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Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Music Legends Share Heartfelt Memories of Iconic Guitarist Who Died at 77
Music Legends Share Heartfelt Memories of Iconic Guitarist Who Died at 77 originally appeared on Parade. Guitarist , known for his work with The McCoy's and hit song 'Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo,' died in Ormond Beach Florida on Monday, May 26. Shooting to fame at just 17 years old when The McCoy's dropped 'Hang On Sloopy" in 1965, the legendary rocker collected a Grammy Award for producing 'Weird Al ' Yankovic's debut album over his decades long career. Derringer worked with several other iconic artists in various capacities serving as a producer for Cyndi Lauper, rocked the solo on 'Total Eclipse of the Heart' by Bonnie Tyler, and even did session work for Steely Dan. Fellow artist and alleged caretaker Tony Wilson made the heartbreaking announcement on Facebook the morning after his passing."To my rocking best friend Rick Derringer it was my pleasure to be with your caretaker was a natural thing..." Derringer had a remarkable "behind the scenes" resume. He had a hand in several beloved albums playing guitar with artists spanning genres from Barbera Streisand to Kiss. Derringer even left a mark on the World Wrestling Federation, producing their 'The Wrestling Album,' comprised of wrestler's theme songs that he also happened to work on. In fact, his hit "Real American" served as Hulk Hogan's iconic song. Many artists flooded social media with adoring memories of the late artist amid the news of his passing. In a heartfelt Instagram post, Cyndi Lauper recalled some of the incredible work they did together: "He was one of the great guitarists," she stated. "I co-wrote with him on my Blue Angel album. And we did wrestling music together which was so much fun. He played for me when I sang with Patti LaBelle on her special. He was in the band when I toured for True Colors in 86. And he's is also in the live at Le Zénith Paris video. We shared a lot of special moments together. Rest easy my friend." Beatles legend Ringo Starr also paid a beautiful homage to his fallen friend. "God bless Rick Derringer," he wrote on Instagram. "It was great playing with him in the All Starrs. I send peace and love to his family." And the love for Derringer doesn't stop there. In a recent Facebook post, Wilson noted his intention to honor the late artist on his birthday, August 5th, with a tribute show in Florida. Nothing has officially been scheduled as of yet. Music Legends Share Heartfelt Memories of Iconic Guitarist Who Died at 77 first appeared on Parade on May 30, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on May 30, 2025, where it first appeared.
American Military News
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- American Military News
Classic rock guitarist, ‘Real American' singer Rick Derringer dies at 77
Classic rock guitarist and 'Real American' singer Rick Derringer has died. He was 77 years old. His longtime wife, Jenda Derringer, told TMZ he died 'peacefully' at a hospital in Ormond Beach, Florida, after being taken off life support following a medical emergency involving his heart. He reportedly underwent triple bypass surgery two months ago. The Ohio native first gained fame with his band the McCoys, whose 'Hang on Sloopy' was a No. 1 hit in 1965. He went on to work with Edgar and Johnny Winters in their bands, playing on classic rock radio staples like 'Frankenstein,' another No. 1 hit. He also collaborated with Steely Dan, 'Weird Al' Yankovic, Todd Rundgren, Alice Cooper, Barbara Streisand and toured several times with Cyndi Lauper. He played the guitar solo on Bonnie Tyler's 'Total Eclipse of the Heart,' written by frequent partner Jim Steinman. Derringer had a solo hit of his own with 'Real American,' a song recorded for a soundtrack for the World Wrestling Federation that became Hulk Hogan's theme music for several years. Lauper provided backing vocals on the tune. Richard Dean Zehringer was born in Celina, Ohio, on Aug. 5, 1947. He began playing music with his brother Randy in the late 1950s. Their band the McCoys was chosen by a set of record producers to record 'Hang on Sloopy,' which has since become a popular in-stadium anthem at Ohio State football games and Cleveland Guardians games. Later in his career, he joined star-studded lineups on tours with Ringo Starr and Peter Frampton while ultimately releasing more than 25 albums, including several blues and jazz LPs. Following a late-in-life conversion, he and his wife produced several Christian-themed albums. ___ © 2025 New York Daily News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Classic rock guitarist, ‘Real American' singer Rick Derringer dies at 77
NEW YORK — Classic rock guitarist and 'Real American' singer Rick Derringer has died. He was 77 years old. His longtime wife, Jenda Derringer, told TMZ he died 'peacefully' at a hospital in Ormond Beach, Florida, after being taken off life support following a medical emergency involving his heart. He reportedly underwent triple bypass surgery two months ago. The Ohio native first gained fame with his band the McCoys, whose 'Hang on Sloopy' was a No. 1 hit in 1965. He went on to work with Edgar and Johnny Winters in their bands, playing on classic rock radio staples like 'Frankenstein,' another No. 1 hit. He also collaborated with Steely Dan, 'Weird Al' Yankovic, Todd Rundgren, Alice Cooper, Barbara Streisand and toured several times with Cyndi Lauper. He played the guitar solo on Bonnie Tyler's 'Total Eclipse of the Heart,' written by frequent partner Jim Steinman. Derringer had a solo hit of his own with 'Real American,' a song recorded for a soundtrack for the World Wrestling Federation that became Hulk Hogan's theme music for several years. Lauper provided backing vocals on the tune. Richard Dean Zehringer was born in Celina, Ohio, on Aug. 5, 1947. He began playing music with his brother Randy in the late 1950s. Their band the McCoys was chosen by a set of record producers to record 'Hang on Sloopy,' which has since become a popular in-stadium anthem at Ohio State football games and Cleveland Guardians games. Later in his career, he joined star-studded lineups on tours with Ringo Starr and Peter Frampton while ultimately releasing more than 25 albums, including several blues and jazz LPs. Following a late-in-life conversion, he and his wife produced several Christian-themed albums.
Daily Mirror
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Curse of WWE stars from tragic fall to shower stabbing and double murder
After the news of Maxx Justice's death rocked the WWE world, leaving fans devastated, we've taken a look at some of the past wrestlers whose lives were tragically cut short WWE wrestler Maxx Justice has died after being knocked off his bike by a vehicle in a road accident, aged 63. The star, whose real name is Mike Raybeck, was on his way home from work in California when he was fatally struck, causing his tragic death. His career spanned from the 1990s to the early 2000s and was mostly spent with the All Pro Wrestling, but he also competed in WWE when it was still under its previous name, the World Wrestling Federation. But it's not just Maxx Justice whose life came to a heartbreaking, sudden end, as a number of WWE stars have passed away over the years in sad circumstances. Chris Benoit Perhaps one of the most shocking cases in the wrestling world was Benoit. In 2007, the Canadian fighter killed his wife and son before taking his own life. He was 40 at the time, and his legacy was quickly ruined by the notorious killings. Owen Hart At just 34, Canadian wrestler Owen Hart sadly fell to his death during a live WWF event in 1999 due to a harness malfunction. The cause of death was later revealed to be internal bleeding from blunt force trauma. The impact severed his aorta, resulting in Hart bleeding to death just minutes later. Brian Pillman Brian Pillman was an American professional wrestler and football player. He was best known for his appearances in Stampede Wrestling in the 1980s, World Championship Wrestling, Extreme Championship Wrestling, and World Wrestling Federation in the 1990s. He sadly died in 1997 at 35 from a heart attack, just before a scheduled WWF pay-per-view match. Dino Bravo Italian-Canadian professional wrestler and promoter Dino Bravo was found shot dead with multiple gunshots in 1993 in what's believed to be a mob-related hit, but to this day, his case remains unsolved. Shad Gaspard The former American WWE star and actor died a hero in 2020 after directing rescuers to save his son as the pair got caught up in a riptide. Shad sacrificed his own life to save his son, who managed to survive thanks to his dad. After his death, Shad was awarded the Warrior Award at the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony in 2022. Crash Holly American wrestler Crash Holly was found dead in 2003 after committing suicide by mixing prescription medication and alcohol at wrestler Stevie Richards' house. It's believed his career had declined after WWE's release. Mike Awesome Mike Awesome was best known for his appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). However, the star killed himself in 2007 after reportedly dealing with depression and career decline. Perro Aguayo Jr Mexican wrestler Aguayo died in a freak accident from a cervical spine trauma, reportedly as a result of the dropkick that propelled him forward to the ring ropes, causing severe whiplash trauma that snapped his neck in 2015. Silver King The professional wrestler and actor from Mexico died after collapsing in the ring in front of fans during a bout in London. He suffered a heart attack in the ring mid-event, initially mistaken for a routine wrestling moment. Fans criticised the amount of time it took for him to receive medical attention. Bruiser Brody Bruiser Brody was stabbed backstage in a shower by fellow wrestler José González, also known as Invader 1, during a wrestling event in Puerto Rico. González was charged with murder but claimed self-defence and was acquitted by a jury and was not convicted of murder.
Boston Globe
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Terry Brunk, professional wrestler known as Sabu, dies
Known for using tables and chairs in the ring, Mr. Brunk rose to national prominence with Extreme Championship Wrestling, a smaller and grittier circuit compared with the more mainstream World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling companies. 'Sabu became a national star as part of ECW, where he was a pioneer of hardcore wrestling, leaping from chairs and driving his opponents through tables and even barbed wire,' WWE said in its statement. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Mr. Brunk later joined the WWE in 2006, with which he performed for a year, including at WrestleMania 23 in Detroit, Mr. Brunk's hometown. Advertisement As recently as last month, Mr. Brunk was slinging chairs around a barbed-wire ring, returning once again as Sabu in an event with wrestler Joey Janela that was billed as Sabu's retirement match. Although widely remembered for his use of props and tables in the ring, Sabu was wary of professional wrestling's spectacle. He would go on to criticize the larger-than-life stunts that would come to define later iterations of the WWE and other wrestling promotion companies. 'In an Olympic match, you cannot stack a couple tables and then climb something and jump off. That's a stunt,' Mr. Brunk told an interviewer with Covalent TV at Wrestlecade in 2024. 'I'm not a stuntman or an actor.' Advertisement Terrance Michael Brunk was born on Staten Island, N.Y. He was trained by his uncle Edward George Farhart, a WWE Hall of Fame wrestler known as 'The Sheikh.' 'I went over all the basics every day,' Mr. Brunk recalled in his Covalent TV interview. His uncle, he said, made him set up and tear down the training ring for months before ever giving him a chance inside it. For many fans, Mr. Brunk represented an era of professional wrestling when storytelling took priority over spectacle. Mr. Brunk said in his 2024 interview that even his use of a single table could keep an audience engaged — there was a narrative arc, a setup, a tease. Not so in modern professional wrestling, he said. 'When they break a table,' Mr. Brunk said, 'they're just doing it for the crash.' This article originally appeared in
