As 2021 comes to a close, we’re looking back to honor the legacies of members of the Minnesota community who died this year.

DJ Brother Jules was well-known for his work on KMOJ and as a community-building club DJ; Prince hired him to entertain at all four Glam Slam clubs and at Paisley Park. “He was a magnet for positive energy,” remembered peer DJ Stage One.

Jazz singer Yolande Bruce was a star on both musical and theatrical stages. As a member of Moore By Four, she entertained everyone from the Minnesota Twins to Mikhail Gorbachev.

Thelma Battle Buckner performed with her children, who included multiple sets of twins, as Thelma Buckner and the Minnesota Gospel Twins. In addition to her successful music career, Buckner was a minister who earned a doctorate in theology at age 70.

Bluesman Tom Burns was a West Bank regular who one collaborator called “an expert at what makes a harmonica tone funky.”

Singer Big John Dickerson, a familiar face at Famous Dave’s Uptown, was inducted into both the Minnesota Blues Hall of Fame and the Minnesota Rock and Country Hall of Fame.

Divinity, one of the iconic doves at Paisley Park, made a vocal cameo on Prince’s 2002 song “Arboretum.”

Jazz vocalist Debbie Duncan was heralded as “Minnesota’s First Lady of Song.” "I love to perform," she told The Current’s Simone Cazares. "That’s where I feel my connection with people, that’s where I feel my connection with God."

Singer-guitarist Tat Erredge was a Zumbrota farmer known for sharing his “incredible voice” at solo shows and open mics.

Writer and editor Pamela Espeland was one of the busiest and most passionate journalists covering the Minnesota arts scene, and in particular was a standout supporter of local jazz artists. “Her warmth and care for the arts community was undeniable,” remembered The Current’s Diane.

Minneapolis-based sound engineer Donald Ray Fadden worked with numerous local and national artists, and was part of the 1995 founding of the Basilica Block Party.

Guitarist Billy Franze, who often played with Dr. Mambo’s Combo, won approval from Prince when he accompanied tourmate Mavis Staples.

Dave Frishberg, a jazz pianist and singer who was born in St. Paul, became beloved for his songwriting - most famously his Schoolhouse Rock songs including “I’m Just a Bill.”

As a member of Kind Country and other projects, singer-songwriter Max Graham was beloved by local Americana fans and fellow musicians. Justin Bruhn of Pert Near Sandstone fondly remembered the “rising star,” adding, “he thought everybody should have a chance and he really believed in everybody.”

Big George Jackson was a towering bluesman who tirelessly entertained local audiences. “The groove was everything to George,” said guitarist Jeremy Johnson.

Peter Ostroushko went down in music history for contributing mandolin to Bob Dylan’s “If You See Her, Say Hello,” but his long and distinguished career included 40 years as a Prairie Home Companion regular.

Composer Wayne Peterson, born in Albert Lea, won the 1992 Pulitzer Prize in Music for The Face of the Night, the Heart of the Dark.

Folk artist and peace activist Jerry Rau was known as “the Minnesota Minstrel.”

Musician and producer Regal the Rare, stepson of Jellybean Johnson, “had crazy potential,” said collaborator Dwynell Roland.

Paris Roiger grew up in Mankato and attended Perpich Arts High School before making their way west to Portland, Oregon, where they created electronic music as Golden Boy.

Jessa Roquet, who performed as Gambler’s Daughter, had a “poetic and creative” songwriting gift as well as a “beautiful” voice, remembered peer Sarah Morris.

Conductor Henry Charles Smith III led the Minnesota Orchestra from 1971 to 1988.

Winston Smith, who was killed on June 3 by a U.S. Marshals Task Force, was a Minneapolis musician who performed as Wince Me Boi.

Punk rocker Norman Truman died after suffering a traumatic brain injury from a rubber bullet fired by Minneapolis police during a 2020 protest.

Acoustic guitarist Chris Weber, the “unsung hero” of Bob Dylan’s Minneapolis sessions for Blood On the Tracks, co-owned the Podium - a music shop and musician hangout - for over a decade.