History Highlight:

Today in 2002, Jason William Mizell, better known as Jam Master Jay, was murdered by an unknown assassin's single bullet at his recording studio in Queens, New York. Jam Master Jay was the DJ of Run-D.M.C., who. became one of the biggest hip-hop groups in the 1980s and are credited with breaking hip-hop into mainstream music.

Today In:

1964 - Roy Orbison's "Oh, Pretty Woman" was certified Gold after spending 15 weeks on the singles chart.

1970 - Jim Morrison of The Doors was sentenced to six months in jail and fined $500 for exposing himself during a concert in Miami.

1971 - Pink Floyd released their sixth studio album, Meddle, in the U.S. The U.K. release would follow on Nov. 13.

1982 - Australian band Men At Work went to No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Who Can It Be Now,'' the group's first U.S. No. 1.

1990 - Axl Rose was released on $10,000 bail after being arrested for allegedly hitting a neighbor over the head with a bottle. The incident happened after a complaint to the police about loud music coming from the singer's house.

1998 - All four original members of Black Sabbath reunited to perform "Paranoid" on Late Night with David Letterman. Prior to that date, Black Sabbath had not appeared on television since 1976.

2003 - Steve O'Rourke suffered a stroke and died in Miami. O'Rourke had managed Pink Floyd since 1968, and was the executive producer for their 1982 film The Wall.

Birthdays:

Eddie Holland of Motown's legendary Holland-Dozier-Holland production team is 78.

Grace Slick of Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship, and The Great Society is 78.

Otis Williams of The Temptations is 76.

David Green of Air Supply is 76.

Gavin Rossdale is 52.

Eels bassist Tommy Walter is 47.

Highlights for Today in Music History are gathered from This Day in Music, Paul Shaffer's Day in Rock, Song Facts and Wikipedia.