Music History

American bassist Bob Birch died at his Los Angeles home at the age of 56 from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He had been a member of Elton John's band since 1992 and also worked with Bryan Adams, Lionel Richie, George Michael, Eric Clapton, B. B. King, Phil Collins and The Doobie Brothers.

American singer and songwriter Philip Blondheim, known as Scott McKenzie, died at the age of 73 in Los Angeles, California, after a two-year battle with Guillain–Barré syndrome. He was best known for his 1967 hit “San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)” and co-wrote The Beach Boys' hit “Kokomo,” which reached No. 1 in 1988.

American lyricist Hal David, longtime collaborator of Burt Bacharach, died at the age of 91.

Entertainer Max Bygraves died after a battle with Alzheimer's disease in Hope Island, Queensland, Australia, at the age of 89.

American lyricist Hal David, longtime collaborator of Burt Bacharach, died in Los Angeles at the age of 91 from complications following a stroke. Together they wrote dozens of hits for Dionne Warwick and other artists, including “Walk On By,” “I Say a Little Prayer,” “The Look of Love,” “Alfie” and “Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head,” for which David won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Just months before his death, they jointly received the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.

Nat Weiss, a lawyer and manager associated, among other things, with Beatles merchandising in the United States, died in New York City.

Singer, keyboardist, composer and producer George Duke, known for his work with Frank Zappa and the Clarke/Duke Project with Stanley Clarke, died in Los Angeles at the age of 67 from chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Cowboy Jack Clement, a songwriter and producer who worked with, among others, Johnny Cash, died at the age of 82 in Nashville, Tennessee, from liver cancer.

Eydie Gorme, a respected nightclub and television singer, died at Sunrise Hospital & Medical Center at the age of 84 after a short, unspecified illness. She was survived by her husband Steve Lawrence, to whom she had been married for 56 years, and her son, songwriter David Nessim Lawrence. She was best known for her 1963 hit “Blame It on the Bossa Nova,” which reached No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100. Between 1956 and 1964, she had six more songs on the Hot 100 and won Grammy and Emmy Awards.

Jody Payne, guitarist for The Family, Willie Nelson's backing band, died at the age of 77 from heart complications in Stapleton, Alabama.

The drummer of The Charlatans died at the age of 44. He had been undergoing treatment for a brain tumor since 2010 after suffering a seizure during a tour.

A founding member of Blue Öyster Cult died in Manhattan, New York, at the age of 67 from complications of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (C.O.P.D.) after a long battle with lung disease.

Music promoter Sid Bernstein, best known for arranging The Beatles' concerts at Carnegie Hall and later at Shea Stadium, died in Manhattan, New York, at the age of 95. In the 1960s, he brought The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Herman's Hermits, The Moody Blues and The Kinks to America. He also worked as manager of The (Young) Rascals and singer Tony Bennett. He was the first promoter to organize rock concerts in sports stadiums.

Singer, bassist and guitarist Joe Kelley of The Shadows of Knight died in Winfield, Illinois, at the age of 67 from lung cancer. The group became known for their cover of “Gloria” by Them, which reached No. 10 on the Billboard chart in 1966. After leaving the group in 1967, he later performed with blues figures including Willie Dixon, Buddy Miles and Freddie King.

Rosetta Hightower, singer with The Orlons, died on August 2, 2014, at the age of 70. The group had five U.S. Top 20 hits in the 1960s.

Lauren Bacall died at the age of 89; the source describes her as the last surviving film star mentioned in Madonna's song “Vogue.”

Doo-wop singer Tommy Gough of The Crests died at the age of 74 from throat cancer at his home in Flint, Michigan.

Glenn Cornick, the original bassist and a founding member of Jethro Tull, died at the age of 67 from heart failure. He was with the group from its formation in late 1967 until 1970.

Belgian music promoter Gustav De Ridder died at the age of 78.

Jimi Jamison, lead singer of Survivor, died at the age of 63 from a heart attack. He joined the group in 1984 and sang on "The Moment of Truth", "High on You", "I Can't Hold Back", "The Search Is Over", "Burning Heart" and "Is This Love". Together with other writers, he also wrote and sang the theme song "I'm Always Here" for the television series "Baywatch".

He died at the age of 63. He became known as the singer of the rock groups Survivor, Target and Cobra.

Country music producer, songwriter, and arranger Billy Sherrill died after a short illness at the age of 78.

The American music producer died at the age of 83 in Nashville, Tennessee. He produced numerous important albums, including Bob Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited, Blonde on Blonde, John Wesley Harding, Nashville Skyline, Self Portrait and New Morning; Simon & Garfunkel's Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme and Sounds of Silence; Leonard Cohen's Songs from a Room; and Johnny Cash's At Folsom Prison. He also produced for Aretha Franklin, The Byrds and Patti Page.

The manager of Wham!, Snow Patrol, Scissor Sisters and The Verve died of lung cancer. He co-managed Wham! and is credited with helping them break into the American market in 1985 and subsequently tour China as the first Western pop group.

Ricci Martin, musician and youngest son of Dean Martin, died at the age of 62 at his home in Utah.

She died at the age of 95; she was the mother of Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb and Andy Gibb.

The former keyboardist and synthesizer player, who worked with Nine Inch Nails from 1991 to 1994 and also with Rob Halford's group 2wo, died at the age of 49. He fell from a ladder in his studio in Illinois and died from neck injuries. John 5 of Marilyn Manson also played in 2wo.

American music producer, manager and con artist Lou Pearlman died at the age of 62 from cardiac arrest while serving a 25-year sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution in Texarkana, Texas. He was the manager of successful boy bands Backstreet Boys and NSYNC. In 2006, he was accused of running one of the largest and longest-running Ponzi schemes in history, leaving more than $300 million in debt. After being caught, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy, money laundering and making false statements during bankruptcy proceedings. In 2008, he was sentenced to up to 25 years in prison.

Former 3 Doors Down guitarist Matt Roberts died at the age of 38 in a hotel room in Wisconsin, probably as a result of an accidental prescription drug overdose. 3 Doors Down achieved international fame with their debut single “Kryptonite”, which reached the Top 3 of the Billboard chart. Their 2000 debut album “The Better Life” was the 11th best-selling album of the year and was certified six-times platinum in the U.S.

Tom Searle of Architects died at the age of 28 from skin cancer.

Belgian jazz multi-instrumentalist and composer Jean-Baptiste Frédéric Isidor, professionally known as Toots Thielemans, died in Brussels at the age of 94. He became best known as a legendary harmonica player.

Toots Thielemans, the legendary Belgian jazz harmonica player, died.

Jeanne Martin, the late Dean Martin's former wife, died of cancer at the age of 89. She married the singer in 1949 and had three children with him, including Dean Paul Martin, while also raising four children from Dean's first marriage. They divorced in 1972.

Mexican singer and songwriter Juan Gabriel died of a heart attack at the age of 66. He sold more than 200 million recordings worldwide and was one of the best-selling Latin American singers and songwriters. His nineteenth studio album “Recuerdos, Vol. II” was reportedly the best-selling album of all time in Mexico, with more than eight million copies sold.

American country-pop singer, guitarist, songwriter, actor and television host Glen Campbell died at the age of 81 after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease. During his career, he had 21 Billboard Top 40 hits, 75 additional songs on the country chart and more than 70 studio albums. He sold 45 million records worldwide, hosted his own television show and received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Jerry Lewis, an actor and comedian who also had a Billboard No. 10 hit in 1956 with “Rock-A-Bye Your Baby With A Dixie Melody”, died at the age of 91. After making seventeen films with Dean Martin, he continued with a solo career and succeeded in films such as “The Bellboy” and “The Nutty Professor”. As host of the Muscular Dystrophy Association telethon, he helped the charity raise more than $1.5 billion. His will later revealed that he had excluded all six of his sons, including musician Gary Lewis, and left his estate to his second wife SanDee Pitnick and adopted daughter Danielle.

Sonny Burgess, a musician associated with Sun Records, died at the age of 88.

Canadian drummer, guitarist and keyboard player Ronald Harry “Skip” Prokop, founding member of the rock groups The Paupers and Lighthouse, died at the age of 73. In 1969, he co-founded Lighthouse with Paul Hoffert, and the group later became internationally successful. During his career, Prokop also recorded with Janis Joplin, Carlos Santana, Peter, Paul & Mary, and Al Kooper and Mike Bloomfield.

British folk singer and songwriter Mick Softley died at the age of 77.

Aretha Franklin, known as the "Queen of Soul" and one of the best-selling female recording artists of all time, died in Detroit at the age of 76 from pancreatic neuroendocrine cancer. During her career, she had 20 No. 1 hits on the Billboard R&B chart, 45 Billboard Top 40 hits and won 18 Grammy Awards.

“Queen of Soul” Aretha Franklin died at the age of 76, representing a major loss to music and cultural history.

Eddie “Chank” Willis died at the age of 82 from complications caused by polio. During the 1960s and early 1970s, he played electric guitar and occasionally electric sitar with Motown's studio group The Funk Brothers. He contributed to many hits, including “Please Mr. Postman” by The Marvelettes, “The Way You Do the Things You Do” by The Temptations, “You Keep Me Hanging On” by The Supremes and “I Was Made to Love Her” by Stevie Wonder.

American musician and songwriter Ed King died at his home in Nashville, Tennessee, at the age of 68. He became known as the guitarist of the psychedelic rock group Strawberry Alarm Clock and as guitarist and bassist of the Southern rock group Lynyrd Skynyrd, where he performed from 1972–1975 and again from 1987–1996. With Strawberry Alarm Clock, he co-wrote the 1967 hit “Incense and Peppermints”, and with Lynyrd Skynyrd he co-wrote the 1974 song “Sweet Home Alabama”. In 2006, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Jazz pianist and composer Randy Weston died at the age of 92.

Henri Belolo, French music producer, co-founder of The Ritchie Family and The Village People, and co-writer of many of their hits, died at the age of 82.

American bassist Lawrence “Larry” Taylor, a founding member of Los Angeles boogie/rock group Canned Heat, died at the age of 77 after a twelve-year battle with cancer. He was best known as a member of Canned Heat, in which he performed from 1967 to 1970. With the group, he appeared at its major performances at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 and Woodstock in 1969, and played on “Going Up the Country” and “On the Road Again”. Before joining Canned Heat, he worked as a studio bassist for The Monkees and Jerry Lee Lewis. He was the younger brother of Mel Taylor, longtime drummer of The Ventures.

Songwriter LaShawn Daniels, who wrote hits for Destiny's Child and Brandy, died at the age of 41.

Steve Holland, a founding member and guitarist of Molly Hatchet, died after a long illness at the age of 66.

British music producer and audio engineer Martin Birch died at the age of 71. He was known for producing and engineering albums by British rock bands including Deep Purple, Rainbow, Fleetwood Mac, Whitesnake, Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden.