On June 3 the team behind ABBA's virtual concert experience Voyage announced the launching of a new education program at east London's custom-built ABBA Arena, aimed at helping young people pursue careers in music and the creative industries. To help celebrate the launch, ABBA members Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad made a rare public appearance at ABBA Arena, situated in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, joining nearly 3,000 children for a one-off event that included a Q&A hosted by U.K. broadcaster Vernon Kay. "Music has an incredible ability to stimulate creativity and confidence in young people," ABBA said in a press release. "We hope this program helps inspire young people to be curious about the world of performing arts and what they can achieve in the future. We feel privileged that ABBA Voyage can play a part in that journey." Developed in partnership with the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC), the initiative builds on a series of education and community projects that ABBA Voyage has run over the past four years which to date have te engaged more than 8,500 young people through concerts, careers workshops, employment opportunities and more. ABBA Voyage opened in London in May 2022, bringing the Swedish pop icons back to the stage as digital 'ABBAtars' alongside a live 10-piece band. The production has since welcomed millions of visitors and become one of the most successful live music attractions in the U.K. - Billboard, 6/3/26...... 
Meanwhile, Alice Cooper has issued a stark warning over his fears of an AI "rock star." Interviewed by Eddie Trunk on the SiriusXM channel Trunk Nation, Cooper explained how he could create a "rock star" on his own. "Well, here's the deal, I could right now create a rock star," said Alice, 78. "I could create a Yungblud, a guy that's really appealing, rock, tough, cool looking. I could create a guy named -- I don't care -- Starboy or whatever, and make him look great. He doesn't actually exist." The legendary shock-rocker went on to describe the kind of AI-generated rock star he could invent. "I could tell the AI, 'I want him to sound like Tom Petty and Freddie Mercury. And here's what the album's about. Write the songs,'" he said. "Okay, now you've got a rock star that doesn't exist, and you've got an album that doesn't exist except in this world." However, Alice -- who was born Vincent Damon Furnier but legally changed his name in 1975 -- pointed out there would be no original artist to claim authorship of the music. "What happens if it sells? Who gets the money? AI wrote the songs!" he said. "That's gonna happen. You watch that happen, because the guy that just suggested what it should be did not write the songs." The Coop also lamented the fact that AI "artists" had no lived experience of human emotion. "If I could tell it to write a song about Eddie Trunk joining The Rolling Stones, they would write you a great song - except for one thing," he declared. "The one thing it can't do - it's never been in love. It's never had its heart broken. It's never been angry. It's never been happy." This, he said, made it next to impossible for audiences to connect with AI-generated music. "It has no emotion," Alice said. "It has no heart, it has no feel, has no soul to it, and that's where it dies right there." - Music-News.com, 6/3/26...... As Taylor Swift prepares to release her own new music in early June, the contemporary pop sensation took to social media on June 2 for an Instagram Story post hyping up Paul McCartney's just-released new album, The Boys of Dungeon Lane. Swift shared an Instagram post from Sir Paul promoting Dungeon Lane, and added her own message too (along with a bicep emoji): "Never not inspired by this eternally exceptional artist." The two pop superstars have previously crossed paths in 2015, sharing the stage to perform "Shake It Off" at a legendary Saturday Night Live 40th-anniversary afterparty. The pair also hooked up in 2020 for a Rolling Stone magazine feature in which McCartney revealed he had planned to ask Swift to join him onstage for his COVID-canceled Glastonbury set. "Were you going to invite me?" Swift asks. "I was hoping that you would," he said. "I was going to ask you." Not only was the Beatles legend going to extend his hand, he was planning to play "Shake It Off" with her again. "I know it, it's in C!" McCartney quipped. On June 5, Swift is set to release the song "I Knew It, I Knew You" from the Toy Story 5 soundtrack, and McCartney's Boys of Dungeon Lane dropped on May 29. Meanwhile, Macca has announced a special live event in London, where he'll discuss his new album. He'll appear in front of an audience at the Roundhouse in Camden Town on June 10 to speak about the journey behind the creation of his latest solo record, and reflect on the making of the LP from its earliest beginnings. The announcement post can be viewed on Instagram. - Billboard/New Musical Express, 6/2/26...... Amid continued buzz for the new Michael Jackson biopic Michael, the deep MJ cut "Chicago" has gone viral and debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 pop songs chart, among overall growth for his catalog as the late King of Pop's biopic Michael continues to dominate at the box office. The viral "Chicago" entered the Hot 100 for the week dated June 6 at No. 30, almost entirely from 10.7 million official chart-eligible streams (up 30% week over week) in the U.S. from May 22-28, according to data tracker Luminate. The song has drawn 388 million streams to date, with its latest frame up from 8.3 million (May 30-dated charts), 6.9 million (May 23), 5.4 million (May 16) and 3.8 million (May 9 -- reflecting the first week of tracking after Michael premiered on Apr. 24). Its May 9 chart sum was 83% higher than the week before. "Chicago" was released on Jackson's posthumous album Xscape in 2014, nearly five years after he died. The set produced two Hot 100 hits that year: "Love Never Felt So Good," with Justin Timberlake (No. 9 peak) and "Slave to the Rhythm" (No. 45). Jackson's iconic music has surged amid Michael's run, but "Chicago" stands out as not having been a major hit upon its original release -- and it's not featured in the film. On the May 23-dated Hot 100, six of his songs of charted simultaneously, with all having climbed to the top 10 and five having reached No. 1 in their original release schedules in the '70s-'80s: "Billie Jean," "Human Nature," "Beat It," "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough," "Dirty Diana" and "Rock With You." - Billboard, 6/1/26...... 
On June 1 a special concert event in New York City that supports "standing in unity against the authoritarian shifts threatening our democracy today" was announced for NYC's Town Hall on June 14 at 7:30 p.m. ET. Tickets can be purchased now at riseupsingout.com or on Ticketmaster.com. Viewers will also be able to livestream the concert event for free. "Rise Up, Sing Out: A Concert for the First Amendment" will feature performances by artists including Bette Midler, Patti Smith and Rufus Wainwright, with actresses Julia Roberts and Lily Gladstone also making appearances. Previously announced appearances include Jane Fonda -- who serves as founder of the Committee for the First Amendment -- plus Joy Reid, Sasha Allen and Broadway Inspirational Voices. "We can't sit idly by while our rights are at stake," Fonda said in a statement about the event. "History shows us that when democracy is threatened, song becomes one of our most powerful weapons. Right now, we are at a critical crossroads. It's time for us to rise up, raise our voices, and stand up against a government that refuses to put its people first. We are fighting back the best way we know how to: with our community and in solidarity." To coincide with the event, the No Kings Coalition is launching a nationwide organizing day on June 14 to bring people together at public and private watch parties in support of our First Amendment rights. - Billboard, 6/1/26...... Speaking on BBC Radio 2's Tracks of My Years on June 1, Mick Jagger said he "can't wait" to take The Rolling Stones back on the road, though fans shouldn't expect an imminent announcement. "I'd love to go on tour, I can't wait," the 82-year-old rock star said, before tempering expectations. "I don't think it's going to be this year. But hopefully it's going to be as soon as possible." Jagger's comments come after the band scrapped plans for a U.K. and European stadium tour in 2026 in late 2025, with reports that Keith Richards was unable to "commit" to the run. However Richards, also 82, has since hinted at a potential return to the road in 2027, and Jagger's latest remarks add weight to that possibility. Jagger's interview, with Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood also participating, comes ahead of the band's 25th studio album Foreign Tongues, due July 10 via Polydor/Universal Music. Meanwhile, Keith Richards has become a great-grandfather for the first time after his granddaughter, model Ella Richards announced the birth of her first child. Ella, who recently turned 30, revealed the happy news on Instagram, sharing a sweet photo of herself lying beside her newborn daughter, Luna, on a blanket. "30! Best birthday yet with our baby girl Luna," she captioned the image. Ella confirmed her pregnancy back in March with a black-and-white photograph showing her growing baby bump. Ella is the daughter of Marlon Richards, Keith's eldest son from his long relationship with the late model and actor Anita Pallenberg, who died in 2017 aged 75. Her mother is former model and stylist Lucie de la Falaise. Keith, who is a father of five and grandfather of eight, had been counting down to the birth ever since his granddaughter shared her pregnancy news in the spring. Reacting to her announcement on social media, the rocker commented, "Sending love and looking forward to welcoming my first great grandchild!" - Billboard/Music-News.com, 6/1/26...... Rod Stewart has addressed a recent health scare that forced him to cancel two Las Vegas shows at the last minute at the end of May. Stewart, 81, told fans at his concert on June 3 why he had to pull the plug on the shows. "I had this awful f---ing sinus infection. I should've gone to the hospital, but I didn't," he said in an Instagram video shared by user @jpasc24. Appearing relatively upbeat, the "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?" singer assured fans that he's almost fully recovered. "When you've got your ears blocked up, it ruins your equilibrium," he explained, adding, "So I might stumble a bit tonight." On May 28, Stewart announced he had to cancel the weekend shows following advice from his doctor. "My apologies to my family of fans," he told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "I am on vocal rest as I recover from a sinus infection. I look forward to seeing you at a future show at Caesars Palace or on tour this summer. Sir Rod has had a lengthy series of concerts at Caesars Palace since 2011, beginning with the launch of his "The Hits" residency at the Colosseum, which wrapped up in 2024. In 2025, the venue welcomed him back for his new series, "The Encore Shows," which has concerts scheduled until the end of August. - The Toronto Sun, 6/3/26...... Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons have announced they will be touring this year due to frontman Valli's health. The singer, who turned 92 in May, canceled all remaining tour dates for 2026 in an Instagram announcement that went out on May 29. "I'm so sorry to disappoint the folks who have purchased tickets to my shows, but I have decided to take the rest of the year off from touring to focus on my health," Valli wrote. "I'm looking forward to getting healthy and seeing you all again soon," he added in his statement. "Thank you for all your good wishes." He did not provide further details about the unspecified health concerns. Valli has kept busy performing throughout the past few years on "The Last Encores Tour," the group's farewell run that started in 2023 and had most recently been extended through late 2026. He was expected to appear in select U.S. markets in June and July, followed by a string of dates in September through November. In 2025, Valli was honored with a lifetime achievement award at the Recording Academy's Special Merit Awards, though he'd never won a Grammy -- and despite charting five No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 with The Four Seasons, dating back to 1962 with "Sherry," which launched at the top after Dick Clark introduced it on American Bandstand, and two as a solo performer, including the 1978 title track for Grease. "This has been an incredible evening," he said at the ceremony, quipping, "I don't know what took so long, but that's the way it goes." - Billboard, 5/30/26...... Appearing on ABC's Good Morning America on June 1, Barry Manilow said he has no idea if his voice is "coming back." But the "Mandy" hitmaker, who will release his latest studio effort What a Time on June 5, said he's raring to get back onstage and is in "great shape" physically, but his vocals have been impacted since undergoing a lobectomy to treat lung cancer. "My voice -- I don't know whether it's coming back," he told GMA. "I did my first sound check about a month ago and I didn't sound like me at all. I just couldn't believe that it's over," he added. Manilow, 82, is next due onstage on June 25. He also has a Las Vegas residency in July. In Dec. 2025, he announced he had been diagnosed with stage 1 lung cancer after the disease was detected during an MRI after hearing about recent bouts of bronchitis. The singer postponed his farewell tour in December after doctors discovered the cancerous spot on his left lung. He later rescheduled additional shows, explaining that although he is getting "stronger," he has struggled with the slow pace of recovery. - Music-News.com, 6/3/26...... 
Art Garfunkel was among the special surprise guests during singer Charlie Puth's May 29 concert at Madison Square Garden. The first surprise was an appearance from Garfunkel for a heartfelt duet with Puth on Simon & Garfunkel's "The Boxer," a Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hit in 1969 that was a track on the duo's final studio album, Bridge Over Troubled Water. "He learned how to make his records from me and Paul [Simon]," Garfunkel told the Big Apple audience. "You're my student." Puth agreed: "I am your student. I'm not just saying that because all these wonderful people are here. The reason that I'm here right now is because of the music you've written with Paul. It's amazing." Other surprise guests included The Tonight Show's Jimmy Fallon and rapper Busta Rhymes. Puth headlined the famed NYC venue as part of his "Whatever's Clever World Tour," which kicked off in late April in support of his 2026 Whatever's Clever! album. Video from the show can be viewed on Instagram. - Billboard, 5/30/26...... Speaking of New York City, officials have announced they will co-name a street to honor late guitar god Jimi Hendrix. West 8th Street will be co-named "Jimi Hendrix Way" during a ceremony on June 10 at 11 a.m., honoring the legendary guitarist and cultural icon. Led by NYC Council Member Harvey Epstein, the Greenwich Village ceremony takes place at the corner of Sixth Avenue and West 8th Street, situated just one block from the historic Electric Lady Studios which Hendrix famously founded. The public celebration was originally scheduled for Feb. 24 but had to be postponed due to severe winter weather delays. The ceremony -- open to the public -- will feature a star-studded lineup of guest speakers, including TeachRock founder Stevie Van Zandt and Janie Hendrix, the President and CEO of Experience Hendrix, L.L.C. They will be joined by a host of musical luminaries, including Grammy-winning Living Colour guitarist Vernon Reid, legendary songwriter Valerie Simpson, longtime David Letterman orchestra guitarist Felicia Collins, and acclaimed audio engineer Eddie Kramer, who worked intimately with Hendrix to build Electric Lady Studios. Local students and educators will also attend to mark the connection between the historic neighborhood and modern classrooms. - Music-News.com, 6/3/26...... Legendary music mogul Clive Davis was hospitalized at a New York City hospital on May 29. A representative for the 94-year-old Davis told TMZ.com that he is being treated for an upper respiratory infection and was admitted to the hospital out of an abundance of caution. The hospitalization comes just days after Davis attended the Gordon Parks Foundation Awards Dinner and Auction in New York City, Page Six reports. The iconic Columbia and Arista Records label boss, who helped shape the careers of artists including Whitney Houston, Bruce Springsteen, Aretha Franklin, Janis Joplin, Carlos Santana and Alicia Keys, has faced health challenges in the past. In Feb. 2021, Davis postponed his annual pre-Grammy gala after being diagnosed with Bell's palsy, a temporary condition that causes weakness or paralysis in facial muscles. "He's being treated with antibiotics and steroids and will make a full recovery within six to eight weeks, at which point he plans to host the second installment of the virtual pre-Grammy gala," his rep said at the time. Davis' star-studded pre-Grammy gala has been held on the eve of the Grammy Awards each year since 1976. A four-time Grammy winner and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Davis is widely regarded as one of the most influential executives in modern music history. - Billboard, 5/30/26...... Ronald LaPread, a co-founder and former bassist of The Commodores, died on May 30. He was 75. "It is with very heavy heart that I must announce that my Father Ronald LaPread has passed," his daughter, music producer Soraya LaPread wrote on her Instagram Stories. According to the NZ Herald, LaPread died following a "sudden medical event" in Auckland. The musician had lived in New Zealand for the past 40 years. The Commodores formed in the late 1960s after its members met as students at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. Originally made up of seven members, the lineup eventually included Thomas McClary, Lionel Richie, Walter "Clyde" Orange, William King and LaPread. After touring as the opening act for the Jackson 5, the R&B/funk group signed with Motown subsidiary MoWest in 1972. The Commodores scored their first hit in 1974 with the synthesizer-driven instrumental "Machine Gun," written by Milan Williams. The group would go on to earn seven No. 1 R&B hits, including "Slippery When Wet," "Just To Be Close to You," "Easy," "Nightshift," "Three Times a Lady" and "Still." The latter two songs also topped the pop chart. Richie left the group in 1982 to pursue a solo career, while the Commodores later signed with Polydor in the late 1980s. LaPread performed with the Commodores from 1970 to 1986, appearing on 11 of the group's albums and contributing to hits including "Brick House," "Three Times a Lady" and "Easy." After relocating to New Zealand in the late 1980s, the bassist continued performing with the Commodores during various concerts in the country. His death comes after the Commodores recently dropped out of Pres. Donald Trump's Freedom 250 Great American State Fair scheduled to take place at the National Mall in Washington DC between June 25 and July 10, though he was not part of the group's current lineup. - Billboard, 5/31/26...... 
Dexter Wansel, a forefather of alternative R&B and the gifted songwriter/producer of hits such as Patti LaBelle's "If Only You Knew," died on May 30 in Philadelphia of undisclosed causes. He was 75. A Philadelphia native born Aug. 22, 1950, keyboardist Wansel was an errand boy for the local Uptown Theater while growing up. Following a stint in the Army, he began working at the city's famed Sigma Sound Studios, where he gained the attention of Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff, the Grammy-winning co-founders of pioneering soul label Philadelphia International Records. As a recording artist for the label -- beginning with his influential 1976 debut album Life on Mars in addition to wearing multiple hats in-house as a writer, arranger, composer, conductor, producer and A&R director into the '80s -- Wansel earned a reputation as one of the vital craftsmen in developing the inimitable "Sound of Philadelphia." In a joint statement, Gamble & Huff commented, "Dexter Wansel brought a new age sound to our record label in the 1970s and '80s, arranging and producing hits for many of our artists such as The Jacksons, The Jones Girls, Jean Carne and MFSB Orchestra, and including hits for himself. Dexter's synthesizer and symphonic keyboard sounds were iconic." A statement from the Wansel family states, "We wish to express our gratitude for the outpouring of condolences we are receiving for our loved one, Grammy winner and one of the architects of the Sound of Philadelphia, Dexter Wansel. He's at peace now." Memorial details will be announced at a later date. - Billboard, 6/2/26...... Marcia Lucas, the Oscar-winning film editor behind Star Wars and the ex-wife of director George Lucas, died in Rancho Mirage, Calif., on May 26 after a battle with cancer. She was 80. A California native, Ms. Lucas (né Griffin) got her start in editing via the Motion Picture Editors Guild apprenticeship program and eventually became the assistant to lauded female film editor Verna Fields (Jaws, Paper Moon). It was while working with Fields that she met future husband Lucas, then a student in the film school at the University of Southern California, who had also been hired to assist Fields. Ms. Lucas, who married George in 1969, was an assistant editor on his feature directorial debut, THX 1138. With Fields, she edited his next film, American Graffiti, earning her first Oscar nomination for best film editing in 1974. William Reynolds took home the trophy that year for his work on The Sting, but Ms. Lucas would go on to earn the Oscar for one of Hollywood's most beloved films and her husband's biggest hit: Star Wars. The award was one of six Oscars that Star Wars won, including best art direction, sound, score, costume design and visual effects. Outside of her then-husband, Ms. Lucas worked with acclaimed filmmaker Martin Scorsese in the mid-70s. She edited Scorsese's Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, and supervised the edit on both Taxi Driver and New York, New York. She went on to edit another Star Wars movie, Return of the Jedi, which was released in 1983, the year she and George divorced. "I love film editing," she said in 1983 to Time magazine. "I have an innate ability to take good material and make it better, and to take bad material and make it fair." "Marcia will be remembered as a brilliant storyteller, a trailblazer for women in film, a loving mother and grandmother, a generous host and a loyal friend whose humor and sparkle filled every room she entered," her family said in a statement. "Her influence on film is indelible, but those who knew her best will remember the way she made life feel more vivid, more beautiful, more fun and more full of love." She is survived by daughters Amanda Lucas and Amy Soper, as well as her grandchildren. - The Hollywood Reporter, 5/29/26...... 
Peabo Bryson, the Grammy-winning and hitmaking R&B singer/producer of legendary love songs, died on June 2 after suffering a stroke the previous weekend and being placed under medical care. He was 75. "With broken hearts and profound sadness, the family of two-time Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and balladeer, Peabo Bryson, announces his passing," a statement from Bryson's family reads, adding: "He transitioned peacefully at 5:00 p.m. ET on the evening of Tuesday, June 2, 2026, surrounded by the love of his family and those closest to him." Over his decades-long career, Bryson placed 12 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart, starting with "Lovers After All," his 1981 duet with Melissa Manchester, and including three top 10 hits. He topped the chart in 1993 thanks to his recording of Disney's "A Whole New World (Aladdin's Theme)" with Regina Belle. Bryson had previously found success with another Disney classic, recording "Beauty and the Beast" with a then-23-year-old Celine Dion and reaching No. 9 on the Hot 100 in 1992. Those two Disney success stories also brought Bryson his two Grammy wins out of eight nominations, with both duets taking home best pop performance by a duo or group with vocal in back-to-back years (1993 and 1994). On the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, Bryson placed 41 hits spanning 1976-1993, including 10 top 10s -- two of which hit No. 1: "Show & Tell" and "Can You Stop the Rain." He also had 21 entries on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, spanning 1976-2007, seven of which hit the top 10 and one of them, Can You Stop the Rain, hit No. 1. Robert Peapo Bryson -- the nickname "Peabo" came from an early musical mentor, Moses Dillard, who had trouble pronouncing his given middle name -- first entered the Billboard charts in 1976 with "Do It With Feeling," which reached No. 25 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and became his first Billboard Hot 100 placement, with a No. 94 peak. Over the next decade-plus, the Greenville, S.C. native emerged into a constant R&B hitmaker, building a rsum of top 10 appearances. Successes included his own solo material, such as the No. 1 singles "Show & Tell" (1989) and "Can You Stop the Rain" (1991), while "Reaching for the Sky" (No. 6, 1978), "I'm So Into You" (No. 2, 1979) and "If You're Ever in My Arms Again" (No. 6, 1984) earned high positions. In addition, the powerhouse vocalist also teamed with R&B legends for stirring duets. He and Natalie Cole took "Gimme Some Time" to No. 8 in 1980, and he performed multiple hits with Roberta Flack, including their highest charting collaboration, "Tonight, I Celebrate My Love," a No. 5 hit in 1983. - Billboard, 6/2/26.
For the past decade, Sting has been mounting versions of his Tony-nominated musical, "The Last Ship," all around the world, even stepping in to play the titular role of Jackie White in several productions and tours. Announcing that the show will return to London's West End this fall in a new interview with The Guardian, the former The Police frontman suggested that the loss of physically demanding jobs in which men use their hands has helped drive up the prevalence of "toxic masculinity" in our modern society. "I work with my hands every day as a musician, and I'm lucky. It's a rare thing for modern men to actually use their hands and use their strengths to do anything. We've lost something there," said the 74-year-old musician, who earlier in May praised his adult children's "extraordinary work ethic" in confirming that he doesn't plan to hand over his considerable fortune to them. "I don't have any answers, but maybe the toxicity in society at the moment is [a result of the fact] that we've lost that direction for our energy, that male strength. It's rare we have to use it." The Last Ship debuted in Chicago in 2014 before moving on to Broadway, the U.K./Ireland, Toronto and then North American and world tours. It tells the story of the men who toil at a shipyard similar to the Swan Hunter's yard at Wallsend, near where Sting grew up, before deindustrialization in the 1970s and 80s led to their closure. The show, kicks off a run at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London in September, features a mostly original score written by Sting, along with four previously released songs from his solo catalog, "Island of Souls," "All This Time," "When We Dance" and "Ghost Story." Sting is currently on the road with his "3.0 Tour" solo band, who will begin a run of nine shows at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York on June 9. - Billboard, 5/29/26...... 
Speaking to Rolling Stone, Roger Daltrey claims that The Who "were the first heavy metal band" and paved the way for the genre in the 1960s. "We were just different than everybody else," the singer said, noting that the British quartet demonstrated multiple sounds, live performance tricks and more that would go on to be synonymous with heavy metal. "[Americans] generally "don't really know The Who from the early '60s, if they were to look back, they'd see that their style back then had elements reminiscent of what would later be considered metal. As the drummer of Deep Purple [Ian Paice] said recently: 'The Who started it all.' We were the first heavy metal band," Daltrey said. "Jim Marshall invented the 412 [speaker cabinet], 100-watt stack for [Who guitarist] Pete Townshend... All the guitar smashing that Jimi Hendrix became famous for, in his style, was basically copied from Pete Townshend," Daltrey continued. And the first rock opera, of course, we elevated rock to be maybe up its own ass in a way, you could say it," he added. "We were doing it before anyone, but it's not important in the long run." The rock icon's comments come as he recently announced a solo tour across the US later in 2026. The Who played their final-ever live shows in 2025, however, earlier this year Townshend hinted that there could be more to come from the band. "We are always trying to come up with something special, and God willing will continue to do that, hoping one day we can astound you the way we used to," the guitarist said. It isn't clear what exactly The Who may have planned, although the hopes of more Who news has been circulating since Townshend told fans at the final show of the farewell tour that he was "sure we'll get up to all kinds of mischief" and continue to "do stuff together." - New Musical Express, 5/29/26...... Barry Manilow has given an update on his lung cancer battle in a new interview with Good Morning America, telling interviewer Chris Connelly that he also fought life-threatening pneumonia for a week. "It took longer than I thought it was going to take to get past this lung cancer thing," Manilow said. "I didn't know about pneumonia. I was in [the] ICU for seven days because they couldn't grasp this pneumonia that was just about killing me," he added. Manilow, 82, subsequently pushed back his planned February Las Vegas residency dates, then his February, March and April arena shows on doctor's advice that he needed more time to recover. His Vegas residency at Westgate is scheduled to run through Dec. 2026, and his farewell arena tour -- dubbed "The Last Concerts" -- has rescheduled a number of dates in the wake of his illness. The star also confirmed that he plans to be ready for his June arena shows in the U.K. In March, the singer's new single, "Once Before I Go," became a top 10 hit on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart, making himthe only artist in history to score an A/C hit in six consecutive decades during a run that has stretched from the 1970s through the 2020s. His first new album in 15 years, What a Time, will be his first collection of nearly all-original material in almost 15 years and will drop June 5. Meanwhile, Barry recently revealed to the Los Angeles Times that he's only ever had one facelift, and "after that it's just been a little here, a little there," slamming rumours of constant Botox procedures. "I look fantastic, but I'm a hundred years old, right?" he quipped in the interview published May 27. "I don't know how that happened, by the way -- I don't get Botox or anything." - Billboard, 5/29/26...... 
Barry Gibb is alive and well, despite a recent viral social media post claiming that The Bee Gees legend had passed away. Rumours of the "How Deep Is Your Love" singer's death gained traction on May 24 when a Facebook page titled "R.I.P. Barry Gibb" racked up nearly one million likes. The page, which now appears to have been taken down, featured a detailed false account claiming that the 79-year-old British hitmaker had died earlier that day. Although the page was deleted, the rumours had already spread across social media and online message boards, with multiple Facebook posts reporting the false news alongside AI-created images of Gibb. However, family sources have confirmed to TMZ.com that Barry "is healthy, happy, and living life at his Miami-area home" despite the false death reports. He is the last surviving member of the iconic singing trio, with Maurice Gibb dying in 2003 at the age of 53 and Robin Gibb passing away in 2012 at the age of 62. Gibb is the latest celebrity to be subjected to an online viral death hoax, following in the footsteps of stars including Justin Bieber, Morgan Freeman, Tom Hanks and Michael J. Fox. - Music-News.com, 5/28/26...... Bruce Springsteen is continuing to call out his longtime nemesis Pres. Donald J. Trump on stage, this time declaring Trump's recently announced "anti-weaponization fund" an "American outrage." Performing at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. on May 27, the Boss tore into the Trump DOJ's new plan to set aside nearly $1.8 billion for those who have "suffered weaponization and lawfare," language that detractors have speculated refers to people who faced legal repercussions for their involvement in the riots that followed shortly after Trump's loss in the 2020 election. "We have a president who wants to create a $1.8 billion fund to compensate and reward people who attacked our nation's capitol," Springsteen lamented between songs. "Attacked our democracy. Assaulted our police officers on Jan. 6. This is an American outrage, and this is happening now. This American tragedy can only be stopped by the American people. There is no one coming to save us. We've got to do it ourselves. Let them hear you at the f-king White House!," he added. The DOJ first published its intention to establish a $1.776 billion "anti-weaponization fund" on May 18. It comes as part of the settlement agreement in Trump's now-dismissed lawsuit against the IRS and Treasury Department over the leak of his tax returns in 2019, and it will offer monetary relief to applicants who feel they've been mistreated by law enforcement, potentially including those convicted of assaulting Capitol Police officers during the Jan. 6, 2021 riot. Springsteen's "Land of Hope & Dreams Tour" is scheduled to wrap on May 30 in Philadelphia. Elsewhere, Springsteen's current tour partner Tom Morello has announced plans to rage against the machine later in 2026 with a special, all-star festival. On May 28, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and activist announced that a "Power to the People Festival" will be a one-day event featuring Springsteen and Foo Fighters, among many others. Set for Oct. 3 at Merriweather Post Pavilion In Columbia, MD, Power to the People is conceived as "a celebration of peace, justice, solidarity, music, and community action." Other artists confirmed include Dave Matthews, Joan Baez, Brittany Howard, Dropkick Murphys and a band fronted by Jack Black featuring Roman Morello, Revel Ian, Yoyoka Soma and Hugo Weiss. Additional special guests will be announced in the weeks ahead. A poster for the show can be viewed on Instagram. - Billboard, 5/28/26...... 
Carlos Santana and rising singer Becky G have released a new collaboration, "Mi Gran Amor," to benefit families impacted by the US Dept. of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement program (ICE). The pan-Latin rock track -- written and produced by Edgar Barrera -- was released on May 28 and pairs an urgent narrative with Santana's searing guitar work and Becky's emotionally grounded vocal. The song brings together three Mexican and Mexican-American artists from different generations and corners of Latin music. It also marks Santana's third single tied to his forthcoming album, following recent team-ups with Grupo Frontera ("Me Retiro") and Carn Len ("Velas"). For Santana, "Mi Gran Amor" was an opportunity to make his playing communicate something bigger than the lyrics alone. "As always, I want my guitar, the melodies, to sound and feel like a universal hug," the guitarist told Billboard in Detroit before heading on stage. "Now more than ever in this planet, we need unity, harmony and oneness. That's a universal hug." On the track, Becky sings, "Migra, mi gran amor se fue por culpa de la migra" ("Migra, my great love is gone because of la migra") using the colloquial Spanish term often used to refer to U.S. immigration authorities such as ICE. "As someone who was born here in the States, I will never truly understand what it is to walk those steps," Becky added. Instead, she says, she approached the song by "allowing myself to be just a vessel for those voices that can't speak up right now." Santana, who is set to carry that same spirit onto the road with his ongoing "Oneness Tour" with the Doobie Brothers, returns to the message he hears inside the song itself: connection over division. Later this year, he'll also bring it to Las Vegas for his An Intimate Evening With Santana: Greatest Hits Live run. "Anybody who comes to a concert, they're going to be validated and celebrated," says the legendary guitarist. "Santana is a force that speaks way beyond politics or religion. It's a unifying frequency." A teaser of "Mi Gran Amor" can be heard on TikTok. - Billboard, 5/28/26...... Legal experts are saying that Billy Joel's fight against a recently announced unauthorized biopic about the "Uptown Girl" singer could be an uphill battle. Joel's spokesperson, Claire Mercuri, recently told Billboard that "any attempt to move forward without it would be both legally and professionally misguided," and though Joel could theoretically sue the filmmakers of Billy & Me in New York or California under state-level laws that protect that right of publicity, right of publicity laws have been invoked in many previous celebrity biopic lawsuits -- including Frank Sinatra and Olivia de Havilland -- and have ended typically without success. "The legal rule is no one has a monopoly on historical facts," says Elizabeth Seidlin-Bernstein, a media lawyer at the firm Ballard Spahr. "No one has veto power over the making of a biopic about them. The First Amendment protects that kind of expression." While a right of publicity lawsuit would thus face long odds for Joel, there is another type of legal action that could also be available to him after the movie comes out: a defamation lawsuit. "If there are significant mischaracterizations or untruths that potentially harm the reputation of a subject of a film, there could potentially be defamation claims," says Tal Dickstein, an entertainment litigator at Loeb & Loeb. In a statement to Billboard, Joel spokesperson Mercuri said, "At no time has Billy Joel even suggested that he would seek to enjoin this proposed film. Instead, he has made clear that his music will not be licensed and he has not authorized those associated with the proposed film to depict him visually or vocally and he reserves his rights to protect his valuable state law rights." - Billboard, 5/28/26...... 
Former Sex Pistols member Glen Matlock has responded to the band's former frontman John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten) describing the current iteration of Sex Pistols as a "tribute act." Lydon has criticized the recent Pistols reunion multiple times in the past, describing it as "karaoke" and "almost malicious in its intent," and Matlock has said if Lydon ever wanted to rejoin the band, "it's just not gonna happen." The discussion from the bassist comes as he is the subject of a new documentary called I Was a Teenage Sex Pistol. Directed by Andre Relis (Randy Rhoads: Reflections of a Guitar Icon) and Nick Mead (Who Do I Think I Am?), the film is out now on Apple TV and Prime Video, and is based on his 1996 memoir of the same title. Featuring guest appearances from Matlock alongside his close friends and peers -- including Billy Idol and members of Blondie -- the film explores Matlock's place in the punk scene and the impact he had on Sex Pistols. The bassist co-wrote 10 of the 12 songs on their 1977 album Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols, before leaving the group later that year. His time and contributions to the band have also been somewhat overlooked over the years too, with the infamous image and reputation of Sid Vicious, who replaced Matlock in the band, often taking the spotlight. Matlock has always insisted that he chose to leave the group, while other band members have said that he was fired, and after departing the line-up Matlock formed Rich Kids with Midge Ure, and also worked with Blondie, The Damned, Iggy Pop and Faces. The Sex Pistols and vocalist Frank Carter will be going on tour later in 2026 to celebrate their 50th anniversary -- shows include multiple festival appearances and US dates kick off in September, before heading to the UK in December. - NME, 5/27/26...... An appeals court has ruled that George Clinton must face a trial to determine whether a portion of the Parliament-Funkadelic catalog is co-owned by the heirs of late keyboardist Bernie Worrell. In September, a federal judge in Detroit threw out the lawsuit brought by Worrell's widow after determining that the statute of limitations had long expired. But the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed that dismissal on May 27, holding that it's up to a jury to decide whether the claims are timely or not. "The estate has successfully pointed to facts potentially rendering this the rare case in which a copyright-ownership claim may be brought a half-century after-the-fact," wrote a panel of three appellate judges in the ruling, obtained by Billboard. The dispute stems from a 1976 contract between Worrell and Clinton, in which the keyboardist released his ownership stake in the P-Funk masters in exchange for recorded royalties. This led to numerous court battles over the years about how to properly split these royalties, both during Worrell's life and after his death from lung cancer in 2016. Clinton is separately suing Universal Music Group (UMG) for freezing his royalties amid the Worrell litigation. That case remains pending. - Billboard, 5/27/26...... As he promotes his newly released LP The Boys of Dungeon Lane across multiple media outlets, Paul McCartney has finally admitted that The Beatles are probably "the greatest band ever," after years of dismissing the title. Speaking on a livestream Q&A with fans on TikTok, McCartney said: "I think The Beatles were the greatest band ever and I'm a fan." He also explained that neither he nor his bandmates ever expected their legacy to stick around as long as it has -- revealing that he thought their fame would only last a couple of years. "When we started out, we were just kids and rock 'n' roll was just really coming in," he said. "We thought, 'If we're lucky, we've got a couple of years. That's how long people normally lasted. We expected maybe five years max, and then that became 10, and we were kind of still going, and the scene's still there," he continued. "Then it became 20, then 30, and now it's right up there. It's great; it is a lovely feeling. People will come to me and say, 'My kids love your music' and that's something, because you can't indoctrinate kids. They just either like it or they don't." Sir Paul also recalled the "pinch yourself" moment he experienced after he and the other three Beatles met Elvis Presley ("He wasn't a disappointment at all"), and that fellow music legend Bob Dylan is the one artist he's "nervous to approach" (I was wowed when we met last at the 2016 Desert Trip festival"). Macca has also participated in a conversation with actor Paul Mescal, who is set to portray the "cute Beatle" in the upcoming The Beatles: A Four-Film Cinematic Event series of films, which can be viewed on Amazon.com. - NME, 5/29/26...... 
Speaking with podcaster Rick Beato on YouTube, Rush's Geddy Lee has said he did not want "Tom Sawyer" to be included on the 1981 Moving Pictures album as he was so "sick" of it. "It was a very difficult song to make [and] difficult song to mix," Lee said. "Every step of the recording was beset with problems. And at the end, I was so sick of that fucking song, I didn't want to put it on the record. "So, can you imagine how dumb that was?" he added. "Like, let's not put our most popular song on the record." "Tom Sawyer" went on to become one of the defining songs of the band's career, receiving heavy radio and MTV airplay, and eventually being inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame. Rush played their first show together since 2015 this past March, alongside their new drummer Anika Nilles. She has since been recruited to replace the legendary Neil Peart, who died from brain cancer in early 2020. The band played vintage footage from Peart on big screens behind them during the show at the Juno Awards in their native Canada. Rush have also announced that they will be touring across the UK, Europe and South America in 2027. 24 shows in 13 countries have been confirmed, marking the first time they will have played in Europe since 2013, and their first visit to South America in 17 years. - NME, 5/25/26...... Jack Osbourne is pushing back at criticism over the return of his father, Ozzy Osbourne, as an AI-powered avatar. Jack and his mother, Sharon Osbourne, made the announcement during a discussion about the future of Ozzy's brand at the Licensing Expo in Las Vegas on May 20, partnering with digital human tech company Hyperreal to create an Ozzy avatar with the ability to "have conversations with fans and move, speak, and respond as Ozzy would." The announcement has sparked a backlash online, with some fans criticizing the concept as disrespectful or overly commercial. The iconic Black Sabbath frontman passed away in July 2025 at the age of 76. "Poor dude's soul was literally floating away but was quickly lassoed by Sharon and then yanked back down to earth, where he'll be on digital life support and forced to continue dancing for every sad soul who wants to ask him a questionexcept it's not even him," one user wrote on X. Another added, "Wow! A year hasn't even passed since Ozzy's passing and they are already trying to commercialize and profit from his memory." "Can't just let his legacy speak for itself, this would be f--kin disgraceful," a third skeptic commented. But Jack pushed back against the criticism during a YouTube livestream. "Here's the thing, it's gonna be so tasteful what we're doing. It's not gonna be f--king lame," he said. "It's really complex what we're doing. This isn't just like hooking up an image of my dad to ChatGPT. This is some high-level technology that we're gonna be working with, and it's gonna feel very real, and it's kind of wild how it will be utilized." Jack also said the idea had been discussed with his father before his death. "It's really cool, and it's something that I think my dad would be into," he said. "We actually talked about it before he passed, about doing something like this. So, yeah. I know he would be into this." Jack's full livestream has been shared on YouTube. - Billboard, 5/25/26...... David Gilmour has paid tribute to his longtime friend and Pink Floyd collaborator Dick Parry in the wake of the saxophonist's passing on May 22 at age 83. "My dear friend Dick Parry died," Gilmour began his post on social media, accompanied by a series of pictures of Mr. Parry playing the saxophone. "Since I was seventeen, I have played in bands with Dick on saxophone, including Pink Floyd. His feel and tone make his saxophone playing unmistakable, a signature of enormous beauty that is known to millions and is such a big part of songs such as Shine On You Crazy Diamond, Us and Them and Money." Gilmour continued, "He played in the last band I had that included Rick Wright for the On An Island Tour and at Live 8 with Pink Floyd." Mr. Parry played sax on several of Gilmour's solo albums, and toured with the band in the 1970s, returning for their 1994 world tour in support of their album The Division Bell. - Music-News.com, 5/25/26...... 
Speaking of great saxophonists, legendary tenor sax player Sonny Rollins, whose combination of technical mastery, melodic invention and raw improvisational power made him one of the most consequential figures in jazz history, died on May 25 at his home in Woodstock, N.Y., after a battle with pulmonary fibrosis. He was 95. Mr. Rollins' passing marks the end of a direct line to jazz's post-war golden age, with him coming of age alongside Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker -- and outlived them all, spending the decades after their deaths as a living link to that era's creative revolution. Born in New York City on Sept. 7, 1930, to parents who had emigrated from the U.S. Virgin Islands, Mr. Rollins grew up in Harlem and came to the saxophone in his early teens -- first the alto, then the tenor, which he adopted in his mid-teens and never abandoned. By the time he finished high school at Benjamin Franklin, he was already recording. His earliest sessions in 1949 included work alongside singer Babs Gonzalez and pianist Bud Powell, and he was performing with Monk before the age of 20. The decade that followed established him as one of the instrument's pre-eminent voices. His 1956 album Saxophone Colossus -- recorded for Prestige in a single session -- is considered one of the essential documents in all of jazz, and the track "St. Thomas," a calypso-inflected original, became one of the music's most enduring standards. In 1959, feeling he had reached a plateau, Mr. Rollins stepped away from performing -- seeking a place to practice alone, he found one on New York's Williamsburg Bridge, where he played through the night without fear of disturbing anyone. His 1962 return was marked by the album The Bridge, which announced not just a comeback but an artist who had been quietly, privately working to push further. In 1995, New York City Hall named a day in his honour. In 2011, he received the Kennedy Center Honors. In 2017, he donated his personal archives to the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem. His wife Lucille, his partner of nearly 40 years, died in 2004. - Billboard, 5/25/26...... John McClain, co-executor of Michael Jackson's estate and a longtime music executive, died on May 27 at the age of 71. Jackson co-executor John Branca confirmed the death of McClain, who had helped lead the King of Pop's estate since the star's death in 2009, to Billboard, saying he was "profoundly grieved at the loss of my partner and 'brother.'" "He brought a passion and sense of conviction to all that he did and was the most generous of friends," Branca said. "It is difficult to imagine a world without him." McClain was a longtime executive at A&M Records, where he helped launch Janet Jackson's career and executive produced her breakthrough 1986 album Control. He later did stints at Interscope Records and DreamWorks Records. When Michael died in 2009, McClain and Branca, a veteran music attorney, were named in his will as co-executors of his estate. Though the estate was reported to be nearly $500 million in debt at the time of his death and dogged by abuse allegations, it has since become a multi-billion business, including a $600 million deal to sell half his catalog to Sony Music and a smash hit biopic Michael earlier this year. A cause of death has not been given publicly for McClain. But TMZ, which first reported the news of his passing, reported that he had been "sick for several years" before his death. - Billboard, 5/27/26.
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's "Land of Hope and Dreams" spring American tour rolled into Cleveland on May 22, with the Boss reminding the Rocket Arena crowd that "the E Street Band was built for hard times." Those times have inarguably become harder during the seven-and-a-half weeks since the 20-date trek began in Minneapolis on Mar. 31, and it was evident that it's only made the group, 20 strong on this outing, harder and Springsteen even more focused and resolute in his mission. The setlist of the two-hour-and-50-minute show remained unchanged since Springsteen and company added The Clash's "Clampdown" to the set during the third show in Inglewood, Calif. The Boss did, however, reference the city's Agora, site of revered live radio broadcasts during the '70s, and emotionally thanked the city "for a lifetime" of devotion. Primarily, Springsteen continued to present as ferocious and committed, pulling no punches as he slammed "reckless, racist, incompetent, treasonous" U.S. Pres. Donald Trump's policies and "super fools administration." Spotted in the crowd was daughter Pam Springsteen, shooting photos from the audience, as well as former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie -- a longtime fan -- along with his daughter. Cleveland marked the 17th date of the tour -- and the start of its final week -- which is likely to culminate in an even more pointed and poignant reckoning on at Nationals Park in the nation's capital. The tour wraps May 30 in Philadelphia after that date was postponed because of an NBA scheduling conflict. - Billboard, 5/23/26...... Paul McCartney helped The Late Show host Stephen Colbert bid farewell on the final episode of his CBS late-night gabfest on May 16, playing "Days We Left Behind," from his upcoming album 
Phil Collins and Rod Stewart partied with King Charles III at Buckingham Palace on May 14, celebrating the 50th anniversary of The King's Trust with His Majesty. Former Genesis member and '80s solo star Collins, 75, who has notably suffered an array of health complaints in recent years, made a rare appearance on crutches. He was accompanied by his ex-wife Jill Collins, 70, who noted the occasion with a lengthy Instagram post describing their experience at the elite, but soggy, garden party. "Despite the downpours of torrential rain which did not seem to dampen the festivities @officialphilcollins and I were very proud and honored to be there and have a few private moments with King Charles," she wrote in a caption accompanying a gallery of event pics. She added the King "seemed genuinely pleased to see Phil" and explained her ex-husband had been the Trust's first official ambassador four decades prior, as well as a longtime trustee. Jill went on to mention they had been able to catch up with fellow musician Sir Rod Stewart, 81, and his wife, Penny Lancaster, 55. "We ran into @sirrodstewart and @penny.lancaster among other old (in the nicest sense of the word) friends," Jill wrote. In January, Collins gave a health update to explain his various chronic ailments, many of which stemmed from longtime alcohol abuse as well as a series of falls that left him needing at least five knee surgeries. "It's an ongoing thing," he told interviewer Zoe Ball as part of BBC 2 TV's special Phil Collins Eras: In Conversation. "I have a 24 hour live-in nurse, um, to make sure I take my medication as I should do. Uh, I've had challenges with my knee -- I had everything that could go wrong with me did go wrong with me. You know, I mean, I got COVID in hospital, my kidneys started to back up... You know, everything that start, that could all seemed to sort of converge at the same time." Collins recently ruled out a performance at his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction later this year. "I can't really see it happening, but I'm healthier now than I have been for quite a while," he told BBC Breakfast. Meanwhile, Stewart is prepping to kick off a run of 18 US concerts on May 28 with a 6-night run at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, followed by shows including the Hollywood Bowl on June 11, two nights at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Col., on June 16 and 17, and wrapping in Riverside, California's Morton Amphitheater on Aug. 16. - Music-News.com, 5/20/26...... Speaking at the Licensing Expo in Las Vegas on May 20, Ozzy Osbourne's son Jack Osbourne revealed that his late dad will return as an AI-powered digital avatar. "It's kind of scary how it's really very accurate," said Jack at the event, according to a recap from Licensing Expo organizer License Global. "He will exist digitally as himself for as long as we have computers. Technology has come such a long way to where it's almost drag and drop. You could shoot a template for a commercial literally prompt what you want Digital Ozzy to do in that commercial and you just drop it in. It's that simple now." The Ozzy avatar is the result of a partnership between Hyperreal -- which describes itself as a "digital human technology company" that uses patented "Digital DNA" technology to create digital avatars -- and Proto Hologram, described as a "hologram and AI spatial compute platform in entertainment, healthcare, education, finance, retail and more." According to Hyperreal, its Digital DNA technology will allow Ozzy's avatar to "have conversations with fans and move, speak, and respond as Ozzy would." The company says the Ozzy avatar will begin appearing in Proto Luma units -- essentially life-sized, interactive touchscreens -- in the U.S. and U.K. beginning late summer of 2026. Hyperreal has previously created a digital avatars for the likes of The Notorious B.I.G., soccer star Lionel Messi and Marvel Comics creator Stan Lee. - Billboard, 5/21/26...... Seven years after his last movie role, The Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger is prepping his return to the big screen in Italian director Alice Rohrwacher's adaptation of U.S. author Audrey Niffenegger's 2005 gothic drama novel Three Incestuous Sisters. According to Variety, Jagger will costar in the film alongside Dakota Johnson, Josh O'Connor, Saoirse Ronan, Oscar-winner Jessie Buckley and Isabella Rossellini. The magazine reported that the rocker flew to the island of Stromboli off the coast of Sicily this week where the film is shooting. The movie will be two-time Cannes Film Festival winner Rohrwacher's first English-language feature. While details about the film's plot have not yet been revealed, unconfirmed Italian press reports claim that Jagger will plays the doomed lighthouse keeper, whose son is played by O'Connor (The Crown). Jagger's previous film roles date back over 50 years, beginning with his starring role in the 1970 drama Ned Kelly, followed by 1970's Performance, Freejack (1992), Bent (1997), Enigma (2001), The Man From Elysian Fields (2001), The Bank Clerk (2008), and The Burnt Orange Heresy (2019). Meanwhile the Stones' latest studio LP, 
Billy Joel's legal team has lashed out at an upcoming attempt to chronicle the Piano Man's early years in a new unauthorized movie project Billy & Me. According to Variety, the film is in development with editor/director John Ottman (Michael) attached to direct the project that Joel has reportedly been fighting to halt for five years. "Since 2021, the parties involved have been officially notified that they do not possess Billy Joel's life rights and will not be able to secure the music rights required for this project," Joel's rep told the magazine. "Billy Joel has not authorized or supported this project in any capacity, and any attempt to move forward without it would be both legally and professionally misguided." The film will reportedly look at Joel's career before the 1973 album 
Dick Parry, the saxophonist who played on some of Pink Floyd's most iconic songs including "Money" and "Shine On You Crazy Diamond," died on May 22 of as yet undisclosed causes. He was 83. Mr. Parry's passing was announced by Pink Floyd's David Gilmour in an emotional tribute on 
KISS' Gene Simmons announced on 
Funk legend George Clinton filed a lawsuit against Universal Music Group on May 15, claiming the music giant is "financially crippling" him by freezing more than $1 million in his royalty accounts amid a long-simmering dispute over ownership of his catalog. Clinton claims UMG has unfairly withheld all royalties merely because of a separate case filed years ago by the estate of late Parliament-Funkadelic member Bernie Worrell seeking a cut from hundreds of P-Funk tracks. But Worrell's lawsuit was dismissed last year, Clinton says -- and yet, UMG is still refusing to pay him his royalties. "UMG continues to withhold 100% of royalties from plaintiff across every royalty account, including accounts for sound recordings that have no [connection] whatsoever to the Worrell litigation," his lawyers contend. "These funds have been frozen for more than three years, with no legal justification, financially crippling plaintiff." Worrell's estate sued Clinton in 2022, claiming the keyboardist had been a co-creator of 264 songs in the P-Funk catalog, including Billboard Hot 100 hits "Flash Light" and "One Nation Under a Groove." The case sought a court ruling that the estate was the co-owner of those tracks. While the lawsuit was pending, UMG started withholding royalties from Clinton, a common industry practice during litigation. The company was initially named in the Worrell lawsuit, and Clinton's record deal allows the label to freeze royalties when "reasonably necessary" to protect itself from liability if the music is involved in litigation. In his new lawsuit, Clinton says UMG is still unfairly withholding all of his royalties, even though the Worrell lawsuit only ever dealt with a 50% cut and there's no longer any legal risk to the company to justify the freeze. Clinton previouisly fought battles with Worrell and his estate, as well as numerous cases with his former agent, Armen Boladian, whose company, Bridgeport Music, owns 90% of his publishing. - Billboard, 5/18/26...... Appearing as musical guest on NBC's Saturday Night Live on May 16, Paul McCartney performed three songs (rather than the standard two), in addition to getting monologue and sketch screen time, on the Will Ferrell-hosted season finale episode. Sir Paul's return to the SNL stage came more than 13 years after his last performance slot on the show, being previously booked as musical guest for episodes in 1980, 1993, 2010 and 2012. For his fifth appearance, the former Beatle performed "Days We Left Behind," the poignant lead single from his upcoming album 
Elton John is teaming with iHeartMedia and Procter & Gamble to launch a new awards show, the Elton John Impact Awards, which will honor LGBTQ+ icons and trailblazers. The inaugural Elton John Impact Awards will launch on June 1 as a podcast series and honor Jonathan Bailey, Chappell Roan, Laverne Cox, Melissa Etheridge, Billie Jean King and Orville Peck. Hosted by Billy Porter and Elvis Duran, the special will also feature a performance of John's "Your Song" by Dove Cameron, along with candid, personal conversations with Sir Elton, his husband, David Furnish, who is chair of the Elton John AIDS Foundation; and this year's honorees. Organizers said the program will also help boost awareness and funding for several organisations supporting the LGBTQ+ community, including the Elton John AIDS Foundation. "I've always believed in the power of storytelling to connect us and challenge us," Elton said in a statement. "These conversations bring together the people who have shaped LGBTQ+ culture and fought for dignity at a time when the world too often looked away." - Music-News.com, 5/18/26...... Barbra Streisand revealed on May 17 that she will be unable to attend the Cannes Film Festival closing ceremony to accept her honorary Palme d'Or after suffering a knee injury. "On the advice of my doctors, as I continue recovering from a knee injury, I am sadly unable to attend the Festival de Cannes this year," the "The Way We Were" singer said in a statement. "My heartfelt thanks to the Festival, and to everyone who continues to support and champion the art of cinema," she added. The festival will pay tribute to the singer, actor and filmmaker during its closing ceremony on May 23." Festival organizers issued a statement giving Streisand their "warmest wishes for a prompt recovery." Streisand is the third recipient of a Cannes honorary Palme d'Or this year, alongside Lord of the Rings filmmaker Peter Jackson and John Travolta, who premiered his directorial debut Propeller One-Way Night Coach at the festival. Travolta was surprised with the award before the screening, prompting an emotional reaction. "This is beyond the Oscar," he said through tears. "I can't believe this. This is the last thing I expected." - Music-News.com, 5/17/26...... The American Music Awards announced on May 15 that Billy Idol will receive the 2026 Lifetime Achievement AMA award at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on May 25. The '80s music star, 70, who began his music career in the late 1970s as frontman with the punk band Generation X, will receive the prestigious prize and deliver a medley of some of his biggest hits during the 2026 AMA ceremony. The performance will mark Idol's (real name William Broad) first time on the AMAs stage since presenting in 2004 and his first AMAs performance ever. Previous recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award include Diana Ross and Rod Stewart. - Music-News.com, 5/15/26...... Singer/guitarist Ike Willis, who played in late rock iconoclast Frank Zappa's band for a decade from 1978-1998, died on May 16 in Las Vegas after a battle with prostate cancer. He was 70. Willis was best known as the voice of the 1979 three-part rock opera Joe's Garage, the sprawling album telling the story of average L.A. teen Joe, who over the course of the LP -- which was later released as a double, and triple album -- forms a band, has sex with household appliance and strikes out with women and is then jailed and released into a world where music is outlawed. As with many of Zappa's eclectic albums, Joe's Garage hopped from rock to jazz, country and pop and hit on a number of the musician s favorite topics: sex, religion, government overreach and authoritarianism. It included Willis crooning, as Joe, on the church-baiting "Catholic Girls," "Crew Slut," "Wet T-Shirt Nite" and his pained caterwauling on the STD-themed jazz rocker "Why Does it Hurt When I Pee?" Isaac "Ike" Willis was born on Nov. 12, 1955 in St. Louis and started playing guitar at age eight and fell under the spell of prog rock and jazz in high school, specifically having his mind blown at a 1974 Zappa concert on the "Roxy and Elsewhere" tour. Then, while studying political science at Washington University in St. Louis in 1977 and also working on the school s concert committee, he scored a backstage pass he used to meet Zappa during a show at Wash U. Willis impressed Zappa with his singing skills backstage, prompting the band leader to ask Willis to audition to be a guitarist in his band. After graduating from the university the next year, Willis finally got his official audition in California and became a regular member of Zappa's expansive touring and studio crew for the next decade. According to his family's statement, Willis continued to inspire new generations of musicians outside of his work with Zappa, including mentoring young artists during a stint teaching at the School of Rock. "His years of collaboration with Frank Zappa made him a cherished figure within the Zappa community, where fans embraced him not only for his talent, but for his generosity, wit, and the joy he brought to every stage," the statement said. - Billboard, 5/19/26...... 
Dennis Locorriere, a founding member of the '70s country rock band Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show, died on May 16 following a "long and courageous battle with kidney disease," his reps shared in a statement. He was 76. "Dennis faced his illness with remarkable strength, dignity, and resilience throughout, and remained deeply cherished by all who knew him. He will be remembered for his warmth, love, and the lasting impact he had on those around him," the statement read. "We would like to thank everyone who supported Dennis during his journey and ask for privacy for his loved ones as they grieve this profound loss." The New Jersey-born singer and guitarist co-founded Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show in 1969, serving as the band's bassist and lead singer, and having chart success with songs including "Sylvia's Mother" (No. 5, 1972), "The Cover of Rolling Stone" (No. 6, 1973). After shortening their band name to Dr. Hook in the mid-'70s, Locorriere and the band scored more hits with "Only Sixteen" (No. 6, 1976), "Sharing the Night Together" (No. 6, 1978), "When You're In Love With a Beautiful Woman" (No. 6, 1979), "Sexy Eyes" (No. 5, 1980), and "Baby Makes Her Blue Jeans Talk" (No. 25, 1982). Co-fronted by Ray Sawyer ("Dr. Hook" because he wore an eye patch), Dr. Hook also appeared in and performed music for the film Who Is Harry Kellerman And Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me? starring Dustin Hoffman. Following the band's farewell tour in 1985, Locorriere retained the rights to the group's moniker and continued touring as Dr. Hook. He announced in Nov. 2025 that he would retire from touring. - Music-News.com, 5/17/26...... Actress Ann Robinson, who starred in the original The War of the Worlds sci-fi classic, passed away on Sept. 26, 2025 at her home in L.A., but her family only recently confirmed her death. She was 96. The actress began her movie career as a stuntwoman before going on to become a star in the 1953 classic, The War of the Worlds. Based on H.G. Wells' 1898 novel, the Oscar-winning film centered on Ms. Robinson's library science teacher character, Sylvia Van Buren, who teams up with Gene Barry's Pacific Tech professor character, Clayton Forrester, trying to figure out how to defeat Martians. The movie won an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects as the Martians wielded a deadly heat ray that killed everything in its path. In 2011, the film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry for its cultural significance and aesthetic appeal, and in 2005, Steven Spielberg tackled his own version with Tom Cruise in the lead and Ms. Robinson and Barry making memorable cameos as the grandmother and grandfather of Cruise's children in the film. The actress also had a long list of film and TV credits including guest roles on famous TV series like Dragnet, Perry Mason, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and even Gilligan's Island. She is survived by her son, Jaime Bravo Jr., and two grandchildren. - Canoe.com, 5/18/26.