Obituaries for 2021

[PeteS in CA]

About 20 years ago I had a coworker who was very Prog and into the Berserkeley Pacifica outlet. Her chat about the machination there sounded like a political version of an excessive soap opera fan.

[Wingnut]

Lol. Even a grunt from Mr Loaf when he was in his prime must been pretty awesome.

Looking back.... I have to say...Yup!

[txradioguy]

R.I.P Apollo 11 Astronaut Major General (retired) Michael Collins. He was 90.

Interesting side note...his uncle is General J Lawton Collins...commander of VII Corps at Normandy and the Army Chief of Staff during the Korean War.

[mountaineer]

R.I.P Apollo 11 Astronaut Major General (retired) Michael Collins. He was 90.

Wow. Rest in peace, indeed. When Mr. M lived in DC, he used to jog at the American Univ. track. One time he met a fit-looking older guy who introduced himself only as "Mike," and the two of them ran together a number of times. Mr. M didn't recognize him, and didn't know he was the astronaut Michael Collins until someone else told him, "Hey, did you know who you've been running with?" As far as Mr. M knew, he was just a nice guy.

[Smokin Joe]

R.I.P Apollo 11 Astronaut Major General (retired) Michael Collins. He was 90.

Interesting side note...his uncle is General J Lawton Collins...commander of VII Corps at Normandy and the Army Chief of Staff during the Korean War.

RIP indeed. It was his putting around in orbit that made the return trip a 'go'. Not nearly the glory of a moonwalk, but just as essential (so close, but yet so far).

[jmyrlefuller]

R.I.P Apollo 11 Astronaut Major General (retired) Michael Collins. He was 90.

Interesting side note...his uncle is General J Lawton Collins...commander of VII Corps at Normandy and the Army Chief of Staff during the Korean War.

That leaves Buzz Aldrin as the last surviving astronaut from the Apollo 11 moon landing mission.

[Gefn]

Rest In Peace , Mr. Collins.

I’m sad you never got to actually walk on the moon.

[Lando Lincoln]

RIP indeed. It was his putting around in orbit that made the return trip a 'go'. Not nearly the glory of a moonwalk, but just as essential (so close, but yet so far).

He was trained to return alone if catastrophe happened with the other astronauts on the moon.  Many believed he would have remained to perish with the others. 

[Smokin Joe]

He was trained to return alone if catastrophe happened with the other astronauts on the moon.  Many believed he would have remained to perish with the others.

I am glad we did not have to find out.

[mountaineer]

Olympia Dukakis, Known For ‘Moonstruck,’ ‘Steel Magnolias,’ Dies At 89
By CBSLA Staff
May 1, 2021 at 1:17 pm

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Oscar-winning actress Olympia Dukakis, known for her roles in “Moonstruck” and “Steel Magnolias,” died Saturday at the age of 89.

Her brother, Apollo, shared the news Saturday in a Facebook post saying, “My beloved sister, Olympia Dukakis, passed away this morning in New York City. After many months of failing health she is finally at peace and with her Louis.”  ... More at CBS Los Angeles

[mountaineer]

Pete Lammons, Tight End on Jets' Super Bowl Team, Dies at 77
Lammons played six seasons in New York and helped deliver the franchise its first and still only Super Bowl title
Published 47 mins ago   

Pete Lammons, a tight end on the New York Jets' Super Bowl-winning team in 1969, died by drowning after he fell off a fishing boat, authorities said. He was 77.

Major League Fishing announced in a statement posted on its website Friday that Lammons was participating in an event on the Sam Rayburn Reservoir on Thursday morning when he slipped from his boat and fell into the water. ... NBC Boston

[mystery-ak]

Olympia Dukakis, Known For ‘Moonstruck,’ ‘Steel Magnolias,’ Dies At 89
By CBSLA Staff
May 1, 2021 at 1:17 pm

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Oscar-winning actress Olympia Dukakis, known for her roles in “Moonstruck” and “Steel Magnolias,” died Saturday at the age of 89.

Her brother, Apollo, shared the news Saturday in a Facebook post saying, “My beloved sister, Olympia Dukakis, passed away this morning in New York City. After many months of failing health she is finally at peace and with her Louis.”  ... More at CBS Los Angeles

Loved her ..she was a great actress.

[verga]

Loved her ..she was a great actress.

She knew how to fill a screen. She made e verything seem effortless,almost natural.

[jmyrlefuller]

This one I missed, but it happened earlier this year.

Jimmie F. Rodgers, acoustic pop singer of the 1950s and 1960s, dies at 87


Rodgers (not to be confused with the 1930s country singer Jimmie C. Rodgers) is probably best known for the song "Honeycomb," the first of a string of pop/country crossover hits he had in 1957 and 1958. He eventually had a minor comeback in 1966 with two more top-40 hits, "It's Over" (famously covered by Elvis) and "Child of Clay," before a 1967 dispute with mob-tied Roulette Records was followed shortly thereafter by an attack that left Rodgers with numerous long-term injuries and amnesia about the event.

These injuries, along with a recurring bout with spasmodic dysphonia affecting his voice throughout the rest of his lifetime, curtailed Rodgers's career in the 1970s, with his records only reaching the lower ends of the country charts.

Rodgers died January 18 from coronavirus, complicated by his long-term health issues.
.

https://www.columbian.com/news/2021/jan/21/camas-native-pop-star-jimmie-rodgers-dies-at-87/

[sneakypete]

This one I missed, but it happened earlier this year.

Jimmie F. Rodgers, acoustic pop singer of the 1950s and 1960s, dies at 87

Rodgers (not to be confused with the 1930s country singer Jimmie C. Rodgers) is probably best known for the song "Honeycomb," the first of a string of pop/country crossover hits he had in 1957 and 1958. He eventually had a minor comeback in 1966 with two more top-40 hits, "It's Over" (famously covered by Elvis) and "Child of Clay," before a 1967 dispute with mob-tied Roulette Records was followed shortly thereafter by an attack that left Rodgers with numerous long-term injuries and amnesia about the event.

These injuries, along with a recurring bout with spasmodic dysphonia affecting his voice throughout the rest of his lifetime, curtailed Rodgers's career in the 1970s, with his records only reaching the lower ends of the country charts.

Rodgers died January 18 from coronavirus, complicated by his long-term health issues.
.

https://www.columbian.com/news/2021/jan/21/camas-native-pop-star-jimmie-rodgers-dies-at-87/

@jmyrlefuller

Let's be honest,here. The primary reason he died is because he was 87 years old.

[jmyrlefuller]

Billie Hayes, character actress famous as Witchiepoo, dies at 96


Hayes flourished during the late 1960s and early 1970s, initially rising to fame as a hillbilly character, Mammy Yokum from Li'l Abner. She was cast as Witchiepoo by tripped-out kiddie-show auteurs Sid and Marty Krofft in H.R. Pufnstuf and its follow-up Lidsville.

Described by fellow famous witch Margaret Hamilton as "one of the best witches ever" (Hayes's Witchiepoo even appeared alongside Hamilton's Wicked Witch of the West in the Paul Lynde Hollywood Special in 1976), she continued to work as a voice actress in the 1970s and 1980s, eventually settling into a retirement focused on animal rescue.

Hayes died April 29 of natural causes.

https://deadline.com/2021/05/billie-hayes-dead-obituary-witchiepoo-h-r-pufnstuf-actress-was-96-1234749037/

[jmyrlefuller]

Tawny Kitaen, 1980s pop culture icon, dies at 59

Kitaen moved from rock-band groupie to music video model (yes, she was the one who danced on Whitesnake's car hood and married David Coverdale) to moderately successful actress in 1980s and 1990s cinema, largely disappearing after marrying baseball player Chuck Finley in 1997.

Kitaen's marriage to Finley ended when she assaulted him, beginning a downward spiral that led to repeated substance abuse arrests. She died May 7 of unknown causes.

https://pagesix.com/2021/05/08/tawny-kitaen-80s-actress-and-music-video-vixen-dead-at-59/

[Cyber Liberty]

Witchiepoo was the most sane character in Krofts' universe....

[jmyrlefuller]

Ernest Angley, faith healing televangelist, dies at 99

https://deadline.com/2021/05/rev-ernest-angley-dies-controversial-faith-healer-televangelist-was-99-1234752333/

[mountaineer]

I didn't realize Angley was still alive. He was a character, to say the least.

[PeteS in CA]

Had to look him up in W'pedia. Sounds like he had a sketchy side.

[Wingnut]

I didn't realize Angley was still alive. He was a character, to say the least.

He had the style and character of and earlier televangelist, Billy James Hargis.

[jmyrlefuller]

Had to look him up in W'pedia. Sounds like he had a sketchy side.

Yeah, I decided to leave the summary off his, because 1) I wasn't sure if WP's write-up (disclaimer: I contribute to WP but seldom on anything controversial) had given proper weight to his life as a whole, since the editors over there can and frequently do give undue weight to make people and things they don't like look bad, but 2) there was a distinct possibility that he was as bad as the WP authors claimed. Televangelism isn't the most squeaky clean industry out there (ironically).

[verga]

Yeah, I decided to leave the summary off his, because 1) I wasn't sure if WP's write-up (disclaimer: I contribute to WP but seldom on anything controversial) had given proper weight to his life as a whole, since the editors over there can and frequently do give undue weight to make people and things they don't like look bad, but 2) there was a distinct possibility that he was as bad as the WP authors claimed. Televangelism isn't the most squeaky clean industry out there (ironically).

One sleepless night I was up watching his show. He used to have shills that would use a specific type of wheelchair and he would "miraculously" have them "Rise and Walk". A paraplegic came up to him with that type of chair. Earnest did his mumbo jumbo, the man stood took about a half a step and dropped like a sack of potatoes, on live television. After that all of his shows were "prerecorded for later broadcast".   

[PeteS in CA]

Yeah, I decided to leave the summary off his, because 1) I wasn't sure if WP's write-up (disclaimer: I contribute to WP but seldom on anything controversial) had given proper weight to his life as a whole, since the editors over there can and frequently do give undue weight to make people and things they don't like look bad, but 2) there was a distinct possibility that he was as bad as the WP authors claimed. Televangelism isn't the most squeaky clean industry out there (ironically).

I never got into the televangelism or Christian TV network scene. I listened to a few radio shows in the early (mumble)s but got turned off by Swaggart's continual beg-a-thon and the Two Kenneths God-in-a-Box theology.