obituary

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.

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.

Anita Pointer, one of four sibling singers who earned pop success and critical acclaim as The Pointer Sisters, died Saturday (Dec. 31) at the age of 74, her publicist announced.
The Grammy winner passed away while she was with family members, publicist Roger Neal said in a statement. A cause of death was not immediately revealed.

“While we are deeply saddened by the loss of Anita, we are comforted in knowing she is now with her daughter Jada and her sisters June & Bonnie and at peace. She was the one that kept all of us close and together for so long,” her sister Ruth, brothers Aaron and Fritz and granddaughter Roxie McKain Pointer said in the statement.

Anita Pointer’s only daughter, Jada Pointer, died in 2003.

Anita, Ruth, Bonnie and June Pointer, born the daughters of a minister, grew up singing in their father’s church in Oakland, California.

The group’s 1973 self-titled debut album included the breakout hit, “Yes We Can Can.” Known for hit songs including “I’m So Excited,” “Slow Hand,” “Neutron Dance” and “Jump (For My Love),” the singers gained a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1994.

The 1983 album, Break Out, went triple platinum and garnered two American Music Awards. The group won three Grammy Awards and had 13 U.S. top 20 hit songs between 1973 and 1985, Neal said.

The Pointer Sisters also was the first African American group to perform on the Grand Ole Opry program and the first contemporary act to perform at the San Francisco Opera House, Neal said.

Bonnie Pointer left the group in 1977, signing a solo deal with Motown Records but enjoying only modest success. “We were devastated,” Anita Pointer said of the departure in 1990. “We did a show the night she left, but after that, we just stopped. We thought it wasn’t going to work without Bonnie.”

The group, in various lineups including younger family members, continued recording through 1993.

June Pointer died of cancer at the age of 52 in 2006.

Anita Pointer announced Bonnie Pointer’s death resulting from cardiac arrest at the age of 69 in 2020. “The Pointer Sisters would never have happened had it not been for Bonnie,” she said in a statement.

The Marley family has lost one of their loved ones. Joseph “Jo Mersa” Marley, the grandson of Bob Marley and son of Stephen Marley, has died at 31, a rep for Marley confirmed to Rolling Stone. A cause of death was not announced.

His family has not yet issued a statement, though aunts Sharon and Cedella Marley both shared white squares on their Instagram feeds, prompting followers to extend their condolences in the comments.

Prime Minister of Jamaica Andrew Holness extended his love to the Marley family in a Dec. 27 tweet, writing, “My heartfelt sympathies to Joseph’s friends and associates and to the Reggae music fraternity and fans everywhere. His untimely passing at the young age of 31 y.o. is a huge loss to the music as we look to the next generation.” In a follow-up message, Holness added, “May he find Eternal Peace as we mourn his loss during this season of goodwill when we celebrate with family and friends our love for each other.”

Born in his family’s native Jamaica in 1992, Jo arrived in the United States and settled in Miami at the age of 11. He often performed with various members of his family, including his father Stephen and Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers, which consisted of his uncle Ziggy and aunts Sharon and Cedella.

Jo’ solo music endeavors include his debut EP Comfortable, which arrived in 2014. By 2016, he featured on “Revelation Party,” a track on his father’s album Revelation Part 2: The Fruit of Life. In 2021, the musician released a full album titled Eternal, which featured figures in reggae and dancehall including Busy Signal, Black-Am-I and Kabaka Pyramid.