Rolling Obituary Thread: 2021

Wtf

His original Return to Forever album on ECM was one of my eBay finds last year that helped get me through a long stretch of quarantine

Total virtuoso genius that I admittedly still mostly knew best for being a scientologist.

Johnny Rogan, music writer and journalist, 67.

https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/johnny-rogan-leading-music-biographer-dies-aged-67-1.4483058

Aww, he wasn't a very good writer but in retrospect The Severed Alliance was where I first learned Morrissey was a massive racist, so props for that.

I read Rogan's Kinks and Neil Young books back in the 80s, and his Ray Davies biography more recently. Not a great prose stylist, but he could convey controversial opinions that, I think, would be frowned upon by more contemporary biographers and their readers. People nowadays aren't usually picking up a book about a favourite musician to hear about all the things they did wrong.

Brayden Smith, the controversial final big money champ of the Trebek-era on Jeopardy.

https://tvline.com/2021/02/12/jeopardy-brayden-smith-dead-age-24-five-time-champion/

Percussionist - composer Milford Graves.

I am gutted.

Ooof, huge one for several of us. Sydney Devine.

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/sydney-devine-dead-scots-showbiz-23494635

RIP Sydney. I imagined him like Glen Michael and Stanley Baxter, living forever.

RIP Sydney, the amount of times I spent as a kid looking at those enormous posters for Sydney Devine and Robert Halpern at the Pavilion from a rain soaked bus window on the way in to town, felt like they were plastered everywhere.

Saw Sydney performing outdoors at a big Commonwealth Games festival on Glasgow Green a few years ago, one for the bucket list.

SF/fantasy artist Rowena Morrill, 76
https://locusmag.com/2021/02/rowena-morrill-1944-2021/

In a similar vein, and not sure I saw anyone else pick it up so apologies if he's already been mentioned, but underground comix icon S Clay Wilson.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/09/arts/s-clay-wilson-dead.html

Rupert Neve, legendary audio engineer.

https://www.rupertneve.com/news/rupert-neve-1926-2021/

Saw Sydney performing outdoors at a big Commonwealth Games festival on Glasgow Green a few years ago, one for the bucket list

Yeah, we were at that too. He was endearingly rubbish.

Openly queer singer/RuPaul confidant Ari Gold

https://www.out.com/news/2021/2/14/trailblazing-queer-artist-ari-gold-dies-age-47

Actor Tishuan Scott (probably best known as the host of the couples seminar in Computer Chess). Car accident.

I don't recall meeting him, but--like a lot of Houston-area actors--I had him on Facebook. He was a very troubled individual, struggling with bipolar disorder and all the problems that entailed (just last week he shared he'd been sent to the ER after an altercation during a traffic stop).

Welsh snooker player Doug Mountjoy

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/51946334

RIP Doug. My contribution to the ILX Pre-Covers Morrissey's "World Peace Is None Of Your Business" comp. was a track called "Mountjoy", not sure many people spotted the reference though.

Journalist James Ridgeway, 84.

http://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/14/obituaries/james-ridgeway-dead.html

Ian Pattinson, undoubtedly the filthiest writer on Radio 4 - he used to write the Samantha/Lionel Blair material for ISIHAC.

I see we’ve had a letter from a Mrs Trellis of North Wales.

It is with sorrow that we announce the death of our client and friend, Iain Pattinson.

We are enormously proud of him and his extraordinary career, most notably as the writer of I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue. pic.twitter.com/KI6AM1aUvp

— PBJ Management (@pbjmanagement) February 15, 2021

Johnny Pacheco, legendary Latin bandleader and co-founder of Fania Records, 85.

Oh damn

Although also "people you thought were already dead"

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/15/arts/music/johnny-pacheco-dead.html

Pacheco , co-founder of Fania, and busy songwriter & bandleader had an impressive run

Oh, RIP. Celia & Johnny is a classic, one among many.

https://magazine.vinylmeplease.com/magazine/celia-johnny-liners/

One of my favourite music movies ever
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5LAEYGuERo

Xp Is there a general FANIA thread that ppl post to? So much good music

70s Salsa (was The Fania Label 1970-1980: S/D)

Rush Limbaugh

good

Si Spencer, the only person I know to have written Judge Dread and Eastenders:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Si_Spencer

Whoa, what the hell?

I read that as Si Spurrier, which would have been more of a shock (though 56 is no age at all)

Si Spencer, the only person I know to have written Judge Dread and Eastenders:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Si_Spencer

― Ward Fowler, Wednesday, February 17, 2021 9:20 AM (three hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

Drokk, it's Den

Francoise Cactus of Stereo Total, 57, breast cancer.

And now U-Roy has died.

We are very sad to announce that pioneering DJ who revolutionised the sound of Jamaican music in the early Seventies – Ewat Beckford aka U Roy has passed away at the age of 78 yesterday in Jamaica.

RIP U Roy, The Originator#uroy #versiongalore #dj #reggaepioneer #toasting pic.twitter.com/TOcHLKViKF

— Trojan Records (@trojanrecords) February 18, 2021

damn RIP U Roy, this one cuts deep :(

Rest In Peace Mighty One

RIP U Roy, one of the most undersung influential forces in music history

Aw, U-Roy.

Rest in Pipe, U-Roy. Still one of the greatest alb covers ever:

https://img.discogs.com/6B4N0YhpRNydZjje9A4gC7x3IlU=/fit-in/600x600/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(90)/discogs-images/R-8521571-1463304241-1350.jpeg.jpg

rest in power

Oh no. Loved that guy.

Nobody has ever ridden the rhythm better.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LevBUDpSSUc

ooh that's a classic

Victor Ambrus, hungarian-born illustrator. lovely style that i remember from library books.

https://www.google.com/search?q=victor+ambrus&tbm=isch