Louisiana Accordionist Buckwheat Zydeco Has Died

Can we just petition the rest of 2016? This year has not been kind to us, but this past weekend was especially unkind.

Over the weekend, we found out about the tragic and unexpected death of star MLB pitcher Jose Fernendez, and the death of "The King" Arnold Palmer. Today, news broke that Louisiana lost one of it's true great musicians.

Stanley Dural, Jr., better known by his stage name Buckwheat Zydeco, has died at the age of 68. He lost his battle with lung cancer. He was born in Lafayette in 1947, and passed away Saturday at Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center.

Buckwheat played with famous musicians like Eric Clapton and U2, and he also performed at both of Bill Clinton's presidential inaugurations.

He received praise from The New York Times when they claimed he, "leads one of the best bands in America."  USA Today called him “a zydeco trailblazer.”

For those interested, Stanley received his nickname at a young age because, with his braided hair, he looked like the character Buckwheat from Our Gang/The Little Rascals movies.

RIP to a true Louisiana legend, Buckwheat Zydeco.