Unidentified Remains at the Heart of 40-Year Old Mystery, Revealed to Belong to Former O'Jays Member

Photo Credits:[left/ clay model] Samantha Molnar, Ohio BCI;[right/
 photograph of Frank Little] Cleveland Metropolitan School District

Forty years after unidentified remains were found in a garbage bag behind a Twinsburg, Ohio, business —
the genealogical research of the DNA Doe Project, a nonprofit that helps identify John and Jane Does with genetic genealogy, has solved the mystery of who the dead man was, but larger questions loom.

The Twinsburg Police Department announced on Tuesday that the body belonged to Frank "Frankie" Little Jr., a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame group the O'Jays in the mid-1960s. While he was not a founding member or enshrined with the others at the hall, he joined the group as a guitarist and songwriter and wrote several songs including "Do the Jerk" and "Oh, How You Hurt Me." He is also credited for his vocals on "Down at the Corner."

"Frankie was a guitarist and songwriter in the very early O'Jays," the band said in a statement shared with Rolling Stone, acknowledging his contribution to the group. "He came with us when we first ventured out of Cleveland and traveled to Los Angeles, but he also was in love with a woman in Cleveland that he missed so much that he soon returned back to Cleveland after a short amount of time. That was in the mid-1960s and we had not heard from him after then. Although this sounds like a tragic ending, we wish his family and friends closure to what appears to be a very sad story."

That tale ended back in Ohio for the Cleveland native, in what authorities have determined was a homicide.

The skull of Little, who would have been 78 this year, was discovered by employees of a machine shop in the woods behind it on Feb. 18, 1982, while they were dumping shavings. Authorities uncovered more of his remains in a garbage bag during a subsequent search of the property. At the time, forensic anthropologists speculated that the remains had been there for two to four years before being discovered, but without being able to confirm an identity the case went cold.

In 2009 the case was reopened, but attempts to find a match for him in various DNA databases, as well as create a model of his face based on his skull, failed to provide any leads.

In October, the ice finally thawed, when the DNA Doe Project provided the names of potential living relatives, who were able to provide Frank's name. A close relative provided a DNA sample, which was analyzed by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation Crime Lab. His identity was then confirmed by Dr. Lisa Kohler of the Summit County Medical Examiner's Office.

"I'm very excited we were able to put a name to these remains and to get him back to his family and give his family that piece of closure," Kohler told the Akron Beacon Journal.

Little's cousin Margaret O'Sullivan added. "It's amazing. We're glad that we have closure now. We know he's deceased."

With one mystery solved the police are hoping to now put to bed another — Who killed Little? The vet, who served for two years in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War, had a daughter who passed away in 2012, and a son who has not yet been located or identified.

Detective Eric Hendershott, who helped break the case, is hoping to trace down the son to see if he might need extra details about what may have occurred to his father.

Primary Wave Acquires James Brown Estate for a Reported $90 Million

Photo Credit @jamesbrown Instagram

Fifteen years after his death on Christmas Day of heart failure, and just five months after the tumultuous battle between his many heirs was settled, publishing and management company Primary Wave has acquired James Brown’s music assets.

While Primary Wave did not disclose the financials of the purchase, the New York Times reports the deal is estimated at $90 million.

For its hefty investment Primary Wave has acquired a stake in the publishing, master recording income stream, and name and likeness rights of the "Godfather of Soul” — a musical legacy that spans over 50 years, includes 17 No. 1 singles on the Billboard R&B charts and saw Brown be inducted into the inaugural class of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

“I FEEL GOOD! Wow, I am awed that Primary Wave has been chosen by the estate of James Brown to partner with the Godfather of Soul,” Larry Mestel, CEO & Founder of Primary Wave Music, said in a statement announcing the deal. “We are thrilled to help continue the expansion of his influence and further his legacy through both his music and The James Brown 2000 Trust.”

Primary Wave will continue a partnership with the estate, which will include several projects related to The James Brown 2000 Trust, which was established in 2000 by Brown for charitable and educational purposes. The company will also give the estate access to its entire marketing team, digital team, publicity department, branding team, and publishing infrastructure.

“The James Brown Estate and related Trust are very proud and excited to work with Larry Mestel and Primary Wave,” Russell Bauknight, the fiduciary for the James Brown Estate and Trust, added. “We believe that our choice of professionals to take the James Brown Legacy to the next level is going to prove to be one of the most successful events in Mr. Brown’s long history in show business.”

Travis Scott Finally Opens up About Astroworld Festival Tragedy

Over a month after a deadly crowd surge at his hometown Astroworld music festival in Houston on Nov. 5 left 10 people dead and hundreds injured, rapper Travis Scott set down with radio and television personality Charlamagne Tha God Thursday to talk about the mass casualty incident.

In his first interview since the tragic events unfolded the 30-year-old, born Jacques Bermon Webster II, said he had no idea of the carnage that ensued while he was on stage.

“I didn’t know the exact details until minutes before the press conference [after my set],” he said. “And even at that moment, you’re like, ‘Wait, what?’

Scott went on to say that he would have stopped the show if he had heard signs of distress in the crowd.

“It’s so crazy because I’m that artist too — anytime you can hear something like that, you want to stop the show,” he said. “You want to make sure fans get the proper attention they need. Anytime I could see anything like that, I did. I stopped it a couple of times to just make sure everybody was OK. And I really just go off the fans’ energy as a collective — call and response. I just didn’t hear that.”

The "Sicko Mode" artist, who is currently facing more than 140 lawsuits and a mass litigation suit by 1,500 show attendees against himself, Live Nation, Apple Music, and Drake amongst others —added that the band, lights, pyrotechnics and other elements of the performance obscured his vantage point from the stage.

“You can only help what you can see and whatever you’re told, whenever they tell you to stop, you stop,” he said," noting how difficult it would be to perceive the difference between fans in danger versus enjoying the show.

Asked by Charlamagne if he did all he could to make the event safe Scott, choking back his emotions, said, “Everything I physically [could], sure, yes. And, if knowing what was going on … you just wish you could have done something better. But, standing there, 1,000 percent.”

Watch the entire interview below: