2013 Obits: R.I.P. and Remembrance thread

This is a good place to drop general and weird news, entertainment, and general show prep material that might be interesting to air talent or producers. Hot dog threads ALWAYS welcome.

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Re: 2013 Obits: R.I.P. and Remembrance thread

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Karen Black, Oscar-Nominated Star of ’70s Classics, Dies at 74
By Matt McDaniel | Movie Talk

Karen Black, the Oscar-nominated star of groundbreaking films of the '60s and '70s like "Easy Rider," "Five Easy Pieces" and "Nashville," died on Thursday at the age of 74. Her husband, Stephen Eckleberry, confirmed on Facebook that she succumbed to cancer after a two-year battle.

Black trained at the Actor's Studio in New York under the legendary acting teacher Lee Strassberg before making her film debut in 1966 with Francis Ford Coppola's early film "You're a Big Boy Now." She shot to stardom three years later in the counterculture classic "Easy Rider" alongside Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper as one of the women who join the bikers on a drug trip in a New Orleans cemetery ("Mickey" singer Toni Basil was the other).

Black earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in "Five Easy Pieces" as the country-singing waitress in an unhealthy relationship with Jack Nicholson's disaffected classical pianist. This led to roles in many high-profile films of the 1970s, including "The Great Gatsby" with Robert Redford, Robert Altman's "Nashville," and "Family Plot," Alfred Hitchcock's final film. She also hosted "Saturday Night Live" in its second season (she returned to the show again in 1981). Her most indelible work of the decade, though, might well be the TV movie "Trilogy of Terror," where she played the main character in three short horror films — including the famous solo battle with the Zuni fetish doll.

Karen Black continued to work throughout the '80s, '90s and 2000s, though mostly in low-budget independent and horror films, including Rob Zombie's directorial debut "House of 1000 Corpses." She had two projects she worked on before becoming gravely ill: the romantic indie "She Loves Me Not," which premiered just this past Tuesday at the Midwest Independent Film Festival, and the online project "The Being Experience."

Black grabbed headlines this past March when she went public with her cancer battle and started a crowdsourcing effort to raise funds for her treatment. Her GoFundMe page nearly doubled its fundraising goal, bringing in nearly $62,000 in donations from fans.

On her official blog, Black's husband posted an update on Wednesday detailing her struggle with her disease and deteriorating condition. Eckleberry wrote, "One doctor told me that he thought that Karen had only 24 hours to live when she arrive at St. Johns June 3rd, and yet here she is alive two months later." He went on to say that interactions with fans sustained both of them: "Karen and I have received hundreds of messages from you. Your prayers and well wishes help sustain us. We remain eternally grateful for all the love you continue to share."

Black is survived by her son, Hunter Carson (they appeared together in the 1986 film "Invaders From Mars") and adopted daughter Celine Eckleberry.
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Re: 2013 Obits: R.I.P. and Remembrance thread

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Eydie Gorme dies at 84
pop singer did 'Blame It on the Bossa Nova'
By Claire Noland
August 10, 2013, 8:49 p.m.

Eydie Gorme, a pop vocalist who entertained nightclub audiences and TV viewers as a solo artist and with her husband, Steve Lawrence, died Saturday. She was 84.

Gorme died at a Las Vegas hospital of an undisclosed illness, said her publicist, Howard Bragman.

Since the mid-1950s, first as a soloist and then as part of the Steve and Eydie duo, Gorme sang pop hits, standards and show tunes while decked out in sequins and engaging in playful stage patter.

Her first album with Lawrence, "We Got Us," won a Grammy Award in 1960. The two also recorded separately, he making Billboard's top 10 with "Go Away Little Girl" in 1962 and she having a hit with "Blame It on the Bossa Nova" in 1963 and winning a Grammy for "If He Walked into My Life" in 1966. Together they starred in the Broadway musical "Golden Rainbow" in 1968.

"Eydie has been my partner onstage and in life for more than 55 years," Lawrence said in a statement. "I fell in love with her the moment I saw her and even more the first time I heard her sing. While my personal loss is unimaginable, the world has lost one of the greatest pop vocalists of all time."

Gorme (pronounced Gor-MAY) had been a singer with the Tex Beneke Band when Steve Allen hired her for his New York variety TV show in 1953. Lawrence was also part of the show's ensemble, and the two sang and acted in comedy sketches. They made the leap with Allen when his "Tonight" show was picked up by the NBC network in 1954, and for three years they were regulars on the late-night hit.

In 1957 Gorme appeared with comedian Jerry Lewis at the Palace Theatre on Broadway and with comic Joe E. Brown in Las Vegas. That December she married Lawrence in Las Vegas. They returned to television in 1958 with "The Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme Show" before Lawrence was called to the Army.

While he served for two years, she performed on her own, and upon his discharge in 1960 they resumed their professional partnership, billing themselves as Steve and Eydie.

"What has been the nature of their success?" Allen said in a 1996 Times story. "First, the fact that they are a couple has something to do with it. Secondly, they are damned good singers. And thirdly — this has both hurt and helped them — they concentrated for the most part on good music. This lost them the youthful audience, who prefer crap to Cole Porter's music. But it endeared them to people with sophisticated taste."

Gorme was born Aug. 16, 1928, in the Bronx, N.Y., to Sephardic Jewish immigrants. Her father was a tailor from Sicily and her mother was from Turkey. Before her singing career took off, Gorme worked as a Spanish-language interpreter.

In the mid-1960s she was pitched the idea of a Spanish-language recording. "Amor" and a follow-up album with the Mexican group Trio Los Panchos became hits in the U.S. and Latin America.

Gorme and Lawrence continued to perform on television variety shows, winning an Emmy for the 1978 special "Steve and Eydie Celebrate Irving Berlin," and on tour as a duo and opening for Frank Sinatra and others.

Besides her husband of nearly 56 years, Gorme is survived by their son David and a granddaughter. The couple's other son, Michael, who had a heart condition, died in 1986 at age 23.
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Re: 2013 Obits: R.I.P. and Remembrance thread

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Actor Lee Thompson Young found dead at age 29
Aug 19, 4:20 PM (ET)
By LYNN ELBER

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Lee Thompson Young, who began his acting career as the teenage star of the Disney Channel's "The Famous Jett Jackson" and was featured in the film "Friday Night Lights" and the series "Rizzoli & Isles," was found dead Monday, police said. He was 29.

There was no official cause of death, but Young's manager, Paul Baruch, said the actor "tragically took his own life."

"Lee was more than just a brilliant young actor, he was a wonderful and gentle soul who will be truly missed. We ask that you please respect the privacy of his family and friends as this very difficult time," Baruch said in a statement.

Young's body was found at his North Hollywood home by police Monday morning after he failed to show up for work on TNT's crime drama "Rizzoli & Isles," police Officer Sally Madera said. The Los Angeles Fire Department was summoned and pronounced him dead at the scene, she said.

LAPD robbery-homicide detectives and the Los Angeles County coroner office were investigating because it is a high-profile death, she said. Madera had no details about the cause of death.

In the TNT series, Young played fledgling police Detective Barry Frost, who's computer savvy but squeamish. Earlier Monday, the channel announced it was renewing the series that stars Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander.

"We are beyond heartbroken at the loss of this sweet, gentle, good-hearted, intelligent man. ... Lee will be cherished and remembered by all who knew and loved him, both on- and offscreen, for his positive energy, infectious smile and soulful grace," TNT, studio Warner Bros. and series producer Janet Tamaro said in a joint statement.

They sent condolences to his mother and other family members.

According to a biography from TNT, Young was inspired to pursue acting when, at age, 10, he played Martin Luther King Jr. in a play in Young's hometown of Columbia, S.C.

In 1998, Young began starring in "The Famous Jett Jackson," playing a TV action hero who returns to his roots for a less high-profile life. The series ran until 2001.

Young followed it with roles in TV series, including "The Guardian,""Scrubs" and "Smallville" and in the films "Akeelah and the Bee" and "The Hills Have Eyes II." Young joined "Rizzoli & Isles" when it debuted in 2010.

"I'm the youngest member of the cast, so I really take advantage of the wealth of knowledge that I find myself surrounded by," Young said in a 2011 interview with the website Rolling Out.

Young, a graduate of University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts, was an as an avid photographer, traveler and student of martial arts, according to his biography.
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Re: 2013 Obits: R.I.P. and Remembrance thread

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Elmore Leonard, writer of sharp, colorful crime stories, dead at 87
(CNN) -- Elmore Leonard -- the award-winning mystery writer whose snappy dialogue, misfit characters and laconic sense of humor produced such popular works as "Get Shorty," "Hombre," "Fifty-Two Pickup" and "Out of Sight" -- has died, according to his literary agent, Jeffrey Posternak. He was 87.


http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/20/showbiz/e ... ?hpt=hp_t3
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Re: 2013 Obits: R.I.P. and Remembrance thread

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Sid Bernstein, who brought Beatles to Shea, dies
Aug 21, 4:13 PM (ET)
By HILLEL ITALIE

NEW YORK (AP) - Misty-eyed music promoter Sid Bernstein, who booked such top acts as Jimi Hendrix, Judy Garland and the Rolling Stones and hit the highest heights when he masterminded the Beatles' historic concerts at Shea Stadium and Carnegie Hall, died Wednesday at age 95.

Bernstein's daughter, Casey Deutsch, said he died in his sleep at a hospital. She cited no illness and said he died of natural causes.

For decades, the squat, floppy-haired Bernstein excelled like few others at being everywhere and knowing everybody. He worked with Garland, Duke Ellington and Ray Charles, promoted Dion, Bobby Darin and Chubby Checker and managed Esy Morales, the Rascals and Ornette Coleman. He was an early backer of ABBA, setting up the Swedish group's first American appearances. He was behind one of the first rock benefit shows, the 1970 "Winter Festival for Peace" at Madison Square Garden, which featured Hendrix and Peter, Paul and Mary. And he helped revive Tony Bennett's career with a 1962 show at Carnegie Hall.

Full story at Iwon/AP News.
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Re: 2013 Obits: R.I.P. and Remembrance thread

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David Frost, known for Nixon interview, dies
Sep 1, 8:13 AM (ET)
By SYLVIA HUI


LONDON (AP) - Veteran British journalist and broadcaster David Frost, who won fame around the world for his TV interviews with former President Richard Nixon, has died, his family told the BBC. He was 74.

Frost died of a suspected heart attack on Saturday night aboard the Queen Elizabeth cruise ship, where he was due to give a speech, the family said. The cruise company Cunard said its vessel left the English port of Southampton on Saturday for a 10-day cruise in the Mediterranean.

Known both for an amiable personality and incisive interviews with leading public figures, Frost's career in television news and entertainment spanned almost half a century. He was the only person to have interviewed all six British prime ministers serving between 1964 and 2007 and the seven U.S. presidents in office between 1969 and 2008. Outside world affairs, his roster ranged from Orson Welles to Muhammad Ali to Clint Eastwood.

Prime Minister David Cameron was quick to send his condolences, praising Frost for being an "extraordinary man with charm, wit, talent, intelligence and warmth in equal measure."

"The Nixon interviews were among the great broadcast moments - but there were many other brilliant interviews," Cameron said. "He could be - and certainly was with me - both a friend and a fearsome interviewer."

The BBC said it received a statement from Frost's family saying it was devastated and asking "for privacy at this difficult time."

Frost began television hosting while still a student at Cambridge University. He went on to host the BBC's satirical news show "The Week That Was" in the early 1960s, and, later, a sketch show called "The Frost Report" and a long-running BBC Sunday show, "Breakfast with Frost." His signature, "Hello, good evening and welcome" was often mimicked.

While popular in Britain and beginning to launch a career on U.S. television, Frost did not become internationally known until 1977, when he secured a series of television interviews with Nixon.

Full story at AP News / Iwon.
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Re: 2013 Obits: R.I.P. and Remembrance thread

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Bill Campbell, former US Amateur Champion, USGA President & longtime Huntington resident died Friday in Lewisburg at age 90.
I'm surprised no one posted this yet.

I think I met Mr. Campbell just once. His daughter Vicky was in school with me at Cammack Junior High until she left to attend Phillips Exeter Academy as her father had. Mr. Campbell's stepson Brad Dourif is an actor who has appeared in over 150 TV shows and movies including the Lord of the Rings movies (as Grima Worktongue), One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (as Billy, in only his second movie role) and was the voice of the evil dummy Chucky in that series of movies.

Here's the obituary from Monday's Herald-Dispatch:http://news.herald-dispatch.com/obituar ... d=36908498
WILLIAM CAMMACK CAMPBELL died at his home in Lewisburg, W.Va., on August 30, 2013, at the age of 90.

One of America's most renowned amateur golfers, Campbell was deeply devoted to Huntington and to West Virginia, where he resided for nearly all of his life. Respected for his honesty, intelligence, athletic achievements and integrity, Campbell was above all a gentleman who served and cared for the world and those around him.

Born in Huntington, West Virginia, in 1923, Campbell, the son of Ruth and Rolla D. Campbell, was introduced to golf by this father at the age of three. Campbell won the U.S. Amateur Championship in 1964, the U. S. Senior Amateur Championship in 1979 and 1980, and the North and South Amateur Championship four times. He played in eight Walker Cup matches, was undefeated in singles matches and was the playing captain in 1956. He competed in 18 Masters Tournaments and 15 U.S. Open Championships -- an extraordinary record for an amateur golfer.

Campbell was also the only American to head both the U.S. Golf Association and the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, the two governing bodies of worldwide golf. Like his good friend and early mentor, professional golfer Sam Snead, Campbell frequently played the courses at the Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, where for many years he had a second home.

Campbell graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy and Princeton University. After serving in combat with the U.S. Army in Europe during World War Two, he succeeded his maternal grandfather, C.W. Cammack, as the agent for John Hancock Insurance in Huntington, and headed the agency for 60 years.

Campbell served in the West Virginia Legislature from 1948 to 1951. He also served on the boards of several corporations, notably First Huntington National Bank and C&P Telephone of W.Va., and headed many commissions and nonprofit organizations or chaired or served on their boards. These include The Greater Huntington Chamber of Commerce, the Huntington YMCA, the Advisory Board of Marshall University, the Marshall University Foundation, the Huntington Museum of Art, the Cammack Children's Center, the Cabell County American Red Cross, the Central Ohio Valley Industrial Council, the Ohio Valley Improvement Association, the West Virginia Legislative Compensation Committee, and the West Virginia Industrial & Publicity Commission.

Campbell is survived by his wife of 59 years, Joan; by four stepchildren, Diana Dourif Cole of Summit, N.J., Patricia Dourif Amenta of Lewisburg, W.Va., Bradford Dourif of California and Christiane Dourif Friedman of Charlottesville, Va.; two children, Victoria Campbell Collins of Glyndon, Md., and Colin Cammack Campbell of Denver, Co.; 15 grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren. A service will be held at The Old Stone Presbyterian Church, Lewisburg, W.Va., at 11 a.m. Tuesday, September 10, 2013, with Rev. J. Dexter Taylor officiating. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that contributions be sent to the Cammack Children Center, Huntington, W.Va., or The West Virginia Golf Association's William C. Campbell Scholarship Fund.

Here's the AP story (by West Virginia AP writer John Raby) linked from the Chicago Sun-Times. http://www.suntimes.com/news/obituaries ... champ.html

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — William Campbell, a former U.S. Amateur champion who played on eight Walker Cup teams and served two years as president of the U.S. Golf Association, has died. He was 90.

The USGA and the West Virginia Golf Association said Mr. Campbell died Friday at his home in Lewisburg, W.Va. Known to many as “Mr. Campbell,” he won the West Virginia Amateur a record 15 times between 1949 and 1975.

Mr. Campbell was president of the USGA from 1982-83 and served on its executive committee for 10 years. In 1987, he became only the third American to be elected captain of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club in St. Andrews, and the only man to have led both of golf’s governing bodies.

Mr. Campbell served as an artillery officer in the Army during World War II, graduated Princeton in 1947 with a history degree and remained an amateur golfer his entire career. He competed in the U.S. Amateur for 33 straight years, winning in 1964. He also won the U.S. Senior Amateur twice and the North & South Amateur four times.

He played on eight Walker Cup teams from 1951 to 1975, never losing a singles match and never playing on a losing team. He was the playing captain in 1955. As an amateur, Mr. Campbell had 14 appearances in the U.S. Open and 17 appearances in the Masters.

“Mr. Campbell was one of the game’s great champions and finest gentlemen,” USGA executive director Mike Davis said. “His contributions to amateur golf and to the USGA have been many and profound.”

He owned his own insurance company for more than 50 years. His family and civic and charitable events kept Mr. Campbell off the golfing circuits except for major events. He also served one term in the state House of Delegates in 1949-50.

In 1964, Mr. Campbell beat another West Virginia native, Ed Tutwiler, in the championship match of the U.S. Amateur. The pair dominated the state Amateur as the tournament’s only winners from 1948 to 1963. Mr. Campbell made his last appearance at the state Amateur in 1996.

Mr. Campbell was elected into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1990. A scholarship in his name is awarded annually by the West Virginia Golf Association.

He also is a member of the PGA Hall of Fame and the West Virginia Hall of Fame. In 1956, Mr. Campbell received the USGA’s highest honor, the Bob Jones Award for Distinguished Sportsmanship.
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FILE - In this April 12, 1974, file phot, Bill Campbell, of Huntington, W.Va., watches his putt stop short on the second green during the second round of the Masters Golf championship at the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Ga. Campbell, a former U.S. Amateur champion who played on eight Walker Cup teams and later served two years as president of the U.S. Golf Association, has died Friday, Aug. 30, 2013, at his home in Lewisburg, W.Va, the USGA said. He was 90. (AP Photo/File) AP
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Re: 2013 Obits: R.I.P. and Remembrance thread

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Sound pioneer Ray Dolby of Dolby Laboratories dies at 80

y Rebecca Keegan
September 12, 2013, 1:59 p.m.
Ray Dolby, the inventor and engineer who founded Dolby Laboratories and pioneered noise-reducing and surround-sound technology widely used in the film and recording industries, has died in San Francisco at 80, the company announced Thursday.

Dolby had been living with Alzheimer's disease in recent years and was diagnosed in July with acute leukemia, the company said.

“Today we lost a friend, mentor and true visionary,” Dolby Laboratories President and Chief Executive Kevin Yeaman said in a statement. “Ray Dolby founded the company based on a commitment to creating value through innovation and an impassioned belief that if you invested in people and gave them the tools for success they would create great things. Ray’s ideals will continue to be a source of inspiration and motivation for us all.”

PHOTOS: Notable deaths 2013

Dolby, born in Portland, Ore., was a precocious inventor. While attending high school in San Francisco and then at Stanford University, Dolby worked at Ampex Corp., where he was the chief designer of the first practical videotape recording system.

By the end of his life, he held more than 50 patents and had received two Oscars for scientific and technical achievement, several Emmys and a Grammy.

“My father was a thoughtful, patient and loving man, determined to always do the right thing in business, philanthropy, and as a husband and father,” said David Dolby, his son and a member of Dolby Laboratories’ board of directors. “Our family is very proud of his achievements and leadership. He will be sorely missed, but his legacy of innovation will live on.”

Dolby is survived by his wife, Dagmar, his sons Tom and David, their spouses Andrew and Natasha, and four grandchildren.
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Re: 2013 Obits: R.I.P. and Remembrance thread

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Wayne S. Green II, W2NSD (“Never Say Die”), of Hancock, New Hampshire, died September 13. He was 91.


Wayne S. Green II, W2NSD (“Never Say Die”), of Hancock, New Hampshire, died September 13. He was 91. A well-known and often outspoken figure during what some consider Amateur Radio’s golden years in the 1950s and 1960s, Green helmed CQ Magazine for 5 years before becoming the self-proclaimed “El Supremo and Founder” in 1960 of 73 magazine, which he published until 2003.

“The purpose of [73] at that time was to get more hams building equipment,” Green recounted in a radio interview several years ago. A hallmark of 73 was Green’s iconic, rambling, and wide-ranging “Never Say Die” editorials, in which he rarely missed an opportunity to tweak the ARRL and his magazine competitors for their perceived shortcomings. In 2012 Green contributed back issues of 73 to Internet Archive.

“Wayne will be remembered in many different ways by many different people, but he will be long remembered,” said ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ. “He maintained his membership in the ARRL despite being a persistent critic. In the early days of packet radio he gave me some good advice as to how the ARRL should promote the new technology: ‘Talk about it as if everybody’s doing it, and eventually they will be.’”
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Re: 2013 Obits: R.I.P. and Remembrance thread

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Former heavyweight boxing champ Ken Norton -- who had 3 classic fights with Muhammad Ali -- died today in Las Vegas ...according to his son

Read more: http://www.tmz.com#ixzz2fKk9Jiab
Visit Fishwrapper: http://www.fishwrapper.com
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Re: 2013 Obits: R.I.P. and Remembrance thread

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PITTSBURGH -- L.C. Greenwood, who helped the Pittsburgh Steelers win four Super Bowl titles in the 1970s and was a member of the famed "Steel Curtain" defensive line, died of natural causes Sunday at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/97449 ... api_public
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Re: 2013 Obits: R.I.P. and Remembrance thread

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Best-selling author Tom Clancy has died at age 66
Associated Press
HILLEL ITALIE

NEW YORK (AP) — Tom Clancy, whose high-tech, Cold War thrillers such as "The Hunt for Red October" and "Patriot Games" made him the most widely read and influential military novelist of his time, has died. He was 66.

Penguin Group (USA) announced that Clancy had died Tuesday in Baltimore. The publisher did not provide a cause of death.

Tall and thin, with round, sunken eyes that were often hidden by sunglasses, Clancy had said his dream had been simply to publish a book, hopefully a good one, so that he would be in the Library of Congress catalog. His dreams were answered many times over.

His novels were dependable best sellers, with his publisher estimating that worldwide sales top 100 million copies. Several, including "The Hunt for Red October," ''Patriot Games" and "Clear and Present Danger," were later made into blockbuster movies, with another based on his desk-jockey CIA hero, "Jack Ryan," set for release on Christmas. Alec Baldwin, Ben Affleck and Harrison Ford were among the actors who played Ryan on screen. The upcoming movie stars Chris Pine, Keira Knightly and Kevin Costner, with Kenneth Branagh directing.

Full story at Yahoo news.
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Re: 2013 Obits: R.I.P. and Remembrance thread

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Mercury Seven astronaut Scott Carpenter dies at 88
http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/10/us/scott- ... index.html

(CNN) -- Astronaut Scott Carpenter, the second American to orbit Earth, has died, NASA said on Thursday. He was 88.

"We, the whole NASA family, are mourning with Scott's family. We have lost a true pioneer. I shall long remember him not only for his smarts and courage but his incredible humor. He kept us all grounded," said NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden. "We will miss him greatly."

Carpenter was one of the Mercury Seven astronauts chosen by NASA. He was a backup pilot for John Glenn in the preparation for America's first manned orbital space flight in February 1962.

Carpenter flew the second American manned orbital flight in May of that year.

He was born in Boulder, Colorado.
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Re: 2013 Obits: R.I.P. and Remembrance thread

Post by unchoopfan »

Cal Smith, country singer/songwriter, 81

Peter Cooper/The Tennessean

Calvin Grand Shofner -- known professionally as Cal Smith, and famed for top-charting hits Country Bumpkin, The Lord Knows I'm Drinking and It's Time To Pay the Fiddler -- died Thursday (Oct. 10) in Branson, Mo., at age 81.

Born in Gans, Okla., Smith grew up in the San Jose, Calif., area, and became a popular disc jockey prior to joining Ernest Tubb's Texas Troubadours as a rhythm guitarist in 1962. Smith worked with Tubb until 1968, when he became a solo performer.

In 1972, he recorded Bill Anderson's The Lord Knows I'm Drinking , which became a No. 1 country hit for Decca Records. In 1974, Smith scored with Country Bumpkin, which became the Country Music Association's song and single of the year and the Academy of Country Music's song of the year.

Don Wayne wrote Country Bumpkin, after being critiqued by a publishing industry professional as being too country: Nobody wants to hear about that frost on the pumpkin, was the criticism. Wayne wrote of a man who met a woman who teased him, "Hello, country bumpkin/ How's the frost out on the pumpkin?"

"And then the story just unfolded," Wayne told author Philip Self in Guitar Pull: Conversations With Country's Legendary Songwriters. "I thought to myself, 'Man, I've stumbled on to a hit song here.' But after thinking about it further, I thought, 'This could be more than a hit song. This could be a great song, if I write what I'm seeing.'"

Wayne wrote what he was seeing, and Smith's vocal on the song was relaxed and authentic.

Country Music Hall of Famer Garth Brooks sang Country Bumpkin for years in his sound checks, and he has called Smith's recording of Country Bumpkin his favorite country single. In 1994, Smith presented Brooks with his Academy of Country Music Award for Country Bumpkin, and Brooks displayed that trophy in his home. Country Bumpkin was a huge country hit, as was 1975's It's Time to Pay the Fiddler. Smith also scored Top 20 hits with 1972's I've Found Someone of My Own, 1974's Between Lust and Watching TV, 1975's She Talked a Lot About Texas and Jason's Farm, and 1977's I Just Came Home to Count the Memories.

Smith also figured into Loretta Lynn's Grammy-grabbing new-century career revival. Lynn's album returned her to mainstream prominence, and single Portland, Oregon was a duet between Lynn and rocker/producer Jack White. That song was spurred by a Portland night where she and Smith ordered drinks at a Holiday Inn. According to Lynn's memoir, Still Woman Enough, the evening ended innocently, but Smith's drink suggestion was enough to inspire the song's opening couplet: "Well, Portland, Oregon, and sloe gin fizz/ If that ain't love than tell me what is."

Smith's last charting single came in 1986 with King Lear.

His later years were spent with his wife, Darlene. He is survived by his wife, five children and 15 great-grandchildren.

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

Jan Kuehnemund, guitarist (Vixen), 51

Mick Stingley/Hollywood Reporter

Jan Kuehnemund, the founding member and lead guitarist for the all-female glam metal band Vixen, passed away on Thursday, Oct. 10, after a long battle with cancer. She was 51. Kuehnemund was born on Nov. 18, 1961, in St. Paul, Minn., and formed Vixen in high school. She and singer Janet Gardner moved the band to Los Angeles in 1985 and, within two years, the classic lineup was formed with Roxy Petrucci on drums and Share Pedersen on bass. The band was later signed to EMI. Vixen's self-titled debut was released in 1988 and spawned two hit singles, "Cryin' " and "Edge of a Broken Heart." The group appeared in the Penelope Spheeris film, The Decline of Western Civilization II: The Metal Years, and its videos were featured heavily on MTV.

Vixen followed up their breakout success with Rev It Up in 1990, which yielded two singles, "Love Is a Killer" and "How Much Love." The album did not have the same impact as the band's debut, however, and they were dropped shortly after. Vixen disbanded for several years but reformed with various new members until Kuehnemund returned in 2001. The band had a brief reunion of the classic lineup for VH1's Bands Reunited in 2004, but soon went their separate ways. Kuehnemund continued as Vixen with new members and Gardner, Petrucci and Pedersen formed JanetShareRoxyGina (aka JSRG) with new guitarist Gina Stiles.

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Maxine Powell, etiquette/artist mentor (Motown), 98

(CNN) -- Maxine Powell, the mentor behind the smooth success and individual charm of Motown Records' stars for almost five decades, died Monday (Oct. 14), the Detroit Free Press reported. She was 98.

Powell, who started as a personal development coach with Motown in 1964, was known for teaching Motown artists how to walk, talk and even think with class. She played an influential role in nurturing its future stars including Diana Ross and Marvin Gaye by giving them lessons in media relations and proper manners.

Mary Wilson, an original member of Motown's Supremes, quoted Powell as saying, "One day, you may be performing before kings and queens."

"And we actually did," Wilson said in a 2002 interview with CNN. "But it was because they taught us how to sit, you know, to talk, and all of these kinds of things."

In a statement Monday, Motown founder Berry Gordy said Powell was tough, but "poised, professional, and very thankful" as she worked with artists.

Gordy's statement quoted Powell as telling the young artists: "I love you all, but don't confuse me with your mother -- she's stuck with you, I'm not!"

"Ladies, remember your gloves, walk with class like you were taught -- and always remember, do not protrude the buttocks."

"She brought something to Motown that no other record company had. She was a star in her own right -- an original," Gordy's statement added.

Singer-songwriter and producer Smokey Robinson also paid tribute to Maxine Powell's contribution.

"She led and lived a long wonderful life. I just saw her a couple of weeks ago and she was very mentally sharp. She was an essential part of Motown," he said in a statement. "We all loved her and she will be truly missed, but the evidence of her will live on and on through all of the Motown family."

Powell was one of Detroit-based Motown's first personal development coaches along with Maurice King and Cholly Atkins, according to the company's website.
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Re: 2013 Obits: R.I.P. and Remembrance thread

Post by David Paleg »

StarTrek.com is saddened to report the passing of Lou Scheimer, co-founder of animation house Filmation, which produced Star Trek: The Animated Series, Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, The Archie Show, Ghostbusters and many other beloved Saturday morning cartoons. As a producer, Scheimer won a Daytime Emmy, in the Best Children’s Program category, for the Star Trek animated series, and he’d even provided a couple of voices for the show. Scheimer, who suffered from Parkinson’s disease, died on October 17, two days shy of his 85th birthday.

Scheimer is survived by his wife Mary Ann and two children from a previous marriage. StarTrek.com extends our condolences to his family, friends and fans.
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Hal Needham Dead; Legendary Stuntman and Director Was 82
Variety Film Reporter Dave McNary


Hal Needham, longtime stuntman and director of “Smokey and the Bandit” and “Cannonball Run” for Burt Reynolds, died Friday in Los Angeles after a short battle with cancer, his manager confirmed. He was 82.

At one time the highest paid stuntman in the world, he was said to have broken 56 bones, broken his back twice, punctured a lung and knocked out a few teeth while working on 4500 TV episodes and 310 feature films. His work was admired by generations of filmmakers including Quentin Tarantino.

Needham, a native of Tennessee, broke into show business as a stunt double for Richard Boone on the series “Have Gun, Will Travel.” Among the hundreds of films on which he did stunts were “Stagecoach,” “How the West Was Won,” “The Bridge at Remagen,” “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance” and “Little Big Man.”

He became friends with Reynolds, who offered Needham the opportunity to direct “Smokey and the Bandit,” for which Needham had written the screenplay. Needham also directed “Hooper,” “Stroker Ace,”"Street Luge” and “Rad.”

Needham received a Governors Award from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences last year, where he was introduced by Tarantino, who said, “I have ripped off a lot of shots from you, and today I say, ‘Thank you very much.’” At the tribute, Needham called himself “the luckiest man alive and lucky to be alive.”

He developed numerous camera and production innovations, and won a Scientific and Engineering Oscar in 1987 for the design and development of the Shotmaker Elite camera car and crane. Among his other inventions were the air ram, air bag, car cannon turnover, nitrogen ratchet, jerk-off ratchet and rocket power.
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Re: 2013 Obits: R.I.P. and Remembrance thread

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Jerk-off ratchet? Hmmmmmmmm...
Titties and beer...thank God almighty for titties and beer!
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Marcia Wallace, Star of ‘The Bob Newhart Show’ and Voice of Mrs. Krabappel, Dies at 70
Variety - TV News

Marcia Wallace, the feisty redhead who starred as receptionist Carol Kester on “The Bob Newhart Show” and voiced teacher Edna Krabappel on “The Simpsons,” died Friday. She would have turned 71 on Nov. 1.

TMZ reported the actress died at her home in Los Angeles but other details remained unclear.

Wallace won an Emmy for outstanding voiceover performance on “The Simpsons” in 1992.

Born in Creston, Iowa, she moved to New York after graduating college and worked in off-Broadway productions. The role of the receptionist on “The Bob Newhart Show” was written specifically for her after she had appeared numerous times on “The Merv Griffin Show.”

After “Bob Newhart,” she went on to appear on several game shows and on “Alf,” “Full House” and “Bewitched” as well as “Murphy Brown,” “The Brady Bunch,” “Taxi” and “Murder, She Wrote.”

She appeared in more than 100 episodes of “The Simpsons” as Bart Simpson’s teacher, who eventually marries Ned Flanders.
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Nitrogen ratchet:

http://youtu.be/9GUqOCi_qQo
"Everyone Should be aware that you're just a screen grab away from infamy."
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Lou Reed, singer/songwriter/guitarist (Velvet Underground), 71

(CNN) -- Lou Reed, who took rock 'n' roll into dark corners as a songwriter, vocalist and guitarist for the Velvet Underground and as a solo artist, has died at the age of 71, his publicist said Sunday (Oct. 27).

"It is now officially confirmed that Lou Reed did pass away several hours ago," Peter Noble said.

Noble didn't disclose details of Reed's death.

Reed was a rock pioneer who went from record label songwriter to a member of a short-lived, but innovative and influential band.

"Glam, punk and alternative rock are all unthinkable without his revelatory example," wrote Jon Dolan in Rolling Stone, which first reported his death.

Reed, violist John Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison, and drummer Maureen Tucker played their first show as the Velvet Underground in 1965.

The Velvets tackled taboo topics like drug addiction, paranoia and sexual deviancy, according to their bio page on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame site.

Rock mythology has it that even though they were around only for a few years, everyone who went to a Velvet Underground concert went out and started a band. And performers from David Bowie to R.E.M. and U2 have cited them as inspiration.

In 1970, Reed left the Velvets for a long solo career turning out classics like "Walk on the Wild Side" and "Sweet Jane."

Reed's wife, Laurie Anderson, told The Times of London this summer, that Reed had a life-saving liver transplant in May.
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