It’s November 24th and these are some of the things that happened on this day in pop music history:
- In 1991, Freddie Mercury of Queen died of AIDS-related complications in London. He was 45. “We should remember him for his music and not for his health and his AIDS diagnosis,” Nick Partridge of British HIV/AIDS charity Terrence Higgins Trust told a news program at the time. “So I think he was right to keep that private and glad that towards his death he recognized the important role he could have in informing other people, warning other people, of the dangers of AIDS.”
- In 2011, ABC aired A Very Gaga Thanksgiving. The 90-minute special featured the pop star singing, returning to her old school, and being interviewed by Katie Couric.
- In 1979, “No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)” a duet by Barbra Streisand and Donna Summer, hit the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100, where it remained for two weeks.
- In 1991, Eric Carr, who replaced Peter Criss as drummer of KISS in 1980, died at 41 after suffering a brain hemorrhage. Carr, whose real name was Paul Charles Caravello, had battled heart cancer.
- In 1991, pop singer Cyndi Lauper married actor David Thornton, with whom she starred in the movie Off and Running, in New York City. “When I'm 80 years old, I hope we still want to jump each other's bones,” Lauper told the Independent in 1992.
- In 2001, pop singer Melanie Thornton of La Bouche died when Crossair Flight 3597 went down near Zurich. She was 34. With La Bouche she had dance hits like “Be My Lover” and “Sweet Dreams” and as a solo artist she had the hit “Love How You Love Me.”
- In 2006, Canada’s Nickelback won Favourite Pop/Rock Album (for All The Right Reasons) at the American Music Awards, beating the soundtrack to High School Musical, but lost both the Favourite Pop/Rock Band and Alternative Artist categories to Red Hot Chili Peppers. Fellow Canadian nominees Michael Bublé and Nelly Furtado went home empty-handed.
- In 2007, Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea lost his Malibu mansion to a wildfire.
- In 1965, Dawn Sherrese Robinson was born in New London, Connecticut. In 1989, she was chosen to be one of four singers in an all-female group called En Vogue. They went on to have hits like “Free Your Mind” and “My Lovin’ (You’re Never Gonna Get It).” Robinson left En Vogue in 1997 in a contract dispute.
- In 2009, former pop idol Donny Osmond (with Kym Johnson) was crowned the winner of Season 9 of Dancing With The Stars. Competitors during the season included singers Macy Grey, Aaron Carter, and Mya.
- In 1996, Crowded House played their farewell concert in front of more than 100,000 people outside the Sydney Opera House. The band, which had hits like “Don’t Dream It’s Over” and “Something So Strong” would reunite in 2006.
And that’s what popped on this day.