Sunday, June 21, 2015

Harold Battiste

Composer, label founder, arranger, saxophonist, pianist, music producer, and educator -- via the L.A. Times . He arranged "You Send Me" for Sam Cooke; founded AFO Records, the first African American artist-owned label. They produced Barbara George's "I Know," and Ellis Marsalis's first album. He worked on "Ya Ya," "You Talk Too Much," and "I Got You Babe" (he worked with Sonny and Cher for 15 years). You can even hear his piano of the early Tom Waits album "Blue Valentine." He discovered Dr. John.

His crisp, simple, tasteful settings that support the music are a model for future music producers. And who else would have put an oboe in "I Got You Babe" and have it make the song? That's a heck of a lot of good music he sent our way.

















Wendell Holmes

Vocalist, guitarist, pianist, and songwriter -- via Billboard. A guy who could and did play just about anything, with his brother Sherman and drummer Popsy Dixon as the Holmes Brothers. Great makers of inspirational music! Soul music was derived from gospel -- the Brothers weren't afraid to use the complete arsenal of sul, blues, and funk technique to create a rich, propulsive Christian music.



Charles Correa

Architect -- via TIME.

Tony Ranasinghe

Actor -- via newsfirst.lk.

Hilary Masters

Friday, June 19, 2015

Phil Austin

Jack Rollins

Comedy manager and film producer -- via the New York Times. AKA Jacob Rabinowitz. Key to the careers of talent such as Woody Allen, Harry Belafonte, Nichols and May, Letterman, and Robin Williams.




Peter Prier

Violin maker -- via Deseret News.

Julie Kirkham

Film producer -- via the Hollywood Reporter. An important developer of screenwriters, including Zallian, Shelton, Jordan Roberts, and W. Blake Herron.


Jean Vautrin

Writer, screenwriter, and director -- via Le Monde. AKA Jean Herman.

Jung In Ah

Actress -- via SBS.


Thursday, June 18, 2015

Mighty Sam McClain

Singer and songwriter -- via American Blues Scene.





Jesus Moroles

Sculptor -- via My San Antonio.

Harry Rowohlt

Writer, translator, and performer -- via Deutsche Welle. AKA Harry Rupp.

Josef Topol

Poet and playwright -- via ABC News.

Zhanna Friske

Singer and actor -- via Billboard. AKA Jeana Friske.




Walter Weller

Conductor and violinist -- via Slipped Disc.

Amy Wallis

Actor -- via Broadway World.



Rick Ducommun

Comedian and actor -- via Movie Pilot.


Rainer Riehn

Composer and conductor -- via blogs.nmz.de.



Jill Hyem

Writer for radio and TV; actor -- via the Guardian.


Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Hugo Blanco

Musician and composer -- via El Tiempo. Noted for his "Moliendo Cafe," which morphed into the popular soccer chant "Dale Cavese."



Buddy Boudreaux

Jazz musician and bandleader -- via The Advocate.

Graham Lord

Journalist, novelist, editor, and biographer -- via the Telegraph. Also invented the short-lived but brilliant Sunday Express Book of the Year competition, an "anti-Booker" that rewarded READABLE novels.


Boris Godjunov

Singer -- via fakti.bg.

Mary Cherry

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Junix Inocian

Actor and comedian -- via Phillippine Daily Daily Inquirer. AKA Rufino Duran Inocian Jr.

Sergio Renan

Actor, director, and screenwriter -- via RPP. AKA Samuel Kohan.




Jack Carlson

Doo-wop singer with the Roommates -- via Oldies Music.

Sumer Tilmac

Actor -- via Today's Zaman.

MC Supreme

Rapper -- via BET. AKA Dewayne Coleman.

Cindy Carlson

Actress -- via westernboothill.blogspot.com. AKA Jacqueline Spirson-Ford.


"Big Time Sarah" Streetwear

Blues singer -- via abc7chicago.com.

John Colenback

Actor -- via Variety.

Ray Daley

Actor -- via legacy.com.


Eva Feldman

Child actress and dancer -- via legacy.com. AKA Eva Lee Kuney.


Monday, June 15, 2015

Weekly Reader: World news on death, mourning and more

OBIT WEEKLY READER



DEATH

Video: Caitlin Doughty on the real 'Body Worlds' story -- via the Order of the Good Death

5 of the famous who feared being buried alive – via Bess Lovejoy in Mental Floss

You can take a test to find out if you will die in 5 years – via Sarah Knapton at the Telegraph

Would you like to take it? No? – via Fay Schopen in the Guardian

The Meaning of Life Project – via Kim Evenson at Legacy

‘Too poor to die’ – via Dawn Foster in the Guardian

A guide to marrying the dead – via Ella Morton at Atlas Obscura



Does the fear of death motivate everything we do? – via Marc Parry at the Chronicle of Higher Education

How to make sure your end-of-life directives are followed – Jessica Nutik Zitter in the New York Times

New doc on dying appears – via Rita Heidtman at TIME

5 end-of-life films – via Karen Wyatt at the Huffington Post

An update on the phenomenon of death cafes – via Clear Barret at the Financial Times

Weird ways to die in Tudor England – via Helen Thompson at the Smithsonian

Museum of Death opens branch in New Orleans – via Deepak Sani at WGNO

Conversations on Death program comes to Colorado – via Whitney Bryan at Hometown Weekly News


Films on dying – via John Patterson at the Guardian

A restaurant where you dine with the dead – via Han Zhang at Munchies

10 people whose hearts were buried separately from them – via Bess Lovejoy at Mental Floss

The science of human decomposition – via Mo Costandi in the Guardian



What happened to the mummy of the man who said he was John Wilkes Booth? – via Christopher Klein in History in the Headlines


MOURNING

Mourning – a cultural survey – via Frannie Silverman in Modern Loss


Facebook exec’s essay on grief – via Cathy Brown at Matador Network

‘My two dads’ – grieving someone before their death – via Ryan Murdock in Modern Loss

Losing a mother early in life – via Fay Schopen in the Guardian


‘Finding Order, Out of Sequence’ – via Alizah Salario in the New York Times

‘How to let go when a loved one is dying’ – via Bonnie Lawrence at PBS

How to talk to the bereaved – via Kate Whiting in BT

How to communicate with a grieving coworker – via Laura Shin in Forbes

15 beautiful cemeteries – via Erin Check in BuzzFeed


Roadside markers – proper memorials or safety hazards? – via Ryan Robinson at Lancaster Online

Cartoon: A forgotten mausoleum is restored – via Andy Warner on Tumblr

One family’s mountain pilgrimage in mourning – via Clare Ansberry in the Wall Street Journal

Concert aims to reconcile Jewish, Arab grief – via Elhanan Miller in the Times of Israel

Disney’s obsession with death – via Sean Braswell at USA Today




FUNERALS





Increased affluence in Asia makes funeral expos boom – via Jonathan Kaiman at the L.A. Times

‘Inside a Texas biker funeral’ – via Aleem Maqbool at the BBC

Our toxic burial practices – via Reynard Loki at Alternet

Young people taking up mortuary trade – via Efia Akese and Dzifa Kegey at the Graphic (Ghana)

Try an organic burial pod – via Bored Panda

Burial at sea: The odyssey of JFK’s original casket’ – via Anthony Bergen on Medium




OBITS

Pretty nifty obituary tribute from a journalist grandson – via Peter Nikeas in the Chicago Tribune



Magnus Harenstam

Actor and comedian -- via Svenska Dagbladet.

Fernando Brant

Antoni Pitxot

Artist -- via El Periodico.

Jose Messias

Ernest Tomlinson

Composer --via Classical Music magazine.