Year: 2013

Clive Burr (March 8, 1957 – March 12, 2013) was an English drummer, best known as a member of Iron Maiden from 1979 to 1982.  Iron Maiden are the best selling English heavy metal band.

Clive Burr cause of death

Clive Burr died in his sleep March 12 after suffring from multiple sclerosis  Clive Burr was 56 years old at the time of his death. Burr used a wheelchair because of his condition.

Iron Maiden – The Number Of The Beast. Clive Burr on drums

Alvin Lee (born Graham Alvin Barnes, December 19, 1944 – March 6, 2013) was an English rock guitarist and singer, known as the lead guitarist and singer with the blues-rock band Ten Years After.

Alvin Lee’s performance at the Woodstock Festival was captured on film in the documentary of the event, and his playing helped catapult him to stardom.  Soon the band was playing arenas and stadiums around the globe. The film brought Lee’s music to a worldwide audience

Alvin Lee cause of death

Alvin Lee died on 6 March 2013 in Spain, from “unforeseen complications following a routine surgical procedure”. Alvin lee was 68 years old at the time of his death.

Woodstock – Ten Years After – I’m Going Home(Live)

Alvin Lee on guitar and vocal

William Alvin “Bill” Moody (April 10, 1954 – March 5, 2013), better known by his ring names Paul Bearer and Percival Pringle III, was a professional wrestling manager and former wrestler. He is best known for his time in World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW) and the World Wrestling Federation (later WWE) where he was the manager of multi-time world champions The Undertaker, Kane, Mick Foley and Vader.

Paul Bearer cause of death

Paul Bearer died On March 5, 2013 in Mobile, Alabama after suffering from issues with his gallbladder.  He also had a respiratory problems.  Paul Bearer was 58 years old at the time of his death.

A tribute to Paul Bearer: Raw, March 11, 2013

Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías (July 28, 1954 – March 5, 2013) was the President of Venezuela from 1999 until his death in 2013. He was formerly the leader of the Fifth Republic Movement political party from its foundation in 1997 until 2007, when it merged with several other parties to form the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), which he led until his death.

Hugo Chavez cause of death

Hugo Chavez died from a massive heart attack, and his cancer was very advanced when he died.  Hugo Chavez was 58 years old at the time of his death.

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Bobby Rogers (February 19, 1940 – March 3, 2013), born Robert E. Rogers, was an American soul singer and songwriter, notable as a member of Motown Records’ first signed act and first million selling group The Miracles from 1956 until 2011. He was inducted along with the other members of the Miracles – with the exception of Smokey Robinson – in 2012 to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Rogers was the grandfather of R&B singer Brandi Williams from the R&B girl group Blaque.

In addition to his work in The Miracles, Rogers was a part-time Motown songwriter; his most notable composition, authored with bandmate Smokey Robinson, was The Temptations’ first hit single, “The Way You Do the Things You Do”. Rogers also co-wrote The Temptations’ 1965 hit “My Baby”, Mary Wells’ hit, “What Love Has Joined Together”, The Contours’ 1965 hit “First I Look at the Purse”, (later covered by the J Geils Band), Marvin Gaye’s 1966 Top 40 hit, “One More Heartache” and The Miracles’ own 1964 Top 40 hit, “That’s What Love Is Made Of”, and their 1966 hit, “Going to a Go-Go”. He is also noted for doing co-lead vocals on The Miracles’ 1962 Top 10 smash, “You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me”, and singing lead on the group’s 1964 song, “You’re So Fine And Sweet”.Bobby was also reputed to be the group’s best dancer, and was responsible for many of the Miracles’ onstage routines,until the arrival of famed Motown choreographer Cholly Atkins.

Bobby Rogers cause of seath

Bobby Rogers died due to complications of diabetes on March 3, 2013.  Bobby Rogers was 73 years old at the time of his death.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction in 2012 (controversy)

In 1987, Smokey Robinson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist. However, in a decision that has since sparked much scrutiny, debate, and controversy, the other original members of The Miracles were not inducted. This proved a source of many protests from angry Miracles fans.

On February 9, 2012, after a 26 year wait, it was announced rest of The Miracles would be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame alongside Smokey Robinson. This induction occurred on April 14, 2012.  This induction occurred without the usual process of nomination and voting, under the premise that the entire group should have been inducted with Smokey Robinson back in 1987.

Smokey Robinson & The Miracles – You Really Got A Hold On Me
Bobby Rogers is the tallest gentleman with glasses

Jewel Eugene Akens (September 12, 1933, Houston, Texas – March 1, 2013, Inglewood, California) was an American singer and record producer.

One-hit-wonder singer Jewel Eugene Akens recorded “The Birds And The Bees” in 1965, on the Era Records label. The single went to Number 3 in the Billboard Hot 100 chart that year, and Number 2 on the Cash Box chart. It reached Number 29 in the UK Singles Chart. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. But the follow-up, “Georgie Porgie” only reached Number 68.

Jewel Akens cause of death

Jewel Akens died from complications of back surgery.  Jewel Akens was 79 years old at the time of his death. He is survived by his wife, Eddie Mae.

Jewel Akens – The Birds & The Bees

Bonnie Gail Franklin (January 6, 1944 – March 1, 2013) was an American actress, best known for her leading role in the television series One Day at a Time (1975–1984). She was nominated for the Emmy, Tony and Golden Globe Awards.

Bonnie Franklin cause of death

Bonnie Franklin died on March 1, 2013, at her Los Angeles home from complications of pancreatic cancer.  Bonnie Franklin was 69 years old a the time of her death.  Her 101 year old mother was her only immediate survivor.   On September 24, 2012, a family spokesman announced that Franklin had pancreatic cancer, and was undergoing treatment.

One Day at a Time – Home Again, Home Again (1 of 3)

Harvey Lavan “Van” Cliburn, Jr., (July 12, 1934 – February 27, 2013) was an American pianist who achieved worldwide recognition in 1958 at the age of 23, when he won the first quadrennial International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow at the height of the Cold War.

His mother, an accomplished pianist who had studied under a student of Franz Liszt, discovered him playing at age three and mimicking one of her students. She began his own lessons. He developed a rich, round tone and a singing voice-like phrasing, having been taught from the start to sing each piece.

Van Cliburn toured domestically and overseas. He played for royalty, heads of state, and every U.S. president from Dwight D. Eisenhower to Barack Obama.  His recording of Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 was the first album by a classical artist to sell more than 1 million copies.

Cliburn received the Kennedy Center Honors in 2001. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2003 by then President George W. Bush, and, in October 2004, the Russian Order of Friendship, the highest civilian awards of the two countries. He was also awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award the same year and played at a surprise 50th birthday party for United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. He was a member of the Alpha Chi Chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, and was awarded the fraternity’s Charles E. Lutton Man of Music Award in 1962. He was presented a 2010 National Medal of Arts by President Barack Obama.

Van Cliburn cause of death

Van Ciburn died of bone cancer.  Van Ciburn was 78 years old at the time of his death.  On August 27, 2012, Cliburn’s publicist announced that the pianist had advanced bone cancer.

Lawsuit

In 1998, Cliburn was named in a lawsuit by his domestic partner of seventeen years, mortician Thomas Zaremba. In the suit, Zaremba claimed entitlement to a portion of Cliburn’s income and assets and went on to charge that he might have been exposed to HIV, claiming emotional distress. The claims were denied by a trial court, and that decision was then affirmed by an appellate court, which held that palimony suits are not permitted in the state of Texas unless the relationship is based on a written agreement.

Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No.1 Mvt III – Van Cliburn

Malinda Gayle “Mindy” McCready (November 30, 1975 – February 17, 2013) was an American country music singer. Active since 1995, she recorded a total of five studio albums. Her debut album, 1996’s Ten Thousand Angels, was released on BNA Records and was certified 2× Multi-Platinum by the RIAA, while 1997’s If I Don’t Stay the Night was certified Gold. 1999’s I’m Not So Tough, her final album for BNA, was less successful, and she left the label. A self-titled fourth album followed in 2002 on Capitol Records.

Mindy McCready Cause of Death

On February 17, 2013, neighbors called the Sheriff’s Office of Cleburne County, Arkansas, reporting gunshots. McCready was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. She was found dead on her front porch, the same place where her former boyfriend, the father of her younger son, had killed himself one month prior. McCready’s two children remain in foster care and were not home at the time of her death. Mindy McCready was 37 years old at the time of her death

Mindy McCready – Ten Thousand Angels

Personal life

In 1997, McCready became engaged to actor Dean Cain. The couple broke up the following year. McCready also dated former NHL hockey player Drake Berehowsky.

In December 2003, she began dating aspiring singer William Patrick “Billy” McKnight. On May 8, 2005, McKnight was arrested and charged with attempted murder after beating and choking her. After reporting to People magazine that she had cut ties with McKnight, McCready was found unconscious in a hotel lobby in Indian Rocks Beach, Florida, after attempting suicide in July 2008. She was hospitalized for a drug overdose after consuming a large amount of undisclosed drugs with alcohol. The couple eventually got back together and McCready became pregnant. In September 2008, while she was pregnant with McKnight’s child, she attempted suicide again by overdosing on antidepressants. On March 25, 2006, McCready gave birth to a son, Zander Ryan McCready.

On December 17, 2008, paramedics were called to McCready’s Nashville home after an apparent suicide attempt; they transported her to a hospital after finding wounds on her wrists. On May 25, 2010, McCready was hospitalized in Cape Coral, Florida, for a possible drug overdose; she may have had a reaction to Darvocet her mother had given her.She was released later that day and returned home.

A pornographic videotape of McCready and an ex-boyfriend referred to as “Peter” went on sale by Vivid Entertainment in 2010.

On April 9, 2012, McCready gave birth to her second child, a son named Zayne. The child’s father, record producer David Wilson, was found dead at McCready’s home, on the same front porch where McCready would be found, on February 13, 2013, of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. The Cleburn County, Arkansas, sheriff’s department has opened an investigation into Wilson’s death. Following Wilson’s death, McCready released a statement in which she referred to him as her “soulmate” and “life partner”.

Roger Clemens affair

On November 17, 2008, McCready spoke in more detail to Inside Edition about her affair with baseball star Roger Clemens. She stated that their relationship lasted for more than a decade, ending when Clemens refused to leave his wife to marry McCready. However, she denied that she was 15 when it began; she said they met when she was 16 and the relationship became sexual only “several years later”.

Legal troubles

In August 2004, McCready was arrested in Tennessee for using a fake prescription to buy the painkiller OxyContin. Although she initially denied the charge, she pleaded guilty and was fined $4,000, sentenced to three years probation, and ordered to perform 200 hours of community service.

In May 2005, she was stopped by Nashville police for speeding, then arrested and charged with driving under the influence and driving with a suspended license. A jury later found her not guilty on the charges of DUI, but guilty of driving with a suspended license. That July, she was charged in Arizona with identity theft, unlawful use of transportation, unlawful imprisonment, and hindering prosecution.

An arrest warrant was issued for her the following month for violation of her probation when she left Tennessee without her probation officer’s permission. She was also charged with not reporting to her probation officer during the month of July. She was finally arrested in Florida and returned to Tennessee. She faced a hearing later that year on charges of violating her probation on a drug charge by failing to check in with her probation officer and leaving the state without permission to go to Florida.

In July 2007, McCready was arrested in Ft. Myers, Florida. She was charged with battery and resisting arrest for an apparent scuffle with her mother. The following week, she was taken into custody at the Nashville International Airport for violating probation. In September, McCready was sentenced to a year in jail for violating probation. In addition to the jail time, she was ordered to serve two more years of probation and perform 200 additional hours of community service. She was released from jail in December.

In June 2008, McCready was arrested in Tennessee for violating the terms of her probation set in September 2007. Sentenced to 60 days in jail, McCready turned herself in on September 30, 2008. After serving half of her sentence, she was released early for good behavior on October 31, 2008.

Rick Huxley (August 5, 1940 – February 11, 2013) was an English musician who was the bassist for The Dave Clark Five, a group that was part of the British Invasion.

Rick Huxley cause of death: Rick Huxley died in February 2013,  after suffering from emphysema for some years. Rick Huxley  was 72 years old at the time of his death.

Dave Clark Five – Because (1964)