Keith LeBlanc, Drummer on Grandmaster Flash and Sugarhill Gang Songs, Dies at 69
The Tackhead and Little Axe member also drummed on songs for Nine Inch Nails, Tina Turner, and R.E.M.
Obituary
Gylan Kain, Spoken Word Artist Who Co-Founded the Original Last Poets, Dies at 81
Kain helped set the stage for rap with the Harlem collective’s beat-driven performance poetry about racism and oppression
Cola Boyy, Pop Singer-Songwriter and Activist, Dies at 34
He collaborated with the Avalanches, MGMT’s Andrew VanWyngarden, and Air’s Nicolas Godin
Shigeichi Negishi, Original Karaoke Machine Inventor, Dies at 100
Though never patented, Negishi’s 1967 Sparko Box was the first device to facilitate what would become a wildly popular musical...
Vybz Kartel, Sentenced to Life in Prison in 2014, Wins Appeal of Murder Conviction
A Jamaican appeals court will now decide whether the dancehall star and his co-defendants will again stand trial
Eric Carmen, Raspberries Frontman and “All by Myself” Singer, Dies at 74
The Cleveland singer, guitarist, and songwriter was behind power-pop hits like “Hungry Eyes” and “Go All the Way”
Pig Destroyer’s Blake Harrison Dies at 48
The grindcore band issued a statement commemorating Harrison, who played samples, noise, and other sound design: “You are etched into...
Morgan Heritage Singer Peter “Peetah” Morgan Dies at 46
A son of the reggae singer Denroy Morgan, he started Morgan Heritage with seven of his siblings in the mid-1990s
Damo Suzuki, Legendary Can Vocalist, Dies at 74
The Japanese musician performed and recorded with the German krautrock band for a short but important period in the early...
Country Singer Toby Keith Dies at 62
Keith, a torchbearer for patriotic country, had been living with stomach cancer
DJ Katapila, Cult Ghanaian Producer, Dies at 50
The innovative Accra musician and DJ was an “inimitable producer, disc jockey, and mobile party-starter,” his label Awesome Tapes From...
Brian Griffin, Depeche Mode Album Cover Photographer, Dies at 75
As well as driving the Essex band’s striking Soviet aesthetic, Griffin shot covers for the likes of Psychedelic Furs and...
Melinda Wilson, Brian Wilson’s Wife, Dies at 77
“Melinda was more than my wife,” the Beach Boys co-founder said of the woman who steered his psychological recovery. “She...
