Obituary News

George Perle Theorist and Composer Championed Atonal Music Dies

Source: Michael Ricci
January 31, 2009

Scholar, theorist and composer George Perle, always highly regarded by his peers, began to draw wider public attention only after he won a Pulitzer Prize and MacArthur Fellowship in 1986. The American music theorist and scholar who was widely regarded as the composer who put a human face on atonal music, has died. He was 93.

Always highly regarded by his peers, Perle began to draw wider public attention only after he won a Pulitzer Prize -- as well as ...

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John Martyn Respected British Singer-Songwriter Dies

Source: Michael Ricci
January 30, 2009

John Martyn, 60, a British singer-songwriter whose soulful songs were covered by Eric Clapton and others, died Thursday, according to a statement on Martyn’s official website. It did not give a cause of death for the musician, who lived in Ireland.

A skilled guitarist and earthy vocalist influenced by folk, blues and jazz, Martyn performed with -- and was admired by -- musicians including Clapton, Pink Floyd's David Gilmour, and Phil Collins.

Martyn was born Iain David McGeachy near London ...

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Irving Bush Trumpeter Played with Big Bands L.A. Philharmonic Passes

Source: Michael Ricci
January 29, 2009

Irving Bush, a trumpeter with a broad range of musical interests, including jazz and classical, who later in life served as personnel manager for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, has died. He was 78.

Bush died Jan. 8 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles of complications from multiple myeloma, according to Kazue McGregor, the Philharmonic librarian.

Bush started his career playing with many top-name big bands, including ones led by Harry James and Nelson Riddle. He also worked in the ...

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Billy Powell Keyboardist for Lynyrd Skynyrd Dies

Source: Michael Ricci
January 28, 2009

ORANGE PARK, Fla. -- A keyboardist for the southern rock bank Lynyrd Skynyrd has died at his northeast Florida home.

Orange Park Police Lt. Mark Cornett says 56-year-old keyboard player Billy Powell called 911 about 12:55 a.m.today saying he was having trouble breathing. Rescue crews performed CPR, but he was pronounced dead at 1:52 a.m.

Cornett says no foul play is suspected and an autopsy will not be performed. He says Powell missed a Tuesday appointment with his doctor for ...

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John Updike Prize-Winning Writer Dies

Source: Michael Ricci
January 27, 2009

John Updike, the Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist, prolific man of letters and erudite chronicler of sex, divorce and other adventures in the postwar prime of the American empire, died today at age 76.

Updike, a resident of Beverly Farms, Mass., died of lung cancer, according to a statement from his publisher, Alfred A. Knopf.

A literary writer who frequently appeared on best-seller lists, the tall, hawk-nosed Updike wrote novels, short stories, poems, criticism, the memoir “Self-Consciousness" and even a famous essay ...

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Mariana Bridi Brazilian Model Loses Fight for Life

Source: All About Jazz
January 25, 2009

Doctors had amputated 20-year-old pageant finalist's feet and hands, the beautiful Brazilian Model Mariana Bridi died from complications of an infection that is resistant to antibiotics.

Doctors originally diagnosed her with kidney stones in December, local media said. But as her condition worsened, she was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection that spread. The cause of the infection was not immediately known.

It reduced the flow of oxygen to her limbs, causing her feet to be amputated last week and ...

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Leroy Cooper Musician in Charles Band Dies

Source: Michael Ricci
January 24, 2009

Leroy Cooper played baritone saxophone with the Ray Charles band in the 1950s through the '70s. His tenure with the band included recording sessions that yielded the film theme In the Heat of the Night and Charles rendition of America, the Beautiful."

Leroy Cooper, 80, who played baritone saxophone for Ray Charles from the 1950s through the 1970s and at times served as bandleader for the R&B pianist, died of heart failure Jan. 15 at his home in Orlando, Fla., ...

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Gary Kurfirst Record Executive Music Manager Dies

Source: Michael Ricci
January 24, 2009

Gary Kurfirst, 61, a pop music manager, promoter and record executive who played a key role in the success of the bands Talking Heads, Blondie and the Ramones, died Jan. 13 while on vacation in the Bahamas.

A figure in pop music for more than four decades, Kurfirst opened the Village Theater in Manhattan in 1967. The venue later became the Fillmore East. In 1968, he staged the New York Rock Festival in Flushing Meadows Park, which featured Janis Joplin ...

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