Died On This Date (February 4, 1987) Liberace / World Famous Entertainer
themusicsover Wladziu Liberace
May 16, 1919 – February 4, 1987
Liberace was an immensely popular and flamboyant entertainer whose successful career spanned some fifty years. He was reportedly the highest paid entertainer in the world during the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s. Beyond all the glitz however, Liberace was first and foremost, a world-class classical pianist. That, along with his showmanship and personal interaction with his audiences that endeared him to his many fans. As he put it, he didn’t put on concerts, he put on shows. Throughout most of his career, Liberace was a constant face on television, whether it was on his own show and specials, or as a guest star on countless others. He released many albums as well, generally tied in with his television programs and made up of standards. During the final months of Liberace’s career and life, it became known that he was battling AIDS. He gave his final live performance at Radio City Music Hall in November of 1986, and made his final television appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show that aired on the following Christmas Day. Liberace was 67 years old when he died of AIDS related complications. It was never disclosed how and when he became HIV-positive.
What You Should Own
Lux Interior, lead singer of psychobilly stalwarts The Cramps died Wednesday, February 9, 2009. According to the band’s official press release, Interior passed away due to an existing heart condition in the early morning hours at Glendale (California) Memorial Hospital. Born Erick Purkhiser in Ohio, Interior eventually landed in Sacramento, California where he reportedly picked up hitch-hiking college student, Kristy Wallace. The two soon became soul mates over shared interests in obscure music and wild fashion and formed the nucleus of the Cramps. By 1975, the couple were in New York City helping define the original punk scene that also gave us the Ramones, Talking Heads and Patti Smith. But the Cramps sound was very different from the others. By combining equal elements of surf, rockabilly, camp, horror and fetish, along with Lex’s passionately reckless vocals and stage theatrics, the Cramps quickly built a legion of loyalists that would stay true to the band for decades to come. It should be noted that the Cramps are likely the only band in history who have performed at both the 
Born in Scotland, Alex Harvey became one of the UK’s more popular performers during rock’s glam era. He and his Sensational Alex Harvey Band packed concert halls throughout Europe thanks to their dynamic live shows and Harvey’s flamboyant persona. During his those early years, Harvey was also a member of the pit band for the London production of Hair. In the mid ’70s, the Sensational Alex Harvey Band scored a couple of UK hits, “Boston Tea Party,” and a cover of Tom Jones’ “Delilah.” Alex Harvey suffered a fatal heart attack on February 4, 1982, the day before his 47th birthday.
Karen Carpenter was a drummer and singer who gained tremendous fame during the ’70s when she and her brother, Richard Carpenter performed as The Carpenters. When Karen was in high school, she took an interest in the drums and quickly learned she was a naturally gifted player like her brother was on the piano. After a lot of practice she and her Richard began performing together. In 1965, they formed a jazz group they called the Richard Carpenter Trio, but in 1968, they couldn’t deny Karen’s tremendous voice, so they began to focus more on pop music. Karen and Richard were signed by A&M Records in 1969 as The Carpenters, and within just one year, they began releasing a string of singles that went on to become some of the most memorable pop songs of the era. Songs like “We’ve Only Just Begun,” “Rainy Days and Mondays,” “Top of the World,” “Close To You,” and “Yesterday Once More” helped define the ’70s as the duo went on to sell millions of singles and albums. Sadly however, Karen suffered quietly with what would later be called anorexia nervosa, an eating disorder that lead her to diet frequently. The late ’70s were troublesome for Karen, but after at least one failed relationship and years of battling her inner demons, she was ready to kick-start her career by the early ’80s. But unfortunately, her eating disorder had already resulted in irreversible damage to her organs. On February 4, 1983, Karen Carpenter died of heart failure which was attributed to her anorexia nervosa. She was 32 years old.
Louis Jordan was a jazz pioneer who achieved great fame during the 1940s. He was one of a few black musicians of the era that was equally popular with both black and white audiences. According to Billboard magazine, Jordan ranked fifth on their list of the most successful African-American recording artists of all time. That figure is based solely on record sales and chart history. A talented singer as well and dynamic musician and bandleader, Jordan recorded duets with some of the era’s biggest stars. That list includes 