Lou Ottens, Inventor Of The Cassette Tape, Has Died

Sadly, an icon of music format recently passed away. Lou Ottens, who is credited with leading the invention of cassette tapes, passed away on Saturday at the age of 94. He is also one of the contributors to the invention of the compact disc.

While working for Dutch-based Philips, Ottens wanted to create a smaller, cheaper version of the clunky reel-to-reel music format. In 1963, the "compact cassette" was released to the world. Interestingly, in later years, Ottens himself stated that tape was "prone to noise" and distortion and believed that compact discs were superior. We send our condolences to Ottens' family. A longer retrospective of Ottens' life can be found at NPR.

Lars-Goran Petrov of Entombed has passed away

Lars-Göran “L-G” Petrov, former frontman for Swedish death metal band Entombed and frontman for Entombed A.D., has passed away. He passed on Sunday March 7 at age 49 after a long battle with bile duct cancer. L-G Petrov’s bandmates in Entombed A.D. released a statement about his passing on their Facebook page which reads in part,

“Our brother, leader, vocalist, our Chief Rebel Angel went on another ride last night. It’s with the deepest sadness that we have to announce that Lars-Göran Petrov has left us. He was (is!!!) an incredible friend, and a person that has touched so many people. He has changed so many lives with his voice, his music, his character and his unique personality. LG’s smile is something that we will carry forever in our hearts. When asked in an interview what he would like to have written on his grave and what about his legacy, he said: "I will never die, it will never die". And you didn’t. You will live forever in our hearts.”

LG Petrov was the vocalist for Nihilist from 1988 to 1989 when the band reformed as Entombed. He sang on all of Entombed’s albums except for Clandestine in 1991. Entombed A.D. was formed by Entombed members in 2014 after a legal battle over the band name and released three albums, the last of which was Bowels of Earth in 2019. He also released three albums with Firespawn, the last of which was Abominate in 2019, and also released albums with Morbid, Comecon, and Allegiance over the course of his career. We send our condolences to L-G Petrov’s family and friends.

Bunny Wailer has passed away

Sadly, Bunny Wailer of The Wailers, born Neville O'Riley Livingston, has passed away. He was 73 and had been suffering from the affects of a stroke that he suffered last year. Wailer was the last surviving member of what is generally considered the original Wailers, which also included Bob Marley and Peter Tosh. In addition to recording dozens of albums, Wailer won a Grammy and also received the Jamaican Order of Merit. We send our condolences to Wailer's family, friends, and relatives.

U-Roy has passed away

Sadly, iconic Jamaican toaster U-Roy, born Ewart Beckford in Jones Town, Jamaica, has passed away. He was 78 and passed away after surgery at the University Hospital of the West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica.

U-Roy was a pioneering toaster, first spotted by John Holt in 1970. His distinctive chatting style would go on to influence thousands of Jamaican musicians, and was an early step in the creation of dancehall music. In the late '70s, he would form his own soundsystem and help the early careers of Josey Wales, Charlie Chaplin and Ranking Joe.

U-Roy was awarded the Order of Distinction by the Jamaican government in 2007 for his contribution to music. We send out condolences to U-Roy's family, friends, and fans.

Sylvain Sylvain has passed away

Sadly, on January 13, Sylvain Sylvain of The New York Dolls passed away. He had been battling cancer for about two and a half years. David Johansen, the last living original New York Doll, released a short statement: "My best friend for so many years, I can still remember the first time I saw him bop into the rehearsal space/bicycle shop with his carpetbag and guitar straight from the plane after having been deported from Amsterdam, I instantly loved him. I’m gonna miss you old pal. I’ll keep the home fires burning. au revoir Syl mon vieux copain. February 14, 1951 /January 13, 2021".

You can see a statement by Sylvains family and friends below. Punknews sends our condolences to all pf those affected.

Alexi Laiho of Children of Bodom has passed away

Alexi Laiho, lead vocalist, guitarist, and founding member of Finnish metal band Children of Bodom has passed away at age 41. According to a press release Alexi Laiho passed away last week at his home in Helsinki, Finland and while no cause of death has been released, he “had suffered from long-term health issues during his last years”. A statement released by his Children of Bodom band members reads in part,

“More than 25 years of friendship. We lost a brother. The world lost a phenomenal song writer and one of the greatest guitarists of all time. Memories and Alexi’s music will live forever. Our thoughts are with Alexi’s family during this difficult time.”

Children of Bodom formed in 1997 and released ten studio albums, the last of which was Hexed released in 2019. Alexi Laiho formed Bodom After Midnight along with Daniel Freyberg, Mitja Toivonen, and Waltteri Väyrynen in 2020 and had finished recording three songs as well as a music video that will be released posthumously. Bodom After Midnight also released a statement that reads in part, “We are absolutely devastated and heartbroken for the sudden loss of our dear friend and band member.” We send our condolences to Alexi Laiho’s family and friends.

Chris Neumann of 2.5 Children Inc. has passed away

Sadly, Chris Neumann of 2.5 Children Inc. passed away, late last week. 2.5 Children Inc. was a Philadelphia-area punk band in the '90s. After that band broke up, Neumann recorded with Plow United as Texas Criffer. He also released a solo record titled American Songs Of Hope & Distress in 2003 on Fistolo records. More recently, Neumann had been working as a mason in Texas. We send our condolences to Neumann's family, friends, and fans.

Leftover Crack's Alec Baillie has passed away

Sadly, earlier this week, Alec Baillie of Leftover Crack and Choking Victim passed away. Baillie had played in Leftover Crack since its inception and had also been a member of Choking Victim, the pre-Choking Victim band No Commercial Value, and Agent 99.

We send our condolences to Baillie's family, friends, and fans. You can read Leftover Crack's statement below.

Bob Biggs founder of Slash Records has passed away

Bob Biggs, the founder of Los Angeles independent label Slash Records and visual artist has passed away at age 74. He passed on October 17 due to complications from Lewy body dementia. Bob Biggs worked at Californian punk magazine Slash and started the Slash Records label in 1978. Slash Records put out music by The Germs, The Blasters, X, Los Lobos, Fear, Faith No More, Violent Femmes, and L7 among many others over the course of the label’s active years. Bob Biggs also created the burning “x” that serves as the cover for X’s 1980 debut album Los Angeles. He designed the cover of Faith No More’s 1987 album Introduce Yourself and co-directed the band’s “We Care a Lot” video and his artwork was used as the cover of 2014’s To Be Kind by Swans. We send our condolences to Bob Biggs’ family and friends.

Pierre Kezdy of Naked Raygun and Pegboy has passed away

Sadly, today news broke that Pierre Kezdy of Naked Raygun and Pegboy passed away. The cause of death was cancer. Kezdy was 58. We send our condolences to Kezdy's family and friends.