Passages 2018

I'm still dealing with the massive amount of losses within the KUDZOO community from 2017, and now another year has passed that brought even more sad and shocking passages. Among those we lost this past year were:

• Scott Boyer, of Cowboy (and the Decoys and solo) .  Died  February 13, 2018  from peripheral artery disease at age 70.

• Ed King of Lynyrd Skynyrd fame who wrote the timeless guitar lick that opens “Sweet Home Alabama” died August 22 from  Lung cancer at age  68

• Tony Joe White, Singer-songwriter of “Poke Salad Annie” and “Rainy Night in Georgia” died  October 24 from a  heart attack at age  75.

• Jimmy Farrar, the second lead singer for Molly Hatchet (also of Southern Rock Allstars and Gator Country), died  October 29, of heart failure at 67

• Jeanie Greene, Backing singer for Elvis, Percy Sledge, Don Nix and many more as well as being an excellent solo artist and a member of Alabama State Troopers died August 19. 

• Aretha Franklin, the “Queen of Soul,” died Aug 16 from pancreatic cancer at 76.

• Burt Reynolds, actor/star of Smokey & The Bandit died September 6  at age 82 from a heart attack.

• Stan Lee, the legendary Marvel Comics creator died November 12 after a heart attack and respiratory failure at 95 years of age.

• Roy Clark, country music singer and guitar hero, star of Hee Haw, died   November 15  from pneumonia at age 85.

• Yvonne Staples of the Staple Singers died  April 15 at 81.

• Mickey Jones, drummer for Kenny Rogers & the First Edition, Bob Dylan, & actor regular on Home Improvement, and in the film Slingblade died February 7 at  76    following a prolonged illness.  •