Bluegrass musician Everett Lilly dies
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118053755?refCatId=16
Everett Lilly, who along with his brother and a neighbor formed a bluegrass band that would achieve international fame, died Tuesday at his home in Clear Creek in southern West Virginia. He was 87.
Lilly began performing professionally in 1938 with his brother Bea on Beckley radio station WJLS. The brothers later formed the Lilly Brothers and Don Stover with Stover, their neighbor and a banjo player, and performed throughout the South.
In the early 1950s, Everett Lilly played with Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs for two years. The brothers and Stover, along with fiddler Tex Logan, moved to Boston in 1952 and stayed there until 1970, performing in bars and honkytonks as the Confederate Mountaineers.
The band went to Japan in 1970, performing again as the Lilly Brothers and Don Stover. They toured the country for several years, performing and promoting bluegrass music.
Stover died in 1996 and Bea Lilly in 2005.
The Lilly Brothers and Don Stover was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in 2002.
Everett Lilly continued to perform until his death with his sons Daniel and Mark and several other musicians as Everett Lilly and the Lilly Mountaineers
2012 Obits: R.I.P. and Remembrance thread
Moderators: The People's DJ, David Paleg
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Re: 2012 Obits: R.I.P. and Remembrance thread
"It was impossible to get a conversation going, everybody was talking too much." - Yogi Berra
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Re: 2012 Obits: R.I.P. and Remembrance thread
Carroll Shelby, legendary car builder and racing champion, dies at age 89
By Justin Hyde | Motoramic
Carroll Shelby, an international automotive icon who rose from a bed-ridden childhood in Texas to build one of the most iconic sports cars ever and become a world-champion racer died Thursday at the age of 89 after a lengthy illness. His cars will live forever.
A winner at Le Mans in 1959, a driver in everything from Formula 1 to the Bonneville Salt Flats, Shelby's lasting impact will be the cars he built, namely the Shelby Cobra 427 that beat Ferrari in Europe and his variations of the Ford Mustang that he was involved with from the 1960s through his death.
Throughout his career, Shelby battled and overcame his physical limitations, from racing crashes to a congenital heart defect that required several surgeries and eventually a heart transplant in 1990.
Full story at Yahoo News.
By Justin Hyde | Motoramic
Carroll Shelby, an international automotive icon who rose from a bed-ridden childhood in Texas to build one of the most iconic sports cars ever and become a world-champion racer died Thursday at the age of 89 after a lengthy illness. His cars will live forever.
A winner at Le Mans in 1959, a driver in everything from Formula 1 to the Bonneville Salt Flats, Shelby's lasting impact will be the cars he built, namely the Shelby Cobra 427 that beat Ferrari in Europe and his variations of the Ford Mustang that he was involved with from the 1960s through his death.
Throughout his career, Shelby battled and overcame his physical limitations, from racing crashes to a congenital heart defect that required several surgeries and eventually a heart transplant in 1990.
Full story at Yahoo News.
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unchoopfan
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Donald 'Duck' Dunn, 70, bassist (Booker T. and the MGs/Stax Records/Blues Brothers)
Legendary bassist/producer/songwriter Donald "Duck" Dunn, a member of the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame band Booker T. and the MGs and session bassist for Stax Records, has died in Tokyo, Japan while on tour with friends. He was 70.
Dunn was in Tokyo for a series of shows with his lifelong friend and longtime bandmate, guitarist/songwriter Steve Cropper. News of his death was posted on Cropper's Facebook site, who said Dunn died in his sleep. Miho Harasawa, a spokeswoman for Tokyo Blue Note, the last venue Dunn played, confirmed to AP that Dunn died alone early Sunday (May 13). She had no further details.
Dunn was born in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1941. While in his teens, he decided to pick up the bass guitar when Cropper began playing guitar with a friend named Charlie Freeman. Eventually, along with drummer Terry Johnson, the four became "The Royal Spades". The Messick High School group picked up keyboardist Jerry "Smoochy" Smith, singer Ronnie Angel (also known as Stoots), and a budding young horn section in baritone saxophone player Don Nix, tenor saxophone player Charles "Packy" Axton, as well as trumpeter (and future co-founder of The Memphis Horns) Wayne Jackson. Axton's mother Estelle and her brother Jim Stewart owned Satellite Records, which became Stax Records, and signed the band, who would have a national hit with "Last Night" in 1961 under a new name "The Mar-Keys".
After leaving the Mar-Keys, Dunn rejoined Cropper as a member of Booker T and the MGs. in 1962. With keyboardist Booker T. Jones and drummer Al Jackson, Jr., the group was largely responsible for crafting the backbone of the soul/R&B/gospel-infused 60s "Memphis Sound" that became legendary. Stax became known for Jackson's drum sound, the sound of The Memphis Horns, and Duck Dunn's grooves. The MGs and Dunn's bass lines on songs like Otis Redding's "Respect" and "I Can't Turn You Loose", Sam & Dave's "Hold On, I'm Comin'", Wilson Pickett's "In The Midnight Hour," and Albert King's "Born Under a Bad Sign", were influential. After Dunn, Cropper, Jackson, and Jones recorded 1967's Hip Hug-Her album, they became known as more than just the Stax house band.
As an instrumental group, Booker T. and the MGs continued to stretch themselves on McLemore Avenue (their reworking of The Beatles' Abbey Road album) and on their final outing, 1971's Melting Pot, where Dunn's basslines continue to be a source of inspiration for rap and hip-hop artists. In the 1970s, with Jones and Cropper gone from Stax, Dunn and Jackson remained, playing and producing. Even though they felt more and more alienated by new political forces above, they stayed with the company.
He was featured bass player for Stevie Nicks and Tom Petty's "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" single from Nicks' 1981 debut solo album Bella Donna, as well as other Petty tracks between 1976 and 1981. He reunited with Cropper as a member of Levon Helm's RCO All Stars and also displayed his quirky Southern humor making two movies with Cropper, former Stax drummer Willie Hall, and Dan Aykroyd, as a member of "The Blues Brothers" band.
Dunn played himself in the 1980 "Blues Brothers" film, where he had one of the most memorable lines: "We had a band powerful enough to turn goat piss into gasoline!". He later reprised his role in 1998's "Blues Brothers 2000." Dunn had recently supported Neil Young live and continued studio work with Cropper, Jones and the late Al Jackson, Jr.'s cousin Steve Potts on drums, recording as Booker T. & the MGs. The group received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007.
Dunn also performed on recordings with Muddy Waters, Freddie King, Albert King, Neil Young, Jerry Lee Lewis, Eric Clapton, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Guy Sebastian, Rod Stewart, Bob Dylan, Roy Buchanan and Arthur Conley.
Cropper has noted how the self-taught Dunn started out playing along with records, filling in what he thought should be there. "That's why Duck Dunn's bass lines are very unique", Cropper said, "They're not locked into somebody's schoolbook somewhere".
Legendary bassist/producer/songwriter Donald "Duck" Dunn, a member of the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame band Booker T. and the MGs and session bassist for Stax Records, has died in Tokyo, Japan while on tour with friends. He was 70.
Dunn was in Tokyo for a series of shows with his lifelong friend and longtime bandmate, guitarist/songwriter Steve Cropper. News of his death was posted on Cropper's Facebook site, who said Dunn died in his sleep. Miho Harasawa, a spokeswoman for Tokyo Blue Note, the last venue Dunn played, confirmed to AP that Dunn died alone early Sunday (May 13). She had no further details.
Dunn was born in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1941. While in his teens, he decided to pick up the bass guitar when Cropper began playing guitar with a friend named Charlie Freeman. Eventually, along with drummer Terry Johnson, the four became "The Royal Spades". The Messick High School group picked up keyboardist Jerry "Smoochy" Smith, singer Ronnie Angel (also known as Stoots), and a budding young horn section in baritone saxophone player Don Nix, tenor saxophone player Charles "Packy" Axton, as well as trumpeter (and future co-founder of The Memphis Horns) Wayne Jackson. Axton's mother Estelle and her brother Jim Stewart owned Satellite Records, which became Stax Records, and signed the band, who would have a national hit with "Last Night" in 1961 under a new name "The Mar-Keys".
After leaving the Mar-Keys, Dunn rejoined Cropper as a member of Booker T and the MGs. in 1962. With keyboardist Booker T. Jones and drummer Al Jackson, Jr., the group was largely responsible for crafting the backbone of the soul/R&B/gospel-infused 60s "Memphis Sound" that became legendary. Stax became known for Jackson's drum sound, the sound of The Memphis Horns, and Duck Dunn's grooves. The MGs and Dunn's bass lines on songs like Otis Redding's "Respect" and "I Can't Turn You Loose", Sam & Dave's "Hold On, I'm Comin'", Wilson Pickett's "In The Midnight Hour," and Albert King's "Born Under a Bad Sign", were influential. After Dunn, Cropper, Jackson, and Jones recorded 1967's Hip Hug-Her album, they became known as more than just the Stax house band.
As an instrumental group, Booker T. and the MGs continued to stretch themselves on McLemore Avenue (their reworking of The Beatles' Abbey Road album) and on their final outing, 1971's Melting Pot, where Dunn's basslines continue to be a source of inspiration for rap and hip-hop artists. In the 1970s, with Jones and Cropper gone from Stax, Dunn and Jackson remained, playing and producing. Even though they felt more and more alienated by new political forces above, they stayed with the company.
He was featured bass player for Stevie Nicks and Tom Petty's "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" single from Nicks' 1981 debut solo album Bella Donna, as well as other Petty tracks between 1976 and 1981. He reunited with Cropper as a member of Levon Helm's RCO All Stars and also displayed his quirky Southern humor making two movies with Cropper, former Stax drummer Willie Hall, and Dan Aykroyd, as a member of "The Blues Brothers" band.
Dunn played himself in the 1980 "Blues Brothers" film, where he had one of the most memorable lines: "We had a band powerful enough to turn goat piss into gasoline!". He later reprised his role in 1998's "Blues Brothers 2000." Dunn had recently supported Neil Young live and continued studio work with Cropper, Jones and the late Al Jackson, Jr.'s cousin Steve Potts on drums, recording as Booker T. & the MGs. The group received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007.
Dunn also performed on recordings with Muddy Waters, Freddie King, Albert King, Neil Young, Jerry Lee Lewis, Eric Clapton, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Guy Sebastian, Rod Stewart, Bob Dylan, Roy Buchanan and Arthur Conley.
Cropper has noted how the self-taught Dunn started out playing along with records, filling in what he thought should be there. "That's why Duck Dunn's bass lines are very unique", Cropper said, "They're not locked into somebody's schoolbook somewhere".
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rfhertz
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Robert Culp, star of ‘I Spy,’ dead at 79
LOS ANGELES — Robert Culp, the actor who teamed with Bill Cosby in the racially groundbreaking TV series "I Spy" and was Bob in the critically acclaimed sex comedy "Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice," died Wednesday after collapsing outside his Hollywood home, his agent said. Culp was 79.
His manager, Hillard Elkins, said the actor was on a walk when he fell. He was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead just before noon. The actor's son was told he died of a heart attack, Elkins said, though police were unsure if the fall was medically related.
Los Angeles police Lt. Robert Binder said no foul play was suspected. Binder said a jogger found Culp, who apparently fell and struck his head.
Culp had been working on writing screenplays, Elkins said.
"I Spy," which aired from 1965 to 1968, was a television milestone in more ways than one. Its combination of humor and adventure broke new ground, and it was the first integrated television show to feature a black actor in a starring role.
Culp played Kelly Robinson, a spy whose cover was that of an ace tennis player. (In real life, Culp actually was a top-notch tennis player who showed his skills in numerous celebrity tournaments.). Cosby was fellow spy Alexander Scott, whose cover was that of Culp's trainer. The pair traveled the world in the service of the U.S. government.
The series greatly advanced the careers of both actors.
Cosby, who had achieved fame as a standup comedian, proved he could act. Culp, who had played mostly heavies in movies and TV, went on to become a film star.
He followed "I Spy" with his most prestigious film role, in "Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice." The work of first-time director Paul Mazursky, who also co-wrote the screenplay, it lampooned the lifestyles of the sexual revolution of the 1960s. Bob and Carol (Culp and Natalie Wood) were the innocent ones who were introduced to wife-swapping by their best friends, Ted and Alice (Elliott Gould and Dyan Cannon).
Culp also had starring roles in such films as "The Castaway Cowboy," "Golden Girl," "Turk 182!" and "Big Bad Mama II."
Worked with Cosby, traveled for civil rights
His teaming with Cosby, however, was likely his best remembered role.
Cosby won Emmys for actor in a leading role all three years that "I Spy" aired, and Culp, who was nominated for the same award each year, said he was never jealous.
"I was the proudest man around," he said in a 1977 interview.
Both he and Cosby were involved in civil rights causes, and when Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968 the pair traveled to Memphis, Tenn., to join the striking garbage workers King had been organizing.
Culp and Cosby also costarred in the 1972 movie "Hickey and Boggs," which Culp also directed. This time they were hard-luck private detectives who encountered multiple deaths. Audiences who had enjoyed the lightheartedness of "I Spy" were disappointed, and the movie flopped at the box office.
After years of talking up the idea, they finally re-teamed in 1994 for a two-hour CBS movie, "I Spy Returns."
In his first movie role Culp played one of John Kennedy's crew in "PT 109."
His first starring TV series, "Trackdown" (1957-1959) was a Western based partly on files of the Texas Rangers. In the 1980s, he starred as an FBI agent in the fantasy "The Greatest American Hero."
He remained active in movies and TV. Among his notable later performances was as a U.S. president in 1993's "The Pelican Brief." More recently, he also had a recurring role in the sitcom "Everybody Loves Raymond" and appeared in such shows as "Robot Chicken," "Chicago Hope" and an episode of "Cosby."
‘That’s my part’
Robert Martin Culp, born in 1930 in Oakland, led a peripatetic existence as a college student, attending College of the Pacific in Stockton, Calif., Washington University in St. Louis and San Francisco State College before landing at the University of Washington's drama school.
Then at age 21, a semester removed from his degree, he moved to New York, where he began landing roles in off-Broadway plays. One of them was in "He Who Gets Slapped."
"I saw it in college in Seattle, and I said, 'My God, that's my part, that's my part,'" he once told an interviewer. After he won the role in a Greenwich Village production "the floodgates opened," he said.
Good reviews and an Obie award led to offers from Hollywood.
Culp was married five times, to Nancy Ashe, Elayne Wilner, France Nuyen, Sheila Sullivan and Candace Faulkner. He had four children with Ashe and one with Faulkner.
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
His manager, Hillard Elkins, said the actor was on a walk when he fell. He was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead just before noon. The actor's son was told he died of a heart attack, Elkins said, though police were unsure if the fall was medically related.
Los Angeles police Lt. Robert Binder said no foul play was suspected. Binder said a jogger found Culp, who apparently fell and struck his head.
Culp had been working on writing screenplays, Elkins said.
"I Spy," which aired from 1965 to 1968, was a television milestone in more ways than one. Its combination of humor and adventure broke new ground, and it was the first integrated television show to feature a black actor in a starring role.
Culp played Kelly Robinson, a spy whose cover was that of an ace tennis player. (In real life, Culp actually was a top-notch tennis player who showed his skills in numerous celebrity tournaments.). Cosby was fellow spy Alexander Scott, whose cover was that of Culp's trainer. The pair traveled the world in the service of the U.S. government.
The series greatly advanced the careers of both actors.
Cosby, who had achieved fame as a standup comedian, proved he could act. Culp, who had played mostly heavies in movies and TV, went on to become a film star.
He followed "I Spy" with his most prestigious film role, in "Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice." The work of first-time director Paul Mazursky, who also co-wrote the screenplay, it lampooned the lifestyles of the sexual revolution of the 1960s. Bob and Carol (Culp and Natalie Wood) were the innocent ones who were introduced to wife-swapping by their best friends, Ted and Alice (Elliott Gould and Dyan Cannon).
Culp also had starring roles in such films as "The Castaway Cowboy," "Golden Girl," "Turk 182!" and "Big Bad Mama II."
Worked with Cosby, traveled for civil rights
His teaming with Cosby, however, was likely his best remembered role.
Cosby won Emmys for actor in a leading role all three years that "I Spy" aired, and Culp, who was nominated for the same award each year, said he was never jealous.
"I was the proudest man around," he said in a 1977 interview.
Both he and Cosby were involved in civil rights causes, and when Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968 the pair traveled to Memphis, Tenn., to join the striking garbage workers King had been organizing.
Culp and Cosby also costarred in the 1972 movie "Hickey and Boggs," which Culp also directed. This time they were hard-luck private detectives who encountered multiple deaths. Audiences who had enjoyed the lightheartedness of "I Spy" were disappointed, and the movie flopped at the box office.
After years of talking up the idea, they finally re-teamed in 1994 for a two-hour CBS movie, "I Spy Returns."
In his first movie role Culp played one of John Kennedy's crew in "PT 109."
His first starring TV series, "Trackdown" (1957-1959) was a Western based partly on files of the Texas Rangers. In the 1980s, he starred as an FBI agent in the fantasy "The Greatest American Hero."
He remained active in movies and TV. Among his notable later performances was as a U.S. president in 1993's "The Pelican Brief." More recently, he also had a recurring role in the sitcom "Everybody Loves Raymond" and appeared in such shows as "Robot Chicken," "Chicago Hope" and an episode of "Cosby."
‘That’s my part’
Robert Martin Culp, born in 1930 in Oakland, led a peripatetic existence as a college student, attending College of the Pacific in Stockton, Calif., Washington University in St. Louis and San Francisco State College before landing at the University of Washington's drama school.
Then at age 21, a semester removed from his degree, he moved to New York, where he began landing roles in off-Broadway plays. One of them was in "He Who Gets Slapped."
"I saw it in college in Seattle, and I said, 'My God, that's my part, that's my part,'" he once told an interviewer. After he won the role in a Greenwich Village production "the floodgates opened," he said.
Good reviews and an Obie award led to offers from Hollywood.
Culp was married five times, to Nancy Ashe, Elayne Wilner, France Nuyen, Sheila Sullivan and Candace Faulkner. He had four children with Ashe and one with Faulkner.
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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EZ103.3FM
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Re: 2012 Obits: R.I.P. and Remembrance thread
Donna Summer is dead at 63
http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/17/showbiz/d ... ?hpt=hp_c1
Los Angeles (CNN) -- Donna Summer, the "Queen of Disco" whose hits included "Hot Stuff," "Bad Girls," "Love to Love You Baby" and "She Works Hard for the Money," has died, a representative said Thursday. She was 63.
There was no immediate information about the cause of death.
"Early this morning, we lost Donna Summer Sudano, a woman of many gifts, the greatest being her faith," a family statement said. "While we grieve her passing, we are at peace celebrating her extraordinary life and her continued legacy. Words truly can't express how much we appreciate your prayers and love for our family at this sensitive time."
Summer first rose to fame the mid-'70s, thanks to "Love to Love You Baby." The song, with Summer's whispered vocals and orgasmic groans, supported by heavily synthesized backing tracks, helped define the mid-'70s disco trend and hit No. 2 in 1976. Summer followed the song with such hits as "I Feel Love," "Last Dance" and a disco-fied version of the Richard Harris hit "MacArthur Park," which outdid Harris' version by hitting No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart. It was Summer's first of four chart-toppers.
Summer broke out of the disco mold as the genre, which had become renewed by the success of the "Saturday Night Fever" soundtrack, was feeling a backlash. "Bad Girls" demonstrated Summer's vocal and stylistic range and produced two No. 1 hits, "Hot Stuff" and "Bad Girls," as well as a Top 10 ballad, "Dim All the Lights."
However, Summer had some trouble adjusting to the changing times. Her next album, "The Wanderer," went for more of a rock feel. It produced a Top 10 hit in the title track but fared relatively poorly on the charts -- especially after the success of "Bad Girls," a double album that spent five weeks at No. 1.
It wasn't until 1983's "She Works Hard for the Money," which became a ubiquitous video as well as a big radio hit, that Summer's fame approached its late '70s zenith.
"I don't like to be categorized because I think that I am an instrument, and if you play me, I'll make whatever particular sound is supposed to come out for that color, and so, in the overall spectrum of things, I'm just trying to be true to my, what I feel my mission is," Summer told CNN in a 2008 interview.
http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/17/showbiz/d ... ?hpt=hp_c1
Los Angeles (CNN) -- Donna Summer, the "Queen of Disco" whose hits included "Hot Stuff," "Bad Girls," "Love to Love You Baby" and "She Works Hard for the Money," has died, a representative said Thursday. She was 63.
There was no immediate information about the cause of death.
"Early this morning, we lost Donna Summer Sudano, a woman of many gifts, the greatest being her faith," a family statement said. "While we grieve her passing, we are at peace celebrating her extraordinary life and her continued legacy. Words truly can't express how much we appreciate your prayers and love for our family at this sensitive time."
Summer first rose to fame the mid-'70s, thanks to "Love to Love You Baby." The song, with Summer's whispered vocals and orgasmic groans, supported by heavily synthesized backing tracks, helped define the mid-'70s disco trend and hit No. 2 in 1976. Summer followed the song with such hits as "I Feel Love," "Last Dance" and a disco-fied version of the Richard Harris hit "MacArthur Park," which outdid Harris' version by hitting No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart. It was Summer's first of four chart-toppers.
Summer broke out of the disco mold as the genre, which had become renewed by the success of the "Saturday Night Fever" soundtrack, was feeling a backlash. "Bad Girls" demonstrated Summer's vocal and stylistic range and produced two No. 1 hits, "Hot Stuff" and "Bad Girls," as well as a Top 10 ballad, "Dim All the Lights."
However, Summer had some trouble adjusting to the changing times. Her next album, "The Wanderer," went for more of a rock feel. It produced a Top 10 hit in the title track but fared relatively poorly on the charts -- especially after the success of "Bad Girls," a double album that spent five weeks at No. 1.
It wasn't until 1983's "She Works Hard for the Money," which became a ubiquitous video as well as a big radio hit, that Summer's fame approached its late '70s zenith.
"I don't like to be categorized because I think that I am an instrument, and if you play me, I'll make whatever particular sound is supposed to come out for that color, and so, in the overall spectrum of things, I'm just trying to be true to my, what I feel my mission is," Summer told CNN in a 2008 interview.
"It was impossible to get a conversation going, everybody was talking too much." - Yogi Berra
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jag
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Re: 2012 Obits: R.I.P. and Remembrance thread
Crowded House drummer Peter Jones dies
Former Crowded House drummer Peter Jones has lost his battle with brain cancer.
The musician succumbed to the disease on Friday, reports Australia's Herald
Sun.
A statement on the band's official website reads, "We are in mourning today for the death of Peter Jones. We remember him as a warm hearted, funny and talented man, who was a valuable member of Crowded House. He played with style and spirit. We salute him and send our love and best thoughts to his family and friends."
Jones replaced band member Paul Hester for two years after he left the group in 1994.
Former Crowded House drummer Peter Jones has lost his battle with brain cancer.
The musician succumbed to the disease on Friday, reports Australia's Herald
Sun.
A statement on the band's official website reads, "We are in mourning today for the death of Peter Jones. We remember him as a warm hearted, funny and talented man, who was a valuable member of Crowded House. He played with style and spirit. We salute him and send our love and best thoughts to his family and friends."
Jones replaced band member Paul Hester for two years after he left the group in 1994.
-
David Paleg
- Member
- Posts: 1024
- Joined: Sat Jul 31, 2004 8:43 pm
- Location: Cross Lanes, WV, Earth. Solar System, Milky Way
- Contact:
Re: 2012 Obits: R.I.P. and Remembrance thread
Robin Gibb: He ‘Started a Joke,’ and Left Us in Tears
By Chris Willman
Stop The Presses!
Did a singer's name ever seem so prophetic and appropriate as in the case of Robin, one of the great male songbirds of rock's golden age? Bee Gee Robin Gibb succumbed to a longtime struggle with liver cancer Sunday, a spokesperson confirmed. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer was 62.
His death dashed the hopes of Bee Gees fans who'd hoped that a miracle was in store after the singer emerged from a coma late last month. Prior to his regaining consciousness, his family had revealed that Gibb had been given only a 10 percent chance of surviving and seemed to be preparing the public for his imminent death. Despite the shock fans are now experiencing, family members surely feel grateful for the month they had with Gibb after his unexpected awakening.
Robin follows Maurice (a fellow Bee Gee) and Andy (a solo artist) in death, leaving eldest brother Barry as the sole survivor among the legendary Brothers Gibb. The Bee Gees had officially retired as a group in 2003, following Maurice's passing, although there'd been reports that the remaining two might revive the act as a duo, before Robin fell seriously ill.
Disco fans are feeling their mortality this weekend, as the death of one of the principal voices of the 15-times-platinum Saturday Night Fever soundtrack follows the passing of Donna Summer by a mere three days.
A statement read: "The family of Robin Gibb, of the Bee Gees, announce with great sadness that Robin passed away today following his long battle with cancer and intestinal surgery. The family have asked that their privacy is respected at this very difficult time."
Some of Robin's health problems in recent years seemed to echo the maladies suffered earlier by Maurice -- who was his twin. The cause of Maurice's death nine years ago was attributed to a twisted intestine; the family's statement refers to intestinal surgery Robin underwent two years ago.
Although falsetto-wielding Barry was the most prominent and most-parodied Bee Gee in later years (see Justin Timberlake's comic impersonation on SNL), Robin was often considered the unofficial lead singer in the trio's late-'60s early days, and it was his tender vibrato that early fans first associated with the Brothers Gibb, via hits like "I Started a Joke" and "I've Gotta Get a Message to You."
It was Robin singing on the group's first No. 1 British hit, "Massachusetts," which also topped the charts in most of the territories of the world (except the U.S., where it made it to No. 11). He was a lad of 17 at the time.
Competition with Barry led Robin to quit the group and go solo in 1969, though he returned in 1971, in time to participate in "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart," their first No. 1 single in America. Their real renaissance, however, kicked off in 1975 when, in the earliest days of disco, they had a second No. 1 with "Jive Talkin'," followed by the similarly rhythmic "Nights on Broadway" and "You Should Be Dancing," which became the template for a block of Saturday Night Fever songs in 1978.
Fever revived "Jive' and "Dancing" along with introducing the instant dance-floor standards "Stayin' Alive," "Night Fever," "If I Can't Have You," and "More Than a Woman," plus a ballad in the more traditional Bee Gees vein, "How Deep is Your Love." It was by far their greatest commercial triumph, and also, in a way, their unmaking, since only pockets of critics and fans were inclined to recall the pop chops and cred of their early albums after they couldn't shake their association with the waning disco tide.
By Chris Willman
Stop The Presses!
Did a singer's name ever seem so prophetic and appropriate as in the case of Robin, one of the great male songbirds of rock's golden age? Bee Gee Robin Gibb succumbed to a longtime struggle with liver cancer Sunday, a spokesperson confirmed. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer was 62.
His death dashed the hopes of Bee Gees fans who'd hoped that a miracle was in store after the singer emerged from a coma late last month. Prior to his regaining consciousness, his family had revealed that Gibb had been given only a 10 percent chance of surviving and seemed to be preparing the public for his imminent death. Despite the shock fans are now experiencing, family members surely feel grateful for the month they had with Gibb after his unexpected awakening.
Robin follows Maurice (a fellow Bee Gee) and Andy (a solo artist) in death, leaving eldest brother Barry as the sole survivor among the legendary Brothers Gibb. The Bee Gees had officially retired as a group in 2003, following Maurice's passing, although there'd been reports that the remaining two might revive the act as a duo, before Robin fell seriously ill.
Disco fans are feeling their mortality this weekend, as the death of one of the principal voices of the 15-times-platinum Saturday Night Fever soundtrack follows the passing of Donna Summer by a mere three days.
A statement read: "The family of Robin Gibb, of the Bee Gees, announce with great sadness that Robin passed away today following his long battle with cancer and intestinal surgery. The family have asked that their privacy is respected at this very difficult time."
Some of Robin's health problems in recent years seemed to echo the maladies suffered earlier by Maurice -- who was his twin. The cause of Maurice's death nine years ago was attributed to a twisted intestine; the family's statement refers to intestinal surgery Robin underwent two years ago.
Although falsetto-wielding Barry was the most prominent and most-parodied Bee Gee in later years (see Justin Timberlake's comic impersonation on SNL), Robin was often considered the unofficial lead singer in the trio's late-'60s early days, and it was his tender vibrato that early fans first associated with the Brothers Gibb, via hits like "I Started a Joke" and "I've Gotta Get a Message to You."
It was Robin singing on the group's first No. 1 British hit, "Massachusetts," which also topped the charts in most of the territories of the world (except the U.S., where it made it to No. 11). He was a lad of 17 at the time.
Competition with Barry led Robin to quit the group and go solo in 1969, though he returned in 1971, in time to participate in "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart," their first No. 1 single in America. Their real renaissance, however, kicked off in 1975 when, in the earliest days of disco, they had a second No. 1 with "Jive Talkin'," followed by the similarly rhythmic "Nights on Broadway" and "You Should Be Dancing," which became the template for a block of Saturday Night Fever songs in 1978.
Fever revived "Jive' and "Dancing" along with introducing the instant dance-floor standards "Stayin' Alive," "Night Fever," "If I Can't Have You," and "More Than a Woman," plus a ballad in the more traditional Bee Gees vein, "How Deep is Your Love." It was by far their greatest commercial triumph, and also, in a way, their unmaking, since only pockets of critics and fans were inclined to recall the pop chops and cred of their early albums after they couldn't shake their association with the waning disco tide.
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EZ103.3FM
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Re: 2012 Obits: R.I.P. and Remembrance thread
Bill Stewart, former West Virginia coach, dies of heart attack
http://aol.sportingnews.com/ncaa-footba ... inia-coach
Former West Virginia head coach Bill Stewart died from an apparent heart attack while playing golf Monday, according to a statement from the university.
Stewart, 59, was playing in a West Virginia Hospitality and Tourism Association annual event with former West Virginia athletic director Eddie Pastilong, according to multiple reports. Stewart was rushed to Stonewall Jackson Memorial Hospital in Weston.
Stewart played at Fairmont State College and served as a student assistant for a season after he graduated. He spent two seasons at Salem as an assistant, followed by stops as an assistant coach at North Carolina (1979), Marshall (1980), William & Mary (1981-83), Navy (1984), North Carolina (1985-87), Arizona State (1988-89) and Air Force (1990-93).
He was head coach at VMI from 1994-96, then spent a year with the Montreal Alouettes of the CFL and another season with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. He joined West Virginia as an assistant in 2000.
Stewart replaced Rich Rodriguez on an interim basis for the Mountaineers’ game against Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl (Jan. 2, 2008) on and was named head coach shortly after West Virginia won that game, 48-28.
His three teams at West Virginia each went 9-4 from 2008 until 2010 and were 1-2 in bowl games.
After it was announced that Dana Holgorsen would spend the 2011 season as offensive coordinator and become head coach in 2012, Stewart resigned after a report claimed the he attempted to smear Holgorsen’s name.
http://aol.sportingnews.com/ncaa-footba ... inia-coach
Former West Virginia head coach Bill Stewart died from an apparent heart attack while playing golf Monday, according to a statement from the university.
Stewart, 59, was playing in a West Virginia Hospitality and Tourism Association annual event with former West Virginia athletic director Eddie Pastilong, according to multiple reports. Stewart was rushed to Stonewall Jackson Memorial Hospital in Weston.
Stewart played at Fairmont State College and served as a student assistant for a season after he graduated. He spent two seasons at Salem as an assistant, followed by stops as an assistant coach at North Carolina (1979), Marshall (1980), William & Mary (1981-83), Navy (1984), North Carolina (1985-87), Arizona State (1988-89) and Air Force (1990-93).
He was head coach at VMI from 1994-96, then spent a year with the Montreal Alouettes of the CFL and another season with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. He joined West Virginia as an assistant in 2000.
Stewart replaced Rich Rodriguez on an interim basis for the Mountaineers’ game against Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl (Jan. 2, 2008) on and was named head coach shortly after West Virginia won that game, 48-28.
His three teams at West Virginia each went 9-4 from 2008 until 2010 and were 1-2 in bowl games.
After it was announced that Dana Holgorsen would spend the 2011 season as offensive coordinator and become head coach in 2012, Stewart resigned after a report claimed the he attempted to smear Holgorsen’s name.
"It was impossible to get a conversation going, everybody was talking too much." - Yogi Berra
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cgarison
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Re: 2012 Obits: R.I.P. and Remembrance thread
Eugene Polley, Inventor of the First Wireless TV Remote Control, Has Died
http://gizmo.do/KaD099
Eugene J. Polley, a man best known for inventing the first wireless television remote control, died of natural causes on Sunday at Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove, Illinois. He was 96.
Polley bagan his career in 1935 working for Zenith Radio Corporation (now Zenith Electronics, a subsidiary of LG Electronics). In 1955, he introduced the world to the first-ever wireless TV remote control, the "Flash-Matic," which changed channels on a TV set using a photo-cell activating flashlight-like device. The Flash-Matic was temperamental and very sensitive, requiring precise angling to successfully work, but its arrival was a huge advancement from Zenith's first TV remote, a device called—no kidding—the "Lazy Bones," which was connected to the TV set by an umbilical-like wire cord.
Cordless control allowed audiences a vastly new experience of consuming television: For the first time ever, the could switch programs without getting up to turn the dial. No longer were programs endured simply because they were too lazy to get up off the couch. Commercials could be avoided by switching channels, or muted, with just the press of a button. "Channel surfing" become a thing.
The remote also inspired significant changes in television programming and commercial airings. After an NBC research term discovered that 25% of their audience changed channels as soon as the credits started rolling, the NBC 2000 unit (responsible for primetime branding of the network) invented the "squeeze-and-tease," the split screen credits that roll alongside the last few minutes of a program. (A current example of a show using the squeeze-and-tease is HBO's Veep.) Commercials were moved from their between-program slot to right in the middle of a show, to avoid losing viewers to the lag time of an advertisement transition.
Eugene Polley worked his way through Zenith's stockroom, to its parts department, and ultimately to the engineering department where he spent most of his career. He was responsible for producing Zenith's first catalog. During World War II, Polley worked on radar advances for the US Department of Defense. In his 47-year career with Zenith, Polley held numerous high-ranking technology positions, including Head of Video Recording Group and Assistant Division Chief for the Mechanical Engineering Group. He and fellow Zenith engineer Robert Adler were honored in 1997 with an Emmy Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for "Pioneering Development of Wireless Remote Controls for Consumer Television."
Eugene Polley was born in Chicago on November 29, 1915. He was a longtime resident of Lombard, Illinois, where was was active in village government. He is survived by his son Eugene J. Polley Jr., and grandson, Aaron, of San Diego, Calif; preceding him in death are his wife, Blanche, and daughter, Joan Polley.
Ushered into the Golden Age of Television with Mr. Polley's Zenith Flash-Matic, entire generations were presented with their first "clicker," "gizmo," "thingamabob," "whatsit." It was and will forever be the gadget we're always looking for and never can find. The one we brave couch-cushion crumbs to retrieve, start slapping fights with our siblings to secure. It's come a long way since the finnicky Flash-Matic of the fifties, but the TV remote remains a mainstay household gadget all these years later, one few of us could imagine growing up without.
Thank you, Eugene Polley.
http://gizmo.do/KaD099
Eugene J. Polley, a man best known for inventing the first wireless television remote control, died of natural causes on Sunday at Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove, Illinois. He was 96.
Polley bagan his career in 1935 working for Zenith Radio Corporation (now Zenith Electronics, a subsidiary of LG Electronics). In 1955, he introduced the world to the first-ever wireless TV remote control, the "Flash-Matic," which changed channels on a TV set using a photo-cell activating flashlight-like device. The Flash-Matic was temperamental and very sensitive, requiring precise angling to successfully work, but its arrival was a huge advancement from Zenith's first TV remote, a device called—no kidding—the "Lazy Bones," which was connected to the TV set by an umbilical-like wire cord.
Cordless control allowed audiences a vastly new experience of consuming television: For the first time ever, the could switch programs without getting up to turn the dial. No longer were programs endured simply because they were too lazy to get up off the couch. Commercials could be avoided by switching channels, or muted, with just the press of a button. "Channel surfing" become a thing.
The remote also inspired significant changes in television programming and commercial airings. After an NBC research term discovered that 25% of their audience changed channels as soon as the credits started rolling, the NBC 2000 unit (responsible for primetime branding of the network) invented the "squeeze-and-tease," the split screen credits that roll alongside the last few minutes of a program. (A current example of a show using the squeeze-and-tease is HBO's Veep.) Commercials were moved from their between-program slot to right in the middle of a show, to avoid losing viewers to the lag time of an advertisement transition.
Eugene Polley worked his way through Zenith's stockroom, to its parts department, and ultimately to the engineering department where he spent most of his career. He was responsible for producing Zenith's first catalog. During World War II, Polley worked on radar advances for the US Department of Defense. In his 47-year career with Zenith, Polley held numerous high-ranking technology positions, including Head of Video Recording Group and Assistant Division Chief for the Mechanical Engineering Group. He and fellow Zenith engineer Robert Adler were honored in 1997 with an Emmy Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for "Pioneering Development of Wireless Remote Controls for Consumer Television."
Eugene Polley was born in Chicago on November 29, 1915. He was a longtime resident of Lombard, Illinois, where was was active in village government. He is survived by his son Eugene J. Polley Jr., and grandson, Aaron, of San Diego, Calif; preceding him in death are his wife, Blanche, and daughter, Joan Polley.
Ushered into the Golden Age of Television with Mr. Polley's Zenith Flash-Matic, entire generations were presented with their first "clicker," "gizmo," "thingamabob," "whatsit." It was and will forever be the gadget we're always looking for and never can find. The one we brave couch-cushion crumbs to retrieve, start slapping fights with our siblings to secure. It's come a long way since the finnicky Flash-Matic of the fifties, but the TV remote remains a mainstay household gadget all these years later, one few of us could imagine growing up without.
Thank you, Eugene Polley.
The first step in a successful revolution is to defeat all competing revolutionaries.
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just saying
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Re: 2012 Obits: R.I.P. and Remembrance thread
Robert Wong, owner and chef of Bridge Road Bistro, died of a heart attack Tuesday afternoon.
Wong's tennis partner, David Stacy, said the two had been playing tennis together for about 10 minutes when Wong said he was thirsty. Stacy turned his head and heard Wong fall and hit the court. Stacy said Wong hadn't been feeling any pain and that they hadn't yet begun exerting themselves.
Stacy said that in the 10 years he and Wong had played tennis, they'd spent a significant amount of time together.
http://www.wvgazette.com/News/201205290092
Wong's tennis partner, David Stacy, said the two had been playing tennis together for about 10 minutes when Wong said he was thirsty. Stacy turned his head and heard Wong fall and hit the court. Stacy said Wong hadn't been feeling any pain and that they hadn't yet begun exerting themselves.
Stacy said that in the 10 years he and Wong had played tennis, they'd spent a significant amount of time together.
http://www.wvgazette.com/News/201205290092
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David Paleg
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Re: 2012 Obits: R.I.P. and Remembrance thread
Guitar picking master Doc Watson dies in NC at 89
May 30, 3:23 AM (ET)
By CHRIS TALBOTT
You could hear the mountains of North Carolina in Doc Watson's music. The rush of a mountain stream, the steady creak of a mule in leather harness plowing rows in topsoil and the echoes of ancient sounds made by a vanishing people were an intrinsic part of the folk musician's powerful, homespun sound.
It took Watson decades to make a name for himself outside the world of Deep Gap, N.C. Once he did, he ignited the imaginations of countless guitar players who learned the possibilities of the instrument from the humble picker who never quite went out of style. From the folk revival of the 1960s to the Americana movement of the 21st century, Watson remained a constant source of inspiration and a treasured touchstone before his death Tuesday at age 89.
Blind from the age of 1, Watson was left to listen to the world around him and it was as if he heard things differently from others. Though he knew how to play the banjo and harmonica from an early age, he came to favor the guitar. His flat-picking style helped translate the fiddle- and mandolin-dominated music of his forebears for an audience of younger listeners who were open to the tales that had echoed off the mountains for generations, and to the new lead role for the guitar.
"Overall, Doc will be remembered as one of America's greatest folk musicians. I would say he's one of America's greatest musicians," said David Holt, a longtime friend and collaborator who compared Watson to Lead Belly, Bill Monroe, Muddy Waters and Earl Scruggs.
Like those pioneering players, Watson took a regional sound and made it into something larger, a piece of American culture that reverberates for decades after the notes are first played.
"He had a great way of presenting traditional songs and making them accessible to a modern audience," Holt said. "Not just accessible, but truly engaging."
Watson died at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, where he was hospitalized recently after falling at his home in Deep Gap, 100 miles northwest of Charlotte. He underwent abdominal surgery while in the hospital and had been in critical condition for several days.
Full story at Iwon/AP News.
May 30, 3:23 AM (ET)
By CHRIS TALBOTT
You could hear the mountains of North Carolina in Doc Watson's music. The rush of a mountain stream, the steady creak of a mule in leather harness plowing rows in topsoil and the echoes of ancient sounds made by a vanishing people were an intrinsic part of the folk musician's powerful, homespun sound.
It took Watson decades to make a name for himself outside the world of Deep Gap, N.C. Once he did, he ignited the imaginations of countless guitar players who learned the possibilities of the instrument from the humble picker who never quite went out of style. From the folk revival of the 1960s to the Americana movement of the 21st century, Watson remained a constant source of inspiration and a treasured touchstone before his death Tuesday at age 89.
Blind from the age of 1, Watson was left to listen to the world around him and it was as if he heard things differently from others. Though he knew how to play the banjo and harmonica from an early age, he came to favor the guitar. His flat-picking style helped translate the fiddle- and mandolin-dominated music of his forebears for an audience of younger listeners who were open to the tales that had echoed off the mountains for generations, and to the new lead role for the guitar.
"Overall, Doc will be remembered as one of America's greatest folk musicians. I would say he's one of America's greatest musicians," said David Holt, a longtime friend and collaborator who compared Watson to Lead Belly, Bill Monroe, Muddy Waters and Earl Scruggs.
Like those pioneering players, Watson took a regional sound and made it into something larger, a piece of American culture that reverberates for decades after the notes are first played.
"He had a great way of presenting traditional songs and making them accessible to a modern audience," Holt said. "Not just accessible, but truly engaging."
Watson died at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, where he was hospitalized recently after falling at his home in Deep Gap, 100 miles northwest of Charlotte. He underwent abdominal surgery while in the hospital and had been in critical condition for several days.
Full story at Iwon/AP News.
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Dave Allen
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Re: 2012 Obits: R.I.P. and Remembrance thread
With all due respect to Mr. Wong (I ate there once and was NOT impressed) that's what you get for playing tennis!
Titties and beer...thank God almighty for titties and beer!
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EZ103.3FM
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Re: 2012 Obits: R.I.P. and Remembrance thread
John Fox (June 10, 1957 – May 30, 2012) was an American comedian.
From wikipedia:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Fox_(comedian)
Fox's first show was on June 14, 1979 at the World Famous Comedy Store. Known as the Nick Nolte of comedy, Fox had numerous television appearances on shows, including Norm Crosby's Comedy Shop, Star Search, Make Me Laugh, Showtime Comedy Club Network. He appeared in the stand-up videos Truly Tasteless Jokes and Comedy's Dirtiest Dozen. He played a pig in the animated feature Rover Dangerfield. He had been featured on "The Bob & Tom Show." He was the inspiration for the song "The Legend of John Fox," by Pat Godwin. Fox also appeared on Rodney Dangerfield's HBO special, Opening Night at Rodney's Place. Fox's routine included his telling about his various previous jobs. He also appeared on the first Redneck Comedy Roundup DVD, which featured other comedians such as Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall, and Ron White.
Fox died of colon cancer at the age of 54.
The Legend of John Fox by Pat Godwin: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZdIvqeOTNQ
My favorite John Fox joke, The Magician (audio clip from bobandtom.com): http://www.bobandtom.com/videos/?uri=ch ... 97/1666802
From laughspin.com: http://www.laughspin.com/2012/05/31/com ... ies-at-55/
In early March, veteran comedian John Fox made an announcement through YouTube: “My name is John Fox, and I’m dying. I have stage four colon cancer, and there’s not a stage five…The doctors said I got two weeks to two months to live.” We can confirm that yesterday at about 5 pm PST, Fox lost his battle with the disease. He was 55.
Fox honed his comedy chops at The Comedy Store in Los Angeles, making his first appearance there on June 14, 1979. Three months later, he was a paid regular — not an easy accomplishment — and six months after that, he scored his first television gig. Variety once described Fox like this: “He’s sort of like the wacked out, weirded, next door neighbor who drops by to borrow a beer and you can’t get rid of him type. Everyone has a friend like this. You just can’t help liking him.”
Comedian Tammy Pescatelli has fond memories of Fox. “He was a cantankerous old fart,” she tells Laughspin, adding she got a chance to see him in hospice a few weeks ago. “I remembered him from the Rodney Dangerfield specials when I was a kid and then was thrilled to work with him a number of times over the years. He was gruff and jaded, but had the heart of a Teddy bear. So many comics of my generation were inspired by him.”
Although Fox was physically weak during his last few months, sustaining himself on little more than ice chips and morphine for the pain, the comedian made the best of his life. He established the John Fox Memorial Comedians Cancer Fund, to help provide financial support to comedians so that they can get checkups– including colonoscopies, pap smears, mammograms and other routine cancer screening tests. Fox had explained the reason he had barely any chance to fight the late-stage cancer is that he never got checked out when the cancer was more treatable.
Memorial fund official website: http://www.johnfoxmemorialfund.org/index.html
From wikipedia:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Fox_(comedian)
Fox's first show was on June 14, 1979 at the World Famous Comedy Store. Known as the Nick Nolte of comedy, Fox had numerous television appearances on shows, including Norm Crosby's Comedy Shop, Star Search, Make Me Laugh, Showtime Comedy Club Network. He appeared in the stand-up videos Truly Tasteless Jokes and Comedy's Dirtiest Dozen. He played a pig in the animated feature Rover Dangerfield. He had been featured on "The Bob & Tom Show." He was the inspiration for the song "The Legend of John Fox," by Pat Godwin. Fox also appeared on Rodney Dangerfield's HBO special, Opening Night at Rodney's Place. Fox's routine included his telling about his various previous jobs. He also appeared on the first Redneck Comedy Roundup DVD, which featured other comedians such as Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall, and Ron White.
Fox died of colon cancer at the age of 54.
The Legend of John Fox by Pat Godwin: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZdIvqeOTNQ
My favorite John Fox joke, The Magician (audio clip from bobandtom.com): http://www.bobandtom.com/videos/?uri=ch ... 97/1666802
From laughspin.com: http://www.laughspin.com/2012/05/31/com ... ies-at-55/
In early March, veteran comedian John Fox made an announcement through YouTube: “My name is John Fox, and I’m dying. I have stage four colon cancer, and there’s not a stage five…The doctors said I got two weeks to two months to live.” We can confirm that yesterday at about 5 pm PST, Fox lost his battle with the disease. He was 55.
Fox honed his comedy chops at The Comedy Store in Los Angeles, making his first appearance there on June 14, 1979. Three months later, he was a paid regular — not an easy accomplishment — and six months after that, he scored his first television gig. Variety once described Fox like this: “He’s sort of like the wacked out, weirded, next door neighbor who drops by to borrow a beer and you can’t get rid of him type. Everyone has a friend like this. You just can’t help liking him.”
Comedian Tammy Pescatelli has fond memories of Fox. “He was a cantankerous old fart,” she tells Laughspin, adding she got a chance to see him in hospice a few weeks ago. “I remembered him from the Rodney Dangerfield specials when I was a kid and then was thrilled to work with him a number of times over the years. He was gruff and jaded, but had the heart of a Teddy bear. So many comics of my generation were inspired by him.”
Although Fox was physically weak during his last few months, sustaining himself on little more than ice chips and morphine for the pain, the comedian made the best of his life. He established the John Fox Memorial Comedians Cancer Fund, to help provide financial support to comedians so that they can get checkups– including colonoscopies, pap smears, mammograms and other routine cancer screening tests. Fox had explained the reason he had barely any chance to fight the late-stage cancer is that he never got checked out when the cancer was more treatable.
Memorial fund official website: http://www.johnfoxmemorialfund.org/index.html
"It was impossible to get a conversation going, everybody was talking too much." - Yogi Berra
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David Paleg
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Re: 2012 Obits: R.I.P. and Remembrance thread
Desperate Housewives' Kathryn Joosten Dies at 72
by Michael Slezak
Emmy winner Kathryn Joosten, whose emotional death scene as Karen McKluskey gave Desperate Housewives‘ recent series finale its biggest emotional punch, died yesterday of lung cancer in Westlake Village, CA. She was 72.
Joosten won her Emmys in 2005 and 2008 in the Oustanding Guest Actress in a Comedy for her portrayal of Wisteria Lane’s crankiest (but still loveable) resident.
Prior to her Housewives success, Joosten was best known for playing Mrs. Landingham, secretary to Martin Sheen’s President Bartlet, on The West Wing.
She also had roles on such shows as Scrubs, My Name Is Earl, Joan of Arcadia, and Dharma & Greg.
Joosten, who didn’t begin her acting career until she was 42, famously told interviewers through the years that Housewives‘ creator Marc Cherry had promised never to kill off Mrs. McCluskey, seeing how many of her prior characters hadn’t survived to their shows’ series finales.
According to her rep, Joosten was surrounded by family at the time of her death.
by Michael Slezak
Emmy winner Kathryn Joosten, whose emotional death scene as Karen McKluskey gave Desperate Housewives‘ recent series finale its biggest emotional punch, died yesterday of lung cancer in Westlake Village, CA. She was 72.
Joosten won her Emmys in 2005 and 2008 in the Oustanding Guest Actress in a Comedy for her portrayal of Wisteria Lane’s crankiest (but still loveable) resident.
Prior to her Housewives success, Joosten was best known for playing Mrs. Landingham, secretary to Martin Sheen’s President Bartlet, on The West Wing.
She also had roles on such shows as Scrubs, My Name Is Earl, Joan of Arcadia, and Dharma & Greg.
Joosten, who didn’t begin her acting career until she was 42, famously told interviewers through the years that Housewives‘ creator Marc Cherry had promised never to kill off Mrs. McCluskey, seeing how many of her prior characters hadn’t survived to their shows’ series finales.
According to her rep, Joosten was surrounded by family at the time of her death.
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just saying
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Re: 2012 Obits: R.I.P. and Remembrance thread
'Family Feud' host Richard Dawson dies at 79
Richard Dawson, the longtime "Family Feud" game-show host and "Hogan's Heroes" actor, has died in Los Angeles. He was 79.
His son, Gary Dawson, announced his death via Facebook.
"It is with a very heavy heart that I inform you that my father passed away [Saturday] evening from complications due to esophageal cancer. He was surrounded by his family. He was an amazing talent, a loving husband, a great dad and a doting grandfather. He will be missed but always remembered," Gary Dawson
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2 ... at-79.html
Richard Dawson, the longtime "Family Feud" game-show host and "Hogan's Heroes" actor, has died in Los Angeles. He was 79.
His son, Gary Dawson, announced his death via Facebook.
"It is with a very heavy heart that I inform you that my father passed away [Saturday] evening from complications due to esophageal cancer. He was surrounded by his family. He was an amazing talent, a loving husband, a great dad and a doting grandfather. He will be missed but always remembered," Gary Dawson
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2 ... at-79.html
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EZ103.3FM
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Re: 2012 Obits: R.I.P. and Remembrance thread
Pedro Borbon, Helped Reds Win 2 Titles, Dies at 65
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/05/sport ... at-65.html
CINCINNATI (AP) — Pedro Borbon, a relief pitcher who helped the Cincinnati Reds win back-to-back World Series titles in the 1970s, died on Monday at his home in Pharr, Tex. He was 65.
The cause was cancer, his son, Pedro Jr., said.
Borbon was with the Reds for 10 years and was a key member of the bullpen on Cincinnati’s 1975 and 1976 championship teams, winning 13 games during those two seasons. He also pitched for the Angels, the Giants and the Cardinals.
“He was probably most proud of the World Series championships,” his son said. “He would talk about it often. He was also proud that he never once had a sore arm. He could pitch almost every day.”
Borbon appeared in more games than any other National League pitcher from 1970 to 1978. He holds the Reds club record with 531 career appearances. He pitched in 20 playoff games during his career and had a 2.42 postseason earned run average.
Borbon was born Dec. 2, 1946, in the Dominican Republic.
He became part of baseball lore in 1995 when, at age 48, he decided to return to the game as a replacement player during Major League Baseball’s labor dispute. He struck out the only batter he faced in an exhibition against the Pirates in Bradenton, Fla. But the Reds released him after he faced one batter in a game against the Indians, fell down while trying to field a bunt and threw wildly to first base for an error.
Borbon also drew notice for his mention in the 1980 movie “Airplane!” While trying to concentrate, the main character, the pilot Ted Striker, hears a public address announcer’s voice in his head: “Pinch hitting for Pedro Borbon ... Manny Mota.”
“He was always talking about that,” his son said. “A lot of people remember him by that. He liked that.”
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/05/sport ... at-65.html
CINCINNATI (AP) — Pedro Borbon, a relief pitcher who helped the Cincinnati Reds win back-to-back World Series titles in the 1970s, died on Monday at his home in Pharr, Tex. He was 65.
The cause was cancer, his son, Pedro Jr., said.
Borbon was with the Reds for 10 years and was a key member of the bullpen on Cincinnati’s 1975 and 1976 championship teams, winning 13 games during those two seasons. He also pitched for the Angels, the Giants and the Cardinals.
“He was probably most proud of the World Series championships,” his son said. “He would talk about it often. He was also proud that he never once had a sore arm. He could pitch almost every day.”
Borbon appeared in more games than any other National League pitcher from 1970 to 1978. He holds the Reds club record with 531 career appearances. He pitched in 20 playoff games during his career and had a 2.42 postseason earned run average.
Borbon was born Dec. 2, 1946, in the Dominican Republic.
He became part of baseball lore in 1995 when, at age 48, he decided to return to the game as a replacement player during Major League Baseball’s labor dispute. He struck out the only batter he faced in an exhibition against the Pirates in Bradenton, Fla. But the Reds released him after he faced one batter in a game against the Indians, fell down while trying to field a bunt and threw wildly to first base for an error.
Borbon also drew notice for his mention in the 1980 movie “Airplane!” While trying to concentrate, the main character, the pilot Ted Striker, hears a public address announcer’s voice in his head: “Pinch hitting for Pedro Borbon ... Manny Mota.”
“He was always talking about that,” his son said. “A lot of people remember him by that. He liked that.”
"It was impossible to get a conversation going, everybody was talking too much." - Yogi Berra
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jag
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Re: 2012 Obits: R.I.P. and Remembrance thread
Platters founder Herb Reed dies at 83
BOSTON (AP) -- Herb Reed, the last surviving original member of the 1950s vocal group the Platters, has died. The group's hits like "Only You" propelled them to stardom.
His manager says Reed died Monday in a Boston area hospice after a period of declining health. He was 83.
Reed was a Kansas City, Mo., native who founded the Platters in Los Angeles in 1953. Reed sang bass on the group's four No. 1 hits, including "The Great Pretender," "My Prayer," "Twilight Time" and "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes."
Reed was the only member of the group to appear on all of their nearly 400 recordings. He continued touring, performing up to 200 shows per year, until last year.
The Platters were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.
BOSTON (AP) -- Herb Reed, the last surviving original member of the 1950s vocal group the Platters, has died. The group's hits like "Only You" propelled them to stardom.
His manager says Reed died Monday in a Boston area hospice after a period of declining health. He was 83.
Reed was a Kansas City, Mo., native who founded the Platters in Los Angeles in 1953. Reed sang bass on the group's four No. 1 hits, including "The Great Pretender," "My Prayer," "Twilight Time" and "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes."
Reed was the only member of the group to appear on all of their nearly 400 recordings. He continued touring, performing up to 200 shows per year, until last year.
The Platters were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.
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David Paleg
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Re: 2012 Obits: R.I.P. and Remembrance thread
Ray Bradbury, author of 'Fahrenheit 451,' dies
Jun 6, 12:06 PM (ET)
By JOHN ROGERS
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Ray Bradbury anticipated iPods, interactive television, electronic surveillance and live, sensational media events, including televised police pursuits - and not necessarily as good things.
The science fiction-fantasy master spent his life conjuring such visions from his childhood dreams and Cold War fears, spinning tales of telepathic Martians, lovesick sea monsters and, in uncanny detail, the high-tech, book-burning future of "Fahrenheit 451."
All of them, in short stories, in the movie theater and on the television screen, would fire the imaginations of generations of children and adults across the world. Years later, the sheer volume and quality of his work would surprise even him.
"I sometimes get up at night when I can't sleep and walk down into my library and open one of my books and read a paragraph and say: 'My God, did I write that? Did I write that?' Because it's still a surprise," Bradbury said in 2000.
Bradbury, who died Tuesday night at age 91, was slowed in recent years by a stroke that meant he had to use a wheelchair. But he remained active over the years, turning out new novels, plays, screenplays and a volume of poetry.
Full story at Iwon News.
Jun 6, 12:06 PM (ET)
By JOHN ROGERS
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Ray Bradbury anticipated iPods, interactive television, electronic surveillance and live, sensational media events, including televised police pursuits - and not necessarily as good things.
The science fiction-fantasy master spent his life conjuring such visions from his childhood dreams and Cold War fears, spinning tales of telepathic Martians, lovesick sea monsters and, in uncanny detail, the high-tech, book-burning future of "Fahrenheit 451."
All of them, in short stories, in the movie theater and on the television screen, would fire the imaginations of generations of children and adults across the world. Years later, the sheer volume and quality of his work would surprise even him.
"I sometimes get up at night when I can't sleep and walk down into my library and open one of my books and read a paragraph and say: 'My God, did I write that? Did I write that?' Because it's still a surprise," Bradbury said in 2000.
Bradbury, who died Tuesday night at age 91, was slowed in recent years by a stroke that meant he had to use a wheelchair. But he remained active over the years, turning out new novels, plays, screenplays and a volume of poetry.
Full story at Iwon News.
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Lester
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Re: 2012 Obits: R.I.P. and Remembrance thread
Former Fleetwood Mac member Bob Welch found dead
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Bob Welch, a former member of Fleetwood Mac who also had a solo career, died Thursday of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said. He was 65.
http://enews.earthlink.net/article/top? ... eff517c73e
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Bob Welch, a former member of Fleetwood Mac who also had a solo career, died Thursday of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said. He was 65.
http://enews.earthlink.net/article/top? ... eff517c73e
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just saying
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Re: 2012 Obits: R.I.P. and Remembrance thread
Actor Frank Cady in 1990. He died Friday at the age of 96 at his home in Oregon. (CBS / June 10, 2012)
Sam Drucker from Green Acers'
Frank Cady, 96, a character actor who played Hooterville general-store proprietor Sam Drucker on the TV sitcoms “Green Acres” and “Petticoat Junction,” died Friday at his home in Wilsonville, Ore., said his daughter, Catherine Turk. No specific cause was given.
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv ... 0819.story
Sam Drucker from Green Acers'
Frank Cady, 96, a character actor who played Hooterville general-store proprietor Sam Drucker on the TV sitcoms “Green Acres” and “Petticoat Junction,” died Friday at his home in Wilsonville, Ore., said his daughter, Catherine Turk. No specific cause was given.
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv ... 0819.story