Early publicity photo of Julian LennonApril 8, 1998 – Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee is sentenced to at least six months in County Jail after pleading no contest to a felony charge of beating his wife, actress Pamela Anderson Lee. He was released after 90 days for good behavior. Concurrently, he completed a 30-day sentence for beating a security guard at a Crüe concert in Phoenix.
April 8, 1997 – Laura Nyro dies of ovarian cancer at her home in Danbury, CT. She was 49. Aside from her solo career, Nyro was quite an influential songwriter, penning hits for Barbra Streisand, The 5th Dimension, Three Dog Night and Blood, Sweat & Tears, who asked her to be their lead singer. With David Geffen, she established a publishing company, Tuna Fish Music, which they went on to sell in 1969 for the unheard of sum of $4.5 million. She was revered by many performers, including Elton John “I idolized her,” Cyndi Lauper, Elvis Costello, Steely Dan, Todd Rundgren, Alice Cooper and Paul Stanley. Nyro was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012.
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