Obituary
Toshi Ichiyanagi, Japanese Avant-Garde Pioneer Composer, Dies at 89
Avant-garde pianist and composer Toshi Ichiyanagi, who studied with John Cage and went on to lead Japan’s advances in experimental modern music, has died. He was 89. Ichiyanagi, who was married to Yoko Ono before she married John Lennon, died Friday (Oct. 7), according to the Kanagawa Arts Foundation, where Ichiyanagi had served as general artistic director. The cause of death was not given. “We would like to express our sincerest gratitude to all those who loved him during his lifetime,” the foundation’s chairman, Kazumi Tamamura, said in a statement Saturday. Ichiyanagi studied at The Juilliard School in New York and emerged a pioneer, using free-spirited compositional techniques that left much to chance, incorporating not only traditional Japanese elements and instruments but also elect...
Loretta Lynn’s 20 Biggest Billboard Hits
Country music legend Loretta Lynn passed away today, Oct. 4 at age 90. The beloved artist died in her sleep from natural causes at her home in Hurricane Mills, Tenn. Lynn, who was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1983, followed by her induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1988 and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2008, was born April 14, 1932, in Butcher Holler, Ky., and blazed a trail for myriad successful female artists on Billboard‘s country charts and beyond. Her audience widened to the masses following the film that chronicled her story: 1980’s Coal Miner’s Daughter, starring Sissy Spacek, as Lynn, Tommy Lee Jones as her husband of 48 years, Doolittle, and Levon Helm as her father. Lynn rolled up 16 No. 1s on Billboar...
Sacheen Littlefeather, Who Stood in for Marlon Brando at 1973 Oscars, Dead at 75
Sacheen Littlefeather, who endured racist mockery and threats of arrest and violence when she appeared on Marlon Brando’s behalf at the 1973 Oscars and declined his award for Best Actor, has died at the age of 75. According to Variety, Littlefeather passed away Sunday, October 2nd, following a battle with breast cancer. As president of the National Native American Affirmative Image Committee, Littlefeather stood in for Brando to protest the mistreatment of American Indians in the film industry. Moments before she took the stage, ceremony producer Howard Koch told her that she would be arrested if she talked for longer than 60 seconds. During her speech, she was mocked with tomahawk chops and ululation, and John Wayne reportedly had to be restrained from charging the podium and attack...
Coolio Found Dead at Age 59
Coolio, the rapper best known for his chart-topping single “Gangsta’s Paradise,” has died at the age of 59, according to TMZ. Citing the rapper’s longtime manager, TMZ reports that Coolio died from cardiac arrest on Wednesday. At the time of his death, he was at a friend’s house, his manager said. After the rapper went to the bathroom and never returned, his body was found laying on the floor. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene. Released in 1995, the Stevie Wonder-sampling, L.V.-featuring “Gangsta’s Paradise” was an ominous yet infectious document of gangster life, a darker offering from a man with a pretty lighthearted persona (if his iconic hair wasn’t proof enough, Coolio’s earlier output had built him a reputation for bringing a humorous perspective to his tales of violence). ...
Pharoah Sanders, Legendary Jazz Saxophonist, Dies at 81
Pharoah Sanders, the legendary tenor saxophonist who performed alongside John Coltrane in the mid-1960s, has died. He was 81. Sanders’ passing was announced on Saturday (Sept. 24) by his record label Luaka Bop, which released the influential jazz musician’s 2021 album, Promises, a collaboration with Floating Points and the London Symphony Orchestra. A cause of death was not provided. “We are devastated to share that Pharoah Sanders has passed away,” Luaka Bop wrote on Twitter. “He died peacefully surrounded by loving family and friends in Los Angeles earlier this morning. Always and forever the most beautiful human being, may he rest in peace.” Born in Little Rock, Ark., on Oct. 13, 1940, Sanders — whose real name was Ferrell Sanders — moved to the Bay Area in the late 1950s before relocat...
R.I.P. Pharoah Sanders, Pioneering Jazz Saxophonist Dead at 81
Pharoah Sanders, the saxophonist who played with John Coltrane and helped pioneer the spiritual jazz movement, has died at age 81. The label Luaka Bop announced his death, saying in a statement, “He died peacefully surrounded by loving family and friends in Los Angeles earlier this morning. Always and forever the most beautiful human being, may he rest in peace.” Farrell Sanders was born on October 13th, 1940 in Little Rock, Arkansas. His first instrument was clarinet, but he began playing the tenor saxophone in high school, and even led his school’s band when they were in between directors. After moving to Oakland, he met John Coltrane, and began playing in his band in New York City in 1965. He played on a dozen Coltrane albums in the 1960s. Around the same time, Sanders met Sun Ra, who n...
R.I.P. Louise Fletcher, Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest Dead at 88
Louise Fletcher, the Oscar-winning actress best known for her role as Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, has died at age 88. Her family announced her death to Deadline, saying she died in her sleep at her home in Montdurausse, France. Born on July 22nd, 1934, in Birmingham, Alabama, Fletcher got her start by appearing in 1950s television Westerns like Lawman and Maverick. In 1959, she married film producer Jerry Bick, who she remained with until 1977. The couple had two children, and she took 11 years off from acting to raise them. In 1974, she appeared in Robert Altman’s crime drama Thieves Like Us, where she caught the attention of director Miloš Forman. Forman then cast her in his upcoming film adaptation of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, ending...
Cherry Valentine, ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race UK’ Star, Dies at 28
George Ward, best known as his stage name Cherry Valentine on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, died on September 18. He was 28 years old. Ward’s agency, On the Box Talent, shared the news of his death via a statement from his family on Thursday (Sept. 22). “It is with the most heart wrenching and deepest sadness to inform you that our George – Cherry Valentine – has tragically passed away,” the statement posted to Instagram alongside a photo of Ward reads. “This will come as a profound shock to most people & we understand there is no easy way for this to be announced. As his family, we are still processing his death and our lives will never be the same. We understand how much he is loved and how many lives he has inspired and touched. All we ask is for your patience and your prayers in this time...
Mable John, First Female Solo Artist Signed by Motown, Dies at 91
Mable John, the first solo female artist signed by Motown Records founder Berry Gordy, has died. She was 91. The veteran R&B singer passed away at her home in Los Angeles on Thursday (Aug. 25), her nephew Kevin John told The Detroit News. A cause of death had not been revealed at press time. “We loved her and she was a kind person,” Kevin John said of his aunt, who was the older sister of R&B star Little Willie John. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news In addition to being the first solo female artist signed to Motown (then Tamla), Mable John also recorded hit songs for Stax Records and she was a singer in Ray Charles’ Raelettes backing band. John was born on Nov. 3, 1930 in Bastrop, Louisiana. The oldest of nine children, she and h...
Bob LuPone, Actor Who Helped Found and Lead Off-Broadway’s MCC Theater, Dies at 76
Bob LuPone, who as an actor earned a Tony nomination in the original run of A Chorus Line and went on to help found and lead the influential off-Broadway theater company MCC Theater for almost 40 years, has died. He was 76. LuPone, brother of Broadway icon Patti LuPone, died Saturday (Aug. 27) following a three-year battle with pancreatic cancer, according to Matt Ross Public Relations. “The MCC Theater community mourns the loss of our much loved and uniquely inspiring partner, colleague and dear friend, Bob LuPone, who lived fearlessly and with great curiosity, good humor, a boundless passion for connection, and a whole lot of heart. We will miss him deeply and always,” the theater company said in a statement. LuPone’s first professional job was in 1966, in the en...
Former Cradle of Filth Guitarist Stuart Anstis Dead at 48
Stuart Anstis, an early guitarist for Cradle of Filth, has died. He was 48 years old. The rocker’s death was first made public by Richard Shaw, another guitarist who played for for the metal act from 2014 to 2022. “Rest in peace, Stuart. It was an honour performing your music. Thoughts are with his friends and family at this difficult time,” he wrote in a tribute to the late musician on Instagram. Cradle of Filth frontman Dani Filth also paid homage to his one-time bandmate on his official Facebook page. “It is with a deeply saddened heart that I have heard of the passing of my former guitarist Stuart Anstis at 48,” he wrote. “Stuart -despite our eventual differences- was an amazingly talented guitarist who brought a real sense of magick to everything he wrote in Cradle Of Filth. For a lon...
R.I.P. Stuart Anstis, Former Cradle of Filth Guitarist Dead at 48
Former Cradle of Filth guitarist Stuart Anstis has died at the age of 48. Anstis joined the UK extreme metal band in 1995 and contributed to some its most significant albums and EPs: 1996’s Dusk… and Her Embrace; 1996’s V Empire or Dark Faerytales in Phallustein EP; 1998’s Cruelty and the Beast; and 1999’s From the Cradle to Enslave EP. Anstis would exit Cradle of Filth in 1999 due to artistic differences and go on to form his own project, Bastardsun. The news of Anstis’ passing came via his wife, Antoinette, via a Facebook post: “Stuart Anstis 2/5/1974 – 21/8/2022. Rest in Peace, you were too beautiful for this world me Lover. Nothing will ever be the same again. Love Always and ever your Antoinette. Until we meet again…” Related Video Cradle of Filth mastermind Dani Filth also posted a t...
