Died On This Date (June 5, 1999) Mel Torme / Jazz Vocal Icon
themusicsover Mel Torme
September 13, 1925 – June 5, 1999
Mel Torme was a jazz singer who they called, the Velvet Fog because of his beautiful voice. He also did plenty of acting, first on radio and later in such films as Good News and Frank Sinatra’s Higher and Higher. As a songwriter, Torme penned over 250 songs, many of them becoming jazz standards, including “The Christmas Song” which became a huge hit for Nat King Cole. Torme continued to perform, record and act well into the ’90s. In his later years, Torme appeared on such television shows as Seinfeld and Night Court. His 65-year career came to an abrupt end when he suffered a stroke in 1996. He died of a second stroke on June 5, 1999.
What You Should Own
David Carradine was an internationally known actor most famous for his leading role in the ’70s television series, Kung Fu and for his role as Bill in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill movies. Carradine was also a singer-songwriter who released at least one album entitled As Is. In fact, he always fancied himself a musician first who just happened to fall into acting when he took a class in college. Throughout his film career, it wasn’t unusual to find Carradine’s characters playing music. He was also an occasional performer and local clubs. David Carradine was 72 when he was found dead in a Bangkok hotel on June 9, 2009. Cause of death was attributed to accidental asphyxiation.
Murry Wilson was a songwriter, musician, record producer, and most importantly, the father of 
Stiv Bators burst onto the punk scene as a member of the Dead Boys and later Lords Of The New Church. It was Bators’ sound and image that helped define the punk genre. After the demise of the Dead Boys, Bators found himself in the UK where he formed Lords Of The New Church with ex members of the Damned and Sham 69. The Lords achieved moderate success in Europe and the US due in part to their wild live shows. Bators was reported to have hung himself during a show in a stunt that went terribly wrong and was pronounced dead before being revived several minutes later. By the early ’80s, Bators was landing small parts in such cult classic films as Polyester and Tapeheads. And in 1988, the Lords broke up due to an injury Bators sustained to his back. In the early summer of 1990, an intoxicated Bators wandered into a Paris street and was struck by a taxi. He was taken to a hospital but apparently grew tired of waiting to see the doctor so he left. Bators died in his sleep later that night from what was ruled a concussion.