Arthur Kane of the New York Dolls: 1949-2004

New York Dolls bassist Arthur "Killer" Kane died last night in Los Angeles due to complications from leukemia. He was 55. Kane is the fourth member of the pioneering act to pass away after Johnny Thunders, Billy Murcia and Jerry Nolan

The reunited New York Dolls recently made a celebrated appearance at Morrissey's Meltdown Festival in London. The band is scheduled to headline Little Steven's International Underground Garage Festival next month in New York with the Stooges, no word on what will happen to those plans. They had also announced intentions of releasing a record for Morrissey's Attack imprint in September. A statement on the band's future from David Johansen is expected to clear up these uncertainties soon. Some photos from the reunion can be found at Bob Gruen's website.

There will be a public memorial held behind the Mormon Temple on 10777 Santa Monica Blvd on Saturday July 17 at 10:00 AM. Our deepest condolences go out to the Kane's family, friends and fans.

Kirsten 'Lady K' Malone of The Faux: 1975-2004

Pitchfork Media is reporting that Kirsten "Lady K" Malone of The Faux has died due to injuries after being struck by a car, she was 29. The website reports that Malone passed away on early Tuesday morning, having been struck by a car while riding her bike in Allston, MA a few days prior on Saturday, June 12th.

Kirsten was a founding member of The Statue Factor, who played between `98 and 2000, and formed The Faux with Statue Factor singer Joseph Coelho in 2001. The Faux released their debut EP last year on Tarantulas Records [review].

Services for Kirsten will be held at St. Luke's Church in Westport, CT on Saturday, June 19th, at 10:00am. Friends and fans in Boston are staging a DIY get-together at that time. It takes place where the footbridge meets Cambridge Street in Allston, which is where the accident occured.

Sean McGrath: 1976-2004

Sean McGrath, former bass player for Saves The Day, Hands Tied, Mouthpiece and The Alps has lost his battle with intestinal cancer after a 2-year struggle. He was 28. Sean played with the Saves The Day for two years, helping craft their debut Can't Slow Down, departing during the development of Through Being Cool in early 1999. After leaving the band, Sean took a behind-the-scenes role in the music industry with a day job at a major music entertainment company. He also showed his comedic side at night with improvisational comedy training from the renowned troupe Chicago City Limits.

McGrath passed away Friday in his home with the company of family and friends.

Our deepest condolences go out to the family and friends of Sean McGrath.

Ray Charles: 1930-2004

CNN is reporting that legendary bluesman Ray Charles has passed away at the age of 73 today due to complications relating to liver disease. Charles, blind since the age of 7, had over 30 charted singles, including three number ones.

Our condolences go out to the family and friends of Mr. Charles.

Voidoids guitarist Robert Quine: 1942-2004

Robert Quine's website is reporting that the former lead guitarist of Richard Hell And The Voidoids died this past weekend at the age of 61. Richard Hell's website is confirming this news, and speculation about the circumstances are posted there. As there has been no official announcement regarding Quine's passing we'll hold off on posting a cause for the time being.

In addition to his groundbreaking work in the NYC punk scene with Hell and the Voidoids, Quine also recorded with the likes of Lou Reed, Tom Waits, Brian Eno, John Zorn, Matthew Sweet, Lloyd Cole and many others. In addition to his own musical ventures, Quine was known as a musical archivist of some note. The 2001 Velvet Underground release The Quine Tapes was a 3-CD collection of live VU performances recorded by Quine on a portable cassette tape recorder. Quine is not known to have left any survivors, as his wife died in 2003.

Our deepest condolences go out to Robert's friends and loved ones.

Legendary ska / reggae producer Clement 'Sir Coxsone' Dodd: 1932-2004

Jamaican music producer Clement "Sir Coxsone'' Dodd, an early pioneer of ska, rocksteady and reggae, died on Tuesday of an apparent heart attack. He was 72. In 1963 Dodd opened Studio One, Jamaica's first black-owned music studio, and installed ska founders The Skatalites as the resident house band. Dodd is widely credited with launching the career of Bob Marley and the Wailers with their 1964 single "Simmer Down," and was involved with a vast majority of significant Jamaican music from that era.

Our condolences go out Sir Coxsone's friends and family. More comprehensive details on his life and works can be found in obituaries in The Telegraph, Jamacia Observer and Billboard. There's also an older interview online from Grand Royal Magazine.

Brittley Black of Crime / The Readymades: 1956-2004

Lawrence David "Brittley" Black, drummer for early San Francisco punk bands Crime and The Readymades, passed away on April 28th from complications from diabetes. He was 48. There will be a memorial service held on Saturday May 22 at Immanuel Lutheran Church, 1420 Lafayette Street, Alameda, California. Our condolences go out to the Brittley's friends and family.

Stephan X of Badtown Boys

Details are sketchy at this time but Punknews.Org has reports that Stephan X, vocalist of California's Badtown Boys, has been killed in a car accident.

Badtown Boys formed in 1985 in the San Fernando Valley. Stephan took over for original singer Greg Keith for 1999's Another Fine Day released on on New Red Archives. The news of his passing was reported to us earlier but was not posted until we could attach a name to our source, however if anyone has additional information on this story please contact us. Our deepest condolences go out to Stephan's family and friends.

Dead Milkmen bassist Dave Blood

Dave Blood, bassist of the near-legendary and now-defunct indie punks the Dead Milkmen, passed away on March 10th. His sister Kathy posted the news on the Dead Milkmen message board, saying:

"My brother was a smart clever and talented person. Inner peace has seemed to elude him for the last many years. Sometime last night David chose to end his life. He left a note that I don't know all of what it said,he was not elaborate-but he said he just could not stand to go on any longer."

There will be a memorial service in the Delaware County area in the coming weeks; we'll bring you more news on that as we have it.

Our condolences go out to the friends, family, and fans of Dave Blood.

Chin Up Chin Up bassist Chris Saathoff: 1978-2004

to let us know that Chris Saathoff, bassist for Chicago group Chin Up Chin Up, was struck by a speeding car and killed this past Saturday after leaving the Empty Bottle with his girlfriend. The car that struck Saathoff was one of two involved in some sort of gang fight. Saathoff was able to push his girlfriend out of the way, but was struck and killed instantly by the car, the passengers of which were later caught by Chicago police.

The 26-year old Saathoff not only played bass for rising Chicago band Chin Up Chin Up, he also doubled as a drummer for Miss Alex White. Funeral services will be this Friday in Batavia, where Saathoff went to high school. For more information, click READ MORE. The band is offering rides to anyone who might want to attend - simply email bivouactouring@yahoo.com to work something out.

For more information on Saathoff's life, as well as a compilation of all news reports on the incident, please visit here.

Our deepest condolences go out to the friends and family of Chris Saathoff.