Alex Chilton, Big Star, and Musical Immortality

Alex Chilton isn't a household name. Even if you don't know who he is, though, you probably know at least a few of his songs.

Lawrence Montaigne (1931 - 2017), Star Trek actor

Lawrence Montaigne, an actor who had two notable roles on the original “Star Trek” TV series, died Friday, March 17, 2017, according to multiple news sources. He was 86.

Keith Flint (1969–2019), The Prodigy frontman

Energetic frontman sang on hit singles “Firestarter” and “Breathe.”

Ted Lindsay (1925–2019), Detroit Red Wings legend

Hall of Famer was known for his tough play.

Janice Freeman (1985–2019), "The Voice" contestant

Janice Freeman was a contestant on "The Voice" in 2017, where she was a member of Miley Cyrus' team.

Luke Perry (1966–2019), “Beverly Hills, 90210” and "Riverdale" star

He played first the teen, then the dad, on two iconic high-school drama series.

King Kong Bundy (1959–2019), WWE superstar

King Kong Bundy was a professional wrestler, one of the WWE's most legendary heels.

Eusebio Pedroza (1956–2019), boxing legend from Panama

Boxing legend Eusebio Pedroza was the featherweight champion from 1978 until 1985, eventually losing the title in a fight against Barry McGuigan. Pedroza was called “The Scorpion,” known for his toughness and stamina in the later rounds. He was a major celebrity in Panama and was voted to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1999.

Elly Mayday (1988–2019), model and body positivity advocate

Elly Mayday, born Ashley Luther, was a Canadian model and an activist for body positivity and women's health.

Julia Ruth Stevens (1916 - 2019), daughter of Babe Ruth

Julia Ruth Stevens was the last surviving daughter of baseball legend Babe Ruth.

Kelly Catlin (1995–2019), U.S. Olympic cyclist

Kelly Catlin was a world class cyclist who won a silver medal in the women’s team pursuit at the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil. She won gold medals at the track cycling world championships in 2016, 2017, and 2018. Catlin was in graduate school at Stanford for computational mathematics.

Jed Allan (1935–2019), soap opera star

Jed Allan was an actor known for his starring roles on soap operas. He played attorney Don Craig on “Days of our Lives” for 14 years, C.C. Capwell on “Santa Barbara,” and had a recurring role as Rush Sanders, the father of Ian Ziering’s character Steve, on “Beverly Hills, 90210.”

Hal Blaine (1929–2019), drummer who defined the pop music of a generation

Hal Blaine was the drummer for the Wrecking Crew, the session band that played on some of the greatest pop and rock hits of the 1960s and ‘70s.

Birch Bayh (1928–2019), “the father of Title IX”

Former Indiana senator was the author of the equal rights amendment.

Dick Dale (1937–2019), "King of the Surf Guitar"

His hit song "Misirlou" defined surf rock and was unforgettable in "Pulp Fiction."

W.S. Merwin (1927 – 2019), Pulitzer Prize-winning poet laureate

W.S. Merwin was one of America's best known poets, winner of two Pulitzer Prizes and a National Book Award.

Johnny “Lam” Jones (1958–2019), track star played in NFL

Johnny “Lam” Jones won an Olympic gold medal in the 4x100 relay at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal. A star wide receiver at the University of Texas, he went on to play in the NFL for the New York Jets. Jones was a legendary athlete in Texas, a star sprinter who set records in high school and college, winning a gold medal at the age of 18. He was drafted in the first round by the Jets in 1980 but never lived up to expectations, becoming known for dropping passes. He admitted to drug and alcohol issues but later turned his life around.

Andre Williams (1936–2019), R&B singer known as the "Godfather of Rap"

Andre Williams was an R&B singer who had hits in the 1950s with "Bacon Fat" and the too-raunchy-for-radio "Jail Bait." Known as the "Godfather of Rap" for the spoken-sung style he adopted when he wanted to be a recording star but knew he couldn't sing well enough, Williams recorded with labels including Detroit-based Fortune Records and Chicago's Chess Records. His most enduring composition is "Shake a Tail Feather," which became an R&B standard after he co-wrote it, recorded first by the Five Dutones and more famously by Ike and Tina Turner as well as by for the 1980 movie "The Blues Brothers." He wrote songs for , and produced for musicians including Ike Turner and , but he also continued recording and performing his own music all his life, including his 2017 album "Don't Ever Give Up."

Estela O’Brien (2019), Soledad O’Brien’s mother

Estela O’Brien was the mother of television journalist Soledad O’Brien. She passed away just 40 days after Soledad’s father. Soledad shared details of her mother’s life in a touching Instagram post. Estela was an immigrant from a poor Cuban family who left Fidel Castro’s regime to come to America for an education. She attended college and married O’Brien’s father, an interracial marriage at a time when it was still illegal. She became a teacher who taught at the high school that Soledad attended. Estela and her husband put all six of their children through college. Soledad called her mom “a pretty remarkable lady.”

Nathan Lee Ramsey (1941 - 2019), former Philadelphia Eagles defensive back

Nathan Lee Ramsey was a star defensive back for the Philadelphia Eagles. He led the team in interceptions in 1964 and 1965 and still ranks number 13 in career interceptions for the franchise. Ramsey played for Indiana University in college and then for the Eagles for 10 seasons. He finished his career with the New Orleans Saints.

Dominick J. Arena (1929–2019), police chief arrested Senator Ted Kennedy after Chappaquiddick

He was the police chief of Edgartown, Massachusetts.

Chuck Harmon (1924–2019), first African American to play for the Cincinnati Reds

Chuck Harmon was the first African American to play for the Cincinnati Reds, taking the field in 1954, seven years after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier. Harmon was a star baseball and basketball player for the University of Toledo. He was a utility player for the Reds for three seasons, hitting .242, than played for the Cardinals and Phillies. He retained close ties to the Reds and was often seen at games and events.

Dan Blankenship (1923–2019), treasure hunter starred on "The Curse of Oak Island"

Dan Blankenship was a treasure hunter and one of the stars of the History Channel reality show "The Curse of Oak Island."

Eunetta Boone (1955–2019), showrunner who created "One on One"

Eunetta Boone was the creator of the UPN sitcom "One on One" and its spinoff "Cuts," as well as showrunner for the Disney Channel series "Raven's Home."

Sydney Aiello (2000–2019), survivor of Parkland school shooting

Sydney Aiello was a recent graduate of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, where she was a survivor of the 2018 shooting that took the lives of 17 students and staff members.

Mona Lee Brock (1932–2019), counseled farmers in crisis

Mona Lee Brock counseled tens of thousands of farmers through crises as a prominent volunteer at the National Farm Center Crisis Hotline.

Scott Walker (1943–2019), pop star with the Walker Brothers

Scott Walker was a member of the pop group The Walker Brothers who found great fame in England in the 1960s. Born Noel Engel, Scott joined The Walker Brothers and took on the name Scott Walker. The group had moderate success in the states before moving to England where they became big stars, their version of “The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore,” reaching number one in the UK. Walker moved on to a solo career where he was a pioneer of baroque pop and avant-garde music, influencing many including David Bowie, Brian Eno, and Johnny Marr. He was an enigmatic figure, rarely appearing in public or giving interviews.

Clem Daniels (1937 - 2019,) AFL all-time leading rusher

Clem Daniels was a star running back for the Oakland Raiders of the AFL during the 1960s, helping the team win the 1967 AFL championship. He rushed for over 5,100 yards and is the AFL’s all-time leading rusher. Daniels played college football at Prairie View and spent his first season with the Houston Texans. He was traded to Oakland and starred there for 7 seasons, finishing his career with one season for the 49ers in 1968. The versatile Daniels had 30 career rushing touchdowns along with 24 receiving TDs and once ran for 200 yards in a game.

Ranking Roger (1963–2019), vocalist for the English Beat and General Public

Roger and Dave Wakeling led the popular 1980s college rock bands.

Joe Flannery (2019), the Beatles' booking manager who helped launch their career

Joe Flannery was the Beatles booking manger from 1962 until 1963 and a key figure in the band’s early days. He was a childhood friend of Beatles manager Brian Epstein. Flannery’s apartment was a second home for many Merseyside bands, the Beatles would often sleepathe reand Flannery would drive them home the next day. He wrote a book titled “Standing in the Wings: The Beatles, Brian Epstein and Me,” about his time with the Beatles. In the book, he recalled giving George Harrison driving lessons.aa

Nipsey Hussle (1985–2019), Grammy-nominated rapper

Nipsey Hussle was a Grammy-nominated West Coast rapper known for his mixtapes and his 2018 debut studio album, "Victory Lap." Hussle, born Ermias Asghedom, released his first mixtape in his native Los Angeles in 2005 and followed it up with the "Bullets Ain't Got No Name" series. By 2013, his mixtapes were so sought after that he was able to release his limited-edition "Crenshaw" at $100 per hard copy. All 1000 copies sold in less than 24 hours — including, reportedly, 100 copies bought by Jay-Z. Hussle's "Victory Lap" was nominated for a Grammy Award for best rap album in 2018.

Tania Mallet (1941–2019), Bond girl in “Goldfinger”

She was a successful model before and after “Goldfinger”...

Charles Sanna (1917–2019), invented Swiss Miss Cocoa

Charles Sanna invented Swiss Miss Cocoa, the first hot cocoa mix that could be made with hot water instead of milk.

Gerry Stickells (2019), former tour manager for Queen

Gerry Stickells was a legendary rock and roll tour manager who worked with Queen, Jimi Hendrix, Paul McCartney, Elton John, Fleetwood Mac and other artists. He was an auto mechanic driving around local musicians in England when he got a job as Jimi Hendrix’s tour manager. After Hendrix died, he went on the road with Queen and was instrumental in creating the lavish rock spectacle the band wanted on stage. Stickells and business partner Chris Lamb formed G.L.S. productions which handled touring and production needs for many bands.

Joe Bellino (1938–2019), Navy’s first Heisman Trophy winner

Bellino also played for the Boston Patriots in the AFL.

Kitty Tucker (2019), antinuclear activist launched lawsuit in Karen Silkwood case

Kitty Tucker was an antinuclear activist who worked with other activists and lawyers to launch a lawsuit in the case of nuclear whistleblower Karen Silkwood.

Bill Isles (1941–2019), co-founder of legendary R&B group The O’Jays

Bill Isles was one of the original members of soul music hit-makers The O’Jays. He formed a singing group called the Mascots with friends in his hometown of Canton, Ohio, in 1958. They changed their name to the Triumphs and released their first single in 1961. In 1963, they changed their name to The O’Jays and released a successful single in 1965 titled “Lipstick Traces.” Shortly after, Isles left the group and would get married. The O’Jays went on to greater fame in the 1970s with the hit songs “Back Stabbers” and “Love Train.”

Jerrie Cobb (1931–2019), NASA’s first female astronaut candidate

A lifelong advocate for women flying and traveling to outer space.