obituary

Shannon Bowman fought a felony drug charge in 2016 that resulted in the landmark "Blake decision." She passed away in August.

Equally at home with boppish fluency or a gutbucket blare, Curtis Fowlkes was a trombone virtuoso who collaborated far and wide, co-founding The Jazz Passengers. He died on Aug. 31, at 73.

He helped lay the groundwork for bossa nova but defied confinement to any single genre.

McCoy, a member of the Tulalip Tribes, was one of the state's longest serving Native American lawmakers. He retired in 2020 due to health reasons after 17 years as a state legislator, writing in his resignation letter that it was "the honor of a lifetime."

Bill Lee, a well-regarded jazz musician who accompanied such artists as Bob Dylan, Simon and Garfunkel and Harry Belafonte and scored four of his son Spike’s early films, has died. He was 94.

Jack Smith, an Associated Press photographer who captured unforgettable shots of the eruption of Mount St. Helens, the Exxon-Valdez oil spill and the Olympics during his 35-year career with the news organization, has died. He was 80.

A guitar virtuoso who pushed the boundaries of blues, jazz and rock ‘n’ roll, Jeff Beck has died. He was 78.

A ‘Godfather’ of whale watching and conservation has died. Ken Balcomb, founder of the Center for Whale Research was 82. Balcomb kept track of the population of southern resident orcas starting in 1976.

Seattle's "first-call" bassist for nearly four decades, Chuck Deardorf also served as the jazz program director at Cornish College of the Arts. He died Sunday due to complications from COVID-19.

Alan White, the longtime drummer for progressive rock pioneers Yes who also played on projects with John Lennon and George Harrison, has died. He was 72. White’s death was announced on his Facebook page by his family. The post said he died at his Seattle-area home on Thursday after a brief illness.