Michael Jackson
Whilst it’s great to look at the various musicians who have ‘made it’ in 2009, it is important that we remember those who died too. Here we take a look at a few of the musicians who passed away in 2009.
January
* January 9 - Dave Dee, 67, British singer (Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich)
Dave Dee was an English singer, songwriter, musician, A&R manager, fundraiser and businessman and was best known as the frontman for 1960s band Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich.
Dave did leave the band in September 1969, and he reached No 42 in the charts with his single "My Woman’s Man", before giving up on performing and becoming a A&R Manager, businessman, charity fundraiser and a Justice of the Peace.
He died of prostate cancer in Kingston Hospital, South West London on 9 January 2009.
* January 28 - Billy Powell, 56, American keyboardist (Lynyrd Skynyrd)
Billy Powell (June 3, 1952 – January 28, 2009) was an American musician who served as the longtime keyboardist of Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Billy was in the band from 1970 until his death in 2009 when he died, aged 56 at his home in Orange Park, Florida. He had called 911 at 12:55 a.m., complaining of shortness of breath but when the EMS responders arrived, they found Powell unconscious and unresponsive, with the telephone still in his hand.
Rescue crews performed CPR, but he was pronounced dead at 1:52 am.
February
* February 4 - Lux Interior, 62, American singer (The Cramps)
Erick Lee Purkhiser was better known as Lux Interior, and was one of the founding members of the legendary garage punk band The Cramps from 1976 until his sudden death in February 2009 aged 62.
He and his wife Kristy Wallace - better known as Poison Ivy, a.k.a. Ivy Rorschach - formed the band in 1973 before moving to New York in 1975 where they became part of the flourishing punk scene.
Lux Interior died at 4:30 a.m. on February 4, 2009, in Glendale, California from The aortic dissection.
* February 25 - Randall Bewley, 53, American guitarist (Pylon)
Randall "Randy" Bewley was the guitarist for the band Pylon and in himself was a very influential guitarist who not only used his instrument to create notes, but interesting sounds as well.
The band has opened up for the likes of U2, R.E.M., the B-52's, the Talking Heads and Gang of Four. Pylon broke up twice, but reunited and had been playing occasional shows. Pylon's first album Gyrate was re-issued in October 2007 by DFA records. Chomp is scheduled to be reissued in 2009.
On February 23, 2009, Bewley was driving on Barber Street in Athens when he suffered a heart attack. According to the band's statement, his van drifted off the road and overturned. He was admitted to Athens Regional Medical Center and lapsed into a coma; he died two days later on February 25 when he was removed from life support.
March
* March 1 - Joan Turner, 86, British singer and actress
Joan Turner was a British comedienne and singer born in Belfast and brought up in London.
In the 1960s and 1970s, she was a major star in the UK, becoming the highest-earning female singer in Britain, and a disc jockey on her own radio show. She topped the bill at the London Palladium and appeared in the 1963 Royal Variety Show topping the bill ahead of The Beatles!
She died of a heart attack earlier this year.
April
* April 9 - Randy Cain, 63, singer, (The Delfonics)
Don’t be fooled into thinking those Kandy Rain girls snuffed it before even appearing on The X Factor, as Randy Cain was actually Randy Cain a Philadelphia soul singer with the The Delfonics.
May
* May 18 - Roderick "Dolla" Burton II, 21, American rapper
Roderick Anthony Burton II was better known by his stage name Dolla, and worked as American model and rapper ever since beginning music career in 2000 with rap group Da Razkalz Cru under the stage name Bucklyte.
Things didn’t work out so Burton found work as a model for the Sean John clothing line until, in 2007, Burton signed to Akon's Konvict Muzik label and adopted the stage name Dolla.
On May 18, 2009, Dolla flew to Los Angeles to record the rest of his debut album, and he was shot whilst he was waiting in the Beverly Center's VIP valet parking and auto detailing lounge area behind P. F. Chang's China Bistro.
June
* Michael Jackson, 50, American pop singer and dancer
Possibly the most high-profile death of 2009 was the shock passing of The King Of Pop, Michael Jackson.
He is the quite possibly one of the most influential entertainers of all time thanks to his unique voice, dance moves and highly publicized personal life.
While preparing for the This Is It concert tour in 2009, Jackson died at the age of 50 after suffering from cardiac arrest. He reportedly had been administered drugs such as propofol and lorazepam, and his death was ruled a homicide by the Los Angeles County coroner.
His death triggered an outpouring of grief from around the world with his globally live broadcast memorial service attracting an audience of up to one billion people.
July
* July 2 - Susan Fernandez, 52, Filipina activist and singer
Susan Fernandez Magno was a Filipino singer, activist and academic who was well known for her protest music, especially during the authoritarian regime of Ferdinand Marcos.
Susan was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2008, but despite her illness, she continued to teach at the Ateneo de Manila University and performed at nightly gigs.
She died at Pasig City on July 2, 2009, aged 52 and a friend of hers was performing her favourite song, Both Sides Now, at the moment of her death.
August
* August 13 - Les Paul, 94, American jazz guitarist and inventor of solid-body electric guitar and multi-track recording
Lester William Polsfuss, otherwise known as Les Paul best known for his role in the development of the solid-body electric guitar which "made the sound of rock and roll possible".
On August 12, 2009, Paul died of complications from pneumonia at White Plains Hospital in White Plains, New York. His family and friends were by his side.
* August 28 - DJ AM, 36, American turntabalist and celebrity disc jockey (Crazy Town)
Adam Michael Goldstein’s death was one which really upset me this year. After being one or only two survivors of a plane crash last year, the star - who was better known as DJ AM - died of an accidental drug overdose just a 12 months later.
He was a member of the rock band Crazy Town, and had worked on albums for Papa Roach, Madonna, and Will Smith, among others and was a frequent collaborator with Travis Barker of Blink-182, with whom he was in that plane crash with.
September
* September 19 - Roc Raida, 37, American turntablist (The X-Ecutioners)
Anthony Williams, better known as Roc Raida or Grandmaster Roc Raida, was an American DJ, turntablist and producer as well as a member of the legendary DJ group, The X-Ecutioners.
He died on September 19, 2009 due to complications relating to a mixed-martial-arts accident.
October
* October 10 - Stephen Gately, 33, Irish pop singer (Boyzone)
Possibly the most widely-reported musicians death after MJ was Boyzone’s Stephen Gately, who passed away during a holiday to Majorca with his partner Andrew Cowles.
One of the two lead singers in Boyzone, stephen had acheieve more in his 33 years than many do in a lifetime, and he performed for millions of fans globally as well as releasing a fairly successful solo album in 2000, after the group's initial breakup.
In 2008, the band reformed and were just getting back into the swing of success when he was discovered dead at an apartment in Majorca, Spain on 10 October 2009.
November
* November 15 - Derek B, 44, British rapper
Derek Boland, or Derek B as he was better known, was the first UK rapper to achieve pop success by appearing on BBC Television's Top of the Pops at a time when the only other rappers who had appeared were Break Machine and Doug E. Fresh.
Despite the fact that he was knocked for rapping under a fake American accent, he did keep it up for a large part of his career.
He died of a heart attack in London on November 15, 2009 and his death was reported on 16 November 2009.
Whilst it’s great to look at the various musicians who have ‘made it’ in 2009, it is important that we remember those who died too. Here we take a look at a few of the musicians who passed away in 2009.
January
* January 9 - Dave Dee, 67, British singer (Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich)
Dave Dee was an English singer, songwriter, musician, A&R manager, fundraiser and businessman and was best known as the frontman for 1960s band Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich.
Dave did leave the band in September 1969, and he reached No 42 in the charts with his single "My Woman’s Man", before giving up on performing and becoming a A&R Manager, businessman, charity fundraiser and a Justice of the Peace.
He died of prostate cancer in Kingston Hospital, South West London on 9 January 2009.
* January 28 - Billy Powell, 56, American keyboardist (Lynyrd Skynyrd)
Billy Powell (June 3, 1952 – January 28, 2009) was an American musician who served as the longtime keyboardist of Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Billy was in the band from 1970 until his death in 2009 when he died, aged 56 at his home in Orange Park, Florida. He had called 911 at 12:55 a.m., complaining of shortness of breath but when the EMS responders arrived, they found Powell unconscious and unresponsive, with the telephone still in his hand.
Rescue crews performed CPR, but he was pronounced dead at 1:52 am.
February
* February 4 - Lux Interior, 62, American singer (The Cramps)
Erick Lee Purkhiser was better known as Lux Interior, and was one of the founding members of the legendary garage punk band The Cramps from 1976 until his sudden death in February 2009 aged 62.
He and his wife Kristy Wallace - better known as Poison Ivy, a.k.a. Ivy Rorschach - formed the band in 1973 before moving to New York in 1975 where they became part of the flourishing punk scene.
Lux Interior died at 4:30 a.m. on February 4, 2009, in Glendale, California from The aortic dissection.
* February 25 - Randall Bewley, 53, American guitarist (Pylon)
Randall "Randy" Bewley was the guitarist for the band Pylon and in himself was a very influential guitarist who not only used his instrument to create notes, but interesting sounds as well.
The band has opened up for the likes of U2, R.E.M., the B-52's, the Talking Heads and Gang of Four. Pylon broke up twice, but reunited and had been playing occasional shows. Pylon's first album Gyrate was re-issued in October 2007 by DFA records. Chomp is scheduled to be reissued in 2009.
On February 23, 2009, Bewley was driving on Barber Street in Athens when he suffered a heart attack. According to the band's statement, his van drifted off the road and overturned. He was admitted to Athens Regional Medical Center and lapsed into a coma; he died two days later on February 25 when he was removed from life support.
March
* March 1 - Joan Turner, 86, British singer and actress
Joan Turner was a British comedienne and singer born in Belfast and brought up in London.
In the 1960s and 1970s, she was a major star in the UK, becoming the highest-earning female singer in Britain, and a disc jockey on her own radio show. She topped the bill at the London Palladium and appeared in the 1963 Royal Variety Show topping the bill ahead of The Beatles!
She died of a heart attack earlier this year.
April
* April 9 - Randy Cain, 63, singer, (The Delfonics)
Don’t be fooled into thinking those Kandy Rain girls snuffed it before even appearing on The X Factor, as Randy Cain was actually Randy Cain a Philadelphia soul singer with the The Delfonics.
May
* May 18 - Roderick "Dolla" Burton II, 21, American rapper
Roderick Anthony Burton II was better known by his stage name Dolla, and worked as American model and rapper ever since beginning music career in 2000 with rap group Da Razkalz Cru under the stage name Bucklyte.
Tagged in celebrity death