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Douglas Kiker, the ‘Singing Garbage Man' who wowed ‘American Idol' judges, dies at 32

Douglas Kiker, the ‘Singing Garbage Man' who wowed ‘American Idol' judges, dies at 32

Douglas Kiker, the 'American Idol' contestant known as the 'Singing Garbage Man,' has died, his sisters announced this week. He was 32.
'It is with a heavy heart that we have to announce the passing of my brother Douglas Kiker,' Angela Evans wrote Wednesday on Facebook. 'He was sooo loved and will be missed by so many! [You're] singing with the [angels] now Bubba.' She also asked for prayers for the family as they go through a 'difficult time.'
'It is with heavy hearts that we have to say goodbye to one of the most sincere souls and most hilarious person of all,' his family said on a GoFundMe set up to cover funeral costs and transportation of his body from Denver. 'Douglas, a beloved son, brother, father and friend.'
Kiker, who had two children with Valerie Cook, died Monday at Colorado's Denver Health Medical Center, a representative of the Denver Medical Examiner's office told The Times Friday in an email. He had been transported there by ambulance on March 5 from a few blocks east of City Center Park. 'The cause and manner of death are pending investigation,' the email said.
Kiker earned his nickname because he sang while working his day job, hanging off the back of a garbage truck in Mobile, Ala.
He auditioned for Season 18 of 'American Idol' with zero performing experience under his belt, saying he was doing it for his little girl. He made it to Hollywood Week after charming the judges with his take on 'Bless the Broken Road.' Luke Bryan even jumped on the piano mid-audition to help Kiker figure out his range, challenging him to hit different notes.
'For a man who does not know what his voice can do, for a man who does not have an idea of what key he's singing in, for a man who does not have an idea of who he can be, he's here to do one thing. He's trying to show his daughter that he's somebody,' judge Lionel Richie proclaimed. 'I want us all to let you know, you're a hell of a man.'
The judges and host Ryan Seacrest lined up to give Kiker his ticket to Hollywood. As the judges hugged him one by one, Katy Perry wiped away a few tears.
Kiker wouldn't make it past Hollywood Week but returned to the show for the finale, doing a virtual performance of his audition song with Rascal Flatts, the group that made 'Bless the Broken Road' — first recorded by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band — a hit in 2005. By that time, the world was in COVID-19 lockdown, hence the televised performance that saw the singers, judges and host each in his or her own Zoom-style box.
'Wow y'all! I can't believe I actually got to sing with Rascal Flatts,' Kiker wrote on YouTube in May 2020. 'So much has happened since my first audition y'all. I am working on putting together an album!'
His brother William Kiker posted a remembrance this week on Facebook. 'Dear brother I just want you to know that [no] matter where you are you will always be my baby brother,' he wrote. 'I know you are finally at [peace] I just wish I had more time with you so until I can see you again say hey to bubba for me and tell him I love him rest in peace Douglas Kiker my baby brother.'

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Community rallies as teenager killed in Portsmouth building collapse is identified
Community rallies as teenager killed in Portsmouth building collapse is identified

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time32 minutes ago

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Community rallies as teenager killed in Portsmouth building collapse is identified

The Portsmouth community is rallying as the identity of the teenager killed on June 7 during a graduation party at the Portuguese American Citizens Club has become public. In an obituary posted by Memorial Funeral Home, Kelly Nevitt, 15, is described as "in every way, extraordinary." "She had a voice that could stop you in your tracks and a gift for performing that lit up the stage. Musical theater was her passion, and she shone in her favorite roles – the sassy Rizzo in 'Grease' and the spirited Sister Mary Lazarus in 'Sister Act.' Whether she was singing, dancing, or laughing with friends, Kelly's presence was magnetic," the obituary noted. An animal lover, Nevitt owned a dog and cat and "was known for her quick wit, big heart, and boundless compassion." "She was the funniest, kindest, most loyal friend – the kind of person who made everyone feel welcome and important. She had a special way of lifting others up, always reminding people how much they meant to her," according to the obituary. Nevitt is the daughter of Sharon Nevitt. Nevitt was killed when the concrete landing connecting an exterior stairwell to the second-floor entrance of the Portsmouth Portuguese American Citizens Club building detached from the main structure, trapping two girls underneath. The incident happened during a graduation celebration attended by about 75 people. Portsmouth police said on June 9 that the other girl trapped under the concrete, identified as a 17-year-old, was in critical condition. No update on her condition has since been released. Additionally, a 19-year-old woman from Little Compton was recently released from the hospital after being treated for her injuries, and a 46-year-old man from Portsmouth was not injured enough to be hospitalized. A 49-year-old woman from Merrillville, Indiana, remained in the hospital, where she was being treated for serious injuries. On June 11, a GoFundMe was started in memory of Kelly Nevitt. In the write-up accompanying the fundraiser, it was noted that Nevitt was a freshman at Portsmouth High School and that "her smile and contagious laughter could brighten anyone's day, and her spirit was full of hope, warmth, and compassion." As of the evening of June 11, the fund had received just shy of $5,000. Additionally, Portsmouth coffee shop Grafik Coffee announced on June 10 that it had made "Portsmouth Strong" stickers that would be sold for $10 apiece, with the proceeds to be split evenly among the families of the deceased and the injured. A day after that announcement, the business said that due to high demand, it had ordered another 500 stickers beyond the initial order of 2,000. St. Barnabas Church in Portsmouth has also announced that a Night of Remembrance will be held on Friday, June 13, at 7 p.m., which, while open to all, will give preferential seating to students. It will also be live streamed at According to the obituary, "A Celebration of Kelly's life" will be held on Monday, June 16, at 2 p.m. at Green Valley Country Club, 371 Union St., Portsmouth, "where friends and loved ones are invited to gather and honor the incredible life of a girl who gave us so much in such a short time." The obituary asks that "in honor of Kelly's compassion and creativity, donations may be made in her memory to The Newport Children's Theater, – continuing the love she so freely gave." This article originally appeared on Newport Daily News: Teenager killed in Portsmouth building collapse identified

Brian Wilson Learns to Smile
Brian Wilson Learns to Smile

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Brian Wilson Learns to Smile

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Launched as the follow-up to the Beach Boys' classic Pet Sounds— and in response to the Beatles' masterful Rubber Soul and Revolver— Smile was intended to be the grandest, most complex rock & roll production ever: a loosely themed concept album about coast-to-coast 'Americana,' from Plymouth Rock to 'Blue Hawaii,' built from modular, cut-and-paste fragments of pop melody, orchestral instrumentation, recurring vocal themes and even the sounds of crunching vegetables and barnyard animals. Wilson, then twenty-four, described his epic musical tapestry as a 'teenage symphony to God.' Wilson's ambition, however, was undercut by intensifying, untreated mental illness as well as by drug use (including hashish and amphetamines) and pressure from the other Beach Boys and the group's label, Capitol, to stop messing around and start cranking out hits. Beach Boy Mike Love was the harshest critic, reportedly calling Smile 'a whole album of Brian's madness.' 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'You can hear that Brian has a glimmer,' says Parks, who worked with Wilson on the new SMiLE (differentiated in typography from the original Smile). 'That is what I think is wonderful about this project… It bathes Brian in some real redemptive light. It shows that he is very generous and very talented, and that he uses his talent to console, in a powerful way.' Work on the new Smile began in the fall of 2003, Sahanaja showed up at Wilson's house one morning with all the existing fragments of Smile he could find (both from bootlegs and the Capitol vaults) loaded onto his iBook. 'I knew Smile is not Brian's favorite topic,' says Sahanaja. 'And he had a look, like he was looking over the edge of the Empire State Building with no support.' At first, Wilson offered little reaction. 'He was quiet for a long time,' says Sahanaja. 'Then I played him 'Do You Like Worms?' and I thought he was going to freak out. But he went, 'That's pretty cool. We did that?' And it just started going, grouping different sections and songs together.' To Sahanaja's amazement, Wilson began to remember harmonies and arrangements that were never recorded. At one point, they were working on a portion of 'Do You Like Worms?' (now renamed 'Roll Plymouth Rock'), and Wilson couldn't read Parks' thirty-eight-year-old lyric sheet. 'We just couldn't figure it out,' says Sahanaja. 'Brian goes, 'Van Dyke will know.' So he picks up the phone — hasn't called Van Dyke in years — goes, 'Yeah, Van Dyke. It's Brian. Do you know the song 'Do You Like Worms?' What's this line?' ' The next morning, Van Dyke Parks showed up at Wilson's house to begin five days of work. Parks says his main goal was to bring Smile out of the past, to make it the work of a man looking back at his younger days, not to try and simply re-create material thirty-seven years old. 'It was important that this not arrive irrelevant and brain-dead,' he says. Parks made mostly subtle changes. 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We'd get to the last chord, and we're all there with our headphones on and we'd hear him scream, 'Right the fuck on!' That's so inspiring for us musicians.' Tonight it's hard to tell how excited Wilson is about SMiLE, but he's definitely excited about dinner. 'They have an excellent salad here; I think you should get it,' he advises, then calls the waitress over and orders two iceberg-and-blue-cheese salads and two rib-eye steaks, medium rare. Wilson seems relaxed — or as relaxed as I've seen him in recent years — as he drinks beer and talks about his courtside seats to the Lakers playoff games and about his four-month-old adopted son, Dylan. (just saying Dylan's name makes Brian burst out laughing.) 'Life's better than it's been in the past twenty years,' he says. Still, he admits that he works hard to keep depression at bay. 'Every day I have an anxiety attack,' he says. 'I can't explain why. It just comes on.' 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Community rallies around family of Portsmouth teen killed in collapse
Community rallies around family of Portsmouth teen killed in collapse

Yahoo

time2 hours ago

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Community rallies around family of Portsmouth teen killed in collapse

PORTSMOUTH, R.I. (WPRI) — The Portsmouth community continues to reel from the sudden and tragic death of 15-year-old Kelly Nevitt. The teen was killed when a concrete landing outside the Portuguese American Citizens Club collapsed during a graduation party on Saturday. Four other people were also injured, including a 17-year-old who was left in critical condition. Nevitt was a 'bright and beloved' freshman at Portsmouth High School, according to friends of her family. 'Kelly was a loving daughter, a loyal friend, and a kind soul who brought light and laughter wherever she went. Her smile and contagious laughter could brighten anyone's day, and her spirit was full of hope, warmth, and compassion. Whether Kelly was expressing her passion for the arts in Colorguard or shining on stage, she touched the lives of everyone who knew her, and her absence has left an unimaginable void in our hearts,' they wrote on a GoFundMe page set up to raise money for the family. RELATED: Portsmouth community mourns teen killed in Portuguese club collapse As of Wednesday afternoon, the page had already raised more than $56,000. 'As her family faces this heartbreaking loss, we are asking for support to help cover funeral and memorial expenses, and to give Kelly the peaceful and memorable farewell she deserves,' the page said. 'No family should have to endure the pain of losing a child, let alone bear the sizable financial burden during such a painful time,' the message continued. 'We created this page to ensure that Kelly's family can take the time to grieve their unimaginable loss without the added financial worries.' According to her obituary, Nevitt had a passion for musical theater, a gift for performing, and a 'quick wit, big heart, and boundless compassion.' 'Whether she was singing, dancing, or laughing with friends, Kelly's presence was magnetic,' the obituary read. 'She was the funniest, kindest, most loyal friend – the kind of person who made everyone feel welcome and important,' it continued. 'She had a special way of lifting others up, always reminding people how much they meant to her.' A celebration of Nevitt's life will be held at 2 p.m. on Monday, June 16, at Green Valley Country Club in Portsmouth. Donations in her honor can be made to the Newport Children's Theater. Read the full obituary Police said about 75 people were inside the building when the landing collapsed. The cause is currently under investigation. The Portsmouth School Department has made counseling available to anyone who needs it. Download the and apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch or with the new . Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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