Died On This Date (June 15, 2011) Mae Wheeler / Popular St. Louis Jazz Singer
themusicsover Mae Wheeler
May 15, 1934 – June 15, 2011
Mae Wheeler was a popular St. Louis singer who became affectionately known over the years as “Lady Jazz.” Born in Memphis, Tennessee, Wheeler began singing in church choirs as early as the age of 4, but soon moved to St. Louis with her family. As she got older, Wheeler began making a name for herself at the clubs throughout the city’s storied Gaslight Quarter of the 1960s. Over the course of her decades-long career, Wheeler shared the stage with such luminaries as Count Basie, Mitch Miller, and Pearl Bailey. She also released two CDs. During the mid-’90s, Wheeler launched an annual event that would eventually become known as “The Divas Show” and which showcased local young talent while raising money for charity. Mae Wheeler passed away on June 15, 2011 following a lengthy struggle with leukemia and colon cancer. She was 77.
Bill Johnson was a longtime art director who helped shape the image of country music packaging during the ’80s and ’90s. He spent the better part of two decades working at CBS Records where he created artwork for such albums as Willie Nelson’s Somewhere Over The Rainbow, Rodney Crowell’s Diamonds & Dirt, the Dixie Chicks’ Wide Open Spaces, Roseanne Cash’s King’s Record Shop, and the O’Kanes’ Tired Of The Runnin’. The Cash and O’Kanes packages each earned him Grammys. Bill Johnson was 68 when he died of lung cancer on June 15, 2011.
Mario Comesanas was a popular DJ on SiriusXM’s Liquid Metal channel. He launched his radio career at New Jersey’s Seton Hall University legendary college radio station, WSOU where he quickly built a sizable following for his passion for all things metal. He eventually got hired on as a host on Sirius’ Hard Attack channel which was later re-branded as Liquid Metal following the merger with XM. Comesanas also wrote for Revolver magazine and sang for hardcore bands December Aeternalis and Low Road. Mario Comesanas died of an apparent brain hemorrhage on June 13, 2011. He was 30.
Carl Gardner was the founder and front man of ’50s R&B group, the Coasters. Formed with 
Seth Putnam was the founder and lead singer of grindcore band, Anal Cunt (A.C., AxCx) Formed in the Boston, Massachusetts area in 1986, A.C. found its loyal following thanks in part to their aggressive playing and controversial lyrics. In their early days, they generally went into the studio or hit the stage with no pre-written music or lyrics and developed their songs as they went along. Over the course of the next 25 years, A.C. released eight equally offensive to some studio albums and several EP’s and compilations. Outside of the band, Putnam performed in numerous side projects and lent his vocals to recordings by the likes of Pantera, Corrosion of Conformity, and Napalm Death. In October of 2004, Putnam went into a coma after overdosing on a large quantity of Ambien. Whether or not he was attempting suicide was never made clear. Seth Putnam died of a heart attack on June 11, 2011. He was 43.