British music producer William Orbit, known for his work with acts including Madonna, All Saints and Pink, died at the age of 69. He helped to reinvigorate Madonna's career in 1998 with the album Ray of Light, which blended electronic dance music and ambient techno with pop and trip-hop. Orbit sold over 200 million recordings worldwide of his own work and his production and songwriting work and was a recipient of multiple Grammy Awards, Ivor Novello Awards and other music industry awards. Other collaborations and productions included Prince, Belinda Carlisle, Britney Spears, Mel C, U2, Ricky Martin, Queen and Robbie Williams.

US Country singer Morgan Wallen appeared on Good Morning America to address his use of a racial slur in a video six months earlier. He stated he was "ignorant," went into rehab to address his problem, and would donate $500,000 to racial justice organizations. The amount was his estimate of his sales uplift from the controversy. Following the video's release, the chart-topping singer was promptly dropped by his record label, disqualified from eligibility at multiple prestigious country music award shows and his music was removed from multiple radio companies' stations.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) warned against the growing trend of people jumping out of moving cars and dancing to Drake's ‘In My Feelings’.

Beyoncé soldiered through a concert in Montreal, Canada, after her hair got tangled in the blades of a fan. The singer was performing 'Halo' from an audience pit when the incident happened. She continued to sing her encore while security guards tried to extract her from the fan, which was mounted on the edge of the stage.

A yellow Ferrari previously owned by Eric Clapton sold for £66,500 at auction. The rare 2003 Ferrari 575 Maranello, which had only 10,000 miles on the clock, was snapped up by a private buyer at a sale at the Classic Car Sale at Silverstone, Northamptonshire, England. The yellow Maranello was bought new by Mr Clapton, who signed its service book, was later sold to BBC radio presenter Chris Evans.

Amy Winehouse was found dead at her north London home, she was 27. A Metropolitan Police spokesman confirmed that a 27-year-old woman had died in Camden and that the cause of death was as yet unexplained. London Ambulance Service said it had been called to the flat at 1554 BST and sent two vehicles but the woman died. The troubled singer had a long battle with drink and drugs which overshadowed her recent musical career.

Surgical instruments allegedly used to conduct Elvis Presley autopsy were removed from an upcoming auction amid doubts about their authenticity. Forceps, needle injectors, rubber gloves and a toe tag were among the items that were expected to fetch about $14,000 at Chicago, Illinois' Leslie Hindman Auctioneers. The so-called "memorabilia" was supposedly kept by a senior embalmer at the Memphis Funeral Home where the singer's body was stored prior to his funeral, but the claims were questioned after another employee revealed that the equipment was sterilized and used again in other autopsies.

On the afternoon of tonight's concert at First Energy Park, Lakewood, New Jersey, Bob Dylan was picked up by a young policewoman who had been alerted of a man who was 'acting suspiciously'. The police officer drove up to Dylan, who was wearing a blue jacket, and asked him his name, but she did not recognise him. When he was unable to produce any identification, Dylan was driven to his hotel where staff were able to vouch for him. The incident happened when Dylan decided to go for a walk in the afternoon while on tour with Willie Nelson who were due to perform at the local baseball stadium with John Mellencamp.

Kid Rock was sentenced to a year on probation and fined $1,000 (£501) for his part in a fight in an Atlanta waffle restaurant in 2007. The 37-year-old, also received 80 hours community service and six hours of anger management counselling. The rapper pleaded no contest to one count of battery. Four other assault charges were dropped. Kid Rock had been performing at a gig in Atlanta before stopping off in his tour bus in the early hours of the morning. The fight took place when an argument broke out with another customer at the restaurant.

A waxwork model of Amy Winehouse was unveiled at Madame Tussauds. The singer's parents, Mitch and Janis, revealed the model, ‘complete with trademark beehive and sailor tattoos’, at the London attraction. Earlier in the week her husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, was jailed for 27 months for attacking a pub landlord and perverting the course of justice.

George Michael was accused of engaging in anonymous public sex, after being photographed in London's Hampstead Heath with a 58-year-old unemployed van driver. Despite stating that he intended to sue both the News of the World tabloid who photographed the incident and van driver Norman Kirtland for slander, Michael stated that he openly cruised for anonymous sex and that this was not an issue in his relationship with partner Kenny Goss.

Queen's 1985 Live Aid performance was voted the best rock concert ever by over 7,000 UK Sony Ericsson music fans. Radiohead were voted the best festival act for their 1997 Glastonbury Festival performance and Bob Dylan's 1966 Manchester Free Trade Hall gig won the best ever solo gig.

James Brown announced his separation from his fourth wife using an advertisement featuring the Disney character Goofy. The 70-year-old placed the notice in Variety magazine, it featured a picture of himself, his wife Tomi Rae and their two-year-old son, James Joseph Brown II, posing with Goofy at Walt Disney World.

59-year-old Paul McCartney, who lost his first wife Linda to cancer three years ago, became engaged to 33-year-old Heather Mills, an activist for the disabled. It was the first marriage for the 33-year-old Mills, a former swimwear model whose left leg was amputated below the knee after she was run down by a police motorcyclist in 1993. The pair would split in 2006 and divorce in 2008 with a settlement that cost Macca millions.

Rob Collins, keyboard player with The Charlatans died in a car crash, aged 29. Collins had been recording keyboard parts for the Charlatans 5th album ‘Tellin' Stories’ at a studio in Wales. An investigation into the accident showed that Collins had consumed a sizable amount of alcohol and was not wearing a seatbelt. He died from head injuries on the roadside shortly after the accident having been thrown through the windscreen.

Two R.E.M. fans died at Dublin's Slane Castle gig, one drowned in the River Boyne and the other was allegedly pushed from a bridge.

The International Astronomical Union named an asteroid orbiting between Mars and Jupiter after Frank Zappa who had died the previous December.

Ringo Starr kicked off his first tour since the break-up of the Beatles with a show in Dallas. His backup band included guitarist Joe Walsh, organist Billy Preston and Bruce Springsteen's saxophonist Clarence Clemons.

The Cars released 'Drive' from their Heartbeat City album as a single. Upon its release, 'Drive' became The Cars' highest charting single where it peaked at No.3 on the US chart. The song is associated with the 1985 Live Aid event, where it was performed by Benjamin Orr during the Philadelphia concert and previously, the song was used as the background music to a montage of clips depicting the contemporaneous Ethiopian famine during the London event, which was introduced by David Bowie.

1984 An appeals court overturned a ruling that the The Bee Gees plagiarised a song called 'Let It End' on their hit 'How Deep Is Your Love.' The judge agreed that there were "striking similarities" between the two songs, but believed the Bee Gees' claim that they hadn't heard 'Let It End,' which was never released and had only been available as a demo sent to publishers.

The Police kicked off the North American leg of their Synchronicity 107-date world tour at Comiskey Park, Chicago, Illinois. The Police also went to No.1 on the US album chart with 'Synchronicity', which spent a total of seventeen weeks at No.1.

Paul Young had his first UK No.1 single with his version of the Marvin Gaye song 'Wherever I Lay My Hat, (That's My Home.)' The song title was parodied by the UK indie band Super Furry Animals with their 1999 song 'Wherever I Lay My Phone (That's My Home)'.

Keith Godchaux keyboard player with the Grateful Dead died after being involved in a car accident aged 32. He co-wrote songs with Lowell George (of Little Feat) and was a member of The New Riders of the Purple Sage.

Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham was charged with assault after a concert at the Oakland Coliseum in California. Bonham and band manager Peter Grant had the help of their bodyguard in roughing up a security employee at the venue. After pleading guilty to misdemeanors, the accused settle out of court for two million dollars. The tour would eventually be cancelled after Robert Plant's son died a few days later.

The Rolling Stones were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Honky Tonk Women,' the group's eighth and last UK No.1. The song was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards while on holiday in Brazil and the Stones initially recorded the track as Country Honk in London in early March 1969 with Brian Jones present during these sessions.

Working at Abbey Road studios in London, The Beatles recorded 'Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey' for their forthcoming double album The Beatles.

Frank Sinatra went to No.1 on the US album chart with 'Strangers In The Night'. The LP would be the most successful of his career, being certified Platinum for 1 million copies sold in the US. The title track would earn him two Grammy awards for Record Of The Year and Best Male Vocal Performance.

The Beatles were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'A Hard Day's Night', the group's fifth UK No.1. The UK release had 'Things We Said Today' as its B-side, and in the US 'I Should Have Known Better' as its B-side. The song's title originated from something Ringo Starr said. "We went to do a job, and we'd worked all day, and we happened to work all night. I came up still thinking it was day I suppose, and I said, 'It's been a hard day ...' and I looked around and saw it was dark, so I said, '... night!' So we came to 'A Hard Day's Night.'" 'A Hard Day's Night' is widely known for its iconic Rickenbacker 360/12 12-string guitar's "mighty opening chord" played by George Harrison.

Slim Whitman was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Rose Marie.' The single stayed at the top of the charts for eleven weeks. Whitman held the record for the most consecutive weeks at No.1 (11 weeks), until 1991.

Matthew Murphy, vocals, guitar and keyboards for English indie rock band The Wombats.

Canadian musician Steve 'Stevo32' Jocz, drummer with Sum 41, who had the 2001 UK No 13 single 'In Too Deep', and the 2007 Canadian No.1 album Underclass Hero. He has also worked with Avril Lavigne and Iggy Pop.

Michelle Williams, Destiny's Child, (2000 US No.1 single 'Say My Name', 2001 US & UK No.1 single and album 'Survivor').

Fran Healy, vocals, guitar, with Scottish rock band Travis. Their 1999 UK album The Man Who spent nine weeks at No.1 on the UK Charts and one-hundred and thirty-four weeks in the top 100 of the chart. Travis had and 1999 UK No.10 single 'Why Does It Always Rain On Me', plus over 10 other UK Top 40 singles.

Chad Gracey, drummer, from American rock band Live who achieved worldwide success with their 1994 album Throwing Copper, which sold eight million copies in the US.

Alison Krauss, bluegrass-country singer, songwriter and fiddler. She released her first solo album in 1987 and then was invited to join the band with which she still performs, Alison Krauss and Union Station. Winner of 1996 Rolling Stone's critic's choice best country artist. Krauss recorded Raising Sand with Robert Plant in 2007 which was nominated for and won 5 Grammys at the 51st Grammy Awards.

Sam Watters, from American R&B group Color Me Badd who had the 1991 UK No.1 single 'I Wanna Sex You Up', and the 1991 US No.1 single 'I Adore Mi Amor'.

Rob Dickinson, singer, songwriter from the English alternative rock band Catherine Wheel. The band was active from 1990 to 2000, releasing five full-length albums in their career. Their early music was associated with the shoegazing scene.

Slash, (Saul Hudson), guitarist with Guns N’ Roses who had the 1988 US No.1 and 1989 UK No.6 single Sweet Child o' Mine and the 1991 US and UK No.1 album Use Your Illusion II. Their 1987 debut album, Appetite for Destruction has sold approximately 30 million copies worldwide, including 18 million in the US, making it the best-selling debut album of all time. Slash went on to form the side project Slash's Snakepit and then Velvet Revolver, who had the 2004 US No.1 and UK No.11 album Contraband.

Nick Menza, drums, Megadeth, (1990 UK No.13 single 'No More Mr Nice Guy', 1992 US No.2 album 'Countdown To Extinction'). Menza died on 21st May 2016 after suffering a "massive heart attack" on stage, while performing with his band, OHM, in Los Angeles.

Tim Kellett, keyboards and trumpet with Simply Red who had the 1986 US No.1 & UK No.2 single 'Holding Back The Years'). With Olive he had the 1997 UK No.1 single 'You're Not Alone'.

Martin Gore, keyboards, with English electronic band Depeche Mode. The group have had 50 songs in the UK Singles Chart and seventeen top 10 albums in the UK chart and have sold over 100 million records worldwide.

Dennis Greaves, guitar, vocals, with UK R&B group Nine Below Zero.

American guitarist and songwriter Chris Pinnick, best known for his work with the band Chicago from 1979-1986. His guitar work can also be heard on Herb Alpert's single 'Rise,' which reached No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in October 1979.

John Rutsey, Canadian drummer, best known as a co-founding member of Rush, and performing on the band's debut album. Rutsey died in his sleep of an apparent heart attack, related to complications from diabetes on May 11, 2008.

American jazz singer Janis Siegel, who with Manhattan Transfer, had the 1977 UK No.1 'Chanson D'amour', and the 1981 US No.7 single 'Boy From New York City'. The group has received 10 Grammy Awards during Siegel's ongoing tenure, and was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2003.

Blair Thorton, guitar, Bachman Turner Overdrive, (1974 US No.1 & UK No.2 single 'You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet').

Tony Joe White, US singer, songwriter, best known for his 1969 US No.8 single, 'Polk Salad Annie' (also recorded by Elvis Presley and Tom Jones) and ‘Rainy Night in Georgia’ which he wrote but was first made popular by Brook Benton in 1970. He also wrote 'Steamy Windows' a UK No.13 single for Tina Turner. White died of a heart attack on October 24, 2018, at the age of 75.

David Essex, UK singer, actor, (1974 UK No.1 single 'Gonna Make You A Star', plus 18 other UK Top 40 singles, 1974 US No.5 single, 'Rock On').

English multi-instrumentalist, Andy Mackay, who with Roxy Music scored the hit singles 'Street Life', 'Love is the Drug', 'Dance Away', 'Angel Eyes', 'Jealous Guy' and 'Avalon'. Mackay has also worked with Duran Duran, Mott the Hoople, John Cale and Paul McCartney.

American bass guitarist Keith Ferguson who was a member of The Fabulous Thunderbirds who had two hit songs in the 1980s, 'Tuff Enuff' and 'Wrap It Up.' He died of liver failure at the age of 50, on April 29, 1997, due in part to a nearly thirty-year addiction to heroin.

Dino Danelli, drummer with American rock band, The Rascals (initially known as The Young Rascals) who had the US No.1 hits 'Good Lovin'' (1966), 'Groovin'' (1967), and 'People Got to Be Free' (1968). He died on December 15, 2022 aged 78.

American soul singer, Madeline Bell, who with Blue Mink had the 1970 UK No.3 single 'Melting Pot'. Her version of Paul McCartney's 'Step Inside Love' was a minor hit in the US in 1969.

Cleveland Duncan, The Penguins, (1954 US No.8 single 'Earth Angel, Will You Be Mine').

American jazz bassist and composer Bill Lee. He was known for his collaborations with Bob Dylan ('It's All Over Now, Baby Blue') and Aretha Franklin and his session work as a "first-call" musician and band leader to many of the twentieth-century's most significant musical artists, including Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Harry Belafonte, Peter, Paul and Mary, Simon and Garfunkel., Cat Stevens, Mamas & Papas, among many others. He died on 24 May 2023 age 94.