(Rick Davies photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images)

Rick Davies died September 6. He had been battling cancer. He was 81 years old.

Father Time remains undefeated. What a drag.

Davies was the co-founder of Supertramp, one of my favorite bands back in the day. I’ve been listening top since the late seventies. They sneak into my ears once or twice a year to this day. In some cases, they can be seen as one of my earliest ventures into progressive rock, even though I didn’t know it at the time.

It’s hard to imagine our musical heroes growing old and dying. I’m sure I’m not the only one who sees those musicians as they were in their prime, full of youth and vigor and eager to melt your face with their next performance. Well, I suppose if my chin hairs can go completely white, so can theirs. And more often than not, they had nearly two decades on me. People age. It’s a part of life I sometimes struggle with.

Still, noticing the passing of someone meaningful is a terrible, regardless of how “logical” it may be. Davies’s passing led me to take a quick look at the (popular or known) artists who have passed away so far in 2025. The list was much longer than I thought.

This is by no means a complete list. My source for this piece is Billboard magazine’s website. You should take a little time to check it out. You just might find someone really meaningful to you. The musicians I list here made some kind of personal impact during my 50-plus years of enjoying music.

(photo by way of CNN)

ROBERTA FLACK. One of my earliest musical memories is hearing my mom sing “Killing Me Softly” whenever it came on the radio. Roberta Flack seemed so soft, yet it was incredibly powerful. She definitely made a dent during my musical youth. She is no doubt one of the reasons I embraced the neo-soul movement of the early 2000’s.

SLY STONE. Like Roberta Flack, Sly & The Family Stone was a huge part of my musical upbringing. This was the sound of my parent’s living room on Saturday night. Party or no, this was the sound that got them moving, bringing joy to everyone including my sister and me. Sly is still a great sense of inspiration to me and so many other musicians. I’m pretty sure I have a wah-wah pedal in my effects rig because of Sly. (By the way, if you haven’t taken. the time to check out Questlove’s documentary on Sly, you owe it to yourself. I believe it’s still on Hulu.)

OZZY OSBOURNE. I’ll confess that I didn’t listen to a ton of Ozzy in his heyday unless he came on the radio. But when he did, I usually turned the volume up. I’ve also been complimented on my Ozzy impression, taken pretty much from his reality television show. I didn’t watch a ton of that, either. But what I saw was a hoot. Nevertheless, Ozzy and Black Sabbath did make a bit of an impact on me. They opened the door that allowed me to appreciate heavy metal. T-Pain’s cover of War Pigs (which is fantastic) caused me to go back to the classic recordings. It remains absolutely amazing stuff.

CHUCK MAGIONE. I can still hear the Feels So Good album coming out of Dad’s speakers on a Sunday afternoon. I wouldn’t necessarily call him jazz, but it was definitely meaningful music. Personally, I dug his Children of Sanchez even more. His tone helped 13-year-old me learn to distinguish the difference in tone between the trumpet and the flugelhorn (Mangione’s preference). This may or may not drive certain friends crazy when I correct them when they tell me what instrument is being played. Well, blame Mangione (and later Miles Davis) for putting that bit of knowledge in my head.

LALO SCHIFRIN. If there’s one television theme song I can listen to on a loop, it’s the theme from “Mission Impossible,” which came courtesy of Lalo Schifrin. It’s just so damned cool! It never fails to get you in the right mindset for the adventures in espionage awaiting you. His music for movies like Dirty Harry and Cool Hand Luke remain personal favorites, along with the theme from the TV show Mannix. And that’s just the tip of the tip of a very large iceberg. Chances are, you’ve heard one of his theme songs, even if you didn’t realize it at the time. I, for one, get more than a little excited when I see his name under a music credit.

BRIAN WILSON. Few albums have affected me quite as deeply as Pet Sounds. I’m no Beach Boys fan (though I have nothing against them), but that album — particularly the song “God Only Knows” — reduces me to a tear-flowing lump of jelly almost every time! The man was a genius! I hate that he had to endure such a struggle with mental illness, though another part of me wonders if that’s not where some of the genius came from! Regardless, Wilson gave me an album, that should be a PopSong 401 course for music majors. THIS, they should say, is how you create an album!

Like I said, there are so many others who have left us. All will be missed, but at least we’ll always have the music. It’s the ultimate gift, and I will forever be grateful for being lucky enough to obtain the presents these artists gave us.

Rest in peace, one and all.

#cirdecsongs

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