As we jump headlong into all that 2005 has in store, let’s take a minute to remember a few of the artists we lost in 2004. Crossover great Ray Charles passed away in June, just before the release of his Grammy-nominated album Genius Loves Company and sure-to-be Oscar-nominated biopic Ray, starring Jamie Foxx. Johnny Ramone, co-founder of the iconic punk band the Ramones, succumbed to cancer in September, shortly after the release of the Ramones Raw DVD, now certified gold. The ever-newsworthy Ol Dirty Bastard, founding member of Wu-Tang Clan, died of an accidental drug overdose a few days shy of his 36th birthday while working at a studio in New York. Finally, “Dimebag†Darrell Abbott, guitarist for Pantera and Damageplan, was gunned down while performing in Ohio last month. Four others, including the gunman, were killed.
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