Entertainment

Popular ‘Love Rock ‘N’ Roll’ Songwriter Dies Of Coronavirus

Published

4 years ago

March 30, 2020

Editor

The co-writer and original singer of I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll, Alan Merrill, has died after contracting coronavirus.

His daughter Laura shared the news, saying the 69-year-old had been healthy enough to play shows a few weeks ago.

“He played down the ‘cold’ he thought he had,” she wrote, before warning other families not to be complacent.

“You don’t think It’ll happen to you or your strong family. It has,” she wrote. “Stay home if not for you, for others. For my dad. This thing is real.”

I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll became a global hit for Joan Jett in 1982 and has been covered by artists ranging from Britney Spears to Weird Al Yankovic.

A parody version, I Love Sausage Rolls, was last year’s Christmas number one in the UK, with proceeds going to charity.

Musicians hit by coronavirus

Coronavirus also claimed the life of country singer Joe Diffie over the weekend, while the family of Nashville legend John Prine said he was critically ill on a ventilator and being treated for Covid-19 symptoms.

Prine, an influential singer-songwriter who is known for lyrical, melancholy folk songs like Hello In There and Angel From Montgomery, has previously survived cancer twice.

As news of his condition broke, musicians including Joan Baez, Bette Midler and Kacey Musgraves sent the Grammy Award winner their love and support.

Alan Merrill, who was born Allan Preston Sachs in New York, had a long and varied career as a musician. He signed his first record deal as lead singer of the band The Lead, who had a big hit in Japan with Aoi Bara (Blue Rose).

After releasing two successful solo albums and hosting TV shows and acting in soap operas, he left Japan for the UK in 1974 to form The Arrows, who put a glam rock sheen on classic pop melodies.

The group scored hits with A Touch Too Much and My Last Night With You, and I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll was written by Merrill and guitarist Jake Hooker as “a knee-jerk response to the Rolling Stones’ It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll (But I Like It)” in 1975.

Originally issued on the B-side of The Arrows’ single Broken Down Heart, it became a hit after DJs started playing the flip side instead.

Its success led to the band getting a weekly ITV series, with musical guests including Marc Bolan, Slade and The Bay City Rollers – and that was where US singer Joan Jett first heard, and fell in love with, I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll.

In the mid-1970s, Jett tried to convince her band The Runaways to cover it but they refused. When the band broke up, Jett recorded it and spent seven weeks at the top of the Billboard chart.

After his death, she paid tribute to Merrill on Instagram, writing: “My thoughts and love go to his family, friends and music community as a whole. I can still remember watching The Arrows on TV in London and being blown away by the song that screamed hit to me.

“With deep gratitude and sadness, wishing him a safe journey to the other side.”

Merrill later joined Meat Loaf’s band for two albums and played with Rick Derringer.

Writing on Facebook, Meat Loaf said: “Let this be a lesson to all of us, try to stay in touch with the people you really love and care about. Life is very short. Alan I am sorry that I didn’t reach out to you years ago. I love you very much.”

(BBC)

(PHOTO: bbc.com)

Entertainment

Junior Pope: AGN Speaks On Possibility Of Dragging Movie Producer To Court [VIDEO]

Published

21 hours ago

April 19, 2024

Editor

The President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria, Emeka Rollas, has hinted on the possibility of the association dragging Adanma Luke, the producer of the movie in which Junior Pope and four others died while working on, to court.

While speaking on Arise News this morning April 19, Rollas said the association’s lawyers are already preparing documents because ‘the matter is actionable’.

Recall that Jnr Pope and four members of the cast and crew of the movie died in a boat mishap in Anambra while heading to the movie location, Adanma has been blamed by some Nigerians for allegedly failing to provide them with life jackets before commuting via the boat.

Watch a video of Rollas speaking on Arise below:

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Entertainment

Junior Pope: Twist As Movie Producer Debunks Man’s Claim Of Being Captain Of Ill-fated Boat

Published

7 days ago

April 13, 2024

Editor

Movie producer, Stanley, has said the man in a viral video claiming to be the captain of the boat that claimed the lives of Junior Pope and four others, is a content creator and not the captain of the boat.

In the viral video, the man alleged that the late actor refused to rent a life jacket, saying he doesn’t have money.

He also alleged that the deceased actor and some others on the boat refused to appease the powers of the river, insisting that they were children of God.

He said he was able to come out alive because he could swim and that he was also able to save a lady who was on the boat.

However, Stanley said the man is a content creator and made the video to chase clout.

Read what he wrote below:

Entertainment

Boat Mishap: ‘This Is My Story’ – Movie Producer, Adanma Luke, Breaks Silence [VIDEO]

Published

7 days ago

April 13, 2024

Editor

Adanma Luke, the producer of the movie Jnr Pope and four others were working on before they died in a boat mishap on April 10, has broken her silence.

In a video she posted on her Instagram page, Adanma said she was also supposed to be on the ill-fated boat. She captioned the video ;

‘’Why me? Life Jacket was free”

While speaking, she said she has not been quiet since the unfortunate incident.

Her words: ‘’I have been so traumatized, so cold. This whole thing still feels like a dream to me.

“I have not been able to make any statement since because we have been trying to recover the bodies.

“I have been providing fuel money to those that have been looking for the bodies. I provided caskets, ambulances to make sure the bodies were conveyed to their villages to the families that wanted it to be done.

“I have not been quiet. I have been doing things just so these people can rest.

“It is so sad this had to happen on my set. I blame myself because I would have been doing my thing in Lagos. I blame myself for coming to Asaba.

“I was supposed to be on that boat. My production manager was calling me to bring the memory card so they could start filming and I told him to come and collect it. He said ‘Mama, you know this place is far, just bring it for us’. I said why haven’t you people crossed? Why haven’t you people gone to work? He said they were waiting for Junior Pope to arrive.

“Before now, on the 9th, they went there on their own. Junior Pope came on his own. On this 10th, while I was getting ready to go drop the card with them, I was accompanied by my brother’s two children who were supposed to be with me on that boat together. On getting there, I saw Emeka. He was my DOP. He was just sitting. I was surprised because I didn’t see others.

“I asked him what is it? People surrounded him. He was quiet. I said Emeka, talk to me, what is it? why haven’t you crossed? Where is Ogolo? Where is everybody? has JP come? He was quiet.

Emeka now said ‘”JP Don go! Abigail don go! Friday don go! Precious don go! I still did not understand what he meant by that. I said Emeka what do you mean? Don go where? He said ‘’Them dey inside water!””

Adanma said she wanted to go into the water to search for them but was held back.

Watch the video she shared below…