April 8

Beatles legacy continued today in 1963 when Julian Lennon was born to John and first wife Cynthia, the son who would inspire "Hey Jude" and "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" before his father's devotion to Yoko Ono left him feeling abandoned, though his own music career proved his talent…

 

Singer-songwriter brilliance was silenced today in 1997 when Laura Nyro died at 49 from ovarian cancer, ending the career of the Bronx pianist whose jazz-influenced compositions became hits for others while her own albums influenced everyone from Joni Mitchell to Todd Rundgren…

 

Grand Funk Railroad's thunderous bassist Mel Schacher was born on this day in 1951, the musician whose heavy playing helped make the Michigan band arena rock's most successful act in the early 1970s despite critics dismissing them as the era's loudest lowest common denominator…

 

Disney nostalgia lost its sweetest voice on this day in 2013 when Annette Funicello died at 70 from complications of multiple sclerosis, ending the life of the original Mouseketeer whose beach party movies and pop hits made her America's wholesome teen dream…

 

Punk lost its greatest provocateur today in 2010 when Malcolm McLaren died at 64 from cancer, ending the life of the Sex Pistols manager whose vision of punk as art-school confrontation proved as influential as the music itself while his later career embraced hip-hop and opera…

 

Progressive rock's most elegant guitarist Steve Howe celebrates his 78th birthday today, the Yes virtuoso whose classical and jazz influences made him one of the genre's most technically accomplished players across five decades of complex compositions…

 

Guns N' Roses' coolest rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin turns 64 today, the songwriter who co-wrote many of the band's best songs before his 1991 departure proved he valued sanity over superstardom, escaping before excess consumed his bandmates…

 

We remember French chanson's greatest voice Jacques Brel on his birthday today in 1929, the Belgian singer-songwriter whose theatrical performances and existential lyrics influenced everyone from David Bowie to Leonard Cohen before lung cancer claimed him in 1978.