Died On This Date (April 19, 2005) Rick Lewis / The Silhouettes
themusicsover Rick Lewis
September 23, 1933 – April 19, 2005
At 71 in 2005, Rick Lewis was the last surviving member of doo wop group, the Silhouettes. Although credited to the entire group, Lewis was the songwriter of their huge hit, “Get A Job,” which by many accounts is the quintessential doo wop song. The group performed the song numerous times on American Bandstand, and it was later featured in movies such as American Graffiti and Stand By Me. Lewis died of multiple organ failure on April 19, 2005 at the age of 71.
Bernard Edwards was a bass player and prolific producer. In the mid ’70s, Edwards formed Chic, a disco group that had a massive hits with “Le Freak” and “Good Times.” Edwards went on to produce hits for some of pop music’s biggest names throughout the ’80s and ’90s. That list includes Rod Stewart, Diana Ross, Power Station, Robert Palmer, Debbie Harry, Johnny Mathis, and Duran Duran. While in Tokyo for a concert in 1996, Edwards became ill. He was found dead in his hotel room. Cause of death was determined to be pneumonia.
