Post by Deleted on Jul 4, 2007 23:33:17 GMT -5
Bill Pinkney of The Drifters Dies
(Sumter County) - The last surviving member of the legendary music group "The Drifters" has passed away.
Bill Pinkney was 81. A funeral home in Sumter County says Pinkney died at an event in Florida.
The Orlando Sentinel reports he was scheduled to perform at a Fourth of July concert in Daytona Beach Wednesday at 4 p.m. Daytona Beach Police Chief Mike Chitwood told the paper that Pinkney was found dead in his hotel room around 6 p.m. Chitwood says he's not sure if Pinkney actually performed. The Daytona Beach News Journal Online reports police believe Pinkney died of a heart attack.
Chitwood told the newspaper that Pinkney was discovered by a member of security in the Hilton hotel room where he was staying. He says someone spotted Pinkney through a window and notified security.
"The drapes to his window were open and when you looked... you could see a person laying there," Chitwood says.
When local emergency officials arrived they were unable to revive Pinkney. Lt. John King with the Daytona Beach Fire Department says he was told the musician battled heart problems.
"My medic said that family members said he had a history of heart problems," says King. He adds, "They weren't able to revive him, though attempts were made."
Pinkney was born in the small town of Dalzell in 1925.
"The Drifters" were an influential beach music group that used components of soul, rhythm and blues, and rock and roll music. Pinkney left the band in 1958 in a dispute over money. He then formed another group called "The Original Drifters."
The Drifters produced several memorable tunes including "Under the Boardwalk," "Up on the Roof," and "Save the Last Dance for Me."
Before his musical career, Pinkney served in World War Two. He also played baseball in the Negro Baseball League.
home.att.net/~marvy42/Drifters/drifters.html
(Sumter County) - The last surviving member of the legendary music group "The Drifters" has passed away.
Bill Pinkney was 81. A funeral home in Sumter County says Pinkney died at an event in Florida.
The Orlando Sentinel reports he was scheduled to perform at a Fourth of July concert in Daytona Beach Wednesday at 4 p.m. Daytona Beach Police Chief Mike Chitwood told the paper that Pinkney was found dead in his hotel room around 6 p.m. Chitwood says he's not sure if Pinkney actually performed. The Daytona Beach News Journal Online reports police believe Pinkney died of a heart attack.
Chitwood told the newspaper that Pinkney was discovered by a member of security in the Hilton hotel room where he was staying. He says someone spotted Pinkney through a window and notified security.
"The drapes to his window were open and when you looked... you could see a person laying there," Chitwood says.
When local emergency officials arrived they were unable to revive Pinkney. Lt. John King with the Daytona Beach Fire Department says he was told the musician battled heart problems.
"My medic said that family members said he had a history of heart problems," says King. He adds, "They weren't able to revive him, though attempts were made."
Pinkney was born in the small town of Dalzell in 1925.
"The Drifters" were an influential beach music group that used components of soul, rhythm and blues, and rock and roll music. Pinkney left the band in 1958 in a dispute over money. He then formed another group called "The Original Drifters."
The Drifters produced several memorable tunes including "Under the Boardwalk," "Up on the Roof," and "Save the Last Dance for Me."
Before his musical career, Pinkney served in World War Two. He also played baseball in the Negro Baseball League.
home.att.net/~marvy42/Drifters/drifters.html
