Aretha Franklin's 'Forever Friend' Willie Wilkerson Dies of COVID-19 at 72

As artists and celebrities across the spectrum find creative ways to raise awareness and funds for COVID-19 relief, some are diving deep into their personal collections to lend a helping hand.

Mike Huckaby, an influential DJ in the Detroit techno and house music scene, died Friday (April 24) after a lengthy hospitalization stemming from a stroke. He was 54.Huckaby suffered a mild stroke in early March, according to his brother, Craig Huckaby, the Detroit Free Press reports.

Mike Huckaby, an influential DJ in the Detroit techno and house music scene, died Friday (April 24) after a lengthy hospitalization stemming from a stroke. He was 54.

Disclosure, Gilles Peterson and Hudson Mohawke have paid tribute to the Detroit DJ

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Beyonce’s BeyGOOD has partnered with Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey’s #startsmall to provide $6 million in funding to mental health and personal wellness services as the coronavirus pandemic continues to throttle the country.

Beyonce made a major announcement this morning.

By Jem Aswad

Baldassare "Barney" Ales, the charismatic sales chief who helped turn Motown Records into a music industry powerhouse as Berry Gordy's right-hand man, died of natural causes Friday in Malibu, Calif. He was 85.Born in Detroit on May 13, 1934, Ales attended the city's Cooley High, where he met his future wife, Eileen "Mitzi" Cauley.

Kelly Clarkson has fond memories of Aretha Franklin. The 37-year-old artist appeared on Thursday's episode of The Tonight Show and recalled the time the late The Queen of Soul brought her to tears by complimenting her performance.

Kelly Clarkson is a huge Aretha Franklin fan, so it’s hardly surprising she got emotional when Franklin praised one of her performances.

All around the same time in late March — as novel coronavirus outbreaks worsened around the United States — Westworld actor Jeffrey Wright started a nonprofit in Brooklyn, New York; in Berkeley, California, novelist-producer couple Ayelet Waldman and Michael Chabon sprang into action with a like-minded initiative; and in Los Angeles, a group of execs — including Discovery’s Erin Arend, HBO senior vp Nora Skinner, Hello Sunshine CEO Sarah Harden, and Magnet Companies’ Jeff Berman — came together

When Willie Wilkerson Jr. first met Aretha Franklin -- whom she called her "forever friend" -- during the mid-80s, his daughters say he wasn't sure who she was.

Lauren Spencer-Smith has earned everyone’s respect.

By Bruce Haring

Jason Hargrove, a bus driver in Detroit, has died from coronavirus, just two weeks after his Facebook video about a passenger coughing on his bus went viral.