The RIP Famous Person Thread

[dirk diggler]

posted Monday on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

Eh, what?

[harrybarracuda]

Well I never knew that about Peewee Herman's dad:

Milton Rubenfeld had been a top fighter pilot who served in the Royal Air Force, and then the U.S. Army Air Force, during World War II. He became one of five Jewish pilots who flew in smuggled fighter planes and helped establish the Israeli Air Force.

[S Landreth]

Marc Gilpin dead: the 'Jaws 2' actor was 56

Marc Gilpin, Jaws 2 child actor and brother of Frasier star Peri Gilpin, dies at 56

Marc Gilpin, a former child actor best known for playing young Sean Brody in Jaws 2, has died. He was 56.

His older sister, former Frasier star Peri Gilpin, announced the news via a tribute post from actor David Morwick, sharing it in her Instagram story on Wednesday. Alongside a picture of Gilpin and actress Martha Swatek in Jaws 2, the post praised his performances throughout his career.

Peri Gilpin also confirmed her brother's death to The Hollywood Reporter, who reported that Marc Gilpin died Saturday in Dallas after a long battle with glioblastoma, an aggressive brain tumor. He is survived by Peri, his wife, and their two teenage sons. He previously lost his sister April in 2017 and his sister Patti in 2020.

Gilpin's cancer diagnosis was first announced in 2022, when the family started a GoFundMe page to offset his medical and household expenses. The page revealed that doctors had discovered two tumors in Gilpin's brain, one of which could not be surgically removed. The ex-actor, who later became a self-taught software engineer, had lost his job and was home with his wife, an elementary school teacher who took time off work to care for him.

The page's most recent update shares that after months of looking at good scans, doctors had discovered a new growth, which Gilpin was fighting with a more intense treatment plan. "So many people have reached out to us in this past year to support. It's been humbling," his wife, Kaki Gilpin, wrote in the May 2023 post. "And I thought I was already humble enough. Damn. Marc is an amazingly strong man and he wants to continue the battle. So do I and our boys. Any parent would be so proud of their kids if you could see how Spencer and Presley are living with this."

Born Sept. 26, 1966, in Austin, Marc Gilpin landed his breakout role as the title character in 1978's Where's Willy? That same year, he starred as Sean Brody in the sequel to the Steven Spielberg blockbuster hit Jaws. He beat out hundreds of other boys for his role in the Jeannot Szwarc–directed film, which also featured small roles for two of his three siblings: April Gilpin played Renee, while Peri appeared as an extra.

Gilpin later guest-starred on CHiPs before he appeared with April on Fantasy Island. More big-screen roles followed in movies including The Legend of the Long Ranger, Earthbound, and Surviving, which co-starred Ellen Burstyn, River Phoenix, and Molly Ringwald. His part in the latter led to Gilpin signing with a manager, who also took notice of his sister Peri. She would later find fame for her role as Roz Doyle in the hit NBC comedy Frasier.

After appearing in episodes of the series Silver Spoons and the films Right to Kill?, China Beach, and She's Out of Control, Gilpin pursued a career as a software engineer.

[harrybarracuda]

Breaking Bad actor Mark Margolis dies aged 83




Breaking Bad actor Mark Margolis has died aged 83.

Best known for his role as the wheelchair-bound, bell-ringing drug kingpin Hector 'Tío' Salamanca on the hit show - for which he earned an Emmy nominee in 2012 - he passed away on Thursday (Aug 3).

His son Morgan Margolis said his dad died at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City after battling a short illness.

Mark reprised his Breaking Bad role for five seasons of the spin-off series Better Call Saul alongside Bob Odenkirk.

His final role was starring in his Breaking Bad co-star Bryan Cranston's Showtime series Your Honor, according to his IMDB profile.

Along with his son Morgan – who is CEO of Knitting Factory Entertainment – Mark is survived by his wife, Jacqueline, to whom he was married for 61 years and has three grandchildren.

Movies he is credited with include Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2.

He was also a notable stage actor and appeared as Gus in Tony Kushner's The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures in 2014.

Born in Philadelphia, he studied acting under Stella Adler at the Actors Studio.

His career kicked off in the mid-1970s before he landed his breakout role as Alberto the Shadow in 1983's Scarface starring Al Pacino.

Years later he appeared as a maths teacher in director Darren Aronofsky's 1998 psychological thriller Pi.

It was the start of a long working relationship, with Mark also starring in Darren's films Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain, The Wrestler, Black Swan, and Noah.

Mark joked to The Hollywood Reporter about why Darren kept casting him: "He thinks he has an obligation!"

He added: "I started with him on his first movie, the $60,000 Pi, when he was unknown.

"I chased him for three months because he kept lying to me about when I'd get my money.

"I finally threatened to call his mother, who was doing craft services on the film. Then he finally paid me."

Breaking Bad actor Mark Margolis dies aged 83, Entertainment News - AsiaOne

[S Landreth]

• Birmingham Freedom Rider Catherine Burks-Brooks dies at 83

“Mr. Bull” is what she called him. It’s what Catherine Burks-Brooks called Eugene (Bull) Connor on the morning of May 18, 1961.

The segregationist Birmingham Police Commissioner had driven the 21-year-old Birmingham native and nine other young civil rights activists to the Alabama border after the group, all college students in Nashville, ventured to Birmingham to support the Freedom Riders, who encountered violence in Anniston in Birmingham as they challenged segregation on interstate buses throughout the South.

Connor wasn’t having it. He forced the group to Ardmore near the state line and dumped them—at what turned out not to be a bus station but an abandoned warehouse.

Burks-Brooks wasn’t having it.

“We’ll see you back in Birmingham at high noon,” she shouted at Connor, “Mr. Bull.”

Burks-Brooks, who later joined the rides and was once arrested in Jackson, Mississippi, and held for 39 days in Parchman State Prison, died Monday at her home, the family confirmed. She was 83 years old.

In a bio (attached below) written by her family, they recalled how Burks-Brooks exhibited the spirit of defiance early in life: “From a very young age, she developed a sharp tongue, a critical eye, and a strong sense of justice. She used these tools to speak out against the injustices of racism and segregation. Her first acts of protest occurred when she was only 11 years old while walking down the Birmingham sidewalks. When white pedestrians approached from the opposite direction, Catherine always refused to step out into the street to allow them to pass, defying both local customs and city laws.”

During an interview with AL.com in 2011, Burks-Brooks, who was born near Selma, grew up in Center Point and attended Tennessee A&I (now Tennessee State), shared her efforts with the riders, which comprised Blacks and whites, as she often did with students. Their excursions through Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and other states still clutching to segregation were a vital catalyst in the movement for civil rights and equal treatment under the law.

“Young people need to know their history and that people could not get on a bus and sit where they wanted to sit,” she said. “They should know that blacks and whites put their lives on the line to change that.”

Burks-Brooks and her young friends, on that day in May 1961, returned to Birmingham, of course. They joined other supporters at the Greyhound station who also arrived to back the original 13 riders who left from Washington, D.C. on May 4. They found violence on May 14 in Rick Hill, SC (Future U.S. Congressman John Lewis, then a seminary student, was among three riders attacked trying to enter a white-only waiting area).

On May 14, about 200 whites swarmed a Greyhound in Anniston, shot out the tires and firebombed it. Riders were severely beaten before being transported to Birmingham, where they met a Trailways bus of riders. There, the students were attacked again.

That’s what sparked Burks-Brooks and her friends to leave Nashville.

“After we got word about the beatings in Birmingham and bus burning near Anniston, we decided that we would take up the freedom rides,” she said in 2011. “We knew it had to be done and that there was a strong possibility we could get killed. But when you accept that idea, you lose your fear.”

Burks-Brooks joined the riders from Birmingham to Montgomery (Greyhound could not “find” a driver until President John F. Kennedy threatened to send an Army soldier to drive it), where they encountered more attacks. Rev. Martin Luther King flew into the city and was among those surrounded by a mob at First Baptist Church.

“After other activists had come into Montgomery to supplement the riders I decided I would go back to Tennessee State to take my final exams at my father’s request,” said Burks-Brooks in 2011.

“Though she escaped the worst of the violence in Montgomery,” the family wrote, “Catherine still faced dire consequences for taking a stand against injustice. Though a senior on the cusp of graduation, she was expelled from Tennessee A&I for taking part in an act of protest.”

Undeterred, she rejoined the riders on a bus from Nashville to Jackson, where she was arrested and imprisoned. The charge? “Breach of peace.”

“After leaving Mississippi, Catherine worked as a social worker and an entrepreneur before moving to the Bahamas in the 1970s,” the family says. “In 1979, she returned to Birmingham, where she served for many years as a substitute teacher in Birmingham City Schools. In 2008, Tennessee State University awarded her the other expelled Freedom Riders an honorary doctorate.”

[misskit]

^^ Ding ding.

[harrybarracuda]

^^ Ding ding.

Amazing how he will be remembered for that above all else.

[OhOh]

07-2023, 10:56 AM#6063
snakeeyes

Thanks for the reminding me of one of her tunes.

[harrybarracuda]

William Friedkin, Oscar-winning director of ‘The Exorcist’ and ‘The French Connection,’ dead at 87



LOS ANGELES (AP) — William Friedkin, the generation-defining director who brought a visceral realism to 1970s hits “The French Connection” and “The Exorcist” and was quickly anointed one of Hollywood’s top directors when he was only in his 30s, has died. He was 87.

Friedkin, who won the best director Oscar for “The French Connection,” died Monday in Los Angeles, Marcia Franklin, his executive assistant for 24 years, told The Associated Press on behalf of his family and wife, former studio head Sherry Lansing. His son Cedric Friedkin told the AP he died after a long illness.

“He was role model to me and to (my brother) Jack,” Cedric Friedkin said. “He was a massive inspiration.”
He cemented his legacy early with “The French Connection,” which was based on a true story and deals with the efforts of maverick New York City police Detective James “Popeye” Doyle to track down Frenchman Alain Charnier, mastermind of a large drug pipeline funneling heroin into the United States.

It contains one of the most thrilling chase scenes ever filmed: Doyle, played by Gene Hackman in an Oscar-winning performance, barely misses making the arrest on a subway train, then stops a passing car to follow the train as it emerges on an elevated railway. He races underneath, dodging cars, trucks and pedestrians, including a woman pushing a baby buggy, before catching up to one of Rey’s henchmen and shooting him.

The movie, which was made for only $2 million, became a box office hit when it was released in 1971. It won Academy Awards for best picture, screenplay and film editing, and led critics to hail Friedkin, then just 32, as a leading member of a new generation of filmmakers.

He followed with an even bigger blockbuster, “The Exorcist,” released in 1973 and based on William Peter Blatty’s bestselling novel about a 12-year-old girl possessed by the devil.

The harrowing scenes of the girl’s possession and a splendid cast, including Linda Blair as the girl, Ellen Burstyn as her mother and Max Von Sydow and Jason Miller as the priests who try to exorcise the devil, helped make the film a box-office sensation. It was so scary for its era that many viewers fled the theater before it was over and some reported being unable to sleep for days afterward.

“The Exorcist” received 10 Oscar nominations, including one for Friedkin as director, and won two, for Blatty’s script and for sound.

With that second success, Friedkin would go on to direct movies and TV shows well into the 21st century. But he would never again come close to matching the acclaim he’d received for those early works, and gained a reputation for clashing with both actors and studio executives.

“I embody arrogance, insecurity and ambition that spur me on as they hold me back,” he wrote in his 2012 memoir.
His 1977 film “Sorcerer,” a gangster thriller starring Roy Scheider was widely panned at the time and also failed with audiences. It’s since been reappraised by critics and has become a cult classic that Friedkin himself would continue to defend. In 2017, he told IndieWire that it’s the only of his films that he could still watch.

“The zeitgeist had changed by the time it came out,” he said in 2013. “It came out at the time of ‘Star Wars,’ and that more than any film that I can recall really captured the zeitgeist.”

“Star Wars” was a film he was approached to produce, but he said later that he couldn’t see its potential. He also turned down “M(asterisk)A(asterisk)S(asterisk)H” for the same reason.

Francis Ford Coppola praised Friedkin in a statement, saying his films “are alive with his genius.

“Pick any of them out of a hat and you’ll be dazzled. His lovable, irascible personality was cover for a beautiful, brilliant, deep-feeling giant of a man. It’s very hard to grasp that I will never enjoy his company again, but his work will at least stand in for him,” Coppola’s statement said.

A few years after “Sorcerer” brought him back to Earth, he followed with another disappointment: “Cruising,” starring Al Pacino as a cop who goes undercover to solve the grisly murders of several gay men. It was protested by gay rights activists for how it depicted homosexuality.

Other film credits included “To Live and Die in L.A.,” “Rules of Engagement” and a TV remake of the classic play and Sidney Lumet movie “12 Angry Men.” Friedkin also directed episodes for such TV shows as “The Twilight Zone,” “Rebel Highway” and “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.”

Born in Chicago on Aug. 29, 1939, he began working in local TV productions as a teenager. By age 16, he was directing live shows.

“My main influence was dramatic radio when I was a kid,” he said in a 2001 interview. “I remember listening to it in the dark, Everything was left to the imagination. It was just sound. I think of the sounds first and then the images.”

He moved from live shows to documentaries, making “The People Versus Paul Crump,” in 1962. It was the story of a prison inmate who rehabilitates himself on Death Row after being sentenced for the murder of a guard during a botched robbery at a Chicago food plant.

Producer David Wolper was so impressed with it that he brought Friedkin to Hollywood to direct network TV shows.
After working on such shows as “The Bold Ones,” “The Alfred Hitchcock Hour” and the documentary “The Thin Blue Line,” Friedkin landed his first film, 1967’s “Good Times.” It was a lighthearted musical romp headlined by the pop duo Sonny and Cher in what would be their only movie appearance together.

He followed that with “The Night They Raided Minsky’s,” about backstage life at a burlesque theater, and “The Birthday Party,” from a Harold Pinter play. He then gained critical attention with 1970’s “The Boys in the Band,” a landmark film about gay men.

Author and film historian Mark Harris wrote on social media that, “Not many directors can say they made a gay movie that people argue about decades later. William Friedkin made two: Boys in the Band (I like it, many don’t) and Cruising (I don’t like it, many do). That’s not nothing.”

Friedkin had three brief marriages in the 1970s and ’80s, to French actress Jeanne Moreau; British actress Lesley-Anne Down, with whom he had a son; and longtime Los Angeles TV news anchor Kelly Lange. In 1991, he married Paramount studio executive Lansing.

In recent years, Friedkin wrote a candid memoir, “The Friedkin Connection,” and directed several well-received movies adapted from Tracy Letts plays including “Bug” and “Killer Joe,” starring Matthew McConaughey as a hit man. And he wasn’t done working yet: A new film, “The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial,” starring Kiefer Sutherland, is set to premiere at the Venice Film Festival next month.

He was also always willing to reflect on his rollercoaster career, especially as “The French Connection” celebrated its 50th anniversary. Thinking back to the iconic car chase sequence, Friedkin told NBC News in 2021 that it was legitimately life-threatening and that he’d never do it again.

“Everything you see, we actually did. There was no CGI then. There was no way to fake it. I just put the pedal to the metal, and we went 90 miles an hour in city traffic,” he said. “The fact that nobody got hurt is a miracle. The fact that I didn’t get killed, the fact that some of the crew members didn’t get hurt or killed. That’s a chance I would never take again. I was young and I didn’t give a damn. I just went out and did it. I set out to make a great chase scene and I didn’t care about the consequences, and now I do.”

Friedkin’s influence on film and popular culture continues to live on too. A new “Exorcist” film is even coming out this year, from director David Gordon Green, with Burstyn reprising her role.

Friedkin said he never got too worried about what the critics were saying over the years.
“I really don’t live by what the critics write, although I was aware of the critical reception of all of my films,” he reflected in 2013. “My own take on the films I’ve made is based on what I achieved versus what I set out to do.”

https://apnews.com/article/william-f...f3533c19c15094

[S Landreth]

Clifton Oliver Dead: The Lion King, In The Heights Broadway Star Was 47

Clifton Oliver, who starred on Broadway as Simba in The Lion King and as Benny in In the Heights, has died. He was 47.

His sister, Roxy Hall, shared on Facebook that the actor died Wednesday morning. The cause of death is unknown but Hall noted that he had been in the hospital and hospice six weeks before his death.

“My baby brother, Clifton Oliver, has had his final curtain call. It was peaceful. His partner, Richard, was singing to him the song Psalm 23 as he took his last breath,” her post read. “He had a Gorgeous smile on his Beautiful face!! He went twirling into the afterlife ready to make his Grand Appearance as the Star of his Homecoming Celebration! My heart is sad, and overjoyed at the same time! I will miss him, but he is finally at peace!”

She continued, “He brought so much light to this world! He brought so much light to my life! He impacted the lives of people throughout the world as he showcased his amazing talent, kind soul, and loving spirit to EVERYONE he met! He will be missed, but never forgotten! He lives within all of us! As the song goes in one of his most prominent roles of Simba in the Lion King on Broadway, He Lives In Me!”

Born in 1975, Oliver grew up in Jacksonville, Florida. He knew he wanted to pursue a career in the arts early in life and ended up going on to study at the Douglas Anderson School of the Arts. It wasn’t until 2010 when he moved to New York to start his acting career on Broadway.

His notable projects include Wicked, where he joined the ensemble and served as an understudy for Fiyero, and In the Heights, where he took on the role of Benny, opposite Jordin Sparks, according to Playbill. Oliver also starred as Simba in the Broadway production of The Lion King in 2011 as well as playing the same role in the Las Vegas production and on the national tour.

The actor also joined the tours of Dreamgirls and Motown the Musical and performed in the off-Broadway productions of Miracle Brothers and Bella: An American Tall Tale.

The Instagram account for The Lion King — Musical shared a tribute to the actor by quoting Mufasa: “Look at the stars. The great kings of the past look down on us from those stars.”

“Our Pride joins in remembering the legacy of the late Clifton Oliver, who shared his talents and light with audiences across Broadway, Las Vegas, and our North American tour from 2000-2011,” the post continued. “As we continue to honor his legacy, a dimming of the lights will occur at the New Amsterdam Theatre on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023, at 5PM EST.”

[misskit]

Robbie Robertson, Leader of The Band, Dies at 80

Guitarist-songwriter-singer Robbie Robertson, who led the Canadian-American group the Band to rock prominence in the 1970s and worked extensively with Bob Dylan and Martin Scorsese, has died. He was 80.


According to an announcement from his management, Robertson died Wednesday in Los Angeles after a long illness.


In a statement, Robertson’s manager of 34 years, Jared Levine, said, “Robbie was surrounded by his family at the time of his death, including his wife, Janet, his ex-wife, Dominique, her partner Nicholas, and his children Alexandra, Sebastian, Delphine, and Delphine’s partner Kenny. He is also survived by his grandchildren Angelica, Donovan, Dominic, Gabriel and Seraphina. Robertson recently completed his fourteenth film music project with frequent collaborator Martin Scorsese, ‘Killers of the Flower Moon.’ In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that donations be made to the Six Nations of the Grand River to support a new Woodland Cultural Center.”

After the Band’s 1976 farewell concert “The Last Waltz” was captured on film by Scorsese, Robertson worked with the director as composer, music supervisor, and music producer starting in 1980 on films including “Raging Bull,” “The King of Comedy,” “The Color of Money,” “Gangs of New York,” “The Departed,” “Shutter Island,” “The Wolf of Wall Street,” “Silence,” “The Irishman” and “Killers of the Flower Moon.”

However, he is best known for the classic songs he wrote for the Band, including “The Weight,” “Up on Cripple Creek,” “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,” “The Shape I’m In” and “It Makes No Difference.” His story with The Band was captured in the 2019 documentary “Once Were Brothers.“


Robertson did what turned out to be his final interview just two weeks ago with Variety, talking about his 55 years of collaborating with Scorsese, on up through “Flower Moon,” which is set to come out later this year. “We’re in awe ourselves that our brotherhood has outlasted everything,” he said of his work with the director. “We’ve been through it; we’ve been there and back. I am so proud of our friendship and our work. It’s been just a gift in life.” (The interview will run in full at a later date.)


The singer-songwriter-guitarist was just 16 when he joined the Hawks and the group began apprenticing as American rockabilly singer Ronnie Hawkins’ backup unit. Robertson and his bandmates – drummer Levon Helm, bassist Rick Danko, pianist Richard Manuel and organist Garth Hudson – struck out on their own in 1964.

The Hawks served as Bob Dylan’s forceful touring band (minus Helm for most dates) during the singer-songwriter’s tumultuous first electric tour of 1965-66; they reunited with their dissident percussionist during famed, much-bootlegged informal recording sessions with Dylan, known as the “basement tapes,” in 1967.


Signed to Capitol Records in 1968, the rechristened Band shot to fame with its first two albums, “Music From Big Pink” and “The Band,” which drew from a heady stream of American music tributaries and would influence both contemporaries like Eric Clapton and George Harrison and succeeding generations of American roots musicians.


Speaking of the bedrock of the Band’s sound with journalist Paul Zollo, Robertson said, “I always thought, from the very beginning, that this music was born of the blues and country music, Southern stuff. The Mississippi Delta area, and the music came down from the river and from up the river and met, and it made something new. I always looked at that as kind of the source of the whole thing.”

MORE Robbie Robertson Dead: The Band Guitarist and Singer Was 80 - Variety

[misskit]

Rodriguez, musician rediscovered in ‘Searching for Sugar Man’ documentary, dies at 81

Sixto Rodriguez, the singer-songwriter who found fame as the subject of the Oscar-winning 2012 documentary “Searching for Sugar Man,” died on Tuesday at 81.


His death was announced on his official website: “It is with great sadness that we at Sugarman.org announce that Sixto Diaz Rodriguez has passed away earlier today. We extend our most heartfelt condolences to his daughters — Sandra, Eva and Regan — and to all his family.”


No cause of death was given.


Performing as Rodriguez, the Detroit-born artist developed an idiosyncratic blend of confessional folk and psychedelic soul on a pair of albums he released to little attention in the early 1970s. Rodriguez retired from music to work blue-collar jobs in his hometown, but those records found an unlikely audience in South Africa, earning him a cult following that crested in the early 2010s with the release of “Searching for Sugar Man.”

MORE Rodriguez of '''Searching for Sugar Man''' dies at 81 - Los Angeles Times

[misskit]

^Cujo will be crushed.

[harrybarracuda]

Robbie Robertson, lead guitarist and songwriter of The Band, dies aged 80





Robbie Robertson, lead guitarist and songwriter of The Band, has died aged 80.

Robertson was behind such classics as The Weight, Up On Cripple Creek, and The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.

His manager of 34 years, Jared Levine, wrote: "Robbie was surrounded by his family at the time of his death, including his wife, Janet, his ex-wife, Dominique, her partner Nicholas, and his children Alexandra, Sebastian, Delphine and Delphine's partner Kenny.

"He is also survived by his grandchildren Angelica, Donovan, Dominic, Gabriel and Seraphina."

The Band initially served as Bob Dylan's backing group - before becoming highly influential in the 1960s and 70s. They played at Woodstock in 1969.

Besides Robertson, who was born in Canada, the group featured drummer-singer Mark "Levon" Helm and bassist-singer-songwriter Rick Danko, keyboardist singer-songwriter Richard Manuel and all-around musical wizard Garth Hudson.

The Band are still defined by their first two albums, Music From Big Pink and the self-titled The Band, both released in the late 1960s.

Robertson also frequently collaborated with Martin Scorsese, including on The Colour Of Money, The King Of Comedy, The Departed, The Irishman and the director's latest movie Killers Of The Flower Moon.

In a statement released today, the film-maker paid tribute.

"Robbie Robertson was one of my closest friends, a constant in my life and my work," Scorsese said.

"I could always go to him as a confidante. A collaborator. An advisor. I tried to be the same for him.

"Long before we ever met, his music played a central role in my life - me and millions and millions of other people all over this world.

"The Band's music, and Robbie's own later solo music, seemed to come from the deepest place at the heart of this continent, its traditions and tragedies and joys. It goes without saying that he was a giant, that his effect on the art form was profound and lasting.

"There's never enough time with anyone you love. And I loved Robbie."

Singer Neil Diamond tweeted: "The music world lost a great one with the passing of Robbie Robertson. Keep making that Beautiful Noise in the sky, Robbie. I'll miss you."

Brian Adams added: "RIP Robbie Robertson. Thanks for the amazing music and the great hangs, especially photographing you in LA not so long ago. We'll keep Anna Lee company for you..."

Rolling Stone, Ronnie Wood said: "Such sad news about Robbie Robertson - he was a lovely man, a great friend and will be dearly missed xx R."

Former president Bill Clinton posted: "Robbie Robertson was a brilliant songwriter, guitarist, and composer whose gifts changed music forever.

"I'm grateful for all the good memories he gave me-going back to his time in the Hawks when I was a teenager-and for his kindness through the years. I'll miss him."

The Band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.

Robbie Robertson, lead guitarist and songwriter of The Band, dies aged 80 | Ents & Arts News | Sky News

[S Landreth]

^it was posted just a short time ago dummy

_______

John Gosling Dead: The Kinks Keyboard Player Was 75

John Gosling, a former keyboard player for the Kinks, has died. He was 75.

Gosling joined the Kinks in 1970 and stayed in the band until 1978. He appeared on 10 albums and embellished such hits as “Lola” and “Celluloid Heroes.”

The news was announced in a statement on the band’s official social media page Friday morning: “We are deeply saddened by the news of the passing of John Gosling. We are sending our condolences to John’s wife and family.”

The Kinks’ lead singer Ray Davies paid tribute to his former bandmate, saying: “Condolences to his wife, Theresa, and family. Rest in peace dearest John.”

Added lead guitarist Dave Davies, “‘I’m dismayed deeply upset by John Gosling’s passing… He has been a friend and important contributor to the Kinks music during his time with us. Deepest sympathies to his wife and family. I will hold deep affection and love for him in my heart always. Great musician and a great man.”

Drummer Mick Avory also paid tribute to Gosling. “Today we lost a dear friend and colleague, he was a great musician and had a fantastic sense of humour… Which made him a popular member of the band, he leaves us with some happy memories. God Bless him.”

Prior to Ian Gibbons, who joined the band in 1979, Gordon Edwards of Pretty Things took over from Gosling on keyboards upon his departure from the group.

Gosling became a founding member of the Kast Off Kinks in 1994 — which includes former Avory, John Dalton and Jim Rodford — and remained in the band until his retirement in 2008.

[Happy As Larry]

David Laflamme lead singer and violinist with the 1960s/70s San Francisco band It's a Beautiful Day has died at 82.

[prawnograph]

Jamie Reid, artist for Sex Pistols who defined punk style, dies at 76
Mr. Reid created one of the most influential images of the punk era with a defaced image of Queen Elizabeth II for the Sex Pistols single ‘God Save the Queen’



Jamie Reid, an artist who translated the buzz-saw anarchy of 1970s punk rock into images for the British group the Sex Pistols, helping define punk art and fashion with works such as a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II with her eyes and mouth torn away, died Aug. 8 at his home in Liverpool. He was 76.

The Sex Pistols’ 1976 single “Anarchy in the U.K.” featured art by Mr. Reid showing a half-burned British flag with the band’s name spelled out in letters ripped from publications, crafted like a ransom note. Then in 1977, coinciding with Queen Elizabeth’s Silver Jubilee, Mr. Reid unveiled one of the most influential images of the punk era. He started with the official portrait for the queen’s 25th year on the throne, and tore away her eyes and mouth and replaced them with ripped-out lettering of the band’s name and the title of its new single, “God Save the Queen.”

Mr. Reid created the cover for the Sex Pistols’ only studio album, “Never Mind the Bollocks” (1977), which in some versions featured a pink background with the band’s name, in disjoined letters, over a slab of lime green.

His work is part of the collections in the Victoria and Albert Museum and Tate Gallery in London and New York’s Museum of Modern Art, among other institutions.


TRUMP! Peace F*CKER!!
A 21st Century reworking of Reid’s original John Wayne Peace Is Tough,

[Norton]

Robbie Robertson, Leader of The Band, Dies at 80

Robbie Robertson Dead: The Band Guitarist and Singer Was 80 - Variety

[Iceman123]

^
Poor guy, this is the third time he has died on this thread

[Norton]

Oops...

[helge]

Oops.

[harrybarracuda]

^
Poor guy, this is the third time he has died on this thread

Someone's obviously got it in for him.

[harrybarracuda]

The last known surviving Royal Navy veteran of Dunkirk has died at the age of 102.
Lawrence Churcher took part in the historic evacuation of the French port town in May 1940. He was only 18 when he joined the Navy in 1938, one year before World War 2 broke out. He had landed in France during the early part of the war to help get ammunition to troops on the front line, and was posted outside Dunkirk.

The rapid approach of Nazi forces across northern France however soon forced the British to pull back from the region, and Mr Churcher was one of many navy men who helped get troops onto boats which had been hastily brought across the English Channel to get them home.
In remarkable scenes, he was reunited with his two brothers on the beach, who were serving with the Hampshire Regiment. Recalling the drama of the day in a later interview, Lawrence said: "When my brothers found me, I just felt relief. There were so many soldiers there and continuous aircraft dropping bombs and strafing us, I had so many things on my mind until I got on board of our ship. One fella leaned on my shoulder, gave a sigh of relief and said, ‘thank God we’ve got a navy’ and that sort of churned it up inside of me. I felt relief that the soldiers could come on those boats, there was all sorts there, practically rowing boats. We knew we had to get those soldiers back from Dunkirk."

After returning to Britain, the three of them were not reunited until after the end of the war. Mr Churcher also saw action in the Mediterranean, D-Day and ended the war in the Far East, while his brothers' battalion went on to serve in North Africa, Italy, Palestine and Greece. He was awarded the Legion d'Honneur.
Lawrence died on Thursday at a care home in Fareham, Hampshire, just a few days short of his 103rd birthday, according to the Project 71 charity. In 2020, he laid a wreath in Portsmouth in a special ceremony to honour those who lost their lives at Dunkirk. He was joined there by a Padre and a Royal Marines bugler, as well as Lieutenant Calvin Shenton, who had organised the service as a friend of Mr Churcher.
Project 71, which supports World War 2 veterans, said Mr Churcher was thought to be the last known naval veteran of the evacuation. The charity posted on Facebook: "A truly remarkable man, loved and respected by all who knew him. Stand down Lawrence, your duty is done. It has been an honour to have known you."

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-new...teran-30692091

[S Landreth]

Iconic WW2 codebreaker Margaret MacFarlane dies at 102

Margaret MacFarlane, a Scottish codebreaker who cracked Nazi secrets during World War II, has passed away at the age of 102. She was one of the last surviving codebreakers.

MacFarlane was so secretive about her role that she allegedly kept her role a secret for more than 30 years. Her grandson, Jamie MacFarlane, celebrated his grandmother's legacy as being one of the only women to be able to use the world-famous Enigma machine.

According to the Scottish Daily Record, she signed the Official Secrets Act and was sworn to secrecy, taking it so seriously that she wouldn't even tell her closest family members. When she shared her involvement years later, her family members were shocked.

One notable teammate of hers was Alan Turing, the codebreaker at the center of the story for the award-winning film The Imitation Game.

Margaret fit the bill

Margaret was a 22-year-old secretary when she was recruited to join the Enigma team, which also successfully broke the codes of the enemy Italian and Japanese forces.

The government was looking for women with good typing and mathematical skills, and Margaret fit the bill.

[harrybarracuda]

Tom Jones is dead.

But not that one. Another one.

Tom Jones Dead: 'The Fantasticks' Lyricist and Librettist Was 95 - Variety