Neil Henderson obit

Bay City Rollers star Neil Henderson dies aged 73 after long-term illness

Neil Henderson's former bandmates have paid tribute to the guitarist following his death

 

He was not on the list.

Guitarist Neil Henderson has died aged 73.

The Bay City Rollers musician's death was announced by his ex-bandmates in a statement, confirming that he had been ill for some time following a stroke.

Neil's ex-bandmates in Middle of the Road said in a statement: "We are sorry to have to announce the death of Neil Henderson, our original lead guitarist, songwriter and friend.

"Neil had been ill for some time and was fighting to recover from a stroke a few years ago.

"We wish to send our sincere condolences to Heather and Shona, his two daughters, and all his family and friends.

"His memory will live on with all who had the pleasure of sharing the stage with him as will his music."

Neil played in the Scottish pop rock band from 1970 for two years, and is heard on their debut chart single Keep on Dancing. However, he left the band prior to them being catapulted to worldwide fame through Rollermania.

He saw success with another Scottish band, Middle of the Road, and was able to land a number one hit with Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep.

When he joined the band in 1974, he wrote and co-wrote a number of songs including Everybody Loves A Winner and Rockin Soul.

Devastated fans have paid tribute to Henderson, with one commenting: "This is so sad. During the '73 Middle of the Road, West & East European tour, Neil was introduced as the fifth member of the Middle of the Road group. I was the groups tour driver & had some great chats with him."

While another wrote: "My deepest condolences to the family and the band. Rest in peace, Neal Rock the heavens up there together with my dad and so many others."

A third commented: "I'm so sad to see this. I remember him well even though it was a long time ago, we chatted a lot about the band and how much younger he was. It's strange and sad for me to see the demise of that lovely young guitarist. RIP Neil."

Cuck Varga obit

GWAR Founding Member CHUCK VARGA Dies After Battle With Cancer

 

He was not on the list.

Chuck Varga, a founding member of GWAR and the man behind The Sexecutioner from 1985 to 2022, has died after a battle with cancer.

Varga's death was announced Friday night (September 25) in a social media post shared by Beefcake The Mighty, also known as Casey Orr, the bassist for the heavily costumed theatrical shock/thrash metal band.

Orr wrote: "Chuck Varga has left this earthly realm. He passed peacefully, his beloved wife Bambi holding his hand.

"He was one of a kind. As an artist, as a performer; as a scholar and a gentleman. I'm better for having known him and the world is lesser for his leaving.

"He is most likely being welcomed into Valhalla right now by [Dave] Brockie [who fronted GWAR under the name Oderus Urungus] and Smooty [GWAR guitarist Cory Smoot] and all who went before.

"Raise your glass and tell his tales. Legends never die. Hail Varga! Hail Sexecutioner!"

This past June, GWAR created a fundraiser to help cover the mounting expenses associated with Chuck's care, including cancer treatments, hospice care, specialized medical equipment, and additional nursing support. It was also supposed to help offset the cost of maintaining Chuck's Brooklyn apartment while Bambi had stepped away from work to care for Chuck full-time.

For more than four decades, Chuck had been an integral part of the GWAR family and helped shape the band's legacy from its earliest days. Through his work as a performer, artist, creator, and founding member, he helped build one of the most unique and enduring acts in heavy music history. His creativity, humor, and dedication have left an indelible mark on generations of fans, artists, and misfits around the world.

When the above-mentioned fundraiser was first announced, GWAR's Bob Gorman, a.k.a. Bonesnapper, said: "Chuck Varga's contributions to the GWAR and Slave Pit collective are enormous. The influence of his illustrations, character designs, performances, and artistic vision can still be felt throughout GWAR today. Chuck's over-the-top underground art aesthetic helped define an entire universe and inspired generations of artists and fans around the world. His legacy will remain with us forever."

Brockie was found dead in his home in Richmond, Virginia in March 2014. According to Virginia's State Medical Examiner's Office, he died from acute heroin toxicity by accidental means.

Brockie was last remaining original member of GWAR, which was founded 42 years ago. He was 50 years old.

The satirical metal band earned a following for its macabre, over-the-top costumes, offensive lyrics and graphic, gore-soaked shows, in which the bandmembers performed as the descendants of alien warriors who arrived on Earth to enslave and slaughter the human race.

Jackie Jackson obit

Reggae bass legend Jackie Jackson has died

 

He was not on the list.

Veteran Jamaican bass guitarist Clifton 'Jackie' Jackson, whose distinctive playing helped provide the heartbeat for some of the most enduring recordings in Jamaican popular music, died this morning after a lengthy hospitalisation.

He was 79.

Jackson, who was married to celebrated Jamaican songstress Karen Smith, was admitted to the Cornwall Regional Hospital in Montego Bay, St James, for close to two months.

He leaves behind four daughters.

His passing closes another chapter in Jamaica's extraordinary pioneering generation of musicians, men who worked largely outside the glare of the spotlight but whose musicianship helped turn ska, rocksteady and reggae into music heard around the world.

For more than half a century, Jackson's bass was synonymous with Toots and the Maytals, but his musical fingerprints extended far beyond the legendary group.

He played on recordings by some of Jamaica's biggest names, including Bob Marley and the Wailers, Alton Ellis, Ken Boothe, The Melodians and Desmond Dekker, while his international recording credits included American singer-songwriter Paul Simon.

Maureen Jones obit

Vale Maureen Jones, pioneering Australian pianist

Like many gifted musicians of her generation, Jones built her career in Europe, but she will be rememembered as a key figure in the early history of Musica Viva Australia. 

She was not on the list.

Australian pianist Maureen Jones, a key figure in the early history of Musica Viva Australia and an acclaimed chamber musician whose career took her from Sydney to Europe’s major concert stages, has died in Lugano, Switzerland, aged 99.

Musica Viva Australia CEO Anne Frankenberg described Jones as “fundamental to Musica Viva Australia’s history”, noting that she was invited to join the organisation’s original ensemble in her early twenties, before embarking on a distinguished European career.

“She returned several times to perform and to teach,” Frankenberg said. “Her incredible musicianship and natural glamour significantly built the audience for chamber music in this country.”

Jones was born in Sydney and spent her formative years on the city’s upper North Shore. At the age of 10 she was invited by Edgar Bainton, then director of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, to study there with pianist Alexander Hmelnitsky. While still a student, she had her professional debut with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, performing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1.

After graduating, Jones was invited by Richard Goldner to join the fledgling Musica Viva ensemble. Her musicianship, charisma and striking stage presence contributed to the establishment of the organisation and its audience for chamber music in Australia.

Like many gifted Australian musicians of her generation, Jones subsequently travelled to London to pursue her career. She soon found the city uncongenial, however, and moved to Switzerland, where she formed a close musical partnership with Australian violinist Brenton Langbein.

The pair formed a duo in 1952 and performed widely throughout Switzerland and Italy, including for the Società dei Concerti Trieste. Their collaborations extended to the acclaimed horn trio formed with fellow Australian Barry Tuckwell. The trio was the subject of a commission from the Edinburgh Festival to Australian composer Don Banks, whose 1962 Horn Trio became a cornerstone of the repertoire. Jones, Langbein and Tuckwell also recorded the work alongside Brahms’s Horn Trio.

Jones’s European life was further shaped by her marriages to two distinguished Italian musicians. Her first husband was pianist Dario De Rosa, of the celebrated Trio di Trieste, with whom she had a daughter, Nicoletta. She later married cellist Amadeo Baldovino, also of the Trio di Trieste.

Her career encompassed solo, chamber and orchestral performance. She appeared with the London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Tonhalle Orchestra Zürich and Berlin Philharmonic, and performed at the Edinburgh Festival and for the BBC, RAI and the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. Her chamber music partners and collaborators included members of the Amadeus Quartet and the Quintetto Fauré di Roma, while her four-hand piano repertoire with De Rosa formed another important strand of her musical life.

Despite establishing her life and career in Europe, Jones maintained strong connections with Australia. She returned regularly as a performer, teacher and adjudicator, and remained closely associated with Musica Viva. One of her later major appearances for the organisation came in 1997, when she performed as part of its Schubertiade celebrations. At 69, Jones delivered a performance still remembered for its precision, authority and sheer presence – qualities that had marked her career from its earliest days.

In a 2017 interview with Miriam Cosic, published to mark her 90th birthday, Jones revealed that she was still performing and practising every day.

Remembered for her talent, musical authority, elegance and glamour, Jones’s death has been reported in Swiss and Italian media, where she was remembered as “the lady of the piano”.

Vector Lovers obit

Vector Lovers, UK IDM artist and Soma Records affiliate, dies

 

He was not on the list.

The Reading-born DJ and producer's output spanned IDM, electro and ambient.

Veteran British DJ and producer Martin Wheeler, AKA Vector Lovers, has died.

The Black Dog broke the news on Instagram today, September 21st, paying tribute to a "lovely bloke" who will "be missed by many." No cause of death was disclosed.

Reading-born Wheeler began producing under the Vector Lovers alias in the early '00s, incorporating elements of IDM, electro, ambient and experimental electronic music. He initially released records through his own Iwari label, including his self-titled debut album in 2004 and follow-up album Capsule For One the next year.

He subsequently joined the roster of Glasgow label Soma Records, where he put out more albums including Afterglow (2007), Vector Lovers (2008) and iPhonica (2013). Wheeler also released music under aliases including Rosenbaum and Badly Born Droid.

Capsule For One was reissued by Lapsus Records in 2022 as a special edition featuring remixes by Wheeler and two previously unreleased tracks. Outside of his own project, Wheeler worked with Everything But The Girl's Tracey Thorn on her 2007 album Out Of The Woods, contributing production and programming to the record.

He continued to release music as Vector Lovers throughout the '10s and '20s, including a series of EPs and archival releases, and DJ'd at clubs such as Fuse, The Arches and Electrowerkz.

Listen to "Tokyo Glitterati," and read some tributes.

Angry Anderson obit

Angry Anderson dies aged 79: Rose Tattoo frontman was a ferocious rock ’n’ roll singer and youth advocate

 He was not on the list.

The singer, songwriter, actor and advocate, who has died following a cardiac arrest while touring in Europe, kept his band’s flame burning until the end

Gary “Angry” Anderson – who has died aged 79 after he was hospitalised following a cardiac arrest while on tour in Germany with the band Rose Tattoo, the balls-out band he fronted for 50 years – was not a nice boy growing up. As one of the founding members of Melbourne motorcycle club the Vigilanties, Gary Anderson initially earned the sobriquet Mouse, on account of his diminutive stature.

Determined to prove himself a man, he developed a penchant for taking on blokes twice his size. It earned him a new nickname: the Angry Ant. “Angry” – shortened for impact – suited him better. An accomplished rabble-rouser and ferocious rock’n’roll singer, Angry Anderson ended up channelling his energy into a variety of causes.

By Anderson’s own admission, the Angry persona was akin to a cartoon character; Buster Brown – his band before Rose Tattoo, with AC/DC’s Phil Rudd on drums – was actually named after one. In 1974 they cut an album for Mushroom, Something to Say, and built a loyal following among the local sharpies in Melbourne. But that was a mere dress rehearsal.

Rose Tattoo, formed in Sydney in 1976, were a far meaner proposition. Slide guitarist Peter Wells gave their sound much of its switchblade menace and brain-busting volume, but it was Anderson’s voice that cut through everything. In Buster Brown, he had proved himself a capable blues singer. In Rose Tattoo, he rarely bothered with such niceties; nice boys don’t play rock’n’roll.

Then there was the small matter of Anderson’s appearance. Tiny, bald and nearly fully illustrated (his upset mother told him he was scarred for life), with mirrored aviator shades and kicked-in teeth, Angry was flanked by much bigger hooligans on stage. But there was no doubting who the leader of the gang was.

The first self-titled Rose Tattoo album, released in 1978 – the same year as AC/DC’s Powerage and the Angels’ Face to Face – appeared at the height of the blood-and-thunder Alberts sound defined by producers and former Easybeats Harry Vanda and George Young. Featuring the enduring singles Bad Boy for Love and Rock ’n’ Roll Outlaw, it is a stone classic of the genre.

But mainstream Australia was nowhere near ready for the Tatts. The butchest of bands, who looked as if they’d just busted out of Pentridge, managed to get temporarily banned from Countdown after Anderson exchanged chewing gum in a kiss with guitarist Mick Cocks. Radio ignored them, crowds thinned, and the band lost momentum.

Overseas, however, it was a different story. Rose Tattoo’s fortunes changed in 1981 when their self-titled debut and its follow-up, Assault and Battery, both reached No 1 on the British heavy metal charts. At Reading festival in the UK, Anderson’s physicality was terrifying, head-butting the amplifier stacks until blood streamed down his face.

Welcomed home as conquering heroes, the band’s third album Scarred for Life yielded an Australian hit with We Can’t Be Beaten before the lineup split. What happened after that was one of Oz rock’s most unlikely transformations as Anderson slowly ingratiated himself into the nation’s heart as a youth advocate and all-round rough diamond.

There were forays into acting – a 1985 appearance as Ironbar Bassey in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome was fully on brand – and social justice; soon he was making surprise appearances on the Midday Show with Ray Martin, then more regular ones on A Current Affair. But the biggest curveball of Anderson’s career was yet to come.

By 1987, Anderson was the sole remaining member from the classic Rose Tattoo lineup. The power ballad Suddenly, a world away from their earlier hellraising sound, was released as a solo single and became a smash when it was used to soundtrack – of all things! –the wedding of Scott and Charlene (Jason Donovan and Kylie Minogue) on Neighbours.

Suddenly went to No 2 nationally, ironically kept from top spot by Minogue’s debut single Locomotion. It also went to No 3 in the UK. For a while, Angry was everywhere – even headlining the half-time entertainment at the 1991 AFL grand final, arriving in what looked like a Batmobile to sing Bound for Glory in a legendarily off-key performance.

But by then, Anderson’s legacy was secure. Guns N’ Roses – having covered Nice Boys on their Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide EP – recruited the band to support them on their Use Your Illusion tour in 1993; the same year, Anderson was awarded an Order of Australia. In 2006, after two strong comeback albums, Rose Tattoo were inducted into the Aria Hall of Fame.

Indeed, Rose Tattoo’s imprint on Australian music has never been more obvious. You can trace their lineage through a slew of punk and hard rock bands, from the Cosmic Psychos to Amyl and the Sniffers (even the Veronicas invited Angry on stage to do Nice Boys). Their impact on the 80s new wave of British heavy metal, as well as the Gunners, was decisive.

In later life, Anderson blended charity, television and music with hard-right politics. After expressing anti-immigrant views, he appeared in SBS’s Go Back to Where You Came From in 2012. In the 2013 federal election, he stood for the electorate of Throsby in New South Wales for the National party, switching to the Australian Liberty Alliance in 2016.

Anderson also suffered significant tragedy in his life. His work with troubled youth stemmed from his own experience of child abuse; later, he stumped for men’s health after five of his early Rose Tattoo comrades succumbed to cancer. The cruellest loss of all was that of his son Liam, killed in 2018 in a case that made national headlines.

It is both true and a cliche to say Angry Anderson was a survivor. He was also a more complex, talented and three-dimensional figure than he was often given credit for. And he kept the Rose Tattoo flame burning until the end, to huge and appreciative crowds – one of the last great true believers in the remedy they call rock’n’roll.

 

Filmography

At Last... Bullamakanka: The Motion Picture (1983) – Senator's Aide

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985) – Ironbar Bassey

Scuff the Sock (1987, TV movie) – Plasterer

Finding Joy (2002) – Kris Quaid

Fat Pizza (2003) – Bikie

Pizza (2005, TV series) – Bikie Leader / Tattooist / Captain / Vietnam Vet

Swift and Shift Couriers (2008–2011, TV series) – Aaron 'Agro' Smith

Suite For Fleur (2011)

Housos vs. Authority (2012) – Angry

Go Back To Where You Came From (2012, TV series documentary) – Himself – Participant

Housos (2011–2013; 2020, TV series) – Angry

Fat Pizza vs. Housos (2014) – Angry

Bogan Hunters (2014, TV series) – Himself – Celebrity Judge

Dumb Criminals: The Movie (2015) – Angry

Fat Pizza: Back in Business (2019–2021, TV series) – Angry

Darradong Local Council (2023, TV series) – Patto

Chad Gilbert obit

Chad Gilbert, guitarist of New Found Glory, has died aged 45

New Found Glory guitarist Chad Gilbert passed away peacefully in his sleep today (September 20) after several years of living with cancer, the band and his wife Lisa Cimorelli have confirmed. 

He was not on the list.

New Found Glory guitarist Chad Gilbert has died at the age of 45, after living with cancer for several years.

The news was confirmed in a joint Instagram post by the band and his wife Lisa Cimorelli, who writes on Instagram that he passed away peacefully in his sleep this morning (September 20).

“On the morning of September 20th, Chad Everett Gilbert passed away peacefully in his sleep,” the statement reads. “He left this world surrounded by friends and family and took his final breaths with his wife and mother by his side, just as he wished. We are devastated and shocked by how quickly he left us, yet so grateful for how peacefully and smoothly he went. The amount of visitors that crowded the hospital lobby at a moment’s notice is a testament to how beloved and cherished Chad was, and always will be. He was a legendary musician, but his favorite accomplishment was being a husband and father. His biggest dreams came true. He is survived by his wife, Lisa, his daughter, Lily, his mother, Jackie, and his brother, Brian.

“Chad’s guitar playing, songwriting, humor, and relentless drive helped shape New Found Glory for nearly three decades. Through more than a dozen albums, endless tours around the world, and more accolades than we ever could have imagined, Chad challenged all of us to grow as musicians, performers, and human beings. While we are devastated to lose him, we are so grateful for the incredible life he lived, the memories we shared, and the brotherhood we had. His influence will always be part of New Found Glory and his spirit will be felt on every stage we stand on, with every note we play.”

“Rest in peace, Chad. We love you forever ❤️

Lisa, Jordan, Ian, Cyrus, and Dan.”

Rudy Cheeks obit

Rudy Cheeks, legend of Rhode Island’s creative scene, dies

 

He was not on the list.

Rudy Cheeks, an iconic figure in Providence’s creative underground and a Providence Phoenix columnist known for delightfully tweaking Rhode Island’s most powerful politicians, died over the weekend at age 76 after a long illness.

Cheeks, whose given name was Bruce McCrae, first became known for performing with The Fabulous Motels and The Young Adults in the mid-1970s – a time that coincided with the emergence of the Met Cafe and Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel as top destinations on the local rock circuit.

“The mid-‘70s also marked the beginning of the alternative newspaper boom downtown, which acted as a stimulus to the music club scene,” Cheeks recalled in a 2015 story. “The first to appear was The NewPaper, an arts and entertainment alternative weekly that, by the mid-‘80s, was bought out by the Phoenix group of papers based in Boston, eventually becoming the Providence Phoenix.”

Cheeks achieved perhaps his greatest celebrity as half of Phillipe & Jorge’s Cool, Cool World, a weekly column that he penned with Chip Young for decades in various publications, mostly the Phoenix.

Writing in the fictitious persona of two fabulously gay “superior behaviorists” who resided at a mythical Casa Diablo while being attended to by Lars the houseboy and downing quantities of Pernod and grapefruit, Cheeks and Young satirized and poked fun at what they considered pompous political behavior.

They also commented on the news and coined nicknames for an array of Rhode Island politicos and personalities, ranging from Bruce “Captain Blowhard” Sundlun to Sheldon “Sherbet Whitebread” Whitehouse and Katherine “Faster, Kittycat, Kill! Kill!” Gregg, the longtime Statehouse reporter for The Providence Journal.

By the time of a 25th-anniversary celebration of Phillipe & Jorge at Rhodes-on-the-Pawtuxet, the column and its creators were an institution, as seen by how Whitehouse – clad in quintessential preppy attire – expressed mock outrage about how the column savaged “my people.”

In a 2020 recap in Motif, Cheeks and Young recalled the birth of P&J at a bygone hotspot in Providence Jewelry District: “The Cool, Cool World was hatched around a table at the legendary Leo’s, full of lunatics and dozens of empty Rolling Rock beer bottles. Its inspiration came from the English news/satire magazine, Private Eye; and Alexander Cockburn’s ‘Press Clips’ column in the once estimable and now defunct Village Voice.”

So convincing was the satire dished out by Phillipe (Young) and Jorge (Cheeks) that during my tenure as news editor of the Phoenix, I once fielded a complaint from a woman who was convinced their fake identities were actually true.

By the time the Providence Phoenix ceased publication in 2014, same-sex marriage was legal in Rhode Island – a cultural shift from how, when the column started in 1979, “there was a lot of discrimination against gay people,” Cheeks said.

While Young was mercurial and prone to hot takes, Cheeks took a more bemused and philosophical view of human foibles and life’s ironic twists.

Some of the books he once gave me while culling his stacks – Robert Draper’s Rolling Stone Magazine: The Uncensored History and Dear Muffo: 35 Years in the Fast Lane, about the basis for Humphrey Bogart’s character in The Harder They Fall – offered a window on his interests and passions.

Phillipe & Jorge had a long run as a must-read. Yet although Rhode Island politicians were often stung by the words in Phillipe & Jorge, being ignored in the column was considered a more grave insult.

Cheeks was a longtime morning co-host with Carolyn Fox on WHJY-FM and the host of a cable access show, Club Genius.

He was a founding board member of the Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame. Using the name Comediac, he commented on kitschy movies as they screened at the One Up, a former dive bar on Steeple Street.

Young died in 2022.

Tributes flowed to Cheeks on Facebook.

From the band Roomful of Blues: “Farewell to our good friend and comedic genius Rudy Cheeks. RIP Bruce, you gave us so many laughs. Your huge and wonderful contribution to our RI music community will never be forgotten. You will be sorely missed. Fly high my friend.”

Musician Mark Cutler wrote that when Cheeks accepted him and a fellow musician as friends, “I felt like I was given keys to the cool underground art scene of Providence. And believe me, it was a very cool world. He refused to surrender to the normal world and inspired so many of us to follow our own paths.”

Elliot Graham obit

Elliot Graham Dies: Oscar-Nominated ‘Milk’ Editor Was 50

 

He was not on the list.

Elliot Graham, the Oscar-nominated film editor for Milk whose credits also included Steve Jobs, No Time To Die, Superman Returns and Captain Marvel, died Saturday, September 19, in Los Angeles. He was 50.

Graham died by suicide, according to the County of Los Angeles Medical Examiner.

Born in Claremont, California, on June 8, 1976, Graham launched his show business career in the early 2000s with the feature film The Last Minute (2001) and the TV series House (2004). He moved into big-budget feature projects with 2006’s Superman Returns.

Two years later he was hired by edit Milk, the Harvey Milk bio-pic written by Dustin Lance Black and directed by Gus Van Sant. Starring Sean Penn, Milk was nominated for eight Oscars, including for Graham’s editing. (Black and Penn won their categories).

“The movie Milk wouldn’t have come together in the way it did without the amazing work of our editor Elliot Graham,” Milk producer Dan Jinks wrote in a tribute on Facebook. “He was nominated for an Oscar for his role.”

“I have so many thoughts and feelings about this sweet, kind and quirky man,” Jinks continued. “For now, I’ll just say rest in peace Elliot.”

After Milk, Graham worked again with Van Sant on the 2011 film Restless starring Mia Wasikowska. He also edited an episode of the Kelsey Grammer series Boss that year.

Additional credits include Steve Jobs (2015), Molly’s Game starring Jessica Chastain (2017), Captain Marvel (2019) and No Time To Die, the 2021 James Bond film starring Daniel Craig. Graham and editor Tom Cross shared a BAFTA award for their work on the film.

In addition to his editing credit for the 2018 FX limited series Trust, the Danny Boyle-directed project about the kidnapping of John Paul Getty III, Graham also served as producer.

Graham also provided additional editing on X2: X-Men United (2003) and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014).

Information on survivors was not immediately available.

 

Editor

Daniel Craig in No Time to Die (2021)

No Time to Die

7.3

film editor

2021

 

Brie Larson in Captain Marvel (2019)

Captain Marvel

6.7

Editor

2019

 

Harris Dickinson in Trust (2018)

Trust

7.5

TV Series

Editor

2018

3 episodes

 

Jessica Chastain in Molly's Game (2017)

Molly's Game

7.4

edited by

2017

 

Michael Fassbender in Steve Jobs (2015)

Steve Jobs

7.2

edited by

2015

 

Trash (2014)

Trash

7.1

Editor

2014

 

Kelsey Grammer, Connie Nielsen, Sanaa Lathan, Kathleen Robertson, Jeff Hephner, Jonathan Groff, and Hannah Ware in Boss (2011)

Boss

8.1

TV Series

edited by

2011

1 episode

 

Henry Hopper and Mia Wasikowska in Restless (2011)

Restless

6.7

Editor

2011

 

Milk (2008)

Milk

7.5

Editor

2008

 

21 (2008)

21

6.8

Editor

2008

 

Brandon Routh in Superman Returns (2006)

Superman Returns

6.1

edited by

2006

 

Shia LaBeouf in The Greatest Game Ever Played (2005)

The Greatest Game Ever Played

7.4

Editor

2005

 

Hugh Laurie in House (2004)

House

8.7

TV Series

Editor

2004

1 episode

 

Kate Ashfield and Max Beesley in The Last Minute (2001)

The Last Minute

5.8

Editor

2001

 

Producer

Harris Dickinson in Trust (2018)

Trust

7.5

TV Series

co-producer

2018

10 episodes

 

Editorial Department

Abraham Attah in Beasts of No Nation (2015)

Beasts of No Nation

7.7

additional editor (uncredited)

2015

 

James Franco, Zachary Quinto, and Emma Roberts in I Am Michael (2015)

I Am Michael

5.6

editorial consultant

2015

 

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)

The Amazing Spider-Man 2

6.6

additional editor

2014

 

Famke Janssen, Halle Berry, Alan Cumming, Anna Paquin, Ian McKellen, Shawn Ashmore, Hugh Jackman, and Aaron Stanford in X2: X-Men United (2003)

X2: X-Men United

7.4

co-film editor

2003

 

Actor

Amy Acker and Alexis Denisof in Much Ado About Nothing (2012)

Much Ado About Nothing

7.0

Additional Cast

2012

 

Music Department

Michael Fassbender in Steve Jobs (2015)

Steve Jobs

7.2

executive album producer

2015

 

Thanks

Don't Shoot the Messenger (2023)

Don't Shoot the Messenger

Short

special thanks

2023

 

The Yellow Dress (2020)

The Yellow Dress

Short

special thanks

2020

 

Christian Slater, James Franco, Keegan Allen, and Garrett Clayton in King Cobra (2016)

King Cobra

5.6

special thanks

2016

 

James Franco, Zachary Quinto, and Emma Roberts in I Am Michael (2015)

I Am Michael

5.6

special thanks

2015

 

Self

Invisible Art/Visible Artists (2010)

Invisible Art/Visible Artists

Self

2010

 

The 81st Annual Academy Awards (2009)

The 81st Annual Academy Awards

7.8

TV Special

Self - Nominee

2009

 

Eugenio Zanetti obit

Eugenio Zanetti, the Argentine genius of art design who conquered Hollywood and won an Oscar, has died.

The renowned set designer, director, and visual artist passed away at the age of 79 after collapsing at his home in Buenos Aires. He left a monumental legacy in international cinema, opera, and theater. He received an Academy Award for his work in restoration. 

He was not on the list.

The Argentine and international cultural community mourns the passing of Maestro Eugenio Zanetti , renowned worldwide as an art director, set designer, stage director, painter, playwright, and film director.

Anetti passed away suddenly this Friday in the city of Buenos Aires at the age of 79 , just one month shy of her 80th birthday.

According to sources close to him, the Cordoban artist was rehearsing the opera The Tales of Hoffmann at the Teatro Colón when he began to feel unwell. After returning home, he suffered a medical emergency that led to his death. The sad news was mourned by various institutions, including the Argentine Actors Association and Argentores, who highlighted his exceptional talent and unparalleled international reach.

Hollywood stardom and the Oscar

Eugenio Zanetti achieved the highest cinematic acclaim in 1996 , during the 68th Academy Awards ceremony, when he won the award for Best Art Direction for his dazzling period recreation in Restoration ( 1995 ), a film directed by Michael Hoffman and starring Robert Downey Jr. Zanetti shared the award with set decorator Cindy Carr.

That night in Los Angeles, after being invited to the stage by Emma Thompson and Whoopi Goldberg, the Argentine artist spoke words that summarized his life and artistic philosophy: “Restoration is the story of a man who is finally restored by God after following his heart. I followed my heart to this point, and I am grateful to God [...] My only advice is: follow your heart . ”

In 2000 , the Hollywood Academy once again recognized his work with a second Oscar nomination for the production design of the pictorial universes of What Dreams May Come (1998), a feature film directed by Vincent Ward and starring Robin Williams.

His extensive career in the American film industry also included the visual design of high-impact productions such as Flatliners (1990), Last Action Hero (1993), Soapdish (1991), The Haunting , Promised Land , Zapata and There Be Dragons .

From Córdoba to the world: an interdisciplinary vocation

Born in the province of Córdoba on October 19, 1946 , Zanetti began his training by studying architecture at the National University of Córdoba in the mid-1960s. His aesthetic curiosity led him early to Italy, where he participated in the filming of Medea (1969), under the direction of Pier Paolo Pasolini.

In Argentine cinema, he left his visual mark on fundamental titles such as Mario Sabato's The Power of Darkness (1979) and Alejandro Doria's Passengers in the Garden (1982), in addition to collaborating on productions nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, such as Camila and The Truce . Years later, in 2014 , he took a crucial step by writing and directing the feature film Amapola , a work that earned him the Best Director award at the Bogotá Film Festival.

Master's degree in performing arts, opera and painting

Throughout his more than six decades-long career, Zanetti alternated between film, opera, and theater. At the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, he created memorable stage productions, set designs, and costumes for titles such as Don Carlo (for which he received the ACE Award for Best Opera Production in 2014), Fidelio (2016), and The Servant (2011).

He also had a prominent presence at the Bicentennial Theater of San Juan , where he conceived large-scale productions such as The Magic Flute and Pagliacci . His time at this institution had a foundational impact, promoting technical training and the transfer of knowledge to local production teams.

As a visual artist, he held solo exhibitions of his work in Argentina, the United States, Mexico, and Spain. Just a few weeks before his death, Zanetti presented the retrospective and immersive exhibition “Eugenio Zanetti: The Man Who Inhabits Many Worlds” at the Tamburini Museum of the Bank of Córdoba (Bancor) in his home province.

Recognition of a dazzling career

Zanetti's legacy was recognized with numerous awards and honors at the national and international levels:

Silver Condor Awards: Awarded the Special Silver Condor of the Bicentennial in 2010 for his contribution to the projection of Argentine art abroad.

Theatre Awards: Winner of the María Guerrero, Trinidad Guevara, Estrella de Mar and Florencio Sánchez awards.

Official and Academic Distinctions: Declared an Illustrious Citizen of Los Angeles, Cordoba and Buenos Aires; awarded the “Domingo Faustino Sarmiento” Honorary Mention by the Senate of the Nation and recognized with the Honorary Doctorate by the National University of the Arts, the University of Palermo and the ESSERP University of Madrid.

Eugenio Zanetti leaves an indelible mark on global culture. His extraordinary ability to conceive visual universes imbued with poetry and symbolic density will remain an essential reference point for the performing and cinematic arts.

Production Designer

Kacike Enriquillo

Production Designer

Pre-production

 

Geraldine Chaplin, Camilla Belle, and François Arnaud in Amapola (2014)

Amapola

4.8

Production Designer

2014

 

Geraldine Chaplin, Derek Jacobi, Jordi Mollà, Wes Bentley, Golshifteh Farahani, Rodrigo Santoro, Dougray Scott, Charlie Cox, Olga Kurylenko, and Agustín Bruzzone in There Be Dragons (2011)

There Be Dragons

5.7

Production Designer

2011

 

Alejandro Fernández in Zapata - El sueño del héroe (2004)

Zapata - El sueño del héroe

2.2

Production Designer

2004

 

Liam Neeson, Lili Taylor, and Catherine Zeta-Jones in The Haunting (1999)

The Haunting

5.1

Production Designer

1999

 

Robin Williams in What Dreams May Come (1998)

What Dreams May Come

7.0

Production Designer

1998

 

Warriors of Virtue (1997)

Warriors of Virtue

4.8

Production Designer

1997

 

Meg Ryan, Robert Downey Jr., Sam Neill, and Polly Walker in Restoration (1995)

Restoration

6.6

Production Designer

1995

 

Patrick Swayze, Oliver Platt, Nick Stahl, and Roger Aaron Brown in Tall Tale (1995)

Tall Tale

5.9

Production Designer

1995

 

Anthony Quinn, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Danny DeVito, F. Murray Abraham, Charles Dance, Tom Noonan, Austin O'Brien, and Bridgette Wilson-Sampras in Last Action Hero (1993)

Last Action Hero

6.5

production designed by

1993

 

Whoopi Goldberg, Teri Hatcher, Kevin Kline, Elisabeth Shue, Robert Downey Jr., and Sally Field in Soapdish (1991)

Soapdish

6.6

Production Designer

1991

 

Kevin Bacon, Julia Roberts, William Baldwin, Kiefer Sutherland, and Oliver Platt in Flatliners (1990)

Flatliners

6.6

Production Designer

1990

 

Jennifer Connelly, Patrick Dempsey, Ashley Greenfield, and Sheila Kelley in Some Girls (1988)

Some Girls

5.7

Production Designer

1988

 

Promised Land (1987)

Promised Land

5.6

Production Designer

1987

 

Virginia Madsen in Slam Dance (1987)

Slam Dance

5.2

Production Designer

1987

 

Graciela Borges and Rodolfo Ranni in Los pasajeros del jardín (1982)

Los pasajeros del jardín

7.3

Production Designer

1982

 

The Power of Darkness (1979)

The Power of Darkness

6.2

Production Designer

1979

 

Héctor Alterio and Ana María Picchio in The Truce (1974)

The Truce

7.3

Production Designer

1974

 

Director

Geraldine Chaplin, Camilla Belle, and François Arnaud in Amapola (2014)

Amapola

4.8

Director

2014

 

Quantum Project (2000)

Quantum Project

6.0

Short

Director

2000

 

Writer

Geraldine Chaplin, Camilla Belle, and François Arnaud in Amapola (2014)

Amapola

4.8

Writer

2014

 

Set Decorator

Meg Ryan, Robert Downey Jr., Sam Neill, and Polly Walker in Restoration (1995)

Restoration

6.6

Set Decorator

1995

 

Costume and Wardrobe Department

Warriors of Virtue (1997)

Warriors of Virtue

4.8

designer: Komodo's cape, US / Beijing

1997

 

Self

Hedy Krilla in Hedy Crilla, maestra de actores (2023)

Hedy Crilla, maestra de actores

8.0

Self

2023

 

Restoration: The Art and Design of 'Flatliners'

Video

Self

2022

 

Pura Química (2010)

Pura Química

7.0

TV Series

Self - Guest

2014

1 episode

 

Fútbol Para Todos (2003)

Fútbol Para Todos

8.0

TV Series

Self - Guest

2014

1 episode

 

Masters of Production: The Hidden Art of Hollywood

7.7

TV Movie

Self

2004

 

The Making of 'the Haunting'

5.9

Video

Self

1999

 

HBO First Look (1992)

HBO First Look

6.3

TV Series

Self

1999

1 episode

 

NeXt (1994)

NeXt

TV Series

Self

1999

1 episode

 

Almorzando con Mirtha Legrand (1968)

Almorzando con Mirtha Legrand

4.4

TV Series

Self - Guest

1996

1 episode

 

Hollywood, CH

TV Movie

Self

1996

 

The 68th Annual Academy Awards (1996)

The 68th Annual Academy Awards

5.9

TV Special

Self - Winner

1996

 

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Austin O'Brien in Behind the Scenes: Last Action Hero (1993)

Behind the Scenes: Last Action Hero

7.8

TV Special

Self

1993

 

Bryan Kelly obit

Death of an English composer, 92

 

He was not on the list.

The versatile composer Bryan Kelly has died at a great age.

Alongside much church and choral music, he was a master oflight orchestra music, often with Latin rhythms.

A choir boy at Worcester College, he studied at the Royal College of Music with Gordon Jacob and Herbert Howells, followed by Nadia Boulanger in Paris.

Kelly's compositions range from light orchestral music and works for brass band to more serious and extended orchestral works (such as his Symphony from 1983 and the Concertante Dances) as well as church music and large scale choral works. Lighter orchestral works include the Cuban Suite, the New Orleans Suite, Divertissement, and two Leicestershire Schools Symphony Orchestra commissions – the overture Sancho Panza (1969) and the Sinfonia Concertante (1967). His works for brass band include Brass Bagatelles, the overture Provence and the Divertimento for Brass.

His Magnificat and Nunc dimittis in C of 1965 incorporates Latin American rhythms. At the round earth’s imagin’d corners (1977) is scored for choir, soloists and strings and includes six settings of religious texts from the fifteenth to the seventeenth centuries. It was commissioned by the Sheffield Bach Choir. The 45 minute choral work St. Francis of Assisi (1981) is a collaboration with poet John Fuller. For Adoration (2001) is a set of five short anthems.

Instrumental solos and educational music are also important to him: for example, the Whodunnit Suite for trumpet and piano includes movements entitled: 'Poirot (Detective)', 'Lavinia Lurex (Actress)', 'Colonel Glib (Retired)', 'Miss Slight (Spinster of This Parish)', 'The Chief Suspect' and 'The Chase'. In 1961 Kelly wrote the piano piece Tango for Peter Katin.

Kevin Spencer obit

Kevin Spencer (1955-2026)

He was not on the list.

THE PASSING OF KEVIN SPENCER

With great sadness, I just learned of the passing of Kevin Spencer, after a courageous battle with cancer.

Kevin, was an original member of the hit group, “Dynasty” on our SOLAR RECORDS Label. Dynasty was a group created by my late husband, Dick Griffey and  Leon F Sylvers III. Tall, handsome and one of the lead singers in the group, Kevin’s dynamic performances were a part of what made the group shine.

Kevin, was also a multi-talented musician and songwriter,  who played keyboards, bass, and a lead singer who often lent his many talents, by singing background, on the albums of other legendary groups on our SOLAR RECORDS Label.   Solar Records was a Boutique Label and Dick Griffey personally hand-picked each and every Artist and genuinely regarded them as family. In that spirit, as Co-Founder of our Label, I, along with my family, and our entire staff at SOLAR RECORDS,  send our deepest sympathy, respect, love and prayers to the Spencer family.

Carrie Lucas-Griffey

Co-founder of SOUL TRAIN RECORDS

and SOLAR RECORDS

Duncan Sheik obit

'Spring Awakening’ Composer Duncan Sheik Dies at 56

The Grammy-nominated 'Barely Breathing' singer was hospitalized this week and died Thursday of organ failure.

 He was not on the list.

Spring Awakening composer Duncan Sheik has died. He was 56.

The singer-songwriter died Thursday in Manhattan of organ failure, The New York Times reported Friday after confirming his death with Sheik’s mother, Suzanne Sheik.

Sheik’s verified Instagram account on Friday also said: “The world has a lost a singular talent, and deeply influential voice in music and theater. From his Grammy-nominated hit ‘Barely Breathing’ to his groundbreaking, Tony- and Grammy Award-winning work on Spring Awakening, Duncan’s artistry touched many and leaves an indelible mark on the cultural landscape.”

His family in an Instagram post on Wednesday reported he was hospitalized in “critical but stable condition.”

Born on Nov. 18, 1969, in Montclair, New Jersey, Sheik during his youth split his time between his parents’ home in South Carolina and his grandparents’ in New Jersey. His grandmother, a graduate of The Juilliard School, taught him to play the piano and supported his musical development. He graduated from Phillips Academy in 1988 before going to Brown University.

Sheik is perhaps best known for his 1996 debut song, “Barely Breathing,” which led to a Grammy nomination for best male pop vocal performance. He released nine studio albums, including his self-titled debut, Duncan Sheik, in June 1996.

He wrote the music for Spring Awakening, with Steven Sater providing lyrics for the musical that premiered on Broadway in 2006 and starred Lea Michele and Jonathan Groff.

Sater in an Instagram post on Friday wrote: “Now he’ll walk on my arm through the distant night and I won’t let him stray from my heart… Beloved Duncan. #notgone”

The Broadway production won Tonys for best orchestration, best original score and best musical and a Grammy for best musical theater album. The alt-rock and folk musical is based on the 1891 German play by Frank Wedekind, which sees teenagers in the late 1800s discovering their sexuality. A 2022 documentary features the original cast reuniting for a concert.

A revival of the musical, directed by Danya Taymor, is planned for off-Broadway this fall at Studio Seaview, with previews set to start Nov. 27 and an official opening set for Dec. 17.

The Memoirs of Amorous Gentlemen production in an Instagram post on Friday said: “We are heartbroken by the passing of Duncan Sheik. Our love is with his family, his friends, his collaborators and the countless people touched by his life and music. Duncan’s music is at the heart of Memoirs of Amorous Gentlemen, and his extraordinary artistry, generosity and spirit have left an indelible mark on all of us who had the privilege of knowing and working with him.”

And The Spring Awakening Musical in its own Instagram post added: “Duncan Sheik gave us more than music: he captured the ache, hope, confusion, rebellion, and the beauty of growing up. We are indebted to his once-in-a-generation artistry, collaborative spirit, and friendship, and we are honored to be among the countless communities touched by his life and work. Duncan, we love you. Thank you.”

Ed Morris obit

Legendary Country Music Journalist Edward Morris Dies at 90

 

He was not on the list.

Veteran Nashville entertainment journalist Edward Morris passed away on Thursday (9/17) at age 90.

Greatly admired for his journalistic integrity and tenacity, Morris is best known for his 14-year tenure at Billboard. In addition to being published in dozens of other magazines and newspapers over his career, he also authored eight books, published poetry, and was the writer of a theatrical production.

Murrell Edward Morris was born on September 21, 1935 on a small hillside farm on Aaron’s Fork, Kanawha County, West Virginia, the second oldest of four brothers—Darrell, David and Roger. He described his parents Charles Sennett Morris and Mary Elizabeth Morris as “perfect” for their unwavering love and support and willingness to encourage the brothers to dream their own dreams. Morris’ days on the farm were bucolic, and he loved the lore and the crafts of the outdoors.

At Elkview High School, he was the editor of the school newspaper and won the spelling bee championship of all schools in Kanawha Country, a feat he was quite proud of. His family didn’t own a car so Morris hitchhiked daily to Morris Harvey College (now the University of Charleston) where he edited the college newspaper and became enamored with English literature and poetry. His only surviving brother, Roger commented yesterday, “Ed was my inspiration to become a writer and to never take anything at face value.”

After his graduation with a bachelor’s degree in English in 1958, he earned a master’s degree in journalism from Ohio University.

It was at OU that he met musical-theater performer Norma Chapman. They married in 1960 and remained wed for 61 years. She was a talented pianist as well as an editor, photographer, and author. She also taught him to drive.

Morris taught English and journalism at Findlay (Ohio) College, Bowling Green (Ohio) State University, Alice Lloyd College (Kentucky), and Edinboro (Pennsylvania) State College. He then served as assistant editor at Writer’s Digest, the monthly trade publication for writers.

He began writing freelance articles for Billboard in 1972, moved to Nashville in 1980, and joined the magazine’s staff full-time in 1981. He rose to become its Country Music Editor and chief Nashville columnist. Norma became a respected Nashville publicist working with clients such as Ralph Stanley and Steve Wariner.

In addition to Billboard, Ed Morris’s byline appeared in such publications as Advertising Age, TV Guide, McCall’s, Hollywood Reporter, Amusement Business, Book Page, The Journal Of Country Music, Mother Earth News, Bluegrass Unlimited, Saturday Evening Post, and other national periodicals. He left Billboard in 1995.

Morris’ way with words and insight into country music made him an in-demand writer for liner-notes for albums and box sets by The Judds, Keith Whitley, Eddy Arnold, Guy Clark, Hank Snow, Chet Atkins, and others. Morris was named Print Journalist of the Year in 1993 by the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA).

In 1999, Ed Morris began a 20-year tenure as a writer for CMT online. He continued in this role until the COVID pandemic of 2020, which led to staff layoffs. Well into his 90th year, Morris craved a deadline and so began writing a column for his local newspaper The Kingston Springs Gazette.

Ed Morris was honored at Belmont University’s annual International Country Music Conference (ICMC) with its Charlie Lamb Journalist of the Year award in 2002. He has guest-lectured at Belmont, Vanderbilt University and Trevecca College in Nashville.

His books include Edward Morris’ Complete Guide To Country Music Videos (1997), Garth Brooks: Platinum Cowboy (1993), Alabama (1985), At Carter’s Stanley’s Grave: Musings on Country Music & Musicians (2011), and Scorched Mirth and Acid Reflux (2019), among others.

In 2016, at age 80, Morris wrote his first stage production, a one-woman play titled The Passion of Ethel Rosenberg, which had multiple productions and performances in Nashville and Santa Fe, plus a public reading at New York's Museum of Jewish Heritage. The play reflected his lifelong support of leftist political causes.

Norma Morris was diagnosed with the onset of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease in 2015. He chronicled their experience in a series of extraordinarily moving Facebook blogs, which became his 2020 book Stardust: An Alzheimer’s Love Story. Norma died in 2021.

Reflecting on his long and varied career, Ed Morris once said, “You hear musicians say that they would do it for free if they weren’t paid for it. And I feel the same way about writing. I love to write with the anticipation of amusing people or getting arguments started or whatever…..Anything that happens, if you treat it right, can be turned into a piece of prose. And that’s what I do.”

Morris’ greatest passion was writing and those who followed his prolific Facebook postings were eager to read him every day. His dry humor and unrestrained, fearless commentary on politics, life, philosophy and religion attracted his fans and detractors alike. One of his final posts was on July 20, 2026. “Love feels so good I can’t imagine why anyone chooses to hate.”

Ed Morris is survived by daughters Erin Morris Huttlinger and Rachel Serrato, and by son Jason Morris. Their brother, Christopher, died at age 2. He is also survived by six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

Sway DaSafo obit

British-Ghanaian rapper Sway DaSafo dies aged 44

 Award-winning British-Ghanaian rapper, producer and UK hip hop pioneer Sway DaSafo has died aged 44.

He was not on the list.

The musician, born Derek Andrew Safo, died at his home in Ghana on, 17 September 2026, according to a close friend who confirmed his death to The Guardian. His passing was also announced by his friend Kream on Instagram and by the MOBO Awards. The cause of death has not been disclosed.

DaSafo died less than two weeks after his 44th birthday on 5 September.

The MOBO Awards paid tribute to the rapper, who made history in 2005 by becoming the first unsigned artist to win Best Hip Hop Act at the awards. “Proud to have him as part of our history. Our love goes out to his family, loved ones and fans,” the organisation said.

Tributes have since emerged from artists and music industry figures. Malawian rapper and producer Phyzix wrote: “Thank you for the music, the inspiration and the history, Sway. My deepest condolences to his family, friends and everyone who loved him.”

British band UB40 also paid tribute to the rapper, describing him as “a generational talent, visionary, trailblazer and pioneer” and thanking him for his contribution to the group’s music.

DaSafo was born in London to Ghanaian parents and became one of the notable figures in the development of British hip-hop during the 2000s. His music incorporated elements of hip-hop, grime and other strands of UK urban music, while his Ghanaian heritage also informed his connection to African music.

He began making music after developing an interest in English literature, music production and public speaking. His early work included the This Is My Promo series, before he released his critically acclaimed debut album, This Is My Demo, in 2006. The album was subsequently shortlisted for the Mercury Prize.

In 2006, DaSafo founded Dcypha Productions, through which he worked with emerging and established artists. His career included collaborations with international acts including Mark Ronson, Childish Gambino, Lupe Fiasco and Akon, as well as Ghanaian artists such as Sarkodie and Edem. He also appeared on Lupe Fiasco’s 2011 album Lasers.

DaSafo signed with Akon’s Konvict Music in 2008, expanding his activities beyond the UK and strengthening his links between British and West African music. Through Dcypha Productions, he also supported emerging artists, including helping to develop the careers of younger acts.

His influence extended beyond recording and performing. He worked as a producer and executive and remained involved in developing new talent, while his music accumulated more than a billion streams across digital platforms, according to biographical information supplied about his career.

DaSafo also maintained strong links with the African music industry. In 2019, he spoke at the Music In Africa Conference for Collaborations, Exchange and Showcases (ACCES) in Accra, Ghana, where he appeared alongside Nigerian artist and entrepreneur Banky W.

Following the conference, DaSafo spoke to Music In Africa about the growing international influence of Afrobeats and his belief that the genre’s global rise was inevitable.

“It’s inevitable,” he said. “The world moves in trends.”

He also pointed to the influence of dancehall and other Caribbean-derived sounds on music trends in the UK.

DaSafo had continued to work on new music and creative projects in the years leading up to his death. His planned Chapters album, originally scheduled for release in 2020, was intended to be accompanied by a book and short film.

His death has prompted tributes across the UK and African music communities, with artists and industry figures reflecting on his role in the development of British rap and his connections to Ghanaian and wider African music.

Rosalind Ashford obit

Motown's Rosalind Ashford, Detroit native and Vandellas star, has died

 

She was not on the list.

For decades on records and the radio airwaves, you've heard the high notes sung by Rosalind Ashford-Holmes: "Dancing in the Street." "Heat Wave." "Jimmy Mack." "Nowhere to Run."

Ashford-Holmes, a Detroit native who went on to international success with Motown's Martha and the Vandellas, died in Redford on Tuesday, Sept. 15, of natural causes. She was 83.

As a member of the Vandellas, one of Motown's signature groups, Ashford-Holmes was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1995, one of many career honors that included the Grammy Hall of Fame and the Library of Congress's national registry.

"I am deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Rosalind Ashford," Martha Reeves said in a statement to the Detroit Free Press. "Rosalind played an important part in the early days of Martha and the Vandellas. Her voice will forever be with us through our great recordings together, and she will be missed, but never forgotten. Our Motown family has just gotten a little smaller. My heart is heavy."

A natural soprano who graduated from Wilbur Wright High School on the city's west side, Ashford-Holmes first made headway on the Detroit scene in the late 1950s with the vocal group the Del-Phis, later the Vels, who released a handful of singles with Chicago's Chess Records after linking up with fellow Motor City singer Reeves.

At the fast-rising Motown Records back home in Detroit, Ashford-Holmes and her singing partners were tapped for backing roles on studios sessions in the early '60s for Mary Wells, Marvin Gaye and others.

Roz, as she was long known among friends, soon shot to success when Motown chief Berry Gordy put Reeves out front for the trio dubbed Martha and the Vandellas, with Ashford-Holmes on backing vocals alongside Annette Beard, who was replaced in 1964 by Betty Kelly. The group's breakout hit, "Come and Get These Memories," launched a hit career that would include nearly two dozen Top 40 singles on Billboard's R&B chart.

As Motown made its way into pop music's mainstream, Martha and the Vandellas became one of the Detroit label's A-list groups across America and Europe.

Ashford-Holmes remained with the group through 1969. Despite well-known bad blood between her and Reeves in the decades that followed, the two recently made peace, multiple sources told the Free Press.

In her life after the Motown spotlight, Ashford-Holmes enjoyed traveling and spending time with friends and family, said her son, Damon Holmes. From the 1980s onward, she would occasionally link up with her longtime singing companion Annette Beard to perform as the Original Vandellas.

Pat Cosby, a former Motown staffer and longtime friend of Ashford-Holmes, said the late singer was part of a Motown circle that regularly gathered at a Southfield restaurant to reminisce.

"The memories are still precious," Cosby said. "We had good times while we could."

Funeral arrangements for Rosalind Ashford-Holmes are pending but will be held at James H. Cole Funeral Home on Schaefer Highway in Detroit.

She is survived by her son, Damon Holmes, four grandchildren and a daughter-in-law.