Literotica Cemetary

[JennyOmanHill]

Dick Weber, One of Bowling's Greats, Dies

ST. LOUIS (AP) - Dick Weber, one of bowling's first national stars and a three-time bowler of the year, died. He was 75.

Weber died Sunday night in his sleep at his home in the St. Louis area, said Steve James, retired executive director of the American Bowling Congress Hall of Fame. A cause of death was not immediately known.

Weber had just returned from the opening of the congress' championships in Baton Rouge, La. James said he spent Sunday morning with Weber, who gave no indication he was ill.

In an e-mail to the Bowlers Journal, Weber's wife, Juanita, said Weber began having breathing problems Sunday night. Paramedics were unable to revive him.

"He was a lot bigger than the tour," James said Monday. "He was probably the best-known bowler worldwide."

Weber was one of bowling's first national TV stars, at a time when ABC broadcast bowling events on Saturday afternoons. He initially drew attention as a member of the Budweisers, a five-member St. Louis bowling team that held the record for highest team score for decades.

In 1958, he was a founding member of the Professional Bowlers Association, and he went on to win 26 PBA Tour events and six Senior Tour events. He was national bowler of the year three times, in 1961, 1963 and 1965.

"He's well-known and well-loved," said Jim Baltz, curator of the International Bowling Hall of Fame in St. Louis. "Everyone who knows him loves him. In competition, he's been amazingly successful. I don't think his contribution to the sport can be underestimated."

Weber, a skinny right-hander, was a postal worker in Indianapolis with a growing reputation as a top bowler when he was lured to St. Louis in 1955 to bowl with the Budweisers. The team, which included Ray Bluth, Don Carter, Pat Patterson and Tom Hennessey, had a record of 3,858 pins in one match that stood for more than three decades.

His son, Pete, is second on the career PBA money list. Both father and son are members of the PBA Hall of Fame. Dick Weber was also a member of the American Bowling Congress Hall of Fame.

Pete Weber is the defending U.S. Open champion and was scheduled to participate in this year's open, which began Sunday in North Brunswick, N.J. A PBA spokesman said Weber dropped out of the tournament to return to St. Louis to be with his family.

PBA Tour Commissioner Fred Schreyer called Dick Weber "a great competitor and champion, and he was an outstanding ambassador for our sport. More importantly, Dick was a truly good, compassionate person who treated everyone like family."

Survivors, in addition to his wife and son Pete, include two other sons and a daughter.

 

[Tati]

Sandra Dee

LOS ANGELES - Actress Sandra Dee, the blond beauty who attracted a large teen audience with films such as "Gidget" and "Tammy and the Doctor" and had a headlined marriage to pop singer Bobby Darin, died Sunday morning, a nursing supervisor said. Her family said she was 63.

Dee died 5:57 a.m. at the Los Robles Hospital & Medical Center in Thousand Oaks, said Cynthia Mead, nursing supervisor.

Mead said Dee's family requested that no other details be released. CNN reported that Dee had been undergoing treatment at the hospital for the last two weeks for complications with kidney disease and pneumonia.

Born Alexandra Zuck in Bayonne, N.J., Dee became a model while in grade school.

In a mid-career interview with The Associated Press, she explained her name change.

"I used to sign vouchers and sign-out sheets with 'Alexandra Dee.' Somehow it stuck and when the (producer) Ross Hunter signed me to me first picture ... 'Sandra Dee' was the name they gave me," she said.

At Universal Studio, Dee was cast as mostly in teen-appeal movies such as "The Reluctant Debutante," "The Restless Years," "Tammy Tell Me True" and "Take Her She's Mine." Occasionally, she was able to do secondary roles in adult films, such as "Imitation of Life," "A Portrait In Black" and "Romanoff and Juliet."

After a one-month courtship, Dee married Bobby Darin (born Robert Cossotto) in Elizabeth, N.J. in 1960. A son, Dodd Mitchell, was born to the couple the following year.

In 1965, with her divorce with Darin dampening her teen appeal, Dee was dropped by Universal.

"I thought they were my friends," she said in a 1965 interview with The Associated Press, referring to her former bosses. "But I found out on the last picture ('A Man Could Get Killed') that I was simply a piece of property to them. I begged them not to make me do the picture, but they insisted."

Dee made an independent film "Rosie!" (1968), starring with Rosalind Russell, but her movie career dwindled after that.

In a March 1991 interview with People magazine, Dee said she was sexually abused as a child by her stepfather and pushed into stardom by her mother. Dee, who turned to pills and alcohol, said she hit bottom after her mother died in 1988.

"I couldn't function," she told People, adding that she began drinking more than a quart of scotch a day as her weight fell to 80 pounds. She said she stayed home almost constantly for three years.

Dee credited her son with helping her turn her life around. She began seeing a therapist regularly and hoped to land a job on a TV series.

Kate Bosworth portrayed Dee in last year's movie "Beyond the Sea," a biography of 1950s crooner Bobby Darin.

Actor Kevin Spacey, who played Bobby Darin the film, has said Dee, who was living as a virtual recluse in Los Angeles, approved of the film. "She called me last week and said she loved it," he said.

 

[Guest]

Hunter Thompson shot himself-
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7005168/

 

[JennyOmanHill]

John Raitt, 'Carousel' Star, Dies at 88

Feb 20, 7:06 PM (ET)

LOS ANGELES (AP) - John Raitt, the robust baritone who created the role of Billy Bigelow in the original New York production of "Carousel" and sang with Doris Day in the movie "Pajama Game," died Sunday. He was 88.

Raitt, the father of singer Bonnie Raitt, died peacefully from complications of pneumonia at his Pacific Palisades home, his manager, James Fitzgerald, said in a statement.

Raitt had become well known on the West Coast for his handsome presence and ringing voice when in 1944 he was invited to New York to try out for the role of Curly in the road company of "Oklahoma!" He was rushed from Penn Station to the St. James Theater and an audition with Oscar Hammerstein II and Richard Rodgers.

In 1995, Raitt recalled: "I hadn't sung since California, so I said, 'Do you mind if I warm up?' I sang Figaro's aria from 'The Barber of Seville.' Then I sang all of Curly's songs.'"

There was silence when he finished. The problem was not his voice, which was both melodic and powerful, but his height. At 6 feet 2 was he too tall for Curly? Hammerstein reasoned: "I'm a tall man. Why can't Curly be tall?" Raitt was hired for the Chicago company of "Oklahoma!"

Rodgers and Hammerstein had been working on their second collaboration, "Carousel," and they chose Raitt for the role of the doomed hero Billy Bigelow.

Raitt astounded the opening-night audience in 1945 with his dynamic soliloquy, which he called "practically a one-act opera which took six and a half minutes to sing." He said Hammerstein had been inspired to write it when he heard the newcomer sing Figaro at the audition.

 

[Vidar]

Feb 20, 7:06 PM (ET)

LOS ANGELES (AP) - John Raitt, the robust baritone who created the role of Billy Bigelow in the original New York production of "Carousel" and sang with Doris Day in the movie "Pajama Game," died Sunday. He was 88.

"Carousel" is a personal favorite and I sing baritone. A fine singer has passed.

 

[Vidar]

Hunter Thompson's suicide

ASPEN, Colo. - Hunter S. Thompson, the acerbic counter-culture author of books such as "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," fatally shot himself Sunday night at his Aspen-area home, his son said. He was 67.

"Hunter prized his privacy and we ask that his friends and admirers respect that privacy as well as that of his family," Juan Thompson said in a statement released to the Aspen Daily News.

(more)

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&e=4&u=/ap/2...

 

[KindaKinky]

Flight Attendant Who Helped Airline Hostages Dies

Updated: 12:32 PM EST

By JENNIFER BAYOT, The New York Times

(Feb. 24) - Uli Derickson, the Trans World Airlines flight attendant honored for saving passengers' lives in 1985 by both confronting and mollifying terrorist hijackers, died on Friday at her home in Tucson. She was 60.

Courage in a Terrifying Moment

Ms. Derickson was still working as a flight attendant for Delta Air Lines when she received a diagnosis of cancer in 2003, her son, Matthew Derickson, said in announcing her death.

On June 14, 1985, when a pair of Lebanese gunmen commandeered a T.W.A. flight from Athens to Rome, Ms. Derickson took the lead in protecting the 152 passengers and crew members. Though the two hijackers spoke almost no English, Ms. Derickson was able to speak with one of them in German and occasionally calm him by singing a German ballad he requested. She won the hijackers' pity for one passenger by explaining that his daughter had been delivered by a Lebanese doctor.

She also intervened during beatings, often putting herself in harm's way.
"Don't you hit that person," she would shout, a passenger later told The New York Times. "Why do you have to hit those people?"

When a ground crew in Algiers refused to refuel the plane without payment, even when faced with the terrorists' threat to kill passengers, it occurred to Ms. Derickson to offer her Shell credit card. The ground crew charged about $5,500 for 6,000 gallons of fuel. The most terrifying moment for her, she later told Glamour Magazine, was when the crueler of the two hijackers asked her to marry him.

At one point they asked Ms. Derickson to sort through the passengers' passports to single out people with Jewish-sounding names. Although various news organizations initially reported that she had followed their orders, she in fact hid the passports, her son said. "Everybody looked to her for courage and guidance," Tom Cullins, an architect in Burlington, Vt., who was a hostage on the plane, said in an interview yesterday. "She was clearly in control. She even made demands of the hijackers." Mr. Cullins added, "We have nothing but the utmost respect for her and a debt of gratitude for really heroic acts."

After about 36 hours, the terrorists released a second wave of hostages, including Ms. Derickson and 65 others, in Algiers. They had already killed a Navy diver, Robert D. Stethem, but his was to be the only death. The hijackers released other hostages over the next 15 days, with the ordeal ending for the last 39 on June 30. It ended after Israel's release of 31 Lebanese prisoners, a fraction of the 766 the hijackers had demanded.

Ms. Derickson became the first woman to receive the Silver Cross for Valor, awarded by the Legion of Valor, a veterans organization. "The Taking of Flight 847: The Uli Derickson Story," a 1988 movie that appeared on NBC and featured Lindsay Wagner as Ms. Derickson, received five Emmy nominations.

Ulrike Patzelt was born on Aug. 8, 1944, in Aussig an der Elbe, Czechoslovakia, near the German border, and was raised in Bavaria. She worked as an au pair in Britain and Switzerland before immigrating to Connecticut in 1967.

She began working for T.W.A. a few years later and joined Delta in the early 1990's. Her husband, Russell G. Derickson, a former pilot, died in 2003. She is survived by her son, of San Diego, and her mother, Marianne Patzelt of Nuremberg, Germany.

 

[JennyOmanHill]

Member of Gladys Knight & the Pips Dies

Feb 25, 11:25 AM (ET)

ATLANTA (AP) - Edward Patten, a member of the Grammy-winning Gladys Knight & The Pips, died early Friday at a suburban Detroit hospital, said his cousin, another member of the group. He was 65.

Patten, an Atlanta native who lived in Detroit, died at a hospital in Michigan from a stroke he suffered a few days before, said William Guest.

Gladys Knight & the Pips - comprised of Knight; her brother, Merald "Bubba" Knight; and their cousins Guest and Patten - recorded for Motown from 1966-1973 and for Buddah Records from 1973-77. They later recorded for CBS until breaking up in 1989.

The group, whose hits included "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" and "Midnight Train to Georgia," won four Grammys and was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.

Patten, known for his high tenor voice, joined the group in 1959, Guest said. Patten's father was a bandleader and he, along with the rest of the family, grew up around music.

Patten was one of the founders of Crew Records, based in Detroit and Atlanta, and sang backup for the label's recording artists, Crew spokeswoman Denise Fussell said.

 

[JennyOmanHill]

Jef Raskin, Creator Of The Macintosh Computer, Dies At 61

Pacifica, CA February 27, 2005--Jef Raskin, a mathematician, orchestral soloist and composer, professor, bicycle racer, model airplane designer, and pioneer in the field of human-computer interactions, died peacefully at home in California on February 26th, 2005 surrounded by his family and loved ones. He had recently been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

Jef created the Macintosh computer as employee number 31 at Apple in the early 1980s, revolutionizing computer interface design. Jef invented "click and drag" and many other methods now taken for granted by computer users. He named the Macintosh project after his favorite variety of apple, the McIntosh, modifying the spelling for copyright purposes.

Jef worked until the last days of his life. He told a friend ten days before he died, "When people get a chance to work in Archy and see how much easier it is to do their work, we'll get enormous support." He had completed almost all of the basic work by the time his health took a turn for the worse a few days later.

Jef viewed good design as a moral duty, holding interface designers to the same ethical standards as surgeons. Alluding to Isaac Asimov's first law of robotics, one of Jef's mantras was that "any system shall not harm your content or, through inaction, allow your content to come to harm." Archy implements that principle by making it impossible to permanently lose your work. Archy also replaces mouse movements, which many text editing programs require, with much faster "Leap" keystrokes, reducing the likelihood of carpel tunnel syndrome.

Jef originated the Macintosh project in 1979 despite strong opposition from Apple co-founder Steve Jobs and led the effort for the crucial first three years. He left Apple in 1982 to found Information Appliance Inc., where he created the award-winning Canon Cat in pursuit of his vision that a computer should be an easy-to-use tool. Despite the rapid sale of twenty thousand units, Canon terminated the project due to an internal dispute. Some Canon Cat owners report continuing to use their Cats to this day.

His sculptures have been exhibited at New York's Museum of Modern Art. One is included in the permanent collection.

Jef's life and work are the subject of a documentary in progress, which will continue to gather information and interviews from people who knew him.

Jef is survived by his wife of 23 years, Linda Blum; his children, Aza, Aviva, and Aenea; and his children in all but name, Jenna and Rebecca. A memorial service will be announced at a later date.

 

[Arc da Rat]

Martin Denny: Pioneer of ‘exotica’

Honolulu, Hi Friday, March 4, 2005

MARTIN DENNY / 1911-2005

Martin Denny, who created "exotica" music in the 1950s and lived to see it enjoy renewed worldwide popularity as "lounge music" and "tiki culture," died last night at his Hawaii Kai residence. He was 93.

Christina Denny, his daughter and primary caregiver, said that her father "passed peacefully at 9 p.m." and that he had been "ready to go."

"With the passing of Martin Denny, the world has lost one of its great popular musicians," said Michael Largarticha, Musicians Association of Hawaii president.

"He created a sound that remains unique to this day, an entire genre of music which Martin described as a fusion of Asian, South Pacific, American jazz, Latin American and classical."

Shari Lynn, singer, actress and dancer as well as music teacher at Hawaii School for Girls at La Pietra, said she was fortunate to have known Denny for more than 20 years.

"He was consistently a gentleman, of course a star, but accessible, generous, creative, inspiring -- Hawaii's music monarch," Lynn said.

She said Denny played at La Pietra Feb. 13 at a tsunami fund-raiser and at the school's annual "Sunset Jazz" fund-raiser Nov. 21.

He had been in declining health for the last two years, and had appeared to be near death several times in recent months, but was stoic about his increasingly limited diet and mobility.

Denny drew crowds of admirers and thrilled audiences when he performed. One of his final public performances was at Ward Warehouse, where he played a three-song set with bassist Byron Yasui on Jan. 21. Jimmy Buffett welcomed him as a special guest at a Waikiki Shell concert last year.

"I've probably attained more popularity in this part of my life than I ever have had in the past, and all I can say is that I'm very fortunate that this is happening to me. I got a royalty statement (recently) for six months, and it was over an inch thick," Denny said in a 2000 interview. "It just amazes me that (my music) is being played in such diverse places as Poland, Israel and South Africa -- not to mention Norway, Great Britain, Germany, Italy and France."

Largarticha, a 25-year friend, said Denny was a good union (Local 677) member. "Martin came to our last Christmas party and played 'Quiet Village,' 'Firecracker' and his other hits, and he absolutely captivated our younger members."

Although some writers described his music as "lightweight entertainment" or even "kitschy" over the years, the trademark "jungle noises" and birdcalls usually overshadowed substantial musical arrangements that reflected Denny's formal training as a pianist and decades of professional experience.

Born on April 12, 1911, in New York City, Denny took to the piano at an early age. He made his official debut as a professional musician in 1931 and spent 4 1/2 years working in South America. Denny played big-band dance music in the United States from the mid-1930s until World War II. He continued his musical career in the U.S. Army Air Corps and then attended college on the GI Bill, majoring in classical piano, composition and orchestration.

Denny first performed in Waikiki as a solo pianist in 1954, but in 1955 formed a trio with John Kramer (bass) and Arthur ***** (vibraphone). Percussionist Augie Colon became the fourth member of the group after they opened at the Shell Bar in Kaiser's Hawaiian Village in 1956. It was there that the "exotica" sound was born.

The sound of frogs croaking in a nearby pool inspired ad-libbed responses by the band members. Denny got so many requests for "the song with the jungle noises" that he worked up arrangements that included birdcalls and other sounds, and then enhanced the fanciful tropical ambience by using "exotic" percussion instruments. It wasn't long before globe-trotting fans were bringing him souvenir drums, gongs and other items to experiment with.

"If I had attempted to do the same thing on the mainland and asked a bunch of guys (there) if they'd do birdcalls, they'd have laughed me out of the studio. We did it here and it worked, but even without the birdcalls the guys could swing. That's what intrigued people -- plus the showmanship," Denny said in 1997.

Denny's first recording of "exotica" was made for Liberty Records in 1956. He re-recorded it in 1958. When Liberty released "Quiet Village" as a single in 1959, it reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100.

He was -- and still is -- one of the few Hawaii recording artists to appear on any of the six major Billboard record charts.

Denny's visibility as a pop chart hit-maker had waned by the end of the 1960s, but his music remained popular in many parts of the world until it was rediscovered by a new generation of music fans in the 1990s. Much of his early catalog was reissued on CD, with Denny providing extensive additional annotation.

Hawaii residents Kit Ebersbach and Lloyd Kandell created Don Tiki, a "lounge music" show group, in his honor.

Kandell said, "Martin Denny not only brought beautiful, exotic and evocative music to the entire world, but was an inspirational example of how to live life."

He said Denny "was sharp to the very end" of his life: "I would say he was almost a surrogate father to me and a musical mentor to my partner, Kit Ebersbach, and he was always a very supportive and generous spirit, attending every one of our live performances of Don Tiki."

He also performed onstage and recorded with the group, Kandell said.

The Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts gave Denny a Lifetime Achievement Award in 1990.

Funeral arrangements are pending, but the commemoration of his life will include a big memorial party at the Elks Club.

In another interview, Denny spoke of what he would like on his tombstone: "'I had many friends,'" he said. "I think that would be nice."

 

[JennyOmanHill]

Chris LeDoux Dies After Lengthy Illness

http://www.cmt.com/sitewide/assets/img/artists/ledoux_chris/chrisledoux49-189x182.jpg

Singer-Songwriter and Former Rodeo Champ Recorded 36 Albums During His Career

Singer-songwriter and former rodeo champion Chris LeDoux died Wednesday (March 9) in Casper, Wyo., following a lengthy battle with liver ailments. He was 56.

LeDoux was admitted to Wyoming Medical Center in Casper earlier this week after experiencing complications from his cancer. He and his family lived on a ranch near Kaycee, Wyo.

LeDoux underwent a liver transplant in October 2000 after being diagnosed with a rare liver disease, primary sclerosing cholangitis. In November 2004, LeDoux confirmed he had been diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma, a slow-growing cancer of the bile duct.

Commenting on LeDoux's death, Capitol Records Nashville president and CEO Mike Dungan noted, "In a world of egos and soundalikes, he was a unique artist and a wonderful man."

LeDoux had already recorded and marketed 22 albums on his own Lucky Man Music label before signing to Capitol Records in 1992. In large part, the major label deal was due to the support of another Capitol artist -- longtime fan Garth Brooks -- who had immortalized LeDoux in his 1989 debut single, "Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)." Through the years, Brooks would openly acknowledge that his concerts were in many ways inspired by LeDoux's high-voltage live shows.

Born Oct. 2, 1948, in Biloxi, Miss., Chris LeDoux was raised in Austin, Texas. His father was an Air Force pilot who moved the family throughout the U.S. While spending time in Texas and Wyoming, LeDoux gained an interest in music and the rodeo. In 1976, he earned the title of world champion bareback rider from the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA).

LeDoux began dabbling at songwriting while in high school and started recording and releasing his own albums in 1973. With titles such as Old Cowboy Heroes, Rodeo Songs and Wild and Wooly, LeDoux's music was aimed directly at the rodeo and cowboy subculture. Selling the tapes at rodeos, LeDoux built a devoted fan base that would continue to support him for more than three decades.

Capitol eventually reissued virtually all of the titles from LeDoux's Lucky Man catalog. His first Capitol album, Western Underground, was released in 1991. His second Capitol release, Whatcha Gonna Do With a Cowboy, featured Brooks on the title track. Peaking at No. 7 in 1992, it was LeDoux's only Top 10 single. LeDoux would later perform duets with others, including a 1994 pairing with Toby Keith on "Copenhagen" and a 1999 collaboration with Jon Bon Jovi on "Bang a Drum."

With career sales of almost 6 million albums, LeDoux is the subject of numerous compilations. Among the most comprehensive are American Cowboy (1972-94), a three-CD set highlighting his earliest work, and The Capitol Collection (1990-2000) , featuring six previously-released albums and bonus tracks.

Living with his family on a ranch in Wyoming, LeDoux was a soft-spoken man who often seemed uneasy in discussing his formidable accomplishments. During a trip to Tennessee in 2003, Capitol Nashville presented him with a plaque for his career record sales. In accepting the plaque, LeDoux told the group, "I couldn't have done this without the help of a lot of people. They gently nudged this lazy old cowboy along to get out there and do this for a living. If it weren't for them, I'd be singing to the sheep and the cows still."

 

[JennyOmanHill]

Actress Dies of Pneumonia Complications

Mar 11, 7:31 AM (ET)

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Actress Nicole DeHuff, who memorably took a volleyball in the face from Ben Stiller in the 2000 hit movie "Meet the Parents," died of complications from pneumonia. She was 31.

DeHuff had twice visited a hospital shortly before her death Feb. 16 but was sent home both times, the E! Network's E! Online Web site reported Friday.

"Meet the Parents" was DeHuff's first film. A bumbling Stiller, who is dating her sister, accidentally breaks her nose during a volleyball game on the eve of her wedding. The action is one of many that estrange Stiller from DeHuff's menacing father, played by Robert De Niro.

The actress also appeared in the films "Suspect Zero" and "See Arnold Run" and had a starring role in the recently completed movie "Unbeatable Harold," which was directed by her husband, Ari Palitz.

She had a regular role in the 2002 TV series "The Court" and appeared on such other shows as "CSI: Miami,""Without a Trace,""Dragnet,""The Practice" and "Monk."

The Oklahoma native earned a bachelor's degree in drama from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh before moving to Los Angeles.

 

[Eating_Scarlett]

A lot of well known people have died this year, and threads discussing them get lost on the boards, so I'm linking as many as I can to this thread.

Starting with:

John Ritter 1948-2003
https://forum.literotica.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=196567

and

Johnny Cash 1932-2003 https://forum.literotica.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=196556

Why are you bothering? People die. Get over it.

 

[nitengale]

Molly Hatchet Lead Singer Dies at 53

Danny Joe Brown, the lead singer of the Southern rock band Molly Hatchet, died of complications from diabetes, his family said Monday. He was 53.

Brown died Thursday at his home in Davie, a suburb of Fort Lauderdale, his sister Lyndia Brown said.

"He had been in the hospital for about four weeks before he died, and he wanted to come home and he was home for 30 minutes when he died," Lyndia Brown told The Associated Press. "He was surrounded by his children and his wife."

In 1975, the Jacksonville native joined Molly Hatchet, named after a Southern prostitute who allegedly beheaded and mutilated her clients. Brown was frontman for its self-titled album in 1978, which went platinum. In 1979 the next album, "Flirtin' With Disaster," sold over 2 million copies.

Brown left the band in the early 1980s because of his diabetes.

After creating his own group, the Danny Joe Brown Band, he rejoined Molly Hatchet in 1982 to participate in the album "No Guts ... No Glory." The album had limited success and the group eventually disbanded.

Molly Hatchet reunited and toured in 1996 for release of the album "Devil's Canyon."

Brown ended his career after a stroke in 1998, according to reports.

"Danny was way more than a singer for a rock 'n' roll band. He was a great brother, a wonderful son," Lyndia said. "He is going to be missed terribly by everybody."

 

[sticky_keyboard]

John DeLorean

John DeLorean, the inventor of the muscle car, better known for the stainless steel gull-wing star of Back to the Future has died at the age of 80.

John DeLoraen Dead at 80

In 1964, as President of Pontiac Motor Division, he shoe-horned a V-8 into a Tempest and called it GTO. The rest is history.

One of a small number of entreprenuers, like Preston Tucker, he took on Detroit to build his own automobile.

 

[cookiejar]

Bobby Short

NEW YORK - Cabaret singer Bobby Short, the tuxedoed embodiment of New York style and sophistication who was a fixture at his piano in the Carlyle Hotel for more than 35 years, died Monday. He was 80.



Short, whose career stretched over more than 70 years, died of leukemia at New York Presbyterian Hospital, said Virginia Wicks, a Los Angeles-based publicist. The hospital did not immediately return a call seeking further detail.


As times changed and popular music shifted from Sinatra to Springsteen to Snoop Dogg, Short remained irrevocably devoted to the "great American songbook": songs by Cole Porter, Duke Ellington, the Gershwins, Billy Strayhorn, Harold Arlen.


"I go back to what I heard Marian Anderson say once: `First a song has to be beautiful,'" Short told The New York Times in 2002. "However, `beautiful' covers a wide range of things. I have to admire a song's structure and what it's about. But I also have to determine how I can transfer my affection for a song to an audience; I have to decide whether I can put it across."


With his classic songs and suave presence, he entertained thousands over the years in the Carlyle's Upper East Side boite. In 2003, he celebrated his 35th anniversary there.


His fans inevitably included New York's rich and famous: Norman Mailer and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis in the '70s, Barbara Walters and Dominick Dunne in the new millennium.


He planned to make this his final year at the Carlyle, but was far from retiring. He wanted to travel and perform around the world, Wicks said.


"The drill of five nights a week for 12 weeks at a time is something that no longer appeals to me. It's too much," he told The Associated Press last year. "I doubt that a singer in a Broadway show or a singer at the Met has a more difficult obligation than I have."


Short, despite his veneration of the classics, was no nostalgia act. His musical taste, like his smooth voice and elegant wardrobe, was always impeccable. As an ambassador of vintage songs, Short played the White House for presidents Nixon, Carter, Reagan and Clinton.


"My audience," he once said, "expects a certain amount of sophistication when they are coming to hear me."


He was nominated for a Grammy in 2000 for "You're the Top: Love Songs of Cole Porter." In 1993, he was nominated for "Late Night at the Cafe Carlyle."


When Short first played the Cafe Carlyle in 1968, the Vietnam War was raging and Mayor John Lindsay was in City Hall. The quintessential "saloon singer" remained through another five administrations, becoming as familiar a New York landmark as the Empire State Building or Central Park.


He appeared in the movies "Hannah and Her Sisters" and "Splash," along with the television miniseries "Roots" and the program "In The Heat of the Night."


While suffering from a vocal problem in 1970, Short began work on an autobiography, "Black and White Baby." In 1995, he updated his memoirs with "Bobby Short: The Life and Times of a Saloon Singer."


Robert Waltrip Short was born Sept. 15, 1924, the ninth of 10 children in a musically inclined family. By age 4, he was playing by ear at the well-worn family piano, recreating songs heard on the radio.


His mother, he told The Associated Press in 1992, "taught survival. I think she had a framework of cast iron."


By age 9, the self-taught pianist was performing in saloons around his Danville, Ill., home to earn extra money during the Depression. Even then, his material included Ellington's "Sophisticated Lady."





Within two years, Short graduated to playing Chicago under his nickname, the "Miniature King of Swing."

Short played the vaudeville circuit: St. Louis, Milwaukee, Kansas City. On one date, he teamed with Louis Armstrong. And by age 12, he was headlining Manhattan nightclubs and regular engagements at the Apollo Theater.

But Short, afraid of missing out on his youth, returned to his hometown and his high school. Four years later, a still-teenage Short was back performing; by 1948, he had a regular gig at a tony Los Angeles club, the Cafe Gala.

Three years there left Short in what he called "a velvet rut," and he left the United States for gigs in London and Paris. His success overseas led to an album for Atlantic Records.

During the '60s, Short's audience began to shrink. The Beatles and the British Invasion dominated music; suburban flight and urban crime cut into the nightclub business.

He overcome those woes in 1968 with an extraordinary concert featuring singer Mabel Mercer in Manhattan's Town Hall; their live album became a success. He signed a deal with the Cafe Carlyle in the same year: six nights a week, eight months a year at the lounge inside the posh East 76th Street hotel.

"I've survived in the city of New York, not an easy thing to achieve," Short once told the AP. "Most of the dreams I've had for myself have come true. I wanted to come to New York and become successful and work in a smart room and make recordings. I guess I wanted to be famous in a kind of way. I wanted to have money."

During his vacations, Short spent much of his time in Mougins, France.

Short hobnobbed with the upper crust, most notably with designer Gloria Vanderbilt. He was one of only a handful of blacks to make it onto the elite Social Register.

"I think it's an expression of democracy at work. I don't come from a high society background. I'm not even a college graduate," he told the AP in 2000.

In 1980, after Short appeared with Vanderbilt in television ads promoting her designs, Vanderbilt filed a discrimination complaint against the posh River House apartments, which had rejected her bid to buy a $1.1 million duplex. She claimed the board was worried that the black singer might marry her. She later dropped the suit.

Short, who never married, lived on Sutton Place in Manhattan, sharing an apartment overlooking the East River with his pets. Short is survived by his adopted son Ronald Bell and brother Reginald Short, both of California, Wicks said.

 

[JennyOmanHill]

Tyrone Davis

Soul singer who lived the high life

Tyrone Davis, who has died aged 66, was an American soul singer whose voice, between low tenor and baritone, had a blues tinge. He commanded a large, loyal black following, but was denied a mass audience.

Born to sharecroppers in Greenville, Mississippi, Davis shifted with his father to Saginaw, Michigan. He settled in Chicago in 1959, and between day jobs served as valet and chauffeur for blues singer-guitarist Freddy King, and sang in South Side clubs.

Discovered in a club by pianist Harold Burrage, Davis made his recording debut in 1965 on the local Four Brothers label, billed as "Tyrone the Wonder Boy".

His early singles were raw blues, and none were hits. In 1968, he signed with the Dakar label; in the hands of producer-arranger Willie Henderson, his first single was a gruff, bluesy ballad that went nowhere. Then a Houston DJ, Wild Child, flipped the disc and played the B-side, Can I Change My Mind, a silky dance tune with Davis moaning confessionally over Bernard Reed's busy bass lines. The record soared to No 1 R&B, No 5 Pop.

Davis scored for 14 years; among his greats were Is It Something You've Got and Turn Back The Hands Of Time. He put together a dynamic band and toured the "chitlin' circuit" with great effect. He loved success, playing up his image as a ladies' man and living the high life. He was a consistent R&B hitmaker, but was marginalised from pop stations when US radio began to practise apartheid in programming. His huge 1975 R&B No 1 hit, Turning Point, did not even register on Billboard's Hot 100 Pop songs because Top 40 radio refused to play it; Davis sounded too black. This signalled the end of soul music's golden age.

Davis signed with Columbia Records in 1976 and continued to score R&B chart hits, but by the mid-1980s they had dried up and Columbia ended his contract. He then toured and recorded for smaller labels.

Davis had a stroke and cardiac arrest last September, and never recovered.

He is survived by his wife Ann, and many children.

 

[JennyOmanHill]

Comedian Dave Allen dies aged 68

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/40915000/jpg/_40915485_allen_bbc203.jpg

Irish comedian Dave Allen, famed for his TV routines as he perched on a stool with drink and cigarette in hand, has died in his sleep aged 68.

He was most famous for his TV shows Tonight With Dave Allen and Dave Allen at Large, which featured his satires on topics including religion.

Allen got his first break on a BBC talent show in 1959, and toured with the Beatles in the UK and France.

He died in his sleep on Thursday night at his west London home.

He leaves a wife, Karin, and three children.

Comics including Eddie Izzard, Barry Cryer and Dylan Moran were among those who paid tribute to Allen's comedic talents and originality.

The BBC's head of comedy Jon Plowman called Allen a "wonderful comedian" who would be sadly missed.

"That extraordinary relaxed style with a cigarette in one hand and a glass of whiskey in the other as he buttonholed us with wonderful jokes and stories is the image that we shall remember," he told the BBC News website.

He was a groundbreaker in many ways, particularly in the jokes and sketches that had a go at religion - something that certainly came from his growing up in Ireland that was sometimes quite tough for its day.

Allen retired from performing in 1999

Allen's first UK TV series was ITV's Tonight With Dave Allen, although he had become well-known through his guest spots on BBC One's The Val Doonican Show.

It was followed by Dave Allen At Large for the BBC, in which he developed his familiar themes of debunking religious rituals - inspired by his strict Catholic upbringing.

During the 1980s he moved onto an eponymous show simply featuring Allen with his trademark stool and glass of whiskey. One of his routines led to questions being asked in the House of Commons about his strong language.

It led to a 1991 stage show, An Evening With Dave Allen, and a series for ITV in 1993. His last performance came in 1999, when he recorded a rare interview for BBC Radio 4.

He remained protective of his material, refusing to allow it to be rebroadcast while he was alive.

Offers of work had continued to come in, and he was considering a project scheduled for later this year when he died.

 

[RoryN]

With all the news of dead musicians, some good and rather remarkable news:

Patty Andrews, the "lead" singer of The Andrews Sisters, is still alive and kicking.

 

[JennyOmanHill]

RoryN: so glad to hear that!

Meanwhile:

http://images.ibsys.com/2005/0322/4307647_200X150.jpg

Former Steelers Star Suffocated By Barbell
Man Lifting Weights At Home

PITTSBURGH -- Former Pittsburgh Steelers Pro Bowler David Little, who led one of the NFL's most experienced linebacker corps in the 1980s, died while weightlifting at home in Miami. He was 46.

Little was lifting weights Thursday when he had a heart arrhythmia, causing him to drop a 250-pound barbell on his chest, which rolled onto his neck and suffocated him, according to the coroner.

Little was found by his sons, David Jr. and Darien.

The University of Florida graduate played his entire 12-year career in Pittsburgh after being taken during the seventh round of the 1981 NFL draft.

Little started 125 of the 179 games he played for the Steelers and once played 89 consecutive games. He was voted to the Pro Bowl in 1990, three years before he retired.

His older brother, Larry Little, was an All-Pro guard for the Miami Dolphins.

Little is also survived by his wife, Denise, his mother, daughter and four sisters.

 

[CloseNtime]

RoryN: so glad to hear that!

Meanwhile:

http://images.ibsys.com/2005/0322/4307647_200X150.jpg

Former Steelers Star Suffocated By Barbell
Man Lifting Weights At Home

PITTSBURGH -- Former Pittsburgh Steelers Pro Bowler David Little, who led one of the NFL's most experienced linebacker corps in the 1980s, died while weightlifting at home in Miami. He was 46.

Little was lifting weights Thursday when he had a heart arrhythmia, causing him to drop a 250-pound barbell on his chest, which rolled onto his neck and suffocated him, according to the coroner.

Little was found by his sons, David Jr. and Darien.

The University of Florida graduate played his entire 12-year career in Pittsburgh after being taken during the seventh round of the 1981 NFL draft.

Little started 125 of the 179 games he played for the Steelers and once played 89 consecutive games. He was voted to the Pro Bowl in 1990, three years before he retired.

His older brother, Larry Little, was an All-Pro guard for the Miami Dolphins.

Little is also survived by his wife, Denise, his mother, daughter and four sisters.

I will never lift weights in my basement again!

 

[pipercatt]

I will never lift weights in my basement again!

Just use a spotter.

I wonder who's going to come out with the PSA on that one?

 

[RoryN]

Everyone...

*drum* *drum* *drum* *drum* <<DA DAT DA DA DAT DA DA DAT DA NA NA NA DA DAT...>>

(it was a great guitar, indeed).

Guitarist Rod Price, Founding Member of the Blues Boogie Band Foghat, Dies After Falling Down a Stairway

The Associated Press

WILTON, New Hampshire Mar 24, 2005 — Guitarist Rod Price, founding member of the blues boogie band Foghat, died Tuesday after falling down a stairway at his home, a family friend said. He was 57.

The London native's solos drove Foghat to three platinum and eight gold records during the band's quarter-century career. After many years of touring he settled in Wilton in 1994.

Many in town knew Price as a loving father who never missed his son's baseball, soccer or basketball games. Fewer people knew of Price's musical background.

Price had played with Champion Jack Dupree, Eddie Kirkland, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Willie Dixon and Honey Boy Edwards.

In recent years, Price concentrated on his blues projects, cutting several CDs and giving private guitar lessons at his home.

 

[JennyOmanHill]

Actor Who Played Jerry Seinfeld's Dad Dies

LOS ANGELES (March 24) - Barney Martin, a former New York City detective who went into show business and became best known for playing Jerry Seinfeld's father Morty on the comedian's hit television series, has died. He was 82.

Martin died of cancer Monday at his Studio City home, according to his publicist, Jennifer Glassman.

Born March 3, 1923, in the New York City borough of Queens, Martin served as a navigator in the Air Force during World War II before starting a 20-year career as a New York City police detective.

Martin showed a talent for making deputy police commissioners laugh during presentations. In the 1950s, he began writing on the side for comedy shows such as "Name That Tune" and "The Steve Allen Show."

Martin got his start in film when Mel Brooks featured him in "The Producers" in 1968. That role launched Martin into Broadway theater, where he appeared in several musicals, including "South Pacific," "The Fantasticks," All American" and "How Now Dow Jones."

He is credited with creating the role of Roxy's unappreciated husband, Amos Hart, in the musical "Chicago."

Martin also appeared in several television series in the 1990s, including "The Tony Randall Show," "US," "Sydney" and "Zorro and Son."

In "Seinfeld," Martin was the third actor to play the part of Seinfeld's father and became the one most identified with the role of the Florida retiree.

He said at the show's wrap party in 1998: "Playing Jerry's dad was like having whipped cream on top of a mountain of ice cream."

He is survived by his wife and son. A daughter died in 2002 of cancer.

 

[Fagin]

He was a funny guy and a decent actor.