Tag Archives: obituary

The Washington Post reports: Beverly LaHaye, an evangelical activist who helped organize a powerful right-wing backlash to the feminist movement, rallying opposition to the Equal Rights Amendment, abortion, gay rights and other perceived threats to “traditional family values,” died April 14 at a retirement home in El Cajon, Calif. She was 94. Her death was announced in a statement by …

Los Angeles’s ABC affiliate reports: Orenthal James Simpson, also known as O.J. Simpson, has died, ABC News has confirmed. He was 76 years old. His family announced that he passed away on Wednesday after battling cancer. He was surrounded by his children and grandchildren, the family said. “During this time of transition, his family asks that you please respect their …

Variety reports: Louis Gossett Jr., who won a supporting actor Oscar for playing the hard-as-nails drill instructor in 1982’s “An Officer and a Gentleman” a few years after winning an Emmy for his role as the cunning Fiddler in “Roots,” has died, the AP reports. He was 87. In Taylor Hackford’s “An Officer and a Gentleman,” Gossett’s Sgt. Emil Foley …

The Washington Post reports: Joseph I. Lieberman, the doggedly independent four-term U.S. senator from Connecticut who was the Democratic nominee for vice president in 2000, becoming the first Jewish candidate on the national ticket of a major party, died March 27 in New York City. He was 82. The cause was complications from a fall, his family said in a …

Billboard Magazine reports: Eric Carmen, the hitmaker behind ’70s and ’80s smashes like “All By Myself” and “Hungry Eyes,” has died at age 74, his wife Amy confirms. Carmen scored three top five hits on the Billboard Hot 100: the No. 2-peaking “All By Myself” in 1976, followed by the Dirty Dancing soundtrack standout “Hungry Eyes,” which peaked at No. …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Richard Lewis, one of America’s most beloved and revered stand-up comics who also played a fictionalized version of himself on HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm, died last night at his home in Los Angeles after suffering a heart attack. He was 76. Lewis had been living with Parkinson’s disease, a diagnosis he revealed in April, 2023. Lewis, who …

Rolling Stone reports: Toby Keith, who injected Nineties and 2000s country music with an unapologetic dose of patriotism and an unrelenting swagger in songs like “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American),” “How Do You Like Me Now?!” and “Who’s Your Daddy?”, has died at 62 following a diagnosis of stomach cancer. Keith’s family confirmed the death …

The Hollywood Reporter reports: Carl Weathers, the former NFL player who made his mark in Hollywood as the boxer Apollo Creed in the first four Rocky films and with appearances in such other films as Predator, Happy Gilmore and The Mandalorian, has died. He was 76. Weathers died Thursday in his sleep at his home in Los Angeles. Weathers also …

The Independent reports: David Soul, the musician who appeared in TV series Starsky & Hutch, has died, aged 80. Soul’s wife Helen Snell confirmed the news in a statement on Friday 5 January, writing that he had died following a “valiant battle for life” while surrounded by his loving family. Soul, who starred opposite Paul Michael Glaser as Detective Dave …

Just in via press release: Comedian Tom Smothers, one half of the legendary Smothers Brothers comedy team, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, December 26, 2023, at the age of 86, following a recent battle with cancer. Dick Smothers, Tom’s brother and co-star of the celebrated and groundbreaking Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, announced that Tom was at home with his family …

Variety reports: Andre Braugher, the two-time Emmy winning actor who starred in the hit television series “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” and “Homicide: Life on the Street,” died Monday after a brief illness. He was 61. Braugher’s publicist Jennifer Allen confirmed the news of his death to Variety. Braugher was known for his role as the upright Captain Raymond Holt on the police …

The Hollywood Reporter reports: Ryan O’Neal, the boyish leading man who kicked off an extraordinary 1970s run in Hollywood with his Oscar-nominated turn as the Harvard preppie Oliver in the legendary romantic tearjerker Love Story, has died. He was 82. O’Neal died Friday, his son Patrick O’Neal, a sportscaster with Bally Sports West in Los Angeles, reported on Instagram. He …

The New York Times reports: Norman Lear, the television writer and producer who introduced political and social commentary into situation comedy with “All in the Family” and other shows, proving that it was possible to be topical as well as funny while attracting millions of viewers, died on Tuesday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 101. Mr. Lear …

The Washington Post reports: Henry A. Kissinger, a scholar, statesman and celebrity diplomat who wielded unparalleled power over U.S. foreign policy throughout the administrations of Presidents Richard M. Nixon and Gerald Ford, and who for decades afterward, as a consultant and writer, proffered opinions that shaped global politics and business, died Nov. 29 at his home in Connecticut. He was …

NBC News reports: Rosalynn Carter, the Georgia-bred former first lady and humanitarian who championed mental health care, provided constant political counsel to her husband, former President Jimmy Carter, and modeled graceful longevity for the nation, died Sunday at her home in Plains, Georgia, according to the Carter Center. She was 96. She was widely regarded for her political shrewdness, drawing …

The New York Times reports: Maryanne Trump Barry, a former federal judge who was an older sister of Donald J. Trump and served as both his protector and critic throughout their lives, has died. She was 86. Ms. Barry died at her home on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, according to two people familiar with the matter. One of …

The New York Times reports: Matthew Perry, who portrayed Chandler Bing in the acclaimed sitcom “Friends,” has died. He was 54. The death was confirmed by Capt. Scot Williams of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Robbery-Homicide division. He said the cause of death was not likely to be determined for some time, but there was no indication of foul play. …

Variety reports: Richard Roundtree, an icon of Blaxploitation film who starred as detective John Shaft in Gordon Parks’ 1971 action thriller, died Tuesday afternoon after a short battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 81 years old. Roundtree was a leading man from the very start of his lifetime in screen acting. After beginning his career in modeling, he secured “Shaft” …

The Hollywood Reporter reports: Suzanne Somers, the Emmy nominee and star of hit shows like Three’s Company and She’s The Sheriff, has died. She was 76. Somers’ longtime publicist R. Couri Hay shared a statement on behalf of the actress’ family on Sunday with the news that she had passed away from breast cancer peacefully at her home in Palm …

The New York Times reports: Piper Laurie, who escaped the 1950s Hollywood starlet-making machinery to become a respected actress with three Oscar nominations and an Emmy Award, died on Saturday at her home in Los Angeles. She was 91. Ms. Laurie’s first Academy Award nomination was for best actress in “The Hustler” (1961), in which she played a lonely alcoholic …