Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Arthur Gelb

Journalist, critic, writer, and editor -- via the New York Times. An excellent newspaper man, I am particularly fond of his comprehensive two-volume biography of Eugene O'Neill, penned with his wife Barbara. (Louis Sheaffer's "O'Neill: Son and Artist" is the other great work on the life of the playwright.)

Eric Gentry

Vocalist -- via Alternative Press.

Hussein El-Iman

Actor and musician -- via Daily News Egypt.

Anatoly Poperechny

Poet and songwriter -- via rupaper.com.

Adriena Šimotová

Artist -- via Radio Prague.


Charlotte Nolan

Monday, May 19, 2014

Barbara Knudson

Actress -- via westernboothill.blogspot.com.

Andre Popp

Composer, songwriter, and arranger -- via Le Monde. His big hit: "Love is Blue."






Clyde Snow

Forensic anthropologist -- via the New York Times.

Morris Weiss

Comics artist and writer -- via Mark Evanier's News from Me.


(Gerlind) Cornell Borchers

Actress -- via Der TagessSpiegel.




Guy Morton Jr.

Former MLB player, and minster -- via legacy.com.

Nicola Ghiuselev

Bass -- via the Global Post.





Adam Ahmad

Singer and composer -- via The Star.

Akihiro Yokoyama

Bassist of United -- via Blabbermouth.net.

Vernon Lewis

Comedian and stuntman -- via Yahoo News Singapore.

Jerry Vale aka Genaro Louis Vitaliano

Dick Welteroth

Former MLB player -- via the SunGazette.

Clarence "Cubie" Burke Jr.

Lead singer for the Five Stairsteps -- via NewsOne. As the "First Family of Soul," their big hit was "O-o-h Child."



Rolf Boysen

Actor -- via sueddeutsche.de.


Rolf Boysen by stimmensammler

Virginia Belmont

Actress -- via the L.A. Times.

Sunday, May 18, 2014

Gordon Willis

Oscar-winning cinematographer -- via Deadline. One of the 10 greatest directors of photography of all time, he was known as "The Prince of Darkness" for his dense, high-contrast textures. A beautiful artist -- here are but a few of his triumphs:

The Godfather
The Godfather II
Annie Hall
Manhattan
All the President's Men
Klute
Little Murders
Stardust Memories
The Purple Rose of Cairo

I saw the first screening of "Manhattan," the day it came out, in Manhattan. The opening sequence captures perfectly my first memories of the city, and still encapsulates everything I love about the greatest city in the world. Thanks, Gordon.







It is absolutely ridiculous that he never won an Oscar straight-out for his work. He was given the Honorary Award by the Governors of the Academy for his lifetime body of work in 2009. He's still way ahead of his time.

Hugh Martin

Composer, lyricist, arranger, and pianist --via the New York Times. Best know for his trio of hits for the film "Meet Me in St. Louis": "The Trolley Song," "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," and "The Boy Next Door."








Mary Stewart

Novelist -- via the Guardian.

Beverly Long

Actress and casting director -- via the Hollywood Reporter.

Richard Wendley

Actor and writer -- via westernboothill.blogspot.com.

Margareta Pogonat (Pogonat-Caliopi)

Actress -- via adevarul.ro.

William Worthy

Journalist -- via the New York Times. Immortalized by Phil Ochs in "The Ballad of William Worthy," he persisted in going to places the U.S. State Department deemed he shouldn't go, to report on issues the U.S. government didn't want him to cover. So they revoked his passport. He went anyway.




Svetlana Grigoryan

Actress -- via panorama.an.

Lynne Cohen

Photographer, artist, and teacher -- via the Ottawa Citizen.


Peggy O'Shea

TV writer -- via Variety.

Tony Genaro

Actor -- via the Hollywood Reporter.


Friday, May 16, 2014

Marty Thau

Doug Hale

Actor -- via Variety.

Ralph Peduto

Actor -- via the Santa Cruz Sentinel.

John Hartley Williams

Poet -- via the Guardian.

Jean Marshall

Soprano and singing teacher -- via the Telegraph.


Larry Ray Lubenow

Journalist who asked one question that changed history -- via WDAZ. Larry Ray Lubenow was a 21-year-old reporter at the Grand Forks, ND, Herald when Louis Armstrong came to town for a show on Sept. 17, 1957. His editor ordered him not to ask him about politics (this was two weeks after the Little Rock Nine, young black students, were barred from entering Little Rock Central High School). Lubenow ignored his editor's orders and asked Armstrong about the situation. Pops responded with a profanity-laced tirade against the United States government for not standing up to segregationist acts. The story blew up and circled the world. The racist outcry against Armstrong was massive; the wave of support was even stronger. Seven days later, 1,200 U.S. troops escorted the students into the school, breaking the back of segregation. It is held that Armstrong's widely read comments forced President Eisenhower's hand in the matter.

Here's the complete story, from the New York Times. If Lubenow hadn't asked his forbidden question, none of this might have happened. P.S. He got fired.

Louis Armstrong - Little Rock Nine from Andrew Cannizzaro on Vimeo.

Edward Blake

Narrator -- via alt.obituaries.

William Coughlin

Charles F. Farthing

Doctor who specialized in fighting HIV/AIDS -- via the Washington Post.

David Prentice

Artist -- via the Ledbury Reporter.


Sarat Pujari

Actor -- via the Times of India.

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Selim Sesler

Clarinetist -- via Hurriyet Daily News. A remarkable player who fused Romani (gypsy) and Turkish sound.










Marlow Tackett

Country singer -- via WSAZ-TV.

Jadiel el Tsunami aka Ramon Gonzalez

Reggaeton singer -- via WHAM-TV.

Amedus "Meddy" Gallant

Fiddler -- via inmemoriam.ca.

Dmitri Volkov

Cellist -- via the Baltimore Sun.

READER: This week's stories on death, dying, and end-of-life issues

Here's another installment of my periodical accumulation of interesting Obit Patrol-oriented stories:

From Emma Courtland at the L.A. Weekly, a portrait of Caitlin Doughty, who hopes to become "the Millenial's Mortician"

From Matt Sedensky at AP, a feature story on a hospice nurse who faced the death of a loved one

From "The Wanderer in Zambia," a story of mourning and different cultures

From Sian Cain in the Guardian, young-adult fiction and death

From Tracy Rose in Liberty Voice: Constant arguing can kill you

From Andrea Oschetti for CNN, mourning for the fallen Sherpas of Nepal

From Before It's News, "Mortician Occupation Becoming Popular in China"

From Steve Fouch of the Christian Medical Fellowship: The need to talk openly about the end of life

From Messy Nessy Chic: The Paris Morgue -- from 1864 to 1907, it was "the first free theater for the people"