The Dead Thread

Co-founder of Mattel and creator of the Barbie Doll, Elliot Handler April 9, 1916 – July 21, 2011

San Diego Union Tribune: Elliot Handler

Linda Christian--the first Bond Girl, was married to Tyrone power. Died from colon cancer in palm Desert. Was 87 years old.

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/entertainment/movies/Linda-Christian-The-First-Bond-Girl-Dies-126076558.html

[ Edited by: GROG 2011-07-24 00:07 ]

Amy Winehouse Dead: Singer Found Dead At London Home

Who didn't see this coming?

Bear

Tenor sax musician Gil Bernal
February 4, 1931 - July 17, 2011
L.A. Weekly: Gil Bernal

Gil Bernal Music

Hw worked with Spike Jones, Lionel Hampton and Ry Cooder.
He would record some of R&B's fiercest, funkiest solos with the Coasters (nee Robins) -- among them "Youngblood,""Searchin'," "Riot in Cell Block #9" "Down in Mexico" and "Smokey Joe's Café" and with Duane Eddy's on the 1958 hit "Rebel Rouser."

Huntington Beach surfboard shaper Gordon "Gordie" Duane, 1930-July 28, 2011
Surfers Journal: Gordie

Warrant frontman Jani Lane died yesterday. He most likely drank himself to death. Sad,sad,sad! He was only 47. Yes, it's true, as a product of the 80s, I listened to Punk, New Wave & even the occasional hair band.
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/44121366/ns/today-entertainment/?ocid=ansmsnbc11

Mondo Cane Director

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/19/movies/gualtiero-jacopetti-maker-of-mondo-cane-dies-at-91.html

Jerry Lieber, half of the legendary song-writing team of Lieber & Stoller died at age 78. Lieber & Stoller wrote such hits as Hound Dog, Jailhouse Rock, On Broadway, Stand By Me & many more.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/23/arts/music/jerry-leiber-rock-n-roll-lyricist-dies-at-78.html

L to R: Mike Stoller, The King, Jerry Lieber

Rest in Peace Cliff Robertson (9/9/1923 - 9/10/2011) The original Big Kahuna.

I'm gonna miss him!

Come back Shame, come back!

The loss of Dolores Hope — wife of the late entertainer Bob Hope who died Monday at age 102 — continued to ripple this week through Burbank and surrounding communities, where she had a long history of philanthropy and charitable work.

She died at her home in Toluca Lake of natural causes, said her publicist, B. Harlan Boll.

The Hopes, who were married for 69 years, adopted four children. Dolores Hope became an adoption advocate, serving as a board member of Holy Family Adoption Services in Los Angeles.

“She was a real philanthropist,” said Patricia Modrzejewski, president of Providence Health & Services Foundation for the San Fernando Valley area.

She noted that the Bob and Dolores Hope Conference Center at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank is named in their honor.

Modrzejewski said Dolores Hope had a long history of giving to Providence St. Joseph, as well as supporting and spearheading its many campaigns.

“She will be sorely missed,” she said.

Modrzejewski said Dolores Hope had a close relationship with the Sisters of Providence because the Hopes were strong Catholics and supported Catholic institutions.

“It was part of her roots,” she said.

Dolores Hope was also a member of St. Charles Borromeo Church in North Hollywood, where she donated time and financial help to various church causes, such as the construction of the Lady of Hope Chapel and the Holy Family Social Service Center.

In 2002, the Hopes donated $1 million to the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation in North Hollywood to create the Archive Comedy Collection. It paid for 100 interviews with comedy legends, as well as writers and production personnel who had worked with Hope.

They share their life stories and advice in the interviews.

“Their donation really propelled us,” said Karen Herman, director of the Archive of American Television.

Bob Hope’s comedy collection is part of the archive, which is used as a resource for young people aspiring toward careers in TV, Herman said.

But it wasn’t just the money that helped. The Hopes’ stature in the community spurred others to participate in the project, which launched in 1997.

“Before their donation, we had a little more than 200 interviews,” Herman said. “Now, we have more than 700.”

Dolores Hope was often alongside her husband, including the day in 1988 when a street in Burbank was named after him.

She also joined him on many of his USO trips to entertain the troops and often sang in the show. After they married, Dolores Hope put her professional singing career on hold to raise their four children.

At age 83, though, she returned to singing, recording several albums, her publicist said.

She made her last visit to the troops during Operation Desert Storm when — at age 84 — she performed “White Christmas” on the back of a truck in the middle of the Saudi desert.

Services will be private, and the burial will be at Bob Hope Memorial Garden at San Fernando Mission, next to her late husband, Boll said.

From the Glendale News Press

I once was lost.....but now I'm found.....

[ Edited by: 8FT Tiki 2011-09-20 21:11 ]

Robert Whitaker
November 13, 1939 – September 20,2011
Renowned British photographer, best known internationally for his many photographs of The Beatles.

Los Angeles Times: Robert Whitaker

Steve Jobs just passed away....what a loss...will someone please post more info.

Cancer takes another way too soon :(

Actor Charles L. Napier
April 12, 1936 – October 5, 2011
BBC News: Charles Napier
Official Charles Napier Website
He made his film debut in Russ Meyer's Cherry, Harry & Raquel! (1970). Napier went on to play roles in several Meyer movies, including Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (one of the greatest films ever) and Supervixens (1975)

Other Career Highlites...
Lords of Dogtown (2005) .... Nudie
The Blues Brothers (1980) .... Tucker McElroy
Star Trek" (1966) "Adam" in "The Way to Eden"

Edmundo Ros died two months short of his 101st birthday today.

He was credited with bringing the Latin sound to London in 1937.

GWAR Guitarist Cory Smoot (aka Flattus Maximus)
Aug 25, 1977 - Nov 3, 2011

Billboard: Cory Smoot

Andy Rooney, who retired from '60 Minutes' just last month, died following complications from minor surgery.
Andy Rooney dead at 92

That settles it, I'm never going to retire! I liked that old codger, he made me smile and think.

Yeah, Rooney, the archetype of the 'grumpy old man'. I guess at 92, there is no such thing as "minor" surgery.

[ Edited by: Limbo Lizard 2011-11-07 13:25 ]

Smokin’ Joe Frazier, Ex-Heavyweight Champ, Dies at 67.

Alas,... "down goes Frazier". Yet another icon of my youth, gone.

http://news.yahoo.com/family-circus-creator-bil-keane-dies-89-175700917.html

Bill Keane

a guilty pleasure will be missed

Dwight Arrington Myers (May 24, 1967 – November 8, 2011)

Heavy D gone at 44.

Cynthia Myers
September 12, 1950 – November 4, 2011
Playmate of the Month December 1968.
As an actress, played Casey Anderson, the lesbian rock and roll singer and bass player for the band The Carrie Nations in Russ Meyer's Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (one of the greatest movies of all time).
Myers' death was noted by Hugh Hefner on his Twitter page on November 4, 2011
Cynthia Meyers official web page

Andrea True
http://www.dailyfreeman.com/articles/2011/11/20/news/doc4ec83eccafc4a711117510.txt
Star of disco and hardcore 70's porn, bless her heart.

This stinks! Patrice O'Neal (December 7, 1969 - November 29, 2011) only 41. He was a very funny man.

wow bummer!!
:(

'M-A-S-H' star Harry Morgan dies at age 96

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Emmy-winning character actor Harry Morgan, whose portrayal of the fatherly Col. Potter on television's "M-A-S-H" highlighted a show business career that included nine other TV series, 50 films and the Broadway stage, died Wednesday. He was 96.

http://news.yahoo.com/m-h-star-harry-morgan-dies-age-96-180159917.html

Gimme the beat, boys, and free my soul.

Dobie Gray has drifted away.

http://www.dobiegray.com/

Comic book artist Jerry Robinson, who helped create Batman sidekick Robin the Boy Wonder and their arch-nemesis The Joker.
January 1, 1922 – December 7, 2011

Huffington Post: Jerry Robinson

Comic Book Hall of Fame: Jerry Robinson

Jim "Motorhead" Sherwood
May 8, 1942 – December 25, 2011

Played soprano, tenor and baritone saxophone, tambourine, vocals and vocal sound effects in Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention. He appeared on all the albums of the original Mothers line-up and the posthumous releases Burnt Weeny Sandwich and Weasels Ripped My Flesh, as well as certain subsequent Zappa albums.

The nickname "Motorhead" was coined by fellow Mothers member Ray Collins, who observed that Sherwood always seemed to be working on repairing cars, trucks or motorcycles, and joked that "it sounds like you've got a little motor in your head"

UK Gardian: Jim Sherwood

Cheetah the Chimp from the 1930's Tarzan Films

http://news.yahoo.com/chimp-1930s-us-tarzan-films-dead-80-093119035.html

"When he didn't like somebody or something that was going on, he would pick up some poop and throw it at them. He could get you at 30 feet with bars in between," Priest said.

Sleep well sweet prince.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/02/bob-anderson-dead-sword-master-darth-vader_n_1179324.html

LONDON — Olympic fencer and movie sword master Bob Anderson appeared in some of film's most famous dueling scenes – though few viewers knew it.

Anderson, who has died at age 89, donned Darth Vader's black helmet and fought light saber battles in two of the three original "Star Wars" films, "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi."

Anderson, who worked with actors from Errol Flynn to Antonio Banderas during five decades as a sword master, fight director and stunt performer, died early New Year's Day at an English hospital, the British Academy of Fencing said Monday.

Vader, "Star Wars'" intergalactic arch-villain, was voiced by James Earl Jones and played by six foot six (1.98 meter) former weightlifter David Prowse, but Anderson stepped in during the key fight scenes.

"David Prowse wasn't very good with a sword and Bob couldn't get him to do the moves," said Anderson's former assistant, Leon Hill. "Fortunately Bob could just don the costume and do it himself."

The scenes worked beautifully, although Anderson, then nearing 60, was several inches shorter than Prowse.

Few knew of Anderson's role until Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker, said in a 1983 interview that "Bob Anderson was the man who actually did Vader's fighting."

"It was always supposed to be a secret, but I finally told (director) George (Lucas) I didn't think it was fair any more," Hamill told Starlog magazine. "Bob worked so bloody hard that he deserves some recognition. It's ridiculous to preserve the myth that it's all done by one man."

Robert James Gilbert Anderson was born in Hampshire, southern England, in 1922, and was drawn to fencing from an early age.

"I never took up the sword," he said in an interview for the 2009 documentary "Reclaiming the Blade." "I think the sword took me up."

Anderson joined the Royal Marines before World War II, teaching fencing aboard warships and winning several combined services titles in the sport.

He served in the Mediterranean during the war, later trained as a fencing coach and represented Britain at the 1952 Olympics and the 1950 and 1953 world championships.

In the 1950s, Anderson became coach of Britain's national fencing team, a post he held until the late 1970s. He later served as technical director of the Canadian Fencing Association.

His first film work was staging fights and coaching Flynn on swashbuckler "The Master of Ballantrae" in 1952.

He went on to become one of the industry's most sought after stunt performers, fight choreographers and sword masters, working on movies including the James Bond adventures "From Russia With Love" and "Die Another Day"; fantasy "The Princess Bride"; Banderas action romps "The Mask of Zorro" and "The Legend of Zorro"; and the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.

Fencing academy president Philip Bruce said Anderson was "truly one of our greatest fencing masters and a world-class film fight director and choreographer."

Hill remembered him as "a splendid man, a great man who gave so much to fencing that can never be repaid."

Anderson is survived by his wife Pearl and three children. Funeral details were not immediately available.

Kaye Stevens
Born Catherine Louise Stephens, she performed with the Rat Pack and was a frequent guest on Johnny Carson's "The Tonight Show,"
July 21, 1932 – December 28, 2011

Billboard: Kaye Stevens

Jennifer 'Miro' Anderson
Writer, and singer for pioneering San Francisco band The Nuns
May 3, 1957 - Dec 16, 2011

S.F. Weekly: Jennifer 'Miro' Anderson

The Nuns performed regularly at the Mabuhay Gardens and opened for the Sex Pistols at Winterland on January 14, 1978.

Jimmy Castor
June 23, 1947 – January 16, 2012
Saxophonist, with his biggest hit single being 1972's million seller, "Troglodyte (Cave Man)"

Vintage Vinyl News:Jimmy Castor

YouTube: Jimmy Castor Bunch

The Bertha Butt Boogie!!!!

Joe Paterno—a legend, lion and, in the end, tainted leader at Penn State – has died from complications of lung cancer.

Joseph Vincent “Joe” Paterno was 85.

His family, which includes five kids, 17 grandchildren and his wife Sue, released a statement Sunday morning to announce his death: "His loss leaves a void in our lives that will never be filled."

"He died as he lived," the statement said. "He fought hard until the end, stayed positive, thought only of others and constantly reminded everyone of how blessed his life had been. His ambitions were far reaching, but he never believed he had to leave this Happy Valley to achieve them. He was a man devoted to his family, his university, his players and his community."

For 46 seasons, Paterno was the beginning and end of Nittany Lions football. When he left Beaver Stadium for the final time on a snowy October day, Paterno had amassed 409 career victories – more than any major college football coach in the history of the game.

He won his first national championship in 1983, and then another in 1987. Year after year, decade after decade, players left his program bound for the NFL.

Read more: http://aol.sportingnews.com/ncaa-football/story/2012-01-22/joe-paterno-dies-dead-penn-state-coach?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl1%7Csec1_lnk2%26pLid%3D129366#ixzz1kDWu9Mux

Paterno will be remembered for what he DIDN'T do not for what he did.

Maybe one day the news will wax poetic about people who were worth it in the end. One child's safety is worth more than a million championship titles.

Dick Tufeld December 11, 1926 - January 22, 2012
Voice of the Robot on Lost in Space (Danger Danger Will Robinson!)

Official Bill Mumy website: Dick Tufeld

Marta Kristen website: Dick Tufeld tribute

Dick Tufeld Biography

[->>King Bushwich 33rd on Hulu.com

Sad day for Epstein's mother.

Robert Hegyes, best known for playing Juan Epstein on Welcome Back, Kotter, died Thursday from an apparent heart attack, The Star-Ledger reports. He was 60.

http://www.tvguide.com/News/Robert-Hegyes-Dies-1042246.aspx

Due to an unfortunate accident, Kenny McCormic from South Park, Colorado died today without warning.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ian Abercrombie, a veteran British stage and screen actor whose TV roles included Elaine's boss Mr. Pitt on "Seinfeld" and the voice of Chancellor Palpatine in the animated TV series "Star Wars: The Clone Wars," has died. He was 77.

(And he was in "Army of Darkness"!)

http://news.yahoo.com/actor-mr-pitt-seinfeld-dies-77-004906820.html

That blistering King of Cool Don Cornelius commited suicide.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/soul-train-founder-commits-suicide-report-143958906--abc-news.html

WTF???

Looks like he's not taking that "Soul Train" to heaven.