Tell me there’s a Heaven!

December 23, 2025

Tell me there’s a Heaven!

Quite a few musicians have travelled the Stairway to Heaven in 2025, these are just a few of them.

Marianne Faithfull (29 Dec 1946 – 30 Jan 2025)
English singer, songwriter, and actress whose career began in the 1960s. She gained international fame with her hit “As Tears Go By” and later reinvented her career with critically acclaimed work blending rock, folk, and spoken word.

Brian James (18 Feb 1951 – 6 Mar 2025)
Founding member and guitarist for British punk pioneers The Damned, credited with writing “New Rose,” considered one of the first British punk singles.

Clodagh Rodgers (5 March 1947 – 18 April 2025) was a Northern Irish singer best known for hit singles such as “Come Back and Shake Me,” “Goodnight Midnight,” and “Jack in the Box,” as well as albums including You Are My Music, It’s Different Now, and Save Me.

Born in County Down in 1947, Rodgers began singing at the age of 13 and made her television debut in September 1962. She represented the United Kingdom at the 1971 Eurovision Song Contest with “Jack in the Box,” finishing in fourth place. Following the contest, the single reached number four on the UK Singles Chart.

Al Foster (18 Jan 1943 – 28 May 2025)
American jazz drummer celebrated for his work with Miles Davis and numerous jazz luminaries. Known for versatility across styles and long-standing influence in modern jazz

Brian Wilson (20 Jun 1942 – 11 Jun 2025)
American composer, singer-songwriter, and co-founder of The Beach Boys. Widely regarded as a pop genius for albums like Pet Sounds and classics such as “Good Vibrations.

George Jan Kooymans (11 March 1948 – 22 July 2025) was a Dutch guitarist and vocalist, best known as a member of the rock band Golden Earring. He was the principal songwriter of “Twilight Zone,” the band’s only top-ten hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, which also reached number one on the Billboard Top Album Tracks chart.

In 2021, Kooymans announced his retirement from the music industry after being diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). He died four years later.

Ray Mayhew (22 January 1965 – 28 August 2025) was a British musician best known as the drummer for the 1980s new wave / post‑punk band Sigue Sigue Sputnik. Born in the United Kingdom, Mayhew was part of the band during its most prominent period in the 1980s, contributing to its distinctive sound that blended rock with electronic and glam influences and helped produce several UK Top‑40 hits, including “Love Missile F‑1‑11” and “21st Century Boy.

Richard Davies (22 July 1944 – 6 September 2025) was an English musician, best known as the founder, vocalist, and keyboardist of the rock band Supertramp. He was the band’s only constant member and contributed as a songwriter to hits such as “Bloody Well Right,” “Goodbye Stranger,” “My Kind of Lady,” “Cannonball,” and “I’m Beggin’ You.” Davies was renowned for his rhythmic blues piano solos, jazz-influenced progressive rock compositions, and incisive, often cynical lyrics.

Ace Frehley (27 Apr 1951 – 16 Oct 2025)
American guitarist and founding member of KISS, nicknamed “The Spaceman.” Known for his lead guitar work and influence on hard rock

Gary Mounfield (16 November 1962 – 20 November 2025), known professionally as Mani, was an English bassist best known for his work with the rock bands the Stone Roses and Primal Scream.

Mani joined the Stone Roses in 1987, contributing to both of the band’s albums before their initial split in 1996. Later that year, he became the full-time bassist for Primal Scream, appearing on five consecutive albums from Vanishing Point (1997) to Beautiful Future (2008). He departed from Primal Scream in 2011 to participate in the Stone Roses’ reunion, which lasted until their second breakup in 2017.

Chris Rea (4 June 1951 – 22 Dec 2025)
British singer-songwriter and guitarist whose blues-inflected rock brought enduring hits like “Driving Home for Christmas,” “The Road to Hell,” and “Fool (If You Think It’s Over).” Sales exceeded tens of millions worldwide, and he remained active across five decades.