More Musicians Infected with COVID-19

The live entertainment industry collapsed more than 75 days ago due to the coronavirus pandemic, yet musicians continue succumbing to COVID-19.

Sal Cappi of the Rousers

This past week, Sal "Cappi" Capozucca, drummer of local New York band the Rousers, became COVID's most recent musician casualty. Cappi reportedly contracted the virus in March, was turned away twice from a hospital, and ultimately was admitted on his third attempt. On his second day of hospitalization, he was placed on a ventilator, and passed away on May 13.

John Prine

Other rock musicians around the world also passed in recent weeks due to COVID-19. Dave Greenfield, keyboardist in the Stranglers, contacted the coronavirus while hospitalized for heart problems; he died at age of 71 on May 3. Singer/songwriter John Prine was hospitalized on March 26, intubated two days later, and died at age 73 on April 7; his wife, Fiona Whelan Prine, is recuperating from the disease. Steve Farmer, original rhythm guitarist and backup vocalist for the Amboy Dukes, which featured a young Ted Nugent on lead guitar, passed away on April 7 at age 71; Farmer and Nugent co-wrote and recorded the Amboy Dukes' one hit song "Journey To The Center of The Mind" in 1968. New wave pop singer Cristina, born Cristina Monet Palaci, died at age 61 on April 1; she was best known for her 1980s dance-pop songs "Disco Clone" and "Things Fall Apart."

British rapper Ty died on May 7 in London, England; he was 47. Bronx rapper Fred the Godson was hospitalized in early April with the coronavirus; he died on April 23 at age 41.

The coronavirus affected the jazz world recently as well. Giuseppi Logan, a saxophonist, clarinetist and flutist who was among the pioneers in free jazz, died on April 17; he was 84. Saxophonist Lee Konitz, who worked with Miles Davis on the 1949 and 1950 sessions for the album Birth of the Cool, died April 15; he was 92. Bassist Henry Grimes, who worked with Thelonius Monk, Charles Mingus and Sonny Rollins, died on April 15 at age 84. Guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli died on April 1 at age 94.

Ahmed Ismail Hussein, the icon of Somali music, died from the coronavirus on April 8 in London, England, a week before what would have been his 92nd birthday. Performing since the 1950s, he was known as the “King of Oud” for playing the guitarlike Middle Eastern instrument.

In prior weeks, COVID-19 played a role in the deaths of Grammy Award-winning country artists Joe Diffie and Jan Howard, rockers Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne and Alan Merrill, jazz artists Ellis Marsalis Jr., Wallace Roney, and Mike Longo, African funk-fusion artist Manu Dibango, and New Orleans bounce music's DJ Black N Mild.

Sturgill Simpson

Several well-known musicians revealed their coronavirus status in recent weeks. Christopher Cross, Sturgill Simpson, first wave punk rocker Wreckless Eric, Nick Cordero, John Taylor of Duran Duran, Kenneth Edmonds (a.k.a. Babyface), Will Carroll of thrash metal band Death Angel, Tanzanian rapper Mwana FA, and Natalie Horner of Cascada announced their recovery from COVID-19, sometimes with harrowing stories. Previously, pop and rock artists announcing their struggles with the disease included Jackson Browne, Larry Campbell, Marianne Faithfull, P!nk, Sara Bareilles, Charlotte Lawrence, David Bryan of Bon Jovi, Chucky Billy of Testament, and Brandon Hoover of Crown the Empire. Opera singer Placido Domingo, gospel singer Sandi Patty, hip hop artists DJ Webstar, Scarface, Slim Thug, and YNW Melly, Broadway performers Laura Bell Bundy, Brian Stokes Mitchell and Aaron Tveit, and country singers Ray Benson of Asleep at the Wheel and Kalie Shorr tested positive for COVID-19. Idris Elba, the Golden Globe-winning actor who is also a musician, tested positive but was asymptomatic. Radiohead guitarist Ed O'Brien posted on social media that he had been home for days with flu-like symptoms and that he "most probably" had the coronavirus, but chose not to test so that the scarce tests would be reserved for the "vulnerable in our community."

All photographs by Everynight Charley Crespo.

Click on the links below to view Everynight Charley Crespo's earlier COVID-19 reports:

A Heroic Music Community Supports COVID-19 Relief Efforts

COVID-19 Continues to Spread among Musicians
and
COVID-19 Takes the Lives of Local Musicians.