Sunday, February 1, 2015

Geraldine McEwan

Actress -- via the Hollywood Reporter. AKA Geraldine McKeown.She was in the original production of Orton's "Loot," appeared across from Olivier in Strindberg's "Dance of Death," but she will be best remembered popularly as Miss Marple.

Don Covay

Singer and songwriter -- via soultracks. AKA Donald Randolph. He wrote some classics, including "Chain of Fools," "See Saw," "Sookie Sookie," and more. Started off as a child gospel singer, then started singing R & B with the likes of a young Marvin Gaye, and finally broke in to the big time with Little Richard and Solomon Burke.










Israel Yinon

Than Wyenn

Actor, humorist, and dramatist -- via Variety. A ubiquitous character actor who appeared in dozens of films and TV shows.

Suzette Haden Elgin

Science-fiction writer and linguist -- via sfsite.com. AKA Patricia Anne Wilkins.

Aldo Ciccolini

Pianist; supreme interpreter of the music of Erik Satie -- via the Firenze Post. An extremely gifted keyboardist, Ciccolini specialized in works of composers of the late 19th and early 20th century -- Saint-Saens, Debussy, Ravel, Albeniz, and de Falla.

For me, Ciccolini's playing opened up an entire world. Picking up his Angel recording of "Piano Music of Erik Satie Volume 1" from the public library and putting it on my turntable at home, I was immediately entranced. The "Trois Gymnopedies" came first, so familiar now from overexposure, starting with "My Dinner with Andre." But every note, especially the absurd, jagged, joking ones, turned on some enormous pleasure switch in my head. I soon had devoured all Satie, and started major inroads into Les Six, Stravinsky, Honneger, Messiaen . . . and then all the art from the period, and the film, and soon I was swimming in the most congenial culture -- a strange, spiky, funny, absurd cosmos full of energy and a brave disregard for staid conventions.

I thought of Ciccolini years later, when I made a pilgrimage to Satie's home in the rue Cortot, behind Sacre-Coeur in Montmartre. I keep listening to his definitive interpretations -- how often I hear musicians take the edge off Satie. I can't tell you how many times Ciccolini's performances have sustained me, lifted me up out of myself. Many thanks, dear sir.

Friday, January 30, 2015

Actor/filmmaker Terry Carter is alive and well . . . mistake analyzed

ACTOR AND FILMMAKER TERRY CARTER LIVES!

To quote Mark Twain, "Rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated"!!!

Here's the original post:

"Actor and filmmaker -- via entertainmentwise. AKA John Everett DeCoste. Best known for his extensive appearances in TV, including "McCloud" and the original "Battlestar Galactica." "

Post 2

AND ALIVE! (?) My apologies to him and his nearest and dearest if I have erred. And -- glad, you are still around, sir!

Post 3

Here's where we stand as of 9:39 a.m. MST Jan. 30. Via WCVB in Boston, Saeed Ahmed and Lisa Respers from France CNN report that the victim Terry Carter was a 55-year-old music producer, about whom I am not finding any information. Earlier reports cite Knight's lawyer, Jams E. Blatt, as identifying the victim as the actor and filmmaker Terry Carter. Such are the vagaries of breaking news, and the eagerness of such as myself to post that we may have gotten it wrong. (If so, that would make me 3 wrong out of 10,000-plus, which I am good with.) Updates as I find them!

Post 4

As of 9:50 a.m., actor and filmmaker Terry Carter let folks know of his un-demise via Twitter (see above). Further details about the actual victim have not yet materialized.

Bernice Gordon

Neil LeVang

Guitarist -- via Vintage Guitar. Best known for his long stint on "The Lawrence Welk Show," he was a highly valued studio musician whose work can be found on albums of many different genres, as well as film soundtracks.

Everett Lamar "Rocky" Bridges

Former MLB player -- via the Spokane Spokesman-Review.

Vagif Samadoglu

Poet, playwright and writer -- via azernews.az.

Thursday, January 29, 2015

Rod McKuen

Poet, songwriter, composer, and singer -- via the L.A. Times. AKA The King of Kitsch. An awful poet, he did write the Oscar-nominated song from the film "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie," and popularized French poet and songwriter Jacques Brel.

Geraldine Doucet

Singer and actress -- via the Montreal Gazette.

Bette Rogge Morse

TV and radio host -- via legacy.com.

Mercy Haystead

Actress -- via the Telegraph.

Joe Rigoli

Comedian and actor -- via El Mundo.

Amparo Baro

Actress -- via Vertele.

Colleen McCullough

Novelist -- via the New York Times.

Rose Marie McCoy

Songwriter and performer -- via the Champaign, IL News-Gazette. Her 800-plus songs have been recorded by the likes of: Ike and Tina Turner, Elvis, Sarah Vaughan, Louis Jordan, Ruth Brown, Aretha . . . and many many more.



Don "Bear" Bryant

Former MLB catcher and coach -- via NESN. He caught Don Wilson's no-hitter for the Astros in 1969.

Charlie Williams

Former MLB pitcher -- via the Daytona Beach News-Journal. His claim to fame: he was the guy the Giants traded Willie Mays for.

Nick Koback

Former MLB player -- via legacy.com.

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Peter Neufeld

Victor Martinez

Writer -- via the L.A. Times.

Rose Cabat

Ceramic artist -- via legacy.com.

Mala Aravindan

Actor -- via gulfnews.com.

Kabi Laretei

Pianist -- via the Telegraph.

Demetrio Gonzalez

Actor and singer -- via Milenio. AKA El Charro Espanol.

John Bilezkjian

Master of the oud -- via the L.A. Times.

Ian Allen

Marshall Schlom

Script supervisor -- via the Hollywood Reporter.

Cleven "Goodie" Goudeau

Artist and illustrator -- via the Contra Costa Times.

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Charles Townes

Bill Monbouquette

Former MLB pitcher -- via the Boston Globe.

Glen Carr

Regional movie theater expert -- via the San Angelo TX Standard-Times.

Sal Polisi

Woodcarver -- via the New York Times.

R.K. Laxman

Cartoonist -- via the Washington Post.

Margot Moir

Vocalist -- via noise11.com.

Monday, January 26, 2015

V.S. Raghavan

Actor -- via Yahoo News.

Gwynne Lewis

Historian -- via the Guardian.

Demis Roussos

Singer -- via the BBC. A classic case of someone little-known in America . . . who sold 60 million albums.

Charles Locke

Former MLB player -- via mathisfuneralhomes.com.

Lotte Hass

Underwater model and actress; the "First Lady of Diving" -- via fairlane4649.deviantart.com.

Deathcetera: The week's news in death and mourning

English philosopher Jeremy Bentham -- one of the few human corpses stuffed, mounted, and displayed publicly.

DEATH

Human taxidermy? Hmmmm – via Caitlin Doughty at Ask a Mortician

Might you be dying soon? Take the 29-point Death Test – from Madlen Davis at the Daily Mail

From ‘vigil volunteers’ to death doulas – by Alicia Tugend at the New York Times

Grisly secrets of London’s Victorian dead – via Lee Jackson at the Guardian

British death certificate changes deferred – via Hugh Pym at the BBC

What happens to debts at death? – from I’m Sorry to Hear

Books to help children come to terms with death in their lives – via Meghan Cox Gurdon at the Wall Street Journal


MOURNING


Updated story: China suppresses Shanghai mourners – via Andrew Browne at the Wall Street Journal

Churchill’s death and funeral remembered by his grandchild – via Celia Sandys at the Wall Street journal

Veteran’s body mislaid – via fox40.com.


FUNERALS

Funeral home had ‘blatant disregard for the dead’ – via AP and the Huffington Post

Read pre-paid funeral contracts carefully – from Cate Grant at ABC News


Ann Keefe

Nun and activist -- via the Providence Journal.

"Cheddar" Chad Rattray

Joan Hinde

Trumpeter -- via the Midhurst and Petworth Observer.

Robert Boon

Actor -- via legacy.com.

Chin Shunshin

Novelist, translator, and literary critic -- via Nikkei Asian Review.