Obituaries for 2024

[GtHawk]

Colonel Tigh in the original Battlestar Galactica.

Terry Carter, ‘Battlestar Galactica’ and ‘McCloud’ Actor, Dies at 95

https://variety.com/2024/film/people-news/terry-carter-dead-battlestar-galactica-mccloud-1235979429/

EXCERPT

RIP Sir! 95, you had a good run.

[PeteS in CA]

“One of the most successful instrumentalists in rock history”: Duane Eddy, rock guitar pioneer, dies at 86

https://www.guitarworld.com/news/duane-eddy-dies-at-86

Duane Eddy, a pioneer of rock guitar famous for his twanging sound, and iconic, era-defining instrumentals like Rebel Rouser, has died at 86, the Arizona Republic reports. Eddy passed away at his home in Franklin, Tennessee, surrounded by family members.

Hugely influential to generations of rock guitar players, Eddy helped define an era, and establish the electric guitar as an instrument with a voice all its own. 

Born in Corning, New York in 1938, Eddy took up the guitar at a young age. Shortly after his family's move to Arizona in 1951, Eddy met a popular local DJ who would play a critical role in his career, Lee Hazlewood.

[GtHawk]

“One of the most successful instrumentalists in rock history”: Duane Eddy, rock guitar pioneer, dies at 86

https://www.guitarworld.com/news/duane-eddy-dies-at-86

I have him on one my Pandora play lists, RIP Mr. Eddy!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzvlPKozW-A

[Free Vulcan]

Bernard Hill, Actor in ‘Titanic’ and ‘Lord of the Rings,’ Dies at 79



Bernard Hill, a British actor who incarnated a humble style of masculine leadership in three hugely successful Hollywood movies, “Titanic” and two films in the “Lord of the Rings” franchise, died on Sunday. He was 79.

His death was announced in a family statement sent by a representative of Lou Coulson Associates, a British talent agency. It did not say where he died or provide a cause.

Mr. Hill drew praise from critics for his work in serious TV dramas, small-budget films and theater. But he was best known for playing the ship’s captain in “Titanic” (1997) and the ruler of a horsemen’s kingdom in the second and third installments of the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, “The Two Towers” (2002) and “The Return of the King” (2003).

By appearing in “Titanic” and “The Return of the King,” Mr. Hill became the first actor to star in more than one film to gross over $1 billion and the only actor to appear in two of the three films to win a record 11 Oscars (the third is “Ben-Hur”), The Manchester Evening News reported in 2022.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/05/obituaries/bernard-hill-dead.html

-------------------

RIP King Theoden

[mountaineer]

Golf fans:

Peter Oosterhuis, noted player and broadcaster, dies at 75
By John Strege
May 02, 2024

Peter Oosterhuis had a memorable career—three of them in fact—the sum of which echoed a movie title, a wonderful life until it slowly was eroded by an insidious disease. Oosterhuis died Thursday, one day shy of his 76th birthday and 10 years after having been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s Disease.

Oosty, as he was frequently and affectionately called, won tournaments all over the world. His lone PGA Tour victory in 343 official starts came in the Canadian Open in 1981, where he beat Jack Nicklaus, Bruce Lietzke and Andy North by a stroke.  ...  He also won seven European Tour events. Meanwhile, he tied for third in the 1973 Masters, finished second in the British Open the following year, tied for second in the British Open in 1982, and had two top-10s in the U.S. Open (1975 and 1977). ...

He was a fixture for CBS Sports golf telecasts for the following 17-plus years, even occupying the analyst’s chair next to Nantz when Ken Venturi began to scale back the number of tournaments he worked. Then came the 2014 PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville.  ...

https://www.golfdigest.com/story/peter-oosterhuis-dies-at-75-noted-golfer-broadcaster-obituary-tribute

[Polly Ticks]

Jaws star Susan Backlinie dies aged 77: Actress played the first shark victim in Steven Spielberg's iconic movie

Actress and stuntwoman Susan Backlinie, perhaps best known as the first shark attack victim in 'Jaws,' has died.

Backlinie, 77, suffered a fatal heart attack at her home in Ventura, California.

In addition to her career on the silver screen, Backlinie was a nationally ranked swimmer and professional diver.

Before she was brought onto 'Jaws' at 28 years old, she had worked as an animal trainer and performed as a mermaid.

She played Chrissie Watkins in Steven Spielberg's iconic 1975 film and spent three days rehearsing the opening scene in which she is thrashed around by a great white before vanishing beneath the waves.


https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13409863/Susan-Backlinie-Jaws-actress-dead-aged-77.html?ito=pull-notification&ci=UtjhMGYO56&xi=20b9e8fc-f9aa-4efa-a306-d0ad717ca908&ai=13409863

[Wingnut]

Blockbuster complained that the early Jaws VHS where being returned damaged from the repeated pauses of the tape during her time on film.

[mountaineer]

Former Allegheny County coroner, world-renowned pathologist Cyril Wecht dies at 93
By Sierra Rehm, WPXI.com
May 13, 2024 at 11:34 am EDT

PITTSBURGH — A world-renowned forensic pathologist who served Allegheny County for two decades has died.

A spokesperson for the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts confirmed Cyril Wecht died on Monday. He was 93.

Wecht held various roles in Allegheny County, including in the coroner’s office, the district attorney’s office, a pathologist at the VA and the County Commissioner.

During his time as the Allegheny County coroner, Wecht performed about 21,000 autopises and reviewed or been consulted on 42,000 additional postmortem exams, according to a biography on Duquesne University. Some of the high-profile cases he was involved in include O.J. Simpson, Kurt Cobain, the Menendez Brothers, Scott Peterson, Chandra Levy, Elvis Presley and Jeffrey Epstein. He likewise investigated the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy.

He detailed his career and personal life, including his professional pitfalls and public corruption trial, in a memoir titled “The Life and Deaths of Cyril Wecht: Memoirs of America’s Most Controversial Forensic Pathologist.” ...

[berdie]

That is one of the spookiest most gruesome scenes of any movie I've ever watched. She really did a great job of scary the heck out of me. Nothing else that scary...except when the little boy is out in the water and the sheriff hones in on the shark.

[PeteS in CA]

David Sanborn, Grammy award-winning saxophonist, dead at 78

https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/13/entertainment/david-sanborn-death/index.html

David Sanborn, an influential saxophonist, who found success across the genres of pop, R&B, jazz and more, died Sunday.

He was 78.

“It is with sad and heavy hearts that we convey to you the loss of internationally renowned, 6 time Grammy Award-winning, saxophonist, David Sanborn,” reads a statement on his social media accounts. “Mr. Sanborn passed Sunday afternoon, May 12th, after an extended battle with prostate cancer with complications.”

Sanborn’s publicist confirmed the accuracy of the post when reached by CNN.

He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2018, but continued performing until recently.

[berdie]

Well, I hate to hear that. Truly fine musician. RIP Dave

[PeteS in CA]

Roger Corman Passes Away at 98

https://www.worldofreel.com/blog/2024/5/11/roger-corman-passes-away-at-98

B-movie king Roger Corman, who directed and produced hundreds of low-budget films, has passed away. He was 98. Corman’s imprint on movies is undeniable. The definitive trailblazer and pioneer of independent film, his impact unparalleled, and legacy forever enduring.

Though he began his career as a screenwriter and director (watch his 1962 gem “The Intruder”), it was as a producer that Corman made his biggest impact. Some of the talent discovered by him include Jack Nicholson, Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Francis Ford Coppola, James Cameron, Jonathan Demme, Ron Howard, Peter Fonda, and Sandra Bullock, just to name a few.

It all started for Corman in 1949. After serving in the Navy, he landed a job at 20th Century Fox and by 1949 was a story analyst at the studio. Four years later, in 1953, he sold his first screenplay, “Highway Dragnet” and served as associate producer on the film. He used the money he made on that film – $18,000 – and produced “The Monster from the Ocean Floor.” This ability to make movies on very small budgets became the blueprint for Corman’s career.