Celebrity News 2016: A Rotten Retrospective
The hits just keep a’coming, and the year’s not over yet. Christmas day saw the demise of Wham! singer, George Michael, and Status Quo guitarist, Rick Parfitt passed away just a day before. Greg Emerson of Emerson, Lake and Palmer passed away on December 7. More than 60 members of the Red Army Choir went down in flames on December 25, according to Reuters. To say that 2016 has been a devastating year for Baby Boomers in particular and the music world, in general, may be the understatement of the century.
https://youtu.be/GEV55fCkW80
On January 28, the world lost the likes of Signe Toly Anderson and Paul Kantner of Jefferson Airplane. Ten days earlier, the world of music reeled with the news that Eagles singer Glen Frey passed into oblivion after a brief battle with pneumonia. January 10 was the day we lost David Bowie, and seven days prior, Blue Man Group member, Jason Mackenroth. On January 17, 2016, Dale Griffin of Mott the Hoople died due to complications of Alzheimer’s disease at age 67. The same day, Mic Gillette of Tower of Power succumbed to heart failure.
February 2016 was no easier on the heart of rock ‘n’ rollers. On February first, Jim Reeves of the 90s Euroband, Squeezer, was murdered in Berlin. On February 6, Dan Hicks of Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks took his final breath, just hours after Maurice White of Earth, Wind and Fire expired at age 74 at his Los Angeles home due to complications of Parkinson’s disease. On March 8, 2016, legendary Beatles producer George Martin died in London. One week hence, Frank Sinatra Jr. succumbed to a massive coronary event at the age of 72 after canceling a show at the Peabody Auditorium in Daytona Beach, Florida. On February 22, Chris Finley, who played with Herman’s Hermits and other British Invasion bands, died after suffering a stroke. On February 24, Lennie Baker of Sha Na Na died from a severe infection.
April 2016 music deaths included Gib Guilbeau of the Flying Burrito Brothers, and guitar hero, Lonnie Mack. Merle Haggard went off-planet in April 2016 as did free jazz master, Gato Barbieri. In April, pop singer Prince made an emergency landing in Moline, Illinois and died at Paisley Park a short time later. “Wait a few days before you waste any prayers,” was one of the final messages he sent to his fans.
May 2016 music deaths included the pancreatic cancer-related demise of singer Candye Kane and the end of Ohio Players bassist, Marshall Jones. Tony Barrow, who served as press officer for the Beatles during their long-lived heyday, also died in May 2016.
The halfway-though-the-year month of May saw even more deaths that brought the music world to its knees. Megadeth drummer Nick Menza died onstage at Los Angeles’ famed Baked Potato at the age of 51.
If you think June was any easier for culture fans, please think again. Before the end of June brought the demise of Rat Dog bassist Rob Wasserman, the month saw the sad end of Elvis Presley band guitarist Scotty Moore, as well as ZZ Top manager Bill Ham. Vietnam war protestor and boxing champion Mohammad Ali passed away on June 23rd in Scottsdale, Arizona. Jimmy Van Zant, formerly of the southern rock band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, died in his sleep on April 7. On June 3rd, Dave Swarbrick of seminal folk rock band Fairport Convention died from emphysema.
July 2016 was as bad a month for music fans as any we’ve ever seen. On July 6, Danny Smythe of the Box Tops passed away at age 67. On June 3rd, Dave Swarbrick of seminal folk rock band Fairport Convention died from emphysema. Blue Öyster Cult songwriter Sandy Pearlman died July 26. August 2016 music deaths were just as harsh, bringing the end of Matt Roberts of 3 Doors Down and Lou Pearlman of Backstreet Boys. Preston Hubbard of the band The Fabulous Thunderbirds died at age 63, and Glenn Yarbrough of The Limeliters passed away at age 86. In September, Jerry Corbetta who brought the 70s song “Green Eyed Lady” to prominence with the Denver-based band Sugarloaf, died as well.
Autumn music world deaths were far from over in September. October 2016 brought another raft of bad news with the deaths of the Dixie Cups’ Joan Marie Johnson and former teen idol Bobby Vee on the 24th. In November, Eddie Harsch of the The Black Crowes passed away, as did the incomparable Leonard Cohen.
If there is a lesson to be learned from all this death and destruction, we don’t know what it is. Put on your favorite record or CD, turn the music up and dance for your life while you can.
What a death blow 2016 has been to music – Prince, David Bowie and now George Michael pic.twitter.com/VGbU8wN71M
— omar r quraishi (@omar_quraishi) December 26, 2016
[Featured Image by Ritfuse/ThinkStock/Getty Images]
