Music Heals Video Roundup: Artists We've Lost to Cancer

Music Heals
02/01/2018
KEXP

Today, KEXP, in collaboration with the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance Proton Therapy Center, present the latest in our Music Heals series, focusing on the power of music to lift our spirits and heal our souls in the face of cancer. From 6AM to 6PM PT, John Richards, Cheryl Waters, and Kevin Cole "will tell the stories shared with us by members of our community and work in the songs that helped them through the healing process either emotionally or physically." (If you have a story you'd like to share, you can still email us at stories@kexp.org.)

And later this evening, join KEXP and Seattle Cancer Care Alliance Proton Therapy Center from 6PM-8PM in the KEXP Gathering Space for a special performance from local troubadour Caspar Babypants. (Check out a recent KEXP interview with him here.) We hope you'll join us for this free family-friendly dance party celebrating hope and survival.

Over the years, this terrible disease has taken many beloved artists from us. Today, we are remembering their immense contributions to the music world and are paying tribute

Sharon Jones // passed November 18, 2016, age 60 from pancreatic cancer
The soul powerhouse found success late in life, but onstage, in the studio, and in every heartbreaking note, she never wasted a moment.

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David Bowie // passed January 10, 2016, age 69 from liver cancer

Grant Hart // passed September 13, 2017, age 56 from complications from liver cancer and Hepatitis C
As the poetic heart of Hüsker Dü, Grant Hart helped set a template for righteous honesty that the American underground has been following ever since.

Thomas Fekete // passed May 31, 2016, age 27 from a rare, aggressive form of cancer

Benjamin Curtis // passed December 29, 2013, age 35 from t-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma

Carey Lander // passed October 11, 2015, age 33 from bone cancer

MCA (Adam Yauch) // passed May 4, 2012, age 47 from parotid gland cancer

Joey Ramone // passed April 15, 2001, age 49 from lymphatic cancer
Johnny Ramone // passed September 15, 2004, age 55 from prostate cancer
Tommy Ramone // passed July 11, 2014, age 65 from bile duct cancer

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Lemmy Kilmister // passed December 28, 2015, age 70 from prostate cancer
It is a fact beyond debate that the Motörhead frontman and loveable hellraiser definitely made God do a shot as soon as he crossed the pearly gates.

Leonard Cohen // passed November 7, 2016, age 82 from a fall, with cancer listed as contributing cause.

George Harrison // passed November 29, 2001, age 58 from laryngeal cancer
The quiet Beatle made himself heard, redefining what the lead guitarist in a rock band could do, helping to bridge the gap between rock'n' roll and Eastern Music and helping to create the idea of the benefit concert, to name just a few of his many, many accomplishments.

Karl Mueller // passed June 17, 2005, age 41 from throat cancer

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Lou Rawls // passed January 6, 2006, age 72 from lung cancer[/caption]
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Syd Barrett // passed July 7, 2006, age 60 from pancreatic cancer[/caption]
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Ari Up // passed October 20, 2010, age 48 from breast cancer[/caption]
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Poly Styrene // passed April 25, 2011, age 53 from breast cancer[/caption]
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Gil Ray // passed January 24, 2017, age 60[/caption]
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Arthur Lee // passed August 3, 2006, age 61 from leukemia[/caption]
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Arthur Kane // passed July 13, 2004, age 55 from leukemia[/caption]
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Etta James // passed January 20, 2012, age 73 from leukemia[/caption]
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Bob Marley // passed May 11, 1981, age 36 from acral lentiginous melanoma
Three decades after his passing, the spiritual leader still inspires people to get up and stand up for their rights.[/caption]
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Alan Myers // passed June 24, 2013, age 58 from stomach cancer[/caption]
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Andy Hummel // passed July 19, 2010, age 59[/caption]
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Philip Chevron // passed October 8, 2013, age 56 from esophageal cancer[/caption]
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Patty Donahue // passed December 9, 1996, age 40 from lung cancer[/caption]
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Sterling Morrison // passed August 30, 1995, age 53 from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma[/caption]
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Gerard Smith // passed April 20, 2011, age 36 from lung cancer[/caption]
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Duke Ellington // passed May 24, 1974, age 75 from complications from lung cancer and pneumonia
A bandleader's bandleader, Duke Ellington taught America how to swing. One of the most prolific and elegant composers in any genre of American music, Ellington helped elevate jazz to its status of America's classical music without ever losing his trademark smile.[/caption]
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Eartha Kitt // passed December 25, 2008, age 81 from colon cancer
From protesting the Vietnam War to scoring a Christmas classic with "Santa Baby" to playing Catwoman to winning multiple Tonys and Emmys to supporting gay marriage well ahead of the curve to naming one of her memoirs I'm Still Here: Confessions of a Sex Kitten, Eartha Kitt lived a goddamn life.[/caption]
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Hugh Masekela // passed January 23, 2018, age 78 from prostate cancer
The recently passed trumpeter was a powerful voice for the anti-apartheid movement and a chart-topper in both the United States and his native Africa.[/caption]
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Charles Bradley // passed September 23, 2017, age 68 from stomach cancer
The Screaming Eagle of Soul brought a lifetime of feeling to every note that passed his lips.[/caption]
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Walter Becker // passed September 3, 2017, age 67 from esophageal cancer
As the co-founder/co-conspirator of the jazz-rock-pop-soul group Steely Dan, the meticulous multi-instrumentalist helped shape rock ‘n’ roll in the ’70s (and beyond).[/caption]
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Gord Downie // passed October 17, 2017, age 53 from brain cancer
The Tragically Hip singer was beloved in Canada for his empathic, poetic lyrics.[/caption]
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Jessi Zazu // passed September 12, 2017, age 28 from cervical cancer
Zazu fronted the scrappy, garage-leaning alt-country act Those Darlins and was an accomplished visual artist. After being diagnosed with cervical cancer, she became an outspoken advocate for affordable health insurance and the importance of the ACA.[/caption]
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Dave Rosser // passed June 27, 2017, age 50 from inoperable colon cancer[/caption]
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Fred Cole of Dead Moon // passed November 9, 2017, age 69 from cancer[/caption]

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