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Aaron Spears, who worked as a drummer for Usher, Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande, Britney Spears, Miley Cyrus and countless other music stars, has died at age 47, his family announced Monday (Oct. 30).
The drummer was nominated for a Grammy for his work on Usher’s 2004 album Confessions and had just turned 47 last week.
“It is with a heavy heart and overwhelming sadness that I share the news of the passing of my beloved husband, Aaron Spears,” Spears’ wife, Jessica, said in an Instagram post. “Aaron was not only an incredibly accomplished drummer, admired by many for his unparalleled talent and passion for music, but he was also a devoted father to our precious son, August. His love, guidance, and warmth were the pillars of our family, and his absence leaves a void that words cannot describe. We were blessed to have him in our lives, and his legacy will live on through the beautiful rhythms he created and the love he shared with us. We appreciate all the thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. Please remember Aaron for the incredible person he was and the amazing music he brought into our world. At this time we ask for privacy as we work our way through this.”
The many artists who worked with Spears shared an outpouring of condolences to social media.
Along with a photo of Spears, Grande shared this message to her IG Story: “I can’t wrap my head around this. We were all so incredibly lucky to know Aaron. The absolute brightest light of a human being. Always the kindest, always smiling. I am so honored and thankful that our paths crossed and to have spent so much very special time together. Thank you for your utter brilliance, for our laughs, and for your kindness always. I will miss your hugs. You are so, so loved and will be so very missed.”
“It’s been a painful season for all of us,” Justin Bieber wrote in an Instagram post, adding in his Story: “We lost a beautiful man and inspiration to all of us drummers. @aspears prayers for your family and loved ones you will be remembered and celebrated.”
Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker commented on Jessica’s post, “I have no words. I love you so much my brother and will miss you. This doesn’t seem real. Praying for you Jessica and August.”
The Roots’ Questlove shared a video of Spears drumming along with a heartfelt message about his fellow drummer on Instagram. “The world lost a legend today. Husband, father, producers music director, leader drumgod & just a Cotdamn BEAST in Aaron Spears. You’ve seen Aaron drum prolly 5-10 times in your life if you attend concerts & sometimes without knowing. That’s how much in demand his services were. … Condolences to his wife, family, community and all who loved him and were given joy through his musical contributions. This is devastating … rest in melody brother.”
See Jessica’s announcement below:
Matthew Perry, who starred as sarcastic but sweet Chandler Bing in the hit series Friends, has died. He was 54.
The Emmy-nominated actor was found dead of an apparent drowning at his Los Angeles home Saturday (Oct. 28), according to the Los Angeles Times and TMZ, which was the first to report the news. Both outlets cited unnamed sources confirming Perry’s death.
His publicists and other representatives did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment. Asked to confirm police response to what was listed as Perry’s home address, LAPD Officer Drake Madison told the Associated Press that officers had gone to that block “for a death investigation of a male in his 50s.”
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Perry’s 10 seasons on Friends made him one of Hollywood’s most recognizable actors, starring opposite Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow and David Schwimmer as a friend group in New York City.
As Chandler, he played the quick-witted, insecure and neurotic roommate of LeBlanc’s Joey and a close friend of Schwimmer’s Ross. By the series’ end, Chandler is married to Cox’s Monica and they have a family, reflecting the journey of the core cast from single New Yorkers to married and starting families.
The series was one of television’s biggest hits and has taken on a new life — and found surprising popularity with younger fans — in recent years on streaming services.
Friends ran from 1994 until 2004, and the cast notably banded together for later seasons to obtain a salary of $1 million per episode for each.
Unknown at the time was the struggle Perry had with addiction and an intense desire to please audiences.
“Friends was huge. I couldn’t jeopardize that. I loved the script. I loved my co-actors … I loved everything about the show but I was struggling with my addictions which only added to my sense of shame,” he wrote in his memoir, Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing. “I had a secret and no one could know.”
“I felt like I was gonna die if the live audience didn’t laugh, and that’s not healthy for sure. But I could sometimes say a line and the audience wouldn’t laugh and I would sweat and sometimes go into convulsions,” Perry wrote. “If I didn’t get the laugh I was supposed to get I would freak out. I felt that every single night. This pressure left me in a bad place. I also knew of the six people making that show, only one of them was sick.”
An HBO Max reunion special in 2021 was hosted by James Corden and fed into huge interest in seeing the cast together again, although the program consisted of the actors discussing the show and was not a continuation of their characters’ storylines.
Perry received one Emmy nomination for his Friends role and two more for appearances as an associate White House counsel on The West Wing.
Perry also had several notable film roles, starring opposite Salma Hayek in the rom-com Fools Rush In and Bruce Willis in the the crime comedy The Whole Nine Yards.
Dusty Street, a pioneering DJ who is best known for her time working at Los Angeles-based alternative rock station KROQ-FM and later at SiriuxXM, died Saturday in Eugene, Ore. She was 77.
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Her friend Geno Michellini, who worked for many years at L.A.-based station KLOS-FM, shared the news on Facebook.
“I have been in Eugene the last two days at Dusty Street’s bedside,” Michellini posted Saturday. “The numerous afflictions that she has been so indomitably fighting these last years finally caught up to her. I am writing with a broken heart to say that Dusty left us tonight. She died peacefully, quietly and surrounded by love in a beautifully serene location overlooking the most beautiful lake you could ever want. As befitting the queen that she was. Tonight I lost one of the best friends I ever had and the world lost a radio and music legend … . She was all that and so much more. There will never be another Dusty Street. The queen is gone, but she’ll never be forgotten.”
Street most recently worked at SiriusXM for more than 20 years as host of the shows Deep Tracks and Classic Vinyl.
“We have lost one of our own,” SiriuxXM posted on Facebook. “Dusty Street has passed away after 77 joyous trips around the sun. And yes, Dusty Street was her real name. Dusty was one of the first female rock jocks on the west coast working at KMPX and KSAN in San Francisco from 1967 through 1978 before heading to Los Angeles where she held court in the evenings from 1979 through 1996 on KROQ. … We are heartbroken.”
Street was known for being outspoken, opposing the Parents Music Resource Center for attempting to apply a ratings system to rock music. She once said she was let go from KROQ for being a “renegade” as the station was implementing “tighter and tighter” control over the programming.
In 2015, she was inducted into the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame. Earlier this year, she took part in the Epix documentary San Francisco Sounds: A Place In Time, which spotlighted recording artists from the Bay Area that were popular between 1966 and 1976, including Santana, Sly and the Family Stone, Tower of Power, and the Doobie Brothers, Jefferson Airplane and Janis Joplin.
Street once commented that people often asked her if her name was real, and that people were surprised to hear it wasn’t a stage name.. “My father’s name was Emerson Street. We used to live on Emerson Street on Palo Alto, which was pretty funny. Emerson Street on Emerson Street,” she said.
This article originally appeared in THR.com.
The 45 King, a hip-hop producer well known for his work on hits such as Eminem’s “Stan,” Jay-Z’s “Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)” and producing Queen Latifah’s breakout album, All Hail the Queen, has died at 62, his rep confirmed to Variety and Rolling Stone on Thursday (Oct. 19).
Born Mark Howard James, the producer’s career kicked off from his Bronx, N.Y., hometown in the mid-1980s with the arrival of the hip-hop scene. He started off as a DJ, and his stage name came from his unique ability to cut samples and spin tracks out of obscure 45 RPM records. His began to take off in 1987 with the arrival of his signature track, “The 900 Number” — the song featured a sax solo from the 1968 tune “Unwind Yourself” by Marva Whitney. The track prompted his signing to Tuff City Records.
The 45 King’s profile within the hip-hop scene rose after producing Latifah’s 1989 debut album, All Hail the Queen, which peaked at No. 6 on Billboard‘s Top Hip Hop/R&B Albums chart and topped out at No. 124 on the Billboard 200.
“It is with great sadness that I announce the passing of my beloved Mentor DJ Mark the 45 King!” the rapper said in a statement to Variety. “He believed in me before anyone else. He touched every life he encountered. I’ve never met someone like him; he wanted everyone around him to win. His spirit was magic and will certainly live forever.”
By the ’90s, The 45 King continued his production credits by working with Jay-Z on 1998’s “Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)” — which sampled the original cast album for Broadway musical Annie — and Eminem’s 2000 hit, “Stan.” The tracks peaked at Nos. 15 and 51 on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively. The producer also worked with Madonna, Rakim, MC Lyte, Gang Starr, Craig Mack, Salt-N-Pepa and more
Both Jay-Z and Em paid tribute to the producer after news of his death broke. Eminem took to X, formerly known as Twitter, and shared, “Legends are never over. #RIP Mark Howard James aka The 45 King … I’m 4ever grateful!!!”
In a statement to Rolling Stone, Jay-Z said, “Thank you, Mark. Your instrumentals, namely ‘The 900 Number,’ were more memorable than our whole albums. You gave me a canvas to have a conversation with the world!! You changed my life. Even when the life is short, the art is long!!”
Carla Bley, leader of the free jazz movement, pianist and composer, has died following complications from brain cancer, according to The New York Times. She was 87 years old. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The Oakland, Calif., native and five-time Grammy nominee was born Karen Borg, […]
Rudolph Isley, a founding member of the iconic trio The Isley Brothers, died on Wednesday (Oct. 11). He was 84 years old.
The cause of death is currently unknown, but a rep for the singer confirmed the news in a statement to Billboard: “There are no words to express my feelings and the love I have for my brother. Our family will miss him. But I know he’s in a better place.”
After years of singing gospel in the church, Rudolph formed The Isley Brothers with his siblings Ronnie, O’Kelly and Vernon in 1954 when he was just a teenager. A year later, the group temporarily disbanded after 13-year-old Vernon was killed after getting hit by a car.
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In 1957, the group rebanded with Ronnie as the lead vocalist, and the trio left their hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio, for New York City. There, they recorded their first tracks including “Angels Cried” and “The Cow Jumped Over the Moon,” and signed a deal with RCA Records in 1959. They release their first album, Shout!, that same year. The trio added their younger brothers Ernie and Marvin and Rudolph’s brother-in-law Chris Jasper into the band in 1971.
Rudolph left The Isley Brothers in 1989 to pursue becoming a Christian minister. However, he has often reunited with his brothers over the years, including when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992, an honor that was presented to them by Little Richard.
On the Billboard charts, The Isley Brothers have had two albums top the all-genre Billboard 200 chart: The Heat Is On in 1975 and Body Kiss in 2003. Over on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, the group has six No. 1 hits, including “Fight the Power Part 1,” “Take Me to the Next Phase,” “I Wanna Be With You,” “Don’t Say Goodnight,” “The Pride (Part 1)” and “It’s Your Thing.”
Banjo player and guitarist Buck Trent, a two-time CMA instrumental group of the year winner and a prominent member of the cast of the variety show Hee Haw, died on Monday (Oct. 9) at age 85.
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Trent was born in Spartanburg, South Carolina on Feb. 17, 1938, and moved to Nashville in 1959. In 1962, he joined Porter Wagoner’s Wagonmasters, performing with the group for approximately a decade.
Trent’s star rose through his work as a member of the cast of the variety show Hee Haw from 1974 to 1982. Those performances were regularly punctuated by Trent shouting what became his signature phrase, “Oh yeah!” In 2018, Trent was part of a “Kornfield Friends” reunion tour which also featured his fellow Hee Haw alums Jana Jae, Lulu Roman and Misty Rowe.
During his career, Trent also made appearances on The Marty Stuart Show and The Porter Wagoner Show, among others.
In 1975, Trent and fellow country music entertainer and banjoist Roy Clark earned a Billboard Top Country Albums hit with their collaborative project A Pair of Fives (Banjos, That Is), peaking at No. 9. Three other Trent titles impacted the tally: 1968’s Give Me Five (No. 40), 1976’s Bionic Banjo (No. 43) 1978’s Banjo Bandits with Clark (No. 45).
In 1975 and 1976, Trent and Clark won consecutive CMA Awards for instrumental group of the year. Also in 1976, Trent joined Clark and The Oak Ridge Boys for a concert tour behind the Iron Curtain in the Soviet Union. Two years later, Trent and Clark released the project Banjo Bandits, which would earn a Grammy nomination for best country instrumental performance.
In addition to his own recordings, Trent contributed guitar and/or banjo on enduring recordings by Roy Acuff, Wagoner, Clark, Stuart and Dolly Parton, including Parton’s “I Will Always Love You” and “Jolene.” His contributions to music also proved innovative, as the creator of the electric banjo.
In the 1980s, after traveling to Branson, Trent began performing and would become a longtime performer in the town. In 2004, Trent also appeared as a Branson performer in the movie Gordy. Later, in 2012, Trent played on two songs for Marty Stuart’s album Nashville Volume 1: Tear the Woodpile Down.
Trent was previously named as one of this year’s American Banjo Museum Hall of Fame honorees; the celebration is slated for Oct. 12-14 in Oklahoma City.
Trent’s wife, Jean Trent, said in a statement, “It is with great sorrow and a broken heart to say my husband, my love, Buck Trent, went to be with Jesus this morning. I lost my best friend, and the world lost a Master Musician and Country Music Legend. Oh Yeah!”
Jim Halsey, longtime manager for Country Music Hall of Fame group The Oak Ridge Boys and the late Clark, described Trent as “one of my very favorite people in the world.” He added in a statement, “I worked with him for years as a partner with the Roy Clark Show. Buck Trent is one of the greatest banjo players ever. We will all miss him. Thank you, Buck Trent, for being in all our lives.”
Roman added in a statement, “Buck was like a brother to me after all of these years. We’ve shared tons of laughs and some tears along the way, but we never left each other’s side. We had a bond like no other. I’ll miss the man, but cherish the memories from our 50+ year friendship. My heart breaks for his precious wife, Jean, his family, friends, and fans. There will never be another like Buck Trent. Oh Yea!”
The Oak Ridge Boys member Joe Bonsall added, “We lost a dear long-time friend today in Buck Trent. Buck toured the Soviet Union with us and Roy Clark in 1976 and we have been close ever since. Buck was one of the greatest banjo players of all time and a very funny man. We will miss Buck!”
Ron Haffkine, a Grammy-winning record producer and manager known for his work with Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show, has died. He was 84.Haffkine died Sunday at his home in Mexico after a brief bout with leukemia and kidney failure, his friend of 50 years, music executive Joel Diamond, told The Hollywood Reporter.“Ron always had an uncanny knack of hearing a hit song in its rawest stage and the rare talent to couple it with the best musicians and then top it off with a meticulous performance by the artist,” Diamond noted.Haffkine was instrumental in getting Dr. Hook signed by Clive Davis at Columbia Records in the 1970s, and the band led by Dennis Locorriere, George Cummings, the eyepatch-wearing Ray Sawyer and Billy Francis would compile a string of hits that included “Sylvia’s Mother,” “Cover of the Rolling Stone,” “Sharing the Night Together,” “When You’re in Love With a Beautiful Woman,” “Sexy Eyes,” “Baby Makes Her Blue Jeans Talk” and “A Little Bit More.”Haffkine produced 10 Dr. Hook studio albums and two live albums and worked with the likes of Waylon Jennings, Lou Rawls, Mac Davis and Helen Reddy, too.Haffkine also often collaborated with singer, songwriter and poet Shel Silverstein. He won a Grammy Award in 1985 for producing Silverstein’s “Where the Sidewalk Ends” and received another Grammy nom two years later for his work on another Silverstein children’s album, “A Light in the Attic.”Born in New York on Dec. 13, 1938, Haffkine contracted polio when he was 12, leaving him paralyzed for two years. Later, he and Silverstein became friends in Greenwich Village.Silverstein asked him to produce music he had written for the films Ned Kelly (1970), starring Mick Jagger, and Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me? (1971), starring Dustin Hoffman and Barbara Harris.Haffkine recommended that Dr. Hook be used in Harry Kellerman, but for that to happen, the New Jersey band had to have a record deal. After the musicians did an impromptu live showcase in Davis’ office and were signed, Dr. Hook performed the Silverstein-written songs “Bunky and Lucille” and “Last Morning” in the movie.Haffkine also produced Silverstein’s 1972 music comedy album Freakin’ at the Freakers’ Ball, with Dr. Hook handling the title track, and recorded the quirky Silverstein song “Do You Want to Boogie or Do You Don’t” that year as well.Haffkine and his wife of 37 years, Sydney, moved to Mexico several years ago. She survives him.
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This article originally appeared in THR.com.
Cradle of Filth’s bassist Jon Kennedy died after a car crash, frontman Dani Filth revealed on Facebook. He was 44 years old. “It is with much sadness that we hear about the untimely passing of our former bassist Jon Kennedy. He was a great bassist and singer who filled in for Cradle at a time of such […]
Kevin Fleming, founder/CEO/editor-in-chief/publisher of the premier Black music and entertainment blog/newsletter, The Urban Buzz, died last Thursday (Sept. 21) in Los Angeles after a valiant fight against pancreatic cancer. Fleming, whose multifaceted career included tenures as a radio programmer and consultant as well as senior-level label executive, was 65 years old.
In paying tribute to Fleming, Rick Nuhn — host of the nationally syndicated program Top 10 Now & Then and the family’s spokesman — tells Billboard, “It’s rare that a PD and air talent become 38-year friends, but that is what happened. I was on the air in Phoenix when a few friends from the record business recommended me to Kevin, who was the new PD at legendary KGFJ in Los Angeles. Long story short, I was hired in 1985 to be the morning man in market No. 2. The doors that opened and the opportunities that I was presented with enabled my career to go in many directions — all thanks to Kevin. Words will never be enough to say how much I and my extended family will miss having Kevin by our side.”
“Look up ‘good dude’ in the dictionary and there will be a picture of Kevin Fleming,” adds longtime friend Herb Trawick, president of Fab Entertainment. “Smart, musical, big heart, goofy and a proud dad; loved by all and for good reason. My guy always.”
A Minneapolis native, Fleming was born on March 28, 1958. Graduating from HBCU Clark Atlanta University with a bachelor’s degree in broadcast management and communications in 1981, he initially worked at Atlanta radio stations WAOK & WIGO and Sumter, South Carolina’s WWDM. Fleming then landed his first major market gig as PD of L.A.’s aforementioned KGFJ in 1984.
Five years later, Fleming segued to the label side of the industry as vp of Black music at Island Records. Following a two-year tenure as vp/GM of Perspective Records, owned by legendary production duo Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Fleming returned to his radio roots in 1993 as operations manager/PD of Los Angeles outlets KACE & KRTO. During his seven-year tenure there, he also began working as a radio consultant in the areas of programming and overall operations.
It was after serving as Gavin Magazine’s urban radio editor for two years that Fleming launched The Urban Buzz weekly information newsletter and website in 2002, which targeted urban radio, music and entertainment professionals. In addition to being hired to program Radio One’s flagship L.A. station KKBT in 2006 and overseeing its transition to urban adult brand KRBV, Fleming rounded out his radio career with his most recent stint as PD of Pacifica Radio’s KPFK in Los Angeles between 2018-2021.
Notes veteran music executive Ken Wilson, “The industry from radio to records has suffered a big loss. Kevin and I shared many fun as well as teaching moments. Rest well, my great friend!”
Fleming is survived by his wife Maria and son Dylan, parents Cynthia Tyner and Gerald Fleming, sisters Stephanie Fleming, Karen Matthews and Alycia Rivera and a host of nieces, nephews and friends. Donations can be made to Fleming’s GoFundMe account at https://gofund.me/e20783bc.