Acclaimed and prolific French composer Michel Legrand, who won Academy Awards for his work in The Thomas Crown Affair, Summer of '42 and Yentl, died Saturday in Paris. He was 86. He collaborated with giants of the industry -- Miles Davis, Quincy Jones, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Lena Horne and Frank Sinatra. Variety...

Edwin Birdsong—an experimental jazz, funk, and disco keyboardist known for his work in the 1970s—has died. Edwin Birdsong’s 1979 song 'Cola Bottle Baby' was prominently sampled in Daft Punk 'Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger', as well as in Kanye West's 'Stronger'. Both De La Soul's 'Me Myself and I' and Gang Starr's 'Skills' sampled Birdsongs 'Rapper […]

Pegi Young, a musician, an activist, and Neil Young's former wife, died on New Year's Day following a yearlong battle with cancer. After singing back-up on Neil Young’s tours, she started her career as a solo musician with her debut self-titled album in 2007. She released five albums and fronted a band called Pegi Young […]

Billy Corgan, Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong, Edgar Wright, Pearl Jam, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Neil Gaiman, R.E.M.’s Mike Mills, Belle and Sebastian’s Stuart Murdoch, New Order’s Peter Hook, the Cure’s Lol Tolhurst, Meredith Graves, Superchunk, Thursday, the Afghan Whigs’ Greg Dulli, and more have paid tributes to Pete Shelley, Buzzcocks co-founder and vocalist. Pitchfork...

French singer and songwriter Charles Aznavour has died at 94 after a career lasting more than 80 years. The performer, born to Armenian immigrants, sold more than 180 million records and featured in over 60 films. He was best known for his 1974 hit 'She' and was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of […]