Died On This Date (July 11, 1937) George Gershwin / Iconic Composer
themusicsover George Gershwin (Born Jacob Gershowitz)
September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937
Although his career spanned just around twenty years due to his untimely death, George Gerswhin, along with his brother Ira Gershwin, created some of the most popular music of all time. His compositions can, to this day, be heard on Broadway, in classical concert halls, films and television. Many of his songs have become standards and have been recorded by the biggest names in show business. That list includes Barbra Streisand, Sting, Janis Joplin, Frank Sinatra, Sam Cooke, Diana Ross, Billie Holiday, John Coltrane and Louis Armstrong. George Gershwin died at the age of 38 during surgery for what was a brain tumor. There have been some who disputed that a tumor caused his death.
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Harry Mills was one-quarter of the popular vocal quartet, the Mills Brothers who scored several pop vocal hits throughout the ’40s, ’50s, and ’60s. They made a remarkable 2000+ recordings that sold over 50 million copies, earning them over 30 gold records. Any worthy collection of their hits should include “Dinah,” “Caravan,” “Tiger Rag,” “Paper Doll,” and “Cab Driver.” Harry Mills passed away from natural causes on June 28, 1982 although he did suffer from diabetes in his later years. He was 68 when he died.
Johnny Mercer was a popular songwriter whose many songs made stars out of their singers during the ’30s, ’40s and ’50s. He gave us such standards as “Days Of Wine And Roses,” “P.S. I Love You,” “Jeepers Creepers,” “Day In, Day Out,” and “Hooray For Hollywood” to name just a few. Mercer moved to Hollywood in 1935 and became one if the most in-demand songwriters in film. In 1942 he along with Buddy DeSylva and Glen Wallichs started Capitol Records where I used to work. In 1975, Mercer learned he had an inoperable brain tumor which lead to his death on June 25, 1976.