DJ Pam the Funkstress has died of organ failure, after undergoing a transplant, at age 51. She was a member of the Oakland hip-hop act the Coup, and served as a house DJ at Paisley Park in the final weeks of Prince’s life. There, she was known by Prince's name for her: "Purple Pam." (Rolling Stone)

Lorde cancels Israel show

Lorde has canceled a planned concert in Israel, less than a week after it was announced. "I pride myself on being an informed young citizen," she wrote in a statement, "and I have done a lot of reading and sought a lot of opinions before deciding to book a show in Tel Aviv, but I'm not proud to admit I didn't make the right call on this one."

International musicians who book concerts in Israel have come under increasing pressure from human rights advocates who object to the country's treatment of Palestinians in the occupied territories. Recently, Radiohead and Nick Cave went ahead with Israel shows despite calls to cancel. (Pitchfork)

Remembering Heather Menzies-Urich

Actor Heather Menzies-Urich has died, after a cancer diagnosis, at age 68. She played numerous roles on film and television, but was always best-known for her performance, at age 15, as Louisa von Trapp in 1965's movie musical The Sound of Music. "Heather was part of 'the family,'" said a representative of the Rodgers and Hammerstein estate. "We are all lucky to have known her, and she will happily live on in that beautiful movie. We will miss her." (Billboard)

Funk museum to open in Ohio

The city of Dayton, Ohio has granted final approval for the opening of a new music museum early in 2018. The Funk Music Hall of Fame and Exhibition Center will honor the funky legacy of a region that was home, in the 1970s and '80s, to notable groups like the Ohio Players, Steve Arrington's Hall of Fame, Zapp, Faze-O, Heatwave, Sun, Slave, and Lakeside. (Billboard)

Kid Rock sued by the circus

"We have authorized licensees for 'Ringling Bros.' and 'The Greatest Show on Earth,' but Kid Rock is not one of them," says an attorney for Feld Entertainment, the company that holds the copyrights for the defunct Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. The company has sued the Michigan rap-rocker over his upcoming U.S. tour, which is being promoted under the title "Greatest Show on Earth" — also the name of the opening track on his latest album, Sweet Southern Sugar. Kid Rock has not yet publicly responded to the suit. (Rolling Stone)

Mariah Carey to give Times Square another try

Mariah Carey is going to take a mulligan on New Year's Eve in Times Square. Last year on Dick Clark’s New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest, Carey "bungled notes and lyrics as she appeared to struggle with her prerecorded backing track," describes the New York Times. After that flameout, Carey and the show's production company each blamed the other for the mishap, but they've apparently decided to bury the hatchet and give it another try.

"We can all agree that last year didn't go exactly as planned and we are thrilled to move forward together to provide America with an incredible night of music and celebration," said Carey and Dick Clark Productions in a joint statement announcing that the pop icon will be back on Dec. 31 to help inaugurate 2018. "See you in Times Square!""