Sunday, April 19, 2015

Johnny Kemp

Singer -- via Fox News.

Jonathan Crombie

Actor -- via the New York Times. Best remembered for his role as Gilbert Blythe in the "Anne of Green Gables" television series.

Barbara Strauch

Journalist and editor -- via the New York Times.

Margo Reed

photo via jazz in the hills
Singer -- via the Arizona Republic.

Bidyut Chakraborty

photo courtesy ibn live
Filmmaker -- via the Indian Express.

Jule Huffman

Kent Lindsey

Gary Ignacio

Lead singer for Alamid -- via inquirer.net.

Heiko Schrepel

photo courtesy sfweekly.com
Bassist -- via sfweeekly.com.

Ben Powers

Actor -- via Deadline.

Friday, April 17, 2015

Margaret Rule

Archaeologist -- via the Telegraph. Best known for raising the Mary Rose, Henry VIII's flagship.




Keith Cornelius

Radio host and bassist -- via the Lincoln Journal-Star. AKA Keith Allan.

Wally Kahn

Gliding enthusiast and expert -- via the Telegraph.

Sargy Mann

Artist -- via the Guardian.

Ronald Hambleton

Writer and music critic -- via the Toronto Star.

Tsuen-hsuin Tsien

Scholar and librarian -- via legacy.com. AKA T.H. Tsien. 

Klaus Bednarz

Writer and journalist -- via tagesschau.de.

Haani Shivraj Anjana

Actress -- via the Tamil Star.

Francois Maspero

Desmond Digby

Stage designer, illustrator, and painter -- via the Sydney Morning Herald.

Thursday, April 16, 2015

Herb Trimpe

Comics illustrator and writer -- via the Hollywood Reporter. One of the greats, he was the first to draw Wolverine, was the defining artist of the Incredible Hulk, and co-created the Phantom Eagle. (A personal favorite -- I grabbed the first issue off the stands in September 1968. I was not disappointed.)




Charles H. "Chuck" Sagle

Trumpeter, bandleader, and arranger -- via legacy.com. Oh my gosh! He created some of the classics of Space Age pop -- see this link from Space Age Pop. In his own name and as Carl Stevens, he gave the world the likes of "Ping Pong Percussion," "Splendor in the Brass," "Music for Baton Twirlers" and, most ominously, "African Sounds." Every soundtrack from every ice-cold grocery store or the inside of your Ford Galaxie 500 is here. Part of the Great Assimilating Wave of Caucasian-ness that crested in the mid-'60s. These monuments to squareness are breathtaking. I feel as though I just found Tut's tomb!










Homaro Cantu

Chef, food scientist, and food artist -- via the New York Times.

Sam Distefano

Elizabeth Brown Pryor

Jean-Louis Cremieux-Brilhac

Resistance fighter; ran Free France radio during WWII -- via the Toronto Globe and Mail.

Cecil Hunt, Sr.

Musician; member of Funk Incorporated -- via williamsandbluitt.com.

Richard Taylor

Documentary filmmaker -- via the Independent.

Naomi Wilzig

Patrick H. Adkins

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Alana Baranick

Award-winning obituarist, journalist, and writer -- via the Cleveland Plain Dealer. An exceptional artist, her book "Life on the Death Beat: A Handbook for Obituary Writers" started me on the path to Obit Patrol. Her idea was that obituaries were fascinating and instructive inspired me to find a way to bring them, and many of lesser-known worthies they celebrate, to light. A quote from her adorns the website and reminds me every day that "By writing or reading obituaries, we can discover ways to make our time on earth more worthwhile, more productive, more meaningful to others." I feel quite lucky that I was able to express my gratitude to her while she was alive. Life is short; Alana Baranick made the most of it. Good job, m dear.


Jess Marquis

DJ -- via the Village Voice. AKA Jess Imler.

Alex Soto

Actor, comedian, and drag queen -- via ibtimes.com.


Al Bunetta

Bill Arhos

Deathcetera: the week in death and mourning

DEATH


What’s it like to work on Death Row? – from Kim Bellware in the Huffington Post




The changing causes of death – from Nick Triggle at the BBC



What do you do with a dead astronaut? – by Daniel Oberhaus in Slate

Death a big moneymaker for Legacy.com – via Melanie Payne at the News-Press (FL)


Taxidermy classes at the Morbid anatomy Museum – by Stuart Miller at the New York Times


MOURNING


Mourning Gunter Grass – via Deutsche Welle

Balloonists salute slain bride – via Yahoo News

Coverage of FDR’s death, 70 years ago – from Roger DuPuis in the Wilkes-Barre Times Leader

More memories of FDR’s death – from Kelly Hopper in the Dayton Daily News

His year of traditional Jewish mourning closes – from Howard Barbanel in the Huffington Post

“How the world mourned Lincoln” – by Matt Ford in the Atlantic


FUNERALS

Coverage of Lincoln’s funeral odyssey, 150 years ago – from Alma Gaul at the Quad-City Times

Welcome to my funeral! – by Stu Bykofsky at philly.com


Funerals for the two victims of NYC gas blast – via Robert Stolarik in the New York Times


Funeral homes expand into catering, reception offerings – from Hanna Raskin in The Post and Courier

Local funeral homes squawk as big company muscles in – via Patti Mengers in the Mainline Media News

‘Grave Matters’ teaches evolution of funeral industry – by Eric Hrin in the Daily Review

Video: Comedian pulls pranks at mom’s funeral – via teamcoco.com

Ira Lewis

Actor and playwright -- via legacy.com. AKA Ira Metsky.



Keith McCormack

Singer, guitarist, and songwriter -- via myplainview.com. He had a hit with the String-A-Longs ("Wheels") and unfortunately co-wrote "Sugar Shack."




Jack Halkides



Musician and bandleader -- via IndeOnline.

Emiliano "Emilio" Nevarez

Bassist and vocalist for the Lucky Eejits -- via the San Jose Mercury News. Hit by a stray bullet.

Thea St. Omer

Artist -- via cnycentral.com.

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Percy Sledge

Singer -- via the TimesDaily (AL). Best known for his classic interpretation of "When a Man Loves a Woman."

Eduardo Galeano

Writer -- via the New York Times.

Richard Post

Scientist and inventor -- via the L.A. Times.

Steve Kowit

Poet -- via the L.A. Times.

Mario Wallenda

High-wire artist -- via the Herald-Tribune (FL). Paralyzed since the infamous 1962 circus accident that decimated the famous family of acrobats.

Jose Ciuha

Artist -- via rtvslo.si.

Monday, April 13, 2015

Rudy Nappi

Illustrator -- via theredpillroom.blogspot.com. A supreme painter of sleazy cover art for exploitation and romance pulp novels (and hey, even some Jean-Paul Sarte -- see above), he also did many of the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew covers as well!