Monday, April 20, 2015

Mario Pirani

Journalist and writer -- via La Stampa. AKA Mario Pirani Coen.

Viktor Korshunov

Actor -- via newstwenty4seven.com.

Richie D'Horsie

Comedian -- via Coconuts Manila. AKA Ricardo Reyes.

Ramsey Moore

Comedian, actor, and writer -- via the Palm Beach Daily News.

Eric Allen Doney

Deathcetera: the week in death, mourning and such

UNICEF's singing Grim Reaper.
DEATH

UNICEF campaign enlists singing Grim Reaper – via John Young at Design Taxi

Man makes mission of fighting fear of death – via Jonathan Fisher at Business Insider


Lincoln’s tomb is in terrible shape – via Kerry Lester at AP

The causes of musicians’ deaths, by genre – via Ana Swanson at the Washington Post




MOURNING

Social media helps gather minyans for the Jewish dead – via Jodi Rudoren at the New York Times

Visiting a house of mourning – via Elana Mizrahi at The Jewish Woman


FUNERALS


Baby Boom set to hit funeral industry – via Steve Doughty in the Daily Mail

Oh, dear – bad Yelp reviews of funeral homes – via Anna Merlan at Jezebel

Widow hires strippers for husband’s funeral – via Kara O’Neill at The Mirror

Funeral home branches out into venue for concerts, bingo – via Linda Murphy in the Herald News

3 ways to plan for your funeral expenses – via Maryalene LaPonsie in the U.S. News & World Report



Robert Rietti

Actor and voice actor; "the man of a thousand voices" -- via the Hollywood Reporter. AKA Lucio Rieti, Robert Rietty. One of the great dubbing artists, he voiced Le Chiffre in "Thunderball," many screen appearances for Jack Hawkins, and more than 90 characters in "Waterloo."





Mike Mincieli

Singer, founder and original first tenor of the Capris -- via Peter Lemongello, Jr.'s Swingin' Soiree. AKA Mike Minceli. The group's big hit -- "There's a Moon Out Tonight."

James "Little Jimmy" Mastrangelo

Actor and entertainer -- via the New York Daily News. Best known for his yearly Uncle Sam appearance at Coney Island, Mastrangelo was one of the Oompa Loompas in "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory."


Sol Abrams

Huckster; promoter of the iconic Palisades Amusement Park -- via northjersey.com. An amazing promoter. Hey, he got an elephant to water-ski down the Hudson. So there!

George Cooper

Actor and artist -- via legacy.com. Best known for his role as Mitchell in the 1947 noir "Crossfire."




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.