From 1962 to 1987, Barry contributed to 12 James Bond films including Goldfinger, You Only Live Twice, and Diamonds Are Forever, and while his contribution to the latter was famously sampled on Kanye West’s Grammy-winning “Diamonds from Sierra Leone”, Barry was always most humbled by accolades bestowed upon him by his countrymen.

“To receive this from my home is extraordinarily special, you don’t know how special it is,” he said after being given the 2001 Ivor Novello academy fellowship award in 2001, “It’s being home and being embraced by everyone here.” Check out the original “Diamonds Are Forever” below.

According to an issued statement, Keenan died earlier this morning from complications with pnuemonia after battling the illness for two weeks in intensive care.

Spinner reports that Keenan’s pnuemonia was brought on from swine flu (H1N1), which she contracted during a recent trip to Australia.

Under Keenan, Broadcast released three full length studio albums, as well as a mini-collaborative album with The Focus Group in 2009. They also supplied songs for the soundtracks of Austin Powers and The L Word. Most recently, they appeared at the Matt Groening-curated All Tomorrow’s Parties festival in Minehead, England in 2010.

Consequence of Sound would like to extend our condolences to Keenan’s family and friends.

With Christopherson, Throbbing Gristle released four studio albums and became one of the more influential figures in the industrial music genre. The band would disband in 1981, with Christopherson going on to work in a number of different outfits, including Psychic TV and his own solo-project Coil. In 2004, Throbbing Gristle reunited for a string of concerts and new music, but again disbanded after vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Genesis P-Orridge unexpectedly departed amidst an ongoing tour in October 2010. Carter, Fanni Tutti, and Christopherson continued on under the moniker X-TG.

The NZ Herald has reported that (just like the Walkman), LimeWire is to be no more. U.S. District Court Judge Kimba Wood ordered the closure of the decade old service yesterday morning, and anyone who visits Limewire.com is now greeted with this message:

LEGAL NOTICE: THIS IS AN OFFICIAL NOTICE THAT LIMEWIRE IS UNDER A COURT-ORDERED INJUNCTION TO STOP DISTRIBUTING AND SUPPORTING ITS FILE-SHARING SOFTWARE. DOWNLOADING OR SHARING COPYRIGHTED CONTENT WITHOUT AUTHORIZATION IS ILLEGAL.

Lime Wire LLC – the company that developed the software – has been the subject of a four-year-old lawsuit brought on by 13 different record companies (Arista, Sony, Universal, Virgin, to name a few), and yesterday’s ruling prompted CEO George Searle to take to the company blog and say that his team is, naturally, very disappointed by the news, but looking forward to the future.

He mentioned that the injunction only applies to the Lime Wire product and emphasized that his company “remains open for business.” Apparently they’ve got something new up their sleeves. “It’s a sad occasion for our team, and for you,” he said, “[but] our team of technologists and music enthusiasts is creating a completely new music service that puts you back at the center of your digital music experience.” While he didn’t expound on whether it was the cloud-based music “ecosystem” we reported on in June, Searle did say that his company is committed to working with the music industry and “making the act of loving music more fulfilling for everyone – including artists, songwriters, publishers, labels, and of course music fans.”

Still, at the end of the day, no one really wins, and the issue of piracy will always be a big deal. You’re still going to steal albums, and the RIAA may still try to sue you for every last kernel of cereal in your only box of Cap’n Crunch. So, R.I.P. LimeWire. You won’t be missed, and we’ll move on just fine without you.

Based out of Camden, London, Ou Est Le Swimming Pool have spent much of the summer touring in support of their highly acclaimed full-length debut, Christ Died for Our Synths, which was released last October. The album’s first single, “Dance the Way I Feel”, reached #10 on the UK charts. You can stream it below.

Image via BBC.co.uk.

A cause of death has not yet been determined, but police said there were “no suspicious circumstances at this stage.”

Cable was the original drummer for Stereophonics, performing with the band throughout the 1990s and early 2003s. Signed to Richard Branson’s V2 record label, the outfit experienced massive success, achieving three number one albums in the UK during this era. Cable, however, was forced out of the band in 2003 because of “commitment” issues — the decision was said to be based on the drummer’s long history.

In the years that followed, Cable focused his career in media and host hosted own TV show, Cable Connects, and his own radio show on BBC Radio Wales. He also drummed for bands Stone Gods and Killing for Company.

Having served as the lead singer beginning in 1984 (replacing Dennis Edwards), he was with the Temptations for several incarnations, as well as the Temptations Revue from 2006-2008. He had writing and producing credits on, as well as sang, “Treat Her Like a Lady”, the 1984 comeback hit that reached #2 on the U.S. R&B chart. He also sang on R&B top-5 hit “Lady Soul”. His last album with the group was For Lovers Only in 1995, after which he embarked on a solo tour.

During this time, he also had his first run-in with cancer, a throat cancer for which he underwent multiple surgeries.

Speaking to the Associated Press, Motown Alumni Association president Billy Wilson said, “He had this swagger about himself, he was cool. He had a coolness about himself that was really very inviting.

“If we ever asked him to do anything, he never said, ‘Well, it’s going to cost you.’ He’d always say, ‘Yeah, let’s go’. He was just a star performer. Wonderful person. Wonderful, wonderful person. He was very kind.”

Woodson was an occasional film and T.V. actor, having notably appeared in The Jamie Foxx Show as a mental patient. He leaves behind wife Juanita and several children.

Dio’s wife and manager, Wendy, released the following statement (via RIO!B):

“Today my heart is broken, Ronnie passed away at 7:45 a.m. [on Sunday] 16th May. Many, many friends and family were able to say their private goodbyes before he peacefully passed away. Ronnie knew how much he was loved by all. We so appreciate the love and support that you have all given us. Please give us a few days of privacy to deal with this terrible loss. Please know he loved you all and his music will live on forever.”

During his five decade-plus career, Dio was involved in a number of music projects. His first major break came when his band Elf opened for Deep Purple in 1969, and he ultimately went on to form Rainbow with Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore. In 1979, after leaving Rainbow, Dio joined Black Sabbath, replacing Ozzy Osbourne, and was instrumental in the creation of the band’s acclaimed 1980 effort Heaven and Hell.

In the latter part of his career, he formed the band Dio and collaborated with former Black Sabbath members under the moniker Heaven & Hell. Heaven & Hell had planned to embark on a tour this summer, but canceled those plans because of Dio’s ongoing treatment for stomach cancer.

Dio was also known for popularizing the “devil’s horns” gesture.

For over three decades, Sear ran the legendary Sear Sound recording studio in New York City. Known for its vast collection of vintage analog recording gear, the studio has served a bevy of well-known clients, including Paul McCartney, Muse, The Killers, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Wilco, Ryan Adams, and Jim O’Rourke.

In addition to his work at the studio, Sear was heavily influential in the development of a portable synthesizer which could be used in live performance. He would also become a performer and composer on the instrument, and created several soundtracks.

His cause of death has yet to be released.

Image courtesy of AES.org…

According to the rapper’s producer and spokesman Solar, Guru “suffered from the malicious illness for over a year and after numerous special treatments under the supervision of medical specialists failed, the legendary MC succumbed to the disease. Guru always tried to keep this harrowing diagnosis in private but in early 2010 he had to admit himself to hospital due to serious effects caused by the disease.”

The New York born MC had suffered cardiac arrest on March 2nd and was in a coma for several weeks. It was revealed that he had Anoxia, a condition which affects both breathing and oxygen levels for organ tissues.

While in the hospital, Guru wrote a letter, which was released by Solar, to his fans addressing his illness, his music career, and his life (via Yo! Raps). Update: We should note that it has yet to be confirmed whether Guru actually wrote the aforementioned letter.

The statement read: “I, Guru, am writing this letter to my fans, friends and loved ones around the world. I have had a long battle with cancer and have succumbed to the disease. I have suffered with this illness for over a year. I have exhausted all medical options. I have a non-profit organization called Each One Counts dedicated to carrying on my charitable work on behalf of abused and disadvantaged children from around the world and also to educate and research a cure for this terrible disease that took my life. I write this with tears in my eyes, not of sorrow but of joy for what a wonderful life I have enjoyed and how many great people I have had the pleasure of meeting.”

Guru was perhaps best known for his collaboration with DJ Premier in the hip-hop group Gang Starr. The duo released six studio albums between 1989 and 2003. In recent years, Guru had released a series of Jazzmataz albums where he teamed up with classic jazz, soul, and hip hop artists.

In his letter, Guru went on to state his wishes that the Gang Starr legacy end upon his death. “I do not wish my [DJ Premier] to have anything to do with my name likeness, events tributes etc. connected in anyway to my situation including any use of my name or circumstance for any reason and I have instructed my lawyers to enforce this. I had nothing to do with him in life for over 7 years and want nothing to do with him in death,” he said.

The band was performing at an all-ages show Friday at the Rickshaw Theatre when Clifford collapsed on stage. According to Spinner, lead singer Becky Ninkovic asked audience members to call 911, and soon after midnight paramedics arrived and Clifford was rushed to the emergency room.

Though the cause of death has not yet been disclosed, reports suggest that Clifford suffered a sudden brain hemmorhage and, after having emergency neurosurgery, he was put full life support. Unfortunately, he ultimately passed away on early Sunday.

Paper Bag Records, the band’s label, released the following statement regarding Clifford’s death:

It is with absolute sadness to report that our dear friend Devon Clifford, the drummer of You Say Party We Say Die, passed away last night in a Vancouver hospital surrounded by his family and friends. He will be deeply missed by everyone who knew him.

Clifford joined You Say Party! We Say Die! in 2004 following the release of its debut EP, Danskwad. He would go on to record three full-length albums with the group, most recently XXXX late last year.

Born in Brooklyn, Steele had fronted Type O Negative since its inception in 1990 and would go on to release seven studio albums with the band. His resume also included membership in metal group Fallout and the thrash band Carnivore. Steele was perhaps best known, however, for his tall statute — he stood at 6′ 7″ — and low, bass-heavy voice.

Update: Type O Negative has issued an official statement:

It is with great sadness that we inform you that Type O Negative front man, bassist, and our band mate, Peter Steele passed away last night of what appears to be heart failure.

Ironically Peter had been enjoying a long period of sobriety and improved health and was imminently due to begin writing and recording new music for our follow up to “Dead Again” released in 2007.

The official cause of death has yet to be determined pending autopsy results. The funeral services will be private and memorial services will be announced at a future date. We’d like to share our thoughts and those of Peter’s family below. [Click here]

We are truly saddened to lose our friend and appreciate the tremendous outpouring today from around the world.

Sincerely,
Josh, Kenny and Johnny

With Sparklehorse, Linkous released four full-length albums. He also collaborated extensively with the likes of PJ Harvey, Daniel Johnston, Tom Waits, and Cardigans singer Nina Persson. Most recently, Linkous teamed up with producer Danger Mouse for the acclaimed project Dark Night of the Soul.

However, despite his impressive resume, Linkous had a history of personal suffering. While on tour with Radiohead in 1996, he suffered a seizure for two minutes after ingesting a mix of Valium and antidepressants, an incident which left him unconscious for several hours and trapped his legs. When finally aided by paramedics, Linkous suffered a heart attack, and underwent seven surgeries to save his damaged limbs.

A statement released by his family read the following: “It is with great sadness that we share the news that our dear friend and family member, Mark Linkous, took his own life today. We are thankful for his time with us and will hold him forever in our hearts. May his journey be peaceful, happy and free. There’s a heaven and there’s a star for you.”

Linkous was believed to be in his 40s at the time of his death. According to NME, he had been working on a new Sparklehorse album that had nearly reached completion and was set to be released by the Anti- record label.

McGarrigle, who was born in Saint-Sauveur-des-Monts, Quebec in 1946, is perhaps most known for her collaboration with sister Anna in the folk group the McGarrigle Sisters. Their discography included such hits as “The Work Song”, “Cool River”, and “Lying Song”, as well a fairly popular cover of Wade Hemsworth’s “The Log Driver’s Waltz”. Several of their songs would go on to be covered by the likes of Emmylou Harris, Judy Collins, Billy Bragg, and Linda Ronstadt.

According to the Canadian Press, McGarrigle had been battling cancer since the summer of 2006. She died surrounded by her sisters, Jane and Anna, and her children. Rufus Wainwright canceled his upcoming tour to be by his mother’s side.

Avenged Sevenfold has since released a statement on its website:

It is with great sadness and heavy hearts that we tell you of the passing today of Jimmy “The Rev” Sullivan. Jimmy was not only one of the world’s best drummers, but more importantly he was our best friend and brother. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Jimmy’s family and we hope that you will respect their privacy during this difficult time

The band was said to be currently recordings a new album. We’ll update you as more information becomes available.

For many, including this writer, Joe Strummer will forever be their greatest musical influence. On both record and in actions, the Clash frontman exemplified what it meant to be a living hero, and his tragic death in 2002 at the young age of 50, a constant reminder of not only what could have been, but of the life’s bittersweet realites.

So on this December 22nd, three days before we come together and celebrate life’s many wonders, let us for a few moments remember life’s greatest men — the late and great Joe Strummer.

This is for Joe…

According to the New York Post, Fuchs was at a fundraising event in Williamsburg, New York when the elevator he and a friend were riding in became stuck on the fifth floor. It is reported that Fuchs and a friend then attempted to jump three or four feet from the lift to the fifth floor.

The Post goes on to report that his friend landed safely, but a piece of Fuchs’ clothing caught on the elevator, causing him to be yanked backward as he jumped, sending him swinging back into the crevice separating the elevator from the fifth floor.

Fuchs fell and landed at the bottom of the shaft. He was rushed to Bellevue Hospital, where he died at 3:30 a.m.

In addition to his work with !!!, Fuchs also collaborated with the likes of Georgia-based psychedelic band Maserati as well as instrumental band Turing Machine and electronic musician Juan MacLean.

The New York Post reports that drug paraphernalia was found in the musician’s apartment. As Rolling Stone notes, Goldstein spoke openly about his past struggles with drug and food addiction, telling Glamour he started freebasing cocaine when he was 20 years old.

TMZ also reports that a recent breakup with his girlfriend and the stress over the plane crash could have caused him to start using drugs again. He had been sober for nine years.

Goldstein is perhaps best known for his collaboration work with Blink-182′s Travis Barker. Back in September of 2008, the two musicians were the lone survivors of the aforementioned South Carolina plane crash.

As always, more as it becomes available.

I remember as a wee six year-old in first grade when the worldwide premier of the video for “Black Or White” came on every single channel. The video felt like this mega event that seemed to go on for hours, when in reality the video was only roughly eight or nine minutes. Jackson always over succeeded the hype regarding his product and that’s why the world loved him for it. When “Black Or White” was shown on MTV, Fox, NBC, ABC and whatever else was on cable TV at the time, everyone in school the next day talked about it. Questions like: “Whoa! Did you see what Michael did?”, “Did you see the changing faces at the end??”, “The kid from Home Alone was rapping next to Michael!”, and of course, the famous panther scene. Needless to say, aside from the Super Bowl and probably the last episode of M*A*S*H, in our lifetimes we were fortunate to witness one of the biggest events in television history.

Who also could forget the 1989 classic Moonwalker? I had already mentioned before the famous and indefinitely awesome dance sequence of “Smooth Criminal”. Without a doubt, this has perched atop the highest mountain of excellence since day one. Everything he touched seemed to turn to gold — he had that Midas touch for music. What about the arcade game? That too! I remember playing that as a kid at my local arcade and it was a blast. Not only could you shoot lightning out of your hands, you could make Michael dance and moonwalk with all of the enemies to snippets of “Smooth Criminal” and “Another Part Of Me”. Truly genius.

Before all the mysticism, I first heard the man on an old cassette tape of his 1987 classic album Bad. It shaped my life from such an early age. I still have that cassette with me to this day and as we speak, it’s sitting in my old shoebox next to my guitar amp. Yep, I can still see the old coffee stain on the casing from when I was a kid. Over 20 years later, this stuff still moves me, and I’m not alone. From childhood to adolescence, teenage years to adulthood, the King of Pop still reigns.

It really is a sad day for the music world. I’d honestly put him up there with The Beatles’ deaths of John Lennon and George Harrison as an epic tragic day. While the King is gone from this earth, his soul lives on in all of those old cassettes, those old Converse shoes, those old leather jackets, old zoot suits, music videos and the whole nine yards. Words and worlds colliding cannot do justice to this former Gary, Indiana native. What we can take away from this however is that whether yesterday, today, or tomorrow… Jackson’s music lives on.

Rest in peace to the King of Pop. You were and still are a beloved man all around the world.

August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009

If you’d like to express your thoughts, comments, or anything else, please feel free to do so below…

According to the Los Angeles Times, paramedics responded to a 911 call from the Los Angeles, California home of Jackson earlier this afternoon. When they arrived, Jackson was not breathing. The paramedics performed CPR and took him to UCLA Medical Center. He was pronounced dead shortly thereafter.

Jackson is survived by two sons, Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr., Michael Joseph Jackson III, and a daughter, Paris Michael Katherine Jackson.

His death came less than a month before he was scheduled to start a 50-date comeback at London’s O2 Arena.

The Recording Academy issued the following statement regarding Jackson’s death: “Rarely has the world received a gift with the magnitude of artistry, talent, and vision as Michael Jackson. He was a true musical icon whose identifiable voice, innovative dance moves, stunning musical versatility, and sheer star power carried him from childhood to worldwide acclaim. A 13-time GRAMMY recipient, Michael’s career transcends musical and cultural genres and his contributions will always keep him in our hearts and memories. We are deeply saddened by this tragic news and our hearts go out to his family and to music lovers around the globe who mourn this great loss.”

Check back tomorrow for a full tribute, and stayed tuned, as we will update this story as any additional details become available.

In addition to his work with The Orb, Hughes also produced for produced and remixed music for artists such as Kovak, Basement Jaxx, The Cranberries and Tangerine Dream.

Hughes’ funeral will take place on June 27th at West Norwood Crematorium in London. It will be open to the public. Donations to the to the Liver Intensive Therapy Unit at Kings College Hospital are being welcomed at www.justgiving.com/andyphughes.

The Stooges were formed in 1967 with Asheton as the original guitarist for the group’s first two albums The Stooges and Fun House, before he switched over to bass for Raw Power.  He coined some of the most memorable guitar riffs in rock history including “I Wanna Be Your Dog” and “T.V. Eye”.  After the Stooges initial break up, he went on to work with several other groups including The New Order (not New Order), Destroy All Monsters, New Race and the Wylde Ratttz, a post punk supergroup composed of Dinosaur Jr.’s J Mascis, Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore, and Mudhoney’s Mark Arm who would later join Asheton in the reunited Stooges in 2003.  Since the band reunited, they have toured internationally, headlining major festivals such as Coachella, Lollapalooza and Virgin Mobile Festival.

His work is forever engraved in rock history and he will be greatly missed.

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