December 18, 2010 (Sampurn Wire): Several celebrities across the United States bid adieu to musician and painter Captain Beefheart through personalized posts on Twitter after the artiste passed away at the age of 69 succumbing to multiple sclerosis. It was the Michael Werner Gallery in New York, where Captain Beefheart exhibited a number of his paintings over the years that first made the news of his death official. Captain Beefheart, born as Don Van Vliet was a highly acclaimed artist of the 1960s and 1970s America, though it was painting that he was engaged in in years preceding his death.
Right after Captain Beefheart passed away on the 17th of December, several of his fans and followers within the American music industry too to the social networking site Twitter to express their condolences towards the singer and his family. While Linda Perry heaped praises on the Magic Band, of which Captain Beefheart was the frontman, Diva Zappa, the daughter of Captain Beefhearts best friend Frank Zappa tweeted that she was very saddened at the sudden turn of events. Akron Family on the other hand wished the soul of the legendary musician and painter a safe journey to heaven.
Don Van Vliet has nourished Americas art industry for more than four decades, inspiring several artists over the span of his career. A mixture of jazz, rock, Chicago blues and his own innovations was what formed the Captain Beefheart style. It was Frank Zappa who suggested his stage name to Don Van Vliet.
-- Sampurn Wire