Latest News

• 24th May 2023

  Simply at Rest!

  

  Singing legend, Tina Turner, has passed at the age of 83. Turner’s initial fame came from her partnership with Ike Turner in the late 1950s and 1960s, who she met as a teenager. They had several notable hits including River Deep - Mountain High, Proud Mary and Nutbush City Limits, however, she also suffered greatly from the hits that Ike administered to her throughout an abusive marriage that lasted for 16 years. In 1976, Turner fled her marriage and successful career. She resumed work as a solo artist, although initially at a low-key level. However, she managed to secure a solo record deal and recorded her album, “Private Dancer”, in 1984, which propelled her to become one of the biggest artists in the world, with huge hits such as What's Love Got to Do with It, I Can't Stand the Rain and the album title track. Turner continued as a major global artist throughout the remainder of the 1980s, 1990s and into the 2000s with further hits such as Steamy Windows and Simply the Best. She eventually retired from performing in 2008 and was inducted Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, once as a member of Ike & Tina Turner and once as a solo artist. She suffered from ill health in her later years and died making her second appearance on DeathList, this year at number 48.
  2 appearances: 2023 (48), 2019 (47)
  

  7th Death

  Age: 84, Singer, Cause of death: TBC

• 10th May 2023

  Rolf Harris Cark Tomb Time

  

  Former singer, artist and entertainer, Rolf Harris, has passed away at the age of 93 providing DeathList 2023 with a popular success and its sixth hit of the year. Harris initially came to fame as a singer in the 1960s with hits such as Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport, Sun Arise, Jake The Peg and Two Little Boys. In the 1970s he started to appear more on British TV being given his own shows such as Rolf Harris Cartoon Time and similar shows. Later in his career he recorded a version of Stairway to Heaven and became a regular at Glastonbury Festival in the early 2000s. In the later parts of career, rumours had started to spread that Harris had a dark secret. It started to become clear that the clues had been there for years and then people started to come forward to substantiate the claims. Finally, it was revealed that Harris was indeed an Australian…Despite this, his career appeared to continue successfully until 2014 when he was convicted of sexual offences against a minor and subsequently charged with further similar offences. Harris passed away from neck cancer on 10 May 2023 although his death was not made public until 23 May. Harris was debuting on DeathList in 2023 being nominated at 38.
  1 appearance: 2023 (38)
  

  6th Death

  Age: 93, Paedophile, Cause of death: Neck Cancer

• 25th April 2023

  Daylight come and Harry’s not going home…

  

  Singer, actor, and activist, Harry Belafonte has passed at the age of 96, providing another hit for DeathList 2023. He was born in New York, in 1927 and rose to fame in the 1950s as a calypso singer. His most famous song was his recording of the Banana Boat Song which reached number 2 in the Billboard charts in 1957, highly recognisable for its wailing “Day-O” introduction. Belafonte also starred in films and television shows and was a vocal advocate for civil rights and social justice. Belafonte received numerous awards, including multiple Grammys, a Tony and an Emmy and was the older living person to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Belafonte was making his fifth appearance on DeathList, breaking the top ten this year with the number 9 slot.
  5 appearances: 2023 (9), 2022 (13), 2021 (26), 2020 (23), 2019 (30)
  

  5th Death

  Age: 96, Singer, Cause of death: Heart failure

• 3rd April 2023

  Laying down the Lawson

  

  British politician, Nigel Lawson, has passed away at the age of 91 to record another score for DeathList 2023. Lawson started his career as a journalist for the Financial Times and later became the editor of The Spectator magazine. In 1974, Lawson was elected to Parliament as a Conservative MP. He served in various roles in government, including Secretary of State for Energy and Secretary of State for Transport. However, it was his appointment as Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1983 by Margaret Thatcher that would define his political career. He was a key ally of Thatcher and played a crucial role in the Conservative government's economic reforms of the 1980s, overseeing the deregulation of financial markets and the reduction of income tax rates. After resigning in 1989, he was back in the public eye after dieting to lose a massive amount of weight and publishing a bestselling diet book. Meanwhile, his daughter, Nigella Lawson, rose to fame as a celebrity cook. Lawson was making his second appearance on DeathList, this year at number 42.
  2 appearances: 2023 (42), 2012 (26)
  

  4th Death

  Age: 91, UK Politican, Cause of death: TBA

• 28th March 2023

  Ryuichi for the sky

  

  Japanese musician, composer, and actor, Ryuichi Sakamoto has passed away to provide DeathList 2023 with another success. Sakamoto was considered to be an innovative and influential musician, blending classical, electronic, and world music styles. He studied music composition at the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music before embarking on a career in music. In the late 1970s, he formed the pioneering electronic music group Yellow Magic Orchestra, which achieved worldwide success and helped to establish the sound of Japanese techno-pop. Throughout his career, Sakamoto composed music for films, television shows, and video games, winning an Academy Award for Best Original Score for his work on the 1987 film "The Last Emperor." He also collaborated with a diverse range of artists, including David Bowie, Iggy Pop and David Sylvian. In addition to his music career, Sakamoto was also an activist and philanthropist, working tirelessly to raise awareness about environmental and humanitarian issues. He was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014 but continued to create music and perform until his passing. Sakamoto was making his first appearance on DeathList, selected at number 39. He was 71.
  1 appearance: 2023 (39)
  

  3rd Death

  Age: 71, Musician, Cause of death: Cancer

• 9th February 2023

  Raindrops Keep Fallin’ but Burt’s Dead…

  

  Legendary composer and songwriter, Burt Bacharach, has penned his last chart-topper at the age of 94 to provide DeathList 2023 with another hit. After a stint in the army in the early 1950s, Bacharach's career was launched when he landed a job as Marlene Dietrich’s music director. In the late 1950s Bacharach started to write the many of his famous songs which were hits for a wide variety of artists, including Three Wheels on my Wagon, Walk On By, I Say A Little Prayer, What the World Needs Now Is Love, Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head. Bacharach died at the age of 94, while making his third appearance on DeathList, this year at number 29.
  3 appearances: 2023 (29), 2022 (34), 2021 (42)
  

  2nd Death

  Age: 95, Singer Songwriter, Cause of death: Natural Causes

• 5th February 2023

  General Strike!

  

  General Pervez Musharraf, the tenth president of Pakistan, has passed to provide DeathList 2023 with its first success of the year. Musharraf graduated from the Pakistan Military Academy and joined the Pakistan Army in 1964, starting a gradual climb through the ranks, becoming the head of the armed forces in 1998. In 1999 the army staged a coup, paving the way for Musharraf to take over as President of Pakistan in 2001. In the early days of his presidency, he supported the War on Terror and attempted to improve relations with India, however his term was marred by scandal and claims of corruption. In 2007, Musharraf was implicated in the assassination of Benazir Bhutto and eventually resigned as president in 2008, exiling himself from Pakistan. Musharraf survived at least four assignation attempts during his lifetime but ultimately passed away in Dubai from suffering from amyloidosis at the age of 79. He was making his third appearance on DeathList, this year at number 34.
  3 appearances: 2023 (34), 2020 (47), 2004 (35)
  

  1st Death

  Age: 80, Former Pakistani President/Moving target, Cause of death: Amyloidosis