Tag Archives: obituary

Variety reports: Michael Nesmith, who attained TV and pop stardom in the Monkees and later became a prophetic figure on the Los Angeles country-rock scene and then a multimedia entrepreneur, died Friday of natural causes. He was 78. “With Infinite Love we announce that Michael Nesmith has passed away this morning in his home, surrounded by family, peacefully and of …

NBC News reports: Bob Dole, the longtime lawmaker who overcame life-threatening injuries during World War II to become a shepherd of the Republican Party, died in his sleep at the age of 98. Dole’s death was confirmed by the Elizabeth Dole Foundation and his family in separate statements Sunday. In February, Dole revealed that he had been diagnosed with stage …

The New York Times reports: Stephen Sondheim, one of Broadway history’s songwriting titans, whose music and lyrics raised and reset the artistic standard for the American stage musical, died early Friday at his home in Roxbury, Conn. He was 91. His lawyer and friend, F. Richard Pappas, announced the death, which he described as sudden. The day before, Mr. Sondheim …

The BBC reports: FW de Klerk, the former president of South Africa and the last white person to lead the country, has died at the age of 85. Mr de Klerk, who was also a key figure in the nation’s transition to democracy, had been diagnosed with cancer this year, a spokesman said. He was head of state between September …

Variety reports: Dean Stockwell, an American actor with a career that spanned more than 70 years, died on Sunday. He was 85. Sources representing the actor say that he died peacefully, in his sleep at home. Among his best credits were a leading role in the sci-fi series “Quantum Leap,” “Air Force One” and David Lynch films “Dune” and “Blue …

CNN reports: Colin Powell, the first Black US secretary of state whose leadership in several Republican administrations helped shape American foreign policy in the last years of the 20th century and the early years of the 21st, has died from complications from Covid-19, his family said on Facebook. He was 84. “General Colin L. Powell, former U.S. Secretary of State …

The Associated Press reports: Former U.S. Rep. Todd Akin, a conservative Missouri Republican whose comment that women’s bodies have a way of avoiding pregnancies in cases of “legitimate rape” sunk his bid for the U.S. Senate and became a cautionary tale for other GOP candidates, died late Sunday. He was 74. Akin had cancer for several years, his son, Perry, …

PHOTO CREDIT: Shefik. Billboard Magazine reports: Sarah Dash, a co-founder of pioneering R&B/rock group Labelle of “Lady Marmalade” fame, died Monday (Sept. 20). She was 76. “We were just onstage together on Saturday [Sept. 18] and it was such a powerful and special moment,” group namesake Patti LaBelle said in a statement sent to Billboard. Born Aug. 18, 1945 in …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Norm Macdonald, whose laconic delivery of sharp and incisive observations made him one of Saturday Night Live‘s most influential and beloved cast members, died today after a nine-year private battle with cancer. He was 61. The comedian’s longtime producing partner and friend Lori Jo Hoekstra, who was with him when died, said Macdonald had been battling cancer …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Ed Asner, legendary actor, activist and philanthropist, passed away peacefully Sunday morning, surrounded by family. He was 91. Asner, former president of the Screen Actors Guild, is best known for his role as Lou Grant during the 1970s and early 1980s, on both The Mary Tyler Moore Show and its spinoff series Lou Grant, making him one …

British tabloid The Mirror reports: The Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts has died at the age of 80. The sad news comes weeks after Watts pulled out of the band’s No Filter tour. A spokesperson for Charlie confirmed his absence from the US shows earlier this month, revealing that the rocker needed to ‘rest and recuperate’ following a medical procedure. …

The New York Times reports: Chuck Close, who rose to prominence in the 1970s and ’80s with colossal Photorealist portraits of himself, family members and fellow artists, but who late in his career faced accusations of sexual harassment, died on Thursday in a hospital in Oceanside, N.Y. He was 81. At the end of the 1960s, a period when formalist …

Roll Call reports: Former Michigan Rep. Paul Mitchell, who left the GOP to become an independent in protest of his party’s behavior in the days after the 2020 election, has died of cancer. Mitchell announced in June he had been diagnosed with an advanced stage of renal cancer and would undergo aggressive treatment. His wife, Sherry, announced his death Monday …

The Washington Post reports: AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka, one of the country’s most powerful labor leaders and an influential voice in many Washington debates, has died at 72, according to a source at the union federation. Trumka, a third-generation coal miner who rose to power through the United Mine Workers, had become one of the most powerful labor leaders in …

The Wrap reports: Ron Popeil, the prolific infomercial spokesman behind “as seen on TV” products like the Showtime Rotisserie and Hair in a Can, has died. He was 86. Popeil died early Wednesday morning at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center following a “severe medical emergency” on Tuesday, Popeil’s family told TMZ. Popeil was best known for the “Set it and forget it” …

The Casper Tribune reports: Former Sen. Mike Enzi died Monday after suffering serious injuries in a recent bike accident. He was 77. The announcement of Enzi’s passing came in a tweet posted at 11:14 p.m. to his senatorial Twitter account. The Gillette News Record reported that Enzi was biking near his home in Gillette shortly before 8:30 p.m. Friday when …

The New York Times reports: Donald H. Rumsfeld, the secretary of defense for Presidents Gerald R. Ford and George W. Bush, who presided over America’s Cold War strategies in the 1970s and, in the new world of terrorism decades later, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, died on Tuesday at his home in Taos, N.M. He was 88. The cause …

The Guardian reports: Mike Gravel, a former US senator from Alaska who read the Pentagon Papers into the Congressional Record and confronted Barack Obama about nuclear weapons during a later presidential run, has died. He was 91. Gravel, who represented Alaska as a Democrat from 1969 to 1981, died on Saturday, according to his daughter, Lynne Mosier. Gravel had been …

The BBC reports: Nigerian preacher TB Joshua, one of Africa’s most influential evangelists, has died at the age of 57. A post on his Facebook page, which has more than five million followers, said: “God has taken His servant”. He was said to have died on Saturday shortly after conducting a live broadcast, but the cause of his death has …

Variety reports: Gavin MacLeod, a sitcom veteran who played seaman “Happy” Haines on “McHale’s Navy,” Murray on “Mary Tyler Moore” and the very different, vaguely patrician Captain Stubing on “The Love Boat,” has died. He was 90. MacLeod’s nephew, Mark See, confirmed his death to Variety. MacLeod died in the early morning on May 29. No cause of death was …