Tag Archives: obituary

ABC News reports: Notable singer and songwriter Leon Russell passed away Sunday in Nashville. He was 74. Russell’s wife, Janet Lee Constantine, said that he died in his sleep, according to a statement on his website. Earlier this year, Russell had to postpone 28 concerts between July and September after suffering a heart attack. Still, his website said then in …

Rolling Stone reports: Leonard Cohen, the hugely influential singer and songwriter whose work spanned nearly 50 years, has died at the age of 82. Cohen’s label, Sony Music Canada, confirmed his death on the singer’s Facebook page. “It is with profound sorrow we report that legendary poet, songwriter and artist, Leonard Cohen has passed away,” the statement read. “We have …

Nutjob evangelist Jack Chick, creator of the vicious (and often laughable) Chick Tracts, has died at the age of 92 according to his company’s Facebook page. From his Wikipedia entry: Many of Chick’s views were controversial, as he accused Roman Catholics, Freemasons, Muslims, Jews, and many other groups of murder and conspiracies, while Chick maintained his views were simply politically …

The Mirror reports: Pete Burns has died unexpectedly of a heart attack, his manager has confirmed. The star rose to fame in the 80s appeared in Celebrity Big Brother 4. In a statement on Twitter, Pete’s manager wrote: “It is with the greatest sadness that we have to break the tragic news that our beloved Pete Burns of (Dead Or …

The BBC reports: Shimon Peres, who served twice as Israel’s prime minister and once as president, has died at the age of 93. Mr Peres suffered a stroke two weeks ago. His condition had improved before a sudden deterioration on Tuesday. His son Chemi led tributes to “one of the founding fathers of the state of Israel” who “worked tirelessly” …

Provincetown legend John Michael Gray, one-half of the eternally famed Hat Sisters, has died of cancer. I first learned of the Hat Sisters back in the 80s from their regular appearances in the comic strip The Mostly Unfabulous Social Life Of Ethan Green and was completely starstruck when I finally met them in person at Provincetown’s Boatslip in 1994. Since …

In 2011, Edward Albee said this: “A writer who happens to be gay or lesbian must be able to transcend self. I am not a gay writer. I am a writer who happens to be gay.” The New York Times reports: Edward Albee, widely considered the foremost American playwright of his generation, whose psychologically astute and piercing dramas explored the …

TMZ reports: Alexis Arquette died Sunday morning surrounded by family and friends … the family confirms to TMZ. Alexis’ brother, Richmond Arquette says Alexis died at 12:32 AM while listening to David Bowie’s, “Starman.” Besides being the sibling of David and Patricia Arquette — Alexis was known for her roles in “Pulp Fiction” and “The Wedding Singer,” as well as …

Atlanta’s Project Q reports: The legendary drag performer Lady Chablis – a fixture at Club One in Savannah and drag centerpiece of “Midnight in the Garden and Evil” – died on Thursday. The death of the iconic performer was announced by Club One, where Lady Chablis has performed since the club opened nearly 30 years ago. She died surrounded by …

The New York Times reports: Phyllis Schlafly, whose grass-roots campaigns against Communism, abortion and the Equal Rights Amendment galvanized conservatives for almost two generations and helped reshape American politics, died on Monday. She was 92. Her death was confirmed by the Eagle Forum, the conservative group she founded in 1975. In her time, Mrs. Schlafly was one of the most …

You may not have known his name, but you’ve seen him in hundreds of movies and TV shows over the last 40 years. Via the New York Daily News: Actor Jon Polito, who was best known for his roles in Coen brother films like “The Big Lebowski,” “Miller’s Crossing” and “Barton Fink,” has died. He was 65. Film director John …

Dammit. Variety reports: Gene Wilder, who regularly stole the show in such comedic gems as “The Producers,” “Blazing Saddles,” “Young Frankenstein,” “Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” and “Stir Crazy,” died Monday at his home in Stamford, Conn. His nephew Jordan Walker-Pearlman said he died of complications from Alzheimer’s disease. He was 83. He had been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma …

Rolling Stone reports: Lou Pearlman, the Svengali-like manager behind Nineties boy bands like Backstreet Boys, ‘N Sync, O-Town and more, died Friday night behind bars while serving a 25-year prison sentence stemming from a $300 million Ponzi scheme. He was 62. The Federal Bureau of Prisons’ inmate locator confirms that Louis Pearlman died in custody on August 19th, with sources …

CNN reports: Kenny Baker, the British actor who gave life to the droid R2-D2 in the “Star Wars” films, has died at the age of 81, according to his niece, Abigail Shield. Baker was being looked after by Shield’s brother, who found him Saturday morning. Shield said Baker was ill for years with a lung condition. She also said her …

CNN reports: Youree Dell Harris, better known as “Miss Cleo” the pitchwoman for the Psychic Readers Network, died Tuesday of cancer, according to an attorney for her family. Harris, 53, was surrounded by family and close friends when she died in Palm Beach, Florida, said attorney William J. Cone. “She remained a pillar of strength throughout. She has touched so …

The New York Times reports: Marni Nixon, the American cinema’s most unsung singer, died on Sunday in New York. She was 86. The cause was breast cancer, said Randy Banner, a student and friend. Classically trained, Ms. Nixon was throughout the 1950s and ’60s the unseen — and usually uncredited — singing voice of the stars in a spate of …

While still a Hawaii state rep, Takai played a critical part in the 2013 passage of his state’s same-sex marriage bill. He was elected to the US House in 2014. NBC News reports: U.S. Congressman Mark Takai, who served as the representative for Hawaii’s first district, has died, NBC News has confirmed. Takai, 49, announced in May he would not …

Variety recaps: Garry Marshall, who created some of the 1970s’ most iconic sitcoms including “Happy Days,” “The Odd Couple,” “Laverne and Shirley” and “Mork and Mindy” and went on to direct hit movies including “Pretty Woman” and “The Princess Diaries,” died Tuesday in Burbank, Calif. of complications from pneumonia following a stroke. He was 81. Marshall went from being TV …

The Times Of Israel reports: Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Holocaust survivor and human rights activist Eliezer “Elie” Wiesel died on Saturday at the age of 87 after a prolonged illness. A survivor of the Auschwitz and Buchenwald Nazi death camps, Wiesel dedicated much of his life to Holocaust education and promoting tolerance around the world. The Romanian-born Wiesel authored 57 …

CNN reports: Actor Anton Yelchin, 27, who played Chekov in recent “Star Trek” movies, was killed in a freak accident early Sunday morning, police told CNN. Yelchin, who also acted in “Like Crazy” and “Alpha Dog,” died outside his home in Los Angeles, according to law enforcement. Yelchin stepped out of his car in the driveway of his Studio City …