Keyboardist and songwriter Richard Bell, one-time member of Janis Joplin's band, died one June 15 of multiple myeloma in a Toronto hospital. He was 61.

Bell, who began playing with Joplin's Full Tilt Boogie Band in 1970, was diagnosed with cancer one year ago. He received intensive treatment and made a comeback, despite his poor prognosis. This past spring, however, his cancer returned.

Bell is also known for his musical work with artists such as Bob Dylan, Judy Collins, Joe Walsh, Paul Butterfield, The Cowboy Junkies, Bruce Cockburn, and Bonnie Raitt. His most recent gig was with the Toronto jazz and blue group Pork Bellies Futures.

He is survived by his mother, his sister, and his nieces and nephews.

The brighter the fruits and veggies, the better they are at fighting cancer. It's the phytochemical compounds -- these give produce its color -- that help the immune system block cancer-causing substances from cycling through our bodies.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Produce for Better Health Foundation say we should eat nine to 11 servings of vegetables and fruits daily. Taking supplements is not enough -- we need the complex interplay of vitamins, minerals, and fiber.

These are the colors we should include in our diet each day:

Sadly, another cancer death has occurred -- this one caused by leukemia and ending the life of Arthur Lee. Lee, eccentric singer and guitarist with the 1960s rock band Love, died Thursday at the age of 61. His death was shocking to many who knew him because he had the ability to bounce back from just about everything. Leukemia was usually no exception. But recently, Lee, who was diagnosed this year with acute myeloid leukemia, was not faring well after three rounds of chemotherapy failed. And despite a bone marrow transplant using stem cells from an umbilical cord -- the first of its kind for an adult in Tennessee -- Lee could not overcome cancer.

Lee, a Memphis native, called himself "the first so-called black hippie." In 1965, he formed Love -- the first multiracial rock band of the psychedelic era -- and his groundbreaking albums featured a blend of folk rock, blues, and early punk. Lee is remembered for his hit singles My Little Red Book and Revelation, for influencing bands like Led Zeppelin and Echo, and for spending six years in prison during the 1990s for firing a pistol into the air.

After his release from prison in 2001, Lee formed a new version of Love and performed in Europe and North America. And then others -- like former Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant -- performed for him this June in benefit concerts to raise money to help Lee with his medical bills.

Arthur Lee died in at Methodist University Hospital in Memphis -- with his wife Diane at his side.

After diagnosing Freddy Fender with lung cancer, the doctors told him there is nothing they can do for him. At the beginning of the year, he went in for an operation to remove the upper left lobe of his lung due to a fungal infection when the surgeons found two large tumors. A PET scan revealed nine smaller tumors in his pleura - membranes covering the lungs and lining the chest cavity.

Grammy award-winning musician Fender, known for Hispanic/pop, country western and blues, became famous for hits like Before The Next Teardrop Falls, You'll Lose A Good Thing, and Wasted Days and Wasted Nights.

According to his bio, in 1960, Wasted Days and Wasted Nights proved to be prophetic. Fender and his bass player were arrested and sent to prison for possession of two marijuana cigarettes. Three years later, Fender went to New Orleans, where he spent the next five years developing his talent in rhythm & blues and Cajun funk.

Fender had a role in Robert Redford's film the Milagro Beanfield War and you can hear his voice in national radio and television campaigns for McDonald's and Miller Lite.

Caller-Times Cassandra Hinojosa quotes Fender in her news article as saying, "I feel very comfortable in my life. I'm one year away from 70 and I've had a good run. I really believe I'm OK. In my mind and in my heart, I feel OK. I cannot complain that I haven't lived long enough, but I'd like to live longer."

In September, with his wife Vangie Huerta at his side, he will visit the Cancer Treatment Centers of America at Southwestern Regional Medical Center to consider available treatments.

David Letterman recently introduced Fender to his Late Show audience as "one of the greatest voices in all of music."

According to the Smiling Blue Skies Cancer Fund, cancer is the most frequent cause of death for dogs. More than 45 percent of all dogs will die from some form of cancer. Suzi Beber founded the Smiling Blue Skies Cancer Fund after the loss of her beloved friend and constant companion, Blues, a Canadian Champion golden retriever, who was lost to cancer five years ago. "He was the sun and moon and stars to us. He showed us how to live, love, laugh and learn." Blues assisted Beber when she became unable to walk without help as a result of a complication during surgery in 1993. In the short six years of his life, Blues was designated as a Canine Good Citizen -- certified by the Human/Animal Bond Association of Canada -- and he passed all of the requirements to become a St. John Ambulance Therapy Dog. Beber is convinced Blues was a healer, as he brought much comfort and joy to others.

The fourth Annual Smiling Blue Skies Walk for canine cancer will be June 11 at Bronte Creek Provincial Park in Oakville with a performance by Chris Cummings. All proceeds from the event will go to the University of Guelph, Ontario Veterinary College Pet Trust for canine cancer. For more information, visit the Smiling Blue Skies Cancer Fund.

On the homepage of the Smiling Blue Skies Cancer Fund it reads, "If hope were a medicine, then surely, love would be a cure." Yes.

I am a long-time fan of legendary harmonica blues musician, soulful singer songwriter, and Pacific Northwest hometown boy Curtis Salgado. While working in Eugene, Oregon during the filming of Animal House, John Belushi visited a club Salgado was performing in, and created his Blues Brother persona after watching Salgado perform. Belushi dedicated the first Blues Brothers album to Salgado. Salgado, who came home from kindergarten with a note from his teacher pinned to his shirt saying that he could sing, went on into adulthood to tour as lead singer for Robert Cray and Santana.

Salgado is a highly-respected musician among his peers in the blues world, and he explains soul music by saying, "If a song is sincere and you believe it, that's soul. To me Pavarotti is as much a soul singer as Otis Redding; Merle Haggard and Hank Williams are soul singers as much as Sam Cooke. Soul is about heart and about belief." Salgado has soul.

According to his friend and manager Shane Tappendorf, Salgado will receive cancer treatments next month with the hope of liver transplant surgery in the future. A benefit concert is planned to help Salgado with some of the medical costs. In Oregon, donations can be made for the Curtis Salgado Fund at any US Bank or can be mailed to:

US Bancorp
2550 NW 188th Avenue
Hillsboro, OR 97124

Visit the Curtis Salgado website for more information.

Pete Wells, slide guitarist and one of the founders of the Australian power blues band Rose Tattoo, has lost his fight for life to prostate cancer. In 2002, when Wells was diagnosed with cancer, he was told he had six months to live. He outlived the original diagnosis, but ultimately, not the cancer.

Posted on the Rose Tattoo website, it reads, "We have to announce with much sadness, that Pete Wells has passed away. Our thoughts are with his family and friends. The good news is that Pete's music will live on for the inspiration of generations to come. Pete Wells, a great musician, a rock 'n' roll legend and most importantly, a good friend."

Rose Tattoo influenced bands that followed them, including Guns N' Roses, Motley Crue and L.A. Guns. Last September, Australian acts such as the Beasts of Bourbon, Paul Kelly and Tim Rogers staged benefit concerts for Wells in Sydney and Melbourne. For his many fans, this is a great loss.