The RIP Famous Person Thread

[Dragonfly94]

Ought to be divided up into US dead and the rest, I never heard of half the US dead on here.

Well don't read them then you dumb shit.

I don't, but endless posts about minor US tv sport and entertainment 'celebrities' that few outside the US know is still noticeable. They should have their own section.

[panama hat]

Ought to be divided up into US dead and the rest, I never heard of half the US dead on here.

Well don't read them then you dumb shit.

I don't, but

[BaitongBoy]

Sigh...

[Neverna]

And Lionel Ritchie was dancing on the ceiling.

I saw Lionel Ritchie recently on T.V. at some kind of music award function in the U.K. He looked like he did in the '70s so you prolly won't have to mention his name again on this thread b/c this thread will prolly die before he does.

Lionel Ritchie is lined up to perform in this summer's Glastonbury Festival (in June).

[harrybarracuda]

Ought to be divided up into US dead and the rest, I never heard of half the US dead on here.

Well don't read them then you dumb shit.

I don't, but endless posts about minor US tv sport and entertainment 'celebrities' that few outside the US know is still noticeable. They should have their own section.

[harrybarracuda]

Churchill's French saboteur "Bob" Maloutier dies at 92
Kim Willsher in Paris
Tuesday 21 April 2015 13.30 BST




French secret agent Bob Maloubier dies aged 92

As an agent in Winston Churchill’s Special Operations Executive in the second world war, Maloubier was tasked with sabotage and spying on Nazi forces

He was one of Winston Churchill’s last living French secret agents, and one of the most colourful heroes of the second world war.

Captain Robert “Bob” Maloubier, who died on Monday night aged 92, was an agent in Churchill’s Special Operations Executive (SOE), a secret army created to “set ablaze” occupied Europe.

Its hand-picked members were tasked with sabotage and spying on the Nazi forces, and Maloubier, then a teenager and trained in weapons and demolitions, carried out several daring missions, including blowing up a power station and a steel plant requisitioned by the Germans.

Maloubier, whose nom-de-guerre was Clothaire, long regretted that the SOE role was largely eclipsed by the resistance in the postwar period.

“The influence of the SOE, experts who came over to train the French, has had very little coverage in France,” he said in an interview four years ago.

Maloubier went on to become a founder member of the French equivalent of the US Navy Seals. He joined the French intelligence services and also designed the famous Fifty Fathoms diving watch worn by the celebrated oceanographer Jacques Cousteau.

Between May 1941 and August 1944 more than 400 Section F SOE agents were dropped into occupied France.

Maloubier had escaped for Tunisia, then Algeria from where he travelled to Britain and spent six months training how to kill, escape and sabotage. He was then dropped into France on two occasions. He wrote several books, including an account of his wartime exploits called Winston Churchill’s Secret Agent, published in 2011.

In it he described how he and a companion were on their way to pick up equipment and supplies that had been dropped by parachute, when their motorbike was stopped by a German field gendarme in December 1943.

His friend ran off, but Maloubier was ordered to drive to the police station with the German riding pillion holding a revolver to his neck. Just as they arrived, he managed to unseat the German, throw the bike at him and run for his life. He was shot several times as he fled, but crossed a field and dived into a frozen ditch to throw the pursuing dogs off his trail before lying low in a field.

“I told myself, you’re dead. Nobody gets shot in the intestines and lung and survives,” he recounted. Nevertheless, at dawn he walked nine miles back home.

A resistance surgeon operated on him in secret and he was flown back to Britain a few weeks later by an SOE “moonlight squadron” bomber. By June, he was back in France.

In 2011, Maloubier was one of only three surviving members of Section F. Last year he received an MBE from the Queen during her state visit to Paris before the 70th D-day commemorations.

Maloubier, a familiar figure among war veterans with his perfectly trimmed handlebar moustache, told journalists: “Well, I’ve already lots of medals, but of course I’m very happy.”

French secret agent Bob Maloubier dies aged 92 | World news | The Guardian

[KEVIN2008]

Roy Mason

British Politician

Roy Mason, Baron Mason of Barnsley, PC, was a British Labour politician and former Cabinet minister who was Secretary of State for Defence and Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in the late 1970s. Wikipedia

Born: April 18, 1924, Royston, United Kingdom
Died: April 20, 2015
Party: Labour Party

[harrybarracuda]

Sid Tepper dies at 96; songwriter for Elvis, other stars



Sid Tepper, right, at his 90th birthday party in 2008 with British recording star Cliff Richard. Tepper co-wrote hundreds of songs, including more than 40 recorded by Elvis Presley. (Tepper family photo)



Songwriter Sid Tepper, who co-wrote more than 40 songs specifically for Elvis Presley plus hundreds of others performed by Frank Sinatra, the Beatles, Dean Martin, Eartha Kitt, Perry Como, Jeff Beck and many more, died Friday at his home in Miami Beach. He was 96.

He died of natural causes, said his daughter Jackie.

Although Tepper and his songwriting partner Roy C. Bennett wrote extensively for Elvis, they never met him. All their Elvis songs were for his movies, including the title number for "G.I. Blues" (1960) and "The Lady Loves Me," sung as a poolside duet with Ann-Margret in "Viva Las Vegas" (1964).

By the time they wrote for Elvis, Tepper and Bennett were already established songwriters. Their first big hit, "Red Roses for a Blue Lady," was recorded by Vaughn Monroe in 1948. Over the years it was covered by Sinatra (on a radio show), Andy Williams, Paul Anka, Wayne Newton and others, including Vic Dana, who got it back on the bestselling charts in 1965.

Elvis needed the songwriting duo's kind of material.

"When Elvis started to make the movies, they needed non rock-and-roll writers, people who could come up with special material songs and ballads," Tepper said in a 2005 interview for the book "Elvis Presley: Writing for the King," by Ken Sharp.

Tepper and Bennett would be given movie scripts and asked to write for specific scenes. But they were not the only songwriters approached — others were asked to submit songs for the same scenes.

"The way it worked was that it was actually a competition," Tepper said in the Sharp interview. "To be honest, it was a little downer feeling that we had to compete with the other writers because Roy and I had a life before Elvis....

"We wrote songs for all the stars of our generation."

Tepper and Bennett, who both wrote music and lyrics, often beat out the competition. On "Blue Hawaii" (1961) alone, they have five credited songs.

They were especially good at writing for specific situations. "The Lady Loves Me" comes at a point in "Viva Las Vegas" where Presley's flirtations with Ann-Margret are getting him nowhere, though he remains supremely confident.

He sings:

I'm her ideal, her heart's desire

Under that ice she's burning like fire

To which she shoots back:

The gentleman has savoir-faire

As much as an elephant or a bear

Tepper and Bennett never had a big hit with an Elvis song — many of them were novelty numbers. For "Girls! Girls! Girls!" (1962), they wrote "Song of the Shrimp" with lyrics from the point of view of a shrimp.

Goodbye mama shrimp, papa shake my hand

Here come the shrimper for to take me to Louisian'

The songs were in sharp contrast to the gritty numbers that made Elvis an electrifying star. But Tepper made no apologies.

"I believe that Elvis' movies and their songs made a mighty contribution to his career," he told Sharp. "They brought him to the attention of millions of people who otherwise would never have known the greatness of the King."

He said one of his favorite Elvis songs that they wrote was from "Kissin' Cousins" (1964) called "Once Is Enough."

All you got is one life

Living once can be rough

But if you live every day all the way

Once is enough

Tepper was born June 25, 1918, in Brooklyn, N.Y. He wrote poetry while in school but got involved with music in the Army, where he was assigned to Special Services, the division that provided troop entertainment.

After World War II, he teamed with his childhood friend Bennett. During their career, they wrote more than 300 songs. They had a 1958 hit with "Kewpie Doll," sung by Perry Como. Their novelty holiday song "Nuttin' for Christmas" was sung by numerous performers, as wide-ranging as Shirley Temple, Eartha Kitt and Stan Freberg.

In Britain, Cliff Richard had a hit with their "The Young Ones" in 1961. And the Beatles album "30 weeks in 1963" includes Tepper and Bennett's "Glad All Over" (not to be confused with the Dave Clark Five hit of the same title), also recorded by Carl Perkins and Jeff Beck.

But Tepper always had a special place in his heart for their first hit, written after a tiff with his wife, Lillian. "I sent her some red roses and wrote on the card, 'I'm sorry, red roses for a blue lady,'" he told the Miami Herald in 2008. "And about a week later, I thought, 'What a great idea for a title.'"

In addition to his daughter Jackie, Tepper is survived by daughters Susan Tepper-Kopacz and Michelle Tepper-Kapit; sons Warren and Brian; seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Lillian Tepper died in 2005.

[email protected]

[Happy As Larry]

Keith Harris, entertainer and ventriloquist, dies at 67

Entertainer Keith Harris, best known for performances with his puppet Orville, has died, aged 67.
His agent Robert C Kelly confirmed the news on Twitter.
"Sad to announce death from cancer of my client, dear friend and great talent, Keith Harris," he wrote.
Harris had his own BBC One Saturday night programme The Keith Harris Show and had a top 10 hit with Orville's Song, popularly known as I Wish I Could Fly, in 1982.
Orville was his most famous creation - an innocent green duck in an oversized nappy, who was relentlessly taunted by Harris's other character, Cuddles the monkey.
Among those paying tribute were singer and broadcaster Aled Jones, who said: "Sad to hear of the death of Keith Harris - sending best wishes to his family and friends."
"So sad," tweeted presenter Keith Chegwin. "A great entertainer and all round nice man Keith Harris has passed away. Best wishes to his family at this sad time. RIP x"
Comedian Julian Clary described Harris as a "lovely, funny talented man."

Culture Secretary Sajid Javid said: "Very sad to hear that Keith Harris has died after a battle with cancer. Brought joy to my childhood."
Actor and comedian Paddy McGuinness said: "RIP Keith Harris. A part of my childhood gone."
The Keith Harris Show ran for eight years from 1982 to 1990, and the entertainer appeared on a total of five Royal, and Children's Royal Variety Performances.
At the personal request of Diana, Princess of Wales, Keith gave private performances at Highgrove House for Prince William's third birthday and then at Kensington Palace for Prince Harry's third birthday.
In the 2000s, he reinvented himself as an X-rated ventriloquist, touring student unions with his adult show, Duck Off.
He appeared in the 2002 documentary When Louis met Keith Harris; and won the Channel Five reality show The Farm in 2005.
But he turned down the chance to appear in Ricky Gervais's comedy series Extras.
"I read the script and thought, 'This isn't clever writing, it's pure filth'," he told The Independent in 2006.
"I turned it down. I'm not desperate."
He continued to appear in pantomime and at holiday camps, but was diagnosed with cancer of the spleen in 2013.
After having the spleen removed, he endured four months of chemotherapy and was given the all-clear, allowing him to return to the stage.
But last summer, he told an audience in Great Yarmouth the illness had returned and he needed further treatment. He was moved to tears when they gave him a standing ovation.
The entertainer leaves behind his fourth wife Sarah, and his children Kitty and Shenton; as well as a daughter, Skye, from his first marriage to singer Jacqui Scott and his mother Lila and brother Colin.
Keith Harris, entertainer and ventriloquist, dies at 67 - BBC News

[toslti]

I bet Orville feels 'kinda empty'

[Bobcock]

Probably speechless

[harrybarracuda]

'Louie Louie' singer Jack Ely of The Kingsmen dies at 71



PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — When he stood on his toes, leaned his head back and began to incoherently shout "Louie Louie" into a microphone 52 years ago, Jack Ely had no idea he was creating a rock 'n' roll classic.

Or, for that matter, did the lead singer of The Kingsmen know he was laying the groundwork for one of the first federal investigations into dirty song lyrics, while simultaneously creating a tune so memorable that everybody from the Beach Boys to Nirvana would later record it.

Ely, who died Tuesday at age 71, had simply walked into a tiny Portland recording studio with his band one day in 1963 to cut an instrumental version of a song that had been a hit on Pacific Northwest jukeboxes — one that kids could dance to.

"Right out of his mouth, my father would say, 'We were initially just going to record the song as an instrumental, and at the last minute I decided I'd sing it," Ely's son, Sean Ely, told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

When it came time to do that, however, Ely discovered the sound engineer had raised the studio's only microphone several feet above his head. Then he placed Ely in the middle of his fellow musicians, all in an effort to create a better "live feel" for the recording.

The result, Ely would say over the years, was that he had to stand on his toes, lean his head back and shout as loudly as he could just to be heard over the drums and guitars.

It might not have helped, either, that the 20-year-old musician was wearing braces at the time, although Ely maintained that the real problem was trying to sing with his head tilted back at a 45-degree angle.

In any case, the end result was that about the only words anyone could clearly understand were contained in the song's first two lines: "Louie Louie. Oh no. We gotta go."

But the driving, three-chord instrumental progression was maddeningly memorable, as were the song's opening lines, delivered with just the right amount of rebellious if slurry snarl.


It didn't hurt either that with people unable to understand what Ely was singing, some began to claim they were hearing lewd words about a girl the singer was to meet up with. Radio stations began to ban "Louie Louie," and the FBI launched an investigation, eventually determining the song was "unintelligible at any speed."

Sean Ely said his father got "quite the kick" out of that latter development.

Meanwhile, everyone from the Clash, to Ike and Tina Turner began covering the song. Rhino Records released not one but two albums of cover versions, including one by The Rice University Marching Owl Band.

"First and foremost, it's a real easy song to play. Second, it's got a great beat. Third, it's got a lot of notoriety, meaning it must be naughty, so it must be fun," said Eric Predoehl, who is producing a documentary on the song's history called "The Meaning of Louie." He counts at least 1,700 cover versions, including numerous ones by garage bands. Frank Zappa even did one with shock jock Howard Stern.

The song, written and originally recorded by the late Los Angeles R&B musician Richard Berry, contained more of a calypso beat when it was first released. It would be recorded by others, most notably the Pacific Northwest group Rockin Robin Roberts and the Wailers, before Ely and his group discovered it.

The Kingsmen would follow it with a couple of other minor hits, "Money" and "The Jolly Green Giant," but nothing that compared with "Louie Louie."

As for Ely, he left The Kingsmen in a dispute with other band members shortly after recording "Louie Louie."

He later trained horses in Central Oregon and, according to his son, was content with his legacy as a one-hit wonder — a massive one-hit wonder, to be precise.

"He wanted to try on different occasions to pursue other endeavors in the music industry, but I think when it was all done and said he was pretty happy that he did 'Louie Louie.'"

[harrybarracuda]

Betsy von Furstenberg, Baroness and Versatile Actress, Dies at 83



Betsy von Furstenberg, a glamorous German-born baroness who made her debut in the movies and on the Broadway stage in the early 1950s as a teenager and later reinvented herself as a television actress, writer and philanthropist, died on April 21 at her home in Manhattan. She was 83.

The cause was complications of Alzheimer’s disease, said her son, Glyn Vincent.

Born in a castle in Westphalia, Ms. von Furstenberg left Germany with her parents for New York before World War II. She was tutored by the choreographer Anton Dolin when she was 4 and performed with American Ballet Theater when she was 7.

While attending the Hewitt School in Manhattan, she began modeling at 14 and embarked with her mother on a globe-girdling career that led to a role in an Italian film called “Women Without Names,” about post-World War II internees. That projected her onto the cover of Look magazine, photographed by Stanley Kubrick, for an article titled “Working Debutante.”

In 1951, she made her Broadway debut in Philip Barry’s “Second Threshold,” which earned her a spot on the cover of Life magazine (accompanied by a photograph inside of her stage-door mother) as “the most promising young actress of the year.” Brooks Atkinson wrote in The New York Times, more guardedly, that her part, like those of the rest of the supporting cast, was “agreeably played.”

She went on to star or co-star in “Oh, Men! Oh, Women!,” “The Chalk Garden,” “Nature’s Way,” “Mary, Mary” and, in 1970, Neil Simon’s “The Gingerbread Lady,” for which Walter Kerr of The Times lauded her “brusque, dry, exquisitely enameled performance as a fading beauty.”

Ms. von Furstenberg also appeared on television, on “Alfred Hitchcock Presents,” “Have Gun — Will Travel” and “Playhouse 90,” among other series; on variety shows like Ed Sullivan’s “Toast of the Town” and “The Johnny Carson Show”; and on the soap opera “As the World Turns.”

“She often played mischievous, flirty or rebellious young women,” her son said, “and was noted in the society columns for her naughty behavior offstage as well.”

Elizabeth Caroline Maria Agatha Felicitas Therese Freiin von Furstenberg-Hedringen was born in Arnsberg, Germany, near Cologne, on Aug. 16, 1931. Her father, Franz-Egon, was a count. Her mother, the former Elizabeth Foster-Johnson, an American from Memphis whom the count met on a vacation, was devoted to her daughter’s career.

Besides her son, Ms. von Furstenberg is survived by a daughter, Gay Caroline Gerry; two grandchildren; and a half brother, Count Egon von Furstenberg.

She continued to perform onstage into the 1980s and was active in supporting the Theater for the New City and Young Concert Artists.

She also began writing, contributing articles and columns to various publications and, in 1988, publishing a novel, “Mirror, Mirror,” about an heiress who befriends her servant’s daughter and pursues love and ambition among Europe’s glitterati.

In an essay on the front of the Arts & Leisure section of The Times in September 1972, Ms. von Furstenberg wrote that all the world was theater, even for actors offstage.

“For myself, even when I’m working and have an audience to look forward to every night, I still find I perform better at home when there’s an eye — preferably approving — to mark my progress as a cook, mother, flower arranger, etc.,” she explained.

“One of the most frustrating drawbacks of being an actor-parent,” she wrote, “is to have your children accuse you of acting when you’re being perfectly sincere.”

[harrybarracuda]

Ben E King dies aged 76



Ben E King, the singer best known for the hit Stand By Me, has died aged 76, according to his agent.


King started his career in the late 1950s with The Drifters, singing on hits including There Goes My Baby and Save The Last Dance For Me.

After going solo, he hit the US top five with Stand By Me in 1961.

The track returned to the charts in the 1980s, reaching No 1 in the UK when the song was used as the theme of the coming-of-age film of the same name starring River Phoenix and Corey Feldman.

The song entered the US Billboard 100 nine times over the years – King’s version did so twice while covers by artists like John Lennon and Spyder Turner featured seven times.

Fellow singer Gary US Bonds paid tribute on Facebook, saying: “With an extremely heavy heart, I must say goodbye to one of the sweetest, gentlest and gifted souls that I have had the privilege of knowing and calling my friend for more than 50 years - Mr Ben E King.

“Speaking for myself, my family & my Roadhouse Rockers family, I can tell you that Ben E will be missed more than words can say. Our sincere condolences go out to Betty and the entire family. Thank you Ben E for your friendship and the wonderful legacy you leave behind.”

Born Benjamin Earl Nelson in North Carolina, he moved to New York as a child and got involved in the burgeoning doo wop scene.

He scored hits including Save The Last Dance For Me and There Goes My Baby with The Drifters before quitting the group in 1960 to go solo.

His first two singles, Spanish Harlem and Stand By Me, were huge hits and more followed but Stand By Me only topped the UK charts in 1987 after it featured in an advert for Levis jeans.

[Sumocakewalk]

R.I.P. Ben E.

[Humbert]

^ Classic sounds of an era. RIP Ben.

[harrybarracuda]

World-famous British crime writer Ruth Rendell dies aged 85



British crime writer Ruth Rendell, one of Britain's best-selling authors, died in hospital on Saturday at the age of 85, her publisher said.

She is best known as the creator of Detective Chief Inspector Wexford.

Rendell, the author of more than 60 best-selling novels, had suffered a severe stroke in January.

"We are devastated by the loss of one of our best loved authors, Ruth Rendell. Our thoughts are with her family," Penguin Random House UK said in a statement.

Rendell's first novel, "From Doon With Death", was published in 1964 and she since wrote several award-winning books, including "A Demon in My View" in 1976 and "Live Flesh" 10 years later. Last year, she published "The Girl Next Door".

Rendell's works, some written under the pen name Barbara Vine, have been published in some 30 countries and many have been adapted for television and film.

In 1997, she took the title Baroness Rendell of Babergh after being named to the upper house of parliament, the House of Lords, for the opposition Labour Party.

"Ruth Rendell was an outstanding and hugely popular figure in British literature and, for the last 18 years, served the Labour Party in the House of Lords with great loyalty and passion," Labour leader Ed Miliband said on Saturday.

World-famous British crime writer Ruth Rendell dies aged 85 - Daily Sabah

[harrybarracuda]

6-time world motorcycling champion Geoff Duke dies aged 92



LONDON (AP) — Geoff Duke, who won six world motorcycling titles and became the sport's first global star, has died. He was 92.

Duke, who retired from the sport in 1959 with 33 grand prix wins, died on Friday, the official MotoGP website said.

Son Peter Duke was quoted as telling bikesportnews.com that his father had been "ill for some time but he passed away peacefully" in the Isle of Man.

Link

[patsycat]

World-famous British crime writer Ruth Rendell dies aged 85



British crime writer Ruth Rendell, one of Britain's best-selling authors, died in hospital on Saturday at the age of 85, her publisher said.

She is best known as the creator of Detective Chief Inspector Wexford.

Rendell, the author of more than 60 best-selling novels, had suffered a severe stroke in January.

"We are devastated by the loss of one of our best loved authors, Ruth Rendell. Our thoughts are with her family," Penguin Random House UK said in a statement.

Rendell's first novel, "From Doon With Death", was published in 1964 and she since wrote several award-winning books, including "A Demon in My View" in 1976 and "Live Flesh" 10 years later. Last year, she published "The Girl Next Door".

Rendell's works, some written under the pen name Barbara Vine, have been published in some 30 countries and many have been adapted for television and film.

In 1997, she took the title Baroness Rendell of Babergh after being named to the upper house of parliament, the House of Lords, for the opposition Labour Party.

"Ruth Rendell was an outstanding and hugely popular figure in British literature and, for the last 18 years, served the Labour Party in the House of Lords with great loyalty and passion," Labour leader Ed Miliband said on Saturday.

World-famous British crime writer Ruth Rendell dies aged 85 - Daily Sabah

Woof. I think i have read all her books and watched some of the film versions.

RIP. Now, if you have never heard of her - you have never lived.

Jeez, i have five books of hers in a bag to be re-read-

[harrybarracuda]

Michael Blake, Oscar-Winning Writer of Dances With Wolves, Dies at 69
By Greg Cwik



Michael Blake (right) with Kevin Costner and Jim Wilson at the 1991 Oscars.


Michael Blake, who wrote the novel Dances With Wolves and penned its subsequent film treatment, has died at 69, Variety reports.

Blake spent his childhood in Texas and Southern California, where he became enamored with the story of the southwest. He studied journalism briefly before switching to film at the University of New Mexico. He then pursued a career in screenwriting. Only one of Blake’s screenplays made it to the big screen in the 1980s, but that film, Stacy’s Knights, starred Kevin Costner, who proved instrumental to Blake’s career.

Costner convinced Blake to write the novel Dances With Wolves, which subsequently sold 3.5 million copies and was translated into 15 languages. Costner, of course, directed and starred in the 1990 cinematic adaptation for which Blake won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. The novel and film depict a Union Army Lieutenant in the Civil War-era west who meets a group of Lakota people, eventually coming to appreciate their way of life and assimilating into their tribe.

The film came under criticism for its white savior story and eschewing of historical accuracy (i.e. Lakota people have gendered language, one for males and one for females, which the film ignores), but it nabbed seven Oscars and made over $400 million on a $22 million budget. It beat Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas in almost every Oscar category in which they competed, the exception being Joe Pesci’s much-deserved win for Supporting Actor. The film is credited with rejuvenating an interest in the Western genre, which Clint Eastwood soon usurped with his revisionist Unforgiven. In 2007 Dances With Wolves was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for its cultural significance.

Blake was also internationally recognized for his humanitarian efforts on behalf of Native Americans and wild horses. His family has asked for any donations in his name to be made to the International Society for the Protection of Mustangs and Burros.

[harrybarracuda]

Star Trek's Grace Lee Whitney dies aged 85



4 May 2015

Grace Lee Whitney has died aged 85.

The actress, who was best known for playing Yeoman Janice Rand on the original series of 'Star Trek', passed away at her home in Coarsegold in California on Friday (01.05.15), the official 'Star Trek' website has announced.

Grace first shot to fame when she was cast as Captain Kirk's (William Shatner) personal assistant in the first series of the show, but was dropped from the sci-fi drama after just eight episodes leading her to turn to drink and drugs.

The actress went on to help other people with addiction problems, by visiting women's prisons and working with the Salvation Army, with her family telling NBC she would have wanted to be remembered as "a successful survivor of addiction" rather than her for fame from the show.

After overcoming her addiction, she returned for the movie franchise with the help of Leonard Nimoy - who played Mr. Spock - and appeared in 1979's 'Star Trek: The Motion Picture', 'Star Trek III: The Search for Spock', 'Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home' and 1991's 'Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country'.

Having started out as a singer and a dancer, Grace - whose real name was Mary Ann Chase - made regular appearances at 'Star Trek' conventions around the world in her later years, and released her autobiography 'The Longest Trek: My Tour of the Galaxy' in 1998.

Grace Lee Whitney Dies Aged 85

[misskit]

Russian Ballerina Maya Plisetskaya Dies at 89


Russian ballet dancer Maya Plisetskaya smiles at a presentation ceremony of state awards in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Oct. 31, 2011.


Renowned Russian Maya Plisetskaya, one of the greatest ballerinas of the 20th century, died Saturday in Germany of an apparent heart attack. She was 89.

Russia’s official Tass news agency quoted Bolshoi director Vladimir Urin as saying “the doctors tried everything, but there was nothing they could do.” He spoke after conferring with Plisetskaya’s husband, acclaimed Russian composer Rodion Shchedrin, in Munich.

Known as a supreme technical and dramatic performer, Plisetskaya was a mainstay in Russia’s premier ballet for more than five decades, becoming the Bolshoi’s prima ballerina in 1960. She retired as a soloist in 1990 at age 65.

Born into a prominent Russian-Jewish family, Plisetskaya at age 12 last saw her father, who was arrested in 1937 and shot to death a year later, a victim of Josef Stalin’s purges. She later wrote that she didn't learn the date of his death until 1989. Her mother was accused of treason and sent to a labor camp in Kazakhstan, leaving the teenage prodigy to be raised by relatives.

Plisetskaya in 1983 became one of the first Soviet celebrities permitted to work for a Western dance company without having to defect, when she became the artistic director of the Rome Opera Ballet.

After retirement, she moved with her husband to Munich in 1991 and later worked as a ballet director and choreographer, teaching master classes around the world.

Russian Ballerina Maya Plisetskaya Dies at 89

[harrybarracuda]

Hot Chocolate singer Errol Brown dies from liver cancer aged 71

By NottmPostEG | Posted: May 06, 2015



Hot Chocolate frontman Errol Brown has died, aged 71. His manager, Phil Dale, said the singer had been suffering from liver cancer. He died at home in the Bahamas.

Hot Chocolate has hits over nearly 30 years – Love Is Life reached No 6 in 1970, and a remix of You Sexy Thing reached No 6 in 1997 – but were most popular in the late 1970s and early 1980s, when the distinctively bald Brown was a regular on Top of the Pops.

“There was always music around wherever he was,” Dale said. “I’ve been with him in the middle of Australia and he has got an idea for a song and started writing.”

Brown was born in Jamaica and moved to Britain with his mother when he was 12. Hot Chocolate were initially signed to the Beatles’ Apple label, after John Lennon heard their reggae version of Give Peace a Chance – recorded when Brown was 21 – and liked it.

The hits began, though, when the group teamed up with the producer Mickie Most at Rak Records in 1970, and they had a top 20 hit every year from then until 1984. Though songs such as You Sexy Thing and Every 1’s a Winner became staples of British pop, the group’s only No 1 was 1977’s So You Win Again.

Their career was revived in 1997, when You Sexy Thing was featured in the hit movie The Full Monty. It was the only song to be a top 10 hit in the 1970s, 80s and 90s.

In the early 80s, Brown also became known as that rare thing: a pop musician who was publicly and proudly Tory. While Margaret Thatcher was prime minister he appeared at the Conservative party conference and treated delegates to a rendition of John Lennon’s Imagine.

After Hot Chocolate split in 1986, Brown began a solo career that never matched the success of the band. However, he was recognised for his career in music, being awarded the MBE in 2003 and an Ivor Novello award for his contribution to music in 2004.

Many musicians paid tribute to the singer, some expected, some less likely. Beverley Knight said: “I am so gutted. Errol Brown was such a charismatic performer.” Bernard Butler noted the studio artistry of the Hot Chocolate records.

[pompeysbroke]

RIP Errol

[patsycat]

RIP Errol. He was rather sexy too, in his day.

I remember him winning Crufts with his Afghan Hound, year ago.