Friday, September 12, 2014

Bob Crewe

Songwriter, dancer, singer, record producer, and manager -- via Rolling Stone. A huge hitmaker for the Four Seasons, Crewe started off with the Rays and wrote or co-wrote such songs as "Silhouettes," "Big Girls Don't Cry," "Walk Like a Man," "Can't Take My Eyes off of You," "My Eyes Adored You," and even "Lady Marmalade."




Denny Miller

Actor -- via the Las Vegas Review-Journal. A prolific actor, he appeared in more than 200 television episodes. For more, though, he will always be either surfer Duke Williams or "Tongo the Ape Man" from "Gilligan's Island." (That he appeared as two different characters in two different episodes of the show disturbed us no end as children; we indulged in many quasi-theological debates as to how that could happen without destroying the internal logic of the show.)

Stefan Gierasch

Gierasch down right in this photo, as De Gue in "Jeremiah Johnson."
Actor -- via the Hollywood Reporter. One of those great character actors who was "in everything," Gierasch started in 1952 on an episode of "Mister Peepers." Did tons of TV, tons of film, a real pro.

Herbert Lottman

Historian and biographer -- via the New York Times.

John Bardon

Actor -- Best known as Jim Branning in the British TV series "EastEnders," although I loved him as Fred Timson in the "Rumpole"s.

From Modern Loss: The saga of The Obituarist

Stephen Miller of Bloomberg News has found a calling in writing about those who have died. Here's his story! (Please note, he is a long-standing electronic friend of mine; however, I think his skills are extraordinary.)


From Quartz: 9/11 and digital memory

Gabrielle Birkner of Modern Loss writes about differences in mourning, on 9/11 and now. And she quotes . . . me? Yes. Hope this doesn't reduce the credibility of the story for you.

Donald Sinden

Actor -- via the Guardian. At once one of the most versatile and underrated of 20th century British actors. He could do Shakespeare and farce, sitcoms and adventure films. He could write, and performed in radio as well. I particularly like him in the 1963 RSC "Wars of the Roses" as York. His Malvolio was hilarious; and he was the last white actor to "black up" as Othello.

Cosimo Matassa

Music producer and engineer; key architect of the New Orleans sound and Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame member -- via the New Orleans Times-Picayune. An insane number of great songs and artist recorded at his J&M Recording, in back of his appliance store at 840 N. Rampart St., including: Roy Brown's "Good Rockin' Tonight," Fat Domino's "The Fat Man," Little Richard's "Tutti Frutti," Aaron Neville's "Tell It Like It Is," Frankie Ford's "Sea Cruise," Al Johnson's "Carnival Time," Ernie K-Doe's "Mother-in-Law," Irma Thomas's "It's Raining," Professor Longhair's "Mardi Gras in New Orleans" . . . Ray Charles recorded here, as did Allen Toussaint, Snoks Eaglin, The Spiders, Big Joe Turner . . . Cosimo helped cement the New Orleans sound, typified as heavy on the drums, guitar, bass, and piano, with strong lead vocals.

http://www.prx.org/pieces/76269-the-story-of-new-orleans-j-m-recording-studios

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Antoine Duhamel

Film composer and conductor -- via Liberation. I'm not going to kid you; I love this guy. He was in on a bunch of great French New Wave films and more. Here's a partial list: Goddard's "Pierre le fou" and "Weekend"; Truffaut's "Baisers voles," "Mississippi Mermaid," and "Bed & Board"; Tavernier's "Daddy Nostalgia" and "Safe Conduct"; and foreign hits such as "Ridicule" and "Belle Epoque."

Richard Kiel

Actor; best known for playing henchman "Jaws" in two James Bond films -- via Variety. Born with acromegaly, the 7-foot,-1.5 inch-tall Kiel was typecast as aliens, monsters, and villains throughout his career. Despite this, he was a good actor who could pull off comedy as adeptly as he could menace.




Gilda Snowden

Artist -- via the Detroit Free Press.

Joachim "Blacky" Fuchsberger

Actor -- via Deutsche Welle.

Howell Evans

Robert "Throb" Young

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Graham Joyce

Writer of dark fantasies -- via the Guardian.

Jane Baker

TV writer -- via Digital Spy. Best known for writing with husband Pip Baker for "Doctor Who" and "Space: 1999"; also Robery Ryan's last film, "Captain Nemo and the Underwater City."

Rafael 'El Pato' Carret

Comedian, composer, conductor, and actor -- via the Buenos Aires Herald. He was the last of "Los Cinco Grandes del Buen Humor."

Montserrat Abello i Soler

Poet and translator -- via La Vanguardia.

Cayo Sila Godoy

Classical guitarist -- via Ultima Hora.

David Wynne

Sculptor -- via the Telegraph.

Feroza Begum

Folk singer -- via DNA India.

Austin William "Goose" Gonsoulin

Football player; an original Denver Bronco and member of the Ring of Fame -- via the New York Times.

http://www.denverbroncos.com/multimedia/videos/Remembering-Austin-Goose-Gonsoulin/7580d118-50c9-47c5-a7e5-27ef5efbdd4e

Jannese Davidson

Performer -- via Facebook.

Magda Olivero

Soprano -- via the New York Times. The last of the verismas -- female singers versed in the late-19th century tradition of hyper-realistic, melodramatic "verismo" operas,

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Chaninah Maschler

Educator and Holocaust survivor -- via the Washington Post.

Bobby Coward

Disability advocate -- via the Washington Post.

Cheryl West

Choir director -- via the Lafayette Journal & Courier.

Marjorie Strider

Artist -- via the New York Times.


Arturo Galster

Drag queen -- via sfgate.com.

Gerald Wilson

Trumpeter, bandleader, composer, arranger, and educator -- via the L.A. Times. He worked with everyone; his first big gig was replacing Sy Oliver in the Jimmie Lunceford band in 1939!




Lillian Gobitas Klose

George Zuvernik

Former MLB pitcher -- via the Holland Sentinel.

Tobias Graf

Drummer -- via Loudwire.

George L. Little

Costumer designer -- via the Hollywood Reporter.

Monday, September 8, 2014

Penelope Niven

Biographer -- via the New York Times.

Bernard Yvon

Actor -- via Fox Chicago.

Molly Glynn

Actress -- via Fox News.

Roy Heather

Actor -- via Rogues & Vagabonds.

Mizchif

Rapper -- via Times LIVE. AKA Hechichamunorwa Mount Zion Kwenda



WEEKLY READER for Sept. 8, 2014 -- Stories on death, dying, mourning and more

TOP STORIES

Google-backed life-extension company Calico partners with pharmaceutical company AbbVie for $500 million project to “cure death” – from Ben Popper at The Verge


On Politico, Oren Kessler remembers the murdered journalist Steve Sotloff

DEATH

Network helps parents of terminally ill children – by Gabrielle Birkner in Modern Loss

Interview: Simon Worrall of National Geographic talks to Judy Bacharach, journalist and author of “Glimpsing Heaven: The Stories and Science of Life after Death” (CAVEAT: The book publisher is National Geographic!)

Via Dodai Stwart at Jezebel – Caitlin Doughty at Ask a Mortician answers: “What Happens to Your Breast Implants When You Are Cremated?”



MOURNING

Emma G. Fitzsimmons and James Barron of the New York Times report on Joan Rivers’s funeral

Mementoes as embodiments of mourning – from Susan Dunne at the Hartford Courant

Four dozen tow trucks form procession for deceased young driver – via Marilyn Miller at the Akron Beacon Journal

OBITS/TRIBUTES

Better a feature story than a paid obit – from Katherine Crosier on Another Year of insanity


Kwon Ri-Se

Singer -- via the Wall Street Journal.

William James Bell

Actor -- via legacy.com.


Simone Battle

Singer -- via the L.A. Times.

Hopeton Lewis

Kerrie Biddell

Jazz singer -- via The Australian.




Sunday, September 7, 2014

Bruce Morton

Journalist -- via CBS News.

Wlodzimierz Kotonski

Composer -- via The Rambler.





Habib Wali Muhammad

Ghazi singer -- via the Express Tribune.