RIP [Archive] - Page 3 - Butch Femme Planet

Martina

02-15-2014, 02:46 PM

Rage Against the Dying of a Light: Stuart Hall (1932-2014) (http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/21895-rage-against-the-dying-of-a-light-stuart-hall-1932-2014)

It is difficult for me to write a farewell to Stuart Hall, my teacher, mentor, interlocutor and friend. He has been the most significant intellectual and political figure in my life for 45 years, and yet, in celebrating and mourning him, I do not wish to sanctify him. My grief is both deeply personal and intensely political. I had not thought to make it public, but I have been moved to write because of the appalling absence of any notice of his death in the U.S. mainstream press as well as the alternative media. What this says about the left in the U.S., I will leave to another time.

The facts are known: his Jamaican background; his role in the founding of the New Left and New Left Review, as well as CND; his early work on media and popular culture; his crucial contributions to and leadership of the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies, and his continuing iconic status and creative efforts to develop cultural studies while at the Open University; his brilliant analyses of and opposition to the rise of new conservative and neoliberal formations (he coined the term and wrote the book on Thatcherism); his public visibility as an intellectual in the media, and his bodily presence as a political leader whenever and wherever he saw an opening; his vital contributions to debates around race, ethnicity, multiculturalism and difference; his long-term involvement with and support of numerous Black and global artists and collectives, including the Black Audio Film Collective, Autograph, Iniva and eventually, the house that Stuart built—Rivington Place.

But that is not Stuart’s story; it is only the Wikipedia entry. I want to tell a better story about the man, the work, the ideas, the practices, and the commitments. My story begins by recognizing that every single moment of Stuart’s career was about a commitment to relations and the new forms of intellectual and political work that commitment entailed. Key words like collaboration and conversation, and key elements like generosity and humility, are a tangible part of his legacy. One loses something important if we fail to recognize that the story cannot be written without the people with whom he worked--during his years in the New Left, at the Centre and the OU, at Marxism Today and Soundings (the journal he created with Doreen Massey and Mike Rustin), and at Rivington Place. And these institutions— and Stuart did believe in the institutional moment—were profoundly important as well, because they always involved an effort to find new ways of working, to forge new kinds of organization, new practices of work and governance—open, humble, collaborative and interdisciplinary.

It’s hard to explain Stuart’s influence—the admiration, respect and affection—to those who have never encountered him, or seriously followed his work. Let me tell two stories. In the early 1980s, I co-organized an event called Marxism and the Interpretation of Culture. It began with four-weeks of classes, offered by some of the leading lights in Marxist theory. We brought Stuart over for this; it was not the first time he had been to the States, but it was perhaps the first time he was given such a highly visible national platform (close to a thousand attended from all over). At the beginning, everyone flocked to the famous U.S. academic stars; most of the people had never heard of Stuart or cultural studies. But word spread quickly, and the audience for his lectures grew rapidly. People drove down to Champaign-Urbana (not a destination of choice you understand), often traveling for hours, just to listen to him. They saw and heard something—special. Yes, it was the ideas and the arguments, and the interweaving of theory, empirics and politics, but it was more. As so many people told me, they had never met an academic like this before—humble, generous, passionate, someone who treated everyone with equal respect and listened to what they had to say, someone who believed ideas mattered, because of our responsibility as intellectuals to people and the world. Someone who refused to play the role of star!

Some years later, Stuart gave a keynote address to the annual meeting of the International Communication Association, not a particularly hospitable environment. But by then, his reputation in the discipline (perhaps the first in the U.S. to grudgingly make a space for cultural studies) had spread and the hall was packed with people who wanted to see this increasingly influential British intellectual. Many were surprised to learn that he was Black. He brilliantly demolished the scientific and liberal underpinnings that dominated communication studies and then he invited—literally invited—people to join him in taking up the intellectual responsibility of addressing the injustices of the world and the role—complicated, contradictory and often nuanced—that communication (and the academy) continued to play in perpetuating such conditions. At the end, one of my friends—a quantoid and therefore not someone I had expected to like the talk—came up and said, “I would have followed Stuart if he had asked us to march on city hall or the local media.” Charisma? Yes, but not exactly. Is there such a thing as “earned” charisma?

Many of the obituaries have described Stuart as the leading British intellectual (academic and public) of culture, society and politics, of cultural theory, and of the politics of the everyday and of ordinary lives. He was that—but if one searches the web for responses to his death, two things stand out: first, they come from all corners of the globe; and second, they celebrate so much more than his ideas and publications. It is hard to place Stuart geographically. He was born in Jamaica but as he repeatedly said, he never went home—that is the life that he chose not to lead. He lived his life in Britain and devoted himself to its culture and politics, but as he repeatedly said, he never felt completely at home there. He wrote about Britain (almost entirely) but he offered something much more resonant. Yes, he was certainly one of the most important British intellectuals of the past sixty years, but he was also, I fervently believe, one of the most important and influential intellectuals in the world during those decades as well.

Stuart believed that everything is relational, that things are what they are only in relations. As a result, he was a contextualist—committed to studying contexts, to thinking contextually, and to refusing any universal claims. That is why he connected so strongly with Marx, with Gramsci, with my other beloved teacher James Carey—to whom Stuart sent me—and ultimately with Foucault. His brand of contextualism—conjuncturalism—sees contexts as complex relations of multiple forces, determinations and contradictions). For Stuart, this defined cultural studies. He knew the world was complicated, contingent and changing--too much for any one person, or any one theory, or any one political stake, or any one discipline. Everything followed from this. Intellectual and political work was an ongoing, endless conversation; one’s theoretical and political work had to keep moving as the contexts changed, if one wanted to understand and intervene into the processes of power that determined the future. They required constant vigilance, self-reflection and humility, for what worked (theoretically and politically) in one context might not work in another. One had to be wiling to question one’s theoretical (and I might add political) assumptions as one confronted the demands of concrete realities and people’s lives.

He believed that work always had to be particular, addressing the specific problems posed by the conjuncture. Despite all his important theoretical efforts, Stuart was not a philosopher, and certainly not the founder of a philosophical paradigm. He loved theory, but his work was never about theory; it was always about trying to understand and change the realities and possibilities of how people might live together in the world. He constantly distanced himself from the attempt to substitute theory for the more difficult work of cultural studies, and he was explicitly critical of the tendency (decidedly strong in the U.S. academy) to fetishize theory—theory gone mad in a world of capitalism gone mad. He did not offer abstract theories that could travel anywhere, for while he thought that theories were absolutely vital, they had to be held to what he once called “the discipline of the conjuncture.” He was too concerned with using theory strategically to understand and intervene into conjunctures that seemed to be pushing the possibility of a more humane world further and further away.

And he believed that work had to embrace the complexities rather than avoid or escape them. He fought against any reduction—anything that said it is all about just one thing in the end—capitalism, most commonly. Such simplifications simply deny the complexity of the world; they do not help us better understand what’s going on, or open up its possibilities. So he refused as well to understand history in simple binary terms: before and after, as if history we made through moments of rupture, absolute breaks with the past. For Stuart, the complexity of history was always a balance of the old and the new. History is always changing and while new elements may enter into the mix, much of what is too often assumed to be new is the reappearance (perhaps in a new rearticulated guise) of the old.

The contingency of the world, the fact that it is continuously being made, meant that there are, as he so often put it, no guarantees in history. The world is not destined to be what it is or to become what one fears (or hopes). Relations are never fixed once and for all, and their modifications are never given in advance. This grounded, at least until recently, his unstoppable optimism (“optimism of the spirit, pessimism of the intellect” as he repeatedly reminded us). And he knew, deep down in his soul, that culture—knowledge, ideas, art, everyday life, what he often called “the popular”—mattered. He had an extraordinary respect for the ordinary stuff of life, and for people (although he never hesitated to attack those who were making the world even worse or who were more committed to their own certainties than to contingent struggle). He refused to think of people as dupes, incapable of understanding the choices they faced and those they made. There is always the possibility of affecting the outcome, of struggle, if one starts where people are—where they may be simply struggling to live lives of minimal comfort and dignity—and move them even as one moves with them. He put his faith in people and ideas and culture—and he committed his life and work to making the world better.

Stuart did not teach us what the questions were and certainly not provide the answers. He taught us how to think relationally and contexually, and therefore how to ask questions. He taught us how to think and even live with complexity and difference. He refused the all too easy binaries that theory and politics throw in our way—he described himself as a theoretical anti-humanist and a political humanist. He sought neither a compromise nor a dialectic synthesis, but ways of navigating the contradictions and complexities rather than redistributing them into competing camps, because that was what a commitment to change the world required. Relations! Context! Complexity! Contingency! He inspired many of us with another vision of the intellectual life.

When I think of Stuart, I think of an expanding rich tapestry of relations, not of followers and acolytes, but of friends, students, colleagues, interlocutors, participants in various conversations, and anyone willing to listen, talk and engage. Stuart Hall was more than an intellectual, a public advocate for ideas, a champion of equality and justice, and an activist. He was also a teacher and a mentor to many people, in many different ways, at many different distances from his immediate presence. He talked with anyone and everyone, and treated them as if they had as much to teach him as he had to teach them.

I imagine Stuart as a worldly Doctor Who, a charismatic figure with a seriousness of purpose and a wonderful sense of style and humor, who changes not only the way people think but often, their lives as well. (I think Stuart would appreciate the popular culture metaphor, because its ordinariness prevents it from sounding too grandiose.) Stuart could not regenerate (what I would give if he could) but he did appear differently to different people. I was always surprised by what people could see in Stuart, and how generous he could be with people whom he thought had clearly missed something essential in his argument. At the same time, to be honest, I occasionally suffered his anger when he thought I had missed the point. I am sure others did as well. And like Doctor Who, the geography of his relations was heterogeneous, with many different intensities and timbres, a multiplicity of conversations, each person taking up, changing and extending the conversation in so many different places and directions.

I met Stuart when I came to the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies to escape the nightmares of Vietnam and the boring banalities of academic habits. Secretly, I was hoping to find a way to connect my three passions: a love of ideas; a commitment to political change; and a devotion to popular culture. Stuart helped me see how to weave them together into my own tapestry, called cultural studies. He was the first to admit that this was more a project than a finished product, as it had to be; it was the effort to forge a new way of being political and intellectual that set me on my own path. I think of my whole life as a political intellectual as a continuous effort to pursue that project, and to live up to his efforts. I have tried to champion that project, to make it visible and to fight for its specificity and value. Neither of us believed it to be the only way to be a political intellectual, but we were both sure that it offered something worth pursuing.

Now, it is a time to grieve—I doubt that I will ever stop. I remember the times we spent together, the lectures and discussions at the Centre, the conversations we had in person and by phone (the latest concerned the specificity of conjunctural analysis, the nature of affect, and the return of postmodernist theories), his curiosity, warmth and gentleness, his rich voice and exuberant laugh, and the people he introduced me to as I was beginning—many of whom have become my intellectual life blood and my closest friends. And because it is all about relationality, I inevitably think about all that he and his family (Catherine, Becky and Jess) have given me. I will always remember the love they expressed when they came into church for my wedding and later, when Stuart came to my son’s christening as his godfather. And it is a time for contemplation, and for affirming the community of close friends and unknown colleagues who mourn his loss, and know that we are unlikely to ever be able to fill the space that his life created. It is a time to continue the work, and take up the ongoing and expansive conversations that Stuart enlivened. It is a time to remember that ideas matter as we try to change the world, and that bad stories make bad politics. That is my homage to Stuart.

Gratefully offered,

Larry Grossberg

Breathless

02-15-2014, 03:12 PM

Chris Jones

2:35 p.m. CST, February 14, 2014

Shirley Temple Black, who died Monday, was, as Shirley Temple, the biggest child star of them all. In the last two years of her contract with 20th Century Fox in the late 1930s, she was making $250,000 a picture, and she made four movies a year for that studio. In 1958, the Hollywood columnist Hedda Hopper, shrewdly observing the relatively low top income tax rates when Temple was at her peak in the late 1930s and her parents' careful management of her trust fund, included her on a very short list of Hollywood's all-time richest women.

"Considering she's been working since she was a child of 4," Hopper wrote. "She must have accumulated a monumental pile."

For Temple did not occupy some cable niche on a Disney Channel sitcom. With her effervescent personality, healthy curls and perfect white teeth, not to mention her uncommon ability to mimic the doings of adult women stars, she was a mainstream star with a fan base that ranged from kids to middle-aged men. And she was an enthusiastic endorser, forever clutching myriad dolls in her own image and putting her face on everything from cola to soap, bringing in thousands a day. Her income in 1938 was said to be the seventh highest in the United States. She was bigger than Rin Tin Tin.

One need only browse this newspaper's archive to understand the wattage of Temple's stardom between about 1934 and 1939:

"Shirley Temple Chief Interest in This Movie: 'Now and Forever' Not Much in Way of Story."

"Shirley Temple Pins Own Police Badge on G-Man Hoover."

"Shirley Temple Won't Help in Vote Campaign."

"Studio Ready to Compromise Today on Shirley Temple's Pay"

In 1938, when Temple was 9 and at the peak of her fame, she came to Chicago (her mother was born on Adams Street) on a press tour, replete with her family, a huge entourage of assistants and the protection of two of Hoover's G-Men — personally assigned by the man himself — ready to stand guard outside the Edgewater Hotel. She upbraided photographers for their lack of imagination, telling them "everyone's getting the same shot," with "good-natured severity" and insisting that "when I'm talkin', you oughtn't to shoot."

Incredibly, Temple's handlers had the child posing on a window ledge, waving her feet while assuring everyone she would not fall. "Is this your idea of a vacation?" asked one veteran Tribune reporter, incredulous at the circus. "Oh yeah," was Temple's reply, her legs dangling over the edge. "I love to pose."

And then it all came to an end. Temple did not begin to twerk like Miley Cyrus, nor did she appear naked in German Vogue. She did not, like Britney Spears, alumna of "The Mickey Mouse Club," don a short Catholic schoolgirl skirt and cavort around arenas in sexualized poses. She did not, like Vanessa Hudgens, appear in an edgy movie like "Spring Breakers," wherein college students partake of a beach bacchanal. She did not even do the equivalent of those things for her own era. To what extent Temple's departure from Hollywood was her own decision, and to what degree it was forced upon her due to her audience disappearing as fast she combed out her curls, is open to question. And it's not that Temple completely disappeared. She had a modest TV career. She never totally walked away.

But it seems reasonable to conclude that Temple, having made her "monumental pile," did not make any attempt to change her identity into the opposite of herself.

It would be a simplification to say that her legacy is without adult complexity. Some critics have observed this week that Temple, who looks like a miniature woman on-screen, was always objectified in complex ways. Still, in the early 1940s, when Temple would have needed a redo that would have involved the repudiation of the image she'd cultivated, the great minds at the powerful talent agencies were less sophisticated at such reinventions, which require not only consent from multiple parties (and the audience) but also a great deal of careful planning.

By both those who paid her and those who watched her, Temple was seen as having one image, strange but singular.

Did Temple's relative lack of post-adolescent beauty or the absence of a great adult voice save her from further exploitation? Perhaps. Did her early start and incomparable dominance of her industry mean there was just nothing left to crave in the Hollywood candy store? It seems that way. Was she just too famous to be insecure about her own demise? Maybe. Whatever. It's impossible not to see this one message of her extraordinary life, walking away just as she was rather than succumbing to the urge to twerk.

Temple, by many accounts, was a happy teen and found a more normal adult life. In 1960, she told this newspaper — which headlined a story about her afterlife "Can This Be Our Shirley?" — that she was happy in her "overflowing life."

"It is because I am Mrs. Charles Alden Black," she said, "housewife and mother of three happy and healthy children. Not because I was Shirley Temple."

Of course, the real story here is that Temple did not stay merely Mrs. Charles Alden Black, (her husband famously claimed never to have seen one of his wife's movies when he married her), but she became Richard M. Nixon's U.S. ambassador to Ghana (from 1974-76) and then George H.W. Bush's ambassador to what was then Czechoslovakia (1989). By many accounts, she was a diplomat who batted away the low expectations of less famous denizens of the State Department and enjoyed widespread respect. She was an influential spokesman for many causes. Her past fame was fascinating abroad.

In her 1988 autobiography, Temple wrote that her father lost most of her movie fortune through poor business deals. By then, she had other money.

No other could be quite like Shirley Temple. But people underestimate the future use of degrees and careers in the arts: President Barack Obama spoke disparagingly, albeit lightly so, of degrees in art history in a recent speech about the utility of a college education. He's wrong about that. And you only have to read the account of how the 9-year-old Temple cajoled and charmed this newspaper's reporters on that day in 1939, partly helping them and partly helping herself. That's a pretty good snapshot of a diplomat's job.

Temple knew all about the power of celebrity when few did. She learned how to give her audience what it wanted and yet turn that into a springboard. She knew when to hold 'em, when to fold 'em and, perhaps most crucially of all, she understood that, rather than just changing your suit, it's always better to come back carrying a whole new deck.

Kobi

02-18-2014, 12:08 AM

http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/02/14/8b/02148b6172e860d6897bf84fbe030c6a.jpg

NTA BARBARA, California (AP) — Mary Grace Canfield, a veteran character actress who played handywoman Ralph Monroe on the television show "Green Acres," has died. She was 89.

Canfield had appearances on a number of TV shows during a four-decade career, including "General Hospital" and "The Hathaways." She was Harriet Kravitz on four episodes of the 1960s series "Bewitched."

But she was best known for her role of Ralph Monroe in some 40 episodes of "Green Acres," which ran from 1965 to 1971.

Monroe greeted folks in the town of Hootersville with a cheery "howdy doody," wore painters' overalls and was forever working on the Douglas family's bedroom with her brother, Alf.

Hollylane

02-20-2014, 03:07 PM

http://www.sweet-transvestites.com/images/rhs/tim-malcom.jpg?w=600http://ll-media.tmz.com/2014/02/17/0217-malcolm-empire-3.jpg

Christopher Malcolm died Saturday at age 67 ... his death was first confirmed by his daughter on Twitter.

Malcolm originated the role of Brad in 1973 in the London production of RHS ... playing the newlywed groom who takes refuge with his wife Janet in the home of sweet transvestite Dr. Frank-N-Furter.

The stage show was turned into a film in 1975 -- but without Malcolm -- the role of Brad was played by Barry Bostwick.

Malcolm was an accomplished Shakespearean actor who also appeared as starfighter pilot Zev Senesca in "Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back" ... and had numerous directing and producing credits.

Cause of death is unknown.

Hollylane

02-20-2014, 03:10 PM

http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/b7/91/ed/b791ed85aead4f48c13cf790c4a1bb41.jpg

Ralph Waite, who played the kind patriarch of a tight-knit rural Southern family on the TV series "The Waltons," has died, his manager said Thursday. He was 85.

Waite, a native of White Plains, N.Y., served in the U.S. Marines before earning a bachelor's degree from Bucknell University and a master's degree from Yale University Divinity School, according to a 2010 profile by The Desert Sun.

He became an ordained Presbyterian minister and then worked at a publishing house, the paper said, before falling under the spell of acting. Waite appeared on the stage before moving onto the big screen with roles in 1967's "Cool Hand Luke" and 1970's "Five Easy Pieces," in which he played the brother of Jack Nicholson's character.

Waite received an Emmy nomination for "The Waltons" and another for his performance in the ABC miniseries "Roots."

Waite appeared last year in episodes of the series "NCIS," in which he played the dad of star Mark Harmon's character. He also appeared in "Bones" and "Days of Our Lives."

This one really made me sad...

Hollylane

02-23-2014, 08:05 PM

Maria von Trapp, last member of Sound of Music family, dies. (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-26311694)

http://www.trappfamily.com/sites/default/files/images/229MARIABW_RESIZED.jpg

http://tribktla.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/maria-von-trapp-dies-20140222-0011.jpg?w=640&h=360

Hollylane

02-24-2014, 12:08 PM

Ghostbusters star Harold Ramis dies aged 69 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/26327020)

http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/73183000/jpg/_73183989_rexfeatures_390907kq.jpg
Ramis (right) found fame in 1984's Ghostbusters

Jet

02-24-2014, 04:32 PM

Met Ralph Waite in Palm Springs in 1993 at restaurant called Louise's Pantry. Nice man. He gave me his autograph for a friend of mine to raise money at an auction for disabled kids.

Kobi

02-27-2014, 05:07 AM

http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/c9/f9/6f/c9f96f0c3fb3b51421101370882ee404.jpg

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Jim Lange, the first host of the popular game show "The Dating Game," has died at his home in Mill Valley, Calif. He was 81.

Later, after "The Dating Game" brought him national recognition, he also hosted the game shows "Hollywood Connection," ''$100,000 Name That Tune" and "The New Newlywed Game."

Lange also worked as a disc jockey for decades in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area, and upon his retirement from broadcasting in 2005, he was the morning DJ for KABL-FM, which specializes in playing classics from the Big Band era to the 1970s.

_4JmSg7XafA

Memories.

Daktari

03-14-2014, 07:27 AM

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/mar/14/tony-benn-obituary

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/mar/14/tony-benn-dies-establishment-insider-turned-leftwing-outsider

Kobi

03-15-2014, 07:14 PM

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David Brenner, the wry stand-up comic and pundit from Philadelphia who as a favorite of Johnny Carson appeared more times on The Tonight Show than any other guest, died Saturday. He was 78.

By one estimate, the perpetually grinning Brenner appeared on The Tonight Show 158 times and guest-hosted the NBC late-night show on a handful of other occasions when Carson took time off. One book says he made more talk-show appearances than any other guest in history.

Brenner was born on Feb. 4, 1936, and lived in poor sections of South and West Philadelphia. His father, Louis, was a vaudeville singer, dancer and comedian who performed as “Lou Murphy,” and Brenner always said he was the funniest man he ever met. His dad gave up the stage and a Hollywood movie contract because his rabbi father objected to him working on Friday nights; three of Brenner's uncles also were rabbis, but the future comic never found the calling.

After high school, Brenner spent two years in the Army, then attended Temple University, where he majored in mass communications. He went on to write, direct or produce 115 TV documentaries, many about the plight of people fighting poverty, as the head of the documentary departments at Westinghouse Broadcasting and Metromedia Broadcasting.

Brenner, though, was discouraged that his documentary work never affected change.

At the beginning, I thought, 'Well, you just present the public with a problem and some possible solutions and society will use that information to make things better for people,' ” he said in a 2008 interview with the Philadelphia Jewish Voice. “I eventually realized my naivete. It isn’t that we’re seeking the answers; we just don’t want to implement them. So I decided rather than try to solve problems, I would help people forget ’em.”

A contemporary of Freddie Prinze, Andy Kaufman, Steve Landesberg, Gabe Kaplan, Richard Lewis and others, Brenner perfected the art of observational comedy, or, as he once described it, "dumb things that we say or do."

During his long career, Brenner also appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, The David Frost Show, The Mike Douglas Show, Late Show With David Letterman, Real Time With Bill Maher and The Daily Show and was a frequent guest of Howard Stern on his radio program.

He wrote five books, including 2003's I Think There's a Terrorist in My Soup: How to Survive Personal and World Problems With Laughter -- Seriously.

It was said that Brenner, as a final request, "asked that $100 in small bills be placed in his left sock 'just in case tipping is recommended where I'm going.' His final resting spot will read, 'If this is supposed to be a joke -- then I don't get it!' "

http://movies.yahoo.com/news/comedian-david-brenner-dies-78-050000239.html;_ylt=A0LEV1Ku8CRTIQIAij5XNyoA;_ylu= X3oDMTEzZ24zYTdpBHNlYwNzcgRwb3MDNQRjb2xvA2JmMQR2dG lkA1ZJUDQwM18x

Daktari

03-30-2014, 07:49 AM

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/mar/30/dynasty-kate-omara-dies-age-74

Best known for her parts in the BBC shows, Howard's Way and those (unintentionally hilarious) opening shots of Triangle. Also known for playing Alexis Colby's sister in the 80s American show Dysentery (sic)

I saw her as one of Lear's daughters in a late 80s touring version of Lear...she appeared to be wearing her Dysentery outfits at the time :|

RIP Kate

Martina

04-05-2014, 07:10 PM

Peter Matthiessen, Author and Naturalist, Is Dead at 86 (http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/06/books/peter-matthiessen-author-and-naturalist-is-dead-at-86.html?hp)

Peter Matthiessen, a roving author and naturalist whose impassioned nonfiction explored the remote endangered wilds of the world and whose prizewinning fiction often placed his mysterious protagonists in the heart of them, died Saturday. He was 86 and lived in Sagaponack, N.Y.

He had been treated for acute leukemia for more than a year. His death came as he awaited publication of his final novel, “In Paradise,” on April 8.

Mr. Matthiessen was one of the last survivors of a generation of American writers who came of age after World War II and who all seemed to know one another, socializing in New York and on Long Island’s East End as a kind of movable literary salon peopled by the likes of William Styron, James Jones, Kurt Vonnegut and E.L. Doctorow.

Article about his life -- http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/06/books/peter-matthiessen-author-and-naturalist-is-dead-at-86.html?hp

Martina

04-06-2014, 11:20 PM

I guess it's a bad week to be someone I idolize. Jesse Winchester has passed away at 69. Great songwriter. Wonderful man.

Jesse Winchester R.I.P., Dead At 69 (http://www.noise11.com/news/jesse-winchester-r-i-p-dead-at-69-20140407)

by VVN Music on April 7, 2014

Jesse Winchester is reported to have has passed away after a battle with cancer.

Janis Ian tweeted news of Jesse’s death just shortly after his official Facebook page prepared fans for the news.

Yesterday, Winchester’s official Facebook page held the message:

The studio has been quiet – deafeningly so – as Jesse is receiving hospice care, in home and with family. It is a difficult time, but as always and in his own special way, he has something to teach us about grace and beauty.

That was followed on Sunday evening by the following post by Janis Ian:

RIP Jesse Winchester. As underrated a singer as Chet Baker. As underrated a guitarist as Willie Nelson. A man who held the audience in the palm of his hand without moving an inch. One of the best songwriters on earth. Damn damn damn.

Winchester had been battling cancer of the esophagus since 2011.

Jesse was a scholar as a teen, graduating from Christian Brothers High School in Memphis, TN as a Merit finalist, national honor society member and class Salutatorian. Unfortunately, just after his college graduation, he received his draft notice and, instead of serving, moving to Montreal, Canada.

Although he dabbled with music in high school, he didn’t go full into the profession until he got to Montreal, joining the band Les Astronautes. Eventually, he started playing in coffeehouses around eastern Canada.

The band’s Robbie Robertson took notice of Winchester and helped him get his first record contract, issuing his self-titled debut album in 1970. While he continued to record through the decade, he was unable to tour outside of Canada and became better known for his songs then for his own performances. Artists picked up and recorded a number of his songs including Brand New Tennessee Waltz, Yankee Lady, A Showman’s Life and Biloxi.

In 1976, Jimmy Carter granted amnesty to draft evaders and allowed special amnesty for Winchester who had become a Canadian citizen, opening up the U.S. market to Winchester as a touring artist. He didn’t move back to the U.S. until 2002.

Between 1970 and 1981, Winchester released seven studio albums before taking a break from the business, living off of his song royalties. He returned in 1988 with Humour Me followed by an even longer eleven year break before 1999′s Gentleman of Leisure. Jesse released his tenth and final studio album, Love Filling Station, in 2009.

Kobi

04-07-2014, 06:31 AM

OS ANGELES (AP) - Mickey Rooney's approach to life was simple: "Let's put on a show!" He spent nine decades doing it, on the big screen, on television, on stage and in his extravagant personal life.

Pint-sized, precocious, impish, irrepressible - perhaps hardy is the most-suitable adjective for Rooney, a perennial comeback artist whose early blockbuster success as the vexing but wholesome Andy Hardy and as Judy Garland's musical comrade in arms was bookended 70 years later with roles in "Night at the Museum" and "The Muppets."

Rooney died Sunday at age 93 surrounded by family at his North Hollywood home.

He was nominated for four Academy Awards over a four-decade span and received two special Oscars for film achievements, won an Emmy for his TV movie "Bill" and had a Tony nomination for his Broadway smash "Sugar Babies."

A small man physically, Rooney was prodigious in talent, scope, ambition and appetite. He sang and danced, played roles both serious and silly, wrote memoirs, a novel, movie scripts and plays and married eight times , siring 11 children.

After signing with MGM in 1934, Rooney landed his first big role playing Clark Gable's character as a boy in "Manhattan Melodrama." A year later, still only in his mid-teens, Rooney was doing Shakespeare, playing an exuberant Puck in Max Reinhardt's "A Midsummer Night's Dream," which also featured James Cagney and Olivia de Havilland.

Rooney soon was earning $300 a week with featured roles in such films as "Riff Raff," ''Little Lord Fauntleroy," ''Captains Courageous" and "The Devil Is a Sissy."

Then came Andy Hardy in the 1937 comedy "A Family Affair," a role he would reprise in 15 more feature films over the next two decades. Centered on a kindly small-town judge (Lionel Barrymore) who delivers character-building homilies to troublesome son Andy, it was pure corn, but it turned out to be golden corn for MGM, becoming a runaway success with audiences.

Studio boss Louis B. Mayer saw "A Family Affair" as a template for a series of movies about a model American home. Cast changes followed, most notably with Lewis Stone replacing Barrymore in the sequels, but Rooney stayed on, his role built up until he became the focus of the films, which included "The Courtship of Andy Hardy," ''Andy Hardy's Double Life" and "Love Finds Andy Hardy," the latter featuring fellow child star Garland.

He played a delinquent humbled by Spencer Tracy as Father Flanagan in 1938's "Boys Town" and Mark Twain's timeless scamp in 1939's "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." Rooney's peppy, all-American charm was never better matched than when he appeared opposite Garland in such films as "Babes on Broadway" and "Strike up the Band," musicals built around that "Let's put on a show" theme.

One of them, 1939's "Babes in Arms," earned Rooney a best-actor Oscar nomination, a year after he received a special Oscar shared with Deanna Durbin for "bringing to the screen the spirit and personification of youth, and as juvenile players setting a high standard of ability and achievement."

He earned another best-actor nomination for 1943's "The Human Comedy," adapted from William Saroyan's sentimental tale about small-town life during World War II. The performance was among Rooney's finest.

"The Bold and the Brave," 1956 World War II drama, brought him an Oscar nomination as best supporting actor. But mostly, he played second leads in such films as "Off Limits" with Bob Hope, "The Bridges at Toko-Ri" with William Holden, and "Requiem for a Heavyweight" with Anthony Quinn.

In the early 1960s, he had a wild turn in "Breakfast at Tiffany's" as Audrey Hepburn's bucktoothed Japanese neighbor, and he was among the fortune seekers in the all-star comedy "It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World."

Rooney's starring roles came in low-budget films such as "Drive a Crooked Road," ''The Atomic Kid," ''Platinum High School," ''The Twinkle in God's Eye" and "How to Stuff a Wild Bikini."

He earned a fourth Oscar nomination, as supporting actor, for 1979's "Black Stallion," the same year he starred with Ann Miller in the Broadway revue "Sugar Babies," which brought him a Tony nomination and millions of dollars during his years with the show.

In 1981 came his Emmy-winning performance as a disturbed man in "Bill." He found success with voice roles for animated films such as "The Fox and the Hound," ''The Care Bears Movie" and the blockbuster "Finding Nemo."

Over the years, Rooney also made hundreds of appearances on TV talk and game shows, dramas and variety programs. He starred in three short-lived series: "The Mickey Rooney Show" (1954); "Mickey" (1964); and "One of the Boys" (1982). A co-star from "One of the Boys," Dana Carvey, later parodied Rooney on "Saturday Night Live," mocking him as a hopeless egomaniac who couldn't stop boasting he once was "the number one star ... IN THE WO-O-ORLD!"

A lifelong storyteller, Rooney wrote two memoirs: "i.e., an Autobiography" published in 1965, and "Life Is Too Short," 1991. He also produced a novel about a child movie star, "The Search for Sonny Skies," in 1994.

- See more at: http://www.legacy.com/ns/obituary.aspx?n=mickey-rooney&pid=170522531#sthash.52AMqK7M.dpuf

Daktari

04-08-2014, 06:24 AM

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-26931337

So sad to hear this news last night.

Candelion

04-17-2014, 06:38 PM

His contributions to literature, art, beauty, and truth will be remembered and appreciated for generations to come.

lamuymuyfem

04-18-2014, 10:58 AM

Gabriel Garcia Marquez' book, "Amor en los tiempos de colera," always reminded me of the dynamics of a closeted gay relationship. The man and woman fell in love at a young age but were separated when she married a more 'suitable' partner.

In old age, they find each other again, and they get on a boat, when a cholera epidemic breaks out. The boat is forbidden to land, so the two reunited lovers are quarantined together for the rest of their lives, floating up and down the river.

Daktari

04-30-2014, 07:05 AM

Actor Bob Hoskins, age 71 has just died of pneumonia.
I loved The Long Good Friday
Mona Lisa
even Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Hoskins

Jesse

05-02-2014, 11:15 PM

Rest in peace to Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Efrem-Zimbalist-Jr/111871895496078), who passed away today, May 2, 2014, at the age of 95 from natural causes.

Zimbalist is best known for his acting roles, such as Stuart "Stu" Bailey in 77 Sunset Strip (https://www.facebook.com/77SunsetStripTVShow) and Inspector Lewis Erskine in The F.B.I. (https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-FBI/109286095755929) He is also more recently known for his voice-over work, most notably being the voice of the Dark Knight's butler, Alfred Pennyworth (https://www.facebook.com/TheOldGuardian), in the DC Animated Universe, as well as the voice of Dr Otto Octavius (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dr-Otto-Octavius/207964835893971), better known as Doctor Octopus (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Doctor-Octopus/108297762527252) in the animated Spider-Man (https://www.facebook.com/SpiderManDVD) series that ran on TV from 1995 to 1997.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/t1.0-9/q71/s720x720/10330321_4071203956009_4240373047356348472_n.jpg
(https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4071203956009&set=a.1129376332157.14542.1759701140&type=1)

Candelion

05-07-2014, 11:37 AM

Farley Mowat (May 12, 1921 - May 7, 2014)

So many of his books I loved, but I think Never Cry Wolf will always be my favourite. RIP Mr. Mowat.

Kobi

05-19-2014, 12:50 PM

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LOS ANGELES (AP) - Jerry Vale, the beloved crooner known for his high-tenor voice and romantic songs in the 1950s and early 1960s, has died. He was 83.

Born Genaro Louis Vitaliano, Vale started performing in New York supper clubs as a teenager and went on to record more than 50 albums. His rendition of "Volare," ''Innamorata" and "Al Di La" became classic Italian-American songs. His biggest hit was "You Don't Know Me."

http://www.legacy.com/ns/obituary.aspx?n=jerry-vale&pid=171070198

Kobi

05-19-2014, 12:53 PM

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FALMOUTH, Mass. (AP) - Gordon Willis, one of Hollywood's most celebrated and influential cinematographers, nicknamed "The Prince of Darkness" for his subtle but indelible touch on such definitive 1970s releases as "The Godfather," "Annie Hall" and "All the President's Men," has died. He was 82. -

See more at: http://www.legacy.com/ns/obituary.aspx?n=gordon-willis&pid=171071288#sthash.D5GLSOwO.dpuf

Teddybear

05-28-2014, 07:57 AM

R.I.P. Maya Angelou. You were a voice for many

ProfPacker

05-28-2014, 08:30 AM

She was a gift and inspiration to many. I believe her works will be those that are past on from generation to generation.

Aryon

05-28-2014, 10:04 AM

Still I Rise

Poems by Maya Angelou : 18 / 28

« Remembrance
The Detached »

Still I Rise

You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may tread me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
'Cause I walk like I've got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I'll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops.
Weakened by my soulful cries.

Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don't you take it awful hard
'Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines
Diggin' in my own back yard.

You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I'll rise.

Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I've got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?

Out of the huts of history's shame
I rise
Up from a past that's rooted in pain
I rise
I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.

~ Maya Angelou

Daktari

05-28-2014, 02:52 PM

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/may/28/maya-angelou-poet-author-dies-86

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/may/28/maya-angelou

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/mar/30/maya-angelou-terrible-wonderful-mother

anaisninja

05-28-2014, 03:05 PM

Phenomenal Woman
BY MAYA ANGELOU

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I’m telling lies.
I say,
It’s in the reach of my arms,
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.

I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It’s the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.

Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can’t touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them,
They say they still can’t see.
I say,
It’s in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.

Now you understand
Just why my head’s not bowed.
I don’t shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing,
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It’s in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need for my care.
’Cause I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.

anaisninja

05-28-2014, 03:49 PM

Maya Angelou – Just For A Time

Oh how you used to walk
With that insouciant smile
I liked to hear you talk
And your style
Pleased me for a while.

You were my early love
New as a day breaking in Spring
You were the image of
Everything
That caused me to sing.

I don’t like reminiscing
Nostalgia is not my forte
I don’t spill tears
On yesterday’s years
But honesty makes me say,
You were a precious pearl
How I loved to see you shine,
You were the perfect girl.
And you were mine.
For a time.
For a time.
Just for a time.

Jesse

05-28-2014, 03:54 PM

Such a beautiful, and inspiring woman. You touched the lives of so many... journey well, Maya Angelou!

CherylNYC

05-28-2014, 05:57 PM

From the Advocate

http://www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/people/2014/05/27/stonewall-veteran-drag-king-icon-stormé-delarverie-dies-93

Stormé DeLarverie, a longtime member of the Stonewall Veteran’s Association and pioneer LGBT activist, died Saturday morning. DeLaverie was 93 years old.

The Bronx LGBTQ Center called DeLarverie the “Rosa Parks” of the gay rights movement in a statement Tuesday.

DeLarverie was born in New Orleans on December 24, 1920, and is best known for having a role in the popular drag performance group, Jewel Box Revue. The group was comprised of a dozen drag queens and DeLarverie, as King Stormé, the sole drag king.

While records of the 1969 Stonewall Riots have often been described as incomplete, DeLarverie is best known for her involvement at the 1969 uprising, which followed a police raid on a New York City LGBT bar. The event is often credited as launching the modern fight for LGBT equality.

At a Stonewall Veterans event, DeLarverie recalled, “A cop said to me, ‘Move faggot’, thinking that I was a gay guy. I said, ‘I will not! And, don’t you dare touch me.’ With that, the cop shoved me and I instinctively punched him right in his face. He bled! He was then dropping to the ground — not me!” Two weeks after the rebellion, DeLarverie was a part of the official formation of the Stonewall Veteran’s Association on July 11, 1969.

DeLarverie was a vital member of the Stonewall Veteran’s Association, rising through the ranks to eventually become the organization’s vice president. The Imperial Kings and Queens of Greater New York, a sister organization to the Stonewall Veteran’s Association, also recognized DeLaverie’s work in the early drag scene.

The New York Times ran a piece on DeLarverie in 2010, detailing the activist’s years struggling with evictions, and hospitalization after being found “disoriented and dehydrated” at the Chelsea Hotel in Manhattan, DeLarverie's longtime home. Despite these hardships, DeLarverie still reminisced the days of being one of the first advocates for gay rights.

A memorial service will be held this Thursday, May 29 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., at the Greenwich Village Funeral Home in New York City.

cricket26

05-28-2014, 06:02 PM

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/05/29/arts/maya-angelou-lyrical-witness-of-the-jim-crow-south-dies-at-86.html?referrer

Kelt

05-28-2014, 06:28 PM

Massimo Vignelli, Visionary Designer Who Untangled the Subway, Dies at 83 (http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/28/business/massimo-vignelli-a-modernist-graphic-designer-dies-at-83.html)

Samples of some of his classic work (http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/28/business/massimo-vignelli-a-modernist-graphic-designer-dies-at-83.html#slideshow/100000002904185/100000002904132)

https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQj0rp_iMM5zGNJRlqf4eLhQygKvATM7 Xbkc_m1ft5Zj1H4Spgh-Q

Kobi

06-01-2014, 05:09 PM

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Emmy Award-winning actress Ann B. Davis has died at the age of 88, TMZ reports. The Brady Bunch and Bob Cummings Show alum passed away following a severe fall in her home.

She won two Emmys, in 1958 and 1959 for her role as Schultzy on The Bob Cummings Show, but Davis is best known for her portrayal of Alice, the Brady's wacky housekeeper on The Brady Bunch, which aired from 1969 to 1974.

Davis also appeared in the films A Man Called Peter, All Hands on Deck, and Lover Come Back before retiring in 1976. She also reprised her most famous role in numerous Brady Bunch reunion specials, including 1981's The Brady Brides, 1988's A Very Brady Christmas, and 1995's The Brady Bunch Movie.

https://celebrity.yahoo.com/news/ann-b-davis-dies-brady-bunchs-alice-dead-225500464-us-weekly.html;_ylt=A0LEV0ZHsYtTeUAAkQ9XNyoA;_ylu=X3o DMTB0c21lbWU2BHNlYwNzYwRjb2xvA2JmMQR2dGlkA1ZJUDM3N l8x

Kobi

06-04-2014, 02:06 PM

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LAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — The last of the 29 Navajos who developed a code that stumped the Japanese during World War II has died.

Chester Nez, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, died Wednesday morning of kidney failure, said Judy Avila, who helped Nez write his memoirs. He was 93.

Before hundreds of men from the Navajo Nation became Code Talkers, 29 Navajos were recruited to develop the code based on the then-unwritten Navajo language. Nez was in 10th grade when he enlisted, keeping his decision a secret from his family and lying about his age, as did many others.

"It's one of the greatest parts of history that we used our own native language during World War II," Nez told The Associated Press in 2009. "We're very proud of it."

Of the 250 Navajos who showed up at Fort Defiance — then a U.S. Army base — 29 were selected to join the first all-Native American unit of Marines. They were inducted in May 1942. Nez became part of the 382nd Platoon.

Using Navajo words for red soil, war chief, clan, braided hair, beads, ant and hummingbird, for example, they came up with a glossary of more than 200 terms that later was expanded and an alphabet.

Nez has said he was concerned the code wouldn't work. At the time, few non-Navajos spoke the language. Even Navajos who did couldn't understand the code. It proved impenetrable.

The Navajos trained in radio communications were walking copies of the code. Each message read aloud by a Code Talker was immediately destroyed.

"The Japanese did everything in their power to break the code but they never did," Nez said in 2010.

After World War II, Nez volunteered to serve two more years during the Korean War. He retired in 1974 after a 25-year career as a painter at the Veterans Affairs hospital in Albuquerque.

Nez was eager to tell his family about his role as a Code Talker, Avila said, but he couldn't. The mission wasn't declassified until 1968.

The accolades came much later, and the Code Talkers now are widely celebrated. The original group received Congressional Gold Medals in 2001, and a movie based on the Code Talkers was released the following year. They have appeared on television and in parades and routinely are asked to speak to veterans groups and students.

Nez threw the opening pitch at a 2004 Major League Baseball game and offered a blessing for the presidential campaign of John Kerry. In 2012, he received a bachelor's degree from the University of Kansas, where he abandoned his studies in fine arts after money from his GI Bill ran out.

- See more at: http://www.legacy.com/ns/obituary.aspx?n=chester-nez&pid=171232202#sthash.RZYAKqe8.dpuf

Kobi

06-05-2014, 08:56 AM

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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Don Zimmer, a popular fixture in professional baseball for 66 years as a manager, player, coach and executive, died Wednesday. He was 83.

Zimmer was still working for the Tampa Bay Rays as a senior adviser. He had been in a rehabilitation center in Florida after having heart surgery in mid-April.

After starting as a minor league infielder in 1949, Zimmer went on to have one of the longest-lasting careers in baseball history.

Zimmer played for the only Brooklyn Dodgers team to win the World Series, played for the original New York Mets, nearly managed the Boston Red Sox to a championship in the 1970s and was Joe Torre's right-hand man with the New York Yankees' most recent dynasty.

Along the way, Zimmer played for Hall of Fame manager Casey Stengel and coached Derek Jeter — quite a span, by any major league measure.

Zimmer spent time in a lot of uniforms. He played for the Dodgers, Mets, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati and Washington. He managed San Diego, Boston, Texas and the Cubs.

- See more at: http://www.legacy.com/ns/obituary.aspx?n=don-zimmer&pid=171237272#sthash.RQyN7bWZ.dpuf

Kobi

06-07-2014, 05:10 AM

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Karen DeCrow, who was president of the National Organization for Women during the 1970s, a turbulent period in which she helped lead campaigns for passage of the Equal Rights Amendment and against sex discrimination in education and sports, died on Friday at her home in Jamesville, N.Y., a suburb of Syracuse. She was 76.

The cause was melanoma, said her longtime friend Rowena Malamud, who is president of the Greater Syracuse chapter of NOW. Ms. DeCrow was the group’s current vice president.

Ms. DeCrow was a writer, a lawyer and a tireless campaigner for women’s rights. Her causes were national but also local. In the early 1970s, she represented a 7-year-old girl who wanted to play Little League baseball but was being denied.

“Over my dead body will girls ever play Little League baseball,” a coach told her at the time. “If one of them ever struck out a boy, he would be psychologically scarred for life.”

The girl played, but Ms. DeCrow was not done with sports. As president of NOW from 1974 to 1977, she fought off pressure from the National Collegiate Athletic Association to limit the reach of Title IX, the federal law passed in 1972 that bans sex discrimination in educational institutions that receive federal money. The law, which was strengthened in 1975 to ensure equal access to sports, has been widely credited with revolutionizing women’s athletics.

“I just hope all that playing and practicing won’t keep women out of the library, studying, learning, getting ready to take advantage of Title VII, the really important federal law, the one that prohibits job discrimination,” Ms. DeCrow told The New York Times in 1997.

Not all of her campaigns were successful. The Equal Rights Amendment, which would make discrimination against women unconstitutional, has yet to pass, but not for lack of effort by Ms. DeCrow. During the 1970s and ’80s, she crisscrossed the United States in support of it and had scores of debates with Phyllis Schlafly, one of its most prominent opponents.

Ms. DeCrow was born Karen Lipschultz on Dec. 18, 1937, in Chicago, the oldest of two daughters of a businessman and a former ballet dancer who stopped working outside the home after she married. Ms. DeCrow attended Chicago public schools. As a teenager, she sent short stories to top magazines, hoping to be published. She graduated from Northwestern University in 1959 with a degree in journalism.

She struggled to find appealing work after college, finally accepting a job as fashion editor at Golf Digest, though she had little interest in fashion or golf. She went on to work for other magazines and for publishing houses.

In 1967, after a brief first marriage, she was living in Syracuse with her second husband, Roger DeCrow, a computer scientist, and working in a small publishing house when she and some of her female colleagues realized that they were being paid less than their male counterparts. She decided to join the nascent group NOW and then formed a chapter in Syracuse and became president of it.

“I wasn’t a feminist,” she told The Times in 1975. “I just wanted more money.” By 1968, she was serving on the board of the national group.

As president she served without pay, the last NOW president to do so. “I joined NOW on an issue of pay,” she said. “Of course, now I don’t get any pay at all.”

Ms. DeCrow ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Syracuse in 1969 while attending the Syracuse University School of Law in her early 30s. She graduated in 1972, the only woman in her class, she told interviewers.

In 1988 Ms. DeCrow was a co-founder of World Women Watch, dedicated to combating sex discrimination worldwide. In 2009 she was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame.

For several years, Ms. DeCrow wrote for The Syracuse Post-Standard and its website. She published several books, including two in the early 1970s, “The Young Woman’s Guide to Liberation” and “Sexist Justice — How Legal Sexism Affects You.”

In 2008, she told The Syracuse Post-Standard that she was cautiously pleased with the progress women had made.

“I am lucky enough to have been involved in a movement that really moved,” she said. “But then, are we done? No, we’re not done.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/07/nyregion/karen-decrow-former-president-of-now-dies-at-76.html?_r=0

Kobi

06-12-2014, 02:51 PM

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NEW YORK (AP) - Her long career brought her an Oscar nomination at age 83 for best supporting actress for her role in the 2007 film "American Gangster." She also won an Emmy and was nominated for several others. Age didn't slow her down.

"I think you mustn't tell your body, you mustn't tell your soul, 'I'm going to retire,'" Dee told The Associated Press in 2001. "You may be changing your life emphasis, but there's still things that you have in mind to do that now seems the right time to do. I really don't believe in retiring as long as you can breathe."

Since meeting on Broadway in 1946, she and her late husband were frequent collaborators. Their partnership rivaled the achievements of other celebrated performing couples, such as Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy.

But they were more than a performing couple. They were also activists who fought for civil rights, particularly for blacks.

"We used the arts as part of our struggle," she said at an appearance in Jackson, Miss., in 2006. "Ossie said he knew he had to conduct himself differently with skill and thought."

In 1998, the pair celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary and an even longer association in show business with the publication of a dual autobiography, "With Ossie and Ruby: In This Life Together."

Davis died in February 2005. At his funeral, his widow sat near his coffin as former President Clinton led an array of famous mourners, including Harry Belafonte and Spike Lee.

Davis and Dee met in 1945 when she auditioned for the Broadway play "Jeb," starring Davis (both were cast in it). In December 1948, on a day off from rehearsals from another play, "The Smile of the World," Davis and Dee took a bus to New Jersey to get married. They already were so close that "it felt almost like an appointment we finally got around to keeping," Dee wrote in "In This Life Together."

They shared billing in 11 stage productions and five movies during long parallel careers. Dee's fifth film, "No Way Out" with Sidney Poitier in 1950, was her husband's first. Along with film, stage and television, their richly honored careers extended to a radio show, "The Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee Story Hour," that featutred a mix of black themes. Davis directed one of their joint film appearances, "Countdown at Kusini" (1976).

Like her husband, Dee was active in civil rights issues and efforts to promote the cause of blacks in the entertainment industry. As young performers, they found themselves caught up the growing debate over social and racial justice in the United States. The couple's push for social justice was lifelong: In 1999, the couple was arrested while protesting the shooting death of Amadou Diallo, an unarmed African immigrant, by New York City police.

They were friends with baseball star Jackie Robinson and his wife, Rachel - Dee played her, opposite Robinson himself, in the 1950 movie, "The Jackie Robin son Story" - and with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcom X. Dee and Davis served as masters of ceremonies for the historic 1963 March on Washington and she spoke at both the funerals for King and Malcom X.

Among her best-known films was "A Raisin in the Sun," in 1961, the classic play that explored racial discrimination and black frustration. On television, she was a leading cast member on the soap operas such in the 1950s and '60s, a rare sight for a black actress in the 1950s and 60s.

As she aged, her career did not ebb. Dee was the voice of wisdom and reason as Mother Sister in Spike Lee's 1989 film, "Do the Right Thing," alongside her husband. She won an Emmy as supporting actress in a miniseries or special for 1990's "Decoration Day."

She won a National Medal of the Arts in 1995 and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Screen Actors Guild in 2000. In 2004, she and Davis received Kennedy Center Honors. Another honor came in 2007, after Davis' d eath, when the recording of their memoir won a Grammy for best spoken word album, a category that includes audio books.

The role that brought her an Oscar nomination at age 83 was as the mother of Denzel Washington's title character in Ridley Scott's crime drama "American Gangster."

Born Ruby Ann Wallace in Cleveland to parents who soon split, Dee moved to Harlem as an infant with a brother and two sisters, living with relatives and neighbors. She graduated from highly competitive Hunter High School in 1939 and enrolled at Hunter College. "I wanted to be an actor but the chances for success did not look promising," she wrote in their joint autobiography.

But in 1940 she got a part in a Harlem production of a new play, "On Strivers Row," which she later called "one giant step" to becoming a person and a performer.

In 1965, she became the first black woman to play lead roles at the American Shakespeare Festival. She won an Obie Award for the title role i n Athol Fugard's "Boesman and Lena" and a Drama Desk Award for her role in "Wedding Band."

Most recently, Dee performed her one-woman stage show, "My One Good Nerve: A Visit With Ruby Dee," in theaters across the country. The show was a compilation of some of the short stories, humor and poetry in her book of the same title.

- See more at: http://www.legacy.com/ns/obituary.aspx?n=ruby-dee&pid=171318555#sthash.ieQVeZk8.dpuf

Kobi

06-14-2014, 03:10 PM

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PITTSBURGH (AP) - Chuck Noll, the Hall of Fame coach who won a record four Super Bowl titles with the Pittsburgh Steelers, died Friday night at his home. He was 82.

Noll transformed the Steelers from a long-standing joke into one of the NFL's pre-eminent powers, becoming the only coach to win four Super Bowls. He was a demanding figure who did not make close friends with his players, yet was a successful and motivating leader.

The Steelers won the four Super Bowls over six seasons (1974, 1975, 1978 and 1979), an unprecedented run that made Pittsburgh one of the NFL's marquee franchises, one that breathed life into a struggling, blue-collar city.

Noll's 16-8 record in postseason play remains one of the best in league history. He retired in 1991 with a 209-156-1 record in 23 seasons, after inheriting a team that had never won a postseason game. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993.

- See more at: http://www.legacy.com/ns/obituary.aspx?n=chuck-noll&pid=171353466#sthash.vo7V0dcd.dpuf

Kobi

06-17-2014, 03:36 PM

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Casey Kasem, the smooth-voiced radio broadcaster who became the king of the top 40 countdown, has died at age 82.

Kasem's "American Top 40" began on July 4, 1970, in Los Angeles. The No. 1 song on his list then was "Mama Told Me Not to Come," by Three Dog Night.

The show continued in varying forms — and for varying syndicators — until his retirement in 2009. In his signoff, he would tell viewers: "And don't forget: keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars."

See more at: http://www.legacy.com/ns/obituary.aspx?n=casey-kasem&pid=171366204#sthash.Ggme3EDo.dpuf

Kobi

06-17-2014, 03:42 PM

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AN DIEGO (AP) - Tony Gwynn, the Hall of Famer with a sweet left-handed swing who spent his entire 20-year career with the Padres and was one of the game's greatest hitters, died of cancer Monday. He was 54.

Gwynn, a craftsman at the plate and winner of eight batting titles, was nicknamed "Mr. Padre" and was one of the most beloved athletes in San Diego.

In a rarity in pro sports, Gwynn played his whole career with the Padres, choosing to stay rather than leaving for bigger paychecks elsewhere. His terrific hand-eye coordination made him one of the game's greatest contact hitters. He had 3,141 hits, a career .338 average and won eight NL batting titles. He excelled at hitting singles the other way, through the "5.5 hole" between third base and shortstop.

Gwynn played in the Padres' only two World Series and was a 15-time All-Star.

He homered off the facade at Yankee Stadium off San Diego native David Wells in Game 1 of the 1998 World Series and scored the winning run in the 1994 All-Star Game. He was hitting .394 when a players' strike ended the 1994 season, denying him a shot at becoming the first player to hit .400 since San Diego native Ted Williams hit .406 in 1941.

- See more at: http://www.legacy.com/ns/obituary.aspx?n=tony-gwynn&pid=171374293#sthash.b0IyGswM.dpuf

ProfPacker

06-19-2014, 05:19 PM

for many years he filled out lives with great lyrics to the great music written by Carol King. Many songs were written by greats the Whitney Houston, and many others.

Many of his words either soothed us during sad times in our lives with relationships or gave us joy and smiles

Kobi

06-21-2014, 04:12 PM

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Stephanie L. Kwolek, a DuPont chemist who invented the technology behind Kevlar, a virtually bulletproof fiber that has saved thousands of lives, died on Wednesday in Wilmington, Del. She was 90.

The research that led to Kevlar began in the early 1960s, when women were a rarity in industrial chemistry. Ms. Kwolek was part of a team at DuPont’s research laboratory in Wilmington that was trying to develop a lightweight fiber that would be strong enough to replace the steel used in radial tires.

Kevlar is probably best known for use in body armor, particularly bulletproof vests. A DuPont spokeswoman estimated that since the 1970s, 3,000 police officers have been saved from bullet wounds through the use of equipment reinforced with Kevlar, which is far stronger and lighter than steel.

The product has found its way into all corners of the modern world. It has been used in car tires, boots for firefighters, hockey sticks, cut-resistant gloves, fiber-optic cables, fire-resistant mattresses, armored limousines and even canoes. It is used in building materials, making them bomb-resistant. Safe rooms have been built with Kevlar to protect a building’s occupants during hurricanes. Kevlar has been used to reinforce overtaxed bridges.

Ms. Kwolek was the recipient of many honors, including the Lemelson-M.I.T. Lifetime Achievement Award, which recognizes the nation’s most talented inventors and innovators. In 1995, she was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in North Canton, Ohio. In 2003, she was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls, N.Y.

She was also inducted, in 2004, into the Plastics Hall of Fame at the National Plastics Center and Museum in Leominster, Mass. There, her plaque hangs alongside those of innovators like Earl Tupper, the creator of Tupperware.

After retirement, Ms. Kwolek tutored high school students in chemistry, paying particular attention to grooming young women for work in the sciences.

Her achievements have become familiar to an even younger generation as well. In 2013, her story, told in 48 pages, became one in a series of children’s books about inventors and innovative ideas. The book, by Edwin Brit Wyckoff, is titled “The Woman Who Invented the Thread That Stops the Bullets: The Genius of Stephanie Kwolek.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/21/business/stephanie-l-kwolek-inventor-of-kevlar-is-dead-at-90.html?_r=0

Kobi

06-25-2014, 08:37 AM

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Eli Wallach, a gravelly voiced character actor who appeared alongside such giants as Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe in The Misfits, Clint Eastwood in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and Al Pacino in The Godfather: Part III, died Tuesday. He was 98.

The son of Polish Jews, Mr. Wallach was in constant demand to play nearly every kind of ethnic character on stage and screen in a career that spanned seven decades. He initially burst to prominence on Broadway, where he won a Tony Award for his portrayal of a prideful and buffoonish Sicilian named Mangiacavallo in Tennessee Williams’s “The Rose Tattoo” (1951).

Mr. Wallach became one of the busiest character actors in Hollywood, with more than 150 credits in films and on television. He portrayed a Cambodian warlord in “Lord Jim” (1965), based on a Joseph Conrad novel; the Shah of Khwarezm opposite Omar Sharif in the title role of “Genghis Khan” (1965); and a candy-loving mobster in “The Godfather: Part III” (1990).

Reviewers singled out Mr. Wallach for praise as a villain in “The Magnificent Seven” (1960), a high-profile Hollywood remake of Akira Kurosawa’s “Seven Samurai” that featured Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen and Charles Bronson.

Mr. Wallach also had a pivotal role in Italian director Sergio Leone’s violent “spaghetti western” “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” (1966). His character, Tuco, was the “Ugly.”

Mr. Wallach’s other movie highlights included a psychopathic hit man in Don Siegel’s “The Lineup” (1958) and a sad-eyed widower who elicits more sympathy than attraction from divorcee Marilyn Monroe in “The Misfits” (1961).

Mr. Wallach performed in more than two dozen Broadway shows since the 1940s — several opposite his wife, actress Anne Jackson. He earned a reputation as a skilled interpreter of modern playwrights, including the absurdist Eugene Ionesco (“Rhinoceros”) and the comic writer Murray Schisgal (“Luv”). He was an early member of the Actors Studio, a workshop in New York founded by director Elia Kazan, producer Cheryl Crawford and other prominent theatrical figures.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/eli-wallach-dies-character-actor-known-for-the-magnificent-seven-was-98/2014/06/25/6b5fdc34-c5dc-11df-94e1-c5afa35a9e59_story.html

Kobi

06-26-2014, 01:14 PM

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Howard Baker's question sliced to the core of Watergate: "What did the president know and when did he know it?"

Repeated over and again in the senator's mild Tennessee drawl, those words guided Americans through the tangle of Watergate characters and charges playing daily on TV to focus squarely on Richard Nixon and his role in the cover-up.

Baker's famous question has been dusted off for potential White House scandals big and small ever since.

Baker, who later became Senate majority leader, chief of staff to President Ronald Reagan and one of the GOP's elder statesmen, died Thursday. He was 88.

Baker emerged as an unlikely star of the Watergate hearings in the summer of 1973.

When chosen as vice chairman — and therefore leading Republican — of the Senate special committee, he was a Nixon ally who thought the allegations couldn't possibly be true. Democrats feared he would serve as the White House's "mole" in the investigation of the break-in at Democratic headquarters and other crimes perpetrated in service to Nixon's re-election.

"I believed that it was a political ploy of the Democrats, that it would come to nothing," Baker told The Associated Press in 1992. "But a few weeks into that, it began to dawn on me that there was more to it than I thought, and more to it than I liked."

He said Watergate became "the greatest disillusionment" of his political career.

Baker's intense but restrained style of interrogating former White House aides played well on camera. A youthful-looking, side-burned 47-year-old, his brainy charm inspired a raft of love notes sent to his Senate office; a women's magazine proclaimed him "studly." He was mentioned frequently as presidential material.

By the time Nixon resigned in 1974, Baker was a household name with a reputation for fairness and smarts that stuck throughout a long political career.

Howard Henry Baker Jr. had a fine political pedigree — his father was a congressman from Huntsville, Tenn., and his father-in-law a prominent senator from Illinois. Over the years, his name would be knocked about for big Washington jobs including vice presidential candidate, Supreme Court justice and CIA director. But his focus remained on the Senate and, at times, the White House.

In 18 years as a moderate Republican senator, he was known for plain speaking and plain dealing. He had a talent for brokering compromise, leading some to dub him "the Great Conciliator."

Baker was minority leader when the Reagan landslide swept Republicans into control of the chamber in 1980 Reagan, and he became the first Republican majority leader in decades.

Putting aside his own reservations about Reagan's economic proposals, Baker played a key role in passage of legislation synonymous with the "Reagan Revolution" — major tax and spending cuts combined with a military buildup.

Baker considered his years as Senate majority leader, 1981 to 1985, the high point of his career. He called it "the second-best job in town, only second to the presidency."

He made a fleeting bid for that best job in 1980, and left the Senate with an eye to another presidential run in 1988. Instead, he ended up in the White House as Reagan's chief of staff.

Reagan needed him to put things in order after ousting chief of staff Donald Regan amid scandal over the administration's secret moves to trade arms for hostages in Iran and divert the profits to Nicaraguan rebels — another of history's what-did-the-president-know moments.

The Reagan White House weathered Iran-Contra. But Baker lost his last chance at the presidency.

President George H.W. Bush sent Baker to Moscow in 1991 to meet with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev before a summit; George W. Bush named him ambassador to Japan in 2001.

An accomplished amateur photographer, Baker carried a camera wherever he went. But he didn't take any photos during the Watergate hearings.

"I felt that it was beneath the dignity of the event," he said years later. "It turned out the event had no dignity and I should have taken pictures."

http://news.yahoo.com/sen-baker-queried-nixon-watergate-dies-181330725--politics.html

Kobi

06-29-2014, 09:38 AM

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Meshach Taylor, who played a lovable ex-convict surrounded by boisterous Southern belles on the sitcom "Designing Women" and appeared in numerous other TV and film roles, died of cancer at age 67, his agent said Sunday.

Taylor got an Emmy nod for his portrayal of Anthony Bouvier on "Designing Women" from 1986 to 1993. Then he costarred for four seasons on another successful comedy, "Dave's World," as the best friend of a newspaper humor columnist played by the series' star, Harry Anderson.

Other series included the cult favorite "Buffalo Bill" and the popular Nickelodeon comedy "Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide."

Taylor's movie roles included a flamboyant window dresser in the 1987 comedy-romance "Mannequin" as well as "Damien: Omen II."

He guested on many series including "Hannah Montana," ''The Unit," ''Hill Street Blues," ''Barney Miller," ''Lou Grant," ''The Drew Carey Show," and, in an episode that aired in January, "Criminal Minds," which stars Joe Montegna, with whom Taylor performed early in his career as a fellow member of Chicago's Organic Theater Company. Taylor also had been a member of that city's Goodman Theatre.

The Boston-born Taylor started acting in community shows in New Orleans, where his father was dean of students at Dillard University. He continued doing roles in Indianapolis after his father moved to Indiana University as dean of the college of arts and sciences.

After college, Taylor got a job at an Indianapolis radio station, where he rose from a "flunky job" to Statehouse reporter, he recalled in an interview with The Associated Press in 1989.

"It was interesting for a while," he said. "But once you get involved in Indiana politics you see what a yawn it is."

Resuming his acting pursuit, he set up a black arts theater to keep kids off the street, then joined the national touring company of "Hair." His acting career was launched.

After "Hair," he became a part of the burgeoning theater world in Chicago, where he stayed until 1979 before heading for Los Angeles.

Taylor played the assistant director in "Buffalo Bill," the short-lived NBC sitcom about an arrogant and self-centered talk show host played by Dabney Coleman. It lasted just one season, 1983-84, disappointing its small but fervent following.

Seemingly his gig on "Designing Women" could have been even more short-lived. It was initially a one-shot.

"It was for the Thanksgiving show, about halfway through the first season," Taylor said. But producer Linda Bloodworth-Thomason told him if the character clicked with audiences he could stay.

It did. He spun comic gold with co-stars Jean Smart, Dixie Carter, Annie Potts and Delta Burke, and never left.

- See more at: http://www.legacy.com/ns/obituary.aspx?n=meshach-taylor&pid=171541514#sthash.C5Dg1N6g.dpuf

Kelt

07-13-2014, 07:12 AM

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Charlie Haden

Charlie Haden, one of the most influential bass players of his generation, has died after a prolonged illness, according to his family and his record label, ECM.

Full article (http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6157477/charlie-haden-dies-at-77)

CherylNYC

07-13-2014, 06:30 PM

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/14/arts/music/lorin-maazel-brilliant-intense-and-enigmatic-conductor-dies-at-84.html

Lorin Maazel, an Intense and Enigmatic Conductor, Dies at 84
By ALLAN KOZINNJULY 13, 2014
Photo

Lorin Maazel conducted the New York Philharmonic in 2011.
Lorin Maazel, a former child prodigy who went on to become the music director of the New York Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Vienna State Opera and several other ensembles and companies around the world, and who was known for his incisive and sometimes extreme interpretations, died on Sunday at his home in Castleton, Va. He was 84.

The cause was complications of pneumonia, said Jenny Lawhorn, a spokeswoman for Mr. Maazel. In recent days, he had been rehearsing for the Castleton Festival, which takes place on his farm.

Mr. Maazel (pronounced mah-ZELL) was a study in contradictions, and he evoked strong feelings, favorable and otherwise, from musicians, administrators, critics and audiences.

He projected an image of an analytical intellectual — he had studied mathematics and philosophy in college, was fluent in six languages (French, German, Portuguese, Spanish and Italian, as well as English) and kept up with many subjects outside music — and his performances could seem coolly fastidious and emotionally distant. Yet such performances were regularly offset by others that were fiery and intensely personalized.

He was revered for the precision of his baton technique, and for his prodigious memory — he rarely used a score in performances — but when he was at his most interpretively idiosyncratic, he used his powers to distend phrases and reconfigure familiar balances in the service of an unusual inner vision.

“He is clearly a brilliant man,” John Rockwell wrote in The New York Times in 1979, “perhaps too brilliant to rest content with endless re-creations of the standard repertory. He is also, it would seem, a coldly defensive man, and perhaps that coldness coats his work with a layer of ice.

“The only trouble with this line of thinking is that it doesn’t take all the facts into account. Mr. Maazel, when he’s ‘on,’ has led some of the finest, most impassioned, most insightful performances in memory. When he’s good, he’s so good that he simply has to be counted among the great conductors of the day. Yet, enigmatically, it’s extremely difficult to predict just when he is going to be good or in what repertory.”

A Boy With a Baton

Perhaps because he grew up in the limelight, conducting orchestras from the age of 9, Mr. Maazel was self-assured, headstrong, and sometimes arrogant: When he took a new directorship, he often announced what he planned to change and why his approach was superior to what had come before. He knew what he wanted and how to get it, and if he encountered an immovable obstacle, he would walk away, also with a public explanation.

That was how he handled his brief term as general manager and artistic director at the Vienna State Opera, where he was the first American to wield such power.

“I am keen that this house again be led in the fashion of Mahler and Strauss,” he said at a news conference when his appointment was announced. “I have the full responsibility for the opera, and I have no intention of sharing that responsibility, though I may delegate it.” He added, “I will not hesitate to make changes, if I consider them necessary.”

He quickly transformed the house from a repertory company, where a different work was staged every night, to what he called a “block” system, in which groups of operas were played, with frequent repeats. He regarded this as more efficient and likely to produce better performances.

When the Viennese culture minister differed, and also complained about Mr. Maazel’s casting choices and argued that he was mainly interested in burnishing his own artistic profile, Mr. Maazel abruptly resigned, two years into a four-year term, and wrote an Op-Ed article for The New York Times, deploring interference in the arts by government officials with no artistic background. (In September 2013, the company erected a bust of Mr. Maazel, by the sculptor Helmut Millionig. Mr. Maazel attended the unveiling ceremony.)

His tenures with the Cleveland Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic had their rough moments, too. The Cleveland musicians voted against hiring him to succeed the legendary George Szell, who had died in 1970, because they did not consider him sufficiently accomplished to fill Szell’s shoes. Mr. Maazel told The Times in 2002 that “the relationship remained more or less rocky to the end.”

In New York, Mr. Maazel quickly won over the Philharmonic musicians. But several critics, while happy that the orchestra had engaged an American music director for the first time since Leonard Bernstein gave up its podium in 1969, were disappointed that Mr. Maazel, 70 at the time, was of the same generation as his predecessor, Kurt Masur (then 73), and that his tastes in contemporary music seemed conservative. Eventually, many of them came to admire him.

Alan Gilbert, Mr. Maazel’s successor as music director of the Philharmonic, said Sunday, “Personally, I am grateful to him, not only for the brilliant state of the orchestra that I inherited from him, but for the support and encouragement he extended to me when I took over his responsibilities.”

Lorin Varencove Maazel was born in the Parisian suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine on March 6, 1930, to a pair of American music students — Lincoln Maazel, a singer, and Marie Varencove Maazel, a pianist — who were studying there. He showed an aptitude for music early: When he was 5, by which time the family had moved to Los Angeles, he began studying the piano; at 7, he took up the violin.

One piece in his piano repertory was a reduction of Haydn’s “Surprise” Symphony, and when he was 8, his father gave him a copy of the full orchestral score. Lorin studied it, along with a recording his father also bought him, and when he conducted a family ensemble in the work, his parents noted that he was adept at cues and balances. They took him to study with Vladimir Bakaleinikoff, then an associate conductor with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

When Mr. Bakaleinikoff took a conducting job in Pittsburgh, the Maazels followed. They also sent young Lorin to music camp at Interlochen, Mich.

Olin Downes, a music critic for The Times, happened to be visiting the camp when Lorin, then 9, led the camp’s orchestra in a movement from Schubert’s “Unfinished” Symphony. Mr. Downes, though generally skeptical of prodigies, wrote that the boy conducted “with a beat clean and firm, yet elastic and with a consistency of tempo that very occasionally was modified by a nuance absolutely in place and appropriate as it was employed.”

Toscanini and Lollipops

That summer, the Interlochen orchestra performed at the World’s Fair in New York, and Lorin conducted it twice. In 1940, just before his 10th birthday, he conducted the Pittsburgh Symphony as well, and when he was 11, in July 1941, Arturo Toscanini invited him to conduct the NBC Symphony in a concert — works by Wagner, Mendelssohn and Dika Newlin — broadcast nationally from Radio City Music Hall. The orchestra, outraged at the idea of being led by a child, greeted him at the first rehearsal with lollipops in their mouths. He won their respect the first time he stopped the rehearsal to point out a wrong note.

In the summer of 1942, and again in 1944, he led the New York Philharmonic in performances at Lewisohn Stadium. But when he turned 15, he put his baton aside and settled into his academic studies at the University of Pittsburgh.

He did not abandon music entirely. In 1946, he organized the Fine Arts Quartet of Pittsburgh, with which he was a violinist until 1950, and in 1948, he joined the violin section of the Pittsburgh Symphony. An invitation from the conductor Serge Koussevitzky to lead the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood in the summer of 1951 brought him back to the podium just before he headed off to Rome, on a Fulbright fellowship, to study Renaissance Italian music.

Mr. Maazel dated the start of his mature career to Christmas Eve 1953, when, still a student in Rome, he was invited to step in for an ailing conductor at the Teatro Bellini, in Catania. His success there led to engagements in Naples, Florence and elsewhere in Europe, and then in Japan, Australia and Latin America.

Lorin Maazel led the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall in 2009. Credit Hiroyuki Ito for The New York Times
By 1960, he had conducted about 300 concerts with more than 20 European orchestras, and was sufficiently well regarded to win an invitation to conduct “Lohengrin” at Bayreuth, the German shrine that Wagner built to himself and his music. At 30, he was the youngest conductor, as well as the first American, to work there.

He was, however, virtually unknown (as an adult) in the United States. But in October 1962, he toured the country with the Orchestre Nationale de France, a Parisian radio orchestra with which he would enjoy a long relationship (he was music director from 1977 to 1991), and appeared as a guest conductor with the New York Philharmonic and at the Metropolitan Opera, where he led “Don Giovanni” and “Der Rosenkavalier.”

By the mid-1960s, he was also making recordings for two of Europe’s most prestigious labels, Deutsche Grammophon and Decca, with the Berlin Philharmonic and the Vienna Philharmonic. He eventually recorded for other labels as well, among them RCA Red Seal, CBS (later Sony Classical) and Erato.

Among the highlights of his discography are recordings he made for the film versions of “Don Giovanni” (directed by Joseph Losey) and “Carmen” (Francesco Rossi), as well as his cycles of the Beethoven, Mahler and Sibelius symphonies.

An Old-Fashioned Approach

Mr. Maazel’s first music directorship was that of the Deutsche Opera, in West Berlin, jointly with the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, a position he held from 1965 until 1971, when he accepted the directorship of the Cleveland Orchestra, to begin in 1972.

In Cleveland, as in Berlin, Mr. Maazel took an old-fashioned approach to the job. Instead of conducting barely more than a dozen weeks of concerts and leaving the rest to guests, as was becoming the norm, Mr. Maazel spent most of his year in Cleveland. He recorded plentifully with the orchestra, and toured with it frequently. He gave up the directorship, becoming conductor emeritus, in 1982, the year he became general manager of the Vienna State Opera.

When the Vienna directorship went sour, in 1984, Mr. Maazel declared himself liberated, free to return to the far-flung guest conducting of his early years.

“I worked as a music administrator as well as a conductor of 20 years,” he told an interviewer in 1985, “and during that time, I devoted almost all my attention to the organizations I was working for — six years in Berlin, 10 in Cleveland, three in Vienna. I’ve conducted 132 orchestras, but in the last 20 years, I’ve not conducted more than seven or eight of them. So I’m having a lot of fun going around the world now, meeting people who’ve gotten to know me through records and television. I’m like a child let out of school.”

He could not, however, resist the siren song of another directorship. In 1984, he agreed to become a music consultant to the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. A year later, the orchestra upgraded his title to music adviser and principal guest conductor, and in 1988, he became its music director. By the time he relinquished the post, in 1996, he had upgraded its performance standards, taken it around the world, and won a Grammy with the orchestra for a recording of Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev works with the cellist Yo-Yo Ma.

Even so, he maintained his freelance career, and was given to occasional spectacles, like the 1988 marathon in London, when he conducted all nine Beethoven symphonies in a single 10-and-a-half-hour concert. He repeated the feat in Tokyo at the end of 2010.

In 1989, he was on a short list of candidates to succeed Herbert von Karajan at the Berlin Philharmonic. When Claudio Abbado was chosen instead, Mr. Maazel insisted that he never had any intention of leaving his Pittsburgh orchestra, and canceled his Berlin dates — not, he said, in a fit of pique, but so that Mr. Abbado would have more time to whip the orchestra into shape.

He took over the Bavarian Radio Orchestra in 1991, at a salary reported to be around $3.8 million, at that point the highest paid to any conductor anywhere, and held its directorship until 2002, when he took over the New York Philharmonic.

(He gave the Philharmonic a price break: When he left that position, in 2009, his salary was reported as $3.3 million.)

In the 1990s, Mr. Maazel revived an interest in composing that had gripped him briefly in his youth, and which he explored rarely as an adult, apart from performing a short waltz in Cleveland in 1980, and his 70-minute orchestra-only reduction of Wagner’s “Ring” cycle.

He took up a series of concerto commissions, writing “Music for Violoncello and Orchestra” for Mstislav Rostropovich in 1994; “Music for Flute and Orchestra” for James Galway, in 1995; and “Music for Violin and Orchestra,” in which he was the violin soloist, in 1997. He also set to work on an opera, “1984,” based on the Orwell book, with a libretto by J. D. McClatchy and Thomas Meehan. It had its premiere at Covent Garden in 2005, and was revived at La Scala, in Milan, in 2008.

Mr. Maazel celebrated his 70th birthday with a world tour in which he revisited many of the orchestras he had conducted over the decades. One stop was at the New York Philharmonic, which was negotiating with several conductors to succeed Mr. Masur as music director. Mr. Maazel threw his hat in the ring, and within a few weeks, he captured the post.

Among his accomplishments at the Philharmonic were the premieres of several major works, including John Adams’s “On the Transmigration of Souls” and scores by Poul Ruders, Melinda Wagner and Aaron Jay Kernis, and taking the orchestra to Pyongyang, North Korea.

When the plan to visit Pyongyang drew protests from those who objected to his performing for a brutal regime, Mr. Maazel wrote in The Wall Street Journal that the visit was about “bringing peoples and their cultures together on common ground, where the roots of peaceful interchange can imperceptibly but irrevocably take hold.”

After he left the Philharmonic in 2009, Mr. Maazel set up the Castleton Festival, for classical music and opera, on the grounds of his farm in Virginia. He founded and directed the festival jointly with his wife, the German actress Dietlinde Turban Maazel, whom he married in 1986. Two previous marriages — to the composer Mimi Sandbank and the pianist Israela Margalit — ended in divorce.

His wife survives him, as do their two sons, Leslie and Orson Maazel, and daughter, Tara Maazel; and three daughters — Anjali Maazel, Daria Steketee and Fiona Maazel — and a son, Ilann Margalit Maazel, from his previous marriages.

Mr. Maazel’s life as a festival director did not diminish his wanderlust. He became music director of the Munich Philharmonic in 2010. And in a blog on his website, he noted that in 2013 — he was 83 — he conducted 102 concerts, performing 72 compositions in 28 cities in 16 countries. He added that he was looking forward to getting back in harness.

“Curiously, for someone who has a fairly good reputation for stick technique,” he told a reporter for The Times in 2002, “I don’t recognize stick technique per se. I don’t think I ever make the same motion twice in the same bar of music. The aim is to find a motion that responds to the need of a particular player at a particular moment. The player must be put at ease, so that he knows where he is and what is expected, and is free to concentrate on beauty of tone. There is no magic involved.”

Kobi

07-14-2014, 12:36 PM

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JOHANNESBURG (AP) - Nadine Gordimer was first a writer of fiction and a defender of creativity and expression. But as a white South African who hated apartheid's dehumanization of blacks, she was also a determined political activist in the struggle to end white minority rule in her country.

Gordimer, who won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1991 for novels that explored the complex relationships and human cost of racial conflict in apartheid-era South Africa, died peacefully in her sleep at her home in Johannesburg on Sunday. She was 90 years old.

The author wrote 15 novels as well as several volumes of short stories, non-fiction and other works, and was published in 40 languages around the world, according to the family.

"She cared most deeply about South Africa, its culture, its people, and its ongoing struggle to realize its new democracy," the family said. Her "proudest days" included winning the Nobel prize and testifying in the 1980s on behalf of a group of anti-apartheid activists who had been accused of treason, they said.

Per Wastberg, an author and member of the Nobel Prize-awarding Swedish Academy, said Gordimer's descriptions of the different faces of racism told the world about South Africa during apartheid.

"She concentrated on individuals, she portrayed humans of all kinds," said Wastberg, a close friend. "Many South African authors and artists went into exile, but she felt she had to be a witness to what was going on and also lend her voice to the black, silenced authors."

"Our country has lost an unmatched literary giant whose life's work was our mirror and an unending quest for humanity," South Africa's ruling party, the African National Congress, said in a statement.

During apartheid, Gordimer praised Nelson Mandela, the prisoner who later became president, and accepted the decision of the main anti-apartheid movement to use violence against South Africa's white-led government.

"Having lived here for 65 years," she said, "I am well aware for how long black people refrained from violence. We white people are responsible for it."

Gordimer grew up in Springs town, the daughter of Jewish immigrants from Britain and Lithuania. She began writing at age 9, and kept writing well into her 80s.

She said her first "adult story," published in a literary magazine when she was 15, grew out of her reaction as a young child to watching the casual humiliation of blacks. She recalled blacks being barred from touching clothes before buying in shops in her hometown, and police searching the maid's quarters at the Gordimer home for alcohol, which blacks were not allowed to possess.

That "began to make me think about the way we lived, and why we lived like that, and who were we," she said in a 2006 interview for the Nobel organization.

In the same interview, she bristled at the suggestion that confronting the human cost of apartheid made her a writer.

"If you're going to be a writer, you can make the death of canary important," said Gordimer, a small and elegant figure. "You can connect it to the whole chain of life, and the mystery of life. To me, what is the purpose of life? It is really to explain the mystery of life."

She said she resisted autobiography, asserting that journalistic research played no part in her creative process.

"Telling Times," a 2010 collection of her nonfiction writing dating to 1950, offers some glimpses of her own experience. She wrote in a 1963 essay of a meeting with a poet giving her an idea of a life beyond her small home town and her then aimless existence.

Gordimer's first novel, "The Lying Days," appeared in 1953, and she acknowledged that it had autobiographical elements. A New York Times reviewer compared it to Alan Paton's "Cry the Beloved Country," saying Gordimer's work "is the longer, the richer, intellectually the more exciting."

She won the Booker Prize in 1974 for "The Conservationist," a novel about a white South African who loses everything.

Among Gordimer's best-known novels is "Burger's Daughter," which appeared in 1979, three years after the Soweto student uprising brought the brutality of apartheid to the world's attention.

Some readers believe the family at its center is that of Bram Fischer, a lawyer who broke with his conservative Afrikaner roots to embrace socialism and fight apartheid. The story is salted with real events and names - including Fischer's. The main character is a young woman on the periphery of a famous family who must come to terms with her legacy and her homeland.

Her 1987 novel, "A Sport of Nature," prophesized the end of apartheid and included a liberation leader based on Mandela.

"Gordimer writes with intense immediacy about the extremely complicated personal and social relationships in her environment," the Nobel committee said on awarding the literature prize in 1991.

In her Nobel acceptance speech, Gordimer said that as a young artist, she agonized that she was cut off from "the world of ideas" by the isolation of apartheid. But she came to understand "that what we had to do to find the world was to enter our own world fully, first. We had to enter through the tragedy of our own particular place."

After the first all-race election in 1994, Gordimer wrote about the efforts of South Africa's new democracy to grapple with its racist legacy. She remained politically engaged, praising South Africa for the progress it had made, but expressing concern about alleged backsliding on freedom of expression.

"People died for our freedoms," Gordimer, who had had works banned by the apartheid government, told The Associated Press in a 2010 interview. "People spent years and years in prison, from the great Nelson Mandela down through many others."

- See more at: http://www.legacy.com/ns/obituary.aspx?n=nadine-gordimer&pid=171722637#sthash.XZvpU0vE.dpuf

Kobi

07-14-2014, 08:11 PM

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After nearly 75 years, a beloved comics mainstay is coming to an end.

Wednesday's installment of Life With Archie will feature the death of Archie Andrews at the hands of an undisclosed stalker. What's more, he'll die taking a bullet for his gay best friend Kevin Keller, a senator who is pushing for tighter gun control laws. The narrative choice is one that will not let Archie go gentle into that good night, but instead has Archie bowing out with lasting impact and a social message.

"The way in which Archie dies is everything that you would expect of Archie," Jon Goldwater, Archie Comics publisher and co-CEO, told the Associated Press. "He dies heroically. He dies selflessly. He dies in the manner that epitomizes not only the best of Riverdale but the best of all of us. It's what Archie has come to represent over the past almost 75 years."

As well as being a sad loss for fans of Archie and the Riverdale universe, the choice is brimming with social commentary. Having Archie die by gunshot while protecting a gay friend who is fighting for stricter gun control laws is a clued-in, timely message. Fiction often puts queer characters in the firing line first and foremost, so for Keller to be saved and not a martyr for the cause highlights the importance of his anti-gun stance.

"We wanted to do something that was impactful that would really resonate with the world and bring home just how important Archie is to everyone. That's how we came up with the storyline of saving Kevin. He could have saved Betty. He could have saved Veronica. We get that, but metaphorically, by saiving Kevin, a new Riverdale is born," Goldwater told the AP.

Although Archie will not be the first comic book protagonist to bite the bullet, his death is different than, say, Peter Parker or Steve "Captain America" Rogers. Archie's death is not a publicity stunt and is not a choice the publishers can back away from.

"Archie is not a superhero like all the rest of the comic book characters," said Goldwater. "He's human. He's a person. When you wound him, he bleeds. He knows that. If anything, I think his death is more impactful because of that. We hope by showing how something so violent can happen to Archie, that we can — in some way — learn from him."

Rest in peace, Archie. For a 73-year-old icon, you look quite good.

http://mic.com/articles/93544/we-now-know-how-archie-will-die?utm_source=policymicFB&utm_medium=main&utm_campaign=social

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What a bummer.

Kobi

07-15-2014, 08:11 AM

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The first black woman to win an Olympic gold medal, Alice Coachman Davis, died early Monday in south Georgia. She was 90.

Davis won Olympic gold in the high jump at the 1948 games in London with an American and Olympic record of 1.68 meters (5.51 feet), according to USA Track and Field, the American governing body of the sport. Davis was inducted to the USA Track and Field Hall of fame in 1975, and was inducted to the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 2004.

"Going into the USOC Hall of Fame is as good as it gets," she told The Associated Press in a 2004 interview. "It's like Cooperstown, Springfield and Canton," she said, referring to the sites of other prominent Halls of Fame.

Davis was the only American woman to win a gold medal at the 1948 games. According to Olympic historian David Wallechinsky, Coachman was honored with a 175-mile motorcade in Georgia when she returned from London. However, the black and white audiences were segregated at her official ceremony in Albany.

Recollecting her career in the 2004 interview, Davis speculated that she could have won even more Olympic medals, but the Olympics weren't held in 1940 or 1944 because of World War II. She retired at age 25 after winning the gold medal in London.

"I know I would have won in 1944, at least," said Davis. "I was starting to peak then. It really feels good when Old Glory is raised and the National Anthem is played."

Davis attended Tuskegee University and also played basketball on a team that won three straight conference basketball titles. She won 25 national track and field championships — including 10 consecutive high jump titles — between 1939 and 1948, according to USA Track and Field.

Growing up in the deep South during the era of legal segregation, Davis had to overcome multiple challenges.

The New Georgia Encyclopedia says she was prohibited from using public sports facilities because of her race, so she used whatever equipment she could cobble together to practice her jumping.

"My dad did not want me to travel to Tuskegee and then up north to the Nationals," Davis told the AP. "He felt it was too dangerous. Life was very different for African-Americans at that time. But I came back and showed him my medal and talked about all the things I saw. He and my mom were very proud of me."

Davis won her first national high jump title at age 16 according to USA Track and Field, and worked as a school teacher and track coach after retiring. An elementary school in her home town is named in her honor and opened in August 1999 according to Dougherty County schools officials.

- See more at: http://www.legacy.com/ns/obituary.aspx?n=alice-coachman-davis&pid=171728394#sthash.BCpHBCda.dpuf

Kobi

07-17-2014, 02:07 PM

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Texas blues legend Johnny Winter, known for his lightning-fast blues guitar riffs, his striking long white hair and his collaborations with the likes of Jimi Hendrix and childhood hero Muddy Waters, has died. He was 70.

Winter was a leading light among the white blues guitar players, including Eric Clapton and the late Stevie Ray Vaughan, who followed in the footsteps of the earlier Chicago blues masters. Winter idolized Waters - and got a chance to produce some of the blues legend's more popular albums. Rolling Stone magazine named Winter one of the top 100 guitarists of all time.

Winter had been on an extensive tour this year that recently brought him to Europe. His last performance came Saturday at the Lovely Days Festival in Wiesen, Austria.

The tour, a documentary that premiered at the SXSW Festival exploring his music, youth and substance abuse battles, and a newly released four-CD set of recordings were all part of Winter's celebration of turning 70 this year.

John Dawson Winter III was born on Feb. 23, 1944, in Mississippi, but was raised in Beaumont, Texas. He was the older brother of Edgar Winter, also an albino, who rose to musical fame with the Edgar Winter Group.

Winter was one of the most popular live acts of the early 1970s, when his signature fast blues guitar solos attracted a wide following. But his addiction problems with heroin during that decade and later battles with alcohol and prescription medication, including methadone, also drew attention.

His career received a big boost early on when Rolling Stone singled him out as one of the best blues guitarists on the Texas scene. This helped secure a substantial recording contract from Columbia Records in 1969 that led to an appearance at the Woodstock Festival and gave him a wide following among college students and young blues fans.

Crowds were dazzled by the speed - and volume - of his guitar playing, which had its roots in urban blues but incorporated elements of rock 'n' roll.

Winters paid homage to Waters on "Tribute to Muddy," a song from his 1969 release "The Progressive Blues Experiment." He continued to pick up accolades, producing three Grammy Award-winning albums for Waters and recording with John Lee Hooker, which helped revive their careers.

Winter performed often with blues and rock singer Janis Joplin and the two became close during the 1960s.

Among the blues classics that Winter played during that era were "Rollin' and Tumblin'," "Bad Luck and Trouble" and "Good Morning, Little Schoolgirl." He also teamed up with his brother Edgar for their 1976 live album "Together."

He was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame in 1988.

- See more at: http://www.legacy.com/ns/obituary.aspx?n=johnny-winter&pid=171759136#sthash.JfDBITUB.dpuf

Kobi

07-17-2014, 02:20 PM

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NEW YORK (AP) — Elaine Stritch, the brash theater performer whose gravelly, gin-laced voice and impeccable comic timing made her a Broadway legend, has died. She was 89.

Although Stritch appeared in movies and on television, garnering three Emmys and finding new fans as Alec Baldwin's unforgiving mother on "30 Rock," she was best known for her stage work, particularly in her candid one-woman memoir, "Elaine Stritch: At Liberty," and in the Stephen Sondheim musical "Company."

A tart-tongued monument to New York show business endurance, Stritch worked well into her late 80s, most recently as Madame Armfeldt in a revival of Sondheim's musical "A Little Night Music." She replaced Angela Lansbury in 2010 to critical acclaim.

In 2013, Stritch — whose signature "no pants" style was wearing a loose-fitting white shirt over sheer black tights — retired to Michigan after 71 years in New York City and made a series of farewell performances at the Carlyle Hotel: "Elaine Stritch at the Carlyle: Movin' Over and Out."

Stritch was a striking woman, with a quick wit, a shock of blond hair and great legs. She showed them off most elegantly in "At Liberty," wearing a loose fitting white shirt, high heels and black tights.

In the show, the actress told the story of her life — with all its ups, downs and in-betweens. She frankly discussed her stage fright, missed showbiz opportunities, alcoholism, battle with diabetes and love life, all interspersed with songs she often sang onstage.

"What's this all been about then — this existential problem in tights," Stritch said of herself at the end of the solo show, which opened off-Broadway in November 2001, transferred to Broadway the following February and later toured. It earned her a Tony Award in 2002 and an Emmy when it was later televised on HBO.

In "Company" (1970), Stritch played the acerbic Joanne, delivering a lacerating version of "The Ladies Who Lunch," a classic Sondheim song dissecting the modern Manhattan matron. Stritch originated the role in New York and then appeared in the London production.

Among her other notable Broadway appearances were as Grace, the owner of a small-town Kansas restaurant in William Inge's "Bus Stop" (1955), and as a harried cruise-ship social director in the Noel Coward musical "Sail Away" (1961). She also appeared in revivals of "Show Boat" (1994), in which she played the cantankerous Parthy Ann Hawks, and Edward Albee's "A Delicate Balance" (1996), portraying a tart-tongued, upper-crust alcoholic.

Each generation found her relevant and hip. She was parodied in 2010 on an episode of "The Simpsons" in which Lisa Simpson attends a fancy performing arts camp. One class was on making wallets with Elaine Stritch and Andrew Lloyd Webber. Stritch got a kick out of it. "That's worth being in the business for 150 years," she said with a laugh.

Stritch's films include "A Farewell to Arms" (1957), "Who Killed Teddy Bear?" (1965), Alain Resnais' "Providence" (1977), "Out to Sea" (1997), and Woody Allen's "September" (1987) and "Small Time Crooks" (2000). She also appeared in many American TV series, most notably a guest spot on "Law & Order" in 1990, which won Stritch her first Emmy.

Back in 1950, she played Trixie, Ed Norton's wife, in an early segment of "The Honeymooners," then a recurring sketch on Jackie Gleason's variety show "Cavalcade of Stars." But she was replaced by Joyce Randolph after one appearance.

More than a half-century later, Stritch was back at the top of the sitcom pyramid with a recurring role in "30 Rock," winning her another Emmy in 2007 as best guest actress in a comedy.

She was also well known to TV audiences in England, where she starred with Donald Sinden in the sitcom "Two's Company" (1975-79), playing an American mystery writer to Sinden's unflappable British butler. Stritch also starred in "Nobody's Perfect" (1980-1982), appearing with Richard Griffiths in this British version of the American hit "Maude."

She starred in the London stage productions of Neil Simon's "The Gingerbread Lady" and Tennessee Williams' "Small Craft Warnings." It was in England that Stritch met and married actor John Bay. They were married for 10 years. He died of a brain tumor in 1982.

Stritch made her Broadway debut in 1946 in "Loco," a short-lived comedy by Dale Eunson and Katherine Albert. She was first noticed by the critics and audiences in the 1947 revue "Angel in the Wings." In it, she sang the hit novelty song "Civilization," which includes the immortal lyrics, "Bongo, Bongo, Bongo, I don't want to leave the Congo."

The actress understudied Ethel Merman in the Irving Berlin musical, "Call Me Madam" (1950). Stritch never went on for Merman in the role of Sally Adams, vaguely modeled after Washington party-giver Perle Mesta, but she did take over the part when the show went out on the road.

Stritch then appeared in revivals of two Rodgers and Hart musicals, "Pal Joey" (1952), in which she stripteased her way through "Zip," and "On Your Toes" (1954).

Stritch sang "Broadway Baby" in a historic 1984 concert version of Sondheim's "Follies," performed at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall. The concert, which also featured Lee Remick, Barbara Cook, Mandy Patinkin and George Hearn, was recorded by RCA.

In "At Liberty," she delivered "I'm Still Here," Sondheim's hymn to show-business survival, a number she once described as "one of the greatest musical theater songs ever written."

In 2005, after nearly 60 years in show business, Stritch made her solo club act debut, appearing at New York's posh Carlyle Hotel and was brought back frequently. She lived in the Carlyle's Room 309 for a decade.

A documentary, "Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me," premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival the week before she left New York, showing a feisty Stritch as she reacted with anger, frustration and acceptance at her increasingly evident mortality. Asked what she thought of the film, she replied: "It's not my cup of tea on a warm afternoon in May." The film was released in 2014.

In the recent Broadway revival of "A Little Night Music," Stritch played a wheelchair-bound aristocrat who offers dry and hysterical pronouncements in her half-dozen scenes, and mourned the loss of standards in her big song "Liaisons," in which she looked back on her profitable sexual conquests of dukes and barons. She might as well have been speaking of theater itself.

"Where is skill?" she asked. "Where's passion in the art, where's craft?"

"You know where I'm at in age?" she said backstage, in her typical wit and sass. "I don't need anything. That's a little scary — when you know that the last two bras you bought are it. You won't need any more. I'm not going to live long for any big, new discovery at Victoria's Secret."

http://news.yahoo.com/elaine-stritch-brash-stage-legend-dies-89-183550237.html;_ylt=A0LEV1hfLchT62sAjAVXNyoA

Kobi

07-20-2014, 06:00 AM

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Actor James Garner, whose whimsical style in the 1950s TV Western "Maverick" led to a stellar career in TV and films such as "The Rockford Files" and his Oscar-nominated "Murphy's Romance," has died, police said.

Although he was adept at drama and action, Garner was best known for his low-key, wisecracking style, especially with his hit TV series, "Maverick" and "The Rockford Files."

His quick-witted avoidance of conflict provided a refreshingly new take on the American hero, contrasting with the steely heroics of John Wayne and the fast trigger of Clint Eastwood.

Well into his 70s, the handsome Oklahoman remained active in both TV and film. In 2002, he was Sandra Bullock's father in the film "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood." The following year, he joined the cast of "8 Simple Rules ... For Dating My Teenage Daughter," playing the grandfather on the sitcom after star John Ritter, who played the father, died during the show's second season.

It was in 1957 when the ABC network, desperate to compete on ratings-rich Sunday night, scheduled "Maverick" against CBS's powerhouse "The Ed Sullivan Show" and NBC's "The Steve Allen Show." ''Maverick" soon outpolled them both.

At a time when the networks were crowded with hard-eyed, traditional Western heroes, Bret Maverick provided a fresh breath of air. With his sardonic tone and his eagerness to talk his way out of a squabble rather than pull out his six-shooter, the con-artist Westerner seemed to scoff at the genre's values.

His first film after "Maverick" established him as a movie actor. It was "The Children's Hour," William Wyler's remake of Lillian Hellman's lesbian drama that co-starred Audrey Hepburn and Shirley MacLaine.

He followed in a successful comedy with Kim Novak, "Boys Night Out," and then fully established his box-office appeal with the 1963 blockbuster war drama "The Great Escape" and two smash comedies with Doris Day — "The Thrill of It All" and "Move Over Darling." Garner also appeared opposite Julie Andrews in two critically acclaimed movies, 1964's The Americanization of Emily and 1982's Victor/Victoria.

Throughout his long film career, Garner demonstrated his versatility in comedies ("The Art of Love," ''A Man Could Get Killed," ''Skin Game"), suspense ("36 Hours," ''They Only Kill Their Masters," ''Marlowe"), Westerns ("Duel at Diablo," ''Hour of the Gun," ''Support Your Local Gunfighter").

In the 1980s and 1990s, when most stars his age were considered over the hill, Garner's career remained strong.

He played a supporting role as a marshal in the 1994 "Maverick," a big-screen return to the TV series with Mel Gibson in Garner's old title role. His only Oscar nomination came for the 1985 "Murphy's Romance," a comedy about a small-town love relationship in which he co-starred with Sally Field.

Unlike most film stars, Garner made repeated returns to television. "Nichols" (1971-72) and "Bret Maverick" (1981-82) were short-lived, but "The Rockford Files" (1974-80) proved a solid hit, bringing him an Emmy.

Among his notable TV movies: "Barbarians at the Gate" (as tycoon F. Ross Johnson), "Breathing Lessons," ''The Promise," ''My Name Is Bill W.," ''The Streets of Laredo," and "One Special Night"

http://www.legacy.com/ns/obituary.aspx?n=james-garner&pid=171793033
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Aryon

08-05-2014, 09:23 AM

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Dr. Gordon “Gordy” Klatt, who founded Relay For Life, dies at 71

Obit here. (http://www.thenewstribune.com/2014/08/04/3317004/dr-gordon-gordy-klatt-who-founded.html)

Breathless

08-11-2014, 05:15 PM

It is with heavy heart I post this. He was one of my favorite actors, comedian and just an amazing person.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/robin-williams-dead-in-apparent-suicide-1.2733770

MsTinkerbelly

08-11-2014, 05:18 PM

candy_coated_bitch

08-11-2014, 05:32 PM

It is with heavy heart I post this. He was one of my favorite actors, comedian and just an amazing person.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/robin-williams-dead-in-apparent-suicide-1.2733770

Nooooooooo!!!!! Fuck. This one hits me hard. Thank you for posting. I just watched The Birdcage today and was thinking how much I loved him.

Breathless

08-11-2014, 05:46 PM

Nooooooooo!!!!! Fuck. This one hits me hard. Thank you for posting. I just watched The Birdcage today and was thinking how much I loved him.

I watched Mrs. Doubtfire and Patch Adams yesterday.. thinking the same thing, that man had amazzzzzing talent. Heartbreaking to know he was hurting so much that suicide seemed the only escape to him.

Jesse

08-11-2014, 05:59 PM

It is with heavy heart I post this. He was one of my favorite actors, comedian and just an amazing person.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/robin-williams-dead-in-apparent-suicide-1.2733770

Damn! I hate this! I loved this man's talent and grew up watching him. It's like he has always been there as long as I can remember, like an old friend...even though I did not personally know him, his comedy helped me through a terrible childhood. He brought smiles to the hearts and faces of so many people. I am saddened that the depression battled him so strongly.
RIP Robin! You will be greatly missed.

Afterthought, according to the CDC there are nearly 40,000 deaths by suicide yearly. Be well ya'll.

ProfPacker

08-11-2014, 06:15 PM

I'm in schock. A genius. He and Jonathan Winters brilliance will be remembered. Depression is a killer

Katniss

08-11-2014, 06:55 PM

http://themotivationmentalist.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/dead-poets-society.png?w=474&h=296

pajama

08-11-2014, 07:58 PM

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sad....
and numb....
and sorry he hurt so bad when he made so many laugh and go on.

DapperButch

08-11-2014, 08:56 PM

I know, this is really kicking my ass too. :(

Daktari

08-12-2014, 05:27 AM

Noooooooo not Robin! :watereyes: :overreaction:

Aryon

08-12-2014, 06:45 AM

My tribute to Robin Williams, July 21, 1951 - August 11, 2014.

Here. (http://christhebutch.wordpress.com/2014/08/12/martians-and-pirates-and-soldiers-oh-my/)

theoddz

08-12-2014, 08:29 AM

One of Robin's movies that touched me so deeply, ironically, had to do with the subject of suicide, love and redemption. I've never forgotten the message of this movie, and while Robin gave us so many great laughs and fun, he also gave us a message. Here's a clip of his movie, "What Dreams May Come" (1998).

Ns_XAco7e5o

Rest in peace, Robin, and thanks for both making us laugh.....and making us think. You will be, most profoundly, missed. :vigil::heartbeat:

~Theo~ :bouquet:

Cailin

08-12-2014, 09:54 AM

When I was still in High school, I would come home and my cousin Andrew would generally have something playing on the stereo. At time it would be Pearl Jam, U2 or the Lemonheads. He was also a comedy fan, and a big one of Robin Williams. He would had his stand up comedy on CD and many a time I would come home to Robin talking about coming home with Hagen Dasz ice cream, to save him from the evils of women's pms. It made me laugh.

Me and my cousin were extremely close, and in 2003 his passing absolutely killed me. He suffered from depression, and also drank to stave off the demons. Sadly, he drank too much one night and drove himself home and hit an 18 wheeler.

I know I didn't know Mr Williams personally, but for me my cousin lived on in all the things he loved, and the passing of Mr. Williams has re opened that gash in my heart.

Depression is not something that should be swept under the rug and not talked about. I hope that his light, that now brightens heaven a little more, is a reminder to everyone to get help when needed and help others who may be struggling.

MsTinkerbelly

08-12-2014, 07:05 PM

Lauren Bacall is dead at the age of 89.

RIP:bunchflowers:

DapperButch

08-12-2014, 07:25 PM

Lauren Bacall is dead at the age of 89.

RIP:bunchflowers:

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-lauren-bacall-dies-20140812-story.html

cricket26

08-16-2014, 08:27 AM

http://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/tributes-to-robin-williams/19/

suicide is a very personal issue for me...my father died at age 26...rip papa

JDeere

08-19-2014, 08:36 PM

I still can't believe Robin Williams is gone, I haven't said much but depression is hell. I had no idea he suffered so much, he was good at masking his pain. The world lost a great man.

Linus

09-04-2014, 02:47 PM

RIP Joan Rivers. :(

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/04/joan-rivers-dead_n_5768026.html?1409861308

http://api.ning.com/files/VKskDRIb0eQqdg-HcX7AWIxsomjDcwDEh2Mm4P7PPQZwNlUbanSNnNfJ2jhZbqCTC taCUdtBn2vl6z9dnJATZYfeydgdy4qs/JoanRiversPresent.jpg

~ocean

09-04-2014, 03:27 PM

RIP (((( Joan ))))) ty for all the years you made me laugh ~ and ty for being so supportive to our community for so many years ~

~ocean

09-04-2014, 03:28 PM

wooops I forgot and ty for NOT using Mj's plastic surgeon ~

Blaze

09-04-2014, 04:48 PM

This has been hard emotionally for me, 2 verrryyyyyy important people that influenced my younger years and instilled deep meaningful laughter... RIP Robin and Joan. You are deeply loved and missed...

JDeere

09-04-2014, 08:05 PM

I remember hiding and listening to her cassette tape as a kid, she made laugh and I will miss her on Fashion Police.

Kobi

09-04-2014, 09:55 PM

Joan Rivers, Totie Fields, Phyllis Diller, pioneers who paved the path for women in comedy.

Thanks for the memories.

cricket26

09-05-2014, 05:52 PM

http://timedotcom.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/123562943.jpg?w=420

i am weepy and dont know why...ugh

Kobi

09-08-2014, 05:00 AM

(Reuters) - S. Truett Cathy, the founder of the U.S. fast food chain Chick-fil-A which drew protests two years ago when its president made public statements opposing same-sex marriage, died on Monday aged 93, the company said on its website.

Cathy, who was Chick-fil-A's chairman emeritus, died at home in the presence of loved ones, the privately held Atlanta-based company said. It did not disclose a cause of death.

In 2012 the chicken sandwich chain made headlines when its president Dan Cathy -- the founder's son -- made comments to the Baptist Press citing "prideful" supporters of same-sex marriage and defending the company's support of "the biblical definition of the family unit."

The comments ignited a cultural firestorm, triggering protests including "kiss-ins" by same-sex couples outside some stores, as well as support from social conservatives and fans of its products.

Chick-fil-A issued a statement saying its culture is "to treat every person with honor, dignity and respect - regardless of their belief, creed, race, sexual orientation or gender."

S. Truett Cathy, a native of the U.S. state of Georgia and a devout Southern Baptist, founded Chick-fil-A in 1967.

The company, which operates from 1,800 locations in 40 U.S. states, is known for its mix of religion and business as well as its fried chicken sandwiches and waffle fries.

All locations are closed on Sundays to allow employees "a day for family, worship, fellowship or rest," according to the company's website.

http://news.yahoo.com/chick-fil-founder-truett-cathy-dead-93-084551111--sector.html;_ylt=AwrBT.TFig1Uq_wAun6l87UF;_ylu=X3o DMTEzNmltaXJpBGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDVklQNTA5X zEEc2VjA3Nj

Gemme

09-08-2014, 05:09 AM

Simone Battle (http://www.aol.com/article/2014/09/07/x-factor-star-simone-battle-found-dead/20958444/?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl11%7Csec1_lnk2%26pLid%3D525987)

The 25 year old committed suicide. She was on X Factor and part of the singing group G.R.L.

Kobi

09-20-2014, 02:20 PM

http://i0.huffpost.com/gen/2083536/thumbs/n-POLLY-BERGEN-large570.jpg

NEW YORK (AP) — Emmy-winning actress and singer Polly Bergen, who in a long career played the terrorized wife in the original "Cape Fear" and the first woman president in "Kisses for My President," died Saturday, according to her publicist. She was 84.

A brunette beauty with a warm, sultry singing voice, Bergen was a household name from her 20s onward. She made albums and played leading roles in films, stage musicals and TV dramas. She also hosted her own variety series, was a popular game show panelist, and founded a thriving beauty products company that bore her name.

In recent years, she played Felicity Huffman's mother on "Desperate Housewives" and the past mistress of Tony Soprano's late father on "The Sopranos."

Bergen won an Emmy in 1958 portraying the tragic singer Helen Morgan on the famed anthology series "Playhouse 90." She was nominated for another Emmy in 1989 for best supporting actress in a miniseries or special for "War and Remembrance."

Bergen was 20 and already an established singer when she starred with Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis in her first movie, "At War With the Army." She joined them in two more comedies, "That's My Boy" and "The Stooge."

In 1953, she made her Broadway debut with Harry Belafonte in the revue "John Murray Anderson's Almanac." In 1957-58 she starred on the musical-variety "The Polly Bergen Show" on NBC, closing every broadcast with her theme song, "The Party's Over."

Also during the 1950s, she became a regular on the popular game show "To Tell the Truth."

Bergen published the first of her three advice books, "The Polly Bergen Book of Beauty, Fashion and Charm" in 1962. That led to her own cosmetics company, which earned her millions.

Bergen became a regular in TV movies and miniseries, most importantly in the 1983 epic "The Winds of War" and the 1988 sequel, "War and Remembrance." She appeared as the troubled wife of high-ranking Navy officer Pug Henry, played by Robert Mitchum.

Mitchum also had the key role in the landmark 1962 suspense film, "Cape Fear," as the sadistic ex-convict who terrorizes a lawyer (Gregory Peck) and his wife (Bergen) and daughter because he blames Peck for sending him to prison. The film was remade in 1991 by Martin Scorsese.

In 1964's "Kisses for My President," Bergen was cast as the first female U.S. president, with Fred MacMurray as First Gentleman. (In the end, the president quits when she gets pregnant.) When Geena Davis portrayed a first woman president in the 2005 TV drama "Commander in Chief," Bergen was cast as her mother.

Among her other films was "Move Over, Darling" (1963) with Doris Day and James Garner, Susan Seidelman's 1987 "Making Mr. Right," and John Waters' 1990 "Cry-Baby," with Johnny Depp.

Bergen employed the same zeal in reviving her performing career after a series of personal setbacks of the 1990s. She played successful dates at cabarets in New York and Beverly Hills.

When she was refused an audition for the 2001 Broadway revival of "Follies," she contacted composer Stephen Sondheim. He auditioned her and gave her the role of a faded star who sings of her ups and downs in show business. The show-stopping song, "I'm Still Here," was reminiscent of Bergen's own saga. She was nominated for a Tony award for her role.

In 2002 she played a secondary role in the revival of "Cabaret" and the following year she was back on Broadway with the comedy "Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks."

Nellie Paulina Burgin was born in 1930 in Knoxville, Tennessee, into a family that at times relied on welfare to survive. They family eventually moved to California, and Polly, as she was called, began her career singing on radio in her teens.

"I was fanatically ambitious," she recalled in 2001. "All I ever wanted to be was a star. I didn't want to be a singer. I didn't want to be an actress. I wanted to be a star."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/20/polly-bergen-dead-dies_n_5854996.html
___

Kobi

09-21-2014, 12:06 PM

http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/53/8e/3d/538e3dd0c1c280e2cbd69e595ca01c62.jpg

Rob Bironas, who worked his way through odd jobs and the Arena Football League before becoming one of the NFL's most accurate kickers, died in a car crash. He was 36.

The Titans released Bironas in March after nine seasons. The Tennessean reported that Bironas worked out for the Detroit Lions and for Tampa Bay during the offseason.

Bironas married Rachel Bradshaw, daughter of Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Terry Bradshaw, in June.

"Rob made a significant impact as a player in his nine years with the team and more importantly touched many lives in the Nashville community off the field," the team said in a statement.

Bironas was the fourth most-accurate kicker in NFL history, connecting on 85.7 percent of his kicks (239 of 279). Only David Akers made more field goals (247) between 2005 and 2013 than Bironas. For kickers with 100 or more field goals since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger, Bironas ranked third making 75.2 percent of his kicks from 40 yards or longer (94 of 125).

He finished as the Titans' second all-time leading scorer with 1,032 points, and he set a franchise record scoring triple digits in seven straight seasons. He also set an NFL record in 2011 in hitting a field goal from at least 40 yards in 10 consecutive games.

Bironas made a franchise-record 11 game-winning field goals during his career, including a 60-yarder against the Indianapolis Colts in 2006 that remains the longest field goal in Oilers or Titans history. Bironas kicked an NFL single-game record eight field goals in a 2007 victory over the Houston Texans, including a 29-yard game-winner as time expired. That helped him make his only Pro Bowl, the same year he was an Associated Press All-Pro.

http://news.yahoo.com/former-titans-kicker-bironas-killed-accident-115617120--spt.html

CherylNYC

09-26-2014, 07:59 AM

Christopher Hogwood

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/26/arts/christopher-hogwood-early-music-devotee-dies-at-73.html?module=Search&mabReward=relbias%3Ar%2C%7B%221%22%3A%22RI%3A10%22 %7D

Christopher Hogwood, whose Academy of Ancient Music was a key ensemble in the period-instrument movement, striving to perform early music as the composer intended and as audiences were first presumed to have heard it, died on Wednesday at his home in Cambridge, England. He was 73.

Rebecca Driver, a spokeswoman for the orchestra, said Mr. Hogwood had been ill for several months but did not specify the cause of death...

Mr. Hogwood, a conductor, harpsichordist and scholar for whom an “authentic sound” was paramount, co-founded the Early Music Consort, which focused on medieval and Renaissance music, in 1967, but the paucity of information regarding historically accurate performance styles troubled him. The Academy, which he established in 1973 as “as a sort of refugee operation for those players of period instruments who wanted to escape conductors,” initially focused on 17- and 18th-century music.

Kobi

09-30-2014, 10:03 AM

LITTLE EGG HARBOR, N.J. (AP) — Lily McBeth, the teacher whose battles with school boards in conservative areas of New Jersey made her a reluctant symbol of the transgender rights movement, has died. She was 80.

McBeth died Sept. 24 near her home in Little Egg Harbor after a long illness, her daughter Maureen said.

"She was very much at peace with her life," Maureen McBeth said. "She just wanted to be who she was."

The former William McBeth had undergone sex reassignment surgery in 2005 after nine years of substitute teaching in Eagleswood Township, and she sought to continue in the job.

But vocal opposition from some parents concerned about the impact of a transgender teacher on young students led to a contentious debate that ended with her rehiring. She later substituted at the Pinelands Regional school district as well.

The schools' 2006 decisions to keep her on as a substitute were hailed around the nation as a model of tolerance and acceptance of transgender Americans. But she resigned in frustration in 2009 after getting only a handful of assignments. The schools said they had permanent substitutes and outside subs were only called when the permanent subs were unavailable.

Steven Goldstein, founder of the Garden State Equality rights group, said McBeth never wanted to become a symbol of anything, but became one nonetheless.

"It is so much easier to understand an issue with a human face, and Lily became the human face of transgender rights for many people," he said. "She did so much to increase understanding and awareness of transgender people just by being strong and being who she was."

Goldstein called McBeth one of the most important figures in New Jersey civil rights history in the last two decades.

After selling his physical therapy marketing company, William McBeth moved from Bucks County, Pennsylvania, to New Jersey, where he got a substitute teaching job in Eagleswood, a community 17 miles north of Atlantic City. After his 2005 surgery, he sought to return as a substitute, which drew vocal opposition from some parents.

But many students were unfazed, particularly those that remembered her as a competent male teacher.

McBeth was a ukulele player and an avid carver of wooden decoy ducks. She acted in local theater productions, sang in a church choir and was active in a group seeking to re-establish clam populations in Barnegat Bay.

She donated her body to a medical school for research and physician training; funeral arrangements were private, her daughter said.

In a 2009 interview with The Associated Press, McBeth said she treasured interacting with students in the classroom.

"I tried to be an example of something you might want to be when you grow up: a kind, caring person," she said.

http://news.yahoo.com/transgender-teacher-fought-school-boards-dies-144622238.html;_ylt=AwrBT.HE0ypUZvYAXsxXNyoA

Kobi

10-01-2014, 08:09 AM

http://www.dispatch.com/content/graphics/2014/04/17/mock-50-years-art0-gmms1fc2-1pioneering-pilot-50-years-jpeg-05958-jpg.jpg?__scale=w:660,h:520,t:1,c:ffffff,q:80,r:1

Newark native Geraldine “Jerrie” Mock, the first woman to fly solo around the globe, has died in her sleep at her home in Quincy in northern Florida. She was 88.

Mock was 38 and a full-time mother of three living in Bexley when she took off from Port Columbus on March 19, 1964. A licensed pilot for only seven years who had never flown farther than the Bahamas, Mock crossed both oceans in the Spirit of Columbus, an 11-year-old Cessna freshly painted to cover cracks and corrosions.

The last she heard from the Columbus control tower: “Well, I guess that’s the last we’ll hear from her.”

There were mechanical problems, storms and communication breakdowns. She mistakenly landed at a restricted air force base in Egypt and was detained until darkness fell.

In Saudi Arabia, the 5-foot brunette exited the plane to a silent crowd that patiently waited for the pilot to emerge. When they realized she was the pilot, the people erupted in cheers, appreciating the oddity that a woman was the flier.

“There’s no man!” they exclaimed.

Mock arrived back in Columbus 29 days later on the night of April 17, 1964, to a cheering crowd of 5,000. There were local accolades, some television appearances and a medal from President Lyndon B. Johnson.

As the 50th anniversary of Mock’s flight approached, her sister, Susan Reid, of Newark, helped raise $48,000 for a bronze statue that in September 2013 was dedicated at The Works, a museum in Newark.

A similar statue was unveiled in April at Port Columbus.

By then Mock had retired to Florida, in poor health but still modest about having “a little fun in my airplane.”

“There were dozens of women who could have done what I did,” Mock said in a recorded message played to the Columbus crowd, “All I did was have some fun. Statues are for generals, or Lincoln."

Bill Kelley was at the Port Columbus unveiling. A history buff, Kelley had pushed for 30 years for the statue, for which Mock’s sister was the model.

“He wanted her in flats (shoes),” his wife, Mary, said. But Mr. Kelley deferred to her and to Reid. who insisted that Mock be portrayed wearing the short, tapered “kitten heels” she always put on when she got out of the plane.

To Cliff Kelling, the statue looked just like the homemaker who had entrusted her safety to him and other Lane Aviation mechanics who prepared her plane for the flight.

“You kind of wonder who’s going to take a single-engine aircraft that’s got some wear on it and fly it around the world,” Kelling, a pilot and retired aviation-mechanics professor, said at the time. When told the pilot was a woman, “All I could do was admire her.”

Why she was never mentioned with the likes of other aviation heroes is often attributed to the times: President John F. Kennedy had been assassinated the previous fall, the Beatles had just arrived in America, and the Vietnam conflict was heating up.

Kelling attributed it to male chauvinism and the fact that Mock made it home alive.

“Amelia Earhart was lost, and that was news,” he said. “Jerrie Mock wasn’t lost, and that wasn’t news.”

At the Port Columbus unveiling, Mock’s daughter, Valerie Armentrout, said that her mother finally “will take her rightful position with Eddie Rickenbacker and (astronaut) Sally Ride.”

Growing up in Newark, Geraldine “Jerrie” Fredritz wanted something different. “I did not conform to what girls did,” she once said, adding, “What the girls did was boring.”

After her family took a short airplane ride at the local airport, 7-year-old Jerrie announced that she wanted to be a pilot. A few years later, as she listened to after-school radio broadcasts about the adventures Earhart, her heroine, she expanded her goal from flying across Ohio.

“I wanted to see the world,” she said. “I wanted to see the oceans and the jungles and the deserts and the people.”

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2014/10/01/jerrie-mock-obituary.html

Happy_Go_Lucky

10-01-2014, 08:10 AM

Maria Fernandes died napping in her car between part-time jobs, but let's focus on how she lived

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/09/29/1333134/-Maria-Fernandes-died-napping-in-her-car-between-part-time-jobs-but-let-s-focus-on-how-she-lived

Maria Fernandes, the woman who died while napping in her car between shifts at the three different Dunkin' Donuts stores she worked at, is a powerful symbol of the horrors of America's low-wage economy. Rachel Swarns, writing in the New York Times, profiles Fernandes, seeking to make her "more than an emblem of our nation’s rising economic inequality." She was a Michael Jackson fan, an animal lover, and more. But you can't get around that her life—not just her death—was defined by her work, and by the low wages and impossible schedule it left her with

She had an apartment, but was falling behind on the $550 rent despite those three jobs. Dunkin' Donuts said she was a "model" employee, but wouldn't say how much she was paid or how many hours she worked. Which makes sense—it probably is in Dunkin' Donuts' best interest for us not to know how they treat their model employees.
Fernandes was certainly an individual who deserves to be remembered for who she was. But in a way her death is a reminder of how many people are one accident away from becoming emblems of rising inequality. And it shouldn't take a death to make us see the rank injustice of Maria Fernandes' life. The minimum wage should be higher than New Jersey's $8.25 an hour. Fast food chains like Dunkin' Donuts should offer workers regular schedules with enough hours, so they aren't forced to spend their days going from job to job, grabbing naps in between. Someone like Fernandes should not only be able to pay $550 a month for a basement apartment, she should also be able to afford her dream of going to cosmetology school. Maria Fernandes may have died in a way that focused attention on her life, but some of the attention should go to how sadly common the details of that life are. It should not be so ferociously difficult to get by, let alone get ahead, in this country.

ProfPacker

10-01-2014, 08:15 AM

Still brings to mind the study Nickel and Dimed

Happy_Go_Lucky

10-01-2014, 08:21 AM

Still brings to mind the study Nickel and Dimed

If I still taught school, ANY Barbara Ehrenreich book would be a 'must-read' in my class room. This country has lost its way.

Kobi

10-05-2014, 11:07 PM

http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/46/df/76/46df76df26e33cd02196a082eafa3993.jpg

Paul Revere, a teenage businessman who found an outlet for his entrepreneurial spirit in the form of a campy rock 'n' roll band that capitalized on his name, wore Revolutionary War-era costumes and cranked out a string of grungy hits in the mid-1960s, has died. The founder of Paul Revere and the Raiders was 76.

Revere died Saturday of cancer at his home in Garden Valley, Idaho, his longtime manager Roger Hart told the Associated Press. After a near-constant touring schedule in recent years, Revere retreated six months ago to his adopted home state because of health issues, said his tour manager, Ron Lemen.

Along with singer and saxophonist Mark Lindsay, Revere, a keyboard player, formed a band called the Downbeats in Boise in 1959. Within a few years they would become Paul Revere and the Raiders, string together top-10 pop hits including "Kicks," "Hungry" and "Good Thing" and become fixtures of Dick Clark's weekday afternoon TV show "Where the Action Is."

"Just Like Me," a 1965 hit written by Revere and Lindsay, made the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's list of Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll.

Born Paul Revere Dick on Jan. 7, 1938, in Harvard, Neb., he grew up on a farm near Boise, where he learned to play piano. While still a teenager he opened a barbershop. At 18, with three barbershops to his name, he sold them to buy a drive-in restaurant and put together the band to attract young customers.

After some local success the Downbeats moved to Portland, Ore., in 1960 and with encouragement of their new manager, radio disc jockey Hart, renamed themselves Paul Revere and the Raiders. They recorded a 1963 version of "Louie Louie" that was eclipsed by another Portland garage band, the Kingsmen, but the Raiders were on their way to Hollywood.

Joined by early core members Drake Levin on guitar, Mike Smith on drums and Phil Volk on bass, the group performed a choreographed show in elaborate outfits complete with tri-cornered hats, brightly colored frock coats, white hose and knee-high black leather boots. In 1964, they signed a contract with Columbia Records as the label's first rock act and caught Clark's eye.

"From day one, we've always been a party band that accidentally had some hit records and accidentally got on a hit television series," Revere said in a 2000 interview with the Associated Press.

"We were visual and fun and crazy and were America's answer to the British music invasion. ... We just happened to be at the right time and had the right name and had the right gimmick."

Producer Terry Melcher honed the band's hard-edged, guitar-driven sound with Lindsay, the front man, providing the vocals. The blond Revere was content to remain in the background playing organ.

Besides performing as the house band on "Where the Action Is" beginning in 1965, Paul Revere and the Raiders appeared on Clark's later "Happening" shows as well as "The Ed Sullivan Show," "The Tonight Show" and as themselves on the "Batman" TV show in 1966.

The band had 20 consecutive hits and reached its peak with John D. Loudermilk's "Indian Reservation" at No. 1 in 1971, but a revolving door of band members and changing musical tastes led to its decline. Revere maintained a busy pace of touring and appearing at state fairs, casinos and clubs.

http://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-paul-revere-20141006-story.html

Kobi

10-07-2014, 04:15 AM

http://ak-cache.legacy.com/legacy/images/Portraits/Marian-Seldes-dead-172715615port.jpgx?w=117&h=151&option=1&v=0x000000002e408122

Actress Marian Seldes, the Tony Award-winning star of "A Delicate Balance" who was a teacher of Kevin Kline and Robin Williams, a muse to playwright Edward Albee and a Guinness Book of World Records holder for most consecutive performances, died Monday at age 86.

Marian Seldes made her Broadway debut in 1947 in a production of "Medea," starring the versatile actress Judith Anderson, and later appeared in hits such as "Equus" and "Deathtrap." Her most recent Broadway outing was in Terrence McNally's "Deuce" in 2007, starring opposite Angela Lansbury.

Seldes was nominated for a Tony five times, for her performances in "A Delicate Balance," ''Father's Day," ''Deathtrap," ''Ring Round the Moon" and "Dinner at Eight." She won in 1967 for "A Delicate Balance" and won her second Tony in 2010 for lifetime achievement.

Her collaborations with Albee included "Three Tall Women," which won the 1994 Pulitzer Prize for drama, "The Play About the Baby," ''Tiny Alice" and "Father's Day."

But she moved easily from role to role, from Chekhov's "Ivanov" to Peter Shaffer's "Equus," from Ira Levin's "Deathtrap" to Tony Kushner's "A Bright Room Called Day" and Tina Howe's "Painting Churches." Her off-Broadway credits also include "The Ginger Man" and "Painting Churches."

Seldes' reliability and professionalism sealed her place in the Guinness World Records for a time after playing every performance during the run of "Deathtrap" from 1978 to 1982 — a total of 1,809 performances. Her record as most durable actress has since been broken by Catherine Russell, who logged over 11,000 performances in the off-Broadway production of "Perfect Crime."

From 1969 to 1992, she served on the faculty of the Juilliard School, teaching the craft of acting to such pupils as Kline, Williams, Patti LuPone, Laura Linney, Mandy Patinkin and Christopher Reeve.

Seldes also acted in films, in "Mona Lisa Smile," ''Home Alone 3" and "Celebrity." On television she appeared in "Nurse Jackie" and played Candice Bergen's aunt in "Murphy Brown" and Mr. Big's mother in "Sex and the City." She also wrote two books: a memoir, "The Bright Lights: A Theater Life," and a novel, "Time Together."

Seldes, a slim and elegant woman who often wore her hair pulled back, studied with Sanford Meisner at the Neighborhood Playhouse and made her professional debut at age 17 in Robinson Jeffers' "Medea," with Anderson.

Her other Broadway credits include "Crime and Punishment," ''The Chalk Garden," ''The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore," Oliver Hailey's "Father's Day," for which she won a Drama Desk Award, Arnold Wesker's "The Merchant" and Kanin's "A Gift of Time."

In 1995, she was inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame, marking 50 years in the profession, but she missed the ceremony because — typically — she was on tour with "Three Tall Women" in Los Angeles.

- See more at: http://www.legacy.com/ns/obituary.aspx?n=marian-seldes&pid=172715615#sthash.x24tCzxO.dpuf

Linus

10-07-2014, 02:55 PM

http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/78035000/jpg/_78035049_holder1_624rex.jpg

Geoffrey Holder, the Tony-winning actor, dancer and choreographer known to millions as Baron Samedi in Bond movie Live and Let Die, has died at 84.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-29505646

http://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-geoffrey-holder-20141007-story.html

Kobi

10-09-2014, 06:59 PM

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Former "Saturday Night Live" star Jan Hooks died on Thursday. She was 57 years old.

Hooks appeared on "SNL" from 1986-91 and most recently guest starred on "30 Rock" as Jenna Maroney's mother, Verna. She was a regular on "Designing Women" from 1991-93 and appeared on TV shows "3rd Rock From The Sun," "The Martin Short Show," "The Dana Carvey Show," "The Simpsons," "Futurama" and "Primetime Glick." While on "SNL," she was known for her recurring character Candy Sweeney of "The Sweeney Sisters." She also impersonated Bette Davis, Betty Ford, Nancy Reagan, Sinéad O'Connor, Jodie Foster and Hillary Clinton.

Originally, Hooks was considered for the 1985 "SNL" cast, but was passed over for Joan Cusack. She was hired the next season alongside Dana Carvey, Phil Hartman and Nora Dunn. In one of her most memorable sketches, she played Brenda the Waitress in "The Diner" with Alec Baldwin.

Hooks was born near Atlanta in 1957 and began her career as part of famed comedy troupe The Groundlings. Prior to joining "SNL," she landed a small but notable part in "Pee-wee's Big Adventure" as a tour guide at the Alamo.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/09/jan-hooks-dead-dies_n_5961882.html

Kobi

10-18-2014, 02:38 PM

http://c.o0bg.com/rf/image_371w/Boston/2011-2020/2014/10/18/BostonGlobe.com/Metro/Images/shaw1%5B1%5D.jpg

Soft-spoken and clad in a subdued black robe of his monastic order, the Right Rev. M. Thomas Shaw seemed an unlikely choice in 1994 to lead one of the largest Episcopal dioceses in the nation. Yet his unswerving devotion to spirituality and his unwillingness to avoid political controversy turned him into one of the most visible and vocal religious leaders of his time.

For Bishop Shaw, once called upon to be a leader, fulfilling the will of God meant becoming a citizen of the world far beyond the doors of the serene monastery on Memorial Drive in Cambridge that was his home for nearly four decades. Though he preferred the life of a monk, he appeared in national TV interviews, lobbied State House officials, worked as an unpaid congressional intern, traveled to distant dangerous lands, and created programs to address urban violence, particularly among the young.

He also went online with “Monk in the midst: Bishop Shaw’s blog.” Still, his presence always reflected his background, and he wore his monastic garb whether riding the T to his downtown Boston office or walking through Washington’s halls of power.

Among Boston’s most powerful clergy, Bishop Shaw was an early, key advocate for gay rights and for the ordination of women, gays, and lesbians as priests in his denomination, and in a 2012 interview for a documentary, he let it be known that he was gay and celibate. Long before making his sexuality public, he guided his diocese through a stormy decade while a conflicted Episcopal Church decided whether it would consecrate a gay bishop and allow clergy to bless same-gender unions.

“The life of the church is always enhanced by including people that live on the margins of society – women, people of color, gay or lesbian people,” he told the Globe in 1997. “They have something profound to say about the Kingdom of God and they are the people Jesus specifically included among his disciples.”

At the same time, Bishop Shaw remained sensitive to conservative opponents of gay marriage at home and abroad. Even while advocating forcefully for gay rights within his denomination and beyond, he waited more than five years after Massachusetts legalized gay marriage in 2004 before giving priests permission to officiate at same-gender weddings.

“I have a longstanding reputation for supporting gay and lesbian rights, both in society and in the church, and I was surprised and delighted when the Supreme Judicial Court made its decision,” he told the Globe in 2004. “But this is one place where the state is ahead of the life of the church.”

He was a leading supporter of elevating an openly gay priest, V. Gene Robinson, to become bishop of New Hampshire. Nonetheless, to better grasp the deeply held opposition some cultures have to homosexuality, Bishop Shaw went to Africa in the late 1990s and immersed himself in the Episcopal Church’s health and education projects in Uganda and Tanzania.

A decade later, he traveled to Zimbabwe on a secret mission to express support for Anglican worshippers who were subjected to human rights abuses and to bear witness to their suffering through letters to US officials back home. “I don’t think I’ve ever been any place where the oppression has been that overt,” Bishop Shaw told the Globe upon his return.

To see close up how public policy is forged, he moved to Washington, D.C., in early 2000 and spent a month as a congressional intern working for Amory Houghton Jr., an Episcopalian and a Republican who was then a US representative from New York and now lives in Cohasset.

The following year, Bishop Shaw incurred the ire of Jewish leaders when he joined others outside the Israeli consulate in Boston to protest that country’s treatment of Palestinians. Uncharacteristically, he traded his monk’s garb for a purple cassock that announced the gravitas of a bishop. His participation surprised many Jews, and he subsequently spent years mending the rift through discussions with leaders in the Jewish community. Bishop Shaw continued to speak out for Palestinian rights.

Discussing his political activism in January 2013, when he announced plans to retire before learning he was ill, Bishop Shaw invoked the life of Jesus. “He was very out there in terms of critiquing a society that didn’t recognize the dignity of human beings,” he told the Globe. “And so I think because I’m a follower of Jesus, that’s my responsibility as well – I’m supposed to speak up on issues that diminish people’s dignity.”

Born in Battle Creek, Mich., on Aug. 28, 1945, Marvil Thomas Shaw III grew up in a devout family and believed early on that he would give his life over to God.

He graduated from Alma College in Alma, Mich., and received master’s degrees from the General Theological Seminary in New York City and Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

After being ordained to the priesthood in 1971, he was a curate at the Church of St. Mary the Virgin in Higham Ferrers, Northamptonshire, England, and then assistant rector of St. James Church in Milwaukee.

He entered the Society of St. John the Evangelist in 1975 and seven years later was elected its superior, serving a 10-year term. While he was the order’s leader, the diocese said, Bishop Shaw “was instrumental in developing the society’s rural Emery House property as a retreat center, establishing the Cowley publishing imprint for books on prayer and spirituality, and renewing the society’s longtime commitment to at-risk children in Boston through Camp St. Augustine in Foxborough.”

When he was elected bishop in 1994, he was 48 and was the first monk in the church’s history to serve in that position. Then and until not long before his death, he lived in the order’s monastery on Memorial Drive, a short walk from Harvard Square in Cambridge. His home was a small cell in the monastery, and he managed to pray 90 minutes a day, even after taking on greater responsibilities as head of the diocese. “I wouldn’t have the perspective I have on my struggles if I didn’t pray,” he told the Globe in 1996.

Those struggles began early when he was elected bishop. Serving initially alongside his predecessor, Bishop David E. Johnson, Bishop Shaw guided the diocese through tragedy and tumult when Johnson shot himself in January 1995. At the funeral, Bishop Shaw told mourners that “we know David fell in the struggle against despair.”

Then, 11 days after announcing the suicide, Bishop Shaw was a co-signer of a statement the diocese issued explaining that Johnson “was involved in several extramarital relationships at different times throughout his years of ministry, both as a priest and bishop,” including some that “appear to have been of the character of sexual exploitation.” That Johnson had been viewed as a tough enforcer of rules against clergy sexual abuse added to the sense of betrayal many felt. “We don’t want to keep anything hidden,” Bishop Shaw told the Globe a few days after issuing the statement. “Knowing everything will help the healing begin.”

During Bishop Shaw’s tenure, among his proudest accomplishments were programs he created to serve youth and to help reduce urban violence. A diocesan camp and retreat center opened in Greenfield, N.H., in 2003, while in the South End, St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church initiated the Bishop’s Summer Academic and Fun Enrichment program, or B-SAFE, for hundreds of inner city youth. A graduate of the program, Jorge Fuentes, became a respected counselor and mentor, and his death by a stray bullet, across the street from his Dorchester home in 2012 was devastating for the diocese and Bishop Shaw, who presided over the 19-year-old’s funeral.

Bishop Shaw’s final blog post included a video of him speaking at the Mother’s Day Walk for Peace in 2013, when he was part of a contingent of more than 600 Episcopalians who walked in memory of Fuentes.

When Bishop Shaw thought the time had arrived to address his sexuality publicly, he took an understated approach, doing so in an interview while being filmed for “Love Free or Die,” a 2012 documentary about Robinson, who became the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church when he led the New Hampshire diocese.

Bishop Shaw told the Globe he didn’t want his choice to be a celibate monk to be held up as an example that lesbians and gays in the clergy should also choose celibacy.

“My hope has always been … that we can move along this discussion about human sexuality in the best possible way, and I thought for myself the best possible way I could move it along as a celibate bishop was not by hiding it, but by not making myself the center of the discussion,” he said then.

In January 2013, he announced he would retire by year’s end. A few months later, he said that he had brain cancer, and he began radiation and chemotherapy soon after. Hr died Friday at the age of 69.

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/10/17/bishop-thomas-shaw-former-leader-episcopal-diocese-dies/pAY1dwVEWYtIliWRu1QbrJ/story.html

Daktari

10-25-2014, 03:32 PM

Jack Bruce

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/oct/25/jack-bruce-former-cream-man-dies-aged-71

Kobi

10-26-2014, 06:53 PM

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Actress Marcia Strassman has died at the age of 66 after a long battle with breast cancer. Though Marcia Strassman acted in a wide range of TV shows and feature films, she was best known for her lead roles in the TV show Welcome Back Kotter and the comedy feature Honey I Shrunk the Kids and its sequel, Honey I Blew Up the Kids. Strassman also served on the national board of the Screen Actors Guild.

Strassman was born Apri 28, 1948 in New York City, and grew up in New Jersey.

She came to Los Angeles when she was just 18. She was initially a singer in the late 1960s with some modest local success, most notably with The Groovy World of Jack and Jill and The Flower Children. She also had a few TV roles, including three episodes of The Patty Duke Show. She left show business for a time before returning as an actress in a recurring role as nurse Margie Cutler in M.A.S.H.

In 1975, Strassman had a breakout role in the TV hit Welcome Back Kotter, opposite comedian Gabe Kaplan, playing his frequently exasperated wife Julie. That show, about a teacher returning to the tough high school and neighborhood where he grew up, ran through 1979.

Strassman worked steadily thereafter, most notably in major roles on several mostly short-lived TV shows, including Booker, Tremors, Third Watch, Providence, and Noah Knows Best and as a voice-over artist on the children’s animated show Aaahh!!! Real Monsters and elsewhere.

Her biggest film success came playing the wife and mother opposite Rick Moranis in Disney’s hit comedy Honey I Shrunk The Kids and its equally successful sequel, Honey I Blew Up The Kids. She also appeared in 1985’s The Aviator with Christopher Reeve and Roseanna Arquette.

http://deadline.com/2014/10/marcia-strassman-dead-welcome-back-kotter-honey-i-shrunk-the-kids-861946/

Kobi

10-28-2014, 05:28 PM

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Elizabeth Norment, the seasoned TV actress who most recently starred as an unflappable Beltway secretary on Season 2 of House of Cards, has died at the age of 61.

On the hit Netflix series, Norment played steely, steadfast Nancy Kaufberger, who worked for ruthless soon-to-be president Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) and remained firmly by his side amid his conniving and devious political machinations.

Throughout a career that spanned both stage and screen – the Yale School of Drama grad was a founding member of the American Repertory Theatre, THR reports – Norment appeared on a slew of TV shows, including L.A. Law, E.R. and Party of Five.

She also had recurring role as a judge on Law & Order from 2002 to 2008.

http://www.people.com/article/elizabeth-norment-dies-house-of-cards?xid=rss-topheadlines&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+people%2Fheadlines+%28PEOPLE. com%3A+Top+Headlines%29

MsTinkerbelly

10-28-2014, 06:03 PM

Jack Bruce

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/oct/25/jack-bruce-former-cream-man-dies-aged-71

My Kasey was a hippie in the 60's and Cream was one of her favorite groups.

Kobi

10-30-2014, 10:13 AM

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BOSTON (AP) — Thomas Menino, whose folksy manner and verbal gaffes belied his shrewd political tactics and effective use of technology to govern as Boston's longest-serving mayor and one of its most beloved, died Thursday. He was 71

He was diagnosed with advanced cancer in February 2014, shortly after leaving office, and announced Oct. 23 he was suspending treatment and a book tour so he could spend more time with family and friends.

Menino was first elected in 1993 and built a formidable political machine that ended decades of Irish domination of city politics, at least temporarily. He won re-election four times. He was the city's first Italian-American mayor and served in the office for more than 20 years before a series of health problems forced him, reluctantly, to eschew a bid for a sixth term.

Menino was anything but a smooth public speaker and was prone to verbal gaffes. He was widely quoted describing Boston's notorious parking shortage as "an Alcatraz" around his neck, rather than an albatross.

He often mangled or mixed up the names of Boston sports heroes — once famously confusing former New England Patriots kicker and Super Bowl hero Adam Vinatieri with ex-Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek. But while such mistakes might sink other politicians in a sports-crazed city, they only seemed to reinforce his affable personality and ability to connect with the residents he served.

"I'm Tom Menino. I'm not a fancy talker, but I get things done," he said in his first TV ad.

In an interview with The Associated Press in March, Menino said he "loved every minute" of being mayor, even during the city's darkest days. He credited his staff and others, downplaying his own role.

"I just did my job — nothing special," he said.

Menino was sometimes faulted for being too controlling or too quick to lose his temper with subordinates. But his lengthy administration would steer clear of major scandal, something that could not be said for many of his predecessors.

Thomas Michael Menino was born on Dec. 27, 1942, in the city's Hyde Park neighborhood. A former insurance salesman, he caught the political bug while working as a legislative aide to state Sen. Joseph Timilty. He first earned elective office as a district city councilor in 1984.

Menino became the council's president in 1993 and was automatically elevated to mayor when then-mayor Raymond Flynn was named U.S. ambassador to the Vatican. While that prompted some to initially chide Menino as an 'accidental mayor,' he quickly proved his own political mettle, winning a four-year term later that year.

He never sought nor showed interest in running for higher office. Mayor, it seemed, was the only political job to which he aspired.

Menino didn't take sides in the race to succeed him, eventually won in November 2013 by Martin Walsh, a state representative from the Dorchester neighborhood. He instructed his staff to work closely with Walsh on a smooth transition of power.

Walsh paid tribute to his predecessor in his inaugural address the following January, saying Menino's "legacy is already legend and his vision is all around us."

Menino left City Hall on his final day in office Jan. 6 to thunderous applause from city workers. Later, he tweeted: "Thank you Boston. It has been the honor and thrill of a lifetime to be your Mayor. Be as good to each other as you have been to me."

In March 2014, Menino revealed in an interview with The Boston Globe he was battling an advanced form of cancer that had spread to his liver and lymph nodes. Doctors said they were unable to pinpoint where the cancer originated.

Menino told the newspaper he was ready to face the challenge.

"What I don't want is people feeling sorry for me. I don't want sympathy. There are people worse off than me. It's my biggest concern — I don't want to be treated any differently," he said.

In a statement announcing he was stopping treatment to devote himself to his loved ones, Menino said he was "hopeful and optimistic that one day the talented researchers, doctors and medical professionals in this city will find a cure for this awful disease."

-------------------

An incredible man, gone way too soon.

___

Kobi

11-07-2014, 07:10 PM

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Richard "Dick" Schaal, a pioneer at the Second City comedy theater in Chicago, the former husband of the actress Valerie Harper and a familiar face from a plethora of character roles on movies and television, including "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and "Rhoda," died Tuesday. He was 86.

On film, he appeared (among others) in "Slaughterhouse-Five: and, in 1966, "The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming" and "Once Bitten."

http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/theater/ct-ent-1106-dick-schaal-obit-20141105-column.html

Kobi

11-13-2014, 12:47 AM

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You never saw her onscreen, but if you’re a fan of “The Big Bang Theory,” you certainly knew the sound of Carol Ann Susi‘s voice. The long-running CBS sitcom was dealt a heavy blow yesterday when it was announced that Susi had died in Los Angeles following a battle with cancer.

Susi portrayed the largely offscreen character of Mrs. Wolowitz, the long-suffering mother of perpetually put-upon engineer Howard (Simon Helberg). Despite her grating voice and lack of filter (“Howaaahhhd, I think [my girdle] shrunk! I’m spilling out like the Pillsbury Dough Boy here!”), Mrs. Wolowitz was a fan favorite, and Susi’s death leaves behind a huge hole in the hearts of the “Big Bang Theory” community.

CherylNYC

11-17-2014, 11:50 AM

Leslie Feinberg

http://www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/books/2014/11/17/transgender-pioneer-leslie-feinberg-stone-butch-blues-has-died

Leslie Feinberg, who identified as an anti-racist white, working-class, secular Jewish, transgender, lesbian, female, revolutionary communist, died on November 15. She succumbed to complications from multiple tick-borne co-infections, including Lyme disease, babeisiosis, and protomyxzoa rheumatica, after decades of illness.

She died at home in Syracuse, NY, with her partner and spouse of 22 years, Minnie Bruce Pratt, at her side. Her last words were: “Remember me as a revolutionary communist.”...

JoSchmooze

11-17-2014, 11:56 AM

Greyson

11-18-2014, 01:15 AM

I just read the news late this evening when I came home from school. First, my condolences to hir spouse, Minnie Bruce Pratt.

I came home back here to the Planet to acknowledge the passing of one of our warriors. I am very saddened by hir death but I am heartened to know hir work still lives on.

I remember my first reading of Stone Butch Blues, I cried because I felt like someone really got us, our lives, our hopes, our loves, our losses. I felt so validated. Thank you Leslie. RIP brave one.

Jesse

11-18-2014, 02:08 AM

Journey well, Leslie. I am certain that you will find many more injustices to battle as you journey forward, for you are a true warrior. Be well now.

Kobi

11-20-2014, 10:34 AM

cQywZYoGB1g

Jimmy Ruffin, the Motown singer whose hits include "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" and "Hold on to My Love," died Monday in a Las Vegas hospital. He was 78.

Ruffin was the older brother of Temptations lead singer David Ruffin, who died in 1991 at age 50.

Jimmy Lee Ruffin was born on May 7, 1936, in Collinsville, Mississippi. He was signed to Berry Gordy's Motown Records, and had a string of hits in the 1960s, including "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted," which became a Top 10 pop hit.

He had continued success with songs such as "I've Passed This Way Before" and "Gonna Give Her All the Love I've Got," but Ruffin marked a comeback in 1980 with his second Top 10 hit, "Hold on to My Love." The song was produced by Robin Gibb, the Bee Gees member who died in 2012.

Ruffin worked with his brother David in the 1970s on the album, "I Am My Brother's Keeper."

http://www.legacy.com/ns/obituary.aspx?n=jimmy-ruffin&pid=173225915#sthash.7eOup366.dpuf

Kobi

11-20-2014, 10:42 AM

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NEW YORK (AP) - Mike Nichols, the director of matchless versatility who brought fierce wit, caustic social commentary and wicked absurdity to such film, TV and stage hits as "The Graduate," ''Angels in America" and "Monty Python's Spamalot," has died. He was 83.

During a career spanning more than 50 years, Nichol, who was married to ABC's Diane Sawyer, managed to be both an insider and outsider, an occasional White House guest and friend to countless celebrities who was as likely to satirize the elite as he was to mingle with them. A former stand-up performer who began his career in a groundbreaking comedy duo with Elaine May and whose work brought him an Academy Award, a Grammy and multiple Tony and Emmy honors, Nichols had a remarkable gift for mixing edgy humor and dusky drama.

His 1966 film directing debut "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" unforgettably captured the vicious yet sparkling and sly dialogue of Edward Albee's play, as a couple (Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor) torment each other over deep-seated guilt and resentment.

"Angels in America," the 2003 TV miniseries adapted from the stage sensation, blended rich pathos and whimsy in its portrait of people coping with AIDS and looking to the heavens for compassion they found lacking in Ronald Reagan's 1980s America.

Similarly, Nichols' 2001 TV adaptation of the play "Wit" packed biting levity within the stark story of a college professor dying of ovarian cancer.

Nichols, who won directing Emmys for both "Angels in America" and "Wit," said he liked stories about the real lives of real people and that humor inevitably pervades even the bleakest of such tales.

He was a wealthy, educated man who often mocked those just like him, never more memorably than in "The Graduate," which shot Dustin Hoffman to fame in the 1967 story of an earnest young man rebelling against his elders' expectations. Nichols himself would say that he identified with Hoffman's awkward, perpetually flustered Benjamin Braddock.

Mixing farce and Oedipal drama, Nichols managed to capture a generation's discontent without ever mentioning Vietnam, civil rights or any other issues of the time. But young people laughed hard when a family friend advised Benjamin that the road to success was paved with "plastics" or at Benjamin's lament that he felt like life was "some kind of game, but the rules don't make any sense to me. They're being made up by all the wrong people. I mean no one makes them up. They seem to make themselves up."

At the time, Nichols was "just trying to make a nice little movie," he recalled in 2005 at a retrospective screening of "The Graduate." ''It wasn't until when I saw it all put together that I realized this was something remarkable."

Nichols won the best-director Oscar for "The Graduate," which co-starred Anne Bancroft as an aging temptress pursuing Hoffman, whose character responds with the celebrated line, "Mrs. Robinson, you're trying to seduce me."

Divorced three times, Nichols married TV journalist Diane Sawyer in 1988. He admitted in 2013 that many of his film and stage projects explored a familiar, naughty theme.

Nichols often collaborated with Jack Nicholson, Meryl Streep and Emma Thompson. Other stars who worked with Nichols included Al Pacino ("Angels in America"), Gene Hackman and Robin Williams ("The Birdcage"), Harrison Ford, Melanie Griffith and Sigourney Weaver ("Working Girl") and Julia Roberts ("Closer"). In 2007, Nichols brought out "Charlie Wilson's War," starring Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts.

Just as he moved easily among stage, screen and television, Nichols fearlessly switched from genre to genre. Onstage, he tackled comedy ("The Odd Couple"), classics ("Uncle Vanya") and musicals ("The Apple Tree," ''Spamalot," the latter winning him his sixth Tony for directing).

On Broadway, he won nine Tonys, for directing the plays "Barefoot in the Park" (1964), "Luv" and "The Odd Couple" (1965), "Plaza Suite" (1968), "The Prisoner of Second Avenue" (1972), "The Real Thing" (1984), and Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman" (2012). He has also won in other categories, for directing the musical "Monty Python's Spamalot" (2005), and for producing "Annie" (1977) and "The Real Thing" (1984).

Though known for films with a comic edge, Nichols branched into thrillers with "Day of the Dolphin," horror with "Wolf," and real-life drama with "Silkwood." Along with directing for television, he was an executive producer for the 1970s TV series "Family."

Nichols' golden touch failed him on occasion with such duds as the anti-war satire "Catch-22," with Alan Arkin in an adaptation of Joseph Heller's best-seller, and "What Planet Are You From?", an unusually tame comedy for Nichols that starred Garry Shandling and Annette Bening.

Born Michael Igor Peschkowsky on Nov. 6, 1931, in Berlin, Nichols fled Nazi Germany for America at age 7 with his family. He recalled to the AP in 1996 that at the time, he could say only two things in English: "I don't speak English" and "Please don't kiss me."

Nichols attended the University of Chicago but left to study acting in New York. He returned to Chicago, where he began working with May in the Compass Players, a comedy troupe that later became the Second City.

Elaine May and Nichols developed their great improvisational rapport into a saucy, sophisticated stage show that took on sex, marriage, family and other subjects in a frank manner that titillated and startled audiences of the late 1950s and early '60s.

"People always thought we were making fun of other people when we were in fact making fun of ourselves," Nichols told the AP in 1997. "We did teenagers in the back seat of the car and people committing adultery. Of course, you're making fun of yourself. You're making jokes about yourself. Who can you better observe?"

Their Broadway show, "An Evening With Mike Nichols and Elaine May," earned them a Grammy for best comedy recording in 1961.

The two split up soon after, though they reunited in the 1990s, with May writing screenplays for Nichols' "Primary Colors" and "The Birdcage," adapted from the French farce "La Cage aux Folles."

After the break with May, Nichols found his true calling as a director, his early stage work highlighted by "Barefoot in the Park," ''The Odd Couple," ''Plaza Suite" and "The Prisoner of Second Avenue," each of which earned him Tonys.

Other honors included Oscar nominations for directing "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?", "Silkwood" and "Working Girl," a best-picture nomination for producing "The Remains of the Day," and a lifetime-achievement award from the Directors Guild of America in 2004.

http://www.legacy.com/ns/obituary.aspx?n=mike-nichols&pid=173228159#sthash.Mqg8Zrnu.dpuf

Kelt

11-25-2014, 12:19 PM

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Japanese tough guy actor Ken Takakura dies at 83

(Reuters) - Ken Takakura, an actor known as "Japan's Clint Eastwood" for his portrayal of tough but principled gangsters in over 100 movies and who gained international fame in director Ridley Scott's "Black Rain," has died at the age of 83.

Takakura, who played alongside U.S. stars such as Tom Selleck and starred in movies directed by Sydney Pollack and China's Zhang Yimou, died on Nov. 10 of lymphoma, his office said on Tuesday.

Born Goichi Oda in Oita, on the southwestern island of Kyushu, Takakura got his start in film in 1955 when he dropped into an audition at Toei, one of Japan's biggest film studios, out of curiosity.

He became known to international audiences through roles in Pollack's 1975 "The Yakuza," where he starred with U.S. actor Robert Mitchum, and the 1992 comedy "Mr. Baseball." In 2005 he appeared in Zhang's "Riding alone for Thousands of Miles."

But it was in the 1989 police thriller "Black Rain", where he played a Japanese policeman dealing with Michael Douglas in the role of an irritable New York cop, that he gained international renown.

Kobi

12-10-2014, 07:44 PM

http://ak-cache.legacy.com/legacy/images/portraits/Mary-Ann-Mobley-Collins-dead-173421323port.jpgx?w=117&h=151&option=1

LOS ANGELES (AP) - A former Miss America who went on to appear in movies with Elvis Presley and make documentary films around the world has died after a battle with breast cancer. She was 77.

She graduated from Ole Miss in 1958, the same year she won the Miss America crown.

She became an actress a few years later, with credits including such TV shows as "General Hospital" and "Perry Mason," and films such as "Girl Happy" with Presley and "Three on a Couch" with Jerry Lewis. It was on that film that she met her husband, actor Gary Collins, who died in 2012.

Mobley Collins was also a documentarian, traveling to Cambodia, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Somalia, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Sudan to make movies about the struggle s of homeless and starving children. She and her husband were also active humanitarians, raising money and awareness for organizations such as the March of Dimes and the United Cerebral Palsy Association. -

- See more at: http://www.legacy.com/memorial-sites/actors/obituary.aspx?n=Mary-Ann-Mobley-Collins&pid=173421323&ua=p917uy8IkiEKj7cYHWyDDA%3d%3d#sthash.GUgP7LLd.dp uf

theoddz

12-22-2014, 01:32 PM

Joe Cocker died today of an "undisclosed illness". :(

http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/22/showbiz/music/joe-cocker-singer-obit/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

RIP, Joe. (f)

One of my favorite Joe Cocker numbers......

jOotsq4soug

~Theo~ :bouquet:

ProfPacker

12-22-2014, 01:46 PM

oh wow, this is upsetting, I have been listening to Woodstock and he was a prominent person for me.

R.I.P. JOE COCKER

YOU WILL GET BY UP THERE WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM YOUR FRIENDS

MsTinkerbelly

12-22-2014, 03:24 PM

Joe Cocker died of lung cancer according to CNN.

RIP(f)

JDeere

12-22-2014, 07:26 PM

R.I.P Joe

I have loved this song for a long time now.

wlDmslyGmGI

Jesse

12-22-2014, 07:33 PM

Oh wow...
Journey well, Joe. Thanks for the music.

Joe Cocker died of lung cancer according to CNN.

RIP(f)

Kobi

02-01-2015, 02:01 PM

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LONDON (AP) — Actress Anne Kirkbride, a star of British soap opera "Coronation Street" for more than 40 years, has died at the age of 60.

See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/bostonglobe/obituary.aspx?n=Anne-Kirkbride&pid=173904422#sthash.xIfrIKVR.dpuf

Kobi

02-01-2015, 02:04 PM

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SYDNEY (AP) - Best-selling Australian author Colleen McCullough, whose novel "The Thorn Birds" sold 30 million copies worldwide, has died at age 77 after a long illness.

McCullough wrote 25 novels throughout her career. Her final book "Bittersweet" was released in 2013.

Her first novel "Tim" was published in 1974. It became a movie starring Mel Gibson, who played a young, intellectually disabled handyman who had a romance with a middle-aged woman.

Her second novel, "The Thorn Birds," published in 1977, became a U.S. television mini-series in 1983 starring Richard Chamberlain, Rachel Ward and Christopher Plummer. The Outback melodrama about a priest's struggle between church and love won four Golden Globe awards.

During the 1980s, she wrote love stories including "An Indecent Obsession" and "The Ladies of Missalonghi."

Her historical seven-novel series "Masters of Rome" was published from 1990 to 2007.

McCullough was born in the small town of Wellington in New South Wales state on June 1, 1937. The family moved to the state capital, Sydney, where she began studying at Sydney University to become a medical doctor until she discovered that she had an allergic reaction to the antiseptic soap that surgeons use to scrub.

She switched her studies to neuroscience and spent 10 years as a researcher at Yale Medical School in the United States. She established the neurophysiology department at Sydney's Royal North Shore Hospital.

She lived as an author in the United States and London before settling on Norfolk Island, a former British penal colony in the Pacific Ocean which became home to descendants of the HMS Bounty mutineers.

- See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/bostonglobe/obituary.aspx?n=Colleen-McCullough&pid=174004328#sthash.xoUCe9X7.dpuf

Kobi

02-01-2015, 02:10 PM

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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Ann Mara, the matriarch of the NFL's New York Giants for the past 60 years, has died. She was 85.

Giants co-owner John Mara announced his mother's death on Super Bowl Sunday. Ann Mara slipped in front of her home in Rye, New York, during an ice storm two weeks ago and was hospitalized with a head injury the following day. While there were initial hopes for recovery, John Mara said, complications developed and she died early Sunday surrounded by her family.

Ann Mara and her children owned 50 percent of the Giants, one of the founding families of the league, since the death of her husband, Hall of Famer Wellington Mara, in 2005. While she was not active in daily operations, her opinion was valued greatly.

Ann Mara was a prominent philanthropist who supported educational organizations. Mara also helped children with cancer through the Ronald McDonald House of New York. In November, she dedicated the opening of a new building for the San Miguel Academy for children at risk, which was built through the NFL Snowflake Foundation.

Three days before MetLife Stadium — the home of the Giants and Jets — was the site of the Super Bowl last year, Ann Mara received the Paul J. Tagliabue Award of Excellence. It is presented to a league or team executive who demonstrates the integrity and leadership that he exhibited in career development opportunities for minority candidates and advocacy for diversity on the league and club level when he was NFL commissioner.

Married to Wellington Mara in 1954 after a chance meeting in a Roman Catholic church, Ann Mara attended almost every Giants home and away game. She was a fierce defender of the team.

After the Giants beat the San Francisco 49ers in the 2011 NFC Championship game en route to their fourth Super Bowl title, she approached Fox broadcaster and Hall of Fame quarterback Terry Bradshaw, poking his arm to get his attention.

"You never pick the Giants," Ann Mara said.

Bradshaw turned toward the camera and said, "I know. I know. I'm sorry. I'm getting hammered for not picking the Giants."

Ann Mara, sometimes referred to as "The First Lady of Football," also let her sons know how she felt. Three of them work in the Giants' front office. Along with John, Chris is the senior vice president of player evaluation and Frank is the vice president of community relations.

She used to like to remind John Mara that "you're an employee.'"

When the Giants missed the playoffs for the third consecutive year this past season, John Mara, who serves as president and chief executive, was asked how his mother felt.

"She is not very happy with me right now, believe me," John Mara said. "She suffers through this probably even more so than I do. I am on notice as well."

Born Ann Mumm in New York City on June 18, 1929, Mara is survived by 11 children, 43 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren.

One of her grandchildren, Chris' daughter Rooney Mara, was nominated for an Oscar for best actress for "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" in 2012.

- See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/bostonglobe/obituary.aspx?n=Ann-Mara&pid=174030918#sthash.6mnXof9S.dpuf

Kobi

02-07-2015, 07:45 PM

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Armed to the teeth, Coast Guardsman Adrian Loya stormed the Massachusetts home of two lesbian colleagues and opened fire because he was obsessed with one of the women, authorities said.

Coast Guard Petty Officer Lisa Trubnikova (left) died at the scene of Thursday's bloody rampage in Cape Cod. Her wife, Anna Trubnikova, also a petty officer, remains hospitalized with severe injuries.

Relatives told the Boston Globe that Loya had been pursuing Lisa Trubnikova for years, beginning when all three were stationed in Alaska. "He became obsessed," one family member told the paper. "He was fixated on her."

Loya, who lived in Virginia, is believed to have driven to Massachusetts earlier in the week and rented a motel room near the couple's condo complex.

Loya was armed with two rifles, a 9mm handgun and a shotgun, police said. He set a car on fire to keep officers at bay, and shot at cops who responded to a home invasion call.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/coast-guardsman-fixated-lesbian-victim-mass-cops-article-1.2106705

DapperButch

02-16-2015, 08:39 PM

http://time.com/3711333/lesley-gore-best-songs/

JDeere

02-16-2015, 08:45 PM

I know it is late but I am going to post it anyways! RIP Mr. Banks!

http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/23/us/ernie-banks-obit/

vixenagogo

02-27-2015, 04:32 PM

godspeed...

http://agentsofgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Spock-Leonard-Nimoy.jpg

Cailin

02-27-2015, 04:37 PM

godspeed...

http://agentsofgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Spock-Leonard-Nimoy.jpg

"of all the souls I have encountered in my travels, his was the most... human."

LLAP

Arwen

03-01-2015, 09:40 AM

http://www.npr.org/2015/02/26/389282263/remembering-bertrice-small-one-of-the-original-avon-ladies

She changed romance and changed my world. Her boldness opened up the doors that now house erotic romance. She is on my keeper shelf as well as my Kindle. May the Universe be glad for its latest author.

Cin

03-12-2015, 12:04 PM

An amazing heart has stopped beating, fantasy author and creator of the Discworld series Sir Terry Pratchett has died at home aged 66, having had Alzheimer's disease (which he called an 'embuggerance') for eight years. He is one of my favorite writers. My screen name, Miss Tick, is taken from a very minor character in a couple of his discworld books. I am saddened by his loss.

A few of the literally thousands of quotes from his writings.

"It's not worth doing something unless someone, somewhere, would much rather you weren't doing it." Terry Pratchett

“The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it.” - Terry Pratchett

“Light thinks it travels faster than anything but it is wrong. No matter how fast light travels, it finds the darkness has always got there first, and is waiting for it.” - Terry Pratchett

"It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die. That is true, it's called Life." - Terry Pratchett

Kobi

04-16-2015, 10:15 AM

Longtime NYC-based feminist and lesbian activist Sidney Abbott, 78, was found dead Wednesday morning after a fire in her home in Southold, Suffolk County.

Abbott was a force for gay women’s rights in New York and beyond since the ’70s, when she helped urge NOW not to ignore lesbian issues.

She had been wheelchair dependent in recent years, and had limited mobility, said Jacqueline Michot Ceballos, a friend for nearly 50 years.

“We were the earliest members of NOW, from day one in New York City, back in 1967,” said Ceballos, a former NOW-New York president and founder of the Veteran Feminists of America.

There were disagreements among the gay and straight members in those early days — famously, Betty Friedan warned about a “Lavender Menace” from the lesbian activists in their movement’s midst. But Abbott was always a mender of rifts within the larger feminist movement.

“She held no grudges and was truly a loving human being,” Ceballos said. “There was no anger whatsoever — It was very, very important to her to make sure we knew that there’s no big difference between us.”

Added VFA president Eleanor Pam, “Sydney Abbott’s contribution to modern feminism cannot be overstated. She was a brilliant, fearless trailblazer, an authentic pioneer in the women revolution and its struggle for equal rights.”

Longtime close friend and co-author Barbara Love spoke by phone with Abbott less than two hours before the fire. A home attendant had just left to do some shopping for Abbott, Love said.

“She was in good spirits,” said Love, who lived with Abbott in the ’70s and co-authored “Sappho,” which remains “a classic.”

“She’s very well known in the women’s movement,” Love said.

---------------

Rest in peace dear woman. You were an inspiration to many and will be fondly remembered for everything you did to fight for the recognition and rights of both women and lesbians.

Kobi

04-17-2015, 01:05 PM

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Anna Walentynowicz, a shipyard worker whose firing made her a central figure in Poland's Solidarity movement, which broke the communist grip on the country in the 1980s, died April 10 in the airplane crash near Smolensk, Russia, that also claimed the lives of Polish President Lech Kaczynski, his wife and other top Polish officials. She was 80.

Ms. Walentynowicz became a heroic symbol of freedom in her homeland after she was dismissed from her job at the Gdansk shipyard in August 1980, just five months before she was scheduled to retire. She had been harassed for years by authorities, who considered her a troublemaker for launching an underground newspaper and helping organize the budding Solidarity movement in the 1970s.

Her firing prompted a strike at the shipyard and the spread of the Solidarity movement, which quickly attracted millions of followers across Poland. It was the first successful labor revolt in a communist country and resulted, less than a decade later, in the downfall of Poland's communist regime.

"I was the drop that caused the cup of bitterness to overflow," Ms. Walentynowicz (pronounced val-en-teen-OH-vitch) once said.

Repeatedly jailed, reinstated to her job and jailed again, Ms. Walentynowicz became known as the "mother of Solidarity."

She began her life of activism in 1970, when security forces killed 50 striking workers in Polish port cities. For years, on the anniversary of the killings, Ms. Walentynowicz was arrested for collecting money to buy memorial flowers for the slain workers.

By 1978, when she received her first substantial prison sentence, she had begun to publish an underground newspaper that exposed corruption among the shipyard's leaders and was one of the seven founders of Solidarity. Four of the founders were women, she said.

"Woman activists were in the worst situation, because they were responsible for children," she told the Christian Science Monitor in 1989. "But I could afford to sacrifice, because I was widow and my son was in the Army."

In December 1981, a little more than a year after Ms. Walentynowicz's firing sparked the Solidarity revolt, Poland's military government under Gen. Wojciech Jaruzelski declared martial law and arrested many dissidents on flimsy pretenses.

Ms. Walentynowicz spent seven months in a women's prison, where she learned a "repertoire of 57 political songs, many of them very rude about the Communist authorities and Gen. Wojciech Jaruzelski," she told The Washington Post in 1982. "If they maltreated us, we would sing the whole repertoire."

Anna Walentynowicz was born Aug. 13, 1929, in Rovno, a Ukrainian city that was then part of Poland. She was orphaned at a young age and began working as a maid when she was 10.

She made her way to the port city of Gdansk in 1950 and found work as a welder in the Lenin Shipyard, where her short stature (4-foot-10) enabled her to climb deep into the hulls of ships. She later became a crane operator.

Little is known about her immediate family, except that she raised a son as a single mother, later married and was widowed. She continued to work at the shipyard, often organizing labor strikes, until 1991.

For a time, she was close to Lech Walesa, the Solidarity leader who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983 and was elected Poland's president in 1990. But she broke with Walesa in the early 1980s, believing he compromised too easily with communist authorities and ran the Solidarity union in an autocratic manner. She refused three offers to work in his government.

"We have a jester for a president," she said in 1991. "The real Solidarity was born on my back, and now it is destroyed."

Often called the conscience of her country, Ms. Walentynowicz received the Truman-Reagan Medal of Freedom from the U.S. Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation at the Polish Embassy in Washington in 2005. She was the inspiration for "Strike," a 2006 film by German director Volker Schloendorff.

"We wanted better money, improved work safety, a free trade union and my job back," Ms. Walentynowicz said in 1999, reflecting on the early days of Solidarity. "Nobody wanted a revolution. And when I see what the so-called revolution has brought -- mass poverty, homelessness, self-styled capitalists selling off our plants and pocketing the money -- I think we were right."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/13/AR2010041304387.html

Jesse

05-15-2015, 12:47 AM

B.B. King, 89 passed away on Thursday. "His 2009 album, One Kind Favor, earned him his 15th Grammy." Journey well, B.B.

http://time.com/3857528/b-b-king-photos-blues-music-life-john-shearer/

*Anya*

05-24-2015, 08:58 AM

John Nash, Mathematician who inspired A Beautiful Mind, killed in car accident

Mathematician John Nash, a Nobel Prize winner who inspired the movie A Beautiful Mind, was killed in an auto accident along with his wife in New Jersey, US police have confirmed.

The couple were in a taxi cab whose driver lost control and crashed into a guard rail.

"The taxi passengers were ejected," Sergeant Gregory Williams told AFP.

The Oscar award-winning film A Beautiful Mind, starring Russell Crowe, was loosely based on Nash's longtime struggle with schizophrenia.

Crowe wrote on Twitter that he was stunned by reports of the death of Nash and his wife, Alicia.

Nash, a Princeton University scholar, was awarded the Nobel Price for economics in 1994.

John Nash was 86 and his wife was 82, according to ABC News America, which reported the couple was living in Princeton, New Jersey.

Reuters/AFP

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-05-25/john-nash-mathematician-who-inspired-a-beautiful-mind-killed/6493530

Kobi

05-25-2015, 09:33 AM

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Anne Meara, the loopy, lovable comedian who launched a standup career with husband Jerry Stiller in the 1950s and found success as an actress in films, on TV and the stage, has died.

Born in Brooklyn on Sept. 20, 1929, she was a red-haired, Irish-Catholic girl who struck a vivid contrast to Stiller, a Jewish guy from Manhattan's Lower East Side who was two years older and four inches shorter.

As Stiller and Meara, they appeared in comedy routines that joked about married life and their respective ethnic backgrounds. They logged 36 appearances on "The Ed Sullivan Show" and were a successful team in Las Vegas, major nightclubs, on records and in commercials (scoring big for Blue Nun wine with their sketches on radio).

They were beloved New Yorkers, well known to their Upper West Side neighbors. The marriage lasted, but the act was dissolved in the 1970s as Meara resumed the acting career she had originally sought. She appeared in such films as "The Out-of-Towners," ''Fame," ''Awakenings" and, directed by her son, "Reality Bites."

Meara was twice nominated for an Emmy Award for her supporting role on "Archie Bunker's Place," along with two other Emmy nods, most recently in 1997 for her guest-starring role on "Homicide." She won a Writers Guild Award for co-writing the 1983 TV movie "The Other Woman."

She also appeared in dozens of films and TV shows, including a longtime role on "All My Children" and appearances on "Rhoda," ''Alf" and "The King of Queens." She shared the screen with her son in 2006's "Night at the Museum."

Meara also had a recurring role on CBS' "Murphy Brown" and on HBO's "Sex and the City." In 1975, she starred in CBS' "Kate McShane," which, though short-lived, had the distinction of being the first network drama to feature a woman lawyer.

She made her off-Broadway debut in 1971 in John Guare's award-winning play "The House of Blue Leaves." A quarter-century later, she made her off-Broadway bow as a playwright with her comedy-drama, "After-Play."

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/bostonglobe/obituary.aspx?n=anne-meara&pid=174930394

Kobi

05-31-2015, 09:47 PM

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Betsy Palmer, the veteran character actress who achieved lasting, though not necessarily sought-after, fame as the murderous camp cook in the cheesy horror film "Friday the 13th," has died at age 88.

Palmer had appeared in numerous TV shows dating to the early 1950s Golden Age of Television. Among them were such classic dramas as "Kraft Theatre," ''Playhouse 90" and "Studio One."

Her film credits included "Mr. Roberts" with Henry Fonda, "The Long Gray Line" with Tyrone Power and Maureen O'Hara, "Queen Bee" with Joan Crawford, and "The Tin Star" with Fonda and Anthony Perkins.

Other TV credits included "Knot's Landing," ''The Love Boat," ''Newhart," ''Just Shoot Me" and "Murder, She Wrote." She also appeared in several Broadway plays, including "Same Time, Next Year" and "Cactus Flower."

- See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/bostonglobe/obituary.aspx?n=betsy-palmer&pid=174980593#sthash.1ZymirPT.dpuf

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I remember her most from the show I've Got A Secret. Another woman who spoke to my inner lesbian. Sigh.

DapperButch

06-01-2015, 06:34 AM

Kätzchen

06-07-2015, 12:08 PM

The death of the U.S. Vice President's son. The Vice President lost his first wife and one year old daughter in 1972. He was at his two young sons' bed sides in the hospital 18 days after the accident, when he was sworn into the Senate. Senator Biden spend 4 hours each way on a train to D.C. and back to DE everyday, so he could be home with his children at night and then, after they grew up and out, he still did it in order to be with his second wife. That would be for 36 years, for those who are counting his terms.

Beau Biden was 46 years old and died of brain cancer.

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/vice-president-joe-bidens-bond-late-son-beau-was-forged-n367296

Thank you for posting the incredibly sad news about the untimely death of Joe Biden"s son, Beau.

Learning about this today brought to mind the experience of a dear friend of mine, in Berlin. She watched both her mother and her mother's sister, her aunt, die rather suddenly from brain cancer. And it changed her, in so many ways. Stemming the tide of unfathomable sorrow nearly always affects a person deeply, but I couldn't help but remember my friend Len.

(w) (w) (w)

Thanks for sharing, Dapper.

Kobi

06-23-2015, 11:00 AM

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Actor Dick Van Patten, perhaps best known as patriarch Tom Bradford on the '80s series Eight Is Enough, has died. He was 86.

The actor was born in Kew Gardens, New York, in 1928 and began his career as a child star and model. He made his Broadway debut when he was 7 years old in Tapestry in Gray. He went on to appear in nearly 30 more Broadway shows.

Van Patten made the jump to television with the role of Nels Hansen in I Remember Mama, which ran from 1949 to 1957.

He also went on to act in numerous other TV shows including The New Dick Van Dyke Show, Happy Days, The Love Boat and, more recently, Arrested Development, That '70s Show and Hot in Cleveland.

He also acted in various Disney films, along with three movies directed by Mel Brooks (High Anxiety, Spaceballs and Robin Hood: Men in Tights.) In 2009, Van Patten penned an autobiography, Eighty Is Not Enough, and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

http://www.people.com/article/dick-van-patten-dies-eight-is-enough-love-boat?xid=rss-topheadlines

------------------------------------

I loved him as the King of Druidia in Spaceballs.

Wonder how many people here actually know what I am talking about.

Kobi

06-25-2015, 01:35 PM

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Patrick Macnee, the British-born actor best known as the stylish secret agent John Steed in the 1960s TV series "The Avengers," has died. He was 93.

"The Avengers" had its debut in the United States in 1966 and ran for eight years in syndication.

Macnee's character in the series was accompanied by a string of beautiful women who were his sidekicks. The most popular was Diana Rigg, who played junior agent Emma Peel from 1965 to 1968.

Macnee also appeared in "Hamlet", "A Christmas Carol," ''Until They Sail," ''Les Girls," and ''Young Doctors in Love." He also had a notable role in the cult comedy classic "This Is Spinal Tap" as British entrepreneur Sir Denis Eton-Hogg. -

See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/bostonglobe/obituary.aspx?n=patrick-macnee&pid=175158765#sthash.dzBE6Uxh.dpuf

Kelt

07-04-2015, 07:34 AM

Architecture geeks will morn his passing.

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSsq_GkK8E9rUzbzblssL6fxGHXMOKzl gVq7KW0miaTpfZCycgw

Donald Wexler, Architect Who Gave Shape to Palm Springs, Dies at 89 (http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/02/arts/design/donald-wexler-architect-who-gave-shape-to-palm-springs-dies-at-89.html#)

Here is a really great short video (https://vimeo.com/3868781) about his contribution to steel frame and off site pre-fab work. It's Vimeo so I can't embed it. Enjoy.

http://static01.nyt.com/images/2015/07/02/arts/02wexler-2-obit/02wexler-2-obit-master675.jpg

"Donald Wexler, an architect whose innovative steel houses and soaring glass-fronted terminal at the Palm Springs International Airport helped make Palm Springs, Calif., a showcase for midcentury modernism, died on Friday at his home in Palm Desert. He was 89.

His son Gary confirmed his death.

Mr. Wexler, a disciple of the California architect Richard Neutra, went to Palm Springs in the early 1950s to work for William Cody, a leading practitioner of the style known as Desert Modern. “Wexler worked from an existing Desert Modern vocabulary — indoor-outdoor spaces, walls of glass, a focus on mountain views, all very spare and minimal — and applied it to all sorts of buildings over the years,” said Peter Moruzzi, an architectural historian and the founder of the Palm Springs Modern Committee, a preservation group. “He had a profound influence not just on Palm Springs but on the entire Coachella Valley.” - New York Times

Kobi

07-06-2015, 07:59 AM

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Burt Shavitz, the Maine beekeeper and co-founder of Burt's Bees whose face and untamed beard have been featured on thousands of cases of natural cosmetics, died Sunday of respiratory complications in Bangor, Maine. He was 80.

Born in 1935, he spent his childhood in New York. After serving in the Army in Germany and a brief stint as a photographer, Shavitz left for Maine and began his celebrated eccentric lifestyle as a hippie who made his livelihood selling honey.

According to The Associated Press, Shavitz' life was altered by a chance encounter with a hitchhiker, Roxanne Quimby. He struck up a friendship with the single mother, impressed with her self-reliance and back-to-land ethos.

In the 1980s she began making products from his beeswax. A business partnership soon resulted and Burt's Bees was born, with Shavitz' image as a key feature of the product labels.

In 1994 Quimby moved Burt's Bees to North Carolina, and the business partnership dissolved. He received an undisclosed monetary settlement and 37 acres of land in a remote corner of Maine. In 2007, Clorox purchased Burt's Bees for $925 million.

After separating from the business end of Burt's Bees, Shavitz returned to a reclusive, minimalist lifestyle. He famously lived in a cluttered house with no running water and enjoyed watching wildlife. His life was featured in the 2013 documentary "Burt's Buzz."

"Burt Shavitz, our co-founder and namesake, has left for greener fields and wilder woods. We remember him as a wild]bearded and free]spirited Maine man, a beekeeper, a wisecracker, a lover of golden retrievers, a reverent observer of nature and the kind face that smiles back at us from our Hand Salve."

- See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/bostonglobe/obituary.aspx?n=burt-shavitz&pid=175225084#sthash.4UoFhmsP.dpuf

-------------------------------

Thanks for the almond creme stuff.

Kobi

07-26-2015, 07:20 PM

Bobbi Kristina Brown, the daughter of late music legend Whitney Houston and R&B singer Bobby Brown, died on July 26, surrounded by her family, at Peachtree Christian Hospice in Duluth, Georgia. She was 22.

Story (http://www.etonline.com/news/166778_bobbi_kristina_brown_dead_at_22_whitney_hou ston_bobby_brown_5_months_coma/)

Kobi

07-31-2015, 03:51 PM

Lynn Anderson, country music singer most famous for the hit "(I Never Promised You a) Rose Garden," has died, according to the Associated Press. She was 67.

After beginning her country music career in 1966, she became a regular singer on "The Lawrence Welk Show" from 1967 to 1969. This exposure to a broad national audience paved the way for her crossover hit and signature song, "(I Never Promised You a) Rose Garden." The song reached No. 1 on the Billboard country chart and No. 3 on the Billboard pop chart. She won a Grammy Award and "Female Vocalist of the Year" from the Country Music Association in 1971.

Further hits followed, including "You're My Man," "How Can I Unlove You," and "Cry." She frequently made guest appearances on television throughout the 1970s, including a starring role in an episode of "Starsky & Hutch." She continued to record and release music throughout her career, with her last album, "Bridges," released in June, 2015.

In addition to music, she was an avid equestrian, winning several national and world championships. She also bred Quarter Horses and Paint Horses. She won the title of "California Horse Show Queen" in 1966.

WO4wcNVbYOQ

-------------------------------------

I still have that record.

C0LLETTE

07-31-2015, 06:44 PM

Flora MacDonald 89. Remarkable Canadian politician. If I wasn't typing on a miserable mini IPad, I'd type out her whole obituary. A most magnificent woman....and she spent her later years voting NDP.

Kobi

08-08-2015, 06:21 AM

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Louise Suggs, legendary golfer and one of the founders of the LPGA Tour has died, according to the LPGA. She was 91.

The winner of 61 professional tournaments, including 11 majors, Suggs helped co-found the LPGA in 1950 alongside two of her rivals, Patty Berg and Babe Zaharias. She served as LPGA president for three years, from 1955 to 1957. She was inducted into the LPGA Tour Hall of Fame in 1967 and the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1979.

Suggs was a trailblazer throughout her career. She became the first woman ever elected into the Georgia Athletic Hall of Fame in 1966, paving the way for women to become future inductees. And in 1961 Suggs got the chance to prove that women golfers could compete against men. In an LPGA tournament held on a par-3 course in Palm Beach, Florida, Suggs triumphed against a 24-player field that included fellow LPGA professionals and PGA professionals including Sam Snead.

http://www.lpga.com/news/2015-louise-suggs-passes-at-91

Kobi

08-11-2015, 01:14 AM

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Gerald S. O’Loughlin, a veteran character actor who was probably best known for playing Lieutenant Ryker on the 1970s ABC cop show "The Rookies," has died, according to the Hollywood Reporter. He was 93.

O’Loughlin appeared in Truman Capote’s "In Cold Blood" in 1967 and also in the movies "Ensign Pulver," "Ice Station Zebra" with Rock Hudson and "The Organization" opposite Sidney Poitier.

O’Loughlin also starred on television as neighbor Joe Kaplan in the 1980s NBC family drama "Our House," starring Wilford Brimley.

"The Rookies" ran on ABC from 1972 through 1976 and starred Georg Stanford Brown, Michael Ontkean and Kate Jackson. His character Ed Ryker guided his new troops with patience and a bit of resignation.
------------------------

I like the characters this guy played.

Andrea

08-16-2015, 06:59 AM

Julian Bond, a former chairman of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, a charismatic figure of the 1960s civil rights movement, a lightning rod of the anti-Vietnam War campaign and a lifelong champion of equal rights for minorities, died on Saturday night, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. He was 75.

Mr. Bond died in Fort Walton Beach, Fla., after a brief illness, the center said in a statement Sunday morning.

He was one of the original leaders of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, while he was a student at Morehouse College in Atlanta.

He moved from the militancy of the student group to the top leadership of the establishmentarian N.A.A.C.P. Along the way, he was a writer, poet, television commentator, lecturer, college teacher, and persistent opponent of the stubborn remnants of white supremacy.

He also served for 20 years in the Georgia Legislature, mostly in conspicuous isolation from white colleagues who saw him as an interloper and a rabble-rouser.

Mr. Bond’s wit, cool personality and youthful face became familiar to millions of television viewers during the 1960s and 1970s; he was described as dashing, handsome and urbane.

On the strength of his personality and quick intellect, he moved to the center of the civil rights action in Atlanta, the unofficial capital of the movement, at the height of the struggle for racial equality in the early 1960s.

Moving beyond demonstrations, he became a founder, with Morris Dees, of the Southern Poverty Law Center, a legal advocacy organization in Montgomery, Ala. Mr. Bond was its president from 1971 to 1979 and remained on its board for the rest of his life.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/17/us/julian-bond-former-naacp-chairman-and-civil-rights-leader-dies-at-75.html?_r=0 (http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/17/us/julian-bond-former-naacp-chairman-and-civil-rights-leader-dies-at-75.html?_r=0)

ProfPacker

08-18-2015, 12:32 AM

Annie in Imitation of Life. She was amazing. I just watched the 1959 movie and was shocked at how emotional it was still for me.

She was 99 years old. G-d Bless her

JDeere

08-25-2015, 11:16 PM

Dr. "Red" Duke passed away.

http://www.click2houston.com/news/dr-james-red-duke-famed-houston-surgeon-passes-away-at-86/34914850

I remember as a young one, watching him on the news doing medical segments.

JDeere

08-27-2015, 07:47 PM

"Chocolate Thunder" passes away at age 58 of a heart attack.

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/darryl-dawkins--the-legendary--chocolate-thunder---dies-at-58-204549915.html?soc_src=mediacontentsharebuttons&soc_trk=fb

Orema

08-30-2015, 01:00 PM

Oliver Sacks, Casting Light on the Interconnectedness of Life (http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/31/arts/oliver-sacks-wrote-awakenings-and-cast-light-on-the-interconnectedness-of-life.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=photo-spot-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0)

http://www.nationalrighttolifenews.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/oliversacks4.jpg

It’s no coincidence that so many of the qualities that made Oliver Sacks such a brilliant writer are the same qualities that made him an ideal doctor: keen powers of observation and a devotion to detail, deep reservoirs of sympathy, and an intuitive understanding of the fathomless mysteries of the human brain and the intricate connections between the body and the mind.

Dr. Sacks, who died on Sunday at 82, was a polymath and an ardent humanist, and whether he was writing about his patients, or his love of chemistry or the power of music, he leapfrogged among disciplines, shedding light on the strange and wonderful interconnectedness of life — the connections between science and art, physiology and psychology, the beauty and economy of the natural world and the magic of the human imagination.

In his writings, as he once said of his mentor, the great Soviet neuropsychologist and author A. R. Luria, “science became poetry.”

In describing his patients’ struggles and sometimes uncanny gifts, Dr. Sacks helped introduce syndromes like Tourette’s or Asperger’s to a general audience.

In books like “Awakenings,” “The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat” and “An Anthropologist on Mars,” Dr. Sacks — a longtime practicing doctor and a professor of neurology at the New York University School of Medicine — gave us case studies of patients whose stories were so odd, so anomalous, so resonant that they read like tales by Borges or Calvino. A man, with acute amnesia, who loses three decades of his life and lives wholly in the immediate present, unable to remember anything for more than a minute or two. Idiot savant twins, who can’t deal with the most mundane tasks of daily life but can perform astonishing numerical tricks, like memorizing 300-digit numbers or rattling off 20-digit primes. A blind poet who suffers from — or is gifted with — extraordinarily complex hallucinations: a milkman in an azure cart with a golden horse; small flocks of birds wearing shoes that metamorphose into men and women in medieval clothes.

Dr. Sacks depicted such people not as scientific curiosities but as individuals who become as real to us as characters by Chekhov (another doctor who wrote with uncommon empathy and insight). He was concerned with the impact that his patients’ neurological disorders had on their day-to-day routines, their relationships and their inner lives. His case studies became literary narratives as dramatic, richly detailed and compelling as those by Freud and Luria — stories that underscored not the marginality of his patients’ experiences, but their part in the shared human endeavor and the flux and contingencies of life.

Those case studies captured the emotional and metaphysical, as well as physiological, dimensions of his patients’ conditions. While they tracked the costs and isolation these individuals often endured, they also emphasized people’s resilience — their ability to adapt to their “deficits,” enabling them to hold onto a sense of identity and agency. Some even find that their conditions spur them to startling creative achievement.

In fact, Dr. Sacks wrote in “An Anthropologist on Mars,” illnesses and disorders “can play a paradoxical role in bringing out latent powers, developments, evolutions, forms of life that might never be seen or even be imaginable in their absence.” A young woman with a low I.Q. learns to sing arias in more than 30 languages, and a Canadian physician with Tourette’s syndrome learns to perform long, complicated surgical procedures without a single tic or twitch. Some scholars believe, Dr. Sacks once wrote, that Dostoyevsky and van Gogh may have had temporal lobe epilepsy, that Bartok and Wittgenstein may have been autistic, and that Mozart and Samuel Johnson could have had Tourette’s syndrome.

In his later books, Dr. Sacks increasingly turned to chronicling his own life — from his deep love of chemistry as a boy in “Uncle Tungsten,” to his experiments with L.S.D. and amphetamines in “Hallucinations,” to his coming of age as a young man and as a doctor in “On the Move.” It was a life as eclectic and adventurous as his intellectual pursuits, taking him from medical school in England to a stint as a forest firefighter in British Columbia to medical residencies and fellowship work in San Francisco and Los Angeles. He held a weight-lifting record in California, and on weekends, sometimes drove hundreds of miles on his motorcycle, from California to Las Vegas or Death Valley or the Grand Canyon.

Animated by a self-deprecating sense of humor and set down in limber, pointillist prose, Dr. Sacks’s autobiographical accounts are as candid and searching as his writings about his patients, and they suggest just how rooted his compassion and intuitive understanding — as a doctor and a writer — were in his youthful feelings of fear and dislocation. He tells us about the lasting shock of being evacuated from London as a boy during the war, and being beaten and bullied at boarding school. The rest of his life, he writes, he would have trouble with the 3 B’s: “bonding, belonging, and believing.”

He also writes about the frightening psychotic episodes of his schizophrenic brother, Michael, and his own feelings of shame for not spending more time with him — and his simultaneous need to get away. Science, with its promise of order and logic, provided a refuge for young Oliver from the chaos of his brother’s madness, and medicine promised both family continuity (his father was a general practitioner; his mother, a surgeon) and a way to study and try to understand brain disorders like Michael’s.

From today's New York Times

imperfect_cupcake

08-30-2015, 03:22 PM

Heart broken over Oliver sacks. What an incredible loss :((

Virago

08-30-2015, 10:43 PM

A man whose words of inspiration help guided me through the years and through my growth. Dr. Wayne Dyer.

Self-Help Pioneer Dr. Wayne Dyer Dies at 75, Family and Publisher Say

by M. Alex Johnson

Dr. Wayne Dyer, the self-help guru whose best-seller "Your Erroneous Zones" was adopted by millions as a guide to better living, has died at 75, his family and publisher said Sunday.

Dyer died Saturday night in Maui, Hawaii, said Reid Tracy, chief executive of Dyer's publisher, Hay House. The cause of death wasn't immediately reported.

The world has lost an incredible man. Wayne Dyer officiated our wedding & was an inspiration to so many. Sending love pic.twitter.com/kzsCS278jr
— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) August 30, 2015

Wayne Dyer has passed away today. 4 those of us who loved him it's sad, but he knew death was a transition. We send love 4his next adventure
— Tony Robbins (@TonyRobbins) August 31, 2015

It was always a pleasure to talk to @DrWayneWDyer about life's big questions. He always had big answers. RIP Wayne. You brought the Light.
— Oprah Winfrey (@Oprah) August 31, 2015

The spiritualist magazine Mind Body Spirit regularly listed Dyer as one of the 10 most spiritually influential people in the world. He ranked eighth last year.

JDeere

08-30-2015, 10:47 PM

Wes Craven, horror movie director passed away at age 76.
He directed the nightmare on elm street series.

R.I.P. The horror community has lost a legend.

I can't link due to being on a mobile device.

Shystonefem

08-31-2015, 07:00 AM

betruetoyoursoul

08-31-2015, 08:49 PM

I would catch him on PBS as well as on OWN ( Oprah Winfrey Network. I have appreciated his motivating thoughts through the years. I am sorry for the loss for his family , friends and those in life that appreciated him. I will miss him and the knowledge along with motivation he shared with the world.

A man whose words of inspiration help guided me through the years and through my growth. Dr. Wayne Dyer.

Self-Help Pioneer Dr. Wayne Dyer Dies at 75, Family and Publisher Say

by M. Alex Johnson

Dr. Wayne Dyer, the self-help guru whose best-seller "Your Erroneous Zones" was adopted by millions as a guide to better living, has died at 75, his family and publisher said Sunday.

Dyer died Saturday night in Maui, Hawaii, said Reid Tracy, chief executive of Dyer's publisher, Hay House. The cause of death wasn't immediately reported.

The world has lost an incredible man. Wayne Dyer officiated our wedding & was an inspiration to so many. Sending love pic.twitter.com/kzsCS278jr
— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) August 30, 2015

Wayne Dyer has passed away today. 4 those of us who loved him it's sad, but he knew death was a transition. We send love 4his next adventure
— Tony Robbins (@TonyRobbins) August 31, 2015

It was always a pleasure to talk to @DrWayneWDyer about life's big questions. He always had big answers. RIP Wayne. You brought the Light.
— Oprah Winfrey (@Oprah) August 31, 2015

The spiritualist magazine Mind Body Spirit regularly listed Dyer as one of the 10 most spiritually influential people in the world. He ranked eighth last year.

Kobi

09-02-2015, 03:57 PM

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A Disney star of the 1960s, Dean Jones, has died of Parkinson's Disease at age 84.

His boyish good looks and all-American manner made him Disney's favorite young actor for such lighthearted films as "The Shaggy D.A," "That Darn Cat!" and "The Love Bug."

Over the course of his career, he'd appear in 46 films and five Broadway shows. In 1995, Jones was honored by his longtime employers with a spot in the Disney Legends Hall of Fame.

Jesse

09-02-2015, 04:18 PM

No! Say it isn't so! I've listened to Wayne Dyer for years.

Wayne, I know you will journey well and be a blessing wherever you choose to go from here.

A man whose words of inspiration help guided me through the years and through my growth. Dr. Wayne Dyer.

Self-Help Pioneer Dr. Wayne Dyer Dies at 75, Family and Publisher Say

by M. Alex Johnson

Dr. Wayne Dyer, the self-help guru whose best-seller "Your Erroneous Zones" was adopted by millions as a guide to better living, has died at 75, his family and publisher said Sunday.

Dyer died Saturday night in Maui, Hawaii, said Reid Tracy, chief executive of Dyer's publisher, Hay House. The cause of death wasn't immediately reported.

The world has lost an incredible man. Wayne Dyer officiated our wedding & was an inspiration to so many. Sending love pic.twitter.com/kzsCS278jr
— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) August 30, 2015

Wayne Dyer has passed away today. 4 those of us who loved him it's sad, but he knew death was a transition. We send love 4his next adventure
— Tony Robbins (@TonyRobbins) August 31, 2015

It was always a pleasure to talk to @DrWayneWDyer about life's big questions. He always had big answers. RIP Wayne. You brought the Light.
— Oprah Winfrey (@Oprah) August 31, 2015

The spiritualist magazine Mind Body Spirit regularly listed Dyer as one of the 10 most spiritually influential people in the world. He ranked eighth last year.

Andrea

09-08-2015, 06:05 AM

Judy Carne, a star of the U.S. comedy show "Laugh-In," has died in a British hospital. She was 76.

She was famous for popularizing the "Sock it to Me" phrase on the hit TV show that ran from 1967 to 1973.

Her death was confirmed Tuesday in an e-mail by Eva Duffy, spokeswoman for Northampton General Hospital.

Duffy said Carne died in the hospital on Sept. 3. Newspaper reports said she had suffered from pneumonia.

Carne shot to fame with the rise of "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In", a network smash hit that often featured her doused in water, taking pratfalls or suffering other humiliations.

She left the show in its third season and her acting career faltered as she became heavily involved with drugs, a phase described in her autobiography.

Andrea

09-08-2015, 06:07 AM

Martin Milner, who starred on TV on “Adam-12” with Kent McCord and, earlier, on “Route 66” with George Maharis, died Sunday night, Diana Downing, a representative for his fan page, confirmed. He was 83.

Milner was also known for his roles as a jazz guitarist in the brilliant 1957 film “Sweet Smell of Success” and in the 1967 camp classic “Valley of the Dolls.”

Milner began acting in movies while a teen, after his father got him an agent, first appearing in the 1947 classic “Life With Father.” The film starred William Powell and Irene Dunne, and thus Milner, along with his co-star Elizabeth Taylor, bridged the generations in Hollywood between the golden age and contemporary era.

He appeared as Officer Pete Molloy alongside Kent McCord’s Officer Jim Reed in NBC’s “Adam-12” from 1968-75. Molloy was the seasoned, savvy veteran bringing along Reed who was, at first, a rookie.

SoulShineFemme

09-08-2015, 07:56 AM

No! Say it isn't so! I've listened to Wayne Dyer for years.

Wayne, I know you will journey well and be a blessing wherever you choose to go from here.

RIP Wayne Dyer. You are such a positive spiritual influence in the world. You and your wisdom will be missed!

Jesse

09-20-2015, 03:34 AM

http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/624/cpsprodpb/166D8/production/_85646819_7b736550-0488-468b-bd42-b9487dcf0b7b.jpg

The novelist Jackie Collins has died of breast cancer at the age of 77, her family said in a statement.
"It is with tremendous sadness that we announce the death of our beautiful, dynamic and one-of-a-kind mother," the statement said.
The British-born writer, sister of actress Joan Collins, died in Los Angeles, her spokeswoman said.
Collins's raunchy novels of the rich and famous sold more than 500 million copies in 40 countries.
In a career spanning four decades, all 32 of her novels appeared in the New York Times bestseller list.

http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-34305950

Gemme

09-23-2015, 07:46 AM

Yogi Berra (http://www.aol.com/article/2015/09/23/yankees-hall-of-fame-catcher-yogi-berra-dies-at-90/21239770/?icid=maing-grid7%7Caol20-g%7Cdl1%7Csec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D-680296612) passes away.

Yogi Berra, the Hall of Fame catcher renowned as much for his dizzying malapropisms as his record 10 World Series championships with the New York Yankees, has died. He was 90.

Berra died of natural causes Tuesday at his home in New Jersey, according to Dave Kaplan, the director of the Yogi Berra Museum.

"While we mourn the loss of our father, grandfather and great-grandfather, we know he is at peace with Mom," Berra's family said in a statement released by the museum. "We celebrate his remarkable life, and are thankful he meant so much to so many. He will truly be missed."

Kobi

10-07-2015, 08:34 PM

Billy Joe Royal, a pop and country singer best known for the 1965 hit “Down in the Boondocks,” died on Tuesday. He was 73.

He hit the charts with two other songs by Joe South, “Hush” and “I Knew You When,” and ended the decade in the Top 20 with “Cherry Hill Park” (1969).

In the 1980s, after signing with Atlantic Records in Nashville, Mr. Royal turned out a steady stream of country hits, beginning with “Burned Like a Rocket,” which reached the country Top 10 in 1985 and was climbing when the space shuttle Challenger exploded. As a gesture of respect, D.J.s stopped playing the song. He followed up with “I’ll Pin a Note to Your Pillow,” a cover version of the Aaron Neville hit “Tell It Like It Is” and others.

Obit (http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/08/arts/music/billy-joe-royal-pop-and-country-singer-dies-at-73.html)

N9rIdwv87J4

Kobi

10-15-2015, 06:25 PM

http://ak-cache.legacy.net/legacy/images/portraits/176124563port.jpgx?w=130&h=180&option=1&v=0x0000000031ce2ef2

Ken Taylor, Canada's ambassador to Iran who sheltered Americans at his residence during the 1979 Iran hostage crisis has died.

Taylor kept the Americans hidden at his residence and at the home of his deputy, John Sheardown, in Tehran for three months. Taylor facilitated their escape by arranging plane tickets and persuading the Ottawa government to issue fake passports.

Born in 1934 in Calgary, Taylor was heralded as a hero for helping save the Americans — a clandestine operation that had the full support of then Canadian Prime Minister Joe Clark's government.

Some of Taylor's exploits in Iran in 1979 were later portrayed in the 2012 Hollywood film, "Argo." Taylor and others felt the film underplayed the role he and Canada played.

The six U.S. diplomats managed to slip away when their embassy was overrun in 1979. They spent five days on the move, then took refuge at the Canadian Embassy for the next three months. Taylor immediately agreed to take them in without checking with the Canadian government.

The CIA consulted with Canadian officials on how to organize a rescue, and Canada gave permission for the diplomats to be issued fake Canadian passports.

After returning from Iran, Taylor was appointed Canadian Consul-General to New York City. In 1980, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada along with his wife Pat and other Canadian personnel involved in the escape, and was also awarded the United States Congressional Gold Medal that same year.

He returned to the University of Toronto for several years as the Chancellor of Victoria College.

Taylor left the foreign service in 1984 and served as Senior Vice-President of Nabisco from 1984 to 1989.

He was the founder and chairman of public consulting firm Taylor and Ryan.

Taylor moved the United States and lived in New York City until his death.

----------------------
Thank you Mr. Ambassador.

Kobi

10-21-2015, 10:38 PM

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Marty Ingels, a comedian, actor and talent agent who was married to actress Shirley Jones for nearly 40 years, has died in Los Angeles. He was 79.

Beginning in the 1960s Ingels appeared in episodes of several TV shows, including "The Dick Van Dyke Show" and "Bewitched" and co-starred in the 1962 series "I'm Dickens, He's Fenster."

He also had small movie roles.

The raspy-voiced actor later did voice work for hundreds of cartoons, commercials and video games. He voiced Pac-Man in the 1982 animated series.

Ingels also ran a talent agency that booked movie stars such as John Wayne and Cary Grant for TV commercials.

Kobi

12-05-2015, 01:34 PM

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Robert Loggia, gravelly-voiced character actor from "Scarface," "The Sopranos," and "Big," has died of Alzheimer's disease according to The Associated Press. He was 85.

Loggia's gruff voice and tough-guy looks found him plenty of work in the movies and on TV as both criminal and crime-fighter. He played a Miami drug lord usurped by Al Pacino in "Scarface" (1983), a sadistic crime boss in David Lynch's "Lost Highway" (1997), and as violent ex-con Feech La Manna in several episodes of "The Sopranos."

He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor playing hard-nosed private detective Sam Ransom in "Jagged Edge" (1985). He was nominated for an Emmy in 1989 when he starred in the series, "Mancuso, FBI."

In "Big" (1988) he showed off his lighter side, famously dancing on a foot-operated keyboard with Tom Hanks. He was also nominated for another Emmy as a guest star on the sitcom "Malcolm in the Middle," which referenced his humorous turn as the celebrity endorser of Minute Maid orange tangerine juice in the late 1990s.

His iconic voice found its way into Disney's "Oliver & Company" (1988) as well as the hit video game "Grand Theft Auto III." He also voiced himself in an animated appearance on "Family Guy" among countless other roles.

----------------------

My favorite Robert Loggia memory:

CF7-rz9nIn4

storyspinner70

12-05-2015, 02:31 PM

Kobi

12-23-2015, 07:14 AM

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Adrianna Vorderbruggen, 36, a major in the Air Force who is known as one of the first openly gay service members since "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was repealed in 2011, was killed in action along with six of her fellow service members in Afghanistan on Monday.

She was on a security patrol on foot near Bagram Air Base when an explosive-laden motorbike rammed into the patrol and detonated.

Major Vorderbruggen had served as a special agent with the Office of Special Investigations at a number of duty stations including McCord's Air Force Base in Washington and Joint Base Andrews in Maryland before joining her unit at Eglin Air Force Base. From Eglin Air Force Base, she was deployed to Afghanistan. She was the first female OSI agent killed in the line of duty.

Facebook postings on Tuesday by Vorderbruggen's loved ones mourned her death and offered condolences to her wife, Heather, and their son, Jacob. The family lives near Washington, D.C., where the couple was married in June 2012, the year after the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy for gays was repealed.

"We do find comfort in knowing that Heather and Jacob are no longer in the shadows and will be extended the rights and protections due any American military family as they move through this incredibly difficult period in their lives," said the posting from Military Partners and Families Coalition.

cinnamongrrl

12-23-2015, 07:28 AM

https://sp.yimg.com/xj/th?id=OIP.M6d442387b20da6291cd2062dcdaffa7cH2&pid=15.1&P=0&w=300&h=300

Scott Weiland - former frontman for Stone Temple Pilots and current lead of Velvet Revolver passed away Thursday in his sleep on a tour stop. He was 48.

Omg I did not know this. I just saw him in concert with STP over the summer....and I remarked to my daughter how wonderful the concert was and how he was one of very few lead singers of my favorite bands who had avoided death by drug overdose.

Kobi

12-27-2015, 07:36 PM

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Dec 27 (Reuters) - Dave Henderson, an outfielder whose home run for the Boston Red Sox in the 1986 American League Championship Series ignited one of baseball's most dramatic playoff comebacks, died of a heart attack on Sunday at age 57.

Henderson's 14-year career began with the Mariners and he later played for Red Sox, San Francisco Giants, Oakland A's and Kansas City Royals, hitting 197 home runs and driving in 708 runs during his MLB tenure. He was a member of the 1991 American League All-Star team and played in four World Series.

He is best known for hitting a two-run home run with the Red Sox facing elimination and down to their last out in the ninth inning of the fifth game of the 1986 American League playoffs against the California Angels.

Henderson's homer gave Boston the lead in a game it eventually won in extra innings. The team also won the next two games and advanced to the World Series against the New York Mets.

Henderson was almost the hero again in Game 6 of the World Series when he hit the go-ahead homer in the 10th inning to help put the Red Sox on the brink of their first World Series championship since 1918. But the Mets staged a furious rally to win in the bottom of the inning and then won Game
Henderson played on three straight American League pennant winners in Oakland from 1988 to 1990, winning the World Series with the A's in 1989.
--------------------------------

Thanks for the memories Dave.

Orema

12-28-2015, 09:19 AM

Meadowlark Lemon, Harlem Globetrotter Who Played Basketball and Pranks With Virtuosity, Dies at 83

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George "Meadowlark" Lemon, whose halfcourt hook shots, no-look behind-the-back passes and vivid clowning were marquee features of the feel-good traveling basketball show known as the Harlem Globetrotters for nearly a quarter-century, died on Sunday in Scottsdale, Ariz., where he lived. He was 83.

The death was confirmed by his wife, Cynthia Lemon.

A gifted athlete with an entertainer’s hunger for the spotlight, Lemon, who dreamed of playing for the Globetrotters as a boy in North Carolina, joined the team in 1954, not long after leaving the Army. Within a few years, he had assumed the central role of showman, taking over from Reece Tatum, whom everyone called Goose, the Trotters’ long-reigning clown prince. Tatum was a superb ballplayer whose on-court gags — or reams, as the players called them — had established the team’s reputation for laugh-inducing wizardry at a championship level.

This was a time, however, when the Trotters were known not merely for their comedy routines and basketball legerdemain; they were also a formidable competitive team. Their victory over the Minneapolis Lakers in 1948 was instrumental in integrating the National Basketball Association, and a decade later their owner, Abe Saperstein, signed a 7-footer out of the University of Kansas to a one-year contract before he was eligible for the N.B.A.: Wilt Chamberlain.

Lemon was a slick ballhandler and a virtuoso passer, and he specialized in the long-distance hook, a trick shot he made with remarkable regularity. But it was his charisma and comic bravado that made him perhaps the most famous Globetrotter. For 22 years, until he left the team in 1978, Lemon was the Trotters’ ringmaster, directing their basketball circus from the pivot. He imitated Tatum’s reams, like spying on the opposition’s huddle, and added his own.

He chased referees with a bucket and surprised them with a shower of confetti instead of water. He dribbled above his head and walked with exaggerated steps. He mimicked a hitter in the batter’s box and, with teammates, pantomimed a baseball game. And both to torment the opposing team — as time went on, it was often a hired squad of foils — and to amuse the appreciative spectators, he laughed and he teased and he chattered and he smiled; like Tatum, he talked most of the time he was on the court.

The Trotters played in mammoth arenas and on dirt courts in African villages. They played in Rome before the pope; they played in Moscow during the Cold War before the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. In the United States, they played in small towns and big cities, in Madison Square Garden, in high school gyms, in cleared-out auditoriums — even on the floor of a drained swimming pool. They performed their most entertaining ball-handling tricks, accompanied by their signature tune “Sweet Georgia Brown,” on “The Ed Sullivan Show.”

Through it all, Lemon became “an American institution like the Washington Monument or the Statue of Liberty” whose “uniform will one day hang in the Smithsonian right next to Lindbergh’s airplane,” as the Los Angeles Times columnist Jim Murray once described him.

Significantly, Lemon’s time with the Globetrotters paralleled the rise of the N.B.A. When he joined the team, the Globetrotters were still better known than, and played for bigger crowds than, the Knicks and the Boston Celtics. When he left, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson were about to enter the N.B.A. and propel it to worldwide popularity. In between, the league became thoroughly accommodating to black players, competing with the Globetrotters for their services and eventually usurping the Trotters as the most viable employer of top black basketball talent.

Partly as a result, the Globetrotters became less of a competitive basketball team and more of an entertainment troupe through the 1960s and ’70s. They became television stars, hosting variety specials and playing themselves on shows like “The White Shadow” and a made-for-TV “Gilligan’s Island” movie; they inspired a Saturday morning cartoon show.

In Lemon’s early years with the team, as the Globetrotters took on local teams and challenged college all-star squads, they played to win, generally using straight basketball skills until the outcome was no longer in doubt. But as time went on, for the fans who came to see them, the outcome was no longer the point.

On Jan. 5, 1971, the Globetrotters were beaten in Martin, Tenn., by an ordinarily more obliging team called the New Jersey Reds. It was the first time they had lost a game in almost nine years, the end of a 2,495-game winning streak. But perhaps more remarkable than the streak itself was the fact that it ended at all, given that the Trotters’ opponents by then were generally forbidden to interfere with passes to Lemon in the middle or to interrupt the familiar reams.

Lemon, as the stellar attraction, thrived in this environment, but he also became a lightning rod for troubles within the Globetrotter organization. As the civil rights movement gained momentum, the players’ antics on the court drew criticism from outside for reinforcing what many considered to be demeaning black stereotypes, and Lemon drew criticism from inside.

Not only was he the leading figure in what some thought to be a discomforting resurrection of the minstrel show; he was also, by far, the highest-paid Globetrotter, and his teammates associated him more with management than with themselves. When the players went on strike for higher pay in 1971, Lemon, who negotiated his own salary, did not join them.

After Saperstein died in 1965, the team changed hands several times, and in 1978, according to “Spinning the Globe: The Rise, Fall, and Return to Greatness of the Harlem Globetrotters” (2005), by Ben Green, Lemon was dismissed after a salary dispute. He subsequently formed his own traveling teams — Meadowlark Lemon’s Bucketeers, the Shooting Stars and Meadowlark Lemon’s Harlem All-Stars — and continued performing into his 70s.

His website says he played in 16,000 games, an astonishing claim — it breaks down to more than 300 games a year for 50 years — and in 100 countries, which, give or take a few, is probably true.

And whatever ill feelings arose during his Globetrotter days, they were drowned out by his international celebrity and the affection he received all over the world. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003.

“Meadowlark was the most sensational, awesome, incredible basketball player I’ve ever seen,” Chamberlain said in a television interview not long before he died in 1999. “People would say it would be Dr. J or even Jordan. For me, it would be Meadowlark Lemon.”

The facts of his early life are hazy, and evidently he wanted it that way. His birth date, birthplace and birth name have all been variously reported. The date most frequently cited — and the likeliest — is April 25, 1932. Many sources say he was born in Wilmington, N.C., but The Wilmington Star-News reported in 1996 that he was born in Lexington County, S.C., and moved to Wilmington in 1938. His website says he was born Meadow Lemon, though many other sources say his name at birth was George Meadow Lemon or Meadow George Lemon. The Star-News said it was George Meadow Lemon III. He became known as Meadowlark after he joined the Globetrotters.

As a boy in Wilmington, he learned basketball at a local boys’ club; he told The Hartford Courant in 1999 that he was so poor that he practiced by using a coat hanger for a basket, an onion sack for a net and a Carnation milk can for a ball. After high school, he briefly attended Florida A&M University before spending two years in the Army.

Stationed in Austria, he played a few games with the Trotters, who were then touring Europe, and he performed well enough to earn a tryout after he mustered out. He was assigned to a Globetrotters developmental team, the Kansas City Stars, before joining the Globetrotters in 1954.

Asked about never having played in the N.B.A., Lemon told Sports Illustrated in 2010, “I don’t worry that I never played against some of those guys.”

“I’ll put it this way,” he added. “When you go to the Ice Capades, you see all these beautiful skaters, and then you see the clown come out on the ice, stumbling and pretending like he can hardly stay up on his skates, just to make you laugh. A lot of times that clown is the best skater of the bunch.”

Lemon’s first marriage, to the former Willye Maultsby, ended in divorce. (In 1978, she was arrested after stabbing him on a Manhattan street.) Information on survivors was not immediately available.

In 1986, Lemon became an ordained Christian minister; he and his wife founded a nonprofit evangelistic organization, Meadowlark Lemon Ministries, in 1994.

“Man, I’ve had a good run,” he said at his Hall of Famåe induction ceremony, recalling the first time he saw the Globetrotters play, in a newsreel in a movie theater in Wilmington when he was 11.

"When they got to the basketball court, they seemed to make that ball talk,” he said. “I said, ‘That’s mine; this is for me.’ I was receiving a vision. I was receiving a dream in my heart.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/29/sports/basketball/meadowlark-lemon-harlem-globetrotter-who-played-basketball-and-pranks-with-virtuosity-dies-at-83.html

Jesse

01-01-2016, 11:23 AM

Natalie Cole, American Singer, Songwriter, Dies at 65

http://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/music/natalie-cole-american-singer-songwriter-dies-65-n488916?cid=eml_nbn_20160101

Kobi

01-01-2016, 11:41 AM

Natalie Cole, American Singer, Songwriter, Dies at 65

http://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/music/natalie-cole-american-singer-songwriter-dies-65-n488916?cid=eml_nbn_20160101

MKCyUe4syc4

Amazing singer. Amazing woman.

Kobi

01-01-2016, 11:45 AM

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/33/57/51/335751fc295264b84e30624d639a20bf.jpg

Wayne Rogers, who starred as the beloved Trapper John McIntyre on "M.A.S.H." died Thursday, December 31, 2015 from complications of pneumonia. He was 82.

Born in Birmingham, Alabama, Rogers graduated from Princeton in 1954 with a degree in history. He turned to acting after serving in the Navy, co-starring in “Stagecoach West” from 1960-61.

But he's best known for his iconic turn as army surgeon Trapper John on "M.A.S.H.," one of the most popular TV series in history. His character’s wisecracks and hijinks with his on-air partner-in-crime, Alan Alda’s Hawkeye Pierce, landed him deep in the affections of the show’s fans, despite the fact that Rogers only appeared in the first three of the show’s 11 seasons.

Rogers remained a television fixture into the early 1990s, appearing in numerous shows, such as his recurring role on "Murder, She Wrote." He also turned an interest in finance he developed during his MASH years into a lucrative later career as a money manager and investor. In August 2006, Rogers was elected to the Board of Directors of Vishay Intertechnology, Inc and served as the head of Wayne Rogers & Co, a stock trading and investment company. He also appeared regularly as a panel member on the Fox News stock investment program, “Cashin' In.”

- See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/bostonglobe/obituary.aspx?n=wayne-rogers&pid=177104275#sthash.zayrkcSd.dpuf

Jedi

01-03-2016, 08:19 AM

rest in peace Natalie Cole......you and your father were both wonderful. May you do many duets with him.

Kobi

01-10-2016, 05:26 PM

CherylNYC

01-10-2016, 09:59 PM

BullDog

01-10-2016, 10:24 PM

RIP Jeanne Cordova, an amazing lesbian activist and butch woman who did so much for us. She has always been a great role model of mine.

GeorgiaMa'am

01-11-2016, 01:34 AM

Gender expression non-conformist David Bowie passed away at his home in the company of family on Sunday, January 10, 2016. His death followed an 18-month battle with cancer. His latest album, _Blackstar_, was just released on Friday, his birthday.*

His stage persona Ziggy Stardust definitely influenced me as a young queer person. David Bowie, you will be so missed, and you will leave a hole in the world.

*source: http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-35278872

Jedi

01-11-2016, 02:13 AM

RIP David Bowie........you were a pioneer in the gender bending community......you will be missed.

~ocean

01-11-2016, 09:18 AM

RIP Bowie ~ Best music we ever danced too ,and still do !

storyspinner70

01-11-2016, 10:33 AM

I'll miss you Ziggy...:( One of the absolute best!

Genesis

01-11-2016, 12:00 PM

http://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/v/t1.0-9/12507399_10154005987512868_2456810555382909220_n.j pg?oh=f1fd7ad6a3d0ee8b27a97b798b29e161&oe=57123905

cricket26

01-11-2016, 07:58 PM

https://scontent-dfw1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpt1/v/t1.0-9/12509385_1251177258231785_7184463919939164867_n.jp g?oh=5540d6e3224100808dc3d6e4686fbd24&oe=570DE6EF

Orema

01-14-2016, 08:43 AM

Alan Rickman, Harry Potter and Die Hard actor, dies aged 69

http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-35313604

http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/aliceinwonderland/images/1/13/Alanrickman.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20100303190020

Actor Alan Rickman, known for films including Harry Potter, Die Hard and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, has died at the age of 69, his family has said.

The star had been suffering from cancer, a statement said.

He became one of Britain's best-loved acting stars thanks to roles including Professor Snape in the Harry Potter films and Hans Gruber in Die Hard.

Tributes have come from figures like Sense and Sensibility director Ang Lee, who called him "a great human being".

He was also a "brilliant actor [and] a soulful actor", according to Lee, who cast Rickman opposite Kate Winslet in the 1995 film.

Announcing his death on Thursday, a family statement said: "The actor and director Alan Rickman has died from cancer at the age of 69. He was surrounded by family and friends."

Sir Michael Gambon, who appeared with Alan Rickman in Harry Potter as well as on stage, told BBC Radio 4 he was "a great friend".

He added: "Everybody loved Alan. He was always happy and fun and creative and very, very funny. He had a great voice, he spoke wonderfully well.

"He was intelligent, he wrote plays, he directed a play. So he was a real man of the theatre and the stage and that's how I think of Alan."

Actor Richard E Grant wrote on Twitter: "Farewell my friend. Your kindness and generosity ever since we met in LA in 1987 and ever since is incalculable."

Harry Potter actor James Phelps, who played Fred Weasley, said on Twitter he was "shocked and sad" to hear the news. He wrote: "One of the nicest actors I've ever met. Thoughts and prayers with his family at this time."

His twin brother Oliver Phelps, who played George Weasley, added: "Terribly sad news about the passing of Alan Rickman. A funny and engaging person who put a shy young actor at ease when I was on Harry Potter."

TV star and Bafta ceremony host Stephen Fry wrote: "What desperately sad news about Alan Rickman. A man of such talent, wicked charm and stunning screen and stage presence. He'll be sorely missed."

Actor David Morrissey also paid tribute. He said: "So sad to hear the news of Alan Rickman. A wonderful actor and lovely man. Tragic news."

The London-born star began his career in theatre, including with the Royal Shakespeare Company, before winning roles in TV dramas like Smiley's People and The Barchester Chronicles in the 1980s.

His performance as the manipulative seducer Le Vicomte in Les Liaisons Dangereuses on Broadway in 1986 brought him the first of two Tony Award nominations.

It also brought him to the attention of Die Hard producer Joel Silver, who offered him his film debut as a result.

He went on to become best known for playing screen villains - including the Sheriff of Nottingham in 1991's Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, for which he won a Bafta award, and Judge Turpin opposite Johnny Depp in 2007's Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

But he showed his gentler side in films like 1990's Truly Madly Deeply, in which he played Juliet Stevenson's ghost lover and which also earned him a Bafta nomination.

Further Bafta nominations came for his roles as Colonel Brandon in Sense and Sensibility and the calculating Eamon de Valera in 1996's Michael Collins.

The following year, he won a Golden Globe for best actor in a miniseries or television film for the title role in Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny.

Meanwhile, he continued to be a major presence on the stage in London and New York.

Another Tony nomination came for Private Lives in 2002, in which he appeared opposite Lindsay Duncan on Broadway following a transfer from London.

He recently revealed he had married Rima Horton in secret last year. The couple had been together since he was just 19 and she was 18.

Bèsame*

01-14-2016, 04:15 PM

René Angélil has died at the age of 73, ABC News has confirmed.

Angélil, who has been married to the famed singer since 1994, had been battling cancer for some time.

"René Angélil, 73, passed away this morning as his home in Las Vegas after a long and courageous battle against cancer," a rep for the couple told People magazine. ""The family requests that their privacy be respected at the moment; more details will be provided at a later time."

http://img2.timeinc.net/people/i/2014/news/140825/celine-dion-320.jpg

storyspinner70

01-15-2016, 04:59 PM

I never missed that show when I was little :(

https://www.thewrap.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/grizzlyadams.jpg

http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2016/01/15/grizzly-adams-star-dan-haggerty-dead-at-74/

Bèsame*

01-18-2016, 05:31 PM

RIP

Glenn Frey, The Eagles
Founding member. 1948-2016

cricket26

01-18-2016, 06:01 PM

https://sp.yimg.com/xj/th?id=OIP.Mdde9686dfe23ec2dcecda5e8bc7d3721o1&pid=15.1&P=0&w=300&h=300

cinnamongrrl

01-18-2016, 07:38 PM

Omg....Grizzly Adams was my favoritest show as a kid :( and I grew up listening to the Eagles...sigh...

I'm gonna have to stop reading this thread for a while...

Kobi

01-26-2016, 02:50 PM

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/ff/f7/1e/fff71ea13ed3981fe8d9765e43adc876.jpg

Vigoda was known best for playing perennially grumpy Detective Sergeant Phil Fish for three seasons on "Barney Miller" and another two on its spinoff, "Fish." He was also in "The Godfather" and briefly in "The Godfather Part II," playing Salvatore Tessio, a Mafia capo. Though these were his most notable roles, Vigoda was in dozens of other movies, including "Look Who's Talking," "Joe Versus the Volcano" and "Good Burger," and he was a cast member on TV shows "Dark Shadows," "As the World Turns" and "Santa Barbara."

Perhaps as well-known as Vigoda's career was the series of erroneous reports of his death. As early as 1982, when Vigoda was barely in his 60s, he was assumed dead when a People magazine story referred to him as "the late Abe Vigoda." Vigoda handled the error well, posing in a coffin, sitting up and holding a copy of the magazine with the mistake. Just five years later, the same error was made on TV station WWOR. It became a pop culture meme, one that Vigoda himself poked fun at during talk show appearances and in movie roles.

-------------------------

I double checked. It's true. Loved this guy in Barney Miller.

cinnamongrrl

01-26-2016, 02:58 PM

I totally forgot that Abe Vigoda was on Barney Miller. I grew up watching the Godfather movies with my mother and it escaped me that that was him....

Didn't he just have a great face?? There's not a lot of great faces out there. He definitely had one....

storyspinner70

01-26-2016, 04:28 PM

No, Fish, noooo :( I loved that show and his voice.

Jesse

01-29-2016, 11:54 PM

Alyce Dixon, one of the first African-American women to serve in the army and believed to be the oldest living female veteran, died Wednesday. She was 108. (http://www.military.com/daily-news/2016/01/28/alyce-dixon-oldest-female-veteran-dead-at-108.html?ESRC=dod_160129.nl)

Thank you for your service Alyce Dixon, RIP.

http://images.military.com/media/news/people/alyce-dixon-600.jpg

Gemme

02-04-2016, 06:30 PM

Earth, Wind & Fire founder Maurice White (http://www.aol.com/article/2016/02/04/earth-wind-and-fire-founder-maurice-white-dies-at-74/21308083/?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl6%7Csec1_lnk2%26pLid%3D-1025754466) passed away.

Greyson

02-04-2016, 09:04 PM

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/e1/df/18/e1df189e9206329d7fea260a7a0ee2c2.jpg

Fiery lesbian feminist activist/author/publisher Jeanne Cordova died peacefully at around 4:30am at her home in Los Angeles Sunday morning.

Jeanne
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeanne_Cordova)

Jeanne and I met when we were both "baby butches." There were not too many Butch Mexican American activist back then in Los Angeles or anywhere for that matter. (I digress.) We did not always agree but I had and still have much respect for her. RIP Jeanne and thank you for all you did for our community.

Kobi

02-17-2016, 11:20 AM

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/be/37/63/be376381768eba49312015cd77ecfb7a.gif

The character actor is best known for playing Commandant Eric Lassard in all seven Police Academy films, as well as the grouchy foster parent Henry Warnimont on the 1980s sitcom Punky Brewster.

Gaynes also starred opposite Dustin Hoffman in the 1982 film Tootsie, which received 10 Academy Award nominations, although only Jessica Lange won for best supporting actress.

Gaynes’ other film credits include The Way We Were, Altered States and Wag the Dog. He appeared in hundreds of episodes on television shows, including The Defenders, Mission: Impossible, Bonanza, The Six Million Dollar Man and Hawaii Five-0, as well as the daytime soap opera General Hospital.

He was 98.

CherryWine

02-19-2016, 10:23 AM

http://cp91279.biography.com/1000509261001/1000509261001_1313081582001_Bio-Mini-Bio-Writers-Lee-SF.jpg

Harper Lee, whose first novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” about racial injustice in a small Alabama town, sold more than 10 million copies and became one of the most beloved and most taught works of fiction ever written by an American, has died. She was 89.

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/02/20/arts/harper-lee-dies.html?referer=https://www.google.com/

candy_coated_bitch

02-19-2016, 10:50 AM

Oh, that's a tough one. I was I in the middle of Go Set a Watchman.

C0LLETTE

02-19-2016, 12:37 PM

Kobi

02-26-2016, 10:42 AM

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/8c/50/ba/8c50baa532b1656e4d7de4f2a0f9a5d2.jpg

Yolande Betbeze Fox, a convent-educated Alabamian who defied convention, and set new standards, by refusing to tour the country as Miss America of 1951 in revealing bathing suits, died on Monday in Washington. She was 87.

By the time Ms. Fox won her title on Sept. 9, 1950, in Atlantic City, pageant officials, trying to calibrate propriety and sex appeal amid changing mores, had already decided to stop crowning Miss America while she was wearing a swimsuit. That pageant staple had been confined to the swimsuit competition, an event Ms. Fox — Ms. Betbeze at the time — had already won. She began her reign in a gown.

But given that the swimsuit competition’s chief sponsor, Catalina, manufactured swimwear, Ms. Fox was still expected to model bathing suits as the reigning Miss America.

What the organizers did not expect was her response. “Yolande declared, ‘I’m an opera singer, not a pinup!’ and refused posing in a bathing suit again,” according to her official biography on the pageant’s website.

As a result, Catalina withdrew as the pageant sponsor and began the rival Miss USA contest.

“In Yolande’s words, she made a stand for ‘propriety’ that has gone down as a significant flash of pageant history and altered the course of its future,” the official biography says.

Ms. Fox put it another way in an interview with The Washington Post in 1969: “There was nothing but trouble from the minute that crown touched my head.”

Ms. Fox never fulfilled her goal of becoming a professional opera singer, though she belted out “Caro Nome” from “Rigoletto” in the talent competition. But she used her newfound fame to become a model, theatrical producer and social activist.

She participated in a vigil in 1953 at Sing Sing prison to protest the impending execution of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, the Manhattan couple convicted of conspiring to commit espionage. She joined civil rights protesters in picketing a Woolworth’s in Times Square in 1960 to support black sit-ins at the store’s lunch counters in the South. (“I’m a Southern girl, but I’m a thinking girl,” she said.) And she joined demonstrations against nuclear weapons.

In a 2006 profile, Smithsonian magazine said Ms. Fox’s “exotic Basque looks” — she was of Basque ancestry — and her rebellious streak may have made her “the most unconventional Miss America ever.”

Yolande Betbeze (her mother picked her given name from a book of medieval history) was born in Mobile, Ala., on Nov. 29, 1928, the daughter of William and Ethel Betbeze. Her father was a butcher.

She was educated in Roman Catholic convent schools and the extension division of the University of Alabama. She began her beauty contest career in 1949, when she won Spring Hill College’s Miss Torch pageant. She entered the Miss Alabama competition hoping to win a scholarship to study singing in New York.

After her one-year reign, she studied philosophy at the New School for Social Research in New York; married Matthew Fox, a movie executive (they had a daughter, Yolande Fox Campbell, who survives her, along with a granddaughter); and produced theater in a playhouse on East Houston Street.

She later moved to Washington, where she bought the Georgetown mansion formerly owned by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and became a fixture of the capital’s social scene.

In the 1960s, Ms. Fox criticized the Miss America pageant for its lack of ethnic and racial diversity. “ ‘How could we say it’s Miss America,’ I asked, ‘if it’s not open to all Americans?’ ” she was quoted saying in “Alabama Afternoons: Profiles and Conversations,” a 2011 book by Roy Hoffman. In the 1970s, she said the pageant perpetuated sexist attitudes.

“Today,” the Miss America website says, “Yolande feels her actions have been pivotal in directing pageant progress towards recognizing intellect, values and leadership abilities, rather than focusing on beauty alone.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/26/us/yolande-betbeze-fox-miss-america-who-defied-convention-dies-at-87.html

-----------------------

Love the brave women who had the courage to speak up, stand by their values, and pave the way for the rest of us.

Kobi

02-29-2016, 04:42 PM

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/ba/06/59/ba06593cb7426e68cadfd578d0341004.jpg

George Kennedy, who won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in “Cool Hand Luke,” died Sunday. He was 91.

Kennedy’s film credits also included “The Dirty Dozen,” the “Airport” movies, a series of “Naked Gun” comedies and the disaster film “Earthquake,” among many others.

Kennedy also starred as rival rancher Carter McKay in the long-running CBS drama “Dallas” for three seasons. His many television appearances included roles on “The Andy Griffith Show,” “Peter Gunn,” “Bonanza,” “Maverick,” “McHale’s Navy” and “Gunsmoke.”

As an author, Kennedy wrote three books, including the 1983 murder mystery “Murder on Location,” the novel “Murder on High,” published the following year, and his 2011 autobiography, “Trust Me.”

Kobi

03-05-2016, 10:54 AM

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/f2/7f/8c/f27f8c3b830e3a3c5b0f07164be411aa.jpg

Pat Conroy, whose tortured family life and the scenic marshlands of coastal South Carolina served as unending sources of inspiration for his fiction, notably the novels “The Great Santini,” “The Lords of Discipline” and “The Prince of Tides.”

obit (http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/05/books/pat-conroy-who-wove-his-family-strife-into-novels-of-carolina-dies-at-70.html?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur&_r=0)

Kobi

03-05-2016, 11:13 AM

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/f4/58/01/f458016c051633d1ef21aa6fd4cd7c77.jpg

Tennis tribute to Bud (http://tennischannel.com/watch-now/court-report/b3f7fa3e-21e7-d892-e78547e1ae43a47a/)

Loved watching and listening to this guy. His wardrobe choices were an extra perk.

Jesse

03-06-2016, 10:55 AM

http://media1.s-nbcnews.com/j/newscms/2016_09/1447096/160306-nancy-reagan-1133a_3fcfc77fab36a5d66e537e5cb9a96421.nbcnews-ux-2880-1000.jpg

Former first lady Nancy Reagan has died, according to a spokeswoman with the Reagan Library. She was 94.

The cause of death was congestive heart failure, according to her rep Joanne Drake. "Mrs. Reagan will be buried at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, next to her husband, Ronald Wilson Reagan, who died on June 5, 2004," Drake wrote in a statement...http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/nancy-reagan-dead-94-n532871?cid=eml_nbn_20160306

Soon

03-17-2016, 07:27 AM

After reading this interview, I realize why I was so drawn to her books at one point in my life. I think I read Hotel du Lac at least a couple of times in my twenties.

Anita Brookner, the final interview: 'praise is irrelevant' (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/authors/anita-brookner-the-final-interview/)

Brookner prize-winning author and art historian Anita Brookner died on March 15, 2016, aged 87. The bestselling novelist, who won the 1984 award for Hotel Du Lac, lived a reclusive life in her final years. This, her last interview, was conducted by Mick Brown in 2009, when it was first published in The Telegraph.

.....

And I read the first sentence: "Dr Weiss, at 40, knew that her life had been ruined by literature." I thought, well that's a damned good sentence – such an interesting sentence that I had to read on. Her books have a very page-turning quality. They're beautifully constructed. And while there aren't hugely dramatic events taking place, within the world about which she writes you get a very clear and compelling portrait of human nature.'

....

In Hotel du Lac the timorous, middle-aged romantic novelist Edith Hope, sent into exile by her friends for reneging on her wedding promise to dull, dependable Geoffrey, has her moral probity challenged by the suave voluptuary Philip Neville. 'One can be as pleasant or as ruthless as one wants,' Neville argues. 'If one is prepared to do the one thing one is drilled out of doing from earliest childhood – simply please oneself – there is no reason why one should ever be unhappy again.' 'Or perhaps entirely happy,' Edith replies.

---------------------------

Anita Brookner’s subversive message – the courage of the single life deserves respect (http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/mar/17/anita-brookner-single-life-marriage-families)

“I do not sigh and yearn,” she says, “for extravagant displays of passion”. What she wants is something much more modest. “What I crave,” she says, “is the simplicity of routine. An evening walk, arm in arm, in fine weather. A game of cards.” But you can’t do this, she decides, with someone you don’t love. And so she turns him down.

Brookner’s heroines are single not because they are too dowdy, but because they are too honest. They know that life is full of compromise, but they still see a compromise too far. If they don’t exactly live what the philosopher Thoreau called “lives of quiet desperation”, they have certainly learned to live with quiet courage because of the choices they have made.

http://latelastnightbooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/ANITABROOKNER.jpg

Kobi

03-18-2016, 01:53 PM

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/25/42/dc/2542dc54543717301648d31e688a9912.jpg

Joe Santos, best known for playing Lt. Dennis Becker, the frustrated L.A. policeman pal of James Garner's private detective on The Rockford Files, died Friday. He was 84.

The Brooklyn native played Becker, who had a love-hate relationship with Garner's Jim Rockford, on 112 episodes of The Rockford Files, which ran on NBC from 1974-80. He was nominated for an Emmy for outstanding supporting actor in a drama series in 1979 and reprised the role for several telefilms.

His 40-year career was filled with roles as good cops on such series as Police Story, Magnum, P.I. and Hardcastle and McCormick and on the 1973 miniseries The Blue Knight opposite William Holden, though he played a bad guy, Consigliere Angelo Garepe, on The Sopranos.

Santos also portrayed a detective in the Al Pacino starrer The Panic in Needle Park (1971) and a reporter in the Frank Sinatra film The Detective (1968). He also was in such films as The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight (1971), Shaft’s Big Score! (1972), The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973), Blue Thunder (1983), The Last Boy Scout (1991) and Chronic (2015).

http://news.yahoo.com/rockford-files-actor-joe-santos-dies-84-report-172526428.html;_ylt=AwrBT4U2W.xWiG4AB6NXNyoA;_ylu= X3oDMTEydGY5OGpvBGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDQjExNT lfMQRzZWMDc2M-

storyspinner70

03-18-2016, 01:56 PM

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02980/garner_rockford_2980731c.jpg

I just watched him on Rockford Files last night :(

Rockford Files Star, Joe Santos, Dies at 84
http://bit.ly/1pQZgyt

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Dr. Giggles is gone :( :( :(

Larry Drake: Emmy Award-Winning Actor Known for Role on 'LA Law' Dies at 66, Agent Says
http://www.people.com/article/larry-drake-dead-at-66?xid=socialflow_facebook_peoplemag

Kobi

03-18-2016, 01:56 PM

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Frank Sinatra Jr., who carried on his famous father’s legacy with his own music career and whose kidnapping as a young man added a bizarre chapter to his father’s legendary life, died Wednesday. He was 72.

https://www.yahoo.com/music/sinatra-family-frank-sinatra-jr-died-003227750.html

--------------------------

The older he got, the more he looked like his Dad.

Kobi

03-18-2016, 02:03 PM

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Larry Drake, best known for playing Benny on “L.A. Law,” died on Thursday at the age of 66.

The actor’s role as office messenger Benny Stulwicz on the NBC cop drama was hailed as a revolutionary portrayal of developmental disorders for the time, and earned him two Primetime Emmy Awards in 1988 and 1989. He reprised the role in the 2002 TV movie.

He also starred in as the villain Durant in Sam Raimi‘s 1990 cult hit “Darkman” alongside Liam Neeson and Frances McDormand, as well as the direct-to-video sequel “Darkman II: The Return of Durant.”

Though he had recently taken a step back from acting to teach, Drake’s recent credits included the 2009 thriller “Dead Air,” and guest roles on “7th Heaven,” “Six Feet Under” and “Boston Legal.”

https://www.yahoo.com/tv/larry-drake-star-la-law-darkman-dies-66-232728060.html

Kobi

03-21-2016, 01:10 PM

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Firefighters, police, and citizens lined the road as a State police-escorted motorcade arrived in Falmouth, Massachusetts, with the body of Deputy Sherriff John Robert Kotfila Jr. on Sunday evening.

Hundreds of law enforcement officers and citizens followed the procession from Logan Airport to pay their respects to the fallen officer of the Hillsborough County Sherriff’s Department, whose cruiser was struck by a wrong-way driver in Brandon, Florida, near Tampa, on March 12.

Kotfila was a traffic crash investigator always out helping the injured, writing reports, and investigating vehicular accidents. At 1 a.m. he was working on his fifth crash of the day that involved an adult and teenager. He had driven to Tampa General Hospital to see how they were doing and was heading home around 2:45 a.m. when he died. John had worked for the sheriff’s office for six years.

Reports say the courageous officer had actually driven his patrol car into the path of a female driver headed towards the wrong-way vehicle. Hillsborough County Sherriff David Gee hailed Kotfila’s exemplary bravery and how he gave his life so that another person could live.

Deputy John Kotfila Jr. , 30, was a third-generation police officer. He is survived by his wife and 2 young daughters.

-------------------------------------

John was a local kid and one of the good guys.

Welcome home dude. You done good. You made us proud. Rest in peace.

Kobi

03-23-2016, 04:59 PM

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Actor Ken Howard, who starred in the 1970s series "The White Shadow" and served as president of SAG-AFTRA, has died at age 71.

Howard's career spanned four decades in TV, theater and film. In the CBS series "The White Shadow," which aired from 1978 to 1981, he starred as a white coach to an urban high school basketball team — a part, one of Howard's best known, that drew on the personal history of the 6 feet 6 inch tall actor, who played basketball growing up on Long Island in New York and at Amherst College.

He was a staple character actor on television, starring opposite Blythe Danner in "Adam's Rib" on ABC and appearing as the chipper Kabletown boss Hank Hooper on NBC's "30 Rock."

Howard played Thomas Jefferson on Broadway in "1776," a role he reprised in the 1972 film. He won a Tony Award for Robert Marasco's Catholic boarding school drama "Child's Play."

After making his film debut opposite Liza Minnelli in 1970's "Tell Me That You Love Me," Howard's films included "Rambo," ''In Her Shoes" and "Michael Clayton." He won an Emmy for his performance in HBO's "Grey Gardens" in 2009.

He was also familiar to viewers of the Screen Actors Guild Awards, providing an update on the union's accomplishments during the televised awards ceremony.

Howard was elected president of the Screen Actors Guild in 2009 and was a catalyst for its 2012 merger with the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists union. Combined, the groups represent 160,000 actors, broadcasters and recording artists.

Howard was the first president of SAG-AFTRA and was re-elected to the post last year.

http://news.yahoo.com/actor-ken-howard-tv-actor-acting-union-leader-212315843.html

Kobi

03-23-2016, 05:03 PM

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Joe Garagiola, legendary broadcaster and former MLB catcher, died today. He was 90.

Outside of baseball fans Garagiola is best known for his two stints as a panelist on The Today Show from 1967 – 1973 and again from 1990 – 1992. His colorful personality served him well during a broadcasting career that spanned seven decades. He had a 30-year association with NBC as a baseball announcer, providing both play-by-play duties as well as color commentary at various points during his career on television and radio.

Garagiola was born on February 12, 1926 in St. Louis, Missouri. He grew up across the street from future baseball legend Yogi Berra in the Italian-American neighborhood known as The Hill. The block on Elizabeth Avenue became retroactively known as “Hall of Fame Place.”

Following the end of his playing career, Garagiola entered the broadcast booth, and it was here that his personality and often self-deprecating humor shined. He called radio broadcasts for the Cardinals from 1955 – 1962. He joined NBC’s national broadcasting team in 1961 and became was a fixture of the NBC baseball crew for decades and called three World Series, 1984, 1986 and 1988.

Following his departure from NBC Sports he joined the broadcasting booth for the California Angels cable-televised games in 1990 and did part-time color commentary for the Arizona Diamondbacks from 1998 – 2012.

In addition to broadcasting baseball he was a regular panelist on The Today Show and occasionally guest-hosted The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. Other broadcasting jobs included hosting the Orange Bowl Parade and the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.

In 1991 he was awarded baseball’s Ford C. Frick award for outstanding broadcasting accomplishments and honored at the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

http://www.legacy.com/news/celebrity-deaths/notable-deaths/article/joe-garagiola-sr-1926-2016

Gemme

03-24-2016, 06:16 PM

Comedian Garry Shandling (http://www.aol.com/article/2016/03/24/garry-shandling-dies-at-66-rip/21333158/?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl6%7Csec1_lnk2%26pLid%3D-1337163103) passed away.

Garry Shandling has died at the age of 66, a Los Angeles Police Department spokesman confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter.

No additional details were immediately available, Shandling's publicist and agency did not return requests for comment.

The comedian, whose career has spanned decades in the industry, is known for his turns with the Larry Sanders Show and Garry Shandling Show.

He recently appeared in Marvel's Captain America: Civil War as well as in Iron Man 2 as well as cameoing in a slew of comedies including The Dictator, Funny People and Zoolander.

Born in Chicago, Shandling's family relocated to Tucson, Ariz., to help treat his older brother, Barry, who suffered from cystic fibrosis. Barry died at age 10 but the family remained.

Kobi

03-24-2016, 11:52 PM

Earl Hamner Jr., the Virginia-born writer who created not only TV’s folksy, Depression-era family drama “The Waltons” but the California wine country prime-time soap opera “Falcon Crest,” died Thursday. He was 92.

In a long career that included writing episodes of “The Twilight Zone” in the 1960s and adapting the E.B. White classic “Charlotte’s Web” for a 1973 animated film, Hamner was best known for tapping his childhood memories of growing up in a large family in rural Virginia during the Great Depression.

“Spencer’s Mountain,” Hamner’s childhood-inspired 1961 novel, was turned into a 1963 movie starring Henry Fonda and Maureen O’Hara.

His 1970 book “The Homecoming: A Novel About Spencer’s Mountain,” inspired by Christmas Eve 1933 when Hamner’s father was late in arriving home, was turned into “The Homecoming: A Christmas Story,” a two-hour CBS television movie that introduced the family, renamed the Waltons, to television viewers in December 1971.

Its success led to the weekly hourlong TV series.

In a 1973 interview with Good Housekeeping magazine, Hamner said he thought “people are hungry for a sense of security. They’re hungry, too, for real family relationships — not just rounding up the family for a cookout but real togetherness where people are relating honestly."

Expanding on his feeling that there was “a need” for the Waltons in contemporary American society, Hamner wrote in a 1972 guest column for The Times: “Audiences in all entertainment media have been brutalized by crudities, vulgarity, violence, indifference and ineptitude.”

With “The Waltons,” he wrote, “we are attempting to make an honest, positive statement on the affirmation of man.”

While still overseeing “The Waltons,” Hamner created “Falcon Crest,” which debuted on CBS in 1981 and ran until 1990.

The hourlong drama set in the fictitious Tuscany Valley in California starred Jane Wyman as the powerful and manipulative Falcon Crest winery owner and family matriarch Angela Channing and Robert Foxworthy as her nephew, Chase Gioberti.

After leaving “Falcon Crest” after the fifth season, Hamner formed a production company with TV executive and novelist Don Snipes, whose programs included “Snowy River: The McGregor Saga,” an hourlong series that ran on the Family Channel from 1993 to 1996.

Hamner and Snipes also co-wrote the 2000 mystery novel “Murder in Tinseltown.”

Hamner’s credits include writing the 1963 movie “Palm Springs Weekend” and creating the short-lived TV series “Apples Way” in the 1970s and “Boone,” another short-lived series in the 1980s.

He also wrote the 1968 TV adaptation of “Heidi,” and 8 episodes of the Twilight Zone.

http://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-earl-hamner-jr-dies-20160324-story.html

Kobi

03-29-2016, 06:54 AM

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James Noble, the actor who played the absent-minded Gov. Eugene Gatling on the 1980s hit TV sitcom "Benson," died March 28. He was 94.

The show, which starred Robert Guillaume as the butler turned lieutenant governor, has shown up in syndication on the Nick at Night and TV Land cable channels.

Noble's acting credits include stints on Broadway, most notably in "The Big Knife," "The Velvet Glove," and "A Far Country."

Noble appeared on daytime TV soap operas including "The Brighter Day," "The Edge of Night," "As the World Turns," "Another World," "The Doctors," and "A World Apart."

His acting wasn't limited to the small screen. His film credits include "The Sporting Club," "Dragonfly," "10," "Being There," and "Airplane II."

---------------------------------

This is getting depressing.

Kobi

03-29-2016, 11:49 AM

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Oscar-winning actress Patty Duke, who hit the trifecta of stardom with her turns on TV, in the movies, and on Broadway, is dead. She was 69.

The Queens-born daughter of a troubled cashier and alcoholic cab driver, Duke overcame a dark childhood to become one of the Hollywood's most respected actresses and president of the Screen Actors Guild from 1985 to 1988.

Duke rocketed to fame in the 1960's as the star of "The Patty Duke Show," which ran for 104 episodes over three seasons, and in which she played her rambunctious self as well as her more demure "identical cousin."

Diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 1982, Duke devoted her later years to championing mental health programs and raising her three sons, two of whom — Sean Astin and Mackenzie Astin — followed in their mother's footsteps and became actors as well.

Duke made her Broadway debut at age 12 playing Helen Keller in "The Miracle Worker." Three years later, at age 16, Duke won the best supporting actress Academy Award reprising her role as the young Helen in the celebrated 1962 screen adaptation of the play.

Then in 1979, Duke won an Emmy playing Keller's teacher — the role originally played on Broadway by Anne Bancroft — in a TV version of the same play.

After "The Patty Duke Show" was cancelled, Duke starred in the camp classic "Valley of the Dolls." She won a second Emmy in 1976 for her turn in the TV mini-series "Captains and the Kings." And she also appeared in TV shows like Police Story, Hawaii 5-O and Night Gallery.

Later, Duke became an advocate for the mentally ill, working with the National Institute of Mental Health and the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/oscar-winning-actress-patty-duke-dead-69-n547326?cid=sm_fb

TheHinduPose

04-01-2016, 10:52 AM

Theguardian.com
'Queen of the curve' Zaha Hadid dies aged 65 from heart attack
by Mark Brown.

Dame Zaha Hadid, the world-renowned architect, whose designs include the London Olympic aquatic centre, has died aged 65. The British designer, who was born in Iraq, had a heart attack on Thursday while in hospital in Miami, where she was being treated for bronchitis.

Hadid’s buildings have been commissioned around the world and she was the first woman to receive the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) gold medal.

From the swooping space-age shopping mall to the Z-shaped school with a running track through it, here are the buildings that Zaha Hadid will be remembered for

A lengthy statement released by her company said: “It is with great sadness that Zaha Hadid Architects have confirmed that Dame Zaha Hadid DBE died suddenly in Miami in the early hours of this morning.

“She had contracted bronchitis earlier this week and suffered a sudden heart attack while being treated in hospital. Zaha Hadid was widely regarded to be the greatest female architect in the world today.”

Speaking from Mexico, Richard Rogers, whose buildings include the Pompidou Centre and the Millennium Dome, told the Guardian that the news of Hadid’s death was “really, really terrible”.

“She was a great architect, a wonderful woman and wonderful person,” Lord Rogers said. “Among architects emerging in the last few decades, no one had any more impact than she did. She fought her way through as a woman. She was the first woman to win the Pritzker prize.

“I got involved with her first in Cardiff when the government threw her off the project in the most disgraceful way. She has had to fight every inch of the way. It is a great loss.”

Jane Duncan, RIBA’s president, said: “Dame Zaha Hadid was an inspirational woman, and the kind of architect one can only dream of being. Visionary and highly experimental, her legacy, despite her young age, is formidable.

“She leaves behind a body of work from buildings to furniture, footwear and cars, that delight and astound people all around the world. The world of architecture has lost a star today.”

The architect Daniel Libeskind said he was devastated by her death. “Her spirit will live on in her work and studio. Our hearts go out,” he said.

From the Olympic Aquatics Centre to a new Serpentine gallery, from Beijing to Baku, Zaha Hadid's buildings are everywhere. But she divides opinion: she's a genius, say some, but to critics she has lost touch with her original ideals. By Rowan Moore

Stirling prize winner Amanda Levete said: “She was an inspiration. Her global impact was profound and her legacy will be felt for many years to come because she shifted the culture of architecture and the way that we experience buildings. When my son was very young, Zaha showed him how to write his name in Arabic. It was the moment I realised the genesis of her remarkable architectural language.

“She was an extraordinary role model for women. She was fearless and a trailblazer – her work was brave and radical. Despite sometimes feeling misunderstood, she was widely celebrated and rightly so.”

Architect Graham Morrison said: “She was so distinct that there isn’t anybody like her. She didn’t fit in and I don’t mean that meanly. She was in a world of her own and she was extraordinary.”

The British culture minister, Ed Vaizey, posted on Twitter, saying he was stunned at the news and praising her “huge contribution to contemporary architecture”.
The London Aquatics Centre built for the 2012 Olympic Games.
The London aquatics centre built for the 2012 Olympic Games. Photograph: John Walton/PA

The London mayor, Boris Johnson, tweeted: “So sad to hear of death of Zaha Hadid, she was an inspiration and her legacy lives on in wonderful buildings in Stratford and around the world.”

Sign up to The Guardian Today and get the must-read stories delivered straight to your inbox each morning

Hadid, born in Baghdad in 1950, became a revolutionary force in British architecture even though she struggled to win commissions in the UK for many years. The Iraqi government described her death as “an irreplaceable loss to Iraq and the global community”.

She studied mathematics at the American University of Beirut before launching her architectural career in London at the Architectural Association.

By 1979, she had established her own practice in London – Zaha Hadid Architects – and gained a reputation across the world for groundbreaking theoretical works including the Peak in Hong Kong (1983), Kurfürstendamm 70 in Berlin (1986) and the Cardiff Bay opera house in Wales (1994).

The first major build commission that earned her international recognition was the Vitra fire station in Weil Am Rhein, Germany (1993), but her scheme to build the Cardiff opera house was scrapped in the 1990s and she did not produce a major building in the UK until the Riverside museum of transport in Glasgow was completed in 2011.

Other notable projects included the Maxxi: Italian National Museum of 21st Century Arts in Rome (2009), the London aquatics centre for the 2012 Olympic Games (2011), the Heydar Aliyev centre in Baku (2013) and a stadium for the 2022 football World Cup in Qatar.
Heydar Aliyev cultural centre in Baku, Azerbaijan.
One of Hadid’s notable projects, the Heydar Aliyev cultural centre in Baku, Azerbaijan. Photograph: View Pictures/Rex

Buildings such as the Rosenthal Centre of Contemporary Art in Cincinnati (2003) and the Guangzhou opera house in China (2010) were also hailed as architecture that transformed ideas of the future. Other designs include the Serpentine Sackler Gallery in Kensington Gardens, west London, and the BMW factory in Leipzig, one of her first designs to be built.

She became the first female recipient of the Pritzker architecture prize in 2004 and twice won the UK’s most prestigious architecture award, the RIBA Stirling prize. Other awards included the Republic of France’s Commandeur de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and Japan’s Praemium Imperiale.

Hadid won acclaim in Scotland for designing the popular Riverside Museum in Glasgow, known for its distinctive roof structure. Muriel Gray, chair of the board of governors at the Glasgow School of Art, tweeted a picture of the Riverside museum with the message: “Horrible shocking news that Zaha Hadid, incredible architectural trailblazer has just died. Huge loss to design.”

Hadid was recently awarded the RIBA’s 2016 royal gold medal, the first woman to be awarded the honour in her own right.

Architect Sir Peter Cook wrote in his citation at the time: “In our current culture of ticking every box, surely Zaha Hadid succeeds, since, to quote the royal gold medal criteria, she is someone who ‘has made a significant contribution to the theory or practice of architecture … for a substantial body of work rather than for work which is currently fashionable’.

“For three decades now she has ventured where few would dare … Such self confidence is easily accepted in film-makers and football managers, but causes some architects to feel uncomfortable. Maybe they’re secretly jealous of her unquestionable talent. Let’s face it, we might have awarded the medal to a worthy comfortable character. We didn’t. We awarded it to Zaha: larger than life, bold as brass and certainly on the case.”
A computer generated image of the stadium
A computer-generated image of the stadium to be built in al-Wakrah for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

Speaking in February on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs, Hadid said: “I don’t really feel I’m part of the establishment. I’m not outside, I’m on the kind of edge, I’m dangling there. I quite like it … I’m not against the establishment per se. I just do what I do and that’s it.”

Levete, who co-designed the spaceship-like media centre at Lord’s cricket ground, described her as “a true and loyal friend … a confidante and someone I could turn to for advice”.

She said: “She was an absolute inspiration to many and her global impact was really profound.”

Kelly Hoppen, the interior designer who appeared in BBC2’s show Dragons’ Den, tweeted: “Deeply saddened by the news of Zaha Hadid’s death. She was an iconic architect who pushed the boundaries to another level xx ZahaHadid”

Angela Brady, a former president of RIBA, described Hadid as “one of our greatest architects of our time”.

She added: “She was a tough architect, which is needed as a woman at the top of her profession and at the height of her career. She will be sadly missed as an iconic leader in architecture and as a role model for women in architecture.”

A spokeswoman for BMW said: “She was an icon in the world of architecture, groundbreaking in her way to create with a very distinctive style. On the 10th anniversary of our Leipzig plant’s central building which she was the architect for , Zaha said that she felt it gave testament to the plant’s vision. We are glad she felt this way, too.”

Author Kathy Lette tweeted Hadid’s “beautiful, undulating feminine designs proved that u didn’t need a phallic edifice complex 2 be a brilliant architect”.

Tamara Rojo, English National Ballet director and dancer, tweeted: “Devastated by the passing of the great Zaha Hadid” with a picture of “her stunning Opera House in Guangzhou where we performed last year”.

http://www.zaha-hadid.com/

http://c.fastcompany.net/multisite_files/codesign/imagecache/1280/poster/2013/08/1673188-poster-1280-zaha.jpg

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not2shygrrl

04-01-2016, 11:02 PM

Mother Angelica 92 year old doughty nun who founded EWTN in a garage with practically no funds passed away. She grew EWTN into TV, radio and other venues all through out the world reaching Catholics and Christians alike. She suffered a debilitating stroke in Dec 2015 and lost her battle on Easter Sunday. RIP .......May God bless you Mother Angelica and accept you into his kingdom.

storyspinner70

04-06-2016, 07:24 PM

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Merle Haggard, who over six decades composed and performed one of the greatest repertoires in country music, capturing the American condition with his stories of the poor, the lost, the working class, heartbroken and hard-living, died at his home in the San Joaquin Valley, California, after a battle with pneumonia, his spokeswoman Tresa Redburn confirmed. He was 79.

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/merle-haggard-country-legend-died-at-79-20160406

Jesse

04-06-2016, 08:21 PM

Dang it Merle, you split on your birthday! Journey well, my friend!

ot5izjrhhsE&nohtml5=False

http://omhof.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Merle-Haggard-375x256.jpg

Merle Haggard, who over six decades composed and performed one of the greatest repertoires in country music, capturing the American condition with his stories of the poor, the lost, the working class, heartbroken and hard-living, died at his home in the San Joaquin Valley, California, after a battle with pneumonia, his spokeswoman Tresa Redburn confirmed. He was 79.

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/merle-haggard-country-legend-died-at-79-20160406

Kobi

04-14-2016, 01:02 PM

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Tony-nominated actress Anne Jackson died April 12, according to The New York Times. She was 90.

Jackson was the widow of actor Eli Wallach, with whom she often worked on and off Broadway. The pair met while acting in a production of Tennessee Williams’ "This Property Is Condemned," going on to appear in 13 Broadway shows together. They married in 1948.

Together, they won Obie awards in 1963 for an off-Broadway double bill of "The Typists" and "The Tiger." Other productions in which they worked together included "The Glass Menagerie," "Luv," and "The Diary of Anne Frank."

But Jackson also excelled on her own, earning a Tony nomination in 1956 for her performance in Paddy Chayefsky's "Middle of the Night." Other notable stage credits include Tennessee Williams' "Summer and Smoke," George Bernard Shaw's "Arms and the Man," and Neil Simon's "Lost in Yonkers."

Though Jackson was known best for her stage work, she also appeared on television and in movies. She was a star of "How To Save a Marriage and Ruin Your Life" and "Lovers and Other Strangers," and in "The Shining," she played a doctor in an early scene. She made appearances on television shows including "Gunsmoke," "Highway to Heaven," "ER," and "Reading Rainbow."

Born Sept. 3, 1925, in Millvale, Pennsylvania, and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Jackson later wrote of her turbulent childhood in her 1979 memoir, "Early Stages." She found an early talent for drama in the impressions she would do of famous actors she saw at the movies. She honed this skill as a student of the Actors Studio, where she would later teach.

Wallach preceded Jackson in death, in 2014.

http://www.legacy.com/news/celebrity-deaths/notable-deaths/article/anne-jackson-1925-2016

Gemme

04-18-2016, 06:17 PM

Doris Roberts (http://www.tmz.com/2016/04/18/doris-roberts-dead/) is dead at 90.

Doris Roberts, the beloved mom from "Everybody Loves Raymond," has died ... TMZ has learned.

We're told Doris passed away Sunday in L.A.

She won 5 Emmy awards, 4 of them for 'Raymond.' She's also starred in tons of other TV shows and movies, like "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" and "Grandma's Boy."

She's survived by her son, Michael Cannata Jr., who she had with her first husband. Doris' second husband, William Goyen, died in 1983.

Doris was 90 years old.

We last saw her about a month ago where we frequently got her -- going to the movies at the ArcLight in Hollywood. Doris said she wasn't feeling great, but she was as witty as ever.

Read more: http://www.tmz.com/2016/04/18/doris-roberts-dead/#ixzz46E92ngtE

Kobi

04-18-2016, 06:44 PM

I will always remember Doris Roberts from her award winning role on St Elsewhere in the episode Cora and Arnie with James Coco.

fzrvDyNWdA0

And, I loved her as Mildred the secretary in Remington Steele.

Amazing actress.

A. Spectre

04-21-2016, 07:32 AM

Joanie "Chyna" Laurer, WWE star dead at 45.

Joanie Laurer, the former WWE star known as Chyna, died Wednesday night at the age of 45.

The news was confirmed by Laurer's manager and a statement posted on her official Twitter account, which read: "oday we lost a true icon, a real life superhero. She will live forever in the memories of her millions of fans and all of us that loved her."

Laurer's body was found at a home in Redondo Beach, California. A cause of death is not known, though police are reportedly treating the case as a possible overdose.

Famous to a generation of wrestling fans for her run during WWE's "Attitude Era," Laurer redefined the possibilities for female performers as Chyna, a strong, silent enforcer billed as "The Ninth Wonder of the World." Thanks to her imposing physical presence, she quickly rose through wrestling's indie ranks, and by 1997 had achieved fame – first as a bodyguard for Triple H, then as a member of the iconic D-Generation X stable. It was with DX that Chyna showed she could hang with the boys in more ways than one, a trend that would define her time in WWE. She was the first female to ever enter the Royal Rumble match and qualify for the King of the Ring tournament, and in 1999, was the first woman to win the Intercontinental Championship.

http://www.rollingstone.com/sports/news/chyna-wwe-star-dead-at-45-20160421

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CyberStud

04-21-2016, 11:27 AM

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Prince has died aged 57 at his estate in Minnesota, just days after he was rushed to hospital from his private plane with flu.

Paramedics were called out to the music icon's Paisley Park estate at 9.43am and Carver County Sheriff's Department confirmed that there had been a fatality.

A forensics team and a medical examiner are at the scene.

Prince - full name Prince Rogers Nelson.

kittygrrl

04-21-2016, 11:45 AM

Taken too young:candle:

TheHinduPose

04-21-2016, 11:56 AM

bbc.co.uk
Victoria Wood dies aged 62 after cancer battle - BBC News
Media captionVictoria Wood inspired a new generation of female comics in a hugely successful career on television and on stage.

Comedian, singer and writer Victoria Wood has died after "a short but brave" battle with cancer aged 62.

Her publicist said the star "died peacefully at her north London home with family" on Wednesday.

Wood's long-time comedy partner Julie Walters said she was "too heart sore to comment - the loss of her is incalculable".

Wood found fame in the 1980s and was best known for her BBC sketch Acorn Antiques and comedy Dinnerladies.

She won five Baftas including two for her one-off ITV drama Housewife, 49.
Julie Walters and Victoria Wood Image copyright PA
Image caption Julie Walters collaborated with Victoria Wood throughout her career

Wood got her first break on the TV talent show New Faces in 1974, while still a student at Birmingham University.

She established herself as a comedy star with her hit show Victoria Wood: As Seen On TV and went on to create the popular BBC comedies Acorn Antiques and Dinnerladies, featuring her long-time collaborator Julie Walters.

The pair became friends in the 1970s and first worked together on TV in 1981 on the comedy sketch show Wood and Walters.

Acorn Antiques also spawned a musical, which Wood wrote and was directed by Trevor Nunn in 2005.
'Inspiration to women'

Entertainer Michael Ball, who was a friend of Wood's and worked with her on the musical That Day We Sang, told the BBC she was a "trailblazer" for other female comedians.

The Radio 2 DJ said: "She gave inspiration to other women because she wasn't having to be sexy and rude, although she was all of those things. She was just brilliant.

"She made it seem to other women, you can do this. You just need to look at the various social media feeds to see the people she's influenced."
Media captionMichael Ball: Victoria Wood was "the most loyal and lovely friend you could ever wish for"

Ball said Wood, who he had "idolised" before working with, was "very private" and had not wanted people to know how ill she was.

"To then work with her and become friends and to become so close was a privilege," he added.

Fellow comedians have also been paying tribute, including Jennifer Saunders, who tweeted: "Can't believe Vic has gone. She was truly an inspiration and had so much left to to give and we won't see it. She was so funny."

Sir Lenny Henry said: "I am devastated - this is very, very sad news. Victoria will be sorely missed. Always funny, she worked incredibly hard. A killer stand-up and a fantastic songwriter. My condolences to all her family."
'Comedy icon'

Catherine Tate said: "The news is devastating. It's so shocking and sad. We have lost an incredible talent who was a huge influence and inspiration to so many - a true game changer."

Jenny Eclair tweeted: "All of us women in comedy owe a huge debt of gratitude to Victoria - she paved the way."

John Cleese tweeted: "Shocked by news of Victoria Wood. I worked with her last year and was reminded of just what a superlative performer she was. Only 62!"

Jack Dee tweeted: "I feel privileged to have known and worked with the great Victoria Wood. Unique and truly brilliant."

Ricky Gervais said: "RIP the brilliant Victoria Wood. So innovative, funny and down to earth. This has not been a good year."

Sarah Millican also tweeted her sadness: "So incredibly sad to hear that Victoria Wood has died. A true comedy icon."
Dinnerladies cast Maxine Peake as Twinkle, Anne Reid as Jean, Victoria Wood as Bren, Thelma Barlow as Dolly and Shobna Gulati as Anita
Image caption The Dinnerladies cast included Maxine Peake as Twinkle, Anne Reid as Jean, Victoria Wood as Bren, Thelma Barlow as Dolly and Shobna Gulati as Anita - Julie Walters played Bren's mother
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Analysis

BBC entertainment correspondent Lizo Mzimba

Victoria Wood will be remembered for her talent and her outstanding versatility.

Her keen observational style meant she was able to create memorable characters, routines and songs in the world of comedy and beyond - she applied the same skills to her Bafta-winning drama Housewife, 49.

Audiences related to her wit and warmth, and particularly her ability to find the humour in the most ordinary situations.

Most of all they recognised she was one of the most gifted entertainment figures of her generation. Comedian, writer, singer, actor. She could do it all.
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Wood appeared on BBC One's That's Life! in 1976, which brought her into millions of homes on a frequent basis.

The show's presenter and Childline founder Dame Esther Rantzen was also among those who paid tribute.

"I think she is one of our greatest comic writers and performers, but she could also deal with serious issues as well, and she's a huge loss," Dame Esther said.

"She did a one-woman show for Childline where I felt hugely privileged to interview her and she told the story of her life with such wit. She just held us all enchanted for a whole evening."

Harry Potter author JK Rowling retweeted a link to a video of Wood performing one of her comedy songs, Reincarnation Song, saying: "Watch and weep. 62 is far too young. RIP Victoria Wood."
Victoria Wood and her children Henry and Grace Image copyright PA
Image caption Victoria Wood took her children Henry and Grace to Buckingham Palace when she received her CBE in 2008

BBC director general Tony Hall said: "Victoria Wood was a woman with a stunning array of talents - a comedian, singer, songwriter, actress and director. People identified with her warmth and great charm.

"She brought people from all walks of life together and made them laugh and cry. She will be greatly missed and our thoughts are with her friends and family."

British Prime Minister David Cameron paid tribute, saying: "Victoria Wood was a national treasure loved by millions. My thoughts are with her family."

Wood also broke records with her stand-up tours, where her live comedy was interspersed with original comedy songs performed at the piano, and won her British Comedy Awards in 1990 and 2001.

She performed a record-breaking 15 nights at the Royal Albert Hall in 1993 as part of a six-month tour of the country - something her brother Chris was very proud of.

"The best thing for me was when she played the Albert Hall," he told the BBC. "I was very used to seeing her do her stand up in smaller halls and theatres but for her to be able to come on stage on her own and entertain, control and use an audience of 15,000 was absolutely superb.

"She had a great struggle early on and had to work hard for years to break through. It was her single-minded drive to succeed in the business that pulled her through."
Paul Hollywood, Victoria Wood, Mary Berry
Image caption Victoria won The Great Comic Relief Bake Off in 2015 with her Two Soups cake based on her famous sketch

Wood did a lot of charity work and visited Ethiopia in 1990 and Zimbabwe in 1998 for Comic Relief.

She also won the Great Comic Relief Bake Off in 2015.

The star also made documentaries including Victoria's Empire about the British Empire and Victoria Wood's Big Fat Documentary about the diet industry.

She was awarded an OBE in 1997 and awarded a CBE in 2008.

Wood married magician Geoffrey Durham, known as the Great Soprendo, in 1980 - and divorced in 2002.

She is survived by her two children, Grace and Henry.
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GeorgiaMa'am

04-21-2016, 11:58 AM

ferret

04-21-2016, 12:16 PM

~ocean

04-21-2016, 01:13 PM

The Purple One has passed . . . I had to pull over in my car to cry. The world has been robbed of a good, wonderful person, as well as a supremely talented musician. The world is a poorer place. I will miss you and your work so much . . ."This is what it sounds like when doves cry . . ."

what is also sad about his death is that he recently couldn't finish a concert due to bad health ~ there is more to his death. Maybe a doctor's lack of judgement ? something is wrong somewhere . RIP PRINCE

jools66

04-21-2016, 02:25 PM

This is a real shock.
I loved Prince, and his music.
His numerous styles of music.
His passion for his art.
He was the most amazing artist I saw live.
Thank you Prince for sharing your gift with us.

jools66

04-21-2016, 02:30 PM

What a very sad loss.
Loved her shows, loved her comic rhymes on the piano.
She was just brilliant.
Dinner ladies, absolute killer writing.
Will miss her, a national treasure.

*Anya*

04-21-2016, 02:54 PM

I think I am beginning to know what it was like when movie stars and contemporaries of my parents started to die and they would feel sad about it.

When it was stars or singers, I would always think to myself, "You didn't even know them, what's the deal?".

I think that is the arrogance of youth.

Now, each time someone passes that I can mark a memory or moment in time, it makes me feel so nostalgic.

I have become my parents!

Prince's passing reminds me of so many great, fun, times in the 80's. I can remember 1999 on my cassette, popping it in my VW bug and singing it at the top of my lungs.

I am so sad!

A. Spectre

04-21-2016, 04:12 PM

The New Yorker cover, next week

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CgmNwoAWMAAv_Zs.jpg

MysticOceansFL

04-21-2016, 04:42 PM

May it rain purple in haven for him forever in peace. :-(

cricket26

04-21-2016, 08:48 PM

http://rockhall.com/media/assets/inductees/default/prince.jpg

JDeere

04-21-2016, 08:52 PM

I can't believe Prince is gone, as well as Chyna!

Patty Duke so far has hurt my heart the most, she was a huge advocate for bi polar disorder. She brought the disease to the forefront for my parents, to understand what is wrong with me.

candy_coated_bitch

04-21-2016, 10:45 PM

So sad about Prince. Too many legends are being taken from us too young. He was too young. What a shock.

Kobi

05-09-2016, 06:37 PM

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William Schallert, an amazingly busy “everyman” character actor for nearly seven decades who had trouble on television with Tribbles, Dobie Gillis and those identical two-of-a-kind cousins played by Patty Duke, has died. He was 93.

Schallert, who has nearly 400 credits on IMDb stretching from 1947 to 2014, died Sunday at his home in Pacific Palisades, his son Edwin said.

Schallert in 2004 made the list of TV Guide’s 50 Greatest TV Dads (he placed No. 39) for playing the constantly bedeviled Martin Lane — the warm-hearted father of reckless teenager Patty Lane (Duke) and the uncle of her level-headed twin cousin Cathy (also Duke) — on The Patty Duke Show, which aired from 1963-66 on ABC.

On CBS’ hip sitcom The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, which ran from 1959-63, Schallert recurred as Leander Pomfritt, an English teacher often flummoxed by two students in particular: Dobie (Dwayne Hickman) and his beatnik buddy Maynard G. Krebs (Bob Denver). (Herbert Anderson was the first choice for the role of Pomfritt, but he chose to play the dad on Dennis the Menace.)

But for all his work — Schallert also played small-town Mississippi mayor Webb Schubert in the Oscar-winning best picture In the Heat of the Night (1967) — the actor often said that the character for which he was most recognized was Federation Undersecretary of Agricultural Affairs Nilz Baris. He’s the guy who discovered the batch of furry grain-devouring aliens in “The Trouble With Tribbles,” the classic December 1967 episode of NBC’s Star Trek.

The genial Los Angeles native starred in 1956 in the very first installment of the famed live CBS anthology series Playhouse 90, directed by John Frankenheimer, and played Admiral Hargrade, the brittle founder of CONTROL, on Get Smart; the librarian Mr. Bloomgarden on Leave It to Beaver; the fathers of Wendie Malick on Dream On and a grown-up Gidget (Caryn Richman) on The New Gidget; Agent Frank Harper on The Wild, Wild West (stepping in for Ross Martin, sidelined after a heart attack); and Mayor Norris on True Blood.

Oh, and later he was the voice of Milton the Toaster, the long-running spokesman in commercials for Kellogg’s Pop-Tarts.

Schallert served as SAG president from 1979-81, and during his tenure (which saw the actors go on strike for 94 days, with pay TV an issue for the first time), he founded the Committee for Performers With Disabilities. (Duke was SAG president after her TV dad was.)

In 1993, Schallert received the Ralph Morgan Award for service to the guild.

Roles in other science-fiction films like Them! (1954), Gog (1954) and The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957) followed, as did work in Red Badge of Courage (1951), Singin’ in the Rain (1952) — though his scene was left on the cutting room floor — The High and the Mighty (1954), Written on the Wind (1956), Roger Corman’s Gunslinger (1956), Friendly Persuasion (1956) and Pillow Talk (1959).

The dependable Schallert played Walter Matthau's mild-mannered deputy (his favorite role) in the Kirk Douglas starrer Lonely Are the Brave (1962), a down-and-out ex-racer opposite Elvis Presley in Speedway (1968), a professor in The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes (1969) and a sheriff in Charley Varrick (1973) with his pal, Walter Matthau.

Later, he appeared in The Jerk (1979), and director Joe Dante cast him in such films as Gremlins (1984), Innerspace (1987) and Matinee (1993).

Schallert was poised to be a leading man when he signed on to play a cartoonist whose creation comes to life in ABC’s Philbert, a pilot created by famed animator Friz Freleng. But the show never made it on the air.

Schallert was a guest star on such TV series as The Lone Ranger, Gunsmoke, The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, Father Knows Best, The Twilight Zone, Peter Gunn, Perry Mason, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Maude, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Desperate Housewives and How I Met Your Mother.

And he had recurring roles on Philip Marlowe, The Waltons, Norman Lear’s The Nancy Walker Show, The Nancy Drew Mysteries (as the lawyer father of the amateur sleuth played by Pamela Sue Martin), The Duck Factory (as Jim Carrey’s dad) and The Torkelsons as an elderly boarder who lives on Martin Lane (get it?).

He performed in numerous miniseries, including 1979’s Blind Ambition (as Richard Nixon adviser Herbert Kalmbach), 1986’s North and South, Book II (as Robert E. Lee), 1988-89’s War and Remembrance, 2008’s Recount and 2011’s Bag of Bones, recruited by Stephen King.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/william-schallert-dead-patty-duke-732312