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  • Billy Paul, center, a jazz and soul singer best known...

    Earl Gibson III / AP

    Billy Paul, center, a jazz and soul singer best known for the No. 1 hit ballad and "Philadelphia Soul" classic "Me and Mrs. Jones," died April 24, 2016. He was 81. Read more.

  • Character actor Abe Vigoda, known for his roles in "The...

    Jon Simon / AP

    Character actor Abe Vigoda, known for his roles in "The Godfather" and the television series "Barney Miller," died Jan. 26, 2016. He was 94. Read more.

  • David Gest, a music producer, reality TV star and former...

    Sang Tan/AP

    David Gest, a music producer, reality TV star and former husband of Liza Minnelli, died April 12, 2016. He was 62. Read more.

  • Morley Safer, the veteran "60 Minutes" correspondent who was equally...

    John Paul Filo / AP

    Morley Safer, the veteran "60 Minutes" correspondent who was equally at home reporting on social injustices, the Orient Express and abstract art, and who exposed a military atrocity in Vietnam that played an early role in changing Americans' view of the war, died May 18, 2016. He was 84. Read more.

  • Nick Cave has been singing about mortality for decades, and...

    Carl Court / Getty-AFP

    Nick Cave has been singing about mortality for decades, and he's really good at it. Whether the narratives are biblical or pulpy, the victims innocents or death row convicts, the circumstances comprehensible or cruelly random, Cave's songs are on intimate terms with the infinite ways a life can be extinguished. And yet, "Skeleton Tree", his latest album with his estimable band, the Bad Seeds, is a relatively concise song cycle shadowed by death that feels different than all the rest. Read the full review.

  • Cuban leader Fidel Castro, the icon of leftist revolution who...

    Charles Tasnadi / AP

    Cuban leader Fidel Castro, the icon of leftist revolution who thrust his Caribbean nation onto the world stage by provoking Cold War confrontation and defying U.S. policy through 11 administrations, died Nov. 25, 2016. He was 90. Read more.

  • English actor Alan Rickman, best known for roles in "Love...

    Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times

    English actor Alan Rickman, best known for roles in "Love Actually," "Die Hard" and as Professor Snape in the "Harry Potter" films, died Jan. 14, 2016, after battling cancer. He was 69. Read more.

  • Former U.S. Congressman Michael G. Oxley, who helped write a...

    Mary Altaffer / AP

    Former U.S. Congressman Michael G. Oxley, who helped write a landmark business regulatory law following the collapse of Enron Corp. and WorldCom Inc., died Jan. 1, 2016, at age 71.

  • Agnes Nixon, who created popular daytime TV dramas such as...

    Rick Rowell / ABC via Getty Images

    Agnes Nixon, who created popular daytime TV dramas such as "One Life to Life" and "All My Children," died Sept. 28, 2016. The Chicago-born Northwestern University graduate was 93. Read more.

  • On "22, A Million," Justin Vernon reimagines his music from...

    AP

    On "22, A Million," Justin Vernon reimagines his music from the bottom up by letting technology — synthesizers, treated vocals, electronic sound effects — dictate. The songs retain their melancholy cast, but now must fight for air beneath static and noise. Read the full review.

  • Singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen, one of popular music's most influential figures...

    John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune

    Singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen, one of popular music's most influential figures for four decades, known most widely for the song "Hallelujah," died Nov. 10, 2016. He was 82. Read more.

  • Gwen Ifill, who covered politics for some of the country's...

    Brendan Smialowski / AP

    Gwen Ifill, who covered politics for some of the country's premier newspapers before transitioning to broadcast journalism and making her greatest mark as one of the most prominent TV anchors of her generation, died Nov. 14, 2016. She was 61. Read more.

  • Maurice White, whose sweeping compositions for the group he founded,...

    Matt Sayles / AP

    Maurice White, whose sweeping compositions for the group he founded, Earth, Wind & Fire, encompassed jazz, soul, gospel, blues, Latin and African music, died Feb. 4, 2016. He was 74. Read more.

  • Janet Reno, who was the first woman to serve as...

    Tony Gutierrez / AP

    Janet Reno, who was the first woman to serve as U.S. attorney general and became the epicenter of multiple political storms during the Clinton administration, died Nov. 7, 2016. She was 78. Read more.

  • The new album embraces her individuality more explicitly than ever,...

    Jean-Baptiste Lacroix, AFP/Getty Images

    The new album embraces her individuality more explicitly than ever, both more autobiographical and more politically and socially direct than anything she'd recorded previously. It's a rawer, less elaborate work than its predecessors, yet still hugely ambitious. Read the review

  • Grant Tinker, who brought new polish to the TV world...

    Danny Moloshok / AP

    Grant Tinker, who brought new polish to the TV world and beloved shows including "Hill Street Blues" to the audience as both a producer and a network boss, died Nov. 28, 2016. He was 90. Read more.

  • Kendrick Lamar's "Untitled, Unmastered" is presented as an unfinished work,...

    Matt Sayles/Invision/AP

    Kendrick Lamar's "Untitled, Unmastered" is presented as an unfinished work, though it rarely sounds like one. Read the review.

  • Van Williams, best known for his starring role as Britt...

    Getty Images

    Van Williams, best known for his starring role as Britt Reid/the Green Hornet in the 1966-67 TV series "The Green Hornet," died Nov. 28, 2016. He was 82. Read more.

  • Harper Lee, the elusive novelist whose child's-eye view of racial injustice...

    Rob Carr / AP 2007

    Harper Lee, the elusive novelist whose child's-eye view of racial injustice in a small Southern town, "To Kill a Mockingbird," became standard reading for millions of young people and an Oscar-winning film, died Feb. 19, 2016. She was 89. Read more.

  • Dan Haggerty, best known for his role in "The Life...

    Getty Images

    Dan Haggerty, best known for his role in "The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams," died from cancer Jan. 15, 2016. He was 74. Read more.

  • Three-time Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Edward Albee — best known...

    Stephen Dunn / 2010 Hartford Courant photo

    Three-time Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Edward Albee — best known for "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" — died Sept. 16, 2016. He was 88. Read more.

  • Polish film director Andrzej Wajda, whose career maneuvering between a...

    Alik Keplicz / AP

    Polish film director Andrzej Wajda, whose career maneuvering between a repressive communist government and an audience yearning for freedom won him international recognition and an honorary Oscar, died Oct. 9, 2016. He was 90. Read more.

  • John Saunders, the versatile sportscaster who had hosted ESPN's "The...

    Joe Faraoni / AP

    John Saunders, the versatile sportscaster who had hosted ESPN's "The Sports Reporters" for the last 15 years, died Aug. 10, 2016. He was 61. Read more.

  • Fred Hellerman, right, a founding member of the influential folk...

    Richard Drew / AP

    Fred Hellerman, right, a founding member of the influential folk music quartet the Weavers, died Sept. 1, 2016. He was 89. Read more.

  • Buddy Ryan, the defensive architect of the Super Bowl champion...

    Kidwiler Collection / Getty Images

    Buddy Ryan, the defensive architect of the Super Bowl champion 1985 Chicago Bears, died on June 28, 2016. He was 82. Read more.

  • French New Wave director Jacques Rivette, who often explored the...

    Damien Meyer/ AFP/Getty Images

    French New Wave director Jacques Rivette, who often explored the blurry line between reality and fantasy in a career spanning six decades and more than 20 features, died Jan. 29, 2016. He was 87. Read more.

  • Woody introduces the gang to a homemade spork toy with...

    Pixar / AP

    Woody introduces the gang to a homemade spork toy with self-esteem issues in "Toy Story 4."  Read the review.

  • "Lemonade" is more than just a play for pop supremacy....

    Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times

    "Lemonade" is more than just a play for pop supremacy. It's the work of an artist who is trying to get to know herself better, for better or worse, and letting the listeners/viewers in on the sometimes brutal self-interrogation. Read the full review.

  • Denise Matthews, the singer who fronted Vanity 6 and collaborated...

    Ron Wolfson / WireImage

    Denise Matthews, the singer who fronted Vanity 6 and collaborated with Prince, has died at the age of 57. Read more.

  • Gordie Howe, known as "Mr. Hockey" for his enduring skills...

    Chicago Tribune Photo

    Gordie Howe, known as "Mr. Hockey" for his enduring skills and the fierce competitiveness that inspired him to come out of retirement at 45 to play alongside two of his sons, died June 10, 2016. He was 88. Read more.

  • Angela Paton, an actress best known for appearing with Bill...

    Marty Lederhandler / AP

    Angela Paton, an actress best known for appearing with Bill Murray in "Groundhog Day," died May 26, 2016. She was 86. Read more.

  • Heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali, who thrilled the world even after...

    John Rooney / AP

    Heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali, who thrilled the world even after the punches had taken their toll and his voice barely rose above a whisper, died June 3, 2016. He was 74. Read more.

  • Sir George Martin, the Beatles producer who guided, assisted and...

    Stephan Chernin / AP

    Sir George Martin, the Beatles producer who guided, assisted and stood aside through the band's swift, historic transformation from rowdy club act to musical and cultural revolutionaries, died March 8, 2016. He was 90. Read more.

  • Boutros Boutros-Ghali, a veteran Egyptian diplomat who helped negotiate his country's...

    Cris Bouroncle / AFP/Getty Images

    Boutros Boutros-Ghali, a veteran Egyptian diplomat who helped negotiate his country's landmark peace deal with Israel but then clashed with the United States when he served a single term as U.N. secretary-general, died Feb. 16, 2016. He was 93. Read more.

  • On her seventh studio album, "Golden Hour" (MCA Nashville), the...

    John Konstantaras / Chicago Tribune

    On her seventh studio album, "Golden Hour" (MCA Nashville), the singer-songwriter doesn't get hung up on genre. She's made a style-hopping pop album that infuses her songs with a relaxed spaciousness while muting, but not ignoring, her country roots. Read the review

  • Bill Nunn, a veteran character actor whose credits ranged from...

    Craig Barritt / AFP/Getty

    Bill Nunn, a veteran character actor whose credits ranged from the "Spider-Man" movie franchise to such Spike Lee films as "Do the Right Thing" and "He Got Game," died Sept. 24, 2016. He was 63. Read more.

  • Rod Temperton, a British-born musician and songwriter with a singular...

    Yui Mok / AP

    Rod Temperton, a British-born musician and songwriter with a singular knack for pop-funk who wrote the Michael Jackson classics "Thriller," ''Rock With You" and many other hits, died in late September. He was 66. Read more.

  • Anton Yelchin, a rising actor best known for playing Chekov...

    Richard Shotwell / AP

    Anton Yelchin, a rising actor best known for playing Chekov in the new "Star Trek" films, was killed by his car as it rolled down his driveway June 19, 2016. He was 27. Read more.

  • Playwright Peter Shaffer, whose durable, award-winning hits included "Equus" and...

    AP

    Playwright Peter Shaffer, whose durable, award-winning hits included "Equus" and "Amadeus," died June 6, 2016. He was 90. Read more.

  • Now "Schmilco" (dBpm Records) arrives, a product of the same...

    Nuccio DiNuzzo/Chicago Tribune

    Now "Schmilco" (dBpm Records) arrives, a product of the same recording sessions that produced "Star Wars" but a much different album. Though it's ostensibly quieter and less jarring than its predecessor, it presents its own radical take on the song-based, folk and country-tinged side of the band. Read the full review.

  • "Blonde" is a critique of materialism with Frank Ocean employing...

    Jordan Strauss / AP

    "Blonde" is a critique of materialism with Frank Ocean employing two distinct voices, like characters in a play, a recurring theme throughout the album and perhaps its finest sonic achievement. A party spirals out of control, the music rich but low key, a melange of organ and hovering synthesizers. Ocean uses distorting devices on his voice to add emotional texture and to enhance and sharpen the characters he briefly embodies. The upshot: They're all little slices of Ocean's personality with a role to play and they each sound distinct. Read the full review.

  • Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel, the Romanian-born Holocaust survivor whose classic...

    Bebeto Matthews / AP

    Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel, the Romanian-born Holocaust survivor whose classic "Night" became a landmark testament to the Nazis' crimes and launched Wiesel's long career as one of the world's foremost witnesses and humanitarians, died July 2, 2016. He was 87. Read more.

  • Chicago radio legend Herb Kent, the longest-running DJ in the...

    Raymond Boyd / Getty Images

    Chicago radio legend Herb Kent, the longest-running DJ in the history of radio and a fixture on local airwaves for more than 70 years, died Oct. 22, 2016. He was 88. Read more.

  • Warpaint's unerring feel for gauzy hooks and slinky arrangements germinated...

    Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune

    Warpaint's unerring feel for gauzy hooks and slinky arrangements germinated over a decade and flourished on the quartet's excellent 2014 self-titled album. But the band has always nudged its arrangements onto the dance floor — subtly on record, more overtly on stage — and "Heads Up" (Rough Trade) gives the group's inner disco ball a few extra spins. Read the review.

  • A grown-up Christopher Robin returns to the Hundred Acre Wood...

    Laurie Sparham / AP

    A grown-up Christopher Robin returns to the Hundred Acre Wood and his best friend Winnie the Pooh. Read the review.

  • Lincoln "Chips" Moman, a producer, guitarist, and songwriter, who helped...

    Yalonda M. James / AP

    Lincoln "Chips" Moman, a producer, guitarist, and songwriter, who helped Elvis Presley engineer a musical comeback in the late 1960s and then moved to Nashville to record country legends such as The Highwaymen, died June 13, 2016. He was 79. Read more.

  • Country singer Sonny James, who recorded romantic ballads like "Young...

    Mark Humphrey / AP

    Country singer Sonny James, who recorded romantic ballads like "Young Love" and turned pop songs into country hits, died Feb. 22, 2016. He was 87. Read more.

  • Sharon Jones, the stout powerhouse who shepherded a soul revival...

    Nuccio DiNuzzo / Chicago Tribune

    Sharon Jones, the stout powerhouse who shepherded a soul revival despite not finding stardom until middle age, died Nov. 18, 2016. She was 60. Read more.

  • John Glenn, whose 1962 flight as the first U.S. astronaut...

    Jay LaPrete / AP

    John Glenn, whose 1962 flight as the first U.S. astronaut to orbit the Earth made him an all-American hero and propelled him to a long career in the U.S. Senate, died Dec. 8, 2016. The last survivor of the original Mercury 7 astronauts was 95. Read more.

  • Craig Sager, the longtime NBA sideline reporter famous for his...

    Ronald Martinez / Getty Images

    Craig Sager, the longtime NBA sideline reporter famous for his flashy suits and probing questions, died Dec. 15, 2016, after a battle with cancer. He was 65. A native of Batavia, Illinois, Sager attended Northwestern, where he walked onto the football and basketball teams and served as the school's "Willie the Wildcat" mascot for three years. Read more.

  • Author Richard Adams, whose 1972 classic, "Watership Down," sold 50...

    Associated Press

    Author Richard Adams, whose 1972 classic, "Watership Down," sold 50 million copies, died on Dec. 27, 2016. He was 96. Read more.

  • Prince, a quintuple threat instrumentalist-singer-songwriter-producer-performer who became one of the...

    Matt Sayles / Invision / AP

    Prince, a quintuple threat instrumentalist-singer-songwriter-producer-performer who became one of the towering figures in music the last four decades, died April 21, 2016. He was 57. Read more.

  • Alan Vega, the singer of iconic New York proto-punk band...

    Frank Perry, AFP/Getty Images

    Alan Vega, the singer of iconic New York proto-punk band Suicide, died July 16, 2016. He was 78. Read more.

  • Burt Kwouk, who played martial arts expert Cato in the...

    Michael Crabtree / AP

    Burt Kwouk, who played martial arts expert Cato in the comic "Pink Panther" films, died May 24, 2016. He was 85. Read more.

  • Bud Collins, who helped popularize the sport of tennis through...

    Gill Allen / AP

    Bud Collins, who helped popularize the sport of tennis through his writing and television commentary, died on March 4, 2016, at 86. Collins was a columnist for the Boston Globe for almost 50 years and spent 35 years doing analysis of major tennis tournaments for NBC. Read more.

  • Not many albums could survive Ed Sheeran performing reggae, but...

    AP

    Not many albums could survive Ed Sheeran performing reggae, but Pharrell Williams always took chances — not all of them successful — in N.E.R.D.Despite the Sheeran gaffe, "No One Ever Really Dies," the band's first album in seven years, is a typically diverse, trippy ride from the group that established Williams' career as a performer in the early 2000s alongside Chad Hugo and Shay Haley. Read the full review.

  • Pat Conroy, author of "The Great Santini" and "The Prince...

    Richard Shiro / AP

    Pat Conroy, author of "The Great Santini" and "The Prince of Tides," died March 4, 2016, in Beaufort, S.C., at age 70 after a short battle with pancreatic cancer. Read more.

  • Writer-director Garry Marshall, whose deft touch with comedy and romance...

    Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times

    Writer-director Garry Marshall, whose deft touch with comedy and romance led to a string of TV hits that included "Happy Days" and "Laverne & Shirley" and the box-office successes "Pretty Woman" and "Runaway Bride," died July 19, 2016. He was 81. Read more.

  • Zsa Zsa Gabor, the jet-setting Hungarian actress who made a...

    Paul Harris / Getty Images

    Zsa Zsa Gabor, the jet-setting Hungarian actress who made a career out of multiple marriages, conspicuous wealth and jaded wisdom about the glamorous life, died Dec. 18, 2016. She was 99. Read more.

  • An Atlanta teenager (Amandla Stenberg) deals with the death of...

    Erika Doss / AP

    An Atlanta teenager (Amandla Stenberg) deals with the death of her friend in "The Hate U Give," director George Tillman Jr.'s fine adaptation of the best-selling young adult novel.  Read the review.

  • Risk-prone 13-year-old Stevie (Sunny Suljic, left) shares some of his...

    Tobin Yelland / AP

    Risk-prone 13-year-old Stevie (Sunny Suljic, left) shares some of his angst with one of the local LA skateboarding idols, Ray (Na-Kel Smith), in writer-director Jonah Hill's "Mid90s." Read the review.

  • Gloria Naylor, whose debut novel "The Women of Brewster Place,"...

    Tom Keller / AP

    Gloria Naylor, whose debut novel "The Women of Brewster Place," became a best-seller, a National Book Award winner and a TV miniseries released through Oprah Winfrey's production company, died Sept. 28, 2016. She was 66. Read more.

  • Chess Records co-founder Phil Chess, who with brother Leonard helped...

    Henry Herr Gill / AP

    Chess Records co-founder Phil Chess, who with brother Leonard helped launch the careers of Chuck Berry, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters and others and amassed a catalog of rock and electric "Chicago" blues that profoundly influenced popular music in the 1950s and beyond, died Oct. 18, 2016. He was 95. Read more.

  • Reunited for a family wedding, former lovers played by Penelope...

    Teresa Isasi / AP

    Reunited for a family wedding, former lovers played by Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem find themselves embroiled in a kidnapping in "Everybody Knows," directed by Asghar Farhadi. Read the review.

  • Thomas Ford, the actor who played Martin Lawrence's best friend...

    Paras Griffin/Getty Images for ASPiRE TV

    Thomas Ford, the actor who played Martin Lawrence's best friend Tommy Strawn on the hit 1990s sitcom "Martin," died Oct. 12, 2016. He was 52. Read more.

  • Robert Vaughn, who starred as Napoleon Solo on "The Man...

    AP

    Robert Vaughn, who starred as Napoleon Solo on "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." died Nov. 11, 2016. He was 83. Read more.

  • Garry Shandling, who as an actor and comedian pioneered a...

    Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times

    Garry Shandling, who as an actor and comedian pioneered a pretend brand of self-focused docudrama with "The Larry Sanders Show," died March 24, 2016, in Los Angeles. He was 66. Read more.

  • Jon Polito, a character actor whose more than 200 credits...

    Matt Sayles / Invision/AP

    Jon Polito, a character actor whose more than 200 credits ranged from "Homicide: Life on the Street" and "Modern Family" to the Coen Brother films "Barton Fink" and "The Big Lebowski," died Sept. 1, 2016. He was 65. Read more.

  • Visionary London architect Zaha Hadid, renowned for her swooping, strongly...

    Kevork Djansezian / AP

    Visionary London architect Zaha Hadid, renowned for her swooping, strongly sculpted buildings and for being the first woman to win the Pritzker Architecture Prize, her field's highest honor, died March 31, 2016. She was 65. Read more.

  • "Black America Again" (ARTium/Def Jam) arrives as a one of...

    Nuccio DiNuzzo / Chicago Tribune

    "Black America Again" (ARTium/Def Jam) arrives as a one of the year's most potent protest albums. The album sags midway through with a handful of lightweight love songs, but finishes with some of its most emotionally resounding tracks: the "Glory"-like plea for redemption "Rain" with Legend, the celebration of family that is "Little Chicago Boy," and the staggering "Letter to the Free." Read the review.

  • Ron Glass, the handsome, prolific character actor best known for...

    Frazer Harrison / Getty Images

    Ron Glass, the handsome, prolific character actor best known for his role as the gregarious, sometimes sardonic detective Ron Harris in the long-running cop comedy "Barney Miller," died Nov. 25, 2016. He was 71. Read more.

  • "Love & Hate" shows Kiwanuka breaking out of that stylistic...

    AP

    "Love & Hate" shows Kiwanuka breaking out of that stylistic box. His core remains intact: a grainy, world-weary voice contemplating troubled times in intimate musical settings. The album announces its more ambitious intentions from the outset, with the trembling strings, episodic piano chords and wordless vocals of the 10-minute "Cold Little Heart." It's a striking, if atypical, approach to reintroducing himself to his audience — a five-minute preamble before Kiwanuka begins to sing. Read the full review.

  • Mother Angelica, a folksy Roman Catholic nun who used a...

    Philip Holman / AP

    Mother Angelica, a folksy Roman Catholic nun who used a monastery garage to begin a television ministry that grew into a global religious media empire, died March 27, 2016. She was 92. Read more.

  • George Kennedy, center, who won a supporting actor Oscar for...

    AP

    George Kennedy, center, who won a supporting actor Oscar for his role alongside Paul Newman in the beloved film "Cool Hand Luke," and was also a fixture of 1970s disaster movies including the "Airport" franchise and "Earthquake," died Feb. 28, 2016. He was 91. Read more.

  • Joan Marie Johnson of The Dixie Cups died Oct. 9. 2016....

    Douglas Mason / Getty Images

    Joan Marie Johnson of The Dixie Cups died Oct. 9. 2016. She was 72.

  • A tropical island boat captain (Matthew McConaughey) and his much-abused...

    Graham Bartholomew / AP

    A tropical island boat captain (Matthew McConaughey) and his much-abused ex-wife (Anne Hathaway) enter a vortex of rough justice and fancy riddles in "Serenity." Read the review.

  • Bob Elliott, right, was one half of the comedy team...

    NBC / NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

    Bob Elliott, right, was one half of the comedy team of Bob and Ray with Bob Goulding, left. Elliott died Feb. 3, 2016. He was 92. Read more.

  • Penniless, driven, the Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh (Willem Dafoe)...

    CBS Films/Lily Gavin

    Penniless, driven, the Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh (Willem Dafoe) regards his next canvas subject in "At Eternity's Gate," directed by visual artist and filmmaker Julian Schnabel. Read the review.

  • Pat Summitt, the winningest coach in Division I college basketball...

    Wade Payne / AP

    Pat Summitt, the winningest coach in Division I college basketball history who uplifted the women's game from obscurity to national prominence during her 38-year career at Tennessee, died June 28, 2016. She was 64. Read more.

  • Umberto Eco, an Italian novelist and intellectual of worldwide renown...

    Tina Fineberg / Associated Press / For Tribune Newspapers

    Umberto Eco, an Italian novelist and intellectual of worldwide renown who imbued his work with humor and scholarship and whose novel "The Name of the Rose" became a global phenomenon, died Feb. 19, 2016. He was 84. Read more.

  • Isabelle Huppert and Chloe Grace Moretz star in the thriller...

    Jonathan Hession / AP

    Isabelle Huppert and Chloe Grace Moretz star in the thriller "Greta." Read the review.

  • Christina Grimmie, a vivacious, outgoing singer whose career was born...

    Katie Darby/Invision/AP

    Christina Grimmie, a vivacious, outgoing singer whose career was born on social media and propelled toward the big time by television on "The Voice," died June 10, 2016. The 22-year-old was shot and killed as she was signing autographs for fans after performing in Orlando. Read more.

  • Former New York Philharmonic principal conductor Pierre Boulez, who moved...

    Christophe Ena / AP

    Former New York Philharmonic principal conductor Pierre Boulez, who moved between conducting, composition and teaching over a long career that made him one of the leading figures in modern classical music, died Jan. 5, 2016. He was 90. Read more.

  • Chyna, the WWE star who in the 1990s became one...

    Hector Mata / AFP

    Chyna, the WWE star who in the 1990s became one of the best-known and most-popular female professional wrestlers in history and who billed herself as the "9th Wonder of the World," died April 20, 2016. She was 45. Read more.

  • Actor-comedian Alan Young, who played the amiable straight man to...

    AP

    Actor-comedian Alan Young, who played the amiable straight man to a talking horse in the 1960s sitcom "Mister Ed," died May 19, 2016. He was 96. Read more.

  • Former U.S. Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah, one of the first...

    Steve C. Wilson / AP

    Former U.S. Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah, one of the first incumbents ousted in a national wave of tea party-led anger in 2010, died May 4, 2016. He was 82. Read more.

  • Kimbo Slice, a street-fighting sensation from Miami whose fisticuffs went...

    Stephen Shugerman / Getty Images

    Kimbo Slice, a street-fighting sensation from Miami whose fisticuffs went viral on YouTube, died June 6, 2016. Slice, whose real name was Kevin Ferguson, was 42.

  • Sound often says it all in Drake's world, but "Views"...

    Frank Gunn / The Canadian Press

    Sound often says it all in Drake's world, but "Views" plays in a narrow range. The trademark hovering synths and barely-there percussion edge out most of the hooks, in favor of long fades and enervated tempos that start to drag about halfway through this slow-moving album. Read the review.

  • Elton John (Taron Egerton) lays down a track for his...

    David Appleby / AP

    Elton John (Taron Egerton) lays down a track for his express train to super-stardom in "Rocketman." The musical biopic co-stars Jamie Bell as lyricist Bernie Taupin. Read the review.

  • Keith Emerson, the flamboyant, English prog-rock pioneer who rose to...

    Damian Dovarganes/AP

    Keith Emerson, the flamboyant, English prog-rock pioneer who rose to fame as the keyboardist for supergroup Emerson, Lake & Palmer in the 1970s, died March 11, 2016. He was 71. Read more.

  • Childhood friends and uneasy lovers played by Yoo Ah-in (left)...

    WellGo USA

    Childhood friends and uneasy lovers played by Yoo Ah-in (left) and Jeon Jong-seo (center) find their lives disrupted by a mysterious man of means (Steven Yeung, right) in "Burning." Read the review.

  • Frank Sinatra Jr., who carried on his famous father's legacy...

    Mark J. Terrill / AP

    Frank Sinatra Jr., who carried on his famous father's legacy with his own music career and whose kidnapping as a young man added a bizarre chapter to his father's legendary life, died March 16, 2016. He was 72. Read more.

  • Gene Wilder, the frizzy-haired actor who brought his deft comedic...

    Jessica Hill / AP

    Gene Wilder, the frizzy-haired actor who brought his deft comedic touch to such unforgettable roles as the neurotic accountant in "The Producers" and the mad scientist of "Young Frankenstein," died Aug. 29, 2016. He was 83. Read more.

  • Vanellope von Schweetz (voiced by Sarah Silverman) and Ralph (John...

    AP

    Vanellope von Schweetz (voiced by Sarah Silverman) and Ralph (John C. Reilly) zip around the web in a mad dash to save Vanellope's arcade game, "Sugar Rush," in this wild sequel to the 2012 "Wreck-It Ralph." Read the review.

  • In contrast, "Junk" (Mute"), M83's seventh studio album, sounds chintzy...

    Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune

    In contrast, "Junk" (Mute"), M83's seventh studio album, sounds chintzy — a bubble-gum snyth-pop album that indulges Gonzalez's love of decades-old TV soundtracks, hair-metal guitar solos and kitschy pop songs. Read the full review.

  • Unburdened by Batman and Superman, the DC Comics realm turns...

    Steve Wilkie / AP

    Unburdened by Batman and Superman, the DC Comics realm turns in a not-bad origin story buoyed by Zachary Levi as the superhero version of 15-year-old Billy Batson (Asher Angel). Read the review.

  • Paul Kantner, a founding member of the Jefferson Airplane who...

    Shawn Baldwin / AP

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Musician Stanley “Buckwheat” Dural Jr., who rose from a cotton-picking family in southwest Louisiana to introduce zydeco music to the world through his namesake band Buckwheat Zydeco, has died. He was 68.

His longtime manager Ted Fox told The Associated Press that Dural died Saturday. He had suffered from lung cancer.

Fox said the musician and accordionist died at 1:32 a.m. Louisiana time at Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center in Lafayette, Louisiana. He gained fame by introducing zydeco music of southwest Louisiana to the world.

“This is one of the world’s true genius musicians. A completely natural musician who could just fit in in any scenario,” Fox said.

As news of his death spread, friends from around the world paid their respects.

“Buckwheat Zydeco embodied a genre and represented a community with his signature playing style that brought distinctly creole zydeco music to fans across the globe,” said Neil Portnow, who heads The Recording Academy. “The world lost a music heavyweight today.”

Zydeco music was well known across southwest Louisiana where people would often drive for miles to small dancehalls where zydeco bands featuring an accordion and a washboard would rock the crowds for hours.

But Dural took zydeco music mainstream, launching a major-label album — the Grammy-nominated “On a Night Like This,” — with Island Records in 1987. He went on to jam with musical greats like Eric Clapton, play at former President Bill Clinton’s inauguration and perform at the 1996 Olympics closing ceremony in Atlanta.

He jammed with Jimmy Fallon on the final episode of “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.” Fallon played the guitar backed up by the Roots while Buckwheat Zydeco rocked the accordion.

“He brought zydeco to unprecedented new audiences,” said Ben Sandmel, a music historian who wrote a book titled “Zydeco!” about the music.

Dural earned his nickname because he had braided hair when he was younger that resembled Buckwheat from The Little Rascals television show. Born Nov. 14, 1947 in Lafayette, Louisiana, Dural was one of 13 children. His father played the accordion but the younger Dural preferred listening to and playing rhythm & blues and learned to play the organ, his obituary said.

Sandmel said while Dural was internationally famous for his zydeco music he was also an accomplished R&B artist and a diverse musician.

By the late 1950s he was backing up musicians and eventually formed his own band. In 1976 he joined legendary zydeco artist Clifton Chenier’s Red Hot Louisiana Band as an organist, launching an important musical turn in his career.

“I had so much fun playing that first night with Clifton. We played for four hours and I wasn’t ready to quit,” he said in comments quoted in his obituary.

In 1978 he took up the accordion so closely associated with zydeco music and later formed his own band called Buckwheat Zydeco, his obituary said.

It was the 1987 Island Records five-record deal that eventually brought Dural to a wider audience, and he went on to tour with Clapton, record with artists such as Ry Cooper, Paul Simon, Dwight Yoakam and Willie Nelson.

Fox called him an “old-fashioned showbiz professional” who was always focused on giving the audience — regardless of either they were eight or 80,000-strong — a good time.

Fox described one evening in 1987 where Dural took the stage during a concert where legends Clapton, Ringo Starr and Phil Collins were already jamming. Playing a Hammond B3 — a multi-tiered organ — Dural got into a back-and-forth jam with Clapton, who eventually turned around, stuck out his hand to Dural and said: “Hi! I’m Eric Clapton. Who are you?”

The two went on to tour together, including a 12-night gig at London’s Royal Albert Hall.

“He had this incredible charisma both onstage and personally,” Fox said. “To the end of his days with all the stuff that he’d done, all the awards, he was still the same Stanley Dural Jr. who was picking cotton when he was 5-years-old.”

Some people described Dural and his music as Cajun. The term generally refers to the French-speaking Catholics expelled from Nova Scotia by the British during the 1700’s who eventually settled southwest Louisiana, although it’s often used to refer more generically to French-speaking people in the area regardless of where they’re from.

But Fox said while Dural loved Cajun music and often performed with Cajun musicians, he was very clear that he and his music were Creole, to the point where Fox said he even included in contracts language explaining that he was not Cajun.

Fox says his daughter Tomorrow Dural has created a fundraising campaign to help with medical and other expenses.

Dural is survived by his wife, Bernite Dural, and his five children.

Associated Press

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