Obituaries for 2021

[BassWrangler]

R.I.P.

I always liked him. He reminded me of this VP I used to work for - very no-nonsense guy, but had a good heart.

[libertybele]

@jmyrlefuller

I am guessing he sold clown cars?

No. He owned the largest KIA dealership in the world.  His incentives to get people in the door were unmatched; cruises and big screen TV's with purchase of a vehicle were very common.

He held a raffle once, and a woman thought he called her name, she came up to the stage, realized that it wasn't her name that was called but a name similar and he turned around and gave her a vehicle anyways.

He had some flaws (as everyone does) but he was indeed HUGE!

[Fishrrman]

I pulled into Penn Station one afternoon, took the reverser out of the controls, then stepped off the engine, and who was right there but... Mr. Rumsfeld, waiting to board the head coach. He was retired from office by then, takin' the train from NYC south...

[deb]

RIP, Mr. Rumsfeld.

One of the few times I enjoyed Saturday Night Live was when they did this spoof of a Rumsfeld press briefing.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NirX_tdNTY

[AllThatJazzZ]

RIP, Mr. Rumsfeld.

One of the few times I enjoyed Saturday Night Live was when they did this spoof of a Rumsfeld press briefing.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NirX_tdNTY

@debrawiest

That was hilarious! Thank you for posting it here or I would never have gotten to see it.

[mountaineer]

30 Jun 2021
Serbian middle-distance great Nikolic dies

World Athletics is deeply saddened to hear that Vera Nikolic, Serbia’s former world 800m record-holder, died on Monday (28) at the age of 72.

A two-time European champion having claimed 800m gold for Yugoslavia in Budapest in 1966 and Helsinki in 1971, Nikolic achieved her world record-breaking run of 2:00.5 in London on 20 July 1968. That mark would not be beaten for almost three years.

She raced at two Olympic Games, in 1968 and 1972, and went on to become a highly successful coach. ...

She famously walked off the track at 300m during the 1968 Olympic semifinal, left the stadium, and was climbing a fence in an attempt to commit suicide when her coach managed to grab her and save her. The next day, the great American 800m runner, Madeline Manning Mims, saw her just before the finals.

... How are you feeling? I asked, she didn't speak much English but she shrugged and nodded, trying hard to hold back her tears. I took her hands in mine, and thought I knew she wouldn't understand every word, I'd hope she'd understand where i was coming from. She looked amazed that I would break my concentration on the finals just to talk to her. I know that you are a great athlete, I said. I want to see you go back and get yourself together and get your mind together. Pray to God for strength, and when you come back, you'll come out fighting and be the runnerI know you are. She cried openly and then nodded as we hugged each other.

A year later at the Europe vs. Americas games in Germany I ran into Vera's coach. How is she? I asked. She's here, he told me. When you stopped to talk to her before your own finals, it brought tears to my eyes. If you hadn't done that, I'm sure she would have given up. It was the turning point in her life. She's back in training, and while she's not in top shape yet, she's coming back. By then she had seen me and ran up to hug me. 3 years later in Munich she was again among the top 5 800 meter women in the world ...

From Madeline Manning Jackson's biography Running For Jesus

[Slide Rule]

RIP, Mr. Rumsfeld.

One of the few times I enjoyed Saturday Night Live was when they did this spoof of a Rumsfeld press briefing.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NirX_tdNTY

Yes that was amusing and I did like Rumsfeld.

I have to confess I have no idea who portrayed Rumsfeld nor many
playing press idiots.

Ain't life grand when you actually have something to do Saturday nights.

Slide Rule

[Free Vulcan]

'Goonies,' 'Superman' filmmaker Richard Donner dead at 91



July 5 (UPI) -- Richard Donner -- who directed classic films such as The Omen, Superman, The Goonies, Ladyhawke and Lethal Weapon -- has died at the age of 91.

His wife, producer Lauren Shuler Donner, confirmed the New York native's death to Deadline Monday, while his production company broke the sad news to Variety.

The cause has not been disclosed.

Donner's other movie credits include Superman II, Inside Moves, The Toy, Scrooged, Lethal Weapon 2, Lethal Weapon 3, Lethal Weapon 4, Maverick, Conspiracy Theory, Assassins, Timeline and 16 Blocks. He was also an executive producer on The Lost Boys, and the Free Willy and X-Men franchises.

https://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/2021/07/05/richard-donner-obit/8601625513965/

-------------

The guy made some righteous flicks.

[Smokin Joe]

Fare well Mr. Donner, RIP. Thanks for the entertainment!

[jmyrlefuller]

One I missed when it happened..

Lloyd Price, entrepreneur and R&B singer who had hits with "Stagger Lee" and "Personality," dies at 88.

https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/lloyd-price-early-rock-legend-behind-stagger-lee-dead-at-88

[sneakypete]

One I missed when it happened..
mjjLloyd Price, entrepreneur and R&B singer who had hits with "Stagger Lee" and "Personality," dies at 88.

https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/lloyd-price-early-rock-legend-behind-stagger-lee-dead-at-88

@jmyrlefuller

I am surprised he didn't die a LONG time ago.

Stagger Lee was HUGE when it came out. I can still hear his voice,clear as a bell,singing,"I was standing....on the corner....when I heard that Bulldog bark........"


https://youtu.be/FCPutYaGFlE

[AllThatJazzZ]

@jmyrlefuller

I am surprised he didn't die a LONG time ago.

Stagger Lee was HUGE when it came out. I can still hear his voice,clear as a bell,singing,"I was standing....on the corner....when I heard that Bulldog bark........"


https://youtu.be/FCPutYaGFlE

I would have gone with "Personality." "Stagger Lee" was kinda violent and gruesome. Even so, I can still sing along with the record.

[rustynail]

 Judge Norbert Nadel

https://www.fox19.com/2021/07/10/former-judge-norbert-nadel-man-who-almost-saved-pete-rose-dead-82/

[jmyrlefuller]

Pro wrestler Paul Orndorff, "Mr. Wonderful," dies at 71.

https://www.wrestlinginc.com/news/2021/07/wrestling-legend-paul-orndorff-passes-away/

[jmyrlefuller]

Charlie "Mac" Robinson, actor best known for playing the court clerk on Night Court, dies at 75
https://www.thewrap.com/charlie-robinson-night-court-star-dies-at-75/

[jmyrlefuller]

William E. Smith Jr., star of Laredo and prolific muscle-bound character actor, dies at 88.



https://www.metv.com/stories/rip-william-smith-muscleman-actor-of-laredo-and-hawaii-five-o?fbclid=IwAR3jzbdutUEcEQq9yGKCmucNGK-HjycY1eo83q6VBPdg39Uvfy6N7UosgrU

[PeteS in CA]

Charlie "Mac" Robinson, actor best known for playing the court clerk on Night Court, dies at 75
https://www.thewrap.com/charlie-robinson-night-court-star-dies-at-75/

I remember him in that role. He was excellent and this is sad news! The very funny Richard Moll ("Bull") is still alive, age 78.

[GtHawk]

William E. Smith Jr., star of Laredo and prolific muscle-bound character actor, dies at 88.



https://www.metv.com/stories/rip-william-smith-muscleman-actor-of-laredo-and-hawaii-five-o?fbclid=IwAR3jzbdutUEcEQq9yGKCmucNGK-HjycY1eo83q6VBPdg39Uvfy6N7UosgrU

Really doesn't say enough about him.

Smith also took courses at both the Sorbonne and the University of Munich — and is fluent in Russian, French, German and Serbo-Croatian.
During the Korean War he was a Russian Intercept Interrogator and flew secret ferret missions over the Russian SFSR. He had both CIA and NSA clearance.

Smith earned a Bachelor of Arts from Syracuse University and a Master's degree in Russian Studies from UCLA. He taught Russian at UCLA before abandoning his Ph.D. studies for a MGM contract and stunt doubling for the former Tarzan Lex Barker in the 1958 French film The Strange Awakening

William Smith (March 24, 1933 – July 5, 2021) was an American actor. In a Hollywood career spanning more than 75 years, he appeared in almost three hundred feature films and television productions in a wide variety of character roles,

I remember him best for Laredo even though it only ran for two years, but also remember him for many movies and shows.

[GtHawk]

I remember him in that role. He was excellent and this is sad news! The very funny Richard Moll ("Bull") is still alive, age 78.

Another fine actor who left us too young.

[jmyrlefuller]

Dennis Murphy, known for his quixotic alternative sports leagues, dies at 94.

Murphy was a co-founder of both the World Hockey Association and American Basketball Association, each of which merged with the league they were challenging, the NHL and NBA respectively. He also founded World Team Tennis (which still exists today) and Roller Hockey International, which lasted several years in the 1990s. He was also the driving promotional force behind the Battle of the Sexes tennis match pitting Billie Jean King in the prime of her career against an over-the-hill Bobby Riggs.

https://www.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/31825705/dennis-murphy-co-founder-pro-sports-leagues-dies-94

[Gefn]

You have to love a man and/or an obit that uses the word “quixotic”

Rest In Peace

[jmyrlefuller]

Biz Markie, 80s rapper, dies at 57 from diabetes.

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/biz-markie-dead-1191772/

Markie's "Just a Friend:"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aofoBrFNdg

[jafo2010]

I remember Smith always being the bad guy.  His role in Red Dawn is most memorable.  He goes all the way back to being a boy in Going My Way with Bing Crosby.  Amazing career..

[Gefn]

Kansas Rock Violinist Robby Steinhardt Dies at 71

Robert E. “Robby” Steinhardt, a violinist and vocalist with the progressive rock band Kansas, has died due to complications from pancreatitis. He was 71.


His wife, Cindy Steinhardt, said he died Saturday at a hospital in Tampa, Florida. She announced via Facebook on Monday (July 19) that he had just recorded his first solo album and had been looking forward to being back on stage and going on tour.

Steinhardt, a native of Lawrence, Kansas, was an original member of the band, teaming up with Topeka West High School graduates Kerry Livgren, Rich Williams, Phil Ehart and Dave Hope and with Steve Walsh, who grew up in St. Joseph, Missouri. Steinhardt performed with Kansas from 1973 to 1982 and 1997 to 2006, the Topeka Capital-Journal reported.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/celebrity/kansas-rock-violinist-robby-steinhardt-dies-at-71/ar-AAMl3Ms?ocid=uxbndlbing

[jmyrlefuller]

Jackie Mason, unabashedly Jewish comic, dies at 93.



One of the last surviving comedians from the Borscht Belt north of New York City where many of the great Jewish comedians of the mid-20th century originated, Mason, a former rabbi with his thick Yiddish accent and observational comedy, became a star on the stand-up comedy circuit in the 1960s before Ed Sullivan, mistakenly believing that Mason had flipped him off during a routine Sullivan was trying to cut short, blacklisted him from the show. He continued to work in Broadway for a number of years afterward, then moved into a brief film career that included The Jerk, History of the World Part I (from fellow Borscht Belter Mel Brooks) and the infamous Caddyshack II, in which he played the villain.

Mason moved toward more politically conservative commentary near the end of his life, including a weekly talk show for Talk Radio Network. He died July 24.

https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-tv-arts-and-entertainment-jackie-mason-1a4c1b51d538a6871edd5cad52c2f14f