Obituary News

Pierre Cossette Father of the Grammy Awards Telecast Dies

Source: Michael Ricci
September 13, 2009

Pierre Cossette, the avuncular old-school talent agent, manager, music mogul and Broadway producer often called the father of the Grammy Awards telecast for persuading nervous TV executives to put “longhairs with high heels and makeup" on a live national broadcast in 1971, died Friday. He was 85. Cossette, who had suffered in recent years with congestive heart failure, died at Barrie Memorial Hospital in Montreal, not far from his family's summer home in St. Anicet. “He had a rough few ...

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Luther Thomas 1950-2009

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman
September 12, 2009

Citing a broadcast by the NYC public radio station WKCR, NPR's A Blog Supreme has posted an item saying that saxophonist Luther Thomas has died.The St. Louis native and former Black Artists Group member (pictured) has lived in Copenhagen, Denmark for a number of years, and at this point there don't seem to be any obituaries or other fresh news stories about him anywhere online, in either English or Danish.There are two other sources that confirm ...

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Army Archerd Dies at 87; Variety Columnist Watched over Hollywood for Half a Century.

Source: Michael Ricci
September 10, 2009

Reporter known for being a trusted figure who stood apart from the industry broke the story of Rock Hudson's battle with AIDS.

Army Archerd, a prolific reporter who chronicled the personal and professional lives of Hollywood stars and moguls for more than half a century from his columnist's perch at Daily Variety, and rocked the entertainment world when he announced in 1985 that actor Rock Hudson was suffering from AIDS, has died. He was 87. Archerd collapsed at home in ...

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17-Year-Old Daughter of Saxophonist Jesse Davis Shot and Killed in Oakland, CA

Source: Michael Ricci
September 9, 2009

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Wycliffe Johnson, Boisterous Reggae Producer and Musician, Dies at 47

Source: Michael Ricci
September 6, 2009

Wycliffe Johnson, an innovative composer and producer known as Steely, who held sway over two decades of reggae music, died on Tuesday in East Patchogue, N.Y. He was 47 and lived in Kingston, Jamaica. The cause was a heart attack following pneumonia, said his daughter Kerry Johnson. He had moved to Brooklyn this summer for treatment of kidney problems related to hypertension and diabetes, she said, and died at Brookhaven Memorial Hospital several weeks after surgery for a blood clot ...

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Chris Connor Jazz Vocalist Legend Passes at 81 Years

Source: JAZZzology by Richard Watters
September 6, 2009

Legendary jazz vocalist Chris Connor, who first came to prominence with the orchestras of Claude Thornhill and Stan Kenton and went on to record dozens of successful albums and singles, died on Saturday evening, August 29 at the Community Medical Center in Toms River, NJ following a long bout with cancer, according to her publicist Alan Eichler. She was 81. Among her many hits were “All About Ronnie," “Trust in Me" and “I Miss You So." Nearly her entire recorded ...

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Marie Knight Dies at 84; Gospel Vocalist Sang with Sister Rosetta Tharpe

Source: Michael Ricci
September 4, 2009

Marie Knight was best known for her gospel duets with Sister Rosetta Tharpe, including “Up Above My Head" and “Didn't It Rain." She toured with the gospel legend in the late 1940s and made a late-in-life comeback as a solo artist.

Marie Knight, a gospel singer who came to fame singing duets with gospel-music star Sister Rosetta Tharpe in the late 1940s and made a noteworthy late-in-life comeback as a solo artist, has died. She was 84.

Knight died Sunday ...

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Michael Jackson Laid to Rest

Source: Michael Ricci
September 3, 2009

Michael Jackson will be buried today, September 3rd, 7 PM at Forest Lawn, Glendale. A private ceremony will be held as the icon is laid to rest at the sprawling cemetery's Holy Terrace section, in the Great Mausoleum.

Plans for the burial have been the subject of much debate for weeks. Some family members said they wanted Jackson buried at Neverland Ranch in Santa Barbara County. Joe Jackson said he favored having the pop star laid to rest in Las ...

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