By Wonderwall.com Editors
8:23am PDT, Oct 18, 2019
Country artists bring tears, prayers to CMT Artists of the Year award show
The CMT Artists of the Year award show proved to be an emotional night for the country music community. The Oct. 16 event was tinged with sadness as honoree Kane Brown took the stage to accept his prize. Kane broke down while dedicating his award to his friend and drummer Kenny Dixon, who tragically died in a car accident on Oct. 12. "He was with me the whole time. He was so supportive of me. And I love you, man, I miss you. The band misses you," Kane said while crying. Other honorees included Reba McEntire, Thomas Rhett and Dan + Shay.
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Whitney Houston, Soundgarden lead Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame class of 2020 nominations came out on Oct. 15. Some of the big names up for induction include Whitney Houston, Soundgarden, The Notorious B.I.G, Pat Benatar, Dave Matthews Band and Depeche Mode. To be nominated this year, the artists' first single or album had to be released in 1994 or earlier. The top vote-getters will be inducted on May 2, 2020, at a ceremony at Cleveland's Public Hall.
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Lady Gaga removes R. Kelly from album tracklist
Lady Gaga has officially removed the R. Kelly track "Do What You Want" from her 2013 album "ARTPOP" as of Oct. 16. The pop star released a long statement in January announcing her support for his victims and her regrets about collaborating with the R&B singer — who's been accused of multiple sex crimes and is currently behind bars as his cases move forward — saying that their song was made during a "dark time" in her life. A version of the song featuring Christina Aguilera instead is on streaming and downloading platforms.
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Celebrity deaths
George "Pops" Chambers, singer and bassist for soul group the Chambers Brothers, died on Oct. 12 at 88. K-Pop singer Sulli (pictured) was found dead of an apparent suicide on Oct. 14. She was 25. Drummer Kenny Dixon of Kane Brown's band was killed in a car crash on Oct. 12. He was 27. Universal Music exec Jay Frank passed away on Oct. 13 at 47 after a long battle with cancer. Country radio legend Bob Kingsley passed away at 80 on Oct. 17 following a lengthy battle with bladder cancer.
Queen Latifah to receive Harvard black culture award
The Queen is headed to Harvard! Harvard University announced on Oct. 14 that Queen Latifah is among the honorees being recognized this year for their contributions to black history and culture. The educational institution is set to award the W.E.B. Du Bois Medal to Latifah and six other recipients on Oct. 22, according to the school's Hutchins Center for African and African American Research.
Elton John calls Michael Jackson "mentally ill"
Elton John's new memoir "ME" was released on Oct. 16. In the book, the music legend does not hold back when discussing some of music's greatest talents and how they behaved. The 72-year-old Rocketman said of Michael Jackson, "God knows what prescription drugs he was being pumped full of, but every time I saw him in his later years I came away thinking the poor guy had totally lost his marbles. I don't mean that in a light-hearted way. He was genuinely mentally ill, a disturbing person to be around." Elton also discussed an ill-fated Tina Turner joint tour that never happened as it "quickly turned into a disaster." Apparently, the music diva wasn't a fan of a lot of Elton's artistic choices. "She didn't like my hair, she didn't like the color of my piano — which for some reason had to be white — and she didn't like my clothes. 'You wear too much Versace, and it makes you look fat — you need to wear Armani,'" he remembers her telling him.
Rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine offered massive record deal in prison
Looks like disgraced rapper Tekashi69 will be sitting pretty while in prison, at least financially. An Oct. 11 TMZ report claimed that the music star's label, 10K Projects, has offered him a whopping $10 million deal in exchange for a Spanish and English album once he's released. The rapper has been locked up since 2018 on racketeering charges and has been giving the feds information in exchange for a more lenient sentence. Due to Tekashi's testimony, several of his former gang member pals were found guilty of a multitude of crimes earlier in the month.
Dolly Parton celebrates 50 years as a Grand Ole Opry member
The country world rightfully celebrated Dolly Parton on Oct. 12 at the Grand Ole Opry as the legendary country music queen marked 50 years as an Opry member. "I'm just grateful for all of it. Who knows when you're starting how you're going to turn out? Now, here I am at 73 years old looking back on my life and thinking, 'I'm still here, and they're still allowing me to feel like I'm important in the business.' It's a beautiful, wonderful thing," Dolly said. Country artists like Chris Janson, Margo Price, Dierks Bentley, Toby Keith, Lady Antebellum and Hank Williams Jr. honored Dolly from the Opry's sacred wooden circle.
2019 Latin American Music Awards celebrated in Los Angeles
The Latin American Music Awards took place in Los Angeles on Oct. 17. Stars including Becky G (pictured), Chiquis Rivera, Jason Derulo and Sofia Reyes were among the night's famous attendees, while Anuel AA was among the evening's top winners, taking home five prizes including artist of the year and album of the year for "Real Hasta La Muerte." The red carpet was also full of some epic fashion hits and misses.
