obits
Steve Priest, The Sweet Bassist, Dies at 72
Steve Priest, the bassist of British glam rock band the sweet, has died. He was 72. The band confirmed the news in a Facebook post on Thursday. “Then there was one! I am in pieces right now. Steve Priest has passed away,” Andy Scott, the band’s other original member, said in a statement. “His wife Maureen and I have kept in contact and though his health was failing I never envisaged this moment. Never. My thoughts are with his family x.” Priest joined the band in 1968 and performed with them until their 1982 split. The band’s biggest hit is “The Ballroom Blitz,” which has been covered many times over the years. His name was called out to kick off the song. Prior to his death, he’d been performing with Steve Priest’s Sweet. He is survived by his wife, Maureen, three daughters, Lisa, Da...
Bucky Baxter, Bob Dylan and R.E.M. Pedal-Steel Guitarist, Dies at 65
Bucky Baxter, the multi-instrumentalist who played pedal-steel guitar with Bob Dylan in the 1990s, has died at the age of 65. His son, Rayland Baxter, confirmed the news in an Instagram post. No cause of death has been given and Baxter died on May 25. “He is my everything and now he is an angel. My heart is broken yet I am blinded by joy,” Rayland Baxter wrote. Born in Melbourne, Florida, Baxter was based in New Jersey and was known primarily for his pedal-steel work. He performed with Dylan in the 1990s on his Unplugged and Time Out of Mind albums. He was also part of his touring band during this time as well. Baxter also played on R.E.M.‘s Green, Steve Earle’s Guitar Town, Exit 0 and Copperhead Road and Beastie Boys’ Mike D.‘s Country Mik...
Steven ‘Thee Slayer Hippy’ Hanford, Former Drummer for Poison Idea, Dies at 50
Steven “Thee Hippy” Hanford, the drummer for bands like Poison Idea, Fetish and Accüsed A.D., has died at the age of 50. Fetish’s label, Blackhouse Records, confirmed the news of Hanford’s death. “The world just lost a pretty amazing person today. Unreal,” the label said in an Instagram post. “Steve’s larger than life personality, let alone his drumming and producing work over the years was something of legend, unforgettable and historic to say the very least.” A GoFundMe has been set up for Hanford’s family. In the post, it said that the cause of Hanford’s death due to a heart attack. Best known for his work in Poison Idea, Hanford joined the band in 1987 ahead of their second album before leaving at the beginning of the century. In 2008, Hanford was sentenced to seven-and-a-half yea...
Veteran Actor & ‘Seinfeld’ Star Jerry Stiller Dead At 92
Source: CBS Photo Archive / Getty Jerry Stiller stole the hearts and got big laughs as Frank Constanza on the hit sitcom Seinfeld and was in a comedy duo with his wife, Anne Meara. Their son, actor Ben Stiller, confirmed via Twitter that the elder Stiller died of natural causes on Monday (May 11). Ben Stiller’s tweet briefly explained the situation and honored his father in a quiet way, complete with a picture of him to accompany the message. “I’m sad to say that my father, Jerry Stiller, passed away from natural causes. He was a great dad and grandfather, and the most dedicated husband to Anne for about 62 years. He will be greatly missed. Love you Dad,” Stiller wrote of his father. Jerry Stiller’s career began after leaving Syracuse University with a bachelor’s degree in Speech and ...
Andre Harrell, Uptown Records Founder, Dies at 59
Andre Harrell, the music executive who founded Uptown Records and gave a young Sean Combs his first job, has died. He was 59. According to the New York Times, Harrell died on May 7 at his home in West Hollywood. His ex-wife, Wendy Credle, told the Times that the cause was heart failure. DJ D-Nice revealed the news of Harrell’s death on Instagram Live last night (May 8) during the latest round of his Club Quarantine series. Harrell’s career started in 1983 when he worked for Russell Simmons’ burgeoning Def Jam Records. In 1986, Harrell left to form Uptown Records. The label became influential for its discovery and ushering in of the New Jack Swing sound. The label broke artists like Guy (featuring Teddy Riley), Al B. Sure, Jodeci, Heavy D and the Boyz and Father MC. Mary J. B...
John Erhardt, Guitarist for Wussy and Ass Ponys, Dies at 58
There are two kinds of people: Those who will tell you Wussy is one of the greatest rock bands of this era, and those who’ve never heard of them. This week was a very sad one for the former, as Wussy (and ex-Ass Ponys) guitarist and pedal steel player John Erhardt has died at age 58. His bandmates confirmed the news that he died on Monday in a Facebook post earlier today (May 7), noting “The details aren’t ours to know or share so as a courtesy please don’t inquire.” The post also credits Erhardt with encouraging both bands to stick with their unconventional names: I remember getting home from a practice one night where we’d discussed it and getting a call from John, who let me know that “we’re not changing our name…it’s chicken shit.” So we kept Ass Ponys and drifted through major label l...
Ty, Mercury Prize-Nominated British Rapper, Dies at 47
U.K. hip-hop artist Ty has died, according to The Guardian. He was 47. The Guardian reported that he died from complications due to COVID-19. The rapper was born Ben Chijioke, to Nigerian immigrants in London. In 2001, he released his debut album Awkward, and his breakthrough sophomore effort Upwards won him a larger audience and eventually a Mercury Prize nomination alongside Amy Winehouse and Franz Ferdinand. Chijioke went on to collaborate with such kindred spirits as De La Soul, Bahamadia, and Arrested Development’s Speech over the course of three more full-lengths: Closer, Special Kind of Fool, and A Work of Heart, his final solo effort in 2018. Ty was also a member of the group KingDem along with Rodney P and Blak Twang. [embedded content] [embedded content] [embedded content]
Music World Mourns Loss Of Jamaican Vocalist Millie Small
Source: Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Millie Small, a Jamaican singer who found global fame as a teenager, has died and the music world is joined in mourning. Small became the first artist from Jamaica to have a single chart on both the American and British charts. Small was born on October 6, 1946, in Clarendon, Jamaica, and raised primarily in Kingston as she pursued a musical career. At 12, Small won the Opportunity Hour vocal competition that sparked her interest in singing full-time. In the early 1960s, Small, under the guidance of her manager Chris Blackwell, moved to London where she recorded her version of Barbie Gay’s “My Boy Lollipop.” The song reached number two on the UK Singles Chart and landed on the United States’ Billboard Hot 100 chart. In many circles and rightfully so, S...
