http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-43318898
You could say it died in September '15 when it became a freebie, but as a reader for over 30 years I'd say that in spirit it passed away around 1998. The shift from paper to mag accompanied a blatant editorial play for mainstream readers and the cover artists went from being up-and-coming to proven headliners and global pop stars. You can't blame them for trying since the writing was on the wall when Sounds folded in '91 but I carried on reading it long after it meant much.
Still, along with the sloth lemur it's another little piece of the world that's lost for good.
Pete