Dire Straits legend Jack Sonni, who was widely known as the band’s “other guitarist,” has died at the age of 68, the group announced Thursday. His cause of death is unknown, but he was reportedly suffering unspecified health issues earlier this week. On Tuesday, Dire Straits Legacy, a group of musicians with adjacent acts, had announced on social media that Sonni wouldn’t be participating in upcoming gigs “because of health problems.” Dire Straits disbanded in 1995, but Sonni had largely ended his music career years earlier after the birth of his daughters in 1988. During his stint with the band, around the time of their hugely successful album “Brothers in Arms,” he jested about his role as a guitarist behind Mark Knopfler, famously calling himself “the other guitar player,” a nickname that stuck. He was believed to be focusing on writing around the time of his death. In his final Facebook post on June 2, he said, “Well chilluns, the last social media post for the foreseeable future as I dive into getting my novel in shape for my agent’s publisher hunt. Play nice & be kind to one another! And hug them while you can.”

Larry Chance, legendary for his pivotal contributions to Doo-Wop, passed away on September 6th, age 82 at a hospital in Orlando Florida.

As seen on their official website, Larry Chance and the Earls: “Born in South Philadelphia, PA, Larry Chance grew up in a neighborhood noted for it’s show business roots, spawning such talents as Fabian, Frankie Avalon, Chubby Checker, Mario Lanza, Danny & the Juniors, Joey Bishop, David Brenner, and many more. It was here Chance began his love affair with show business.”

After establishing himself in the industry, Larry joined the group known as The Earls from the Bronx, New York. Before being called The Earls however, Larry and crew went by the name, “High-Hatters.”Eventually though, they did become formally known as The Earls, and in some cases “Larry Chance and the Earls,” by 1960. The Earls were starting to make hit songs by 1962.

As reported by Parade, their biggest hits were: “Remember Then,” “I Believe,” “Never,” and “Life Is But a Dream.”

Throughout the years, the team members disbanded, leaving Larry as the longest active member. Those members included: Bobby “T” Tribuzio, Bobby Coleman, and Chuck Mearizo.

Unfortunately, Larry ended up passing away due to complications with lung cancer, according to Larry’s daughter, Nichole Chance.

Larry Chance will be greatly missed, and we are all thankful for the works he helped produce, and the way he impacted music, Doo-Wop, and even Rock ‘N’ Roll.

Pepsi is re-releasing some of their most famed, star-studded music video commercials.

The re-released versions of archival commercials pay tribute to music legends Madonna, Britney Spears, Tina Turner, Robert Palmer, and Ray Charles.

For the first time in decades, versions of the iconic Madonna and Britney Spears spots will return to national television during the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards on September 12.

The revived music video commercials are Tina Turner’s “Taste For Pepsi” (1986), Robert Palmer’s “Simply Irresistible” (1989), Madonna’s “Like A Prayer” (1989), Ray Charles’ “The Right One Baby” (1991) and Britney Spears’ “The Joy of Cola” (2001).

The original spots for Madonna’s “Like A Prayer” and Spears’ “The Joy of Cola” have not been aired on national television in full since their original runs, over 30 and 20 years ago, respectively.Pepsi has a long history at the VMAs, showing up consistently at the show for decades, including the recent premiere of the Pepsi-Cola Soda Shop music video inspired by the film “Grease” in 2021.

Beginning Thursday, fans can watch all five revived spots on the Pepsi YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/PEPSI

Rolling Stones have announced their highly anticipated new album, Hackney Diamonds, will drop on October 20th. The legendary band also shared the lead single from the album, “Angry.”

The announcement was made by Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood at a special media launch event at the Hackney Empire, in London. The launch was hosted by Jimmy Fallon and streamed worldwide via YouTube.

The 12-track album was recorded in various locations around the world, including Henson Recording Studios in Los Angeles, Metropolis Studios in London, Sanctuary Studios in the Bahamas, Electric Lady Studios in New York City, and The Hit Factory/Germano Studios, also in New York.

The band also confirmed that original bassist Bill Wyman appears on one track with two featuring the late Charlie Watts on drums, recorded in 2019. The additional ten tracks feature Watts’ replacement Steve Jordan on drums.

New York’s annual Stand Up for Heroes event is set to feature Josh Groban, John Mellencamp and more.

The Bob Woodruff Foundation and New York Comedy Festival will hold the 17th edition of the Stand Up for Heroes event on November 6 at 8 p.m. ET.

The War and Treaty, Rita Wilson, Tracy Morgan, Shane Gillis and Jon Stewart are also scheduled to make appearances.

Proceeds from the event go to the Bob Woodruff Foundation, a nonprofit for veterans. Since its inception, Stand Up for Heroes has raised $70 million to help all veterans and military families.Stand Up for Heroes was first held in 2007 and is produced by the New York Comedy Festival and the Bob Woodruff Foundation.

“Stand Up for Heroes will shine a light on the incredible service and sacrifice of our veterans, service members, and their families, and raise important funds to support the men and women who have had our back and who now need us to have theirs,” Woodruff said in a statement.

Singer Gary Wright has died at the age of 80.

The singer, best known for the 1970s tracks Dream Weaver and Love is Alive, passed away on Monday morning at his home in Palos Verdes Estates, California.

His son Justin told TMZ that his father had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and Lewy body dementia. He revealed that Wright’s Parkinson’s worsened in the past year and he eventually lost the ability to move or speak.

Raised in New Jersey, the star first entered showbiz as a child actor in the Broadway musical Fanny, then played with bands through his university days studying medicine in Berlin until music executive Chris Blackwell approached him to move to London and form the group Spooky Tooth with pianist Mike Harrison and drummer Mike Kellie.After forming in 1967, the band produced three albums – It’s All About, Spooky Two, and Ceremony – with Wright as their singer, co-writer, and organist. He exited in 1970 after conflict arose surrounding their third album Ceremony, and he signed with A&M Records to release a solo album titled Extraction.

During his solo project, Wright befriended The Beatles member George Harrison, who would later hire him to play on his own solo albums, including 1970’s All Things Must Pass. Spooky Tooth reunited in 1972 and released two more albums together before they split again in 1974. The following year, Wright released his most successful solo album, The Dream Weaver.

Wright later appeared in the 1992 film Wayne’s World, singing a re-recorded version of Dream Weaver, released more albums up to 2010, and reformed Spooky Tooth.