The loss of four iconic musicians has left the music industry in shock less than two weeks into the new year.
Legendary soul singer Sam Moore was the most recent to pass away; according to some accounts, he passed away on January 10 as a result of complications after surgery.
He was eighty-nine.
At the age of 83, he became the second soul singer to pass away this year, after Brenton Wood.
Additionally, this year also saw the death of Wayne Osmond, a former guitarist and singer for the Osmond Brothers, a once-popular adolescent band. He was seventy-three. And following a fight with bladder cancer, folk musician Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul, and Mary passed away at the age of 86.
As one half of the R&B group Sam & Dave, Moore gained the most notoriety. Dave Prater, his group mate, passed away in 1988.
Soul Man, Hold On, I’m Comin, You Don’t Know Like I Know, I Thank You, When Something Is Wrong with My Baby, and Wrap It Up are just a few of the songs that Sam and Dave have released together.
Soul Man earned the pair a Grammy for Best R&B group performance and peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1967. In 2019, they won a Lifetime Achievement Award and were nominated for three additional Grammys.
In 1992, Sam and Dave received their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Wood’s cause of death was not disclosed.
His 1967 song, The Oogum Boogum Song, which peaked at No. 19 on the Billboard R&B charts, is arguably his most well-known work. According to Variety, the song gained new fans over time when it appeared in TV series and movies including The Umbrella Academy and Almost Famous.
Osmond passed away after a stroke, according to a message made on Instagram by his younger brother, Donny.
Wayne remarked, “Everyone who knew him, especially me, was filled with so much love, laughter, and light.” He was universally adored and the epitome of optimism.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Osmond also underwent surgery in 1997 to remove a brain tumor, and he suffered another stroke in 2012 that prevented him from playing the guitar.
Amy Cook, Osmond’s daughter, also shared information of his passing on Facebook.
Cook wrote that Wayne Osmond, a cherished husband and father, died quietly last night in the company of his five children and devoted wife. Many people all throughout the world have been impacted by his legacy of religion, music, love, and laughter. He would want everyone to know that banana splits are the greatest dessert, that families are forever, and that the gospel of Jesus Christ is real. We shall really miss him and we love him.
He founded The Osmond Brothers with his brothers Alan, Merrill, and Jay. They were regarded as idols by teenagers.
Yarrow’s most well-known contribution was creating the popular song “Puff the Magic Dragon.”
However, he was found guilty of abusing a 14-year-old girl in 1970, so his life was not without scandal. Before being granted a pardon by President Jimmy Carter in 1981, he was imprisoned for three months.