Emitt Rhodes, cult musician, singer songwriter and onetime frontman of '60s baroque pop group The Merry-Go-Round, has died. He was 70. Word came via friend Tony Blass who produced The One Man Beatles, a documentary about Rhodes. "Emitt Rhodes passed away last night at the age of 70," Blass wrote on Twitter. "I feel honored and blessed to have worked and spent time with him for the past 12 years. I tried my best to tell his story, share his music and spend some quality time with him. We usually got completely drunk together."
In addition to The Merry-Go-Round, Rhodes is best known for his 1970 self-titled debut which garnered many comparisons to Paul McCartney. ("The One Man Beatles" was his nickname.) His songs have been covered by Fairport Convention, The Bangles, Linda Ronstadt, Tift Merritt and more. After a 40+ year absence from recording, Emitt returned in 2016 with a new album, The Rainbow End.