Anthony John Burger, a gospel music pianist whose latest album was nominated for a 2006 Gospel Music Association Award, died during a performance on Feb. 22. He was 44. When he was 8 months old, Burger fell onto a furnace grate and suffered third degree burns on his hands, legs and face. Doctors predicted he’d … Continue reading
Antonio de la Sant
Frances Langford Evinrude Stuart, the radio, stage and screen star who entertained the troops on Bob Hope’s USO tours, died on July 11. Cause of death was not released. She was 91. Born in Lakeland, Fla., Langford was just a teenager when bandleader Rudy Vallee heard her sing. Vallee offered her a guest spot on … Continue reading
Luther Ronzoni Vandross, the R&B singer whose lush voice sold more than 25 million albums, died on July 1. Cause of death was not released. He was 54. The New York native began playing the piano when he was only three years old. In his teens, Vandross fell in love with the musical stylings of … Continue reading
LaVerne D. Meisner, a virtuoso accordionist and bandleader who was known as the “Polka King of Wisconsin,” died on June 10 from complications of melanoma. He was 66. The Milwaukee native picked up the accordion when he was eight years old and formed his first band, Verne Meisner and the Polka Boys, when he was … Continue reading
Karl H. Mueller, the bass guitarist of the grunge rock band Soul Asylum, died on June 17 after a yearlong battle with esophageal cancer. He was 41. The Minneapolis native was a teenager when he visited a friend in London and became utterly fascinated by punk rock. When Mueller returned home, he hooked his classmates … Continue reading
Paul Newell Hester, the former drummer of the pop/rock band Crowded House, committed suicide on March 26. He was 46. The Melbourne native was born to Mulga Mike Hester, a legendary bushman, and Ann Hester, a jazz drummer who taught him how to play percussion instruments at an early age. Hester’s passion for music overrode … Continue reading
Danny Joe Brown, the original lead singer of the Southern rock band Molly Hatchet, died on March 10 of renal failure and pneumonia. He was 53. The Jacksonville, Fla., native graduated from high school, spent two years in the U.S. Coast Guard then made a living as an insurance salesman. His passion, however, was music … Continue reading
Brandenn E. Bremmer, a 14-year-old musical prodigy from Nebraska, sustained a gunshot wound to the head on March 15. The boy died the following day at Children’s Hospital in Denver. Authorities suspect he committed suicide. Bremmer taught himself to read when he was 18 months old. He began playing the piano at 3 and was … Continue reading
Chris LeDoux, a world champion bareback rider and country music star, died on March 9 from complications of liver cancer. He was 56. The son of an Air Force major, LeDoux lived in France, New York, Texas and Pennsylvania before moving to Cheyenne, Wyo. He developed an interest in rodeo in his teens and was … Continue reading