Died On This Date (January 5, 1998) Sonny Bono / Sonny & Cher
themusicsover Salvatore “Sonny” Bono
February 16, 1935 – January 5, 1998
Sonny Bono was a successful singer, songwriter, producer and actor who came to the world’s attention in the mid ’60s when he partnered with his wife, Cher to form the singing and comic duo, Sonny & Cher. One of Bono’s first jobs in the music business was assisting producer, Phil Spector. He was also writing songs, penning such pop classics as “Things You Do To Me” (Sam Cooke), “Needle and Pins” (the Searchers, Jackie DeShannon, Tom Petty), and of course, “I Got You Babe,” “The Beat Goes On” and many more made famous by Sonny & Cher. In 1971, CBS debuted The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour which was a top 20 hit for its four-season run. Sonny and Cher split both professionally and personally in the mid ’70s, afterwhich Bono periodically made television guest star appearances into the ’90s. In 1988, Bono was elected mayor of Palm Springs, California, an office he held until 1992. By all accounts he did a great job and was very popular in the position. On January 5, 1998, Sonny Bono died of injuries he sustained from accidentally skiing into a tree at near Lake Tahoe.
What You Should Own
Sandro de America was an Argentine singer and actor who rose to prominence during the ’60s. He began his career imitating 
Gerry Rafferty was a Scottish singer-songwriter who scored several hits throughout the ’70s and ’80s, most notably, “Baker Street” and “Right Down The Line.” Launching his career as a busker in London’s Underground during the late ’60s, Rafferty soon teamed up with future actor, Billy Connolly in a band called the Humblebums. In 1972, he helped form Stealers Wheel who had a hit with “Stuck In The Middle With You.” Six years later he released City To City which included the smash hit “Baker Street,” with one of the most instantly recognizable openings in pop music history. The album will go down in history as the one that knocked the groundbreaking juggernaut, Saturday Night Fever soundtrack out of the #1 slot in America. He released several more albums over the course of the next two decades, but none came close to the success of City To City. In August of 2008, Rafferty reportedly disappeared from a hospital where he was being treated for chronic liver problems, leaving all of his possessions behind. He resurfaced in the media in February 2009, apparently living in hiding and being cared for by a close friend. Other reports indicated however, that he was suffering from alcoholism but otherwise doing fine. What IS known is that he was still making music, having released Life Goes On in August of 2009. In November of 2010, Rafferty was taken to a hospital where he was placed on life support due to liver failure. He was later taken off support and subsequently passed away on January 4, 2011. He was 63.
Kerry McGregor was a Scottish singer-songwriter and actress who found considerable fame when she participated on the popular UK competition program, The X-Factor. She performed in a wheel chair due to injuries she suffered when accidentally falling out of tree at the age of 13. In 1993, McGregor co-founded the band, Nexus and later joined QFX who nearly cracked the Top 20 on the UK charts with their album, Freedom. In 1997, she competed in the Eurovision Song Competition, coming in 2nd place behind Katrina & The Waves. In 2006, McGregor was a finalist on the 3rd season of The X Factor, surviving until the third week of competition. She was mentored by Sharon Osbourne. The season was ultimately won by Leona Lewis. McGregor also appeared in numerous stage shows and television programs throughout her career. In September of 2010, Kerry McGregor was diagnosed with liver cancer. She was 37 when she died of the disease on January 4, 2012.