[Mb-hair] Another Cowsill, Passes

[Jim Burns]

"Lead singer of The Cowsills dies as brother is buried"

CBC Arts 


Billy Cowsill, once the frontman for 1960s family band The Cowsills, has
died at his home in Calgary at the age of 58.

Family members confirmed Sunday that Billy died Friday night. He had
been fighting a lengthy battle with a variety of ailments which included
emphysema, osteoporosis and Cushing syndrome.  But the family did not
reveal what caused Billy's death.

Paul Cowsill, brother to Billy, told the Providence Journal that Billy
had a history of problems with drugs and alcohol which had caught up
with him.

The family had been gathered in Rhode Island over the weekend for a
memorial service for Barry Cowsill, a brother who was also a member of
the band. Barry drowned in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in September.

The Cowsills were the inspiration for the 1970s television sitcom The
Partridge Family.  The act included parents Bud and Barbara, daughter
Susan and brothers William (Billy), Robert, Richard, Barry, Paul and
John. 

The Cowsills also had their own TV special and performed as a headline
act in Las Vegas. They had several hits including Hair, The Rain and
Indian Lake. They disbanded in the early seventies and went their own
ways.

Billy moved to Canada 35 years ago and continued his musical career with
the bands Blue Northern and The Blue Shadows, which released two
well-received albums.

In an interview with the Calgary Sun in January 2002, Billy admitted his
life spiralled out of control in Vancouver during the mid-1990s.  His
Calgary friends came to his rescue:  “They dragged me [back to
Calgary], put me up in a facility and allowed me to get my health, my
sanity back.

Around 2002, Billy was halfway through a psychology degree from Mont
Royal College and had formed a weekend party band called the
Co-Dependents. His family said he was working towards a degree in
musical education when he died.

Cowsill is survived by two sons, Travis and Del.
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