The Wordsmith's Forge

Musician Sly Stone has passed away. He will be missed.  Listen to a performance.


Carry on the Work

How to Become a Musician

Social Activism -- how to articles from wikiHow

Ten Ways to Fight Hate: A Community Response Guide

Actress Michelle Trachtenberg has passed away. She is best known for playing Dawn Summers in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and more recently two episodes of the Gossip Girl reboot.

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Folk singer Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul, and Mary has passed away. He was famous for many songs including "Puff the Magic Dragon."


Carry On the Work

Building a Career in Folk Music -- NERFA

Free Folk Sheet Music

How to Play Folk Guitar: Tips and Techniques for Beginners

How to Sing (with Pictures)

Rise Up Singing

Musician Zakir Hussain has passed away. A famous tabla player, he performed alongside sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar, on Planet Drum, and in the fusion band Shakti.


Carry on the work:

How to Become a Musician

How to Play Tabla: 11 Steps (with Pictures)

Free Sheet Music for Tabla

Resources for Students of Indian Classical Music

How to Start a Band

3 Ways to Join a Band

Revisit those who have passed during the year. These entries from my "Moment of Silence" tag highlight those who have died recently. Some of my posts have a "Carry on the Work" section regarding the person's accomplishments in case anyone else wants to explore those.

Browse ways to celebrate Dia de los Muertos.

Here are some things to do for Samhain. See the Greenhaven Coven page for Samhain and its recipes.

Does anyone else have names to remember?

Actor James Earl Jones has passed away. His most famous roles include voicing Darth Vader in Star Wars and Mufasa in The Lion King.

Death goes to pick him up and has a panic attack.

The gofers from the Great Con in the Sky have a fight over who gets to go usher him in. Yeah, that's gonna need a bigger ballroom for the Meet the Pro Breakfast, because everyone will want to come.

EDIT 9/10/24 -- Mark Evanier has shared some adorable anecdotes about James Earl Jones.

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Martin Mull has passed away. He was known for songs like "Dueling Tubas" and "Normal."

Famous baseball player Willie Mays has become an ancestor. He was noted for being the most successful and balanced player of the game. Other people stole more bases, batted more home runs, but nobody else could do it all with the same level of skill. He was also one of the first black players to excel in a formerly segregated sport, making a path for others to follow.

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Physicist Peter Higgs has passed away. He theorized the boson that was later named for him.

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Musician Wayne Kramer has passed away. He was the co-founder, lead guitarist, and vocalist of the famous Detroit band MC5.

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