Obituary
Chris Ledesma, The Simpsons’ Longtime Music Editor, Dead at 64
Chris Ledesma, who served as music editor on The Simpsons for 33 seasons, has died at the age of 64. Ledesma had worked on the animated sitcom since its series premiere in 1989 up until his departure in 2022 due to health issues. All told, Ledesma contributed to 735 episodes of The Simpsons as well as to multiple shorts and other specials. He documented much of his work on a blog called Simpsons Music 500. In a 2013 video profile from SAE Institute USA, Ledesma explained his role on The Simpsons. Primary working in conjunction with longtime composer Alf Clausen, Ledesma said, “We sit down and plot out where all the music is going to go in every scene, and what the music’s motivation is. The composer dreams up the music, and I’m the technical guy who makes sure it fits in the picture ...
Rapper Gangsta Boo, Former Member of Three 6 Mafia, Dies at 43
Gangsta Boo, a pioneering Southern female rapper and former member of hip-hop group Three 6 Mafia, has died, according to Fox 13 in Memphis, Commercial Appeal and other reports. She was 43. Boo, born Lola Mitchell, was reportedly found dead on Sunday (Jan. 1) at approximately 4 p.m. at a home in Memphis, Tennessee. The cause of her death had not been released at press time. Shortly after the news of her passing, Three 6 Mafia’s DJ Paul and Juicy J shared tributes to their former bandmate on Instagram. DJ Paul shared an captionless photo of the late rapper, while Juicy J posted a snapshot of the pair accompanied by a broken heart emoji. “Man we was jus together three weeks ago,” Lil Jon commented in DJ Paul’s post. “Rest well quenn.” The Three 6 Mafia members’ tribute posts also garnered co...
Drake, Missy Elliott, Ty Dolla $ign & More Pay Tribute to Gangsta Boo
The hip-hop community is mourning the death of pioneering Southern female rapper and former Three 6 Mafia member Gangsta Boo, who has died at the age of 43. Drake, Missy Elliott, Ty Dolla $ign and Freddie Gibbs are among the many musicians remembering Boo, who was found dead on Sunday (Jan. 1) at a home in Memphis, Tennessee, according to Fox 13 in Memphis, Commercial Appeal and other reports. The cause of her death had not been released at press time. “Rest in heaven Gangsta Boo,” Drake captioned a throwback photo of the late pioneering rapper in his Instagram Story. Elliott shared a similar sentiment, tweeting, “Rest Peacefully @GangstaBooQOM.” Ty Dolla $ign also took to Twitter to remember the late artist. “Long live my home girl Gangsta Boo Queen of the M,” he wrote...
Fred White, Drummer of Earth, Wind & Fire, Dies at 67
Fred White, the former drummer of Earth, Wind & Fire, has died. He was 67. The percussionist’s brother and bandmate Verdine White shared the sad news through social media on Sunday (Jan. 1). Neither the date nor the cause of White’s death had been disclosed at press time. “Our family is saddened today with the loss of an amazing and talented family member. Our beloved brother Frederick Eugene ‘Freddie’ White,” Verdine White wrote on Instagram alongside photos of his brother. “He joins our brothers Maurice, Monte, and Ronald in heaven and is now drumming with the angels!” he added. “He was the wonderful bro that was always entertaining and delightfully mischievous! And we could always count on him to make a seemingly bad situation more light-hearted.” Fred White was born on Jan. 13, 195...
Fred White, Earth Wind & Fire Drummer, Dead at 67
Fred White, former drummer of Earth Wind & Fire, has died at the age of 67. “Child protégé, member of the EWF ORIGINAL 9, with gold records at the young age of 16 years old!” his brother and bandmate Verdine White wrote in an Instagram post that announced Fred’s passing. After getting his start drumming for Donny Hathaway, Fred White joined his brothers Verdine and Maurice White in Earth, Wind & Fire in 1974. He played on eight of the group’s albums, beginning with 1975’s That’s the Way of the World through 1983’s Electric Universe, and can be heard on such classic songs as “Shining Star,” “September,” and “Boogie Wonderland.” Related Video As a member of Earth, Wind & Fire, White was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. Advertisement Fred was proceeded in deat...
Gangsta Boo, Pioneering Figure in Southern Rap, Dead at 43
Gangsta Boo has died at the age of 43, according to Fox 13 Memphis. A pioneering figure in the Southern Rap scene and one-time member of Three 6 Mafia, Gangsta Boo was found dead in her hometown of Memphis at around 4:00 p.m. local time on January 1st. Her cause of death was not immediately known as of press time. Gangsta Boo was born Lola Mitchell in Memphis, Tennessee. She began rapping at the age of 14, and within two years she became a member of Memphis horrorcore rap group Three 6 Mafia. During her six-year tenure, Three 6 Mafia crossed into the mainstream with albums like Chapter 2: World Domination and When the Smoke Clears: Sixty 6, Sixty 1. The latter release — featuring hit singles “Sippin’ on Some Syrup” and “Who Run It” — peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 and was certified p...
Anita Pointer, Singer of The Pointer Sisters, Dies at 74
Anita Pointer, one of four sibling singers who earned pop success and critical acclaim as The Pointer Sisters, died Saturday (Dec. 31) at the age of 74, her publicist announced. The Grammy winner passed away while she was with family members, publicist Roger Neal said in a statement. A cause of death was not immediately revealed. “While we are deeply saddened by the loss of Anita, we are comforted in knowing she is now with her daughter Jada and her sisters June & Bonnie and at peace. She was the one that kept all of us close and together for so long,” her sister Ruth, brothers Aaron and Fritz and granddaughter Roxie McKain Pointer said in the statement. Anita Pointer’s only daughter, Jada Pointer, died in 2003. Anita, Ruth, Bonnie and June Pointer, born the daughters of a minister, gr...
Jeremiah Green, Founding Member & Drummer of Modest Mouse, Dies at 45
Jeremiah Green, founding member and drummer for rock band Modest Mouse, has died following his battle with cancer. He was 45. The musician’s passing was announced by Modest Mouse in an emotional social media post on New Year’s Eve (Dec. 31). “I don’t know a way to ease into this: Today we lost our dear friend Jeremiah. He laid down to rest and simply faded out,” the band wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of Green. “I’d like to say a bunch of pretty words right now, but it just isn’t the time. These will come later, and from many people. Please appreciate all the love you give, get, have given, and will get. Above all, Jeremiah was about love. We love you.” Green’s mother, Carol Namatame, initially broke the news of her son’s cancer in a Facebook post on Christmas Day (Dec. 25). In her n...
Jeremiah Green, Modest Mouse Drummer, Dead at 45
Modest Mouse co-founding member and drummer Jeremiah Green has died at the age of 45 following a brief battle with cancer. The band’s frontman Isaac Brock announced Green’s passing in a Facebook message posted shortly before midnight on New Year’s Eve. “I don’t know a way to ease into this: Today we lost our dear friend Jeremiah. He laid down to rest and simply faded out. I’d like to say a bunch of pretty words right now, but it just isn’t the time. These will come later, and from many people. Please appreciate all the love you give, get, have given, and will get. Above all, Jeremiah was about love.” Just five days ago, Green’s mother, Carol Namatame, went public with her son’s battle with stage four cancer and asked fans to send “healing vibes.” In a subsequent statement, Brock said Green...
Anita Pointer, The Pointer Sisters Founding Member, Dead at 74
Anita Pointer, co-founding member of The Pointer Sisters, has died at the age of 74. “She fought a very heroic battle with cancer,” Pointer’s representative told The Hollywood Reporter. “She was surrounded by family at the time of her death.” The Pointer Sisters’ origins date back to 1969 when Bonnie and June Pointer began performing in night clubs under the name Pointers, a Pair. They soon rebranded themselves as The Pointer Sisters and expanded from a duo to a quartet with the addition of their other sisters Anita and Ruth. Following a short stint with Atlantic Records, the group found their stride after signing to Blue Thumb Records in 1972. The Pointer Sisters’ self-titled debut album was released the following year, and featured their first top 20 hit single in “Yes We Can Can”, which...
Barbara Walters, TV’s Most Fascinating Anchor, Dead at 93
Barbara Walters, the pioneering television anchor and journalist, has died at the age of 93. Walters “passed away peacefully in her home surrounded by loved ones,” her representative said in a statement released on Friday, December 30th. “She lived her life with no regrets. She was a trailblazer not only for female journalists, but for all women.” A native of Boston, Walters was a trailblazer in the television industry. After getting her start as a writer and segment producer on The Today Show in the early 1960s, Walters worked her way up the ranks to become the first woman to host an American news program as co-anchor of Today starting in 1974. Two years later, she moved to ABC News and became the first woman to host an American evening news program as anchor of ABC Evening News. Between ...
Vivienne Westwood, Fashion Designer and Punk Icon, Dead at 81
Dame Vivienne Westwood, the fashion designer and activist who was an integral figure of Britain’s punk movement in the 1970s, has died. She was 81. “Vivienne Westwood died today, peacefully and surrounded by her family, in Clapham, South London,” confirmed a message posted to Westwood’s Twitter. “The world needs people like Vivienne to make a change for the better.” This is a developing story. 29th December 2022. Related Video Vivienne Westwood died today, peacefully and surrounded by her family, in Clapham, South London. The world needs people like Vivienne to make a change for the better. pic.twitter.com/YQwVixYUrV — Vivienne Westwood (@FollowWestwood) December 29, 2022 [flexi-common-toolbar] [flexi-form class=”flexi_form_style” title=”Submit to Flexi” name=...
