The passing of Mighty Sparrow, an icon of calypso music, left us with a 70-year-long body of work. With his skilled political musicianship, he captured the rise and betrayal of Trinidad’s 1950s nationalist movement in songs such as ‘William the Conqueror’ and ‘Sedition’.
News of the death of comrade Jim Brookshaw came as a cruel blow to all who knew him. Here, Alan Woods, Jim’s close friend and comrade, pays tribute to this lifelong class fighter and reflects on Jim’s journey from Stalinism to genuine Marxism.
Country music icon Dolly Parton has died at the age of 80. Across a decades-spanning career, she wrote over 3,000 songs, each carrying her unmistakable signature: a plainness that was never simple; a sweetness that never tipped into saccharine sentimentality.
Early on Saturday morning, comrade Anne Marie Forster lost her long struggle against cancer. An energetic and intelligent working-class woman, she was part of the small group who stayed loyal to the ideas of genuine Marxism throughout decades of difficulty.
Miles Todd was one of ‘the 250’ – the stalwarts of our organisation, who swam against the stream for thirty years. Miles spoke daily about the Party, particularly the International, and paid his last dues from hospital, surrounded by his favourite Marxist texts. Rest in peace, comrade.
Just weeks after his final show, heavy metal pioneer and legend Ozzy Osbourne has passed away at age 76. When they first came onto the scene in the 1970s, Black Sabbath reshaped music, reflecting working-class struggles with a revolutionary sound.
Legendary musician Brian Wilson has passed away at the age of 82. He leaves behind a legacy of revolutionising his craft, proving through his songwriting and production that pop music can be an art form in its own right.
Announced yesterday, mainstream media have been going gaga for new pope Leo XIV. Yet the Church remains full of scandals, crises, and is riven with factionalism. A changing of the guard at the top offers no solutions, as the reign of Pope Francis illustrates.
We are deeply saddened by the passing of Neville Wright, a long-standing comrade involved in our predecessor organisations; Militant and Socialist Appeal. From the Miners’ Strike to the Poll Tax campaign and Labour under Corbyn, he fought tirelessly. We publish here an obituary penned by a close comrade.
Filmmaker David Lynch, who passed away last week, was a singular artist whose works were surreal and unsettling. Although not a ‘political person’, his films and TV shows explored alienation and the absurdity of everyday life under capitalism.
Former Labour deputy prime minister John Prescott died yesterday. The ex-union official played a key role in Blair’s government, serving as a left cover for New Labour’s big business agenda. The lesson for the left is clear: beware of false friends.
We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Terry Harrison, a stalwart of socialism in Merseyside. Terry was a founding member of Ted Grant’s Militant Tendency, and dedicated his life to Marxist ideas and the class struggle.