Lena Horne (1917-2010)

Lena Horne, one of the great pioneer actresses of the early 20^th century has died at the age of 92. She helped pave the way for the modern generation of talented African-American actors & actresses, with her talent, grace and good looks.

It's too bad, as Horne herself put it that, "Hollywood didn't know what to do with me."

Indeed, that is a shame.

The only movie I can recall that I saw Ms. Horne act in was Cabin in the Sky, where she played the sultry temptress, Georgia Brown, opposite Eddie "Rochester" Anderson. There is even a song titled Sweet Georgia Brown.

This is a film that I was exposed to in a college film critique/appreciation class in the late 1980's. If you haven't seen this movie, I suggest you do. It is one of my favorites. I reviewed it here.

Lt. Col. William Arthur Bamford II (1934-2010)

For the last year or so, my Uncle Bill has been battling Cancer. At the end of February he learned that the disease had traveled to his brain. At that time we weren't sure if he would want treatment. He did and made it through the month of March and into April.

However, he knew that he wasn't going to get any better and only worse, so late last week he and his wife made the decision that he would no longer receive medication and would no longer eat, so that he could go home and be with Jesus.

We learned that he died just before 7:00 AM EDT this morning. From what we understand, he went peacefully into the next life.

My Uncle was a Godly man, serving as an officer in The Salvation Army. For those of you who don't know: The Salvation Army is a branch of the Wesleyan line of Protestant churches, using a para-military organizational scale and terminology. In effect, a Salvation Army Officer would be known as a Pastor in other Protestant churches.

He was well loved and respected by all those who knew him and always had a kind word for everyone he came in to contact with. This has been evident to me as I read short tributes left to him from friends and those whose lives he touched on my cousin Bill's Facebook page.

For a few years, in my younger days (when I spent my summers at Camp Wonderland), my Uncle and his wife were stationed in Massachusetts. Their cabin was right down the road from ours. I can remember watching many Red Sox games on television at his cabin, and especially the All-Star Game every year, where he would root for the National League team but be happy for me when the American League won. My Uncle learned to love the Red Sox, but at heart was always a Phillies fan, having grown up in the Philadelphia area.

In retirement, down in Florida, he would occasionally go see the Red Sox in Spring Training and would go to Tropicana Field when the Red Sox were playing the Rays.

My dad, who is ten years younger, wanted to retire in Florida in part to spend time with his oldest brother. My dad is still going to retire in Florida but couldn't get there in time.

The last time I saw my Uncle was in 2006, at my Grandfather's funeral in New Jersey. Who would have thought back then, that he would only outlive his father by less than four years.

Yes, it's sad that he's gone but we don't mourn. Instead, we rejoice at a life well lived in service to God and man. We rejoice because death is a part of life in this day and age and that even though his physical body has died, his soul now resides in heaven. Further, we rejoice because one day we shall see him again in glory.

Sadly, I don't have any pictures to post along with this, which is unfortunate.

Robert Culp (1930-2010)

Long time television actor Robert Culp died today near his home in Los Angeles. He was 79.

Culp is best remembered for his role as Kelly Robinson on the groundbreaking television series I Spy which ran for three seasons, from 1965-1968. I Spy co-starred Bill Cosby, who considered Culp a lifelong friend.

Coincidentally, just last weekend I purchased the three seasons of I Spy at BJ's for a cool $30. Now I'm looking forward to watching it even more.

Personally, I best remember Culp as FBI Agent Bill Maxwell on the television series The Greatest American Hero, which ran from 1981-1986 and later as the President in the movie The Pelican Brief.

Here's the obituary I found on AP & Yahoo News and another from comicmix.com.

Peter Graves (1926-2010)

Four days shy of his 84^th birthday, Peter Graves died yesterday of apparently natural causes. He leaves behind a wife of 59 years and three daughters.

The original Mission Impossible was a great television series and I can remember watching some of the episodes in syndication when I was a kid. I remember that he was a guest star in an episode of the television show "Buck Rogers in the 25^th Century." Of course, he played the pilot in the Airplane movies. Most of all I remember his narration of the A&E show (59 episodes) "Biography" which he did from 1994-2006.

Rest in Peace, Mr. Phelps.

Corey Haim (1971-2010)

From KABC in Los Angeles:

NORTH HOLLYWOOD, Calif. -- Actor Corey Haim died at the age of 38 early Wednesday morning.

According to the LAPD, Haim had been staying with his mother in North Hollywood, and the death appears to have been accidental. Haim was taken to St. Joseph's hospital in Burbank, and the hospital called LAPD at 3:40 a.m. to notify them that Haim had died of an apparent overdose.

Haim broke into the film industry in 1984 as a child actor. He starred in movies such as "Lucas" with Charlie Sheen, but his breakthrough role came with his 1987 film "Lost Boys."

------

Here's the story from the Associated Press and from omg! yahoo.
-----

I never like to hear of someone younger than myself die. That's just weird to me.

If Corey Haim did indeed die of a drug overdose, I would not be surprised, since he is/was an admitted drug user. As I read elsewhere, an autopsy will be performed to determine the actual cause of death. We'll see in a few weeks what the official word is.

I will say that I absolutely loved The Lost Boys which came out in 1987. It is a vampire movie that came out in the era before vampire movies were in vogue.

I was surprised to see on his IMDb page that he had been working regularly, where I had thought his career flamed out in the 1990's as many child stars careers seem to do.

Robert B. Parker (1932-2010)

Springfield, Massachusetts native Robert B. Parker,77, died suddenly yesterday of an apparent heart attack, while sitting at his writing desk inside his Cambridge home. Tests are pending to determine the official cause of death. Parker was best known for his Spenser novels which accounted for 37 of the 65 books he had published during his career. His writing idols included Raymond Chandler, whose tough hard boiled style Parker emulated. For three seasons Spenser: For Hire (1985-1988) was a popular television show, starring Robert Urich and Avery Brooks, which I watched regularly as a kid.

I had an English teacher once (can't remember which grade I was in) who knew and was a classmate of Mr. Parker. She mentioned his work many times during class.

Here are the links to both the Boston Globe and Boston Herald stories, reporting on his death:

Boston Globe

Boston Herald

Brittany Murphy (1977-2009)

From the "You Just Can Never Tell When Your Time Is Up" files, the sad and tragic passing of 32 year old actress Brittany Murphy, of apparent cardiac arrest.

It will be interesting to hear about the results of the autopsy report and what might have caused the heart attack in an otherwise apparently healthy young woman. Hopefully it's just a freak thing and it won't be a drug-abuse, or drug overdose induced death.

I always find it incredibly sad when I read about people dying who are younger than myself.

The movie I remember her most from was the excellent "Don't Say a Word" that she starred in with Michael Douglas in 2001. She will likely be best remembered for her voice-over work as Luanne Platter on "King of the Hill" from 1997-2009.

We haven't heard the last from Brittany, as she's got three films in post-production that are scheduled for release in 2010.

UPDATE: Here's a bit more on her death. According to this, her husband told the hospital that he didn't want them to do an autopsy but didn't give a reason. (Unusual request. What's he hiding? Ooh, answers to the official cause of death questions just got more interesting.) The LA County Coroner's Office is going to do an autopsy anyway, which they should due to her age.

2/4/10 UPDATE: Pneumonia, drugs killed Brittany Murphy. Death ruled accidental.

Patrick Swayze (1952-2009)

Wow. Patrick Swayze has died of pancreatic cancer at the young age of 57. What made him famous was two roles in particular: Johnny Castle in "Dirty Dancing" (1987) and Sam Wheat in "Ghost" (1990). As good as he was in those movies, the role that I will always remember Patrick Swayze for is in the two "North and South" television mini-series, which aired in 1985-1986, where he played Orry Main. The two miniseries were based on novels by John Jakes ~ fantastic historical fiction.

I think the first film I ever saw Swayze in was "The Outsiders" (1983), which came out when I was in the 8th grade - Mrs. Rancourt took us on a field trip to see it at the movie theater. We were reading the novel, by S.E Hinton, in her English class at the time.

Patrick Swayze seemed to be one who always carried himself with grace and humility in his public life. That seems to be a rare trait with most Hollywood celebrities. He certainly wasn't a self promoter, that's for sure.

"I believe in a higher power. I've studied Eastern philosophies, and I've studied the Koran. We've devalued everything worth believing in. Now we're tearing into religion. A line should be drawn. The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) and The Da Vinci Code (2006) borders on that. I was glued to the book, but afterwards I thought, 'My Lord, now we're tearing into God and our faith'. Are we going to be turning into a reality show, too? I certainly hope not." -Patrick Swayze

Here is a tribute story from the LA Times.

Senator Edward M. Kennedy (1932-2009)

Longtime Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy died last night at age 77 after a long battle with brain cancer and exactly one year after speaking briefly at the Democratic National Convention.

You may not like Senator Kennedy personally or agreed with his politics, but you can't deny his great service to our country in the United States Senate.

Nor can you deny that Kennedy was a strong man, dealing with all of the tragedy that his family had over the years, yet still remaining a viable and visible presence in fighting for what he believed in.

Growing up and living most of my life in Massachusetts, I can tell you that Kennedy was idolized here by many, many people. You don't win as many terms in the Senate as Kennedy did if you're a slacker and not doing your job.

My prayers go out to the Kennedy family today as they deal with the passing of another member of their family within the last 2+ weeks.

Here's another article on the death of Senator Kennedy.

(l-r: The Brothers Kennedy: Robert, Edward and John)

John Hughes (1950-2009)

In another example of how fragile life is, movie writer and director John Hughes died on Thursday from a heart attack. He was only 59.

Hughes list of writing and directing credits is quite impressive. Click on the link in the title and see if these films don't bring back some memories, especially if you grew up in the 1980's, as I did. I'll bet that the majority of us can quote some of the lines from his films.

You may not have liked all of his movies or maybe thought they were too stupid or sappy, but they certainly were an indelible part of the decade. Many of the actors who worked in Hughes' films, at least in the articles I read, have nothing but fond memories of the man.

Hollywood has lost a great one.

Walter Cronkite (1916-2009)

There are some deaths that rightly should rock the world. This is one of them.

Television news icon Walter Cronkite, 92, has died, according to CBS News.

For a generation, Walter Cronkite was the Evening News. As a youngster growing up, up until his final broadcast in 1981, my parents would always have CBS News on after dinner. Cronkite's steady monotone voice was all there was. This was long before most homes had two and three televisions in the house, before cable and the multitude of news outlets available 24/7, before the advent of the home computer and the internet, before the advent of video stores and movies on tape.

You don't earn the moniker "the most trusted man in America" for nothing.

Walter Cronkite is gone, his iconic status in American television history long since secure. He will be missed.

"And that's the way it is."

Karl Malden (1912-2009)

If you're gonna die, this is how you ought to do it. Live until you're in your late 90's and die of natural causes.

That's the way Karl Malden, 97, went out. Sad thing is his death didn't get nearly the attention Farrah's death did. Michael Jackson's been dead for a week + and he's still getting press.

I really never was familiar with the work of Karl Malden, except for seeing him in the second Poseidon Adventure movie that came out in 1979. Malden's biggest role was on television in the five year run of the "Streets of San Francisco," which he starred in along with some guy named Michael Douglas. This is a show I don't remember ever watching in syndication but seems worthy to check out if it's on DVD.

Billy Mays (1958-2009)

When will the madness stop?

Television pitch man extraordinaire Billy Mays, 50, died this morning in his Florida home. An autopsy is scheduled for Monday.

Mays hawked a variety of products over the years on television, especially the "Oxi-Clean" line of products. Though his booming voice could be grating (seemed like he pitched everything) there is no question that the guy could sell stuff and, judging by the volume of items he pitched, was good enough at it that it made him a millionaire.

It will be interesting to see what the official cause of death will be. The guy was a month or so older than Michael Jackson, who died last Thursday. Whassup with all these 50 year old people dying?

Michael Jackson (1958-2009)

Michael Jackson, 50, died at UCLA Medical Center this afternoon. He died of apparent heart failure after collapsing in his home, though no official cause of death has been released. The LA Coroner's Office will perform an autopsy and determine the official cause of death.

No matter your feelings toward Jackson - BUT love him or hate him - you can't deny that the music industry has lost a legend and an innovator. A void that will not easily be filled. You must give the man his due for the impact he had on the music industry.

I've never been a huge Michael Jackson fan, but there are occasions when I enjoy his music. Even better, some of Weird Al Yankovic's best songs were parodies of Jackson's songs, like "Eat it" and "Fat" to name a few. I think there are more but can't think of them.

Personally, Jackson creeped me out. He was one weird, messed up individual.

One of the questions that will never really be answered is the child molestation charges and trial Jackson had a few years ago. Did he or didn't he? Yeah I know he was acquitted but- so wasn't OJ. And you don't think for a minute that he was innocent, do you?

The saddest part for me about Jackson's death was his age. Fifty is still too young to die. He was not quite eleven years older than me. Kind of scary to think of dying that young....

Here's the story from the Los Angeles Times reporting on Jackson's sudden death.

Here's an update on the casue of death, still under investigation.

Farrah Fawcett (1947-2009)

One of Charlie's original Angels is now an angel herself.
Farrah Fawcett, 62, died earlier today in Santa Monica, California, after she lost her long and much publicized battle with Cancer.

Many teenage boys had Farrah's famous red swimsuit poster (shown at right) on their wall in the late 70's and early 80's. I might have been one of them.

Fawcett gained fame with 1976's smash television show "Charlie's Angels," starring along with Kate Jackson, Jacklyn Smith and the voice of Charlie, John Forsythe. She surprisingly left the series after the first season to pursue a film career which never really took off. She did earn an emmy nomination for the made for television movie "The Burning Bed" (1984), in which she played an abused wife.

CNN is sharing quotes from friends who knew and worked with Farrah, including her Angels co-stars, Smith and Jackson.

Last year I bought the first and second seasons of Charlie's Angels on DVD. I'll bet that DVD sales of that show will increase in the next few days due to her passing.

Ed McMahon (1923-2009)

Ed McMahon, 86, died today, apparently from complications from bone cancer and pneumonia. The official cause of death has not been released yet.

McMahon was born in Detroit, MI but grew up in nearby Lowell, MA.

I wonder if, when Ed got to the pearly gates, St. Peter announced his arrival like this: "Heeeeeeeeeeeeeere's Ed!"


Or maybe, upon his arrival at the pearly gates, St. Peter handed Ed a Publisher's Clearing House direct mail piece/ sweepstakes packet, complete with full color ads for all of the useless crap PCH peddles to get you to enter their lousy contests. I wonder if Ed's picture was on the outside of the envelope... St. Peter then says to Ed, "You can't enter (heaven) if you don't enter the sweepstakes." or maybe, "no purchase necessary to enter (heaven)."

Or maybe not.

David Carradine (1936 -2009)

David Carradine, 72, apparently committed suicide yesterday in Bangkok.

Why would anyone want to take their own life? I'll never understand that. If it's true, then that's too bad.

My most impressionable memory of David Carradine came when he played the totally despicable South Carolina plantation owner Justin LaMotte in the 1985-1986 television miniseries "North and South" & "North and South Book II."

He was good in the "Kill Bill" movies, which I reviewed over on BIG screen last year.

Dom DeLuise (1933-2009)

Scribe is right. Dom DeLuise, 75, was such a great comic actor who will sorely be missed. His comedy seemed to be effortless. Some people just know how to be funny naturally and DeLuise was one of those people.

In my mind, DeLuise was a very underrated talent. Maybe because he, according to stuff I've read, was very soft spoken. Nothing I've read, however says one bad thing about the man. In this day and age of media-oversaturation, that's no small feat.

Here's a story from abcnews.com on Mr. DeLuise, who apparently died of cancer.

Bea Arthur (1922-2009)

Bea Arthur, 86, died yesterday of cancer. Known for her deep voice, comedienne and comic actress Arthur made her mark primarily in television, starring in the series "Maude" and "The Golden Girls"

Here's a story from abc.com

Paul Newman (1925-2008)

Hollywood has lost another legend. Paul Newman, 83, died of cancer today at his home in Westport, Connecticut. More importantly, the world has lost a great humanitarian and philanthropist.

This is the story that the Boston Globe ran today.

Here's one piece I found on cnn.com. Pictured: Newman in 1965 (top left) and Newman with wife of fifty years, Julie Woodward (bottom left).

I never got into many of Newman's films, but those I did see were excellent.