Todd Sampson of M.I.A. (1964-2010)

Todd Sampson, who helped found MIA in 1980, has passed away reports Las Vegas Weekly. He died early Sunday morning at age 46 after being helped offstage toward the end of an M.I.A. show at the Black Door. The cause is unknown. His close friend Rob Ruckus described the sad incident:

He just started going down during the show. Backstage afterwards, he was totally burning up, kinda going out of it. We tried putting ice on his head, cooling him down with water … we loaded him into the truck and got his breathing slowed down; he actually walked into his house on his own. But he started heating up again, and then he started hyperventilating, so we raced him to the hospital as fast as we could, but he stopped breathing on the way. When we got to the hospital there was no heartbeat.

Sampson was the original vocalist of the band until they moved from Las Vegas to Newport Beach, California when he was replaced by late bassist Mike Conley. He went on to form Self Abuse in 1981 and Samsons Army, in 1984. After Conley passed away in 2008, Sampson rejoined MIA.

Our deepest condolences go out to his family and friends.

Ronnie James Dio (1942-2010)

Many of you wrote in with the news that legendary metal/hard rock pioneer Ronnie James Dio (born Ronald James Padavona) succumbed to stomach cancer at 7:45am on May 16th. Dio, 67, followed Ozzy Osbourne as Black Sabbath's lead vocalist in 1979 and recorded three albums with the influential band. Afterwards, he formed the eponymous Dio who released the heavy metal staple, ,Holy Diver and several other albums with a variety of lineups. Dio most recently was touring with Heaven and Hell, a version of Black Sabbath renamed for legal reasons. All shows were canceled last March because of his illness.

Our deepest condolences go out to his family and friends.

Devon Clifford of You Say Party! We Say Die! (1979-2010)

Devon Clifford, of Abbotsford B.C. dance-punk act You Say Party! We Say Die! died Sunday morning in a Vancouver hospital. The drummer collapsed during a show at Vancouver's Rickshaw Theatre on Friday night and was rushed to hospital. According to a report from Spinner, Devon suffered a brain hemorrhage and after having emergency neurosurgery at 3AM, he was on full life support for about a day before passing away at age 30 early Sunday.

Clifford lived in Vancouver and worked for the Portland Hotel Society, an organization which provides permanent accommodation for adults with mental illnesses, addictions and other problems in the city's downtown eastside.You Say Party! recently finished a tour of the US and Western Canada in support of their latest album XXXX.

Our condolences go out to Devon's family and friends.

Malcom McLaren (1946-2010)

The legendary and controversial Malcom McLaren has passed away, reports the Independent. The former manager of the Sex Pistols and had been battling cancer for some time. His condition recently deteriorated rapidly and he died this morning in New York.

Bruce Roehrs (1950-2010)

Longtime Maximum Rock'n'Roll columnist Bruce Roehrs has passed away peacefully in his home. His colleagues at MRR posted this:

There will be a memorial. As soon as we know more we will let you know. We will miss him and can hardly imagine MRR without him. Play Agnostic Front "Victim in Pain" as loud as you can -- and see you fucks at the bar.

Our deepest condolences to his friends and family.

Alex Chilton (1950-2010)

The legendary Alex Chilton has passed away. The late musician was a member of the Box Tops and the influential Big Star. With a career that began in 1966, Chilton had a vast influence on countless musicians, including the The Replacements who wrote this about him in the song that took his name:

Children by the million sing for Alex Chilton when he comes 'round They sing "I'm in love. What's that song? I'm in love with that song." I never travel far, without a little Big Star

Our deepest condolences to his friends and family.

Iain Burgess

Legendary Chicago-based producer Iain Burgess has passed away after a battle with liver and pancreatic cancer. Burgress's production credits include albums by Naked Raygun, Big Black, Jawbox, Shellac, Ministry, Pegboy and many others.

Our deepest condolences go out to Burgess's friends, family and fans.

Doug Fieger of The Knack (1952-2010)

Doug Fieger, vocalist of influential power-pop outfit The Knack, passed away on Sunday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 57. Fieger had been battling cancer, and in 2006 underwent surgery to remove brain tumors.

Fieger co-wrote The Knack's massive hit, "My Sharona," which was #1 on Billboard's Top Pop Singles of 1979 year-end chart.

Our deepest condolences go out to Fieger's family, friends and fans.

Howard Zinn (1922-2010)

Leftist icon Howard Zinn has passed away at the age of 87. Zinn, a noted scholar and activist, was most well-known for his million-selling A People's History of the United States. The book was a favorite of mainstream figures like Bruce Springsteen and Ben Affleck as well as bands like Propagandhi, Verse and NOFX. He even collaborated with Resident Genius on the 2005 split, You Can't Blow Up a Social Relationship.

A People's History charged Christopher Columbus and other explorers with genocide, picked apart presidents from Andrew Jackson to Franklin D. Roosevelt and celebrated workers, feminists and war resisters. The book was vastly influential throughout the political and academic left. Along with his academic career, Zinn was a pilot in World War II and cited his experiences in that war as sensitizing him to ethical issues.

Our deepest condolences to his friends, family and fans.

Rocksteady pioneer Lynn Taitt (1934-2010)

Pioneering rocksteady guitarist Lynn Taitt passed away this past Wednesday in Montreal following a long battle with cancer.

The musician was born Nerlynn Taitt in San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago and began playing guitar in the early `60s. He first traveled to Jamaica in 1963 for a gig booked by influential band leader and record producer Byron Lee. Taitt went on perform with nearly every major ska act of the era, including The Skatalites, The Sheiks and The Cavaliers. When rocksteady emerged in 1966 Taitt and his band the Jets became in-demand session musicians, with the guitarist helping to establish the Federal Studios sound with hits by Derrick Morgan, Alton Ellis and others. He is credited with creating the first rocksteady bassline on the song "Take It Easy" by Hopeton Lewis. Lynn Taitt relocated to Canada in 1968, eventually settling in Montreal. There he worked for local reggae, jazz and calypso groups as a writer and recorded with third-wave ska band the Kingpins.

Our deepest condolences go out to Lynn's family and friends.