COMMODORES - COMMODORES STAR WILLIAMS DIES

The COMMODORES founder MILAN WILLIAMS has lost his battle with cancer at the age of 58. The soul man, who played keyboards for the THREE TIMES A LADY hitmakers, died in a Houston, Texas, hospital on Sunday (09JUL06). Williams penned MACHINE GUN, the Commodores' first hit for Motown in 1974 and enjoyed the band's heyday throughout the 1970s. The keyboard player stayed with the group when frontman LIONEL RICHIE quit to follow a solo career in the early 1980s. A memorial service for Williams is being planned in Los Angeles next month (AUG06).