Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on February 14th, 2026

The estate of Michael Jackson has slammed an explicit flip of the King of Pop's classic 1982 hit "Beat It" by Sexyy Red after a clip of the St. Louis rapper's edition went viral on social media earlier in February. "We were totally unaware of this," a spokesman for MJ's estate said on Feb. 12. The viral craze began when rapper Lil Yachty posted the clip of Sexxy Red rapping along to her version of Jackson's hit in the studio. After quickly spreading across social media, the clip drew an angry backlash from Jackson fans after Lil Yachty joked in his caption that Sexxy Red's spicy remix was set to appear on the soundtrack for the upcoming Michael biopic. Rap pioneer Monie Love condemned the sample flip, calling the move "beyond disrespectful." "Whoever cleared the Beat It sample for Sexyy Red, I hope they know they not seeing heaven," she wrote on X. "Playing with MJ name and discography like that is beyond disrespectful!" Sexyy Red has proven to be a fan of Michael Jackson in the past, bringing out MJ impersonator Rico Hampton to perform "Billie Jean" for the crowd at her hometown show in St. Louis in 2025. "Beat It" was the second single from MJ's 1982 classic Thriller LP, following "Billie Jean" to the top of the pop chart in early 1983. - Music-News.com, 2/12/26...... One of the more sensational rumors in rock music lore is that "Mama Cass" Elliot of The Mamas and the Papas died choking on a ham sandwich. Now a new Mama Cass biopic that aims to dispel that rumor and tell the "California Dreamin'" singer's story has cast its titular role. Baby Reindeer phenom Jessica Gunning is set to play Mama Cass in the movie which will be based on the memoir of Elliot's daughter, Owen Elliot-Kugell, called My Mama, Cass. According to a press release, the biopic "is not a Mamas & the Papas biopic" and will focus on Cass, who died in her sleep in 1974 in London at the age of 32, with the cause of her death being ruled as a heart attack. According to her autopsy, the singer died in her sleep after feeling unwell the previous evening, and there were no drugs in her system. "I can't believe we're still talking about the sandwich after all these years," Elliot-Kugell told Rolling Stone. "I started running my mom's estate when I was 18. One of the first things I remember thinking is, 'We've got to stop that ham sandwich rumor thing,' because it was so painful. It wasn't enough that we had lost her, to then be [made into] a joke." In the years before, the "California Dreamin'" singer's home in Laurel Canyon, Calif., became a hub for the talented and beautiful in the prelude to the storied 1967 "Summer of Love," welcoming guests from Joni Mitchell to Eric Clapton. Cass was a founding member of the Mamas and Papas vocal group and went on to embark on a solo career after they disbanded. She released her final album, the live album Don't Call Me Mama Anymore, and died a year later. The biopic hasn't yet got a director, although the screenplay is being written by Emma Forrest and is planned to use Cass's voice in songs. Jessica Gunning, who had previously starred on the Outlaws, shot to fame for her portrayal of Martha Scott, a woman obsessed with a struggling comedian, in Baby Reindeer. She's also set to appear in the upcoming The Magic Faraway Tree movie, out on Mar. 27. - The Daily Beast, 2/13/26...... In related news, actress Bijou Phillips, the daughter of Mamas and Papas members, the late John Phillips and Michelle Phillips, is still in urgent need of a kidney, even after receiving hundreds of donor offers from fans after posting about her search online. According to sources close to Phillips, the situation is "touch and go by the minute," and the offers have been "incredible outpouring of support," but "doctors haven't found a match yet," according to TMZ.com. Bijou is seeking kidney donors with blood types B negative, B positive, O negative, or O positive. The model/actress was born with underdeveloped kidneys and had to undergo a kidney transplant nine years ago to manage the medical issue. She has since suffered from serious complications following the initial surgery in 2017, including a serious case of the BK virus. Her original organ transplant failed, leaving her in the life-threatening state she is in now. Bijou is currently hospitalized at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. Phillips divorced That '70s Show star Danny Masteron in 2023, after the actor was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for two convictions of forcible rape from two separate 2003 incidents. - The Daily Beast, 2/12/26...... Interviewed on the LegendsNLeaders podcast, KISS's Gene Simmons reiterated his belief that the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame shouldn't induct hip-hop stars, saying the genre "doesn't speak [his] language." During the interview Simmons was explaining that he thinks critics and official musical institutions can't be trusted to determine a band or artist's relevance when he brought up the Rock Hall as an example. "The fact that, for instance, Iron Maiden is not in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame when they can sell out stadiums, and Grandmaster Flash is," he began. "Ice Cube and I had a back and forth -- he's a bright guy, and I respect what he's done. [But] It's not my music. I don't come from the ghetto. It doesn't speak my language. I said in print many times: Hip-hop does not belong in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, nor does opera, symphony orchestras & -- it's called the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame." Simmons continued: "But [Ice] shot back and said, 'No, it's the spirit of rock n' roll.' OK, fine & I just want to know when Led Zeppelin's gonna be in the Hip-Hop Hall of Fame. Music has labels, because it describes an approach." KISS was inducted into the Rock Hall in 2014, two years after which Ice Cube earned a spot in the institution's hallowed halls as part of pioneering gangsta rap group N.W.A. The latter is one of several hip-hop stars the Hall has welcomed, along with rap icons such as Jay-Z, LL Cool J and Missy Elliott. In the same interview, Simmons also compared Taylor Swift's fame to the Beatles' heyday, calling it "almost cultish." The bassist spoke about how powerful it is as a musician to see fans connect with your music in real time -- something he says is more validating of an artist's dominance than anything else. "The only analogy I can point to is the Swifties of today," he said. "Yes, the songs are cool, and [Taylor's] wonderful, we know her, but it's more than that," he continued. "It's almost a gathering of the tribes & The Beatles had that. It was called Beatlemania. It's almost cultish. You're a member of that, and there's a connection." Simmons' full LegendsNLeaders interview can be viewed on YouTube. - Billboard, 2/11/26...... On Feb. 11 The Eagles added more dates to their 2026 residency at the Las Vegas Sphere, extending their run as the artist with the most dates at the unique immersive venue to 58. The new shows will take place April 10 and 11. The Eagles had previously announced 12 shows for this year: Jan. 23-24, Jan. 30-31, Feb. 20-21, Feb. 27-28, March 20-21 and March 27-28. The band's stint at the Sphere started in Sept. 2024, and they've since added dates a handful at a time, setting the record for the most shows with the announcement of the February dates in October at 52. The previous record belonged to Dead & Co. at 48 shows. - Billboard, 2/11/26...... Officials in New York City have announced plans to co-name the Greenwich Village's West 8th Street after guitar god Jimi Hendrix as part of a national education initiative. The ceremony, set for Feb. 24, will take place at the doorstep of Electric Lady Studios, the hallowed recording facility Hendrix founded in 1970 and which remains a premier, operational hub for musical innovation today. Led by District 2 Council Member Harvey Epstein, the street naming serves as the high-profile launch for a national education partnership between Experience Hendrix, L.L.C. and Stevie Van Zandt's TeachRock. This collaboration introduces a new multimedia curriculum, "Jimi Hendrix: Rock's Trailblazing Innovator and Influential Guitarist," designed for middle and high school students. The curriculum utilizes exclusive archival footage from Hendrix's iconic 1967 Monterey Pop performance. Through a partnership with NYU's MusEdLab, students can even use interactive digital tools to experiment with the guitar effects and sonic breakthroughs that defined Hendrix's signature sound. The event brings together Van Zandt, Janie Hendrix (President/CEO of Experience Hendrix), and local educators to bridge the gap between rock history and modern classrooms. "Jimi Hendrix wasn't just a legendary musician; he was a fierce advocate for peace, racial equity, and social justice," noted Epstein. Van Zandt added, Hendrix's story reminds young people that "creativity has no limits." The two add that by connecting one of rock's most historic landmarks to a national network of schools, "Jimi Hendrix Way" ensures that the artist's journey will continue to inspire the next generation of creative thinkers. - Music-News.com, 2/12/26...... A new immersive David Bowie show, "David Bowie: You're Not Alone," is coming to London in April, showcasing some of the iconic musician's most famous performances as well as rarely seen material. The show contains a mixture of rarely seen and never-before-exhibited material selected from thousands of hours of film from the David Bowie Archive in New York, from Space Oddity to "Heroes" to Blackstar. The 360 immersive experience is produced by Lightroom, which has previously collaborated with the likes of David Hockney and Tom Hanks, and written and designed by Mark Grimmer of 59, the creative director for the V&A's "David Bowie Is" exhibition, as well as Tom Wexler. Performance footage is combined with photography, drawings, lyrics, personal notes and audio recordings, with the film structured in thematic chapters in a looping presentation. Among the footage included is a somewhat awkward transatlantic TV interview with Russell Harty in 1975 and the reconstructed set of the "Diamond Dogs" tour. As with previous Lightroom exhibitions, the footage will be projected all around the cube-shaped room, placing visitors at the centre of his live performances. As for the music, each track has been newly reconfigured to work with Lightroom's specialised spatial audio system to guide guests through Bowie's illustrious career. One of Bowie's most famous songs, "Heroes," has seen a huge streaming surge in recent weeks after being featured in the final episode of Netflix's Stranger Things. According to Luminate data, the track saw a boost of almost 500% on streaming services. - NME, 2/10/26...... John Fogerty is set to receive the Johnny Mercer Award, the Songwriters Hall of Fame's top honor, at the annual SHOF Induction and Awards Gala on June 11 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York. The Mercer Award is reserved for a songwriter or songwriting team who has already been inducted into the SHOF and whose body of work is of such high quality and impact that it upholds the high standards set by Johnny Mercer, the lyricist on such standards as "Moon River" and "The Days of Wine and Roses." Fogerty was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005 and into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1993 as a member of Creedence Clearwater Revival. He's the 12th person to be inducted into the Rock Hall as a performer and also receive the Mercer Award from the SHOF. He follows Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Carole King, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, Dolly Parton, Phil Collins (inducted into the Rock Hall as a member of Genesis), Elton John, Van Morrison, Lionel Richie and Neil Diamond. SHOF Chairman Nile Rodgers praised Fogerty as "one of those rare talents who is unmistakably himself." "His style of composition is rock and roll mastery," Rodgers said. "It's what I've always personally believed in, something I call 'The art of complex simplicity.' He's done what I believe all great songwriters do. He makes us feel. He deserves this award as much as anyone who's ever received it, or will receive it, in the future. I send my congratulations to John Fogerty." - Billboard, 2/10/26...... Catalog company ABKCO, owner of the Rolling Stones music catalog, says its recent court victory over unlicensed music in classic rock documentaries provides key clarity on the limits of "fair use," a hot-button issue in the AI-focused copyright conversation of 2026. On Feb. 4, a New York federal judge held filmmaker Robert Carruthers and his company Coda Publishing liable for infringing 80 songs owned by ABKCO and Universal Music Group (UMG) in documentaries about the Rolling Stones, ABBA, U2, Elton John, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Nirvana and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Carruthers had argued that the critical commentary included in the documentaries renders them fair use -- a tenet of copyright law that allows unlicensed works to repurposed for "transformative" creations. But Judge Katherine Polk Failla said simply getting a few critics to juxtapose "hot takes" next to reproduced videos does not "in any way transform the songs about which they are speaking." Fair use is a big deal in current copyright law ecause of artificial intelligence. Across dozens of lawsuits across the country, technology developers have argued that the "transformative" nature of AI makes it fair use for them to train models on existing work without paying for licenses. Now that the judge has rejected Carruthers' fair use defense and granted judgment in favor of ABKCO and UMPG further litigation will ensue to determine what kind of financial damages are owed. Judge Failla has ruled that Carruthers' infringement was willful, which could entitle the music companies to enhanced damages. - Billboard, 2/9/26...... In other Rolling Stones-related news, Mick Jagger's fiance Melanie Hamrick has been left "shaken" and "heartbroken" after being attacked outside a London club. The former ballerina revealed on her Instagram Stories on Feb. 10 that she was grabbed from behind outside the private members' club Annabel's in London's Mayfair district. "This is incredibly hard to share, but I was physically attacked at Annabels Mayfair tonight (sic)," Hamrick wrote in a since-deleted post. "I'm so thankful to my friends for protecting me. Two people grabbed me from behind and thank god for good people who stepped in to help me." Melanie added, "I'm shaken, sad and heartbroken that people can treat each other this way." According to The Sun, the attack was an opportunistic mugging attempt outside the upscale venue. Hamrick, 38, has been in a relationship with the Stones frontman since 2014. After two years of dating, they welcomed their first child together -- a son named Deveraux -- in 2016. The boy is Jagger's eighth child. Hamrick confirmed speculation that she and Jagger were engaged in an interview with Paris Match in Apr. 2025, revealing that she and the 82-year-old had been engaged "two or three years," but were in no rush to get married. "Maybe one day we'll marry, maybe not," she said. "We are so happy in our current life that I would be too afraid to change anything. We try to support each other, be there for each other, and make sure everyone is happy. That's all that matters to me and all I strive for." Jagger was previously married to Bianca Jagger from 1971 to 1978 and has been in long-term relationships with Marianne Faithfull, Jerry Hall and L'Wren Scott. - Music-News.com, 2/11/26...... A cassette recording of Ozzy Osbourne rehearsing in 1980 has been unearthed in an attic. Labelled "Ozzie Last Day," the cassette is an early listen at what would go on to become the heavy metal legend's first work with his solo band. The 12-minute bluesy jam session captures Ozzy alongside his beloved guitarist Randy Rhoads, as well as bassist Bob Daisley, ahead of the recording of the Blizzard of Ozz album. As reported by Sky News earlier in February, the recording was discovered in the attic of David Jolly, who befriended Ozzy after a turbulent period saw him fired by Black Sabbath and had started to put together his solo band. Daisley, now the only surviving member of that era, confirmed the authenticity of the tape to Sky News, telling them the recording took place prior to the trio aligning with drummer Lee Kerslake. "As soon as I heard it, I thought, 'Yes, that's us, that's Ozzy's voice,'" Kerslake said. "I don't know if we were auditioning a drummer and just loosening up a bit, or we're just clowning about but it wasn't a song we were working on because we had definite songs by then, we had several songs." In June 2025, it was announced that a compilation of demos that Ozzy, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward recorded in 1969, back when they still went by the name Earth, was to be released under the title Earth: The Legendary Lost Tapes. That release didn't wind up happening, and Ozzy's wife/manager Sharon Osbourne spoke out against the project in November, issuing a detailed social media post outlining Black Sabbath's legal position, which disputes the legal ownership of the recordings. The "Ozzie Last Day" cassette can be checked out on YouTube - NME, 2/8/26.

Seventies artists Elvis Costello, Paul Simon, Nile Rodgers & Chic and ZZ Top guitarist/vocalist Billy Gibbons will be among the headliners at the upcoming 2026 Love Rocks NYC Benefit concert that supports the delivery of nutritious meals for people affected by serious illness in the NY area. The 10th annual charity show will also feature performances by the likes of Mary J. Blige, Hozier, Goo Goo Dolls, Jon Batiste and Susanna Hoffs, among others. Since its founding in 1985 in the midst of the AIDS epidemic, God's Love We Deliver has served more than 40 million meals to those in need, with 2026 marking the organization's 40th anniversary. In 2025, according to a press release, the organization's cooked, packaged and home-delivered four million medically tailored meals to 15,000 New Yorkers living with and affected by severe illness. Since 2017, the Love Rocks NYC concerts have raised $65 million, funding 6.5 million meals to New Yorker affected by illness. A trailer for the show has been shared on YouTube. - Billboard, 2/9/26...... Interviewed on CBS Sunday Morning on Feb. 8, Eagles co-founder Don Henley said his Grammy-winning California rock band will disband after it completes its residency at the Sphere venue in Las Vegas at the end of February. Asked if the Eagles are finally going to quit, Henley said, "You know, I think this year will probably be it. And I've said things like that before, but I feel like we're getting toward the end... And that will be fine too." When asked if it's definitely the end for the band, which formed in 1971, he added: "I think so, yeah. And I'm OK with that." Henley went on to reveal he is hoping to spend more time with his family and tending to his garden as well as travelling when he no longer has to consider his responsibilities with the group. "I would like to spend more time with my family and I would like to spend more time growing vegetables and I'd like to... I've traveled all over the world, but I haven't seen much of it because we see the airports and the hotel room and the venue, and we don't get out much, you know," he said. "And so I'd like to go back to some of the same places I've been and see more of those places, you know, before it all disappears or it gets vaporized or whatever." The Eagles, who have been playing shows on their lengthy "The Long Goodbye" tour, recently became the first group with an album certified quadruple diamond platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for their 1976 hits collection Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975. Henley said he now feels more comfortable playing the band's classic hits because they are what the fans want to hear at the shows. "After a while, you learn to make friends with the songs. It's not about us. It's about what they mean to the people we're playing them for," he said. "You have to play every night with your heart in it. Music is medicine. And people need some medicine right now." - Music-News.com, 2/9/26...... In an apologetic message to his fans on his Neil Young Archives website on Feb. 6, Neil Young revealed he is canceling his planned 2026 tour dates with his Chrome Hearts band in the U.K. and Europe, saying "this is not the time." "I have decided to take a break and will not be touring Europe this time," the message begins. "Thanks to everyone who bought tickets. I'm sorry to let you down, but this is not the time. I do love playing LIVE and being with you and the Chrome Hearts." He signed the note: "LOVE Neil" and "be well." Young and the Chrome Hearts had been set to kick off the European jaunt on June 17 in Bodelva, England, and were scheduled to perform through July 26 in Udine, Italy, with Elvis Costello and the Imposters set to open on select dates. Young's Chrome Hearts band includes guitarist Micah Nelson, bassist Corey McCormick, drummer Anthony Logerfo and organist Spooner Oldham. Young recently made headlines when he pledged to give his music to anyone in Greenland after Pres. Donald Trump's administration announced plans to seek U.S. control of the island nation, and spoke out against big corporations such as Apple, Verizon and T-Mobile for supporting the "fascist Trump regime." - Billboard, 2/6/26...... Don McLean has marked his 10-year relationship with reality star Paris Dylan in an Instagram tribute of a photo of the couple together in May 2024 when they attended a state dinner at the White House. "Happy anniversary, Paris," McLean wrote in his caption. "We've been together for more than 10 years, and you are the love of my life." Dylan, who turns 32 in February, commented, "Love of my life," with a red heart emoji. The 80-year-old "American Pie" singer and Dylan, who gained notoriety on the MTV reality show Catfish, met in 2016 when Dylan was hired to run McLean's social media accounts. They went public with their relationship shortly before Thanksgiving that year. Dylan later made their romance Instagram official with a birthday tribute to McLean in May 2018. "Happy birthday my baby, my beauty, love of my life, my everything," she wrote alongside the photo of them smiling and hugging. During a 2021 interview with People magazine, McLean called Dylan "the most wonderful person that I have ever known." "I think of her when I sing a lot of my songs. But I especially think of her when I sing that song," McLean said of his 1970 hit "And I Love You So." McLean was previously married to Carol Sauvion from 1969 to 1972, and Patrisha Shnier from 1987 to 2016. He shares two children with his second wife. His marriage to Shnier imploded when he was arrested and charged with misdemeanor domestic violence in 2016. He pleaded guilty to four of six charges as part of a plea agreement and did not receive any jail time. - Music-News.com, 2/8/26...... Posting on Instagram on Feb. 4, Barry Manilow announced that he's postponing his upcoming Las Vegas residency dates as he recovers from his recent cancer surgery. The 82-year-old "Copacabana" hitmaker was forced to postpone his January arena shows to allow him to recover from surgery to remove a "cancerous spot" on his left lung in December, but assured his fans that he would be back performing at his "home away from home" at the Westgate Las Vegas on Valentine's Day weekend. However, now Manilow says that he had to reschedule his February residency shows to ensure he was well enough for his upcoming arena tour. "I'm doing great and recovering very well after my surgery. I've been getting exercise and spending some time in the studio, which has been fantastic," he wrote on Instagram. "With my doctor's guidance and recommendation, however, we have decided to postpone my residency dates at Westgate Las Vegas from February 12-21 so I can stay focused on healing and getting ready for the tour that's kicking off at the end of February. Having a few weeks to rest and prepare is what the doctor ordered!," he added. Manilow's rescheduled arena tour is set to launch in Tampa, Fla. on Feb. 27 and run through to his show in Duluth, Ga. on Apr. 29. Manilow is slated to perform his residency at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino on selected weekends throughout 2026. His next shows at that venue are scheduled for Mar. 27 and 28. - Music-News.com, 2/5/26...... The BRIT Awards, the British Phonographic Industry's annual popular music awards, will honor Ozzy Osbourne during its 2026 ceremony on Feb. 28 at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester. A source told the UK tabloid The Sun that a new "large-scale In Memoriam section of the Brits is being planned" that will not only remember Osbourne and the late Stone Roses musician Gary "Mani" Mounfield, but also "several artists we have lost in the past 12 months." The BRIT Awards, first staged in 1977, are the UK's highest profile music awards show and recognize the best in British and international music. Ozzy died from "acute myocardial infarction" and "out of hospital cardiac arrest," with coronary artery disease and Parkinson's disease with autonomic dysfunction as "joint causes" of his death on July 22, 2025. - Music-News.com, 2/7/26...... KISS has joined the elite club of a billion YouTube views with their hit "I Was Made For Lovin' You," hitting the 10-digit milestone with the video since it was first uploaded in 2019. Though filmed in 1979 (according to IMDb), the video was posted to YouTube less than six years ago. It features the members of the iconic rock band all dressed up in their signature black-and-white hair, makeup and outfits, performing the classic hit on a stage beneath flashing lights. Long before its triumph on YouTube, "I Was Made For Lovin' You" was a success on the Billboard, peaking at No. 11 on the Hot 100, while the album it hails from, Dynasty, reaching No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 200 album chart. The song is KISS's first entry on YouTube's Billion Views Club. - Billboard, 2/4/26...... Diana Ross has been tapped to headline the UK's Brighton & Hove Pride 2026 on Aug. 3. "Welcoming the incomparable Diana Ross as our Sunday headliner as a UK live show exclusive is a dream come true," festival managing director Paul Kemp said in a statement. "Her legendary voice and catalogue of hits will be an unforgettable moment in Brighton Pride history." Kickstarting Brighton & Hove Pride this year will be its annual LGBTQ+ Community Parade. The theme the 2026 event is "The Power Of Love" -- which will bring attendees "together in solidarity, resistance and community" as they "strive for equality for all." London-born singer RAYE will headline the opening night of the Pride festival on Aug. 2. More information can be found at www.brighton-pride.org. - New Musical Express, 2/4/26...... In the newly uploaded official trailer for his forthcoming Wings documenary Man on the Run, Paul McCartney wonders "how can I ever do anything that's anywhere as good as the Beatles?" After the Fab Four's contentious break-up in Apr. 1970, the then-27-year-old McCartney was suddenly faced what was perhaps the most daunting second act in pop culture history, and in the film describes that worrisome time and his determination to punch through the fear. "The Beatles had broken up and I was thinking, 'what do I do now?," McCartney says over the strains of the Paul McCartney and Wings' 1974 No. 1 hit "Band on the Run." In voiceover, he continues, " How can I ever do anything that's anywhere near as good as the Beatles?'" But the superstar needn't have worried, as evidenced by the tireless touring and successful recordings he's done in the half-century since. Directed by Oscar-winner Morgan Neville (20 Feet From Stardom, Won't You Be My Neighbor), Man on the Run follows McCartney's rebirth after the Beatles' messy dissolution. The movie will be released into theaters for one-night-only by Trafalgar Releasing on Feb. 1. Each screening will also include a bonus conversation between McCartney and Neville. - Billboard, 2/4/26...... Appearing in London's High Court during his breach of privacy suit against the UK tabloid Daily Mail on Feb. 6, Elton John condemned what he called a "sickening" press intrusion into his family's private life. John, 78, described how the Daily Mail allegedly breached his family's privacy after the birth of his eldest son, Zachary, in 2010 and reported on his own health in a manner he found deeply distressing. Elton noted that 10 Daily Mail articles published between 2002 and 2015 were based on information obtained unlawfully, and said the intrusion was "truly sickening" and "outside even the most basic standards of human decency." The Rocketman added he felt "passionately" about "how wrong it is that such gross invasions could have been inflicted upon us and our family and friends without us ever knowing." During the hearing, Catrin Evans KC, representing Daily Mail publisher Associated Newspapers Limited, asked the singer whether he had complained at the time the articles were published, to which he responded, "I can't remember." "We did not know the extent of the seriousness of what had gone on," he continued. "When we knew the seriousness of what had gone on, we took action, because we were outraged." Elton told the court that while he accepts being in the public eye, that does not mean forfeiting his right to privacy, stating that "deeply personal things which I have a right to deal with in private are fair game." John's husband, David Furnish, testified the previous day and told the court that a 2010 article included details from their son Zachary's birth certificate before they had received it themselves. Lawyers for ANL have maintained that the article was sourced "entirely legitimately." - Music-News.com, 2/6/26...... Fred Smith, bass player for the New Wave bands Television and an original member of Blondie, died on Feb. 5 after battling an unspecified "illness long and hard these last few years," his bandmates revealed. He was 77. Smith got his start as the original bassist for Angel and the Snake, which would later become Blondie, in 1974. He left the band the following year to join Television, replacing frontman Richard Hell. He stayed with Television as a core member until their split in 1978, playing on 1977's seminal hit "Marquee Moon" from their debut LP of the same name and 1978's Adventure. After the group's breakup, Smith featured on solo albums for bandmates Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd, as well as for other artists including the Roches, Willie Nile, Peregrins and the Revelons. Smith was also part of Television's reunion in 1992, which coincided with the release of their third, self-titled album, and would join them onstage throughout the 2000s. In the Instagram post announcing news of Smith's death, Television member Jimmy Rip remembered the musician as "not only my bandmate for 46 years -- he was my true friend." Rip went on to say that Smith was "the guy you wanted around when road life got wearisome," adding, "His sense of humor, much like his musical voice, was dry, subtle, to the point, hilarious and always left you wanting a more." Rip said they had plans to play music by frontman Verlaine, who died in Jan. 2023, this year, but that it "wasn't meant to be." - NME, 2/7/26...... LaMonte McLemore, a co-founder of the '60s/'70s Grammy-winning soul/pop group The 5th Dimension, died of natural causes on Feb. 3 at his home in Las Vegas. Mr. McLemore, who suffered a stroke several years ago, was 90. Born Sept. 17, 1935, in St. Louis, Mo., Mr. McLemore enlisted in the Navy early in life and worked as an aerial photographer. Before setting his sights on dual careers as a music artist and as a professional entertainment and sports photographer for Jet magazine and other publications, the multi-faceted Mr. McLemore sought a baseball career in the Los Angeles Dodgers' farm system. An author as well, Mr. McLemore co-authored the 2014 autobiography From Hobo Flats to The 5th Dimension: A Life Fulfilled in Baseball, Photography, and Music with Robert-Allan Arno. A popular crossover fixture in the late '60s and early '70s music scene, The 5th Dimension formed in Los Angeles and was originally comprised of McLemore, Billy Davis Jr., Florence LaRue, Marilyn McCoo and Ron Townson (who died in 2001). Known for its signature silky harmonies and sophisticated fusion of R&B, soul and pop, the group cemented its success through hits such as "Up, Up and Away," "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In (The Flesh Failures)," "Wedding Bell Blues," "Stoned Soul Picnic" and "One Less Bell to Answer." During Mr. McLemore's tenure with The 5th Dimension, the group twice won record of the year Grammy Awards for "Up, Up and Away" and "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In (The Flesh Failures)," the latter of which spent six weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100. Both songs have since been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. All told, the group received seven gold albums and six RIAA-certified platinum singles. Additional achievements include embarking on a State Department cultural tour in 1973 that brought American music behind the Iron Curtain and receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1991. In remembering Mr. McLemore, the group's bass singer LaRue commented in a press release that Mr. McLemore's "cheerfulness and laughter often brought strength and refreshment to me in difficult times... We were more like brother and sister than singing partners." In a joint statement, McCoo and Davis Jr. said of Mr. McLemore, "All of us who knew and loved him will definitely miss his energy and wonderful sense of humor." Surrounded by family when he died, McLemore is survived by Mieko McLemore, his wife of 30 years, daughter Ciara, (adopted) son Darin, sister Joan and three grandchildren. A memorial service and celebration of life will be announced at a later date. - Billboard, 2/4/26.