Tag Archives: the 80s

NPR reports: Quincy Jones, whose decorated music career ran from the early 1950s through the best-known works of Michael Jackson and beyond, died Sunday. He was 91. His death was confirmed by his publicist in a statement to NPR that did not mention the cause of death. The statement said that Jones died peacefully at his home in Bel Air, …

The Hollywood Reporter reports: Phil Donahue, the talk show innovator who changed the conversation and the course of daytime television with the weekday program he hosted for nearly three decades, has died. He was 88. Donahue died Sunday night surrounded by his family following a long illness, his family told the Today show. Survivors include his wife of 44 years, …

ABC News reports: Eccentric fitness guru Richard Simmons, known for his unrelenting positivity, has died, according to his representative. Simmons just celebrated his 76th birthday on Friday. The Los Angeles Police Department responded to his home after a 911 call from his housekeeper and found Simmons dead, according to police sources. He appears to have died of natural causes, and …

Tom McGrath writes for Politico: If you really want to understand Trump’s appeal, you need to go back a few decades to examine the social forces that shaped his rise as a real estate developer and remade American politics in the 1980s. Specifically, you need to wind back the tape to the 1984 Democratic primary, the almost-pulled-it-off candidacy of Colorado …

The New York Times reports: Sinéad O’Connor lived her life poised between tradition and rebellion. Ireland’s farewell to her embraced both. In keeping with an old custom, her coffin was first carried past her last family home in Ireland, in Bray, County Wicklow. But many of those who gathered, or who left her tributes, brought a spirit more in keeping …

Variety reports: Paul Reubens, the actor best known for portraying Pee-wee Herman, died Sunday night after a private bout of cancer. He was 70. “Please accept my apology for not going public with what I’ve been facing the last six years,” wrote Reubens in a statement posted to Instagram after his death. “I have always felt a huge amount of …

NPR reports: An Australian pleaded guilty on Thursday to the manslaughter of an American who fell to his death 35 years ago from a Sydney clifftop that was known as a gay meeting place, with the victim’s family welcoming the latest twist in their long campaign for justice. Scott White’s admission in the New South Wales state Supreme Court comes …

The Guardian reports: Anita Pointer, one of the Grammy-winning Pointer Sisters whose string of pop, country and R&B hits in the 1970s and 80s included I’m So Excited, Jump (For My Love) and Fire, has died of cancer aged 74, her publicist said. Pointer was surrounded by family at her Beverly Hills home when she died on Saturday, publicist Roger …

ABC News reports: Irene Cara, the Oscar-winning singer of the title tracks to “Fame” and “Flashdance,” has died at age 63, her publicist announced late Friday. Cara died in her Florida home of an undisclosed cause. Cara was trained in music, dance and acting as a child and appeared on stage and on television, including appearances on PBS and on …

Salon reports: “Growing Pains” star Kirk Cameron is making it clear that he’s not a fan of America’s public schools, echoing many far-right talking points when it comes to the dangers of teaching about equality, spinning it as dangerous indoctrination. “The problem is that public school systems have become so bad. It’s sad to say they’re doing more for grooming, …

CBS News reports: John Hinckley Jr., the man who shot and nearly killed President Ronald Reagan in 1981, is set to be unconditionally released from court-ordered psychiatric supervision on June 15, after federal prosecutors, mental health professionals and Hinckley’s legal team told a judge on Wednesday that they have no concerns about his mental state. Hinckley, now 67, shot at …

The Guardian reports: Andrew Fletcher, keyboardist and founding member of British electronic band Depeche Mode, has died aged 60.  Formed in Basildon in the late 1970s, the band has had 14 top ten studio albums in the UK, and international chart success with songs including Enjoy The Silence, Personal Jesus and Just Can’t Get Enough. In the late 1970s he …

Pitchfork reports: Talking Heads’ Tina Weymouth is currently recovering from injuries she sustained during a car accident, as her husband and bandmate Chris Frantz revealed in a Facebook post today (March 27). According to the post, Frantz was driving his vehicle on Post Road, U.S. Route 1 when it was “struck head on by a drunk driver who was driving …

CBS News reports: Actor and comedian Bob Saget died from head trauma, his family said Wednesday. Saget was 65 when he died last month. In a statement to Entertainment Tonight, the “Full House” star’s family said he “accidentally hit the back of his head on something, thought nothing of it and went to sleep.” Neither drugs nor alcohol were involved. …

Yahoo Entertainment reports: Bob Saget, who played Full House dad Danny Tanner, has died. He was 65. “We are devastated to confirm that our beloved Bob passed away today,” the Saget family said in a statement obtained by Yahoo Entertainment on Sunday. At just after 4 p.m. on Sunday, Orange County, Fla., Sheriff’s Department deputies were called to the Ritz-Carlton …

The BBC reports: Steve Bronski, co-founder and keyboard player in 1980s pop group Bronski Beat, has died at the age of 61. Bronski, from Glasgow, was born Steve Forrest and formed the group in 1983 with singer Jimmy Somerville and fellow-musician Larry Steinbachek. They enjoyed UK top 10 hits with the gay anthem Smalltown Boy, Why? and a cover of …

The BBC reports: Abba singer Anni-Frid Lyngstad has said “don’t be too sure” that their comeback album Voyage is their last, in her first interview about the reunion. The Swedish superstars released the LP, their first for 40 years, on Friday. It is on course to be the fastest-selling album of the year so far and outsold the rest of …

Yahoo Entertainment reports: John Davis, one of the true vocal talents behind the legendary band Milli Vanilli, died on May 24 from COVID-19. He was 66. Davis’ daughter Jasmin confirmed the news with a post on her dad’s official Facebook on May 24, sharing a video of one of his personal performances. The German-French band, created by music producer Frank …

TMZ reports: Dustin Diamond — best known for playing the lovable Samuel “Screech” Powers on the hit NBC sitcom, “Saved by the Bell” — has died, TMZ has learned. A rep for Dustin tells us he died Monday morning. His condition had greatly declined since last week, and he was taken off of breathing machines in an attempt to get …

From Glenn Beck’s The Blaze: Antonio Sabato Jr. — an American actor who was blacklisted by Hollywood over his support for President Trump — is teaming up with other conservative entertainment figures to launch a pro-America film studio and make movies that “support our country.” The 48-year-old actor detailed the launch of ConFlix Studios, saying that conservatives in America have …