Tuesday, December 31, 2024
A POEM FOR THE NEW YEAR
Monday, December 30, 2024
THOSE WE LOST IN 2024, PART 3
Sunday, December 29, 2024
THOSE WE LOST IN 2024, PART 2
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JULY 2024
|
JON LANDAU
|
|
Date of death: |
July 5, 2024 |
Age at death: |
63 |
Cause of death: |
Cancer |
About: |
Jon Landau was an American film producer who won an Academy
Award for Best Picture for producing James Cameron's epic romantic disaster
film Titanic (1997). He was also nominated for producing Cameron's epic
science fiction films Avatar (2009) and Avatar: The Way of Water (2022). As
of 2024, these are three of the four highest-grossing films of all time. |
By the way: |
Avatar: Fire and Ash, Avatar 4 and Avatar 5, which were produced
by him prior to his death, will be released posthumously. |
SHELLEY DUVALL
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|
Date of death: |
July 11, 2024 |
Age at death: |
75 |
Cause of death: |
Complications from diabetes |
About: |
Shelley Duvall was an American actress and producer. Known for
her collaborations with Robert Altman and for playing eccentric characters,
she won a Cannes Film Festival Award and was nominated for a British Academy
Film Award and two Emmy Awards. |
By the way: |
She has the longest neck I have ever seen on an actress, this is
her as Olive Oyl in the film Popeye (1980): |
RICHARD SIMMONS
|
|
Date of death: |
July 13, 2024 |
Age at death: |
76 |
Cause of death: |
Complications from a previous day's fall, with heart disease a
contributing factor; |
About: |
Milton Teagle "Richard" Simmons was an American
fitness instructor and television personality. He was a promoter of
weight-loss programs, most prominently through his television show, The
Richard Simmons Show and later the Sweatin' to the Oldies line of aerobics
videos. Simmons began his weight-loss career by opening his gym Slimmons in
Beverly Hills, California, catering to the overweight in a supportive
atmosphere, and he became widely known through exposure on television and
through the popularity of his consumer products. He was often parodied and
was a frequent guest on late-night television and radio talk shows, such as
the Late Show with David Letterman and The Howard Stern Show. |
By the way: |
On his birthday, July 12, Simmons stated in an interview that he is grateful to be alive for another
day. He died the next day. |
SHANNEN DOHERTY
|
|
Date of death: |
July 13, 2024 |
Age at death: |
53 |
Cause of death: |
Breast cancer |
About: |
Shannen Doherty was an American actress known for her roles including
Beverly Hills, 90210, Little House on the Prairie and Charmed. She also
starred in many movies, including Heathers. |
By the way: |
The terms of her divorce agreement were finalised the day before
her death, and a Los Angeles judge declared the couple officially divorced
two days after she died. |
BOB NEWHART
|
|
Date of death: |
July 18, 2024 |
Age at death: |
94 |
Cause of death: |
Newhart died from complications of several short illnesses. |
About: |
George Robert Newhart was an American comedian and actor.
Newhart was known for his deadpan and stammering delivery style. Beginning
his career as a stand-up comedian, he transitioned his career to acting in
television. He received numerous accolades, including three Grammy Awards, an
Emmy Award, and a Golden Globe Award. He received the Mark Twain Prize for
American Humor in 2002. |
By the way: |
A favourite quote: "I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate
those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put
down'." -
Bob Newhart |
SANDY POSEY
|
|
Date of death: |
July 20, 2024 |
Age at death: |
80 |
Cause of death: |
Complications from dementia |
About: |
Sandra Posey was an American popular singer who enjoyed success
in the 1960s with singles such as her 1966 recording of Martha Sharp's
compositions "Born a Woman" and "Single Girl". She was
often described as a country singer, although, like Skeeter Davis (to whom
she has been frequently compared),her output varied. Later in her career, the
term "countrypolitan", associated with the "Nashville
sound", was sometimes applied. Posey had four hit singles in the United
States, three of which peaked at number 12 on the Hot 100. |
By the way: |
‘Born a Woman’ preceded Helen Reddy’s ‘I Am Woman’, which
heralded Women’s Lib. Lyrics of ‘Born
a Woman’: Verse 1 It makes no difference if you're rich or poor Or if you're smart or dumb A woman's place in this old world Is under some man's thumb [Verse 2] And if you're born a woman You're born to be hurt You're born to be stepped on Lied to, cheated on and treated like dirt Ah, if you're born a woman You're born to be hurt [Verse 3] A woman's lot is to give and give And go on givin' A woman's got to love and lose And go on livin' [Verse 4] Well, I was born a woman I didn't have no say And when my man finally comes home He makes me glad it happened that way Because to be his woman No price is too great to pay Link: |
JOHN MAYALL
|
|
Date of death: |
July 22, 2024 |
Age at death: |
90 |
Cause of death: |
Unknown |
About: |
John Mayall OBE was an English blues and rock musician,
songwriter and producer who was a singer, guitarist, harmonica player and
keyboardist. John Mayall band was a training ground for
Eric Clapton, Mick Fleetwood and many other superstars. He is credited with
helping develop the English take on urban, Chicago-style rhythm and blues
that played an important role in the blues revival of the late 1960s. At
various times, his band the Bluesbreakers included Clapton and Jack Bruce,
later of Cream; Mick Fleetwood, John McVie and Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac;
Mick Taylor, who played for five years with the Rolling Stones; Harvey Mandel
and Larry Taylor of Canned Heat; and Jon Mark and John Almond, who went on to
form the Mark-Almond Band. Although Mayall never approached the same heights
of fame as some of his band members, he was still performing in his late 80s.
|
By the way: |
Mayall was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the
musical influence category in 2024 and was known as the "Father of
British blues". |
AUGUST 2024
|
PHIL DONAHUE
|
|
Date of death: |
August 18, 2024 |
Age at death: |
88 |
Cause of death: |
His family’s statement said only that death followed a long
illness. |
About: |
Phil Donahue was an American media personality, writer, film
producer, and the creator and host of The Phil Donahue Show. The television
program, later known simply as Donahue, was the first popular talk show to
feature a format that included audience participation. The show had a 29-year
run on national television that began in Dayton, Ohio, in 1967 and ended in
New York City in 1996. Donahue's shows often focused on issues which
Americans were interested in discussing in the United States when there was a
limited platform for listening to multiple sides, such as abortion, consumer
protection, civil rights, and war issues. Donahue was one of the most
influential talk show hosts and was often referred to as the "king of
daytime talk". |
By the way: |
Donahue was nominated for 20 Daytime Emmy Awards during his
broadcasting career, winning eight for Outstanding Talk Show Host. In 2024,
Donahue was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Joe Biden. |
MIKE LYNCH
|
|
Date of death: |
August 19, 2024 |
Age at death: |
59 |
Cause of death: |
In August 2024, Lynch celebrated his acquittal in the San
Francisco trial with a cruise on the family superyacht, Bayesian. He was
joined by his wife and daughter and nine invited guests, including two
lawyers from his defense team. In the early hours of 19 August, the yacht
sank off the coast of Sicily, outside the port of Porticello, during a
powerful storm, with 22 people on board. Lynch, his teenage daughter Hannah,
four guests, and one member of the crew died. |
About: |
Michael Lynch was a British technology entrepreneur who
co-founded Autonomy Corporation, Invoke Capital and Darktrace. He had various
other roles, including in an advisory capacity. He was described in the press
as the British equivalent of the American businessman Bill Gates. The sale of
Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard in 2011 led to accusations of fraud and resulted
in civil litigation in the UK in 2019. The case was decided largely in favour
of Hewlett-Packard. In 2023, Lynch was extradited to the United States to
face criminal charges. He went on trial in San Francisco in March 2024 and in
June was found not guilty on all counts. |
By the way: |
Lynch had an estimated worth of £852 million in 2023. |
SEPTEMBER 2024
|
SERGIO MENDES
|
|
Date of death: |
September 5, 2024 |
Age at death: |
83 |
Cause of death: |
Complications from long COVID |
About: |
Sérgio Mendes was a Brazilian musician whose career took off
with worldwide hits by his band Brasil '66. He released 35 albums and was
known for playing bossa nova, often mixed with funk. He was nominated for an
Oscar for Best Original Song in 2012 as a co-writer of "Real in
Rio" from the animated film Rio. |
By the way: |
A three-time Grammy award winner and Oscar nominee, Mendes last
performed in November 2023 to sold out and wildly enthusiastic houses in
Paris, London and Barcelona. |
JAMES EARL JONES
|
|
Date of death: |
September 9, 2024 |
Age at death: |
93 |
Cause of death: |
Not disclosed |
About: |
James Earl Jones was an acting great known for his distinctive
voice - most famously as Star Wars villain Darth Vader and Mufasa in The Lion
King. He also appeared in Conan The Barbarian, played the father of Eddie
Murphy's character in Coming to America, starred in The Hunt for Red October
and Patriot Games, and was one of just a select group of entertainers who
have won the quadruple EGOT prizes - Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards. He
died surrounded by family members, his agent said, with stars including Mark
Hamill and Colman Domingo paying tribute. "RIP dad," posted Hamill,
who played Luke Skywalker, Vader's son, in the Star Wars films. |
By the way: |
He was one of a select group of entertainers who have won the
quadruple EGOT prizes - Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards. |
JOHN ASHTON
|
|
Date of death: |
September 26, 2024 |
Age at death: |
76 |
Cause of death: |
Cancer |
About: |
John Ashton was an American actor, known for his roles in the
Beverly Hills Cop films, Some Kind of Wonderful, and Midnight Run. |
By the way: |
His motto, taken from his high school drama teacher, was
"Think Big, Work Hard, Have a Dream, and Make a Difference". |
DAME MAGGIE SMITH
|
|
Date of death: |
September 27, 2024 |
Age at death: |
89 |
Cause of death: |
Not diclosed |
About: |
Born in Essex in 1934, Dame Maggie Smith became internationally
recognised and one of the most versatile, accomplished and meticulous
performers of her generation, winning two Oscars, several BAFTAs and numerous
other awards during her career. At the National Theatre and Old Vic, she
excelled in both tragedy and comedy, moving easily from Shakespeare to Noel
Coward, to Restoration comedy to Ibsen. She was best known for playing Violet
Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham, in Downton Abbey, and Professor
Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter films, but her CV also included
performances in Death On The Nile, Gosford Park, The Best Exotic Marigold
Hotel and its sequel, and The Lady In The Van, the adaptation of Alan
Bennett's memoirs. |
By the way: |
King Charles III released a statement: "As the curtain
comes down on a national treasure, we join all those around the world in
remembering with the fondest admiration and affection her many great
performances, and her warmth and wit that shone through both on and off the
stage." |
KRIS KRISTOFFERSON
|
|
Date of death: |
September 28, 2024 |
Age at death: |
88 |
Cause of death: |
Not disclosed. He previously requested for the first three lines of Leonard
Cohen's "Bird on the Wire" on his tombstone: Like a bird on the wire Like a drunk in a midnight choir I have tried in my way to be free |
About: |
Born in Texas, Kris Kristofferson was a country music legend who
started his music career in the mid-1960s. Despite being a singer himself, many of his songs were best
known for their performances by others, including Ray Price's US number one
hit For the Good Times and Janis Joplin's 1971 single Me And Bobby McGee. In
the mid-1980s he joined forces with Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash and Waylon
Jennings to create the country supergroup The Highwaymen, releasing three
albums before all four returned to their solo careers. On the big screen, he
won the 1976 Golden Globe Award for best actor after his performance in the
romantic drama A Star Is Born opposite Barbra Streisand. |
By the way: |
Kristofferson, under pressure from his family, joined the U.S.
Army and was commissioned as a second lieutenant, attaining the rank of
captain. He became a helicopter pilot after receiving flight training at Fort
Rucker, Alabama. He also completed Ranger School. During the early 1960s, he
was stationed in West Germany as a member of the 8th Infantry Division.
During this time, he resumed his music career and formed a band. In 1965,
after his tour in West Germany ended, Kristofferson was given an assignment
to teach English literature at West Point. Instead, he decided to leave the
Army and pursue songwriting. His family disowned him because of his career
decision; sources are unclear on whether they reconciled. |
RON ELY
|
|
Date of death: |
September 29, 2024 |
Age at death: |
86 |
Cause of death: |
Not disclosed. |
About: |
Ron Ely was an American actor and novelist, best known for
portraying Tarzan in the 1966–1968 NBC series Tarzan and playing the lead
role in the film Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze (1975). He hosted the Miss
America pageant telecast in 1980 and 1981. |
By the way: |
On October 15, 2019, Ely's son Cameron, then 30 years old,
stabbed Ron Ely’s wife (former Miss Florida and married 1984) Valerie Ely to
death at the family's home in Hope Ranch, California, a coastal residential
community in Santa Barbara. Police officers were called to the scene for a
"family disturbance" and killed Cameron Ely, claiming he posed a
threat to officers. An autopsy found Cameron was in the early stages of
chronic traumatic encephalopathy before he died. |