B. January 11, 1930 New South Wales, Australia
D. January 7, 2015 (aged 84) Los Angeles, California
Cause: Heart Attack
I was mostly unfamiliar with Taylor's career, but I knew I knew him from somewhere. When I looked it up that day, it turned out he was Mitch in Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds". He will also be remembered for his lead role in "The Time Machine" from 1960, a movie I have sadly not seen. The last major film he appeared in was Quentin Tarantino's "Inglourious Basterds" from 2009.
B. August 1, 1957 Glendale, California
D. January 10, 2015 (aged 57) Los Angeles, California
Cause: Liver Cancer
Not many people know who Taylor Negron was, but if you've seen "Fast Times At Ridgmont High" as many times as I have you immediately know he was the pizza dude. He had roles in "Easy Money", "Better Off Dead..." and "The Last Boy Scout", along with many TV appearances as well, but will always and forever be the pizza dude to me.
B. September 29, 1931 Malmo, Sweden
D. January 11, 2015 (aged 83) Rocca Di Papa, Italy
Cause: Complications from enduring illnesses
Anita Ekberg started out as a beauty queen, winning Miss Sweden in 1951 and appearing at the Miss Universe Pageant that year. (She placed sixth). She went to Hollywood to become a star, and ended up becoming romantically involved with some of the most famous leading men of the time, including Frank Sinatra, Yul Brynner, Tyrone Power, Errol Flynn, and the above-mentioned Rod Taylor. Her most famous role came in Fellini's "La Dolce Vita" from 1960. The scene of her prancing around in Rome's Trevi Fountain has become an iconic piece of filmdom. In 1956 she received a Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer - Female for her role in "Blood Alley".
B. May 2, 1946 Brooklyn, New York
D. February 16, 2015 (aged 68) Manhattan, New York
Cause: Lung Cancer
Lesley Gore became internationally famous at the tender age of 16 when she recorded "It's My Party", a song that would become a certified Gold record and a number one hit in 1963. A few other hits followed, including "She's A Fool", "You Don't Own Me" and "Sunshine, Lollipops And Rainbows". She appeared in a few films and a load of TV appearances, including the character of Pussycat in two episodes of the original "Batman" series. Gore went on to host a PBS show called "In The Life" that dealt with LGBT issues.
B. March 26, 1931 Boston, Massachusetts
D. February 27, 2015 (aged 83) Los Angeles, California
Cause: Complications from COPD
Nimoy will always be remembered for his role as Mr. Spock on the original "Star Trek" TV series and movies. He was loved so much as this character that it was often difficult for him to be taken as a serious actor in any other regard. He turned to directing later in life, starting with the third instalment of the Star Trek series "The Search For Spock". Before "Star Trek" he appeared in all kinds of TV shows from the 1950's and 1960's including "Dragnet", "Sea Hunt", "Bonanza", "Rawhide", "Perry Mason" and "Gunsmoke". In June of 2015, as a move to honour Nimoy, an asteroid that had been discovered in 1988 was named 4864 Nimoy.
B. November 25, 1940 Leighton, Alabama
D. April 14, 2015 (aged 74) Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Cause: Liver Cancer
Sledge was a singer for more than 40 years, but he'll always be remembered as the voice behind "When A Man Loves A Woman". (If you think Michael Bolton was the first to sing that song you need so...much...help!!). That song made Sledge a legend and he continued to sing it at every performance thereafter. He was inducted into the Rock N' Roll Hall Of Fame in 2005.
B. September 28, 1938 Henderson, North Carolina
D. April 30, 2015 (aged 76) Hackensack, New Jersey
Cause: Coronary Disease
Just like Percy Sledge above, Ben E. King made himself a legend for life because of one song, "Stand By Me", which became a Top 10 hit in the US in 1961. Unlike Sledge, King was fairly famous for another thing, that being the lead singer of the group The Drifters in the late 1950's and early 1960's. The Drifters had a couple of big hits with King's voice at the helm; "There Goes My Baby" in 1959 and "This Magic Moment" and "Save The Last Dance For Me" in 1960.
B. September 16, 1925 Berclair, Mississippi
D. May 14, 2015 (aged 89) Las Vegas, Nevada
Cause: Multi-Infarct Dementia, brought on by stroke
One of the most famous and beloved Blues guitarist of all-time, Riley B. King got the nickname B.B. when he worked as a DJ and singer at a Memphis radio station. He was known as the "Beale Street Blues Boy", later shortened to "Blues Boy", becoming B.B.. He began recording way back in the 1940's and didn't stop until the mid-2000's, almost 60 years of music. He was the winner of 15 Grammy Awards, the first being for his classic song "The Thrill Is Gone" in 1971. He was inducted into the Rock N' Roll Hall Of Fame in 1987, the same year he received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, recognized by The Kennedy Center Honors in 1995, and received the Presidential Medal Of Freedom in 2006. Rolling Stone magazine ranked King number 6 on the list of it's 100 greatest guitarists of all time. I personally got into my love of Blues later in life, but B.B. was instrumental in building that love, and I still listen to as many of his hundreds of songs as I can on a regular basis.
B. May 27, 1922 London, England
D. June 7, 2015 (aged 93) London, England
Cause: Complications from Respiratory Problems and Heart Failure
Lee spent his early days fighting in World War II, first with the Finnish Forces and later, retiring as a flight lieutenant with the RAF. He got into acting soon after the war appearing in his first TV show in 1947. From then on, IMDB lists him as appearing in more than 270 shows and movies. He worked steadily for over 60 years, becoming famous for his roles in horror films from the late 1950's, especially for his portrayal of Dracula in 1958. He went on to play Dracula a number of times, his name becoming synonymous with The Prince Of Darkness. Lee was offered the role of Dr. No in the first James Bond film by Ian Fleming himself, but the producers had already given the role to Joseph Wiseman. Lee got his chance to play the villain in a Bond movie in 1974's "The Man With The Golden Gun". Later in life, Lee was able to be part of some major films, including the Star Wars prequels and the Lord Of The Rings trilogy.
B. December 9, 1928 Queens, New York
D. June 23, 2015 (aged 86) Santa Monica, California
Cause: Complications from Diabetes
I grew up watching Dick Van Patten as Tom Bradford on TV's "Eight Is Enough". That series ran from 1977 to 1981, and I thought everybody needed to have a dad like him! He appeared in a number of famous TV shows before and after "Eight Is Enough" including "I Remember Mama", "Sanford And Son", "Happy Days", "The Streets Of San Francisco", "Emergency" and even "Arrested Development". His friendship with Mel Brooks got him cast in many of the director's films including "High Anxiety", "Spaceballs" and "Robin Hood: Men In Tights". But he'll always be remembered as on of the best TV dads of all time.
B. March 4, 1948 London, England
D. June 27, 2015 (aged 67) Phoenix, Arizona
Cause: Leukemia
Chris Squire was the original and everlasting bassist for the progressive rock group Yes. He had the distinction of playing on every one of Yes' 21 studio albums, a feat you just don't see too much anymore. He stayed in the band for 47 years. Many rock bassists regard Squire as a major influence, including Geddy Lee from Rush.
Omar SharifB. April 10, 1932 Alexandria, Egypt
D. July 10, 2015 (aged 83) Cairo, Egypt
Cause: Heart Attack
Omar Sharif appeared in more than 100 movies and TV shows in his illustrious career. He started acting in Egypt in 1954, but soon came to Hollywood, and became a huge star. His first English-language role was in David Lean's "Lawrence Of Arabia" in 1962 in the role of Sherif Ali. He was promptly nominated for an Academy Award and won a Golden Globe Award for that role. He would appear in other huge movies including "The Fall Of The Roman Empire", "Dr. Zhivago" and "Funny Girl".
B. February 29, 1936 Cambridge, Massachusetts
D. July 18, 2015 (aged 79) Los Angeles, California
Cause: Cancer
"I'm Moe Greene!!". Alex Rocco appeared in just about every TV show of the 1970's. I remember seeing him in all my faves; "Kojak", "Mary Tyler Moore", "The Rockford Files" and "Baretta" just to name a few. It wasn't until I was much older that I realized he played Moe Greene in "The Godfather"...and got shot right in the eye! He was the consummate character actor. The last thing I remember seeing him in was the show "Episodes" from a couple of years ago and even then I thought, "Hey, that's Moe Greene!".
B. April 17, 1954 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
D. July 31, 2015 (aged 61) Hollywood, California
Cause: Cardiac Arrest
This one took me aback. When I was in my early teens I started to really get into the World Wrestling Federation. I loved watching all the stars, and I never thought it was real, but man did I love the entertainment value. I had a few favourites; Ricky Steamboat, Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka, Andre The Giant. But the best villain, and the funniest of them all was "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. He made every week for me. When he wasn't on, it was a huge disappointment. I even remember going to the theatre to see his leading-man, action movie debut "They Live" when I was 16. Just as I felt when MCA of The Beastie Boys passed away a couple years earlier, part of me died when I heard of Piper's passing. "Hulk is such a yo-yo!".
B. August 2, 1939 Cleveland, Ohio
D. August 30, 2015 (aged 76) Los Angeles, California
Cause: Brain Cancer
Craven became world famous when a little movie called "A Nightmare On Elm Street" was released in 1984. Although he directed a few horror flicks before that ("The Last House On The Left" and "The Hills Have Eyes" to name a couple), his Elm Street movie became a monster hit. The character of Freddy Kruger, which he created, went on to star in at least seven films. Then, in the mid-1990's, another horror film was being shopped around that was scary but also made fun of previous hour films. It was "Scream" and the only director who could have made it was Wes Craven. He went on to direct the next three "Scream" films as well, solidifying himself as one of the Kings Of Horror in Hollywood.
B. October 4, 1937 London, England
D. September 19, 2015 (aged 77) Beverly Hills, California
Cause: Breast Cancer
Jackie Collins may well have been known as the sister of TV and movie star Joan Collins, but she started writing stories instead. I can honestly say I never read a Jackie Collins' novel (really, it's true), but there is no denying how she helped to shape the romance genre in the US and around the world. Her first novel, "The World Is Full Of Married Men", was published in 1968. Some thirty novels and 40+ years later she was a multi-millionaire. She has written 30 New York Times Bestsellers and sold more than 500 million copies of her books. Maybe Joan Collins should have been known as Jackie's sister.
B. May 12, 1925 St. Louis, Missouri
D. September 22, 2015 (aged 90) West Caldwell, New Jersey
Cause: Natural Causes
Yogi Berra was known for a couple of things. One, for being one of the best catchers to ever play the game of baseball. Two, for his eloquent use of the English language, creating phrases now known as Yogi-isms. During his playing career, Yogi appeared in 18 All-Star games, 13 World Series', was a 3-time MVP and was inducted into the Baseball Hall Of Fame in 1972. His famous witticisms include gems like "90 percent (of life) is half mental", "Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded", "It ain't over till it's over", and "It's deja vu all over again".
B. August 17, 1920 Dublin, Ireland
D. October 24, 2015 (aged 95) Boise, Idaho
Cause: Natural Causes
Maureen O'Hara made a name for herself in Hollywood as being a no-nonsense leading lady, many times in John Ford movies and westerns of the 1940's and 1950's. Her first big role came at the tender age of 19 when she played Esmerelda in "The Hunchback Of Notre Dame" in 1939. From there she starred in many big films of the next few decades including "How Green Was My Valley", "Miracle On 34th Street", "Rio Grande" and "The Quiet Man". In 1971 she retired from the film industry, but made a return 20 years later in John Candy's film "Only The Lonely". She was never nominated for an Academy Award but was presented with an Honorary Award in 2014.
B. October 27, 1967 San Jose, California
D. December 3, 2015 (aged 48) Bloomington, Minnesota
Cause: Accidental Overdose of Cocaine and other drugs
Weiland first came to notoriety as the lead singer of the rock band Stone Temple Pilots. His gravely voice and unmistakable intensity became a staple of rock radio in the 1990's. Through their success, it was soon found out that Weiland had a pretty substantial drug problem. He had been arrested a few times, once for buying crack-cocaine, and spent a few stints in rehab. In 2002, STP broke up and Weiland became the lead singer of "supergroup" Velvet Revolver. They garnered some success, but Weiland's drug problems kept bubbling to the surface. Finally, while on tour with his new band The Wildabouts, Weiland's drug habit got the best of him, as he died of an overdose on the band's tour bus.
B. January 3, 1930 Staten Island, New York
D. December 4, 2015 (aged 85) Los Angeles, California
Cause: Alzheimer's Disease
Robert Loggia was one of those great character actors in Hollywood that seemingly appeared in everything over the years. I think my first clear memory of him was in "Scarface" from 1983, where he displayed almost as bad an accent as Al Pacino! Checking him out on IMDB shows he appeared in over 200 TV shows and movies over his career. He studied acting at The Actor's Studio under famed teacher Stella Adler. This got him many roles on 1950's and 1960's television. In the 1970's he showed up in just about every big show including "The Rockford Files", "Kojak", "Columbo", "SWAT", "Wonder Woman" and "The Six-Million Dollar Man". Film roles followed in the 1980's; "An Officer And A Gentleman", "Scarface", "Prizzi's Honor", and his famous dancing scene with Tom Hanks in "Big". Loggia was nominated for an Academy Award in 1985 for his role in "The Jagged Edge".
B. December 24, 1945 Staffordshire, England
D. December 28, 2015 (aged 70) Los Angeles, California
Cause: Cancer
So, is this a big deal? Well, I guess it depends on who you are. For me, the death of Lemmy was a shock and it touched me harder than I thought it would. I'm not sure why exactly. I only became a fan of Motorhead in the last decade or so. I was never a huge fan of Lemmy's vocal stylings (although I know of no-one else that could growl so hard for so long). What got me about him and his band was the nonstop aggression that they conveyed whenever they played - from 1975 to 2015. This band kicked ass! Whenever you need to pound your fist and scream a little, you couldn't do much better than listening to Motorhead! Beyond that, Lemmy himself was one of the most interesting characters ever. He has said he drank a bottle of Jack Daniels a day for 40 years. He has tried every drug known to man, but has said he never gets addicted. He claims to have slept with over 2500 women. He had a massive collection of Nazi memorabilia, although had said he never agreed with their ideals. He was a true rock star in every sense of the word and will be sorely missed.
Ok, that's it. I would have liked to have done a separate entry about the famous births of 2015, but I haven't been able to perfect my prognosticating...not yet anyway.
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