Johann Strauss ll

popular name: Celia Cruz

date_of_death: July 16, 2003

age: 77

cause_of_death: Brain cancer

claim_to_fame: Music

best_know_for: Originally Celia Cruz studied to be a teacher in her native Havana, but was lured into show business when a relative entered her in a radio talent contest, which she won. She later studied music at the Havana Conservatory and performed at the wold-famous Tropicana nightclub. In the 1950s, Cruz became famous with the legendary Afro-Cuban group La Sonora Matancera. She left Cuba after its 1959 revolution for the United States in 1960, and never returned. With her powerful voice and flamboyant stage shows, Cruz helped bring salsa music to a broad audience. Her alliance with fellow salsa star and "Mambo King" Tito Puente garnered some of the biggest success in her career. The two recorded albums and regularly performed together, and they were considered legends of the genre. All in all she recorded more than 70 albums and had more than a dozen Grammy nominations. She won best salsa album for "La Negra Tiene Tumbao" and again the following year. Among her other best-known recordings are "Yerberito Moreno" and "Que le Den Candela." Today fans visit the grave of Cuban Queen of Salsa at her private mausoleum at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, New York.

popular name: Lemmy Kilmister

date_of_death: December 28, 2015

age: 70

cause_of_death: Prostate cancer, cardiac arrhythmia, and congestive heart failure

claim_to_fame: Music

best_know_for: Inspired by the Beatles and worked as a roadie for the Jimi Hendrix Experience in the 1960s, Lemmy Kilmister was the pure embodiment of the rock 'n' roll spirit. A fixture at the Rainbow on Hollywood Blvd when not on the road, Lemmy had his first taste of success as a member of Hawkwind, where he developed a distinctive bass style and sang lead vocals on the 1972 hit "Silver Machine." In 1975, Kilmister founded Motorhead, a band that has had an enormous influence on the heavy metal genre, largely because of Kilmister's furious bass playing, guttural vocals and innovative songwriting. His unique style brought punk influences to heavy metal, resulting in metal classics such as "Ace of Spades" and "Overkill." Kilmister also co-wrote songs for Ozzy Osbourne's 1991 album, "No More Tears," including the No. 2 hit "Mama, I'm Coming Home" and the Grammy-winning "I Don't Want To Change the World." The intimidating warrior with a wart and rasping voice, always with a bottle of whiskey in his hand and a cigarette in his mouth was also a really kind guy; one of the nicest in the business.

popular name: Mahalia Jackson

date_of_death: January 27, 1972

age: 60

cause_of_death: Post surgical complications to remove a bowel obstruction

claim_to_fame: Music

best_know_for: Known as the Queen of Gospel Music, Mahalia Jackson was an American gospel singer, widely considered one of the most influential vocalists of the 20th century. With a career spanning 40 years, Jackson was integral to the development and spread of gospel blues in black churches throughout the U.S. During a time when racial segregation was pervasive in American society, she met considerable and unexpected success in a recording career, selling an estimated 22 million records and performing in front of integrated and secular audiences in concert halls around the world. Nationwide recognition came for Jackson in 1947 with the release of "Move On Up a Little Higher", selling two million copies and hitting the number two spot on Billboard charts, both firsts for gospel music. Jackson's recordings captured the attention of jazz fans in the U.S. and France, and she became the first gospel recording artist to tour Europe. She regularly appeared on television and radio, and performed for many presidents and heads of state. In January 1972, she received surgery to remove a bowel obstruction and died in recovery. Although news outlets had reported on her health problems and concert postponements for years, her death came as a shock to many of her fans. She received a funeral service at Greater Salem Baptist Church in Chicago where she was still a member. Fifty thousand people paid their respects, many of them lining up in the snow the night before, and her peers in gospel singing performed in her memory the next morning. The day after, Mayor Richard Daley and other politicians and celebrities gave their eulogies at the Arie Crown Theater with 6,000 in attendance. Her body was returned to New Orleans where she lay in state at Rivergate Auditorium under a military and police guard, and 60,000 people viewed her casket. She was later laid to rest at Providence Memorial Park in Metairie, Louisiana.