Corona pandemic: Persons in the arts among the casualties
Some celebrities have fallen ill with COVID-19. And some, like the the author Luis Sepulveda, have perished from the disease.
Luis Sepulveda
At age 70, the famous Chilean writer Luis Sepúlveda passed away in Spain, a country that has severely felt the impact of the virus. Sepúlveda earned international fame through novels like "Diary of a Sentimental Killer" and books for children such as "The Story of A Seagull and The Cat Who Taught Her To Fly."
Lee Konitz
One of the inventors of cool jazz lived to the age of 92 but passed away in New York in during the pandemic. Beginning on the clarinet, Lee Konitz later switched to the saxophone. His jazz style paved the way for later legends like Charles Mingus, Ornette Coleman and Dizzy Gillespie. Miles Davis esteemed Konitz' harmonic, innovative style - and Konitz kept performing onstage nearly till the end.
Adam Schlesinger
One of the younger COVID-19 victims, the film music composer died at age 52 due to complications related to the disease, according to his attorney. In 1996, Schlesinger was nominated for an Academy Award on the strength of the title track to the comedy “That Thing You Do,” featuring Tom Hanks. Hanks was among those who expressed their condolences for the musician.
Manu Dibango
The Cameroon-born musician is one of the more famous victims of the novel coronavirus pandemic. French media reported that he died on March 31, 2020 in a Paris hospital, age 86. As a fifteen-year-old, Dibango had moved to France, where his Afro-jazz career took off and lasted several decades. In 1972, he landed a hit in the US with his song "Soul Makossa."
Alan Merrill
The front singer of the US band Arrows died at age 69 due to an infection related to COVID-19. He is also known as a songwriter, most notably for penning the legendary hit "I Love Rock ’n’ Roll." His daughter Laura said on social media that he looked peaceful when she last saw him in hospital; he apparently passed away by the time she returned to her apartment from the visit.
Wallace Roney
Like his role model Miles Davis, Wallace Roney was a jazz maverick, incorporating Caribbean rhythms and hip hop into his work. But he remained faithful to his roots, releasing the Grammy-winning album "A Tribute for Miles" in 1994. Roney died at the age of 59 on March 31, 2020 from complications arising from COVID-19.
Ellis Louis Marsalis Jr.
The novel coronavirus hit the Afro-American jazz music scene in the US particularly hard, with 85-year-old Ellis Marsalis Jr. also passing on from the deadly disease it causes. An instructor in jazz since the late 1960s, the pianist had been giving concerts as recently as December 2019. Four of his six children also became prominent jazz artists.
Mark Blum
Sixty-nine-year-old US-American actor Mark Blum is another victim of the corona pandemic. Co-starring with Rosanna Arquette in the movie "Desperately Seeking Susan" in 1985, he featured in numerous TV series and plays on Broadway as well. Blum played a role in a film about a deadly virus in 1992, never knowing that his fate would be determined by the same.
Vittorio Gregotti
Italian architect Vittorio Gregotti died at age 92 due to complications of COVID-19. Known as the "father of the Ferrari Stadium" in Genoa, Gregotti was also known for his design of the Olympic Stadium in Barcelona, the Archimboldi Theater in Milan and a cultural center in Lisbon. The German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung called Gregotti "the designer of modern-age temples."
Terrence McNally
Known as the playwright of "Corpus Cristi" (2001), Terence McNally was primarily involved in musical theater. His libretto for the 1996 musical "Ragtime" earned him a Tony Award, making him Broadway royalty. Several other awards followed over the years. Due to his advanced age of 81 and his COPD-infection, McNally was in a high-risk group and died on March 24.