Literotica Cemetary

[JennyOmanHill]

Vincent Sardi Jr., Owner of Legendary New York Theatre Restaurant, Is Dead at 91

Vincent Sardi Jr., whose very surname is as potent a piece of theatre vocabulary as there is — given that it adorns the most famous Broadway restaurant in history — died Jan. 4, The New York Times reported. He was 91.

Mr. Sardi died at a hospital in Berlin, Vermont. The cause was complications of a urinary-tract infection. He had retired from running his eponymous eatery in 1997 and lived in Warren, VT.

In its heyday, Sardi's was the watering hole for all of Broadway. Stars grandly entered the dining room after opening-night performances to be greeted by an ovation. (The first such was granted to Shirley Booth after she opened in Come Back, Little Sheba.) Producers wheeled and dealed in corners. Broadway columnists held court. Newspapers with reviews of that night's show were delivered to the door at midnight. For many years, the Tony Award nominations were announced there. And tourists and theatregoers rubbernecked at the stray remaining tables to see what famous faces were to be seen.

Its interior is well known to any theatre professional or theatre lover. The walls are lined with countless framed caricatures of Broadway greats past and present. (The overflow hang on the walls of the second and third floors). Red banquets frame the dining room, surrounding round tables trimmed with bentwood chairs.

Although there are now other theatre meccas — including Joe Allen's, Orso and Angus McIndoe's — the Sardi's name still looms larger than any other theatre-district restaurant in the country's theatrical imagination, and it remains a popular destination with tourists from all countries.

Vincent Sardi, Jr., was born July 23, 1915, in Manhattan. In 1921 his father took over the restaurant in the basement of a brownstone at 246 W. 44th Street, the Times reported. He named it the Little Restaurant. The theatre people who patronized it called it Sardi's. The building was knocked down in 1927 and replaced by the St. James Theatre. After that, the family moved the business to 234 W. 44th Street, and there it remained. Mr. Sardi joined the business as dining-room caption in 1939. When his father retired in 1947, he took over the restaurant.

Columnists such as Walter Winchell and Ward Morehouse made the address famous by mentioning it in their columns. Columnist Leonard Lyons actually made it his second home, stationing himself at the same table night after night. His photograph still hangs in the restaurant bar.

Mr. Sardi was always charitable in his treatment of actors. He often ran them lines of credit, and actors working in Broadway shows know to ask for a special menu on which the prices of entrees are reduced.

The restaurant has been featured in numerous films, including "But Not For Me," "Please Don't Eat the Daisies," "No Way to Treat a Lady," "The Fan" and "The Kind of Comedy." And, for many years, Playbill magazine has hosted their Spelvin luncheons there, in which they honor cast members of a current Broadway show.

Not all of Mr. Sardi's ventures over the years succeeded. A branch eatery called Sardi's East on E. 54th Street never caught on and closed in 1968 after a decade. And a television show called "Dinner at Sardi's," in which dining stars were interviewed, was not popular.

In September 1985, after a spell of poor business, Mr. Sardi sold the restaurant to two producers from Detroit, Ivan Bloch and Harvey Klaris, and the restaurateur Stuart Lichtenstein. Mr. Sardi planned to retire. But when the owners declared bankrupcy and closed the place in 1990, he bought the place back and reopened in 1991 after a renovation and with an improved menu. Over time his partner, Max Klimavicius, assumed most operations.

The famous caricatures were the idea of Sardi Sr. He remembered the movie-star caricatures that decorated the walls of Joe Zelli’s, a Parisian restaurant and jazz club. He hired a Russian refugee named Alex Gard, who was brought in by press agent Irving Hoffman, to render the drawings. His pay: one free meal a day. In 1947, Vincent Sardi, Jr., attempted to grant Gard more favorable terms, but the artist refused; Gard continued to be paid in free food until the day he died in 1948.

 

[JennyOmanHill]

USC kicker found dead at bottom of cliff

SAN PEDRO, Calif. - Southern California kicker Mario Danelo was found dead Saturday about 120 feet down a rocky cliff near Point Fermin lighthouse. The body was reported by a passer-by at about 4:30 p.m., said Martha Garcia of the Los Angeles Police Department.

Danelo, the 21-year-old son of former NFL kicker Joe Danelo, made 15 of 16 field goals this season and led the Trojans in scoring with 89 points. The junior made two field goals in the Rose Bowl on Monday to help USC beat Michigan 32-18.

Speaking on behalf of Trojans coach Pete Carroll, USC spokesman Tim Tessalone said: "We were stunned to hear about this tragedy. This is a great loss. Mario was a wonderful young man of high character.

"He was one heck of a kicker. He was a key ingredient in our success the past two years. The thoughts and prayers of the entire Trojan family go out to the Danelo family on this sad, sad day."

The family declined to comment.

A former San Pedro High School linebacker and soccer player, Danelo made the Trojans as a walk-on in 2003. In 2005, he received a scholarship and earned the starting kicking job.

He only missed two field goals in his career, going 26-for-28, and was 127-of-134 on extra points. In 2005, he set NCAA single-season records with 83 extra points and 86 attempts.

 

[JennyOmanHill]

Bobby Hamilton, Longtime NASCAR Driver, Dies of Cancer

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -Bobby Hamilton, the longtime NASCAR driver who won the 2001 Talladega 500 and was the 2004 Craftsman Truck Series champion, died Sunday of cancer, said Liz Allison, a family friend who co-hosted a radio show with Hamilton. He was 49.

Hamilton was at home with his family when he died, Allison said.

Hamilton was diagnosed with head and neck cancer in February. A malignant growth was found when swelling from dental surgery did not go down.

He raced in the season's first three events, with a best finish of 14th at Atlanta Motor Speedway, before turning over the wheel to his son, Bobby Hamilton Jr. The senior Hamilton then started chemotherapy and radiation treatment.

By August, he had returned to work at Bobby Hamilton Racing in Mount Juliet, about 20 miles east of Nashville, and doctors indicated his CAT scans looked good. But microscopic cancer cells remained on the right side of his neck.

Hamilton, born in Nashville in 1957, drove in all of NASCAR's top three divisions, making 371 starts and winning four times in what is now the Nextel Cup series. He won 10 truck races and one Busch Series race.

"I love what I do; I love this business," he said in March 2006 when he disclosed that he had cancer. "NASCAR has been good to me, and I just don't feel comfortable when I am not around it."

Hamilton's Nextel Cup wins, in addition to Talladega, came at Phoenix, Rockingham, N.C. and Martinsville, Va.

His best season was in 1996 when he finished ninth in the points standings. He won his first Cup race that year, at Phoenix.

Hamilton drove in the top-level NASCAR series from 1989-05, earning $14.3 million. He had 20 top-five finishes.

He became a full-time driver-owner in the truck series in 2003.

 

[JennyOmanHill]

Flying Burrito 'Sneaky' Pet Kleinow Dies

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - "Sneaky" Pete Kleinow, a steel guitar prodigy who rose to fame as one of the original members of the Flying Burrito Brothers, has died. He was 72.

Kleinow, who also worked in film as an award-winning animator and special effects artist, died Saturday at a Petaluma convalescent home near the skilled nursing facility where he had been living with Alzheimer's disease since last year, his daughter Anita Kleinow said.

"He was diagnosed about two years ago now and definitely didn't want to be left in a nursing home or anything like that," she said. "I think he made it in his head he didn't want to be there and found a way not to be."

During a musical career that spanned six decades, Kleinow helped define the country-rock genre in the late 1960s and 1970s by taking the instrument he had picked up as a teenager in South Bend, Ind., to California. His prowess with the pedal steel guitar influenced a generation of rock-and-rollers, including the Eagles, the Steve Miller Band and Poco.

Besides co-founding the Flying Burrito Brothers with the Byrds' Chris Hillman and Gram Parsons in 1968, he enjoyed a steady gig as a session musician, recording with such singer-songwriters as John Lennon, Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt and Joni Mitchell and bands as varied as the Bee Gees and Sly and the Family Stone.

Kleinow's last public performance was at a 2005 tribute concert in Parsons' memory. He played and recorded regularly with Burrito Deluxe, a band he founded in 2000 following the rebirth of alt-country music and fronted until he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's.

His last recording with the group is scheduled to be released next month, said Brenda Cline, the band's manager.

"Americana circles will mourn his death," Cline said. "He is partially responsible for where the Americana market is today."

Before, during and after his steady run as a Burrito Brother, Kleinow won acclaim as an animator, special effects artist and director of commercials in the television and film industries. His credits ranged from the original "Gumby" series - he wrote and performed the theme music as well as designed cartoons - and the relaunched "The Twilight Zone" to the movies "Under Siege,""Fearless" and "The Empire Strikes Back."

He won an Emmy award in 1983 for his work on the miniseries, "The Winds of War."

Born August 20, 1934, in South Bend, Kleinow started playing the pedal steel guitar while listening to Grand Ole Opry broadcasts on the radio, his daughter said. A natural on the instrument, he got his first job playing on a radio program at age 16, she said.

"It was a God-given talent," Anita Kleinow said. "He fell in love with it and was immediately expert with it."

Kleinow did road construction and odd jobs in Michigan before he followed his dreams to Los Angeles, where he performed in clubs and eventually recorded with the Byrds. When Parsons and Hillman left the band to form the Flying Burrito Brothers, they asked Kleinow to join them.

Kleinow is survived by his wife of 54 years, Ernestine, his daughters Anita and Tammy, and three sons, Martin , Aaron and Cosmo.

 

[JennyOmanHill]

Cartoonist Who Created Scooby-Doo Dies

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Iwao Takamoto, the animator who created the beloved Scooby-Doo and directed the cartoon classic "Charlotte's Web," has died. He was 81.

Takamoto died Monday of heart failure at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Warner Bros. spokesman Gary Miereanu said.

In a career that spanned more than six decades, Takamoto assisted in the designs of some of the biggest animated features and television shows for Disney and the Hanna-Barbera animation team. They included "Cinderella,""Peter Pan,""Lady and the Tramp,""101 Dalmatians,""The Jetsons" and "The Flintstones."

But it was his creation of Scooby-Doo, the cowardly dog with an adventurous heart, that captivated audiences and endured for generations.

Takamoto said he created Scooby-Doo after talking with a Great Dane breeder and named him after Frank Sinatra's final phrase in "Strangers in the Night."

The breeder "showed me some pictures and talked about the important points of a Great Dane, like a straight back, straight legs, small chin and such," Takamoto said in a recent talk at Cartoon Network Studios.

"I decided to go the opposite and gave him a hump back, bowed legs, big chin and such. Even his color is wrong."

Takamoto also created other famous cartoon dogs such as Astro from "The Jetsons" and Muttley, the mixed-breed that appeared in several Hanna-Barbera animations. He also directed the 1973 feature "Charlotte's Web."

Takamoto was survived by his wife, Barbara, son Michael and stepdaughter Leslie.

 

[Rambling Rose]

Carlo Ponti, Husband of Sophia Loren, Dies at 94

ROME (AP) – Italian producer Carlo Ponti, who discovered a teenage Sophia Loren, launched her film career and later married her despite threats of bigamy charges and excommunication, has died in Geneva. He was 94.
Ponti died overnight at a Geneva hospital, his family said Wednesday. He had been hospitalized about 10 days earlier for pulmonary complications, it said.

AdvertisementHe produced more than 100 films, including “Doctor Zhivago,” “The Firemen's Ball,” and “The Great Day,” which were nominated for Oscars. Other major films included “Blow-Up,” “The Cassandra Crossing,” “Zabriskie Point” and “The Squeeze.”
In 1956, “La Strada,” which he co-produced, won the Academy Award for best foreign film, as did “Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow” in 1964.

But it was his affair with the young ingenue Loren that captivated the public, rather than his work with top filmmakers such as Dino De Laurentiis, Federico Fellini, Jean-Luc Godard, Peter Ustinov, David Lean and Roman Polanski.

“I have done everything for love of Sophia,” he said in a newspaper interview shortly before his 90th birthday in 2002. “I have always believed in her.”

Born near Milan in the small town of Magenta on Dec. 11, 1912, Ponti studied law and worked as a lawyer before moving into film production in the late 1930s.

He was married to his first wife, Giuliana, when he met Loren – then Sofia Lazzaro – about 1950. At the time she was only 15 – a quarter-century younger than Ponti.

They tried to keep their relationship a secret despite huge media interest, while Ponti's lawyers went to Mexico to obtain a divorce from his first wife.

Ponti and Loren were married by proxy in Mexico in 1957 – two male attorneys took their place and the happy couple only found out when the news was broken by society columnist Louella Parsons.

But they were unable to beat stringent Italian divorce laws and the wrath of the Roman Catholic church. Ponti was charged with bigamy.

“I was being threatened with excommunication, with the everlasting fire, and for what reason? I had fallen in love with a man whose own marriage had ended long before,” Loren has said.

“I wanted to be his wife and have his children. We had done the best the law would allow to make it official, but they were calling us public sinners,” she said. “We should have been taking a honeymoon, but all I remember is weeping for hours.”

The couple first lived in exile and then, after the annulment of their Mexican marriage, in secret in Italy.

During this period, Ponti produced the film “La Ciociara” – known in English as “Two Women” – for which Loren won a best actress Oscar in 1962, and contributed significantly to the development of French New Wave cinema in his collaboration with Godard.

Ponti and Loren finally beat Italian law by becoming French citizens – the approval was signed personally by French President Georges Pompidou – and they married for a second time in Paris in 1966.

Despite many predictions that the marriage would founder over Ponti's affairs and the many dashing leading men who reportedly fell in love with Loren, the couple stayed together.

Ponti had several other brushes with the law.

He was briefly imprisoned in by the Fascist government in Italy during World War II for producing “Piccolo Mondo Antico,” which was considered anti-German. An Italian court later gave Ponti a six-month suspended sentence for his 1973 film “Massacre in Rome,” which claimed Pope Pius XII did nothing about the execution of Italian hostages by the Germans. The charges eventually were dropped on appeal.

Though Loren was better-known, Ponti amassed a fortune considerably greater than that of his wife – and again fell foul of the Italian authorities.

In 1979, a court in Rome convicted him in absentia of the illegal transfer of capital abroad and sentenced him to four years in prison and a $24 million fine.

Loren, along with film stars Ava Gardner and Richard Harris, were acquitted of conspiracy.

It took Ponti until the late 1980s to settle his legal problems and finally obtain the return of his art collection, which had been seized by authorities and given to Italian museums.

He also survived two kidnapping attempts in 1975.

Ponti discovered many of the great Italian leading ladies, including Gina Lollobrigida, and had affairs with several. “I don't like actors. I prefer women,” he said at the time.

In recent years, the couple lived mostly in Switzerland, where they had several homes. Despite reports that he was seriously ill, Ponti attended the 1998 Venice Film Festival to accept a lifetime achievement award for his wife, who was kept away by illness.

Ponti had two sons with Loren – Carlo Jr., a celebrated conductor, and Edoardo, a film producer. He also had two children from his first marriage, Guendolina and Alexander.

No date was given for a funeral, but the family said it would be “strictly private.”

 

[JennyOmanHill]

The Boy From Oz Producer Ben Gannon Is Dead at 54

Ben Gannon, the Australian producer who was instrumental in bringing the Hugh Jackman hit The Boy From Oz to Broadway, died Jan. 4 in Sydney after a battle with cancer. He was 54.

Mr. Gannon was fighting the cancer in 2003 when Oz stormed Broadway and became one of the biggest hits of the season, largely based on the audience appeal of star Hugh Jackman, who played entertainer Peter Allen in the musical. Jackman won a Tony Award for his work and became a hot theatre property in process.

"It is a brilliant showcase for somebody because you get to sing, dance and act," Mr. Gannon told the Australian Associated Press at the time, "and because Hugh does all three so brilliantly I think it has shown him in a whole new light in America that people were just not aware of before."

The Boy From Oz was co-produced by Robert Fox and was Gannon's only Broadway credit. Prior to the show, he worked mainly in television and film. One of his projects was a documentary on Allen, who died in 1992 and is a beloved figure in his native Australia. According to the newspaper The Australian, the program led directly to the stage show The Boy From Oz, which debuted in Sydney in 1998 and toured for two years. The show starred Todd McKenney at that time.

The show ran 11 months on Broadway and became something of a phenomenon, despite lackluster reviews. Fans clamored to see the charismatic Jackman, who became famous for his dedication to the part and for never missing a performance. Rather than find a replacement, Mr. Gannon and Fox closed the show when Jackman's contract was up.

In 2005, the show came back to Australia with Jackman as an arena concert. During this time, cancer returned to Mr. Gannon's liver. Mr. Fox told the Australian that Mr.Gannon had given "no murmur of discontent… You would not have known there was anything the matter with him."

 

[JennyOmanHill]

'Munsters' Star Yvonne De Carlo Dies at 84

OS ANGELES (Jan. 10) - Yvonne De Carlo, the beautiful star who played Moses' wife in "The Ten Commandments" but achieved her greatest popularity on TV's "The Munsters," has died. She was 84.

De Carlo, whose shapely figure helped launch her career in B-movie desert adventures and Westerns, rose to more important roles in the 1950s. Later, she had a key role in a landmark Broadway musical, Stephen Sondheim's "Follies."

But for TV viewers, she will always be known as Lily Munster in the 1964-1966 slapstick horror-movie spoof "The Munsters." The series (the name allegedly derived from "fun-monsters") offered a gallery of Universal Pictures grotesques, including Dracula and Frankenstein's monster, in a cobwebbed gothic setting.

Lily, vampire-like in a black gown, presided over the faux scary household and was a rock for her gentle but often bumbling husband, Herman, played by 6-foot-5-inch character actor Fred Gwynne (decked out as the Frankenstein monster).

While it lasted only two years, the series had a long life in syndication and resulted in two feature movies, "Munster Go Home!" (1966) and "The Munsters' Revenge." (1981, for TV).

At the series' end, De Carlo commented: "It meant security. It gave me a new, young audience I wouldn't have had otherwise. It made me 'hot' again, which I wasn't for a while."

"I think she will best remembered as the definitive Lily Munster. She was the vampire mom to millions of baby boomers. In that sense, she's iconic," Burns said Wednesday.

"But it would be a shame if that's the only way she is remembered. She was also one of the biggest beauty queens of the '40s and '50s, one of the most beautiful women in the world. This was one of the great glamour queens of Hollywood, one of the last ones."

De Carlo was able to sustain a long career by repeatedly reinventing herself. A longtime student of voice, she sang opera at the Hollywood Bowl. When movie roles became scarce, she ventured into stage musicals.

Her greatest stage triumph came on Broadway in 1971 with "Follies," which won the 1972 Tony award for best original musical score. She belted out Sondheim's showstopping number, "I'm Still Here," a former star's defiant recounting of the highs and lows of her life and career.

Over the years, De Carlo augmented her stardom by shrewd use of publicity. Gossip columnists reported her dates with famous men. In her 1987 book, "Yvonne: An Autobiography," she listed 22 of her lovers, who included Howard Hughes, Burt Lancaster, Robert Stack, Robert Taylor, Billy Wilder, Aly Khan and an Iranian prince.

The Canadian-born De Carlo began her career with a parade of bit parts in films of the early 1940s, then emerged as a star in 1945 with "Salome - Where She Danced," a routine movie about a dancer from Vienna who becomes a spy in the wild West.

She recalled her entrance in the film: "I came through these beaded curtains, wearing a Japanese kimono and a Japanese headpiece, and then performed a Siamese dance. Nobody seemed to know quite why."

Universal Pictures exploited her slightly exotic looks and a shape that looked ideal in a harem dress in such "sex-and-sand" programmers as "Song of Scheherazade," "Slave Girl," "Casbah" and "Desert Hawk."

The studio also employed her to add zest to Westerns, usually as a dance-hall girl or a gun-toting sharpshooter. Among the titles: "Frontier Gal," "Black Bart" (as Lola Montez), "River Lady," "Calamity Jane and Sam Bass" (as Calamity Jane) and "The Gal Who Took the West."

In 1956 she veered from her former image when Cecil B. DeMille chose her to play Sephora, wife to Charlton Heston's Moses in "The Ten Commandments." The following year she co-starred with Clark Gable and Sidney Poitier in "Band of Angels" as Gable's upper-class sweetheart who learns of her black forebears.

Among her later films: "McClintock" (starring John Wayne), "A Global Affair" (Bob Hope), "Hostile Guns" (George Montgomery), "The Power" (George Hamilton), "American Gothic" (Rod Steiger) and "Oscar" (Sylvester Stallone).

De Carlo was born Peggy Yvonne Middleton in Vancouver, British Columbia, on Sept. 1, 1922, (some sources say 1924). Abandoned by her father, she was raised by her mother in poor circumstances. The girl took dancing lessons and dropped out of high school to work in night clubs and local theaters. She continued dancing in clubs when she and her mother moved to Los Angeles.

Paramount Pictures signed her to a contract in 1942, and she adopted her middle name and her mother's middle name. Dropped by Paramount after 20 minor roles, she landed at Universal, which cast her as the B-picture version of the studio's sultry star Maria Montez.

In 1955, De Carlo married Bob Morgan, a topflight stunt man, and the marriage produced two sons, Bruce and Michael, as well as much-publicized separations and reconciliations.

During a stunt aboard a moving log train for "How the West Was Won," Morgan was thrown underneath the wheels. The accident cost him a leg, and for a time De Carlo abandoned her career to care for him. They later divorced.

In her late years, De Carlo lived in semiretirement near Solvang, north of Santa Barbara. Her son Michael died in 1997, and she suffered a stroke the following year.

 

[Arc da Rat]

Strangely enough I was thinking about if Yvonne De Carlo was still alive & well ... Then I read this ... I only knew her from the Munsters & one B-movie flick from the 70s ... I just may have to look for her earlier movies & watch them ...

 

[JennyOmanHill]

Grammy-Winning Saxophonist Brecker Dies

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NEW YORK (AP) - Michael Brecker, a versatile and influential tenor saxophonist who won 11 Grammys over a career that spanned more than three decades, died Saturday. He was 57.

Brecker died in a hospital in New York City of leukemia, according to his longtime friend and manager, Darryl Pitt.

In recent years, the saxophonist had struggled with myelodysplastic syndrome, a cancer in which the bone marrow stops producing enough healthy blood cells. The disease, known as MDS, often progresses to leukemia.

Throughout his career, Brecker recorded and performed with numerous jazz and pop music leaders, including Herbie Hancock, James Taylor, Paul Simon and Joni Mitchell, according to his Web site. His most recently released recording, "Wide Angles," appeared on many top jazz lists and won two Grammys in 2004.

His technique on the saxophone was widely emulated, and his style was much-studied in music schools throughout the world. Jazziz magazine recently called him "inarguably the most influential tenor stylist of the last 25 years," according to a press release from his family.

Though very sick, Brecker managed to record a final album, as yet untitled, that was completed just two weeks ago. Pitt said the musician was enthusiastic about the final work.

"In addition to the love of his family and friends, his work on this project helped keep him alive and will be another jewel in his legacy," Pitt said.

Brecker, who had a home in the New York City suburb of Hastings-on-Hudson, was born in 1949 in Philadelphia to a musically inclined family. His father would take his sons to performances of jazz legends such as Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk and Duke Ellington.

Brecker, who first studied clarinet and alto saxophone, decided to pursue the tenor saxophone in high school after being inspired by the work of John Coltrane, according to his Web site. He followed his brother, Randy, a trumpet player, to Indiana University, but he left after a year for New York.

In 1970, he helped found the jazz-rock group Dreams. He later joined his brother in pianist and composer Horace Silver's quintet. Michael and Randy also started the successful jazz-rock fusion group the Brecker Brothers. The two also owned the now-defunct downtown jazz club Seventh Avenue South.

His solo career began in 1987, when his self-titled debut was voted "Jazz Album of the Year" in both Down Beat and Jazziz magazines.

His struggle with the blood disease led him and his family to publicly encourage people to enroll in bone marrow donor programs. His own search for a donor led to an experimental blood stem cell transplant that "did not work as hoped," according to a May 2006 entry on his Web site.

Brecker's survivors include his wife, Susan; his children, Jessica and Sam; his brother, Randy; and his sister, Emily Brecker Greenberg.

 

[JennyOmanHill]

Man Known as Secret Santa Dies in Mo.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Larry Stewart, a millionaire who became known as Secret Santa for his habit of roaming the streets each December and anonymously handing money to people, died Friday. He was 58.

Stewart died from complications from esophageal cancer, said Jackson County Sheriff Tom Phillips, a longtime friend.

Stewart, who spent 26 years giving a total $1.3 million, gained international attention in November when he revealed himself as Secret Santa. He was diagnosed in April with cancer, and said he wanted to use his celebrity to inspire other people to take random kindness seriously.

"That's what we're here for," Stewart said in a November interview, "to help other people out."

Stewart, from the Kansas City suburb of Lee's Summit, made his millions in cable television and long-distance telephone service.

His private holiday giving started in December 1979 when he was at a drive-in restaurant nursing his wounds from having been fired. It was the second year in a row he had been fired the week before Christmas.

"It was cold and this carhop didn't have on a very big jacket, and I thought to myself, 'I think I got it bad. She's out there in this cold making nickels and dimes,'" he said. He gave her $20 and told her to keep the change.

After that, Stewart hit the streets each December, handing out money, often $100 bills, sometimes two and three at a time. He also gave money to community causes in Kansas City and his hometown of Bruce, Miss.

Stewart said he offered the simple gifts of cash every year because it was something people didn't have to "beg for, get in line for, or apply for."

Stewart gave out $100,000 between Chicago and Kansas City in December. Four Secret Santas whom Stewart "trained" gave out another $65,000.

 

[JennyOmanHill]

Jazz Performer Alice Coltrane Dies At 69

LOS ANGELES -- The jazz world is mourning the death of a prominent performer and composer.

Pianist and organist Alice Coltrane, noted for her celestial compositions and for bringing the harp onto the jazz bandstand, died Friday of respiratory failure in Los Angeles. She was 69.

For nearly 40 years, Coltrane managed the archive and estate of her late husband saxophone legend John Coltrane, who died of liver disease in 1967 at age 40. After his death, she devoted herself to raising their children but continued to play.

Her last recording, "Translinear Light," came in 2004. Her last performances came in an abbreviated tour last fall with her saxophonist son, Ravi.

 

[JennyOmanHill]

'Bold And The Beautiful' Star Dies

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LOS ANGELES -- An actress who spent two decades playing a feisty fashion mogul on a daytime soap has died.

Darlene Conley was a veteran stage and television actress who played Sally Spectra on CBS' "The Bold and the Beautiful."

Conley was 72.

A CBS publicist said Conley died Sunday at her Los Angeles home surrounded by family and friends.

She was diagnosed with stomach cancer about three months ago.

"Darlene was a beloved member of the CBS family for many years,” said Barbara Bloom, senior vice president of daytime CBS, said in a statement. "Her talent, wit, and energy made her a force to be reckoned with and her loss is immeasurable. She’ll be greatly missed but also greatly remembered."

Conley won two Daytime Emmy nominations for Best Supporting Actress and six Soap Opera Digest awards.

"She constantly entertained us with every move, every breath, every inflection of her voice," said the show's executive producer Bradley P. Bell in a statement. "Whether she was the villain, the damsel, the sexpot, or the comedienne, Darlene was brilliant."

Producers said they haven't decided how to portray her character's fate.

 

[JennyOmanHill]

NASCAR Champion Parsons Dies of Cancer

Benny Parsons, a former taxi driver turned NASCAR champion, died Tuesday from complications stemming from his short battle with lung cancer, his son Keith said. He was 65.

Parsons, the 1973 NASCAR champion, died in Charlotte, N.C., where he had been hospitalized since Dec. 26.

A member of NASCAR's 50 greatest drivers, Parsons retired from racing in 1988 and moved into the broadcasting booth. He spent the past six years as a commentator on NBC and TNT, and continued to call races from the booth during his treatment.

"Benny was a beloved and widely respected member of the NASCAR community, and of the NBC Sports family," said Dick Ebersol, chairman of NBC Sports.

"He was a great driver and a terrific broadcaster, but above anything else he was a kind and generous human being. His character and spirit will define how he is remembered by all of us. Benny will be sorely missed."

Parsons was diagnosed with cancer in his left lung in July after complaining of difficulty breathing. A former smoker who quit the habit in 1978, Parsons underwent intensive chemotherapy and radiation treatments and was declared "cancer-free" in October.

But the aggressive treatment cost Parsons the use of his left lung, and he was hospitalized Dec. 26 when doctors found a blood clot in his right lung. He was transferred to intensive care shortly after his admission, and he remained there in an induced-coma.

Parsons, affectionately known throughout NASCAR as "BP," also continued to host a weekly radio program and kept fans updated on his condition in a blog on his web site.

"As my radiation oncologist told me today, John Wayne lived and had a great career with one lung. There is no reason why I can't do the same." Parsons posted in a Dec. 18th entry after learning of the damage to his left lung.

"It will take a little while for the right lung to pull the weight for the left lung so until then I will still need to use oxygen when I walk. I won't need it sitting or commentating races and to me that is the main thing.

"If given a choice between cancer or losing a lung I would say that I got the right end of the deal."

That feisty spirit was one of Parsons' trademarks, and what helped him rise up from a poor childhood in the foothills of North Carolina to a job driving taxis and then all the way to the top of NASCAR.

He remained popular both with the fans and the current NASCAR community, which had rallied in support of Parsons during his battle. Michael Waltrip came to preseason testing at Daytona International Speedway this week with "We Love You BP" painted on the side of his car.

And Parsons was always on the lookout for new talent, and proved to have a keen eye for it when he discovered Greg Biffle and pushed car owner Jack Roush to hire him sight unseen. Biffle went on to win championships in NASCAR's Truck and Busch Series and is now a top-level Nextel Cup driver.

"It's obvious he's the only reason why I am here in this sport; I would still be in Washington racing local stuff if not for BP," Biffle said. "It seems like this cancer thing ... it's just evil stuff. He told me upfront that it was pretty aggressive cancer, but they caught it real quick and that they were on top of it."

Parsons' death comes eight days after former Truck Series champion Bobby Hamilton lost his battle with cancer.

Parsons was born July 12, 1941 at his parents' rural home in Wilkes County and eventually moved to Detroit, where he worked at a gas station and a cab company owned by his father. After winning back-to-back ARCA titles in 1968-69, he returned to North Carolina in Ellerbe to become a full-time racer, often listing "taxicab driver" as his occupation on entry forms.

Parsons made 526 starts from 1964 until his 1988 retirement. He won 21 races, including the 1975 Daytona 500, and 20 poles. He was also the first Cup competitor to qualify for a race faster than 200 mph when he posted a lap at 200.176 mph at the 1982 Winston 500 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.

Parsons ended his career with 283 top-10 finishes, led at least one lap in 192 races and finished no lower than fifth in the points from 1972 to 1980 while earning more than $4 million. He also won back-to-back ARCA titles in 1968-69 when he lived in Detroit, before getting his shot at NASCAR.

His 1973 championship season was built on endurance and consistency: He won only one of the 28 races that season, while second-place finisher Cale Yarborough won four times and David Pearson won 11. But Parsons finished the most miles that year to claim the crown.

He was named one of NASCAR's 50 greatest drivers in 1998, and was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1994. He was inducted into the National Motorsports Press Association's Stock Car Racing Hall of Fame in 1995.

Parsons began his broadcasting career in the 1980s as a pit reporter for ESPN and TBS, when he was still racing a partial schedule. He moved into the booth for good in 1989 for ESPN and won a Cable ACE Award for best sports analyst.

Survivors include his wife, Terri, and two sons by his late wife - Kevin and Keith, a former sports writer for The Associated Press, and two granddaughters.

 

[JennyOmanHill]

TV Toon Composer Harvey R. Cohen Dies

Emmy-winning composer and arranger Harvey R. Cohen passed away on Sunday, Jan. 14, 2007, after suffering a heart attack in his Agoura Hills, California, home, reports VARIETY. He was 55.

Cohen won two Emmys for his music for the animated series -- DISNEY'S ALADDIN in 1995 and THE ADVENTURES OF BATMAN AND ROBIN in 1996. He garnered three other Emmy nominations for animated series -- two for CASPER and the other for BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES. His fourth nomination was for music direction on a Patti LaBelle PBS special.

Cohen provided the tunes for many other TV toons, including SUPERMAN, TINY TOON ADVENTURES and TAZ-MANIA for Warner Bros. and LITTLE MERMAID, GARGOYLES, GOOF TROOP and BONKERS for Disney.

As for his feature work, he scored the IMAX film, SANTA VS. THE SNOWMAN, as well as the direct-to-video, BELLE'S MAGICAL WORLD.

Cohen's live-action composing work included, DALLAS, KNOTS LANDING, GROWING PAINS, MURPHY BROWN and THE WONDER YEARS. He also orchestrated for John Williams, Marc Shaiman, James Horner, Michael Kamen and Teddy Castellucci. With Shaiman, he orchestrated Billy Crystal's Academy Awards opening medley four times.

Born in Brookline, Massachusetts, Cohen graduated from Connecticut's Hartt College of Music, which he follows with graduate work at Brooklyn College and L.A.'s Grove School of Music.

He is survived by longtime partner Marilynn Musiker-Roth and her four children; and his mother.

 

[Batch]

Benny Parsons, a former taxi driver turned NASCAR champion, died Tuesday from complications stemming from his short battle with lung cancer, his son Keith said. He was 65.

Parsons, the 1973 NASCAR champion, died in Charlotte, N.C., where he had been hospitalized since Dec. 26.

A member of NASCAR's 50 greatest drivers, Parsons retired from racing in 1988 and moved into the broadcasting booth. He spent the past six years as a commentator on NBC and TNT, and continued to call races from the booth during his treatment.

"Benny was a beloved and widely respected member of the NASCAR community, and of the NBC Sports family," said Dick Ebersol, chairman of NBC Sports.

"He was a great driver and a terrific broadcaster, but above anything else he was a kind and generous human being. His character and spirit will define how he is remembered by all of us. Benny will be sorely missed."

Parsons was diagnosed with cancer in his left lung in July after complaining of difficulty breathing. A former smoker who quit the habit in 1978, Parsons underwent intensive chemotherapy and radiation treatments and was declared "cancer-free" in October.

But the aggressive treatment cost Parsons the use of his left lung, and he was hospitalized Dec. 26 when doctors found a blood clot in his right lung. He was transferred to intensive care shortly after his admission, and he remained there in an induced-coma.

Parsons, affectionately known throughout NASCAR as "BP," also continued to host a weekly radio program and kept fans updated on his condition in a blog on his web site.

"As my radiation oncologist told me today, John Wayne lived and had a great career with one lung. There is no reason why I can't do the same." Parsons posted in a Dec. 18th entry after learning of the damage to his left lung.

"It will take a little while for the right lung to pull the weight for the left lung so until then I will still need to use oxygen when I walk. I won't need it sitting or commentating races and to me that is the main thing.

"If given a choice between cancer or losing a lung I would say that I got the right end of the deal."

That feisty spirit was one of Parsons' trademarks, and what helped him rise up from a poor childhood in the foothills of North Carolina to a job driving taxis and then all the way to the top of NASCAR.

He remained popular both with the fans and the current NASCAR community, which had rallied in support of Parsons during his battle. Michael Waltrip came to preseason testing at Daytona International Speedway this week with "We Love You BP" painted on the side of his car.

And Parsons was always on the lookout for new talent, and proved to have a keen eye for it when he discovered Greg Biffle and pushed car owner Jack Roush to hire him sight unseen. Biffle went on to win championships in NASCAR's Truck and Busch Series and is now a top-level Nextel Cup driver.

"It's obvious he's the only reason why I am here in this sport; I would still be in Washington racing local stuff if not for BP," Biffle said. "It seems like this cancer thing ... it's just evil stuff. He told me upfront that it was pretty aggressive cancer, but they caught it real quick and that they were on top of it."

Parsons' death comes eight days after former Truck Series champion Bobby Hamilton lost his battle with cancer.

Parsons was born July 12, 1941 at his parents' rural home in Wilkes County and eventually moved to Detroit, where he worked at a gas station and a cab company owned by his father. After winning back-to-back ARCA titles in 1968-69, he returned to North Carolina in Ellerbe to become a full-time racer, often listing "taxicab driver" as his occupation on entry forms.

Parsons made 526 starts from 1964 until his 1988 retirement. He won 21 races, including the 1975 Daytona 500, and 20 poles. He was also the first Cup competitor to qualify for a race faster than 200 mph when he posted a lap at 200.176 mph at the 1982 Winston 500 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.

Parsons ended his career with 283 top-10 finishes, led at least one lap in 192 races and finished no lower than fifth in the points from 1972 to 1980 while earning more than $4 million. He also won back-to-back ARCA titles in 1968-69 when he lived in Detroit, before getting his shot at NASCAR.

His 1973 championship season was built on endurance and consistency: He won only one of the 28 races that season, while second-place finisher Cale Yarborough won four times and David Pearson won 11. But Parsons finished the most miles that year to claim the crown.

He was named one of NASCAR's 50 greatest drivers in 1998, and was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1994. He was inducted into the National Motorsports Press Association's Stock Car Racing Hall of Fame in 1995.

Parsons began his broadcasting career in the 1980s as a pit reporter for ESPN and TBS, when he was still racing a partial schedule. He moved into the booth for good in 1989 for ESPN and won a Cable ACE Award for best sports analyst.

Survivors include his wife, Terri, and two sons by his late wife - Kevin and Keith, a former sports writer for The Associated Press, and two granddaughters.

Ah, this is sad news, indeed. I shall miss him.

 

[Moi]

Comedy actor Ron Carey dies

Ron Carey, an actor known for his roles on the sitcom "Barney Miller" and in three of Mel Brooks' films, has died. He was 71.

He died Tuesday of complications from a stroke at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

Carey was born Dec. 11, 1935, in Newark, N.J. He began his career as a stand-up comic on talk shows, including those hosted by Merv Griffin, Mike Douglas, Ed Sullivan and Johnny Carson. His most famous role was as the brown-nosing wannabe detective Officer Carl Levitt on "Barney Miller," which ran on ABC from 1975-82.

Carey's feature credits include Brooks' "History of the World, Part I," "High Anxiety" and "Silent Movie." He also appeared in "Johnny Dangerously," "Fatso" and the 1970 "The Out of Towners."

He is survived by his wife, Sharon, brother Jimmy Cicenia and sister-in-law Dolores. A memorial is set for Tuesday at Christ the King Church in Los Angeles.

 

[omahaman2]

Mamas and Papas Singer Denny Doherty Dies
AP
MISSISSAUGA, Ont. (Jan. 19) - Denny Doherty, one-quarter of the 1960s folk-rock group The Mamas and the Papas, known for their soaring harmony on hits like "California Dreamin"' and "Monday, Monday," died Friday at 66.



The group burst on the national scene in 1966 with the top 10 smash "California Dreamin'." The Mamas and the Papas broke new ground by having women and men in one group at a time when most singing groups were unisex. John Phillips, the group's chief songwriter; his wife, Michelle; and another female vocalist, Cass Elliot, teamed with Doherty.

"Monday, Monday" hit No. 1 on the charts and won the band a Grammy for best contemporary group performance. Among the group's other songs were "I Saw Her Again Last Night," "Go Where You Wanna Go," "Dancing Bear," and versions of "I Call Your Name" and "Dedicated to the One I Love."




"What made the group special was their haunting and sumptuous harmony singing," according to "The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock & Roll."

"Everybody used to think that John Phillips, who wrote the songs, was also the main voice of the group, but it wasn't - it was the angelic voice of Denny Doherty," said Larry Leblanc, Canadian editor of Billboard Magazine. "He was often overlooked but it was really his voice that carried the group."

In 1998, the Mamas and the Papas were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The group's catchy sound was a blend of '60s upbeat pop and the folk music that had surged in popularity early in the decade. The song "Creeque Alley" told the story of their formation amid the musical ferment of the folk scene; among the other stars-to-be mentioned in its lyrics were members of the Lovin' Spoonful and the Byrds.

Folk superstars Peter, Paul and Mary paid their own tribute to the Mamas and the Papas with their humorous 1967 hit "I Dig Rock and Roll Music."

But the group's heyday was brief and it disbanded in 1968 following John and Michelle Phillips' divorce. The members re-formed in 1971 for the album "People Like Us," but all hope for a reunion ended in 1974 when the 32-year-old Elliot suffered a fatal heart attack in London.

Phillips briefly re-formed the group in 1982 with Doherty, Phillips' actress daughter, Mackenzie, and Elaine "Spanky" McFarlane. The foursome toured playing oldies and new Phillips originals.

In 2003, Doherty was co-author and performer in an off-Broadway show called "Dream a Little Dream: The Mamas and the Papas Musical." It traced the band's early years, its dizzying fame and breakup amid drugs and alcohol and an affair between Doherty and Michelle Phillips.

"There's a part of this thing that if I'm not careful, I'd be just a blob on the stage crying my guts out," Doherty told The Associated Press at the time. "Everybody knows about death and dying and sadness, so it's an exercise in staying in the moment and not getting maudlin about your friends dying."

John Phillips died in 2001 at 65.

The Halifax-born Doherty started his music career in Montreal in 1960 as the co-founder of the Colonials, which later became the Halifax Three.

Doherty made a solo album in 1974 and achieved a bit of immortality by both playing the Harbormaster and voicing all the characters for the children's TV series "Theodore Tugboat."

Doherty, who was married twice, is survived by three children, John, Emberly and Jessica; three sisters; and a brother. Both of his wives predeceased him.

 

[omahaman2]

WWE.com has learned that former WWE Superstar Scott "Bam Bam" Bigelow has passed away in Florida.

Kevin Doll, the Public Information Director for the Pasco County Sheriff's Office confirmed that Bigelow was found dead early this morning in his home in Hudson, Fla.

"We can confirm that Scott Bigelow was found in his home this morning. At this time the cause of death is unknown," Doll told WWE.com.

Doll also confirmed that the Pasco-Pinellas Counties medical examiner has taken the body and an autopsy will be performed.

Bigelow, 45, worked for WWE, ECW and WCW extensively throughout his 20-year sports-entertainment career. A former ECW Champion, ECW Television Champion and WCW Tag Team Champion, he is perhaps best known for his rivalry with Lawrence Taylor that culminated in the main event of WrestleMania XI in 1995.

 

[JennyOmanHill]

Humorist Buchwald dies at age 81

WASHINGTON -- Satirist Art Buchwald, who turned his infectious wit on the life of Washington and then on his own failing health, is dead at 81.

Buchwald's son, Joel, said his father passed away quietly at his home late Wednesday with his family.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and author chronicled the life and times of Washington for four decades, then cheated death and laughed in its face in a richly lived final year that medical science said he wasn't supposed to get.

Buchwald had refused dialysis treatments for his failing kidneys a year ago and was expected to die within weeks of moving to a hospice on Feb. 7, where he held court as a parade of luminaries and friends came by to say farewell. But he lived to return home and even write a book about his experiences.

"I'm having a swell time," he said of his dying. "The best time of my life."

"The last year he had the opportunity for a victory lap and I think he was really grateful for it," said son Joel Buchwald. "He had an opportunity to write his book about his experience and he went out the way he wanted to go, on his own terms."

Neither Buchwald nor his doctors could say how he survived in such grave condition. "Nobody's been able to really explain what's going on because I'm not taking dialysis," Buchwald told The Associated Press in May. "I have to thank my kidneys."

He described his earlier decision to forgo dialysis and let himself die as a liberating one. "The thing is, when you make your choice, then a lot of the stress is gone. Everything is great because you accept that you are the one who made the choice."

But when death didn't come nearly as quickly as expected, Buchwald wrote that he had to scrap his funeral plans, rewrite his living will, buy a new cell phone and get on with his improbable life. "I also had to start worrying about Bush again," he deadpanned.

Buchwald was called the "Wit of Washington" during his years here and his name became synonymous with political satire. He was well known, too, for his wide smile and affinity for cigars.

Among his more famous witticisms: "If you attack the establishment long enough and hard enough, they will make you a member of it."

Ben Bradlee, former Washington Post executive editor and a friend of Buchwald for some 50 years, said in an interview that Buchwald was "the humorist of his generation." Buchwald was a Paris nightlife columnist in the 1950s when he met Bradlee, whose paper carried Buchwald's columns in later years.

His syndicated column at one point appeared in more than 500 newspapers worldwide. It appeared twice a week in publications including The Washington Post and was distributed by Tribune Media Services.

In 1982, he won the Pulitzer, journalism's top honor, for outstanding commentary, and in 1986 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

In January 2006, doctors amputated Buchwald's right leg below the knee because of circulation problems. Losing it was "very traumatic" and he said it probably influenced his decision to reject the three-times-a-week, five-hours-a-day dialysis treatments. In 2000, he suffered a major stroke.

Buchwald first attracted notice in the late 1940s in Paris, where he became a correspondent for Variety after dropping out of college.

A year later, he took a trial column called "Paris After Dark" to the New York Herald Tribune. He filled it with scraps of offbeat information about Paris nightlife.

In 1951, he started another column, "Mostly About People," featuring interviews with celebrities in Paris. The next year, the Herald Tribune introduced Buchwald to U.S. readers through yet another column, "Europe's Lighter Side."

Among the many who visited Buchwald at the hospice was French Ambassador Jean-David Levitte, who brought a medal honoring the 14 years Buchwald spent as a journalist in Paris.

Over the years, he discovered the allure of show business and in 1970 he wrote the Broadway play "Sheep on the Runway."

But he was best known in that realm for the court battle over "Coming to America." A judge ruled that Paramount Pictures had stolen Buchwald's idea and in 1992 awarded $900,000 to him and a partner.

Born in Mount Vernon, N.Y., on Oct. 25, 1925, Buchwald had a difficult childhood. He and his three sisters were sent to foster homes when their mother was institutionalized for mental illness. Their father, a drapery salesman, suffered Depression-era financial troubles and couldn't afford them.

At 17, Buchwald ran away to join the Marines and spent 3.5 years in the Pacific during World War II, attaining the rank of sergeant and spending much of his time editing a Corps newspaper.

After the war, he enrolled at the University of Southern California, where he became managing editor of the campus humor magazine and a columnist for the student paper. But he dropped out in 1948 and headed for Paris on a one-way ticket.

He married Ann McGarry, of Warren, Pa., in London on Oct. 12, 1952. The writer and one-time fashion coordinator for Neiman-Marcus later wrote a book with her husband. They adopted three children.

She died in 1994. In 2000, Buchwald published his first novel, "Stella In Heaven: Almost a Novel," about a widower who can communicate with his deceased wife.

"He had a very stormy relationship with Ann," Bradlee said in an online chat presented by Washingtonpost.com. "They actually got divorced before she died but I don't think he ever stopped loving her."

The perennial funny man said he battled depression in 1963 and 1987.

"You do get over it, and you get over it a better person," he once said of the illness.

Mike Wallace of CBS's "60 Minutes" said in an interview Thursday that he, too, suffered from depression and when Buchwald knew that was affecting him, he would call him every night, even when Wallace was overseas on an assignment. "He'd try to buck me up," Wallace said.

Buchwald is survived by son Joel Buchwald, of Washington; daughters Jennifer Buchwald, of Roxbury, Mass.; and Connie Buchwald Marks, of Culpeper, Va.; sisters Edith Jaffe, of Bellevue, Wash., and Doris Kahme, of Delray Beach, Fla., and Monroe Township, N.J.; and five grandchildren.

A family spokeswoman said Buchwald would be interred at the Vineyard Haven Cemetery in Martha's Vineyard, Mass., where his wife Ann is buried.

 

[JennyOmanHill]

Doo Wop Singer 'Pookie' Hudson Dies At 72

WASHINGTON -- Thornton James "Pookie" Hudson -- the Des Moines, Iowa-born lead singer of the Spaniels -- has died. He was 72.

The doo wop group was best known for the 1954 hit "Goodnight, Sweetheart, Goodnight."

Hudson's publicist, Bill Carpenter, said Hudson died Tuesday of complications from cancer at his home in Capitol Heights.

Carpenter said Hudson continued performing into last fall, when he learned that his cancer had returned after a remission. His last recordings were done in October for an "Uncloudy Christmas" CD that will be released in the fall of 2007.

Hudson's longtime manager, Wellington "Bay" Robinson, said the singer should be remembered for his great writing ability. He said Hudson wrote "Goodnight, Sweetheart, Goodnight" for a young woman he was dating at the time. Her parents thought Hudson was staying too late at their home and said he had to go.

Funeral arrangements for Hudson are being finalized in Washington. He is survived by his wife, Delores, and seven children.

 

[JennyOmanHill]

Kentucky Derby Champ Barbaro Euthanized

http://z.about.com/d/horseracing/1/0/X/7/2/barbaro-headvan.jpg

KENNETT SQUARE, Pa. (Jan. 29) - Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro was euthanized Monday after complications from his breakdown at the Preakness last May.

"We just reached a point where it was going to be difficult for him to go on without pain," co-owner Roy Jackson said. "It was the right decision, it was the right thing to do. We said all along if there was a situation where it would become more difficult for him then it would be time."

Roy and Gretchen Jackson were with Barbaro on Monday morning, with the owners making the decision in consultation with chief surgeon Dean Richardson.

It was a series of complications, including laminitis in the left rear hoof and a recent abscess in the right rear hoof, that proved to be too much for the gallant colt, whose breakdown brought an outpouring of support across the country.

"I would say thank you for everything, and all your thoughts and prayers over the last eight months or so," Jackson said to Barbaro's fans.

On May 20, Barbaro was rushed to the New Bolton Center, about 30 miles southwest of Philadelphia in Kennett Square, hours after shattering his right hind leg just a few strides into the Preakness Stakes. The bay colt underwent a five-hour operation that fused two joints, recovering from an injury most horses never survive. Barbaro lived for eight more months, though he never again walked with a normal gait.

The procedure on Saturday was a risky one, because it transferred more weight to the leg while the foot rests on the ground bearing no weight.

The leg was on the mend until the abscess began causing discomfort last week. Until then, the major concern was Barbaro's left rear leg, which developed laminitis in July, and 80 percent of the hoof was removed.

Richardson said Monday morning that Barbaro did not have a good night.

Brilliant on the race track, Barbaro always will be remembered for his brave fight for survival.

The story of the beloved 3-year-old bay colt's fight for life captured the fancy of millions and drew an outpouring of support unrivaled in sports.

When Barbaro broke down, his right hind leg flared out awkwardly as jockey Edgar Prado jumped off and tried to steady the ailing horse. Race fans at Pimlico wept. Within 24 hours the entire nation seemed to be caught up in a "Barbaro watch," waiting for any news on his condition.

Well-wishers young and old showed up at the New Bolton Center with cards, flowers, gifts, goodies and even religious medals for the champ, and thousands of e-mails poured into the hospital's Web site just for him.

"I just can't explain why everyone is so caught up in this horse," Roy Jackson, who owned the colt with his wife, Gretchen, has said time and again. "Everything is so negative now in the world, people love animals and I think they just happen to latch onto him."

Although the get-well cards and banners eventually will fade or be trashed, the biggest gift has been the $1.2 million raised since early June for the Barbaro Fund. The money is put toward needed equipment such as an operating room table, and a raft and sling for the same pool recovery Barbaro used after his surgeries.

The Jacksons spent tens of thousands of dollars hoping the best horse they ever owned would recover and be able to live a comfortable life on the farm - whether he was able to breed or not.

The couple, who own about 70 racehorses, broodmares and yearlings, and operate the 190-acre Lael Farm, have been in the horse business for 30 years, and never had a horse like Barbaro.

As the days passed, it seemed Barbaro would get his happy ending. As late as December, with the broken bones in his right hind leg nearly healed and his laminitis under control, Barbaro was looking good and relishing daily walks outside his intensive care unit.

But after months of upbeat progress reports, including talk that he might be headed home soon, news came Jan. 10 of a serious setback because of the laminitis. Richardson had to remove damaged tissue from Barbaro's left hind hoof, and the colt was placed back in a protective sling.

On Jan. 13, another section of his left rear hoof was removed. After Barbaro developed a deep abscess in his right hind foot, surgery was performed Saturday to insert two steel pins in a bone, one that was shattered but now healthy, to eliminate all weight bearing on the ailing foot.

This after Richardson warned last December that Barbaro's right hind leg was getting stronger and that the left hind foot was a "more formidable long-term challenge."

In the end, the various complications from the breakdown at the Preakness were too much.

 

[JennyOmanHill]

Gump Worsley, 77, Hall of Famer Who Won Four Titles, Is Dead

http://www.newyorkrangers.com/tradition/images/bio/players/Worsley_Gump.jpg

Published: January 29, 2007
Gump Worsley, the pudgy but agile Hall of Fame goaltender who spent a decade with the Rangers, played on four Stanley Cup championship teams with the Montreal Canadiens and was among the last goalies to play without a mask, died Saturday in Beloeil, Quebec. He was 77.

Worsley, who made his National Hockey League debut in 1952, played 21 seasons, most of them when the N.H.L. had only six teams. He spent 10 years with the Rangers, six-plus years with the Canadiens and four-plus years with the Minnesota North Stars.

In 861 regular-season games, he had 335 victories, 352 losses and 150 ties, with 43 shutouts. In 70 playoff games, his record was 40-26. He was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1980 and played in four N.H.L. All-Star Games.

Worsley hated playing with a protective mask. “My face is my mask,” he said. “If goaltenders were afraid of being hurt, they wouldn’t be out there at all.”

He said any goalie who wore a mask was scared, to which the Canadiens’ Jacques Plante, another leading goalie of that era, replied, “If you jumped out of a plane without a parachute, would that make you brave?”

But when Plante was hit in the face by a shot and Worsley was knocked unconscious by a puck to his face, Worsley began experimenting with wearing a mask.

“It was too hot, and I couldn’t see the puck between my legs,” he said. “I wore one for the last six games of my career.”

Lorne John Worsley was born May 14, 1929, in Montreal. His nickname came when a high school friend said Worsley reminded him of an inelegant comic-strip character named Andy Gump. Worsley, a 5-foot-7, 180-pounder, won the Calder Trophy as the N.H.L.’s rookie of the year with the Rangers in 1952-53 and went on to play nine more seasons with usually bad Ranger teams. When he was traded to the Canadiens in an eight-player deal that sent Plante to the Rangers, Worsley said: “I just got a break. I was liberated.”

In Montreal, he shared the Vezina Trophy in 1966 and 1968 as the N.H.L.’s best goalie.

But all was not well. In the seventh and deciding game of the 1965 playoffs, he had a knee injury so bad that he did not appear able to play. He was injected with a horse serum never before used on a human and went on to shut out the Chicago Blackhawks, a team that included Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita.

His fear of flying led to a nervous breakdown. Once, when he was returning home from a game in Los Angeles, he got off the plane in Chicago and took a train to Montreal.

In 2003, he told The Gazette: “The Canadiens sent me to a shrink, and he told me the only cure was to change occupations. I had to forget it.”

Fans were often intolerant, and George Plimpton wrote in his book “Open Net” that objects thrown at Worsley during his career included “eggs, beer, soup cans, marbles, an octopus, rotten fish, light bulbs, ink bottles, a dead turkey, a persimmon, a folding chair and a dead rabbit.” No wonder Worsley once said that the only job worse than a hockey goalie was “being the javelin catcher on a track team.”

Finishing his career with Minnesota, Worsley turned 45 a week after the 1974 playoffs ended. He retired and spent the next 14 years as a scout for the team.

His survivors include his wife, Doreen.

In later years, Worsley hardly followed the N.H.L., saying, “I don’t like the style: shoot it in and chase it.” But he loved to tell stories about his playing days, especially with the lowly Rangers. Once, when he was playing for them, he was asked which team was toughest for him. He had a quick answer.

“The Rangers,” he said.

 

[phrodeau]

Associated Press
Molly Ivins Dies of Cancer at 62
By KELLEY SHANNON 02.01.07, 2:31 AM ET

Best-selling author and columnist Molly Ivins, the sharp-witted liberal who skewered the political establishment and referred to President Bush as "Shrub," died Wednesday after a long battle with breast cancer. She was 62.

Ivins died at her home while in hospice care, said David Pasztor, managing editor of the Texas Observer, where Ivins had once been co-editor.

Ivins made a living poking fun at politicians, whether they were in her home state of Texas or the White House. She revealed in early 2006 that she was being treated for breast cancer for the third time.

More than 400 newspapers subscribed to her nationally syndicated column, which combined strong liberal views and populist humor. Ivins' illness did not appear to hurt her ability to deliver biting one-liners.

"I'm sorry to say (cancer) can kill you, but it doesn't make you a better person," she said in an interview with the San Antonio Express-News in September, the same month cancer claimed her friend former Gov. Ann Richards.

To Ivins, "liberal" wasn't an insult term. "Even I felt sorry for Richard Nixon when he left; there's nothing you can do about being born liberal - fish gotta swim and hearts gotta bleed," she wrote in a column included in her 1998 collection, "You Got to Dance With Them What Brung You."

In a column in mid-January, Ivins urged readers to stand up against Bush's plan to send more troops to Iraq.

"We are the people who run this country. We are the deciders. And every single day, every single one of us needs to step outside and take some action to help stop this war," Ivins wrote in the Jan. 11 column. "We need people in the streets, banging pots and pans and demanding, 'Stop it, now!'"

Ivins' best-selling books included those she co-authored with Lou Dubose about Bush. One was titled "Shrub: The Short but Happy Political Life of George W. Bush" and another was "BUSHWHACKED: Life in George W. Bush's America."

"Molly Ivins was a Texas original," Bush said in a statement. "I respected her convictions, her passionate belief in the power of words, and her ability to turn a phrase. She fought her illness with that same passion."

Dubose, who has been working on a third book with Ivins, said even last week in the hospital, Ivins wanted to talk about the project.

"She was married to her profession. She lived for the story," he said.

Ivins' jolting satire was directed at people in positions of power.

"The trouble with blaming powerless people is that although it's not nearly as scary as blaming the powerful, it does miss the point," she wrote in a 1997 column. "Poor people do not shut down factories ... Poor people didn't decide to use 'contract employees' because they cost less and don't get any benefits."

In an Austin speech last year, former President Clinton described Ivins as someone who was "good when she praised me and who was painfully good when she criticized me."

Ivins loved to write about politics and called the Texas Legislature the best free entertainment in Austin.

"Naturally, when it comes to voting, we in Texas are accustomed to discerning that fine hair's-breadth worth of difference that makes one hopeless dipstick slightly less awful than the other. But it does raise the question: Why bother?" she wrote in a 2002 column.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry, whom Ivins had playfully called "Governor Goodhair," praised Ivins for her wit and insight. "Molly Ivins' clever and colorful perspectives on people and politics gained her national acclaim and admiration that crossed party lines," Perry said in a statement.

Born Mary Tyler Ivins in California, she grew up in Houston. She graduated from Smith College in 1966 and attended Columbia University's journalism school. She also studied for a year at the Institute of Political Sciences in Paris.

Her first newspaper job was in the complaint department of the Houston Chronicle. She worked her way up at the Chronicle, then went on to the Minneapolis Tribune, becoming the first woman police reporter in the city.

Ivins counted as her highest honors the Minneapolis police force's decision to name its mascot pig after her and her getting banned from the campus of Texas A&M University, according to a biography on the Creators Syndicate Web site.

In the late 1960s, according to the syndicate, she was assigned to a beat called "Movements for Social Change" and wrote about "angry blacks, radical students, uppity women and a motley assortment of other misfits and troublemakers."

Ivins later became co-editor of The Texas Observer, a liberal Austin-based biweekly publication of politics and literature.

She joined The New York Times in 1976, working first as a political reporter in New York and later as Rocky Mountain bureau chief.

But Ivins' use of salty language and her habit of going barefoot in the office were too much for the Times, said longtime friend Ben Sargent, editorial cartoonist with the Austin American-Statesman.

"She was just like a force of nature," Sargent said. "She was just always on and sharp and witty and funny and was one of a kind."

Ivins returned to Texas as a columnist for the Dallas Times-Herald in 1982, and after it closed she spent nine years with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. In 2001, she went independent and wrote her column for Creators Syndicate.

"She was magical in her writing," said Mike Blackman, a former Star-Telegram executive editor who hired Ivins in 1992. "She could turn a phrase in such a way that a pretty hard-hitting point didn't hurt so bad."

In 1995, conservative humorist Florence King accused Ivins in "American Enterprise" magazine of plagiarism for failing to properly credit King for several passages in a 1988 article in "Mother Jones." Ivins apologized, saying the omissions were unintentional and pointing out that she credited King elsewhere in the piece.

She was initially diagnosed with breast cancer in 1999, and she had a recurrence in 2003. Her latest diagnosis came around Thanksgiving 2005.

Associated Press writers April Castro in Austin and Matt Curry and Jamie Stengle in Dallas contributed to this report.

Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

 

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Sidney Sheldon: https://forum.literotica.com/showpost.php?p=21226170&postcount=1