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.
Sunday, July 12, 2015
Richard Fire
Playwright, screenwriter, and actor; long-time member of Chicago's Organic Theater -- via Dignity Memorial. Co-wrote and -performed "Bleacher Bums" and "E/R," the latter of which morphed into the hit TV series. Also wrote "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer."
Roger Rees
Actor and director -- via the New York Times. Rose to fame as the title character in the epic RSC stage adaptation of Dickens's "Nicholas Nickleby," for which he also won a Tony. Also Tony-nominated for his direction of "Peter and the Starcatcher." Well-known in America for his roles on TV shows such as "Cheers" and "The West Wing." (Not to mention his cult-TV appearance in the one-season sci-fi/superhero drama "M.A.N.T.I.S.")
Jon Vickers
One of the great tenors of the 20th Century -- via the BBC. Essentially a heldentenor, and the most prominent one between Melchior and Heppner, Vickers's huge voice, presence, energy, and acting ability made him the go-to guy for Wagnerian opera in the second half of the century. (He refused to play Tannhauser on moral grounds.) Also a definitive Peter Grimes, and excellent in Verdi and others as well. Big, warm, sunny tone really expressed the character within. My first Enee in "Les Troyens," and still my favorite.
Friday, July 10, 2015
Roy C. Bennett
Songwriter -- via Billboard. AKA Israel Brodsky. With lifelong composing partner Sid Tepper, write such hits as "Red Roses for a Blue Lady" and "The Naughty Lady of Shady Lane."
Omar Sharif
Actor -- via the BBC. AKA Michel Demetri Chalhoub. Best known for his work in classic films such as "Lawrence of Arabia," "Doctor Zhivago," "Monsieur Ibrahim," and "Juggernaut"; was not averse to comedy in "Top Secret!" Also a legendary bridge player.
Thursday, July 9, 2015
Irwin Keyes
Actor -- via the Hollywood Reporter. One of few few prominent actors with acromegaly, along with Rondo Hatton, Richard Kiel, Harry Wilson, Andre the Giant, and Paul Benedict.
Charanjit Singh
Musician -- via Diffuser. A Bollywood session man, he also made many albums what us now termed "elevator music," and created an album in 1982, "Synthesizing: Ten Rags to a Disco Beat," that is seen as an independent creation point for acid house. If you listen to a cut, it's all there, three years before Frankie Knuckles and the Chicago scene in 1985 are popularly conceived to have created the music genre.
Tuesday, July 7, 2015
Li'l Bob
Singer, drummer, and songwriter -- via The Advertiser. Leader of Lil' Bob and the Lollipops; wrote the classic "I Got Loaded."
Blaine Gibson
Sculptor and animator -- via Gizmodo. Creator of much of the iconic three-dimensional work at Disney theme parks, including "Pirates of the Caribbean," "The Haunted Mansion," "Hall of the Presidents," and much more.
Jerry Weintraub
Agent, promoter, and producer -- via the Hollywood Reporter. An emblematic show-biz player, her worked his way up from the mailroom at MCA. He started as an agent for people and groups such as Jane Morgan (whom he married), Joey Bishop, John Denver, and the Four Seasons. (He co-founded the Doodletown Pipers -- yikes!) He managed and promoted concerts and tours for Sinatra, Elvis, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, Neil Diamond, and many more. In film, he produced such work as "Nashville," "Diner," the "Karate Kid" series, and the "Ocean's" series.
Slavko Avsenik
Composer and musician -- via STA. The "Johann Strauss of the 20th Century," a master of Cleveland-style polka.
Burt Shavitz
Beekeeper and entrepreneur; founder of Burt's Bees products -- via the New York Times. AKA Ingram Shavitz. The reality is that his popular success was largely due to the work of Roxanne Quimby, who monetized the whole operation and eventually bought him out in 1999 for a house worth $130,000. Shavitz remained as the public face of the company, which became a subsidiary of Clorox. The recent documentary "Burt's Buzz" by Jody Shapiro examines his life with wit and intelligence. Like anyone who becomes a brand, Shavitz's life spanned contradictions.
Monday, July 6, 2015
Charles Harbutt
Photographer -- via the New York Times. A great shooter who moved away from facts, and towards truth. This fascinating 1997 interview with Margaret Regan outlines his concerns with journalism versus art. "If reality was going to be staged, that disillusioned me with journalism."
Reader: World news on death, mourning, and more
DEATH
A
‘good death’ described – via John Paul at Beaver Countain
Hey, American
guys! This is how you will die – via Chloe Della Costa at Cheat Sheet
Natural
childbirth activist dies as she wished – via Celia and Jenny Kitzinger
Faces of Death
Row
– via Terri Langford in the Texas Tribune
‘The
Lost Ritual of Photographing the Dead’ – via Alison Meier in
Hyperallergic
The
fight for retaining chosen gender identity after death – via April Dembosky
at KQED/NPR
Morbid Anatomy Museum,
Green-Wood Cemetery co-sponsors ‘Common Shade’ series on death – via
Green-Wood Cemetery
’21 Warning
Signs of Your Imminent Death’ – via Eric Bucholz in Cracked
How do
scientists determine an exact time of death? – via the New Zealand Herald
Depoliticizing
end-of-life planning
– via Bruce Jepsen at Forbes
Serving as
midwife and undertaker for 60 years – via Yu Hsueh-lan and Jake Chung in
the Taipei Times
Super-rich fund
immortality projects
– via Tara Clarke at Money Morning
Oscar-nominated
animated short “Coda” explores death – via Aquila Xiao Qi in Taxi
A guide to the
19th Century artists’ graves in New York City – via Alison
Meyer in Hyperallergic
New musical
features dying composer – via Ben Brantley in the New York Times
Doctor
walks the talk, donates her organs – via Madeline Smith The Globe and Mail
MOURNING
Mourning the
Charleston shootings—via
Edward McAllister, Luciana Lopez, and Alana Wise at Reuters
‘The Condition
of Black Life Is One of Mourning’ – via Claudia Rankine in the New York
Times Mafaine
Mourning the
death of a child
– via Eric Meyer in Modern Loss
Incomplete
mourning
– via Sarah Baker at WBUR
Drag
queen honors loving grandmother – via Nigel Duara at the L.A. Times
Songs of grief – via Robert
Darden in the Huffington Post
Dancer and
choreographer creates mourning ritual at morning rush hour – via Siobhan
Burke in the New York Times
Japan mourns
stationmaster cat
– via Danielle Demetrieu at the Telegraph
The
cure for fear, grief, and death – via Dr. Harriet Lerner in Psychology
Today
FUNERALS
Cleveland
funeral home in trouble – via John Caniglia at the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
A tough story, but brilliantly reported and beautifully written. Best lede I’ve
read in quite some time.
Performance
artist plans own funeral service – via Nancy Groves in the Guardian
Are funerals
becoming wacky, happy occasions? – via Jon Kelly in the BBC News
Magazine
In Congo, comedy
trio gets gigs at funerals – via the BBC
Interview with
Nigerian funeral practitioner – via Deolu at Information Nigeria
Portrait
of a funeral singer – via Rob O’Flanagan at the Guelph Mercury
‘Funeral
Insurance: Do You Need It?’ – via Selena Maranjian at the Motley Fool
Funeral director
works without brick-and-mortar funeral home – via Lee Howard at The Day
New wrinkles at
memorial services
– via Krith Morelli at the Tampa Times
The
sad story of abandoned cremains – via Zack Lemon at the Columbus Dispatch
Dedicated
golfers want their ashes on the course – via John Paul Newport at the Wall
Street Journal
OBITS
A most concise
self-penned obituary
– via Hot Topics
Quite a stylish
obituary of Christopher Lee in The Economist. Unsigned and a bit unhinged.
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