Louise Dean
April 4, 1971 – June 18, 1995
L
ouise Dean of Shiva was an up-and-coming British house music singer whose life was cut short by a hit-and-run driver on June 18, 1995. Shiva’s most popular song, “Freedom” reached #18 on the UK charts shortly after Dean’s death.
Hank Medress
November 19, 1938 – June 18, 2007
Hank Medress will always be remembered as the singer of American pop classic, “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” but his contributions to popular music go much deeper. As a singer or producer, he’s worked directly with such artists as Neil Sedaka, the Chiffons, the Happenings and Tony Orlando. He was also instrumental in the creation of New York Dolls singer, David Johanson’s popular 80’s alter ego, Buster Poindexter. Medress died of lung cancer on June 18, 2007 at the age of 68.
Kate Smith
May 1, 1907 – June 17, 1986
Kate Smith was a popular singer in the 1940s and beyond. She is best remembered for her powerful version of Irving Berlin’s “God Bless America.” Smith’s career began singing on radio in the early ’30s. She became a big star of the day thanks to her NBC Radio program, Kate Smith Sings, and subsequent shows on CBS. In March of 1969, hockey’s Philadelphia Flyers played a recording of Smith’s “God Bless America” before a home game and began a trend of mostly winning games when the song was played. Smith joined the fun by making special appearances to sing it from time to time. To this day, royalties from her performance of “God Bless America” are donated to either the Boys or Girls Club. Kate Smith died of diabetes at the age of 79.
James Honeyman-Scott
November 4, 1956 – June 16, 1982
James Honeyman-Scott is best remembered as the founding guitarist for the Pretenders. Thanks in part to his inventive guitar playing, the Pretenders were one of a handful of new wave acts that truly transcended the genre. In June of 1982, while on break from touring and house hunting in Austin, TX, Honeyman-Scott was called back to the UK for a band meeting with Chrissie Hynde and Martin Chambers. It was there that they agreed to fire band mate Pete Farndon due to his excessive drug use. Unfortunately it was James Honeyman-Scott that would succumb to his drug dependency. He died of heart failure related to his cocaine use just two days after Farndon was let go from the band. Farndon died during a heroin binge less than a year later.
Douglas “Buzz” Shearman
March 8, 1951 – June 16, 1983
Buzz Shearman was the lead singer of popular Canadian hard rock band, Moxy. Forming in 1974, the band released their self-titled debut the following year. It became a quick hit thanks in part to guest guitar play by Tommy Bolin and the strength of its first single, “Can’t You See I’m A Star.” The new-found airplay helped the band land more and more tour dates throughout Canada as well as the US, where they shared the stage with AC/DC, and eventually Black Sabbath, Styx, Rainbow, the Runaways, and Boston. In 1977, Shearman left the band due, in part, to trouble he was having with his vocal chords. He was replased by Mike Reno, who would later front Loverboy. Shearman returned to Moxy in 1979, and when Bon Scott of AC/DC died in 1980, he was strongly considered for the job that ultimately went to Brian Johnson. On June 16, 1983, Buzz Shearman was killed in a motorcycle accident.
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