Died On This Date (June 4, 2015) Allan Fryer / Lead Singer of Heaven
themusicsover Allan Fryer
DOB Unknown – June 4, 2015
Allan Fryer is perhaps best remembered as the lead singer of popular ’80s Australian heavy metal band, Heaven. Following the death of Bon Scott in 1980, Fryer auditioned to replace him in AC/DC. It was believed he secured the role until a surprise announcement (at least to him) that Brian Johnson had in fact been given the job. Fryer went on to form Heaven whose sound was definitely cut from the same cloth as AC/DC, at least on the early records. They eventually grew into a more NWOBHM sound. Heaven found some success in the US, enough to tour with Dio and Motley Crue in 1982. Throughout their run, the band released four albums and also toured with Judas Priest, KISS, and Iron Maiden. On June 4, 2015, Allan Fryer died following a long struggle with cancer. He was 60.
Thanks to David Plastik for the assist.
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Ben E. King was an American R&B singer whose signature song, “Stand My Me,” is one of the few records to hit the Top 10 in two separate decades – the first being upon release in 1961, the second in 1986 when it was used as the theme song for the very popular film of the same name. In 1958, King was a member of a Harlem doo wop group known as the Five Crowns when the manager of the Drifters recruited them to replace recently fired members of the Drifters. With the Drifters, King scored several hits over the next two years. That list includes “This Magic Moment,” “Save The Last Dance For Me,” and “There Goes My Baby.” He left the group for a solo career in 1960 and went on to release some of the biggest hits of the era including, “Spanish Harlem,” “There Goes My Baby,” and of course, “Stand By Me.” Those three songs are considered to be vital parts of the foundation that shaped rock and roll. Like many R&B acts during the mid ’60s, King’s brand of music was pushed aside by the British Invasion. Even though he continued to record and tour, he wouldn’t hit the charts again until the re-release of “Stand By Me,” 20 years later. His career enjoyed even another bump when hip hop artists began sampling his songs during the ’90s and beyond. He continued to tour into his 70s. Ben E. King was 76 when he passed away on April 30, 2015. Cause of death was not immediately released
Born in New York City, Lesley Gore was just 16 years old when she recorded her first, and biggest hit, “It’s My Party,” a song that helped define her generation. Several major hits followed including, “You Don’t Own Me,” “Judy’s Turn To Cry,” and “She’s A Fool.” In 1965, Gore received a Grammy nomination for “Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows,” and another nominations came 1981, but this time as a co-writer for “Out Here On My Own,” from the immensely popular Fame soundtrack. Gore acted in several television shows throughout her career as well, most notably, portraying Pussycat, one of Catwoman’s cohorts, in two episodes of Batman. Gore continued to tour well into the ’90s and released what would become her final album, the critically acclaimed Ever Since, in 2005. Lesley Gore lost her battle with cancer on February 16, 2015. She was 68.