Sad sad news, seminal poet and musician Gill Scott Heron is dead. A friend confirmed he died Friday afternoon after falling sick following a European trip. He was 62. Heron was a pioneer and renowned for the political tone of his music and poetry, particularly for "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised." The mega talented man was a huge influence on rappers such as Common, Mos Def, A Tribe Called Quest, Talib Kweli, Kanye West and anybody who likes great music and poetry. He was a Godfather really and a very beautiful looking man in his prime. He was also fairly open about his troubled life. I'm a huge fan, last year I went to the WOMAD music festival where he was a headliner, but I had to catch my train back to London and ended up having to miss his set which really pissed me off at the time. This makes it all the more upsetting because I remember thinking I'll have to catch him the next time he's in London. Rip Gill, we'll never forget your massive influence.
