Obituary News

Drummer Wilby Fletcher, Jr., Dead at 54

Source: Michael Ricci
October 21, 2009

Wilbert B. Fletcher “Wilby" age 54, passed away suddenly, October 15, 2009, in Wilmington. Father of Jumbe, Jeffrey, Jermaine and Cheo Fletcher, Quinn Jackson, and Spencer Hill. Son of Betty Fletcher and the late Wilbert Fletcher. Brother of Anthony and Jamil Fletcher and Sharon Turner. He is also survived by 2 grandchildren, Laila and Camille Jackson; 1 niece, 3 aunts, 2 uncles and a host of other family and friends. Wilby was known throughout the country as a renowned drummer. ...

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Blue Cheer's Dickie Peterson Rip Bassist/Vocalist Dead at 63

Source: JamBase
October 18, 2009

BLUE CHEER'S DICKIE PETERSON DEAD AT 63

From roadrunnerrecords.com:

Dickie Peterson - Blue Cheer Dickie Peterson, the bassist/vocalist and founding member of Blue Cheer, passed away Monday morning (October 12) at 5 a.m. in Germany. He was 63 years old. Peterson had reportedly been battling prostate and liver cancer, and according to Blue Cheer's message board, had developed a fatal infection following a surgical procedure to help alleviate his fight.

Blue Cheer was an American blues-rock band that initially performed ...

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'Godfather' Actor Al Martino Dies in Pa. at 82

Source: Michael Ricci
October 14, 2009

SPRINGFIELD, Pa. (AP) -- Singer Al Martino, who played the Frank Sinatra-type role of Johnny Fontane in “The Godfather" and recorded hits including “Spanish Eyes" and the Italian ballad “Volare" in a 50-year musical career, died Tuesday. He was 82. Martino died at his childhood home in the Philadelphia suburb of Springfield, in Delaware County, according to publicist Sandy Friedman, of the Rogers & Cowan public relations firm. Friedman didn't cite a cause of death. Starting in 1952, Martino was ...

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John Lennon Re-Imagining Himself, then Gone

Source: Michael Ricci
October 12, 2009

Robert Hilburn, former pop music critic for the Los Angeles Times, is author of “Corn Flakes With John Lennon (and Other Tales From a Rock 'n' Roll Life)." An excerpt in Sunday Calendar recalled his relationship with Lennon after the Beatles' breakup. In today's abridged excerpt, he writes about Lennon's murder. In 1980, after 10 years at The Times, I was at a crossroads in my personal life. I loved my family, but I was also so obsessive about my ...

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Shelby Singleton Maverick Country Music Mogul Dies

Source: Michael Ricci
October 9, 2009

Shelby Singleton, a maverick country music mogul and talent scout who launched the careers of Roger Miller and Ray Stevens before resuscitating the fabled Sun Records label to give new life to recordings by 1950s Sun discoveries including Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis, has died. He was 77. Singleton died Wednesday in Nashville following a battle with brain cancer. He had been admitted to St. Thomas Hospital a week earlier after suffering a seizure, his longtime friend and associate ...

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Irving Penn Dies at 92; a Giant of Photography

Source: Michael Ricci
October 8, 2009

Irving Penn, a grand master of American fashion photography whose “less is more" aesthetic, combined with a startling sensuality, defined a visual style that he applied to such varied subjects as designer dresses, cigarette butts and cosmetics jars, many of them now-famous photographs owned by leading art museums, has died. He was 92.

Penn died Wednesday at his apartment in New York City, said his brother, film director Arthur Penn. The cause was not given.

In 1943, Penn started contributing ...

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Laura Mae Gross, 'Mama' Nurtured the Blues at Babe's and Ricky's Inn in L.A. Dies

Source: Michael Ricci
October 6, 2009

In Laura Mae Gross' club, bluesman Ray Bailey said, “it didn't matter if you were a total amateur or a seasoned professional. Everybody gave you the same respect."

Laura Mae Gross, a strong-willed Mississippi woman who came to the West Coast and founded a club that became a staple of Los Angeles' blues scene, died Saturday of heart failure, according to relatives. She was 89.

Gross, also known as “Mama," opened Babe's and Ricky's Inn on Central Avenue in 1964 ...

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Argentine Folk Singer Mercedes Sosa Dies

Source: All About Jazz
October 4, 2009

The latest album by the “voice of Latin America" is nominated for three prizes in next month's Latin Grammy awards in Las Vegas.

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina Argentine folk singer Mercedes Sosa, the “voice of Latin America" whose music inspired opponents of South America's brutal military regimes and led to her forced exile in Europe, died today, her family said. She was 74. Sosa was best known for signature tunes such as “Gracias a la Vida" ("Thanks to Life") and “Si ...

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