In this relentlessly terrible year, here’s yet another piece of really sad news: Sharon Jones has died. News of her death was posted on her official Facebook page this evening: “We are deeply saddened to announce Sharon Jones passed away today after a heroic battle against pancreatic cancer. She was surrounded by her loved ones, including the Dap-Kings.”
The singer had been fighting cancer for several years. She was first diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2013, and underwent surgery and chemotherapy during that year. For a while it appeared that she had beaten the disease, and 2014 brought both a new album (the excellent Give the People What They Want) and a documentary about her life (Miss Sharon Jones!). Sadly, during the premiere of the latter at the Toronto International Film Festival, Jones announced that her cancer had returned, and in August this year she and her band The Dap-Kings were forced to cancel a scheduled European tour because of her illness.
There is no news yet of a memorial; as per the announcement on Jones’s page, such details will follow “soon.” The post also lists several charities and cancer research organizations to which you can donate in her memory.