2016 Obituaries

[waltky]

Died on his 79th birthday of pneumonia...

Country legend Merle Haggard dead at 79
Wed, 06 Apr 2016 - Haggard wrote songs, sang and played fiddle and guitar, usually singing about American pride, rebels and outlaws.

American country music legend Merle Haggard has died of pneumonia on his 79th birthday, his manager confirmed. He is credited with helping to define the "Bakersfield sound", country music with a distinctive twang and lack of sophisticated production. Haggard wrote songs, sang and played fiddle and guitar, usually singing about American pride and outlaws. He was a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame with dozens of albums and top hits.

The singer, who battled lung cancer in 2008, had recently cancelled April tour dates due to illness and said he hoped to be back on the road in May. Rolling Stone magazine has described him as "the backbone of one of the greatest repertoires an all of American music, plain-spoken songs populated by the kinds of working people Haggard grew up with: farmers, hobos, convicts, widows, musicians and drunks". His top hits include Mama Tried, The Fugitive, If We Make It Through December and Okie from Muskogee.

He was born in California in 1937, living in a converted boxcar with his family and quitting school at a young age to hop freight trains across the south western part of the US. He spent three years in prison for breaking into a cafe while drunk, Rolling Stone notes. Then-governor of California, Ronald Reagan, expunged his criminal record in 1972. Haggard's former publicist Jim Della Croce told the BBC that the singer was as influential as the Beatles in country music. "He was the bottom line in country music and the gold standard to which every country artist measured himself," he said. "He was a nice guy with a great sense of humour. He was a very literate man."

Musicians gave their tributes to Haggard on Twitter shortly following the news of his death. Country musician Luke Bryan tweeted that "a true hero was lost". "Literally just fell to the floor. Can't believe we lost the hag. RIP Merle Haggard," tweeted country musician Dierks Bentley.

Merle Haggard, an American country music legend, dead at 79 - BBC News

 

[skye]

RIP Merle Haggard

"- Cotton Patch Blues"

 

[Kat]

How sad, and on his birthday no less. RIP

 

[JOSweetHeart]

This is the first time that I know of someone going forward on their own birthday! I love to hear him sing "Pancho & Lefty" with the red headed stranger! For Merle to go now most definitely stands out for me because his son, Ben, actually placed his stamp of approval on a message that I left for the ACM award show powers that be this past Sunday night over at the Twitter website. I ordered them to learn how to remember our legends because during the show they didn't acknowledge any of the ones in country music that went forward this past year. May Merle's passing make them realize how important it really is to never forget those who paved the road the stars of today are walking on.

God bless you and Merle's family and the remainder of our legends always!!!

Holly

 

[Alex.]

This is the first time that I know of someone going forward on their own birthday! I love to hear him sing "Pancho & Lefty" with the red headed stranger! For Merle to go now most definitely stands out for me because his son, Ben, actually placed his stamp of approval on a message that I left for the ACM award show powers that be this past Sunday night over at the Twitter website. I ordered them to learn how to remember our legends because during the show they didn't acknowledge any of the ones in country music that went forward this past year. May Merle's passing make them realize how important it really is to never forget those who paved the road the stars of today are walking on.

God bless you and Merle's family and the remainder of our legends always!!!

Holly

"For Merle to go now most definitely stands out for me because his son, Ben, actually placed his stamp of approval on a message that I left for the ACM award show powers that be this past Sunday night over at the Twitter website."

That is a nice memory for you and any fan.

 

[Alex.]

Merle Haggard - Natural High

 

[JOSweetHeart]

This is the first time that I know of someone going forward on their own birthday! I love to hear him sing "Pancho & Lefty" with the red headed stranger! For Merle to go now most definitely stands out for me because his son, Ben, actually placed his stamp of approval on a message that I left for the ACM award show powers that be this past Sunday night over at the Twitter website. I ordered them to learn how to remember our legends because during the show they didn't acknowledge any of the ones in country music that went forward this past year. May Merle's passing make them realize how important it really is to never forget those who paved the road the stars of today are walking on.

God bless you and Merle's family and the remainder of our legends always!!!

Holly

"For Merle to go now most definitely stands out for me because his son, Ben, actually placed his stamp of approval on a message that I left for the ACM award show powers that be this past Sunday night over at the Twitter website."

That is a nice memory for you and any fan.

Thank you! It was most definitely unexpected.

God bless you always!!!

Holly

 

[JustAnotherNut]

 

[Auld Phart]

Knew it wasn't far off

Doris Roberts, Star of 'Everybody Loves Raymond,' Dies at 90 (Report)

Doris Roberts, who delighted audiences as the meddling mother next door on Everybody Loves Raymond, has died, TMZ reports. She was 90.

 

[JOSweetHeart]

^^^ I wonder what it is that got her. So far, I have not seen it said. Was she sick?

God bless you and her family always!!!

Holly

 

[Auld Phart]

^^^ I wonder what it is that got her. So far, I have not seen it said. Was she sick?

God bless you and her family always!!!

Holly

"died Sunday night in her sleep of natural causes in Los Angeles, Janet Daily said"

 

[JOSweetHeart]

^^^ Thanks for filling me in. That is how my newest favorite singer went forward. The late beautiful precious Billy Joe Royal went to bed and never woke up.

God bless you and his family and Doris's family always!!!

Holly

 

[JustAnotherNut]

Pop superstar Prince dies at his Minnesota home

Prince dead at 57 from flu

 

[Eaglewings]

Pop superstar Prince dies at his Minnesota home

Prince dead at 57 from flu

damn I was going to see him a few years back and thought I would next time around...not now..

.

 

[Iceweasel]

He died from the flu?

Yeah right.

 

[Alex.]

R.I.P. Prince

Unbelievable talent, sad

 

[Eaglewings]

He died from the flu?

Yeah right.

He was in the hospital a week before for a bad flu. ...they should have kept him longer.

 

[konradv]

R.I.P. Prince



Little Red Corvette

 

[konradv]

Purple Rain

 

[waltky]

Music superstar Prince dies at 57...

Prince, hugely inventive, influential musician, dead at 57
Apr 21,`16 -- Prince could play guitar like Carlos Santana or Jimi Hendrix, sing like James Brown, turn out pop melodies worthy of Motown or lay down the deepest grooves this side of Sly and the Family Stone. But no one could mistake his sound for anyone but Prince.

The dazzlingly talented and charismatic singer, songwriter, arranger and instrumentalist who died Thursday at his home drew upon the history of modern popular music and created a gender- and genre-defying blend of rock, funk and soul. With hits including "1999," ''Purple Rain" and "Little Red Corvette," Prince's records sold more than 100 million copies and earned him Grammys and an Academy Award for music. The Minneapolis native stood just 5 feet, 2 inches, yet made a powerful visual impact at the dawn of the MTV era, proving to be the Little Richard for the '80s, from his wispy moustache and tall pompadour to his colorful and suggestive outfits - the counterpart to the openly erotic lyrics that made him one of the most sexually daring artists of the era.

But his greatest legacy was as a musician, summoning original and compelling sounds at will, whether playing guitar in a flamboyant style that drew on Hendrix, switching his vocals from a nasally scream to an erotic falsetto, or turning out album after album of stunningly innovative material. Among his other notable releases: "Sign O' the Times," ''Graffiti Bridge" and "The Black Album." "He rewrote the rulebook, forging a synthesis of black funk and white rock that served as a blueprint for cutting-edge music in the Eighties," reads his dedication in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. "Prince made dance music that rocked and rock music that had a bristling, funky backbone. From the beginning, Prince and his music were androgynous, sly, sexy and provocative."

Prince performs at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif. Prince, widely acclaimed as one of the most inventive and influential musicians of his era with hits including "Little Red Corvette," ''Let's Go Crazy" and "When Doves Cry," was found dead at his home on Thursday, April 21, 2016, in suburban Minneapolis, according to his publicist. He was 57​

The 57-year-old superstar passed away Thursday at his home in suburban Minneapolis. The local sheriff said deputies found Prince unresponsive in an elevator late Thursday morning after being summoned to his home, but that first-responders couldn't revive him. "I am confirming that Prince, the legendary iconic performer has died at his home this morning at Paisley Park," his publicist, Yvette Noel-Schure, told The Associated Press in a phone call. No details about what may have caused his death have been released. Prince postponed a concert in Atlanta on April 7, saying he had fallen ill with the flu, and he apologized to fans during a makeup concert last week. An autopsy is scheduled for Friday.

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Prince, singer and superstar, dies aged 57 at Paisley Park
Fri, 22 Apr 2016 - The hugely acclaimed and influential musician Prince has died at his home in Minnesota, aged 57.

The hugely popular, acclaimed and influential musician Prince has died at his home in Minnesota at the age of 57. Police were summoned to his Paisley Park estate early on Thursday and found his body in a lift. An investigation has been opened. Prince became a global superstar in the 1980s, with albums such as 1999, Purple Rain and Sign O' the Times. No cause of death has been stated. A post-mortem investigation will take place on Friday. His innovative music spanned rock, funk and jazz. He sold more than 100 million records during his career. "It is with profound sadness that I am confirming that the legendary, iconic performer, Prince Rogers Nelson, has died," his spokeswoman said.

In a statement, Carver County Sheriff Jim Olson said his deputies responded to a medical call at about 09:43 local time (14:43 GMT) and later found an unresponsive adult male in an elevator at Paisley Park Studios. First responders tried to revive him with CPR but he was pronounced dead at 10:07. Hundreds of fans gathered outside Paisley Park. US President Barack Obama said the world had lost a "creative icon".

'A visionary' - Madonna

Born in 1958, Prince was a prolific writer and performer from a young age - reportedly writing his first song when he was seven. A singer, songwriter, arranger and multi-instrumentalist, Prince recorded more than 30 albums. His best known hits include Let's Go Crazy and When Doves Cry.

'A joy to watch': By Mark Savage, BBC entertainment reporter

A musical prodigy from a broken home, Prince famously wrote, arranged, produced and played almost all of his hit records. But the Purple man's purple patch really came with his first band The Revolution. With them by his side, he wrote more than two dozen rock classics in a five-year flurry. Purple Rain, Little Red Corvette, 1999, Raspberry Beret, When Doves Cry, Kiss... At the same time, he dashed off Manic Monday for The Bangles and Nothing Compares 2U, made famous by Sinead O'Connor. In the studio, he was unstoppable. But the magic really happened on stage. He would vamp, preen and tease an audience into a frenzy, then slay them with a quiet moment of crystalline beauty. He was a joy to watch.

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