Monday, February 16, 2015

Lesley Gore

Singer and songwriter -- via TMZ. AKA Lesley Sue Goldstein. Her big hits were "It's My Party" and "Sunshine, Lollipops, and Rainbows," tha latter Marvin Hamlisch's first big hit. She worte some of the songs for the movie "Fame" as well.





Deathcetera: The week in death and mourning worldwide

DEATH

Fighting off bodysnatchers: grave cages – from Annetta Black at Atlas Obscura

Different doctors’ voices heard on end-of-life issues – by Jason Breslow at PBS’s Frontline


Yikes! Death in Victorian times was really gross – by Mike Cahill at Viralnova



And, what is it like to have a ‘digital mortician’? – via Jim Herrera at the Washington Post
Egyptian government restricts news of activist’s death – via David D. Kirkpatrick at the New York Times

Death professionals and dating – by Rebecca Solomon at Fox 43


MOURNING

‘My Dead Husband, the Serial Adulterer’ – from Robyn Woodman at Modern Loss

‘Living Memory Project’ seeks to further the altruistic goals of the deceased – by Randall P. Lieberman at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel


A concise history of mourning jewelry – via the Derby Telegraph


FUNERALS


DNA banking could be new sideline for funeral homes – via Tim Grant at the Green Bay Press Gazette

Funeral home launches mobile showroom – by Meredith Shamburger at the Dallas Morning News

Preparing the body of someone you knew – from Nora Menkin at the Order of the Good Death

10 Worst Things to Eat at a Funeral – via Straight White Males at the Huffington Post

Coffin pops open as lowered into too-small grave – via Josh Saul at the New York Post

‘Star Wars’ fan gets Stormtrooper send-off – via Kevin Melrose at Comic Book Resources

Funeral director overcoming racial divide in business – via Doug Moore at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch



OBITS

Dana Lods: portrait of a troubled man – via Bianca Montes at the Vancouver Advocate

Why didn’t the BAFTAs honor the late Bob Hoskins? – by Nick Romano at Cinemablend

An entry in ‘The Art of the Obituary’ – from Bob Collins at MPR


Shaimaa el-Sabbagh

Poet and activist -- vi the New York Times.

Jon Jerde

Carol White

"The huggin' lady" -- from the NWF Daily News.

Ammouri Mbarek

Musician -- via Morocco World News.




Laurie Becklund

Journalist and writer -- via the L.A. Times.

Sunday, February 15, 2015

Emily Vass Noble

Singer, actress in radio and on stage, writer, and producer of commercials -- via legacy.com. Here's an excellent story on her family's Vass Family Singers history!




Donald Kirkpatrick

Songwriter -- via the Austin Statesman.

Faith Bandler

Aboriginal activist and writer -- via ABC. AKA Ida Lessing Faith Mussing.

Gloria Lothrop

Historian -- via the L.A. Times.

John McCabe

Composer and pianist -- via Gramophone.





Louis Jourdan

Actor -- via Variety. AKA Louis Robert Gendre. The epitome of the dashing Frenchman on film and television, Jourdan actually had quite a good range as a performer. His film debut was derailed by World War II; he fought in the Resistance. He began as a juvenile lead, most notably in "Three Coins in the Fountain" and "Gigi"; he specialized in villains later in films such as "Octopussy" and "Swamp Thing."



Philip Levine

Poet -- via sfgate.com.







Dan Uzan

Volunteer security guard -- via the Daily Forward. Thanks to his presence, the murder of 80 people celebrating a bat mitzvah by a lone terrorist was prevented.


Finn Norgaard

Documentary filmmaker -- via Le Monde.

Danny McCulloch

Sam Andrew

Friday, February 13, 2015

Gary Owens

Disc jockey, voice actor, and much much more -- via TV Line. AKA Gary Altman. One of the original "goofball" DJs of the 1960s, Owens was also the voice of Space Ghost, wrote and performed thousands of commercials and humorous bits, and created comedy albums, wrote books, and on and on. He could play it straight, but more often his profoundly resonant baritone was in the deadpan service of merriment and hijinks. Thanks, Gary!










Chrissy Amphlett

Kesava Reddy

Novelist -- via The Hindu.

Ernest Ferlita

Playwright, writer, and teacher -- via Jesuits Central and Southern.

Celina Gonzalez

Singer and songwriter -- via Billboard.

Manrico Gammarota

Actor -- via I Love Italian Movies.

Kevin Delany

Tomie Ohtake

Artist -- via the Washington Post.

Steve Strange

Vocalist with Visage; nightclub host and promoter -- via the BBC. AKA Steven Harrington.

Ray Hathaway

Ricardo Palacios

Actor -- via westernboothill.blogspot.com.

Thursday, February 12, 2015

David Carr

Journalist and writer -- via the New York Times. A great writer on media, who also penned an honest and riveting memoir, "The Night of the Gun," not least about his addictions. A damned shame. He was too young.

Derek Rencher

Tama Turanga Huata

Joe Simenic

Marie Jose de la Barre d'Erquelinnes, Lady Villiers

Heroine of the Resistance, and social worker -- via the Telegraph. Awarded the Croix de Guerre, her life calls out for a film of it, don't you think? She fought the Nazis and won. Later in life, she calmly disposed of a letter bomb that came to her home. Her memoir is titled, "Granny Was a Spy."




Peter Partner

Historian -- via the Guardian.


Roger Hanin

Bob Simon

Journalist -- via the New York Daily News.

Layne Tom, Jr.

Actor, and later architect -- via the Hollywood Reporter. AKA Richard Layne Tom.


Anne Naysmith

Pianist and, later, quite independent person -- via the Guardian. AKA Anne Smith.

Jorge Sassi

Actor -- via the Buenos Aires Herald.

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Marvin David Levy

Composer -- via the New York Classical Review. Best known for his operatic version of "Mourning Becomes Electra," the 1998 revision of which is beginning to enter the repertoire.





Rinto Harahap

Songwriter and musician -- via the Jakarta Post.

Roman Frister

Journalist and memoirist -- via Haaretz.

Dot-A-Rock

Rapper -- via Billboard. AKA Daryl Mason. Best known as a member of the Fantastic Five.

Melanie Tem

Writer of horror and fantasy; playwright, and poet -- via locusmag.com. AKA Melanie Kubachko.

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Kayla Mueller

Humanitarian worker -- via the Huffington Post.

Rex Ray

Artist -- via sfist.

Assia Djebar

Novelist, translator, and filmmaker - via the Guardian. AKA Fatima-Zohra Imalayen.

Roger James

Documentary film editor and producer -- via the Independent.

Helen Eustis

Writer -- via the New York Times.