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Original Mothers of Invention Singer Ray Collins Dead at 73

Zappa RecordsThe original singer for Mothers of Invention, the '60s and '70s rock band that propelled Frank Zappa to stardom, has ****.

Ray Collins passed away Christmas Eve in Pomona, California, at the age of 73, according to Variety. He suffered cardiac arrest earlier in the month and had subsequently been in a medically-induced coma until his death.

The Mothers of Invention formed in 1964 with Collins in the fold, though they were initially an R&B cover band known as Soul Giants. Zappa joined not long after, and the renamed group released a few albums, including their 1966 debut Freak Out!, before Collins left over differences he had with Zappa.

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