A native of Shaker Heights in Cleveland, Ohio, Jerry Heller worked with rock stars as an agent, promoter and manager before meeting a young rapper named Eazy-E.
Two things help explain Billy Paul's unique vocal style: his early dreams of playing saxophone, and his emulation of female jazz singers such as Billie Holiday.
With chiseled muscles and a natural flair for entertainment, Joanie Laurer exploded onto the scene of professional wrestling in the late 1990s. She was found dead in her apartment Wednesday.
"I was probably the most incorrigible child you could ever meet," the legendary singer once told NPR. "I was already on the way to prison before I realized it."
The best-selling author was known for novels such as The Great Santini and The Prince Of Tides. He had announced last month that he had pancreatic cancer.
Henry Worsley, 55, traveled more than 900 miles across the Antarctic, attempting a solo trek that would also boost a British charity that aids wounded veterans.
Rickman appeared in many blockbuster films during his prolific career, from 1988's Die Hard with Bruce Willis to 2003's Love Actually and the Harry Potter films.
Saying that a musical language always includes both rational and irrational parts, Boulez told Fresh Air in 2005, "What I tried to find, that's freedom — but a freedom which is based on discipline."