Once an undocumented sex worker and addict, she was a powerful advocate for marginalized people, and an irresistible story teller.
Category: Deaths (Obituaries)
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Henry Fambrough, Last of the Original Spinners, Dies at 85
He was a mainstay of the group that was known for hits like “Could It Be I’m Falling Love,” from its inception in 1954 until his retirement last year.
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Seiji Ozawa, Captivating Conductor, Is Dead at 88
He led the Boston Symphony Orchestra for 29 years, toured widely and helped dispel prejudices about East Asian classical musicians.
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Si Spiegel, War Hero Who Modernized Christmas Trees, Dies at 99
The son of Jewish immigrants, he was a pilot in World War II who later created patents to mass-produce artificial conifers.
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Dick Waterman, Promoter and Photographer of the Blues, Dies at 88
A “crackpot eccentric Yankee” from Massachusetts, he revived the careers of long-forgotten Southern artists during the blues boom of the 1960s.
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Mojo Nixon, Who Mixed Roots and Punk Rock, Dies at 66
His satirical songs included “Elvis is Everywhere” and “Destroy All Lawyers.” He called himself “a rabble-rouser who does humorous social commentary within a rock-and-roll setting.”
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Aston Barrett, 77, Bass-Playing Force With Bob Marley and Wailers, Dies
Known by his nickname, Family Man, he was the group’s musical director, crafting the hypnotic rhythms and melodies that elevated reggae to global acclaim.
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Clyde Taylor, Literary Scholar Who Elevated Black Cinema, Dies at 92
A leading figure in the field of Black studies in the 1970s, he identified work by Black filmmakers as worthy of serious intellectual attention.
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Toby Keith, Popular Country Music Singer-Songwriter, Dies at 62
Mr. Keith, who announced in 2022 he had cancer, cultivated an in-your-face persona with hits like “Who’s Your Daddy” and “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue.”
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Michael Watford, a Minister of Gospel House Music, Dies at 64
His signature hit, “So Into You,” was omnipresent in 1994 — the rare record “you heard at every club,” one D.J. said. But his time at the top was brief.
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Wayne Kramer, Influential MC5 Guitarist, Dies at 75
Mr. Kramer was one half of the twin-guitar attack that drove the Detroit band’s incendiary live performances, helping to set the stage for punk rock.