Obituary News

Norman Whitfield Motown Producer Dies at 67

Source: Michael Ricci
September 17, 2008

The co-writer and producer of “I Heard It Through The Grapevine" and other classic hits had long struggled with diabetes.

Norman Whitfield, the Grammy-winning songwriter and forward-thinking producer who helped shape the direction of R&B and soul music at Motown Records in the 1960s and 1970s, died Tuesday. He was 67.

Whitfield, the co-writer of dozens of Motown hits and producer of most of the recordings by the Temptations, died at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, reportedly of ...

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Jest Finite: David Foster Wallace, 1962-2008

Source: Night Lights Classic Jazz
September 17, 2008

David Foster Wallace, the writer who reinvigorated the long-essay form to depict the wide, strange breadth of modern life, and who created a landmark in contemporary American fiction with his novel Infinite Jest, has died at the age of 46. He committed suicide Friday night at his home in California. Wallace was a favorite of many young musicians and writers that I know, and some tributes have already appeared in the jazz blogosphere: Darcy James Argue writes of the inspiration ...

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Pink Floyd's Rick Wright: R.I.P.

Source: JamBase
September 16, 2008

Pink Floyd's Rick Wright :: 07.28.43 - 09.15.08

Rick Wright Pink Floyd keyboardist and founding member Richard “Rick" Wright passed away today (Monday, September 15). According to a post on David Gilmour's website, “Richard died today after a short struggle with cancer." He was 65.

Wright co-founded Pink Floyd in 1965 with guitarist Syd Barrett, bassist Roger Waters and drummer Nick Mason. Known primarily as a keyboardist, Wright also sang and earned songwriting credits on several of Floyd's most popular ...

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Pink Floyd Member Richard Wright Dies at Age 65

Source: Michael Ricci
September 15, 2008

A Pink Floyd spokesman says founding member Richard Wright has died. He was 65. Wright died today after a battle with cancer at his home in Britain.

His family did not want to give more details about his death. The spokesman is Doug Wright, who is not related to the artist. Richard Wright met Pink Floyd members Roger Waters and Nick Mason at college and joined their early band Sigma 6.

Sigma 6 eventually became Pink Floyd and Wright wrote ...

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Bheki Mseleku: Sa Jazz Pianist Found Fame in Europe

Source: All About Jazz
September 14, 2008

The death this week of an accomplished jazz musician has highlighted how South Africans tend to overlook local talent. Friends and family say Bheki Mseleku received greater recognition in Europe and the US than at home. He won awards overseas, but could not get a decent gig at home. He had to return to Europe to continue with his musical career. Durban-born Mseleku - a pianist, guitarist, saxophonist, vocalist and composer - died on Tuesday in London, where he had ...

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Jazz Maestro Bheki Mseleku Dies

Source: All About Jazz
September 11, 2008

RENOWNED jazz musician Bheki Mseleku has died at the age of 53 after a long battle with diabetes. “He was a supremely talented creative visionary," Arts and Culture Minister Pallo Jordan said. Jordan said the KwaZulu-Natal-born “piano maestro" died in the U K on Monday. Jordan said Mseleku had been living in the UK and seemed to have disappeared from the live- music scene in South Africa. Born in Lamontville, KwaZulu- Natal, Mseleku was from an artistic family, which took ...

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Geo Voumard, a Founder of the Montreux Jazz Festival, Dies at 87

Source: Michael Ricci
September 9, 2008

GENEVA Geo Voumard, a Swiss jazz pianist who was one of the founders of the Montreux Jazz Festival, died Wednesday. He was 87.

Mr. Voumard founded the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1967 with Claude Nobs and Rene Langel. He also won the first Eurovision Song Contest in 1956 with the song “Refrain," written with Emile Gardaz.

Born on Dec. 2, 1920, in the northwest Switzerland town of Biel, Mr. Voumard studied architecture before starting his musical career. He ...

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BJ Papa: North Beach loses a jazzman, and a friend

Source: All About Jazz
September 5, 2008

B.J. Papa died on Monday. I'm not sure what he died of and I don't know how old he was -- somewhere north of 70, I'm sure. I heard he died in his sleep. I hope so. Let the obit pages take care of the details. He'd been feeling under the weather lately but said he was on the mend. Now he's dead and all I know is that a little piece of old North Beach died with him. And ...

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