Music Obituaries: June 2025

Tweet

The time has come to pause and reflect on the musicians and people related to the industry who passed away last month. It was a brutal month; and, I assure you, we don’t need another loss as big as one we had in June. Not everyone made headlines news, of course, and that’s why I salute them all, not just the hall of fame members. They all gave someone happiness with the gift of music. Here are the individuals for whom the final curtain fell in June 2025: Rashid Lombard (June 4, unknown cause, age 74): the cofounder of the Cape Town International Jazz Festival in South Africa. Bob Andrews (June 5, cancer, age 75): British musician who played keyboards with Brinsley Schwarz (Nick Lowe’s first band) and later, Graham Parker and the Rumour. *Sly Stone (June 9, COPD, age 82): ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAMER. The front man of Sly and the Family Stone. Jonathan Mayers (June 10, heart attack, age 51): the co-founder of two major music festivals: Tennessee’s Bonnaroo and San Francisco’s Outside Lands. Douglas McCarthy (June 10, cirrhosis, age 58): lead vocalist for the British electro group Nitzer Ebb. *Brian Wilson (June 10, respiratory arrest, age 82): ROCK AND ROLL and SONGWRITERS HALL OF FAMER. The primary songwriter for the Beach Boys. Steven Leckie (June 14, lung cancer, age 67): lead singer of the Canadian punk band the Viletones. Patti Drew (June 16, unknown cause, age 80): 60s R&B singer with a few minor successes, most notably, the original recording of “Workin’ on a Groovy Thing,” later a hit for the 5th Dimension. Lou Christie (June 18, cancer, age 82): 60s singer with hits such as “Lightning Strikes” and “Lay a Little Loving on Me.” James Prime (June 19, cancer, age 64): keyboardist for the Scottish rock band Deacon Blue. Calvin Yarborough (June 19, heart disease, age 71): half of Yarborough and Peoples, known for their one major hit “Don’t Stop the Music.” Rebekah Del Rio (June 23, cancer, age 57): actress and singer best remembered for her performance in the film Mulholland Drive. *Mick Ralphs (June 23, stroke, age 81): ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAMER. Guitarist for Mott the Hoople and Bad Company, the latter of which is one of the 2025 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees. Bobby Sherman (June 24, kidney cancer, age 81): late 60s/early 70s teen idol singer and actor, known for roles on Here Come the Brides and hits “Julie, Do Ya Love Me” and “Little Woman.” Lalo Schifrin (June 26, pneumonia, age 93): five-time Grammy-winning TV and movie composer. Among his most famous compositions are the theme to Mission: Impossible and work in the Dirty Harry films. Walter Scott (June 26, cancer, age 81): founding member of the Whispers, who had hits “The Beat Goes On” (NOT the Sonny & Cher song) in 1979 and “Rock Steady” in 1987. Farewell, and thank you for the music. One of my favorite Beach Boys songs, “It’s OK,” co-written by the late, great Brian Wilson: