Obituaries for 2016

[verga]

http://variety.com/2016/film/news/gene-wilder-dead-dies-willie-wonka-young-frankenstein-1201846745/

Gene Wilder, ‘Willie Wonka’ Star and Comedic Icon, Dies at 83
Richard Natale

August 29, 2016 | 12:22PM PT

Gene Wilder, who regularly stole the show in such comedic gems as “The Producers,” “Blazing Saddles,” “Young Frankenstein,” “Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” and “Stir Crazy,” died Monday at his home in Stamford, Conn. His nephew Jordan Walker-Pearlman said he died of complications from Alzheimer’s disease. He was 83.

He had been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 1989.



more at link

You will be greatly missed. Comedic genius, perfect timing and the facial expressions. I can't think of anyone that did "exasperation" like he did.

[dfwgator]

You will be greatly missed. Comedic genius, perfect timing and the facial expressions. I can't think of anyone that did "exasperation" like he did.

He and Richard Pryor were a great comedy duo, right up there with Lemmon and Matthau.

[andy58-in-nh]

http://variety.com/2016/film/news/gene-wilder-dead-dies-willie-wonka-young-frankenstein-1201846745/

Gene Wilder, ‘Willie Wonka’ Star and Comedic Icon, Dies at 83
Richard Natale

August 29, 2016 | 12:22PM PT

Gene Wilder, who regularly stole the show in such comedic gems as “The Producers,” “Blazing Saddles,” “Young Frankenstein,” “Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” and “Stir Crazy,” died Monday at his home in Stamford, Conn. His nephew Jordan Walker-Pearlman said he died of complications from Alzheimer’s disease. He was 83.

He had been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 1989.



more at link

I am truly saddened. A wonderful actor, a gifted comic, and by all accounts, a rare and kind soul.

[Wingnut]

[jmyrlefuller]

Check out "The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes's Smarter Brother" if you haven't seen it yet. It's not a laugh-a-minute, but it captures Wilder at his finest: cerebral, dynamic and unpredictable.

[Smokin Joe]

http://variety.com/2016/film/news/gene-wilder-dead-dies-willie-wonka-young-frankenstein-1201846745/

Gene Wilder, ‘Willie Wonka’ Star and Comedic Icon, Dies at 83
Richard Natale

August 29, 2016 | 12:22PM PT

Gene Wilder, who regularly stole the show in such comedic gems as “The Producers,” “Blazing Saddles,” “Young Frankenstein,” “Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” and “Stir Crazy,” died Monday at his home in Stamford, Conn. His nephew Jordan Walker-Pearlman said he died of complications from Alzheimer’s disease. He was 83.

He had been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 1989.



more at link

Thanks for all the laughs, Gene, you were the best Willie Wonka, and a riot in Young Frankenstein. It will ever be tough to say the words "It's ALIVE!" without thinking of you.

[Idiot]

Thanks for all the laughs, Gene, you were the best Willie Wonka, and a riot in Young Frankenstein. It will ever be tough to say the words "It's ALIVE!" without thinking of you.

One of my favorite lines from Young Frankenstein.....


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3dXBoN1lFE

[Formerly Once-Ler]

 

[verga]

It is with great sadness that WSIG bids a final farewell to our beloved friend Bill Phipps.

Bill left this world Tuesday morning, August 30, 2016, after battling brain cancer for more than two years.  Our prayers are with his family and his friends.

We miss you already, Bill.

Bill was a local On air radio personality well known and love din the southern central Virginia area

[Free Vulcan]

Gene was one of the greats.

'It's Fronkensteen'.

[Machiavelli]

Joe Sutter, 'Father Of The 747,' Dies At 95

Joe Sutter, dubbed "Father of the 747" by the National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution, has died. He was 95. The cause of death was not revealed.

As the former chief engineer of Boeing's 747 program, Sutter is credited with leading the development of the first widebody aircraft, which ushered in the globe-shrinking age of mass air travel.

More

Wikipedia

[Machiavelli]

Actor Jon Polito, known for roles in Coen brother films 'The Big Lebowski' and 'Miller's Crossing,' dead at 65

Actor Jon Polito, who was best known for his roles in Coen brother films like "The Big Lebowski," "Miller's Crossing" and "Barton Fink," has died.

He was 65.

More

Wikipedia

IMDb

[Ghost Bear]

Actor Jon Polito, known for roles in Coen brother films 'The Big Lebowski' and 'Miller's Crossing,' dead at 65
More

Wikipedia

IMDb

As with any good character actor, my first response upon seeing his picture was to exclaim "Oh! that guy!"

I see from his IMDB listing that he worked a lot in both movies and television, even doing voice work for animated shows and games.  Nowadays, 65 seems to be too young for someone to pass. 

[jmyrlefuller]

As with any good character actor, my first response upon seeing his picture was to exclaim "Oh! that guy!"

I see from his IMDB listing that he worked a lot in both movies and television, even doing voice work for animated shows and games.  Nowadays, 65 seems to be too young for someone to pass. 

Polito always struck me as the poor man's Danny DeVito. They both had that same short pudgy stature and gruff attitude.

[jmyrlefuller]

Radio psychologist Dr. Joy Browne dies at 71

Browne was one of the early radio psychologists, launching her show in 1978, just three years after Toni Grant, who also died earlier this year, launched her show. Her show had been heard nationwide since the early 1990s, one of many that launched in that era. In contrast to her contemporary Laura Schlessinger (who was not a real psychologist), Browne took a less confrontational approach to her listeners and avoided controversial topics, opting to listen to her callers' personal problems and answer in as professional of a manner as she could to influence the listener's personal outlook. Browne held degrees from Rice University, Northeastern University and Tufts University.

Browne died suddenly August 27 and was still hosting her radio show at the time of her death.

Obituary from the New York Times

Wikipedia

[Machiavelli]

Fred Hellerman, Last of the Weavers Folk Group, Dies at 89

Fred Hellerman, a singer, guitarist and songwriter and the last surviving member of the Weavers, the quartet that in the 1950s helped usher in the folk music revival, died on Thursday at his home in Weston, Conn. He was 89...

With songs like “If I Had a Hammer,” “Goodnight Irene” and “Kisses Sweeter Than Wine,” the Weavers brought folk music to a mass audience, paving the way for singers like Joan Baez, Bob Dylan and Peter, Paul and Mary, who galvanized a young, politically conscious audience in the 1960s.

Mr. Hellerman’s mellow baritone, rock-steady guitar and songwriting talent made him a pillar of the group, whose other members were Pete Seeger, Lee Hays and Ronnie Gilbert. Mr. Hays died in 1981, Mr. Seeger in 2014 and Ms. Gilbert in 2015...

After Mr. Seeger was labeled a Communist by the influential publication “Red Channels in 1952, and an F.B.I. informant made the same charge against Mr. Hellerman and Ms. Gilbert, it became impossible for the group to perform on radio and television, or at most concert halls...

Full article

Fred Hellerman

The Weavers

[Sanguine]

I listened to them as a kid.  My parents had several of their albums.

[EasyAce]

RIP Wyatt Earp . . .

Hugh O'Brian, Famed Lawman on 'The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp,' Dies at 91

[dfwgator]

RIP Phyllis Schafly.

[mountaineer]

Longtime Conservative Icon Phyllis Schlafly Dies at 92
September 5, 2016 6:10 PM
ST. LOUIS (KMOX)
 — Multiple sources are confirming to KMOX news that Phyllis Schlafly, has died.

Schlafly founded the Eagle Forum in 1972, a pro-family conservative group focusing heavily on social issues — it has about 80,000 members and, as of this week, Schlafly was still president.

She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Washington University in 1944 — her masters from Radcliffe College in 1945 — and a J.D. from Washington University in 1978.

Schlafly’s organization has been split this presidential election — Schlafly supported Donald Trump, though many board members disagreed. She maintained her leadership of the organization.

She also fought nephew, Tom Schlafly, over the naming rights to his brewery in St. Louis. Schlafly contended her name juxtaposed with beer and libations would damage the conservative brand’s reputation. A judge disagreed.

Schlafly was 92.

[Cripplecreek]

Conservative icon Phyllis Schlafly, the leader of the 1970s Stop ERA movement, has died.

In a statement posted on its website on Monday afternoon, her Eagle Forum said she died at her home in St. Louis surrounded by family members. She was 92.

Mrs. Schlafly had been activist since the early Cold War era and began as a defense analyst, but she achieved her greatest prominence by leading traditional-religious women in the movement against the Equal Rights Amendment.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/sep/5/phyllis-schlafly-dies-92/

[musiclady]

Longtime Conservative Icon Phyllis Schlafly Dies at 92
September 5, 2016 6:10 PM
ST. LOUIS (KMOX)
 — Multiple sources are confirming to KMOX news that Phyllis Schlafly, has died.

Schlafly founded the Eagle Forum in 1972, a pro-family conservative group focusing heavily on social issues — it has about 80,000 members and, as of this week, Schlafly was still president.

She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Washington University in 1944 — her masters from Radcliffe College in 1945 — and a J.D. from Washington University in 1978.

Schlafly’s organization has been split this presidential election — Schlafly supported Donald Trump, though many board members disagreed. She maintained her leadership of the organization.

She also fought nephew, Tom Schlafly, over the naming rights to his brewery in St. Louis. Schlafly contended her name juxtaposed with beer and libations would damage the conservative brand’s reputation. A judge disagreed.

Schlafly was 92.

RIP, Phyllis.  I read her book A Choice, Not an Echo about Barry Goldwater, when I was 14 years old.

She lived a good long life......

(Edited to add: it was much more than a book about Barry Goldwater, but rather more about political corruption).

[Gefn]

92 is a good long life. May she rest in peace.

[Bigun]

RIP, Phyllis.  I read her book A Choice, Not an Echo about Barry Goldwater, when I was 14 years old.

She lived a good long life......

(Edited to add: it was much more than a book about Barry Goldwater, but rather more about political corruption).

She did some great things with her life but unfortunately her support for Trump in this election is all that will be remembered.

[austingirl]

Rest in peace.