2014 Obits: Remembrance thread

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Re: 2014 Obits: Remembrance thread

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Bobby Womack, soul singer/songwriter, 70

(NBC News) - Bobby Womack, the legendary Cleveland-born soul singer, died Friday (June 27) at the age of 70. The cause of death was unknown.

Womack’s career took off in the early 1960s with the Valentinos, after Sam Cooke added the group to his roster at SAR Records. After Cooke’s death, Womack married his widow.

Womack went on to work as a session musician with Aretha Franklin and to become one of R&B’s most well-known voices, the man behind albums like "Across 110th Street," "Facts of Life," and "Lookin for a Love Again." He was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009, and in 2012 he released his first album in more than a decade, "The Bravest Man in the Universe."

"You know more at 65 than you did at 25. I understand the songs much better now," he told Rolling Stone at that time. In the 1980s, Womack grappled with drug addiction, and he suffered numerous health problems, including pneumonia, colon cancer and diabetes.

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Teenie Hodges, Memphis session musician (Hi Records)/songwriter, 68

(Debbie Elliott/NPR) A key architect of Memphis soul died this week. Guitarist and songwriter Mabon "Teenie" Hodges helped create the smooth, sultry R&B sound made famous by singer Al Green. Teenie Hodges grew up playing in his father's blues band as a teenager in the 1950s. By the '60s, he and his brothers were part of the house band for Hi Records, a Memphis R&B label headed by producer Willie Mitchell. The Hi Rhythym band had a string of instruments hits, but things changed after a gig in Texas.

"They ran into a kind of washed up soul singer named Al Green, and Teenie told Willie that this was the singer that they'd been looking for," said Robert Gordon, author of "It Came From Memphis," a book about the city's rich musical heritage."The work at Hi Records kind of shifted the soul music emphasis from the dance floor to the boudoir. And it was Teenie's supple, slinky, silken sound that helped guide it."

Hodges co-wrote songs, including Al Green's "Love And Happiness" and "Take Me To The River." He worked with countless artists from Etta James to Isaac Hayes and, most recently, singer-songwriter Cat Power. Teenie Hodges passed away Sunday (June 22) in Dallas where he'd been hospitalized with complications from emphysema. He was 68.

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Jimmy C. Newman, country artist, 86

(CMT.com) - Grand Ole Opry star Jimmy C. Newman, a Louisiana native who brought a Cajun music influence to country music, died Saturday night (June 21) in Nashville following a brief illness. He was 86.

He had been Opry member since 1956, two years after scoring his signature hit, the self-penned "Cry, Cry Darling."

Born Aug. 27, 1927, in High Point, La., Jimmy Yves Newman developed the musical specialty of fusing his native Cajun rhythms, themes and instrumentation with traditional country music elements. This formula yielded such high-charting singles as "Alligator Man" and "Bayou Talk," both of which he wrote.

Newman was one of the first major artists to recognize Tom T. Hall's songwriting genius. His recording of Hall's "D.J. for a Day" became a Top 10 single in 1964 and a staple of his stage shows.

Through his co-writer and de facto manager, J. D. Miller, Newman made contact with fabled Nashville music publisher Fred Rose, who produced four songs for the fledgling artist. These songs were ultimately released on Dot Records, Newman's first nationally distributed label.

After having established his own TV show in Lake Charles, La. in the early '50s, Newman moved on to become a cast member of the Louisiana Hayride in Shreveport in 1954. He joined the Opry two years later.

Under the Dot imprint, Newman scored the Top 10 hits "Daydreamin'," ""Blue Darlin'," "God Was So Good," "Seasons of My Heart" and his highest-charting record, "A Fallen Star," which peaked at No. 2 in 1957.

Newman migrated to MGM Records in 1958 and had Top 10s with "You're Makin' a Fool Out of Me," "Grin and Bear It" and "A Lovely Work of Art."

"D.J. for a Day," "Artificial Rose" and "Back Pocket Money" were Top 10s on Decca Records, Newman's final major recording home. There, his last chart record came in 1970 with "I'm Holding Your Memory (But He's Holding You)."

Backed by his high-energy band Cajun Country, Newman made his final Opry appearance on June 6.

Newman was a member of the Cajun Hall of Fame, the Cajun Music Hall of Fame and the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.

A public service honoring Newman will be held Wednesday (June 25) at 10 a.m. at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. It will be followed by a private visitation and memorial service for close friends and family.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Grand Ole Opry Trust Fund.
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Re: 2014 Obits: Remembrance thread

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — An actor best known from the 1960s sitcom “McHale’s Navy,” has died. Bob Hastings was 89.

Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/201 ... z36dleH800
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John Spinks, guitarist/songwriter (The Outfield), 60

Nick DeRiso/UltimateClassicRock.com - John Spinks, who provided the ringing guitar riffs to the Outfield’s No. 6 1986 hit ‘Your Love,’ died July 9 after a lengthy battle with liver cancer. He was 60.

“He bravely fought the disease until the very end,” the band said in a message to fans via Facebook. “We are relieved that his passing was peaceful and painless.”

The Outfield also had Top 40 hits with ‘All the Love in the World‘ in 1986, ‘Since You’ve Been Gone‘ in 1987 and ‘Voices of Babylon‘ in 1989. The classic-era lineup, which regrouped in 2009, also includes vocalist and bassist Tony Lewis, and drummer Alan Jackson. They released the comeback album ‘Replay’ in 2011.

“He worked hard with many days in pain to finish the ‘Replay’ album,” the Outfield’s statement continues. “There were times when he could barely pick up his guitar, but he refused to give up, knowing he would disappoint fans.”

Spinks, Lewis and Jackson continued to work on new material, even as the guitarist’s health deteriorated. “What the future holds,” the band says, “for this is unclear at the time of this writing.”

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Hank LoConti, promoter/music venue owner (The Agora), 85

Annie Zaleski/UltimateClassicRock.com - Hank LoConti, the founder of the legendary Cleveland music venue the Agora, died on Tuesday (July 8) at the age of 85. According to the Plain Dealer, LoConti had been fighting lymphoma.

It’s not difficult to quantify just how much of an impact the Agora had locally. After all, the venue booked plenty of classic rock acts on their way up—including Bad Company, Grand Funk Railroad, Pat Benatar, Kiss, AC/DC, U2 and Elvis Costello. When Costello performed in Cleveland a few weeks ago, he recalled playing the Agora in the ’70s, and cheekily called the venue ”a smoke-filled den of sin,” but said there’s “nothing quite like it” and added “sometimes you find true love in a place like that.” Todd Rundgren was another favorite; in fact, the rocker played the Agora most recently in 2012.

LoConti was modest about his role in elevating these groups. “I don’t take credit for the bands’ successes,” he told Crain’s Cleveland Business in 2005. “All we did was give them a stage for them to present themselves.”

However, the venue was revered outside of Cleveland. In fact, the Agora was a nationwide chain for a while in the ’70s, and touring musicians loved performing at the Northeast Ohio outpost.

The Agora’s most famous booking was perhaps an Aug. 9, 1978 show by Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band.

The Boss had played the venue several times by that point — including a pre-fame gig in 1974 — and was a Cleveland favorite thanks to WMMS DJ Kid Leo. This particular gig was broadcast on a slew of FM stations around the country and recorded for a potential live record.

That never materialized, although the show has become one of the most famous concert bootlegs of all time (listen below). And in 2012, LoConti attempted to once again lobby for an official release of a 24-track version of the concert — even going so far as to produce a test boxed set and send it to Springsteen, Steven Van Zandt and management.
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Re: 2014 Obits: Remembrance thread

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Tommy Ramone, drummer (The Ramones), 65

CNN - Punk rock fuel-injected the beat of rock and roll in the mid-1970s with a frenetic tempo. On Friday (July 11), the drummer who gunned out those rhythms with pioneering punk band The Ramones passed away.

Tommy Ramone was 65 and the last living original member of the band, which debuted its first album in 1976. Ramone was also one of the band's composers.
A notice of his death was posted on the band's Facebook page with his age. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame reported that he was 62.

With their racing-pulse beat and disparaging, cynical lyrics that were combined with oddly florid but loud guitar riffs, the Ramones kicked off a music and counterculture movement in New York that quickly spread to Britain.

Ramone was born Tom Erdelyi in Budapest, Hungary, according to his hall of fame biography. It was during the morbid wake of World War II, when the Soviet Union was beginning to cement Eastern Europe into a communist bloc.

Some of the Ramones' music reflects that Cold War background with songs like "Blitzkrieg Bop" and the album "Rocket to Russia."

Ramone built his music career on the band but handed over the drum sticks in 1978. Until recent years, he still drummed, composed and produced for other bands. The Red Hot Chili Peppers and the Talking Heads were among them.

Ramone was reportedly battling cancer when he died. The other original band members passed away between 2001 and 2004, according to the hall of fame.
Joey Ramone, born Jeffrey Hyman, died of cancer in 2001 at age 49.
Dee Dee Ramone, born Douglas Colvin, died from an apparent overdose in 2002 at age 49.
Johnny Ramone, born John Cummings, died of cancer in 2004 at age 52.
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Johnny Winter, blues guitar legend, 70

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

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

His representative, Carla Parisi, confirmed Thursday that Winter died in a hotel room in Zurich a day earlier (Wednesday, July 16). The statement said his wife, family and bandmates were all saddened by the loss of one of the world's finest guitarists.

There was no immediate word on the cause of death.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

There was no immediate word on funeral services.
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Casey Kasem's body was put on a plane and flown from Tacoma to Montreal before it mysteriously went missing after his daughter asked for an autopsy

Legendary radio host died on June 15. He had Parkinson's, dementia and sepsis, but the cause of his death is offically 'pending'
His body remained at a Tacoma funeral home in Washington until July 14
The Montreal home where it was scheduled to be delivered has no record of Casey's body arriving to scheduled to arrive
His widow, Jean Kasem, has rights to his body but his children want him to be buried a cemetery in Glendale, California, as he had wished
It is believed the body went missing two days before a judge ordered Jean Kasem to keep the body there for an autopsy


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Legendary actor James Garner -- star of "The Rockford Files" and "The Notebook" -- has died ... TMZ has learned.
http://www.nationalnewswatch.com/2014/0 ... 8uhheNdW-0
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James Brady, the former press secretary of President Ronald Reagan and ardent gun control advocate, died today at age 73.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/james-br ... d=24835830
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Comedian Robin Williams has died.
http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Ma ... 20641.html

very sad.
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Lauren Bacall has died. She was 89 at the time of her death.
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Veteran television and radio announcer Dominick “Don” Pardo, best known as the voice of Saturday Night Live, has died. He was 96.
Pardo passed away Monday evening, an NBC rep confirms to TVLine.
Pardo retired from NBC in 2004, but continued to provide the introductions for SNL — most recently, pre-recording them from his home in Arizona. He had only missed one season of SNL — the show’s seventh — giving him a longer tenure than even Lorne Michaels (who stepped away for five seasons).
http://tvline.com/2014/08/18/don-pardo- ... announcer/
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Richard Kiel, the character actor best-known as the metal-mouthed villain in two James Bond movies, has died at 74, according to his son, Richard G. Kiel.

Kiel was born in Detroit, Michigan, on September 13, 1939, and he went on to act in television shows, including the "Twilight Zone" and "Lassie," before taking on the role of Jaws in the Roger Moore James Bond films "The Spy Who Loved Me" and "Moonraker." The 7-foot-tall actor went on to play in Adam Sandler's "Happy Gilmore" and voiced the part of Vlad in the animated feature film "Tangled."

Kiel passed away at Saint Agnes Medical Center in Fresno, California. He had been in the hospital since last week recovering from a leg injury.
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IMOGENE GLAZIER MARTIN, 89, of Ashland, widow of W. Richard Martin, died Oct. 4 at her residence. She was a retired teacher. Service will be 11 a.m. Wednesday at Holy Family Catholic Church; burial at Spring Hill Cemetery. Visitation will be 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at Miller Funeral Home. www.mfhfuneralhome.com
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Rapper Big Bank Hank dead at 57

http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/11/showbiz/b ... ?hpt=hp_t2

(CNN) -- A member of the Sugarhill Gang, whose pioneering hit "Rapper's Delight" brought hip hop to mainstream audiences 35 years ago, died Tuesday of complications from cancer.
"Big Bank Hank," whose real name was Henry Jackson, died early Tuesday in Englewood, New Jersey, according to David Mallie, who manages the two surviving Sugarhill Gang members. The New York native was 57.
A beefy, boisterous presence onstage, Hank handled vocals in the early to middle portion of "Rapper's Delight," which despite its extended length -- one version was more than 14 minutes long -- became the first rap song to reach the Top 40 on the U.S. Billboard charts.
Jackson traded rhymes with bandmates "Wonder Mike" Wright and Guy "Master Gee" O'Brien and spoke some of the song's catchiest lines, including "Ho-tel, mo-tel, Holiday Inn/If your girl starts acting up, then you take her friend."
Released in fall 1979, "Rapper's Delight" became a novelty hit and a staple at dance clubs well into 1980. It was born from the emerging New York hip-hop scene of the late '70s, in which young rappers gathered in clubs and exchanged rhymes over instrumental breaks from popular songs, most notably Chic's hit "Good Times."
"Rapper's Delight" also borrowed its bass line and other flourishes from "Good Times," prompting threats of legal action by Chic co-founders Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards. After a settlement, Rodgers and Edwards were listed as co-writers of the song.
"It felt like a new art form," Rodgers said later of "Rapper's Delight."
In 2011, Rolling Stone ranked "Rapper's Delight" at No. 248 on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
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November 12, 2014/ Scott Jones

Sad news out of West Virginia.

Elisabeth Shaffer, ND at WVVA in Bluefield, WV, died after a battle with cancer.

Shaffer had been News Director at WOWK in Huntington-Charleston. She also spent 30 years at WCHS in Charleston.

Shaffer had been on leave from WVVA while fighting her cancer battle.
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Bos Johnson has died

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- WSAZ is sad to announce that longtime news anchor and news director, Bos Johnson has died.

For a quarter century, WSAZ viewers got to know Bos Johnson. He was an anchor and reporter for the station during a time in which several major news stories took place. Bos covered the Marshall University plane crash and the collapse of the Silver Bridge.

Johnson retired in 2005 after a 53-year career in journalism, including 24 of those with WSAZ. Johnson left WSAZ in 1976.

During his career, he also served as a senior consultant for Charles Ryan Associates and an associate professor at Marshall University.

Johnson was also known for his volunteer work in the community. He's received many awards for his service.

Johnson and his wife Dotty, have five children, including four girls and one son, Rob Johnson, who is currently a morning news anchor at WSAZ.
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Ken Weatherwax, who played the mischievous and slightly deviant Pugsley on TV's The Addams Family in the mid-'60s, died of an apparent heart attack Sunday at his home in Southern California, his nephew told the Los Angeles Times.
http://www.people.com/article/ken-weath ... actor-dead
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Mary Ann Mobley died Tuesday at her home in Beverly Hills. She was 77.
The Mississippi native was crowned the state's first Miss America in 1959. She capitalized on her success in the pageantry world by making a name for herself as an actress in Hollywood. Mobley made her TV debut on Burke's Law in 1963. She later appeared in theatrical productions of Guys and Dolls and the King and I. Mobley shared the screen with Elvis Presley twice in 1965, in Girl Happy and Harum Scarum.
http://www.eonline.com/news/605126/form ... dies-at-77
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Singer Joe Cocker, best known for his cover of The Beatles' With A Little Help From My Friends, has died aged 70.
http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-30582761
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