Tag Archive: dead musicians

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 of reverb and wildly fast tempos. Dick Dale defined surf rock. Richard Anthony Monsour (May 4, 1937 – March 16, 2019), was known as Dick…
Read more

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 the family to Springfield, Essex in the mid-1970s. He described his childhood as unhappy and he argued with his parents who separated when he was…
Read more

André Previn, composer and pianist, died February 28, 2019

André Previn, KBE (April 6, 1929 – February 28, 2019) was born Andreas Ludwig Priwin and was an American musician, born in Germany. André Previn’s career in Hollywood, was as an arranger and composer, in jazz he was a pianist-interpreter and arranger of songs from the “Great American Songbook,” he was also a piano-accompanist to singers of jazz standards, a trio pianist, and a classical music pianist, conductor and as composer. Andreas Ludwig Priwin was born in Berlin into a Jewish family, the last of three children of Charlotte (née Epstein) and Jack Previn (Jakob Priwin), who was a lawyer,…
Read more

Talk Talk’s Mark Hollis died February 25, 2019

Talk Talk’s Mark Hollis was born in Tottenham in north London in 1955 and has died after a short illness aged 64. Mark David Hollis (January 4, 1955 – February 25, 2019) was an English musician and singer-songwriter and co-founder, lead singer and main songwriter of Talk Talk. He wrote or co-wrote most of Talk Talk’s music including their hits “It’s My Life” and “Life’s What You Make It”. Not much is known about his early life, as he was reluctant to be interviewed throughout his career and had a tendency to make up stories when he was interviewed. He…
Read more

Pete Shelley (The Buzzcocks) died December 6, 2018, aged 63

Pete Shelley (The Buzzcocks) died aged 63. He was an English singer, songwriter and guitarist who formed the Buzzcocks with Howard Devoto in 1976, and was the lead singer and guitarist from 1977 when Devoto left. The Buzzcocks released the classic “Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn’t’ve)” in 1978. They broke up in 1981, and reformed in 1989.

Michael Hutchence died on November 22, 1997

Michael Hutchence, born on January 22, 1960, in Sydney, Australia, was a charismatic singer, songwriter, and actor best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band INXS. With a career spanning over two decades, Hutchence left an indelible mark on the music world with his unique voice, enigmatic presence, and influence on both music and culture. His life, however, was also marked by personal struggles, ultimately ending tragically with his untimely death in 1997. This essay explores Hutchence’s early life, his rise to fame with INXS, his distinct musical style, personal life, controversies, and lasting legacy in the world…
Read more

Amy Winehouse died July 23, 2011.

Amy Winehouse: A Soulful Legacy Amy Winehouse, born on September 14, 1983, in Southgate, London, was one of the most iconic musicians of her generation. Known for her deep, soulful voice and raw lyrics, she became a symbol of authenticity in an increasingly commercialized music industry. Her short life was marked by an extraordinary rise to fame, personal struggles, and an untimely death that left the world mourning the loss of a musical talent gone too soon. Early Life and Musical Beginnings Amy Jade Winehouse was born into a Jewish family with a deep appreciation for jazz. Her father, Mitch…
Read more

Jimi Hendrix died September 18, 1970.

Jimi Hendrix: The Legacy of a Guitar Icon Jimi Hendrix is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most innovative guitarists in the history of rock music. His brief but impactful career revolutionized the electric guitar’s role in popular music and left an indelible mark on the world of music, culture, and performance. From his virtuosity to his flamboyant stage presence, Hendrix broke boundaries and set new standards for what could be achieved with sound, style, and improvisation. Though his life was tragically cut short at the age of 27, his contributions to music continue to inspire musicians and…
Read more

Jim Morrison died July 3, 1971.

Jim Morrison: The Lizard King and His Mythic Legacy Jim Morrison was more than just a rock star; he was a cultural icon, a poet, and a symbol of the rebellious spirit of the 1960s. As the lead singer of The Doors, Morrison’s electrifying stage presence, provocative lyrics, and magnetic persona catapulted him to fame. But Morrison’s life and career were short-lived, punctuated by his premature death at the age of 27, a fate he shares with other members of the infamous “27 Club,” including Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Kurt Cobain. His legacy endures not only through The Doors’…
Read more

Rapper XXXTentacion murdered in Florida June 18, 2018

XXXTentacion was shot and killed in Miami, Florida on June 18, 2018. Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy (XXXTentacion) (January 23, 1998 – June 18, 2018), was an American rapper, singer and songwriter. XXXTentacion was born Jahseh Dwayne Onfroy andon January 23, 1998, in Plantation, Florida, to Jamaican parents, Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy and Cleopatra Bernard, and was raised by his grandmother Collette Jones in Pompano Beach, Florida, and Lauderhill, Florida. When he was six years old, he tried to stab a man who was attacking his mother and was eventually put into a youth program. XXXTentacion’s interest in music started when his aunt…
Read more