The New York Times – Music:
Leading the acclaimed salsa group El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, he brought the music of his native island to a worldwide audience for more than 60 years.
Author: Alex Williams
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Phil Upchurch, Jazz Guitarist and Sideman to Stars, Dies at 84
The New York Times – Music:
A self-taught session man extraordinaire, he played with a constellation of stars, including Michael Jackson, Curtis Mayfield, Chaka Khan and Dizzy Gillespie.
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Joseph Byrd, Who Shook Up Psychedelic Rock, Dies at 87
The New York Times – Music:
A veteran of the Fluxus art movement, he brought an anarchic spirit to the California acid-rock scene with his band, the United States of America.
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Ward Landrigan, Jeweler to the Stars, Dies at 84
The New York Times – Fashion & Style:
At Sotheby’s, he provided famous diamonds to Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton before reviving Verdura, a venerable jewelry company founded by a Sicilian duke.
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Sally Kirkland, Scene-Stealing Actress, Dies at 84
The New York Times – Film:
She received an Oscar nomination for the 1987 film “Anna” but spent much of her prolific career as a go-to supporting actress in movies like “The Sting” and “JFK.”
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Ken Parker, Who Sought to Reinvent the Guitar, Dies at 73
The New York Times – Music:
An inveterate tinkerer, he built groundbreaking guitars that were displayed in art galleries and played by Joni Mitchell, Trent Reznor and many others.
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Marcyliena Morgan, Founder of Harvard’s Hip-Hop Archive, Dies at 75
The New York Times – Music:
Her university’s vast collection of albums, scholarly essays and other ephemera helped establish rap as a course of serious study on a par with classical music.
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Gilles Larrain, Photographer of 1970s Drag Culture, Dies at 86
The New York Times – Fashion & Style:
He shot portraits of stars like John Lennon and Miles Davis. But he is best remembered for “Idols,” an intimate look at a vital New York underground.
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Danny Thompson, Bassist Who Defied Folk Conventions, Dies at 86
The New York Times – Music:
A bedrock of the idiosyncratic British group Pentangle, he went on to play with a host of luminaries, including Roy Orbison, Eric Clapton and Kate Bush.