Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Pran aka Pran Kumar Sharma aka The Disney of India

Smita Talwalkar

Actress, producer, and director -- via Daily News and Analysis.

Khalil Morsi

Actor -- via Ahram Online.


Walter Massey

Actor -- via the Glode and Mail.

Richie Taylor

Journalist and musician -- via independent.ie.

Jake Hooker aka Jerry Mamberg

Guitarist and songwriter; best known for co-writing "I Love Rock 'n' Roll"! -- via Highlight Hollywood. PLEASE NOTE: Sharp-eyed reader Viv Holt corrects me -- Jake co-wrote the rock anthem with Alan Merrill, aka Allan Sachs, of the Arrows, who sings the original version shown below.



Marilyn Burns

Vratislav Schilder

Actor and puppeteer -- via blesk.cz.

Keith Newbery

Journalist -- via the Portsmouth News.

Rafael Santa Cruz

Actor and musician -- via La Republica



Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Billie Letts

Writer and teacher -- via the New York Times.

Steve Post

Radio host -- via the New York Times. Just one of those wonderful, intelligent, funny, descriptive voices that make radio so enchanting. A long-time staple of mornings at classical radio WNYC-FM. Here's a great profile of him by that station:

David Lee Bakenhaster

Former MLB player -- via legacy.com.

Bill Koski

Former MLB player -- via Dignity Memorial.

Yvette Lebon

Actress --via Le Parisien.

Velma Smith

Guitarist and songwriter -- via tasteofcountry.com A session player, she worked with Willie, Waylon, Hank Snow, Eddy Arnold, Roy Acuff, Jim Reeves, Porter Wagoner, and Patsy Cline!






Mike Smith

Radio host -- via the BBC.

Olga Voronets

Folk singer -- via ITAR-TASS.



Juno Alexander

Actress -- via the Telegraph.

Rod de'Ath

Drummer -- via Ultimate Classic Rock.

Monday, August 4, 2014

James Brady

Betty Jo "Grandma Betty" Simpson

Instagram focus of interest -- via the New York Daily News.

Jess Marlow

TV newscaster -- via the NBC Los Angeles.

Benjamin Olmstead

Kevin McGroarty

Master of the self-penned obituary -- via the Wilkes-Barre Times Leader. Here is his highly entertaining autoeulogy: -- via legacy.com.

WEEKLY READER: International roundup of stories on death, mourning, and more

TOP STORIES

Via Apartment Therapy, the story of the death mask


Funny, creative obits stick out – via Bob Kalinowski of citizensvoice.com.

MOURNING

Mourning as performance art? – from Cheryl Rossi in the Vancouver Courier

Disturbing or comforting? Photos of stillborns, dead infants becoming memorial practice – by Joel Landau of the New York Daily News

Sharon Randall of McClatchy-Tribune on the need for funerals

Pamela Jay Gottfried on a beautiful day for a funeral

End-of-life ethicist reflects on her own mourning for her husband, from Peggy Fletcher Stack of the Salt Lake Tribune

Howard Barbanel on Huffington Post, on mourning his mother

OBITS

From Confessions of a Funeral Director: “10 Ways to Make Your Obituary Spicy”

FUNERALS


Funeral home buries wrong body – from Deborah Hastings at the New York Daily News

Veteran plans ahead by purchasing Jack Daniels coffin: from Alex Crook at the Daily Star

Paul Sullivan of the New York Times talks about planning ahead



Rich Ceisler

Comedian -- form his Facebook page.

King Robbo

Graffiti artist -- via the BBC.


Sadanam Divakara Marar

Percussionist -- via the Hindu.

Sam Hunter

Scholar, writer, and curator -- via Princeton University.

Natale Tulli

Actor -- via westernboothill.blogspot.com.

Sunday, August 3, 2014

Idris Muhammad

Drummer -- via the New Orleans Times-Picayune.





John Mazzola

Ran Lincoln Center -- via the New York Times.

Szobi Cseh

Actor and stuntman -- via ziare.com.

Murat Göğebakan

Singer -- via Today's Zaman.





Wilton Schiller

TV writer and producer -- via Variety.

Kenny Ireland

Actor -- via the Telegraph.


Jay Maeder

Gerardo Cornejo

Writer -- via Pulso.

Mukku Raju aka Sagiraju Rajamraju

Actor and choreographer -- via indiaglitz.com.

Arthur Shafman

Producer -- via the New York Times.

Pete Van Wieren aka The Professor

Noel Black

Director in film and TV; best known for "Pretty Poison" Oscar-nominated for 1965's "Skaterdater"! -- via the New York Times.






Walt Martin

Oscar-nominated sound mixer -- via the Hollywood Reporter. Best known for his late-period Eastwood work, he earned his way to the position and how. He are some of the films he worked on prior: "Cavegirl," "Sorority House Massacre," "Pass the Ammo," "Gatorbait II: Cajun Justice," "Dead Heat," "Grizzy Adams and the Legend of Dark Mountain," and the immortal "Dead Man on Campus." I wold have loved to have taped his memoirs. He did it all!

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/behind-screen/jersey-boys-why-clint-eastwood-713637




Michael Johns

Singer -- via Entertainment Weekly.

Maria Antonia Iglesias


Writer and journalist -- via El Confidencial.

Friday, August 1, 2014

Rick Mittelman

Emmy-nominated, long-time TV comedy writer -- via the Hollywood Reporter. Here's a short list of some of the shows he wrote for" Red Skelton. "The Flintstones." Dick van Dyke. "I Spy." "Gomer Pyle." "Bewitched." "That Girl." Mary Tyler Moore. "The Odd Couple." "Remington Steele." "MacGuyver." 56 shows!!!


Saaed Saleh

Comic actor -- via the Bahrain News Agency. Got his start in the cast of the classic 1973 Egyptian comedy, "Madraset el-Moshaghbeen" (School of the Mischievious). It was adapted from the 1967 British film, "To Sir, with Love," and started many an Egyptian comedy career.