Two Pop Icons, two deaths, two different legacies.

colonel abrams

A little known  Minneapolis-based funk group formed in December 1975 called ’94 East’ lost two of its former members in 2016. Both of them were iconic in the 80s but one of them became a megastar, where the other one died homeless.

The two were  Prince and Colonel Abrams(picture above)

prince

 

Colonel Abrams(which was his real name), a musical pioneer who helped bring house into the mainstream mainly known for his hit single “Trapped” died on Thanksgiving, November 24, 2016. In 2015  some of his friends launched a crowdfunding campaign in order to help Abrams gain access to diabetes medication and get him off the streets.

His career involved being a part of various different bands, including 94 East which at one point had Prince on guitar, but it split when Prince became a solo star.

prince solo

Prince who became one of the biggest artists of the 20th century and remained a musical power house until the day he died on April 21,2016, 7 months before Colonel Abrams.

Two men with two different legacies, each death though was a tragedy. Although Prince’s legacy has grown even after his death,Colonel Abrams’s has all but disappeared.

Ending the blog with a song that featured them both.