. With the name change, the company shifted focus to R&B music. The label released music by Howlin Wolf, Chuck Berry, and Willie Dixon, but was perhaps best known for launching the career of Etta James.

He retired in 1972 and the record label ceased operation not long after. He was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1995 as a non-performer.

Goodbye Phil Chess!

Songs to remember him by:

Gene Ammons - "My Foolish Heart"
Chuck Berry - "No Particular Place to Go"
Etta James - "All I Could Do Was Cry"

R.I.P. Thomas Fekete

Today, it was reported that Thomas Fekete, former guitarist for Surfer Blood, passed away.

Fekete helped to found the band in 2009 along with vocalist John Paul Pitts and drummer Tyler Schwarz. He was with them for each of their three albums and six years. Last year, he was diagnosed with Sarcoma, a form of cancer, and was forced to sit out touring and promotion for their latest album, 1000 Palms.

Fekete's wife started a GoFundMe for his cancer treatment and the band raised money while on tour, some of which ended up stolen along with their equipment. He did not spend his time off-tour idle, releasing a cassette-only album, Burner, at the end of last year.

Today, at the age of 27, he succumbed to his cancer. His wife posted a beautiful message on the GoFundMe page, and fans, musicians, and his bandmates have posted touching tributes to him on social media.

I love you Thom. Thank you for being part of my life. I'll never meet anyone like you again & I'll miss you everyday pic.twitter.com/LUHQAU1MvO

— Surfer Blood (@surferblood) May 31, 2016

Goodbye, Thomas, you will be missed.

Now, check out his sweet guitar skills!

R.I.P., Prince

This is, of course, not intended to be breaking news, just my chance to eulogize a great artist.

2016 sealed its status as seemingly the worst year for the deaths of celebrated and established musicians when Prince passed away on April 21. This was a death I didn't believe at first, initially thinking it was just another celebrity death hoax. Prince has always seemed to ageless, it was hard to believe that he even could die.

His career spanned back four decades, he almost never went a year without a new album from 1978 through just last year. He was perhaps best known for a string of hits through the 80s, though he maintained an iconic status, even while known as an unpronounceable symbol into the 90s, and through a modest resurgence in the aughts.

As did the death of David Bowie earlier this year, Prince's passing has inspired a wide range of covers performed or recorded in tribute. Artists as diverse as Mac DeMarco, Chris Cornell, and Beyoncé have offered up their own takes of his most iconic songs. It's a reminder of just how far-reaching his music had become.

Goodbye Prince, you will be greatly missed!

Goodbye David Bowie

Earlier this week, the world lost one of its few true musical visionaries when David Bowie passed away from cancer, reportedly of the liver, aged 69.

Though he had battled the disease for the last 18 months of his life, his death came as a surprise to many outside of his closest friends and family. His career had spanned more then half a century, but he had seemed to kicked off a resurgence in 2013 with the release of The Next Day, which came after a ten year gap of new studio recordings. That album was followed up with an appearance on Arcade Fire's "Reflektor," the Nothing Has Changed compilation, a retrospective box set, his off-Broadway play Lazarus, and another new album, Blackstar. Seemingly few saw that the album was his goodbye to the world.

He ended his life in a way that it seems only David Bowie could. He was a man who constantly challenged our expectations on music, style, beauty, and reinvention; it seems only fitting that he would challenge our expectations of how a celebrity handles their end of life. He knew it was towards the end, but certainly couldn't have predicted when his moment would come. There's something a bit mystical about the timing of it; to release what amounts to a farewell record just before passing away. In true Bowie fashion, he was eccentric, innovative, and excellent right up until the end.

Goodbye Mr. Bowie! And thank you for give us so much amazing music!

R.I.P. Carey Lander

On Sunday, the world lost one of the great Scottish indie pop performers when Carey Lander, keyboardist for Camera Obscura, passed away.

facebook.com

Carey had been diagnosed with Osteosarcoma, a rare bone disease, in 2011, but continued performing and recording with the band up until this past August, when the band canceled shows to accommodate her treatment.

Before she passed, Lander set up a Just-Giving page to help raise awareness and funds for research into the disease. Its rarity means that funding and attention tend to be scarce. The page has exceeded its goal, but is still active if you wish to make a donation.

Songs to remember her by:

"The Sun on His Back"
"My Maudlin Career"
"Desire Lines"

R.I.P. Bob Johnston

On Sunday, the world lost an iconic record producer when Bob Johnston passed away at the age of 83 after suffering heart failure.

yibada.com

The son of songwriter Diane Johnston, Bob got his start in the music industry in the 1950s as a rockabilly performer. By the '60s, he was writing music for Elvis Presley with his wife, Joy. He later went on to produce iconic albums for the likes of Simon & Garfunkel (The Sounds of Silence), Johnny Cash (At Folsom Prison), Leonard Cohen (Songs of Love and Hate), and Bob Dylan (Nashville Skyline). The albums in parentheses are just a small sampling of what he'd produced.

Listen:

Simon & Garfunkel - "I Am a Rock"
Willie Nelson - "Who'll Buy My Memories"
Bob Dylan - "To Be Alone with You"
Johnny Cash - "Flesh & Blood"
Leonard Cohen - "Avalanche"

R.I.P., Scott Asheton

Earlier this month, drummer Scott Asheton passed away at the age of 64.

pitchfork.com

Asheton was one of the founding members of the iconic punk band The Stooges along with his brother Ron, Iggy Pop and Dave Alexander. He played with the band throughout their initial run from 1967 to 1974 and rejoined when the group rebanded in 2003. At the time of his death, he was the only remaining founding member of the band besides frontman Iggy Pop. He passed away from a heart attack on March 15.

Goodbye, Mr. Asheton!

Listen: The Stooges - "1969"

R.I.P., Benjamin Curtis

Normally, when I write about a great musician passing away, they are older and have been able to long establish themselves. Benjamin Curtis, of the band School of Seven Bells, was just 35 when he passed away from T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma earlier this week.

Curtis had formed the band after meeting twin sisters Alejandra and Claudia Deheza in 2007. Together they released two albums, Alpinisms and Disconnect from Desire before Claudia left the ensemble in 2010. After her departure, they released one more album, Ghostory, in 2012.

filter.com

Benjamin was diagnosed towards the beginning of 2013, but was expected to make a recovery. Unfortunately, that did not occur and he passed away on December 29. The last single released from the band before his diagnosis was "Scavenger" in 2012.

Goodbye, Ben!

R.I.P. Lou Reed

This is a very sad post for me to write. Yesterday, at the age of 71, Lou Reed passed away. Reed was a founder and the lead singer (until about 1971) for the influential band The Velvet Underground. He's been credited with creating a sound that led to the eventual popularity of punk, new wave, and grunge and has often considered to have been ahead of his time. Even after his departure from The Velvet Underground, he continued to create influential recordings and gained one commercial hit with "Walk on the Wild Side." He also continued to push the boundaries of what was expected from him as an artist; case in point, 2011's Lulu with Metallica.

Reed passed away from liver disease following a liver transplant earlier this year.

1fmediaproject.net

Goodbye, Lou Reed, you will be greatly missed!

The Velvet Underground - "Pale Blue Eyes"
Lou Reed - "Heavenly Arms"
Lou Reed & Metallica - "Brandenburg Gate"

R.I.P., Phil Ramone

On March 30 of this year, producer extraordinaire Phil Ramone passed away at the age of 79.

brooklynvegan.com

Ramone had a long career in the music business, starting in 1959, when he established the A&R Recording label. He went on to produce records for a number of prominent musicians almost right until the end of his life. He has produced recordings by Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin, among many others.

Goodbye, Mr. Griffiths!

Listen: Billy Joel - "You May Be Right"

R.I.P., Richard Griffiths

On March 28 of this year, iconic British actor Richard Griffiths passed away at the age of 65.

flickeringmyth.com

Although he became best known playing Vernon Dursley in the Harry Potter films, Richard had a long career in British television, movies and theatre. His most acclaimed role, perhaps, came towards the end of his career, in the play and film The History Boys, for which he won a Tony and received a BAFTA nomination. He passed away after complications from a heart surgery.

Goodbye, Mr. Griffiths!

R.I.P., Deke Richards

Earlier this year, on March 24, songwriter Deke Richards passed away at 68 years old.

spinner.com

Deke was a songwriter for Motown who helped pen many Jackson 5 hits, such as "ABC," "Sugar Daddy" and "I Want You Back" as a member of The Corporation. After The Corporation disbanded, he continued writing songs from Diana Ross. He passed away from esophageal cancer in March.

Goodbye, Deke!

Listen: The Jackson 5 - "I Want You Back"

R.I.P., Ric Menello

On March 1 this year, music video director and movie writer Ric Menello passed away at 60 years old.

bet.com

Menello became friends with hip hop producer Rick Rubin, through whom he met the Beastie Boys. He directed their iconic video for "(You Gotta Fight) For Your Right (To Party!)" before going on to write screenplays for such films as Tougher Than Leather and Two Lovers. His final film, The Immigrant, will be released later this year.

R.I.P., Justin Benoit

Though Cold Cave is known for dark, gloomy music, it's no less sad that a member of that family has passed away.

From spinner.com

Justin Benoit became a touring member of the band after the release of their first album, Love Comes Close, and recorded with them on a split single with Prurient. Some sources report that he was 35 years at passing, though others omit an age. No cause of death was reported. Justin passed on February 21.

Main Cold Cave member Wesley Eisold eulogized Justin on the band's Facebook page.

Goodbye, Justin!

Cold Cave/Prurient - "Gravity's Victory"

R.I.P. Ravi Shankar

rollingstone.com

Ravi Shankar, the iconic Indian musician and sitar player, passed away last Tuesday at the age of 92. Shankar had a long and prolific career; he was recording music and performing right up until the end. He had brought Hindustani music to the mainstream through both his own work and his collaborations with The Beatles (especially George Harrison). His influence set the tone of much of the band's best work.

He leaves a legacy even in death, with his two surviving children, Anoushka Shankar and Norah Jones, both celebrated musicians. His legacy also continues in his influence, both direct and indirect, on many artists today.

Goodbye Ravi!

"Prabhati"

"Tabla Tarang" & "Tala Rasa Ranga"

R.I.P Larry Hagman

Iconic television actor Larry Hagman died yesterday at the age of 81.

philly.com

While Hagman became best known for his role in the 1980s soap opera Dallas, I remember him most at the comic foil to Barbara Eden on the 1960s sitcom I Dream of Jeannie. Back when TV Land and Nick at Nite actually aired old shows, his was one of my favorite shows on the networks.

Goodbye, Mr. Hagman!

I Dream of Jeannie - "One of Our Bottles is Missing" (Part 1)

I Dream of Jeannie - "One of Our Bottles is Missing" (Part 2)

R.I.P. Mel Stuart

On Thursday, the director of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Mel Stuart, passed away.

Stuart was most known for directing the original 1971 interpretation of Roald Dahl's novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Although not fully sanctioned the author (due, in part, to a script rewrite), the movie became a classic and was certainly one of my childhood favorites. Although, he continued directing, including dozens of "movies of the week," Chocolate Factory became his legacy.

Goodbye, Mr. Stuart!




2010 Interview with Mel Stuart

R.I.P. Bill Doss

Indie music lost a major figure earlier this week with the death of Bill Doss.

Doss was a member of The Olivia Tremor Control and a founder of one of the most influential indie record labels and collectives, Elephant 6, which also includes Neutral Milk Hotel, of Montreal and The Apples in Stereo. He had helped to make Athens, Georgia a major music scene. He was only 43 years old.

Goodbye, Bill Doss!

The Olivia Tremor Control - "No Growing (Exegesis)" from Dusk at Cubist Castle

The Sunshine Fix - "Sunday Afternoon" from Green Imagination

The Apples in Stereo - "Energy" from New Magnetic Wonder