Celebrated bass player and sometime singer, DEON ESTUS died on Monday, 11th October. He was aged 65 and the cause of death has not been revealed yet but the announcement was confirmed on his official Twitter page. The post read – “It is with real sadness I post that Deon Estus passed away this morning.” Estus’ partner Brenda Kaye Pearce also took to social media to pay tribute to the bassist on Facebook. She wrote: “My dearest, closest partner and significant other of 4 years transitioned and all I can remember is our last conversation the day before. My heart will need time to heal. R.I.P. Deon. Love you forever.”
Estus was born in Detroit and studied bass guitar under the guidance of Motown’s James Jamerson. While still a teen, Estus fronted his own band before joining Brainstorm, with whom he recorded two albums and toured for several years.
After moving to Europe, Deon became part of the touring band for Wham! He formed a friendship with George Michael, and that relationship continued after Wham! split up with the bassist working on Michael’s solo projects.
In 1989 he released his own solo album, ‘Spell’ from which ‘Heaven Help Me’ (co-written with Michael) became a sizeable hit. For reasons never fully explained Estus then went back to a support role as bassist for people like Aaron Neville and Tina Turner.
Eon estusIn 1989 he released his own solo album, ‘Spell’ from which ‘Heaven Help Me’ (co-written with Michael) became a sizeable hit. For reasons never fully explained Estus then went back to a support role as bassist for people like Aaron Neville and Tina Turner.
