Music Obituaries: August 2025

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It's time to take that monthly pause to say farewell to people in the world of music who left us in the previous month. For you newcomers, my primary interest is music, so every month I salute the people from the world of music, whether superstar or barely known, who made lives a little better with their music. Here are the music individuals who sang their final song in August 2025: Jack W. Batman (August 1, pancreatic cancer, age 81): Tony Award-winning Broadway producer of such musicals as Pippin and On the Town. David Roach (August 1, cancer, age 64): lead singer for the metal band Junkyard, known for the 1991 song “All the Time in the World.” He died two weeks after his wedding. Jeanie Seely (August 1, complications from intestinal infection, age 85): country music singer and songwriter, known for her hit “Don’t Touch Me,” and a longstanding member of the Grand Ole Opry. Loni Anderson (August 3, uterine cancer, age 79): best known for her role as Jennifer Marlowe, the receptionist on the music-based sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati. Larry Gillstrom (August 4, cancer, age 71): guitarist in the Canadian metal band Kick Axe, with hits like “Heavy Metal Shuffle” and “On the Road to Rock.” Jane Morgan (August 4, natural causes, age 101): pop singer and Broadway star in the 1950s, best known for her hit “Fascination.” Terry Reid (August 4, cancer, age 75): the man who might have made Robert Plant a nobody: Reid was asked to be the lead vocalist for Led Zeppelin, but turned them down. He was a member of the much less-famous Peter Jay and the Jaywalkers, but heralded as one of the best vocalists in British rock by many, including Plant. *Col Joye (ne Colin Jacobsen) (August 5, natural causes, age 89): AUSTRALIAN RECORD INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION HALL OF FAMER. The first Australian to hit #1 on the national Australian pop charts with “Oh Yeah, Uh Huh” in 1959. He also ran an A&R company that promoted The Bee Gees and their brother Andy Gibb. Tommy Nallie (August 5, prostate cancer, age 77): guitarist and member of the current incarnation of the Sons of the Pioneers. Eddie Palmieri (August 6, natural causes, age 88): nine-time Grammy award-winning jazz pianist and band leader. Brandon Blackstock (August 7, melanoma, age 48): former husband of Kelly Clarkson and her former manager. Bobby Whitlock (August 10, brief illness, age 77): member of Derek and the Dominoes and co-writer of their hit “Bell Bottom Blues.” He later was a member of Delaney and Bonnie and Friends. Chuck Girard (August 11, cancer, age 81): a member of the Hondells, singing lead on their 1965 hit “Little Honda.” He later became a Christian singer and songwriter with the group Love Song. Shelia Jordan (August 11, natural causes, age 96): “Jazz Master” vocalist who worked with Charlie Parker among countless others and gained fame with her 1960s album A Portrait of Shelia. Ronnie Rondell Jr. (August 12, natural causes, age 88): acclaimed stuntman in films such as Blazing Saddles, Lethal Weapon, and The Crow. He was also noted for the cover of Pink Floyd’s album Wish You Were Here, where he appeared as the businessman on fire. Albert Quaid (August 14, car wreck, age 71): bass player in the current incarnation of the Texas Playboys. Joe Hickerson (August 17, natural causes, age 89): folk singer and songwriter, best known for co-writing the classic folk tune “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” Michael “Tunes” Antunes (August 19, kidney failure, age 85): saxophonist in John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band, known for their hit from the Eddie and the Cruisers movie, “On the Dark Side.” Antunes was the only member of the Beaver Brown Band to appear in the film, as the Cruisers’ sax player. Mike Fisher (August 19, unknown cause, age 76): co-founder (with brother Roger) of the Seattle band that became Heart. He also dated Ann Wilson, and the song “Magic Man” was written about him. Brent Hinds (August 20, motorcycle wreck, age 51): longtime member of the Grammy-winning metal band Mastodon, acting as guitarist, co-lead singer, and songwriter. Margie Latzko (August 22, natural causes, age 96): a member of the girl harmony group the Chordettes, known for songs like “Mr. Sandman," in the mid-50s. Joel Sill (August 22, pulmonary fibrosis, age 78): longtime music executive who went from record labels to being a music supervisor for films such as Forrest Gump, Vision Quest, and Blade Runner. Tom Shipley (August 24, unknown cause, age 84): half of Brewer and Shipley, the folk-rock duo known for their hit “One Toke Over the Line.” Mike Brewer, the other half of the team, died eight months ago. Chris Gage (August 25, prostate cancer, age 71): Austin, Texas singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist who played with the likes of Jerry Jeff Walker and Jimmie Dale Gilmore. He also had an extensive duet career with his wife, Christine Albert. Vicky Tafoya (August 25, cancer, age unknown): Texas-based singer/songwriter with a powerhouse voice that combined blues, R&B, rock, and country. Randy Boone (August 28, unknown cause, age 83): actor on The Virginian who was also a singer and guitarist. His musical talents earned him a role in the short-lived series It’s a Man’s World. *Gary Burbank (né William Purser) (August 28, COPD/dementia, age 84): NATIONAL RADIO HALL OF FAMER. A local DJ (he started here in Louisville on WAKY and finished up his long career at WLW in Cincinnati) with nationally syndicated comic bits, most notably, “Earl Pitts, American.” Ray Mayhew (August 28, unknown cause, age 60): bassist for the British punk/new wave band Sigue Sigue Sputnik. Late additions from July: Art Fein (July 30, heart failure, age 79): longtime music promoter who worked for several record labels in the 1970s and 80s in California. Michael Lydon (July 30, Parkinson’s disease, age 82): music journalist who was one of the founders of Rolling Stone magazine. Farewell, and thank you for the music. John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown's hit "On the Dark Side," featuring the late Michael Antunes on sax: