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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[Fishrrman]

https://bluegrasstoday.com/tony-rice-passes/

Tony Rice passes
Posted on December 26, 2020 By John Lawless



Tony Rice, surely the most influential guitarist and vocalist in the history of bluegrass music, died on Christmas morning. He was 69 years of age, and died swiftly without pain.

Tony changed forever the way bluegrass guitar is played, both as a lead and an accompaniment instrument. Audiences saw hints of his genius during his stint with Bluegrass Alliance in the early 1970s, but it appeared fully formed with J.D. Crowe & The New South in 1975 on their classic recording for Rounder Records, known colloquially by its catalog number, 0044.

Those of us fortunate to be alive at that time will clearly remember the first time we heard it. By the end of the banjo intro to Old Home Place, it was obvious that something new and different was going on. Rice’s guitar filled the track from top to bottom and side to side with an aggressive rhythm style that brought together the power of Jimmy Martin and Del McCoury, with the dexterity and grace of Clarence White. It propelled the band forward like nothing we had heard before.

More at URL above...

Tony "changed the music" as much as did Earl Scruggs.
One of the greatest acoustic guitar players of all time.

[EasyAce]

Hall of Fame pitcher Phil Niekro, famous for signature knuckleball, dies at 81
ESPN

Phil Niekro, a pitcher who used his signature knuckleball to fool generations of hitters and craft a Hall of Fame career, died Saturday night in his sleep after a long battle with cancer, the Atlanta Braves announced Sunday. He was 81.

Niekro, inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1997, was one of baseball's most prolific and durable pitchers, using his "butterfly" pitch to win 318 games in a career that spanned 24 seasons, including 21 with the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves.

"We are heartbroken on the passing of our treasured friend, Phil Niekro," the Braves said in a statement. "Knucksie was woven into the Braves fabric, first in Milwaukee and then in Atlanta. Phil baffled batters on the field and later was always the first to join in our community activities. It was during those community and fan activities where he would communicate with fans as if they were long lost friends.

"He was a constant presence over the years, in our clubhouse, our alumni activities and throughout Braves Country and we will forever be grateful for having him be such an important part of our organization.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Nancy, sons Philip, John and Michael and his two grandchildren Chase and Emma."

Niekro's sweet Hall of Fame induction speech in 1997:


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A story: When Niekro was a Yankee, his manager for a time was Lou Piniella. One night on the road, Piniella and some friends were having late drinks in the hotel bar when the party saw Niekro returning to the hotel. When asked whether Niekro was past the team's road curfew, Piniella chuckled. "Aw, hell, I can't tell Knucksie to go to bed," he said. "He's older than I am!"

RIP to a great pitcher and a good man.

Unfortunately, that makes seven Hall of Famers who've gone to the Elysian Fields this year. (Including four pitchers: Niekro, Whitey Ford, Bob Gibson, and Tom Seaver. Bet you could win a pennant with a rotation like that!) If the Modern Era Committee elects Dick Allen to the Hall of Fame next year, it'll make eight. (Allen died on 8 December.)

[Hoodat]

Phil Niekro was my childhood hero.  It was tough being a Braves fan back then.  But you could pay $3 and sit anywhere you like.  I'm still pissed off at Joe Torre for chasing him off.

[Knox27]

He gave up the only homerun Joe niekro ever hit.

[mountaineer]

The Niekro brothers were from my area. The Ohio Valley is mourning.  Phil really was one of "our own," who never forgot his roots.

[Wingnut]

His last game in Atlanta.  The story I heard was,  The mouth of the south signed him to a 1 day contract for $1 to end his career in Atlanta  @EasyAce would know the real story!

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[Polly Ticks]

Hall of Fame pitcher Phil Niekro, famous for signature knuckleball, dies at 81

 

[EasyAce]

His last game in Atlanta.  The story I heard was,  The mouth of the south signed him to a 1 day contract for $1 to end his career in Atlanta  @EasyAce would know the real story!

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@Wingnut
EasyAce does know the real story---it's true. Ted Turner was more than willing to let Niekro suit up once more to pitch a game and retire as a Brave. Knucksie himself told it in his Hall of Fame induction speech---one day contract, one dollar, one more game.

Bookends: As a rookie in 1964, Niekro's teammates included Hall of Famer Warren Spahn. When he suited up that last time for the Braves, his teammates included another lefthander bound for Cooperstown---Tom Glavine.

Glavine likes to kid that when he saw Niekro the first time in camp, he thought he'd gotten his plans crossed up and landed at a Braves fantasy camp instead of spring training.

[EasyAce]

Phil Niekro was my childhood hero.  It was tough being a Braves fan back then.  But you could pay $3 and sit anywhere you like.  I'm still pissed off at Joe Torre for chasing him off.

@Hoodat
I've always felt apologetic that my 1969 Mets slapped Knucksie silly in Game One of the 1969 National League Championship Series. (The Mets won, 9-5; five of the runs they pried out of Niekro were unearned.) There was probably no nicer guy ever to wear a Braves uniform than Niekro, unless it was Dale Murphy.

And there's a tale: When Murphy was a rookie in 1976, he came up as a catcher. He caught Niekro against the Big Red Machine and they took a no-hitter into the ninth, until Cesar Geronimo hit a shuttlecock over third base into short left. To this day, Murphy will tell you he was petrified of trying to catch the Niekro knuckleball. He'll also tell you Niekro helped put him at ease by saying, "Just give me the knuckleball sign. If I don't want to throw it, I'll shake you off." But you might understand if Murphy thought being moved to the outfield was like liberation day.

There were times I needed a tennis racquet to hit him.---Bob Boone.

Trying to hit Phil Niekro is like trying to eat Jell-O with chopsticks.---Bobby Murcer.

Catching Niekro’s knuckleball was great. I got to meet a lot of important people. They all sat behind home plate.---Bob Uecker.

Uecker was also behind the plate for Niekro the day he pitched against his knuckleballing brother Joe for the first time. "Their parents were at the game sitting behind home plate," Uecker said. "I saw more of their parents than they did all weekend."

It giggled at you when it went by.---Rick Monday, on the Niekro knuckler. Appropriate remark, too, considering when Niekro was born: April Fool's Day, 1939.

[Hoodat]

Catching Niekro’s knuckleball was great. I got to meet a lot of important people. They all sat behind home plate.---Bob Uecker.

Uecker was also behind the plate for Niekro the day he pitched against his knuckleballing brother Joe for the first time. "Their parents were at the game sitting behind home plate," Uecker said. "I saw more of their parents than they did all weekend."

Uecker also once said that the easiest way to handle the knuckleball was to wait for it to stop rolling.

[goatprairie]

https://bluegrasstoday.com/tony-rice-passes/

Tony Rice passes
Posted on December 26, 2020 By John Lawless



Tony Rice, surely the most influential guitarist and vocalist in the history of bluegrass music, died on Christmas morning. He was 69 years of age, and died swiftly without pain.

Tony changed forever the way bluegrass guitar is played, both as a lead and an accompaniment instrument. Audiences saw hints of his genius during his stint with Bluegrass Alliance in the early 1970s, but it appeared fully formed with J.D. Crowe & The New South in 1975 on their classic recording for Rounder Records, known colloquially by its catalog number, 0044.

Those of us fortunate to be alive at that time will clearly remember the first time we heard it. By the end of the banjo intro to Old Home Place, it was obvious that something new and different was going on. Rice’s guitar filled the track from top to bottom and side to side with an aggressive rhythm style that brought together the power of Jimmy Martin and Del McCoury, with the dexterity and grace of Clarence White. It propelled the band forward like nothing we had heard before.

More at URL above...

Tony "changed the music" as much as did Earl Scruggs.
One of the greatest acoustic guitar players of all time.

During the seventies and eighties there were  five flatpickers who were regarded by many as at the top of the pile.
Rice was one of them. Then there was Doc Watson, Norman Blake, Dan Crary, and Clarence White who was killed in an auto accident in the early seventies. White actually went rock and roll for a while as a member of The Byrds. Watson, Blake, and Crary could more accurately described as old timey/folk rather than Bluegrass musicians.
Rice's music from that time was more in the Bluegrass vein. I believe sometime in  eighties or nineties he started experimenting with jazz. That's basically when I stopped buying his records. I bought his first jazzier lp "Mar West", but just couldn't grok it.
Combination great flatpicker and excellent singer.
I have several Rice albums which I haven't played for a while. I regard his "Manzanita" album as one of the best bluegrass/old timey records of that era.

[Gefn]

Pierre Cardin: French fashion giant dies aged 98

Legendary designer Pierre Cardin, whose futuristic and stylish designs helped revolutionise fashion in the 1950s and 60s, has died at the age of 98.

The French fashion giant's career spanned more than 70 years, and his modern style helped usher in the post-war "golden age" of couture.

He also broke ground by bringing designer styles to the masses with some of the first ready-to-wear collections.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-55476062

[Gefn]

Pierre Cardin: French fashion giant dies aged 98


https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-55476062

I remember back in college in the 80s, his cologne was a big deal. Lot of people wore it. RIP.

[Polly Ticks]

Dawn Wells, ‘Gilligan’s Island’s’ Mary Ann, Dies of COVID at 82

Dawn Wells, who starred as the demure Mary Ann in popular 1960s sitcom “Gilligan’s Island,” died Wednesday of causes related to COVID-19 in Los Angeles. She was 82.

[Gefn]

I just saw a headline Dawn Wells passed. Rest In Peace Mary Ann.

 

I think all the castaways are now  gone.

[EasyAce]

I just saw a headline Dawn Wells passed. Rest In Peace Mary Ann.

 

I think all the castaways are now  gone.

@Gefn

Tina Louise is still alive.

[verga]

Dawn Wells, ‘Gilligan’s Island’s’ Mary Ann, Dies of COVID at 82

I always liked her better than Ginger. RIP

[goatprairie]

I always liked her better than Ginger. RIP

[jmyrlefuller]

@Gefn

Tina Louise is still alive.

Yeah, Tina—ironically the only one who wanted nothing to do with the show afterward—is, at 86, the last living cast member.

[jmyrlefuller]

Shabba-Doo
Dancer who brought street dancing into the mainstream dies at 65

Shabba-Doo, real name Adolfo G. Quiñones, broke through to fame in the 1980s with a style of street dance known as "locking—" essentially the practice involved fast and exaggerated arm movements interrupted by brief freezes. He appeared in several movies as a dancer, including Xanadu and Breakin' (as well as the notorious sequel Electric Boogaloo), and worked as a choreographer later in life.

Obituary from Variety

Wikipedia

IMDB


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[Smokin Joe]

I always liked her better than Ginger. RIP

Me, too. RIP Dawn, and thanks!

[dfwgator]

Shabba-Doo
Dancer who brought street dancing into the mainstream dies at 65

Shabba-Doo, real name Adolfo G. Quiñones, broke through to fame in the 1980s with a style of street dance known as "locking—" essentially the practice involved fast and exaggerated arm movements interrupted by brief freezes. He appeared in several movies as a dancer, including Xanadu and Breakin' (as well as the notorious sequel Electric Boogaloo), and worked as a choreographer later in life.
 

So he won't live to see Break Dancing actually be an official Olympic Sport.

[mountaineer]

Dawn Wells, the real-life Mary Ann Summers of “Gilligan’s Island,” was just as sunny and down-to-earth off-screen as she was on-screen, her co-star Tina Louise, the show’s only surviving cast member, told The Post Wednesday.  ...

“Dawn was a very wonderful person. I want people to remember her as someone who always had a smile on her face,” said Louise, who lives on Manhattan’s East Side. “Nothing is more important than family and she was family. She will always be remembered.” ...

NY Post

[Cyber Liberty]

Sadly, pictures fro MeWe don't hot link.  I just see an empty box....

[Bigun]