Obits

Alan Merrill, Arrows Singer and ‘I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll’ Co-Writer, Dies at 69

Alan Merril, the singer of '70s rock band Arrows and the co-writer of "I Love Rock 'N' Roll," has died at the age of 69.

SPIN Staff / March 29, 2020

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Credit: Scott Dudelson/Getty Images for Stagecoach

Joe Diffie, Grammy-Winning Country Music Singer, Dies at 61 Due to Coronavirus

Joe Diffie, the Grammy-winning country music singer who rose to fame in the 1990s behind songs like "Pickup Man" and "John Deere Green," has died.

Daniel Kohn / March 29, 2020

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Credit: Shirlaine Forrest/WireImage

Bill Rieflin, Ex-R.E.M. and Ministry Drummer, Dies at 59

Bill Rieflin, the drummer for bands like R.E.M. and Ministry, has died at the age of 59 after an eight-year battle with cancer, SPIN has…

Daniel Kohn / March 24, 2020

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Credit: Sia Kambou/AFP via Getty Images

Manu Dibango, Afro-Jazz Saxophonist, Dies at 86 Due to Coronavirus

Manu Dibango, the Cameroonian jazz saxophonist, has died at the age of 86. In an official Facebook post, it said that Dibango's death was due…

Daniel Kohn / March 24, 2020

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Credit: Liz Brown/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

Tres Warren, Psychic Ills Singer, Dies at 41

Tres Warren, the singer and guitarist of New York City-based psych-rock duo Psychic Ills, has died at the age of 41. The band's Facebook page…

SPIN Staff / March 23, 2020

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Credit: Facebook

DJ Black N Mild, New Orleans Bounce DJ, Dies at 44 Due to Coronavirus

DJ Black N Mild, a renowned bounce DJ and radio personality in New Orleans, has died at the age of 44 due to the coronavirus.

Daniel Kohn / March 20, 2020

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Credit: Johnny Nunez/WireImage

Pop Smoke Dies at 20

Rising rapper Pop Smoke was fatally shot during a home invasion in Los Angeles early on Wednesday (Feb. 19), a spokesperson for the Los Angeles…

Emily Tan / February 19, 2020

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Bob Dorough from Schoolhouse Rock passes away

Schoolhouse Rock!‘s Bob Dorough Dies At 94

Bob Dorough, the jazz pianist, vocalist, and composer behind the music of Schoolhouse Rock!, has passed away. A spokesman for Dorough confirmed the news today, telling the…

Peter Helman, Stereogum / April 24, 2018

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R.I.P. Chuck Berry, a Founding Father of Rock ‘n’ Roll

Chuck Berry, the singer, songwriter and guitar great who practically defined rock music with his impeccably twangy hits "Maybellene," "Roll Over Beethoven," "Memphis," "My Ding-a-Ling"

Jennifer Frederick, Billboard / March 19, 2017

“He Was Different and Was the First to Remind You About It”: Friends and Former Spin Colleagues Remember Marc Spitz

In a profile of Vines frontman Craig Nicholls from a 2004 issue of Spin, Marc Spitz’s opening line was a quip about how he wanted…

SPIN Staff / February 8, 2017

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Remembering David Mancuso, New York Disco Pioneer and Founder of the Loft

In late 1972, a hippie native New Yorker named David Mancuso went to a Jamiacan record store in Brooklyn and found a single he liked…

Michaelangelo Matos / November 16, 2016

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Stagecoach: California's Country Music Festival 2011 - Day 2

Credit: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

R.I.P. Songwriter and Rock ‘n’ Roll Legend Leon Russell, Dead at Age 74

Musician and songwriter Leon Russell died in his sleep early Sunday in Nashville, according to a statement on his website. He was 74. No cause was…

Anna Gaca / November 13, 2016

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Credit: Mike Lawrie/Getty Images

Remembering Leonard Cohen, A Singular Musician and Poet

Leonard Cohen died Monday, but it was not announced until yesterday, on the day that he was buried in his Montreal hometown. His passing, sadly, was…

Winston Cook-Wilson / November 11, 2016

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Credit: Randy Yau via Flickr (Creative Commons)

R.I.P. Jean-Jacques Perrey, Moog Composer Extraordinaire

French electronic music producer Jean-Jacques Perrey died Friday at age 87 following a bout with lung cancer, Rolling Stone has confirmed. Perrey was hailed for his…

Anna Gaca / November 5, 2016