The frontman of the 1960s rock band Jay and The Americans, Jay Black, passed away at the age of 82.
The band themselves announced the day of his passing in a statement released last Saturday, October 23. On their official Facebook account, the statement read, "Today, we mourn the passing of David Blatt a/k/a Jay Black and we acknowledge the great successes we had with him both as a partner and as a lead singer."
"We shared both wonderful and very contentious times, and much like an ex-wife, we are so proud of the beautiful children we created," they also added. "We'll always remember The Voice."
According to Rolling Stones, Black's family confirmed that he died on Friday night, October 22, due to complications from pneumonia. They also reported that he had dementia for the past years.
Black is survived by four children, five grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
On His Legacy
Named David Blatt initially, he was born in Brooklyn. By 1962, he joined Jay and the Americans and took over the group's first singer, Jay Traynor. According to the music magazine, Black's vocals featured on the band's Top 10 hits, including "Come A Little Bit Closer" and "Cara Mia."
Other than that, their track "This Magic Moment" reached No. 6 on the Billboard charts and sold more than 1 million copies.
Notably, the 1960s group also starred as an opening act for the Beatles' 1964 first US concert in Washington, DC.
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Marking His Solo Career
Also reported by the source, Jay and The Americans reached its end in 1973. After that, Black began his solo career up to his last concert in 2017. Before that, Walter Becker and Donald Fagen also became a part of Black's touring unit before forming Steely Dan.
He also became an actor where he played a supporting role in Frank Sinatra's 1977 NBC made-for-television film "Contract on Cherry Street" back in 1977. He stood for the position of Tommy Sindardos during that time.
Based on a report from ABC News, Black performed under the name Jay and the Americans for years; however, after filing for bankruptcy, he sold the name to Sandy Deanne.
May his soul rest in peace.
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