earsucker

Legendary blues singer Etta James has passed away at the age of 73, according to her manager, Lupe De Leon.

She had a long battle with illness, after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2008, following a terminal cancer diagnosis. She was put under 24-hour care and had been battling cancer throughout 2011. It was then that her manager revealed that she was “in the final stages of leukemia” and was diagnosed with dementia and Hepatitis C.

She was hospitalized in December of 2011 after it was reported that she was having trouble breathing. She was finally released from the hospital on January 5, 2012, but passed away today.

May she rest in peace.

The legendary singer is survived by her husband, Artis, and their two sons, Donto and Sametto. RIP Etta. Your talented voice will surely be missed.

Comedian Patrice O’Neal has passed away at the young age of 41. The funnyman passed away on Monday night, after he suffered a stroke in October.

TMZ has more details:

This according to his friends at the “Opie and Anthony” radio show.

O’Neal had been a staple in the comedy world for years — and performed at the “Comedy Central Roast of Charlie Sheen” back in September. O’Neal was a regular guest on the “Opie and Anthony” radio show — and appeared on several TV shows such as “Chappelle Show,” “The Office,” and “Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn.”

Opie just tweeted, “Yes it’s true that our pal Patrice O’Neal has passed away. The funniest and best thinker I’ve ever known PERIOD.”

RIP :(

Apple co-founder Steve Jobs has passed away today at the age of 56-years-old.

TMZ has the scoop:

Jobs suffered a number of serious health issues over the years. In 2004, he announced he had a rare — but treatable — form of pancreatic cancer … and had a tumor successfully removed from his pancreas later that year.

TMZ posted a picture of Jobs two days after he resigned as Apple’s CEO in August, clearly showing a deterioration in his health.

In 2009, Jobs received a liver transplant after announcing his “health-related issues were more complex than I thought.”

RIP Steven Paul Jobs (2/24/1955 – 10/5/2011) He will be missed. Stay tuned as more details are released about his passing. RIP.

Update: Our sister site, Tragicomical, reports that Steve passed away peacefully. They also have his family’s official statement.

Former lead singer for the eighties hair band Warrant, Jani Lane, was found dead at the young age of only 47.

He rose to fame with Warrant, with such hits like Cherry Pie and Heaven, in the eighties.

Jani went his separate way from the band and had a solo career. He most recently canceled his February tour dates, but had not provided a reason.

The singer was found dead at the Comfort Inn hotel in Woodland Hills, California. There has been no apparent cause of death, but Jani did suffer from alcohol related issues.

He was previously arrested in 2010 for DUI and was ordered to serve 120 days in jail as a result. What a shame. He was a gifted singer and songwriter. May he rest in peace. “Heaven isn’t too far away”…

RIP Jani Lane (2/1/64-8/11/11)

Singer Amy Winehouse has been found dead! She was only 27-year-old! What a shame.

The Metropolitan Police issued a press release, stating, “Police were called by London Ambulance Service to an address in Camden Square NW1 shortly before 16.05hrs today, Saturday 23 July, following reports of a woman found deceased.”

The statement went on to reveal, “On arrival officers found the body of a 27-year-old female who was pronounced dead at the scene. Enquiries continue into the circumstances of the death. At this early stage it is being treated as unexplained.”

Amy has long battled drug and alcohol addiction and most recently performed at a Serbian concert where she was booed off of the stage.

May she rest in peace. Poor Amy, those who loved her said that they’d hoped she would get her act together before it was too late. I love her music, she passed way too young.

RIP.

Update: According to reports, there were no signs of foul play surrounding Amy’s death. An autopsy has been scheduled for tomorrow. Stay tuned as more details are made available about the cause of death. Drugs? A combination of drugs and alcohol?

Jeff Conaway has passed away earlier today, at the age of sixty-years-old. He was most known for his role as Kenickie in the 1978 movie Grease.

Jeff was in bad shape after being discovered in his home unconscious earlier this month. He was said to have overdosed on painkillers. He had fallen into a coma and his friends and family feared the worst.

He had a long battle with substance abuse and even appeared on Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew in 2008. Then, he admitted to being addicted to alcohol, cocaine and painkillers.

Jeff was in a coma, but it was decided that he would be taken off of life support yesterday. His family was hopeful for the past two weeks, but doctors advised them that this was a losing battle.

A source said, “Doctors advised the family that Jeff has had no brain function since he was brought into the hospital.”

Of the reports that his drug overdose was a suicide, his manager said, “I have heard those reports, but I would be highly surprised. He is not the sort of person who would intentionally take his own life.”

Our condolences go out to his family and friends. May he rest in peace.

Wrestling legend “Macho Man” Randy Savage has died today after getting into a car accident!

Wow, WTF?!???

The wrestler, also known by his birth name, Randall Mario Poffo, passed away after suffering a heart attack while behind the wheel of his car at 10AM this morning. According to his brother, Lanny Poffo, he lost control of his vehicle and passed away in Tampa, Florida.

Randy was only 58 years old. He was married twice and most recently celebrated his first year anniversary with his wife, Lynn.

RIP Randy Savage (11/15/52 – 5/20/11) You will be missed, brother!

From his Wikipedia page:

Savage was recognizable by wrestling fans for his distinctively deep and raspy voice, his ring attire (often comprising sunglasses, a bandana or head band, flashy robes, and a cowboy hat), intensity exhibited in and out of the ring, and his signature catch phrase (“Ooh yeah!”). WWE has said of Savage: “There has never been a Superstar more colorful than “Macho Man” Randy Savage. His style—perfectly punctuated by his entrance music, “Pomp and Circumstance”—has only been outshined by his performance in the ring.

So sad!

Update via TMZ:

UPDATE: Florida Highway Patrol tells TMZ … Savage was driving his 2009 Jeep Wrangler when he veered across a concrete median … through oncoming traffic … and “collided head-on with a tree.”

Savage was transported to Largo Medical center, where he died from his injuries.

Savage’s wife was a passenger in the vehicle during the collision — but survived with “minor injuries.” She was transported to a different local hospital where she was treated.

RIP.

Former Alice In Chains bassist Mike Starr has passed away!

He passed away in Utah at the young age of only 44. He appeared on the third season of Celebrity Rehab in 2009 and was busted just last month for possession of a controlled substance. Reportedly, he had 6 Xanax pills and 6 painkillers on him when he was arrested.

His father said, “It’s a terrible shock and tragedy.”

May he rest in peace. So sad.

Stay tuned as more details become available….

We here at Earsucker are hearing a lot of reports surrounding the possible death of legend Aretha Franklin….But we’re not believing the hype just yet!

The rumors of her untimely passing started on Twitter, which has users known for causing rumors such as this to get out of hand. We have heard nothing from any credible news organizations, so we’re keeping our eyes peeled for any news surrounding Aretha.

Until then, we’re calling this as a hoax. Stay tuned as we wait for more information to be made available.

R&B singer Teena Marie has passed away, we are sad to report.

She was reported to have died in her sleep last night after her daughter’s birthday. Her manager has confirmed the news, but no other information has been released.

She was found by her daughter. So sad. We send out our most heartfelt condolences to Teena’s family in their time of suffering.

RIP Teena Marie (March 5, 1956 – December 26, 2010).

Today marks the second anniversary of the day that Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff was arrested for bilking people out of billions of dollars. His son Mark, sent his wife two strange emails before hanging himself this morning in his Soho apartment building at 158 Mercer St. The emails said that he loved her and asked for her to send someone over to look after their son.

Page Six reports:

The eldest son of Bernie, Mark was “upset” over the two-year anniversary media coverage of his father’s massive fraud, a source said, noting a front-page story of the scheme and its aftermath in today’s Wall Street Journal.

This is so sad. He was only 46-years-old. See more exclusive photos of the scene outside of the apartment building here.