Photo: Musician & dad Darin Nakakihara of ALS | So many deaths this week that, as one COMBO member wrote: “The newsletter is looking more [sadly] like the Obituary Pages.” So I’ve condensed this into one article. I’ve put URLs after each name and the last names are in alphabetical order in case you’d like to read more.
- Greg Boland (Aurora bassist)
https://www.facebook.com/greg.boland.353 - Dylan Carter (The Voice contestant)
https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/tv/2026/04/28/dylan-carter-death-the-voice-car-accident-details/89836207007/ - David Allan Coe (Songwriter: Take This Job and Shove It)
https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/david-allan-coe-dead-country-star-who-sang-the-ride-was-86/ - Cliff Downs (Songwriter, Producer & Publisher in Nashville)
https://www.facebook.com/MusicRowMag/photos/cliff-downs-a-respected-music-industry-veteran-who-spent-time-as-an-artist-compo/1633606098767128/ - Cassandra “Cassie” Jalilie (Punk band Venomous Pink’s drummer)
https://www.punknews.org/article/88105/inmemoriam-cassie-jalilie-of-the-venomous-pinks-has-passed-away#google_vignette - Darin Nakakihara (Musician dad who documented his ALS journey; “Go find some joy. ”)
https://www.today.com/health/disease/darin-nakakihara-death-announcement-als-rcna341875 - Wayne Moss (A-Team guitarist on Roy Orbison’s “Oh, Pretty Woman” and “Crying”) https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/music/articles/country-music-family-mourns-loss-191256184.html
- Nedra Talley Ross (Singer with The Ronettes)
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/apr/29/nedra-talley-ross-obituary - Michael Tilson Thomas (American conductor, composer, pianist and music pedagogue)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Tilson_Thomas - James Valentine (Australian saxophonist with Jo Jo Zep & Model; assisted suicide; cancer) https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/beloved-abc-host-and-rock-musician-dead-at-64-after-assisted-suicide-did-it-his-way/
- Tony Wilson (Songwriter: You Sexy Thing)
https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/songwriter-behind-you-sexy-thing-dies-at-89/
