 | April Ashley
Monday, 29th April 1935 - Monday, 27th December 2021 (86)
Born George Jamieson in Liverpool, England. Following service in the Merchant Navy, she underwent a risky and pioneering gender re-assignment surgery in 1960 in Morocco. Upon recovery she took the name April Ashley and began a successful modelling career even appearing with Bob Hope/Bing Crosby in Road to Hong Kong. She became hounded by the media after being outed by a friend in 1961 and a messy and discriminatory divorce that ran for 5 years through the courts. She remained a campaigner for tolerance and trans rights. |
 | Barbara Chilcott
Sunday, 10th September 1922 - Saturday, 1st January 2022 (99)
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 | Max Julien
Sunday, 1st January 1933 - Saturday, 1st January 2022 (89)
Multi-talented actor/writer/designer who started off-broadway perhaps remembered best for his association with several 'blaxploitation' classics notably appearing as Goldie in The Mack, and co-scriptwriter on Cleopatra Jones. |
 | John Madden
Friday, 10th April 1936 - Tuesday, 28th December 2021 (85)
Born in Austin, Minnesota he enjoyed a successful sporting and academic college career but was cheated of a professional football career by injury just after signing for the Philadelphia Eagles. Turning to coaching he moved from college teams to the AFL and the Oakland Raiders where he never had a losing season. Following that he moved to possibly an even more spectacular career as sports commentator across the networks and winning 12 Emmy awards along the way. |
 | Alfonso Mejía
Friday, 16th November 1934 - Wednesday, 29th December 2021 (87)
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 | Harry Reid
Saturday, 2nd December 1939 - Tuesday, 28th December 2021 (82)
Born in Searchlight, Nevada, Reid served with the US Capitol Police while studying for his Doctor of Law degree. Entered politics and was soon Lieutenant Governor of Nevada form 71 to 74. After a stint as Chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission, he successfully served as US Senator for Nevada from 1987 to 2017 with terms as Democratic Minority/Majority leader. |
 | Jeanine Ann Roose
Sunday, 24th October 1937 - Friday, 31st December 2021 (84)
Despite the paucity of credits - and she did make a few TV and radio appearances - she remains best known as Violet in It's a Wonderful Life. Quitting the industry to pursue an education at UCLA she moved from nursing to psychologist and eventually a Jungian Analyst. |
 | Betty White
Tuesday, 17th January 1922 - Friday, 31st December 2021 (99)
2021 was to close with one last outrage, the passing of beloved Betty White whose screen and radio presence has spanned 90 years and delighted fans from multiple generations to the very last. Born in Oak Park, Illinois, her family moved to California in 1923. After some modelling assignments and theatre work she joined the AWVS in WW2. By 1951 she was producing and starring in her own sitcom, Life with Elizabeth. Seldom off TV she scored another hit among the ensemble cast of Golden Girls. Her 100th birthday was to be a big celebration and she was featured on the cover of People magazine. But it was not to be. Died of natural causes at home on the morning of December 31, 2021. |