Michael Masser, a songwriter, producer and composer who penned hits for Whitney Houston, Diana Ross and Gladys Knight, died in Rancho Mirage, Calif. on Thursday. He was 74.
Masser’s hits included Houston’s “The Greatest Love of All,” Ross’ “The Last Time I Saw Him” and “Tonight I Celebrate My Love For You” by Roberta Flack and Peabo Bryson. In 2007, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
His first big hit came with Ross’ chart-topping recording of “Touch Me In the Morning,” which he co-wrote and co-produced. That was followed with Ross’ “Theme from ‘Mahogany’ (Do You Know Where You’re Going To?),” which he co-wrote with Gerald Goffin and also hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song.
While producing Teddy Pendergrass’ 1984 album Love Language, he recorded the Whitney Houston duet “Hold Me.” From there, Masser and Houston began years of fruitful collaboration, including three No. 1 hits from her first two albums: “The Greatest Love of All,” “Saving All My Love” and “Didn’t We Almost Have It All.”
Further success continued as a songwriter/producer into the 1990s, amounting to over three decades of notable work.
More than three years ago, Masser suffered a major stroke The Desert Sun reports, from which he never fully recovered.
Masser is survived by his wife, Ogniana Masser; sister, Rhoda Lev; daughters Jennifer Convery and Aleksandra Rouschkolb; son Sean Masser; and grandchildren Joshua and Ryan Masser.
[Diana] Ross posted words or remembrance to Twitter Friday:MICHAEL MASSER so many memories He will live on. through his beautiful songs Touch me in the morning, It’s my turn Theme from Mahogany
By Colin Stutz
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Hussein Fatal Dead: Rapper, Tupac Shakur Collaborator Dies at 38 in Car Crash
Rapper Hussein Fatal died this past weekend at the age of 38. The performer was killed in a car accident on Saturday, July 11.
Fatal’s passing was confirmed in the late hours of Saturday evening by the members of his hip-hop group, The Outlawz. The remaining musicians in the group, which was founded by the late Tupac Shakur in 1995, tweeted a photo of Fatal and Shakur from The Outlawz’ official Twitter account.
“Rest in Paradise our brother Hussein Fatal – he passed away in a car accident,” reads the tweet, which accompanies the throwback photo of the two deceased rappers. “Pray for his family & kids at this time!”
The group, which now features a lineup of E.D.I. Mean and Young Noble, went on to share a link to a fundraising page supporting Fatal’s family as his funeral is planned.
“Born Bruce Edward Washington Jr. known to most as ‘Hussein Fatal’ to some he was ‘Dizza,'” the GoFundMe page reads. “A father, a uncle and a beloved brother. Bruce has been called to be with The Most High and the family is asking for support to lift some of the financial burden. Thank you in advance for your support it is well appreciated.”
Before his untimely death, Fatal was an early collaborator for Shakur, hopping on the iconic performer’s 1990s tracks such as “Hit ‘Em Up” and “All Bout U.” He went on to release his own studio albums, including 1998’s In the Line of Fire, 2002’s Fatal, and 2009’s Born Legendary.
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Chicago Rapper Capo, Baby Killed in Gang-Related Incident
CHICAGO (Reuters) – Chicago rapper Capo, a member of Chief Keef’s “Glo Gang,” has died in a gang-related shooting over the weekend that also resulted in the death of a baby boy who was struck by a vehicle fleeing the scene, the Chicago Sun-Times reported on Sunday.
The death of Marvin Carr, who went by the name Capo, was confirmed by the group’s manager, Renaldo Hess, according to the newspaper. Hess could not be reached for comment.
Chicago police confirmed on Sunday that a 22-year-old gang member who was shot in the hip and the back on the city’s south side on Saturday afternoon had died, but could not provide his name. The Cook County Medical Examiner’s office had not yet confirmed the death as of Sunday afternoon.
Soon after the shooting, a vehicle believed to be carrying the possible offenders in the shooting struck 13-month-old Dillon Harris, who later died, according to police and the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office. Harris had been in a stroller waiting for a bus with his mother and older sisters, the Sun-Times said.
Social media connected with rap music have many mentions of Capo’s death, including a message from rapper Robert Williams, better known as Meek Mill, who tweeted “RIP youngbull.”
Chicago police said they are questioning two “persons of interest” in the shooting.
By Mary Wisniewski (Editing by Eric Walsh)
Other Notable Musicians’ Deaths…
July 2015
16: V. Ramakrishna, 67, Indian playback singer and film scorer, cancer.
15: Alan Curtis, 80, American harpsichordist, conductor and scholar.
14: Mansour Nariman, 80, Iranian oud player; M. S. Viswanathan, 87, Indian music composer and film scorer.
13: Glenn Houle, 87, American classical composer and conductor, traffic collision; Joan Sebastian, 64, Mexican singer and songwriter, bone cancer; Martin Litchfield West, 77, British classical scholar; Eric Wrixon, 68, Northern Irish keyboardist (Them, Thin Lizzy).
12: Javier Krahe, 71, Spanish singer-songwriter, heart attack; Tom Skinner, 61, American singer-songwriter.
11: Capo, 22, American rapper, shot; Hussein Fatal, 38, American rapper (Outlawz), traffic collision; Joseph Robinson, Jr., 53, American music executive (Sugar Hill Records), cancer.
9: Michael Masser, 74, American songwriter (“Saving All My Love for You”, “Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You’re Going To)”), complications from a stroke.
8: Ernie Maresca, 76, American songwriter (“Runaround Sue”, “The Wanderer”) and singer; Delroy Thompson, 63, Jamaican dancehall sound engineer (Tuff Gong) and producer (Mad Cobra), complications from heart attack and stroke.
[…] By Barb Dye […]