Coco Robicheaux, "hoodoo bluesman" of New Orleans, has died

Via writer Ned Sublette, who profiled him in this 2008 Bomb article, comes the sad news that New Orleans hoodoo bluesman Coco Robicheaux has died. He is said to have suffered a massive heart attack while sitting at the bar. He was 64 years old.

Nola.com has an obituary, and more on the circumstances of his death. His bio on Wikipedia is here. Here's a link to his works via Amazon.

[Video Link 1, Video Link 2.]

Boing Boing editor/partner and tech culture journalist Xeni Jardin hosts and produces Boing Boing's in-flight TV channel on Virgin America airlines (#10 on the dial), and writes about living with breast cancer. Diagnosed in 2011. @xeni on Twitter. email: xeni@boingboing.net.

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Paul Renault

See, despite all those years of, I suppose, clean living, regular exercise, abstaining from alcohol and other drugs, he died young anyway. Just goes to show ya.
gwailo_joe

Aww Coco…I hardly knew ye. Little more than his cameo on Treme; but I liked his joie de vivre and the twinkle in his eye.

Dead at the bar at 64? That’s hardly a terrible way to go…he made his choices: God speed I say…

Better wine, women and song, music and Mardi Gras as opposed to vitamins and veganism, spinning and self satisfaction: it all ends in death…I know which one I choose.

RIP Robicheaux
- C W
  
  I doubt most people are vegan exclusively for reasons of health and moderation.
http://twitter.com/mike0neill Mike O’Neill

Wow… first Kenny Holladay dies, and then a couple weeks later Coco! It’s been a rough month for NOLA music scene. I remember going to see both of them every Monday night at the Dragon’s Den in the mid-90s. Always the salesman, he would casually remind everyone, in his signature tone, that “it’s 2 for 1 sake, all night long”. RIP Coco
- Paul Renault
  
  Just in case I’m in NOLA, is that $2 for one sake, or ‘BOGO’?
  - http://twitter.com/mike0neill Mike O’Neill
    
    BOGO. Of course, that was then. Not sure what their drink specials are nowadays. Haven’t lived there in a long time.
hypersomniac

Never heard of him. Glad he’s now on my radar. Great song. Rest in peace. Was that Steve Zahn?
Tex Allen

My girlfriend and I spent a few hours, on and off, with Coco at Burning Man this year. He told us that, in life, he had finally “gotten it” and hence, he was at the Burn with his “people and new family” We both cried a number of times while hanging out at our bar with him. Coco was one of the people, among 54,000, that stood out in our memory.

I took a picture of him for my WhyTheNose.com art project and now it’s even more of a lovely memory than before. RIP to a man that taught both of us quite a bit in a short time :)