In 2016, several music icons passed and it seemed like the deaths would not end until the very end of the year. Icons like Prince and David Bowie who commanded the pop landscape for 40 years were gone suddenly and unexpectedly. Sharon Jones was just beginning to gain more recognition before passing of Cancer after a two-year fight. Many music fans are just happy for 2016 to be over after experiencing so much loss. The sadness from the passing of so many important voices is only assuaged by the fact that each artist has an immortal influence through their work.

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[youtube id=”ilUlyGGqTCg”] Clarence Reid, who was also known as the masked rapper Blowfly, died Sunday in hospice care at the age of 76 from liver cancer. Reid wrote songs for ’60’s soul artists including Gwen McCrae and Betty Wright. His Blowfly persona recited adult-themed rap versions of popular songs and became a hip-hop forerunner. “Rapp Dirty” became an influence on rappers and rock artists many of whom acknowledged him after his death announcement on social media. Pete Rock,  Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Flying Lotus were a few of the artists to offer public condolences for Reid. In 2010, the documentary, The Weird World Of Blowfly debuted at SXSW. A few days ago his drummer posted on Facebook that Reid had entered hospice care and would be releasing his final album 77 Rusty Trombones next month. You can hear a stream of the album now on Soundcloud before the official February release date.