On Sunday, Ric Ocasek of The Cars was found dead in his Manhattan townhouse. He was 75 years old. Paulina Porizkova, his wife of 28 years, found him on Sunday afternoon. (The two had been living separately for a year or two.) Police were called and declared Ocasek dead at the scene. No cause of death has been determined, but foul play is not suspected. We will keep you updated.
Unfortunately, Daniel Johnston has passed away. He was 58 and died of a heart attack. Punknews sends its condolences to Johnston's family, friends, and fans. If more details develop, we will let you know.
Phil Haggerty, guitarist of Boston-based indie act Somos has passed away. The band made an announcement of his death on Saturday, stating only that he had passed away earlier that day. No cause of death has been released at this time.
Somos was prepping to release their third LP this coming Fall via Tiny Engines (which released their debut LP, Temple of Plenty in 2014). Somos' most recent LP was 2016's First Day Back on Hopeless Records.
You can read the band's Facebook statement below, or click here to see the original post.
David Berman, founding member indie act Silver Jews, has passed away at age 52. Berman formed Silver Jews in 1989 along with Stephen Malkmus and Bob Nastanovich (of Pavement fame). Malkmus and Nastanovich soon left and Berman became the only constant member during the band's tenure, until their break up in 2009. During their twenty-year run, Silver Jews released six studio LPs, the final being 2008's Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea.
Berman passed away yesterday, August 7th, 2019. No cause of death has been announced.
He most recently formed Purple Mountains, who released their debut, self-titled LP this past July via Drag City Records. This was his first new music since the disbandment of Silver Jews, and Purple Mountains were due to begin a nationwide, month+ tour this Saturday.
Punknews extends our condolences to the family, friends, and fans of David Berman.
You end up writing too many obituaries in this gig. Although even when it's about an artist you love, you can manage to find some small measure of objectivity. There's some comfort to be found in the barrier that separates them, the performer, from you in the audience. It's never entirely real. Having to do this for one of our own is far more difficult. Former Punknews contributor Brittany Strummer is no longer with us. To try and make some sense of this, and to attempt in some incomplete way to capture how Brittany's enthusiasm and love for music impacted all of us, we asked a few of her friends to share their stories.
(Photo by Jackie Wilding)
Unfortunately, Ranking Roger of The English Beat passed away a few hours ago. The Beat issued a short statement: "“He fought & fought & fought, Roger was a fighter.” Sadly Roger past away a few hours ago peacefully at his home surrounded by family. Roger’s family would like to thank everyone for their constant support during this tough time. More to follow in the coming days. RIP ROGER! "
Roger had been battling cancer for some time. Roger began performing and recording around 1978, was a seminal figure in two-tone ska, and performed through recent years, both with the Beat and as a solo performer. We send condolences to Roger's friends, family, and fans.
On Sunday, legendary guitarist Dick Dale passed away. He was 81. The cause of death was not known, but he had been battling poor health for some time and even mentioned in interviews that he needed to continuously tour just to cover medical expenses. Dale was born Richard Monsour in Boston in 1937. In the late '50s and early '60s he developed what is now known as surf rock and went on to influence many, many musicians including East Bay Ray, Jimi Hendrix, Eddie Van Halen, Ry Cooder and the Beach Boys. Punknews sends condolences to Dale's family.
Keith Flint of The Prodigy has been found dead in his home, aged 49. An Instagram post by band-founder Liam Howlett states that the cause of death was by suicide, although the police have yet to formally announce a cause of death.
Aside from his vocals Flint, who was a member of the band's original lineup, was instantly recognizable due to his personal style and fashion sense. He also performed and recorded for several other acts, including solo.
During Flint's tenure, the band released seven LPs, a live album, and a plethora of EPs and singles.
Punknews' thoughts go to out to Flint's fans, friends, and family.
Andy Anderson, who drummed for The Cure from 1982 to 1984, passed away. He was 68 and was suffering from cancer. Anderson also drummed for Iggy Pop, Peter Gabriel, Isaac Hayes, and others. You can see a statement he issued shortly before his passing along with some of his recordings below.
Tim Landers, of the bands Cold Collective and Transit, has passed away. Cold Collective released a statement: "“The news has already been circulating, and unfortunately we are here to confirm what is being said. Our vocalist Tim Landers passed away suddenly, February 2, 2019. At this time we please ask for your respect and understanding in this time of grieving. We will comment further when we find the words.” Landers last material was with Cold Collective, a single called "Don’t Forget To Leave” from October of last year.