Tag Archives: obituary

“Every human has a finite number of heartbeats and I don’t intend to waste any of mine.” – Neil Armstrong.

Legendary comedienne Phyllis Diller died in her California home today at the age of 95. Ms. Diller, who became famous for telling jokes that mocked her odd looks, her aversion to housekeeping and a husband she called Fang, was far from the first woman to do stand-up comedy. But she was one of the most influential. There were precious few …

Just two weeks after his crime became the laughingstock of the internet, Cheerios arsonist and street preacher Michael Leisner has died. The cause has not been disclosed. Leisner posted video of his act online, with it showing him scrambling to stomp out the flames before he hurriedly instructs his off-camera friends to get in the car. The video made its …

Openly gay actor Ron Palillo died of a heart attack today at the age of 63. Some of you will remember him as Horshack on the hit 70s sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter. TMZ has the story: We’re told Palillo was found by his partner of many years Joseph Gramm around 4:00 AM. Gramm called an ambulance and Palillo was rushed …

Famed feminism pioneer, one-time Cosmopolitan Magazine editor, and well-regarded Manhattan philanthropist Helen Gurley Brown has died at the age of 90. Ms. Brown, who wrote “Sex and the Single Girl,” took over at the magazine in 1965, giving it its sexually frank tone. She remained editor until 1997 and is still listed as editor in chief for Cosmopolitan International on …

The New York Times has the sad news. David Rakoff, a storyteller who could elicit peals of laughter and tears of sympathy with his personal accounts of Christmas Day mountain-climbing, studying Tibetan Buddhism with Steven Seagal, flying on the Concorde and grappling with his frailties, died on Thursday evening. Born in Montreal and raised in Toronto, Mr. Rakoff worked in …

Famed stage and screen composer Marvin Hamlisch has passed away at the age of 68. Hamlisch was one of only two people in the world to achieve the EGOPT: Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Pulitzer, and Tony. Family spokesman Jason Lee said Hamlisch died Monday after a brief illness. Other details aren’t being released. Hamlisch’s career included composing, conducting and arranging music …

Well known Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence member, one-time San Francisco mayoral candidate, and early AIDS activist Jack “Sister Boom Boom” Fertig passed away Sunday night at age of 57. The Sisters send us this remembrance: On August 5, 2012 at 9:30 PM, Sister Boom Boom aka Jack Fertig succumbed to liver cancer in the loving presence of his partner Elias …

Openly gay playwright and humorist Mark O’Donnell, who won the Best Book Tony Award for the Broadway show Hairspray, died of cardiac arrest yesterday near his Manhattan home at the age of 58. Playbill reports: Hairspray co-songwriter Marc Shaiman told Playbill.com on Aug. 6, “Mark was a kind soul, a hysterical mind and the real hero of Hairspray. His passing …

Most Americans may not know the name of Chavela Vargas, but foreign film buffs will recognize her distinctive voice from the soundtracks of Pedro Almodavar’s movies. Vargas died yesterday at the age of 93. Vargas rose to fame flouting the Roman Catholic country’s preconceptions of what it meant to be a female singer: singing lusty “ranchera” songs while wearing men’s …

Legendary and pioneering gay author, actor, atheist, playwright, screenwriter, failed Senate candidate, Tony nominee, and all-around badass Gore Vidal has died at the age of 86. Vidal was preceded in death by Howard Austen, his partner of 53 years, and will be buried next to him in Washington DC’s Rock Creek Cemetery. Vidal died Tuesday at his home in the …

Celebrities are falling fast this week. Seventies television icon Chad Everett died today at the age of 75. Everett’s daughter told the Associated Press that he died Tuesday at his home in Los Angeles after a year-and-a-half-long battle with lung cancer. Perhaps best known for his role as surgeon Dr. Joe Gannon, the actor was twice nominated for a Golden …

Actor Sherman Hemsley was found dead in his home today at the age of 74. Although the cause of Hemsley’s death is unclear, TMZ reports that the actor passed away at his El Paso, Texas, home. Hemsley made a name for himself as George Jefferson, carrying the iconic sitcom for a decade and earning a 1984 Emmy nomination for his …

Dr. Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, died today of pancreatic cancer at the age of 61. According to Sally Ride Science, her historic flight into space captured the nation’s imagination and made her a household name. She became a symbol of the ability of women to break barriers and a hero to generations of adventurous young girls. …

Country music legend Kitty Wells died Monday at the age of 92. In 1954 Wells became the first female artist to top the country chart with the below single, which was an answer record to Hank Thompson’s hit which contended that God did indeed make honky tonk angels. Many years ago Kitty’s greatest hits used to be my rainy day …

TMZ has the story: Andy Griffith, an icon of TV, has died … this according to Andy’s close friend, former UNC President Bill Friday. Griffith, who became famous for “The Andy Griffith Show,” passed away at his home in Manteo, North Carolina this morning. Friday broke the news to WITN News in North Carolina. In addition to starring in his …

Famed director, author, and screenwriter Nora Ephron has died of leukemia at the age of 71. The three-time Academy Award nominee was a prolific author, screenwriter, playwright and director who made a name for herself as a pioneer in Hollywood, where she was one of the first women to write and direct her own films. She contributed essays and journalism …

Rodney King, the nation’s most famous victim of police brutality, has been found dead at the age of 47. Police in Rialto, California, received a 911 call from King’s fiancee, Cynthia Kelly, about 5:25 a.m., said Capt. Randy DeAnda. Responding officers found King at the bottom of the pool, removed him and attempted to revive him. He was pronounced dead …

Industry insiders are reporting across Twitter that famed gay porn star Erik Rhodes died of a heart attack this morning at the age of 30. Rhodes was a prolific blogger and frequently wrote of his heavy usage of both club drugs and bodybuilding steroids. With a chilling coda, Rhodes’ final Tumblr post cited his most recent steroid cycle.

My second favorite author of all time, behind Arthur Clarke. Details. Ray Bradbury — author of The Martian Chronicles, Fahrenheit 451, Something Wicked this Way Comes, and many more literary classics — died this morning in Los Angeles, at the age of 91.