Once again, it's time to remember those celebrities that have gone to the Great Beyond throughout 2024. As always, there will be a mix of those we saw on the Silver Screen, the Small Screen, on the sports' fields and others whose names will seem familiar to some and heartbreaking for others.
So, without further ado, let's get to the dead folk...
GLYNIS JOHNS
BORN: October 5, 1923 in Pretoria, South Africa
DIED: January 4, 2024 (aged 100) in Los Angeles, California
CAUSE: Natural Causes
Glynis Johns began her acting and singing career way back in 1923; that's right, she was all of three weeks old when she was brought out on stage at the Old London Theatre by her violinist grandmother. It didn't take much longer before she was cast in plays in London, starting when she was just 8 years old. As a young ballerina, she would spend her youth on many stages around London. Her first appearance in the movies came when she was 15, in a film called South Riding. From there she would appear in over 60 movies and 30 plays, winning accolades in both. She was most remembered for her roles in The Sundowners (for which she was nominated for an Academy Award), Mary Poppins (as Mrs. Banks), and showing up on TV's "Cheers" as Diane Chambers' mother. In 1973, she won a Tony Award for her role in the musical A Little Night Music. She was one of the last big stars from the Golden Age of Cinema.
DAVID SOUL
BORN: August 28, 1943 in Chicago, Illinois
DIED: January 4, 2023 (aged 80) in London, England
CAUSE: Unknown
His first appearance on television came in 1966 when he appeared on an episode of the hugely popular "I Dream Of Genie". This led to a role on the Western Comedy "Here Come The Brides" where he played Joshua Bolt in all 52 episodes. But soon enough, the entire world would know the name David Soul. In 1975, he was cast as Detective Sergeant Kenneth Hutchinson, better known as "Hutch", in the crazy popular show "Starsky And Hutch". For five years and 92 episodes, Soul and his partner, played by Paul Michael Glaser, were the biggest thing on TV. Wednesday nights on ABC at 10pm...I can still remember! His fame as "Hutch" allowed him to branch out into his love of singing, and he scored a number one single in 1976 with "Don't Give Up On Us", allowing him to tour the world for the next 6 years. He made dozens of other appearances on TV and in the movies throughout his 50 year career in show business, but none came close to the cult status he achieved playing "Hutch".
NORMAN JEWISON
DIED: January 20, 2024 (aged 97) in Malibu, California
CAUSE: Natural Causes
There are a great many Canadians that made a big splash in the entertainment business who are, because I'm from that great country, near and dear to my heart. Norman Jewison was at the top of this list for me. He began his more than 50 year career in movies and television back in 1950 when he moved from Toronto to London to act and write for children's programs. He returned to Canada when the work dried up, getting a job with the new Crown run CBC Television as an assistant director. It didn't take long before he was off to New York, working with some of the biggest stars of the era; Frank Sinatra, Harry Belafonte, Judy Garland and Danny Kaye to just name a few. In 1962, he was tapped to direct his first motion picture, 40 Pounds Of Trouble starring Tony Curtis and Suzanne Pleshette. From there he directed Steve McQueen in The Cincinnati Kid in 1965 and the hilarious comedy The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming in 1966. By this time he was seen as one of the top directors in the business, but it was only the beginning for Jewison. In 1967 he directed Academy Award Best Picture winner In The Heat Of The Night with Rod Steiger and Sidney Poitier, a hugely important film made during the height of the Civil Rights movement in America, and easily on my list of favourite films ever. It was the first of three Oscar nominations as Best Director for Jewison. In 1971, another nomination came for his work on Fiddler On The Roof, and one more in 1987 for working with Cher on Moonstruck. His list of awards and accolades, as well as praise from those that worked with him, is longer than I could get into here. But above all of that, Jewison never forgot where he came from and the importance of giving back to help up-and-coming talent achieve their dreams. He created the Canadian Centre For Advanced Film Studies in 1986 which was renamed Canadian Film Centre, or CFC. Through the years, more than 1,700 students and 100 film companies have emerged from CFC's programs. He was a fabulous director, creator, writer, and philanthropist that will be greatly missed.
BIRTH NAME: Melanie Anne Safka
BORN: February 3, 1947 in New York, New York
DIED: January 23, 2024 (aged 76) in Nashville, Tennessee
CAUSE: Unknown Illness
If you were like me and thought Melanie was just a one-hit wonder that faded away as fast as she appeared, you'd be as wrong as I was. Melanie Safka released 28 studio albums in her time as a musician, from 1968 all the way to early 2024! Of course she was known best for her only Number One hit single "Brand New Key" in 1971, but was very prolific throughout the 1970's. In fact, her 1976 album Photograph was widely praised as the best album of that year, although nobody bought it. Melanie worked quite steadily for the next few decades including writing the music and lyrics for a theatrical musical that never came to fruition and winning an Emmy Award for writing the lyrics to the theme song from the popular television show "Beauty And The Beast". So much more than just a one-hit wonder.
CARL WEATHERS
DIED: February 2, 2024 (aged 76) in Los Angeles, California
CAUSE: Cardiovascular Disease
Although he always loved acting, and actually graduated from college with a Masters Degree in Theatre Arts, Carl Weathers first was known for his football skills. He helped lead the San Diego State Aztecs to a Pasadena Bowl win in 1969. He then signed with the Oakland Raiders in the NFL, playing in a total of 8 NFL games in 1970 and 1971. He moved to the CFL later in 1971 and played for the BC Lions for 13 games. But he was being called back to the stage and screen. His first acting jobs came as an extra in a couple of Blaxploitation films of the mid-'70's, along with a small role in an episode of TV's "Good Times" in 1976. It was around this time that Weathers auditioned for a part in a small film written by Sylvester Stallone about some boxer. The story goes Weathers won the role of Apollo Creed in Rocky because he wasn't afraid to criticize Stallone's acting. Whatever it was, it made him a huge star and he ended up reprising his role in three more films in the franchise. His appearances in Predator and Action Jackson in the late 1980's sent him into mini-cult status. But his enduring legacy will always be due to his role as the Champ vs. the Italian Stallion.
TOBY KEITH
BIRTH NAME: Toby Keith Covel
BORN: July 8, 1961 in Clinton, Oklahoma
DIED: February 5, 2024 (aged 62) in Oklahoma
CAUSE: Stomach Cancer
I really never knew exactly who Toby Keith was, meaning I would never be able to pick him out of a lineup, but I certainly knew he was a pretty big deal in the world of Country Music. His love of music started at an early age, getting his first guitar when he was eight years old. After graduating from high school he work in the oil fields of Oklahoma where he found friends to form a band called The Easy Money Band. They played local bars and clubs, but Keith had bigger dreams and soon moved to Nashville to further his singing career. It didn't take long before he was signed to Mercury Records after shopping around demo tapes. From there, Toby Keith became one of the most successful Country Music artists of the 1990's and 2000's, selling over 40-million albums and garnering 20 Number One singles on the Country charts. He was nominated for 7 Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Country Music Hall Of Fame just hours after his passing.
RICHARD LEWIS
DIED: February 27, 2024 (aged 76) in Los Angeles, California
CAUSE: Heart Attack
I used to love watching Richard Lewis on talk shows. Whenever he was scheduled to be a guest with David Letterman I made sure to stay up and watch. His self-deprecating humour and anxiety ridden tales were always great. He began his stand-up comedy career way back in 1971 when he went to an open mic night at a local comedy club. Soon he was spotted by David Brenner who took Lewis under his wing and introduced him to the comedy club scene in Los Angeles. Lewis' career took off and was known as one of the best up-and-coming comedians in the States. Although he was never known for his acting prowess, he did appear in a handful of movies and had a very successful stint on television with the sit-com "Anything But Love" starring opposite Jamie Lee Curtis for 58 episodes. And, of course, his work with Larry David on "Curb Your Enthusiasm" can never be forgotten.
BRIAN MULRONEY
DIED: February 29, 2024 (aged 84) in Palm Beach, Florida
CAUSE: Result of a fall
It would take a day and a half to talk about everything that needs to be said about Brian Mulroney, good or bad, so I'll summarize as best I can. He got into politics in 1976 after many years as a labour lawyer in Quebec. He ran for the Progressive Conservative leadership in '76, having never run for political office before, and came pretty close to winning. He went back to work in the private sector afterwards, then, in 1983, ran once again for the PC leadership, this time against Joe Clark. He won on the fourth ballot and began his rise in the political world. He would be elected as the 18th Prime Minister in Canada's history on September 17, 1984 and would hold the position for the next 10 years. Agree or disagree with his policies and actions, but holding the highest political position in this land for a decade is something to say.
STEVE LAWRENCE
BIRTH NAME: Sidney Liebowitz
BORN: July 8, 1935 in New York, New York
DIED: March 7, 2024 (aged 88) in Los Angeles, California
CAUSE: Alzheimer's Disease
Steve Lawrence began his long career way back in 1952. He signed a contract as a 16 year old with King Records and soon started working with Steve Allen on his show that would become known as "The Tonight Show". Singing alongside Lawrence was a young woman named Eydie Gorme. They met, fell in love, and married in 1957, Soon enough, Steve and Eydie would become one of the most popular pop singing duos in America. The stayed together until Gorme's death in 2013, over 55 years. Lawrence released scores of albums throughout his career, and became a favourite of talk shows and game shows, dabbling in acting more and more as his career took off. Many people of my age remember him most as agent Maury Sline in the 1980 film The Blues Brothers. He was the consummate performer for over 65 years.
ERIC CARMEN
BORN: August 11, 1949 in Cleveland, Ohio
DIED: March 11, 2024 (aged 74) in Lyndhurst, Ohio
CAUSE: Unknown
Some may not recognize the name, but it's almost assured that you'd recognize the songs that were released by Eric Carmen in his nearly 50 year career in the music industry. He began as the lead singer, and writer of most of the songs, for the pop group The Raspberries in the early to mid 1970's. The Raspberries had a Top 5 hit in 1972 with the song "Go All The Way", a certified Gold single. After the band broke up in 1975, Carmen wasted no time in becoming a big selling solo artist. He first album, Eric Carmen released in 1975, went Gold. From that album came the Number 2 charted single in America, "All By Myself". He had other semi-hits including "Never Gonna Fall In Love Again", but made a big splash on the music scene again in 1987 when he was asked to sing a previously recorded song titled "Hungry Eyes" for a new film, Dirty Dancing. When the movie became a huge hit, so did "Hungry Eyes", reaching Number 4 on the Billboard Charts. Carmen reportedly died in his sleep the weekend before March 11, as reported by his wife on the 11th, but a cause was never given.
M. EMMET WALSH
BORN: March 22, 1935 in Ogdensburg, New York
DIED: March 19, 2024 (aged 88) in St. Albans, Vermont
CAUSE: Cardiac Arrest
Most people that choose certain movies to watch are because of the stars involved. I always loved to see M. Emmet Walsh's name in the movies I chose. In my opinion, he was one of the best character actors around. He began acting while at university in the late 1950's, but didn't become serious about it until he enrolled at The American Academy Of Dramatic Arts in New York. He made his Broadway debut opposite Al Pacino in 1969 in Does A Tiger Wear A Necktie?. That got him into TV and films, consistently working for the next 50 plus years! Some of my favourite films of Walsh's include Slap Shot, The Jerk, Silkwood, Blood Simple, Raising Arizona and Narrow Margin just to name a few. Film critic Roger Ebert actually made up a rule for film watching with Walsh in mind. It was known as the "Stanton-Walsh Rule" where he claimed "No movie featuring Harry Dean Stanton or M. Emmet Walsh in a supporting role can be altogether bad.". All in all, Walsh can be seen in over 230 films and TV shows and was much appreciated by this viewer.
LOUIS GOSSETT JR.
DIED: March 29, 2024 (aged 87) in Santa Monica, California
CAUSE: COPD
Another great character actor of our time gone. Lou Gossett Jr. started his long career on stage, appearing in many acclaimed Broadway plays, his first being at the age of 17 in a play called Take A Giant Step. He won an award as Best Newcomer Of The Year for his performance. From there he would star in The Desk Set, A Raisin In The Sun opposite Sydney Poitier, The Blacks with James Earl Jones, and others. He began getting small roles in television and movies, appearing in some of the most popular shows of the day like "The Mod Squad", "The Partridge Family", "Good Times" and "The Rockford Files" just to name a few. But the world would soon know his name when he took the role of Gunnery Sergeant Emil Foley in the film An Officer And A Gentleman. It took nearly 30 years, but this was Gossett Jr.'s breakout role, earning him an Academy Award as Best Supporting Actor. He was also nominated for 8 Emmy Awards in his time, winning once for his performance in the mini-series "Roots". You always knew you'd get a great performance from him.
JOE FLAHERTY
DIED: April 1, 2024 (aged 82) in Toronto, Ontario
CAUSE: Short Undisclosed Illness
I was always under the impression that Joe Flahery was Canadian. He was such a staple on SCTV, the Canadian sketch comedy show playing with other great Canadian comedians John Candy, Martin Short and Eugene Levy. Fact is he came to Canada via Pittsburgh and Chicago in the mid-'70's to help start the Second City Theatre in Toronto. The success of their improv stage performances led to the television show "SCTV" where Flaherty served as writer and performer for eight seasons. Some of the characters he played were staples of the show and reasons why people would tune in; Count Floyd, Guy Caballero, Big Jim McBob. It was always great to see Flaherty in film and TV roles as well, spending time on "Married...With Children", "Freaks And Geeks", "That '70's Show" and "The King Of Queens". He'd have small roles in some great comedy films, too; Stripes, Johnny Dangerously, InnerSpace and Happy Gilmore. He may have been born in the States, but he was certainly an adopted Canadian and meant a great deal to his fans of this nation.
O.J. SIMPSON
BORN: July 9, 1947 in San Francisco, California
DIED: April 10, 2024 (aged 76) in Las Vegas, Nevada
CAUSE: Prostate Cancer
If you didn't live through it, you'd never believe it; one of the greatest running backs in football history on the run from police, live on TV. It was just unbelievable! OJ, known as "the Juice", was a football phenom in the late '60's playing for USC and earning the Heisman Trophy by the largest margin of victory for 51 years. He entered the NFL in 1969 with the Buffalo Bills with the largest contract in professional sports history at the time; $650,000 over five years. He went on to become the most popular player in the league for years, setting records and leading the league in rushing numerous times, but never winning a Super Bowl. While he played football, he also got into acting. One of his first big roles came opposite Paul Newman and Steve McQueen in The Towering Inferno in 1974. He'd appear in about two dozen films and TV shows, most notably as Detective Nordberg in the Naked Gun movies with Leslie Nielsen. And then, out of nowhere, on June 17, 1994, the entire world watched a white Ford Bronco travel along a Los Angles highway while an entire police force chased behind. OJ Simpson was to turn himself in to authorities over questions around the murder of Simpson's ex-wife, Nicole Brown, and Ron Goldman. The most outrageous criminal trial ever was shown on television, drawing millions of viewers every day. OJ was eventually acquitted of the crimes, although many still believe he was responsible for the deaths of two people. It was all so surreal. OJ would find himself in more legal trouble later on when he was sentenced to 33 years in prison for his role in a Las Vegas robbery. He ended up serving 9 years before being paroled in 2017. Quite a life for sure, and I'll always think he got away with two murders.
DICKEY BETTS
BORN: December 12, 1943 in West Palm Beach, Florida
DIED: April 18, 2024 (aged 80) in Osprey, Florida
CAUSE: Cancer and COPD
DIckey Betts was one of the founders of one of the most influential rock bands to ever play, The Allman Brothers Band. In 1969, Duane Allman was looking to form a new band with his brother Gregg. Betts was chosen to play guitar and although Duane was more famous he was known to say Dickey Betts was the better guitar player. For the next 30 years, through breakups and re-formations, Betts would play with the band. He is responsible for some of the band's more popular songs including "Jessica" (which he wrote for his sister Jessica) and "Ramblin' Man" which became the band's highest charting single. (He also was the singer on that tune). His innovative style of playing as a second lead guitar with Duane Allman on tunes provided a map to how Southern Rock would sound for the next several decades. He was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 1995 as part of the band he helped form.
BOB COLE
DIED: April 24, 2024 (aged 90) in St. John's, Newfoundland
CAUSE: Natural Causes
Being born in Canada anywhere from 1950 to present day, it is nearly a right of passage to watch "Hockey Night In Canada" showcasing the biggest hockey games in the NHL. Every Saturday night for much of my youth was spent in front of the TV watching this show. There were many announcers, play-by-play men and hosts during the last 60+ years, but for me, being a Toronto boy, Bob Cole was the voice of hockey. He began broadcasting hockey games on the radio in his home of Newfoundland back in 1969. He came to television in 1973, and starting calling mostly Toronto Maple Leaf games in 1980. For the next almost 30 years the sound of Bob Cole's voice meant hockey, they were synonymous! After Rogers Communications bought the rights to "Hockey Night In Canada" in 2013, they had Cole call some of their games as well. The last hockey game he called was April 6, 2019 to complete a 50-year career! Cole was so beloved by so many Canadians that he was appointed a Member Of The Order Of Canada in 2016. Hockey just ain't the same without him.
ROGER CORMAN
DIED: May 9, 2024 (aged 98) in Santa Monica, California
CAUSE: Natural Causes
I think anyone would be hard pressed to think of a more prolific film director/producer than Roger Corman. He was responsible for more than 500 movies!! He was a credited director of 55 of them, although he had a hand in scores of others. Most were made for next to no money; most were churned out in a couple of days; as a result, most were not very good. But there were a handful of Roger Corman films that made a real impact on cinema and have become huge cult classics over time. He studied industrial engineering at Stanford College in the late '40's, but realized he wasn't all that interested in it. He soon got a job at 20th Century Fox as a mailroom messenger but left the giant film company when he wasn't credited as the one who brought the script of The Gunfighter to producers there. He learned how to make his own films and raise money to produce them, making his first feature in 1954 titled Monster From The Ocean Floor. From there he would make such classics as It Conquered The World, The Little Shop Of Horrors, House Of Usher (along with many other films based on Edgar Allen Poe stories), The Wild Angels, The Trip, Bloody Mama, Caged Heat, Big Bad Mama, Death Race 2000, Rock And Roll High School and hundreds more. He was still producing movies up to the year of his death, an incredible 70 years in the business!
RON ELLIS
DIED: May 11, 2024 (aged 79) in Belleville, Ontario
CAUSE: Unknown
I realize some, if not most, people reading this blog may not know who Ron Ellis was, but, again, as a young lad growing up in Toronto in the 1970's and '80's, he was a mini-hero of mine. He was a consistent force on some very good, and very bad, Toronto Maple Leaf hockey teams, playing alongside such greats as George Armstrong, Dave Keon, Darryl Sittler, Lanny McDonald and so many others. He spent his entire 16 year career as a Leaf scoring 20 or more goals in 11 of those seasons. He was a member of the 1967 Leaf Stanley Cup winning team, the last year the Leafs won the Cup. I think what I liked most about Ellis growing up is that he was a very clean player, receiving more than 20 penalty minutes only three times. He had 6 hat tricks in his NHL career, was selected to 4 All-Star Games and played in the famous 1972 Summit Series against Russia. A real fan favourite here in Toronto for a long time.
DAVID SANBORN
DIED: May 12, 2024 (aged 78) in Tarrytown, New York
CAUSE: Prostate Cancer
He became one of the most prominent saxophonists of the 1980's, working with tons of artists at the time, but nobody really knew his name until he played with the house band on "Saturday Night Live" and his many appearances on "Late Night With David Letterman". I say nobody, but every musician worth his salt knew his name! He began playing on stage in Blues clubs at the tender age of 14 alongside greats like Albert King and Little Milton. In the '60's he sat in on a recording by The Paul Butterfiled Blues Band. The band liked him so much that he continued to play with them for 5 years, even playing with them at Woodstock in 1969. After that, he literally played with everybody in a variety of genres; James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Brian Ferry, The Rolling Stones, Toto, David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, Carly Simon, James Taylor, and dozens more. He hosted shows on the radio and television in the '90's, won six Grammy Awards, recorded eight Gold albums and one Platinum album. An incredible 65 years in the music biz.
DABNEY COLEMAN
DIED: May 16, 2024 (aged 92) in Santa Monica, California
CAUSE: Cardiac Arrest
Although he had been acting for many years, my first recollection of Dabney Coleman in any film was 1980's 9 To 5 opposite Dolly Parton, Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda. I thought he was spot on perfect as the womanizing boss. As I grew older and started watching more and more movies, I realized Coleman was damn near perfect in anything he did. After dropping out of law school he decided to study acting. He didn't get his first television part until he was nearly 30, an episode of "Naked City" in 1961. His first movie role came a few years later in 1965's The Slender Thread. He would go on to have a very successful career in both mediums, showing up in some very popular films of the '70's and '80's including The Towering Inferno, North Dallas Forty, 9 To 5, On Golden Pond, Tootsie and WarGames. On television you could catch him on "That Girl", "Columbo", "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman" and "The Slap Maxwell Story" for which he earned a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy nomination. His final role was on TV's "Yellowstone" in 2019.
MORGAN SPURLOCK
DIED: May 23, 2024 (aged 53) in New York State
CAUSE: Cancer
Morgan Spurlock catapulted to fame for one thing, to see how sick he could make himself. After spending years as a playwright, winning awards for his play The Phoenix, he started his own production company to make documentaries. His first documentary was titled Super Size Me and the world took notice. The film examined the world's, and mostly the USA's, obsession with unhealthy foods and how they affect humans. He started to eat nothing but food from McDonalds for 30 days to see what it did to his body. What started out as a lighthearted jab at the fast food industry turned into a frightening tale of how those foods can, and have, destroyed human bodies for decades. The movie got him an Academy Award nomination for Best Feature Documentary. Other documentaries followed, garnering some critical praise, but nothing like the experiment that nearly killed him. Years after Super Size Me took the world by storm, Spurlock admitted to drinking heavy amounts of alcohol during filming which no doubt lead to much of his unhealthy look and feel in the movie.
BORN: May 28, 1938 in Chelyan, West Virginia
DIED: June 12, 2024 (aged 86) in Los Angeles, California
CAUSE: Unknown
He was so revered during his time in the NBA that the organization used his silhouette as their logo. Yup, that's Jerry West doing that diagonal dribble. He played college ball close to home for West Virginia University and helped the team win 17 straight games in his Freshman year. The next year he led the team to a 26-2 record. He scored 26.6 points a game as a Junior and raised it to 29.3 points per game as a Senior. In 1960 he was chosen 2nd overall in the draft by the Minneapolis Lakers, a team that would relocate the next year to Los Angeles. The first overall pick was Hall Of Famer Oscar Robertson. His presence was felt immediately, helping his new team win 11 more games than the previous year while making the playoffs. From there, Jerry West just kept getting better and better. He ended up playing 14 seasons, all with the Lakers, making 12 All-Star teams, averaged 27.0 points per game through his career and won one championship. His number 44 was retired by the team in 1983 and he was elected into the Basketball Hall Of Fame in 1979. Truly one of the best to ever play.
WILLIE MAYS
DIED: June 18, 2024 (aged 93) in Palo Alto, California
CAUSE: Heart Failure
Less than a week after losing an NBA Hall Of Famer, the sport of baseball lost perhaps the best player they ever had, the "Say Hey Kid", Willie Mays. Mays started honing his craft when he was just 5 years old, but became a multi-sport star in High School where he played football and basketball along with baseball. As a 17-year old he played in the Negro Leagues with the Birmingham Black Barons. His fielding and running prowess got Major League clubs interested right away, as MLB had just recently integrated the game. The New York Giants ended up signing him to a $4,000 contract and off he went. He got called up to the big club in 1951 and, for the next 20+ years, he was simply one of the greatest players in the game. By the time he retired in 1973 he accumulated 3283 hits, 660 home runs, 1903 runs batted in, was a member of 24 All-Star teams, 12 Gold Gloves and was a World Series champion once. The phrase "Five-Tool Player" was pretty much invented for the way Mays played the game. On just about any list of the best that ever played, Mays is nearly always in the Top 5, and many would claim him as THE BEST. A true legend in the sport.
DONALD SUTHERLAND
DIED: June 20, 2024 (aged 88) in Miami, Florida
CAUSE: Complications from COPD
Us Canadians are always proud when a Native makes it big in the United States, either in music, sports or entertainment. There were few Canadians that were more recognized in the entertainment industry than Donald Sutherland. He began his near 65 year career in the biz in London, England appearing in stage productions while studying at the London Academy Of Music And Dramatic Arts in 1960. He went to Scotland soon after to act with the Perth Repertory Company for 18 months. In the early to mid '60's you could see him in small parts in TV shows including "The Saint" and "The Avengers". This all led to a meatier role in the star-studded film The Dirty Dozen in 1967. From there, Sutherland would appear in no less than 180 movies and TV shows right up until 2023. He became one of the most recognizable actors in the 1970's appearing in such favourites as MASH, Klute, The Day Of The Locust, The Eagle Has Landed, Animal House, The First Great Train Robbery and Murder By Decree, just to name a few. He was never nominated for an Academy Award, but he did get an Honorary Award in 2017 for his work in the industry.
MARTIN MULL
DIED: June 27, 2024 (aged 80) in Los Angeles, California
CAUSE: Long Unknown Illness
Martin Mull quietly had himself a 50 year career in the entertainment biz. I think I first remember him from the 1985 film Clue playing Col. Mustard. But he made a name for himself far before that. He actually started as a songwriter, becoming a musical comedian in the early '70's. He opened for the likes of Frank Zappa, Randy Newman, Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen. His first foray into television acting led to over 150 episodes playing the role of Barth Gimble, first on "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman" then on "Fernwood 2 Night" and "America 2 Night" from 1976 to 1978. A role in the radio-centric film FM followed in 1978. He would go on to appear in another 130 or so films and TV shows, comedies and dramas both. Along with Clue, other popular films and shows where you could see Mull include Mr. Mom, Mrs. Doubtfire, "Rosanne", "Sabrina The Teenage Witch" and "Arrested Development".
ORLANDO CEPEDA
DIED: June 28, 2024 (aged 86) in Concord, California
CAUSE: Unknown
Only 10 days after his more famous teammate passed away, another great San Francisco Giant leaves us. Orlando Cepeda may not have been the five-tool player that Willie Mays was, but he was certainly an important fixture on a Giants team that had just moved to San Francisco. His first full year in the Majors earned him the Rookie Of The Year Award after hitting .312 and 25 home runs, leading the National League in doubles with 38. He continued to be a great hitter for the Giants for next seven years when he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1966. He would have a couple of good years in St. Louis and a couple more in Atlanta with the Braves before moving around year to year. All in all, in his 17 year career, Cepeda hit 379 home runs and drove in 1365 while batting .297, an 11-time All-Star, National League MVP in 1967 and a World Series Champion. He was elected into the Baseball Hall Of Fame by the Veteran's Committee in 1999, becoming, at the time, just the second Puerto Rican born player in the Hall, next to the great Roberto Clemente.
ROBERT TOWNE
BORN: November 23, 1934 in Los Angeles, California
DIED: July 1, 2024 (aged 89) in Los Angeles, California
CAUSE: Unknown
Some may not recognize the name, but if you've been watching movies and studied how they get made in Hollywood, Robert Towne was very familiar. He began writing scripts for Roger Corman in 1960 while acting as well. At the time, he was taking writing and acting classes alongside some dude named Jack Nicholson. Their paths would cross a few times through their careers. Soon he began writing scripts for TV shows like "The Outer Limits" and "The Man From U.N.C.L.E.". He worked with Warren Beatty on Bonnie And Clyde, credited as a "special consultant" although it was known he helped a lot with the script. He then wrote a film called The Last Detail which gained huge acclaim and starred his friend Nicholson. But what Towne was most known for was his next film, Chinatown, directed by Roman Polanski and starring Nicholson again. Shampoo, Personal Best, Tequila Sunrise, Days Of Thunder, The Firm, Mission: Impossible all followed. He was nominated for 4 Academy Awards for his writing, winning once for Chinatown.
SHELLEY DUVALL
DIED: July 11, 2024 (aged 75) in Blanco, Texas
CAUSE: Complications from Diabetes
I was never a huge fan of Shelley Duvall's but critics and audiences seemed to enjoy her performances. She was at a party in 1970 and met director Robert Altman there. He loved her upbeat personality and offered her a part in the movie he was making at the time, Brewster McCloud. From there she sort of became an Altman go-to actress, appearing in 6 more of his films; McCabe And Mrs. Miller, Thieves Like Us, Nashville, Buffalo Bill And The Indians, 3 Women and Popeye. Her role in 3 Women earned her an acting award when it was shown at the Cannes Film Festival in 1977. What most people remember Duvall most for was her role as Wendy Torrence in Stanley Kubrick's The Shining. Many stories exist on how Kubrick tormented Duvall while filming, doing take after take to get her best performance and, in my opinion from what I've seen from her, it was! She took a break from acting for over 20 years, coming back for her final appearance in an independent horror film called The Forest Hills in 2023.
RUTH WESTHEIMER
DIED: July 12, 2024 (aged 96) in New York, New York
CAUSE: Natural Causes
Who could have guessed that a four and a half foot immigrant from Germany with a thick German accent would become one of the most recognizable people in the world in the 1980's?? Not me, but it surely happened. Her parents were murdered during WWII in a Nazi concentration camp, but she was sent to Switzerland for her safety. As a 17 year old, she joined up for the Israeli War Of Independence as a sniper (!!!). She was injured, nearly losing both her feet. She emigrated to the United States in 1956, earned a Masters Degree sociology and a Doctorate in 1970, becoming a renowned sex therapist. She taught classes at some of the most esteemed colleges in the US; Columbia, Yale, Princeton and many others. She started a radio show in 1980, at the age of 52, called Sexually Speaking, and by 1981 drew an average of 250,000 listeners per week! People loved her frank discussions about sex and feelings, using humour and medical facts. She started appearing on television in 1984 and in less than a year was attracting an average of 450,000 viewers a night. She was a phenomenon, appearing on talk shows, having interviews for the top celebrity magazines of the day, making guest appearances on sit-coms; it was insane! She wrote scores of books and will always be fondly remembered by anyone growing up in the '80's.
SHANNEN DOHERTY
DIED: July 13, 2024 (aged 53) in Malibu, California
CAUSE: Brain Cancer
Most of us knew about Shannen Doherty's health problems, but it was still a shock to learn she had passed away at the relatively young age of 53. For a good portion of the 1990's she was one of the most recognizable actresses in the world, thanks to being in two very popular television shows, "Beverly Hills, 90210" and "Charmed". She started out as a child actress, getting her first roles on TV as an 11-year old on shows like "Father Murphy" and "Little House On The Prairie". Her first real film role came in 1985's Girls Just Want To Have Fun alongside Helen Hunt and Sarah Jessica Parker. In 1988 she got a meatier role in the movie Heathers. Then everything changed; Doherty won the role of Brenda Walsh on the new teen-centric drama "Beverly Hills, 90210". She became a superstar overnight as the show was watched by millions. But she was also dubbed as a "bad girl", having a reputation of being very difficult to work with. She was "asked to leave" the show after only 4 seasons. In 1998, she teamed up with Alyssa Milano and Holly Marie Combs to star in the witch-centric show "Charmed". Although not as popular as "90210", "Charmed" gained a huge cult following. But, again, after only 3 seasons, Doherty was asked to leave the show after feuding with most of the cast. Unfortunately, that reputation followed her for many years. In 2015, she was diagnosed with breast cancer, went into remission after receiving chemotherapy, but came back to attack other parts of her body.
RICHARD SIMMONS
BORN: July 12, 1948 in New Orleans, Louisiana
DIED: July 13, 2024 (aged 76) in Los Angeles, California
CAUSE: Complications From A Fall / Heart Disease
It's impossible to not think of Richard Simmons when talking about the biggest icons of the 1980's. He was everywhere, and always so energetic and funny. He began his rise in the 1970's when he moved to Los Angeles and opened his first exercise studio. He took his own experiences with losing weight and adopted a system where obese people could gain fitness and lose weight at the same time, as oppose to most clubs in L.A. that catered to the already fit. His studios became so popular that he was recognized everywhere he went, leading to roles where he played himself on popular TV shows of the day. In 1980 he started hosting his own talk show, "The Richard Simmons Show", that discussed fitness and weight issues of the day. The show lasted four years and earned four Daytime Emmy Awards. Then the video tape craze began, and Simmons took full advantage of it. His exercise tapes, especially his Sweatin' To The Oldies series, earned him millions, making him one of the most popular people in the world! All the while, Simmons made appearance after appearance on talk shows, game shows, and sitcoms extolling the virtues of exercise and weight loss to stay healthy. He was always entertaining and, if you've never seen it, I highly recommend going to YouTube to watch his appearance on "Whose Line Is It Anyway?", still the funniest 20 minutes I've ever seen on television!!
BOB NEWHART
BORN: September 5, 1929 in Oak Park, Illinois
DIED: July 18, 2024 (aged 94) in Los Angeles, California
CAUSE: Complications from Several Illnesses
The older one gets, the more one realizes that the heroes of stage and screen start to leave us. Bob Newhart always seemed to be there, my whole life. His comedy albums, his TV shows, his talk show and guest appearances; always hilariously funny and charming. He began his 60+ year career in show biz in the late 1950's doing standup in nightclubs around the Chicago area. His observational humour and serious delivery became very popular very quickly and led to his first comedy album in 1960 The Button-Down Mind Of Bob Newhart. The popularity of his album led to appearances on "The Ed Sullivan Show". The popularity of those appearances led to Bob Newhart hosting his own show in 1961, "The Bob Newhart Show", the first one. He continued appearing on talk shows and guesting on variety shows, making a film appearance here and there, until he was able to land another TV show in 1972, the second "The Bob Newhart Show". This one lasted for 6 seasons, 142 episodes, and became one of the most popular shows on television. The show received 4 Emmy Nominations and 2 Golden Globe Nominations through it's run. Just a few years later, in 1982, Newhart began a new show, "Newhart", that lasted 8 seasons and 184 episodes. This show became even more popular than the prior, earning an amazing 25 Emmy Nominations, though never winning a single one. More shows, more guest appearances, more talk shows followed as Bob Newhart never seemed to slow down. His appearances on "The Big Bang Theory", now in his 80's, were just as funny as ever. Some well-deserved honours Newhart gained throughout his career include being inducted into the Academy Of Television Arts And Sciences Hall Of Fame in 1993, the Hollywood Walk Of Fame in 2000, the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2002, and being ranked at number 17 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Stars Of All-Time. He was a true comedic legend and I'm so happy I got to see so much of his brilliance as it was happening.
JOHN MAYALL
DIED: July 22, 2024 (aged 90) in California
CAUSE: Natural Causes
Many people reading this may not know who John Mayall was but if you are any fan of Blues Rock, then you definitely know his contributions. While serving in the Korean War, Mayall bought his first electric guitar while on leave in Japan. Returning to England, he started up his first band, the Powerhouse Four, continuing to learn his craft while enrolled at the Manchester College Of Art. Soon he decided to go into a full-time music career, and the world was much better for it! In 1963 he changed his band's name to the Bluesbreakers and started earning a reputation around England as one of the best Blues bands around. Things really took off when ex-Yardbirds guitarist Eric Clapton joined the band in 1965. When Clapton left to try a new project, Peter Green stepped in. Bassist Jack Bruce played for Mayall's band for a bit as well. Clapton came back, Green left, but would soon rejoin the band when Clapton decided to focus his attention on his new super group Cream with Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker. Green eventually decided to form his own band with Mick Fleetwood, calling the band Fleetwood Mac. Mayall needed a new guitarist and chose an 18-year old kid named Mick Taylor who would make a bit of a name for himself playing for The Rolling Stones later on. The point of all this is just about every great Blues guitarist honed their chops while playing in John Mayall's bands. In his near 70-year career in the music business, Mayall released 36 studio albums, 34 live albums and was widely known as the "Godfather of British Blues". Just a phenomenal influence for so many great musicians.
GENA ROWLANDS
BIRTH NAME: Virginia Cathryn Rowlands
BORN: June 19, 1930 in Madison, WisconsinDIED: August 14, 2024 (aged 94) in Indian Wells, California
CAUSE: Complications from Alzheimer's Disease
She spent nearly 70 years honing her craft on stage, screen and television, and became one of the most revered actresses in the business. Gena Rowlands began her career at the tender age of 19 performing with repertory companies around New York. She made her Broadway debut in George Axlerod's The Seven Year Itch in the mid-1950's. Soon after she was all over TV, guest starring in many "Playhouse-style" shows. In 1958 she made her film debut opposite Jose Ferrer in the drama The High Cost Of Living. She was already married to actor John Cassavetes when she appeared in his directorial debut Shadows in 1959. The two of them would create some of the most memorable movies of the '60's and '70's including Faces, Minnie And Moskowitz, A Woman Under The Influence and Opening Night. Dozens of other roles followed, but her gut-wrenching performances in her husband's films would make Gena Rowlands a favourite of critics and audiences alike. She was nominated for two Academy Awards, A Woman Under The Influence in 1974 and Gloria in 1980, won 3 Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards in her time. Many will remember her for one of her later roles, in 2004's The Notebook.
PETER MARSHALL
BORN: March 30, 1926 in Clarksburg, West Virginia
DIED: August 15, 2024 (aged 98) in Los Angeles, California
CAUSE: Kidney Failure
As a young boy, I would watch just about every game show on TV. In fact, for a long time, I wanted to be a game show host when I grew up, thanks to watching pros like Bob Barker and Peter Marshall. Early in his career, Marshall teamed up with Tommy Noonan as a comedy act that performed in night clubs and on TV variety shows. He even appeared in a few films in the late '50's and early '60's. But in 1966, Marshall would get the gig as the host of a new television game show called "The Hollywood Squares". He expected to spend a year as host, then go back to performing, but he ended up staying for 15 years and more than 5,000 episodes until the show was cancelled in 1980. His popularity on "The Hollywood Squares" would help get him guest spots on many TV shows of the time including "Fantasy Island", "WKRP in Cincinnati" and "The Love Boat" to name a few. He'd go on to host other game shows afterwards as well, most notably "Fantasy" and "Yahtzee", but he'll always been remembered as one of the best that ever did it, at least by this guy. Marshall was one of the first inductees into the American TV Game Show Hall Of Fame in October of 2007.
PHIL DONAHUE
DIED: August 18, 2024 (aged 88) in New York, New York
CAUSE: Unknown Long Illness
Man, did I love watching "The Phil Donahue Show" when I was young. There was nobody at the time that could get such great reactions from guests and audiences than this man with the energy of a teenager, and the looks of some 80 year old grandfather. He began his career as a production assistant in his hometown of Cleveland back in 1957. He'd move on to become a program director for a radio station in Michigan, then back to Ohio, Dayton this time, to anchor the morning news on WHIO-TV. While doing his television duties, he also started a radio talk show called "Conversation Piece" where he'd interview such dignitaries as Presidential candidate John F. Kennedy, Johnny Carson and Malcolm X. He began "The Phil Donahue Show" in Dayton in 1967, shown only on local stations, but by 1970, the show went nationwide and he soon had to move to bigger digs in Chicago. He moved again in 1985, to New York City, and, by the final episode in 1996, had accumulated over 7,000 shows in 29 years! During his remarkable run, Donahue received 20 Daytime Emmy Nominations, winning 8 times as Outstanding Talk Show Host. He made a brief return to television in the 2000's, but he'll always be remembered as one of the best that ever did it through the 1970's and '80's.
JOHN AMOS
DIED: August 21, 2024 (aged 84) in Inglewood, California
CAUSE: Congestive Heart Failure
My first memory of John Amos was as the exasperated father on the hit sit-com "Good Times" in the 1970's. Little did I know, at that time, that he was a star athlete before getting into acting. He played for Colorado State University's football team in the early 1960's, signing a free agent contract with the Denver Broncos in 1964. An early injury in training camp kept Amos out of the NFL, though he played for lower leagues for a few years. He was also a Golden Gloves boxing champ at one time. He soon turned his attention to acting and, by 1970, got into a few commercials and small television roles on "The Bill Cosby Show" and "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" where he'd show up from time to time as weatherman Gordy Howard. He appeared a few times as James Evans Sr. on the hit show "Maude" and producers decided to spin his character off onto his own show, and "Good Times" was born. Amos only appeared in the first three seasons of the show, though, as he had creative differences with the writers and producers. They decided to kill him off in 1976, but that freed him up to do more TV and films. I think his next most memorable role came in 1977's "Roots" and then in the 1988 film Coming To America opposite Eddie Murphy. But Amos worked pretty steadily for over 50 years, appearing in no less than 115 movies and TV shows throughout his career. Not bad for a football player!
JAMES EARL JONES
DIED: September 9, 2024 (aged 93) in Pawling, New York
CAUSE: Natural Causes
He was simply one of the most celebrated actors on stage and screen for the last six decades. To list the amount of accolades James Earl Jones received in his time would take days to get through. Of course, for people my age, our first introduction to Jones was by voice alone, as the villain of the Star Wars movies, Darth Vader. But he began his remarkable career more than 20 years before that role. He graduated from the University Of Michigan with a Bachelor Of Arts degree, majoring in Drama, in 1955. He was already performing on stage by then, mostly in Shakespeare plays like Othello and King Lear. While playing alongside George C. Scott in The Merchant Of Venice, Stanley Kubrick was in attendance and decided to hire both actors for his new movie, Dr. Strangelove. It was Jones' first film role. From there, Jones would grace the screen and television, along with doing voice work with that booming tenor, no less than 190 times in the next 50 years. Some of his most memorable films include The Great White Hope (1970), The Bingo Long Travelling All-Stars And Motor Kings (1976), Conan The Barbarian (1982), Gardens Of Stone (1987), Coming To America (1988), Field Of Dreams (1989), The Hunt For Red October (1990), Patriot Games (1992) and the voice work in all the Star Wars films with Darth Vader and the Lion King films with Mufasa. He always seemed to have a great time guest appearing in TV shows as well. Some favourites include "Law And Order", "Mad About You", "Frasier", "Will And Grace" and "The Big Bang Theory". A winner of 3 Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe, a Grammy, two Tony Awards and countless other Theatre and acting accolades, including Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Academy Awards and the Tonys, James Earl Jones was easily one of the best actors we will ever see.
TITO JACKSON
BORN: October 15, 1953 in Gary, Indiana
DIED: September 15, 2024 (aged 70) in Gallup, New Mexico
CAUSE: Heart Attack
Being part of the Jackson family from Gary, Indiana couldn't have been easy, but all the brothers made the best of it and Tito was no exception. He was the third oldest of the ten Jackson kids but was still only 11 years old when he joined four of his brothers to form the singing and dancing group called The Jackson Brothers, soon to been known as The Jackson 5. The popularity of The Jackson 5 was enormous as each brother brought a little something to the group. Tito was part of all of their successes; 16 studio albums, 10 Top 10 singles including 4 number one's, and 3 Grammy Award nominations. He obviously wasn't as popular as a couple of his other siblings, but he was definitely talented enough to hold his own in a family full of stars.
JOHN ASHTON
DIED: September 26, 2024 (aged 76) in Fort Collins, Colorado
CAUSE: Cancer
I will forever remember John Ashton for being in two of my favourite movies of the 1980's; Beverly Hills Cop and Midnight Run. But he began his acting career many years before those films. After graduating from USC's School Of Theatre, he began getting bit parts on TV, including popular shows like "Kojak", "Emergency!", "Columbo", "Police Story", "Wonder Woman" and "MASH". This led to a few film roles, his first being in a 1973 horror film called The Psychopath. But in 1984, Ashton scored the role of Sergeant John Taggart in the new Eddie Murphy film Beverly Hills Cop and people took notice. He'd reprise his role twice more, including one of his last appearances in 2024's Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F. His no-nonsense, believability as a cop helped him land similar roles, including the role of a bounty hunter in Midnight Run and as Detective Nick Poole in 2007's Gone Baby Gone. It was always fun seeing John Ashton's mug in a film, and he will be missed by this fan.
MAGGIE SMITH
DIED: September 27, 2024 (aged 89) in London, England
CAUSE: Natural Causes
Just a few weeks after we lost one great actor of stage and screen in James Earl Jones, we lost another master of the art in Dame Maggie Smith. For over seven decades, Smith was one of the most revered actors in the world, spanning all genres from high comedy to intensely dramatic, she did it all. She left High School at 16 to join the prestigious Oxford Playhouse and soon starred on stage in many plays. When Sir Laurence Olivier saw her in 1962 he asked her to join his new theatre company, the National Theatre Company, along with Derek Jacobi and Michael Gambon. While earning rave reviews for her performances on stage, Smith would dabble in a few British TV shows and films of the time. But it was in 1969 that everyone took notice of her immense talent when she starred in, and won the Academy Award for, her role in The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie. Many other roles would follow, and it seemed she became more popular as time went on. She would earn raves for her work in Gosford Park, for her short appearances in the Harry Potter films, and as a main character in TV's "Downton Abbey". In her storied career, Maggie Smith was honoured with six Academy Award Nominations (winning two), 13 BAFTA Awards (winning 5), 9 Emmy Awards (winning 4), 12 Golden Globe Awards (winning 3), and three Tony Awards (winning once). Along with her scores of critic awards and honorary awards, she was easily one of the most accomplished actors to ever live.
KRIS KRISTOFFERSON
DIED: September 28, 2024 (aged 88) in Hana, Hawaii
CAUSE: Natural Causes
When thinking about multi-talented people in the music and film industry, its hard not to think of Kris Kristofferson. He was doing it all, at a top level, for more than 60 years. Oddly, the first time the United States took notice of him was for his athletic prowess. He was included in a Sports Illustrated issue from 1958 talking about his accomplishments in rugby, football, and track and field. This was while he was a literature student at Pomona College in Claremont, California. He earned a scholarship to Oxford University in England where he continued with his rugby, took up boxing, and began writing songs. Soon he was recording under the name Kris Carson in hopes he could make enough money to fund his dream of becoming a novelist. He joined the Army soon after, came back to the States in 1965, and struggled to get anything going. While working at Columbia Records sweeping floors, he was able to get June Carter to give her husband, Johnny Cash, a demo tape. In time, Cash would record Kristofferson's song "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", a song that would win Kris his first CMA Award for Song Of The Year. His singing and songwriting career took off! He released his first of 18 studio albums in 1970, Kristofferson, which had the tune "Me And Bobby McGee" on it, soon to be covered and taken to Number One by Janis Joplin. If being an award winning songwriter wasn't enough, he began acting in films in the early '70's as well, first appearing in Dennis Hopper's The Last Movie in 1971. He became a huge star on screen appearing in fan favourites like Pat Garrett And Billy The Kid, Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, A Star Is Born, Convoy, Heaven's Gate, Lone Star and the Blade series. He won 7 CMA Awards in his time (including a Lifetime Achievement Award), 4 Grammys (including another Lifetime Achievement), and received an Oscar Nomination for one of his songs. Dozens of artists sang his songs; Al Green, Gladys Knight, Roger Miller, Janis Joplin, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Kenny Rogers, The Dixie Chicks, Jerry Lee Lewis, Willie Nelson, Benda Lee, Dean Martin, just to name a few. He was simply one of the best songwriters of our time and will be sorely missed.
DIKEMBE MUTOMBO
DIED: September 30, 2024 (aged 58) in Atlanta, Georgia
CAUSE: Brain Cancer
For a good portion of the 1990's. Dikembe Mutombo was one of the most entertaining big men to play in the NBA. He loved blocking shots, and waving that big finger of his, like he was saying "not on my watch". Mutombo moved to the United States in 1987, not to be a basketball player, but to earn a medical degree from Georgetown University in order to return to his home country and help the sick. But, since he stood 7 feet 2 inches tall, he was quickly recruited to play on the basketball team. He became a great defensive player in University, and was drafted 4th overall by the Denver Nuggets in 1991. There began a Hall Of Fame career spanning 18 seasons, 8 All-Star games, 4 Defensive Player Of The Year Awards, and his number retired by two NBA teams, the Nuggets and the Atlanta Hawks. With his enormous success on the courts, he never forgot about where he came from, fronting many humanitarian efforts in and around the Democratic Republic Of Congo. He was a superstar basketball player and an even bigger human being.
PETE ROSE
DIED: September 30, 2024 (aged 83) in Las Vegas, Nevada
CAUSE: Hypertensive and Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease
Not long after losing one of the most respected baseball players in history in Willie Mays, 2024 took one of the most argued about as well in Pete Rose. There has never been any question of Rose's talent and drive to be the best. But his personal life and gambling habits tore into that image far too many times leaving baseball fans completely polarized on whether he should ever be elected into the Hall Of Fame. Rose began by playing football in high school, but his small size kept him from moving on in the sport. Late in his final year of high school, he played on the baseball team and compiled a .626 batting average, enough for a Cincinnati Reds scout to take a chance on him. He signed his first professional contract with the Reds for $7,000 in 1960, still a teenager. Rose didn't make his Major League debut until 1963, but played well enough and consistently enough to earn the Rookie Of The Year honours for the National League. From then on, consistent and reliable would be the best descriptions for Rose. For the next 20+ years, he barely missed playing a game, was always among the league leaders in plate appearances, hits, runs, doubles, batting average and one of the fiercest competitors the game has ever known. He led his Reds, known as the Big Red Machine, to 2 World Series titles in 1975 and 1976, then helped bring a World Series home to the Philadelphia Phillies in 1980. He ended his 24-year playing career accumulating the most games played, most at-bats, most hits, 2nd most doubles and 6th most runs of all-time! It was a remarkable playing career, but, when allegations of gambling on baseball came out in the 1980's, the downfall of a sports hero began. For years Rose denied betting on baseball, until it was proven that he did. Even then, he denied betting on his own team, until it was proven. The best player in baseball continually lied to his fans and many couldn't forgive him for it. As a result of his gambling, Rose was found to be permanently ineligible for election to the Baseball Hall Of Fame. Will they put him now?? I guess we'll have to wait and see.
NICHOLAS PRYOR
DIED: October 7, 2024 (aged 89) in Wilmington, North Carolina
CAUSE: Cancer
Even though many people won't recognize the name, I wanted to include Nicholas Pryor on this list simply because he played one of my favourite film roles, Joel's father in Risky Business. That role alone made me sad when I heard he had passed. He was in many TV shows and movies in his more than 60 year acting career, mostly on soap operas of the day like "Another World", "The Edge Of Night" and "General Hospital". In the '70's and '80's he had a few small, but memorable, roles in film; The Happy Hooker, The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh, The Falcon And The Snowman, Less Than Zero and of course Risky Business. He was constantly working on TV, showing up as a guest on some of the most popular shows of the time; "MASH", "Simon And Simon", "Little House On The Prairie", "Hill Street Blues", "Dynasty", "Knight Rider" and so many more. I thought he deserved a mention.
MITZI GAYNOR
BORN: September 4, 1931 in Chicago, Illinois
DIED: October 17, 2024 (aged 93) in Los Angeles, California
CAUSE: Natural Causes
From the time she was only 17 years old, when she signed a contract with 20th Century Fox, Mitzi Gaynor was a true movie star. She sang, dance and acted her way through some of the most beloved films of all-time. She became so popular on film in the 1950's that she was asked to do multiple TV Specials in the 1960's and '70's. You almost couldn't watch a musical without Gaynor in it; Golden Girl, Bloodhounds Of Broadway, There's No Business Like Show Business, Anything Goes, and her most popular role as Nellie Forbursh in South Pacific. She only worked in films until 1963 when she decided to devote her time to her nightclub shows and her TV appearances. Gaynor was always a favourite on the talk show circuit as well, showing up about a dozen times on "The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson" among others. She continued to work well into her 80's.
PAUL DI'ANNO
BORN: May 17, 1958 in Essex, England
DIED: October 21, 2024 (aged 66) in Wiltshire, England
CAUSE: Cardiac Arrest
Many people who don't listen to too much Heavy Metal music know the band Iron Maiden, at least by name. But I'd wager most of them had no idea there was a lead singer of that band before they became mega-stars with current lead singer Bruce Dickinson. Di'Anno was the lead singer from 1978 to 1981. In that short time, Iron Maiden became very well known for their fast play and musicianship, as Di'Anno's operatic vocals took them to another level of success. He was great, and as much as I love Bruce Dickinson's vocals, in my opinion Di'Anno was just as good. Maiden's first two studio albums that featured Di'Anno are all-time favourites of any Maiden fan. He appeared on 3 live albums as well before the band replaced him with Dickinson due mostly to Di'Anno's unreliability. He made a bunch of other albums through his career, right up until this last year, but never achieved the same fame he had while with Iron Maiden.
FERNANDO VALENZUELA
DIED: October 22, 2024 (aged 63) in Los Angeles, California
CAUSE: Septic Shock and Cirrhosis
It's hard to describe how famous, and how remarkable, Fernando Valenzuela was when he started pitching in the Major Leagues. Nobody had ever seen a pitcher come into the league and absolutely dominate the opposition like Valenzuela did. I was only nine or ten years old at the time, but I remember the frenzy around him very well. As an 18-year old in Mexico, Valenzuela was being scouted by a bunch of MLB teams, but it was the Los Angeles Dodgers that won out. After a very brief stint as a September call-up in 1980, Fernando-Mania was just about to begin in 1981. As the first rookie to ever pitch Opening Day for the Dodgers, Fernando shutout the Houston Astros 2-0, pitching a complete game. He would go on to win the next SEVEN games he pitched, all but one were complete games!! After his first 8 Major League starts, Fernando Valenzuela's record was 8-0 with FIVE of them being shutouts!! His ERA was just 1.78 and he struck out 68 batters. Nobody had ever seen such domination so quickly in a pitcher's career. He became a superstar instantly! His first season earned him the Rookie Of The Year Award AND the Cy Young Award. Valenzuela would continue to mow down batters for the Dodgers until 1987 when it seemed like batters had finally figured him out. Between 1991 and his retirement in 1997, Fernando played for five different teams trying to regain the dominance he had as a 20-year old. Alas, it never came, but he was always a huge fan favourite wherever he went, and nearly a God for a good 5 or 6 years in Los Angeles.
TERI GARR
DIED: October 29, 2024 (aged 79) in Los Angeles, California
CAUSE: Complications from Multiple Sclerosis
Teri Garr was easily one of my absolute favourite comedy actors of all time. Everything I saw her in, and I mean everything, made me smile. I grew up in the '80's which was a perfect time to see Garr at work in movies like Tootsie, Mr. Mom and After Hours. She was also a semi-regular on "Late Night With David Letterman" which made me love her even more. As I grew up, I realized Teri Garr had a very interesting start to her career. She began working as a go-go dancing extra in TV variety shows and on film. This led her to appear in no less than seven Elvis Presley movies as a background extra and dancer. I always found it fun to search her out in these films. From there she started getting guest appearances in some popular TV shows of the '60's and '70's like "Batman", "That Girl", "The Andy Griffith Show", "Star Trek", "McCloud" and "MASH". She then landed a few roles in some fairly big movies, my absolute favourite being Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein, but also in Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters Of The Third Kind, Francis Ford Coppola's The Conversation and Carl Reiner's Oh,God!. Her career began slowing down in the 1990's when she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, although she still made some wonderful appearances in TV shows like "The Larry Sanders Show", "Murphy Brown", "Friends" and "ER". I will always remember Teri Garr with great fondness as she was one of the best at what she did.
QUINCY JONES
DIED: November 3, 2024 (aged 91) in Los Angeles, California
CAUSE: Pancreatic Cancer
The word "icon" gets thrown around a lot in the entertainment industry, some deserving, some not so much. Make no mistake, Quincy Jones was an ICON!! He almost defined the word when it came to the music industry - there are few artists who were more revered, who won more accolades for his work, than Quincy Jones. He began his more than 70-year career as a jazz trumpeter, first playing with Bunny Campbell and Preston Sandiford in and around Boston as a teenager. Soon he'd be playing with the much more famous Lionel Hampton touring around the USA. He began taking gigs wherever he could find them after leaving Hampton's band, including playing in the backing band for Elvis Presley's first six television appearances. In 1957 he moved to Paris and ended up becoming the music director for a record company called Barclay, a division of Mercury Records. With a few years, Jones was vice president of Mercury and started composing music for movies, his first being Sidney Lumet's The Pawnbroker. He worked as arranger and/or producer for some of the biggest acts gof the 1960's and '70's; Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Nana Mouskouri, Peggy Lee and Lesley Gore. In 1978 he produced the soundtrack for The Wiz starring Michael Jackson. Jackson asked Jones to recommend someone to produce his next album, but Jones said he'd do it himself. The album was Off The Wall and sold over 20 million copies. But that was nothing! Jones produced Jackson's next album, Thriller, which was the biggest selling album ever at the time. It was just hit after hit after hit for Jones, producing the 1985 song "We Are The World" to raise money for victims of famine in Ethiopia, and continuing his work on TV and movies. It seemed, at one time, just about every third song you heard, Quincy Jones had something to do with it! All in all, in this magnificent career, Jones earned 7 Academy Award nominations, one Emmy Award, and over 70 Grammy Award nods, taking home an incredible 28 awards! His contribution to music is truly immeasurable.
TONY TODD
DIED: November 6, 2024 (aged 69) in Marina Del Rey, California
CAUSE: Stomach Cancer
He wasn't hugely popular to the masses, but within the horror-film community, Tony Todd was a true icon. His portrayal as Daniel Robitaille, better known as The Candyman in the film of the same name, spawned many imitators and, because of the sheer terror he caused teenagers of the day, a bunch of sequels. He began studying his craft in the early 1980's, fresh out of University. It wasn't long before he started showing up in TV shows and movies. One of his first appearances came in Oliver Stone's Platoon in 1986. Other small roles followed in films like Colors, Lean On Mean and Night Of The Living Dead. Then, in 1992, he was cast as The Candyman and he would scare the crap out of people for the next 30 years. Just having Todd in a horror movie for a few minutes seemed to give it credibility. His long list of TV appearances include "21 Jump Street", "Night Court", "Jake And The Fatman", "Homicide: Life On The Street", "24", "Criminal Minds" and a bunch of "Star Trek" incarnations. His booming voice lent itself to tons of animated shows and video games as well. Todd appeared in, or had a voice in, more than 250 film, TV and gaming titles in his career! I always loved seeing his face unexpectedly in something I was watching.
CHUCK WOOLERY
DIED: November 23, 2024 (aged 83) in Horseshoe Bay, Texas
CAUSE: Unknown
I think it's safe to say that most people knew Chuck Woolery as the host of the TV dating show "Love Connection" that ran from 1983 to 1994, over 2,000 shows with Woolery at the helm. What many don't know is that Chuck broke into show business as a musician. He was part of a duo known as "The Avant-Garde" in the 1960's, singing psychedelic pop songs. The duo actually signed a record deal with Columbia Records and had a song in the charts, "Naturally Stoned" in 1968. He also had a few Country Hits in the 1970's with "Painted Lady" and "The Greatest Love Affair" as a solo artist. He also dabbled in acting before he was chosen as the host of the new daytime game show "Wheel Of Fortune" in 1975. He stayed with the show until 1981 when he was replaced by Pat Sajak. A couple of years later, "Love Connection" was born. His great reactions and commentary on that show actually led to a 65-episode talk show in 1991 called "The Chuck Woolery Show" which did not get nearly the ratings that his game show did. He'd host other game shows after "Love Connection", but he was never as popular as he was with that show. Later in life, Woolery lost his ever-loving mind and became an anti-Semite, Trump supporter and Covid-19 denier. Shame, because I really loved watching him when I was younger.
JIM ABRAHAMS
DIED: November 26, 2024 (aged 80) in Santa Monica, California
CAUSE: Leukemia
This man, along with the brothers Jerry and David Zucker, actually helped to shape who I am as a grown adult man. The three men began working together early in life as they all grew up in the Milwaukee area. In the late 70's they began crafting their own unique comedy style, spoofing dramas that took themselves too seriously. He co-wrote The Kentucky Fried Movie in 1977, a collection of silly vignettes that didn't do too well in the theatres, but was the starting point of brilliance that was to come. In 1980, the three men came out with what I still think is one of the most important, and hilarious, movies ever, Airplane!. Abrahams, along with the Zuckers, became instant stars. The Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker team came out with another gem 4 years later with Top Secret! starring a young Val Kilmer. In 1988, it was the first Naked Gun movie with Leslie Nielsen. But Abrahams didn't just rely on the Zucker brothers for his success. He directed and wrote his own films as well; Ruthless People, Big Business, and two Hot Shots! movies. Just a comical genius for the ages.
THE AMAZING KRESKIN
BORN: January 12, 1935 in Montclair, New Jersey
DIED: December 10, 2024 (aged 89) in Wayne, New Jersey
CAUSE: Complications from Dementia
Growing up in the '70's and '80's, and being a huge fan of Johnny Carson and David Letterman, I got to see a lot of The Amazing Kreskin. He was always a favourite guest, doing his little mental tricks and having a bunch of fun while performing. For nearly 60 years he was known as the foremost mentalist, using his powers of psychological suggestion to hone a very entertaining act. His first television appearance was in 1964 on "The Steve Allen Show". He was such a fun guest that he would make dozens of more appearances on other talk shows of the time; "The Mike Douglas Show" and "The Merv Griffin Show" to name a couple. He appeared on "The Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson an incredible 88 times through his career, and I may have seen most of them. For a few years, from 1972 to 1975, Kreskin had his own show, "The Amazing World Of Kreskin", that was produced in Ottawa, Canada, and then more shows known as "The New Kreskin Show" shot in Toronto from 1975 to 1978. Maybe thats why I liked him so much...
RICKEY HENDERSON
DIED: December 20, 2024 (aged 65) in San Francisco, California
CAUSE: Pneumonia
Another great ballplayer gone before the year's end; Willie Mays, Pete Rose and now Rickey Henderson. He was arguably the greatest lead-off hitter to ever play the game of baseball, and easily it's greatest base-stealer. Henderson began his rise in athletics at Oakland Technical High School where he played baseball, basketball and was an All-American running back for the football team. He received dozens of scholarships to play University football, but decided to follow his love of baseball mainly because football players had shorter careers. He was drafted as an 18-year old by the Oakland A's in the fourth round of the 1976 draft. Playing in A-Ball in 1977, Henderson set a league record by stealing 95 bases while hitting .345 for the season. He quickly moved through AA and AAA, making his Major League debut in 1979. He got into 89 games that year, stole 33 bases and hit a respectable .274. And then Rickey exploded! His second season saw him become only the 3rd player in Major League history to steal 100 bases in a season. In 1982 he broke Lou Brock's single season stolen base record by swiping 130 bags, still a record to this day. From 1980 to 1988, Henderson would steal an average of 85 bases per year, a rate that nobody had ever seen in the history of the game. But it wasn't just about stealing bases; in that time he hit .293 and had an On Base Percentage of .403 which allowed him to score an average of 112 runs through those years. He had a phenomenal year in 1990, earning Henderson his only MVP award. In 1991, Henderson broke Lou Brock's career record for stolen bases when he stole number 939 of his career. Henderson would go on to steal almost 500 MORE bases before he retired with 1,406 over a 25-year career, a number that most pundits agree will never be touched! He also holds the Major League record for most runs by any player ever with 2,295. He may not have been the easiest teammate to get along with by all reports, but there was no doubt that Rickey Henderson was one of the greatest to ever play the game.
JIMMY CARTER
DIED: December 29, 2024 (aged 100) in Plains, Georgia
CAUSE: Natural Causes
It's hard to sum up the life of a President in one short paragraph. Luckily, Jimmy Carter's presidency was not nearly as interesting as after he left office. He was a literal peanut farmer in Georgia when he got into politics, first in 1963 as a member of the Georgia State Senate. In 1971 he was elected Governor of Georgia until 1975, then decided to take a run at the Democratic nomination for President against more notable politicians like George Wallace. His easy going nature and being a Washington outsider of sorts, especially with the public still reeling from the Watergate scandal, endeared him to voters and he ended up becoming the 39th President of the United States of America. Ups and downs followed in a tumultuous time (gas shortages, problems in the Middle East, Peace Treaties, etc.) and Carter lost his re-election after a landslide win by Ronald Reagan in 1980. But that started a new chapter in Carter's life, one of humanitarianism and diplomacy. He established the Carter Center, a non-profit organization to help advance human rights in countries around the world. He built homes for those ravaged by natural disasters, literally putting hammer to nail for decades. He was awarded the Presidential Medal Of Freedom in 1999 and the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his humanitarian efforts. He wrote over 30 books, including one's for children and won 3 Grammy Awards for Best Spoken Word Album (and he's nominated for one this year, too!!). He was the President that lived the longest, celebrating his 100th birthday just a couple of months ago. He may not be remembered for being the greatest President the USA has ever had, but he will definitely be remembered as one of the greatest human beings to ever walk this Earth.
LINDA LAVIN
DIED: December 29, 2024 (aged 87) in Los Angeles, California
CAUSE: Lung Cancer
"Early to rise, early to bed. And in between I cooked and cleaned and went out of my head". I loved the show "Alice" when I was younger, and not because of the always angry cook Mel, and not because of the sassy waitress Flo. It was all because of Linda Lavin's Alice. At the time, I had no idea of Lavin's background in entertainment, getting her start on stage way back in 1958 while still a student at the College Of William And Mary. She could act, sing, dance, everything and started appearing off and on Broadway soon after. She first appeared on Broadway in 1962's A Family Affair. She received her first of 6 Tony Award nominations in 1970 for Last Of The Red Hot Lovers (she won once in 1987 for Broadway Bound). Soon television came calling, her first role as a guest star on "Rhoda" then a recurring role on "Barney Miller". This led to her starring role on "Alice", based on the 1974 Martin Scorsese film Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore. Between 1976 and 1985, and for more than 200 episodes, people tuned in to watch Lavin's awesome comic timing. For her role of Alice, Linda Lavin received an Emmy nomination (1979) and three Golden Globe nominations (1978-1980) winning in '78 and '79. She would appear in many other films and TV shows throughout her career (I still remember loving the episode of "The Muppet Show" she was on) but Linda Lavin will always, cheerfully, be remember as a renowned theatre actress and the hard-working, lovable Alice Hyatt.
