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Actor and singer Julián Figueroa, the son of the late Mexican music icon Joan Sebastian and actress Maribel Guardia, died on Sunday (April 9) in Mexico City. He was 28.
“It saddens me to announce the passing of my beloved son Julián Figueroa, who has unfortunately preceded us in parting from this level,” Guardia posted on her Instagram account.
Guardia said Figueroa was found unconscious in his room while she was at the theater. “They called 911 and when the ambulance and police arrived, they found him already lifeless, with no traces of violence. The medical report indicates that he died of an acute myocardial infarction and ventricular fibrillation,” she said.
Guardia added that the funeral services will be held privately, and asked that the family’s privacy be respected at this painful moment.
Just a day before, Figueroa had published a heartfelt tribute to his father, who would have turned 72 on Saturday.
“How slowly 8 years have gone by, since the day you left time tastes more bitter. And people proclaim that time is a fix for everything, but this is a vile lie, it hurts more every day, and this is without fear of hurting sensibilities,” the artist wrote on his social networks, next to a photo of himself as a child, with his father. “The fans cry LONG LIVE THE PEOPLE’S POET, but I don’t give a damn, I ONLY LOVE MY DAD.”
Figueroa was known for songs such as “Pídeme,” “Volaré,” “Cómo Olvidar” and “Necesito de Ti,” among others. According to El Universal newspaper, he had finished recording his first solo album and was preparing its release. His last stint as an actor was in the Televisa-Univision telenovela Mi Camino Es Amarte.
He is the third of Sebastian’s eight children to pass away. The first was Trigo Figueroa, who was murdered in 2006 by fans of his father who insisted on entering the singer’s dressing room; and the second was Juan Sebastián, also murdered in 2010 outside a bar where he apparently had an argument with local security staff.
In addition to his mother, Julián Figueroa is survived by his wife, Ime Garza; his 6-year-old son, José Julián; and his siblings José Manuel, Juliana, Zarelea, Marcelina and Joana.
Read Maribel Guardia’s full statement below:
Ian Bairnson, guitarist for the Alan Parsons Project who also performed on albums by Kate Bush, has died. He was 69.
The Scottish-born musician passed away on Friday (April 7) after a “long battle with dementia,” his wife, Leila Bairnson, announced through social media (via The Guardian).
“Ian was the sweetest, kindest, loving husband I could ever have wished for and I take comfort that he is resting now up there in his very own piece of ‘Blue Blue Sky,’” Leila wrote in an Instagram post on Saturday (April 8). “Although Ian has left us, his musical legacy stays with us and will continue to delight and brighten our lives, as it did his, forever.”
She continued, “I would like to thank the doctors and nurses at Frimley Park Hospital, the managers and carers at Lynwood Care Home and our families and close friends for the love and support they have provided us during these challenging years of Ian’s long battle with dementia.”
Bairnson, who was born in Shetland, was a session musician before joining Scottish band Pilot in 1973. He went on to become guitarist for the Alan Parsons Project, beginning with the group’s 1975 debut album, Tales of Mystery and Imagination, through 1990’s Freudiana. Decades later, he continued performing on Parsons’ solo projects, most recently on his 2019 album, The Secret.
Parsons remembered his former bandmate in a touching tribute through Facebook on Saturday.
“I am deeply saddened to hear of the passing of my good friend and musical icon, Ian Bairnson,” Parsons wrote in his lengthy message. “I have always considered Ian a musical genius. It was a great pleasure to have him participate on every album by The Alan Parsons Project and several other albums under my name since. He has played with many other talented artists as well throughout his incredible career.”
Bairnson was also featured on Bush’s 1978 album, The Kick Inside, delivering the guitar solo on “Wuthering Heights.” He also appeared on the U.K. pop icon’s albums Lionheart (1978), Never for Ever (1980), and The Dreaming (1982).
Elsewhere during his career, Bairnson played as a session musician on projects by Joe Cocker, Yes’ Jon Anderson and Mick Fleetwood, according to Rolling Stone. He also toured with artists like Sting and Eric Clapton, among others.
Jazz saxophonist and music teacher Edward “Kidd” Jordan died in his sleep Friday (April 7), surrounded by family at his New Orleans home, family publicist Vincent Sylvain said. He was 87.
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During his 50-year career, Jordan showcased his musical talents across New Orleans while also collaborating with music legends like Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder and more.
Born in Crowley in 1935, Jordan moved to New Orleans at 20 years old and created The Improvisation Arts Quintet in 1975. The group produced a diverse catalogue of avant-garde music described as “an evolution of complementary imagery moving together and apart, each artist becoming an ear, an eye and most of all a heart for the sake of the creative spiritual soul.”
He was a music professor at Southern University of New Orleans, later becoming chairman of the university’s jazz studies program.
During his 34 years at SUNO, “he shared his vision of improvisation and encouraged students to find their authentic creative voices,” Sylvain said. “Mr. Jordan’s legacy is solidified by his insistence that his students’ music contain one critical element — originality. And he practices what he preaches.”
Jordan also was an instructor at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation’s School of Music for 25 years and served as artistic director for the Louis Armstrong Satchmo Jazz Camp. He retired in 2006.
“Kidd dedicated his life to teaching youngsters of all ages. His passing is the end of an era of music education in New Orleans,” said Jackie Harris, executive director of the Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong Educational Foundation.
“His spirit and determination was a shining example that gave musicians the confidence to express themselves with ‘No Compromise,’” said Harris, referencing Jordan’s first record, No Compromise.
Prominent former students include Wynton and Branford Marsalis, Jon Batiste, Donald Harrison Jr., Tony Dagradi, Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews and “Big” Sam Williams.
Jordan also taught his seven children, Edward Jr., Kent, Christie, Paul, Stephanie, Rachel and Marlon. Four of them became professional musicians: Kent on flute, Stephanie as a singer, Rachel as a classical violinist and Marlon on trumpet.
The French Ministry of Culture in 1985 anointed him a knight, or chevalier, of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, a prestigious award given to those who have produced exceptional work in arts or literature. Jordan also received a Lifetime Achievement Honoree recognition at the Vision Festival XIII in New York in 2008, and was named a “jazz hero” by the Jazz Journalist Association in 2013.
In addition to his children, Jordan is survived by his wife, Edvidge Chatters Jordan.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
S Club 7‘s Paul Cattermole died at his home in Dorset, England, on Thursday (April 6). He was 46 years old.
The singer’s bandmates announced the news on Friday (April 7) via the official S Club 7 social media channels. “We are truly devastated by the passing of our brother Paul,” the other six members wrote alongside a smiling black-and-white photo of Cattermole. “There are no words to describe the deep sadness and loss we all feel. We were so lucky to have had him in our lives and are thankful for the amazing memories we have. He will be so deeply missed by each and every one of us. We ask that you respect the privacy of his family and of the band at this time.”
Cattermole’s death is a devastating loss for the British pop act — whose members also included Rachel Stevens, Hannah Spearritt, Tina Barrett, Jon Lee, Jo O’Meara and Bradley McIntosh — who had just announced in February they’d be reuniting for a 25th anniversary tour of the U.K. and Ireland this fall, including three already sold-out performances at London’s O2 Arena. As of press time, there’s no word on how the singer’s death might affect those plans.
While S Club 7 earned only a single Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 over the course of their teen pop heyday with 2000’s “Never Had a Dream Come True,” their success was exponentially larger in their native U.K., scoring three top three albums on the Official Albums chart. Additionally, all 13 of their singles peaked within the top five on the U.K.’s Official Singles chart, including four No. 1 hits.
Over the course of the group’s first three studio sets, Cattermole provided lead vocals on fan-favorite album cuts such as “Love Train,” “Good Times” and “Summertime Feeling.” He also dated bandmate Hannah Spearritt — once in 2001 and again briefly in 2015 — with their relationship being written into the band’s TV series Hollywood 7.
Cattermole left the band in 2002 to start the short-lived nu-metal band Skua, while his former bandmates dropped the “7” from their name and continued on for another year as simply S Club before disbanding in June 2003.
For much of the next two decades, Cattermole continued dabbling in his pop roots, joining O’Meara, McIntosh and, eventually, Barrett to form the spinoff group known as S Club 3. In late 2014, he and the other six members officially reunited for their first reunion tour, Bring It All Back 2015. The pop star also struggled financially in the 2010s, even publicly auctioning off two of his BRIT Awards on eBay to keep himself afloat.
Read S Club 7’s tribute to Cattermole below.
Until gangster rap pioneer Ice-T signed with Sire Records in 1987, he was strictly DIY — “recording for small indie labels, mostly selling records out of mom-and-pop stores,” as he wrote in his 2012 memoir Ice: A Memoir of Gangster Life and Redemption, from South Central to Hollywood. By signing Ice-T to Sire, founder Seymour Stein, who died on April 2 at age 80, delivered hip-hop to a label mostly known for pop (Madonna), punk (The Ramones) and new wave (Talking Heads). The rapper produced three classic albums in a row for Sire: Rhyme Pays, Power and The Iceberg/Freedom of Speech … Just Watch What You Say, and went on to induct Stein at the A&R legend’s 2005 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction. Following a day of filming his longtime role as Sergeant Tutuola on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in New York City, Ice-T remembered the late Stein in this as-told-to phone interview.
I was introduced to Seymour by a guy named Ralph Cooper, who presented Seymour with a compilation album, and Seymour picked me out of the compilation and said, “I just want to sign Ice-T.”
Me and [DJ-producer] Afrika Islam went up to his office and he was in his socks and dancing around. He told me he wanted to get involved. At that time, hip-hop was so new. First, he told me I sounded like Bob Dylan. I took that as a compliment because I knew Bob Dylan: “Subterranean Homesick Blues,” all that. I said, “OK, I get it.” Then he started talking to me about calypso music: “Do you know what they’re singing about in this song?” and “This is from Trinidad.” And I was like, “No.” Then he said one of the most genius things I’ve ever heard: “Just because you don’t understand it doesn’t make it any less valid. It just means you don’t understand it. I may not understand rap and hip-hop, but it doesn’t take any validity away from it. It just means I don’t understand it. But I know you’re singing to people that will understand it, so I want to give you a record deal.”
I was excited and we took the deal and I was never A&R’ed or anything. It was just like, “Turn the album in.”
They just let us go. There was no one there who was capable of input in what we were doing. They had nobody else who understood hip-hop, so they just had to go with it. The records were selling, so if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right?
By the time we got to Body Count, I was working mostly with Howie Klein [president of another Warner-owned label, Reprise Records]. Seymour was always having battles with health. Whenever you got to see Seymour, it was a great moment, but he was kind of off-deck. The whole time I was on Sire, there was never any conflict. People hate record labels, but I had a great experience. I didn’t have any problem — until after “Cop Killer,” when Warner got nervous. And I understand that. They let me go, no problem, no strings attached.
The last time I saw Seymour was at his [2005] Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction. I always knew he was proud of us — he was proud of me, and what I did and what I stood for. Because that’s his character. He liked to make music that meant something and moved people. Even though they say he understood pop, and how to get involved with pop, he was more punk than pop.
He was as far from a record executive as you could imagine. A lot of record executives want to look like artists. They want to hang out in the studio and dress like the artist and be cool. Seymour looked more like a scientist or some shit! Nothing about him said “record exec.”
I don’t really know if a Seymour Stein can be reproduced, when you look at the catalog he had, from Ramones to Ministry to The Smiths. That’s the hallmark of a real A&R guy. He found them in the raw. Nowadays, you have to get a billion followers and a billion views before a record label would even look at you. All of us were basically nobodies when he picked us up. Big difference. Big difference.
When he signed Talking Heads, they were opening for the Ramones at CBGBs. They were the opening act. He was like, “Fuck that, I want them, too.” I mean, who does that!
Ryuichi Sakamoto, a Japanese musician who scored for Hollywood movies such as The Last Emperor and The Revenant, has died. He was 71.
Japan’s recording company Avex said in a statement that Sakamoto died on March 28.
Sakamoto, who had suffered from cancer in recent years, had also acted in films, including playing a Japanese soldier in Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence.
He was a pioneer in electronics music of the late 1970s, founding the Yellow Magic Orchestra with Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi. He has been nominated several times for the Grammy Award, and won an Oscar for his work in The Last Emperor.
Brian “Brizz” Gillis, a founding member of the beloved ’90s boy band LFO, died on Wednesday (March 29). He was 47 years old.
His former bandmate Brad Fischetti shared the news in an Instagram post. “Every story is made up of chapters. Some develop naturally. Some you have to cut up in your mind. The first two chapters of the LFO story lost a main character yesterday. Brian ‘Brizz’ Gillis passed away,” he wrote alongside a black-and-white photo of the musician, noting that he did not have any “details” surrounding his cause of death.
“I am really struggling to process this tragic loss,” he continued. “I’ve said it before and I will continue to say it; the LFO Story is a tragedy. If you know what I’ve been doing, you know I’m trying to bring light into the darkness. Trying find redemption in pain and suffering. Trying to honor the legacy.”
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Fischetti added, “My relationship with Brian was complex. It contained moments of great tribulation but also of great joy. I learned a lot from him about the business of music and how to put together and rock a show. And it’s those positive aspects of our relationship that I will lean on now and forever.”
Gillis’ death comes almost five years after the 2018 death of LFO singer Devin Lima, who lost his battle with stage 4 cancer at age 41, making Fischetti the only surviving member of the group.
The pop trio formed in 1995 in Massachusetts as Lyte Funkie Ones, before Gillis left the band in 1998 to pursue his own ventures and was replaced by Lima. The group broke up in 2010, following the death of lead singer/songwriter Rich Cronin from leukemia, then reunited without Gillis in 2017 as a duo featuring Lima and Fischetti.
“I know that soon or maybe already, Brizz will be greeted by Rich and Devin,” Fischetti concluded his post. “And I hope that together, they will make some sweet sounds. I would really like that.”
Songwriter Keith Reid — the lyricist for Procol Harum, who co-wrote the band’s highest-charting hit, “A Whiter Shade of Pale” — has died at age 76, his family and the band announced Wednesday (March 29).
“We are sad to hear of the death of Keith Reid,” a statement on Procol Harum’s Facebook page read. “An unparalleled lyricist Keith wrote the words to virtually all Procol Harum songs, as well as co-writing the John Farnham hit ‘You’re the Voice.’ His lyrics were one of a kind and helped to shape the music created by the band. His imaginative, surreal and multi-layered words were a joy to Procol fans and their complexity by design was a powerful addition [to] the Procol Harum catalogue. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends.”
The news was initially revealed in an email from Reid’s wife, Pinkey, to friends of the lyricist, according to BestClassicBands.com. The cause of death was cancer.
Reid co-founded the band with his friend Gary Booker, Procol Harum’s lead singer, pianist and composer who died last year, also at age 76.
The band is likely best known for their 1967 debut single “A Whiter Shade of Pale,” which was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s Singles category in 2018. The track sold 10 million copies worldwide, spent six weeks atop the U.K. singles chart, and reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. Procol Harum had two other top 40 Hot 100 hits, both co-written by Reid: “Homburg” (No. 34 in 1967) and “Conquistador” (No. 16 in 1972).
Tom Leadon, co-founder of Tom Petty‘s band Mudcrutch and brother of Eagles guitarist Bernie Leadon, died on March 22 at age 70. The musician’s family confirmed the news, while Petty’s official fan club released a statement regarding Leadon’s passing.
“It is with great sadness, but profound love and gratitude for his life, that the family of Tom Leadon (Thomas Joseph Leadon) of Nashville, Tenn., and Gainesville, Fla., announce his passing on March 22, 2023 peacefully of natural causes. He was 70,” the statement read.
Mike Campbell, former Mudcrutch and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers member, also shared his thoughts regarding Leadon’s loss. “Tom Leadon was my deepest guitar soul brother, we spent countless hours playing acoustic guitars and teaching each other things,” he wrote. “A kinder soul never walked the earth. I will always miss his spirit and generosity. Sleep peacefully my old friend.”
Leadon’s music career dates back to high school, during which he was a member of the Epics and met Petty (who played bass in the group, while Leadon was on lead guitar). The duo then formed Mudcrutch, which Campbell joined to play guitar, and members Randall Marsh and Jim Lenahan joined for drums and vocals, respectively. Leadon would ultimately leave the band in 1972 following a fight with Petty, but later played in Linda Rondstadt’s band on bass, and joined Silver in 1976. (Silver earned a Billboard top 20 hit with its track “Wham-Bam.”)
Leadon also wrote the Eagles’ “Hollywood Waltz” in 1975; the band released it as part of its One of These Nights. Leadon is credited on the song alongside his brother Bernie, Glenn Lewis Frey and Don Henley.
Mudcrutch would see a reconciliation in 2007, when Petty got the group back together with Leadon, Marsh, Campbell and the Heartbeakers’ Benmont Tench. The reunited group would record two albums — Mudcrutch and Mudcrutch 2, which charted at Nos. 8 and 10 on the Billboard 200, respectively. The group disbanded upon Petty’s death in 2016.
“He was a dear friend of Tom and the fellas in the band and our entire family. He was part of the brotherhood,” Petty’s daughter, Adria, also shared in a statement on the late rocker’s official Instagram account. “He was an excellent and accomplished musician and was the reason Tom reformed Mudcrutch, so that the band could enjoy more time and more music together. Tom loved him deeply.”
Wayne Swinny, guitarist and co-founder of hard rockers Saliva has died at 59 after suffering a brain hemorrhage while on tour with the group. The news was confirmed by the band in a Facebook post on Wednesday (March 22) in which they wrote, “It is with great sadness that we report the passing of our brother Wayne Swinny. Wayne passed away this afternoon from a Spontaneous brain hemorrhage while we were out on tour. Details for the funeral arrangements will be announced shortly. Wayne will be missed by all those who knew him.”
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The post was accompanied by a black and white picture of Swimmy on stage wearing one of his signature black cowboy hats while strumming his guitar.
Swinny’s death was announced just hours after the band reported that he’d been hospitalized. “Our dear brother Wayne Swinny was discovered Tuesday morning in medical distress and paramedics were called,” read an earlier FB post. “He was transported to a hospital where he was diagnosed with a Spontaneous Hemorrhage in his brain. He is currently in the ICU as we await further news.”
Saliva was formed in Memphis in 1996 by singer Josey Scott, bassist Dave Novotny, drummer Todd Poole and guitarists Swinny and Chris D’Abaldo. Their Island Records debut, Every Six Seconds, was released in 2001 and spawned the thundering hits “Click Click Boom” and “Your Disease.” They followed up with 2002’s Back Into Your System and 2004’s Survival of the Sickest. Singer Scott left he group in 2011 and was replaced by Bobby Amaru; the group’s most recent album was 2018’s 10 Lives.
In a statement to TMZ, singer Amaru said, “I’m not even sure what to think or how to feel right now. My heart aches for Wayne’s family, his friends, and anyone who had the joy of being around him. My heart aches for his daughter Nikki. He loved that little girl so much … He would go out of his way to make sure you had a good time. I’m grateful that I got to share almost 12 years of my life with Wayne on the stage and most importantly off the stage.”
Amaru referred to Swinny — the only remaining original member of the group — as the older brother he never had in his statement. “I learned so much from him and we had a f—ing blast together!,” he said. “I will cherish it all for the rest of my life! God Bless you Wayne. I know we’ll meet again!!”
Saliva is in the midst of a U.S. tour, with the next scheduled date on March 29 in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Check out the band’s tribute to Swinny below.