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Children’s animation composer Guy Moon died January 8, 2026

Guy Moon was an American composer whose work helped define the sound of late-1990s and early-2000s children’s animation. Best known for his energetic, melodic, and emotionally expressive music on some of the most influential animated television series of the era, including The Fairly OddParents, Danny Phantom, Cow and Chicken, and Johnny Test. His music blended classical training with modern cartoon sensibilities, creating scores that were playful yet sophisticated, comedic yet heartfelt. Over the course of his career, Moon became especially noted for his close collaboration with animator and showrunner Butch Hartman, and his work earned four Emmy Award nominations. Though…
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Songwriter Jim McBride died January 7, 2026

Jim McBride’s name may not always have been the first spoken when people listed the giants of country music, but few songwriters shaped the emotional language of the genre more deeply. Over a career spanning five decades, McBride wrote five number-one hits, ten Top 10 singles, and eighteen songs that reached the Top 40 on the country charts. His work defined the sound of multiple eras, from the outlaw-tinged 1970s to the polished radio country of the 1990s and early 2000s. In 2017, the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame recognized his enduring influence, cementing his place among the architects of…
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The Cure’s Perry Bamonte died December 24, 2025

Perry Bamonte was an English musician and visual artist whose work occupies a distinctive place in the history of alternative music. Best known as a guitarist and keyboardist for the Cure during two significant eras, first from 1990 to 2005, and later from 2022 to 2025. Bamonte played a crucial role in shaping the band’s evolving sound during periods of transition, experimentation, and renewal. Beyond his work with the Cure, he was also the bassist for Love Amongst Ruin, a project that highlighted his melodic sensibilities and understated emotional depth. Across decades of music-making, Bamonte remained a quietly influential figure:…
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Guitar Legend Chris Rea died on December 22, 2025

Chris Rea: The Quiet Power of Roads, Rain and the Blues Chris Rea was one of Britain’s most distinctive and understated musical voices with a career that spanned more than five decades, and a body of work that resisted trends, shunned spectacle, and prioritised atmosphere, emotional honesty, and craft. Chris Rea was best known for songs such as Driving Home for Christmas, The Road to Hell, On the Beach, and Josephine, he blended rock, blues, jazz, and folk influences into a sound that was immediately recognisable and deeply personal. His gravelly voice and lyrical slide guitar became signatures of a…
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Progressive Texas Country Legend Joe Ely died December 15, 2025

Joe Ely was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist whose restless musical spirit helped define—and continually expand—the boundaries of Texas and American roots music. Widely regarded as “one of the main movers” of Austin’s progressive country scene in the 1970s and ’80s, Ely forged a singular career that blended honky-tonk, rock and roll, folk, punk attitude, and border-town influences into a body of work that was both deeply regional and boldly cosmopolitan. Over more than five decades, he became not just a beloved Texas institution, but a revered figure among musicians worldwide, admired for his integrity, curiosity, and unflinching dedication…
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Everlasting Love singer Carl Carlton died on December 14, 2025

Carl Carlton was an American R&B, soul, and funk singer-songwriter whose music helped define multiple eras of popular Black music. With a career that spanned more than five decades, Carlton bridged classic soul, disco, funk, and contemporary R&B, earning his place as one of the genre’s most recognizable and enduring voices. He is best remembered for two landmark hits: the timeless love anthem “Everlasting Love” and the swaggering funk classic “She’s a Bad Mama Jama (She’s Built, She’s Stacked)”—songs that not only dominated the charts but became cultural touchstones. Though his career included periods of immense commercial success and quieter…
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One Direction Opener Camryn died December 5, 2025

Camryn Betsy Magness known mononymously as Camryn, was an American singer and musician whose early rise through social media and sustained presence on major international tours made her a distinctive figure in the evolving landscape of 21st-century pop music. Emerging at the intersection of YouTube-era discovery and traditional touring culture, Camryn’s career reflected a generation of artists who built their audiences organically online before stepping onto some of the world’s largest stages. Though her life and career were cut short, her influence endured through her music, her performances, and her role in shaping how young artists navigated fame in the…
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The Mavericks Raul Malo died December 8, 2025

Raul Malo was born Raul Francisco Martínez-Malo Jr. on August 7, 1965, in Miami, Florida, into a Cuban-American family. Growing up in Miami, a cultural crossroads of Latin America, the Caribbean, and the U.S. South. Malo was exposed from an early age to a rich and diverse musical environment. His childhood was steeped in a mix of sounds: Latin rhythms, Cuban music, classic pop, rock, and American country. This multicultural immersion would later become a defining element of his artistry. Raul Malo’s upbringing instilled in him an appreciation for music’s breadth — not just as a genre, but as a…
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Stax Legend Steve Cropper died December 3, 2025

Steve Cropper: The Soul of the Stax Sound Steve Cropper, widely known as “The Colonel,” was one of the most influential guitarists, songwriters, and producers in the history of American music. As a founding member of Booker T. & the M.G.’s, the house band at Memphis-based Stax Records, Cropper helped shape the sound of Southern soul and rhythm and blues during the 1960s. His crisp, economical guitar style, his gift for arrangement, and his understated feel for groove placed him at the center of some of the most iconic recordings of the era. Over a career that spanned more than…
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Singer Judy Cheeks died November 26, 2025

Judy Cheeks was an American singer whose career spanned more than five decades, crossing genres, continents, and musical eras. Best known for her powerful, gospel-rooted voice and her ability to reinvent herself across blues, soul, disco, and dance music, Cheeks left behind a legacy of resilience, artistry, and creativity. Her journey—from the churches of Miami to European stages, from the disco charts of the 1970s to the club anthems of the 1990s—stands as a testament to her versatility and her unwavering dedication to her craft. Early Life: Gospel Roots and Musical Heritage Judy Cheeks was born on February 13, 1954,…
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