Several notable artists have passed away in early 2025.
This group have recorded 16 albums, had “Poetry in Motion” a #2 single; drummed on 11 albums with Blondie, played on albums with the Ramones, Eurythmics and Pete Townshend; played “Dennis the Menace” in 146 episodes, and appeared on many TV shows; and played “Dr. Kildare” on TV, had several Top 40 singles, and appeared in “The Towering Inferno” movie.
Her first break came in the 1950s, when she signed a contract with 20th Century Fox.
Mitzi Gaynor was born as Francesca Marlene de Czanyi von Gerber on September 4, 1931, in Chicago, Illinois, to Hungarian and Swiss parents. Her early years were steeped in the world of entertainment, as her mother was a dancer and her father a violinist. This artistic environment fostered Gaynor’s early interest in dance and performance.
His deep, gravelly voice and evocative lyrics earned him respect as one of the key figures in the outlaw country movement of the 1970s.
Kris Kristofferson was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and former military officer whose contributions to music and film have spanned decades. Born on June 22, 1936, in Brownsville, Texas, Kristofferson came from a military family. His father was a U.S. Army Air Corps officer, and the family moved frequently during Kris’s early years. He excelled academically and athletically, earning a Rhodes Scholarship1 to study at Merton College, Oxford.
He was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2013.
Will Jennings is an acclaimed American songwriter, best known for writing and co-writing songs that have become international hits across multiple genres. Born Wilbur H. Jennings on June 27, 1944, in Kilgore, Texas, Jennings was raised in East Texas, where he developed an early passion for music, playing in local bands during his high school years. After graduating from high school,
