2014 Obits: Remembrance thread

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Re: 2014 Obits: Remembrance thread

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Ex-wife of former Monkee Micky Dolenz dies at 69

Samantha Juste Dolenz, ex-wife of former Monkee Micky Dolenz passed away on
Feb. 5 from a stroke, she was 69. She is the mother of actress Ami Dolenz.
Samantha was a model from England, who was also a host on a 60's British tv
show called "Top of the Pop", that is where she met Micky.
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Shirley Temple, the child actress who became one of the most popular movie stars of the 1930s, has died at the age of 85
http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/20 ... ies-at-85/
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Comic Legend Sid Caesar Dead at 91

Sid Caesar, a comic actor who came to prominence with the 1950s variety program Your Show of Shows, has passed away.

Former CNN host Larry King tweeted the news Wednesday, calling the 91-year-old Caesar “a dear friend” and a “comic genius.”

Over his nearly 60-year career, Caesar was a familiar face on television and Broadway and in movies. In addition to performing comedy on Your Show of Shows and the subsequent Caesar’s Hour, the actor also made appearances on The Love Boat; Love, American Style; That Girl and The Carol Burnett Show.

He also played Coach Calhoun in the big-screen adaptation of Grease and its sequel, Grease 2.

In 2006, Billy Crystal presented Caesar with the Pioneer Award at the 4th Annual TV Land Awards.
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Actor Ralph Waite Dies at 85

The Waltons star Ralph Waite, who more recently recurred on Bones and NCIS, has died at the age of 85, our sister site Deadline reports.

Waite portrayed John Walton Sr. for nine seasons on the CBS Depression-era drama and in three NBC telefilms. After the series wrapped, he appeared on Murder One, Carnivàle and the miniseries Roots among others.

Bones fans will recognize Waite as Booth’s grandfather and caretaker Hank. He also played dad to Mark Harmon’s character Gibbs on NCIS, and recurred on Days of Our Lives as Father Matt.

Bones executive producers Hart Hanson and Stephen Nathan issued the following statement: “All of us at Bones mourn the loss of Ralph Waite. We loved having him on set and in many ways his character was the moral center of our show as Booth’s (David Boreanaz) plainspoken, loving, war hero grandfather. The entire Bones family sends condolences to his family and loved ones.”

Waite’s Bones and NCIS co-stars took to Twitter to react to the actor’s passing.
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From the Charleston Gazette:
Jackie Oblinger

Jackie Oblinger, formerly of Bluefield and Charleston, died Friday, Feb. 14, 2014, in Wytheville, Virginia.

Jackie was born, Jacquelyn Mae Pero, on September 16, 1928 in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., to Rachel and John (Jack) Pero. She moved to Bluefield in high school and spent the rest of her life in West Virginia and southwest Virginia.

She married John Oblinger in 1947 who remained the love of her life for 66 years. She had three boys, Michael, Phillip and Mark who, while they might have given her a tad bit of trouble from time to time, did make something of themselves and in so doing made her proud beyond words.

In the mid 1950's, she co chaired the March of Dimes quest to wipe out polio in Virginia and West Virginia. She proudly gave one of the first Salk vaccines to her son as an initial step in wiping out the dreaded disease forever. He might have cried a bit, but never had polio. Nor did thousands of others.

Shortly after this, she began a career in radio and then TV. She was a pioneer in live TV in West Virginia and for women in TV everywhere, a whole generation ahead of Oprah. Her career spanned over 25 years in Bluefield and then Charleston during which time she interviewed live the likes of Jackie Kennedy, Liberace and Johnny Mathis, but was just as happy to showcase local high school choirs or regional artists. She has been recognized by the West Virginia Broadcasters Hall of Fame as one of the most influential TV personalities in the history of West Virginia. For thousands of folks the playing of "Sleigh Ride" at Christmas still means one thing: "Jackie's Gift parade".

She loved helping young people grow into their futures and spent countless hours with the young and women of the Union Mission in Charleston. She chaperoned many Miss West Virginias to the Miss America pageant in Atlantic City. Later in her second career she taught at West Virginia Career College in Charleston and then for 19 years at Bluefield College where she continued to influence the lives of young people who remember her to this day.

Among her many awards she was selected the West Virginia Daughter of the Year in 1959.

She loved the beach at her "2nd home" in North Myrtle Beach where she took her last trip, as well as sitting in the sun at her pool, enjoying her pets and collecting vintage costume jewelry. Chocolate was her friend and banana splits were both gifts from heaven and occasionally lunch. She was fond of singing "Hey Look Me Over" whenever the mood struck her.

She also greatly loved her seven grandchildren; Leigh, Ashley, Holly, Anne, Elizabeth, Amy and Emily; and one great grandson, Camden. One of the highlights of her last years was getting to see Camden run the halls of Carrington Place in Wytheville where she spent her last three years. She was loved there immensely and well by that community.

Those who live on to cherish her memory include her husband; her sons and their surviving spouses, Barbara Cline Oblinger and Erin Halloran Oblinger, all her grandchildren and her great grandchild. She was preceded in death by her parents and her daughter-in-law, Martha Addington Oblinger.

A service to celebrate Jackie's life will be held Monday, Feb. 17 at 11 a.m., at Westminster Presbyterian Church, Bluefield. Burial will follow in the Roselawn Memorial Garden in Princeton. Friends may visit with the family Sunday, Feb. 16, from 5 to 8 p.m. at Dudley Memorial Mortuary in Bluefield, Va. Dudley Memorial Mortuary is serving the family.
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John Henson -- son of the iconic Jim Henson -- dies of heart attack at 48
By Greg Botelho, CNN
updated 10:01 PM EST, Sat February 15, 2014


(CNN) -- John Henson -- a son of the late, great children's entertainment visionary Jim Henson -- died after a "sudden, massive heart attack," his family's company said.

The Jim Henson Company announced the death of the 48-year-old son of its iconic founder in a Facebook post Saturday.

He died Friday while at home with one of his two daughters, the post said. John Henson is also survived by his wife, Gyongyi, and his siblings Lisa, Cheryl, Brian and Heather.

Two other members of his family had top jobs in their father's namesake company, with Brian Henson as chairman and Lisa Henson as CEO. John Henson is listed prominently as one of five members of "the Henson family" on the company's website.

John Henson served as a shareholder and board member of The Jim Henson Company.

According to imdb.com, John Henson was active in the family business in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, perhaps most notably for his portrayal of Sweetums, a large, gruff-looking, lovable character on "The Muppets."

His father, Jim, died suddenly in 1990, after a celebrated career in which he launched shows like "The Muppets," "Fraggle Rock" and created beloved characters from "Sesame Street" such as Big Bird, Elmo, the Cookie Monster and Oscar the Grouch.

Last April, John's mother, Jane Nabel Henson -- who met Jim in a puppetry class at the University of Maryland in 1954 and married him five yeas later -- died at the age of 79 after a "long battle with cancer."

The Jim Henson Company itself remains busy with fantasy and sci-fi productions as well as children's animated series such as "Sid the Science Kid" and "Dinosaur Train."
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Cabela's co-founder Richard Cabela dies at 77
1 of the co-founders of outdoor outfitter Cabela's, Richard Cabela, dies at age 77
Associated Press
By Josh Funk, AP Business Writer

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) -- Richard Cabela, a co-founder of outdoor outfitter Cabela's, died Monday. He was 77.

Cabela, who went by Dick, died at his home in Sidney, where the company is based, said spokesman Joe Arterburn.

The company that sells outdoor gear and sporting goods got its start humbly in 1961 when Cabela bought $45 of fishing flies in Chicago. When the flies didn't sell quickly at the family's furniture store in Chappell, Neb., Cabela started selling them through the mail with his wife, Mary, and brother, Jim.

Dick Cabela's first successful ad in Sports Afield magazine offered five free fishing flies as long as the buyer paid 25 cents shipping and handling. That led to the development of the Cabela's catalog. Today, the company has 50 retail stores across the U.S. and Canada. Last year, it had $3.6 billion in revenue.

Current Cabela's CEO Tommy Millner said Dick and Jim Cabela made it possible for people to find quality outdoor gear no matter where they lived.

"The outdoor industry has lost an innovative thinker and a tireless supporter of wildlife and habitat conservation," Millner said. "The business world has lost a true original, who built a business model that will be studied and emulated for years; a man who, through perseverance and hard work, achieved the American Dream."

Dick continued to serve as Cabela's chairman until June 2013, when he moved into a chairman emeritus role and Jim Cabela became chairman.

Dick Cabela was honored for his business accomplishments and his commitment to conservation. He was named to the Direct Marketing Hall of Fame in 2006 and Nebraska Business Hall of Fame in 1994.

Safari Club International recognized Dick Cabela in 2001 for his efforts to preserve the tradition and heritage of hunting. Cabela's retail stores all feature displays of mounted animals and birds in different outdoor settings.

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"Green Acres"' actress Mary Grace Canfield dies
Associated Press
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP) — Mary Grace Canfield, a veteran character actress who played handywoman Ralph Monroe on the television show "Green Acres," has died. She was 89.

Her daughter, Phoebe Alexiades, says Canfield died of lung cancer on Saturday at a hospice in the California coastal town of Santa Barbara.

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

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

Monroe greeted folks in the town of Hootersville with a cheery "howdy doody," wore painters' overalls and was forever working on the Douglas family's bedroom with her brother, Alf.
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W.Va. State University President Emeritus Hazo W. Carter Jr. Dies
Posted: Tue 10:19 PM, Feb 18, 2014
By: WSAZ News Staff Email

INSTITUTE, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- West Virginia State University (WVSU) President Emeritus Dr. Hazo W. Carter Jr. has died, according to information released Tuesday night by the university.

It released the following statement:

"West Virginia State University (WVSU) is saddened to learn of the passing of President Emeritus Dr. Hazo W. Carter, Jr. Dr. Carter served as President of WVSU for 25 years from 1987 through 2012 and was currently serving as President Emeritus.

“Dr. Carter was a strong advocate of quality education and believed in the talents and abilities of our faculty and staff to provide West Virginia State students with the very best.”

WVSU President Brian O. Hemphill said, “On behalf of the entire State family, my wife Marisela and I extend our deepest sympathies to his daughter Angela and the extended Carter family who have time and again shown their love and commitment for this University. Our thoughts and prayers are with Angela.”

Dr. Carter became the ninth President of West Virginia State College in September 1987. Shortly after becoming President, he began a 12-year quest to regain land-grant status. Due to his leadership, West Virginia State was once again recognized on both the state and federal levels as an 1890 land-grant institution with accompanying funding to carry out its mission.

In 2004, West Virginia State gained University status and began to offer graduate degrees in Biotechnology and Media Studies.

Dr. Carter came to Institute from Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Ark., where he served as President from 1983-1987. Prior to that, he served as Vice President for Student Affairs at Norfolk State University from 1977-1983.

He earned a Doctorate in Education from Vanderbilt University and a Master of Science from the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana. A native of Nashville, Tenn., he earned a Bachelor of Science from Tennessee State University.

Dr. Carter was married to the late Judge Phyllis H. Carter and is survived by their daughter Angela.
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Versatile TV newsman Garrick Utley dies at 74
Feb 21, 9:48 AM (ET)

NEW YORK (AP) - NBC News says veteran reporter Garrick Utley (UHT'-lee) has died of cancer. He was 74.

Utley began at NBC News in 1963, where for three decades he handled a wide variety of assignments. Early on, he reported from Vietnam on the escalating conflict. In later years, he moderated "Meet the Press."

He once speculated that he may have been the only person at NBC News who handled every type of programming as host or anchor.

In 1993, he left NBC to be a foreign correspondent for ABC News. He reported for CNN from 1997 to 2002.

Standing a lanky 6-foot-6, Utley was known for his courtly and knowledgeable on-the-air manner.

An opera buff, he was also a host of PBS'"Live From the Met."
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Maria von Trapp, 99, Dies in Vermont
Associated Press

STOWE, Vermont (AP) — Maria von Trapp, the last surviving member and second-eldest daughter of the musical family whose escape from Nazi-occupied Austria was the basis for "The Sound of Music," has died. She was 99.

Von Trapp died at her home in Vermont on Tuesday, according to her brother Johannes von Trapp.

"She was a lovely woman who was one of the few truly good people," he said. "There wasn't a mean or miserable bone in her body. I think everyone who knew her would agree with that."

Maria von Trapp was the last surviving member of the seven original Trapp Family Singers made famous in "The Sound of Music." Their story was turned into a Broadway musical in 1959 and a 1965 film, which won the Oscar for best picture. Trapp was portrayed as Louisa in the film and musical.

She was the third child and second-oldest daughter of Austrian Naval Capt. Georg von Trapp and his first wife, Agathe Whitehead von Trapp. Their seven children were the basis for the singing family in the musical and film.

"The Sound of Music" was based loosely on a 1949 book by von Trapp's second wife, also Maria von Trapp, who died in 1987. It tells the story of an Austrian woman who married a widower with seven children and teaches them music.

In 1938, the family escaped from Nazi-occupied Austria and performed concert tours throughout Europe and then a three-month tour in America. The family eventually settled in Vermont and opened a ski lodge in Stowe.

Von Trapp played accordion and taught Austrian dance with sister Rosmarie at the lodge.

She wrote in a biography posted on the Trapp Family's website that she was born in the Austrian Alps after her family fled fighting from World War I and that she was surrounded by music growing up.

"Father played the violin, accordion and mandolin. Mother played piano and violin," she wrote. "I have fond memories of our grandmother playing the piano for us after meals."

Her biography on the website also said that she worked as a lay missionary in Papua, New Guinea.

Rosmarie von Trapp, Johannes von Trapp and Eleonore Von Trapp Campbell were born to Georg von Trapp and Maria von Trapp.
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Oldest-known Holocaust survivor dies at 110
Associated Press
By SYLVIA HUI and ROBERT BARR 3 hours ago


LONDON (AP) — Alice Herz-Sommer, believed to be the oldest Holocaust survivor, died at age 110 on Sunday, a family member said. The accomplished pianist's death came just a week before her extraordinary story of surviving two years in a Nazi prison camp through devotion to music and her son is up for an Oscar.

Herz-Sommer died in a hospital after being admitted Friday with health problems, daughter-in-law Genevieve Sommer said.

"We all came to believe that she would just never die," said Frederic Bohbot, a producer of the documentary "The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life." ''There was no question in my mind, 'would she ever see the Oscars.'"

The film, directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Malcolm Clarke, has been nominated for best short documentary at the Academy Awards next Sunday.

Another producer on the film, Nick Reed, said telling her story was a "life-changing experience."

"Even as her energy slowly diminished, her bright spirit never faltered," she said. "Her life force was so strong we could never imagine her not being around."

Herz-Sommer, her husband and her son were sent from Prague in 1943 to a concentration camp in the Czech city of Terezin — Theresienstadt in German — where inmates were allowed to stage concerts in which she frequently starred.

Full story at AP News.
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Dave Collins (WSAZ radio in the late '60's)


DAVID RAMON COLLINS, 78, of Huntington, passed away Thursday, February 13, 2014, in St. Mary's Medical Center. He was born October 18, 1935, in Huntington, a son of the late Raymond and Laura Smith Collins. He was a retired Morehead State University assistant professor of broadcast journalism, and was a U. S. Army Reserve veteran. He received his Bachelor's and Master's degrees from Marshall University and attended Penn State University. He was a member of Phi Kappa Phi honor society and Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. He was Kentucky Broadcaster of the Year in 1999. - See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/herald ... ndJPo.dpuf
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‘Ghostbusters’ Star Harold Ramis Dies at 69
Variety - Film News

Harold Ramis, best known as an actor in “Ghostbusters” and “Stripes” and a writer/director for “Caddyshack” and “Groundhog Day” died Monday died today from complications related to auto-immune inflammatory vasculitis, a disease he battled for four years. He was 69.

Born in Chicago, Il, Ramis got his start at the famed Second City improvisational group and made his big Hollywood breakthrough in 1978 when he co-wrote “National Lampoon’s Animal House,” starring John Belushi.

He went on to co-write and star opposite Bill Murray in “Stripes” (1981), “Ghostbusters” (1984) and “Ghostbusters II” (1989). He later co-wrote and made his directorial debut with Caddyshack (1980), followed by “National Lampoon’s Vacation” (1983).

Ramis most recently directed the 2009 comedy “Year One” starring Jack Black and Michael Cera and was also seen opposite Seth Rogen in Judd Apatow’s box office hit “Knocked Up.”

A trailblazer in the comedy world, Ramis was the recipient of the American Comedy Award.
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Jim Lange, 'The Dating Game' host, dies
Feb 27, 2:19 AM (ET)
By CHANNING JOSEPH

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

He died Tuesday morning after suffering a heart attack, his wife Nancy told The Associated Press Wednesday.

Though Lange had a successful career in radio, he is best known for his television role on ABC's "The Dating Game," which debuted in 1965 and on which he appeared for more than a decade, charming audiences with his mellifluous voice and wide, easygoing grin.

He also played host to many celebrity guests. Michael Jackson, Steve Martin and Arnold Schwarzenegger, among others, appeared as contestants.

Even a pre-"Charlie's Angels" Farrah Fawcett appeared on the program, introduced as "an accomplished artist and sculptress" with a dream to open her own gallery.

The show's format: a young man or woman questions three members of the opposite sex, hidden from view, to determine which one would be the best date.

The questions were designed by the show's writers to elicit sexy answers.

"I've never been out on a date before. What do two kids like us do on a date?" a teenage Michael Jackson asked one of his potential dates on a 1972 episode of the show.

"Well, we'd have fun," the girl answered. "We'd go out to dinner, and then I'd go over to your house."

Lange was born on Aug. 15, 1932, in St. Paul, Minn., where at 15 he discovered a passion for local radio after winning an audition at a local station.

"They wanted a boy and a girl," he said in a 1992 interview with the Bay Area Radio Digest. "They wanted the boy to do sports and the girl to do the dances and stuff that was going on in the Twin Cities - very sexist - and play music once a week."

He hosted that show for two years before attending the University of Minnesota and doing a three-year stint in the Marines, according to the Bay Area Radio Museum.

His big break on network TV came in 1962 when he was made an announcer and sidekick on "The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show."

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

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

"As much as he's known for his television work, his real love was radio," his wife said. "He loved doing local radio, especially before it was computerized."

Lange himself once told the Bay Area Radio Digest that his favorite aspect of the medium was that "you don't have to worry about lighting directors and cameramen or script writers and all that."

"Good radio is still the most fun," he said, "It always will be. Plus, you don't have to wear makeup and you don't have to shave."

Lange is survived by a sister, five children, two stepchildren and four grandchildren.
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Franny Beecher, 92, lead guitarist for Bill Haley and the Comets
BY ASSOCIATED PRESS February 25, 2014 5:56PM
Updated: February 26, 2014 2:23AM


NORRISTOWN, Pa. — Franny Beecher, lead guitarist for Bill Haley and the Comets, which helped kick off the rock and roll era with the hit “Rock Around the Clock” in 1955, has died. He was 92.

Mr. Beecher died in his sleep Monday night at a nursing home near Philadelphia, daughter Pauline Grinstead said Tuesday.

The Comets, whose hits also included “See You Later, Alligator,” are credited by some music historians with having recorded the first rock and roll song in 1953 with “Crazy Man, Crazy,” the group’s biography on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame website says.

Mr. Beecher, born Francis Beecher in 1921 in Norristown, started playing guitar before crowds when he was 17 and continued until he was 90; before the Comets, he performed with Buddy Greco and Benny Goodman, Grinstead said.

“My dad didn’t play music for money. He was no businessman,” she said. “He played music for music.”

Although Philadelphia session musician Danny Cedrone played on the original recording of “Rock Around the Clock” before his death in 1954, Mr. Beecher played the signature song for the first time on national television in 1955 and also played with the group in films.

“Rock Around the Clock” became a hit again nearly 20 years after its release when it was included on the soundtrack of “American Graffiti.”

The Comets broke up in 1962, but in the 1980s, Mr. Beecher and some of the original members reunited and played tour dates around the United States and internationally for years.

Grinstead said her father also is survived by two sons and six grandchildren.
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Geoff Edwards, the hip-looking 1970s and '80s host of TV game shows including "Jackpot!" and two incarnations of "Treasure Hunt," died Wednesday, his agent said. He was 83.
Edwards died of complications of pneumonia at St. John's hospital in Santa Monica, agent Fred Westbrook said.
http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wir ... 3-22793289
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Sheila MacRae -- who played Alice Kramden on "The Honeymooners," has died.

MacRae did not appear in the original episodes in 1955. She appeared on the wildly popular "Jackie Gleason Show" from 1966 - 1970. The show recreated "The Honeymooners" in featured segments.

The original Alice was played by Audrey Meadows. She died in 1996.

As for MacRae ... she reportedly died in an actor's nursing home in New Jersey. Sheila was 93 years old.

Read more: http://www.tmz.com#ixzz2vNHO3uH0
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Wendy Hughes died

StarTrek.com is saddened to report the passing of acclaimed Australian actress and Star Trek: The Next Generation guest star Wendy Hughes. She played Captain Picard's love interest, Lt. Commander Nella Daren, in the sixth-season hour "Lessons," which aired in 1993. Her TNG episode was just one credit in a long and successful career that spanned from the stage to television to features, and included My Brilliant Career, Careful, He Might Hear You and State Coroner, as well as The Graduate, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and, in 2012, a Sydney Theater Company production of Pygmalion that cast her as Mrs. Higgins.

Hughes succumbed to cancer on Saturday afternoon in Sydney, with actor Bryan Brown breaking the news to the audience at a Sydney Theatre Company Travelling North show and leading the audience to honor her with a standing ovation. The actress was 61 years old and leaves behind a daughter, Charlotte, and a son, Jay. StarTrek.com offers our condolences to Hughes' family, friends, colleagues and fans.
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"Band of Brothers" WWII Vet Bill Guarnere Dies

Facebook.com

Friends and family are mourning the death of a national hero. William "Wild Bill" Guarnere, a South Philly native and World War II vet who was portrayed on the television miniseries, “Band of Brothers,” died on Saturday at the age of 90.

Guarnere's son, William Guarnere Jr., confirmed Sunday that his father died at Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. Guarnere was rushed to the hospital early Saturday and died of a ruptured aneurysm early Saturday night.

Born in South Philadelphia on April 28, in 1923, Guarnere was a non-commissioned officer with the legendary Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment in the 101st Airborne Division during World War II.
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Joe McGinniss dies at 71; journalist-author wrote 'Fatal Vision'
By Hillel Italie
March 10, 2014, 9:26 p.m.

Joe McGinniss, the adventurous and news-making author and reporter who skewered the marketing of Richard Nixon in "The Selling of the President 1968" and tracked his personal journey from sympathizer to scourge of convicted killer Jeffrey MacDonald in the blockbuster "Fatal Vision," died Monday at a hospital in Worcester, Mass. He was 71.

McGinniss died from complications of prostate cancer, according to his attorney and longtime friend Dennis Holahan.

Few journalists of his time so intrepidly pursued a story, burned so many bridges or more memorably placed themselves in the narrative, whether insisting on the guilt of MacDonald after seemingly befriending him or moving next door to Sarah Palin's house for a most unauthorized biography of the former Alaska governor and Republican vice presidential candidate.

The tall, talkative McGinniss had early dreams of becoming a sports reporter and wrote books about soccer, horse racing and travel. But he was best known for two works that became touchstones in their respective genres — campaign books ("The Selling of the President") and true crime ("Fatal Vision"). In both cases, he had become fascinated by the difference between public image and private reality.

McGinniss was born Dec. 9, 1942, in New York and grew up in Rye, N.Y. He graduated from Holy Cross College in 1964 and soon began working as a reporter in Worcester.

Full story at LA Times.
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