Tag: In Memoriam (71-80 of 296)

Apr 26 2012 01:24 PM ET

The Killers' saxophonist Tommy Marth commits suicide

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Tommy Marth, a saxophonist who played on the Killers’ second and third albums, was found dead of an apparent suicide on Monday in his Las Vegas home. He was 33 years old.

Though he was never a permanent member of the band, Marth was a key component in the Killers’ evolution from dance-friendly indie pop group into something grander. On 2006′s Sam’s Town and 2008′s Day & Age, he helped to create sweeping, E Street Band-esque desert soundscapes, and also toured with the band for Day & Age.

The Killers began a hiatus following the Day & Age tour, though they are working on a new album that should be out before the end of the year.

“Last night we lost our friend Thomas Marth,” Killers frontman Brandon Flowers said in a statement released on Tuesday. “Our prayers are with his family. There’s a light missing in Las Vegas tonight. Travel well, Tommy.”

Check out the video below of Marth during a performance of the Killers’ “Joy Ride” (from Day & Age) at the 2009 V Festival in England. READ FULL STORY »

Apr 23 2012 06:13 PM ET

Levon Helm: A vintage EW interview with the late rock legend

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In the early fall of 2007, I traveled to Woodstock, N.Y., to interview Levon Helm, the legendary Band drummer and vocalist who passed away last Thursday at the age of 71, following a long fight with cancer.

Helm was first diagnosed with the disease in 1996, and for a period he lost the ability to sing. But by the time we sat down to chat at his home-cum-studio complex, Helm had recovered much of his voice and was preparing to put out an album, Dirt Farmer, his first proper solo release in 25 years.

Helm was painfully thin but welcoming, full of life, and, in truth, not slow to vent his anger about perceived past grievances. While petting his two beloved dogs Lucy and Muddy, the drummer talked about his new collection and his illness. He then proceeded to wander down memory lane. The encounter remains one of my favorite interviews.

It isn’t every day you talk with someone who got inspired to become a musician after seeing Elvis in concert, who got booed while playing with Bob Dylan, who was documented by Martin Scorsese and didn’t care for the result, and who got to battle the Grim Reaper and lived to tell the tale. Now that Helm has finally lost that fight, it seems appropriate to recount just why his passing is such a sad event for so many people. READ FULL STORY »

Apr 19 2012 08:36 PM ET

Remembering Levon Helm: A playlist

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Levon Helm passed away Thursday, but his music lives on. The drummer and singer for the legendary band that needed no further moniker — The Band — brought a Southern twang and roots style to rock music that has influenced so many, from other major recording acts to legions of kids playing the drums in their parents’ basements.

In honor of the late master, we’ve put together an admittedly far-from-complete playlist of some of our Levon Helm favorites (and a few that he just lent his spirit to). Songs like “The Weight” and “Up on Cripple Creek” are classic The Band tunes, but we’ve also included some deep dives, like “Ain’t No More Cane” from The Basement Tapes with Bob Dylan and a few later tracks from Helm’s solo work, like “A Train Robbery” off his 2007 Dirt Farmer album. Check out the list below and suggest songs to add in the comments!
READ FULL STORY »

Apr 19 2012 03:43 PM ET

Rock legend Levon Helm dies at age 71

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Rock legend Levon Helm has died at the age of 71 following a battle with cancer. According to a message published on Helm’s official website, the Band drummer and Grammy-winning solo artist “passed peacefully this afternoon. He was surrounded by family, friends and band mates and will be remembered by all he touched as a brilliant musician and a beautiful soul.”

The Woodstock, NY-based Helm was diagnosed with throat cancer in the late ’90s and for a period was unable to sing. But he eventually recovered his voice and in 2007 released the acclaimed Grammy-winning album Dirt Farmer.

Alas, the disease returned and, on Tuesday, Helm’s wife and daughter posted a message on his website notifying fans that the drummer was in the “final stages” of his cancer battle.

Mar 23 2012 05:08 PM ET

Whitney Houston's case still very much open, confirms Beverly Hills PD

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With news that Whitney Houston had cocaine and other drugs in her system at the time of her drowning, EW has learned that the investigation of the legendary singer’s death is still very much open. Lt. Mark Rosen of the Beverly Hills Police Department confirmed that the investigation will remain active at least until the final coroner’s report is delivered in the next several weeks.

The preliminary report, which many hoped would solve the mystery of Houston’s unexpected passing, has only triggered more questions. As for Houston’s admitted struggle with cocaine, police will continue to investigate, among other questions, how Houston acquired it and what else happened at her Beverly Hilton Hotel suite in the hours before her drowning on Feb. 11. Until those questions can be answered, said Rosen, “It’s our policy not to comment on open investigations.”

Read more:
Coroner: Whitney Houston death an accidental drowning, cocaine in her system
Whitney Houston’s will leaves everything to Bobbi Kristina
Whitney Houston’s life and legacy

Mar 22 2012 05:49 PM ET

Coroner: Whitney Houston death an accidental drowning, cocaine in her system

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Whitney Houston died from drowning in a hotel bathtub, but coroner’s officials said Thursday that heart disease and chronic cocaine use were contributing factors to the singer’s death.

The release of autopsy findings Thursday ends weeks of speculation about what killed the Grammy-winning singer on Feb. 11 on the eve of the Grammy Awards.

Houston was found submerged in the bathtub of her room at the Beverly Hilton Hotel and her death has been ruled as accidental. Several bottles of prescription medications were found in her hotel room, but coroner’s officials said they weren’t in excessive quantities.

Beverly Hills police said in a statement there was no evidence of wrongdoing in connection with Houston’s death. READ FULL STORY »

Mar 13 2012 01:43 PM ET

Madonna laments the loss of Whitney Houston, Amy Winehouse: 'How did it happen?'

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Madonna opened up to UK’s The Sun recently about her “shocking sense of disbelief” following the sudden passings of Amy Winehouse and Whitney Houston.

“It had not been a secret,” she said, “the struggles Amy had been through — both brilliant, brilliant artists and obviously both huge losses,” she said. “But when these things happen, I’m always shocked by the first thing you say, ‘It’s such a loss,’ which doesn’t quite cover it. Then you reflect and you think, ‘How did it happen? How did the people around them allow it to happen?’”

Winehouse and Madonna never really went toe-to-toe on the charts, but the Material Girl watched her star rise around the same time Houston was laying the groundwork for her own superstardom.

“I remember looking at her singing and hearing people talk about her, and just thinking, ‘Oh my God. She’s such a beautiful woman and my God, what an incredible voice. I wish I could sing like that.’ I just remember being extremely envious of her and also touched by her innocence,” she said. ”I was struck by that — how well she started and where she ended up, and the tragedy of it.”

What do you think about Madonna’s comments? Are you surprised that she envied Houston?

Read more:

Madonna teases ‘Girl Gone Wild’ video: Watch it here
‘Glee’ scoop: Whitney Houston tribute episode in production
Snippet of new Madonna track ‘Gang Bang’ leaks: Hear it here


Mar 9 2012 11:35 AM ET

'Disco Inferno' singer Jimmy Ellis dies at age 74

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Trammps singer Jimmy Ellis died yesterday at a nursing home in South Carolina, according to CNN. He was 74.

The Philadelphia-based Trammps became dancefloor icons in 1977 with their classic track “Disco Inferno,” which was featured on the soundtrack to Saturday Night Fever. The Trammps’ other hits included “Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart” and “Disco Party.”

Ellis grew up in Rock Hill, NC. At the age of 7, his father died and Ellis helped care for his five younger siblings, picking cotton and cutting grass to augment the family income, before striking north to make his way in the music business. “We weren’t making any money until “Disco Inferno” came along,” he once told the Charlotte Observer. “That’s when I started jumping, ‘Yes!’”

You can hear their biggest hit below: READ FULL STORY »

Mar 9 2012 10:15 AM ET

The Notorious B.I.G.'s death, 15 years later: 15 songs to remember him by

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Notorious B.I.G.passed away 15 years ago today, and a decade and a half later, his absence still echoes. The man born Christopher Wallace rapped about the violence of the drug trade and spent nine months behind bars, but he never lived life on the edge the way Tupac Shakur did.

Many still conflate their two deaths as one long, continuous nightmare, and it’s easy to see why: They were each gunned down while driving away from major public events (Shakur following a boxing match, Biggie after an awards show). They were the two biggest icons in the ridiculous East Coast/West Coast rap war that was really just a tiff between Bad Boy Records founder Diddy (he was still Sean “Puffy” Combs back then) and Death Row Records CEO Marion “Suge” Knight. And they often traded lyrical barbs, though they were actually admirers and occasional collaborators.

Biggie’s death remains senseless and frustrating for selfish reasons — unlike Shakur, he did not leave behind a vast archive of unreleased music, and his posthumous albums have ranged from spotty (Born Again) to downright insulting (Duets: The Final Chapter). Still, his body of work consists of two stone-cold classic albums: 1994′s Ready to Die and 1997′s Life After Death (released only 16 days after his murder).

Below are the 15 songs you should crank up extra loud today in honor of the man known as Biggie Smalls. (Apologies to “Kick In the Door,” “Going Back to Cali,” and “F— You Tonight.”) READ FULL STORY »

Mar 8 2012 09:14 AM ET

Whitney Houston's will leaves everything to Bobbi Kristina

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Whitney Houston left everything to her 19-year-old daughter, Bobbi Kristina. The pop superstar’s will doesn’t mention specific assets, but leaves all of her furnishings, clothing, personal effects, jewelry and cars to her surviving children. Bobbi Kristina was her only child. Inside Edition first reported the will, filed in Atlanta, on Wednesday.

Houston’s money will be put in a trust. Her sister-in-law and manager, Patricia Houston, was appointed the administrator of the estate. Upon turning 21, Bobbi Kristina will receive part of the money, more of it at age 25 and the balance at age 30. Houston’s trustees can give her money from the trust for various purposes, including tuition, to buy a home and to start a business. The will was signed on Feb. 3, 1993, about a month before Houston gave birth to her daughter. The 48-year-old died Feb. 11 in California.

Read more:
Oprah’s upcoming interview with the Houston family
Whitney Houston’s daughter Bobbi Kristina treated at hospital
Whitney Houston’s life and legacy

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