Rolling Obituary Thread: 2021

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

ah fuck. RIP U-Roy. One of the very very best.

Big Youth still kicking, knock wood.

The Fat Boys’ Prince Markie Dee Dead at 52

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/prince-markie-dee-fat-boys-dead-obituary-1130223/

wow, it blows my mind that he was so young. I got their debut record when I was 9, which means he was only 16! RIP

They weren't even really that fat, at least not by today's standards. Well, one of them kind of was.

are you thinshaming the Fat Boys

not at all! just saying that maybe a couple of the guys were, you know, "stuffing", so as to enhance the reputation.

I had the Beach Boys/Fat Boys "Wipe Out" single. Also, I thought I could still kind of hum the theme song from their movie "Paramedics," but I just watched the trailer and learned that it was in fact called "Disorderlies," not "Paramedics," and I had made up the "Paramedics" theme song.

I do remember a lot of their other singles, novelty/covers and otherwise. And iirc the Fat Boys may have been the first place I heard the term "beat box."

Holy shit, I was thinking of this!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=il1v2nlOIug

Which looks exactly as shitty as this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mP45fA8V8g

Seeing reports on FB that pianist Gene Taylor from the Blasters (among others) has passed.

The story on Facebook behind Gene Taylor's death is terrible. He was living in Austin & had been without water or power for 5 days. A family member says it may have been a heart attack brought on by hypothermia

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/dianna-ortiz-nun-who-told-of-brutal-abduction-by-guatemalan-military-dies-at-62/2021/02/19/932ac25a-713a-11eb-85fa-e0ccb3660358_story.html

CW for a horrific story but a remarkable person.

Lawrence Ferlinghetti, at 101.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/lawrence-ferlinghetti-dead/2021/02/23/37b2a134-edd5-11df-abf5-a1622994c5f5_story.html

Aw shit

The last remaining big name among the Beats?

ferlinghetti is a pretty big name, it's true

Especially with Lawrence added.

Oh no, RIP LF.

RIP

I had no idea he was still around.

He was indeed, and still involved with City Lights. When there was a fundraiser last year after lockdown kicked in, the folks in charge of the day to day would include occasional comments and messages from him, lived right nearby.

RIP, person who.

Time to, um, trot this out again:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4Ty_8Nw-CY

https://citylightsbooks.tumblr.com/private/643936096755023872/tumblr_qozvmsEmEN1rpjil8

The last remaining big name among the Beats?

Gary snyder still with us iirc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jz6gDVHa7Q

_The last remaining big name among the Beats?_

Gary snyder still with us iirc

RIP.

feels like ferlinghetti STARTED old somehow, amazing he made it this far.

Just remembering, isn’t he in The Last Waltz?

Playing congas behind Neil Diamond?

Lol, maybe but
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dmIt81JkAg

Unless that's Wavy Gravy.

Wavy Ghetti

Ferlinghetti sabotaged Clapton's guitar strap!

I think he turned off Robbie's vocal mic too.

lolllllll

Certainly one of the last of the big names of the Beat era, some of the "smaller" or younger generation are still around...but with Bill Berkson, Diane DiPrima, Ferlinghetti, and Kyger all passing in such a short period of time, it certainly seems like that generation is leaving us.

Bruce Meyers, Creator of the Meyers Manx, Has Passed Away at 94.
His creation became popularized as the Dune Buggy and brought off-road joy to thousands.

https://www.autoweek.com/news/people/amp35567136/bruce-meyers-obit/

`His creation became popularized as the Dune Buggy and brought off-road joyunnecessary habitat destruction to thousands.

ftfy