[music]

Brian Lehrer: Brian Lehrer on WNYC. We'll end today here on December 17th, two weeks left in 2024, with a call-in for your short tributes to a public figure in any walk of life who passed away in this year and who mattered to you. Your short tributes to a public figure in any walk of life who passed away this year and who mattered to you, even if you didn't know them personally. 212-433-WNYC, 212-433-9692. I'll start with one from me in a minute, a musician who I was a big fan of whose death was just announced yesterday. But let me get the invitation out to you first for your short tributes to a public figure in any walk of life who passed away this year and who mattered to you, even if you didn't know them personally. 212-433-WNYC, 212-433-9692.

You know how at the Oscars they always do an In Memoriam section naming people in the film industry who passed that year? That's what we're inviting you to be part of here, for any public figure in any walk of life who passed away this year and who mattered to you, even if obviously you didn't know them personally. 212-433-WNYC, 212-433-9692. I'll just give you a few examples here. Maybe you want to say a few words about the late musician Toby Keith, who began his domination of the country music scene in the early '90s. He passed away in February at age 62. Then there's the Russian opposition leader in a very different walk of life, Alexei Navalny, who spoke out against Putin and the United Russia Party. He died in prison earlier this year.

Remember the "Say Hey Kid" Willie Mays, legendary baseball player who played for both the Giants when they were in New York and in San Francisco, and the Mets. He passed in May in his '90s. You or your children may know Dame Maggie Smith from her depiction of Professor McGonagall in the Harry Potter series, among other things. She had so many incredible roles over her lifetime, right? Did you love The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, Sister Act, Downton Abbey? Then there was the sudden death of Liam Payne from the boy band One Direction. If you or maybe your daughter was a teenager in the 2010s, maybe you'll have something to say on that group's influence during that time. I'm really just scratching the surface with this list here. Who am I missing who was important to you who passed away in 2024? 212-433-WNYC.

And I'll start, as I said I would, as your calls are coming in. We learned yesterday that the Indian tabla player Zakir Hussain died this week. He was 73. Considered a master percussionist in India, he was also renowned around the world. Why? For being a crossover artist, collaborating with all kinds of fellow musicians in multiple genres other than Indian classical music. In fact, just this year he was awarded three different Grammy Awards for his work in different kinds of groups: with jazz/bluegrass/banjo player Béla Fleck, and with the Indian jazz rock fusion group Shakti, with guitarist John McLaughlin. He even composed a concerto for tabla and orchestra that debuted in 2015. And on NPR that year, he talked about coming from a very specific musical tradition, but then opening himself up to any and all other ones from all over the world.

Zakir Hussain: You know, when you come from India and you say, "Okay, I'm representing a 3,000 year old history," and so you think that you are the one who are the teacher of the world and you're going to teach the world about rhythms and drums and so on. Then you arrive here, you suddenly realize that you know nothing. You're just one little dot in the painting that is the music of the universe.

Brian Lehrer: Zakir Hussain on NPR in 2015. And you heard a little bit in the background, music from the band Shakti. Here's a 30-second clip from their NPR Tiny Desk concert just last year that features the tabla.

[playing a music sample from the band Shakti]

Brian Lehrer: I'll just say that I was a big enough fan of Zakir Hussain that I went to see him with that group Shakti at NJ PAC in Newark last year. And just this summer, I traveled up to Kingston to see him with Béla Fleck at the Ulster Performing Arts Center up there in Ulster County. He was cooking away on his tabla set, seemed very much alive and well just those few months ago, so I was shocked and really sad yesterday to hear that he died. It's amazing how we humans can actually feel a personal sense of loss after someone we didn't actually ever know or even meet passes away if that person's public work touched you in a meaningful way, right? And I have that right now for the loss of Zakir Hussain.

That's my contribution to this segment. Now it's your turn. Your short tributes to a public figure in any walk of life who passed away this year and who mattered to you, even if you didn't know them personally. 212-433-WNYC, 212-433-9692. Call or text, and we'll take those tributes right after this.

[MUSIC - Marden Hill: Hijack]

Brian Lehrer: Brian Lehrer on WNYC. Now to your calls with tributes to any public figure from any walk of life who passed in 2024 at 212-433-WNYC. Our lines are full with people who want to remember somebody, so I would suggest texting right now, and we'll get to some of those too. But we'll start with Betsy in West Orange. Hi, Betsy. You're on WNYC.

Betsy: Hey, Brian. I am forever mourning the loss of Judith Jamison, the artistic director of Alvin Ailey Dance Company, who was its unbelievable, immeasurable star as a dancer, and then took on the helm after the death of its founder, Alvin Ailey. No small feat by any measure.

Brian Lehrer: No pun intended.

Betsy: Yes. I had the privilege of seeing her as a performer and seeing the company continue to grow and prosper over the years, become one of our country's most brightest starring ambassadors around the world. The way the school grew, the way she nurtured young people and continued to build an incredible institution, it's a huge loss for the dance world and for the world in general.

Brian Lehrer: Thank you, Betsy. That's a great way to start. Caledonia in Brooklyn, you're on WNYC. Hi, Caledonia.

Caledonia: Hi, Brian. How are you?

Brian Lehrer: I'm okay. What you got for us? Who do you want to remember?

Caledonia: I'd like to remember Bernice Johnson Reagon. She was a national treasure. She was a freedom singer in the civil rights movement as a part of SNCC, and she founded Sweet Honey in the Rock. Really, what she did was she embodied collective singing as a unifier during the civil rights movement, and also sort-- of when you sing, you activate the spirit and the human spirit. Her voice was just otherworldly, and I think what she did for the civil rights movement is just incomparable. Also, she was a Libra, I just want to say that too, so she was in a special astrological plane. It was a privilege to listen to her while I was growing up, and then also to take my daughter to Sweet Honey in the Rock concerts. Her spirit lives on in the music of her daughter, Toshi Reagon, who is a phenomenal performer, so-- Just wanted to share.

Brian Lehrer: Right. Speaking as a Libra, the symbol of the balance, the balance is definitely one to aspire to for those of us who happen to be born in that month.

Caledonia: Exactly.

Brian Lehrer: I'll say that I was lucky enough to see Bernice Johnson Reagon with Sweet Honey in the Rock one time at BAM, and that melding of the mission, as you describe it, and the music where [unintelligible 00:09:19] the importance of what she was doing in a social justice context, and the fact that the music would stand on its own as unbelievably great, whether or not there was a social context, was just so, so special. So I'll add my thought to that. Caledonia, thank you very much. Rudolph in West Babylon, you're on WNYC. Hi, Rudolph.

Rudolph: Oh, thank you, Brian. Thank you so much for taking my call. I really, really want to talk about Quincy Jones. I was a kid in Africa listening to the music of Michael Jackson. I didn't know that Quincy Jones was behind it until they made We are the World, and that turned my life around, that people far away in the world would care about the situation in faraway Africa. For the rest of my life, I was so attracted to United States and the people here. This year, I watched his documentary, the documentary on his life for the first time on Netflix, so when he died, it was personal to me. I felt like I knew him, and I was so touched. I really wanted to give a shout out to the contribution he made to my life and the lives of other people. One other person I want to mention is Nikki Giovanni. Amongst all the writers and poets in America that inspired me to be a writer, she was the greatest. She was the one I could relate to, and she helped me to understand America more than anybody else, so I just wanted to mention it too.

Brian Lehrer: You know, funny about Quincy Jones, he became so renowned as a producer. When I was in high school, I had a Quincy Jones album as a band leader, and so he was doing it in the straight music realm too, his own music, even though he got so well known as a producer extraordinaire and an impresario. So, Rudolph, thank you for both those shout outs. Here's one in a text message: "Faith Ringgold, I read her book Tar Beach as a child, and learned about her work later in life and the way she brought folk work and quilting to the art world." Here's another music one coming in from Bennett in Woodstock. You're on WNYC. Hi, Bennett.

Bennett: Good morning, Brian. An especially notable loss in the past year was the death of Phil Lesh of the Grateful Dead. I first saw them in 1972, and my impression was, I had no idea the bass player was so important. I think he changed music, he changed the role of bass players in rock music and this entire community who has enjoyed him and listened to him for 50 years.

Brian Lehrer: Bennett, thank you for shouting out Phil Lesh from the Grateful Dead. Another one in a text: "Representative Donald Payne Jr., an icon because he continued his father's legacy of serving New Jersey's 10th Congressional District. I interned in his office, and he was a very kind man. He had a gentle presence and calming humor that made everyone feel welcomed. He encouraged creativity and new ideas." Yes, Congressman Payne passed away this year as well. Don in Hell's Kitchen, you're on WNYC. Hi, Don.

Don: Hey, Brian. I want to highlight Gena Rowlands, especially her connection to New York with the film Gloria, 1980, directed by her husband. She plays an amazing New York character. I want to call also right now on behalf of Carol Kane, another actress who depicted great New Yorkers in Taxi and the movie Hester Street. But everybody, see Gloria, 1980. It shows New York in the late '70s, and she plays the grittiest New York character. You'll see a fight on the A-train in the middle of the film that will send your mind spinning. It's a great tribute to New York in that period and Gena Rowlands, who studied acting here in New York and met her husband here in New York. Gena Rowlands was a terrific actress, and me and her friend Carol Kane, and so many of us will miss her.

Brian Lehrer: Don, thank you very much for that. Another one on text: "Dr. Ruth Westheimer, who, well before she became an international phenomenon, was a very strong, very kind, big hearted human being," writes that listener. Amanda in Brooklyn, you're on WNYC. Hi, Amanda. Who do you want to remember?

Amanda: Hi, Brian. Thanks for taking my call. I would really like to remember Gavin Creel. He was an incredible Broadway actor, and such a light and such an incredible voice, so funny. But beyond that-- I mean, I grew up listening to all of his Broadway cast recordings. I would illegally download them on Limewire and burn them to CDs to play in the car. But beyond all of that talent, he was just such an incredible person. I had a friend who actually worked with him as a poll worker right after the pandemic, so he just was really part of the community, and his performances meant so much to me. He was so honest and vulnerable on stage, and so full of joy, and I just really wanted to uplift his memory.

Brian Lehrer: Thank you very much for doing that, Amanda. I'll say that we're getting a lot of texts also mentioning Gavin Creel. I think his young age of 48 is one of the reasons that people were so hit hard by that, as well as his work, of course. Another one in a text: "The poet Refaat Alareer, a Palestinian poet, writer, and activist. I encourage listeners to read his last poem, If I Must Die," writes that listener. And by the way, a lot coming in on Quincy Jones, a lot coming in on Nikki Giovanni, so let me go back-- Even though one of the callers mentioned Nikki Giovanni, let me take one who's going to center Giovanni a little bit more. Lyran in Long Island City, you're on WNYC. Hello.

Lyran: Hey, Brian, Love your show, multi-time caller. Yes, Nikki Giovanni, she just strikes me as someone's art or poetry that just hits the soul. We lost her just a few days ago. And especially because she had to traverse many different blocks in life: misogyny in her own groups and outside of her groups, and just a lovely metaphor of going to Mars as Black women were the first astronauts coming to America from Africa. Just a wonderful analogy or metaphor, but yes, we'll really miss her. Catch Going to Mars on HBO, it's really great.

Brian Lehrer: Lyran, thank you very much. Listener writes, "Miho Nakayama, the queen of J-pop, Japanese pop, who rose to stardom in the '80s. She will always be a shining star, and her music lives on." Another one for music, Roy Haynes. Listener writes, "Jazz is America's singular cultural art form, and Mr. Haynes played drums with virtually all of the true giants. He also continued to play well into his senior status." Allison in Glen Ridge, you're on WNYC. Hi, Allison.

Allison: Hi, Brian. Thank you. I want to pay respects in memory to Robin Siegel, who was a New York based photographer. She covered Fashion Week, she covered all aspects of New York and Paris, and was working on a book about a French village when she passed.

Brian Lehrer: Thank you very much. Another one in a text that combines a number of people. Listener writes, "The 1, 2, 3 of Nikki Giovanni, Lorraine O'Grady, and Zakir Hussain this past week hit hard for the arts, for activism, for BIPOC creativity and power, and for the rhythm of my life as an artist," writes that one person. Let's see-- Well, we'll get one more in here. I mentioned Navalny in the intro, but didn't get to anybody to speak about him, so let's end with Tony in Elmont on Alexei Navalny. Tony, you're on WNYC. We've got about 20 seconds for you. Hi.

Tony: Hi, Brian. I wanted to mention Alexei Navalny because of his courage and of his bravery and the potential that he had to change the world in the sense that-- For example, the Ukraine war would not be existing at this point in time if he had become president of Russia, so I think [unintelligible 00:18:34].

Brian Lehrer: Tony, thank you very much. A couple of last texts: Arthur Frommer, who opened up the world of travel to everyday people, and somebody writes-- Sorry, this already blanked off my screen. Oh, Glynis Johns, the actor at 100. "Thank you, Sister Suffragette," writes that listener. Thank you, listeners. This was wonderful, your calls to public figures who passed in 2024.

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