Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Muath Safi Yousef Al-Kasasbeh

Kenji Goto

Monty Oum

Animator -- via the Washington Post.

Tomislav Bradanovic Lincir

Actor, dancer, journalist, and model -- via legacy.com. AKA Alva, Tomislav Lincir Bradovitch.

Valerie Ann Stevenson Joseph

Actress and singer -- via legacy.com.

Dave Bergman

Former MLB player -- via WXYZ. Best known as part of the 1984 Series-winning Tigers, and for his exemplary game-winning at bat in extra innings on June 4, 1984. Roy Lee Jackson was pitching for the Blue Jays -- Bergman fought off 12 pitches, then sent the 13th out of the park for a three-run walk-off win. (Even more amazing, he went in the hole 0-2 right away!)





Arturo Camsssi

Artist -- via La Nazione.

Vladimir-Georg Karassev-Orgussar

Filmmaker and broadcaster -- via coldwarradios.blogspot.co.uk. AKA Vladimir-Georg-Julian Orgussar, Vladimir Karasjov.

Richard McBrien

Renegade theologian -- via the New York Times.

Eddie "Cookie Dough" Bell

Drag performer -- via sfgate.com.

Monday, February 2, 2015

Johnny Goodman



Producer and production manager for film and TV -- via the Hollywood Reporter. Responsible for much British action/adventure television that I loved, including "The Saint," "The Champions," "The Persuaders!," "Danger UXB," and "Reilly: Ace of Spies."


John Leggett

Writer; former director of the Iowa Writers' Workshop -- via the Writers' University. I am particularly enamored of his nonfiction work "Ross and Tom: Two American Tragedies," about the sudden success and early suicides of writers Ross Lockridge Jr. ("Raintree County") and Tom Heggen ("Mister Roberts"). 

Al Severinsen

Former MLB pitcher -- via legacy.com.

John "Hoppy" Hopkins

Photographer -- via the Independent.

Juan Carlos Galvan

Actor -- via westernboothill.blogspot.com.

Deathcetera: The week in news of mortality and mourning

DEATH

The Black Death – the upside! – by Larry Jimenez at Listverse

10 faces of death from world mythology – via Jonathan H. Kantor at Listverse

Visualizing statistics on 10 unusual causes of death – from David Taylor at proofreader.com

The rise of the death cafĂ© – from Sophie Elmhirst at Prospect magazine

Adventures of the psychopomp – via Barbara Cashman in Denver Elder Law





MOURNING

Mindfulness and meditation can aid the grieving – from Via Brian Simmons at Elephant Journal


New Buddhist mini-altars aid the mourning – Alison Lesley in World Religion News


FUNERALS

The 9 most innovative funeral professionals – by Rochelle Rietow at funeralOne


Where the dead are preserved traditionally – from Fred Kibor at the Standard Digital (Kenya)




OBITS

Sexist, insulting obit for novelist McCullough causes stir – by Claire Fallon at the Huffington Post

A tribute to a 10th-grade English teacher – by John Dickerson in Slate

King Abdullah: evil dictator or advocate of democracy? Depends on who you read – from Keane Bhatt at Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting

Self-penned obit starts with a gag – via Fausto Giovanny Pinto

Democrat gets to crack on the Republicans in her obit – via the Moscow-Pullman Daily News


Recording life’s stories – from Wanda Moeller at the Ottumwa Courier

Carl Djerassi

Maurizio Arcieri

Vocalist -- via Libero.

Taeko Kono

Writer and critic -- via Kyodo News.

Vanja Orico

Actress, singer, and filmmaker -- via  El Globo. AKA Evangeline Orico.

Will McBride



Photographer -- via Kaltblut.

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.