Emmy-winning comic writer and performer -- via the New York Times. Half of the incredible duo of Franken and Davis, an original writer on "Saturday Night Live," he created much unforgettable laughter. Including his creations are: the Coneheads, Irving Mainway, Theodoric of York, Nick the Lounge Singer, the Continental, and many more. A genius -- I'll miss him greatly.
Interesting, overlooked, and significant obituaries from around the world, as they happen, emphasizing the positive achievements of those who have died. Member, Society of Professional Obituary Writers.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Else Holmelund Minarik
Children's author -- via the New York Times. Most memorably, she wrote the series of "Little Bear" beginning readers.
William Asher
TV director, producer and screenwriter -- via the New York Times. Will be best remembered as the cretor of "Bewitched" in conjunction with his then-wife, Elizabeth Montgomery.
Robert W. Creamer
Writer -- via Yahoo Sports. An original member of Sports Illustrated's writing staff, he wrote there for 30 years, as well as in the times. He specialized in baseball, and wrote what is considered the definitive biography of Babe Ruth, "Babe: The Legend Comes to Life"; and what is one of my top five baseball books -- "Baseball in '41: A Celebration of the 'Best Baseball Season Ever.'" He will be best remembered as one of the prominent talking heads in Ken Burns' "Baseball" miniseries.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Val Patterson
Electrical engineer -- via Yahoo News and Legacy.com. Perhaps the best self-penned obituary I have yet read; it includes several opportunely timed confessions as well.
Rosemary Furtak
Award-winning librarian who focused on art and artists' books -- via the Star-Tribune. The Walker Art Center in Minneapolis now houses an internationally-recognized collection of these works, thanks to her!
Monday, July 16, 2012
Jon Lord
Organist, keyboardist, composer; founder and long-time leader of hard rock pioneers Deep Purple -- via the New York Times.
Bob Babbitt aka Robert Kreinar
Bassist with the legendary Funk Brothers, the studio band at Motown Records -- via the Detroit News. The master of the funky bottom, rivaled in his time only by Larry Graham of Sly and the Family Stone. A genius.
He played on more than 200 top 40 hits. Think about alllllllllllll the brilliant songs he played the bass line on -- "Ball of Confusion," "Scorpio," "Oh How Happy," "Cool Jerk," "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours," "War," "Mercy Mercy Me," "Midnight Train to Georgia" -- and his ultimate creation, the masterpiece "Just My Imagination." Cannot praise him too highly. He got it.
He played on more than 200 top 40 hits. Think about alllllllllllll the brilliant songs he played the bass line on -- "Ball of Confusion," "Scorpio," "Oh How Happy," "Cool Jerk," "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours," "War," "Mercy Mercy Me," "Midnight Train to Georgia" -- and his ultimate creation, the masterpiece "Just My Imagination." Cannot praise him too highly. He got it.
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Dolphy aka Golay aka Rodolfo Vera Quizon, Sr.
Philippines' King of Comedy; performer on stage, and in film, TV, and radio -- via the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
Zhou Ruchang
Literary scholar -- via the Telegraph. His overwhelming focus was the 17th-century novel by Cao Xueqin, "The Dream of the Red Chamber."
George Stoney
Filmmaker, teacher and innovator -- via the New York Times. A "dean of documentary filmmakers," his "All My Babies" is on the National Film Registry. He taught film at NYU for 40 years; and he founded public-access television. Pretty amazing.
Richard D. Zanuck
Film producer -- via the New York Times. Thanks to and despite his famous film producer father Darryl F. Zanuck, Richard became one of the era's most successful and interesting film producers himself. He worked on, among many others, "Jaws," "Driving Miss Daisy," "Cocoon," "The Sting," "The Sound of Music" . . .
Calvin Marsh
Baritone -- via the New York Times. Another Margalit Fox classic obit -- she writes so wonderfully. The use of "forsaking" in the first sentence is a textbook example of le mot juste.
Celeste Holm
Actress on stage, on film and TV -- via CNN. She was the first Ado Annie in "Oklahoma!"; she won an Oscar for her work in "Gentlemen's Agreement," and did notable work in films such as "All About Eve" and TV roles such as the Fairy Godmother in the second broadcast of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Cinderella."
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