Elvin Shepherd

popular name: Michel Delpech

date_of_death: January 2, 2016

age: 69

cause_of_death: Throat cancer

claim_to_fame: Music

best_know_for: Michel Delpech (1946–2016) was a celebrated French singer-songwriter whose smooth voice and melodic pop chansons made him one of France’s most beloved artists from the late 1960s onward. He rose to fame with early successes such as Chez Laurette, before achieving major popularity in the 1970s with iconic hits like Wight Is Wight, Pour un flirt, and Que Marianne était jolie, songs that blended gentle lyricism with themes of youth, love, and idealism. Though his career later experienced quiet periods, Delpech repeatedly returned to the spotlight, releasing reflective albums that revealed a more introspective and spiritual side. His personal life was marked by both reinvention and struggle, including battles with depression and, later, throat cancer. Even as illness advanced, he continued to write—publishing books and releasing music that explored resilience and hope. Fans today can visit him at his tomb at Cimetiere du Pere Lachaise in Paris, France.

popular name: Howlin' Wolf

date_of_death: January 10, 1976

age: 65

cause_of_death: Complications from brain cancer and kidney disease

claim_to_fame: Music

best_know_for: Chester Arthur Burnett, known as Howlin’ Wolf or Howling Wolf, was one of the most influential musicians of the post–World War II era. His electric blues guitar, backing his powerful, howling voice, helped shape rock and roll. The raw, rasping, guttural power of Wolf's fierce voice, combined with his imposing physical presence and wild stage abandon, made him unforgettable. His influence stretched far beyond the realm of the blues; British rock performers Eric Clapton, The Rolling Stones, and The Yardbirds merged Wolf's blues with white rock and roll in songs like "Smokestack Lightning," "Ain't Superstitious," "Back Door Man" and "Little Red Rooster." Wolf was an experimental bluesman who formulated a wide range of moods and possibilities for his songs. He was also notably consistent: Throughout his career he retained the style, vigor, and flavor of the Mississippi Delta blues of his early years.

popular name: Keith Emerson

date_of_death: March 11, 2016

age: 71

cause_of_death: Self-Inflicted gunshot wound to the head

claim_to_fame: Music

best_know_for: Keith Emerson was an English keyboardist, songwriter, and record producer who was perhaps best known as one-third of Emerson, Lake and Palmer. He played keyboards in a number of bands before finding his first commercial success with the Nice in the late 1960s. After leaving the Nice in 1970, he was a founding member of Emerson, Lake & Palmer (ELP), one of the early progressive rock supergroups. Emerson, Lake & Palmer were commercially successful through much of the 1970s, becoming one of the best-known progressive rock groups of the era. He proved, without a shadow of doubt, that through his work with the Nice and Emerson, Lake & Palmer, who were both able to demonstrate that pop, classical music and jazz could not only co-exist but feed fruitfully off each other. Emerson reached a summit of success with ELP in the early 70s, when the group achieved a string of hit albums including Tarkus and Brain Salad Surgery, exploiting cutting-edge musical technology alongside outrageous showmanship. Emerson was a pioneer in the use of the Moog synthesiser and was the first musician to take the instrument on tour. Emerson remained active with ELP reunions and his own solo material. Suffering from depression, health and marital problems he took his own life at his home in Santa Monica, California.