Knack Frontman Succumbs to Cancer

Doug Fieger, lead singer and founder of The Knack, lost his six year battle with cancer today. The 57 year old Detroit native had undergone surgery in 2006 to remove two tumors from his brain.

The Knack had continued to release albums and tour through the mid-2000s but they never replicated the success they enjoyed with their first two albums, "Get the Knack" and "... But the Little Girls Understand."

My Sharona

Carl Ballantine has died at 92

Carl Ballantine, best known for his supporting role of crew member Lester Gruber on "McHale's Navy", died from age-related causes on Tuesday at his Hollywood Hills home. He is survived by daughters Saratoga and Molly, and a sister, Esther Robinson. Ballantine's wife of 45 years, actress Ceil Cabot, died in 2000.

Ballantine's greatest performance was as a comically inept magician variously billed as "The Amazing Ballantine," "The Great Ballantine" and "Ballantine: The World's Greatest Magician". It was his performance of this role that launched his career on "The Ed Sullivan Show", and influenced a generation of magicians and comedians such as Steve Martin and David Copperfield.

Gruber on McHale's Navy


Carl Ballantine On Donny & Marie


Ballantine also hosted several television shows, including the Garry Moore, Andy Williams, Danny Kaye and Dean Martin shows, as well as "The Hollywood Palace" and "The Tonight Show." He appeared in numerous films such as "The Shakiest Gun in the West" (1968), "The World's Greatest Lover" (1977) and "Mr. Saturday Night" (1992).

RIP: Warren Oates

Actually, I'm a tad bit late for this obituary - approximately 27 and 1/2 years late! I subscribe to an email list for WATN (Where Are They Now) that looks in on celebs from the past, reports on their life, and what they're doing now. One of the features in that report is called "Dead or Alive", which tells you a celeb name as well as a famous role of theirs, and asks you to guess if they are still with us - the answers are always at the end of the e-mail. Mr.Oates showed up on that list tonight and, while I never knew his name, I certainly knew him for his last major role; it was/is from one of my favorite movies: "Stripes". . .



Yes. . .it's Sargent Hulka! All of these years, and I never had any idea that he was gone. . .he died on April 3, 1982 of a heart attack. Apparently the Type A personality he portrayed in Stripes was true to character. In addition to his famous (and one of his final) role in Stripes, Oates had a long and distinguished career in film. Check it out here!

Soupy Sales has died at 83

via AP:

Soupy Sales, the rubber-faced comedian whose anything-for-a-chuckle career was built on 20,000 pies to the face and 5,000 live TV appearances across a half-century of laughs, has died. He was 83.

Sales died at Thursday night at Calvary Hospice in the Bronx, New York, said his former manager and longtime friend, Dave Usher. Sales had many health problems and entered the hospice last week, Usher said.

SOUPY SALES: Green Pieces of Paper


Soupy Sales with Pookie and White Fang

Oscar Mayer dies at 95

Oscar G. Mayer, retired chairman of the Wisconsin-based meat processing company that bears his name, has died at the age of 95. He was the third Oscar Mayer in the family that founded Oscar Mayer Foods, which was once the largest private employer in Madison. His grandfather, Oscar F. Mayer, died in 1955 and his father, Oscar G. Mayer Sr., died in 1965. Mayer retired as chairman of the board in 1977 at age 62 soon after the company recorded its first $1 billion year. The company was later sold to General Foods and is now a business unit of Kraft.

Oscar Mayer Commercial -1973

Oscar Mayer "Wiener" Ad 1965 in COLOR

RIP Michael Jackson

I never was a huge fan, but enjoyed most of his music if not his life choices. My favorite album was 1979's "Off the Wall". My favorite track from that album was the critically panned one you see below:

Dom DeLuise has died at 75

Via AP:

Dom DeLuise, the portly actor-comedian whose affable nature made him a popular character actor for decades with movie and TV audiences as well as directors and fellow actors, has died. He was 75.

DeLuise died Monday night, son Michael DeLuise told KTLA-TV and radio station KNX on Tuesday. The comedian died in his sleep after a long illness. Calls to his agent were not immediately returned.

The actor, who loved to cook and eat almost as much as he enjoyed acting, also carved out a formidable second career later in life as a chef of fine cuisine. He authored two cookbooks and would appear often on morning TV shows to whip up his favorite recipes.

As an actor, he was incredibly prolific, appearing in scores of movies and TV shows, in Broadway plays and voicing characters for numerous cartoon shows.

Writer-director-actor Mel Brooks particularly admired DeLuise's talent for offbeat comedy and cast him in several of his films, including "The Twelve Chairs," "Blazing Saddles," "Silent Movie," "History of the World Part I" and "Robin Hood: Men in Tights." DeLuise was also the voice of Pizza the Hutt in Brooks' "Star Wars" parody, "Spaceballs."

Paul Harvey has died at 90

"My father and mother created from thin air what one day became radio and television news," ... "So in the past year, an industry has lost its godparents and today millions have lost a friend" - Paul Harvey

via AP:

The broadcasting pioneer passed away today in Phoenix, Arizona, surrounded by friends and family. No cause of death has been reported at this time. At his peak, Harvey reached more than 24 million listeners on more than 1,200 radio stations, and his syndicated column was carried by 300 newspapers.

His fans identified with his plainspoken political commentary, but critics called him an out-of-touch conservative. He was an early supporter of the late Sen. Joseph McCarthy and a longtime backer of the Vietnam War. But Harvey's most famous broadcast came in 1970, when he abandoned that stance, announcing his opposition to President Nixon's expansion of the war and urging him to get out completely.

"Mr. President, I love you ... but you're wrong," Harvey said, shocking his faithful listeners and drawing a barrage of letters and phone calls, including one from the White House.

But Harvey is most widely known for his "The Rest of the Story", which he began in 1976. He would highlight an individual, taking you through events of their lives in an attempt to capture "the heartbeats behind the headlines." Harvey was preceded in death by his wife, Lynn, in 2008 and is survived by his son, Paul Jr.

Click here for "the rest of the story".

Socks has died at 18

Beloved Clinton White House pet, Socks the cat died today at the ripe old age of 18. The feline had been suffering from cancer since late last year. Former secretary to Mr.Clinton, Betty Currie reported the death this evening; Socks had resided with her since the Clintons departed the White House in 2001.

Chelsea Clinton's pet first appeared in the news in November 1992 after then-Gov. Bill Clinton won the presidency and the family was the still in the governor's mansion in Little Rock, Ark. Socks became an early symbol of privacy-vs.-media in the Clinton era when photographers got a little aggressive as he took a stroll outside. 

In her book,"Dear Socks, Dear Buddy", Hillary Clinton wrote that she had been taking Chelsea to a piano lesson in spring 1991 when they spotted two kittens in her music teacher's front yard. "The black one with white paws _ Socks _ jumped right into (Chelsea's) arms," she wrote. The Clinton Foundation release the following statement:

"Socks brought much happiness to Chelsea and us over the years, and enjoyment to kids and cat lovers everywhere. We're grateful for those memories, and we especially want to thank our good friend, Betty Currie, for taking such loving care of Socks for so many years."

William Thomas has died at 61

Anti-nuclear activist William Thomas passed away at home on Friday in Washington, D.C. Thomas is best known for setting up a permanent peace vigil outside the White House. For 27 years, he held daily vigils against US militarism and nuclear weapons in Lafayette Park across from the White House. Thomas is survived by his wife, Ellen, who resides at the Peace House. There will be a special memorial for him in Lafayette Park at noon on March 20th, on what would have been his 62nd birthday. Ellen writes: "Please send me emails with your favorite anecdotes about Thomas."

Here's video of Thomas being arrested last November at his vigil in front of the White House:



Local peace activist and friend of this blogger, Robert Rouse, passed on the following statement:

Last Friday morning, William Thomas passed away. ANYONE who has walked in front of the White House since late 1981 has seen Thomas.

William Thomas, dedicated peace and anti-nuke activist, passed away Friday morning at home. He was co-pilot of the 24-hour seven-day a week vigil at the White House for 27 years. He is survived by his wife Ellen and vigil co-pilot Concepcion. I remember Thomas from my high school years early on in his vigil. Millions of people from hundreds of countries visited Thomas as he kept vigiling, warning them of the dangers of nuclear holocaust and the ravages of war. He will be greatly missed by the peace and justice movement.

Rest in PEACE, Thomas. The world became a much more hopeful place during the week of your death. Perhaps you knew that and were comfortable in leaving behind your long vigil. Others will carry on in your absence and ensure that the United States of America once more becomes a shining beacon of peace and hope to the rest of the world.

Ricardo Montalban has died at 88

Ricardo Montalban died this morning at home in Los Angeles from complications related to old age. May we all be so lucky to expire in the same manner. Montalban was a big-screen star from the 1940's through the 1960's, starring in dozens of films during that period. But his largest fame was to come from the small screen, portraying the mysterious Mr.Rourke on Fantasy Island. That series ran from 1978 through 1984.



Also during that time, he served as a commercial spokesperson for Chrysler Corporation, particularly known for his silky allusion to the "soft Corinthian leather" of the Chrysler Cordoba.



Montalban also had a role in the 1967 "Star Trek" television episode, "Space Seed," in which he portrayed Khan Noonian Singh. He reprised that role on the big screen with great success in the 1982 film "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan". As Khan, Montalban was deliciously over the top, vowing to wreak revenge on Star Trek Admiral James T. Kirk: "I'll chase him 'round the moons of Nivea, and 'round the Antares maelstrom, and 'round perdition's flames before I give him up."



He had been confined to a wheelchair in recent years, in nearly constant pain from a congenital condition that affected his spine. Despite that, he continued to work, most recently recently, as the voice of Señor Señor Sr. on the Disney Channel's animated series "Kim Possible." Montalban is survived by two daughters, Laura Montalban and Anita Smith; two sons, Mark Montalban and Victor Montalban; and six grandchildren.

Hawaiian Shirt Creator dies at 86

Alfred Shaheen, the man behind the modern Hawaiian garment industry, died Dec. 22 of complications from diabetes. The entrepreneur was 86 years old.

Shaheen noticed the many tourists from the mainland purchasing colorful but cheesy looking shirts and sundresses from small tourist shops to take home as souvenirs. Sensing an opportunity, Shaheen opened his own business in 1948, designing and printing his own higher quality Hawaiian apparel. Within a decade, he had more than 400 employees working for him and was grossing more than $4 million a year as the major player in the islands' garment industry. He closed his factory upon his retirement in 1988.

Claiborne Pell has died at 90

Long-term Rhode Island Senator was the creator of the Pell Grant:

Claiborne Pell, who was the driving force behind a grant program that has helped tens of millions of Americans attend college, died Thursday after a long battle with Parkinson's disease. The former Senator was 90 years old. He serve the people of the state of Rhode Island from 1960 through 1997, retiring two years after disclosing his illness.

Pell sponsored legislation creating the Basic Educational Opportunity Grants, which passed in 1972 and provided direct aid to college students. The awards were renamed "Pell Grants" in 1980. By the time Pell retired, they had aided more than 54 million low- and middle-income Americans.

"He believed strongly that a good education could open infinite doors of opportunity, and he has transformed the lives of millions of young people who have been able to go to college because of the grant that rightly bears his name," said Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass.

Thomas Hughes, Pell's chief of staff from 1975 until his retirement, said Pell believed financial aid should be given directly to students rather than distributed by colleges and universities.

"He always had this view that the federal government should help young people be able to have an education beyond high school," Hughes said.

This blogger was a recipient of one of Senator Pell's grants, which allowed me to attend Ivy Tech in the early 1980's. I salute him for his work on behalf of making higher education possible for all and personally thank him for his influence on my life. Rest in peace, sir.

Eartha Kitt has died at 81

Eartha Kitt, the sultry singer, dancer and actress who rose from South Carolina cotton fields to become an international symbol of elegance and sensuality, has succumbed to colon cancer at the age of 81. Kitt was the original singer of the perennial holiday song "Santa Baby". Watch her perform it below:



In addition to numerous film roles, Kitt portayed the sexy Catwoman on the popular "Batman" series in 1967-68, replacing Julie Newmar who originated the role. Kitt was a very vocal critic of the Vietnam war, and performed mainly overseas during it's duration.

Majel Barrett-Roddenberry Has Died at 76

Via Wired.com:

There is very sad news today in the Star Trek world. Majel Barrett-Roddenberry, widow of Gene and known to fans as Nurse Chapel, the original Number One, Lwaxana Troi, and of course the voice of just about every Federation computer in every show and movie, has passed away at age 76. She had been fighting leukemia for some years, evidently, and unfortunately died of complications from the disease early this morning in California.

Barrett-Roddenberry will be fondly remembered by Star Trek fans forever for her work, which will—fittingly, one might say—end with the upcoming reboot of the franchise, in which she one last time performed the voice of the Enterprise computer. She had reportedly just completed her voiceover work on the movie when she passed away.

Reports say that a public memorial for Barrett-Roddenberry is planned for shortly after Christmas or in early next year, and that her family has asked that donations be made to the CARE Organization or Precious Paws in lieu of flowers. Condolences can be sent via e-mail to share@roddenberry.com.

Majel Barrett Roddenberry Fan Tribute

Bettie Page has died at 85

Bettie Page, the 1950s secretary-turned-model whose controversial photographs in skimpy attire or none at all helped set the stage for the 1960s sexual revolution, died Thursday. She was 85.

Page was placed on life support last week after suffering a heart attack in Los Angeles and never regained consciousness, said her agent, Mark Roesler. He said he and Page's family agreed to remove life support. Before the heart attack, Page had been hospitalized for three weeks with pneumonia.

Paul Benedict has died at 70

Paul Benedict, best known for his role as Mr.Bentley on "The Jeffersons", was found dead Monday at his home on Martha's Vineyard. He was 70. The cause of death is under investigation, according to Benedict's brother, Charles.

Benedict was a New Mexico native, although he was often mistaken for a British national due to his portrayal of Mr.Bentley. His notable film appearances include the 1977 Oscar winner The Goodbye Girl, The Freshman, This Is Spinal Tap and The Addams Family.

Gen-Xers may also recognize him as the bowler-capped Number Painter from Sesame Street, who started popping up in random places to decorate his surroundings with a big white numeral in 1972.

The Jeffersons


The Number Painter

Farewell, Mr. Lucterhand

Merle Lucterhand was one of my teachers at Village Woods Middle School. The above pic is from my 77-78 Village Vikings yearbook. From the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette:

Edna Parker has died at 115

Lifelong Indiana resident and world's oldest living person, Edna Parker, died on Wednesday at her Shelbyville nursing home. Parker had lived in the farmhouse she shared with her husband Earl, who succumbed to a heart attack in 1939, until the age of 100. She remained active until the end, taking daily walks.

The supercentenarian outlived her two sons, Clifford and Earl Jr. She also had five grandchildren, 13 great-grandchildren and 13 great-great-grandchildren.

Madelyn Dunham has died at 86

Rest in peace, Mrs.Dunham. The world mourns your passing while simultaneously rejoicing over the gift that your grandson is to us all:

Madelyn Dunham, the grandmother who was the anchor in the life of the child that was Barack Obama, died today just hours before polling stations opened in America's historic election.

"It is with great sadness that we announce that our grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, has died peacefully after a battle with cancer," Obama said in a joint statement with his sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng.

"She was the cornerstone of our family, and a woman of extraordinary accomplishment, strength and humility."