In Memoriam 2023: A look back at the music icons who died this year

From the “Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll” Tina Turner, to the iconic lead singer of The Pogues, Shane MacGowan, here are some of the musical legends that we lost this year and who will be greatly missed.

In the backdrop of a fantastic year for music, we said goodbye to some all-time greats.

Join us as we pay homage to a few of the most notable artists and musicians who bid us farewell over the past twelve months.

The following names are listed chronologically by the dates of their deaths.

Fred White (1955 – 2023)

Fred White, drummer of the legendary US soul and RnB band, Earth, Wind & Fire, died on 1 January this year, aged 67.

White was already an accomplished drummer, playing for Donny Hathaway, before he joined his brothers, Maurice and Verdine, in Earth, Wind & Fire in 1974.

Paired alongside drummer and percussionist Ralph Johnson, the band’s rhythm section was tight and upbeat and set the stage for songs like “Boogie Wonderland” and “September” to become instant favourites.

Jeff Beck (1944 – 2023)

Jeff Beck, one of rock music’s most influential guitarists died on 10 January at the age of 78.

Beck rose to fame in the 1960’s with the Yardbirds and went on the form the Jeff Beck band with Ronnie Wood and Rod Stewart.

He became known as the guitar player’s guitar player, a virtuoso who pushed the boundaries of blues, jazz and rock ‘n’ roll; influencing generations of shredders along the way.

Lisa Marie Presley (1968 – 2023)

Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of rock legend Elvis Presley and a singer-songwriter, died aged 54.

Presley, the only child of Elvis and Priscilla Presley, shared her father’s brooding charisma – the hooded eyes, the insolent smile, the low, sultry voice – and followed him professionally, releasing her own rock albums in the 2000s, and appearing on stage with Pat Benatar and Richard Hawley among others.

She even formed direct musical ties with her father, joining her voice to such Elvis recordings as “In the Ghetto” and “Don’t Cry Daddy,” a mournful ballad which had reminded him of the early death of his mother (and Lisa Marie’s grandmother), Gladys Presley.

Burt Bacharach (1928 – 2023)

Burt Bacharach, the legendary composer behind the unforgettable melodies of ‘Walk on By’, ‘Do You Know the Way to San Jose’, ‘I Say a Little Prayer’ and dozens of other hits, died aged 94.

Over the past 70 years, only Lennon-McCartney, Carole King and a handful of others rivalled his genius for instantly catchy songs that remained performed, played and hummed long after they were written.

He was considered one of the most important composers of 20th-century popular music, most known for his work with Aretha Franklin, Dusty Springfield, Tom Jones and Dionne Warwick.

Bobby Caldwell (1951 – 2023)

Singer-songwriter and and multi-instrumentalist Bobby Caldwell died at the age of 71 after a long illness.

Caldwell he gained immense popularity in the 1970s and 1980s for his unique blend of R&B, soul, and jazz music, and is best known for his 1978 hit ‘What You Won’t Do for Love’ which reached the top 10 on Billboard and made his self-titled debut album go double platinum.

Over the years, Caldwell’s music has been sampled by various hip-hop artists, from The Notorious B.I.G. to 2Pac, who have incorporating his melodies and lyrics into their own compositions.

Ryuichi Sakamoto (1952 – 2023)

Ryuichi Sakamoto, the world-renowned Japanese maestro and actor who composed for Hollywood hits such as ‘The Last Emperor’ and ‘The Revenant’ died aged 71.

Sakamoto was a pioneer of electronic music in the late 1970s and founded the Yellow Magic Orchestra, also known as YMO, with Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi.

He was a world-class musician, winning an Oscar and a Grammy for Bernardo Bertolucci’s ‘The Last Emperor.’

Sakamoto was also an actor, starring in the BAFTA-winning 1983 film ‘Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence.’

Harry Belafonte (1927 – 2023)

Harry Belafonte, who stormed the pop charts and smashed racial barriers in the 1950s with his highly personal brand of folk music, and who went on to become a major force in the civil rights movement, died aged 96.

Belafonte was one of the first Black performers to gain a wide following on film and to sell a million records as a singer with his 1956 album ‘Calypso’, which was credited as popularising the Caribbean musical style.

Many know him for his signature hit ‘Banana Boat Song (Day-O)’, and its call of “Day-O! Daaaaay-O.”

Andy Rourke (1964 – 2023)

Andy Rourke, the legendary bassist, who played on The Smiths’ most famous songs including ‘There Is a Light That Never Goes Out’ and ‘This Charming Man’, died at the age of 59.

Rourke played on all four of The Smiths’ studio albums as well as Morrissey’s solo singles after the group’s dissolution in 1987.

After the band split in the 1980s, Rourke’s career was far from over and he was an icon in the music industry, playing with artists including Sinead O’Connor, Badly Drawn Boy, The Pretenders and in a supergroup called Freebass.

Tina Turner (1939 – 2023)

The world of music mourned the loss of an icon as Tina Turner, the “Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll”, died at the age of 83.

Turner was one of the best-loved female rock singers known for her on-stage charisma and a string of hits, selling more than 180 million albums worldwide in a career spanning seven decades.

She teamed with husband Ike Turner for a dynamic run of hit records and live shows in the 1960s and ’70s, before triumphing again, but in her own right in middle age, with the chart-topping “What’s Love Got to Do With It.”

Turner won eight Grammy Awards and was placed in the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame in 2021 as a solo artist.

Astrud Gilberto (1940 – 2023)

Brazilian bossa nova singer, Astrud Gilberto, best known for ‘The Girl from Ipanema’ died aged 83.

The singer, songwriter and entertainer recorded 16 albums and became one of Brazil’s brightest musical stars in the 1960s and 1970s.

Her rendition of ‘The Girl From Ipanema’ sold more than five million copies, and made her a worldwide voice of bossa nova.

It also won her a Grammy in 1965 for Record of the Year and Gilberto received nominations for best new artist and best vocal performance.

Tony Bennett (1926 – 2023)

Tony Bennett, the eminent and timeless singer who graced a decades long career that brought him admirers such as Frank Sinatra, Lady Gaga and Amy Winehouse, died aged 96.

As one of the last great saloon singers from the mid-20th century, Bennett often said his lifelong ambition was to create “a hit catalogue rather than hit records.”

He released more than 70 albums, secured 19 Grammys and enjoyed deep and lasting affection from fans and fellow artists.

Sinéad O’Connor (1966 – 2023)

Sinéad O’Connor, the gifted Irish singer-songwriter who became a superstar in her mid-20s, died aged 56.

Known for her shaved head and outspoken nature, O’Connor began her career singing on the streets of Dublin and soon rose to international fame, becoming a sensation in 1990 with her take on Prince’s ballad “Nothing Compares 2 U”.

The song’s notoriety was heightened by a promotional video featuring the grey-eyed O’Connor in an intense close-up.

Jean Knight (1943 – 2023)

Jean Knight, best known for her exuberantly funky 1971 hit single, “Mr. Big Stuff” released by Stax Records, died aged 80.

“Mr. Big Stuff” reached No. 2 on the pop chart (prevented from reaching the top spot by the Bee Gees’ “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart”) and secured a No. 1 spot on the R&B chart in 1971.

The double-platinum single earned Knight a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female, and solidified her status as an R&B and soul sensation.

Shane MacGowan (1957 – 2023)

Shane MacGowan, the legendary figure of Irish folk and punk music, and the iconic lead singer of The Pogues, passed away at the age of 65.

The pinnacle of his success came with The Pogues’ beloved 1987 hit “Fairytale of New York,” featuring the late Kirsty MacColl.

It became a global phenomenon, reaching number two on the UK charts and establishing itself as a timeless classic of the Christmas season, alongside the likes of Slade, Mariah Carey and Wham!.

Beyond his music, MacGowan became known for his tumultuous lifestyle, marked by excessive drinking, smoking, drug use and his broken, rotten teeth.

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David Crosby, one of the most influential rock musicians of the 1960s and ’70s and who was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with two different groups, has died at the age of 81.

Crosby was a founding member of two revered rock bands: the country and folk-influenced Byrds, for whom he cowrote the hit “Eight Miles High,” and Crosby, Stills & Nash, later Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, who defined the smooth side of the Woodstock generation’s music.

“It is with a deep and profound sadness that I learned that my friend David Crosby has passed,” Graham Nash, his longtime collaborator and sometime sparring partner, said in a statement.

“I know people tend to focus on how volatile our relationship has been at times, but what has always mattered to David and me more than anything was the pure joy of the music we created together … and the deep friendship we shared,” Nash said.

Crosby’s wife, Jan Dance, announced the death in a statement published by Variety. It did not specify when he died, nor the cause. Crosby’s British-based representatives could not immediately be reached for comment by Reuters.

Musically, Crosby stood out for his intricate vocal harmonies, unorthodox open tunings on guitar and incisive songwriting. His work with both the Byrds and CSN/CSNY blended rock and folk in new ways, and their music became a part of the soundtrack for the hippie era.

“I don’t know what to say other than I’m heartbroken to hear about David Crosby. David was an unbelievable talent – such a great singer and songwriter. And a wonderful person,” Beach Boys leader Brian Wilson said on Twitter.

Personally, Crosby was the embodiment of the credo “sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll,” and a 2014 Rolling Stone magazine article tagged him “rock’s unlikeliest survivor.”

In addition to drug addictions that ultimately led to a transplant to replace a liver worn out by decades of excess, his tumultuous life included a serious motorcycle accident, the death of a girlfriend, and battles against hepatitis C and diabetes.

“I’m concerned that the time I’ve got here is so short, and I’m pissed at myself, deeply, for the 10 years – at least – of time that I wasted just getting smashed,” Crosby told the Los Angeles Times in July 2019. “I’m ashamed of that.”

He fell “as low as a human being can go,” Crosby told the Times.

He also managed to alienate many of his famous former bandmates, for which he often expressed remorse in recent years.

His drug habits and often abrasive personality contributed to the demise of CSNY and the members eventually quit speaking to each other. In the 2019 documentary “David Crosby: Remember My Name,” he made clear he hoped they could work together again, but conceded the others “really dislike me, strongly.”

Crosby fathered six children – two as a sperm donor to rocker Melissa Etheridge’s partner and another who was placed for adoption at birth and did not meet Crosby until he was in his 30s. That son, James Raymond, would eventually become his musical collaborator.

“Thank you @thedavidcrosby I will miss you my friend,” Etheridge said on Twitter alongside a photo of the two of them.

Looking back at the turbulent 1960s and his life, Crosby told Time magazine in 2006: “We were right about civil rights; we were right about human rights; we were right about peace being better than war … But I think we didn’t know our butt from a hole in the ground about drugs and that bit us pretty hard.”

Crosby was born on Aug. 14, 1941, in Los Angeles. His father was a cinematographer who won a Golden Globe for “High Noon” in 1952 and his mother exposed him to the folk group the Weavers and to classical music.

Music and women

As a teenager, Crosby found that one of his passions aided him in the pursuit of another. “It (playing music) was absolutely joyous to me,” he wrote. “I always loved it. I always will love it. And I did get laid.”

After a stay in New York’s Greenwich Village music scene, Crosby was back in California in 1963 and helped Roger McGuinn start the Byrds, whose first hit, a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man,” came in 1965, followed by “Turn! Turn! Turn!”

Crosby was kicked out of the Byrds because the band did not want to play his songs, with the flashpoint being “Triad,” about a menage a trois, and disputes over on-stage political rants.

Crosby and Stephen Stills, whose band with Neil Young, Buffalo Springfield, had fallen apart, then began playing together. Graham Nash of the Hollies, who met Crosby in 1966 and went on to become his closest collaborator and a closer friend, joined them. Their first album, “Crosby, Stills and Nash,” was a big seller in 1969.

Guitarist and singer/songwriter Young fell in with them that year and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young came to be considered one of the greatest amalgams of talent in rock history.

Their second performance together was the landmark Woodstock music festival in 1969, and their 1970 album, “Deja Vu” contained hits “Teach Your Children,” “Woodstock,” and one of Crosby’s signature songs, “Almost Cut My Hair.”

Girlfriend’s death

As CSNY was taking off, Crosby was in a drug-fueled downward spiral caused by the 1969 death of girlfriend Christine Hinton in a car accident.

“Nothing in my life had prepared me for that,” wrote Crosby, who had added cocaine and heroin to his drug repertoire.

The next decade was a blur of drug arrests, album releases and women. “I was not into being monogamous – I made that plain to everybody concerned. I was a complete and utter pleasure-seeking sybarite,” he wrote in his autobiography.

Crosby had a daughter with a girlfriend but soon left her for Jan Dance, who moved in with him in 1978. That relationship lasted and they had a son, Django, in 1995.

Crosby introduced Dance to heroin and the free-basing method of smoking cocaine. “We went down the tubes together but we did it with our hearts intertwined,” he wrote.

There were several failed attempts at rehab and Crosby developed a reputation as a bloated, hapless addict. In 1985, Nash told Rolling Stone: “I’ve tried everything – extreme anger, extreme compassion. I’ve gotten 20 of his best friends in the same room with him. I’ve tried hanging out with him. I’ve tried not hanging out with him.”

Crosby beat a series of drug charges but lost in Texas after being arrested with a drug pipe and gun at a club in Dallas and went to prison in 1985. The prison system required him to shave his trademark bushy mustache, but he found solace in playing in the prison band during his year of incarceration.

After his release, Crosby told People magazine he had beaten his addictions.

He was also arrested on gun and marijuana charges in New York in 2004.

In 2014 he released “Croz,” his first solo album since 1993, but his tour to promote the record was interrupted in February by heart surgery.

He continued recording and was an active presence on Twitter, in addition to writing an advice column for Rolling Stone.

In March 2021, the Guardian reported that Crosby sold the recorded music and publishing rights to his entire music catalog to Irving Azoff’s Iconic Artists Group for an undisclosed sum.

(REUTERS)

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Tag: rock music