Legendary record producer Jerry Wexler, who helped shape R&B music with influential recordings of Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles and other greats, and later made key recordings with the likes of Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson, has died, said his son, Paul.
Paul Wexler said his father died at a hospice in Sarasota, Fla., about 3:45 a.m. Friday of congenital heart disease; the death was first confirmed to The Associated Press by David Ritz, co-author of Wexler's 1993 memoir, "Rhythm and the Blues."
Both his son and daughter Lisa were present at the time of his death. Paul Wexler told the AP his father's death was "a tremendous loss."
"The number of artists that he was involved with and helped significantly or just made great records with, the list is almost unbelievable," Paul Wexler added. "And many of them are gone now."
Wexler earned his reputation as a music industry giant while a partner at Atlantic Records with another legendary music figure, the late Ahmet Ertegun. Atlantic provided an outlet for the groundbreaking work of African-American performers in the 1950s and 1960s. Later, it was a home to rock icons like Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones. He later helped Dylan win his first Grammy by producing his 1979 "Slow Train Coming" album.
Wexler helped boost the careers of both the "King of Soul," Charles, and the "Queen of Soul," Franklin. Wilson Pickett, Solomon Burke and Percy Sledge were among the other R&B greats who benefited from Wexler's deft recording touch. He also produced Dusty Springfield's classic "Dusty in Memphis," considered a masterpiece of "blue-eyed" soul.
Burke said Wexler was the ultimate music man.
"He loved black music, R&B music and rhythm and blues was his foundation. He had a feeling for it, he had the knack to keep it going in his heart and recognize the talent that he felt was real," Burke told the AP after learning of his death. "Jerry Wexler didn't change the sound of America, he put the sound to the public. He open the doors and windows to the radio stations ... and made everybody listen."
Among the standards produced by Wexler: Franklin's "Respect," a dazzling, feminist reworking of an Otis Redding song; Sledge's deep ballad "When A Man Loves A Woman" and Pickett's "In the Midnight Hour," with a horn vamp inspired by Wexler's admittedly rhythmless dancing.
Wexler was named to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.
Joined: 06 Jan 2008 Posts: 2820 Location: hentai no mori..tehehehe..XD
Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2008 3:59 pm Post subject:
Actor Lee Eon passes away at age 27
Up and coming actor Lee Eon passed away in a motorcycle accident early this morning on August 21. He was coming back from a wrap-up party for his recent drama Strongest Chilwoo when he crashed into a guard rail. He was not breathing when the police found him at the scene and was rushed to the hospital. However, the doctors were not able to resuscitate him. According to police reports, the accident occurred when Lee Eon was attempting to change lanes as the road changed from 2 lanes to 1.
w/ his co-stars in the hit korean drama Coffee Prince
may you RIP Lee Un..we'll miss you dearly..
this news really shocked my day for it was really sudden..hopefully his mom will be alright, read in other news that she's still in denial, well we can't blame her, he's her only child..it's really painful.. _________________
Joined: 06 Jan 2008 Posts: 2820 Location: hentai no mori..tehehehe..XD
Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2008 3:14 pm Post subject:
Actress Kanako Fukaura dies of cancer
Wed, August 27, 2008 (2:56am EDT)
Actress Kanako Fukaura passed away on Monday night at a Tokyo hospital. She was 48. Diagnosed with colon cancer five years ago, she was repeatedly hospitalized and had multiple surgeries. It was recently discovered that the cancer had spread to her lungs, and she was once again admitted to the hospital on August 4. According to her family, Fukaura had become comatose on Sunday.
Fukaura was born in Tokyo in 1960. While studying theater at Meiji University in 1980, she helped found the acting troupe Gekidan Daisan Erotica and became one of their leading actresses. She left the troupe in 1989 and appeared in many stage plays, television dramas, and films. Her early TV career included "Ienaki Ko," "Sweet Home," and "Nurse no Oshigoto." Her most recent works include last year's drama series "SP" and the Hideo Sakaki-directed movie "Boku no Obaachan," which is scheduled to open in theaters this December.
source: tokyograph
----------------
condolences to her family and loved ones.. _________________
Joined: 31 Mar 2007 Posts: 3930 Location: �p���_�N�ƔL�B Country:
Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2008 3:40 pm Post subject:
meoinkie2 wrote:
Actress Kanako Fukaura dies of cancer
Wed, August 27, 2008 (2:56am EDT)
Omg, she passed away?? She was one of those "love to hate" actresses for me, but after seeing her in Sweet Home, I've gotten to like her a lot. This is so sad. RIP. _________________
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Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2008 9:27 pm Post subject:
sadacori wrote:
Omg, she passed away?? She was one of those "love to hate" actresses for me, but after seeing her in Sweet Home, I've gotten to like her a lot. This is so sad. RIP.
I'll always remember her as the man stealing Chiyoko from Watashi no Aozora This is very sad.
Joined: 31 Mar 2007 Posts: 3930 Location: �p���_�N�ƔL�B Country:
Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2008 7:58 am Post subject:
gaijinmark wrote:
I'll always remember her as the man stealing Chiyoko from Watashi no Aozora This is very sad.
This is the role that made me really dislike her. Then I saw Sweet Home and she quickly became my favorite in that show. Such a sad thing to happen to such a talented actress. _________________
Joined: 06 Jan 2008 Posts: 2820 Location: hentai no mori..tehehehe..XD
Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2008 3:17 pm Post subject:
Caster Kusayanagi hangs herself
Wed, September 10, 2008 (3:06am EDT)
Television caster Fumie Kusayanagi was found hanged on Tuesday morning at her Tokyo apartment. She was 54. Given that she left a note, the incident is presumed to be a suicide.
Kusayanagi lived with her mother on the 46th floor of a 54-story building. Early on Tuesday morning, her mother woke up and was unable to find her daughter, so she called a security guard to help her search. They eventually found Kusayanagi hanging by her neck from their balcony, dressed in her pajamas. She was taken to the hospital, where she was confirmed to be dead.
Kusayanagi had been ill for a while and underwent surgery in May 2007. She appears to have been worried about her health, but it is not clear if that was a reason for her suicide.
The eldest daughter of the late journalist Taizo Kusayanagi, Fumie was a graduate of Aoyama Gakuin and a former Miss Tokyo. She joined NHK in 1975 and became active in television, radio, and print. She was once married to 9-dan shogi player Kazuo Manabe.
Joined: 06 Jan 2008 Posts: 2820 Location: hentai no mori..tehehehe..XD
Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2008 11:59 am Post subject:
Pink Floyd member Richard Wright dies age 65
Tuesday 16th September, 06:09 AM JST
LONDON �\Richard Wright, a founding member of the rock group Pink Floyd, died Monday. He was 65.
Pink Floyd�fs spokesman Doug Wright, who is not related to the artist, said Wright died after a battle with cancer at his home in Britain. He says the band member�fs family did not want to give more details about his death.
Wright met Pink Floyd members Roger Waters and Nick Mason in college and joined their early band, Sigma 6. Along with the late Syd Barrett, the four formed Pink Floyd in 1965.
The group�fs jazz-infused rock and drug-laced multimedia �ghappenings�h made them darlings of the London psychedelic scene, and their 1967 album, �gThe Piper at the Gates of Dawn,�h was a hit.
In the early days of Pink Floyd, Wright, along with Barrett, was seen as the group�fs dominant musical force. The London-born musician and son of a biochemist wrote songs and played the keyboard.
�gRick�fs keyboards were an integral park of the Pink Floyd sound�h said Joe Boyd, a prominent record producer who worked with Pink Floyd early in its career.
The band released a series of commercially and critically successful albums including 1973�fs �gDark Side of the Moon,�h which has sold more than 40 million copies. Wright wrote �gThe Great Gig In The Sky�h and �gUs And Them�h for that album, and later worked on the group�fs epic compositions such as �gAtom Heart Mother,�h �gEchoes�h and �gShine On You Crazy Diamond.�h
But tensions grew between Waters, Wright and fellow band member David Gilmour. The tensions came to a head during the making of �gThe Wall�h when Waters insisted Wright be fired. As a result, Wright was relegated to the status of session musician on the tour of �gThe Wall,�h and did not perform on Pink Floyd�fs 1983 album �gThe Final Cut.�h
Wright formed a new band Zee with Dave Harris, from the band Fashion, and released one album, �gIdentity,�h with Atlantic Records.
Waters left Pink Floyd in 1985 and Wright began recording with Mason and Gilmour again, releasing the albums �gThe Division Bell�h and �gA Momentary Lapse of Reason�h as Pink Floyd. Wright also released the solo albums �gWet Dream�h (1978) and �gBroken China�h (1996).
In July 2005, Wright, Waters, Mason and Gilmour reunited to perform at the �gLive 8�h charity concert in London�\the first time in 25 years they had been onstage together.
Wright also worked on Gilmour�fs solo projects, most recently playing on the 2006 album �gOn An Island�h and the accompanying world tour.
Gilmour paid tribute to Wright Monday, saying his input was often forgotten.
�gHe was gentle, unassuming and private but his soulful voice and playing were vital, magical components of our most recognized Pink Floyd sound,�h he said. �gI have never played with anyone quite like him.�h
Hawaiian singer Teruko Hino died late at night on September 9 in a Tokyo-area hospital. She was 63.
Hino, whose real name was Teruko Ichinose, was diagnosed with lung cancer in December 2003. The cancer later spread to several other areas of her body, resulting in repeated hospitalization. Her condition improved and she continued her career, but last year her cancer resurfaced. She held her last performance on December 23.
In 1962, Hino won the All-Japan Hawaiian Contest, and she made her debut two years later. One of her best known hits was the 1965 single "Natsu no Hi no Omoide," which became a million-seller. Starting that year, she made three consecutive appearances at the Kohaku Uta Gassen.
She married composer Yoshitaka Ichinose in 1969, at the height of her career. She left show business to raise a family, but she came back a decade later.
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RIP, Mr. Hayes.
![](http://www.japan-zone.com/modern/pix/k/kusayanagi_fumie_suicide.jpg")
