Interesting, overlooked, and significant obituaries from around the world, as they happen, emphasizing the positive achievements of those who have died. Member, Society of Professional Obituary Writers.
Monday, June 13, 2011
John Mackenzie aka Frenzy Mackenzie
Film director -- via the Telegraph. He made one of the most amazing movies ever -- "The Long Good Friday."
Laura Ziskin
Movie producer -- via popeater.com. No Ziskin, no "No Way Out," "Pretty Woman," "What About Bob?", "To Die For" and the "Spiderman" trilogy.
Carl Gardner
Co-founder and lead vocalist of The Coasters -- via Spinner. He co-founded the group with Billy Nunn, after leaving The Robins in 1955. The Coasters are one of the great vocal groups of all time -- a conduit for the profound silliness of Leiber and Stoller's brilliant songwriting, which had a truckload of hits and got exploited and shortchanged.
Gardner's theatricality, fine voice and ability to entertain helped make this ensemble's efforts forever memorable.
Not only did they serve as the exponents of the Lieber and Stoller songbook, but they made amazing covers of songs such as "Brazil," "Besame Mucho" and "Zing! Went the Strings of my Heart".
Gardner's theatricality, fine voice and ability to entertain helped make this ensemble's efforts forever memorable.
Not only did they serve as the exponents of the Lieber and Stoller songbook, but they made amazing covers of songs such as "Brazil," "Besame Mucho" and "Zing! Went the Strings of my Heart".
Larry Berg
He led the town band for 30 years, and did much more for his community -- via the Bonner Springs Chieftain.
Lee J. Ames
Artist and illustrator -- via newsfromme.com. The author of the famous "Draw 50" instructional series.
Mietek Pemper
Man who typed "Schindler's List," saving more than 1,000 Jewish lives during the Holocaust -- via the Jerusalem Post.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Edgar Zivanai Tekere
Revolutionary -- via the New York Times. A compatriot of Mugabe, he helped free Zimbabwe. Later, he fought against Mugabe's oppression and was jailed for a second time.
Sir Patrick "Paddy" Michael Leigh Fermor
Brilliant travel writer, author, scholar and soldier -- via the Telegraph. He walked across Europe; he kidnapped a German general; a man of mythic stature.
Friday, June 10, 2011
Leon Botha
Artist, musician and DJ -- via boingboing.net. He suffered from progeria, a disease that rapidly advances the aging process. At 26, he had one of the longest lives recorded for a progeria sufferer; it looks as though he used the time he had to the utmost.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Hugh Stewart
Film editor and producer -- via altfg.com. He edited the 1934, vastly better version of Hitchcock's "The Man Who Knew Too Much."
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Leonard B. Stern
Emmy, Golden Globe and Peabody-winning writer/producer/director -- via Yahoo News. A specialist in comedy, he had a hand in many classic American TV shows, including "The Honeymooners," "Get Smart" and "McMillan and Wife." He got his start in late-period Abbott & Costello and Ma and Pa Kettle movies. And hey! He co-created Mad Libs with Roger Price, the latter of Droodles fame.
Harry Redmond Jr.
Special effects artist for film and TV -- via the Hollywood Reporter. His career began in 1931; he worked on the original "King Kong," "She," "Lost Horizon," and many more. Later worked extensively with Ivan Tors on his TV series ("Flipper," "Daktari" and "Ripcord").
Martin Rushent
Legendary sound engineer and record producer -- via the Telegraph. Among his work -- engineer: "Jesus Christ Superstar," "Electric Warrior," "Octopus"; as producer, the Stranglers, the Buzzcocks, Generation X and Human League.
Philip Rose aka Philip Rosenberg
Theatrical producer -- via the New York Times. Beginning with his successful, groundbreaking production of "A Raisin in the Sun," he went on to produce such works as "Purlie," "The Owl and the Pussycat" and "Shenandoah."
Jose Pagan
Marvelous baseball player -- via the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. His RBI double in the 8th inning of Game 7 of the 1971 World Series clinched the title for the Pirates.
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