1980s

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Synth-Pop Pioneer Dave Ball of Soft Cell Dies at 66
'Tainted Love' Musician
Dave Ball Is Dead at 66
obituary
Oct 23, 2025 11:55 AM CDT

'Tainted Love' Musician Dave Ball Is Dead at 66

He was in the duo Soft Cell, whose cover of the song become a huge hit in 1981

(Newser) - Dave Ball, the influential synth-pop musician best known as one half of Soft Cell, has died at age 66. Representatives say he died "peacefully in his sleep" at his London home but didn't give a cause of death, reports the Guardian . Marc Almond, Ball's longtime Soft Cell...

'Cletus Hogg' Has Chased After His Last General Lee

Rick Hurst, who played slightly dopey deputy on Dukes of Hazzard , dies at 79

(Newser) - For a while during the era when Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan were president, Rick Hurst was a household name, playing Deputy Cletus Hogg on the popular '80s action-comedy series Dukes of Hazzard, per ABC7 . He wasn't quite as well known in his later years, but the tributes...

'Jeopardy' Singer Greg Kihn Dead of Alzheimer's
'80s Hitmaker Is Dead
of Alzheimer's at 75
OBITUARY
Aug 16, 2024 9:52 AM CDT

'80s Hitmaker Is Dead of Alzheimer's at 75

'Breakup Song' singer Greg Kihn loved Weird Al's cover of 'Jeopardy'

(Newser) - Gen X has lost another of its '80s rockers. The AP reports that Greg Kihn, frontman for the Greg Kihn Band behind "The Breakup Song" and MTV staple "Jeopardy," has died at the age of 75. In a statement, Kihn's management team says he died...

'80s Group Had One Single. Now, a Record Deal

Zenana's 1986 single, 'Witches,' is finally getting traction after DJ found it in a UK record shop

(Newser) - A rare record-shop find has launched an obscure British '80s band into the spotlight. Zenana was formed in 1983 and released one single, "Witches," in 1986 (give it a listen here ). The synth-pop dance song never charted, the BBC reports, and the group disbanded the following...

'80s Power Ballad Bands Are Going On Tour Together

Def Leppard, Journey will be joined next summer by Heart, Cheap Trick, Steve Miller Band

(Newser) - The '80s seem so far away now—for context, Def Leppard's Pyromania and Journey's Frontiers, the latter of which featured the song "Faithfully," both came out 40 years ago. If you're ready to relive those power ballad days, there's some good news from...

Mystery Song's Origin Stumps Online Sleuths

With only 17 seconds of the New Wave song recorded, no one has cracked where it came from

(Newser) - Can you name this tune in 17 seconds? If so, you'd be the hero to a community of online sleuths who've been tracking down its origin for the last two years. Rolling Stone covers the quest to crack the case of "Everyone Knows That," which has...

To Woo Millennials, 4 Cereals Are 'Kicking It Old School'

Cocoa Puffs, Trix, Cookie Crisp, Golden Grahams are going back to the '80s

(Newser) - If your Cocoa Puffs taste especially chocolatey lately, it's not your imagination. That's because General Mills is tapping into consumer nostalgia in an effort to woo millennials and others via an update on four of its breakfast cereals, Food Dive reports. Or is that a backdate? "Your...

'80s Can't Buy Me Love Star Dies at 43

Amanda Peterson found dead in Colorado of unknown causes

(Newser) - Amanda Peterson, who starred as cheerleader Cindy Mancini in the 1987 rom-com Can't Buy Me Love, has been found dead in her apartment in Greeley, Colo. She was 43. While the official cause of death isn't known, Peterson's dad tells TMZ "she had some illness and...

Steve Jobs' 1983 Time Capsule Uncovered

With some pretty cool stuff inside

(Newser) - A massive time capsule put in the ground during 1983's Aspen International Design Conference earned the nickname the "Steve Jobs Time Capsule" after he dropped his own computer mouse into it. The pod was supposed to be unearthed in 2000, but construction in Aspen caused organizers to lose...

21 Reasons to Be Glad It's Not the '80s

Many involve tape, and all of them save you time

(Newser) - It's almost Thanksgiving, so let's take a moment to appreciate the little things—specifically, the many frustrations of the 1980s that no longer require your attention. Benjamin Solomon provides a handy reminder of 21 of them, via Vanity Fair . The highlights:
  1. You no longer have to stick a
...

Autopsy Doesn't Show Jani Lane's Cause of Death

Now comes toxicology tests for Warrant singer, 47

(Newser) - It will likely be several weeks before we get an official cause of death for former Warrant singer Jani Lane, who was found dead in his hotel room at age 47. An autopsy wasn't conclusive, and toxicology tests will take up to two months, reports AP . Other developments:
  • The
...

Greatest John Hughes Movie Moments
 Greatest 
 John Hughes 
 Movie Moments 
OPINION
Aug 7, 2009 7:15 AM CDT

Greatest John Hughes Movie Moments

(Newser) - John Hughes was the undisputed king of '80s teen comedy writes Time in a look at the late producer/director's most classic moments.
  • Ferris Bueller's Day Off,  "Bueller...Bueller...Bueller?": Matthew Broderick's direct address to the audience on how to fake a sick day, followed by an empty desk
...

RIP John Hughes: 'Our Generation's Salinger'
 RIP John Hughes: 
 'Our Generation's Salinger' 
appreciation
Aug 6, 2009 8:24 PM CDT

RIP John Hughes: 'Our Generation's Salinger'

(Newser) - Long live John Hughes, writes Patrick Goldstein in the Los Angeles Times. The director died "ridiculously young" today at 59, but he leaves an "unparalleled" legacy. "It was hard not to see a piece of ourselves in his films, especially his great '80s teen comedies, which seemed...

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