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Rob Base
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Obituaries: Hit Rapper Rob Base, Dr. Hook Vocalist Dennis Locorriere, Frank Zappa Collaborator Ike Willis
This week we also acknowledge the passing of Pink Floyd saxophonist Dick Parry.
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Rob Base (born Robert Ginyard), a rapper and one-half of Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock, best known for the hit “It Takes Two,” died on May 22, at age 59, from cancer.
“Rob’s music, energy, and legacy helped shape a generation and brought joy to millions around the world. Beyond the stage, he was a loving father, family man, friend, and creative force whose impact will never be forgotten,” reads a statement on his social media account.
A Billboard obituary reports that "Childhood friends Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock rose to prominence in the late 1980s, and the duo’s breakout came in 1988 with 'It Takes Two' via Profile Records, which hit the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 36 and spending 16 weeks on the chart. The crossover hit is certified platinum by the RIAA.
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"The Black Eyed Peas sampled 'It Takes Two' for their top 10 Billboard Hot 100 hit 'Rock That Body,' and the single was also played in such movies as Love & Basketball, The Proposal, Iron Man 2, The Disaster Artist, Hey Arnold! The Movie and was part of a radio station in 2004 video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas."
The hit was followed up by The Jacksons-sampling “Get on the Dance Floor,” which topped Billboard‘s Dance Club Songs chart, and Rob and E-Z Rock returned to the Hot 100 for a second and final time with “Joy and Pain,” which peaked at No. 58 in July 1989.
The Harlem duo released two albums together, 1988’s It Takes Two (No. 31 Billboard 200 peak, No. 4 Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums peak), and Break of Dawn in 1994. Base dropped one solo album in his career, 1989's The Incredible Base (No. 50 Billboard 200 peak, No. 20 Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums peak).
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DJ E-Z Rock (born Rodney Bryce) died in 2014 due to complications related to diabetes, while Base continued their musical legacy in the years since, as he performed as part of the I Love the 90’s Tour with Vanilla Ice and other acts.
Billboard notes that "Base even extended his reach into Hollywood, where he executive produced the horror movie Urban Flesh Eaters in 2025. Rob Base’s final public statement came earlier this week when celebrating his 59th birthday with a post to Instagram on May 18. 'Happy 59th Birthday to me. God thank you for allowing me to see another year,' he wrote."
Dennis Locorriere, the legendary voice of '70s rock hitmakers Dr. Hook, died on May 16, at age 76.
A statement from his management company says he died “after a long and courageous battle with kidney disease … Dennis faced his illness with remarkable strength, dignity, and resilience throughout, and remained deeply cherished by all who knew him.”
Dr. Hook scored six top 10 hits on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. Their biggest successes included "Sexy Eyes," which reached No. 5 in 1980, and "Sylvia's Mother," which peaked at No. 5 in 1972. 1973's "The Cover of 'Rolling Stone'" became a million-selling hit, peaking at No. 6, while 1979's "When You're in Love with a Beautiful Woman" was a US top-10 hit reached the No. 1 spot in the U.K.
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A Guardian obituary reports that "Locorriere, who shared lead vocal duties with Ray Sawyer, was part of the band for the whole of its run from 1969 to 1985. Born in New Jersey in 1949, he was in his late teens when he sat in with a group of more experienced musicians a decade older than him, with Locorriere on vocals, bass, guitar and harmonica. 'I just knew that I didn’t want to have a regular job because at that time I was a hippy,' Locorriere said. 'I would go to bars at night and play until three in the morning, playing and having fun with my friends and I really wasn’t thinking too much about it.'"
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"Sawyer left the band in 1983, saying he’d become 'a product with a patch and a hat.' Dr Hook continued until a 1985 farewell tour with Locorriere as frontman. “'We found that Dr Hook had started to become a bit of a re-tread and so we decided to call it a day,' he said. Thereafter, Locorriere toured under his own name with the subtitle 'the voice of Dr Hook,' and released three solo albums between 2000 and 2010."
Many of Dr Hook’s songs were written by songwriters outside the band, but Locorriere co-wrote some of Dr Hook’s songs that were covered by others, including 'A Couple More Years, 'which was covered by Bob Dylan, and 'You Ain’t Got the Right,' reprised by Olivia Newton-John.
Isaac “Ike” Willis, the singer/guitarist who played in late rock maverick Frank Zappa’s band for a decade from 1978-1998, has died on May 16, at age 70. In 2022, Willis told JamBase that he’d been diagnosed with prostate cancer.
A Billboard obituary reports that "Willis was born in St. Louis and started playing guitar at age eight. He fell under the spell of prog rock and jazz in high school, specifically having his mind blown at a 1974 Zappa concert. Then, while studying political science at Washington University and also working on the school’s concert committee he scored a backstage pass he used to meet Zappa during a show there.
"Willis impressed Zappa with his singing skills backstage, prompting the band leader to ask Willis to audition to be a guitarist in his band. He then became a regular member of Zappa’s expansive touring and studio crew for the next decade.
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A statement by his family reads, in part: "Ike was not only a great father, but a musician whose unmistakable voice, humor, and artistry left a lasting imprint on the music world. His years of collaboration with Frank Zappa made him a cherished figure within the Zappa community, where fans embraced him not only for his talent, but for his generosity, wit, and the joy he brought to every stage.”
Billboard notes that "Willis was best known as the voice of the 1979 three-part rock opera Joe’s Garage, the sprawling album telling the story of average L.A. teen Joe, who over the course of the LP. It included Willis crooning, as Joe, on the church-baiting 'Catholic Girls,' 'Crew Slut,' 'Wet T-Shirt Nite'and his pained caterwauling on the STI-themed jazz rocker 'Why Does it Hurt When I Pee?'"
"Willis was one of the most reliable vocalist and band members in Zappa’s wide circle of collaborators, also appearing on the 1981 double-live album Tinseltown Rebellion, the trio of Shut Up ‘n Play Yer Guitar albums from that same year and another double-album from that year, You Are What You Is."
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He also performed on 1982’s Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch, Zappa’s 35th LP and the one that featured the composer/guitarist’s collaboration with his then 14-year-old daughter, Moon Zappa, on the novelty hit “Valley Girl.”He would perform on several more albums in the 1980s, as well as a string of live releases — including the You Can’t Do That on Stage Anymore series — and was part of the band on Zappa’s final two tours in 1984 and 1988.
Following Zappa’s death in 1993, Willis formed his own group, the Ike Willis Band, in the late 1980s and toured with a number of Zappa tribute bands, including The Muffin Men, Bogus Pomp and Ugly Radio Rebellion, among others.
Dick Parry, the saxophonist who performed on Pink Floyd classics like “Money” and “Shine On You Crazy Diamond,” died on May 22, at the age of 83. No cause of death was provided.
Parry’s death was announced Friday on social media by Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour; "My dear friend Dick Parry died this morning. Since I was seventeen, I have played in bands with Dick on saxophone, including Pink Floyd,” Gilmour wrote. “His feel and tone make his saxophone playing unmistakable, a signature of enormous beauty that is known to millions and is such a big part of songs such as ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond,’ ‘Wish You Were Here,’ ‘Us and Them’ and ‘Money.'”
A Rolling Stone obituary reports that "In addition to recording with Pink Floyd in the studio, Parry was a mainstay at the band’s concerts in the mid-Seventies. Nearly 20 years after Wish You Were Here, Parry reunited with the now-Gilmour-led Pink Floyd for 1994’s The Division Bell, performing on 'Wearing the Inside Out.' Parry also accompanied Pink Floyd on the tour in support of The Division Bell, as documented on the live album Pulse."
Editor's Note: Since the press time for this article, news of the death of jazz legend Sonny Rollins has come out. Head here for Billboard's obituary. Billboard Canada will have more reactions in next week's obituaries column.
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