RIP Nate Dogg

RIP Gary Moore

Who?
Rock guitarist Gary Moore was a former member of the legendary Irish group Thin Lizzy.

Tributes

The guitarist Gary Moore replaced in Thin Lizzy, Eric Bell, said on the BBC:

"He was so robust, he wasn't a rock casualty, he was a healthy guy."

RIP Margaret John

 

Who? Actress in TV sitcom Gavin and Stacey

Tributes

Fellow welsh actress Ruth Madoc said on the BBC:

"We were part of the Taffia in London in the 60s - and I always looked up to her."

Heritage Minister Alun Ffred Jones said on the BBC:

"There was always a touch of humour or a glint of wickedness about her"

Her agent Gemma McAvoy said on BBC:
She "stuffed money into John Barrowman's trousers"

RIP John Barry

Who?
Composer John Barry. Famous for his work on Born Free, Out of Africa and the James Bond films.

Tributes

Composer David Arnold on BBC:
"Meeting him was like touching the hem of God's frock. He was the governor."

Columnist Caitlin Moran on Twitter:
"Without John Barry, James Bond would just have been some right-wing sex-tourist crashing a load of cars."

Comedian Stephen Fry on Twitter:
"A real mensch."

Pete Paphides in the Spectator:
"John Barry wasn't the most daring or innovative film composer of his generation."


Music Fanatic Brenda Small in Twitter: 
"[H]is scores [were] often written in minor keys."


Sir Tim Rice on BBC:
He had a "slight Yorkshire tinge to his voice which he never lost".

Jack Lalanne dies

Who?

Inventer of health clubs and exercise videos.

How old?

96

How?

Respiratory failure due to pneumonia 

Tributes

Jane Fonda on twitter and reprinted by the BBC:

He began American's fitness movement with his iconic TV show, great body, one piece jump suit and friendly, motivating manner. A great man!

Carolyn Katzin a nutritionist who was friends with Mr LaLanne on the BBC:
He would get a can of soup and use it to do sit ups on the floor.

Boxer Gary Mason dies

Who?

Retired British boxing champion. Out of his 38 professional fights he only lost one. That was to Lennox Lewis who went on to become the World Heavyweight Champion.

How old?

48

How?

Cycling collision

Tributes

Boxing promoter Frank Maloney on BBC:
One of the nice guys of boxing. Even if things were going wrong for him, he cheered other people up,

His agent Dave Davies on Sky News:

He was a bit of a handful

Sky News:
Mason was known for his strong chin

His church warden Christine Lindsay on This is Local London:
The poetry he used to write was often very deep

Gerry Rafferty

Who? 

Scottish singer and songwriter who wrote “Stuck in the Middle With You” and “Baker Street”

Tributes

Stuart Maconie in the Mirror:

My personal and silly part in a sad story is that as an NME writer I invented the urban myth claiming that Bob played the sax solo on Gerry’s 1978 hit Baker Street.
That’s not true. What is, is that Gerry’s enigmatic, wry songcraft and his way with a nagging melody made him a ­reluctant star in successive eras of 70s pop.

New York Times:
[He] combined a gift for melody, a distinctive voice and a fatalistic worldview

Paul Gambaccini on the BBC news website:
He just wasn't of the constitution to deal with the music business, or to respect it.

Michael Gray in the Guardian:
He had always drunk too much

Rob Hastings in the Independent:
His wife Carla, whom Rafferty met in 1965 when she was a 15-year-old apprentice hairdresser, endured his aggressive behaviour in airports and restaurants for many years

Biography:

Almost from his birth in Paisley, Scotland, on April 16, 1947, Gerald Rafferty knew plenty about life’s dark side. He and his mother would hide from his father to avoid being beaten when he stumbled home drunk. But music pervaded the family’s life, as young Gerry assimilated Roman Catholic hymns, traditional folk music, 1950s pop and even the Irish rebel tunes his deaf father bellowed.
Mr. Rafferty dropped out of school at 15 and went to work in a butcher shop. On weekends he and a friend, Mr. Egan, played in a local group, the Mavericks. After bouncing about a bit, Mr. Rafferty and Mr. Egan reunited in Stealers Wheel, whose debut album included “Stuck in the Middle.” Mr. Rafferty declined to tour the United States and turned down chances to play with Eric Clapton and Paul McCartney. In his later years his output declined, then stopped altogether as he “spiraled into alcoholism,”

Killer New York Times fact

In the 2009 interview, Mr. Rafferty called the music industry “something I loathe and detest.” Nevertheless, he earned nearly $125,000 a year in royalties for “Baker Street” alone.