Will Luckey (second from left) jamming with his band Magic Music after it reformed.
Jeanna Shepard

Will Luckey, Island Musician Who Taught Others, Dies at 68

Will Luckey, a well-known Island musician and music teacher, died on August 17 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital after battling cancer.

Will Luckey, a well-known Island musician and music teacher, died on August 17 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital after battling cancer. He was 68.

He was known on the Island as a piano, guitar, and voice teacher for students of all ages, but his particular gift was bringing out music in young people.

He was the son of Gen. Robert and Cary Walker Luckey. He moved to the Vineyard in 1963, and attended both the West Tisbury and Tisbury schools before finishing high school off-Island.

His band, Magic Music, first formed in the 1960s in Boulder, Colo. “We lived in a campground in two school buses and a doughnut truck,” Mr. Luckey recalled in a 2014 story in the Martha’s Vineyard Magazine. The band reformed again 45 years later and released an album.

Mr. Luckey is survived by his wife Diane (Cub) Luckey, his sister Laura Luckey, his children Ben, Anna, and Carey, and two grandchildren.

A full obituary will appear in a future edition of the Gazette.

Comments

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 08/21/2019 - 16:40

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Ned Casey Edgartown

I first met Will on a job site in the mid 80s. What a genuinely great guy. Always that smile. Always talking music. Great shingler. Safe home Will you will be missed by many.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 08/22/2019 - 12:29

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Steve Ewing Edgartown

To Cub, Ben, Anna and Carey, all our love. Will left us all with so much.All our love, the Ewing family.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 08/23/2019 - 00:21

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Mark & Joyce Onoskpk Cape Coral, FL/Mt Pleasant WI

Cub and family, you are in our thoughts and prayers. Will made the world better. His music IS magic.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 08/07/2021 - 16:27

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Tom Kubisiak Portland , Oregon

Just now (August 2021) contacting Will with an email. Had no idea he had passed away almost 2 years ago. Just watched the Magic Music 40 years in the Making CD. So sad that he is gone. First me him in Fargo, ND at a Magic Music bar gig in 1975. Hitchhiked to Telluride to see them that next summer. Had no camp spot, Will let me sleep next to their Teepee. Loved his singing, and his music.

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