Obituaries for 2022

[jmyrlefuller]

A running thread for deaths of notable people or animals who died, or whose deaths were first reported, in calendar year 2022.

Previous threads:

• 2021
  
• 2020
  
• 2019
  
• 2018
  
• 2017
  
• 2016
  
• 2015
  
• 2014
  

[Cyber Liberty]

Thanks, @jmyrlefuller for starting this thread!

[verga]

 

[jmyrlefuller]

Dan Reeves, former Cowboys running back who went on to success as a coach with the Broncos and Falcons, dies at 77 following a long illness.
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/dan-reeves-former-head-coach-running-back-dead

[Cyber Liberty]

And so it begins.....

[Polly Ticks]

Thanks for the new thread, @jmyrlefuller  ... though I confess I'm still not over Betty White's passing yet. :(

[Ghost Bear]

Bookmarking... happy 2022, everyone.

[EdinVA]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_du23vR4HI

[verga]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_du23vR4HI

I was looking at the dates of birth/ dearth. Quite a few died on or near their birthdate. Found that somewhat odd.

[mystery-ak]

 Betty White’s cause of death revealed, agent denies she got booster days before

By Emily Selleck and Nicholas Hautman

January 3, 2022 | 3:31pm

Betty White died less than three weeks before her 100th birthday as a result of “natural causes,” her agent said Monday.

“Betty died peacefully in her sleep at her home,” the agent, Jeff Witjas, who was also White’s close friend, said in a statement to People.

Witjas also shot down a debunked report that claimed White had just gotten a COVID-19 booster shot on Dec. 28.

“People are saying her death was related to getting a booster shot three days earlier, but that is not true. She died of natural causes,” he told the magazine. “Her death should not be politicized — that is not the life she lived.”

In a new interview with Page Six, White’s “Mama’s Family” co-star Vicki Lawrence revealed that the cultural icon called out late husband Allen Ludden’s name moments before she died.

more
https://pagesix.com/2022/01/03/betty-whites-cause-of-death-revealed/

[mystery-ak]

Allen came for her...

[libertybele]

Allen came for her...

 

[Right_in_Virginia]

Allen came for her...

Allen came for her . 

[jmyrlefuller]

Jay Wolpert, screenwriter and producer known for his quirky game shows, dies at 79 following a long bout with Alzheimer's.
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/jay-wolpert-dead-price-is-right-pirates-of-the-caribbean-1235069382/

[sneakypete]

Allen came for her...

@mystery-ak

What man wouldn't,if given the chance?

[Gefn]

Peter Bogdanovich, director of 'The Last Picture Show' and 'Paper Moon,' dies at 82

Peter Bogdanovich, the Hollywood filmmaker who parlayed his youthful obsession with American cinema and formative experience as a magazine critic into a career as the director of 1970s classics such as "The Last Picture Show" and "Paper Moon," died Thursday.

He was 82.

Bogdanovich died of natural causes just before 1 am. Thursday, according to his daughter, Antonia Bogdanovich.

"We would like to ask for your respect of our privacy while we mourn the death of our loved one, our precious man," she said in a statement.

In his glory days, Bogdanovich was considered a moviemaking wunderkind, celebrated for his technical mastery and encyclopedic knowledge of film history. He championed and emulated classical genres and forms.

https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/movies/peter-bogdanovich-director-last-picture-show-paper-moon-dies-82-rcna11232

[dfwgator]

Peter Bogdanovich, director of 'The Last Picture Show' and 'Paper Moon,' dies at 82


https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/movies/peter-bogdanovich-director-last-picture-show-paper-moon-dies-82-rcna11232

For many he was also known as Dr. Melfi's psychologist on "The Sopranos".

[mountaineer]

For many he was also known as Dr. Melfi's psychologist on "The Sopranos".

Yes, he acted in quite a few things, besides being a talented director.

[Gefn]

Sir Sidney Poitier dead aged 94: Lilies of the Field star who was the first black man to win Best Actor Oscar dies

LILIES of the Field actor Sidney Poitier, the first black man to win a Best Actor Oscar, has passed away at 94.

The Acadamy Award winner's death was confirmed by Bahamas Minister of Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell.

Cut

Poitier got his start in Hollywood in the 1950s and was best known for the films Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, In the Heat of the Night and Lilies of the Field,

He became the first Black man to win the Oscar for Best Actor for his role in Lilies of the Field.

https://www.the-sun.com/news/4414838/sidney-poitier-dead-lilies-of-the-field-actor/

[mountaineer]

A long life. I loved "To Sir, with Love."

Just looked it up on imdb and found some interesting facts about his life:

When the students tell him he's like them, art imitates life. Poitier was sent to the United States to live with his brother at the age of fifteen as he was getting into too much trouble at home in Nassau, Bahamas. He knew what it was like to be young, poor, uneducated, and unemployed, after being in trouble at school. At sixteen, he headed for New York City and even took to sleeping in bus terminals while homeless.

When Mark Thackeray (Sidney Poitier) talks with his students about himself, what he tells them actually mirrors his own life. He actually was a janitor and dishwasher for a time. When he says in the film that his speech was sort of a patois form of English, in real life his speech was the same, when he first moved to New York from the Bahamas as a young man, he learned how to become well-spoken by listening to drama programs on the radio.

[Smokin Joe]

A great actor, whom I liked in "In the Heat of the Night".

[Ghost Bear]

I heard it pointed out this morning that Mr. Poitier is No. 3... the first two being Betty White and Peter Bogdanovich.

[sneakypete]

Sir Sidney Poitier dead aged 94: Lilies of the Field star who was the first black man to win Best Actor Oscar dies




Cut

https://www.the-sun.com/news/4414838/sidney-poitier-dead-lilies-of-the-field-actor/

@Gefn
I had no idea he was anywhere close to being 94 years old.

[libertybele]

Sidney Poitier: Hollywood trailblazer dies aged 94

https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-59907931

I remember him as a kid in the movie "Lilies of the Field", I still think it was one of his best.

[GtHawk]

Just a heads up for Betty White fans, there is a pretty good program about her and her career on Netflix but January 11 is the last day to see it.

[Gefn]

@Gefn
I had no idea he was anywhere close to being 94 years old.

Me too, @sneakypete

What a talented actor he was. RIP.

[libertybele]

Woodstock festival co-creator Michael Lang dies

 Associated Press - Updated: 3:42 p.m. on Sunday, January 9, 2022

NEW YORK — Michael Lang, a co-creator and promoter of the 1969 Woodstock music festival that served as a touchstone for generations of music fans, has died.

Michael Pagnotta, a spokesperson for Lang’s family, said Sunday the 77-year-old had been battling non-Hodgkin lymphoma and passed away Saturday at New York’s Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

“He was absolutely a historic figure, and also a great guy,” Pagnotta, who said he had known Lang for about 30 years, told The Associated Press. “Both of those things go hand in hand.”

Along with partners Artie Kornfeld, John Roberts and Joel Rosenman, Lang put together the festival billed as “three days of peace and music” in the summer of 1969 as the Vietnam War raged and led increasing numbers of disaffected young Americans to turn away from traditional mores and embraced a lifestyle that celebrated freedom of expression.

Roughly 400,000 people descended on the hamlet of Bethel, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) northwest of New York City and endured miles-long traffic jams, torrential rains, food shortages and overwhelmed sanitary facilities. More than 30 acts performed on the concert’s main stage at the base of a hill on land owned by farmer Max Yasgur, and concertgoers were treated to iconic performances from artists including Jimi Hendrix, Carlos Santana, The Who and Jefferson Airplane...........

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2022/jan/9/michael-lang-woodstock-festival-co-creator-dies-at/

[Fishrrman]

I was there.
Thanks, Mike.

[jmyrlefuller]

Dwayne Hickman, TV's Dobie Gillis, dies at 87.
https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/dwayne-hickman-dead-the-many-loves-of-dobie-gillis-actor-1235149782/

[Cyber Liberty]

Dwayne Hickman, TV's Dobie Gillis, dies at 87.
https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/dwayne-hickman-dead-the-many-loves-of-dobie-gillis-actor-1235149782/

Dobie!!!   

[mountaineer]

Bob Saget Dead at 65
    Exclusive
1/9/2022 4:28 PM PT

Bob Saget has died at the age of 65 ... TMZ has learned.

Multiple sources connected to the iconic comedian and actor -- most famous for his starring role as Danny Tanner in 'Full House' -- tell us he passed away Sunday at the Ritz-Carlton in Orlando.

The Sheriff's Department and the fire department responded to the hotel around 4 PM ET ... after hotel security had found Bob in his room. We're told he was pronounced dead on the scene, but the circumstances of his death are still unclear.

Bob's been touring the country lately, hitting a lot of destinations throughout the state of Florida, including in Orlando, which got started in September and was supposed to take him through May. ...

Story at TMZ

[Hoodat]

I wouldn't call Bob Saget a comedian.  But 65 is early for anyone.

[mountaineer]

Marilyn Bergman, award-winning lyricist, has died at 93
By Raja Razek and Dakin Andone, CNN
Updated 6:17 PM ET, Sat January 8, 2022

Award-winning lyricist Marilyn Bergman died Saturday morning at her home in Los Angeles, according to her daughter Julie Bergman. She was 93.

Along with her husband and collaborator Alan, Bergman was nominated for 16 Academy Awards over the course of her career and won three, including for the song "The Way We Were" from the 1973 film that shared its name and starred Barbra Streisand. The song -- with music by composer Marvin Hamlisch -- also won two Grammys.

"She has been declining for the last couple of years, and in the last several weeks, it was clear that she was getting ready to leave, and she died very peacefully without any pain or struggle," Julie Bergman told CNN in a phone call. "My father and I were with her, and it was beautiful, and she looked beautiful, and it was very peaceful."

Bergman had "some pneumonia which leads to respiratory failure in patients like this," her daughter said.  ...

Nice'n'Easy
Steyn's Serenade Radio Song of the Week
by Lew Spence and Alan and Marilyn Bergman
January 9, 2022
Steyn Online

Yesterday, in the early hours of the morning, one of the most successful of all songwriting partnerships came to an end with the death of Marilyn Bergman. Marilyn and her husband Alan had written together for two-thirds of a century: songs for blockbuster movies, classic albums, the Top 40 singles chart, including "The Windmills of Your Mind", "The Way We Were", "You Don't Bring Me Flowers", "It Might Be You", and many more, all sung by the best singers from Sinatra and Streisand to Sting and Dusty Springfield. ...

[jmyrlefuller]

I wouldn't call Bob Saget a comedian.  But 65 is early for anyone.

Bob Bleeping Saget.

The guy who could be the most family-friendly guy on TV then as soon as the cameras go off drop enough F-bombs to level a small city.

[Wingnut]

Dwayne Hickman, TV's Dobie Gillis, dies at 87.
https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/dwayne-hickman-dead-the-many-loves-of-dobie-gillis-actor-1235149782/

[mystery-ak]

Saget's last tweet was at 3:42 a.m. on Sunday, posting a picture from a comedy show where he had performed in Jacksonville.

https://twitter.com/bobsaget/status/1480097652851286017

[mountaineer]

 Jan 9, 2022 11:16am PT
Dick Carson, Director on ‘The Tonight Show’ and ‘Wheel of Fortune,’ Dies at 92
J. Kim Murphy
Variety

Dick Carson, a TV director who worked on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” and was the younger brother to the show’s host, died on Dec. 19, 2021 following a brief illness. He was 92 years old.

Carson’s death was announced by his family through publicist Charlie Barrett.

Born on June 4, 1929 in Clarinda, Iowa, Richard Charles Carson was the youngest of three children to Homer Lloyd and Ruth Hook Carson.

Carson began his career working in Nebraska radio before relocating to San Diego to serve at the NBC affiliate KOGO TV. Beginning work as a “floor man,” Carson worked his way up to directing commercials and local news and sports shows. Carson moved to Los Angeles in 1960 to take on a position directing children’s television programs like “Chucko the Birthday Clown” and “The Soupy Sales Show.”

Dick Carson was recommended by his brother, Johnny Carson, to join the N.Y. crew of “The Tonight Show” in the months before Carson would take over hosting duties. Carson directed musical talent, guest appearances and sketches featuring the show’s host....

[rustynail]

Robert Durst, Convicted Murderer and ‘The Jinx’ Subject, Dies at 78

[mountaineer]

Robert Durst, Convicted Murderer and ‘The Jinx’ Subject, Dies at 78

More here:

... Robert Durst, the bizarre New York real estate scion and long suspected serial killer recently convicted in his pal’s murder, has died. He was 78.

Durst was sentenced to life in prison in October for the execution-style killing of his longtime confidant Susan Berman, and soon after he was indicted for the 1982 murder of his wife, Kathleen Durst.

Durst’s lawyer confirmed his passing, telling ABC News that his client’s death “was due to natural causes” from his many medical issues.

His health had been failing for some time. Late last year he was placed on a ventilator after testing positive for COVID-19. He had also battled bladder cancer.

The Westchester native was born into one of New York’s wealthiest families — but became best known for his ties to numerous headline-grabbing misdeeds, including the disappearance of his wife and the murders of his best friend and a neighbor in Texas. ...

NY Post

[GtHawk]

More here:NY Post

At least his 'life in prison' was short saving the taxpayers lots of money.

[mystery-ak]

There was no foul play, nothing odd at all. He died in his sleep': Mystery as Full House legend Bob Saget, 65, with NO apparent underlying health conditions, passes away in Orlando hotel room

    A well place source tells DailyMail.com that Full House star Bob Saget died suddenly in his sleep
    'There was no foul play, nothing odd at all. All we have been told is that he died in his sleep,' the source said
    His family were not aware of any underlying health conditions that could have abruptly taken his life
    Saget was found in his room by hotel employees about 4 p.m. and was pronounced dead at the scene
    Scant details around Saget's death are currently available - police say they are no obvious signs of drugs or foul play
    Saget's family wrote they were 'devastated' and asked fans to join them 'remembering the love and laughter'
    Comedian performed in Jacksonville, Florida, on Saturday and sent a final upbeat tweet late after the show
    Saget  was first known for his raunchy, profane stand-up comedy before starring on ABC's sitcom Full House   
    Full House costars John Stamos, Dave Coulier and Candace Cameron Bure were among those paying tribute
    He had face family tragedies in the past, losing his sister Andrea to a brain aneurysm in 1985 and his other sister Gay, who died of an autoimmune disease scleroderma in 1994
    Saget is believed to have been healthy - he was fully vaccinated against COVID and got his booster shot a month ago

By Ben Ashford In Orlando, Florida For Dailymail.Com and Brian Marks For Dailymail.com

Published: 07:27 EST, 10 January 2022 | Updated: 15:23 EST, 10 January 2022

more
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-10386581/Bob-Saget-said-loving-minute-stage-haunting-final-Instagram-post.html

[mountaineer]

Saget is believed to have been healthy - he was fully vaccinated against COVID and got his booster shot a month ago

 

[libertybele]

Saget is believed to have been healthy - he was fully vaccinated against COVID and got his booster shot a month ago

 

Truly makes you wonder doesn't it?? 

Hubby and I just had a discussion at lunch again as to whether or not to vaccinate because FL is seeing such a high number of cases.

Bottom line is neither one of us trusts the government nor the vaccines, so we're still of the same thinking on this. 

Both of us are over 60, I have heart issues and other health problems and he has diabetes and heart issues....we just can't bring ourselves to getting the jab. 

[Fishrrman]

"A well place source tells DailyMail.com that Full House star Bob Saget died suddenly in his sleep
    'There was no foul play, nothing odd at all. All we have been told is that he died in his sleep,' the source said
    His family were not aware of any underlying health conditions that could have abruptly taken his life "

First, I'd never heard of Bob Saget until I read the news about his death.

Having said that, this is "the way I want to go":
In my sleep, with no immediate "conditions".
Just here, and then not here anymore...

[libertybele]

"A well place source tells DailyMail.com that Full House star Bob Saget died suddenly in his sleep
    'There was no foul play, nothing odd at all. All we have been told is that he died in his sleep,' the source said
    His family were not aware of any underlying health conditions that could have abruptly taken his life "

First, I'd never heard of Bob Saget until I read the news about his death.

Having said that, this is "the way I want to go":
In my sleep, with no immediate "conditions".
Just here, and then not here anymore...

Absolutely I agree, dying in your sleep is definitely much better than fighting pain and illness and then finally dying. You don't get to make plans or get final issues in order when you leave this earth in your sleep, but it's a peaceful way to go.

[verga]

Absolutely I agree, dying in your sleep is definitely much better than fighting pain and illness and then finally dying. You don't get to make plans or get final issues in order when you leave this earth in your sleep, but it's a peaceful way to go.

I want to go in my quietly sleep, just like my Grandfather, not Yelling and screaming like the passengers in his car.

[Kamaji]

I want to go in my quietly sleep, just like my Grandfather, not Yelling and screaming like the passengers in his car.

[Gefn]

Ronnie Spector, Beloved Ronettes Singer, Dead at 78

Ronnie Spector, the leader of the girl group the Ronettes and the voice behind immortal classics like “Be My Baby” and “Walking in the Rain,” died Wednesday after a brief battle with cancer. She was 78.

“Ronnie lived her life with a twinkle in her eye, a spunky attitude, a wicked sense of humor and a smile on her face,” her family said in a statement. “She was filled with love and gratitude. Her joyful sound, playful nature and magical presence will live on in all who knew, heard or saw her.

Spector sang with the Ronettes from their formation in 1959 through their dissolution in 1967, though there were several reunions over the past few decades. Working with Phil Spector, they recorded many of the greatest songs of the girl group era. They separated in 1972 and she chronicled the painful chapter of her life in the 1990 memory Be My Baby. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007. Last year, “Be My Baby” ranked at Number 22 on Rolling Stone‘s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

This story is developing…

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/ronettes-ronnie-spector-dead-1283586/

[Free Vulcan]

Aw, I liked Ronnie. She seemed like a sweetie.

She was great on Eddie Money's 'Take Me Home Tonight'.

[mountaineer]

She was great on Eddie Money's 'Take Me Home Tonight'.

I heard that on the radio today - didn't realize that may have been why they were playing it.