On Aug. 14, noted jazz singer and actress Abbey Lincoln died in Manhattan at 80. Her storied career was marked by several best-selling jazz albums, a film role alongside Sidney Poitier and Beau Bridges and receiving the NEA Jazz Masters Award in 2003.
Lincoln, born Anna Marie Woolridge in Chicago, Ill., performed up until her death and frequented the Blue Note in New York City.
One day after Lincoln’s death, popular Gap Band bassist Robert Wilson – frequently dubbed the “godfather of bass guitar” – died at his home in Palmdale, Calif. He was 53.
Wilson and his brothers, Charlie and Ronnie, were a major part of 1970s and ‘80s soul music with their hits “You Dropped a Bomb on Me” and “Outstanding.”
According to a press release issued by his family, Wilson suffered a massive heart attack. His brother and former Gap Band member Charlie Wilson reflected on the entertainer’s life.
“My brother Robert was a bad boy on the bass. We shared a bond as brothers, musicians and friends,” he said. “I loved him and losing him is difficult for both Ronnie and I. The music world has lost a very talented man.”