US folk singer Mary Travers passes away at 72

London, Sept 17 (ANI): Mary Travers, a member of the hugely popular 1960s US folk group Peter, Paul and Mary, has died in the US. She was 72.

Heather Lylis, the band’s publicist, said Travers passed away yesterday at the Danbury Hospital in Connecticut. She had battled leukemia for several years, reports The Times.

Travers joined forces with Peter Yarrow and Noel Paul Stookey in the early 1960s. The trio formed the folk band Peter, Paul and Mary, mingling their music with liberal politics, both onstage and off.

Peter, Paul and Mary had hits including If I Had a Hammer, Lemon Tree and Puff, The Magic Dragon.

They won five Grammies and released a five-disc box set of their greatest hits, Carry It On.

They were strong supporters of the civil rights movement and opponents of the Vietnam War. (ANI)

Amy Winehouse denied US visa

London, Mar 09 (ANI): Troubled singer Amy Winehouse, who was all set to perform at the Coachella festival in America, is facing a major setback after being denied the US visa, as she has been charged with assaulting a fan in the country.

The ‘Back To Black’ hitmaker was overzealous about performing at the Coachella concert with talented entertainers like The Killers and Paul McCartney, but she was left saddened after being denied the visa for punching a fan.

“She is not appearing at Coachella this year in the light of current legal issues,” the Mirror quoted her spokesman as saying.

Winehouse was overjoyed about the gig, as it would have been one of her biggest shows in America, and she had been looking forward to it after building a clean image for her by staying away from drugs.

“Amy is absolutely gutted. She was looking forward to getting back on stage and this was going to be one of the biggest shows of her life. She was second on the bill on the Saturday night to the Killers. As well as 75,000 fans, there would have been top record execs there too so she might have even tried out some new material,” a source said.

“But because of the court case she can’t get a visa. It’s a real setback after she has been getting clean from drugs over in Barbados,” the source added.

Winehouse is due before Westminster magistrates next Tuesday over claims that she punched Sherene Flash at September’s Berkeley Ball in London.

This is not the first time that visa problems have stopped her performing in America, for she was due at last year’s Grammies, but had trouble convincing officials she was off drugs and her papers did not arrive in time.

She had to perform live via satellite from London instead. (ANI)