Obituaries for 2020

[Smokin Joe]

Loved his music. RIP sir.

Ditto! Farewell, Mr. Pride, and thanks.

[Bigun]

Ditto! Farewell, Mr. Pride, and thanks.

And just in case anyone here doesn't know this, Charlie Pride was a damn good baseball player in his younger days as well!

May he rest in peace!

[Gefn]

John le Carré: British author of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy author dies

British author John le Carré, writer of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and The Night Manager, has died aged 89, his literary agent has said.

Jonny Gellar shared the news in a tweet on Sunday night, which read: "With much sadness, I must announce the passing of one the world's great writers - John le Carré."

https://news.sky.com/story/john-le-carre-british-author-of-tinker-tailor-soldier-spy-author-dies-12160814

[mountaineer]

John le Carré: British author of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy author dies

I'm in the middle of reading one of his books - just checked it out of the library yesterday.

[Gefn]

I'm in the middle of reading one of his books - just checked it out of the library yesterday.

I do like how synchronicity works sometimes. He’s an author I never read but I know he was prolific.

I added him to authors I should read list, though I like things more by Walter Mosley or Ed McBain.
@mountaineer

[mountaineer]

I do like how synchronicity works sometimes. He’s an author I never read but I know he was prolific.

We were watching an old episode of "Law and Order" the other night, and Steven Hill said something about someone being like a character in a John LeCarre novel. That got me thinking. Pretty sure I'd read something by him many years ago, but why not see what the library had to offer? So on Friday, I did. Finished the book Sunday.

[Slide Rule]

John le Carré, legendary author of spy novels including 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,' dies


Dec. 13, 2020
Tim Stelloh

John le Carré, the former spy and British espionage novelist who wrote "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy," died over the weekend, a representative said Sunday. He was 89.
In a statement, Jonny Geller, the CEO of le Carré's literary agency, said le Carré died Saturday night after a short battle with pneumonia in Cornwall, in the southwest of England.

His death was not Covid-19-related, Geller said.

"Our hearts go out to his four sons, their families and to his dear wife, Jane," Geller said, adding: "His like will never be seen again, and his loss will be felt by every book lover, everyone interested in the human condition."

Le Carré, whose real name was David Cornwell, wrote 25 novels and a memoir after having worked for British intelligence beginning in 1949. Through complex plots and "beautiful prose," Geller said, le Carré "beamed a harsh light at the injustices of the world" and dominated bestseller lists.

In a 2008 interview with The Associated Press, he described himself as someone outside "the literary bureaucracy" who was far from optimistic.

"Humanity — that's what we rely on. If only we could see it expressed in our institutional forms, we would have hope then," he told the AP. "I think the humanity will always be there. I think it will always be defeated."

Among his best-known novels was the 1963 book "The Spy Who Came in From the Cold," about a spy carrying out a risky operation in Germany, where he had been based for MI6.

Others included "A Perfect Spy," "The Constant Gardener," "A Legacy of Spies" and "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy," which was adapted into an Academy Award-winning film in 2011.

His latest novel, "Agent Running in the Field," was published in October 2019.

"We have lost a great figure of English literature, a man of great wit, kindness, humor and intelligence. I have lost a friend, a mentor and an inspiration," Geller said.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/john-le-carr-legendary-author-spy-novels-including-tinker-tailor-n1251055

[jmyrlefuller]

Ann Reinking
Broadway performer, known for her close relationship with Bob Fosse, dies at 71



In 1972, Reinking, who began her career as a chorus girl, caught the attention of legendary Broadway choreographer Bob Fosse. Fosse gave Reinking her big break, casting her as leads in several of his shows, most famously as Roxie Hart in Chicago. Though both were married at the time (Fosse to Gwen Verdon and Reinking to Larry Small), the two carried on an affair that lasted through much of that time. She broke off the affair in the late 1970s but, like Verdon, continued to work professionally with him, including appearing more or less as herself in Fosse's movie All That Jazz.

After Fosse's death, Reinking retired from performing but eventually earned a reputation as his creative heir apparent. She became close friends and collaborators with Verdon until Verdon's death in 2000. Reinking also choreographed the 1990s revival of Chicago and, in 1999, co-created a revue based on Fosse's work.

Reinking died unexpectedly in her sleep December 12.

Obituary from Variety

Wikipedia

IMDB

[Gefn]

I didn’t know she was his mistress, but she was a heck of a dancer. I really hate this headline because she was so much more than who she took to her bed.

RIP.

[jmyrlefuller]

I didn’t know she was his mistress, but she was a heck of a dancer. I really hate this headline because she was so much more than who she took to her bed.

RIP.

I struggled writing that headline because of the implications of it (though it is Broadway and hedonism runs rampant there), but so much of Reinking's most prominent work was tied so closely to Fosse that I would've been remiss to say otherwise.

I have modified the headline to make it less derogatory.

[Gefn]

I struggled writing that headline because of the implications of it (though it is Broadway and hedonism runs rampant there), but so much of Reinking's most prominent work was tied so closely to Fosse that I would've been remiss to say otherwise.

I have modified the headline to make it less derogatory.

Thank you. 

[jafo2010]

Gefn,

Which writer do you like more, Mosley or McBain?  I haven't read anything by either, and I am always looking for new authors to read.  I usually try to read chronologically, first book to last.

For those that run GBR, I think it would be a great section, BOOKS and WRITERS one must read.  I think it would be great as books are read if we had members give reviews to books they really enjoyed, say a 500 word review for all of us to review.

[sneakypete]

Gefn,

Which writer do you like more, Mosley or McBain?  I haven't read anything by either, and I am always looking for new authors to read.  I usually try to read chronologically, first book to last.

For those that run GBR, I think it would be a great section, BOOKS and WRITERS one must read.  I think it would be great as books are read if we had members give reviews to books they really enjoyed, say a 500 word review for all of us to review.

@jafo2010 @mystery-ak

I will not only give that one a STRONG "AMEN!", I will say that Louis L'amour would be an excellent author to start out with.

[verga]

@jafo2010 @mystery-ak

I will not only give that one a STRONG "AMEN!", I will say that Louis L'amour would be an excellent author to start out with.

We have a "What are you watching thread?", how about a "What are you reading thread?"
Right now I am going back and reading/ rereading some of the classics. JUst finished "Around the World in Eighty days" and started "20,000 leagues under the sea" Next it is going to be a toss up between Mark Twain or Jack London, (Reread "Call of the Wild" about a month ago.

[Cyber Liberty]

Hey, all y'all!  I started a poll in "Briefing Room Polls," about creating a new thread or Category for Books and Authors.  Please stop by and vote on it (No Dominion machines!), and comment nominating a Moderator for the group!  Here's the link to the poll:

http://www.gopbriefingroom.com/index.php/topic,422913.0.html

@jafo2010

[Gefn]

Gefn,

Which writer do you like more, Mosley or McBain?  I haven't read anything by either, and I am always looking for new authors to read.  I usually try to read chronologically, first book to last.

For those that run GBR, I think it would be a great section, BOOKS and WRITERS one must read.  I think it would be great as books are read if we had members give reviews to books they really enjoyed, say a 500 word review for all of us to review.

@jafo2010

McBain wrote a huge amount a novels about a fictional police district in NYC. All good, a little formulaic but good. I know one f them was turned into a Columbo episode. I pretty much could read them in an afternoon. Really good, but more like beach read detective novels. He’d put out two or three a year. Guy was really prolific.

Walter Mosley is still alive. Writes like a dream. Writes a book every few years. In 2020, Mosley received the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, making him the first black , and Jewish male to receive the honor. His detective lives in LA.

[sneakypete]

We have a "What are you watching thread?", how about a "What are you reading thread?"
Right now I am going back and reading/ rereading some of the classics. JUst finished "Around the World in Eighty days" and started "20,000 leagues under the sea" Next it is going to be a toss up between Mark Twain or Jack London, (Reread "Call of the Wild" about a month ago.

@verga


So.....,what's keeping you from starting one?

P.S.Ping me to it when you do.

[Cyber Liberty]

@verga


So.....,what's keeping you from starting one?

P.S.Ping me to it when you do.

@sneakypete

I'm creating a whole new Category tonight.  I'll post a link to it here.

[verga]

@verga


So.....,what's keeping you from starting one?

P.S.Ping me to it when you do.

@sneakypete I am not that bright.

[Cyber Liberty]

All y'all have spoken!  We have the new sub-Category, under "Entertainment & Sports!"

It's pretty empty right now, but the two new Moderators, @Gefn and @jafo2010 will be filling it shortly.  I expect we'll have "Genre" threads pinned to the top, and regular topics about specific authors, and a "What are you reading now?" thread too!

Books and Authors

[mountaineer]

K.T. Oslin, Country Singer-Songwriter of ’80’s Ladies,’ Dead at 78
Oslin was the first female songwriter in CMA Awards history to win Song of the Year
Joseph Hudak
Rolling Stone

K.T. Oslin, the first female songwriter to win the CMA Award for Song of the Year, for her 1987 hit “80’s Ladies,” died Monday at 78. Oslin had been battling Parkinson’s disease and was diagnosed with Covid-19 last week, according to her friend, the journalist Robert K. Oermann, who confirmed her death.

Oslin, born Kay Toinette Oslin in Arkansas, was 45 when she released her chart-topping debut country album, 1987’s 80’s Ladies — a remarkable feat then for a woman in country music and a near impossibility today. Along with the Top 10 title track, the LP included a pair of country Number Ones in “Do Ya” and “I’ll Always Come Back.” But it was the nostalgic ballad “80’s Ladies” — about a trio of girls who “burned our bras…dinners…and our candles at both ends” — that became her signature. “There ain’t been much these ladies ain’t tried,” Oslin sang. ... More

[Bigun]

RIP K.T.! I may be the only one, but I loved your music and still listen to it from time to time.

[verga]

RIP K.T.! I may be the only one, but I loved your music and still listen to it from time to time.

Agreed, Loved her stuff. My wife turned me on to it.

[EasyAce]

Leslie West, Mountain Co-Founder, Dies at 75
By Erica Banas, WMGK

Leslie West, the co-founder and co-vocalist/guitarist of Mountain, has died. He was 75.

West’s death was confirmed by Dean Guitars who wrote, “With a heavy heart, we are saddened to hear about the passing of #Dean Artist and part of the Dean family, Leslie West. Legendary and one of a kind. Rest In Peace.” Dean Guitars CEO Evan Rubinson shared his personal condolences via Twitter writing, “To a man that I truly loved more than most — the funniest, most honest guy I’ve met.” An exact cause of death has not yet been confirmed.

West's brother posted on Facebook that his heart stopped on Monday and he'd been on a ventilator since.

He did a good job for himself for a corpulent Jewish kid from Queens (born Leslie Weinstein) who got to play his second gig with the freshly-formed Mountain at . . . Woodstock, in 1969.

RIP Mr. West . . . .


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[EasyAce]

One more from and for Leslie West---part of his performance with Mountain the night the legendary Fillmore East closed in June 1971 . . .


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