Aaron Neville retires from touring
Fans of the sweet, melodic sounds of New Orleans’ legendary vocalist Aaron Neville won’t have many opportunities to hear him live from now on.
In posts Thursday on his official website and via social media, Neville announced his official retirement from touring.
Now 80, Neville said embarking on multidate tours is no longer appealing.
“The time has come for me to stop ripping and running on the road,” Neville wrote. “I waited for someone to invent a way to beam me from show to show but no such luck . ... Unfortunately, the grueling nature of travel and the schedule needed to make a tour work has become less than desirable. The current climate of our world brought me many realizations. Life is short and I’d like to spend my remaining time on this earth being less hurried.”
Neville hasn’t performed live since March 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic caused concerts to come to an abrupt halt in the U.S. Instead, he has livestreamed solo performances from Freville Farm, the 12-acre home in upstate New York where he and his wife, photographer Sarah A. Friedman, have lived since 2013.
Cornell family settles with doctor: The family of Chris Cornell and a doctor who they alleged overprescribed him drugs before he died have agreed to a settle a lawsuit.
Court documents filed by attorneys for the rock singer’s widow, Vicky Cornell, and their children, Toni and Christopher Nicholas Cornell, said a confidential settlement had been reached. The documents were filed in April, but they had gone unnoticed before City News Service reported on them Thursday.
The Cornell family alleged in the lawsuit filed in 2018 that medication — especially the anti-anxiety drug lorazepam — prescribed by Dr. Robert Koblin led to erratic behavior from the Soundgarden frontman before his death in Detroit in 2017 at age 52. Coroner’s investigators in Michigan ruled Cornell’s death a suicide by hanging.
“Plaintiffs and Defendants ... have reached a confidential settlement agreement to resolve all claims,” the Cornell family attorneys said in the April 2 court filing. The document said essential to the compromise was the agreement to minimize publicity and keep the terms confidential.
In court documents responding to the lawsuit, Koblin and his attorney denied any wrongdoing or responsibility for Cornell’s death.
Pearl Jam releases live shows: More than 20 years after embarking on an ambitious “authorized bootleg” program, Pearl Jam has released 186 shows from its 2000, 2003, 2008 and 2013 tours that have never previously been available in a comprehensive form on major music streaming services. Pearl Jam has also launched Deep, a long-in-the-works immersive live hub featuring a searchable concert database, detailed show information and fan-curated, thematic playlists.
May 8 birthdays: Singer Toni Tennille is 81. Pianist Keith Jarrett is 76. Drummer Chris Frantz is 70. Singer Philip Bailey is 70. Drummer Alex Van Halen is 68. Actor Raoul Max Trujillo is 66. Actor Melissa Gilbert is 57. Singer Darren Hayes is 49. Singer Enrique Iglesias is 46. Actor Domhnall Gleason is 38.