Legendary American pop composer Burt Bacharach, whose prolific output provided a chart-topping playlist for the 1960s and 70s with hits like “I Say a Little Prayer,” has died in Los Angeles aged 94, US media said Thursday. Bacharach worked with stars such as Dionne Warwick, Aretha Franklin, Dusty Springfield and Tom Jones and also wrote hits such as “Walk On By” and “Do You Know the Way to San Jose.” Bacharach, who died on […]
Tag: music
Terry Hall, singer of ska band The Specials, dies aged 63
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Terry Hall, frontman of British ska band The Specials, has died at the age of 63, his bandmates announced Monday. Hall shot to fame in the 1970s as the modish lead singer of the socially conscious 2 Tone band, which was formed with a multi-racial, anti-racism objective. The Specials found success on the UK charts, notching seven consecutive top 10 singles, including “Ghost Town” and “Too Much Too Young”. Hall […]
Jin from BTS begins military service, marking end of an era
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — BTS star Jin starts his mandatory South Korean military duty on Tuesday, the band’s first member to enlist since a hiatus announcement this year left fans heartbroken over the K-pop juggernaut’s uncertain future. The septet is widely considered the country’s biggest-ever cultural phenomenon — selling out stadiums around the world and dominating the charts while raking in billions and building a global legion of fans known as ARMYs. But all […]
Stiff-person syndrome, Celine Dion’s rare neurological disorder
Paris, France (AFP) Stiff-person syndrome, which has forced Canadian superstar singer Celine Dion to postpone her European tour, is a very rare neurological condition that causes progressive muscle stiffness as well as muscle spasms. Around one in a million people are estimated to have the condition, according to the US National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD). Symptoms develop over a matter of months or years, normally between the ages of 30 to 60, and […]
Celine Dion cancels shows due to ‘rare neurological disorder’
Paris, France (AFP) by Mehdi CHERIFIA Celine Dion cancelled and postponed a series of European shows on Thursday over problems related to a “very rare neurological disorder” that is affecting her singing. In a five-minute video posted on Instagram in French and English, a clearly emotional Dion said she had been suffering from health problems “for a long time”. “Recently I have been diagnosed with a very rare neurological disorder called ‘stiff person syndrome’ […]
‘Fame’ and ‘Flashdance’ singer and actress Irene Cara dead at 63
Washington, United States | AFP | Irene Cara, an Oscar-winning singer and actress who recorded the title tracks to the blockbuster 1980s movies “Fame” and “Flashdance,” has died at age 63, her publicist said Saturday. Cara was found deceased at her home in Florida on Friday, publicist Judith Moose told AFP, adding that the cause of death was unknown at this point. “She was a beautifully gifted soul whose legacy will live forever through her […]
Singer Aaron Carter dead at 34: TMZ
Los Angeles, United States | AFP | Aaron Carter, the American singer who soared to fame at the turn of the millennium with his hit album “Aaron’s Party (Come Get It),” died Saturday, TMZ said. He was 34 years old. The entertainment outlet reported that the brother of Backstreet Boy Nick Carter was found dead in his tub at his residence in Lancaster, California. A police spokesperson told AFP that officers responded to Carter’s home […]
BTS to fulfil military service obligations, agency says
Seoul, South Korea (AFP) — The members of the K-pop supergroup BTS will enlist in the military, their agency said Monday, putting an end to a years-long debate on whether the stars deserved exemptions from mandatory service. All able-bodied South Korean men under the age of 30 must perform about two years of military service, mainly because the country remains technically at war with nuclear-armed North Korea. BTS are credited with generating billions for the […]
Spanish court orders Shakira to stand trial in tax fraud case
Barcelona, Spain (AFP) by Mathieu Gorse and Daniel Silva A Spanish court has ordered Colombian music superstar Shakira to stand trial on charges of fraudulently failing to pay 14 million euros in tax, filings showed Tuesday. Prosecutors in Barcelona said in July they would seek a prison sentence of more than eight years against the singer and a fine of nearly 24 million euros ($24 million), after she rejected a plea deal over accusations of […]
US rapper A$AP Rocky charged over shooting
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — US rapper A$AP Rocky was charged Monday over an alleged shooting in Hollywood last year. The 33-year-old, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, faces two counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office said. Mayers is alleged to have pointed the gun at a one-time friend during an argument in November. In a later confrontation between the two, he is said to have drawn […]
Hong Kong boy band ends show after falling screen hits dancers
Hong Kong, China | AFP At least two Hong Kong dancers were injured on Thursday night after being hit by a falling screen at a concert of the city’s most popular boy band Mirror. Footage of the incident circulated online showed a group of white-clad dancers performing onstage at the Hong Kong Coliseum when a giant overhead video screen fell and crushed a man. The screen then toppled onto at least one other person before […]
Global talent, Korean-trained: K-pop’s new recipe for world domination
by Cat Barton Agence France-Presse SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — From Indian K-pop idols to Swedish songwriters, South Korea’s music industry is now a hotbed of global talent — a smart strategy as it aims for world domination, experts say. K-pop bands have long included non-Koreans: Blackpink’s Lisa is Thai, while Japan and China are both well represented, and Korean-American singers have topped the local charts. But after megastars like Psy and BTS brought K-pop […]





