Literotica Cemetary

[JennyOmanHill]

Alto Saxophonist Bud Shank Dies at 82

Clifford "Bud" Shank, an alto saxophonist, arranger and flutist who performed on the Mamas and the Papas hit 'California Dreamin',' died last Thursday from pulmonary failure at his Tucson home. He was 82.

Raised in Ohio, Shank began playing clarinet at age 10 before switching to saxophone two years later. He briefly attended the University of North Carolina in the late '40s, before dropping out to pursue a career in music. He was a member of big bands led by Charlie Barnet and Alvino Rey before joining pianist Stan Kenton's influential Innovations in Modern Music Orchestra -- a big band that featured strings and French horns.

In the '50s and early '60s, Shank was a large part of the West Coast jazz scene, leading his own band for a period while collaborating with a diverse group of musicians. He performed Brazilian music with guitarist Laurindo Almeida, and recorded an album with famed sitarist Ravi Shankar in 1962. While later focusing on session work, Shank contributed to many popular film scores, including 'The Thomas Crown Affair,' and provided the flute solo for 'California Dreamin'' in 1965.

In the '70s and '80s, Shank performed and recorded with a Latin-inspired quartet called the L.A. Four with Almeida and bassist Ray Brown. After giving up the flute in 1986, Shank worked on a number of projects including the formation of his own jazz workshop, a big band and several tribute albums. 'Beyond the Red Door,' a duet with pianist Bill Mays and Shank's final album, was released in 2007. Shank's last gig was in January, while his final studio session was this past Wednesady -- the day before he died. He is survived by his wife, Linda.

 

[JennyOmanHill]

'Boys Don't Cry' Actor Slain at Texas Home

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AUSTIN, Texas (April 6) - A man police say told them he stole a car and believed the owner was dead is charged with killing a Texas actor.
Austin police Friday identified the victim as 67-year-old Lou Perryman.

Perryman appeared in "The Blues Brothers," "Boys Don't Cry" and "When Zachary Beaver Came to Town."

Police charged 26-year-old Seth Christopher Tatum with capital murder, plus aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in another attack.

Sgt. Joseph Chacon says Tatum showed up at a jail facility Thursday and said he was "pretty sure" he had killed the owner of a vehicle he had stolen.

Police later found Perryman's body at a home.

Investigators say they do not believe Tatum and Perryman knew each other.

 

[JennyOmanHill]

Ex-NBA Star Found Dead in Bathtub

TULSA, Okla. (April 8) - Marvin Webster, a fierce shot-blocking center who helped lead the Seattle SuperSonics to the 1978 NBA finals, was found dead in a hotel bathtub in Tulsa, Okla. He was 56.

His body was discovered in his room Monday morning in the downtown Ambassador Hotel, police said Wednesday.

Foul play is not suspected and the death apparently stemmed from an illness, police spokesman Jason Willingham said. He added that the former 7-foot-1 center had been living at the hotel and employees grew concerned after not seeing him for several days.

The medical examiner office said the cause of death has not been determined. W. Charles Bennett, Webster's former agent and current financial adviser, said Webster's death was related to coronary artery disease.

Known as "The Human Eraser," Webster spent nine seasons in the NBA. He averaged 16.1 points during the SuperSonics' playoff run in 1978. He signed with the Knicks the following season and played six years in New York.
After playing 333 consecutive games, Webster missed the next two seasons because of hepatitis before making a failed comeback with Milwaukee during the 1986-87 season. He played in 15 games as a Bucks reserve before retiring.

"Anybody who knew Marvin personally would tell you he was a wonderful man. A jolly giant of a guy," Bennett told The Associated Press from Albuquerque, N.M.

Bennett said Webster was somewhat reclusive and was always "trying to find a place of serenity and peace." He remembered Webster as an avid reader who was deeply religious and enjoyed traveling.

Bennett said the hepatitis caused a toxic imbalance, and Webster had sought alternative treatment in Oklahoma. He liked the area and returned to visit for much of the past year.

For his career, Webster averaged 7.1 points and 7.0 rebounds. He played in college at Morgan State and his first pro season was with Denver of the ABA in 1975. He also played with the Nuggets after they joined the NBA the following year.

His best statistical year came with Seattle, when he averaged 14 points and finished ninth in the NBA with 12.6 rebounds and 1.9 blocks a game. The Sonics lost the finals to Washington in seven games that year, one season before winning their only NBA title.

His son, Marvin Webster Jr., played college basketball at Temple but died during his sophomore year at 18 after a heart attack

 

[JennyOmanHill]

Angels Rookie Pitcher Nick Adenhart Dies After Crash

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April 9 (Bloomberg) -- Los Angeles Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart died this morning of injuries sustained when his car was struck by a vehicle that ran a red light hours after his fourth Major League Baseball start. He was 22.

Adenhart was transported to the University of California-Irvine Medical Center shortly after midnight Los Angeles time and died after surgery, hospital spokesman John Murray said in a telephone interview.

“The Angels family has suffered a tremendous loss today,” General Manager Tony Reagins said in a statement. “We are deeply saddened and shocked by this tragic loss. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Nick’s family, friends, loved ones and fans.”

Two others riding with Adenhart, including the female driver, also were killed when the operator of a van ran a red light and broadsided their car in Fullerton, California, the Angels said. Their identities weren’t immediately available. Both died before police and fire department personnel arrived, the Angels said in the news release.

The other driver fled the scene, but was later caught by police and taken into custody on suspicion of felony hit and run, the Los Angeles Times said.

The accident occurred hours after Adenhart, a rookie, pitched six shutout innings last night against the Oakland Athletics.

Adenhart was listed as the Angels’ No. 3 starting pitcher, with John Lackey, Ervin Santana and Kelvim Escobar all on the disabled list. He earned a spot in the rotation after going 3-0 with a 3.12 earned run average during spring training.

A 14th-round pick in the 2004 draft, Adenhart was regarded as one of the top prospects for the Angels, who have won four of the past five American League Western Division titles. The Silver Spring, Maryland, native went 36-28 in the minor leagues.

“He lived his dream and was blessed to be part of an organization comprised of such warm, caring and compassionate people,” the pitcher’s parents, Jim and Janet Adenhart, said in a statement. “The Angels were his extended family. Thanks to all of Nick’s loyal supporters and fans throughout his career. He will always be in everyone’s hearts forever.”

 

[JennyOmanHill]

Dungeons & Dragons Co-Creator Dies

MINNEAPOLIS (April 10) -- Dave Arneson, one of the co-creators of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy game and a pioneer of role-playing entertainment, died after a two-year battle with cancer, his family said Thursday. He was 61.

Arneson's daughter, Malia Weinhagen of Maplewood, said her father died peacefully Tuesday in hospice care in St. Paul.

Arneson and Gary Gygax developed Dungeons & Dragons in 1974 using medieval characters and mythical creatures. The game known for its oddly shaped dice became a hit, particularly among teenage boys. It eventually was turned into video games, books and movies. Gygax died in March 2008.

"The biggest thing about my dad's world is he wanted people to have fun in life," Weinhagen said. "I think we get distracted by the everyday things you have to do in life and we forget to enjoy life and have fun.

"But my dad never did," she said. "He just wanted people to have fun."

Dungeons & Dragons players create fictional characters and carry out their adventures with the help of complicated rules. The quintessential geek pastime, it spawned copycat games and later inspired a whole genre of computer games that's still growing in popularity.

"(Arneson) developed many of the fundamental ideas of role-playing: that each player controls just one hero, that heroes gain power through adventures, and that personality is as important as combat prowess," according to a statement from Wizards of the Coast, a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc. that produces Dungeons & Dragons.

Blackmoor, a game Arneson was developing before D&D, was the "first-ever role-playing campaign and the prototype for all (role-playing game) campaigns since," the company said.

Arneson and Gygax were dedicated tabletop wargamers who recreated historical battles with painted miniature armies and fleets. They met in 1969 at a convention, and their first collaboration, along with Mike Carr, was a set of rules for sailing-ship battles called "Don't Give Up the Ship!"

In later years, Dave published other role-playing games and started his own game-publishing company and computer game company. He also taught classes in game design. He was inducted into the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design Hall of Fame in 1984.

Weinhagen said her father enjoyed teaching game design at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Fla., in recent years, where he taught students to make a solid set of rules for their games.

"He said if you have a good foundation and a good set of rules, people would play the game again," Weinhagen said.

Arneson is survived by Weinhagen and two grandchildren.

 

[JennyOmanHill]

Former All-Star Fidrych Dies at 54

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BOSTON (April 13) - Mark Fidrych, an eccentric All-Star pitcher nicknamed "The Bird", was found dead Monday in an apparent accident at his farm. He was 54

Worcester County district attorney Joseph D. Early Jr. said a family friend found Fidrych about 2:30 p.m. Monday beneath a dump truck at his farm in Northborough, Massachussets. He appeared to have been working on the truck, Early said.

The curly-haired Fidrych was the American League Rookie of the Year in 1976 when he went 19-9 with a 2.34 ERA and 24 complete games. He spent all five of his major league seasons with the Detroit Tigers, compiling a 29-19 record and a 3.10 ERA.

"The entire Detroit Tigers organization was saddened to learn of the passing of former player Mark Fidrych today," the Tigers said in a statement. "Mark was beloved by Tigers fans and he was a special person with a unique personality. The Tigers send our heartfelt condolences to his family and friends."

Fidrych attempted a comeback in 1982 and 1983 in the Boston Red Sox organization. He pitched for their Triple A team in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. But he never pitched again in the majors after 1980 and retired in July 1983.
He later owned a trucking business.

Fidrych acquired the nickname "the Bird" because of his resemblance to the Big Bird character on the Sesame Street television show. During games, he would bend down and groom the mound with his hands, talk to the baseball and high five teammates in the middle of the diamond.

But knee and shoulder injuries limited him to 58 major league games.
"Baseball will miss him. They missed him because he didn't have as long as a career as everybody would have liked in the first place. It's just horrible," former Orioles pitcher and Hall of Famer Jim Palmer said. "He did embrace life. I remember him trying to play golf when he couldn't play golf and enjoying every minute of it.

"He was a marvelous pitcher and I just hate to see him go."

Fidrych's first major league start was a complete game two-hitter in which he beat the Cleveland Indians 2-1. He won seven of his first eight decisions and was the AL starter in the All-Star game.

He tore knee cartilage during spring training the following year and was placed on the disabled list until May 24. He sustained a shoulder injury in July 1977.

After taking a year off from pitching, he went to Pawtucket where he was mediocre in his first season and struggled in the next, finally retiring in July.
"When he got to us in late June every place he pitched in the league was a sellout. Six years after his great year he was still selling out minor league parks," said Pawtucket team president Mike Tamburro, who was general manager when Fidrych played there.

"His baseball career certainly ended far too soon, and now I'm sorry to say we've lost him far too soon. He was a remarkable character. He was like a meteor in the baseball world that one year. He played center stage and the entire game of baseball kind of played around him."

One of Fidrych's most memorable minor league games was against Dave Righetti, the AL Rookie of the Year with the New York Yankees in 1981 who was sent to the minors the following season. Fidrych pitched a complete game in a 7-5 win.

"He was almost too down to earth," Tamburro said. "He was just a wonderful guy to be around. The antics on the field were never an act. It was his true feelings. He was just a simple guy, lived a simple lifestyle and just brought that lunchpail mentality to the pitcher's mound every four or five days."

Fidrych married his wife, Ann, in 1986 and they had a daughter, Jessica.

State police detectives are investigating the circumstances of his death, Early said.

 

[JennyOmanHill]

Phillies Broadcaster Kalas Dies

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WASHINGTON (April 13) - Radio and TV broadcaster Harry Kalas, whose baritone delivery and signature "Outta here!" home run calls provided the soundtrack to Philadelphia baseball for nearly four decades, died Monday after collapsing in the broadcast booth before the Phillies' game against the Washington Nationals. He was 73.

"We lost our voice today," Phillies president David Montgomery said. "He has loved our game and made just a tremendous contribution to our sport and certainly to our organization."

Familiar to millions of sports fans outside Philadelphia for his voiceover work with NFL Films, "Harry the K" was beloved at home. Since 1971, he was the man who was the bearer of news — good and bad — to those who followed the losingest franchise in major professional sports.

When the Phillies won their second World Series title last fall, Kalas — who normally called only the middle three innings on radio — was in the booth for the last out of the clincher. He then joined the on-field celebration, grabbing a microphone to sing Frank Sinatra's "High Hopes."

That song was among several Kalas standbys that endeared him to Phillies supporters. Another: He would call homers by a certain Hall of Fame third baseman by noting the player's full name - "Michael Jack Schmidt."
Many people asked Kalas to record outgoing messages on answering machines — or more recently, cell phone voice mail — using his "Outta here!" line. And he always complied with those requests, said Phillies radio broadcaster Scott Franzke.

"Players come and go," Franzke said, "but 'Outta here!' - that's forever."
Kalas didn't get to call the final out of Philadelphia's other title, in 1980, because Major League Baseball prevented local broadcasts of the World Series games. But Phillies fans complained and the rule was later changed.
A recipient of the Baseball Hall of Fame's Ford C. Frick Award for his contributions to the game, Kalas was one of the last longtime announcers closely associated with one city.

There was a moment of silence in Kalas' memory before the Phillies-Nationals game, and at other baseball stadiums around the country Monday.
To a whole generation of football fans, Kalas also was a signature figure.
Joining NFL Films as a narrator in 1975, he did the voiceover for "Inside the NFL" from 1977 through 2008.

Kalas also was the voice for Chunky Soup commercials and Animal Planet's annual tongue-in-cheek Super Bowl competitor, the Puppy Bowl.

The Phillies taped up a color photo of their broadcaster inside the dugout Monday, with the words "Harry Kalas 1936-2009" written underneath. When Philadelphia's Shane Victorino homered in the third inning, he paused after touching home plate, crossed himself and pointed with his index finger toward the broadcast booth, where Kalas would have been working at Nationals Park.
Instead, Tom McCarthy handled Kalas' duties at the start of the Comcast SportsNet telecast of the game.

"The voice that carried all the memories since 1971, when the Vet opened, will no longer be behind the microphone," McCarthy said on the air.

Shortly after noon Monday, Kalas was in the visiting clubhouse at Nationals Park, jotting down the Phillies' lineup so he'd be ready to help call the game. About half an hour later, he was discovered in the booth by the Phillies director of broadcasting. Kalas was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead, the Phillies said.

Kalas had surgery earlier this year for an undisclosed ailment that the team characterized as minor. He looked somewhat drawn last week as the Phillies opened the season at home.

The son of a Methodist minister, the Naperville, Ill., native graduated from the University of Iowa in 1959 with a degree in speech, radio and television. He was drafted into the Army soon after he graduated.

In 1961, he became sports director at Hawaii radio station KGU and also broadcast games for the Hawaii Islanders of the Pacific Coast League and the University of Hawaii. Kalas was a member of the Houston Astros' broadcast team from 1965-70 before joining the Phillies.

Phillies radio broadcaster Larry Andersen - who worked with Kalas in the booth after being a Philadelphia pitcher whose play was documented by Kalas - had tears streaming down his cheeks as he spoke about his partner before Monday's game.

"He found the good in everybody, especially the players," Andersen said. "He loved the players. He loved being around them."

 

[JennyOmanHill]

Porn Icon Marilyn Chambers Dead at 56

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Porn legend Marilyn Chambers, known for her enthusiastic adult film performances passed away over the weekend. She was 57.

Chambers was discovered by her daughter McKenna in the mobile home where she had been living for the past several months, according to Media Bistro. No cause of death was given, but an autopsy is expected.

Chambers is best known for her performances in adult films including Behind the Green Door and Insatiable. In the mid ’90s, Chambers hosted the late-night soft-core Cinemax series Bedtime Fantasies.

Chambers was arrested in a strip club raid in the mid ’80s in San Francisco during then-mayor Dianne Feinstein’s bid to clean up the city’s strip joints. Chambers was in the middle of a nude performance.

Prior to rising to fame as an adult film star, Chambers was featured as the model on the Ivory Snow detergent box and had a brief role in the Barbra Streisand pic The Owl and the Pussycat. Chambers also threw her name in the ring as a vice-presidential candidate for the Personal Choice Party in 2004 and 2008.

 

[JennyOmanHill]

Gospel Legend David 'Pop' Winans

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The world of gospel music has lost one of its leaders. David "Pop" Winans Sr., of the Grammy-nominated group the Winans, passed away at the age of 76.

The patriarch of one of the most-respected gospel families died at a Nashville hospice following complications from a stroke and a heart attack he suffered last October. According to reports, his wife Delores "Mom" Winans was at his bedside at the time of his passing.

"Pop" Winans made a name for himself following his first Grammy nomination for his 1999 solo CD, Uncensored. Winans and his wife Delores recorded a joint disc together, Mom & Pop Winans, which was also nominated for a Grammy.

A native of Detroit, Winans began singing with a gospel quartet at the age of 18. He was the father of popular gospel singers BeBe and CeCe Winans, who scored hits with "Addictive Love" and "I'll Take You There." Four other children — Michael, Marvin, Carvin and Ronald — performed as the Winans, with other family members joining in from time to time.

Winans later worked as a car salesman, taxi driver, custodian, barber and also was a preacher; he also managed his childrens' group for a time.

 

[JennyOmanHill]

Actor, Writer and Producer Jack Wrangler Dead At 62

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Jack Wrangler, best known as the first gay porn superstar, passed away at the age of 62 on Tuesday, April 7. He died of respiratory failure after a long illness. He had been receiving care and treatment for the past several months at a nursing facility. He is survived by his wife, legendary singer/recording artist Margaret Whiting in New York, and his sister Pamela in California. His real name was John Robert Stillman.

Wrangler grew up in Beverly Hills, California, the son of respected film and television producer Robert Stillman ("Home of the Brave," "Champion," "Boots and Saddles" and the CBS television series "Bonanza") and his mother, who was a line dancer in several Busby Berkeley musicals. He began his show business career at the age of nine when he appeared in an Emmy Award-winning television series, "The Faith of Our Children" with Eleanor Powell.

He accepted an offer to appear in a gay pornographic film in the early 1970s.

His masculine good looks and tousled blond hair quickly brought
him a great deal of attention. He went on to make over eighty adult
films, both gay and straight, including "The Devil in Miss Jones Part
II." He made numerous personal appearances promoting his films,
images, jeans and line of merchandise and is largely credited as
influencing the look of a generation of gay men. He also traveled for
years with his one man erotic show where he usually poked considerable
fun at his image. In 1984, he wrote his autobiography, "The Jack
Wrangler Story, or What's a Nice Boy Like You Doing?"

He met legendary RCA recording artist Margaret Whiting ("Moonlight in
Vermont," "That Old Black Magic," "It Might as Well Be Spring") in
1976 at Ted Hook's OnStage night club, where he invited her to his one
man show the next night. After the show, he joined her with mutual
friends at a table and they became inseparable. He was 33 and she was
55. Soon, their relationship was common knowledge and they moved in
together after he proposed marriage. They married in 1994.

In 2007, he was commissioned by the F. Scott Fitzgerald Foundation in
London and conceived and wrote the book to "Ain't We Got Fun" which
had a brief, successful run there. It was a musical revue based on the
short stories of Fitzgerald interspersed with the songs of Margaret's
songwriter father Richard Whiting. A sold-out reading followed at The
York Theater company in December 2007. Mr. Wrangler and producer
Jeffrey Schwarz were planning to bring it to Broadway with a major
cast. He was also co-creator of "Dream" which appeared on Broadway in
1997 with Leslie Ann Warren, John Pizzarelli and Ms. Whiting. He also
co-created and co-directed the jazz concert "Midnight in the Garden of
Good and Evil," a tribute to Johnny Mercer. Before he became ill, he
was in talks to revive both projects.

Several months ago, Mr. Schwarz produced a documentary about his life
called "Wrangler: Anatomy of an Icon" which premiered in New York, has
been shown across the country, and is available on DVD.

In an interview with People Magazine in May 1987, Margaret Whiting
said of her relationship with Wrangler, "Honestly, there's so much
unhappiness in the world, if you can find someone who makes you happy,
and you can make him happy, then c'mon, who cares? We're not hurting
anybody. We're not doing anything wrong. We're enjoying each other,
that's all."

A celebration of Jack Wrangler's life will be announced at a later date

 

[JennyOmanHill]

Heisman Winner Blanchard Dies at 84

BULVERDE, Texas (April 20) - Felix "Doc" Blanchard, the 1945 Heisman Trophy winner and Army's Mr. Inside in one of college football's most famous backfields, has died. He was 84.

Blanchard's daughter, Mary Blanchard, told The Associated Press late Sunday night in a phone interview that her father died of pneumonia at home in Bulverde, a small town in central Texas, earlier in the day.

Mary Blanchard said her father had been living with her and husband for about the past 20 years and he had been in good health until recently coming down with pneumonia.

The bruising fullback Blanchard, listed at 6 feet, 208 pounds, and Glenn Davis, aka Mr. Outside, helped Army win consecutive national titles in 1944-45.

Notre Dame coach Ed McKeever was quoted as saying about Blanchard in 1944: "I've just seen Superman in the flesh. He wears No. 35 and goes by the name of Blanchard."

The year after Blanchard became the first junior to win the Heisman Trophy, Davis won it and Army went undefeated again.

With Blanchard and Davis, Army went 27-0-1 from 1944-46.

Blanchard, who also played linebacker and handled place-kicking and punting for Army, capped his Heisman Trophy season by scoring three touchdowns in a 32-13 victory against Navy, and he became the first football player to win the Sullivan Award, given to the nation's top amateur athlete.

In November 1945, Davis and Blanchard shared the cover of Time magazine.
Blanchard scored 38 touchdowns and gained 1,908 yards in his three seasons playing at West Point. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers with the third overall pick, but he never played professional football.

He ended up serving a long career as a fighter pilot in the Air Force, flying in the Korean and Vietnam wars retiring with the rank of Colonel.
He was inducted into the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame in 1959.

Doc Blanchard was born in McColl, S.C., on Dec. 11, 1924, the son of a doctor. He attended prep school in Bay St. Louis, Miss., before enrolling at the University of North Carolina in 1942, and played freshman football. He joined the Army the next year and was later appointed to the U.S. Military Academy in West Point

 

[JennyOmanHill]

Author Jack D. Hunter dies at 87; wrote 'Blue Max'

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. (AP) - Author Jack D. Hunter, whose World War I aviation novel "The Blue Max" was made into a film in the 1960s, has died. He was 87.

The Florida Times-Union, where Hunter had worked as a writing coach, said he died after a battle with cancer.

"The Blue Max," published in 1964, was his first novel. It was about a German infantry corporal who joins that country's air corps. He sets out to shoot down 20 enemy planes and win its highest honor, nicknamed "The Blue Max."

The book was made into a 1966 movie starring George Peppard, James Mason and Ursula Andress.

The New York Times review of "The Blue Max" from March 1964 called the work a "briskly interesting first novel."

"Jack D. Hunter, who served as an American agent behind the German lines in World War II, writes with impressive authority about Germans and with absolutely astounding authority about the combat airplanes of World War I," the review stated. "His story moves fast and includes much tersely eloquent conversation."

Hunter wrote 16 more novels and was honored as a "Literary Legend" by the Florida Heritage Book Festival. He also coached writers at the Times-Union and St. Augustine Record.

His final novel, "The Ace," about American pilots in World War I was published last fall.

His own dreams of flying were thwarted because he was colorblind. But his fluency in German led the Army to send him to postwar Germany as a counterintelligence agent, an experience that became the basis of his second novel, "The Expendable Spy."

After military service, Hunter went to work in Wilmington, Del., as a newspaper and radio reporter and later as a congressional aide. Eventually he joined DuPont, the Delaware-based industrial conglomerate, in public relations.

In 1961, the year he turned 40, he picked up a pen and started writing.

In 1980, he and his wife, Shirley, whom everybody called Tommy, moved to St. Augustine. While she operated a gift shop named The Blue Max, he wrote novels and turned his hobby of sketching vintage aircraft into a successful second career. He liked to call himself the "Grandma Moses of aviation art."

Tommie Hunter died in November 2006. After her death, he wrote "The Ace".

Hunter is survived by four children: Jack Hunter Jr. and Jill Hunter of St. Augustine, Lee Higgins of Middletown, Del., and Lyn Cannon, of Solomons, Md.; three grandchildren; and his brother, Robert L. Hunter of Jacksonville.

 

[JennyOmanHill]

Marilyn Cooper, Tony-Winning Actress, Dies

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Marilyn Cooper in Woman of the Year

Marilyn Cooper, who won a Tony Award in 1981 for her droll performance in the musical Woman of the Year, died April 23 at the Actors Fund Home in New Jersey, following a long illness. She was 75.

Brunette, with large eyes and a deadpan manner, Ms. Cooper excelled at comedy. It wasn't easy drawing focus away from Lauren Bacall, the star of the John Kander and Fred Ebb musical (which was based on the Tracy-Hepburn film of the same name), but Ms. Cooper managed to do it as Jan Donovon, the drab ex-wife of Sam Craig, the Tracy character. She stopped the show with her punchlines in "The Grass Is Always Greener," a duet with Bacall's character, Tess Harding, in which the two women envy the circumstances of one another's lives. Ms. Cooper stole the number, sending the audience into gales of laughter with her nasal refrain "What's so wonderful?" Ms. Cooper also won a Drama Desk Award for her work. She would later tour with Bacall in the show, and toured again, in 1984, this time with Barbara Eden.

Born in New York City, Ms. Cooper's musical theatre chops stretched back to Mr. Wonderful in 1956, and included ensemble roles in the original production of West Side Story (as Rosalie), Gypsy (as Agnes, the leader of the Hollywood Blondes, which back up Louise) and I Can Get It for Your Wholesale. She replaced Jane Connell as Agnes Gooch in the original production of Mame and played a variety of roles in the Jule Styne-Betty Comden-Adolph Green-Arthur Laurents musical Hallelujah, Baby!

During the 1970s, Ms. Cooper appeared in Two by Two, On the Town and Ballroom. In the 1980s, she took roles in a few straight plays, including Neil Simon's The Odd Couple and Broadway Bound.

 

[Denae]

Bea Arthur

Golden Girls' star Bea Arthur dies at 86
April 25, 2009 6:07 PM EST
LOS ANGELES - Beatrice Arthur, the tall, deep-voiced actress whose razor-sharp delivery of comedy lines made her a TV star in the hit shows "Maude" and "The Golden Girls" and who won a Tony Award for the musical "Mame," died Saturday. She was 86.

Arthur died peacefully at her Los Angeles home with her family at her side, family spokesman Dan Watt said. She had cancer, Watt said, declining to give details.

"She was a brilliant and witty woman," said Watt, who was Arthur's personal assistant for six years. "Bea will always have a special place in my heart."

Arthur first appeared in the landmark comedy series "All in the Family" as Edith Bunker's outspoken, liberal cousin, Maude Finley. She proved a perfect foil for blue-collar bigot Archie Bunker (Carroll O'Connor), and their blistering exchanges were so entertaining that producer Norman Lear fashioned Arthur's own series.

In a 2008 interview with The Associated Press, Arthur said she was lucky to be discovered by TV after a long stage career, recalling with bemusement CBS executives asking about the new "girl."

"I was already 50 years old. I had done so much off-Broadway, on Broadway, but they said, `Who is that girl? Let's give her her own series,'" Arthur said.

"Maude" scored with television viewers immediately on its CBS debut in September 1972, and Arthur won an Emmy Award for the role in 1977.

The comedy flowed from Maude's efforts to cast off the traditional restraints that women faced, but the series often had a serious base. Her husband Walter (Bill Macy) became an alcoholic, and she underwent an abortion, which drew a torrent of viewer protests. Maude became a standard bearer for the growing feminist movement in America.

"She was an incredible actress and a woman I will miss, and I think everyone else will," said Bud Yorkin, producer of "Maude" with partner Lear.

The ratings of "Maude" in the early years approached those of its parent, "All in the Family," but by 1977 the audience started to dwindle. A major format change was planned, but in early 1978 Arthur announced she was quitting the show.

"It's been absolutely glorious; I've loved every minute of it," she said. "But it's been six years, and I think it's time to leave."

"Golden Girls" (1985-1992) was another groundbreaking comedy, finding surprising success in a television market increasingly skewed toward a younger, product-buying audience.

The series concerned three retirees - Arthur, Betty White and Rue McClanahan - and the mother of Arthur's character, Estelle Getty, who lived together in a Miami apartment. In contrast to the violent "Miami Vice," the comedy was nicknamed "Miami Nice."

As Dorothy Zbornak, Arthur seemed as caustic and domineering as Maude. She was unconcerned about the similarity of the two roles. "Look - I'm 5-feet-9, I have a deep voice and I have a way with a line," she told an interviewer. "What can I do about it? I can't stay home waiting for something different. I think it's a total waste of energy worrying about typecasting."

The interplay among the four women and their relations with men fueled the comedy, and the show amassed a big audience and 10 Emmys, including two as best comedy series and individual awards for each of the stars.

McClanahan said Arthur felt constrained by the show during its later years and in 1992 she announced she was leaving "Golden Girls."

"Bea liked to be the star of the show, she didn't really like to do that ensemble playing," McClanahan said.

McClanahan first worked with Arthur on "Maude," playing her best friend, Vivian. The women quickly became close friends in real life. McClanahan recalled Arthur as a kind and caring person with a no-nonsense edge.

The three other stars returned in "The Golden Palace," but it lasted only one season.

Arthur was born Bernice Frankel in New York City in 1922. When she was 11, her family moved to Cambridge, Md., where her father opened a clothing store. At 12 she had grown to full height, and she dreamed of being a petite blond movie star like June Allyson. There was one advantage of being tall and deep-voiced: She was chosen for the male roles in school plays.

Bernice - she hated the name and adopted her mother's nickname of Bea - overcame shyness about her size by winning over her classmates with wisecracks. She was elected the wittiest girl in her class. After two years at a junior college in Virginia, she earned a degree as a medical lab technician, but she "loathed" doing lab work at a hospital.

Acting held more appeal, and she enrolled in a drama course at the New School of Social Research in New York City. To support herself, she sang in a night spot that required her to push drinks on customers.

During this time she had a brief marriage that provided her stage name of Beatrice Arthur. In 1950, she married again, to Broadway actor and future Tony-winning director Gene Saks.

After a few years in off-Broadway and stock company plays and television dramas, Arthur's career gathered momentum with her role as Lucy Brown in the 1955 production of "The Threepenny Opera."

In 2008, when Arthur was inducted in the TV Academy Hall of Fame, Arthur pointed to the role as the highlight of her long career.

"A lot of that had to do with the fact that I felt, `Ah, yes, I belong here,'" Arthur said.

More plays and musicals followed, and she also sang in nightclubs and played small roles in TV comedy shows.

Then, in 1964, Harold Prince cast her as Yente the Matchmaker in the original company of "Fiddler on the Roof."

Arthur's biggest Broadway triumph came in 1966 as Vera Charles, Angela Lansbury's acerbic friend in the musical "Mame," directed by Saks. Richard Watts of the New York Post called her performance "a portrait in acid of a savagely witty, cynical and serpent-tongued woman."

She won the Tony as best supporting actress and repeated the role in the unsuccessful film version that also was directed by Saks, starring Lucille Ball as Mame. Arthur would play a variation of Vera Charles in "Maude" and "The Golden Girls."

"There was no one else like Bea," said "Mame" composer Jerry Herman. "She would make us laugh during `Mame' rehearsals with a look or with a word. She didn't need dialogue. I don't know if I can say that about any other person I ever worked with."

In 1983, Arthur attempted another series, "Amanda's," an Americanized version of John Cleese's hilarious "Fawlty Towers." She was cast as owner of a small seaside hotel with a staff of eccentrics. It lasted a mere nine episodes.

Between series, Arthur remained active in films and theater. Among the movies: "That Kind of Woman" (1959), "Lovers and Other Strangers" (1970), Mel Brooks' "The History of the World: Part I" (1981), "For Better or Worse" (1995).

The plays included Woody Allen's "The Floating Light Bulb" and "The Bermuda Avenue Triangle," written by and costarring Renee Taylor and Joseph Bologna. During 2001 and 2002 she toured the country in a one-woman show of songs and stories, "... And Then There's Bea."

Arthur and Saks divorced in 1978 after 28 years. They had two sons, Matthew and Daniel. In his long career, Saks won Tonys for "I Love My Wife," "Brighton Beach Memoirs" and "Biloxi Blues." One of his Tony nominations was for "Mame."

In 1999, Arthur told an interviewer of the three influences in her career: "Sid Caesar taught me the outrageous; (method acting guru) Lee Strasberg taught me what I call reality; and ('Threepenny Opera' star) Lotte Lenya, whom I adored, taught me economy."

In recent years, Arthur made guest appearances on shows including "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and "Malcolm in the Middle." She was chairwoman of the Art Attack Foundation, a non-profit performing arts scholarship organization.

Arthur is survived by her sons and two granddaughters. No funeral services are planned.



---

Associated Press Writer Bob Thomas in Los Angeles and AP Drama Writer Michael Kuchwara and AP Television Writer Frazier Moore in New York contributed to this report.

 

[JennyOmanHill]

Former Heavyweight Champion Page Dies

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (April 27) - Greg Page, a former heavyweight boxing champion who suffered a severe brain injury in a 2001 fight, has died at his Louisville home. He was 50.

His wife, Patricia Page, said she found the one-time World Boxing Association champion in his bed Monday morning. Patricia Page said he died of complications related to injuries he suffered in the fight.

Page told The Associated Press her husband "is in a better place now."

The March 9, 2001, fight left Page in a coma for nearly a week. He then had a stroke during post-fight surgery. He was paralyzed on his left side and received intensive physical therapy.

Page won a $1.2 million settlement in 2007 with Kentucky boxing officials over the lack of medical personnel at the fight. Boxing officials also agreed to establish a medical review panel for the Kentucky Boxing and Wrestling Authority to check the health conditions of people involved in the sport who may be at risk for injury.

Page started fighting while growing up in Louisville and was sparring with Muhammad Ali by the time he was 15. He became the National Golden Gloves heavyweight champion in 1978 at age 20.

He turned to professional boxing and lost his first shot at the WBA heavyweight championship in 1984 to Tim Witherspoon. In December of that year, Page knocked out Gerrie Coetzee in the eighth round of their bout in South Africa to claim the title, but lost on points to Tony Tubbs five months later.

Page continued boxing through 1993, then took two years off after being knocked out by Bruce Seldon. He started again in 1996.

Page was 42 and had a 58-16-1 career record going into the $1,500 fight against Dale Crowe at Peels Palace in Erlanger, Ky., near Cincinnati. Crowe was 24 and an up-and-coming boxer. Page went down after 10 rounds and didn't get up.

 

[JennyOmanHill]

Las Vegas Star Danny Gans Dies

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PopEater / Wire Services
Danny Gans, who over the past decade established himself as a Las Vegas staple, died suddenly in his sleep on Friday at the age of 52. TMZ was the first to report the news.

Gans was found dead about 3 a.m. by his wife, Julie, at their home in Henderson, said Wynn Resorts spokeswoman Jennifer Dunne.

Henderson police didn't immediately respond to messages seeking comment, and the Clark County coroner's office said no information about Gans was immediately available.

"All of us in The Mirage family are deeply saddened to learn of Danny's passing," said Scott Sibella, president of The Mirage, in a statement released through parent company MGM Mirage Inc.

Gans, who performed at The Mirage for more than eight years, moved to the Encore Theater in February. The electronic marquee in front of the Encore posted his picture and the message: "Our friend forever, Danny Gans. 1956-2009."

Steve Wynn, chief executive of Wynn Resorts, called Gans' death "a profoundly tragic event that leaves us all sad and speechless."

"The loss of Danny to his wife Julie, his children, Amy, Andrew and Emily is at this moment impossible to comprehend," Wynn said in a statement.

Gans did rapid-fire imitations of personalities ranging from Tony Bennett to Al Pacino to Sarah Vaughan.

He performed a one-man show, "Danny Gans on Broadway: The Man of Many Voices," in 1995 at the Neil Simon Theater in New York before returning to Las Vegas.

Gans opened Feb. 10 in the 1,500-seat Encore Theater in a concourse between the posh Encore and Wynn resorts on the Strip.

His manager, Chip Lightman, released a statement saying Gans would be remembered as an entertainer and a man who loved his family, God and the city of Las Vegas.

"Danny has been my partner and dear friend for over 18 years. I will truly miss him," Lightman said.

 

[JennyOmanHill]

`Battle of the Bulge' director Annakin dies at 94

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Film director Ken Annakin has died at the age of 94.

The British-born filmmaker is best known for directing the 1965 World War II epic "The Battle of the Bulge" with Henry Fonda, Charles Bronson, Robert Shaw and Telly Savalas.

Annakin's daughter, Deborah Peters, says he died at his Beverly Hills home. Peters says her father had been in good health until February, when he had a heart attack and stroke within a day of each other.

Annakin's other films include "Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines," for which he received an Academy Award nomination for original screenplay. He also directed "Call of the Wild," a 1972 adaptation of Jack London's adventure, and the 1960 Disney film "Swiss Family Robinson."

 

[Johnny_Ray_Wilson]

Jack Kemp

Jack Kemp, former quarterback and VP nominee.


WASHINGTON – Jack Kemp, the ex-quarterback, congressman, one-time vice-presidential nominee and self-described "bleeding-heart conservative," died Saturday. He was 73.

Kemp died after a lengthy illness, according to spokeswoman Bona Park and Edwin J. Feulner, a longtime friend and former campaign adviser. Park said Kemp died at his home in Bethesda, Md., in the Washington suburbs.

Kemp had announced in January 2009 that he had been diagnosed with cancer. He said he was undergoing tests but gave no other details.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., called Kemp "one of the nation's most distinguished public servants. Jack was a powerful voice in American politics for more than four decades."

Kemp, a former quarterback for the Buffalo Bills, represented western New York for nine terms in Congress, leaving the House for an unsuccessful presidential bid in 1988.

Eight years later, after serving a term as President George H.W. Bush's housing secretary, he made it onto the national ticket as Bob Dole's running-mate.

With that loss, the Republican bowed out of political office, but not out of politics. In speaking engagements and a syndicated column, he continued to advocate for the tax reform and supply-side policies — the idea that the more taxes are cut the more the economy will grow — that he pioneered.

Kemp's rapid and wordy style made the enthusiastic speaker with the neatly side-parted white hair a favorite on the lecture circuit, and a millionaire.

His style didn't win over everyone. In his memoirs, former Vice President Dan Quayle wrote that at Cabinet meetings, Bush would be irked by Kemp's habit of going off on tangents and not making "any discernible point."

Kemp also signed on with numerous educational and corporate boards and charitable organizations, including NFL Charities, which kept him connected to his football roots.

Kemp was a 17th round 1957 NFL draft pick by the Detroit Lions but was cut before the season began. After being released by three more NFL teams and the Canadian Football League over the next three years, he joined the American Football League's Los Angeles Chargers as a free agent in 1960. A waivers foul-up two years later would land him with the Buffalo Bills, who got him at the bargain basement price of $100.

Kemp led Buffalo to the 1964 and 1965 AFL Championships, and won the league's most valuable player award in 1965. He co-founded the AFL Players Association in 1964 and was elected president of the union for five terms. When he retired from football in 1969, Kemp had enough support in blue-collar Buffalo and its suburbs to win an open congressional seat.

He told a gathering during a return trip in 2007 that he still tried to catch as many Bills games as possible, but mostly on television. Efforts to be in the stands were reserved for family.

"I've got 17 grandchildren, 10 of whom play football, so I spend my weekends flying around the country going to football games," he said.

In 11 seasons, he sustained a dozen concussions, two broken ankles and a crushed hand — which Kemp insisted a doctor permanently set in a passing position so that he could continue to play.

"Pro football gave me a good perspective," he was quoted as saying. "When I entered the political arena, I had already been booed, cheered, cut, sold, traded, and hung in effigy."

Kemp was born in California to Christian Scientist parents. He worked on the loading docks of his father's trucking company as a boy before majoring in physical education at Occidental College, where he led the nation's small colleges in passing.

He became a Presbyterian after marrying his college sweetheart, Joanne Main. The couple had four children, including two sons who played professional football. He joined with a son and son-in-law to form a Washington strategic consulting firm, Kemp Partners, after leaving office.

Through his political life, Kemp's positions spanned the social spectrum: He opposed abortion and supported school prayer, yet appealed to liberals with his outreach toward minorities and compassion for the poor. He pushed for immigration reform to include a guest-worker program and status for the illegal immigrants already here.

At the Department of Housing and Urban Affairs, he proposed more than 50 programs to combat urban blight and homelessness and was an early and strong advocate of enterprise zones.

In 1993, along with former Education Secretary William Bennett and former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Jeane Kirkpatrick, he co-founded Empower America, a public policy organization intended to promote economic growth, job creation and entrepreneurship.

His choice as Dole's 1996 running mate was seen as a way for the Republican Party to reach groups of voter that Dole could not. And it came even after Kemp endorsed Steve Forbes for the nomination — a move many considered political suicide — and declared himself a "recovering politician."

Dole's more sober demeanor contrasted sharply by Kemp's high-spiritedness, which was recalled in various accounts, including one by Marlin Fitzwater, Bush's press secretary.

Fitzwater wrote in his memoirs about a time when Kemp lunged at Secretary of State James Baker III in the Oval Office. The housing secretary was "nagging, nagging, nagging" Bush to recognize the breakaway Soviet satellite of Lithuania and Baker, the color rising in his face, screamed an epithet at Kemp, Fitzwater recalled. Kemp bounded across the furniture and grabbed at Baker's throat. They were pulled apart to avoid a fistfight

 

[JennyOmanHill]

Dom DeLuise, Actor, Comedian and Chef, Dies

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LOS ANGELES -- Dom DeLuise, the portly actor-comedian whose affable nature made him a popular character actor for decades with movie and TV audiences as well as directors and fellow actors, has died. He was 75.

DeLuise died Monday night, son Michael DeLuise told KTLA-TV and radio station KNX on Tuesday. The comedian died in his sleep after a long illness.

The actor, who loved to cook and eat almost as much as he enjoyed acting, also carved out a formidable second career later in life as a chef of fine cuisine. He authored two cookbooks and would appear often on morning TV shows to whip up his favorite recipes.

As an actor, he was incredibly prolific, appearing in scores of movies and TV shows, in Broadway plays and voicing characters for numerous cartoon shows.

Writer-director-actor Mel Brooks particularly admired DeLuise's talent for offbeat comedy and cast him in several of his films, including "The Twelve Chairs," "Blazing Saddles," "Silent Movie," "History of the World Part I" and "Robin Hood: Men in Tights." DeLuise was also the voice of Pizza the Hutt in Brooks' "Star Wars" parody, "Spaceballs."

The actor also appeared frequently in films opposite his friend Burt Reynolds. Among them, "The End," "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas," 'Smokey and the Bandit II," "The Cannonball Run" and "Cannonball Run II."

Another actor-friend, Dean Martin, admired his comic abilities so much that he cast DeLuise as a regular on his 1960s comedy-variety show. In 1973, he starred in a situation comedy, "Lotsa Luck," but it proved to be short-lived.

Other TV credits included appearances on such shows as "The Munsters," "The Girl From U.N.C.L.E.," "Burke's Law," "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" and "Diagnosis Murder."

On Broadway, DeLuise appeared in Neil Simon's "Last of the Red Hot Lovers" and other plays.

His love of food resulted in two successful cookbooks, 1988's "Eat This _ It Will Make You Feel Better!" and 1997's "Eat This Too! It'll Also Make You Feel Good."

At his Pacific Palisades home, DeLuise often prepared feasts for family and friends. One lunch began with turkey soup and ended with strawberry shortcake. In between, were platters of beef filet, chicken breast and sausage, a bowl of spaghetti and meatballs and a saucer of lettuce.

He strongly resembled the famed chef Paul Prudhomme and joked in a 1987 Associated Press interview that he had posed as Prudhomme while visiting his New Orleans restaurant, K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen.

DeLuise was appearing on Broadway in "Here's Love" in the early 1960s when Garry Moore saw him and hired him to play the magician "Dominick the Great" on "The Garry Moore Show."

His appearances on the hit comedy-variety program brought offers from Hollywood, and DeLuise first came to the attention of movie-goers in "Fail Safe," a drama starring Henry Fonda. He followed with a comedy, "The Glass Bottom Boat," starring Doris Day, and from then on he alternated between films and television.

"I was making $7,000 a week _ a lot of money back then _ but I didn't even know I was rich," he recalled in 1994. "I was just having such a great time."

He was born Dominick DeLuise in New York City on Aug. 1, 1933, to Italian immigrants. His father, who spoke only Italian, was a garbage collector, and those humble beginnings stayed with him throughout his life.

"My dad knows everything there is to know about garbage," one of the actor's sons, David DeLuise, told The Associated Press in 2008. "He loves to pick up a broken chair and fix it."

DeLuise's introduction to acting came at age 8 when he played the title role of Peter Rabbit in a school play. He went on to graduate from New York City's famed School of Performing Arts in Manhattan.

For five years, he sought work in theater or television with little luck. He finally decided to enroll at Tufts College and study biology, with the aim of becoming a teacher.

Acting called him back, however, and he found work at the Cleveland Playhouse, appearing in stage productions that ranged from comedies such as "Kiss Me Kate" to Shakespeare's "Hamlet."

"I worked two years solidly on plays and moving furniture and painting scenery and playing parts," he remarked in a 2006 interview. "It was quite an amazing learning place for me."

While working in summer stock in Provincetown, Mass., he met a beautiful young actress, Carol Arthur, and they were soon married.

The couple's three sons, Peter, Michael and David, all became actors and all appeared with their father in the 1990s TV series "SeaQuestDSV," in which Peter and Michael were regulars.

 

[JennyOmanHill]

Vern Gosdin, Country Music's 'The Voice,' Dies At 74

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Country singer/songwriter Vern Gosdin, known as "The Voice" for his distinctive tone and heart-wrenching way with a lyric, died in Nashville following a recent stroke. He was 74.

Born in Woodland, Alabama, Gosdin's singing and writing style was influenced most by the Louvin Brothers. He came from a musical family, which gained notice with their "Gosdin Family Gospel Hour" on KVOX Birmingham. Gosdin and his brother Rex Gosdin moved to California in the early 1960's, where they performed with bluegrass group the Golden State Boys. That group included such notables as Chris Hillman and Don Parmley.

When Hillman left the group to form the Byrds, the Gosdin Brothers became a duo act, often performing with and opening shows for the Byrds. Gosdin relocated to Atlanta in the late '60s after minor success on the charts with the brother duo. He signed to Elektra in 1976, and began having solo hits with "Hangin' On," "Yesterday's Gone," and "'Til the End."

Nicknamed "The Voice" for his boundlessly expressive baritone, he issued many hits on various labels, most notably "Chiseled In Stone," which won the CMA Song of the Year award in 1988. That song was one of many that Gosdin wrote with Nashville Songwriter's Hall of Fame member, Max D. Barnes. He also co-wrote his 1982 hit "Today My World Slipped Away" with producer and label executive Mark Wright, which was later a hit for George Strait.

Gosdin's No. 1 songs include "I Can Tell By the Way You Dance" (1984), "Set 'Em Up Joe" (1988) and "I'm Still Crazy" (1989). He logged 41 solo singles and eight albums on the charts between 1976-93

 

[JennyOmanHill]

Feminist Writer Marilyn French Dies at 79

NEW YORK (May 5) - Marilyn French, the writer and feminist whose novel "The Women's Room" sold more than 20 million copies and transformed her into a leading figure in the women's movement, has died at 79.

French died of heart failure at a Manhattan hospital, said Carol Jenkins, a friend and president of New York's Women's Media Center.

Her 1977 first novel, "The Women's Room," transformed the college teacher into a feminist leader whose aim was "to change the entire social and economic structure of Western civilization, to make it a feminist world," she once said.

The landmark novel, which was translated into 20 languages, details the journey to independence of a 1950s housewife who gets divorced and goes to graduate school. The book mirrored aspects of French's own life experiences, including the rape of her daughter.

She was called anti-male after a character in the novel says: "All men are rapists, and that's all they are. They rape us with their eyes, their laws, and their codes."

"Those words came from a character, and she was not a man-hater, and never said that in her personal life," Jenkins said. "But she wanted men to accept their part in the domination of women."

Still, the novel "connected with millions of women who had no way before of claiming their anger and discontent," Jenkins said.

The male subjugation of women is the main theme of French's novels, essays, literary criticism and her four-volume, nonfictional "From Eve to Dawn: A History of Women."

A Brooklyn native, French graduated from Long Island's Hofstra University with a master's degree, studying philosophy and English literature. She taught there in the 1960s. After her divorce, she earned a doctorate from Harvard and was an English professor at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass.

A smoker, she survived a battle with esophageal cancer in 1992 that included a 10-day coma she described in "Season in Hell: A Memoir."

Her last novel is to be published this fall, and she was also working on a memoir.

French is survived by her son, Robert French, of East Brunswick, N.J., and daughter Jamie French, of Cambridge, Mass.

 

[JennyOmanHill]

`Wizard of Oz' Munchkin Mickey Carroll dies at 89

ST. LOUIS (AP) — One of the last surviving Munchkins from the 1939 classic film "The Wizard of Oz" has died.

St. Louis actor Mickey Carroll died Thursday at the age of 89.

His caretaker, Linda Dodge, made the announcement Thursday.

Carroll was born Michael Finocchiaro in July 1919 in St. Louis, the son of Italian immigrants.

He was one of more than 100 adults and children who were recruited for "Oz" to play the natives of what author L. Frank Baum called Munchkin Country in his 1900 book "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz."

Carroll told The Associated Press in a 2007 interview that the Munchkins made only $125 a week while filming, followed by decades of recognition.

 

[JennyOmanHill]

Red Sox Legend Dies at 92

BOSTON (May 8) - Dominic DiMaggio, the bespectacled Boston Red Sox center fielder who made his own mark on the major leagues despite playing in the shadow of Hall of Fame older brother Joe and teammate Ted Williams, died early Friday at his Massachusetts home. He was 92

DiMaggio died at about 1 a.m. with the Red Sox television replay of Thursday night's game on in the background, said his son, Dominic Paul.

"He was in and out of consciousness, but he was acknowledging it. He was a Red Sox fan until the end," his son said.

DiMaggio was surrounded by his family, according to his wife, Emily. She did not give a cause of death but said that DiMaggio had been ill lately.
"He was the most wonderful, warm, loving man," his wife of 61 years said. "He adored his children, and we all adored him."

DiMaggio was a seven-time All Star who still holds the record for the longest consecutive game hitting streak in Boston Red Sox history. Known as the "Little Professor" because of his eyeglasses and 5-foot-9, 168-pound frame, DiMaggio hit safely in 34 consecutive games in 1949.

The streak was broken on Aug. 9 when his big brother caught a sinking liner in the eighth inning of a 6-3 Red Sox win over the Yankees.
Joe set the major league record with a 56-game hitting streak with the Yankees in 1941.

The nickname was about more than just appearance, his son said. Dom DiMaggio was a mathematics whiz who was offered a scholarship to Santa Clara College. He parlayed his numbers skills into a successful post-baseball business career and loved to play the stock market.

The oldest of the three center field-playing DiMaggio brothers was Vince, who had a 10-year major league career with five National League teams. Vince died in October 1986, while Joe died in March 1999.

Dom DiMaggio spent his entire career with the Red Sox, 10 full seasons plus three games in 1953, and was close friends with teammates Williams, Bobby Doerr and Johnny Pesky.

While Dom did not have the offensive numbers of Joe, he was generally regarded as a better defensive player with a stronger arm, although their career fielding percentages were identical.

He was a career .298 hitter with 87 home runs, while Joe was a .325 career hitter with 361 homers. Dom's baseball career was interrupted for three years (1943-45) by World War II when he served in the Navy, a military obligation that may have cost him induction into the Hall of Fame,

After the Red Sox finally won the World Series in 2004, their first since 1918, DiMaggio, Pesky and Doerr were on hand on opening day 2005 to raise the championship banner at Fenway Park.

After his playing career, he started a successful company that manufactured upholstery and carpeting for automobiles, which he ran until his retirement in 1983. He remained active in many charitable and civic causes, supporting medical and education institutions, and serving on the board of trustees at St. Anselm's College in Manchester, N.H. A scholarship for a baseball or softball player at the school is named for him.

He cared deeply for the players of his era who did not receive pensions. For years he donated all the money he made from signing autographs to the American Professional Baseball Players Association, an organization that helped support older players not covered by a retirement plan.

He also a founding partner of the Boston Patriots, now the NFL's New England Patriots.

"Dominic DiMaggio was one of the most successful players of his generation in his post-baseball life," Halberstam wrote in his book. "He had become over the years a man of means, graceful, elegant, and wise."

DiMaggio grew up in San Francisco, one of nine children born to Sicilian immigrants. His mother was a teacher and his father was a fisherman. He is survived by his wife and three children, Dominic Paul, Peter and Emily.

 

[JennyOmanHill]

Grubb, 31, found dead at hotel

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Suspended Nationwide Series driver Kevin Grubb was found dead on Wednesday in a Richmond, Va., area hotel.

He was 31.

Henrico Co. Lt. Richard Cosby said Grubb was discovered at the Alpine Motel just outside of Richmond at 11:30 a.m.

In a news release sent out Thursday afternoon by Henrico police, the investigation and autopsy showed Grubb had died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

Police said there were no indications of any drug use found inside the room. A toxicology test was done, but could take up to six weeks before results are known.

Grubb was indefinitely suspended by NASCAR on Sept. 11, 2006 after his second violation of NASCAR's substance abuse policy.

Grubb, the younger brother of former NASCAR driver Wayne Grubb, began his Nationwide career in 1997 with four starts for Grubb Motorsports. He ran in 16 Nationwide events for his father's team in 1998 with a top finish of second at Dover. Grubb drove for Brewco Motorsports from 1999 through 2001, collecting 18 top-10s. After several failed seasons with two other teams he was scheduled to drive for Team Reno Motorsports in 2004, but failed a substance abuse test in March and was suspended.

The suspension in 2006 came after Grubb refused to take a drug test following a second-lap crash at Richmond. Failure to take the tests is considered an automatic failed test.

The next day Grubb claimed that he declined the test because of a concussion suffered during the accident and offered to take a test at that time. He reportedly claimed no memory of the refusal due to the head injury.

Grubb was a native of Mechanicsville, Va., a suburb of Richmond.

 

[JennyOmanHill]

Stanley Tucci's Wife of 14 Years Dies After Cancer Battle

Kate Tucci, the wife of Emmy-winning actor Stanley Tucci, has died after battling cancer.

Married for 14 years, the couple had three children together. Kate died last week, and a wake was held for her over the weekend.

"My wife was an extraordinary person who showed us all what great strength is," Tucci told the New York Post.

Tucci, a star of stage and screen, won an Emmy for his guest-starring role on USA's Monk in 2007 and played Dr. Kevin Moretti on ER's 14th season. He was nominated for a Best Actor Tony for the 2002 revival of Terrence McNally's Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune. Tucci has also appeared in such films as The Devil Wears Prada, Big Night, The Terminal, and Maid in Manhattan. Later this year, he will play husband to Julia Child (Prada co-star Meryl Streep) in Julie and Julia and will appear in Peter Jackson's adaptation of The Lovely Bones.