The Rest In Peace and Remembrance Thread

[jag]

Actor who played Tarzan's Boy dies at 79 in Calif.

CHULA VISTA, Calif. — Johnny Sheffield, who played the character Boy in the Tarzan movies of the 1930s and '40s, has died at age 79.

His wife, Patty Sheffield, told the Los Angeles Times that he died Friday of a heart attack at his home in the San Diego suburb of Chula Vista. She says he fell off a ladder while pruning a palm tree four hours earlier.

Johnny Sheffield beat out more than 300 other youngsters for the role of Boy in the 1939 movie "Tarzan Finds a Son!" and went on to co-star with Johnny Wiessmuller in seven more Tarzan films.

He later played another jungle boy, Bomba, in a dozen movies but quit the business after the last one 1955.

Johnny Sheffield went on to earn a business degree and worked for various companies and in contracting and real estate.

___

[oldschoolstudent]

Myrtle Beach, SC DJ "Mixin Dixon" dead of heart attack at age 53

"Mixin" Dixon Morrison had ties to West Virginia. This was in the news while I was at Myrtle Beach last week. Thought this might be of interest to some here.

http://www.thesunnews.com/2010/10/10/17 ... ar-dj.html

There was also a nice article http://www.thesunnews.com/2010/10/15/17 ... neral.html about the passing of General Johnson previously mentioned. The article mentioned he won a Grammy for writing the song "Patches."

[David Paleg]

Penthouse magazine founder Bob Guccione dies at 79
Oct 21, 6:58 AM (ET)
By TERRY WALLACE


DALLAS (AP) - Bob Guccione tried the seminary and spent years trying to make it as an artist before he found the niche that Hugh Hefner left for him in the late 1960s. Where Hefner's Playboy magazine strove to surround its pinups with an upscale image, Guccione aimed for something a little more direct with Penthouse.

More explicit nudes. Sensational stories. Even more sensational letters that began, "Dear Penthouse, I never thought I'd be writing you..."

It worked for decades for Guccione, who died Wednesday in Texas at the age of 79. He estimated that Penthouse earned $4 billion during his reign as publisher. He was listed in the Forbes 400 ranking of wealthiest people with a net worth of about $400 million in 1982.


Full story at: http://apnews1.iwon.com//article/201010 ... 1PH00.html

[lastone]

WASSAMOTTA U MORNS

Rocky & Bullwinkle creator Alexander Anderson Dead at age 90.

[genlock]

Mr. John Andrew McCormick, 63, of Logan, departed this life on Wednesday, October 20, 2010, at Logan Regional Medical Center in Logan.

He was born November 19, 1946, in Logan, a son of the late Ralph and Jessie Cline McCormick of Logan. He was preceded in death by his father-in-law, Frank Richmond; and mother-in-law, Etta Richmond Osborne.

John was a 1964 graduate of Logan High School, being a member of the LHS marching band, which was so dear to his heart. He was a member of the First Christian Church of Logan. He was a former radio announcer at WVOW and WLOG radio stations in Logan, and loved doing the 'Trading Post.' He was the news and sports director at WHHV Radio in Hillsville, Va. John was an Eagle Scout of the Boy Scouts of America and he was also a 45-year member of the Logan Loyal Order of the Moose No. 514, achieving the Fellowship Degree of Honor.

[genlock]

The "Friend" is not dead yet.


(The Courier-Mail) - A 21-year-old man who allegedly tattooed a penis on a friend's back -- instead of the image he requested -- has been charged with assault, The Courier-Mail reported Tuesday.

The 25-year-old victim was visiting the man, an amateur tattooist, at his home in Ipswich, about 25 miles southwest of Brisbane, when he was talked into getting a tattoo.

He wanted a yin and yang symbol with some dragons, but was instead shocked to discover the 16-inch tattoo was of a penis with an obscene slogan.

The key word in the slogan was also misspelled.

[just saying]

James MacArthur of the 1970s cult classic died today

http://www.collegenews.com/index.php?/a ... 829045280/

[lastone]

James MacArthur of the 1970s cult classic died today

http://www.collegenews.com/index.php?/a ... 829045280/

Five 0 sidekick Danno

[Scott Reppert]

"An Officer And A Gentleman"'s
Lisa Blount Dead At 53

Actor and filmmaker Lisa Blount was found dead in her home in Little Rock, Arkansas. She was 53. The star's death spurred Yahoo! searches on "lisa blount" to rise an amazing 12,325% in just one day. Fans also looked up "lisa blount actress," "lisa blount biography," and "lisa blount death."

The stunning beauty first came on the scene with her breakout role in "An Officer and a Gentleman," playing Debra Winger's friend and David Keith's fiancée Lynette Pomeroy. The performance led to a Golden Globe nomination.

Interest in the 1982 movie led to the actor being voted "Favorite Female Newcomer" in 1983 by an US magazine readers' poll.

Before that big break, the Arkansas native got her start in movies soon after enrolling at the University of Arkansas. The budding collegiate was cast by director James Bridges in the movie "September 30, 1955."

Blount's other credits include "Prince of Darkness," "Great Balls of Fire!," and "Chrystal," starring alongside Billy Bob Thornton. The actor was also known as a "scream queen," thanks to starring in a few horror flicks in the '80s.

Lisa Blount in March, 2010 Amy Graves/Wireimage.com The multitalented Blount eventually moved from acting to filmmaking. She won an Oscar in 2001 for producing the live-action short "The Accountant," directed and acted by her husband, Ray McKinnon. The filmmaker most recently filmed the pilot for FX's "Outlaw Country."

In 2005, Blount and McKinnon moved from Los Angeles to Little Rock, Arkansas.

While her cause of death has not been reported, Blount's mother said she suffered from a condition similar to multiple sclerosis and had been complaining of back and neck pain. Police have ruled out foul play.

[David Paleg]

James Wall, Captain Kangaroo's 'Mr. Baxter,' dies
Yahoo! News

NEW YORK – James Wall, Captain Kangaroo's neighbor "Mr. Baxter" on the children's show and longtime stage manager for CBS News, has died. He was 92.

CBS News says Wall died Wednesday in New York City after a short illness.
The former vaudevillian joined the popular children's show in 1962 as a stage manager before persuading the show's producers to create its first black character in 1968.

He played Baxter and another recurring roll on the show until 1978.

Wall was a stage manager for many CBS broadcasts over the years, including "60 Minutes," "Face the Nation," and the US Open Tennis Championships.

In 1994, Wall was honored with an achievement award by the Director's Guild of America.

[David Paleg]

'Sopranos' actress Denise Borino-Quinn dies at 46
Oct 30, 4:18 PM (ET)

ROSELAND, N.J. (AP) - Denise Borino-Quinn, who unexpectedly won a role as a mafia wife on "The Sopranos" after she attended an open casting call, has died. She was 46.

The Farmer Funeral Home in Roseland, N.J., said Borino-Quinn died Wednesday after a long battle with liver cancer. Her husband, Luke Quinn Jr., had died in March.

A Roseland native who lived in Bordentown, Borino-Quinn had no acting experience when she was hired in 2000 to play Ginny Sacrimoni, the mafia wife with a weight problem. The character quickly became popular with fans and was featured in an October 2002 episode.

Borino-Quinn had attended the casting call mostly to support a childhood friend and was shocked when she was hired for the HBO show.

When she wasn't acting, Borino-Quinn worked at a New Brunswick law firm.


-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Lisa Blount, Actress, Found Dead in Her Home
By ThirdAge News Staff
October 29, 2010 3:21 PM

Lisa Blount has been found dead in her Little Rock, Ark., home, People.com said Thursday. She was 53. Lisa Blount's acting credits include "An Officer and a Gentleman," "Great Balls of Fire" and "Chrystal." She also co-produced the live-action short film "The Accountant," which won an Oscar in 2001. Lisa Blount's body was discovered Wednesday by her mother.

There were no signs of foul play and the cause of Blount's death Monday has not been determined yet, Pulaski County Coroner Garland Camper told the Arkansas Democrat Gazette.

Blount's husband, actor-director Ray McKinnon, has been out of town this week, the newspaper said.

McKinnon was a cast member of TV's "Deadwood" and was seen recently in the film "The Blind Side."

[David Paleg]

Filmmaker George Hickenlooper dies in Denver
Oct 31, 12:03 AM (ET)
By P. SOLOMON BANDA

DENVER (AP) - George Hickenlooper, who won an Emmy Award in 1992 for directing "Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse," has died. He was 47.

In a statement Saturday, Denver mayor and Colorado Democratic gubernatorial candidate John Hickenlooper says his cousin died of apparent natural causes.

Los Angeles-based George Hickenlooper was in Denver for the premiere of his latest film, "Casino Jack," starring Kevin Spacey.

Other films directed by Hickenlooper include "Factory Girl,""Mayor of the Sunset Strip" and last year's documentary "Hick Town," based on footage shot while he followed his cousin around during the Democratic National Convention in 2008.

"Hearts of Darkness" was a well-received documentary about the making of the film "Apocalypse Now."


-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Dutch author Harry Mulisch dies
Oct 31, 10:40 AM (ET)
By TOBY STERLING

(AP) Dutch author Harry Mulisch holds a speech during the opening ceremony of the exhibition...
Full Image

AMSTERDAM (AP) - Harry Mulisch, who turned his experiences as the son of a Jewish mother and a Nazi collaborator father into some of the Netherlands' most renowned works of fiction, has died at his home in Amsterdam. He was 83.

Mulisch's 1982 novel "The Assault" was seen as helping the Dutch come to terms with the German occupation of the Netherlands during World War II. It looks at the difficulty of attributing innocence and guilt to those who resisted the Nazis, those who cooperated with them, and the many who didn't take sides.

Mulisch once famously remarked, "I didn't so much experience the Second World War. I am the Second World War."

The author, who died late Saturday, was best-known outside Holland for his novels "The Discovery of Heaven" and "The Assault," which were made into films. "The Assault" won the best foreign picture Oscar in 1986.

Full story at Iwon/AP News.

[jag]

'Wheel of Fortune' voice O'Donnell, 78, dies in LA

LOS ANGELES — Charlie O'Donnell, the announcer whose voice has opened "Wheel of Fortune" for decades, has died. He was 78.

Agent Fred Wostbrock said Monday that O'Donnell _ the voice of the game show even before hosts Pat Sajak and Vanna White appeared _ died late Sunday at his Los Angeles home. The cause was unclear.

O'Donnell was a popular radio DJ in New York before starting his television career in Philadelphia with Dick Clark on "American Bandstand."

He also served as announcer for Oscar and Emmy telecasts and other game shows including "The Newlywed Game."

His signature phrase "Wheeeeeeel of Fortune," could be heard on the show from its beginning with host Chuck Woolery in 1975. He worked on the show until 1980, and again from 1988 until his death.

[EZ103.3FM]

'Golden Girl' Rue McClanahan dies
Jun 3, 12:48 PM (ET)
By DAVID BAUDER


NEW YORK (AP) - Rue McClanahan, the Emmy-winning actress who brought the sexually liberated Southern belle Blanche Devereaux to life on the hit TV series "The Golden Girls," has died. She was 76.
...
McClanahan was married six times: Tom Bish, with whom she had a son, Mark Bish; actor Norman Hartweg; Peter D'Maio; Gus Fisher; and Tom Keel. She married husband Morrow Wilson on Christmas Day in 1997.

I realize I'm very late to this thread. I just discovered it and have been perusing it the last few days.

Many of you may not realize that Rue McClanahan had a West VIrginia connection. One of her six husbands was from Elkins - I think it was Gus Fisher. I heard about it from my father, an Elkins High graduate (class of 1946) who passed away 14 years ago. I remember him coming back from a multi-year class reunion and talking about someone who was there who had been married (or was maybe still married) to Rue McClanahan.

[David Paleg]

'Fiddler On the Roof' composer Jerry Bock dies
Nov 3, 6:58 PM (ET)

NEW YORK (AP) - Jerry Bock, who composed the music to some of the most memorable shows in Broadway history, including the melodies for "Fiorello!" and "Fiddler on the Roof," has died. He was 81.

Richard M. Ticktin, Bock's attorney and family friend, said the composer died Wednesday morning at Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco, N.Y., of heart failure.

Together with lyricist Sheldon Harnick, Bock wrote the powerful score to "Fiddler on the Roof," one of the most successful productions in the history of the American musical theater, having an initial run of eight years. It earned the two men Tony Awards in 1965.

[CoolBreeze]

Christ people... famous and the not so famous are dying every day. That's cause they're all OLD. And you DIE when you're old.

Couldn't we at least hold this down to the actually famous or locally known people?

[amayo]

A slice of my youth has gone on.......


SPARKY ANDERSON DIES

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- Hall of Fame manager Sparky Anderson has died, his family announced Thursday. He was 76.

Anderson, who managed the Cincinnati Reds and Detroit Tigers to World Series titles, died as a result of complications from dementia, family spokesman Dan Ewald said in a statement.

His death came a day after the family announced he had been placed in hospice care at his home.

Anderson won 2,194 games as a manager, which was the third-highest total in major league history when he retired, trailing Connie Mack and John McGraw. He now stands sixth, also trailing Tony La Russa, Bobby Cox and Joe Torre.

Anderson was the first manager to win World Series titles in both leagues and the only manager to lead two franchises in career wins.

He led Cincinnati's Big Red Machine to World Series wins in 1975-76. He won four National League pennants in Cincinnati from 1970-78 and then was fired after consecutive second-place finishes.

Anderson went to the American League and won there, too, directing the Tigers to a World Series title in 1984 and a division title in 1987. He retired after the 1995 season and was added to the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee.

[jag]

Shannon Tavarez, 'Lion King' actress, has died

NEW YORK — The Broadway theater where "The Lion King" is playing dimmed its lights Tuesday night in honor of a fallen lion cub: An 11-year-old actress from the show who lost her battle with leukemia.

Shannon Tavarez died Monday afternoon at Cohen Children's Medical Center in New Hyde Park, on Long Island, of acute myelogenous leukemia, a common type of leukemia among adults but rare among children.

"Shannon's strength and her happy, positive spirit will live on in our hearts and minds each day," her mother, Odiney Brown, said in a statement. "Shannon's dream was to perform on stage, and that she did."

The sixth-grader's battle with cancer won the hearts of many, including Alicia Keys, Rihanna and 50 Cent. The Minskoff Theatre, home of the "The Lion King," paid tribute to the actress by dimming its marquee lights.

"It is our hope that Shannon's legacy will continue to inspire other brave children battling leukemia. We are grateful for the outpouring of love and prayers," her family said in the statement.

Shannon was forced to quit the show in April. She beat out hundreds of other hopefuls last year to earn her spot playing the lion Nala, the childhood pal of Simba, hero of "The Lion King." She split the role with another girl, performing four shows a week for six months.

Shannon had received an umbilical-cord blood transplant in August. The procedure was performed as an alternative to a bone marrow transplant. Her doctor, Dr. Larry Wolfe, said that a perfect bone marrow match for Shannon could not be found.

The search for a match was especially daunting because Shannon's mother is African-American and her father is Hispanic, from the Dominican Republic. For bone marrow transplants, minorities and those of mixed ancestry have a more difficult time finding good matches because there aren't as many people from those groups signed up as potential donors.

Right now, 83 percent of African-American patients who need marrow transplants don't find matches after six months of searching, according to the National Marrow Donor Program, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping patients receive transplants.

On her website, which includes a photo of herself as Nala and a video of her singing "The Circle of Life," the 78-pound actress said, "Some people think that the test for compatibility is scary! ... All it really takes to get started is a cotton swab of the inside of your cheek.

"So please get tested today. Who knows? You might be my match. Or, you may be able to help other young people with similar illnesses. And remember... 'One swab will do the job.'"

In a hospital interview with The Associated Press after being diagnosed, the young actress talked about her love for the theater.

"It's an indescribable feeling, being on stage," she said. "I portray this character with fears, but who is so tough. I feel like that's who I am."

Her long, curly brown hair was gone because of chemotherapy, but the sixth-grader said the most difficult part was being away from acting and her friends.

Keys, Rihanna and 50 Cent campaigned to help Tavarez find a bone marrow donor, and cast members held bone marrow donor registration drives outside the play's Minskoff Theater. Katharina Harf, co-founder of the bone marrow donor center DKMS, said the donor center registered 10,000 people as potential donors. Keys skyped with Tavarez while she was at the hospital, Harf said, and the singer, Rhihanna and 50 Cent urged their fans to sign up as potential donors.

Child performers from "The Lion King" and other shows also sold bracelets and key chains that read, "Shine for Shannon," to raise money to help pay for her medical bills.

"It's rare that you meet such a spirited girl at such a young age," Harf said. "She touched so many people to register. She was really, really a special girl."

"Shannon's bright smile, amazing talent, and courage will continue to inspire us in our efforts," the New York Blood Center said in a statement.

___

[AmpedNow]

Wow. That's the saddest obit yet...

[EZ103.3FM]

I really enjoyed listening to Sparky talk baseball on the 'Main Spark' pregame interview show with Marty Brennaman.

Sparky looked 76 when he was managing, then hardly changed through the years.

He had a great guest starring role on WKRP in Cincinnati in 1979.