Joey Ramone

popular name: Jacques Higelin

date_of_death: April 6, 2018

age: 77

cause_of_death: Colorectal cancer

claim_to_fame: Music

best_know_for: Jacques Higelin (1940–2018) was a pioneering French singer-songwriter and performer who helped reshape French popular music by blending chanson, rock, jazz, and theatrical performance. He began his career in the 1960s as an actor and avant-garde musician, collaborating with artists such as Brigitte Fontaine and Areski Belkacem on experimental, countercultural projects. In the 1970s, he shifted toward a more energetic rock sound, achieving major success with albums like BBH 75, Irradié, and Champagne pour tout le monde, which established him as a central figure in French rock. Known for his electrifying, improvisational live shows, he reached peak popularity in the 1980s with large-scale concerts and widely celebrated albums, while continuing to evolve artistically in later decades. A fiercely independent and poetic voice, Higelin remained active into the 2010s, releasing his final album in 2016.

popular name: Connee Boswell

date_of_death: October 11, 1976

age: 68

cause_of_death: Stomach cancer

claim_to_fame: Music

best_know_for: Connee Boswell was an American jazz female vocalists, and first starting performing with her sisters as the trio The Boswell Sisters in the 1920s and 1930s. They became a highly influential singing group due to their recordings and film and television appearances. Connee is widely considered one of the greatest jazz female vocalists and was a major influence on Ella Fitzgerald. In 1936, Connee's sisters retired and Connee continued on as a successful solo artist selling a total of 75 million records. Interesting to note that Connee sang from a wheelchair, or seated position, during her career as a result of contracting poliomyelitis (‘infantile paralysis’) in childhood. The general public was not aware of her condition although Boswell herself did not keep this secret. She was frequently active in philanthropic efforts to bring awareness and support to those affected by disabilities, including support of the March of Dimes.

popular name: Eddie Kendricks

date_of_death: October 5, 1992

age: 52

cause_of_death: Lung cancer

claim_to_fame: Music

best_know_for: Eddie Kendricks was an American R&B singer and songwriter noted for his distinctive falsetto singing style. Kendricks co-founded the Motown singing group the Temptations and was one of their lead singers from 1960 until 1971. He was the lead voice on such hit songs as "The Way You Do the Things You Do", "Get Ready", and "Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)". As a solo artist, Kendricks recorded several hits of his own during the 1970s, including the number-one single "Keep On Truckin'".