April 1
Soul music suffered its most tragic loss today in 1984 when Marvin Gaye was shot dead by his father at his parents' Los Angeles home, the 44-year-old singer's death at the hands of Reverend Marvin Gay Sr. ending one of Motown's greatest careers in horrific family violence… The Beatles' first wife died on this day in 2015 when Cynthia Lennon succumbed to cancer at 75, ending the life of John's art school sweetheart who had been cast aside for Yoko Ono while raising their son Julian largely alone after their divorce… We remember the Small Faces' most soulful bassist Ronnie Lane on his birthday today in 1946, the British musician whose work with the Faces and solo career showcased his love of traditional English music before multiple sclerosis and his death in 1997 ended a criminally underrated career… Jazz lost its greatest educator on this day in 2020 when Ellis Marsalis died at 85 from COVID-19 pneumonia, ending the life of the New Orleans patr...
