Tina Turner passes away at 83

Tina Turner, the “Queen of Rock ’n’ Roll”, has passed away. She passed away at age 83 after a long illness at her home in Küsnacht, Switzerland. Tina Turner was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, with Ike Turner in 1991 and as a solo artist in 2021. She went on to release 10 solo albums, the last of which was 1999’s Twenty Four Seven, and retired in 2007. We send our condolences to Tina Turner’s family, friends, and fans.

Alasdair “Algy” Mackie Ward of The Damned, Saints, Tank has passed away

Sadly, Algy Ward, who was in The Damned from 1979-1980 has passed away. Ward played bass on the seminal Machine Gun Etiquette album. After the Damned, he formed tank, who were part of the NWOBH movement. Before the Damned, Ward played in the Saints and appeared on their second and third albums. He was 63. You can hear some of his recordings below.

Andy Rourke of the Smiths has passed away

Sadly, Andy Rourke of The Smiths has passed away. He was 59. The death followed “a lengthy illness with pancreatic cancer.”

Rourke served as the Smiths bassist for the bands entire run. Following that, he played with many groups, including Peter Hook's Freebass, Sinead O'Connor, and The Pretenders. You can hear some of Rourke's work below.

Artist Frank Kozik has passed away

Sadly, Frank Kozik, who has created iconic album artwork and posters for Melvins, Dwarves, Offspring, Beastie Boys, White Stripes, Nirvana, sonic youth, Shonen Knife, X-cops, Queens of the Stone Age, and more has passed away. He was 61. You can see his family's statement below.

Andrew Laing of Leatherface/Cockney Rejects has passed away

Original drummer of Leatherface and long time member of cockney Rejects Andrew Laing has passed away. Laing played on all the classic Leatherface albums and was in the Rejects from 1999-2016. You can see a short statement by the Cockney Rejects below.

Mark Stewart of The Pop Group has passed away

Mark Stewart, vocalist of The Pop Group and The Maffia, has passed away. He was 62. No cause of death was given. The Pop Group released a statement on their website which reads in part,

”Mark Stewart passed away in early hours of Friday 21 April 2023 Mark is in Communion with Love As Sufis say; there is no such thing as death, no one is going to die, but since death is so valuable, it has been hidden in the safe of fears. Mark's family and friends respectfully ask to be given space at this difficult time.”

Mark Stewart co-founded The Pop Group in 1977 and the band went on to release two albums before splitting up in 1981. The band reunited in 2010 and released two more albums, the last of which was 2016’s Honeymoon on Mars. Mark Stewart also had an extensive solo career releasing a total of nine albums, the last of which was VS in 2022. We send our condolences to Mark Stewart’s family, friends, and fans.

Rich Jacovina of Silent Majority has passed away

Rich Jacovina, the guitarist for Silent Majority, has passed away at age 49. The band released a statement on Instagram which reads,

“Rest In Power - Richard W. Jacovina 1974-2023. ‘Fuck Their Expectations’”

. Kill Your Idols also paid tribute to Jacovina, writing on Facebook,

“Our condolences go out to the family and friends of Rich Jacovina. LIHC would not be what it is without Silent Majority. We shared many stages, the road, and have many lovely memories. So Glad to have been a part of this journey with you. Rest in Peace, brother”.

We send our condolences to Rich Jacovina’s family, friends, and fans.

Dix Denney of the Weirdos has passed away

Sadly, Dix Denney of The Weirdos has passed away. Denney founded the band with his brother John in 1975 and are considered one of the most important LA punk bands of all time. The band released the iconic Destroy All Music and We've got the neuton bomb eps in the late '70s. You can hear some of Dix's groundbreaking guitar work below.

Iconic producer SPOT has passed away

Sadly, Spot, real name Glen Lockett, has passed away. He was 72. Spot had health issues since 2021 and suffered a stroke about three months ago. As you know, Spot produced many, many landmark albums, including Damaged, Earth AD, Milo Goes to College and many, many more. We send our condolences to Spots family, friends, and fans.

Jae Monroe of A.P.P.L.E. has passed away

Jae Monroe, founding member and lead vocalist of New York anarcho peace punks A.P.P.L.E. and Word Made Flesh, has passed away. Her passing was announced in a post on Instagram made by her partner Chuck Garrido which reads,

Hello to all fans of (A).P.P.L(E). the band, to the many long time friends , new friends, supportive fans, political activists, and most importantly to all persons who simply found it easy to talk with Jae about any topic one desired this due to her extreme extroversion, high empathy, and high creativity.

As the man in her life for close to 29 years. I am completely ripped to pieces. I love her more than words can say, her politics and high intelligence often made others pale in comparison with any concepts they felt to be at the top of their priorities. I think of all the things that we experienced together and I break down and cry further. Jae turned me on to so many things, concepts, alternative methods, appreciation for art, psychology, opera, and the list is endless.. Her family made me feel as if I mattered especially when the broken down family that I came from when put to the test, easily crumbled underfoot; unable to serve a purpose to us both as a long term couple in love or as young musicians looking to somehow change our lives due to our passion for music and take no prisoners approach in a military type fashion ala The Ramones.

Jae passed away on 2/27/23, I had to receive emergency surgery over the weekend and was informed by local police while in the hospital…. It still somehow does not feel real at all. I will know more on what the cause of death was but this data will not be readily available for at least 8 weeks if not more.

I will begin on the creative endeavors that Jae always wanted to get published. I LOVE YOU JAE - WE ALMOST LASTED 30 YEARS TOGETHER!!! I WILL ALWAYS FIGHT TO KEEP YOUR IDEAS, NARRATIVE, IMPORTANT PERSPECTIVE AND HIGH VALUE ALIVE IN THIS WORLD AND TO NEVER BE FORGOTTEN.

I hope I can keep my own courage alive in the world without you by my side. I'll always love you Jeanette Monroe.”

We send our condolences to Jae Monroe’s family, friends, and fans.

Akira Tsuneoka of Hi-STANDARD has passed away

Akira Tsuneoka, founding member of and drummer for Japanese punk band Hi-STANDARD, has passed away. He was 51 years old. The band announced his passing in a statement on Facebook which reads,

”Dear fans and friends,

With deep and profound sadness, we inform you of the untimely passing of our beloved friend and drummer Akria Tsuneoka of Hi-STANDARD. His music and spirit will live on in our hearts. We ask that you respect the privacy of his family and the members of Hi-STANDARD during this difficult time.”

Akira Tsuneoka formed the band in 1991 along with Akihiro Nanba and Ken Yokoyama. Hi-STANDARD released five albums during their run, the last of which was The Gift. In 2017. We send our condolences to Akira Tsuneoka’s family, friends, and fans.

Tom Verlaine of Television has passed away

Tom Verlaine, the singer, and guitarist for Television, has passed away. He was 73 and died in New York City following a brief illness on January 28. Jesse Paris Smith, the daughter of Patti Smith, announced his passing in a statement that reads,

”He died peacefully in New York City surrounded by close friends. His vision and his imagination will be missed.”

Television released three studio albums and a handful of live albums, the most notable being 1977's Marquee Moon . Tom Verlaine released nine solo albums (not including a compilation album) the last of which was Around in 2006. We send our condolences to Tom Verlaine’s family, friends, and fans.