THOSE WE LOST IN 2022, PART 1

 

PETER BOGDANOVICH
Date of death:	6 January, 2022
Age at death:	82
About:	American director, writer, actor, producer, critic, and film historian. Bogdanovich most famously directed the 1971 drama “The Last Picture Show,” which received eight Oscar nominations. He also helmed 1973’s “Paper Moon,” 1981’s “They All Laughed” and 1985’s “Mask,” among other films. Bogdanovich was an actor as well, appearing in “The Sopranos” and 2018’s “The Other Side of the Wind.”
By the way:	In 2012, Bogdanovich made news with an essay in The Hollywood Reporter, published in the aftermath of the Aurora, Colorado theatre shooting, in which he argued against excessive violence in the movies: Today, there's a general numbing of the audience. There's too much murder and killing. You make people insensitive by showing it all the time. The body count in pictures is huge. It numbs the audience into thinking it's not so terrible. Back in the '70s, I asked Orson Welles what he thought was happening to pictures, and he said, 'We're brutalizing the audience. We're going to end up like the Roman circus, live at the Coliseum.' The respect for human life seems to be eroding.
Cause of death:	Bogdanovich died from complications of Parkinson's disease at his home in Los Angeles

 

SIDNEY POITIER
Date of death:	6 January 2022
Age at death:	94
About:	In 1964, he was the first black actor to win the Academy Award for Best Actor. Poitier's family lived in the Bahamas, then still a Crown colony, but he was born unexpectedly in Miami, Florida, while they were visiting, which automatically granted him U.S. citizenship. He grew up in the Bahamas, but moved to Miami at age 15, and to New York City when he was 16. He landed his breakthrough film role as a high school student in the film Blackboard Jungle (1955). In 1958, Poitier starred with Tony Curtis as chained-together escaped convicts in The Defiant Ones, which received nine Academy Award nominations; both actors received nominations for Best Actor, with Poitier's being the first for a Black actor. In 1964, he won the Academy Award and the Golden Globe for Best Actor for Lilies of the Field (1963), playing a handyman helping a group of German-speaking nuns build a chapel. Poitier also received acclaim for Porgy and Bess (1959), A Raisin in the Sun (1961), and A Patch of Blue (1965), because of his strong roles as epic African American male characters. He continued to break ground in three successful 1967 films which dealt with issues of race and race relations: To Sir, with Love; Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, and In the Heat of the Night, the latter of which won the Academy Award for Best Picture for that year. (“What do they call you where you come from, boy?” “They call me Mr Tibbs.”) In 2002, he was given an Honorary Academy Award, in recognition of his "remarkable accomplishments as an artist and as a human being". In 2009, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honour in the United States, by President Barack Obama.
By the way:	Poitier was granted a knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II in 1974.
Cause of death:	According to a copy of his death certificate obtained by TMZ, the cause of death was cardiopulmonary failure, with Alzheimer's disease and prostate cancer listed as underlying causes.

 

BOB SAGET
Date of death:	9 January, 2022
Age at death:	65
About:	American stand-up comedian, actor, and television host. Saget played Danny Tanner on the ABC sitcom Full House (1987-1995), and reprised the role for its Netflix sequel Fuller House (2016–2020). He additionally was the original host of America's Funniest Home Videos (1989–1997), and the voice of narrator Ted Mosby on the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother (2005–2014).
By the way:	Saget was also known for his adult-oriented stand-up comedy, and his 2014 album That's What I'm Talkin' About was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album.
Cause of death:	An autopsy report found that Saget had blunt head trauma from an accidental blow to the back of his head, likely from a fall, and subsequently died from the resulting injuries (subdural hematoma and subarachnoid hemorrhage) in his sleep. At the time of his death, he was COVID-19 positive, though there were no signs of inflammation.

 

MEATLOAF
Date of death:	20 January, 2022
Age at death:	74
About:	American rock singer and actor. He was noted for his powerful, wide-ranging voice and theatrical live shows. He is on the list of best-selling music artists. His Bat Out of Hell trilogy — Bat Out of Hell (1977), Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell (1993), and Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose (2006) — has sold more than 100 million records worldwide. The first album stayed on the charts for over nine years, still sells an estimated 200,000 copies annually, and is on the list of best-selling albums. After the commercial success of Bat Out of Hell and Bat Out of Hell II: Back Into Hell, and earning a Grammy Award for Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance for the song "I'd Do Anything for Love", Aday nevertheless experienced some difficulty establishing a steady career within the United States. The key to this success was his popularity in Europe, especially in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
By the way:	His stage name supposedly came from his father telling the nurse to put “Meat” as his name on his crib when he was born because he was so red and looked like chuck steak.  Loaf was added later when he stepped on his coach’s foot in high school and was told he was as dumb as meatloaf. In 1984, Meat Loaf legally changed his first name from Marvin to Michael because he was haunted by a Levi Strauss & Co. commercial that said, 'Poor fat Marvin can't wear Levi's'. When he was 16, on the day of the assassination of John F. Kennedy, Meat Loaf had met the President when he arrived at Dallas Love Field. After hearing about the assassination, he and a friend drove to Parkland Hospital where he saw Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, bloodied, getting out of the car.
Cause of death:	No official cause of death was released. He was reportedly ill with COVID-19 earlier in January and reporting by TMZ suggested that he died from COVID-19 complications.

 

GLENN WHEATLEY
Date of death:	1 February, 2022
Age at death:	71
About:	Wheatley began his career as a musician in Brisbane in the mid-1960s. In the late 1960s he became known nationally as the bass player in the rock band the Masters Apprentices. He subsequently formed a media empire which included radio stations and artist management. Wheatley is best known as the long time manager of John Farnham, he has been described as an "iconic industry figure" and is credited with launching the career of Delta Goodrem. He is also recognised as having established Little River Band in the United States. Wheatley also managed Australian Neighbours actress and singer Delta Goodrem, helping her to achieve major success, but Goodrem split with Wheatley under acrimonious circumstances in 2003.
By the way:	According to Wheatley's memoir, a key incident took place in late 1969 when the Masters Apprentices took part in a nationwide package tour, "Operation Starlift". The concert at Brisbane Festival Hall drew a then record crowd of over 7,000 people, breaking the venue's previous attendance record set during the Beatles' Australian tour in 1964. After the concert Wheatley reflected on the event and it became a turning point in his life and career because it finally drove home just how badly the group were being exploited. Wheatley knew that patrons had paid $5 per ticket, so the receipts for the night would have been around $35,000, but the Masters Apprentices, like all the other acts, were on a fixed fee and received a mere $200 for the show; even the top-billed act, John Farnham, probably only earned about $1,000. Figuring that the performers were probably only paid about $2,000 in total, Wheatley realised that the promoters had walked away with upwards of $30,000 for that concert alone.
Cause of death:	Wheatley died from complications of COVID-19 on 1 February 2022, at the age of 74.

 

JOHNNY RAPER
Date of death:	22 February 2022
Age at death:	82
About:	Australian professional rugby league footballer and coach. Nicknamed "Chook", he was a lock-forward who earned a then-record of 33 Test caps in the Australia national team between 1959 and 1968. He also played six World Cup games between 1960 and 1968. Raper captained Australia on eight occasions from 1967 to 68 and played in eight consecutive NSWRFL first-grade grand final victories for the St George Dragons club. He was named as one of the nation's finest footballers of the 20th century.
By the way:	I saw him play when I was young.
Cause of death:	Raper spent the last four years of his life in a nursing home, having been diagnosed with dementia. He was given a State funeral.

 

SHANE WARNE
Date of death:	4 March 2022
Age at death:	52
About:	Australian international cricketer, whose career ran from 1991 to 2007. Warne played as a right-arm leg spin bowler and a right-handed batsman for Victoria, Hampshire and Australia. He is regarded as one of the greatest bowlers in the history of the sport; he made 145 Test appearances, taking 708 wickets, and set the record for the most wickets taken by any bowler in Test cricket, a record he held until 2007. Warne was a useful lower-order batsman who scored more than 3,000 Test runs, with a highest score of 99. He retired from international cricket at the end of Australia's 2006–07 Ashes series victory over England. In the first four seasons of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Warne was a player-coach for Rajasthan Royals and also captained the team. During his career, Warne was involved in off-field scandals; his censures included a ban from cricket for testing positive for a prohibited substance, and charges of sexual indiscretions and bringing the game into disrepute. Warne revolutionised cricket thinking with his mastery of leg spin, then regarded as a dying art. After retirement, he regularly worked as a cricket commentator and for charities and endorsed commercial products. In recognition of his skill, a statue of Warne bowling was placed outside the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), where he was also honoured with a state memorial service, as well as having a grandstand named in his honour. Warne was posthumously appointed as an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for his service to cricket.
By the way:	The statue of Warne outside the MCG became a makeshift shrine for those honouring Warne, his fans and mourners leaving flowers, cans of beer, packets of cigarettes and even meat pies: 25 26
Cause of death:	At the age of 52, Warne died of a suspected heart attack] while holidaying on the island Ko Samui, Thailand.  Warne died on the same day as fellow Australian cricketer Rod Marsh, to whom Warne paid tribute on Twitter a few hours before his own death

 

Rod Marsh
Date of death:	4 March, 2022
Age at death:	74
About:	Australian professional cricketer who played as a wicketkeeper for the Australian national team. Marsh had a Test career spanning from the 1970–71 to the 1983–84 Australian seasons. In 96 Tests, he set a world record of 355 wicketkeeping dismissals, the same number his pace bowling Western Australian teammate Dennis Lillee achieved with the ball. The pair were known for their bowler–wicketkeeper partnership, which yielded 95 Test wickets, a record for any such combination. They made their Test debuts in the same series and retired from Test cricket in the same match. Wisden stated that "Few partnerships between bowler and wicket-keeper have had so profound an impact on the game."
By the way:	Upon walking out to bat, Englishman Ian Botham was cheekily asked by Australian wicketkeeper Rod Marsh, “How’s your wife and my kids?”  Not missing a beat, Botham retorted: “The wife’s fine, but the kids are retarded.”
Cause of death:	On 24 February 2022, Marsh was left in a critical condition following a heart attack in Bundaberg, Queensland, whilst en route to a charity event hosted by Queensland Bulls Masters.  He died eight days later, on 4 March 2022, in Adelaide, South Australia,

 

William Hurt
Date of death:	13 March 2022
Age at death:	71
About:	American actor. He received three consecutive nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actor; Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985), which he won, Children of a Lesser God (1986), and Broadcast News (1987). During this time he also starred in The Big Chill (1983), The Accidental Tourist (1988), Alice (1990), and One True Thing (1998). Hurt earned his fourth Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in David Cronenberg's crime thriller A History of Violence (2005).
By the way:	He waived his salary for Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985) so the film could be made within its budget.
Cause of death:	In May 2018, it was announced that Hurt had terminal prostate cancer that had metastasized to his bones. He died from complications of the disease at his home in Portland, Oregon.

 

TAYLOR HAWKINS
Date of death:	25 March 2022
Age at death:	50
About:	American musician, best known as the drummer of the rock band Foo Fighters, with whom he recorded eight studio albums between 1999 and 2021.  Before joining the band in 1997, he was a touring drummer for Sass Jordan and for Alanis Morissette, as well as the drummer of the progressive experimental band Sylvia.
By the way:	On the night of his death, Hawkins was scheduled to perform with the Foo Fighters at the Estéreo Picnic Festival in Bogotá as part of their ongoing South American tour. The festival stage was turned into a candlelight vigil for Hawkins.
Cause of death:	On March 25, 2022, emergency services were called to the Four Seasons Casa Medina hotel in Bogotá, Colombia, where Hawkins was suffering from chest pain in his hotel room. Health personnel arrived and found Hawkins unresponsive; they performed CPR, but he was declared dead at the scene, No cause of death was given. The following day, Colombian authorities announced that a preliminary urine toxicology test indicated that Hawkins had ten substances in his system at the time of his death, including opioids, benzodiazepines, tricyclic antidepressants, and THC (a psychoactive drug found in cannabis).

 

JACK NEWTON
Date of death:	15 April, 2022
Age at death:	72
About:	Australian professional golfer who the Buick-Goodwrench Open on the PGA Tour and won three times on the European Tour, including the British PGA Matchplay Championship in 1974. He won the Australia Open in 1979 and a number of other tournaments in Australia, New Zealand and Africa. Twice, he was a runner-up in major championships, losing the 1975 Open Championship, in a playoff against Tom Watson, and the 1980 Masters Tournament, where he finished four strokes behind the winner, Steve Ballesteros. On 24 July 1983, during the height of his professional career, Newton had a near-fatal accident when he walked into the spinning propeller of a Cessna airplane from which he was getting off at Sydney Airport. He lost his right arm and eye, and sustained severe abdominal injuries. A severe rainstorm was in progress at the time, and in addition, safety aspects near the plane were deficient. Immediately after the accident, doctors gave Newton a 50–50 chance of surviving. He spent several days in a coma and eight weeks in intensive care. After a prolonged rehabilitation from his injuries, Newton returned to public life as a television and radio golf commentator, newspaper reporter, golf course designer, public speaker and chairman of the Jack Newton Junior Golf Foundation. He taught himself to play golf one-handed, swinging the club with his left hand in a right-handed stance. He typically scored in the mid-80s.
By the way:	Newton became a force in the development of junior golfers, for which he was recognised on 13 October 2016 when he was inducted as a general member of the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.
Cause of death:	Newton died due to health complications, after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2020.

 

ANDREW SYMONDS
Date of death:	14 May, 2022
Age at death:	46
About:	Australian international cricketer, who played all three formats as a batting all-rounder. Commonly nicknamed "Roy", he was a key member of two World Cup winning squads. Symonds played as a right-handed, middle order batsman and alternated between medium pace and off-spin bowling. He was also notable for his exceptional fielding skills. After mid-2008, Symonds spent significant time out of the team, due to disciplinary reasons, including alcohol. In June 2009, he was sent home from the 2009 World Twenty20, his third suspension, expulsion or exclusion from selection in the space of a year. His central contract was then withdrawn, and many cricket analysts speculated that the Australian administrators would no longer tolerate him, and that Symonds might announce his retirement. Symonds eventually retired from all forms of cricket in February 2012, to concentrate on his family life.
By the way:	On one occasion Symonds noticed Queensland teammate and regular fishing companion Andy Bichel had printed the letters 'T' and 'P' on the shoulder of his bat to ensure he remained mindful of 'time' and 'patience' every time he prepared to face up. Symonds duly responded by writing 'S' and 'W' on the back of his bat which, after queries from puzzled onlookers, he revealed to stand for 'swing harder'.
Cause of death:	Symonds was killed in a single-vehicle road accident at Hervey Range, north of Townsville, Queensland when the vehicle he was driving on Hervey Range Road near the Alice River Bridge when his car left the road and rolled at around 10:30 pm.

 

RAY LIOTTA
Date of death:	26 May 2022
Age at death:	67
About:	American actor best known for his roles as Shoeless Joe Jackson in Field of Dreams (1989) and Henry Hill in Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas (1990). He was a Primetime Emmy Award winning actor and received nominations for a Golden Globe and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. He was also known for his television work in ER for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series in 2004. He starred as Frank Sinatra in the television film The Rat Pack (1998) and Lorca and Tom Mitchell in Texas Rising (2015) for which he earned Screen Actors Guild Award nominations. He starred in the drama series Shades of Blue (2016–2018) with Jennifer Lopez and had a prominent voice acting role as Tommy Vercetti in the video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002).
By the way:	When he was six months old, he was adopted from a Newark, New Jersey, orphanage by Mary Miller (Edgar) and Alfred Liotta, the owners of a chain of automotive-supply stores. One of his earliest memories is of helping his parents pick out Linda, his sister, for adoption, at an orphanage when he was three years old.
Cause of death:	Liotta died in his sleep in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, during the filming of Dangerous Waters.

  

SHINZO ABE
Date of death:	8 July 2022
Age at death:	67
About:	Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 2020. He was the longest-serving prime minister in Japanese history. Abe also served as Chief Cabinet Secretary from 2005 to 2006 under Junichiro Koizumi and was briefly the opposition leader in 2012.
By the way:	Throughout his political life, Abe often engaged in historical negationism, especially in regards to Japanese war crimes during World War II.  In 2007, Abe denied to reporters that Japan forced women into sexual slavery during World War II.   On his official homepage, he questioned the extent to which coercion was applied toward the comfort women, dismissing South Korean positions on the issue as foreign interference in Japanese domestic affairs.
Cause of death:	Abe was shot while delivering a campaign speech.  The assassin approached Abe from behind and fired two shots using a homemade firearm. The first shot missed and prompted Abe to turn around, at which point a second shot was fired, hitting Abe in the neck and chest area. He was fatally struck in the heart.

 

IVANA TRUMP
Date of death:	14 July 2022
Age at death:	73
About:	The first wife of former president Donald Trump. Ivvana was a Czech-American businesswoman, media personality, socialite, fashion designer, author, and model who lived in Canada in the 1970s before relocating to the United States and marrying Donald Trump in 1977. She held key managerial positions in The Trump Organisation as vice president of interior design, as CEO and president of Trump's Castle casino resort, and as manager of the Plaza Hotel. Ivana and Donald Trump were prominent figures in New York society throughout the 1980s. The couple's divorce, finalised in 1992, was the subject of extensive media coverage. Following the divorce, she developed her own lines of clothing, fashion jewellery, and beauty products which were sold on QVC UK and the Home Shopping Network. She wrote an advice column for Globe called "Ask Ivana" from 1995 through 2010 and published several books including works of fiction, self-help, and the autobiography Raising Trump.
By the way:	Ivana turned the real-life messiness she experienced through the divorce from Donald Trump into a quick movie role in “The First Wives Club.” She didn’t say much in the flick, but she said just enough to ruffle Donald’s feathers. “Ladies, you have to be strong and independent,” she advised actresses Goldie Hawn, Diane Keaton and Bette Midler in a key scene. “And remember, don’t get mad — get everything!” Donald was not tickled by his ex-wife’s cameo, later telling shock jock Howard Stern that she was “out of control” for taking part in the 1996 movie. He claimed she did, in fact, take everything when they divorced.
Cause of death:	Ivana died of blunt impact injuries to the torso after falling down stairs at her home on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.