obituary
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Jannis Noya Makrigiannis, the core and founding member of Choir of Young Believers, has died at age 39. The artist’s U.S. label, Ghostly International, confirmed the news Thursday (Jan. 5) and revealed that after struggling with “a short period of illness,” the musician died just before New Year’s Eve.
Makrigiannis formed Choir of Young Believers in Copenhagen, Denmark, with the help of his friends and fellow musicians. By 2007, the group had released its first EP, Burn the Flag, and a year later, the debut album This Is for the White in Your Eyes. The album’s lead single, “Hollow Talk,” gained traction throughout Denmark on radio due to its sync on opening and closing credits of the Danish–Swedish police television series The Bridge.
Following a performance at the 2009 South by Southwest music festival, Choir of Young Believers were signed to Ghostly International, their U.S. label. The label released This Is for the White in Your Eyes in North America on Aug. 18, 2009.
Choir of Young Believers’ most recent album, Holy Smoke, came out on Nov. 4.
“Jannis was a gentle, kind soul, always appreciative of our team helping him to share his art with the world. He always put art first in his process, and as a result, Jannis was often far ahead of the cultural curve,” Ghostly International wrote about the musician in its statement. “His music only seems to get better with time.”
Walter F. Ulloa, the Latin media veteran who founded Entravision Communications, died unexpectedly of a heart attack over the New Year’s holiday weekend, his company announced. He was 74 years old.
At the time of his death, Ulloa was the chairman and chief executive of Entravision, a global digital marketing and media company that boasts more than 4,500 technology and consumer brand clients, according to Ulloa’s LinkedIn page. He co-founded the company with Philip Wilkinson in 1996.
In the U.S., Entravision is known mainly for its robust media offering, which includes 55 television stations, making it the largest independent broadcaster of Univision-affiliated stations in the country, and 47 radio stations, most of them Spanish-language.
Ulloa, who was Mexican-American, grew up in California and graduated from USC. He later attended Loyola Law School. He started his career in media at KMEX-TV, Univision’s flagship television station in Los Angeles, where he worked multiple jobs, from production manager to news director to CEO, before launching Entravision.
Especially at a time when Spanish-language media was not in the hands of Latinos, Ulloa was a trailblazer who saw early on the possibilities in the field and recognized the power of Latin ownership.
“Walter Ulloa was a visionary businessman who took a Spanish-language TV station and built it into a global enterprise,” posted congressman Chuy García (D-IL) on Twitter. “His commitment to empowering the Latino community was his guiding star and his passion. My thoughts are with his family and the many friends he leaves behind.”
Walter Ulloa was a visionary businessman who took a Spanish-language TV station and built it into a global enterprise. His commitment to empowering the Latino community was his guiding star and his passion. My thoughts are with his family and the many friends he leaves behind. https://t.co/tANjo6Li73— Congressman Chuy García (@RepChuyGarcia) January 4, 2023
Alba Egan, the genial public and talent relations executive who was instrumental in boosting the careers of Chayanne, Ricky Martin and Juan Gabriel, among many others, has died after a long struggle with kidney disease. Egan passed away at her Miami home on Sunday evening (Jan. 1). She was 69.
A no-nonsense but cheerful woman, Egan — widely known as Albita — was easily identifiable by her signature bright red hair (which would later turn gray) as she helped some of Latin music’s biggest stars navigate the media. As one of the first women to head press and publicity divisions at major labels, Egan worked at BMG Latin, Sony Discos and EMI Latin in Miami, coordinating campaigns for artists ranging from Ricardo Montaner to Shakira. Egan, who was born in Cuba and immigrated to the U.S. as a child, at one point managed the career of beloved Mexican icon Gabriel, with whom she remained close until his death in 2016.
Many of Latin music’s most prominent publicists credit Egan with having opened major doors for them in their profession.
“She was one of the most beloved people in the music industry,” says publicist Marlene Maseda, founder and COO of Fusion 4 Media. “She was a pioneer who, with her originality and creativity, climbed to the peak of her profession in every label she worked with […] As a professional, she was one of the few who always helped others and who was genuinely happy for others’ success.”
Egan’s Facebook page was flooded with homage posts and anecdotes from people from all walks of the industry.
“She was a mentor to me and it surprised me to see that she was a mentor to so many,” wrote Nevarez Communications founder Mayna Nevarez, whose client list includes Daddy Yankee, recalling that Egan would often call to give her pointers after seeing her clients in the media.
“You always had the perfect word of advice, and sometimes, the perfect word to calm one down. I take your advice very deeply with me,” wrote Nini Veras, who reps Nicky Jam, among others.
“Elegant,” “generous,” “respect” and “loyalty” are the words that recur again and again in the many posts on Egan’s page.
“You were an icon in the music industry loved and respected by many…You always had a way with words and were giving out constant encouragement and kind compliments to your friends,” wrote Angela Rodríguez, founder of AR Entertainment.
Egan’s last job in the industry was as a talent booker at TV network America TV, closing an extraordinary professional arc that began in the 1980s and that covered multiple generations of artists and executives.
“We met in this amazing music industry world at the end of the 1980s, and since then, we were colleagues and competition, but always friends,” wrote Alvaro Rizo, the former president of EMI Colombia. “You only ever spoke sweet words and generous comments, and always, that broad smile.”
Egan’s funeral arrangements will be announced in the coming days.
Chris Ledesma, who served as the beloved music editor of The Simpsons on every one of its first 734 episodes, from the Fox animated series’ premiere in 1989 through a 34th-season installment in November, has died. He was 64.
Ledesma died Dec. 16 in Los Angeles, a spokesperson for the show told The Hollywood Reporter. No cause of death was revealed.
Ledesma had been hired to fill in as a music editor on Fox’s The Tracey Ullman Show, where The Simpsons began as a series of shorts playing in and out of commercials. He then started on the spinoff on Nov. 22, 1989.
“I was skeptical of turning the little 30- and 60-second featurettes on Tracey into a full-fledged, half-hour show,” he wrote on his blog in 2011. “All that went out the window as soon as I saw the first two shows.”
Ledesma noted on Twitter in September 2021 that he had been with The Simpsons for more than half his life. At the time, he was 23,242 days old and had been an employee for 11,621 of them.
Today is a significant milestone for me.I am 23,242 days oldI have worked on The Simpsons for 11,621 daysBorn 1/28/1958First day on #TheSimpsons 11/22/1989Not many can say they have worked at ANY job any more for LITERALLY half their lives.#Grateful #Blessed— Chris Ledesma (@mxedtr) September 16, 2021
He left the show in May, and his final Simpsons episode aired in November as the eighth installment of season 34. On Sunday night, the series paid tribute to him with an end title card that read, “In loving memory of Chris Ledesma.”
Christopher Frederick Ledesma was born in Los Angeles on Jan. 28, 1958. He started playing piano by ear at age 3, then took formal trumpet lessons beginning in the third grade.
While at CalArts, he decided to pursue a career in music editing after serving in that capacity on a student film. He also was an orchestral conducting major at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.
When he wasn’t riding the tram as a tour guide at Universal Studios Hollywood, Ledesma sat in on scoring sessions for such shows as Murder, She Wrote, Magnum P.I., Airwolf and Amazing Stories. He called that “a priceless education that could never have been offered at any college or university.”
In September 1985, Ledesma landed a job as an apprentice music editor at leading music editing house Segue Music, where he handled acclaimed MTM Enterprises shows including Hill Street Blues and St. Elsewhere. He then worked for Music Design Group and Music Works before launching his own company, Click Track Inc., in 1992.
(Through all this, he didn’t give up his job on the Universal Studios tour until spring 1988.)
Starting in 1994, the two-time Emmy nominee also was music editor on another animated show, The Critic, created by Al Jean and Mike Reiss of The Simpsons.
In September 2014, he conducted a tribute to Simpsons composer Alf Clausen, with whom he worked so closely for so many years, at the Hollywood Bowl.
His résumé also included the films Back in the U.S.S.R. (1991), Dark Shadows (1991), Pure Country (1992), Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993), Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995), Blast From the Past (1999) and Dudley Do-Right (1999); 20 Hallmark Hall of Fame telefilms; the 1988 miniseries War and Remembrance; and the 1993 TV movie Gypsy, starring Bette Midler. (He received Emmy noms for those last two projects.)
Survivors include his wife, Michelle; two daughters and two sons-in-law; and three grandchildren.
“The most rewarding part of the job for me is that I have been able to support and care for my family, and I work with genuinely nice people on a show that makes other people happy,” he said.
This article was originally published on THR.com.
Alan Rankine, co-founder of Scottish pop band The Associates, died Monday at 64.
The news was first reported by both the BBC and The Guardian after a Facebook post by the multi-instrumentalist’s’ two sons began circulating on the social network. “Callum and Hamish’s message say it all,” Rankine’s ex-wife Belinda Henderson (nee Pearse) wrote to share the sad news. “‘It’s with great sadness that my brother, Hamish, and I announce the passing of our father, Alan Rankine. He died peacefully at home shortly after spending Christmas with his family. He was a beautiful, kind and loving man who will be sorely missed. Callum & Hamish Rankine.’”
Formed in 1979 by Rankine and singer Billy McKenzie, The Associates initially became known throughout their native Scotland thanks to their unauthorized cover of David Bowie’s “Boys Keep Swinging.” After the rendition got them signed to Fiction Records, the duo released their debut studio set The Affectionate Punch in 1980 and became integral in Britain’s New Pop movement. A follow-up compilation titled Fourth Drawer Down arrived the following year and eventually, the band released three more albums: 1982’s Sulk, 1985’s Perhaps and 1990’s Wild and Lonely — though Rankine left the band on the precipice of touring around the final album.
Though none of The Associates’ music broke through on the Billboard charts over the course of their career, though Fourth Drawer Down reached No. 5 on the U.K. Independent Albums Chart and Sulk peaked at No. 23 on the U.K.’s Official Albums Chart thanks to the popularity of its singles “Party Fears Two” and “Club Country.”
Later in his life, Rankine worked as a producer for artists like Cocteau Twins, Paul Haig and The Pale Fountains. He also released a trio of solo albums including The World Begins to Look Her Age in 1986, She Loves Me Not in 1987 and The Big Picture Sucks in 1989.
Read the news of Rankine’s death below.
Don Williams, who partnered with Andy Williams and their brothers, Dick and Bob, in a singing foursome that performed on the radio, in the movies and with Bing Crosby and Kay Thompson, has died. He was 100.
Williams died Friday (Dec. 30) of natural causes at his home in Branson, Missouri, his wife, Jeanne, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Born on Oct. 9, 1922, Don was the second oldest of the Wall Lake, Iowa-bred quartet. He and his brothers would work mornings on their own live radio show in Des Moines, Iowa, and then head off to school.
The boys also performed on stations in Chicago and Cincinnati before they came to Los Angeles and backed up Crosby on his 1944 hit “Swinging on a Star.” Later, they teamed with Thompson to form a popular nightclub act.
Thompson, who headed the vocal department at MGM, put the brothers in the studio choir, and they worked on films including Anchors Aweigh (1945), Ziegfeld Follies (1945), The Harvey Girls (1946) and Good News (1947).
They also appeared in the musicals Janie (1944), Kansas City Kitty (1944), Something in the Wind (1947) and Ladies’ Man (1947).
Without his brothers, Don appeared on a 1956 episode of Playhouse 90 and headlined at the Tropicana hotel soon after it opened in Las Vegas in 1957. He also sang in commercials, on The Tonight Show and on programs hosted by Eddie Fisher and Nat King Cole.
Later, he became an agent and manager, with his clients including Mary Tyler Moore and singers Ray Stevens and Roger Miller.
During World War II, he served with the U.S. Merchant Marine with Dick, and both were radio operators on the same tanker.
Don Williams County Park, a recreation area in Boone County, Iowa, is named for him.
Andy Williams, known for his easy-listening hits “Moon River,” “Days of Wine and Roses” and “Where Do I Begin?” and for his long-running TV variety show, was born in 1927 as the youngest of the boys. He died at age 84.
Bob Williams, born in 1918 as the oldest, died in September 2003 at age 85. And Dick, born in 1926, died in May 2018 at age 91.
The four reunited often for Andy Williams’ Christmas specials.
In addition to his wife — they were together for 41 years — Don’s survivors include his twin sons, David and Andy, and a grandson, Harrison. His sons recorded as the Williams Brothers, too, with their songs including “What’s Your Name” and “Can’t Cry Hard Enough.”
This story was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.
Fred White, the former drummer of Earth, Wind & Fire, has died. He was 67.
The percussionist’s brother and bandmate Verdine White shared the sad news through social media on Sunday (Jan. 1). Neither the date nor the cause of White’s death had been disclosed at press time.
“Our family is saddened today with the loss of an amazing and talented family member. Our beloved brother Frederick Eugene ‘Freddie’ White,” Verdine White wrote on Instagram alongside photos of his brother.
“He joins our brothers Maurice, Monte, and Ronald in heaven and is now drumming with the angels!” he added. “He was the wonderful bro that was always entertaining and delightfully mischievous! And we could always count on him to make a seemingly bad situation more light-hearted.”
Fred White was born on Jan. 13, 1955 in Chicago. He began drumming at the age of 9 and later performed with Linda Ronstadt and Donny Hathaway before joining Earth, Wind & Fire in 1974. He was the fourth of the White brothers to perform in the Grammy-winning R&B band.
White sat behind the kit for some of Earth, Wind & Fire’s most successful songs, including “Shining Star,” which peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in May 1975. He also scored top 10 hits with “Let’s Groove,” “September,” “Sing a Song,” “After the Love Has Gone,” “Boogie Wonderland” and others.
White left Earth, Wind & Fire in the mid-1980s, but he returned for the band’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2000.
During his career, White also lent his drumming talents to recordings for Bonnie Raitt, Little Feat, Deniece Williams, the Emotions, Ramsey Lewis, Jennifer Holliday, and Diana Ross. Most recently, he collaborated with Ross on her 2021 album, Thank You.
Verdine White’s tribute post drew a slew of responses from fellow musicians, including Questlove, Lenny Kravitz and Nile Rodgers.
“Sending my love and deepest condolences to you and the family,” Kravitz commented. “I was blessed to have been in his presence and blessed to have been influenced by him. A true king. Rest in power.
See Verdine White’s tribute to his brother Fred on Instagram here.
The hip-hop community is mourning the death of pioneering Southern female rapper and former Three 6 Mafia member Gangsta Boo, who has died at the age of 43.
Drake, Missy Elliott, Ty Dolla $ign and Freddie Gibbs are among the many musicians remembering Boo, who was found dead on Sunday (Jan. 1) at a home in Memphis, Tennessee, according to Fox 13 in Memphis, Commercial Appeal and other reports. The cause of her death had not been released at press time.
“Rest in heaven Gangsta Boo,” Drake captioned a throwback photo of the late pioneering rapper in his Instagram Story.
Elliott shared a similar sentiment, tweeting, “Rest Peacefully @GangstaBooQOM.”
Ty Dolla $ign also took to Twitter to remember the late artist. “Long live my home girl Gangsta Boo Queen of the M,” he wrote.
Gibbs, meanwhile, shared what appeared to be a recent photo of himself hanging out with Boo. “Damn we was just together,” the rapper tweeted. “RIP Queen.”
Shortly after the news of her passing, Three 6 Mafia’s DJ Paul and Juicy J posted tributes to their former bandmate on Instagram. DJ Paul shared an captionless photo of the late rapper, while Juicy J posted a snapshot of the pair accompanied by a broken heart emoji.
“Man we was jus together three weeks ago,” Lil Jon commented in DJ Paul’s post. “Rest well quenn.”
The Three 6 Mafia members’ tribute posts also garnered comments from Ludacris, Bun B, Outkast’s Big Boi, Ty Dolla $ign, Jay Rock, Krayzie Bone, Cypress Hill’s B-Real, and others.
On New Year’s Eve, Boo shared a video on Instagram about her accomplishments from the past year. “Some of the things that I did in 2022! So fun and productive, climbed out my shell alot!! 2023 go be 23’n! #JORDAN #BOOPRINT #recap Happy New 2023 everyone!” she captioned the clip.
Boo, whose real name was Lola Mitchell, was born in the Whitehaven section of Memphis on Aug. 7, 1979. She joined local hip-hop collective Three 6 Mafia — founded by DJ Paul, Juicy J and Lord Infamous — at the age of 15 in 1994. That same year, she recorded her first solo song with the group, “Cheefa Da Reefa.” The track would set the tone for the Memphis femcee, who later unveiled her most popular hit “Where Dem Dollas At?” from her 1998 debut album, Enquiring Minds.
She went gone through a number of transformations during her career, renaming herself Lady Boo in 2001 and releasing numerous solo albums. In 2013, she joined Da Mafia 6ix before the passing of band member Lord Infamous in December of that year. In 2014, she and Da Mafia 6ix’s other femcee La Chat, also recorded Witch together.
In recent months, Boo was featured on GloRilla and Latto’s collaboration “F— The Club Up,” a play off Three 6 Mafia’s “Tear Da Club Up.”
“This one hit different,” Latto tweeted after discovering her passing. “I’m just glad I got to feel your embrace & give u ur flowers before u left us BIG BOO 4L.”
See more musician reactions to Boo’s death below.
Long live my home girl Gangsta Boo 🖤🤞🏾 Queen of the M 👑 !— TyDolla$ign (@tydollasign) January 1, 2023
Fuck these wee wee holding ass niggas. RIP Gangsta Boo ❤️— Big 🐰 (@FreddieGibbs) January 2, 2023
Damn!! Not gansta boo 🤦🏾♂️— Jermaine Dupri (@jermainedupri) January 1, 2023
As God as my witness Gangsta Boo ALWAYS been in my top 5 female spitters. I can’t believe 2023 startin like this. #RIP to a QUEEN 🙏🏿❤️— Rah Digga (@therealrahdigga) January 1, 2023
Wow not Gangsta Boo!!!That’s my fuckin homie!!!🙏🏾❤️🕊️— DJ Premier (@REALDJPREMIER) January 1, 2023
wow gangsta boo was literally one of the kindest and most genuine people i have met since i started making music. she ALWAYS rode for me, she came to my first ever show in Atlanta with Speakerfoxxx and they were onstage turning up. always so fun. just making ppl happy. RIP boo.— kitty (@kittaveli) January 1, 2023
Gangsta Boo, a pioneering Southern female rapper and former member of hip-hop group Three 6 Mafia, has died, according to Fox 13 in Memphis, Commercial Appeal and other reports. She was 43.
Boo, born Lola Mitchell, was reportedly found dead on Sunday (Jan. 1) at approximately 4 p.m. at a home in Memphis. The cause of her death had not been released at press time.
Shortly after the news of her passing, Three 6 Mafia’s DJ Paul and Juicy J shared tributes to their former bandmate on Instagram. DJ Paul shared an captionless photo of the late rapper, while Juicy J posted a snapshot of the pair accompanied by a broken heart emoji.
“Man we was jus together three weeks ago,” Lil Jon commented in DJ Paul’s post. “Rest well quenn.”
The Three 6 Mafia members’ tribute posts also garnered comments from Ludacris, Bun B, Outkast’s Big Boi, Ty Dolla $ign, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony’s Krayzie Bone, Cypress Hill’s B-Real, and others.
On New Year’s Eve, Boo shared a video on Instagram about her accomplishments from the past year. “Some of the things that I did in 2022! So fun and productive, climbed out my shell alot!! 2023 go be 23’n! #JORDAN #BOOPRINT #recap Happy New 2023 everyone!” she captioned the clip.
Boo was born in the Whitehaven section of Memphis, Tennessee, on Aug. 7, 1979. She joined local hip-hop collective Three 6 Mafia — founded by DJ Paul, Juicy J and Lord Infamous — at the age of 15 in 1994. That same year, she recorded her first solo song with the group, “Cheefa Da Reefa.” The track would set the tone for the Memphis femcee, who later unveiled her most popular hit “Where Dem Dollas At?” from her 1998 debut album, Enquiring Minds.
Boo went gone through a number of transformations during her career, renaming herself Lady Boo in 2001 and releasing numerous solo albums. In 2013, she joined Da Mafia 6ix before the passing of band member Lord Infamous in December of that year. In 2014, she and Da Mafia 6ix’s other femcee La Chat, also recorded Witch together.
In recent months, Boo was featured on GloRilla and Latto’s collaboration “F— The Club Up,” a play off Three 6 Mafia’s “Tear Da Club Up.”
Boo spoke with Billboard in December 2022, revealing that she was working on a new project called The BooPrint, which she hoped to release early this year. She also touched on her legacy as a rapper in the hip-hop scene.
“I would honestly say that I have to admit, respectfully and humbly, that I am the blueprint. I hear my cadence in a lot of men and female rappers,” Boo told Billboard. “My sound is a Memphis sound. It’s a Gangsta Boo sound, it’s a Three 6 Mafia sound. So, I am the blueprint and I wear that badge proudly as f—.”
Jeremiah Green, founding member and drummer for rock band Modest Mouse, has died following his battle with cancer. He was 45.
The musician’s passing was announced by Modest Mouse in an emotional social media post on New Year’s Eve (Dec. 31).
“I don’t know a way to ease into this: Today we lost our dear friend Jeremiah. He laid down to rest and simply faded out,” the band wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of Green.
“I’d like to say a bunch of pretty words right now, but it just isn’t the time. These will come later, and from many people. Please appreciate all the love you give, get, have given, and will get. Above all, Jeremiah was about love. We love you.”
Green’s mother, Carol Namatame, initially broke the news of her son’s cancer in a Facebook post on Christmas Day (Dec. 25). In her note, Namatame included the detail that his cancer was stage 4.
“Please send healing vibes for my son, Jeremiah Green, who is battling stage 4 cancer. He’s is so strong and so brave and hanging in there!” Namatame wrote alongside photos of the rocker.
Following the announcement of Green’s passing, numerous artists from across the music community shared their condolences in the comments section of Modest Mouse’s post, including Maggie Rogers, Black Keys drummer Patrick Carney, and former Modest Mouse guitarist Jim Fairchild.
Rogers shared an emoji of a light gray heart, while Carney wrote, “Rest In Peace Jeremiah.” Fairchild added, “JG. I love you. Always. Forever.”
Former Smiths and Modest Mouse guitarist Johnny Marr also shared a tribute to Green on Twitter. “The great Jeremiah Green. My friend, bandmate, and the most creative musician I ever met,” he wrote.
Due to his chemotherapy treatments, Green was forced to pull out of Modest Mouse’s recently completed tour celebrating the 25th anniversary of their 1997 sophomore album, The Lonesome Crowded West. The group’s most recent studio set, meanwhile, was 2021’s The Golden Casket, which was the last to feature members Jim Fairchild and Lisa Molinaro, and included singles “We Are Between,” “Leave a Light On” and “The Sun Hasn’t Left.”
Green helped form the popular rock band in Seattle back in 1992. He played on every one of the band’s albums, except for Good News for People Who Love Bad News, which was released in 2004. The star took a break from the band from 2003 to 2004.
See Modest Mouse’s post about Green’s passing on Instagram below.