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Life In Legacy - Week ending Saturday, November 6, 2021

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Jane Brown Grimes, President of the United States Tennis AssociationGilberto Grácio, Portuguese guitar makerTomas Leandersson, Swedish ten-pin bowlerAlvin Jose Miguel Mena Rodriguez, American jockeyDean Shek, Hong Kong film actor and producerFitzroy Ernest Wilson, Jamaican reggaeRonnie Wilson, American R&B musicianAndrzej Adam Zaorski, Polish actor

News and Entertainment

Gilberto Grácio (85) born on May 12, 1936, in Portugal. His father and grandfather were both renowned string instrument makers. He started working in his father's workshop at the age of twelve. The heir of a traditional art of Portuguese guitar making that has passed through generations of the Grácio family, he is the last of the Grácio luthiers, since his sons do not want to continue the tradition. Grácio still worked in his workshop in Lisbon, and in the past years, he has devoted most of his time to teaching his art. Two of his students continued making guitars according to his family's tradition under his supervision. Amongst the famous performers and musicians who have bought and played his instruments are Carlos Paredes, António Chainho, Fernando Alvim, and Jimmy Page. He died on November 1, 2021.

Alvin Patterson (90) born Francisco Willie on December 30, 1930, in Havana, Cuba. Patterson’s family moved to Jamaica where he became friends with Bob Marley. Patterson encouraged Bob Marley as he began to experiment with singing. Marley would form The Wailers and begin to perform worldwide. As the Wailers rose in prominence on the Jamaican scene, Patterson worked in the Bauxite mines. In 1966, however, while Marley was working in the United States, Patterson was injured in a mine accident. When Marley returned to Jamaica, he convinced Patterson to give up mining and begin working in music. In 1974, Patterson became a core member of the Wailers band under Marley’s direction and contributed to every recording and live performance that Marley wound make for the rest of his career. Patterson died on November 1,2021, after developing bleeding on the brain.

Dean Shek (72) was born as Lau Wai-sing on October 17, 1949, in Beijing, China. He studied filmmaking, acting and voice acting at Shaw Brothers Studio's actors training program in 1968. Throughout the late 1970s, Shek worked with Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung on period kung fu films. Shek played his final role in the 1991 action film, The Raid.In 1992 Shek retired from acting He made a return to acting with a cameo appearance in the 2016 film, The Bodyguard. He acted in or produced 92 films over his career. Shek died on October 31, 2021, from cancer. He was diagnosed two months prior to his death.

Fitzroy Wilson (69) born on November 18, 1951, in Clarendon Parish, Jamaica. Wilson formed the Clarendonians in 1963 with Peter Austin. The duo went on to become one of the most popular groups of the ska genre and had several Jamaican #1 hits. One of Wilson's biggest international hit singles was "Let True Love Be". Wilson was also briefly a member of the group The Techniques. Wilson died in Kingston on November 2, 2021, at the age of 69.

Ronnie Wilson (73) born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Ronnie Wilson and his two brothers Charlie and Robert grew up singing in their father’s church. In the 1960s they formed a group and named it after three streets that encompass the historically Black neighborhood destroyed during the Tulsa Massacre: Greenwood, Archer and Pine. The group was known as The Gap Band. Together, the band continued to make music for 43 years until the youngest brother and bassist, Robert, died at the age of 53 in 2010. Then, on November 2, 2021, Ronnie Wilson died after suffering from a stroke. Lead vocalist Charlie Wilson, 68, is the last surviving member of The Gap Band.

Andrzej Zaorski (78) born on December 17, 1942, in Piaski, Poland. He performed at the Warsaw Contemporary Theatre until 1970. In the 1970s, he participated in productions of multiple television programs and radio shows. From 1991 to 1993, he created the TV series Polskie Zoo. In the early 1990s, Zaorski retired from active work in theater and film but made a comeback in 2020, appearing in a number of films. He suffered a stroke in 2004 causing paralysis and significantly reducing his ability to speak with his almost-synonymous voice. He died on October 31, 2021.


Sports

Jane Brown Grimes (80) born on January 20, 1941, in Freeport, New York. Brown Grimes went to the Zicklin School of Business to earn a Master of Business Administration degree. She started her career working at Life as a reporter. In 1977, she moved to tennis to start a New York City branch of the International Tennis Hall of Fame. In 1991, Brown Grimes returned to the ITHF and became President from 1991 to 2000. Brown Grimes was the first vice president in 2005 before being promoted to president in 2007. When she became president, Brown Grimes was the second woman in USTA history to hold the position. She remained president until 2009.In 2014, Brown Grimes was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Brown Grimes died in New York City on November 2, 2021.

Tomas Leandersson (55) born on April 11, 1966, in Degerfors, Sweden. Leandersson was a member of Team Sweden for over ten years. He was also a member of the team that won the gold medal in the 1990 Nordic Championships, as well as the 1999 FIQ/World Tenpin Bowling Association World Championships and 1994 World Tenpin Team Cup. His individual achievements include the men's singles title in the 1993 World Games and the 1999 European Championships and bronze medals in the 1991 FIQ/WTBA World Championships Masters and 1999 All-Events. His awards include World Bowling Writers International Bowling Hall of Fame, 1993 World Bowling Writers World Bowler of the Year, and Swedish Bowler of the Year in 1988, 1993, and 1999. He died on November 2, 2021.

Jose Rodriguez (34) born on November 6, 1986, in Peru. His jockey career started in 2003. Over his career he won 2,079 races, earning more than $72.4 million in purses. He competed in the Kentucky Derby twice, riding Backtalk to a 20th-place finish in 2010 and Necker Island to ninth place in 2020. On October 31, 2021, he exited a rideshare vehicle, crossed the eastbound lanes of the highway, and climbed over a retaining wall. Rodriguez was then struck by a vehicle traveling in the westbound lanes, and he died at the scene.


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