 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
News and Entertainment
Elaine Ayres - Character actress who played little old ladies in commercials such as the Homelite Little Ol' Lady in commercials for Homelite E-Z chain saws and as the mini-skirted granny in the Chevrolet Corvette commercial, died April 30 of breast cancer in Seattle at age 89.
Sesto Bruscantini - Italian bass-baritone opera singer notable for the range of the roles that he sang, as well as for their number, who specialized in the roles of Mozart, Donizetti and Verdi, died May 4 in Civitanova, Italy at age 83.
Reg Bundy - Female impersonator known as Regina Fong who attracted a large cult following in London cabaret venues, who often entertained with a surreal mime act, and who appeared in the 1976 film “The Slipper and The Rose”, died April 15 of cancer in London at age 56.
June Carter Cash - Grammy-winning singer, songwriter, musician, actress and scion of the pioneering Carter Family country singing group, who married singer Johnny Cash in 1968, and recorded numerous hit duets with him including “Jackson”, “It Ain’t Me Babe” and “If I Were A Carpenter”, and who stuck with Cash through his years of drug use, died May 15 of complications following heart surgery in Nashville at age 73.
Bill Day - Louisiana radio personality who worked at various radio stations in central Louisiana for many years, died May 16 in Alexandria, LA at age 71.
Michaela Denis - British actress best known for appearing in wild life films like “Below the Sahara” and TV shows like “On Safari” with her husband Armand, who wrote several books about her experiences including “Leopard in My Lap”, and who spent her later years as a spiritual healer and psychic in Kenya, died May 11 in Kikambala, Kenya at age 88.
Allen Eager - Big band and jazz tenor saxophonist and singer who played in the bands of Woody Herman, Tommy Dorsey and Tadd Dameron, who recorded with Stan Getz, Buddy Rich and Gerry Mulligan, and who had his own band in the 1950’s before dropping out of music, died April 13 of liver cancer in Daytona Beach, FL at age 76.
Otto Edelmann - Opera singer whose dark bass-baritone propelled him to some of the world's most renowned opera stages over a career spanning more than four decades, died May 14 in Vienna, Austria at age 86.
Lorne Gibson - British country singer whose success on the BBC in the early 1960’s helped ignite an interest in country music with the British public, and whose biggest (and apparently only) hit in England was 1964’s “Some Do, Some Don't”, died May 12 at age 63.
Nick Grippo - Hollywood caterer known as “caterer to the stars”, who prepared food for Oscar parties, celebrity birthdays and Hollywood movie wrap parties, who was a frequent guest on TV talk shows, and who penned the book “Hollywood Dish! Recipes, Tips & Tales of a Hollywood Caterer”, died May 9 of kidney failure at age 64.
Lowell S. Hawley - Screenwriter at Disney from 1957 to 1969 best known for his work on 1960’s “The Swiss Family Robinson”, who also wrote scripts for movies like “Zorro, the Avenger” and “Babes In Toyland”, died May 6 in Los Angeles at age 94.
Dame Wendy Hiller - British actress who became a major film personality despite only a relative handful of movie performances, who became a star by portraying Eliza Doolittle in the 1938 film “Pygmalion”, and who won an Academy Award in 1958 for her role in “Separate Tables”, died May 14 in London at age 90.
Bryan Hull - Theatre actor who set a U.S. record for the longest stint of an actor playing the same role in a single U.S. stage production, who played the Old Actor for 21 years and 8,262 performances in “The Fantasticks”, died May 11 of heart failure in New York at age 65.
David O. Ives - Public television innovator who as head at WGBH-TV in Boston launched such programs as “Nova”, “Frontline” and “Masterpiece Theatre”, which all became standard PBS programs, and who helped develop “how-to” programs like Julia Child's cooking shows, “This Old House” and “The Victory Garden”, died May 16 after a brief illness at age 84.
Bob Knowles - Charlotte, North Carolina television anchor at WBTV since 1995 who won the Silver Award as North Carolina Television Reporter of the Year in 1998, died May 12 in Charlotte of uveal melanoma at age 42.
Syl Liebl - Concertina player and Wisconsin polka legend who recorded numerous albums as leader of the Jolly Swiss Boys, who was a well-known performer in Wisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota, and who was inducted into the National Concertina Hall of Fame, died May 10 of cancer in La Crosse, WI at age 86.
Bill Napier - Clarinetist who rose to prominence with the premier San Francisco jazz bands of the 1940’s and 50’s, who helped create a unique Dixieland West Coast jazz style, and who played with jazz stars like Turk Murphy and Lu Watters, died April 30 of cancer in Hayward, CA at age 76.
Noel Redding - Rock bassist best known for his stint with the Jimi Hendrix Experience, who joined Hendrix in 1966 and played on three albums, was found dead on May 11 at his home in Ireland of unknown causes at age 57.
Stan ‘The Man’ Rofe - Legendary Australian radio DJ known as the “original rocky jockey”, who is credited with being the first Australian DJ to play rock ‘n’ roll seven days a week, who helped break numerous Australian rockers including John Farnham (Little River Band), and who brought many bands like the Rolling Stones to tour in his homeland, died May 15 of cancer at age 69.
Minnie Snow - Widow of country singer Hank Snow and mother of evangelist Rev. Jimmy Snow, died May 11 of pneumonia in Memphis at age 89.
Robert Stack - Veteran actor best known to audiences as Eliot Ness, the crimefighter on the popular series "The Untouchables", and the host of the long running show "Unsolved Mysteries", who appeared in dozens of movies including dramas like "Uncommon Valor" and comedies like "Airplane" (an all time favorite) and "Beavis & Butthead Do America", died May 14 of heart failure in Los Angeles at age 84.
Dewey Terry - Half the rock ‘n’ roll duo Don & Dewey, who recorded several sides for the Specialty label in the 1950’s, but are better known for having their recordings covered and made famous by other artists including “Justine” (Righteous Brothers), “I’m Leaving It Up To You” (Dale & Grace), “Farmer John” (Premiers) and “Big Boy Pete” (Olympics), died May 11 of cancer at age 65.
Terry Thaddeus - Malaysian rock guitarist proclaimed the “Jimi Hendrix of the East”, who was a member of the Teenage Hunters in Malaysia and later joined the foreign bands Pitiful Souls, the Strollers and X-Periments, died May 12 of intestinal cancer in Kuala Lumpur at age 55.
Sports
Dave DeBusschere - NBA Hall of Famer who coached the Detroit Pistons as a player-coach at age 24, who won championships in 1970 and 1973 as a player for the New York Knicks, who was commissioner of the ABA and later became general manager of the Knicks, and who pitched two seasons for the Chicago White Sox (whew!), died May 14 of a heart attack while walking down a New York street at age 62.
Al Fleming - NBA player with the Seattle Supersonics during 1976-78, who had a standout college career at Arizona, holding the school career record for rebounds with 1,190 and who is seventh on the all time Wildcat scoring list, died May 14 of kidney cancer in Michigan City, IN at age 49.
Mal Florence - Sports writer for the Los Angeles Times from 1951 until 1994, who continued freelancing for the paper until recently, died May 16 of bone cancer in Los Angeles at age 77.
Jim Fyffe - Auburn University's play-by-play announcer for football and basketball the past 22 years, who broadcast 15 bowl games involving the Tigers, and who was known for his excitement and enthusiasm, died May 15 of a brain aneurysm in Montgomery, AL at age 57.
Dexter Green - All-American tailback at Iowa State during the 1970’s, who set the school’s all-time career rushing mark of 3,437 yards, and led the school to two bowl berths, died May 11 of cancer in Columbus, OH at age 46.
Rita Hargrove - Mother of Baltimore Orioles manager Mike Hargrove, died May 12 after several surgeries in Amarillo, TX at age 73.
Ennis Haywood - Free agent running back who was on the Dallas Cowboy practice squad last season and had participated in a three-day minicamp with them this spring, who was a star football player at Iowa State, fifth all-time in rushing and sixth in touchdowns, died May 11 in Arlington, TX of unknown causes after becoming ill Saturday night at the age of 23.
Mark McCormack - Sports pioneer known for literally inventing the field of sports marketing, who was recognized as "the most powerful man in sports" by Sports Illustrated, and whose company IMG represents some of the biggest names in sports like Tiger Woods and Derek Jeter, as well as broadcasters, models, classical musicians, authors, newsmakers and others, died May 16 in New York, four months after suffering a heart attack that left him in a coma, at the age of 72.
Martin "Red" Mottlow - Sports reporter and anchor for nearly three decades at Chicago-area radio stations, who was one of the first broadcasters to appear at venues with a tape recorder to interview players and coaches, died May 12 of cancer in Chicago at age 76.
Don Padgett - President of the PGA in 1977 and 1978, who became executive vice president of golf at Pinehurst and was responsible for bringing championship golf back to the resort, died May 16 of cancer in Pinehurst, NC at age 78.
Rik Van Steenbergen - World champion bicyclist who dominated Belgian cycling for two decades after World War II, and who won world road championships in 1949, 1956 and 1957, died May 15 in Brussels at age 78.
Art and Literature
Theo Aronson - Royal biographer who wrote in excess of 20 books including “The Royal Family at War”, “The King in Love” (about Edward VII's mistresses), “Prince Eddy and the Homosexual Underground”, and his biggest seller 1997’s “Princess Margaret”, died May 13 in Somerset, England at age 73.
Mary Alice Fontenot - Author of children’s picture and story books staring Clovis Crawfish, who wrote 16 Clovis Crawfish titles, translating many into French, including her final book “Clovis Crawfish and Ecko Gecko” released in 2002, died May 12 in Carencro, LA of Parkinson’s disease and related illnesses at age 93.
Manuel Espínola Gómez - One of the most celebrated and famous painters of Uruguay, died May 10 from complications of a stroke at age 82.
Gerrit Henry - Art critic and poet best known for his widely published writings on art, in which he tended to favor contemporary combinations of traditional representation and modernist abstraction, and whose published books of poetry include “The Mirrored Clubs of Hell” and “Poems & Ballads”, died May 1 in New York of a heart attack at age 52.
Leonard Michaels - Critically acclaimed author and short-story writer, best known for his male consciousness-raising novel “The Men's Club” (he also wrote the screenplay for the 1986 film staring Roy Scheider), and his collections of short stories including “Going Places” and “I Would Have Saved Them If I Could”, died May 10 in Berkeley, CA of lymphoma at age 70.
Jeremy Sandford - British screenwriter and author always surrounded in controversy, especially for the television play “Cathy Come Home” and documentary film “Hotel de Luxe”, who wrote numerous books about the Romany Gypsies, including the still-in-print “Rokkering to the Gorjios” and “Gypsies & Travellers”, died May 12 in Herfordshire, England at age 72.
Politics and Military
Karl Boyes - Pennsylvania state representative first elected in 1981, who served as the Majority Chairman of the House Finance Committee, died May 11 of a brain or lung aneurysm while vacationing in Florida at age 67.
Searcy Bracewell - Texas state representative and senator from 1947 to 1959, who became the founding partner of one of Texas’s largest law firms, Bracewell & Patterson LLP, died May 13 in Houston at age 85.
Norberto Ceresole - Controversial Argentinean sociologist who wrote 30 books on geo-political strategy and military sociology, who advocated military party rule in Latin American countries and who became an advisor to Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez and had ties to Chilean president Salvador Allende and Peruvian nationalist President Juan Velazco Alvarado, died May 11 in Argentina of a heart attack at age 59.
Constantin Dascalescu - Romania's last communist prime minister under dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, who served from 1982 to 1989 and was ousted from office during a popular revolt in 1989 along with Ceausescu, died May 15 in Bucharest of multiple heart ailments at age 80.
Vivian Folland - One of the last surviving veterans of World War I in Australia, who also fought in World War II, died May 13 in Perth at age 104 (only seven WW1 veterans remain in Australia).
David O. Hawkins - South Carolina state representative from 1975 through 1987, who chaired the Medical, Municipal and Military Affairs Committee for the state, and who is the father of current state senator John Hawkins, died May 10 after a stroke in Columbia, SC at age 57.
Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan - Longtime official with the United Nations, who was the youngest and longest-serving U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees and who held a string of top U.N. humanitarian posts, died May 12 of undisclosed causes in Boston at age 70.
George Louison - Founder of the New Jewel Movement, a leftist group that helped overthrow the government in Grenada in 1979, whose Marxist government was later overthrown by another radical group in 1983, before the whole mess was cleaned up by the U.S. in October 1983, died of a heart attack on May 13 in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad at age 51.
Laurence Radway - New Hampshire legislator who served two terms as a state representative, who unsuccessfully ran for U.S. Senate in 1972 even after he walked the length of the state for publicity, and who was a longtime chairman of the New Hampshire state Democratic party, died May 7 after abdominal surgery in Lebanon, NH at age 84.
John H. Rousselot - U.S. Congressman from California, known as an ultra-conservative Republican who was often controversial, who served as an officer of the John Birch Society, and who during his tenure was a strong opponent of spending and tax increases and worked to deregulate the savings and loan industry, died May 11 of congestive heart failure in Tenet, CA at age 75.
John Savage - Premier of Nova Scotia from 1993 to 1997 (Nova Scotia’s highest political office), where he was known as well-intentioned but politically naive straight-shooter who had a turbulent and controversial single term as premier, died May 13 in Halifax of cancer at age 70.
Mohit Sen - One of the foremost leaders of the Communist Party of India (CPI), who while never politically powerful in India, became known as an intellectual elder and was influential with Congressional leaders, died May 4 of a heart attack in Hyderabad, India at age 74.
Joseph D. Ward - Massachusetts state senator in the 40’s and 50’s, best remembered for his unsuccessful run for governor in 1960 against Republican John Volpe, an election called “one of the most vicious and vindictive ever held in Massachusetts” which was detailed in the book “The Compleat Politician”, died May 10 in Ocean Ridge, FL at age 89.
Lawson Weekes - Powerful Barbados politician who served in Parliament from 1981 until 1996 eventually becoming Speaker of the House for the Democratic Labour Party, died May 12 of cancer in St. Michael, Barbados at age 69.
Social and Religion
Katie Autry - Student at Western Kentucky University, who was rescued from a fire at a university dormitory on May 4 and was found to have several stab wounds, died May 7 of her injuries in Bowling Green, KY at age 18. Police believe 21-year-old Lucas Goodrum stabbed her and set the building on fire.
Teresa Fumarola - The oldest known person in Italy, died May 14 at age 113.
Bruce Jacobs - Violent Texas killer who was convicted of breaking into the home of 16-year-old Conrad Harris on his 16th birthday in 1986 and brutally stabbing the teen to death while he slept, for completely unknown reasons, was executed by lethal injection on May 15 in Huntsville, TX at age 56.
Ronald Roberts - 55-year old high school teacher and coach who had a heart attack and died while exercising at a fitness club in Englewood, Colorado, was covered with towels and left in the exercise area for two hours while gym users continued to work out around him.
Newton Slawson - Florida killer who was convicted of the 1989 murders of Gerald and Peggy Woods and their two children Glendon, 3, and Jennifer, 4, and cutting the unborn fetus out of pregnant Peggy Woods, and who was a “volunteer” for execution waiving all remaining appeals, was executed by lethal injection in Starke, FL on May 16 at age 48.
Pedro "Pete" Tijerina - Civil rights attorney who in 1968 founded MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund), a major voice for Latinos on civil rights, voting rights, redistricting and school integration, died May 14 in San Antonio, TX of diabetes and heart problems at age 80.
Norman Wallace - Graduate student at Case Western Reserve University, who was in the wrong place at the wrong time when angry gunman Biswanath Halder walked into the Peter B. Lewis Building and fired hundreds of rounds indiscriminately inside the building, was shot and killed on May 10 at the school in Cleveland, OH. He was 30 years old.
Business and Science
William Dearden - CEO of Hershey Foods in the 1980’s who started with the company in 1957 as a Product Manager and retired as Chairman of the Board of Directors, died May 10 in Elizabethtown, PA after a long illness at age 80.
Dr. Judianne Densen-Gerber - Lawyer and psychiatrist who founded the drug treatment program Odyssey House and went on to give widely quoted but sometimes disputed testimony on subjects like child abuse and pornography, died May 11 in New York of cancer at age 68.
Byron Godbersen - Inventor and business entrepreneur who invented the Bolster Hoist, a devise used to raise loaded farm wagons, who was founder and CEO of Midwest Industries and Byron Originals, and who had more than 50 patents, more than anyone else in Iowa, died May 11 in Ida Grove, IA at age 78.
Konrad Krauskopf - Pioneer in the field of geochemistry, who in the 1930's helped define the this emerging field of science which combines the concepts of physical chemistry with those of geology, who authored the textbook “Introduction to Geochemistry”, and was a member of the faculty at Stanford University since 1939, died May 4 in Palo Alto, CA at age 92.
L. Welch Pogue - Lawyer who helped set regulations for national and international civil aviation as president of the fledgling Civil Aeronautics Board from 1942 to 1946, and who practiced aviation law for more than 50 years, died May 10 of renal failure in Baltimore at age 103.
William Witter - Investment manager and son of stockbroker Dean Witter who in 1967 founded his own firm, William D. Witter Inc., and who was a founding investor of National Semiconductor Corp. in Silicon Valley, died May 11 in New York at age 73.