Obituary
R.I.P. Jerry Stiller, Legendary Comedian Dies at 92
Jerry Stiller, legendary actor and comic of Seinfeld and The King of Queens, passed away on Monday morning. He was 91 years old. His son, Ben Stiller, confirmed the news on Twitter: “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.” A comic, an actor, an author, Stiller spent years on the comedy circuit with his wife Anne Meara as the team Stiller and Meara. He’s perhaps best known for his iconic role as Frank Costanza in Seinfeld and Arthur Spooner in The King of Queens. In addition to his roles in both hit series, Stiller also appeared in a number of films alongside his son, including Zoolander, Heavyweights, The Heartbreak ...
R.I.P. Betty Wright, Veteran R&B Singer Dies at 66
Betty Wright, the veteran R&B singer known for hits such as “Clean Up Woman” and “Where Is the Love?”, has died at the age of 66, according to TMZ. A native of Miami, Florida, Wright achieved her first Top 40 single at the age of 14 with “Girls Can’t Do What the Guys Do”. Arriving three years later, Wright’s signature song, “Clean Up Woman”, spent eight weeks at No. 2 on the Billboard R&B charts in addition to peaking at No. 6 on the Billboard Top 100. “Clean Up Woman” was later sampled by a number of prominent R&B and hip-hop artists, including Mary J. Blige (“Real Woman”) and Chance the Rapper (“Favorite Song”). Even Sumblime sampled the song on their 40oz. To Freedom track “Get Out!”. In 1974, Wright earned her first and only Grammy Award for “Where Is the Love”, which ...
Betty Wright, Soul Hitmaker and ‘Clean Up Woman’ Singer, Dies at 66
R&B singer Betty Wright, best-known for a string of soulful hits in 1970s and early 1980s, including “Clean Up Woman” and “Where Is the Love?”, has died at age 66. Wright’s niece confirmed the news but didn’t reveal a cause of death, TMZ reports. Wright, born in Miami in 1953, launched her career as a child member of her family’s gospel act, the Echoes of Joy. But she ventured into soul and funk with her first solo album, 1968’s My First Time Around. Wright first found commercial success with 1972’s “Clean Up Woman,” famously sampled three decades later for a remix of Mary J. Blige’s “Real Love.” The vocalist issued a string of solo records and singles in the decade, including minor hits like 1972’s “Is It You, Girl?”, 1974’s “Secretary” and 1975’s “Where is the Love?”, which earned th...
R.I.P. Andre Harrell, Hip-Hop Mogul and Founder of Uptown Records Dies at 57
Andre Harrell, the founder of Uptown Records who was credited for discovering artists including Diddy, The Notorious B.I.G., Mary J. Blige, Jodeci, and Teddy Riley, has died at the age of 59. According to Harrell’s ex-wife, Wendy Credle, the cause of death was heart failure (via The New York Times). Harrell was a member of the 80’s hip-hop duo Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde before transitioning to the business side of the music industry. He initially worked alongside Russell Simmons at Def Jam Records, but in 1986, he launched his own label, Uptown Records. During a prolific 10-year stretch in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Uptown Records was the home to artists including The Notorious B.I.G., Sean “Diddy” Combs, Mary J Blige, Heavy D & The Boyz, Al B. Sure!, Jodeci, and Tedd...
Little Richard, Legendary Rock’n’Roll Pioneer, Dies at 87
Little Richard, one of the first and greatest rock’n’roll icons and innovators, has died at age 87, as reported by Rolling Stone. The cause of death has not yet been reported. Born Richard Wayne Penniman, he revolutionized popular music in the 1950s with such culturally irreplaceable hits as “Tutti Frutti,” “Good Golly Miss Molly,” and “Long Tall Sally.” He was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, the very first year it began, and performed at Bill Clinton’s presidential inauguration in 1992. The Library of Congress added “Tutti Frutti” to the National Recording Registry in 2010 for its cultural significance, particularly its unforgettable a cappella intro: “A-wop-bop-a-loo-bop-a-wop-bam-boom!“ Born in Macon, Georgia, the second of 12 children, Penniman was kicked out o...
Andre Harrell, Founder of Uptown Records, Dies at 59
Andre Harrell, music mogul and founder of influential R&B and hip-hop label Uptown Records, has died. Details are if his death are not yet known, but Harrell’s passing was first announced by DJ D-Nice on his Instagram Live early Saturday morning (May 9), and sources have separately confirmed it to Billboard. He was 59. Raised in the Bronx, New York, Harrell started a career in music as half of the early-’80s hip-hop duo Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (with Alonzo Brown). The pair had a handful of minor hits on Billboard‘s Hot R&B Songs chart — the biggest being the No. 31-peaking, Tom Tom Club-sampling “Genius Rap” in 1982 — but Harrell soon found other career aspirations, particularly after meeting Def Jam records founder Russell Simmon...
R.I.P. Roy Horn, One-Half of Vegas Magic Duo Siegfried & Roy Dies At 75 From COVID-19
Roy Horn, one-half of the popular Las Vegas magic duo Siegfried & Roy, has died due to complications from COVID. He was 75 years old. Horn’s longtime partner, Siegfried Fischbacher, announced his passing in a statement issued Friday, May 8th “Today, the world has lost one of the greats of magic, but I have lost my best friend,” Fischbacher said. “From the moment we met, I knew Roy and I, together, would change the world. There could be no Siegfried without Roy, and no Roy without Siegfried. Roy was a fighter his whole life including during these final days. I give my heartfelt appreciation to the team of doctors, nurses and staff at Mountain View Hospital who worked heroically against this insidious virus that ultimately took Roy’s life.” Siegfried & Roy were mainstays on the ...
UK Rapper Ty Dies At Age of 47 from COVID-19
Nigerian-British rapper Ty has died at the age of 47 due to complications from COVID-19. According to The Guardian, Ty (born Ben Chijioke) was hospitalized in early April. He was subsequently put in a medically induced coma, and though he initially showed signs of improvement, his condition ultimately deteriorated. He passed away Thursday, May 7th. Ty’s 2003 sophomore album, Upwards, was nominated for the Mercury Prize, the annual award given to the UK’s best record. Other nominees that year included Amy Winehouse’s Frank, Belle & Sebastian’s Dear Catastrophe Waitress, Basement Jaxx’s Kish Kash, and Franz Ferdiand’s self-titled debut, which ultimately claimed the prize. Ty’s follow-up album, 2006’s Closer, featured collaborations with De La Soul, Zion I, and Speech of Arrested Dev...
R.I.P. Brian Howe, Bad Company Singer Dies at 66
Brian Howe, the former lead vocalist of Bad Company, has died at the age of 66. Citing a family source, TMZ reports that Howe died Wednesday, May 6th, at his home in Florida from cardiac arrest. Howe is best known as the singer who replaced Paul Rodgers in Bad Company, though his first big break came in 1984 when he sang lead vocals on Ted Nugent’s album Penetrator. Two years later, he was hired by Mick Ralphs and Simon Kirke to front Bad Company. He served that role for a decade, appearing on albums including Fame and Fortune, Dangerous Age, Holy Water, and Here Comes Trouble. During this time, the band also achieved five top 10 hits on the Billboard Rock charts, including “Shake It Up”, “No Smoke Without a Fire”, and “Holy Water”. Howe left Bad Company in 1994, citing creative disagreeme...
Hillard ‘Sweet Pea’ Atkinson, Legendary Vocalist With Was (Not Was), Dies at 74
When Chris Blackwell signed Hillard “Sweet Pea” Atkinson to Island Records, he wanted to do more than just make a solo album for the Was (Not Was) singer. “He wanted to make a comic book where Sweet Pea was the main character,” Don Was tells Billboard, “because he was a larger than life guy — which is how I still think of him. I don’t think of him as a regular human.” Atkinson’s large life came to an end May 5, when he suffered a fatal heart attack at the age of 74 in Los Angeles, where he lived. While Was (Not Was) became Atkinson’s claim to fame, it was also the stepping stone into a career that included two solo albums — Don’t Walk Away in 1982 and 2017’s Get What You Deserve — and membership i...
