It's All Over Now: A Farewell to Pops

Roebuck ‘Pops’ Staples, patriarch of gospel-soul family group the Staple Singers, died on Tuesday, December 19. Possessor of a light, understated harmony voice and distinctive guitar technique, Pops was the emotional and musical anchor of an act that enjoyed success over five consecutive decades in both the spiritual and secular fields. Having turned 84 on December 2, he had recently suffered a concussion in a fall near his home in the Chicago suburb of Dolton.