Withers’ death was mourned by many on social media, who spoke of the lasting impact his work had on their lives,. He was 73. Coronavirus, Masks, Bill Withers: Your Friday Evening Briefing . I’ve written before about music deaths that have come in bunches. (On Thursday, Prine’s wife, Fiona Whelan Prine, said on Twitter that her husband had pneumonia in both lungs and had been placed on a ventilator.). Legendary singer-songwriter Bill Withers has died at the age of 81 from heart complications. He was 81. Bill Withers has died from heart complications, his family said in a statement. Musician’s soulful songs provided comfort for people dealing with hard times The mystery is over: Ariana Grande taps Megan Thee Stallion, Doja Cat for new remix. But that doesn’t make his death any easier to take, especially now that his 1972 hit “Lean On Me” is more resonant then ever, with our need for somebody to lean on stymied by an inability to physically do so. Why some older people are getting the vaccine in Southern California but others are striking out. How sea shanty TikTok took over the internet. The legendary American singer, who was most famous for hits Ain't No Sunshine, Lovely Day, Just … Trump retreats from his job, and Pence fills the void as ‘acting’ president. ". “Bill Withers is the closest thing black people have to a Bruce Springsteen.” Mr. Withers, the youngest of six children, was born July 4, 1938, in the coal-mining town of Slab Fork, W.Va. The cause of death for the acclaimed songwriter behind enduring hits like “Lovely Day,” “Ain’t No Sunshine” and “Lean on Me,” Bill Withers, has been revealed. L.A.'s California African American Museum holds a remembrance with music and a study group, and a Santa Monica concert centers on Black composers. I spent a lot of time in recent years hanging out in the assisted-living facility where my mother lived before she died last January, and I frequently felt like Prine was the good conscience on my shoulder, singing “Hello in There” in my ear. Phil Spector was hospitalized after he became ill with COVID-19, said a source familiar with his medical condition. Updated Updated 04/04/2020 Share Here’s what you need to know at the end of the day. That’s Biden’s plan. Beach Boys star Brian Wilson wrote on Twitter: “I’m very sad to hear about Bill Withers passing. We’re relieved that our heroes died in their own time rather than being taken by this virus that threatens us all. He was 81. His death comes as the public has drawn inspiration from his music during the coronavirus pandemic, with healthcare workers, choirs, artists and more posting their own renditions of … They knew what it was to struggle; they knew what it was to be overlooked. Martin Luther King Jr. Day events lead this weekend’s 21 culture picks. “I guess you didn’t mean what you wrote in that song about me,” Olivia Rodrigo sings in “Drivers License,” which is breaking streaming records left and right. Airlines Suck! Health officials set aside carefully considered plans for rolling out COVID-19 vaccines and made the shots widely available. How to get the most out of your music. 5 things to know about the viral ‘Drivers License’ star. Philly rock band RFA just released a fabulous album. His death comes as the public has drawn inspiration from his music during the coronavirus … But are they even a band anymore? BILL WITHERS has died aged 81 following heart complications. » HELP US REPORT: Are you a health-care worker, medical provider, government worker, patient, frontline worker, or other expert? As their well-drawn Vietnam material made clear, Prine and Withers believed that protest was most effective in the form of a detailed personal narrative. 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