Elvin Shepherd

popular name: Harry Nilsson

date_of_death: January 15, 1994

age: 52

cause_of_death: Heart attack

claim_to_fame: Music

best_know_for: A leading pop songwriter first, and a performer a distant second Harry Nilsson was never able to fully develop his talent and instead was more widely regarded for his erratic rock 'n' roll lifestyle. Nilsson began writing songs in the early sixties while working the late shift in the computer department of a large California bank. After struggling for 5 years, he sold the songs "Paradise" and "Here I Sit" to producer and future murderer Phil Spector and the Ronettes. He signed a recording contract with RCA after he sold songs to The Monkees and the fledging Yardbirds. In 1967 he released the critically acclaimed album "The Pandemonium Shadow Show", showcasing his three-octave range while still working at the bank. The album did not go unnoticed by the Beatles and soon Nilsson became good friends with the Fab Four. Nilsson scored his first Top Ten hit with "Everybody's Talkin'", the theme song from the movie "Midnight Cowboy" (ironically written by someone else). In 1971 he scored big with his most commercially successful album "Nilsson Schmilsson," which included the emotive ballad "Without You." But Nilsson's problems began with the infamous year-long "lost weekend" with John Lennon during Lennon's split with Yoko Ono. The year long sessions of drinking and debauchery stayed with Nilsson the rest of his life. Another setback came when, after Lennon offered to produce Nilsson's next album, Nilsson lost the upper register of his voice for much of the recording sessions. Failing in health during the nineties, Nilsson passed away in his sleep from a massive heart attack just two days after putting the final vocal tracks down on his last album.

popular name: Ricky Wilson

date_of_death: October 12, 1985

age: 32

cause_of_death: AIDS related cancer

claim_to_fame: Music

best_know_for: With their bouffant coifs, thrift store fashion and dance-infected retrofitted sound, The B-52's rocked the house in the early 80s by capturing the attentions of the "so what?" generation. Founded by Ricky Wilson and his fellow killer B's, they appropriated everything that was tragically unhip and whipped up (via hook-laden pop songs) an ultra-cool, total fab pop confection. When they recorded their first album, they were picked up by Chris Blackwell of Island Records where they secured airplay and 500,000 in sales with the first two singles - Rock Lobster and Private Idaho. Unfortunately the party came to a halt when Ricky Wilson was diagnosed with AIDS during the recording of Whammy and died two years later. After four years on hiatus, the B-52’s staged a stunning comeback with their hit album Cosmic Thing. In a short time the album climbed to Number Five on the charts and selling 200,000 copies a week. The single “Love Shack” shot up to Number Three and sold over a million copies worldwide. With all that success from one album the band graduated from 1,300 seats in San Francisco’s to 14,000 seats arenas by the end of the tour,

popular name: Professor Longhair

date_of_death: January 30, 1980

age: 61

cause_of_death: Heart attack

claim_to_fame: Music

best_know_for: Professor Longhair (or "Fess" for short) was a Louisiana born singer and pianist who performed New Orleans blues. He was active in two distinct periods, first in the heyday of early rhythm and blues and later in the resurgence of interest in traditional jazz after the founding of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in 1970. His piano style has been described as "instantly recognizable, combining rumba, mambo, and calypso". During his career Professor Longhair had only one national commercial hit, "Bald Head", in 1950, under the name Roy Byrd and His Blues Jumpers. He also recorded his favorites, "Tipitina" and "Go to the Mardi Gras". He lacked crossover appeal among white and wide audiences. Yet, he is regarded as being a musician who was highly influential for other prominent musicians such as Fats Domino, Allen Toussaint and Dr. John. Upon his death, he was laid to rest at Mount Olivet Cemetery in New Orleans, Louisiana.