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Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi has been diagnosed with lymphoid cancer. A message posted on the band's Facebook page read "With the news that Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi has been diagnosed with the early stages of lymphoma, his band mates would like everyone to send positive vibes to the guitarist at this time. Iommi is currently working with his doctors to establish the best treatment plan — the “IRON MAN” of Rock & Roll remains upbeat and determined to make a full and successful recovery. This comes as Black Sabbath — Ozzy Osbourne (vocals), Tony Iommi (guitar), Geezer Butler (bass) and Bill Ward (drums) — are writing and recording their first album in 33 years in Los Angeles (still set for release this fall) with producer Rick Rubin. They will now go to the UK to continue to work with Tony. Further information will be released as it becomes available." The band had announced a reunion, new album and upcoming world tour in November 2011. (January 10, 2012)

The highly regarded alt-rock band REM is about to be no more. An announcement posted on the band's website states: "...as lifelong friends and co-conspirators, we have decided to call it a day as a band. We walk away with a great sense of gratitude, of finality, and of astonishment at all we have accomplished. To anyone who ever felt touched by our music, our deepest thanks for listening." The band, consisting of lead vocalist Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry had formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980. While performing on a European tour in 1995, Berry had suffered a cerebral aneurysm, the complications from which had led to his departure from the band in 1997. Even though commonly regarded as an eighties band, REM had experienced most of it's musical success in the nineties decade. The band is best known today for songs such as The One I Love, It's the End of the World as We Know It, Stand, Losing My Religion, Shiny Happy People, What's the Frequency, Kenneth? and Man on the Moon. (September 21, 2011)

Former lead singer Jani Lane, of the band Warrant has been found dead in a Los Angeles hotel room. Although the L.A. coroner had not released any determination of a cause of death, Lane's ongoing battle with alcohol addiction was well known to his family, acquaintances and colleagues. His manager had indicated the death was alcohol related. Warrant was front and center in the "hair" metal scene that began evolving in the late eighties. Their early nineties song Cherry Pie, written by Lane and promoted by an provocative accompanying music video, had sold over 2 million copies. The model who had performed in the video was in fact Lane's first wife, Bobbie Brown. In 2003, Lane had released a solo album titled Back Down To One, but still played with Warrant on an irregular basis. With his first two marriages having ended in divorce, Jani Lane is survived by a brother, three sisters, his wife Kimberly, two daughters - one each from the two initial marriages and two stepdaughters. (August 14, 2011)

Dan Peek of the folk-tinged classic rock trio America has died at the age of 60. The band was best known for their early seventies chart hits A Horse With No Name, Sister Golden Hair and Lonely People. America had formed in London England where Peek along with friends Dewey Bunnell and Gerry Beckley had been attending high school. The families of the three American students had earlier relocated to England where their U.S. military personnel parents had been stationed. The trio had nostalgically chosen the name "America" to accentuate the fact they were Americans as opposed to British musicians merely mimicking an American sound. Their self-titled debut album was released in England in 1971 and the following year in North America. For several years the band enjoyed a good measure of fame buoyed by their rapid success. However, by the late seventies, Peek had become distraught with what he saw as rock's cliche-ridden lifestyle and left the band for a new career in Christian music. He's survived by his long time, high-school sweetheart wife Catherine who had found him dead in his sleep, his parents and several siblings. Peek's former band-mates Beckley and Bunnell continue on as a duo, mostly composing but also touring and performing live on occasion. (July 29, 2011)

One of the rock era's most recognizable and renowned musicians has died. Saxophonist Clarence Clemons who although in recent years had often performed solo, was best known for his role as a founding member of Bruce Springsteen's legendary E-Street Band. The towering Clemons, nicknamed "big man" by Springsteen and his band mates, had been hospitalized after suffering a stroke at his Florida home six days earlier. Springsteen had posted a tributary message on his website saying "...His loss is immeasurable and we are honored and thankful to have known him and had the opportunity to stand beside him for nearly forty years..." Clemons had last performed with the E-Street band late last year and had recently collaborated with the chart-topping contemporary artist Lady Ga-Ga. He often told others how as a youngster he originally had his heart set on a career in athletics - preferably football, but that became destined to change due to injuries he had sustained in a car accident many years after his father gave him a saxophone for a gift. In 1972, after a period of playing solo at various gigs around New Jersey, Clemons was eventually invited by an appreciative Springsteen to join a new band he was putting together. The E-Street band was born and became increasingly thrust into the era's rock music limelight with the release of albums such as Greetings From Asbury Park and the chart-dominating, critically acclaimed 1976 classic Born To Run. Far beyond being a typical instrumental backdrop, Clemons' masterful backing and solo passages thoroughly electrified songs such as Badlands, Jungleland and Born To Run. The passing of the 69 year old Clemons had been preceded by E-Street band keyboardist and long-time Springsteen acompaniast Danny Federici who had died of cancer in 2008. (June 19, 2011)

Joan Jett and Cherie Currie of The Runaways are taking joint legal action to stop the release of a forthcoming tribute album. The ironically named Take It or Leave It has 36 tracks featuring renditions of Runaways classics recorded by several contemporary bands. The album is scheduled for release at the end of this month. Jett and Currie claim the album project's imaging goes too far in it's use of their likenesses and names for marketing purposes. As it turns out, Jett is no stranger to being in court. The band's former bassist Jacqueline Fuchs having begun a new career as a lawyer, had objected to being portrayed in the 2010 movie The Runaways and wanted the film's production stopped. A compromise of sorts had eventually been reached with Jett and her producers relegating that particular character's role largely to the story line's background. The movie was doubtlessly responsible for a steep rise in the band's profile and marketability - something that Jett and Currie likely contend the producers of the tribute album are only too keenly aware of. (June 13, 2011)

As classic rockers Judas Priest prepare to embark on what's been labeled their "final" tour, the band's guitarist K.K. Downing has stepped down and reportedly will not be taking part. A statement posted on the band's website read "It is with regret that Judas Priest announce that K.K. Downing has formally retired from the band and will therefore not be joining them on their forthcoming Epitaph Tour. The band respects his decision and naturally all wish him well." Faced with the sudden departure, remaining band members singer Rob Halford, guitarist Glenn Tipton, bassist Ian Hill and drummer Scott Travis mutually decided to continue with the tour. UK guitarist Richie Faulkner has been recruited to take Downing's place. (April 22, 2011)

Former Thin Lizzy guitarist Gary Moore has reportedly died in his sleep. According to his manager, the fifty-eight year old had suddenly passed away while vacationing in Costa del Sol, Spain this last weekend. Having earlier played with the Irish Band Skid Row, Moore carried the additional reputation of being an accomplished solo performer upon joining Thin Lizzy at the behest of frontman Phil Lynott - himself a Skid Row alumni. Moore had taken over lead guitar following the departure of Eric Bell from the band. He was predeceased by Lynott who had passed away in 1986. Originally hailing from Belfast, Northern Ireland and later relocating to Dublin in 1969 as a teen, Gary Moore is survived by his wife and children. (Feb 7, 2011)

Scottish singer songwriter Gerry Rafferty has passed away at the age of 63. He was best known for his 1978 song Baker Street, and Stuck In The Middle With You which although well received when first released as a Stealers Wheel single in 1972, found far more recognition upon inclusion in the soundtrack of the eighties Quinten Tarantino gangster movie Reservoir Dogs. After dropping out of school in his teens, Rafferty formed what was to be a short-lived band with one of his friends, Joe Egan. Eventually by the early seventies, the pair found themselves reunited in Stealers Wheel which had stayed together long enough to release three albums before dissolving in 1975. After maneuvering his way through a frustrating bout of music-related contractual disputes that legally blocked him from releasing new material, Rafferty eventually signed with United Artists records and went on to record the hugely successful solo effort City To City which was released in mid-1978. On both sides of the Atlantic, the critically acclaimed album's first single Baker Street swiftly ascended to top ten chart status. The song's eerily distinctive Raphael Ravenscroft saxophone solo lent it a sound that stood out well from the soft rock and disco influenced pop that seemingly dominated that era's mainstream radio play. Among his next albums, only 1979's Night Owl met with any recognizable success, going Top Five in Britain and Top Twenty in North America. Rafferty had later contributed a soundtrack vocal to the 1983 film Local Hero which also featured the music of former Dire Straits front man Mark Knofler. Having divorced his wife Carla, Rafferty is survived by a daughter, brother and granddaughter. (January 5, 2011)

It's not so much a case of too little, too late as perhaps too much, much too late. I speak of the sudden availability of the entire Beatles catalog on iTunes following what could only be described as a protracted stand-off. The past legal battles between the Beatles' recording label Apple and the former Apple Computer (now Apple Inc.) stemming from sharing a similar name have been documented both here and elsewhere. Until very recently, that battle culminated in a stalemate of sorts, with each side agreeing to grant the other specific rights - yada, yada. However, one area where the late Apple Corps head Neil Aspinall stood firm was his refusal to license the fab four's music to both third-party compilations and digital download services - such as Apple's iTunes. At least part of that mantra began to change last summer when Aspinall's successor Jeff Jones met with EMI Group CEO Roger Faxon. Since then, negotiations have taken place with iTunes representatives to hammer out an agreement that, according to the The Wall Street Journal, makes iTunes an exclusive on-line retailer for Beatles music until at least January. There's just one problem here - it's not 2001 any more. By this stage of the game, any semi-serious Beatles fan already owns all the Beatles music they care about on CD. Those CDs would either be one of the initial 1987 releases or from among last year's newly remastered series. Since it happens to be really easy to transcode or "rip" tracks from CD to digital files playable on virtually all portable music players - including Apple's own iPod lineup, I simply can't see this development as all that culturally or economically sustainable, and least of all the monumental occasion that Apple's Steve Jobs is making it out to be. (November 17, 2010)

Previous reports are located in the Plugged-In Archive

The reports and commentary on this page are based on reports from a variety of on-line and print media resources. In rare cases where direct quotes are used, the editor will endeavor to name the original source that reported the quote.