Saturday 17th January 1970

Billy Stewart (32), an American musical artist, with a highly distinctive scat-singing style, who enjoyed popularity in the 1960s, died in a car accident. The accident happened when the Ford Thunderbird that Stewart was driving approached a bridge across the Neuse River. Stewart’s car left the highway, ran along the median strip at a slight angle to the highway, struck the bridge curbing, and plunged into the river, killing Stewart and his three passengers instantly. The car had been purchased only 12 days before and had been driven only 1,400 miles before the accident occurred.