obituary
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Nashville music publishing executive Linda Patterson “Pat” Rolfe, who became one of the first women to lead a major music publishing company in the early 1970s, died of cancer on Friday (May 24) at age 77.
Rolfe, a Waverly, Tenn., native, was born July 27, 1946. She graduated from Waverly Central High School in 1964 and moved to Nashville, launching her music industry career in 1966 at music publishing company Hill & Range. While at the company — which became a dominant music publishing player in country music in the 1950s and 1960s — she joined Lamar Fike, a member of Elvis Presley‘s entourage who worked in lighting and helped oversee Presley’s music publishing. She also worked on hit songs by Johnny Cash, Marty Robbins, Eddy Arnold and bluegrass pioneer Bill Monroe.
Rolfe was elevated to a leadership role at Hill & Range — rare for a woman executive in that era — when she was named GM at Hill & Range in 1972. She also brought Celia Froehlig into the company fold, with both staying on until Chappell Music acquired the Hill & Range companies in 1975. Froehlig would go on to hold senior roles at EMI Music Publishing and Black River Entertainment.
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Following the acquisition, Rolfe continued at Chappell Music, which was named ASCAP publisher of the year seven times during her tenure. She rose to the role of vp and held that role until 1987, when Warner Bros. Music acquired the company.
That same year, longtime ASCAP Nashville head Connie Bradley offered Rolfe a position as director of membership relations. While at the performing rights organization, Rolfe rose to the role of vp, bringing such songwriters and singer-songwriters as Dierks Bentley, Brad Paisley, Wynonna Judd, Tony Mullins, Trevor Rosen, Hillary Lindsey, Gerry House, Josh Kear, Michael Knox and Chris Tompkins into the fold. She retired in 2010.
In 1991, seeking to further elevate women in the music industry, Rolfe teamed with Judy Harris and Shelia Shipley Biddy to co-found SOURCE, a nonprofit organization that supports women professionals in the Nashville music industry. She was inducted into the SOURCE Hall of Fame in 2012.
“We are heartbroken over the loss of one of our beloved Founding SOURCE members Pat Rolfe,” said SOURCE Nashville president Kari Barnhart in a statement. “Pat’s heart for recognizing and elevating the Women Behind the Music is a legacy that will continue to live on through the organization she lovingly helped build with our other founding members Judy Harris and Shelia Shipley-Biddy over 33 years ago. Pat remained dedicated to the organization as a member of the Source Awards Committee through the years.”
Rolfe also served on the boards of organizations including the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI), Nashville Music Association and Copyright Society of the South.
Rolfe is survived by her husband of 54 years, Mack, as well as stepchildren John (Vanessa), Jim (Mary K) and Dick (Michelle); seven grandchildren; brothers Jim, Mike, Joe and Charlie Patterson; and sister Margaret Simmons. She was preceded in death by her parents, Marie and George Patterson, her brother Jerry Patterson and sister-in-law Ann Patterson.
A visitation with the family will be held on Wednesday (May 29) from 9:30 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. at Green Hills Community Church in Nashville, with the funeral service set to begin at 11:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations go to the Bonaparte’s Retreat Dog Rescue, the Green Hills Community Church or a charity of your choosing.
Doug Ingle, the original singer and organist of psychedelic rock band Iron Butterly, has died. He was 78.
The musician’s son Doug Ingle Jr. shared the news of his father’s passing through social media on Saturday (May 25).
“It’s with a heavy heart & great sadness to announce the passing of my Father Doug Ingle. Dad passed away peacefully this evening in the presence of family,” Ingle Jr. wrote on Facebook. “Thank You Dad for being a father, teacher and friend. Cherished loving memories I will carry the rest of my days moving forward in this journey of life.”
A cause of death was not provided.
Ingle, writer of Iron Butterfly’s signature song “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida,” was the last surviving member of the group’s classic lineup, which was formed in San Diego in 1966. Drummer Ron Bushy died in 2021 at age 79, bassist Lee Dornan passed in 2012 at age 70, and guitarist Erik Brann died in 2003 at age 52.
Following numerous lineup changes early on, Ingle and Bushy was part of the five-piece Iron Butterfly that released the act’s 1968 debut album, Heavy. Soon after, the band’s other three members departed and were replaced by Brann and Dornan, who were part of the lineup that released the 17-minute version of “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida.”
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A shortened version of “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” peaked at No. 30 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1968, one of four Iron Butterfly titles to impact the chart. Its parent album hit No. 4 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, while 1969’s Ball went to No. 3.
Ingle remained with Iron Butterfly through the release of its 1970 album, Metamorphosis, and left when the band broke up a year later.
Ingle did not take part in an Iron Butterfly reunion organized by Bushy and Brann in the mid-1970s, but he did perform with various versions of the group over the decades before retiring from performing in 1999.
Richard M. Sherman, the Oscar-winning songwriter who partnered with his late brother to craft tunes for such Disney classics as Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and The Jungle Book, died Saturday. He was 95.
Sherman, who also co-wrote “It’s a Small World (After All)” — considered the most performed song ever — as well as “You’re Sixteen,” a chart-topper for Ringo Starr, died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles of age-related illness, Disney announced.
Members of the Songwriters Hall of Fame and recipients of the National Medal of Honor, Richard and his older brother, Robert Sherman, wrote an estimated 1,000 songs and music for 50 movies, and they were responsible for more movie musical songs than anyone in history.
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For their work on Mary Poppins (1964), the Sherman brothers made two victorious trips to the Academy Awards stage at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, accepting the trophies for best original score and best song (“Chim Chim Cher-ee”).
The pair, who were hired by Walt Disney himself and worked directly with the Hollywood legend for almost a decade, also were nominated for the songs “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” from the 1968 United Artists film; “The Age of Not Believing” from Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971); “The Slipper and the Rose Waltz (He Danced With Me/She Danced With Me)” from The Slipper and the Rose: The Story of Cinderella (1976) and “When You’re Loved” from The Magic of Lassie (1978). They received three other noms for their scores.
Their movie work also included The Parent Trap (1961) — which featured “Let’s Get Together,” their inventive “duet” performed by Hayley Mills — The Sword in the Stone (1963), Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree (1966), The AristoCats (1970), Snoopy, Come Home (1972), Charlotte’s Web (1973), Tom Sawyer (1973) and The Tigger Movie (2000).
In 1961, Richard and Robert separately watched British actress Julie Andrews perform two songs from her Broadway musical Camelot on The Ed Sullivan Show and knew immediately she would be ideal for the lead in Mary Poppins. In a savvy move, they had Disney’s secretary purchase tickets to Camelot for the studio head and his wife, and he saw the same thing in Andrews that they did.
Mary Poppins may have been inspired by the characters in the books written by P.L. Travers, but it was the brothers and their songs — also including the 34-word-long “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,” “A Spoonful of Sugar,” “Sister Suffragette” and the lullaby “Feed the Birds,” which was Walt’s favorite song — that shaped the film’s narrative.
“You don’t get songs like ‘Spoonful of Sugar’ without a genuine love of life, which Richard passed on to everyone lucky enough to be around him,” director and Pixar chief creative officer Pete Docter said in a statement. “Even in his 90s, he had more energy and enthusiasm than anyone, and I always left renewed by Richard’s infectious joy for life.”
In a wonderful 2011 interview with THR’s Scott Feinberg, Richard described how “the boys” — that’s what Disney affectionately called them — came to work on Mary Poppins.
“One day, he had just accepted one of our songs — I think for a Zorro episode or something —and he said, ‘You know what a nanny is?’ And we said, ‘Yeah, it’s a goat.’ We thought he was going to do a picture about a nanny goat that sang or something. So he says, ‘No, no, no, in an English nursery!’ ‘Oh, yeah, sure, in an English nursery there’s a nanny, that’s right.’
“So he says, ‘Well, I have a book. I want you to read this and tell me what you think.’ He did not say, ‘I have this book, I want you to write me a title song for it,’ or, ‘I have a situation I want you to write for this character to sing.’ He just said, ‘Read the book and tell me what you think.’ ”
In other words, Disney was searching for a plot.
In a 2013 interview, Richard described the brothers’ first meeting with Travers. “Her opening line to us was, ‘I don’t even know why I’m meeting you gentlemen, because in fact we’re not going to have music in this film and, in fact, we’re not going to have any prancing and dancing.’ We were completely dashed.”
Of course, Walt and the boys would change her mind, and in a memorable backstage photo taken at the 1965 Oscars, the trophy-bearing brothers are seen planting a kiss on the cheeks of Andrews, who is holding her own statuette, for best actress.
Disney also asked the Shermans to come up with a catchy, overarching tune for his “UNICEF Salutes the Children of the World” walk-through attraction at the 1964 World’s Fair. Before the brothers got involved, it featured the unpleasant cacophony of various national anthems sung by audio-animatronic dolls.
“But Walt, are we stuck with this title, ‘Salute the Children of the World?’ ‘UNICEF?’ It’s a mouthful,” Richard told Feinberg. “He said, ‘Yeah. Well, it’s the small children of the world who are the hope of the future — that’s what we’re trying to say.’ He kept saying, ‘Small children are the hope of the world,’ and we said, ‘Yeah, small … world. That’s it! And let’s not blow each other up!’
“Now, how do we say that? Let’s, after all, use our heads. ‘After all … small … after all.’ That rhymes. ‘Small world, after all.’ And that was the way we came up with the expression.”
Disney loved their take so much, he named the attraction after it, and “It’s a Small World After All” now plays at theme parks all around the world, thousands of times a day. Richard described the song as a “prayer for peace” and said it’s the one tune by the brothers that makes people want to “either kiss or kill them.”
Despite their overwhelming success, the siblings did not always get along, as was documented in The Boys: The Sherman Brothers’ Story (2009), produced and directed by their sons Gregory V. Sherman and Jeffrey C. Sherman.
“Bob was into his orbit; I was into mine,” Richard said. “I wouldn’t say it was anything but that his interests were different. I’ve always been kind of an extrovert; he’s always been an introvert. … Basically, one of the chemical things that worked with us was the fact that we both had a stereopticon look at things, so we could blend our thinking together, and success came that way.”
Robert died in March 2012 at age 86. B.J. Novak played him, and Jason Schwartzman portrayed Richard, in the Disney film Saving Mr. Banks (2013), about the making of Mary Poppins.
Richard Sherman was born in Manhattan on June 12, 1928, 30 months after his brother. Their mother was a Broadway actress and their father was Tin Pan Alley composer Al Sherman, whose song, “Potatoes Are Cheaper, Tomatoes Are Cheaper, Now’s the Time to Fall in Love,” was a favorite of Eddie Cantor’s. His tunes also were recorded by the likes of Maurice Chevalier, Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee and Cyndi Lauper.
The family moved west in the mid-1930s, and Richard attended Beverly Hills High School. He and his brother attended Bard College in New York (his major was music, while Roberts’ was English literature and painting), and Richard wrote what is now the school’s official song.
Challenged by their father — “You guys, I bet you couldn’t even write a song that some kid would give up his lunch money to buy on a record!” — the boys began writing, and their first song, “Gold Can Buy You Anything But Love,” was recorded in 1951 by the singing cowboy Gene Autry.
In 1958, they celebrated their first top 10 hit with “Tall Paul,” covered by Mouseketeer Annette Funicello. They wrote a number of hits for the teenager they called “our lucky star,” and Mr. Disney took notice. He gave the brothers various assignments, then offered them jobs as staff songwriters in the moments after telling them he loved their ideas for Mary Poppins.
They were named Disney Legends in 1990.
Most recently, Sherman wrote a song with composer Fabrizio Mancinelli for Andreas Deja’s 2023 animated short, Mushka. “Mushka’s Lullabye” was performed by soprano Holly Sedillos.
Survivors include his wife of 66 years, Elizabeth; his children, Gregory, Victoria and Lynda; five grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
Asked by Feinberg what were the best lyrics he ever came up with, Sherman touched on those he wrote for “A Man Has Dreams” from Mary Poppins.
“When it comes to writing what a man really feels — every man, every man — he dreams of doing something wonderful, of walking with the giants in his particular world,” he said. “An insurance guy wants to be the top man in the insurance business. I dreamed of being a top man in the music business, so it came out of my head.
“I said, ‘A man has dreams of walking with giants.’ I wanted to be with Gershwin. Who knows if I got there? I wanted to carve my niche in the edifice of time, so what I was saying — I was talking about myself, really.”
This article originally appeared on The Hollywood Reporter.
Documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, an Oscar nominee whose most famous works skewered America’s food industry and who notably ate only at McDonald’s for a month to illustrate the dangers of a fast-food diet, has died. He was 53.
Spurlock died Thursday in New York from complications of cancer, according to a statement issued Friday by his family.
“It was a sad day, as we said goodbye to my brother Morgan,” Craig Spurlock, who worked with him on several projects, said in the statement. “Morgan gave so much through his art, ideas, and generosity. The world has lost a true creative genius and a special man. I am so proud to have worked together with him.”
Spurlock made a splash in 2004 with his groundbreaking film Super Size Me, which was nominated for an Academy Award. The film chronicled the detrimental physical and psychological effects of Spurlock eating only McDonald’s food for 30 days. He gained about 25 pounds, saw a spike in his cholesterol and lost his sex drive.
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“Everything’s bigger in America,” he said in the film. “We’ve got the biggest cars, the biggest houses, the biggest companies, the biggest food, and finally: the biggest people.”
In one scene, Spurlock showed kids a photo of George Washington and none recognized the Founding Father. But they all instantly knew the mascots for Wendy’s and McDonald’s.
The film grossed more than $22 million on a $65,000 budget and preceded the release of Eric Schlosser’s influential Fast Food Nation, which accused the industry of being bad for the environment and rife with labor issues.
Spurlock returned in 2017 with Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken! — a sobering look at an industry that processes 9 billion animals a year in America. He focused on two issues: chicken farmers stuck in a peculiar financial system and the attempt by fast-food chains to deceive customers into thinking they’re eating healthier.
“We’re at an amazing moment in history from a consumer standpoint where consumers are starting to have more and more power,” he told the Associated Press in 2019. “It’s not about return for the shareholders. It’s about return for the consumers.”
Spurlock was a gonzo-like filmmaker who leaned into the bizarre and ridiculous. His stylistic touches included zippy graphics and amusing music, blending a Michael Moore-ish camera-in-your-face style with his own sense of humor and pathos.
“I wanted to be able to lean into the serious moments. I wanted to be able to breathe in the moments of levity. We want to give you permission to laugh in the places where it’s really hard to laugh,” he told the AP.
After he exposed the fast-food and chicken industries, there was an explosion in restaurants stressing freshness, artisanal methods, farm-to-table goodness and ethically sourced ingredients. But nutritionally not much had changed.
“There has been this massive shift and people say to me, ‘So has the food gotten healthier?’ And I say, ‘Well, the marketing sure has,’” he said.
Not all his work dealt with food. Spurlock made documentaries about the boy band One Direction and the geeks and fanboys at Comic-Con. One of his films looked at life behind bars at the Henrico County Jail in Virginia.
With 2008’s Where in the World is Osama bin Laden?, Spurlock went on a global search to find the al-Qaida leader, who was killed in 2011. In POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, Spurlock tackled questions of product placement, marketing and advertising.
“Being aware is half the battle, I think. Literally knowing all the time when you’re being marketed to is a great thing,” Spurlock told AP at the time. “A lot of people don’t realize it. They can’t see the forest for the trees.”
Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken! was to premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 2017 but it was shelved at the height of the #MeToo movement when Spurlock came forward to detail his own history of sexual misconduct.
He confessed that he had been accused of rape while in college and had settled a sexual harassment case with a female assistant. He also admitted to cheating on numerous partners. “I am part of the problem,” he wrote.
“For me, there was a moment of kind of realization — as somebody who is a truth-teller and somebody who has made it a point of trying to do what’s right — of recognizing that I could do better in my own life. We should be able to admit we were wrong,” he told the AP.
Spurlock grew up in Beckley, West Virginia. His mother was an English teacher who he remembered would correct his work with a red pen. He graduated with a BFA in film from New York University in 1993.
He is survived by two sons — Laken and Kallen; his mother Phyllis Spurlock; father Ben; brothers Craig and Barry; and former spouses Alexandra Jamieson and Sara Bernstein, the mothers of his children.
Charlie Colin, the founding bassist of pop-rock band Train, has died. He was 58 years old.
According to TMZ, who spoke to the musician’s mother, the California-bred artist died after slipping and falling in the shower while house-sitting for a friend in Brussels, Belgium. His mother said it’s unclear when Colin passed away, as his body was found only after his friends returned from their trip approximately five days ago. Colin’s sister also confirmed his death to Variety.
His mom also told TMZ that the musician had moved to Brussels to teach a music masterclass at a conservatory, and was working on new music for a film at the time of his death. Colin had been documenting his time abroad on Instagram, where he declared that the locale was his “officially [his] favorite city” in a March post.
Colin helped form Train with lead singer Pat Monahan, Rob Hotchkiss, Jimmy Stafford and Scott Underwood in the ’90s. Before leaving the group due to substance abuse issues in 2003, he took part in recording hits such as “Drops of Jupiter” — which peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned the band its first Grammy nominations for best rock performance by a duo or a group and record of the year — and “Meet Virginia.” Train’s self-titled debut album reached No. 76 on the Billboard 200 in 1999.
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In 2015, Colin, Hotchkiss and Underwood formed the band Painbirds with Tom Luce.
Raised in Newport Beach, Colin first met Hotchkiss in middle school. The two later went to Boston’s Berklee College of Music at separate times before reconnecting when the latter formed the band the Apostles.
After the Apostles disbanded, Hotchkiss met Monahan and began collaborating on songs in the Bay Area. They later invited Stafford and Colin to join their lineup, after which Colin brought in Underwood to play drums — and Train was born.
“Charlie called me up and said, ‘It’s been this weird synchronicity where we’re not even willing to consider quitting,’” Hotchkiss recalled of his friend in a 2015 interview with The Los Angeles Times. “First and foremost, our priority is writing songs, and we really enjoy playing live.”
Omar Geles, the Latin Grammy-nominated vallenato singer, songwriter and accordionist who rose to fame in the ’80s with the group Los Diablitos, died on Tuesday (May 21) at Clínica Erasmo in Valledupar, Colombia. He was 57.
On May 18, Geles appeared as a guest artist at Silvestre Dangond‘s concert at El Campín Stadium in Bogotá, where he took the stage alongside Karen Lizarazo, Gusi, Elder Dayan, Rafa Peréz, Penchi Castro, Churo Díaz, and Diego Daza.
The Colombian newspaper El Tiempo noted that Geles had already suffered a “decompensation” on April 27 after a show in Miami, where he was treated at a hospital and successfully recovered.
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“Being grateful is the most precious gift and I have no way to repay you because you were attentive to my health,” Geles tweeted on April 28. “To God be the glory because he is the owner of life and everything. I still have a big handful of songs to give you. I love you. Here I am, strong as an oak!”
The news of his death led stars such as Carlos Vives and Miguel Morales, his former bandmate in Los Diablitos, to express their sorrow on social media.
“It’s not easy to accept that an artist like Omar Geles, with so much talent, so much joy, so many stories to tell, so much love for people has suddenly left,” Vives wrote on X, where he also posted a series of photographs of the many moments they shared, including in the TV series Escalona, in which Geles portrayed Simón Salas. “I could tell you many stories of a truly fraternal, unselfish artist that was loved by all. I will miss you dear Omar. Rest in peace.”
“The paths of life are like this… OMAR GELES, today my heart expresses with my tears of pain your departure. You were my partner, my brother, my friend, colleague, and my source of what I am today,” Morales expressed on his Instagram account, making a reference to their hit “Los Caminos de la Vida,” which means “The Paths of Life.”
The Vallenato Legend Festival highlighted on X that “in his musical career as an accordionist and composer [Geles] achieved great triumphs and knew how to give glory and honor to the music he loved until his last days.”
Geles became known in 1985 when he and Morales created the group Los Diablitos, releasing hits such as “Los Caminos de la Vida” and “Cómo le Pago a mi Dios.” In 2004, after separating from Morales, the artist changed the name of the group to La Gente de Omar Geles and remained active.
In the last decade, he received two Latin Grammy nominations for best cumbia/vallenato album: in 2010 for Prueba Superada, and in 2012 for Histórico – A Dúo Con Los Grandes.
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Watch a snippet shared by El Tiempo of his last performance at Dangond’s show over the weekend below.
@eltiempo Sobre las 8 de la noche de este martes 21 de mayo se conoció que el reconocido compositor y cantante de vallenato Ómar Geles falleció en la Clínica Erasmo de Valledupar. Aunque las causas de su fallecimiento no han sido confirmadas, de manera preliminar se informó que presentó una falla cardiaca. La noticia ha causado sorpresa entre compositores, amigos y fanáticos del artista, pues este fin de semana se estuvo presentando como parte de los invitados al concierto de Silvestre Dangond @Silvestre Dangond en Bogotá. Créditos @Angelica Daza Garrid ♬ sonido original – EL TIEMPO
Polish composer Jan A.P. Kaczmarek, who won a 2005 Oscar for the musical score of Finding Neverland, died on Tuesday (May 21). He was 71. Kaczmarek’s death was announced by Poland’s Music Foundation, which had been informed of his passing by the composer’s wife. Kaczmarek had suffered from MSA, a rare degenerative neurological disorder. He […]
Jon Wysocki, the founding drummer of rock band Staind has died at 53. The news was confirmed on Saturday, when Wysocki’s current band, Lydia’s Castle, posted about his passing on Instagram, writing, “On 5/18/2024 at 8:02pm, @jonwysocki4 passed away surrounded by family and friends that loved him dearly.”
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Staind also paid tribute to Wysocki in an Instagram post on Sunday, in which they wrote, “We first met Jon through mutual friends in 1994. We came together with Mike, Aaron, and Johnny April in 1995 and founded Staind. The 17 years that followed were some of the best memories of our times together. From practice in Ludlow, Mass to touring around the world, Jon was integral to who we were as a band. Our hearts go out to Jon’s family, and fans around the world who loved him.”
At press time no information on the cause of death had been announced. Lydia’s Castle member Shawna Hornbeck wrote on Saturday that Wysocki, was, “currently in the ICU. He has been having issues with his liver that requires him to be under the attention of medical professionals to ensure that he is treated properly. While he has been struggling, there are signs that he is recovering slowly.”
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Born on Jan. 17 ,1971 in Westfield, Mass., Wysocki co-founded second-wave grunge band Staind in Springfield, Mass. in 1995 with singer/rhythm guitarist Aaron Lewis, lead guitarist Mike Mushok and bassist Johnny April. The band self-released their debut album, Tormented, in 1997, followed by their 1999 major label debut, Dysfunction, which was co-produced by Limp Bizkit singer Fred Durst and featured the singles “Mudshovel” and “Home.”
After co-headlining the Family Values tour with Limp Bizkit in late 1999, the band dropped their third LP, Break the Cycle, in May 2001, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart and spawned their signature No. 5 Hot 100 hit “It’s Been Awhile.” Wysocki played on seven on the band’s eight studio albums — through 2011’s self-titled seventh LP — before taking his leave in 2011, reportedly due to friction with singer Lewis; he was replaced by drummer Sal Giancarelli.
In a statement on his X account on Sunday, Lewis wrote, “I’m so sad. I lost my friend. A friend I loved like a brother… fought with like a brother… cared for like a brother… worried about like a brother… cried over like a brother… because he was my brother in arms. My journey would’ve been different without him… The battles we fought together. The battles we fought against each other. The battles we fought side by side alone with our own demons. The battles we won and the battles we lost. He was my friend. He was our brother. My heart is broken. My world has changed. I’ll see you on the other side my friend. My brother. Godspeed. My heart, my love, and my condolences go out to his family and loved ones. I’m so fu–ing sad. He will be missed.”
After leaving Staind, Wysocki briefly joined Chicago hard rock group Soil, but never recorded with them. On Sunday they also paid tribute to their late bandmate, writing on FB, “Today we lost one of the greats. Jon Wysocki was not only a great friend, a great drummer, but a great human being. It was an honor to have him in SOiL for the time we did. We had so many laughs, so many good times. You will be missed dearly. Until we meet again dear friend…..”
See the statements about Wysocki’s death below.
I’ll see you on the other side my friend. My brother. Godspeed. My heart, my love, and my condolences go out to his family and loved ones. I’m so fucking sad. He will be missed.— Aaron Lewis (@Aaronlewismusic) May 19, 2024
Jimmy James, the beloved frontman of The Vagabonds and the voice behind the enduring ballad “Come to Me Softly,” died on Wednesday (May 15). He was 84 years old. The musician died in London at Northwick Park Hospital, his family told Jamaica Observer. James reportedly had Parkinson’s disease and a heart condition that ultimately led […]
David Sanborn, beloved jazz saxophonist who is credited on songs for Stevie Wonder, David Bowie and many more, died on Sunday (May 12). He was 78 years old.
A message posted to the musician’s social media page confirmed the news, noting that Sanborn had been battling prostate cancer for the past few years. “Mr. Sanborn had been dealing with prostate cancer since 2018, but had been able to maintain his normal schedule of concerts until just recently. Indeed he already had concerts scheduled into 2025,” the message reads. “David Sanborn was a seminal figure in contemporary pop and jazz music. It has been said that he ‘put the saxophone back into Rock ’n Roll.’”
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It is with sad and heavy hearts that we convey to you the loss of internationally renowned, 6 time Grammy Award-winning, saxophonist, David Sanborn. Mr. Sanborn passed Sunday afternoon, May 12th, after an extended battle with prostate cancer with complications. pic.twitter.com/VyW56OCkfc— DavidSanborn (@DavidSanborn) May 13, 2024
Throughout his career, Sanborn played alongside some of rock’s most iconic figures, both in the studio and onstage. Most notably, he toured with Wonder and played on his 1972 album, Talking Book. He also performed on Bowie’s classic, “Young Americans,” and toured with the late star.
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However, that’s just the tip of the iceberg of Sanborn’s illustrious career. Throughout his life, he’s recorded with musicians including B.B. King, Paul Simon, Cat Stevens, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, Chaka Khan, Ron Carter, George Benson, Kenny Loggins, The Eagles, Aretha Franklin, Billy Joel, Roger Water, Eric Clapton, Mick Jagger and more.
Outside of recording music, Sanborn hosted a syndicated radio program, The Jazz Show, as well as a podcast called As We Speak. He also worked on a YouTube series called Sanborn Sessions with his nephew and brother-in-law.