Obituaries for 2017

[Suppressed]

Paddington Bear author Michael Bond dies aged 91
Creator of marmalade-loving bear from Peru, whose last story was published in April, has died after a short illness
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/jun/28/paddington-bear-author-michael-bond-dies-aged-91



Michael Bond, the creator of the beloved children’s character Paddington Bear, has died aged 91.

Bond, who published his first book, A Bear Called Paddington, about the marmalade-loving bear from deepest, darkest Peru, in 1958, died at home after a short illness.

The author, born in Newbury, Berkshire, in 1926, kept writing until his death. His most recent Paddington story, Paddington’s Finest Hour, was published in April.

...

Excerpt.

[Gefn]

@Suppressed , we posted at the same time.

RIP Paddington..

I'm going to miss you. Even though I was never blessed to have a Paddington Bear

http://edition.cnn.com/2017/06/28/europe/michael-bond-paddington-bear/index.html

[skeeter]

Swedish actor Michael Nyqvist, of Dragon Tattoo and John Wick, dies at 56
The actor, who appeared as Mikael Blomkvist in the Swedish adaptations of the Stieg Larsson novels, has died of lung cancer
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/jun/27/swedish-actor-michael-nyqvist-dies-56


Swedish actor Michael Nyqvist has died at the age of 56. He had been battling lung cancer.

The Stockholm-born actor was best known for his role as Mikael Blomkvist in the original Swedish Dragon Tattoo trilogy, which included The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest.

He later appeared in Hollywood action thrillers such as John Wick and Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol.

...

Excerpt.

No more Russian bad guys for Keanu to double tap...

[Machiavelli]

Smith Hart passes away

Smith Hart, the oldest of the Hart brothers, and the self-described "black sheep" of the family has died after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was 68 years old...

[T]he wrestling world knows the stories of the Hart Family and Stampede Wrestling. From their sprawling mansion in Calgary, Stu promoted wrestling across the Canadian west and south into Montana and Idaho, while Helen managed the promotion. As the children aged, they got involved too, from selling programs to entertaining the revolving door of wrestlers at the home, to eventually refereeing and, in some cases, wrestling.

Smith Hart started as a referee and debuted as a wrestler. In comparison to the fame achieved by his younger brothers Bret and Owen, and to a lesser extent Bruce, Smith's wrestling career doesn't shine the same way -- but it did last, roughly 18 years off and on...

Full article

Wikipedia

Facebook obit

[TomSea]

Little Loca actress Stevie Ryan dies aged 33 in suspected suicide just hours after tweeting about grief at grandfather's death

By Ciara Farmer For Mailonline

Published: 07:00 EDT, 3 July 2017 | Updated: 09:31 EDT, 3 July 2017

American actress Stevie Ryan has died aged 33 following a suspected suicide.

A post shared on the LA coroner's office website confirmed that the Victorville-born star, who was famed for her viral videos, died on Saturday.

Shortly before her death, she posted a note on Twitter about the death of her grandfather as she penned: 'The man of my dreams will now only be in my dreams.



Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-4661098/Stevie-Ryan-dies-aged-33-suspected-suicide.html#ixzz4lmQmIUbg
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

I'm not too aware of her but the story is stunning. Rest In Peace.

[mountaineer]

the Victorville-born star, who was famed for her viral videos

I'm not sure what makes one famed or a star, nor do I don't know what makes a video viral. I wasn't familiar with her, but am sorry she felt compelled to kill herself.

[catfish1957]

I'm not sure what makes one famed or a star, nor do I don't know what makes a video viral. I wasn't familiar with her, but am sorry she felt compelled to kill herself.

I think everyone and most definitely myself felt a huge amount of grief at the loss of our grandparents.  OTOH, I think there are / were some other underlying psychological issues for her to do this.  Just my opinion.  Maybe a triggering event.

[Applewood]

Losing someone you are particularly close to can have a severe impact on one'side life.  I don't know if this lady received any grief counseling.  It would be a shame if she didn't.

I was very close to my father, and his death put me on a downward spiral.  At the time of his passing,  I had people telling me I had to be strong for my mother.  I took that to mean I couldn't grieve.  It wasn't till I went through counseling and really properly grieved for Dad that I was able to recover and move on. 

Don't know the lady, but I pray she has finally found peace.

[Free Vulcan]

I'm not sure what makes one famed or a star, nor do I don't know what makes a video viral. I wasn't familiar with her, but am sorry she felt compelled to kill herself.

That's what I was wondering. The pic of her grandfather - and I'm assuming that is was recent - he looked to be in his early 80's. Any day after 80 is a gift with loved ones, most people start to naturally prepare at that point, especially grandparents.

[TomSea]

MMA fighter Aaron Rajman killed by Florida home intruders
    9 hours ago
    From the section US & Canada


Aaron Rajman made his professional MMA debut in 2014 and and had a 2-2 record
A mixed martial arts fighter has been killed by intruders in the US state of Florida, police say.

Aaron Rajman was fatally shot during Monday night's apparent home invasion in the coastal city of Boca Raton.

Palm Beach County sheriff's office says a fight broke out after a group of suspects entered the 25-year-old featherweight's home.

Mr Rajman died from gunshot wounds. The assailants, whose motive is currently unknown, fled in a vehicle.

Continued: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-40511746

It doesn't sound like he fought much per his MMA career but a tragedy nonetheless. Sounds like there is more to this story.

[mountaineer]

Something drug-related, perhaps. 

[sneakypete]

Something drug-related, perhaps. 

@mountaineer

He was a Orthodox Jew,so that seems unlikely.

My best GUESS is he invited some people he didn't know very well to his house,and one or more of them decided they wanted to prove how tough they were by beating a MMA fighter,and when things didn't go their way,one of them pulled out a gun.

Lots of young men are insecure,and I can't count the number of times I have seen that "You don't look so tough!" challenge backfire on people who thought they could get away with it because they had a couple of friends with them. I have actually hear morons screaming "Go ahead,shoot me! You don't have the balls,do you?" in bar parking lots.

[mountaineer]

Oh, I wasn't aware of his being Orthodox, @sneakypete

Orthodox MMA fighter shot dead in his Florida home
Jewish Week


An Orthodox Jewish professional mixed martial arts fighter was shot and killed in his Florida home.

Aaron Rajman, 25, was killed Monday evening when several men entered his home in West Boca Raton, Florida. They reportedly argued with Rajman, shot him and then left, the Sun-Sentinel newspaper reported, citing the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.

It is not known what they argued about.

Rajman won several MMA titles as an amateur; he turned professional in 2014 and held a 2-2 record at the time of his death. He is believed to be the only Orthodox Jewish MMA fighter, according to reports.

Rabbi Zalman Bukiet, director of the Chabad of West Boca Raton, told local television news station WPTV-Ch. 5: “This was a special young man who had a heart of gold. It’s a tragedy.”

Rajman reportedly studied Torah at the Chabad, and taught children at a local Jewish school, as well as self defense classes for children and Krav Maga techniques to local police.

[Applewood]

@sneakypete
@mountaineer

Jack Lambert, the great Steelers linebacker,  had a well deserved reputation for toughness.  But there was a downside to being a tough guy.  Lambert once complained that he couldn't stop in a bar without some drunken idiot trying to pick a fight with him.  All poor Jack wanted to do was have a beer.

[sneakypete]

@sneakypete
@mountaineer

@Applewood

Jack Lambert, the great Steelers linebacker,  had a well deserved reputation for toughness.  But there was a downside to being a tough guy.  Lambert once complained that he couldn't stop in a bar without some drunken idiot trying to pick a fight with him.  All poor Jack wanted to do was have a beer.

Yup,I doubt there is a former bar hound alive who hasn't seen similar things. Some yahoo  will get drunk and want to try to prove what a tough man he is by beating on someone.  Usually someone smaller or who seems to be passive,but sometimes you see a fool shoot for the stars.

These are almost all people who haven't been in a fight since grade school,and it almost never ends well for them.

People who have been in a few dust-ups as adults generally don't get into fights they can avoid because they  have learned you can never tell how tough the other guy is until you give him your best shot,and see what happens. If you spin him around and he is smiling and laughing while thanking you and congratulating you for the good punch once he is facing you again,RUN!

And you really and truly can't pick these people out by looking at them.

[Smokin Joe]

Yup,I doubt there is a former bar hound alive who hasn't seen similar things. Some yahoo  will get drunk and want to try to prove what a tough man he is by beating on someone.  Usually someone smaller or who seems to be passive,but sometimes you see a fool shoot for the stars.

These are almost all people who haven't been in a fight since grade school,and it almost never ends well for them.

People who have been in a few dust-ups as adults generally don't get into fights they can avoid because they  have learned you can never tell how tough the other guy is until you give him your best shot,and see what happens. If you spin him around and he is smiling and laughing while thanking you and congratulating you for the good punch once he is facing you again,RUN!

And you really and truly can't pick these people out by looking at them.

Truth. I watched a little guy (former SAS) take down two brothers damnear twice his size in a bar one night. Took all of a couple seconds, maybe (longer for them to actually hit the floor than for him to send them on the way).

Another little ol' fellow who had been wounded seven times in Italy in WWII took down a tough guy who was an easy 6'2 and 240 lbs, and it took him less time for him to put him out on the floor than it did to type this. The end joint of his middle finger had been shot off in the war, and he just laughed and gave him the 'stubby' and went back to his beer.
 
Mama said, "Never judge a book by its cover." Dad said, "Don't go looking for trouble." They were both right.

[Machiavelli]

Gene Conley, Dual-Sport Threat With World Series and N.B.A. Titles, Dies at 86

All professional athletes dream of winning a championship. But only two have won championships in two major American professional sports. Gene Conley was one of them.

Conley, who died at 86 on Tuesday at his home in Foxborough, Mass., pitched for the World Series champion Milwaukee Braves in 1957. At 6 feet 8 inches — he was the tallest pitcher in the major leagues at the time — he also carved out a parallel career in professional basketball, playing during baseball’s off-season and winning three N.B.A. titles with the Boston Celtics, from 1958 to 1961.

More

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MLB Stats

NBA Stats

[catfish1957]

Gene Conley, Dual-Sport Threat With World Series and N.B.A. Titles, Dies at 86
More

Wikipedia

MLB Stats

NBA Stats

Very successful 2 professional sports figures are rare..  In my generation, only Deion Sanders, and Bo Jackson come to mind.

Sanders was an excellent NFL, but was so-so in MLB.  Bo Jackson OTOH had 4 -20 hr years, and had one year he had 105 rbi's.  Too bad his hip shortened both careers.

[EasyAce]

Gene Conley, Dual-Sport Threat With World Series and N.B.A. Titles, Dies at 86
More

Wikipedia

MLB Stats

NBA Stats

@Machiavelli
He was also baseball's would-be pilgrim to Israel---during 1962, suffering a spell of depression, Conley and teammate Pumpsie Green
(the first black player on the Red Sox) wandered off the team bus and hit a couple of bars before realising the bus took off without
them. (They'd been stuck in a traffic jam.) Green managed to make his way to the airport to meet the team, but Conley decided to
take a trip to Israel, buying tickets and making it to the airport only to discover he'd forgotten his passport. It was headlines
and a hefty fine for Conley by Red Sox owner Tom Yawkey---who refunded the fine as promised when Conley returned to the team
and kept his nose clean the rest of the season.

[Bigun]

Yup,I doubt there is a former bar hound alive who hasn't seen similar things. Some yahoo  will get drunk and want to try to prove what a tough man he is by beating on someone.  Usually someone smaller or who seems to be passive,but sometimes you see a fool shoot for the stars.

These are almost all people who haven't been in a fight since grade school,and it almost never ends well for them.

People who have been in a few dust-ups as adults generally don't get into fights they can avoid because they  have learned you can never tell how tough the other guy is until you give him your best shot,and see what happens. If you spin him around and he is smiling and laughing while thanking you and congratulating you for the good punch once he is facing you again,RUN!

And you really and truly can't pick these people out by looking at them.

What I have repeatedly observed is that the guys who insist on telling you how bad assed they are aren't! And I have seen it proven enough times to convince me that it's true.

[Smokin Joe]

What I have repeatedly observed is that the guys who insist on telling you how bad assed they are aren't! And I have seen it proven enough times to convince me that it's true.

I remain unimpressed by such territorial displays and posturing. It tends to be the calm and quiet ones who are dangerous. 

[Bigun]

I remain unimpressed by such territorial displays and posturing. It tends to be the calm and quiet ones who are dangerous. 

Let's just put it this way;  The real bad asses don't have to prove anything to anyone but they will if you force them to.

 

[Free Vulcan]

It is true the biggest trash talkers are the last to fight. Fortunately I'm getting past that age, but I've always have had the attitude that if you insist on fighting you better know your stuff, because even if you can ultimately beat me, I'm going to do hurt you as bad and quick as possible whatever way I can to incapacitate you. Fighting to me is like guns, don't start it up if you aren't ready to use stopping force.

On that note, about 10 years ago I was part of a discussion with some younger guys who said they like to fight and all that. I told them point blank that me and most older guys would just as soon kill them than fight them. Very stunned looks on their faces, guess it just got real for them. But it's true, I have zero time for that crap and even less patience.

[Cyber Liberty]

It is true the biggest trash talkers are the last to fight. Fortunately I'm getting past that age, but I've always have had the attitude that if you insist on fighting you better know your stuff, because even if you can ultimately beat me, I'm going to do hurt you as bad and quick as possible whatever way I can to incapacitate you. Fighting to me is like guns, don't start it up if you aren't ready to use stopping force.

On that note, about 10 years ago I was part of a discussion with some younger guys who said they like to fight and all that. I told them point blank that me and most older guys would just as soon kill them than fight them. Very stunned looks on their faces, guess it just got real for them. But it's true, I have zero time for that crap and even less patience.

When you get to a certain age. a punch in the face can be deadly.  Considering that, it's wise to think of it as an assault with a deadly weapon, and react accordingly.

[truth_seeker]

When you get to a certain age. a punch in the face can be deadly.  Considering that, it's wise to think of it as an assault with a deadly weapon, and react accordingly.

1970, (EM) enlisted mens' club, Heilbronn Germany, Wharton Barracks. Drunk white cook arrives back from downtown, and mouths off to a small black soldier in the same battalion.

Next thing, the medics are on the way. Turned out the smaller guy, was Golden Gloves boxer, and punched him in his nose, and killed him with one blow.

[bigheadfred]

The AB tied to get me to join their club one time. They are a fun bunch of guys but I declined. They insisted. I refused. After that they left me alone. I'm not a badass. Don't pretend to be. It is kinda funny how the world is small sometimes. A friend of a friend of my wife ran into her in the store the other day. He asked what my wife's last name was. Said that seemed familiar, that he knew a bigheadfred once. You know my husband. No, I lived in the same neighborhood. Never did talk to him. Everyone was kinda scared of him. My wife acts like she is proud of that. They are funny creatures.

[Cyber Liberty]

The AB tied to get me to join their club one time. They are a fun bunch of guys but I declined. They insisted. I refused. After that they left me alone. I'm not a badass. Don't pretend to be. It is kinda funny how the world is small sometimes. A friend of a friend of my wife ran into her in the store the other day. He asked what my wife's last name was. Said that seemed familiar, that he knew a bigheadfred once. You know my husband. No, I lived in the same neighborhood. Never did talk to him. Everyone was kinda scared of him. My wife acts like she is proud of that. They are funny creatures.

I solved that by moving the crap outta my town.  Way outta.  I'm from the Midwest, I live in Phoenix.

[bigheadfred]

I solved that by moving the crap outta my town.  Way outta.  I'm from the Midwest, I live in Phoenix.

I found that just hiding out in the house helps out a lot.

[Cyber Liberty]

I found that just hiding out in the house helps out a lot.

It was cheaper to move....

[bigheadfred]

It was cheaper to move....

Some things follow you around. This is merely a degree of separation thing. I like SE Idaho. If I had the money I would snowbird down to you. Doesn't look like that will ever happen. I'm going to have to work until I die now. Probably after that too.

[Suppressed]

'Grandaddy of techno' Pierre Henry dies at 89
1:53am Jul 7, 2017

http://www.9news.com.au/entertainment/2017/07/07/01/37/grandaddy-of-techno-pierre-henry-dies-at-89

French electronic composer Pierre Henry -- whose music inspired the theme tune of the American animated television series "Futurama" -- has died at the age of 89, his assistant said Thursday.

Known as the "grandfather of techno", Henry's "Psyche Rock" riff was used in the Oscar-winning Costa-Gavras film "Z" (1969) and later remixed by British DJ Fatboy Slim for the 2004 Lindsay Lohan film "Mean Girls".

[Excerpt.]

He also evidently composed the Futurama theme song.

[catfish1957]

'Grandaddy of techno'

Geez that's awful.  IF that was my claim to fame, I'd hope people would just remember me as Pierre.

[Gefn]

@Suppressed

Christopher Tyng composed the theme song from "Futurama"

This man inspired him.  It's a neat little song.


https://youtu.be/pkO1u2hrwxA

[Suppressed]

@Suppressed

Christopher Tyng composed the theme song from "Futurama"

This man inspired him.  It's a neat little song.


https://youtu.be/pkO1u2hrwxA

Thanks for the correction, @Freya!

[Gefn]

Thanks for the correction, @Freya!

No worries. It's one of my all time favorite shows. That was an interesting obit.

[EasyAce]

'Grandaddy of techno'

Geez that's awful.  IF that was my claim to fame, I'd hope people would just remember me as Pierre.

I'll wish him an RIP but remind one and all there are special places in hell for people who create things like . . .


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpQ4I5DE0OI

Whomever in Spooky Tooth thought that would be a great idea should be sentenced to nothing but food,
water, and reruns of The Brady Bunch to watch!

(Yes, Spooky Tooth was a great band . . . once . . . )


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHS4EJi7DUs


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doCLmkmXsT0

[sneakypete]

'Grandaddy of techno'

Geez that's awful.  IF that was my claim to fame, I'd hope people would just remember me as Pierre.

@catfish1957

No kidding.

[Cyber Liberty]

I'll wish him an RIP but remind one and all there are special places in hell for people who create things like . . .


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpQ4I5DE0OI

Whomever in Spooky Tooth thought that would be a great idea should be sentenced to nothing but food,
water, and reruns of The Brady Bunch to watch!

(Yes, Spooky Tooth was a great band . . . once . . . )


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHS4EJi7DUs


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doCLmkmXsT0

I loved Spooky Tooth (and Gary Wright), but who came up with the idea of doing the Lord's Prayer?  I did like I Am the Walrus.

[EasyAce]

I loved Spooky Tooth (and Gary Wright), but who came up with the idea of doing the Lord's Prayer?

A little research just told me the Ceremony project was Gary Wright's brilliant idea. It was so brilliant
that Wright ended up leaving the group not long after the album was released and the laughter began.
Something similar happened to Jon Lord in Deep Purple: he pushed the band to deliver its Concerto for
Group and Orchestra and the result was that, while he didn't quit Deep Purple over it, his influence
on the group's musical direction became slim and none from there.

I did like I Am the Walrus.

That was from The Last Puff. To this day nobody knows whether it was supposed to be the first solo
album for Spooky lead singer Mike Harrison, or whether the new lineup (Harrison, guitarist Luther Grosvenor,
drummer Mike Kellie, and three former members of the Grease Band: guitarist Henry McCulloch, bassist
Alan Spenner, and keyboardsman Chris Stainton) was actually supposed to be Spooky Tooth Mk II. The
album was billed "Spooky Tooth featuring Mike Harrison," and the lineup broke up not long after the
album was released.

The Spookies reunited in 1972 with Harrison, Wright, future Foreigner guitarist/mastermind Mick Jones,
bassist Chris Stewart, drummer Bryson Graham. They made one decent album (even if its title was still
better than half the music: You Broke My Heart, So I Busted Your Jaw), one horrible album
(Witness, which drove Mike Harrison out of the group again), and one waste of vinyl (The Mirror)
before finally calling it a career. The original lineup minus Gary Wright---Harrison, Grosvenor, bassist
Greg Ridley, and Kellie---tried one more time with 1999's Cross Purpose. They should have let
it be.

Mike Harrison does have one crown moment as a solo artist: he hooked up with the legendary Muscle
Shoals Rhythm Section for his second solo album, Smokestack Lightning. It's hard to listen
to it even now without wondering whether this was the direction in which Spooky Tooth should have
gone; it might have ensured their survival as a band.
[/quote]

[rodamala]

A little research just told me the Ceremony project was Gary Wright's brilliant idea. It was so brilliant
that Wright ended up leaving the group not long after the album was released and the laughter began.
Something similar happened to Jon Lord in Deep Purple: he pushed the band to deliver its Concerto for
Group and Orchestra and the result was that, while he didn't quit Deep Purple over it, his influence
on the group's musical direction became slim and none from there.

That was from The Last Puff. To this day nobody knows whether it was supposed to be the first solo
album for Spooky lead singer Mike Harrison, or whether the new lineup (Harrison, guitarist Luther Grosvenor,
drummer Mike Kellie, and three former members of the Grease Band: guitarist Henry McCulloch, bassist
Alan Spenner, and keyboardsman Chris Stainton) was actually supposed to be Spooky Tooth Mk II. The
album was billed "Spooky Tooth featuring Mike Harrison," and the lineup broke up not long after the
album was released.

The Spookies reunited in 1972 with Harrison, Wright, future Foreigner guitarist/mastermind Mick Jones,
bassist Chris Stewart, drummer Bryson Graham. They made one decent album (even if its title was still
better than half the music: You Broke My Heart, So I Busted Your Jaw), one horrible album
(Witness, which drove Mike Harrison out of the group again), and one waste of vinyl (The Mirror)
before finally calling it a career. The original lineup minus Gary Wright---Harrison, Grosvenor, bassist
Greg Ridley, and Kellie---tried one more time with 1999's Cross Purpose. They should have let
it be.

Mike Harrison does have one crown moment as a solo artist: he hooked up with the legendary Muscle
Shoals Rhythm Section for his second solo album, Smokestack Lightning. It's hard to listen
to it even now without wondering whether this was the direction in which Spooky Tooth should have
gone; it might have ensured their survival as a band.

@EasyAce

It's a few months ago at this point, but it musta been you that posted something somewhere about Spooky Tooth.  I had never listened to Spooky Tooth before, so that night I recall listening to some pretty good stuff...

This was my favorite video from what I saw that night:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6KAYUXkXP4

[rodamala]

@EasyAce

Actually... I just remembered how it happened that I came across Spooky Tooth.  I was on a long cross country drive and heard the Spooky Tooth version of I am the Walrus and I was like "WHAT IS THIS???".

I then started looking for who all covered the song... and eventually got my answer.

[Cyber Liberty]

@EasyAce

Actually... I just remembered how it happened that I came across Spooky Tooth.  I was on a long cross country drive and heard the Spooky Tooth version of I am the Walrus and I was like "WHAT IS THIS???".

I then started looking for who all covered the song... and eventually got my answer.

I loved Spooky Tooth's version of Walrus.  A lot of soul in that.

[EasyAce]

I loved Spooky Tooth's version of Walrus.  A lot of soul in that.

Mike Harrison was a very underrated singer. There should have been more to his career . . .


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GItlV8gZf2Y

[Machiavelli]

Italian actress Elsa Martinelli dead aged 82

Italian film star Elsa Martinelli has died today at the age of 82.

She passed away in Rome after a long and glamorous career as a star of the silver screen.

Elsa was best known for her roles in Le Rouge Et Le Noir in 1954 and for The Indian Fighter the following year, in which she starred opposite Kirk Douglas.

More

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IMDb

[GtHawk]

Italian actress Elsa Martinelli dead aged 82
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IMDb

A local station broadcasts Hatari it seems once a week at least, can't say as I recall her from anything else. RIP

[Just_Victor]

Houston radio host Matt Patrick dies after battle with cancer



http://www.khou.com/news/local/houston-radio-host-matt-patrick-dies-after-battle-with-stage-4-cancer/455388631

[Machiavelli]

A local station broadcasts Hatari it seems once a week at least, can't say as I recall her from anything else. RIP

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yl0cjXDNO0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yl0cjXDNO0

[Free Vulcan]

‘The Walking Dead’ voice actor dies in skydiving accident

Voice actor Randy Schell, the man behind promos for AMC's hit series "The Walking Dead," was killed Saturday in a skydiving accident in Houston.

Schell, a licensed and experienced skydiver, collided with a second jumper in mid-air after both deployed their parachutes at Skydive Spaceland Houston, KHOU reported, leaving Schell's parachute collapsed. The second jumper was treated for a leg injury.

Both jumpers had reportedly completed a successful dive earlier in the day.

Though his face might not be instantly recognizable, Schell's distinct voice sure is, as he leaves behind a lengthy resume that includes voice work for hundreds of commercials.

Read more at: http://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/news/%E2%80%98the-walking-dead%E2%80%99-voice-actor-dies-in-skydiving-accident/ar-BBE8zYk?OCID=ansmsnnews11

[catfish1957]

I am not one for risky hobbies, but I'd venture he died what he loved doing.

[TomSea]

I don't know much about this man but the write-up is fascinating:

A reel pioneer: Remembering Jack Shaheen
Jack Shaheen exposed Hollywood's primitive Orientalism and inspired a whole generation of scholars to challenge it.

By
Khaled A Beydoun   @KhaledBeydoun

Khaled A Beydoun is an Associate Professor of Law at the University of Detroit Mercy.

It was June 2000 in Washington, DC - roughly one year before the 9/11 attacks, and the beginning of a decade of Arabs and Muslims being public enemy number one. Jack Shaheen was front and centre, analysing a montage of vile Hollywood depictions of Arabs and Muslims in front of an audience of hundreds at the annual American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee conference.

Beginning with films showcasing old caricatures of lecherous sheikhs and exoticised women in hijabs, and moving on to more recent cinematic representations of the aircraft hijacker and Muslim terrorist, Shaheen carefully dismantled every damaging trope, old and new, for a crowd on the cusp of facing an unprecedented onslaught of structural and societal Islamophobia.

I sat in the crowd, hanging on to Shaheen's every word, not yet knowing how immensely important this man's work would be in the days and years to come. He, the son of Lebanese immigrants, would go on to pioneer an entire field of study, and blaze a path for scores of scholars and activists to follow during the 9/11 decade and beyond.

When Jack Shaheen died on July 10, the news sent immediate shockwaves through the Arab and Muslim American communities. Well before 9/11, when the study of Arabs and Muslims in the media was yet to emerge as an important subject of study, Shaheen made it his life's work. He ultimately became a pioneering figure whose name today is synonymous with the intellectual protest against the long-standing character assassination of Arabs and Muslims by Hollywood and US television networks.

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2017/07/reel-pioneer-remembering-jack-shaheen-170711082039573.html