Interesting, overlooked, and significant obituaries from around the world, as they happen, emphasizing the positive achievements of those who have died. Member, Society of Professional Obituary Writers.
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
Danny Austin
Singer with the Ad Libs -- via classicurbanharmony.net. Their big hit: "The Boy from New York City."
Weekly reader: a world roundup of news on death, mourning, and more
Note to the patient reader: A needed break resulted in a backup of new posts to share. This week's edition catches us up, and is quite extensive.
DEATH
B.B. King’s
death helped his Spotify numbers immensely – via Hugh McIntyre at Forbes
Valuable
end-of-life lessons learned while caring for the dying – via Paula Span at the New York Times
Researchers
reconstruct the life of a girl who died 3,400 years ago – via Eryn
Brown at the L.A. Times
Why are they so
unpopular? Well, study show thoughts of atheists lead to thoughts of death – via Stephanie
Pappas at Live Science
‘A brave new
world of death’
– via D.J. Pangburn in Hopes & Fears
An intense
feature on Sandy Bern, who decided to end her life when faced with Alzheimer’s – via Robin
Marantz Hening in the New York Times
Hard truths
about death and dying in America – via Lauren Alix Brown in Slate
Only about 30
percent of British ready for death – via Peter Walker at the Guardian
How will you
die? A state-by-state breakdown – via Rachel Rettner at Live Science
AND A
MAGNIFICENT ANALYSIS OF SAME – via Baxter B. Allen and Alexander
Kent in Wall St 24/7
An abrupt death
fosters thoughts on risk – via Jeffrey Wasserman at the Chicago Tribune
‘Grave Matters:
A History of Death and Mourning’ – via Mihail Halatchev at WLRN
A weak handshake
could indicate early mortality – via Noah Rayman in TIME
On not
perceiving death as a failure – via Deborah Lutz in the New York
Times
After husband’s
death, Sandberg’s “Lean In” philosophy reexamined – via Wendy Lee
in SFGate
Chemicals used
in embalming turning cemeteries in to toxic waste sites – via ‘Reynard
Loki’ at AlterNet
10 classic
cemeteries
– via the L.A. Times
Meet the
prosecutors who love the death penalty – via Robert Smith in Slate
At Cannes, new
film ‘Chronic’ features Tim Roth as homecare nurse for the dying – via Jill
Lawless at AP
Train announcer
censured for referring to train-delaying suicide on tracks in a ‘vulgar’ manner – via Euan
McClelland at the Daily Mail
MOURNING
Memorial Day’s
Civil War origins
– via John Marks in the Finger Lakes Times
Book helps
civilians communicate with veterans – via Jeff Karoub at APa
The first 30
days of sheloshim, Jewish mourning – via Mayim
Bialik in Kveller
Mother accepts
diploma for son killed before graduation – via the Today Show
Exhibition
demonstrates turn-of-last-century mourning rituals – via Alyssa
Skiba at the Peninsula Pulse
Mourning
Palmyra: ancient city captured by destructive fanatics – via Heather
Saul at the Independent
Some Sudanese
widows says year of mourning too long – via Radio Tamazuj
Separating
yourself from others’ mourning process – via Steve Almond at WBUR
The sculpture of
mourning
– via Wallace Ryce at the Monterey County Weekly
Where to find
celebrity graves in L.A. – via the L.A. Times
Mourning leads
to marriage
– via Robert Strauss at the New York Times
FUNERALS
Dead taxi driver
propped up for viewing at wheel of his cab – via Alyssa Newcomb at ABC News
Thousands attend
mass funeral for bombing victims – via Ian Timberlake at Yahoo News
Funeral home
uses billboard ads for public-service information – via Dana
Molina at KRDO
The
crazy kooky life of a funeral director – via Gabrielle Russon in the
Orlando Sentinel
When you have a
veteran’s body in your hearse, you really really should not stop at a Dunkin’
Donuts
– via Alysssa Pone at ABC News
A very dark look
at funeral expenses
– via Mark Mason at the Spectator
FTC
investigation reveals funeral home problems – via David Lazarus in the L.A.
Times
Funeral singer
becomes Paiute (Utah) chairwoman – via Erin Alberty at the Salt Lake
Tribune
Ceremony honors
Lusitania dead 100 years later – via Barry Roche in the Irish Times
When funeral
homes had the only ambulances – via Rhonda Simmons at the Star
Exponent
Women’s numbers
increasing in funeral industry – via Sandra Guy in the Chicago
Sun-Times
Cop pulls over
funeral procession
– via KRNV
OBITS
Jim Crumbley not
only wrote his own obit, he went down and dropped it off at the local paper – via Joanne
Kimberlin at AP
Obituarist
Maureen O’Donnell honored for her work – via Robert Feder
Obituarist
writes mother’s obit
-- via Rick Hamon in USA Today
‘Obituary for a
broken man’
– via Emma Mulqueeny at Medium
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
Monday, May 25, 2015
Marcus Belgrave
Trumpeter -- via the Hollywood Reporter. Played with many greats, including Ray Charles, Wynton Marsalis, and Motown. That's him you hear playing the trumpet flourish at the beginning of "Dancing in the Streets." Great player and teacher!
Michael Birkett
Director and producer -- via the Independent. An immensely influential figure who started off working on films such as "The Ladykillers" and "Billy Budd"; he hlped preserve much of Peter Brook's finest work on film -- "Marat/Sade," the Scofield "King Lear," and "Mahabarata."
Sunday, May 24, 2015
Louis Johnson
Bassist; half of the Brothers Johnson -- via the BoomBox. AKA Thunder Thumbs. I love them for their strangely lyricked funk hit, "Strawberry Letter 23."
Eric Caidin
Cinephile, pop-culture expert, and owner of Hollywood Book and Poster Company -- via Pop Culture Maven.
Saturday, May 23, 2015
Donald Wrye
Director, writer, and producer for film and TV -- via the Hollywood Reporter. Responsible for some of the most affectionately remembered schlock in Hollywood history, including the infamous Linda Blair TV movie "Born Innocent," the Marlo Thomas adaptation of "It's a Wonderful Life," "It Happened One Christmas"; the Soviets-take-over-the-U.S. TV miniseries "Amerika"; most importantly, the seminal sports weepie "Ice Castles," about a blind figure skater.
Jackie Brookner
Artist, writer, and teacher -- via newsgrist.typepad.com. Specialized in ecological art -- biosculptures that also remediate pollution.
Michael Campus
Director, producer, and writer for film and TV -- via Variety. Ana amazingly diverse career. He will be best remembered for helming the cult classic blaxploitation film "The Mack," but he started in TV talk shows, moved on to TV documentaries. He supervised more than 150 specials at CBS. He also directed sci-fi ("Z.P.G."), Christian conspiracy ("The Passover Plot"), and, well, "Thomas Kinkade's Christmas Home." A pocket Howard Hawks.
Thursday, May 21, 2015
Bruce Lundvall
Jazz exec; the man who brought Blue Note Records back to life -- via Billboard. an insanely influential figure, a guy who snuck into the West 52nd jazz clubs as a teenager. He got to sign Norah Jones, Dianne Reeves, Cassandra Wilson, Charlie Hunter, Joe Lovano, Terence Blanchard, and tons more.
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