Obituary News

Pianist, composer Francy Boland dies at 75

Source: All About Jazz
August 16, 2005

GENEVA - Belgian jazz pianist and composer Francy Boland died in Geneva, aged 75, a statement from the Jazz Labo society of Fribourg said.

Born in Namur on November 6, 1929, Boland began learning piano at the age of eight and studied at the Music Conservatory in Liege. He began his jazz career in 1949 and joined Chet Baker's quintet in 1955.

Moving to the United States, Boland wrote arrangements for Count Basie and Benny Goodman and formed an octet ...

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Bassist Keter Betts Dies at 77

Source: All About Jazz
August 11, 2005

BETTS, WILLIAM THOMAS “Keter" died of natural causes at his home on Saturday, August 6, 2005. The jazz great is survived by three sons, William Thomas, Jr., Jonathan and Derrick; two daughters, Jacquelyn and Jennifer; four grandchildren, his devoted companion, Roscoe Dellums, and numerous relatives and friends. Mr. Betts' wake will be held on Monday, August 15th at Metropolitan Memorial United Methodist Church, 3401 Nebraska Avenue, NW, Washington, DC from 10 o'clock AM until the funeral service commences at noon. ...

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Blues pianist Emery Williams Jr dies at 73

Source: All About Jazz
August 10, 2005

CHICAGO -- Blues pianist and songwriter Emery Williams Junior died today at his Chicago home at the age of 73.

Williams, who went by the stage name “Detroit Junior," died of heart failure early this morning at his home on the city's West Side.

Friends say Williams was a wild performer who would sometimes play the piano while lying on his back, despite having lost a leg to diabetes.

Williams was born in Haynes, Arkansas. He learned how to play ...

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Buena Vista singer Ibrahim Ferrer dead at 78

Source: All About Jazz
August 8, 2005

HAVANA - Ibrahim Ferrer, the mild-mannered singer of the Buena Vista Social Club group that took him from shining shoes to world fame late in life, died on Saturday in Havana, his manager said. He was 78.

The Grammy winner known for his trademark cap and gray mustache died of multiple organ failure after returning ill on Wednesday from a European tour, manager Daniel Florestan said.

“He was taken to hospital when he got back and his condition worsened. He ...

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Legendary Jazz Photographer Paul Hoeffler Passed Away

Source: All About Jazz
August 8, 2005

By Len Dobbin Toronto based Hoeffler was cherished by musicians and photographers alike, capturing the definitive personalities of Jazz with uncompromising style and artistry. He approached his work like the musicians he revered, blending rigorous discipline with inspired improvisation and sensitivity. As a young photographer in Rochester New York, Hoeffler put himself in the right place at the right time. He won the trust and friendship of his subjects, recognizing the richness of Jazz at a seminal and fleeting moment. ...

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Lucky Thompson, Jazz Saxophonist, Is Dead at 81

Source: All About Jazz
August 5, 2005

Lucky Thompson, a legendary tenor and soprano saxophonist who took his place among the elite improvisers of jazz from the 1940's to the 1960's and then quit music, roamed the country and ended up homeless or hospitalized for more than a decade, died on Saturday in Seattle. He was 81. His death was confirmed by his son, Daryl Thompson; the cause was not announced. Mr. Thompson was living in an assisted-care facility at the Washington Center for Comprehensive Rehabilitation in ...

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Cabaret singer Hildegarde dead at 99

Source: All About Jazz
August 4, 2005

NEW YORK (AP) -- Hildegarde, the “incomparable” cabaret singer whose career spanned almost seven decades, has died. She was 99. The performer, who was credited with starting the single-name vogue among entertainers, died Friday at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Hospital, said Don Dellair, her longtime friend and manager. Born Hildegarde Loretta Sell in Adell, Wisconsin, she was known for 70 years simply as “The Incomparable Hildegarde,” a title bestowed on her by columnist Walter Winchell. During the peak of her popularity ...

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Blues king Little Milton dead at 70

Source: All About Jazz
August 4, 2005

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- “Little" Milton Campbell, who sang the blues and performed with some of the country's top performers, died Thursday of complications of a stroke.

Campbell, 70, died about 8:50 a.m. at Delta Medical Center in Memphis, Tenn. A statement from the family said the musician died from a cerebral hemorrhage as a result of a stroke Campbell suffered on July 27.

Funeral services were pending. Campbell is survived by his wife, Patricia, and three children.

Greg Preston, a ...

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