Obituary News

Baseball's Giants of Jazz

Source: All About Jazz
June 19, 2010

We cherish Ernie Harwell and other masters of improvisation because we may not hear a sound like theirs again

Tributes poured in from all over the nation as a city that is falling apart united in its heartache. Seventeen hours after the Tigers opened Comerica Park to the public last Thursday, there was a line around the corner to see the body of a 92- year-old man who described baseball for a living. Detroit grieved for Ernie Harwell, who died ...

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Remembering Bill Dixon: 1925-2010

Source: Michael Ricci
June 17, 2010

By Ben Young

Trumpeter and composer Bill Dixon died June 16th at his home in North Bennington, Vermont after a two-year illness. He was 84 years old.

Dixon was a revered and idiosyncratic figure in the avant-garde of Jazz music, and a creative force who strived at all times to place the music in ever more respectful circumstances. Dixon developed an often controversial profile as an outspoken and articulate defender of musicians' rights as artists, and specifically the challenges to ...

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Legendary P-Funk Guitarist Garry Shider Dies

Source: All About Jazz
June 17, 2010

Legendary funk guitarist Garry Shider, whose work with Parliament and Funkadelic earned him a spot in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, has died. He was 56.

Shider was known to millions of fans as “Starchild" or “Diaperman," the latter because of the loincloth he often wore onstage. Shider's son, Garrett, says his father died Wednesday at his home in Upper Marlboro, Md. He had been diagnosed with brain and lung cancer in March. He then briefly went on ...

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Bill and Fred

Source: Master of a Small House
June 17, 2010

Bill Dixon is gone. Fred Anderson is ailing. This week has been one of the worst in recent memory for creative improvised music. Reason enough to interrupt the relatively rigid format under these rafters for a salvo of positive thoughts beaming out to the families and loved ones of both men. I haven't been as in tune with Bill's recent work, but an out-of-the-blue email from him seven years ago is an event I still treasure. Prompted by ...

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Memorial for Manuel "Michael" Orias

Source: Seattle Jazz Scene
June 15, 2010

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Carpenters' Lead Guitarist Tony Peluso Dies

Source: Michael Ricci
June 15, 2010

Tony Peluso, lead guitarist for the Carpenters and a Motown and Latin music producer, died June 5 in Los Angeles of heart disease. He was 60.

Peluso was with the band for 12 years, beginning with single “Goodbye to Love" in 1972, touring the world with siblings Richard and Karen Carpenter and recording many albums. After Karen Carpenter's death in 1983, Peluso segued to producing and engineering records. Partnered for a decade with the head of A&R at Motown Records, ...

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L. A. Philharmonic's Ernest Fleischmann Dies

Source: Michael Ricci
June 15, 2010

Ernest Fleischmann dies at 85; manager who guided Los Angeles Philharmonic's transformation. Fleischmann, a visionary administrator who had a hand in every decision made about the orchestra for nearly 30 years, was pivotal in raising its profile and quality.

Ernest Fleischmann, the impresario who dominated the Los Angeles Philharmonic for nearly 30 years as it was transformed into one of the top orchestras in the country, has died. He was 85. Fleischmann died Sunday at his Los Angeles home surrounded ...

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Jimmy Dean Country Singer and Sausage Entrepreneur Dies

Source: Michael Ricci
June 14, 2010

Jimmy Dean, a country music legend for his smash hit about a workingman hero, “Big Bad John," and an entrepreneur known for his sausage brand, died on Sunday. He was 81.

With his drawled wisecracks and quick wit, Dean charmed many fans. But in both entertainment and business circles, he was also known for his tough hide. He fired bandmate Roy Clark, who went onto “Hee Haw" fame, for showing up late for gigs.

Dean grew up in a musical ...

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