Jazz keyboardist George Duke dead at 67

Pianist George Duke performs during the ''Hommage a Ahmet Ertegun'' show at the 40th Montreux Jazz festival in Montreux June 30, 2006.

Credit: Reuters/Dominic Favre

LOS ANGELES | Tue Aug 6, 2013 2:30pm EDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Grammy-winning jazz keyboardist and producer George Duke, best known as a pioneer of fusion jazz and for his collaborations with rock musician Frank Zappa, has died, his publicist said. He was 67.

Duke, who died on Monday night in Los Angeles, had been suffering from chronic lymphocytic leukemia, publicist Mike Wilpizeski said.

Duke, known for embracing synthesizers and fusing jazz with other genres such as rock and funk, began his career in the mid-1960s after joining San Francisco's Half Note jazz club's house band, which was fronted by singer Al Jarreau.

The musician's international breakout album was 1969's "The Jean-Luc Ponty Experience with The George Duke Trio," which is considered as one of the first fusion jazz recordings, combining jazz with the electric violin of the French virtuoso Ponty.

Duke's albums "Faces in Reflection," "The Aura Will Prevail" and "Liberated Fantasies," all released in the 1970s, are considered classics of jazz-funk fusion.

During that time, Duke also collaborated on several albums with Zappa as a member of his Mothers of Invention band, including "Chunga's Revenge," "The Grand Wazoo" and "Over-Nite Sensation."

Duke, who was born in San Rafael, California, was first exposed to jazz at the age of 4 when his mother took him to a performance by pianist Duke Ellington. He began his formal training at age 7 with the music of his Baptist church as his earliest influence.

His production work spanned jazz, R&B and pop music, including work on recordings by trumpeter Miles Davis, pop singer Barry Manilow, R&B singer-songwriter Smokey Robinson and country singer Lyle Lovett.

Duke also scored a pop hit in 1981 with "Sweet Baby," a collaboration with bassist Stanley Clarke. Duke earned Grammy awards for his jazz production work for singer Dianne Reeves in 2000 and 2001.

The last of 40 Duke's albums, "DreamWeaver," was released last month.

He is survived by his two sons.

(Reporting by Eric Kelsey; Editing by Patricia Reaney and Bill Trott)

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Singer George Michael out of hospital after car accident

British singer George Michael performs on stage during his ''Symphonica'' tour concert in Vienna September 4, 2012.

Credit: Reuters/Heinz-Peter Bader

LONDON | Wed May 29, 2013 1:56pm EDT

LONDON (Reuters) - British singer George Michael is out of hospital after being treated for head injuries from a car accident two weeks ago, his website said on Wednesday.

The 49-year-old former Wham! frontman, who has been "under observation" since the May 16th accident, has been discharged and is resting, www.georgemichael.com said.

"We can confirm that George Michael has been discharged from hospital and continues to rest and recuperate," the message on Michael's website said. "He is well and thanks everyone for all the messages of support."

British media have reported that the "Careless Whisper" singer fell out of a car he was travelling in on the M1 motorway just outside London during rush hour - the latest of a string of accidents and health scares.

Last year, Michael cancelled a tour of Australia due to "major anxiety" brought on by a 2011 battle with severe pneumonia in Vienna, where he was treated in intensive care for a month.

The singer has sold an estimated 100 million records over his career, but in the past few years has hit the headlines for his personal life more often than for his music.

In 1998 he was arrested in California for "engaging in a lewd act" in a public toilet. He has also had a number of run-ins with British police for possession of narcotics, and served time in jail for driving under the influence of cannabis.

(Reporting by Paul Casciato; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)

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George Michael pens song about battle with illness

Singer George Michael performs at the Albert Hall in London October 25, 2011.

Credit: Reuters/Luke MacGregor

LONDON | Wed Apr 4, 2012 9:39am EDT

LONDON (Reuters) - George Michael is writing a song about his near-death battle with illness in a Vienna hospital last year, the British singer announced on Twitter on Wednesday.

Michael, 48, was diagnosed with severe pneumonia in November and treated in the Austrian capital where he was taken ill.

He was forced to postpone his tour and spent several weeks in hospital, describing his illness as "touch and go".

On his Twitter feed, he wrote: "I've been a busy boy in the studio this week ... finally ready to write about what happened to me in Vienna ... and how grateful I am to be given another chance to live and breathe alongside you all in this wonderful world that we share."

He added that he wanted to repay the "unending kindness" his fans had shown him with new music, and said he had begun to write the track which will be called "White Light".

The "Careless Whisper" star announced last month that he was back in good health and would re-start his postponed "Symphonica" tour in September.

(Reporting by Mike Collett-White, editing by Paul Casciato)

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George Michael "fighting fit," to re-start tour

1 of 2. British singer George Michael performs during his European Orchestral tour on stage at Boxen Arena in Herning Denmark Monday evening, August 29, 2011.

Credit: Reuters/ Henning Bagger/Scanpix

LONDON | Tue Mar 20, 2012 6:20pm EDT

LONDON (Reuters) - British singer George Michael has rescheduled dates of a tour he was forced to cancel when he fell ill with severe pneumonia last year and spent several weeks in a Vienna hospital.

"George Michael is back in good health and fighting fit after a battle with pneumonia," said a statement released on his behalf on Tuesday.

The 48-year-old former Wham! frontman will re-start his "Symphonica" tour on September 4 with a new concert in Vienna, where he will donate 1,000 tickets as a thank you to the medical staff who treated him.

"I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you first to the doctors and nurses who saved my life and took such great care of me and to all my fans, family and friends for their love and support," he said.

"I'm looking forward to seeing everyone."

Michael, who went on to pursue a successful solo career recording hits including "Careless Whisper", "Faith" and "I Want Your Sex", will also perform at the Palais Garnier Opera House in Paris on September 9.

He will perform the postponed concert at London's Royal Albert Hall on September 29, and organizers said original tickets to cancelled dates will still be valid.

Michael has sold an estimated 100 million records over his career and has a personal fortune valued at around 90 million pounds ($120 million).

But the Grammy Award-winning artist has a history of run-ins with the law, notably in 2010 when he spent four weeks in a British prison for driving under the influence of cannabis.

(Reporting by Mike Collett-White, editing by Paul Casciato)

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