Ugh,2016.

While not as famous, Leon Russell had as unique a voice as Leonard Cohen. I'd be looking over my shoulder if I was Tom Waits.

RIP

Holy crap. It feels like another comes every couple of days. RIP

Fuck....what a year it has been.....and it just keeps on coming! Many of my favorites, too numerous to mention. My 92 year-old mother died in September and I just mentioned to my brother that she picked quite a year to go out in style with some of the best of all time, starting with Bowie in January. I then looked and saw that Bowie died on my mom's birthday in January.....how's that for irony?

RIP all!!

Can this year just be over with already?

RIP Leon Russell.

This one hurts deeply. Leon Russell was the favorite musician of my parents (they were even at the Long Beach Arena show recorded for Leon Live), so I feel like I lost a part of my family.
Glad I got to see him as many times as I did, and finally met him briefly at the screening of A Poem Is a Naked Person last year.

RIP to a giant.

The Grim Reaper has been busy. RIP Leon Russell. What a unique talent!

RIP, Leon.

My condolences to you, banzaibid.

I should have gone to see him when he was in town not long ago. Goddammit.

RIP. Say "hi" to Joe for me.

Saw him headline an outdoor festival back in the '90s. Truly an original. RIP Leon.

Such a lousy, lousy, lousy year.

RIP, Leon.

And condolences to you, banzaibid.

One of my favorites. Before his comeback he sold several releases through his website. I bought every one. He would always sign them.

sigh

"And when my life is over, remember when we were together." Just tears me up. RIP

While I'm not a fan of LR's later work; I am grateful that he had a return to popularity & the recognition he deserved while he was still alive.

So very sad for Leon and all of us. He was so great, playing on countless records throughout the sixties as one of the best session men ever.

By the end of the decade he struck out on his own and became a great solo artist. We are all so fortunate for all his music that he has left for us.

Rick A.

Proud to claim Leon as a fellow Oklahoma native. Great writer, session musician, sideman, bandleader, and solo artist. Founder of Shelter Records and architect of the "Tulsa Sound". Played with many great artists on many great albums, including George Harrison (Bangladesh) and Joe Cocker (Mad Dogs). Check out the self-titled "Leon Russell" album. Every song is a classic! I saw him live on three occasions, the last in Ponca City, OK a few years ago with his daughter. So happy his career was revived with Elton John recently. He will be missed.

I'd agree the self titled & Cocker's Mad Dogs are his best work, along with the still unreleased PBS broadcast

RIP.
John Oliver had a great coda to this shit year.
Fuck 2016.

Was looking to post that here, but couldn't find an official version.

Regarding Leon's return with Elton John, I am so grateful to Elton for taking the initiative to get Leon some love and recognition. Having seen Leon as early as 1978 and through out the years, I have to say the post-Elton shows were among the best I've seen. Not only did Leon seem to have more confidence, he was chatty and engaging. After years of seeing him stoically playing shows, looking like he would rather be anywhere else than on stage, you could tell he was energized by the deserved recognition.

RIP to a major musician.