Mary Hansen was a singer and guitarist for popular London-based alternative rock band, Stereolab. Born in Queensland, Australia, Hansen was living in London by the early ’90s, and it was there that she first joined the Wolfhounds, and was soon invited to join Stereolab. Besides the guitar, Hansen played keyboards and percussion while singing an occasional lead for the group. She remained a member of Stereolab until the time of her passing and sang on recordings by the likes of Hovercraft and the High Llamas. On December 9, 2002, Mary Hansen, who was 36, was accidentally struck and killed by a truck while riding her bicycle in London.
Georgia Gibbs (Born Fredda Gibson)
August 26, 1926 – December 9, 2006
Georgia Gibbs was a torch singer with a powerful voice who came to prominence during the ’40s and was pretty much a household name by the ’50s. She was just 13 when she began her career, and within a few years, she cut her first records. By the mid ’40s, she had appeared on radio and had performed with the likes of Artie Shaw and Tommy Dorsey. Over the course of her career, Gibbs charted over 40 songs, including “Kiss of Fire,” “Autumn Leaves,” “Melancholy Baby,” and “I’ll Be Seeing You.” She also appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show numerous times. Georgia Gibbs was 87 when she died of leukemia on December 9, 2006.
Will Shatter played bass and sang lead for San Fransisco post-hardcore band, Flipper. Though they never achieved much fame outside their core fan base, they are considered a strong influence on many of today’s punk bands. They were also critics’ darlings based in part on their signature song, “Sex Bomb.” Sadly, Shatter died of a heroin overdose on December 9, 1987, destroying any chance the band had to achieve the acclaim they deserved.
Sonny Til (Born Earlington Tilghman)
August 18, 1928 – December 9, 1981
Sonny Til at left
Sonny Til was the lead singer of the Orioles, an influential doo-wop group that was one of the first of the genre to rise to prominence. Til formed the group in the late ’40s, making them, buy some accounts, R&B’s first vocal group. Over the course of their career, they scored with hits like “Crying in the Chapel,” “It’s Too Soon to Know,” and “It’s Gonna Be a Lonely Christmas.” Their songs have been covered by Ella Fitzgerald, Dinah Washington, Elvis Presley, and more. Sonny Til fronted the group until he passed away from heart failure due to diabetes in 1981. He was 53 years old.
John Lennon was to some, the leader of the Beatles. As guitarist and primary songwriter along with Paul McCartney, it was Lennon’s vision and drive that helped transform the young Liverpool skiffle band into the game-changing band that would become arguably the greatest pop band in history. Lennon was given his first guitar when he was 16, and within a year, he formed his first band, the Quarrymen. The following year he met McCartney at one of their shows and asked him to join the band based solely on his ability to tune a guitar and his knowledge of songs. They would soon become the Beatles with the addition ofGeorge Harrison and Ringo Starr. Over the next decade, the Beatles would change the face of popular music and would go on to be the biggest selling group in history. Following the break up of the Beatles in 1970, Lennon began releasing albums with his wife and sometime musical partner, Yoko Ono. Songs like “Imagine,” “Cold Turkey,” “Happy X-Mas (War Is Over),” and “Whatever Gets You Through The Night” kept Lennon relevant during a time that saw many changes throughout America and beyond. In November of 1980, Lennon’s Double Fantasy was released to rave reviews and strong fan anticipation due to the fact that Lennon had been all but invisible raising his son Sean. His last albums was 1975’s Rock ‘n’ Roll, a collection of covers with no new compositions by Lennon. Before that, it was 1974’s Walls and Bridges. Just three weeks after the release of Double Fantasy, and while still enjoying the overwhelming response to the album, Lennon was walking outside of his New York City apartment building only to be senselessly shot and killed by deranged fan, Mark David Chapman. John Lennon was 40 years old when he was murdered, and the world was never the same.