Obituary News

Esbjorn Svensson's Death is a Devastating Blow for Jazz

Source: All About Jazz
June 18, 2008

In this self-aware, soulful music I found everything I was looking for - and it frequently moved me to tears If you're the DJ on a jazz radio programme, as I am, you face the task of dealing with the death of a significant musician at some point or other. Live on air, it's no easy task: how do you actually say that a person has died? How do you maintain formality but also point to the dignified joy of ...

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Esbjorn Svensson Leader of the Jazz Group E.S.T.

Source: Michael Ricci
June 18, 2008

A composer of genre-bending music that drew widely on influences outside of jazz

Esbjorn Svensson, a Swedish pianist and leader of the jazz trio E.S.T., one of Europe's most popular ensembles, which was to appear in New York this Saturday as part of the J.V.C. Festival, died on June 14 in Stockholm. He was 44. Mr. Svensson was killed in a scuba diving accident in the Stockholm archipelago, said the manager of the trio, Burkhard Hopper. A composer of genre-bending ...

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Stan Winston Special-Effects Guru Won 4 Academy Awards

Source: Michael Ricci
June 18, 2008

Steven Spielberg, in a statement: “I rode his cutting edge from teddy bears to aliens to dinosaurs. My world would not have been the same without Stan."

Stan Winston, the renowned makeup, creature- and visual-effects wizard whose memorable work on “Aliens," “Terminator 2: Judgment Day" and “Jurassic Park" earned him four Academy Awards, has died. He was 62. Winston died of complications from multiple myeloma Sunday at his home in Malibu, said his son, actor Matt Winston. “The entertainment industry ...

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Cyd Charisse Personified Dancing Sophistication

Source: Michael Ricci
June 18, 2008

Cyd Charisse, who brought sizzle and sophistication to dance in such classic movie musicals as “Singin' in the Rain" and “Silk Stockings." She was 86.

Cyd Charisse, dancer starred in movie musicals with Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire Trained as a ballerina in the Russian tradition, she listed 'Singin' in the Rain' and 'Silk Stockings' among her many credits. Charisse died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles after suffering an apparent heart attack Monday, publicist Gene Schwam said. Charisse captured ...

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Cyd Charisse Actress Dancer Dies

Source: All About Jazz
June 17, 2008

MGM Actress Cyd Charisse dies in Los Angeles at 86

A publicist for Cyd Charisse says the actress-dancer has died in Los Angeles at age 86. Publicist Gene Schwam says Charisse died early today at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center after suffering an apparent heart attack on Monday. Charisse was a long-legged Texas beauty who danced with the Ballet Russe as a teenager and starred in MGM musicals with Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly. She also appeared in dramatic films, but her ...

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From ACT Records: Esbjorn Svensson Dies in Diving Accident on June 14, 2008

Source: All About Jazz
June 16, 2008

Swedish pianist and composer Esbjorn Svensson died in a diving accident on Saturday June 14, 2008 aged 44. Our thoughts are with his mourning wife and children and his long time musical associates Dan Berglund and Magnus Ostrom. Esbjorn Svensson was one of the most influential jazz artists in recent history and his band e.s.t. were considered one of the most successful jazz groups in Europe and beyond. e.s.t. became famous for their innovative mix of jazz, contemporary rock and ...

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Jazz Champion Esbjorn Svensson Dies at 44

Source: All About Jazz
June 16, 2008

The Swedish jazz pianist and composer Esbjorn Svensson has died in a scuba diving accident near the Swedish capital Stockholm. He was 44. His Esbjorn Svensson Trio, known as EST, became renowned for bringing jazz to a younger audience. They gained international acclaim playing in rock venues, using light shows and fog machines at concerts. The music of EST drew on disparate influences, ranging from classical music to funk. Burkhard Hopper, EST's manager, told Reuters news agency that Svensson had ...

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Swedish Jazz Star Esbjorn Svensson Dies in Diving Accident

Source: All About Jazz
June 16, 2008

STOCKHOLM (AFP) -- Swedish jazz star Esbjorn Svensson was killed at the weekend in a scuba diving accident off Stockholm, his manager said Monday. He was 44. According to Swedish media reports, Svensson had been diving with a group and an instructor in the Stockholm archipelago when he suddenly disappeared. The married father of two had been found badly injured on the sea bed and had been transported by helicopter to a Stockholm hospital, where he died shortly before midnight ...

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