Remember McFadden & Whitehead – the cats who gave us the 1979 classic, “Ain’t Know Stopping Us Now?” That song is still off the hook today, isn’t it?!! While most soul music lovers know their songs, many don’t know that both of them passed away within two years of each other.

Passed Away 2 Years Apart- Murder & Illness

On May 11, 2004, John Whitehead (pictured above, right) was fatally shot to death in what cops believe is a case of mistaken identity. He was outside his Philadelphia home working on a car when two gunmen shot at him multiple times and ten fled the scene. He was 55 years young.

On January 27, 2006, Gene McFadden (pictured above, left) died of liver and lung cancer after battling the disease for two years. He was 56 when he passed away and he left behind his wife Barbara, two sons, and two daughters.

As teenagers, McFadden & Whitehead formed a group, called The Epsilons, were discovered by Otis Redding and toured with him up until he and 4 of the 6 members of the band, The Barkay’s tragic death in a 1967 plane crash.
The duo went on to join Philly International Records, and wrote several hits, including “Back Stabbers” for the The O’Jays, “I’ll Always Love My Momma”, “Bad Luck”, “Wake Up Everybody”, “Where Are All My Friends”, “The More I Get, The More I Want”, and “Cold, Cold World”. They also worked with a list of soul music heavy hitters such as Freddie Jackson, Gloria Gaynor, Teddy Pendergrass, Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, Gladys Knight, Melba Moore, The Jackson 5, James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Lou Rawls, Archie Bell & The Drells, Jerry Bell and The Intruders.

Hopefully, their families are getting publishing and royalty checks from McFadden & Whitehead’s hard work.

With all that they’ve accomplished, we’re not sure why this wasn’t covered more in mainstream media at the time of their deaths, but McFadden & Whitehead’s legacies definitely deserve their proper acknowledgement. That’s why we wanted to make sure we brought the details surrounding their tragic deaths to our ILOSM community, for those of you who may not know. Some of us over here didn’t know this info either, so don’t feel bad, it happens.

McFadden & Whitehead may not have been “newsworthy” enough for the mainstream corporate news programs to cover, but they will FOREVER be etched into the hearts of us, soul music lovers. May they continue to rest peacefully.

The post Heartbreaking: “Ain’t No Stopping Us Now” Singers Died Very Tragic Deaths appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

SEE WHAT STEVIE’S EXES REVEALED

Stevie, 70, is currently in a committed marriage with his wife, Tomeeka Bracy, 46 (pictured below), who gave birth to Stevie’s ninth child in December 2014, so we’re assuming he’s hung up his playa hat. But it’s never too late to reminisce with those who got to know him the most. Check out what his exes and friends had to say.

STEVIE HAD GAME

According to Page Six, just because Stevie is without sight, does not mean he needs help to determine which lady is the one for him. When they asked Stevie’s friends how he pulled his current girlfriend Tomeeka, this was their reply:

“Like he does with all of the other women, they were at the same gathering and he smelled the kind of perfume she was wearing, she walked past him and he said she seemed light on her feet so she must be a pretty lady,” the source said.

But there are times when Stevie gets a lil’ input from his friends:

Via PS: One former girlfriend, whom Wonder met in a Los Angeles church during Sunday worship, told The Post that the singer’s entourage helps as well.

“I mean look, he’s sitting in the pew right behind me. He’s Stevie Wonder. Later, I found out that one of his guys that were with him told him, ‘Wow, she’s got a nice butt and a face to match,’ ” she said. But, I remember him tapping me on the shoulder, and his pick-up line was asking me what was it that brought me to church. I said, ‘I’m here every single Sunday because I believe in God’ and he says that he could give me all of the things God has promised to give me, only I didn’t need to pray to him.”

Another one of Stevie’s exes, whom he dated for five years had a similar story to tell about him>>>

WOOED HER WITH BIG DREAMS & LOVE SONGS

Although Stevie was a ladies man, he apparently had fantasies of being a family man too.

Via Page Six: Another ex-girlfriend, who dated the singer for nearly five years, said Wonder wooed her by repeatedly showing up at church, even staying late, stealing her heart by giving piano lessons and turning gospel songs into love songs.

“He’d change the words and insert my name and his name in there and he’d even talk about what he thought would be good baby names and how he’d buy the most fabulous of houses and how he knew I could help him to take care of himself and do his heart right,” she said. “So, naturally, it wasn’t hard to fall for.”

Alright now Stevie! Do your thing playa!

The post Ex-Girlfriends Of Stevie Wonder Spilled Details On What He Did To Get Them appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Back in the day, Chaka Khan had one shocking incident that was definitely kept under wraps, but she dodged this bullet by the skin of her teeth! She has admitted to being involved in a very hostile situation with her then husband, Richard Holland. It all went down while Chaka was 8 months pregnant with their son, Damien, and she ended up doing the unthinkable.

What Happened

Typically when we think of domestic disputes, we usually think of the man being the aggressor, Chaka said this particular incident was provoked by her. In her 2003 memoir, “Through The Fire,” Chaka had previously detailed the dangerous incident, but didn’t disclose who the man was. It wasn’t until 2012 that she revealed it was her ex-husband, Richard, whom she’d once fired multiple shots at during a very hostile argument.

She stated that one night in 1976, she called Holland to let him know she was on her way home had forgotten her house keys, therefore, requesting him to leave the keys in their secret hiding spot. She says that when she finally returned home, the keys were not there, so she had to break a window to get in. This pissed her off and once Richard arrived later that evening, Chaka explained what happened:

Via Wenn: [Chaka] tells National Enquirer, “I went for the shotgun, loaded it, pulled the trigger. I missed him because as soon as he saw the gun, he high-tailed it into the office, slammed the door, and turned out the lights.” Khan…called police for help, but lied to authorities and blamed the shooting incident on an intruder. She continues, “When I came to my senses, as blood trickled from the wound above my eye, I wanted to damn myself to hell that Milini (her then-four-year-old daughter) had witnessed something like this. Not that it was the first fight she ever saw, but it was definitely the worst. I called the cops and made like there was an intruder in the house.”

Apparently when the cops showed up to Chaka’s home, they didn’t buy her story, because they hauled her husband off to jail instead. Following the fiasco, Chaka had a chance to settle down and soon realized what the depth of her actions:

“So there I was, an almost felon, the mother of a five-year old, with another baby on the way, a screwed up marriage and bills on top of bills. And there were thousands of women out there envying Chaka Khan, thinking if only they were me.”

Needless to say, Chaka’s trigger happy moment ended her marriage to Richard Holland, the man she wrote her hit song, “Sweet Thing,” for.

Lawd ha’mercy, Chaka almost went to slammer for this one! Had Chaka landed one of those bullets into her husband, soul music as we know it, would have been totally different, because Chaka would not have been able to build the long lasting legacy she’s built now. Split-second decisions are vital- they can be our best friends, or our own worst enemies if we’re not thinking logically. We’re glad that Chaka had a bad aim that day and hopefully the effects of her daughter, Indira, experiencing such a volatile event, didn’t mentally or psychologically scar her for life.

On a side note, Chaka’s daughter, Indira Khan can SANG! Don’t believe us, watch her do her thing in this video above.

Source

The post Chaka Recalls Almost Killing Ex-Hubby In Crazy Incident That Nearly Sent Her To Prison Pregnant appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

When Rebbie Jackson, the eldest child of Katherine and Joe Jackson, married her husband, the late Nathaniel Brown, in 1968, they vowed to stay married forever and that they did. During their marriage they had three children- two daughters and one son. Their daughters might as well have been models. They are absolutely beautiful, but one thing we couldn’t help but notice is that the more people get to see them online and at events, the more folks are surprised at how Rebbie’s daughters actually look.

Rebbie Jackson’s Daughters & Why Many Are Surprised

Bam!!! Meet Rebbie’s daughters, Yashi Brown (now 43) and Stacee Brown (now 49). They are gorgeous right?!!

So why are people shocked at their gorgeous looks? Well it’s probably because it has less to do with their beauty and more to do with there skin complexion.

What the public is accustomed to seeing from the Jackson family, are mostly images of the Jackson kids who are biracial, since most of the elder Jacksons have had children with partners of different races, other than African American. There’s nothing wrong with their biracial side of the family whatsoever, because all of the Jackson kids are beautiful souls, but it is also quite interesting to see some Jackson kids who remind us of the Jackson brothers and sisters that we grew up on back in the day.

Meet Rebbie’s Husband/Father Of Her Kids

Rebbie’s husband and the father of her children, Nathaniel Brown, is African American. Nathaniel sadly passed away in 2013 from cancer and he and Rebbie were married from 1968 up until the time of his death. Now that’s real love right there!

Rebbie’s Daughter & Son-In-Law

Stacee Brown is Rebbie’s and Nathaniel’s eldest child. Stacee was also a singer at one point (pictured below with husband and son). She’s 49 years old and married to producer/songwriter/musician, Rex Salas. They have one son together, London Bleu Salas (pictured below in a throwback photo).

https://www.instagram.com/p/BTuo71gATAh/?tagged=staceebrown

Rex has an extensive musical background and he was also once a part of the The Jacksons’ band, of Janet Jackson’s band, and he’s worked many times with Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Mariah Carey, The Gap Band, Stacee’s mother, Rebbie, and many more artists throughout the years. Nowadays Stacee tends to shy away from the limelight more than her younger sister, Yashi.

Rebbie’s daughter, Yashi, is Rebbie’s and Nathaniel’s second born child and she’s 43 years old. Like her big sis,’ Yashi’s a very beautiful and intelligent woman. She doesn’t have children as of yet and she is a poet. In 2011 she released a book about her life living with bipolar disorder.

Rebbie is very proud of all of her babies.

The post Why Are Fans Surprised About How Rebbie Jackson’s Daughters Look? appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Jackie Wilson’s life was filled with extreme highs and extreme lows. He was one of the greatest singers/entertainers of his time, but he was also one of the most grief stricken and drama filled entertainers of his day.

The Lows

In 1961, Wilson was once shot by a rumored lover in a jealous rampage and lost a kidney and the bullet remained lodged close to his spine for the rest of his life; he was known to have had multiple side chicks throughout his 14 year marriage to his wife, Freda Hood; Freda divorced him in 1965 because of his womanizing, but later regretted it; and ultimately Jackie died from complications related to a massive heart attack he’d suffered on stage, which resulted in him being in a coma for nine years up until his death.

The Highs

Jackie Wilson was one of the BADDEST singers, stage performers, crowd pleasers, dancers, charismatic soul artists to have ever walked the face of the earth- no ifs, ands, nor buts about it. But…

How Jackie’s Children Sadly Died Very Young…

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Then there were Jackie’s children- he’s rumored to have had several, but three of them died suddenly at very young ages, two of which were very tragic deaths. Two of them also preceded Jackie in death and one died after.
His Son’s Tragic Murder In 1970

Jackie’s son, Jackie Jr., was the first of his children to die at just 16 years old in 1970. Jr. was brutally murdered when he was shot down in cold blood right there on Jackie Wilson’s neighbor’s porch. Jr. and the neighbor were allegedly beefing over something and unfortunately their heated argument quickly escalated, leaving Jr. lying dead on the porch.

His Daughter’s Tragic Murder In 1977
Jackie’s 37 year old daughter, Jacqueline Wilson, was shot in her back while standing outside of a store in Highland Park, Michigan in August of 1988. It was reported that her shooting and ultimate death was possibly related to a drug related incident. Police said that the area she was in was a highly drug trafficked section of the neighborhood.

His Other Daughter’s Death In 1988

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Jackie also had a third child who died. Her death was not violent, although, just like her two siblings, it was unexpected and she was very young. Sandra Wilson Abrams was the second one of Jackie’s kids to pass away in 1977 at the age of 24. She died from a sudden heart attack.

The Pathology

The pathology in the fates of Jackie’s two murdered children is very eery and it’s a reminder that it never hurts to do a little bit more work on ourselves everyday. That self-work could possibly help us to help others.

Jackie was known to have a hot temper and we’re not sure of what led to his son’s altercation with the neighbor, but it’s possible that either his beloved son had a hot temper also, or he died at the hands of a person with a hot temper. Jackie was also known to be connected with several drug dealers and cats who lived that life. Sadly, his beloved daughter ended up being killed in a territory that was widely known as a drug infested area, where drug dealers roamed.

What Many Speculate Caused Jackie’s Downward Spiral & Ultimate Death

A massive heart attack is also what Jackie Wilson suffered on stage, while performing at Dick Clark’s Oldies Concert in 1975, and that led to him being in a coma for nine years, up until his death in 1984 at the age of 49.

It’s been said that after the murder of his son, Jackie Jr., that is what drove Jackie to severe drug and alcohol addictions. He simply couldn’t cope with his child’s death on his own, so he spent the rest of his life (until his coma) self medicating the pain away, with bouts of soberness in between. Little did he know was that just 2 years after he was already in a coma his second child would be murdered; and 11 years after that, his third child would pass away as well.

It’s sad that oftentimes the greatest entertainers have the greatest deal of pain and/or flaws…the iconic Jackie Wilson was no exception to that rule. May he and his children continue to rest.

The post Murder & Grief: Jackie Wilson’s 3 Children Died Way Too Young, What Went Wrong? appeared first on I Love Old School Music.