Obituaries for 2015

[Machiavelli]

Dolph Schayes, a Bridge to the Modern N.B.A., Is Dead at 87

Dolph Schayes, who polished his game on the Bronx playgrounds, played 15 seasons as a professional and was once voted one of the 50 best players to play in the National Basketball Association, died on Thursday in Syracuse. He was 87.

His son Danny Schayes, who played 18 seasons in the N.B.A. as a 6-foot-11 center, said the cause was cancer.

At 6 feet 8 inches and 220 pounds, Schayes played the position now known as power forward, becoming a stalwart for the Syracuse Nationals from 1949 to 1963 after earning all-American status at New York University. When the Nationals became the Philadelphia 76ers in 1963-64, he was the player-coach.

More

Wikipedia
 
NBA Stats
 
Former Syracuse Nationals star Dolph Schayes dies at age 87
 
Dolph Schayes, NBA big man with a guard's flair, dies at 87

[Paladin]

One of the good guys and he died far too young.

"Avi Davis -- a friend of mine, but far more importantly an unstinting friend of liberty -- passed away Monday morning at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles.  In these times, whenever such a person dies, it is extremely unfortunate; when he is taken from us at the young age of 57, it is a tragedy we must all mourn.

Born in Melbourne, Australia, Avi Davis did many extraordinary things, but he is best known to us here in the U.S. as the founder and president of the American Freedom Alliance. There is no clearer description of the principles and goals to which Avi Davis dedicated his life than that organization's mission statement:

      The American Freedom Alliance is a non-aligned movement which promotes, defends and upholds Western values and ideals. The Alliance sponsors conferences, publishes opinions, distributes information and creates networking groups to identify threats to Western civilization and to motivate, educate and unite citizens in support of that cause.

https://pjmedia.com/rogerlsimon/2015/12/23/adieu-avi-davis

[Machiavelli]

George Clayton Johnson has Died

The illuminating, exoterical, astronomical George Clayton Johnson has died. The genius science-fiction writer behind so much of what we've all watched and enjoyed has passed on to his next adventure.

George Clayton Johnson wrote the very first episode of Star Trek, The Man Trap; he wrote eight original Twilight Zone episodes for series creator Rod Serling including "Nothing in the Dark", "Kick the Can", "A Game of Pool", and "A Penny for Your Thoughts" ...

George is perhaps most well-known for the 1967 science fiction classic, Logan's Run, which he co-wrote, it was a box-office hit and an Oscar winning film for MGM in 1976 ...

More

Wikipedia

IMDb

The Internet Speculative Fiction Database (ISFDB)

[Machiavelli]

George Clayton Johnson: Not Dead Yet

[Machiavelli]

George Clayton Johnson has Died

I think it's official now.

[Machiavelli]

Jim O'Toole, Reds 1960s Star Pitcher, Dies at 78

Jim O'Toole, a star pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds in the 1960s, has died after a long battle with cancer. O'Toole was 78...

He was the National League's starting pitcher in the 1963 All-Star Game. O'Toole called that one of his proudest career moments, recalling that manager Alvin Dark chose him to start with a roster that included future Hall of Fame pitchers Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale, Juan Marichal and Warren Spahn...

More

Wikipedia

Career stats

[Machiavelli]

Haskell Wexler, 'Cuckoo's Nest' Cinematographer, Dies at 93

Cinematographer Haskell Wexler, the socially conscious two-time Academy Award winner who lensed Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and many other masterpieces, has died. He was 93.

Wexler died in his sleep Sunday at Providence Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, his son, Oscar-nominated sound man Jeff Wexler, told The Hollywood Reporter.

More

Wikipedia

IMDb

[jmyrlefuller]

[float=right][/float]Baseballer Dave "Hendu" Henderson dies at 57

Henderson was a major star in Major League Baseball between 1986 and 1991; he was a key member of the Boston Red Sox' unsuccessful World Series appearance in 1986 and appeared in all three of the Oakland Athletics' World Series appearances from 1988 to 1990, including the 1989 win. An MLB All-Star in 1991, Henderson blew out his knee in 1992 and never regained his all-star form, retiring in 1994; in 1997, he became a broadcaster with the Seattle Mariners, a role he held until 2006 (and returned to briefly in 2011). Henderson died from a heart attack following a kidney transplant.

Obituary from The Sporting News

Wikipedia

Stats

[jmyrlefuller]

[float=right]
Lemon with
Betty Ford.[/float]Meadowlark Lemon, Harlem Globetrotters legend, dies at 83

Lemon played for the Harlem Globetrotters from 1955 to 1978, becoming the face of the franchise. After dabbling in other barnstorming teams through the 1980s and 1990s, Lemon came out of retirement in 1994 for a farewell tour with the Globetrotters. All in all, Lemon played in over 10,000 basketball games in his lifetime and, at the peak of his popularity in the 1970s, was a character on Saturday morning television.

Lemon died of unknown causes.

Obituary from The New York Times

Wikipedia

[mountaineer]

We should survey how many of us saw Meadowlark in person. What an entertaining guy.

[aligncare]

We should survey how many of us saw Meadowlark in person. What an entertaining guy.

Meadowlark was from a time before so many black folk went around angry all the time. Before they started taking on names like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Muhammed Ali. Anyone see an Islam connection here?

[flowers]

We should survey how many of us saw Meadowlark in person. What an entertaining guy.

I never did. I remember the cartoon and seeing them on TV.

[Machiavelli]

We should survey how many of us saw Meadowlark in person. What an entertaining guy.

I did. Once in either 1962 or 1963. And many times on TV.

[mountaineer]

I saw the Globetrotters in person probably in the late 1960s in Pittsburgh. Meadowlark and Curly Neal were my favorites.

[musiclady]

We should survey how many of us saw Meadowlark in person. What an entertaining guy.

I saw him as a kid, but I can't remember if it was in Youngstown, or if we drove to Cleveland or Pittsburgh to see the Globetrotters.

All I know is that Meadowlark was the star, and I was hooked on the Globetrotters for years after that.

(I still love to whistle "Sweet Georgia Brown"  ^-^ )

[jmyrlefuller]

[float=right][/float]Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister, singer/bassist for Motörhead, dies at 70

Lemmy, raised in Wales, began his career with the space-rock band Hawkwind in the early 1970s before forming Motörhead in 1975. His distinctive and guttural vocal style was a major influence on punk rock and would come back into vogue in the 1990s. His Rickenbacker bass and playing style was influential on hard-driving heavy metal.

He lived the life of a stereotypical rock star, holding affinities for gambling, casual sex (he claims over 1,000 conquests over his lifetime), drugs and alcohol; his death comes just over a month after his fellow bandmate, Philthy Animal Taylor, died on November 12. He is believed to have died from cancer.

Death notice from ultimateclassicrock.com

Wikipedia

Lemmy's signature hit, "Ace of Spades:"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iwC2QljLn4

[Machiavelli]

Ruby Cavanaugh, namesake of Ruby's Diner, dies at 93

Ruby Cavanaugh, the namesake of the Ruby's Diner franchise, has died at age 93.

Cavanaugh, the inspiration behind Ruby's Diner, died Sunday with her family at her side.

More

Ruby's Diner

[Free Vulcan]

[float=right][/float]Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister, singer/bassist for Motörhead, dies at 70

Lemmy, raised in Wales, began his career with the space-rock band Hawkwind in the early 1970s before forming Motörhead in 1975. His distinctive and guttural vocal style was a major influence on punk rock and would come back into vogue in the 1990s. His Rickenbacker bass and playing style was influential on hard-driving heavy metal.

He lived the life of a stereotypical rock star, holding affinities for gambling, casual sex (he claims over 1,000 conquests over his lifetime), drugs and alcohol; his death comes just over a month after his fellow bandmate, Philthy Animal Taylor, died on November 12. He is believed to have died from cancer.

Death notice from ultimateclassicrock.com

Wikipedia

Lemmy's signature hit, "Ace of Spades:"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iwC2QljLn4

That Lemmy lived to the age of 70 has to be something of a minor miracle.

[flowers]

That Lemmy lived to the age of 70 has to be something of a minor miracle.

Yes it is.

[Machiavelli]

Frank Malzone, Star Fielder for Boston Red Sox, Dies at 85

Frank Malzone, a six-time All-Star third baseman whose steady presence in the Boston lineup tied together two of the city's baseball eras, linking Ted Williams's Red Sox with Carl Yastrzemski's, died on Tuesday at his home in Needham, Mass. He was 85.

The Red Sox announced his death.

Malzone played with the Red Sox from 1955 to 1965, not a period of distinction for the franchise — the team never finished higher than third — even though it was led by two future Hall of Fame outfielders: Williams, who retired in 1960, not having played in a World Series since 1946, and Yastrzemski, who arrived in 1961 and finally led the team to a pennant in 1967. As one Boston hero passed the torch to the other, Malzone was a stalwart supporting player for both.

More

Wikipedia

Career statistics

[mrclose]

Actor Wayne Rogers died on Thursday from complications from pneumonia, his rep exclusively tells ET. He was 82 years old.

Rogers, who hailed from Alabama, is best known for playing the role of Captain "Trapper" John McIntyre in the classic television series M*A*S*H from 1972-1975. He also had recurring roles in City of Angels, House Calls, and Murder, She Wrote.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/celebrity/mash-star-wayne-rogers-dies-at-82/ar-BBo5ZgI?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=mailsignout

[Sanguine]

He was quite good on Cashin' In.  I never would have guessed he was 82.

[alicewonders]

He was quite good on Cashin' In.  I never would have guessed he was 82.

Me neither!  I liked him on the financial shows too.

[truth_seeker]

From Alabama, served in our military, Princeton, made money with investments, died in Lost Angeles.

Long term marriage.

[Paladin]

"'MASH' Star Wayne Rogers Dies at 82"

"Actor Wayne Rogers died on Thursday from complications from pneumonia, his rep exclusively tells ET. He was 82 years old.

Rogers, who hailed from Alabama, is best known for playing the role of Captain "Trapper" John McIntyre in the classic television series M*A*S*H from 1972-1975. He also had recurring roles in City of Angels, House Calls, and Murder, She Wrote."

Rogers may be best known for his acting gigs, but he was also a very savvy financial investor and ran his own investment firm.

[musiclady]

"'MASH' Star Wayne Rogers Dies at 82"

"Actor Wayne Rogers died on Thursday from complications from pneumonia, his rep exclusively tells ET. He was 82 years old.

Rogers, who hailed from Alabama, is best known for playing the role of Captain "Trapper" John McIntyre in the classic television series M*A*S*H from 1972-1975. He also had recurring roles in City of Angels, House Calls, and Murder, She Wrote."

Rogers may be best known for his acting gigs, but he was also a very savvy financial investor and ran his own investment firm.

Wasn't Rogers on Fox Business sometimes?  I had no idea he was 82!

[Paladin]

I had no idea his death would be posted in Entertainment. I just assumed it would be here in Obituaries, so sure I didn't even do a search. Well, now it's on here twice.

[mountaineer]

I had no idea his death would be posted in Entertainment. I just assumed it would be here in Obituaries, so sure I didn't even do a search. Well, now it's on here twice.

The threads have been merged.  ^-^

[jmyrlefuller]

I had no idea his death would be posted in Entertainment. I just assumed it would be here in Obituaries, so sure I didn't even do a search. Well, now it's on here twice.

It's OK. Sometimes a person is notable enough to have their own thread (although I don't necessarily think Rogers fits that bill, it happens and I don't consider it that big of a deal). This is a summary thread anyway.

[EdinVA]

We should survey how many of us saw Meadowlark in person. What an entertaining guy.

I watched them play around 1969.... they were great.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNXdkmeKPL4

[Sanguine]

I watched them play around 1969.... they were great.

I would have seen them about the same time in the DC area.  They were great!

[mountaineer]

Singer Natalie Cole has died.

Daily News

Natalie Cole dead at 65: R&B singer was daughter of Nat King Cole
BY Larry Mcshane  / 
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS /
 Updated: Friday, January 1, 2016, 12:21 PM


Chart-topping R&B singer Natalie Cole, who followed her legendary father into the music business with hits like “This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)” and “Unforgettable,” died at age 65.

“Natalie Cole, sister beloved & of substance and sound. May her soul rest in peace,” tweeted the Rev. Jesse Jackson on New Year’s Day.

Cole, who had struggled with a variety of health issues in recent years, died Thursday night, according to publicist Maureen O’Connor. The cause of death was reportedly congestive heart failure.

A physically weakened Cole, winner of nine Grammy Awards, was forced to cancel a string of concert performances over the last three months after a recurrence of hepatitis C linked to her earlier drug abuse ....

 

[musiclady]

How sad about Natalie Cole!   I absolutely loved her singing "Unforgettable" with her Dad long after he had passed away.  She inherited his sweet vocal style.

Too young.  FAR too young.

[Sanguine]

How sad about Natalie Cole!   I absolutely loved her singing "Unforgettable" with her Dad long after he had passed away.  She inherited his sweet vocal style.

Too young.  FAR too young.

Yes, too young.

She did take the opportunity to get past her self-destructive youth and grow into a mature and positive adult.  God bless her.

[alicewonders]

Sad to hear about Natalie Cole.  Yes, 65 is way too young.

[aligncare]

How sad about Natalie Cole!   I absolutely loved her singing "Unforgettable" with her Dad long after he had passed away.  She inherited his sweet vocal style.

Too young.  FAR too young.

It brought shivers. Haunting melody, technical magic, enduring legacy. Natalie's tribute to Unforgettable had everything.

I understand she succumbed to a complication of kidney transplant. So sad.

Too soon, too soon.

[musiclady]

It brought shivers. Haunting melody, technical magic, enduring legacy. Natalie's tribute to Unforgettable had everything.

I understand she succumbed to a complication of kidney transplant. So sad.

Too soon, too soon.

You captured "Unforgettable" perfectly, ac.   It brought tears to my eyes every time I watched it.   I think she was only 8 when she lost her Dad.

[Free Vulcan]

Actor Wayne Rogers died on Thursday from complications from pneumonia, his rep exclusively tells ET. He was 82 years old.

Rogers, who hailed from Alabama, is best known for playing the role of Captain "Trapper" John McIntyre in the classic television series M*A*S*H from 1972-1975. He also had recurring roles in City of Angels, House Calls, and Murder, She Wrote.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/celebrity/mash-star-wayne-rogers-dies-at-82/ar-BBo5ZgI?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=mailsignout

And he was a conservative. Loved that guy. One of the reasons he left M*A*S*H* was because Alda made it way too preachy liberal for him to take anymore.

I still watch the old reruns. The ones with him are still the best and straight up funny.

[jmyrlefuller]

[float=right][/float]Hall of Fame defensive end Doug Atkins dies at 85

Atkins was one of the first players to take advantage of free substitution (the ability to play solely on offense or defense) when it became popular in the 1950s and specialized in the right defensive end position, often attacking quarterbacks from the weak side. At 6'8, 257 pounds, Atkins played 16 seasons in the NFL, most of those with the Chicago Bears (he also was a member of the inaugural New Orleans Saints roster). Considered one of the best pass rushers of all time, Atkins played in eight Pro Bowls was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1982. He died December 30 of numerous unspecified illnesses and was in significant pain toward the end of his life, although all indications were that he was sound of mind.

Obituary from The Jackson Sun

Wikipedia

(Hopefully this is the last one for 2015.)