R.I.P.
Musicians and Celebrities React to the Death of Foo Fighters’ Taylor Hawkins
In one of the most unexpected and tragic deaths in recent rock history, Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins passed away on Friday (March 25th) at the age of 50. News of Hawkins’ death understandably shocked the rock world. Tributes honoring the late drummer have been pouring in via social media, with many praising not only his skills as a musician, but his disposition and spirit as a human. Below, we’ve collected a number of responses from the music and celebrity world, including tributes from Tom Morello, Ozzy Osbourne, Paul Stanley, Steve Albini, FINNEAS, Mike Portnoy, Ringo Starr, The Smashing Pumpkins, and others. Hawkins was a rare talent and an even rarer person, and his loss is sure to be felt for a long time to come. God bless you Taylor Hawkins. I loved your spirit ...
R.I.P. Gift of Gab, Blackalicious Rapper Dead at 50
Gift of Gab, who set a new standard for tongue-twisting lyricism as part of hip-hop duo Blackalicious, has died at 50. The artist also known as Timothy J. Parker passed away on June 18th. His exact cause of death has not been released publicly, though a statement from his family and crew noted that he had been diagnosed with kidney failure in 2014. He was undergoing dialysis three to four times a week even while on tour, and successfully received a new kidney in 2020. Born October 7th, 1971, Gift of Gab became a fixture in the Sacramento rap scene in the early 1990s. But with the formation of Blackalicious alongside DJ Chief Xcel (aka Xavier Mosley), he would change the trajectory of hip-hop forever. The pair’s first two albums, 1999’s Nia and 2002’s Blazing Arrow, ...
R.I.P. Ernie Lively, Veteran Actor and Father of Blake Lively Dead at 74
Ernie Lively, veteran character actor and father of Blake Lively, has died at 74. Lively had struggled for decades with heart problems. After a 2003 heart attack, he reportedly had trouble walking even short distances without a rest. In 2013, he received experimental stem cell therapy. Via Deadline, he passed June 2nd, 2021 of cardiac complications. Born January 29th, 1947, Lively had been a constant presence on screens big and small since the mid 1970’s. He had parts in such beloved series and films as The Dukes of Hazzard, Murder, She Wrote, Turner and Hooch, The Beverly Hillbillies, The X-Files, Seinfeld, thirtysomething, That ’70s Show, and The West Wing. Related Video In 2005, he acted alongside his daughter Blake, performing as her character’s father in&...
R.I.P. John Davis, Vocalist Behind Milli Vanilli Dead at 66 Due to COVID-19
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-05-27T15:57:30+00:00“>May 27, 2021 | 11:57am ET John Davis, a session musician who provided vocals for Milli Vanilli, has died at 66. As his daughter Jasmin confirmed in a Facebook post, the cause was COVID-19. “This is Jasmin, Johns daughter,” she wrote. “[U]nfortunately my dad passed away this evening through the coronavirus. He made a lot of people happy with his laughter and smile, his happy spirit, love and especially through his music. He gave so much to the world! Please give him the last round of applause. We will miss him dearly.” Alongside Brad Howell, Charles Shaw, Jodie Rocco, and Linda Rocco, Davis was recruited by German producer Frank Farian in the late ’80s to sing o...
R.I.P. Mark York, Actor on The Office Dead at 55
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-05-25T01:37:51+00:00“>May 24, 2021 | 9:37pm ET Mark York, the actor known for playing Billy Merchant in early seasons of The Office, has died at the age of 55. While the exact cause has not been disclosed, his sickness was “unexpected” and “brief,” according to the obituary at the Kreitzer Funeral Home. He passed May 19th at Miami Valley Hospital, less than an hour’s drive from where he graduated high school in Arcanum, OH. Paraplegic since 1988, York led a varied life that included a successful run as an inventor and two patents. He also guest-starred or co-starred in shows such as CSI: NY, 8 Simple Rules, and Mind of Mencia, while booking smaller part...
R.I.P. Jim Steinman, Meat Loaf Songwriter and Legendary Producer Dead at 73
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-20T20:22:15+00:00“>April 20, 2021 | 4:22pm ET Jim Steinman, who wrote and produced hits for Meat Loaf, Celine Dion, and Bonnie Tyler, died on Monday in Connecticut. He was 73. The legendary songwriter and producer is best known for his work on Meat Loaf’s 1977 smash debut Bat Out of Hell and its 1993 sequel Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell. However, the New York native also helmed titanic hits such as Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart”, Air Supply’s “Making Love Out of Nothing at All”, Barry Manilow’s “Read ‘Em and Weep”, the Sisters of Mercy’s “This Corrosion”, Celine Dion’s “It’s Coming Back to Me Now”, and many others. Steinman was born in New York City in 1947...
R.I.P. Ethel Gabriel, First Female Record Producer for a Major Label Dead at 99
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-19T17:51:01+00:00“>April 19, 2021 | 1:51pm ET Ethel Gabriel, the Grammy-winning record producer who became a trailblazer for other women in the music industry, has died at the age of 99. She passed away from dementia at a memory care facility in Rochester, New York on March 23rd, reports The Washington Post. Born Ethel Mary Nagy on November 16th, 1921 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, she took to music at a young ago by studying trombone and starting a local swing band. Gabriel decided to pursue music as a career and set off for college, receiving a music teaching degree in 1943 from Temple University in Philadelphia and later attending Columbia University afterwards. Technically, G...
R.I.P. Brian Rohan, “Dope Lawyer” for Grateful Dead and Ken Kesey Dead at 84
Brian Rohan, the San Francisco “dope lawyer” who represented celebrity clients like Grateful Dead and author Ken Kesey, has died at 84. He passed away at home in the Bay Area after a six-year-long battle with cancer, confirmed his daughter Kathleen Jolson. “My father grew up very straitlaced, and he was fascinated by what he saw in the Haight. He was looking for somebody to help, and he saw that nobody was there to protect the kids flocking to San Francisco,” Jolson told the San Francisco Chronicle. “He worked until the last day of his life, clutching his phone in one hand and his iPad in the other. He fought for his clients, he fought for his friends, and he fought for what he thought was right.” Born in Tacoma, Washington in 1936, Rohan spent his high school years rocking the debate team...
R.I.P. Craig “muMs” Grant, Oz Actor and Poet Dead at 52
Craig Grant, the actor and poet best known for his work on the HBO drama Oz and who went by “muMs da Schemer” in slam-poetry competitions, has died at 52. He passed away on Wednesday, according to his representative Pam Ellis-Evenas. A cause of death has not yet been determined. Born and raised in New York City in 1968, Grant fell in love with poetry in his youth and was a well-known poet in the local scene by the time he left Mount St. Michael Academy High School. As part of the acclaimed Nuyorican Poetry Slam team, he was featured in the 1998 documentary SlamNation and on HBO’s Def Poetry Jam series, both of which propelled Grant’s career and positioned him as an inspiration to aspiring poets. Grant’s breakout moment in Hollywood came courtesy of his featured role as Poet, a heroin addic...
R.I.P. Houston Tumlin, Talladega Nights Actor Dead at 28
Former child actor Houston Tumlin, who famously played Will Ferrell’s son Walker in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, has died at 28 years old. According to TMZ, Tumlin took his own life in his Alabama home on Tuesday afternoon by shooting himself in the head. As of now, investigators haven’t found a note, but his girlfriend was reportedly present in the house at the time of his death. His role as Walker Bobby, the potty-mouthed son of Will Ferrell’s Ricky Bobby character, was Tumlin’s only acting credit. He starred alongside Grayson Russell in the 2006 comedy, who played Ricky’s other son Texas Ranger. Although the cast included A-listers like Ferrell, John C. Reilly, and Sacha Baron Cohen, Tumlin starred in many of the flick’s most memorable scenes, including the not...
R.I.P. George Segal, Just Shoot Me! and The Goldbergs Actor Dead at 87
George Segal, the veteran actor who starred in countless movies and TV shows including Just Shoot Me! and The Goldbergs, has died at 87. He passed away due to complications from bypass surgery in Santa Rosa, California, reports Variety. Born in Great Neck, New York in 1934 to a Jewish family, Segal quickly fell in love with acting after seeing Alan Ladd in This Gun for Hire when he was nine years old. He spent his free time playing banjo and watching movies in high school before leaving for Haverford College. Segal then earned his Bachelor of Arts from Columbia College of Columbia University in 1955 and briefly served in the US Army. After landing a job as an understudy in a Broadway production of The Iceman Cometh, Segal started securing sporadic roles in a handful of ’60s TV shows and ca...
R.I.P. Dan Sartain, Garage Rock Musician Dead at 39
Alabama garage-rock musician Dan Sartain has died at the age of 39. According to Pitchfork, Sartain’s manager confirmed that he passed on Saturday March 20th, but that no cause of death has been revealed. Sartain was born and raised in Alabama, and he got involved in the Birmingham music scene in the early 2000s. He self-released his first two albums, 2001’s Crimson Guard and 2002’s Romance In Stereo, but then signed to the local label Skybucket for a limited edition tour album called Sartain Family Legacy 1981-1998. That same year, he released his commercial debut Dan Sartain vs. the Serpientes on Swami Records, where he stayed before jumping to One Little Indian for a prolific run of records in the early 2010s. Although he was often slapped wit the rockabill...
