Dead Musicians

Number of Results: 59

UFO guitarist Tonka Chapman died June 9, 2020

Paul William “Tonka” Chapman (June 9, 1954 – June 9, 2020) was a Welsh rock guitarist known as Tonka Chapman and best known for his work in bands such as UFO, Waysted and Lone Star. Paul Chapman was well known by his nickname “Tonka”, allegedly given to him because of his indestructible qualities. Tonka Chapman’s first notable band was when he replaced Gary Moore as guitarist in Skid Row in December 1971, but his time…
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Pointer Sister Bonnie Pointer died June 8, 2020

Patricia Eva “Bonnie” Pointer (July 11, 1950 – June 8, 2020) was an American singer, and founding member of the legendary vocal group, The Pointer Sisters, as well as a solo performer. Bonnie Pointer and her youngest sister June began singing together in their father’s West Oakland Church of God in California. They formed The Pointers, also known as The Pair, in 1969. After their sister Anita joined the duo that same year, they changed…
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R&B singer Sweet Pea Atkinson died May 5, 2020.

Sweet Pea Atkinson (September 20, 1945 – May 5, 2020) was an American R&B singer known as one of the vocalists for the band Was (Not Was). Hillard “Sweet Pea” Atkinson was born in Oberlin, Ohio, and moved to Detroit as a child. He worked at the Chrysler factory, and sang with work colleagues in a local band called Hi Energy. He met Don Was in the late 1970s, when he was rehearsing at the…
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John Prine, Folk Legend, died on April 7, 2020 from COVID-19 (coronavirus)

John Prine (October 10, 1946 – April 7, 2020) was an American country folk singer-songwriter. He was active as a composer, recording artist, and live performer from the early 1970s until his death, was known for an often humorous style of country music with elements of protest and social commentary, and was widely regarded as one of the most influential songwriters of his generation. John Prine was born and raised in the Maywood suburb of…
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Marie Fredriksson, from Roxette, died on December 9, 2019

Gun-Marie Fredriksson, known as Marie Fredriksson, (May 30, 1958 – December 9, 2019) was a Swedish pop singer, songwriter, pianist and painter, best known as the lead vocalist of soft rock duo Roxette, alongside Per Gessle. Roxette achieved international success in the late-1980s and early-1990s with their albums Look Sharp! (1988) and Joyride (1991), and had six top two hits on the Billboard Hot 100: “The Look”, “Listen to Your Heart”, “Dangerous”, “It Must Have…
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Dr. John sadly died June 6 2019.

Dr. John (November 20, 1941 – June 6, 2019) was born Malcolm John Rebennack and was an American singer and songwriter. His music combined blues, pop, jazz, boogie-woogie and rock and roll. Malcolm (Mac) John Rebennack was born in New Orleans on November 20, 1941 of French heritage. Growing up in the 3rd Ward, he found early musical inspiration in the minstrel tunes sung by his grandfather and a number of family members who played…
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Scott Walker died March 22, 2019

Scott Walker was born Noel Scott Engel (January 9, 1943 – March 22, 2019) and was an American-born English singer-songwriter, composer and record producer. He was known for his distinctive baritone voice and an unorthodox career path which took him from 1960s teen pop icon to 21st-century avant-garde musician. Scott Walker’s success was largely in the United Kingdom, where his first three solo albums reached the top ten, and where he lived from 1965 and…
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Dick Dale, The King of Surf Rock Guitar, died March 16, 2019

Dick Dale, The King of Surf Rock Guitar, died on March 16, 2019, after twenty years battling multiple illnesses and a lifetime of health issues. His unique and dynamic way of playing shaped a genre and inspired musicians including the Beach Boys and Jimi Hendrix. Dale was himself inspired and influenced by the Arabic scales and sounds he grew up listening to, and he combined the sounds of his father’s native Lebanon with a lot…
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The Prodigy’s Keith Flint died March 4, 2019

Keith Flint (September 17, 1969 – March 4, 2019) was an English singer, musician and dancer for the electronic music band The Prodigy and sang on their two 1996 UK number one singles, “Firestarter” and “Breathe”. He was also the lead singer of his own band Flint. Keith Charles Flint was born in Redbridge, London, England, to Clive and Yvonne Flint, on September 17, 1969 and initially raised in East London before his parents moved…
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Aretha Franklin died August 16, 2018

Aretha Franklin (March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. On March 25, 1942, Aretha Louise Franklin was born at 406 Lucy Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee, to Barbara (née Siggers) and Clarence LaVaughn “C. L.” Franklin. Her father was a Baptist minister and circuit preacher originally from Shelby, Mississippi, while her mother was an accomplished piano player and vocalist. The family moved to Buffalo, New York, when Aretha was just two, and then, before her fifth birthday, to Detroit, where her…
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