Died On This Date (October 10, 1963) Edith Piaf / Iconic French Singer
themusicsover Edith Piaf (Born Edith Gassion)
December 19, 1915 – October 10, 1963
Edith Piaf was a French singer who rose from poverty to become one of her country’s most popular performers of the ’30s, ’40s, and ’50s. Because of her petite frame, she was called “The Little Sparrow” around the world, and has since become a cultural icon thanks to numerous recordings, biographies and at least one major motion picture about her life. After conquering France, Piaf began touring the rest of Europe and the United States in the years following World War Two. While in the U.S., she graced the stage of Carnegie Hall twice and The Ed Sullivan Show eight times. Piaf was seriously injured in a car accident in 1951, the pain from which lead to her addiction to morphine and alcohol. She died of liver cancer on October 10, 1963 at the age of 47.
What You Should Own
Known as the “Godfather Of Rocksteady,” Alton Ellis was a Jamaican musician who took the elements of ska and slowed them down to a more relaxed beat. It in turn, paved the way for what we now know as reggae. A prolific singer, Ellis began his career with Eddy Perkins in the late ’50s as part of a duo, Alton & Eddy, who scored a big Jamaican hit with their “Muriel.” In the early ’60s, he formed his group, the Flames just as ska was taking hold throughout Jamaica. He slowed the beat down and recorded a hit song called “Rock Steady” which became the new genre’s name. In 1967, he recorded a song called “Mad Men” that included a three-note descending horn line which became became a constant in more than 100 reggae songs to follow. Reinterpretations of it can be heard in hip-hop songs by the likes of 
Sonny Bradshaw was a beloved Jamaican musician whose career spanned a remarkable six decades. He was as multi-faceted as he was renowned. Besides playing the trumpet, piano, trombone, saxophone, and clarinet, Bradshaw was a composer, arranger, producer, journalist and promoter. During the ’50s, he formed the Sonny Bradshaw 7, which turned out to be the first significant musical home of many great Jamaican musicians to come. In the early ’60s, Bradshaw began working in radio, with his Teenage Dance Party, becoming the first place many Jamaicans heard the early songs of future legends. On October 10, 2009, Sonny Bradshaw died after having been ill following a stroke a few months earlier. He was 83 years old.
Luis Aguile was an Argentine singer and songwriter who is best remembered for his international hit, “Cuando Seli de Cuba.” With some 400 songs to his credit, Aguile established himself as one of the premier performers in Latin America. In 1990, he wrote and recorded the team anthem for Monterrey’s national soccer team. It is one of the most popular sports anthems in the world. Luis Aguile died of stomach cancer at the age of 73.
Stephen Gately was a founding member and co-lead singer of the immensely popular Irish boy band, Boyzone. Formed in 1993, the group had six #1 singles in the UK and four #1 albums, with sales in the neighborhood of 20 million albums overall. The group broke up in 2000, so Gately released a solo album, which was just as popular with fans throughout the UK. He also spent his time acting in theater productions as well as on British television. Boyzone reformed in 2008 for a series of successful concerts and recordings. In the months leading up to his death, Gately was working on a book. Stephen Gately was found dead in his apartment in Spain on October 10, 2009. Initial reports indicate that no foul play, drugs or alcohol are suspected, with some believing that he died of natural causes at the age of 33.