Died On This Date (October 10, 2009) Stephen Gately / Boyzone

Stephen Gately
March 17, 1976 – October 10, 2009

gatelyStephen Gately was a founding member and co-lead singer of the immensely popular Irish boy band, Boyzone.  Formed in 1993, the group had six #1 singles in the UK and four #1 albums, with sales in the neighborhood of 20 million albums overall.  The group broke up in 2000, so Gately released a solo album, which was just as popular with fans throughout the UK.  He also spent his time acting in theater productions as well as on British television.  Boyzone reformed in 2008 for a series of successful concerts and recordings.  In the months leading up to his death, Gately was working on a book.  Stephen Gately was found dead in his apartment in Spain on October 10, 2009.  Initial reports indicate that no foul play, drugs or alcohol are suspected, with some believing that he died of natural causes at the age of 33.

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Died On This Date (October 9, 2008) Gidget Gein / Bassist For Marilyn Manson

Gidget Gein (Born Bradley Stewart)
September 11, 1969 – October 9, 2008

Gidget Gein is best remembered for his time as bassist in Marilyn Manson’s band.  Just as the band started to make some noise,  Gein’s addiction to heroin and other erratic behavior lead to his being fired just as they began working with Trent Reznor who was producing their first album.  After recovering from the shock of being kicked out of the band couple with a heroin overdose, Gein moved to New York and became enveloped by the underground art scene.  He formed a band, the Dali Gaggers and recorded one album, Confessions of a Spooky Kid.  But the underbelly of the scene began taking its toll on Gein, so he moved back home to Florida to sober up.  While back in Florida, he went to work for a coroner, cleaning up after the dead.  That experience seemed to fuel his artistic demons, so he moved to Hollywood where he began to make a name for himself with his sculptures, clothing and music.   Apparently clean for a few years, the 39-year-old Gidget Gein died of a heroin overdose at a friend’s home.

Thanks to Craig Rosen at Number1Albums for the assist.



Died On This Date (October 9, 1978) Jacques Brel / Belgian Singer-Songwriter

Jacques Brel
April 8, 1929 – October 9, 1978

brelJacques Brel was a Belgian singer-songwriter who came to prominence in Europe during the 1950s.  And although he wrote and sang exclusively in French, many of his songs have been covered in English by such notable performers as Ray Charles, David Bowie and Dusty Springfield.  He has sold over 25 million albums worldwide.  His career started modestly in the cabarets of Paris, but by the mid ’50s, his talent could not be denied, so he began touring Europe and beyond.  He also made a name for himself in film.  A longtime smoker, Brel was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1973 and died from it five years later at the age of 49.

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Jacques Brel

Died On This Date (October 9, 2009) Jon Pettis / Bankrupt and the Borrowers

Jon Pettis
January 1, 1981 – October 9, 2009

Jon Pettis was a founding member of the popular Austin rock band, Bankrupt and the Borrowers.  With Pettis on multiple instruments and vocals, the band, which had moved to Austin from Massachusetts in 2006, quickly immersed itself into the thriving Austin music scene and built itself a strong following.  Sadly however,  Jon Pettis died of smoke inhalation from an electrical fire at his home on October 9, 2009.

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Beers On the Bible - Bankrupt and the Borrowers

Died On This Date (October 8, 2007) Nicky James / ’60s British Rocker

Nicky James (Born Michael Nicholls)
April, 1943 – October 8, 2007

NickyjamesNicky James was a British singer-songwriter whose career began in the early ’60s when he formed the Lawmen.  In 1963, he joined forces with Denny Laine in a band they called Nicky James with Denny and the Diplomats.   He was in and out of the band over the next few years, and was gone for good just before they changed their name to the Moody Blues and got signed to Decca Records.  James soon signed to Columbia Records with his Nicky James Movement, a band that would be the early home to such  pre-fame musicians as John Bonham, and Bev Bevans.   In 1966, James worked as a talent scout for Dick James Music where he signed the young songwriting team of Elton John and Bernie Taupin.  As a songwriter, James collaborated with Allan Clarke and Graham Nash.  On October 8, 2007, Nicky James died of a brain tumor at the age of 64.