Died On This Date (June 14, 1989) Pete de Freitas / Echo and the Bunnymen
themusicsover Pete de Freitas
August 2, 1961 – June 14, 1989
Member of the 27 Club
Besides being a respected producer, Pete de Freitas was best known as the drummer for the popular ’80s band, Echo & the Bunnymen. It was with Echo & the Bunnymen that de Freitas reached an international audience, thanks to such post-punk hits as “The Cutter” “Lips Like Sugar,” and “The Killing Moon.” They took the US by storm in 1984 with the release of Ocean Rain thanks in part to heavy video rotation on MTV. Sadly, de Freitas passed away on June 14, 1989 of injuries he sustained in a motorcycle accident while on his way home from filming Julian Cope’s “China Doll” video.
What You Should Own
Matthew Fletcher was the drummer and primary songwriter for late ’80s British pop band, Talulah Gosh, which morphed into twee punk band, Heavenly in 1989. Both bands had solid fan bases thanks in part to their “Ramones meets Ronettes” sound. Heavenly released three albums for the hip label, Sarah Records, and were about to release their fourth when Sarah closed. Matthew Fletcher committed suicide shortly before the release of that album. He was just 25.
Esbjorn Svensson was a contemporary Swedish jazz pianist and leader of his own Esbjorn Svensson Trio, or E.S.T. Svensson was born into a musical family, to a classical pianist mother and a jazz loving father. A rock fan, Svensson first took a stab a playing in a couple of garage bands before settling into a life of jazz. By 16 he was taking lessons at a music college before studying at Stockholm University. He formed the E.S.T in 1993 and soon recorded their first album. Their fan base continued to grow, and by 1999 they were on the international stage thanks to their breakthrough album, From Gagarin’s Point Of View. In May of 2006, E.S.T. became the first European jazz combo to grace the cover of America’s DownBeat Magazine. Tragedy struck on June 14, 2008 when after vanishing during a scuba diving excursion outside of Stockholm, his friends found him unconscious on the seabed. He later died at a hospital from injuries he sustained during the mishap.
