David Whitaker was an English orchestral arranger and composer whose impact left on pop music as well. Over the course of his lengthy career, he worked with the likes of Lee Hazlewood, Simply Red, the Rolling Stones, Jimmy Page, and Serge Gainsbourg. David Whitaker passed away on January 11, 2012. Cause of death was not immediately released.
Nico (Born Christa Päffgen)
October 16, 1938 – July 18, 1988
Nico was a German-born singer, actress and model who is best remembered for her work with Velvet Underground as well as Andy Warhol. As a young adult, Nico worked as a model, appearing in such magazines as Vogue and Elle. After landing the lead in the 1963 French film, The Strip-Tease, Nico recorded the Serge Gainsbourg produced theme song. In 1965, Nico recorded her first single with the help of Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones. It was around this time that Nico began working with Andy Warhol who managing the Velvet Underground at the time. The band reluctantly agreed to let Nico sing lead on three songs on their 1967 debut, The Velvet Underground & Nico, considered one of the most influential albums of the era. The partnership soon dissolved with Nico moving on to a critically acclaimed solo career. She recorded and performed into the 1980s. On July 18, 1988, Nico fell from her bicycle after suffering a minor heart attack. Unconscious, she was taken to a hospital where she was misdiagnosed with heat stroke. She died the next day of a cerebral hemorrhage from the fall.
Serge Gainsbourg (Born Lucien Ginzberg)
April 2, 1921 – March 2, 1991
Born and raised in Paris, Serge Gainsbourg was an esoteric singer-songwriter, actor and director. He is considered one of France’s most influential artists, and although he never really rose above cult status in the U.S. and other parts of the world, his songs have been covered by Belinda Carlisle, Okkervil River, Arcade Fire, Dionne Warwick, Placebo, Jarvis Cocker and more. In some cases, the lyrics were translated into English. His music is difficult to catagorize, in that he tended to jump from style to style, often dabbling in jazz, pop, reggae and electronica. Perhaps his most famous song, “Je t’aime…moi non plus,” was first recorded by Brigitte Bardot, but then re-recorded by his soon-to-be girlfriend, Jane Birken. It’s melody revolved around the simulated sounds of a female orgasm. Even though (or more likely due to) many counries deaming it to “hot” for airlplay, and the vatican calling it offensive, the single reached number 1 on the UK charts in 1969. Gainsbourg continued recording well into the ’80s, but he, along with his music, were becoming more and more eccentric. One of his last records was the attention-grabbing song, “Incest de Citron,” or “Lemon Incest,” a duet with daughter, Charlotte Gainsbourg. Serge Gainsbourg died of a heart attack on March 2, 1991.