2016 Obituaries of Note

[Don]

I liked Patty Duke. Until I saw this post I had no idea that Samwise Gamgee was her son. The resemblance is obvious.

[waltky]

Died on his 79th birthday of pneumonia...

Country legend Merle Haggard dead at 79
Wed, 06 Apr 2016 - Haggard wrote songs, sang and played fiddle and guitar, usually singing about American pride, rebels and outlaws.

American country music legend Merle Haggard has died of pneumonia on his 79th birthday, his manager confirmed. He is credited with helping to define the "Bakersfield sound", country music with a distinctive twang and lack of sophisticated production. Haggard wrote songs, sang and played fiddle and guitar, usually singing about American pride and outlaws. He was a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame with dozens of albums and top hits.

The singer, who battled lung cancer in 2008, had recently cancelled April tour dates due to illness and said he hoped to be back on the road in May. Rolling Stone magazine has described him as "the backbone of one of the greatest repertoires an all of American music, plain-spoken songs populated by the kinds of working people Haggard grew up with: farmers, hobos, convicts, widows, musicians and drunks". His top hits include Mama Tried, The Fugitive, If We Make It Through December and Okie from Muskogee.

He was born in California in 1937, living in a converted boxcar with his family and quitting school at a young age to hop freight trains across the south western part of the US. He spent three years in prison for breaking into a cafe while drunk, Rolling Stone notes. Then-governor of California, Ronald Reagan, expunged his criminal record in 1972. Haggard's former publicist Jim Della Croce told the BBC that the singer was as influential as the Beatles in country music. "He was the bottom line in country music and the gold standard to which every country artist measured himself," he said. "He was a nice guy with a great sense of humour. He was a very literate man."

Musicians gave their tributes to Haggard on Twitter shortly following the news of his death. Country musician Luke Bryan tweeted that "a true hero was lost". "Literally just fell to the floor. Can't believe we lost the hag. RIP Merle Haggard," tweeted country musician Dierks Bentley.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-35981077

[waltky]

Music superstar Prince dies at 57...

Prince, hugely inventive, influential musician, dead at 57
Apr 21,`16 -- Prince could play guitar like Carlos Santana or Jimi Hendrix, sing like James Brown, turn out pop melodies worthy of Motown or lay down the deepest grooves this side of Sly and the Family Stone. But no one could mistake his sound for anyone but Prince.

The dazzlingly talented and charismatic singer, songwriter, arranger and instrumentalist who died Thursday at his home drew upon the history of modern popular music and created a gender- and genre-defying blend of rock, funk and soul. With hits including "1999," ''Purple Rain" and "Little Red Corvette," Prince's records sold more than 100 million copies and earned him Grammys and an Academy Award for music. The Minneapolis native stood just 5 feet, 2 inches, yet made a powerful visual impact at the dawn of the MTV era, proving to be the Little Richard for the '80s, from his wispy moustache and tall pompadour to his colorful and suggestive outfits - the counterpart to the openly erotic lyrics that made him one of the most sexually daring artists of the era.

But his greatest legacy was as a musician, summoning original and compelling sounds at will, whether playing guitar in a flamboyant style that drew on Hendrix, switching his vocals from a nasally scream to an erotic falsetto, or turning out album after album of stunningly innovative material. Among his other notable releases: "Sign O' the Times," ''Graffiti Bridge" and "The Black Album." "He rewrote the rulebook, forging a synthesis of black funk and white rock that served as a blueprint for cutting-edge music in the Eighties," reads his dedication in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. "Prince made dance music that rocked and rock music that had a bristling, funky backbone. From the beginning, Prince and his music were androgynous, sly, sexy and provocative."

Prince performs at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif. Prince, widely acclaimed as one of the most inventive and influential musicians of his era with hits including "Little Red Corvette," ''Let's Go Crazy" and "When Doves Cry," was found dead at his home on Thursday, April 21, 2016, in suburban Minneapolis, according to his publicist. He was 57

The 57-year-old superstar passed away Thursday at his home in suburban Minneapolis. The local sheriff said deputies found Prince unresponsive in an elevator late Thursday morning after being summoned to his home, but that first-responders couldn't revive him. "I am confirming that Prince, the legendary iconic performer has died at his home this morning at Paisley Park," his publicist, Yvette Noel-Schure, told The Associated Press in a phone call. No details about what may have caused his death have been released. Prince postponed a concert in Atlanta on April 7, saying he had fallen ill with the flu, and he apologized to fans during a makeup concert last week. An autopsy is scheduled for Friday.

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Prince, singer and superstar, dies aged 57 at Paisley Park
Fri, 22 Apr 2016 - The hugely acclaimed and influential musician Prince has died at his home in Minnesota, aged 57.

The hugely popular, acclaimed and influential musician Prince has died at his home in Minnesota at the age of 57. Police were summoned to his Paisley Park estate early on Thursday and found his body in a lift. An investigation has been opened. Prince became a global superstar in the 1980s, with albums such as 1999, Purple Rain and Sign O' the Times. No cause of death has been stated. A post-mortem investigation will take place on Friday. His innovative music spanned rock, funk and jazz. He sold more than 100 million records during his career. "It is with profound sadness that I am confirming that the legendary, iconic performer, Prince Rogers Nelson, has died," his spokeswoman said.

In a statement, Carver County Sheriff Jim Olson said his deputies responded to a medical call at about 09:43 local time (14:43 GMT) and later found an unresponsive adult male in an elevator at Paisley Park Studios. First responders tried to revive him with CPR but he was pronounced dead at 10:07. Hundreds of fans gathered outside Paisley Park. US President Barack Obama said the world had lost a "creative icon".

'A visionary' - Madonna

Born in 1958, Prince was a prolific writer and performer from a young age - reportedly writing his first song when he was seven. A singer, songwriter, arranger and multi-instrumentalist, Prince recorded more than 30 albums. His best known hits include Let's Go Crazy and When Doves Cry.

'A joy to watch': By Mark Savage, BBC entertainment reporter

A musical prodigy from a broken home, Prince famously wrote, arranged, produced and played almost all of his hit records. But the Purple man's purple patch really came with his first band The Revolution. With them by his side, he wrote more than two dozen rock classics in a five-year flurry. Purple Rain, Little Red Corvette, 1999, Raspberry Beret, When Doves Cry, Kiss... At the same time, he dashed off Manic Monday for The Bangles and Nothing Compares 2U, made famous by Sinead O'Connor. In the studio, he was unstoppable. But the magic really happened on stage. He would vamp, preen and tease an audience into a frenzy, then slay them with a quiet moment of crystalline beauty. He was a joy to watch.

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[Standing Wolf]

I liked Patty Duke. Until I saw this post I had no idea that Samwise Gamgee was her son. The resemblance is obvious.

Actually, he's the spitting image of his biological father, Michael Tell.

[Don]

Actually, he's the spitting image of his biological father, Michael Tell.

He shares characteristics with both his parents and a few mannerisms of his mother.

[waltky]

Baby boomer celebrities are gettin' up in years...

Why so many celebrities have died in 2016
Fri, 22 Apr 2016 - The deaths of Prince and Victoria Wood this week come off the back of a number of other celebrity deaths this year: so are more celebrities dying?

We are only four months in, but it's already been a dark, dark 2016. It now seems rare for a week to pass without a significant celebrity death being reported - from David Bowie in the second week of January, to actor Alan Rickman a week later, to comedian Victoria Wood and Prince this week. "Enough, 2016" and a more vulgar alternative are phrases people are uttering more and more regularly. So is this wave of celebrity deaths the new normal? The answer is yes, according BBC's obituary editor Nick Serpell, who ought to know about such things. He says the number of significant deaths this year has been "phenomenal".

Looking at the basic statistics, there's a very clear upward trend. Nick prepares obituaries for BBC television, radio and online, that run once a notable person's death is confirmed. The number of his obituaries used across BBC outlets in recent years has leaped considerably. It's a jump from only five between January and late March 2012 to a staggering 24 in the same period this year - an almost five-fold increase. And that's before counting some of the notable deaths in April, including American singer Merle Haggard, the former drug smuggler Howard Marks and this week's two notable departures. But might it just be that the BBC has increased its store of obituaries to such an extent it means plenty more are being used?

[center]
Prince performs at the Apollo Theater in New York.

There are indeed more obituaries in the BBC's files - some 1,500 in total - than when Nick started 10 years ago, he says. He adds a few more every week. But look elsewhere and the picture bears out. Here in the UK, the Daily Telegraph maintains a gallery of famous people who have died, and updates it throughout the year. Up to this time in 2014, the number of those in the gallery was 38. By this time last year, the number of people in the gallery was 30. This year, the number is already 75. At the beginning of every year, the (rather morbid) website deathlist.net lists 50 celebrities it believes may pass away that year. In six of the last 10 years, two or fewer of its predictions had come true by this time - this year, five names have died so far. This all invites the question: why?

There are a few reasons, Nick Serpell says. "People who started becoming famous in the 1960s are now entering their 70s and are starting to die," he says. "There are also more famous people than there used to be," he says. "In my father or grandfather's generation, the only famous people really were from cinema - there was no television. "Then, if anybody wasn't on TV, they weren't famous."

The baby-boom factor[/quote]

[waltky]

'No sign' Prince's death was suicide...

Prince death: 'No sign' it was suicide, sheriff says
Fri, 22 Apr 2016 - There is "no reason to believe" that Prince's death was suicide, a sheriff in Minnesota says after a post-mortem which suggests he died alone.

There is "no reason to believe" that Prince's death was suicide, the sheriff of the Minnesota county where the singer had his home has said after a post-mortem examination. There was no sign of trauma on the body, Sheriff Jim Olson said, suggesting the singer had died alone. Prince, 57, was found dead in a lift on his Paisley Park estate on Thursday. Fans have been wearing purple, the colour associated with the musician who sold more than 100m records. His innovative music spanned rock, funk and jazz. He was at his peak in the 1980s with albums like Dirty Mind, 1999 and Sign O' The Times.

The sheriff warned that full results from the post-mortem could take several weeks, and the incident was still under investigation. Mr Olson said it was not unusual for there to be no one in the residence except Prince. The singer was last seen at about 20:00 on Wednesday night (01:00 GMT on Thursday) and was found unconscious by some of his staff at about 09:30 the next morning. Prince had been rushed to hospital in Illinois six days earlier, while flying home from a concert in Georgia, but was treated and released a few hours later.

Samples to be taken

Quoting unnamed sources, US entertainment news site TMZ reports that Prince was treated in Illinois for an overdose of the painkiller drug Percocet. Declining to give details of the preliminary findings, medical examiner spokesperson Martha Weaver said a full set of tests would be done on the body, involving tissue and blood samples. Earlier, she announced that the body would be released to the family on Friday. Sheriff Olson confirmed police were in contact with Prince's family. "We have no reason to believe at this point that this was a suicide," he said, then added, "but again, this is early on in the investigation and we're continuing to investigate."

He spoke of Prince as a good member of the community and said he had been a "friend to [his staff] as well as being an employer". Fans have set up impromptu memorials in his home town Minneapolis and in New York. In London, US President Barack Obama said he and the US ambassador began the day by listening to Prince's hit Purple Rain and Delirious before attending bilateral meetings. Prince had spoken about struggling with childhood epilepsy, the Associated Press reports, and friends say he had hip trouble. His former percussionist, Sheila E, told the news agency Prince had suffered the effects of years of jumping off risers and speakers on stage while wearing high heels. "There was always something kind of bothering him, as it does all of us," she said. "I hurt every single day. You know we're like athletes, we train, and we get hurt all the time. We have so many injuries."

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Prince’s body showed no signs of trauma; cause of death still unknown
April 22, 2016 : A four-hour autopsy was performed on Prince on Friday, but authorities said they are no closer to determining how the iconic musician died. “It was a meticulous exam,” said Martha Weaver, spokeswoman for the Midwest Medical Examiners Office.

Carver County Sheriff Jim Olson, whose officers responded to a 911 call at Prince’s Paisley Park estate Thursday morning, said the artist’s body showed no signs of trauma. “There was no sign of violence,” Olson said at a Friday afternoon news conference. Nor do investigators have “reason to believe it was suicide,” he said. “The rest of it is under investigation.”

Flowers lay on a T-shirt signed by fans of singer Prince at a makeshift memorial place created outside Apollo Theater in New York

Prince Rogers Nelson, 57, was last seen alive at his sprawling compound in Chanhassen, a suburb of Minneapolis, about 8 p.m. Wednesday, the sheriff said. “He had been dropped off there at Paisley Park,” Olson said. Staff members at the estate found the singer unconscious in an elevator on the property at about 9:43 a.m. Thursday. Olson said first responders tried to perform CPR on Prince, but could not revive him. Authorities pronounced him deceased 24 minutes later, but it is not yet known how long he might have been dead.

A law enforcement officer and an employee are seen outside of Paisley Park, music superstar Prince's estate in Chanhassen, Minnesota.

Even though the physical autopsy is finished, officials say it could take several days to weeks before Prince’s manner of death is confirmed and made public. The longest delay will be for the results of toxicology testing. “It will take days and weeks to complete those particular investigations,” Weaver said. The sheriff declined to address speculation that Prince’s death was caused by a reported abuse of prescription pain pills. “I’m not able to confirm that at this time at all,” Olson said. “There have been so many rumors out that I’ve read about. I don’t know if I can dispel all the rumors that are out there.”

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[waltky]

Why did Prince change his name?

Why did Prince change his name to a symbol?
Fri, 22 Apr 2016 - When Prince changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol, it was treated as nothing more than a bizarre stunt. But some say it reveals more about his legacy as a business innovator.

When Prince changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol, it was regarded as both rebellious and foolhardy. Why did he do it? For a generation too young to remember his debut in the late 1970s or the impact of Purple Rain in 1984, Prince - who died yesterday - was perhaps best known as the musician who changed his name to a symbol. In 1993, Prince announced that he would no longer go by the name Prince, but rather by a "Love Symbol" which was a mash-up of the gender symbols for man and woman. "It is an unpronounceable symbol whose meaning has not been identified. It's all about thinking in new ways, tuning in 2 a new free-quency," he wrote in a statement at the time.

According to Neal Karlen, a former Rolling Stone writer who was one of the few journalists the late musician gave access to, together they wrote up a full explanation for the name change to bury in a time capsule at Prince's Paisley Park estate in Minnesota. "So he said," cautions Karlen. "I never went for any ground break." The controversial decision was derided as "crazy" and "ridiculous". Record sales declined. It presented all kinds of logistical challenges for the media, resulting in the clumsy title, "Artist Formerly Known As Prince". So why did he do it?

Prince holds a guitar shaped like the symbol that he took as his name in 1993

The symbol was a rebellion against Prince's record label, Warner Bros. He first signed with the company back in 1977 when he was still a teenager, and together they produced some of his most famous titles, including Purple Rain and Sign O the Times. But after inking a new deal in the early 1990s, Prince chafed under the company's rigid production schedule. A prolific songwriter, he wanted to release material as soon as it was ready - he had 500 unreleased songs in his famous studio vault. But Warner Bros refused, believing it would saturate the market and dilute demand for the artist's music. "He felt the contracts at the time were onerous and burdensome," says John Kellogg, assistant chair of the music business management department at Berklee College of Music. "He rebelled against that."

Prince compared his contractual obligations to slavery, and began performing with the word "SLAVE" on his cheek. He saw his own name as a part of his contractual entrapment. "Warner Bros took the name, trademarked it, and used it as the main marketing took to promote all of the music I wrote," Prince once said in a press release. "The company owns the name Prince and all related music marketed under Prince. I became merely a pawn used to produce more money for Warner Bros." In 2000, after the contract expired, Prince went back to using his old name, which Kellogg says also freed him to innovate new ways of making money as an independent artist. "What a lot of people don't understand is that Prince was not only one of the greatest creative musical talents of the 20th Century, but he was also one of the greatest music business innovators of the last century," he says.

Prince produced music on his own independent label, he bundled exclusive LPs with concert tickets and newspapers. He became one of the first artists to sell an album online, and won a Webby Lifetime Achievement award for "visionary use of the Internet to distribute music". In 2015, when he announced that he would be releasing new music exclusively with Jay Z's streaming service Tidal, he repeated the same "slavery" comparison that he'd used back in the early 1990s. "Record contracts are just like - I'm gonna say the word - slavery," he said, according to Rolling Stone. "I would tell any young artist...don't sign."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-36107590

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Five strange stories about mysterious Prince
Thu, 21 Apr 2016 - Was it true that Prince didn't believe in time?

Prince, who has died at his home in Minnesota, was known for his cross-genre pop music and multiple reinventions - but it was also the sense of mystery around the man that delighted his fans. As he rarely gave interviews, rumours about Prince flourished, and the star even admitted to teasing journalists because he wanted them to concentrate on his music. But the myths that arose also added to the enigma generated by his sexual ambiguity, outlandish performances and eccentric name changes. Perhaps most surprising was that some of the most outrageous stories about him were actually true.

1) He went without sleep

Prince was famous for being a workaholic and tireless music-obsessive, who produced nearly 40 studio albums and dozens of other recordings over a period of nearly 40 years. He was so dedicated that he is reported to have often stayed awake for days when in the studio working on early albums. The artist appeared to confirm the rumours in an interview in 1985, when he said: "There's not a person around who can stay awake as long as I can. "Music is what keeps me awake."

VERDICT: True

2) He knocked on doors for Jehovah's Witnesses

His friend and mentor Larry Graham, former bassist with the band Sly and the Family Stone, introduced Prince to the Jehovah's Witnesses in around 2001. "I don't see it really as a conversion. More, you know, it's a realisation," Prince told the New Yorker magazine in 2008. "It's like Morpheus and Neo in 'The Matrix.'" He began attending meetings at a local Kingdom Hall and, like his fellow Witnesses, knocked on doors from time to time to preach the religion's beliefs, according to the report. "Sometimes people act surprised, but mostly they're really cool about it," he said.

VERDICT: True

3) He did not believe in time

It might seem like a myth, but Prince long spoke about his view that time was a trick. In an interview with Dutch television in 1999, he said he had begun exploring that idea when he recorded his apocalyptic song 1999 in 1984. His views almost meant he did not believe in birthdays. "I don't celebrate birthdays" he said. "It stops me from counting days, which stops me from counting time, which allows me to still look the same as I did 10 years ago." It is a belief he came back to in later interviews, telling the Guardian in 2011 that he did not age because "time is a mind construct... It's not real."

VERDICT: True

4) He needed hip surgery

Along with high heels and flamboyant shirts, walking sticks were a feature of Prince's wardrobe from the early 1990s, but reports of hip problems emerged around 2005. He was said to have been planning secret surgery, but in 2009 the showbiz journalist Roger Friedman wrote that the star had refused a double hip replacement because his faith as a Jehovah's Witness did not allow blood transfusions. Another journalist said after a 2010 interview that it was clear from the singer's "agility" on the dancefloor that the rumours that he needed double hip surgery were "unfounded". But in the absence of official comment from the artist or his representatives, and Prince continuing to carry canes in public appearances, the story re-emerged in media reports as recently as this year.

VERDICT: Unclear

5) He painted his house purple

Fan sites are full of weird and wonderful stories, including claims Prince decorated his room as a teenager with mirrors and rabbit fur. Who knows? More widely documented were allegations he painted his rented home in Los Angeles purple in 2006. His landlord at the time, basketball star Carlos Boozer, sued the singer for unauthorised work, claiming he had painted the exterior of the house with purple stripes and his "Love Symbol", and installed monogrammed carpeting. Lawyers for the star argued that Boozer had collected his rent without complaint, and the lawsuit was dismissed.

VERDICT: Probably true

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-36059247

[waltky]

Billy Pauls dies, recorded Me an' Mrs. Jones...

'Me and Mrs. Jones' singer Billy Paul dead at age 80
Apr. 24, 2016 — Billy Paul, a jazz and soul singer best known for the No. 1 hit ballad and "Philadelphia Soul" classic "Me and Mrs. Jones," died Sunday.

Paul, whose career spanned for more than 60 years, died at his home in Blackwood, New Jersey, his co-manager, Beverly Gay, told The Associated Press. Paul, 80, had been diagnosed recently with pancreatic cancer, Gay said. Known by his beard and large glasses, Paul was one of many singers who found success with the writing and producing team of Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff, whose Philadelphia International Records also released music by the O'Jays, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, and Lou Rawls. "Me and Mrs. Jones" was an extramarital confession and a characteristic Gamble and Huff production, setting Paul's thick tenor against a lush and sensuous arrangement. Many fans best remember the moment when Paul's otherwise subtle vocals jump as they reach the title words, stretching out "Me" and "And" into multiple syllables and repeating "Mrs. Jones, Mrs. Jones, Mrs. Jones." (Paul himself was married to the same woman for decades).

Leon A. Huff, cofounder and vice chairman of Philadelphia International Records, left, singer Billy Paul, center, and Kenneth Gamble

Paul's voice made him "one of the great artists to come out of Philly and to be celebrated worldwide," Gamble and Huff said in a statement late Sunday. "Our proudest moment with Billy was the recording of the salacious smash 'Me and Mrs. Jones.' In our view, it is one of the greatest love songs ever recorded," they said. The song was one of the top singles of 1972 and brought Paul a Grammy the following year for best male rhythm 'n blues performance, with runners-up including Ray Charles and Curtis Mayfield. Paul remained identified with the song for the rest of his life. Paul continued to perform live until he fell ill and his manager said he had been lining up numerous appearances at the time of his death. Among his favorites in concert was a cover of Prince's "Purple Rain." (Prince died last Thursday).

He was born Paul Williams but later agreed to his manager's suggestion that he change his name to Billy Paul to avoid confusion with songwriter Paul Williams and other musicians with the same name. A Philadelphia native, he sang much his life, performing with such jazz stars as Charlie Parker and Dinah Washington and being featured on a handful of singles while still in his teens. Paul was drafted into the military in his early 20s, and found himself on the same base in Germany with a couple of famous show business names, Elvis Presley and Gary Crosby, Bing Crosby's son. "We said we're going to start a band, so we didn't have to do any hard work in the service," he told bluesandsoul.com in 2015. "We tried to get Elvis to join but he wanted to be a jeep driver. So me and Gary Crosby, we started it and called ourselves the Jazz Blues Symphony Band."

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[waltky]

Judge appoints a corporate trust company to oversee Prince's multimillion-dollar estate...

Prince's estate to be temporarily managed by trust company
[i]April 27, 2016 — A Minnesota judge appointed a corporate trust company on Wednesday to temporarily oversee Prince's multimillion-dollar estate, saying the emergency appointment was necessary because the superstar musician doesn't appear to have a will and immediate decisions must be made about his business interests.

Judge Kevin Eide granted a request from Prince's sister to appoint Bremer Trust as special administrator, giving the company authority to manage and supervise Prince's assets and identify his heirs. Eide said Prince had no appointed personal representative but had substantial assets and owned businesses that require immediate attention and ongoing management. The judge also noted that identities and addresses of Prince's heirs need to be determined. Prince's only full sibling, Tyka Nelson, requested the move Tuesday, telling the court she believed her brother didn't have a will. Prince also has five surviving half-siblings who could share in the estate.

Eide wrote that Prince died "intestate," meaning he did not have a valid will, and said there was no pending application or petition for probate of a will in any court. However, someone could still come forward with a will or trust document, which happened after Michael Jackson died in June 2009. Jackson's longtime lawyer John Branca filed a will six days after his death, upending moves by Jackson's mother to become his estate's executor based on her assumption there wasn't a will. For now, Bremer Trust will act as special administrator for six months or until a personal representative is appointed, whichever is less.

Later Wednesday, the estate already had its first claim against it, with a filing from a California man who claimed that Prince had transferred ownership of his music catalog to him in 1995. Prince, 57, died last week at Paisley Park, his famous home and recording studio complex in suburban Minneapolis. His cause of death hasn't been released. An autopsy was conducted Friday, but results aren't expected to be released for weeks. The value of his estate isn't known. Prince made hundreds of millions of dollars for record companies, concert venues and others, and the outpouring of grief and nostalgia after his death prompted fans to buy 2.3 million of his songs in just three days.

Prince also owned a dozen properties in Minnesota, most of it undeveloped land and some houses for relatives, worth about $27 million, according to public records. He also sold more than 100 million albums, and concert industry magazine Pollstar reported that in the years Prince's tours topped the charts — 10 years over four decades performing — they raked in $225 million in ticket sales. But it's not clear how much money Prince had when he died, given that he had to pay record labels and staff and cover other expenses.

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Prince's band The Revolution to reunite
[i]Wed, 27 Apr 2016 - Members of Prince's former backing band The Revolution are to reunite for live shows following his death.

Members of Prince's former band The Revolution have announced they will reunite for a series of concerts. The announcement was made in a video on bass player Brown Mark's Facebook page. Guitarist Wendy Melvoin said "after spending days together grieving", they had decided to "do some shows".

The band, who disbanded in 1986, had several line-ups, but the concerts are likely to feature Mark, Melvoin, keyboard players Lisa Coleman and Matt Fink and drummer Bobby Z. While no dates have been announced, Melvoin added: "We'll be there soon."

The Revolution served as Prince's backing band at the launch of his career, although they did not officially receive their name until their appearance in Prince's 1984 film, Purple Rain. They appeared with Prince on four albums - the Purple Rain soundtrack, Parade, 1999 and Around The World In A Day - and played on some of the star's biggest hits, including When Doves Cry, Let's Go Crazy and Kiss.

The group split in 1986 after the singer's Parade tour. Prince was found dead in his Paisley Park recording studio last Thursday. A private memorial service was held for the rock star on Saturday, attended by about 20 of his closest friends and family.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-36148438