​Not only is the world mourning the death of Soul Train's Don Cornelius. But Crossfade is sad to report the passing of another iconic figure in music -- Mike Kelley, prolific visual artist and founding member of avant-punk agitators Destroy All Monsters.

Wrought from the same Nixon-era malaise that spawned boogie-oogie escapism, Destroy All Monsters not only foreshadowed the oncoming punk rock zeitgeist as early as '73. But it did so with a mess-making, artful clattering that was so far ahead of its time that it also predicted No Wave, noise, and the next three decades of "Is it art? Or is it drugs?" delirium.
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​Legendary Soul Train creator and longtime host Don Cornelius has died of an apparent suicide. He was 75 years old.

According to the Los Angeles Times, police arrived at Cornelius's Sherman Oaks home around 4 a.m. PST and transported the Soul Train producer to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead, allegedly the result of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The Los Angeles Police Department believes there are no signs of foul play. But it will continue to investigate Cornelius's death.
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Etta James in her prime.

​Etta James, may her vocal chords be dipped in platinum and preserved for future generations, has died at 73 due to complications from leukemia as well as alzheimers, dementia, and Hepatitis C.

James won six Grammys and 17 Blues Music Awards. She was inducted into the Rock & Roll, Blues, and Grammy halls of fame for her prolific, chart-topping recording career and trailblazing ability to meld rock, blues, gospel, soul, and R&B.

The Los Angeles lady, born Jamesetta Hawkins in 1938, sang her way through trials and tribulations, including hardcore drug abuse, relationship problems, and childhood trauma, delivering some of the most beautiful and iconic music in the American pantheon.
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​Jamaican-born hip-hop legend, actor, and father Heavy D died in Los Angeles on Tuesday evening. He was 44.

On Monday, the singer collapsed at his Beverly Hills home. He was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center where he later died, according to the Los Angeles County coroner's office.

No foul play is suspected and his death appears to be "medically-related", according to police.
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​Cory Smoot, the guitarist for satirical, costumed heavy metal band Gwar, has died at the age of 34.

He was found dead on the tour bus by his bandmates while refueling in Pembina, North Dakota, before crossing into Canada. His death took place only hours after completing a performance at First Avenue in Minneapolis, on Wednesday night. The cause of death is still unknown.

Known as the red-faced, white dreadlock-wearing Flattus Maximus, Smoot joined the band in 2002, and completed several albums with GWAR, including a live album and a compilation album.
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Rest in peace, CDs.

​Neither the dot-com bubble or the more recently burst housing bubble have got shit on the compact disc bubble of the '90s. And the reasons are precisely why the recording industry is preparing to officially announce the death of the CD.

CDs are supercheap to make, way cheaper than either vinyl or cassette, especially on the mass production level. But somehow Specs, Virgin Megastore, and other now-extinct digital disc pushermen still managed to charge upwards of $20 for one disc. The irony is that the vinyl-to-cassette-to-CD transition inherently introduced the technology that would undo physical music formats forever: digitization.

The world went from getting seriously ripped off to perpetrating intellectual property theft on a daily basis, leaving CDs in the dust, along with some of our other favorite obsolete music formats.
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Via Mike Matas on Facebook

Steve Jobs goofing off with PhotoBooth 2005.

​Steve Jobs, one of the greatest innovators of both the 20th and 21st Centuries is dead. But his name will ring out eternally through history. 'Cause damn, that motherfucker changed the world and shit.

 iTunes is just one of many ingenious inventions to come out of the Apple camp. From apps to hardware, Jobs QB'd some giant fucking touchdowns. Here are Steve Jobs' top ten contributions to the world of music.
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​Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with Forward Motion Records CEO and Dreaming in Stereo frontman Fernando Perdomo.

The musician's mother, Araceli Perdomo, died last night after a five-year battle with ovarian cancer. She was 66 years old.

Like her son, Araceli Perdomo was a local celebrity. She was a popular columnist and editor at El Nuevo Herald, and recipient of the Herald Legend Award.

Fernando Perdomo tells us his mother died peacefully at her home as he played "Afro-Cuban Lullaby" by her beside. "She was visited by many local musicians," he added, many of whom provided "therapeutic home concerts."
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​DJ Mehdi died tragically and accidentally at the age of 34 on September 13.

There are mixed reports on what occurred. Though it hasn't been confirmed, Resident Advisor reported that he fell from a mezzanine with others. Three people have been hospitalized. And according to LA Late News, French reports say that he fell several meters through a Plexiglas roof. Meanwhile, DJ Mag noted that it was the roof of his own home in Paris, where friends were having a birthday party for his partner in Carte Blanche, Riton.
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Festival Eurockéennes

​Just days after brilliant and troubled singer Amy Winehouse tragically joined the Dead at 27 Club on July 23, Fox News reported, "Amy Winehouse spent the last week of her short and troubled life in an alcoholic, drug-fueled fog." Then, classy as always, called her a train wreck.

Well, Fox, unsurprisingly, you were wrong again. The toxicology report came in and demonstrated that Winehouse had no illegal drugs in her system at the time of her death, only alcohol. According to the Washington Post, her father said that though she struggled to control her drinking problem after weeks of sobriety, she was off drugs for three years prior to her passing.
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