Music’s dear departed

Singing star Helen Reddy passed away last Sept. 29 at the age of 78. The Grammy-winning Reddy put Australia in the global hit charts with hits like Delta Dawn, Angie Baby and that triumphant tune that became the roaring battle cry of the feminist movement, I am Woman.

Another one of her No. 1 sellers was You and Me Against the World from the album Love Song for Jeffrey, which came out in 1974. Composed by Kenny Ascher and Paul Williams, its last verse is totally expressive of how most of us feel at this time of year.

“And when one of us is gone/and one of us is left to carry

Mac Davis, country music singer and Elvis Presley songwriter, passed away on Sept. 29. He was 78.

on/ then remembering will have to do/our memories alone will get us through/think about the days of me and you/of you and me against the world.” And so all that is left for those left behind to do is remember.

Coincidentally, Mac Davis also passed away last Sept. 29. He was 78 years old. A successful stage and screen actor, singer and songwriter with hits like I Believe in Music, In the Ghetto, A Little Less Conversation and Baby, Baby, Don’t Get Hooked on Me.

Again coincidentally, he also composed a song that is about remembering, Memories, that was a huge hit for Elvis Presley. “Memories, pressed between the pages of my mind/memories, sweetened through the ages just like wine/quiet thought come floating down/and settle softly to the ground/like golden autumn leaves around my feet/I touched them and they burst apart with sweet memories.” And we will always have memories of….

Juice WRLD, 21, Dec. 8, 2019, hip-hop star of drug overdose. His album Goodbye and Good Riddance is still flying high in the charts.

Marie Fredriksson, 61, Dec. 9, 2019. One half of the Scandinavian duo Roxette. The voice behind Listen to Your Heart, It Must Have Been Love and The Look.

Dennis Garcia, 69, Jan. 18. Manila Sound pioneer, bassist and founding member of the iconic band Hotdog. Pers Lab, Manila, Bongga Ka Day and Annie Batungbakal.

Pop Smoke, 21, Feb. 19, shot during a home invasion in Hollywood. Rapper, singer and songwriter, with hits like Shoot for the Stars, Mood Swings and Dior.

Kenny Rogers, 81, March 20. Pop and country music superstar. The Gambler, Lady, She Believes in Me and Wonderful Tonight.

Bill Withers, 81, March 30, Grammy-winning soul legend, singer and songwriter of songs like Ain’t No Sunshine, Use Me, Just the Two of Us and Lean On Me.

Little Richard, 88, May 9. Rock and Roll pioneer, who scored big with Long Tall Sally, Good Golly Miss Molly, Whole Lot of Shaking Going On and many others.

Sonny Parsons, 61, May 10, member of the macho dance group, Hagibis, of a heart attack while riding a motorcycle while on the way to Quezon province. Katawan, Legs and Nanggigigil.

Dame Vera Lynn, 103, June 18, the Sweetheart of the British armed forces during World War II of the reassuring love song, We’ll Meet Again.

Boy Sullivan, 83, June 26, novelty songs hitmaker most notably as Haring Solomon (May Alagang Pagong).

Ennio Morricone, 91, last July 6. He composed music for almost 500 films like The Mission, Cinema Paradiso, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Love Affair, A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, Once Upon a Time in the West and many more.

Naya Rivera, 33, July 8, by accidental drowning while trying to save her four-year-old son. Singer, actress and author, she sparkled on the TV screen as one of the stars of the musical series, Glee.

Fr. Manuel Maramba, OSB, 84, last July 13. A pianist, organist, composer, teacher and Benedictine monk, a legend in the field of sacred music. He was responsible for the translation from Latin of the Filipino Mass.

Gilbert Guillermo, 74, last July 21, editor and publisher of Jingle Chordbook Magazine, which sowed the seeds of pop music journalism in the Philippines and created a generation of artists.

Trini Lopez, 83, Aug. 11 of COVID-19, blended folk, Latin and rock and roll with hits like Lemon Tree, If I Had a Hammer and This Land is Your Land.

Emman, 21, of cancer, actor, rapper and YouTube star who scored big with parody videos of Korean telenovelas. He had a big hit song with the wistful Teka Lang.

Eddie Van Halen, 65, last Oct. 6 of cancer of the throat. The virtuoso of the rock guitar had hits with Jump, I’ll Wait, Jamie’s Crying and Unchained.

Johnny Nash, 80, last Oct. 6. He discovered Bob Marley in Jamaica and introduced reggae to popular music. A singer and songwriter, he had hits like I Can See Clearly Now, Tears on My Pillow and The Voice of Love.