Obituaries for 2025

[jmyrlefuller]

Lalo Schifrin, theme music composer extraordinaire, dies at 93

His "Tar Sequence" music from Cool Hand Luke became a TV news staple, while his theme from Mission: Impossible became the most famous melody ever composed in 5/4 time (with apologies to "Take Five").

https://variety.com/2025/music/news/lalo-schifrin-dead-mission-impossible-film-composer-1236442000/


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bot7XxatiBE

[mountaineer]

Two "no comments."
Godspeed, Mr. Schifrin.

[rustynail]

Dave Parker dies at 74: Baseball Hall of Famer and seven-time All-Star played nearly two decades in the majors..

[Timber Rattler]

Longtime State Department spokesman, diplomat Richard Boucher, dies at 73

https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/longtime-state-department-spokesman-diplomat-richard-boucher-dies-123310359

Richard Boucher, who served for more than a decade as the spokesman for the State Department and assistant secretary of state for public affairs, has died at age 73. He died Friday at his home in northern Virginia after a battle with spindle-cell sarcoma, an aggressive form of cancer, according to his son.

Boucher had been the face of U.S. foreign policy at the State Department podium across administrations throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, beginning in the George H.W. Bush presidency and continuing through Bill Clinton’s and George W. Bush’s terms in office. Boucher served as the spokesman for secretaries of state James Baker, Madeleine Albright, Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice.

In a career that took him from the Peace Corps though Africa and Asia as well as in Washington, Boucher also served as U.S. Consul General Hong Kong during the 1997 handover of the territory from Britain to China, and later used the skills he learned there to help orchestrate an end to the U.S.-China spy plane crisis in early 2001.

After leaving the spokesman’s job, Boucher became assistant secretary of state for state for South and Central Asia and was then ambassador to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

[Timber Rattler]

Viktor Belenko, Who Defected to the West in a MiG-25 Foxbat Jet Fighter, has passed away

Viktor Belenko, the former Soviet Air Defence Forces pilot who defected to the West in 1976 in a MiG-25 high-speed interceptor, has passed away on Sep. 24, 2023 Alert 5 first noted.

He died in a nursing home in a small town in Southern Illinois on Sep. 24. However, journalists learned about his death only now. The New York Times quoted Belenko’s son, Paul Schmidt, on Nov. 20 as saying that his father had died after a brief, unspecified illness in a nursing home in Rosebud, Illinois.

Viktor Belenko was born into a simple family of Soviet workers on Feb. 15, 1947, in Nalchik. But he managed to build a military career, making his way into the elite USSR Air Defense Forces, which defended the country from a possible attack from the outside.

On Sep. 6, 1976, then Lt. Belenko flew his MiG-25P fighter to Hakodate Airport in Hokkaido Prefecture of Japan, as the photos in this post show. After circling Hakodate airport three times, Belenko landed at the airport with around 30 seconds of fuel remaining.

As explained by Yefim Gordon in his book Mig-25 ‘Foxbat’ Mig-31 ‘Foxhound’: Russia’s Defensive Front Line, it will probably never be known if Belenko contacted the US military intelligence on his own or was hired by them (there is even a theory that ‘V Belenko’ was just a cover name for a trained agent tasked with stealing the latest Soviet military hardware, shades of Clint Eastwood in Firefox). Investigators found out that the defection was not an impulsive action of a dissatisfied officer – Belenko was expected in Japan and made preparations for the flight. He high-tailed it to Japan the very first time he had a full fuel load, taking the classified technical manuals with him.

EXCERPT




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiRfMP4AVgI

[rustynail]

Jimmy Swaggart, TV Evangelist and Cousin to Jerry Lee Lewis Who Became Enmeshed in Scandal, Dies at 90

[verga]

Jimmy Swaggart, TV Evangelist and Cousin to Jerry Lee Lewis Who Became Enmeshed in Scandal, Dies at 90

I can't say anything nice, so......

[mountaineer]

...   In the 1970s and 1980s, Jimmy Swaggart became a household name through The Jimmy Swaggart Telecast, a globally broadcast program that blended preaching, gospel music, and calls to salvation. At its peak, Jimmy Swaggart Ministries reached an estimated 100 million viewers and he headlined major crusades worldwide, becoming one of the biggest names in the industry. He later launched the SonLife Broadcasting Network. (SBN)

His world imploded in February 1988 when photographs surfaced of him entering and exiting a New Orleans motel with Debra Murphree, a prostitute. Murphree later told reporters that Swaggart had paid her for sexual services. The fallout prompted a widely broadcast confession on February 21, 1988, where Swaggart tearfully acknowledged unspecified “moral failings” and sought forgiveness.  ...

Despite his now-infamous teary confession, three years later, in 1991, Swaggart was stopped by police in Indio, California with another prostitute in his vehicle. She alleged that Swaggart had propositioned her for sexual acts. This was the final straw, and led many to write him off altogether. Most of his church stood by him, however.

While he apologized for propositioning a prostitute in the first incident, in the second, he told his congregation that God instructed him to keep preaching and that to anyone asking about it: “The Lord told me it’s flat none of your business.”   ...

Protestia

 

[MeganC]

Jimmy Swaggart, TV Evangelist and Cousin to Jerry Lee Lewis Who Became Enmeshed in Scandal, Dies at 90

See ya. 

[Timber Rattler]

Jimmy Swaggart, TV Evangelist and Cousin to Jerry Lee Lewis Who Became Enmeshed in Scandal, Dies at 90

It would be interesting to watch him try and bluff his way past St. Peter...

[jafo2010]

Swaggart put the kabosh on the money train for evangelists.  He is one of many in a line of folks that put emphasis on money with his work about God.  A major turn off for me.  Did not realize he was still on this side.

He has some explaining to do, I think.

[GtHawk]

Jimmy Swagart 😱🤐…………..That is all

[bigheadfred]

‘Reservoir Dogs’ and ‘Kill Bill’ actor Michael Madsen found dead at 67

 https://trib.al/RDtuF4M

[Free Vulcan]

Always liked that  bushwhackin', scrub, alky piece of sh**.

[Timber Rattler]

‘Reservoir Dogs’ and ‘Kill Bill’ actor Michael Madsen found dead at 67

 https://trib.al/RDtuF4M

Oh man, another popular character actor from the 1980s and 1990s.  I believe that Virginia Madsen is his sister.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Madsen

[jmyrlefuller]

Jimmy Swaggart, TV Evangelist and Cousin to Jerry Lee Lewis Who Became Enmeshed in Scandal, Dies at 90

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/WNwpZe_YI3E

"...be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward." (Matthew 6:16 KJV)

[jmyrlefuller]

One I missed from April:

Lenny Welch, 1960s soul crooner, dies at 86

Welch had a string of hits in the 1960s, beginning with a 1960 cover of the Eddy Arnold hit "You Don't Know Me," peaking in 1963 with "Since I Fell For You," and eventually concluding in 1970 when he reimagined Neil Sedaka's "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" as a torch ballad, which Sedaka ended up liking so much that he used Welch's arrangement six years later and made it a hit of its own.

https://www.app.com/story/entertainment/music/2025/04/09/lenny-welch-mr-asbury-park-dead-obiturary/83013042007/


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7xrQY_FLM4

[Timber Rattler]

‘Fantastic Four’ and ‘Nip/Tuck’ star Julian McMahon dead at 56 after battle with cancer

https://www.wlwt.com/article/actor-julian-mcmahon-dies-2025/65302062?utm_campaign=snd-autopilot

Actor Julian McMahon, one of the two leads of seminal FX television series “Nip/Tuck” who also played Dr. Doom in the “Fantastic Four” movies from the 2000s, has died. He was reportedly 56.

(snip)

“With an open heart, I wish to share with the world that my beloved husband, Julian McMahon, died peacefully this week after a valiant effort to overcome cancer,” McMahon’s wife, Kelly McMahon, said in a statement to Deadline. “Julian loved life. He loved his family. He loved his friends. He loved his work, and he loved his fans. His deepest wish was to bring joy into as many lives as possible. We ask for support during this time to allow our family to grieve in privacy. And we wish for all of those to whom Julian brought joy, to continue to find joy in life. We are grateful for the memories.”

EXCERPT

[Timber Rattler]

Presidential advisor and former News Hour contributor David Gergen has died at the age of 83 after being diagnosed with Lewy body dementia.

https://twitter.com/NewsHour/status/1943804705047535863

[jafo2010]

I thought Michael Madsen was a decent actor in movies.  He was prolific, appearing in 344 productions as an actor.

May be rest in peace.

[mountaineer]

Lewy body dementia is awful. It took my father at age 69. My sympathies to Gergen's family.

[jafo2010]

This is a new one for me.  Never heard of it.  But drinking distilled water, one malady I will never have.

Again, drinking distilled water keeps impurities from building up in the body.  No blocked arteries, no kidney stones or gall stones, no arthritis with deposits, no cataracts, no Alzheimers, no LBD.

And yet the pukes in the AMA, most of them, will continue to focus on keeping patients CHRONIC PATIENTS and not make recommendations to their patients that end what is making them ill.

Can't tell you how many people I met in my life with arthritis due to deposits, and got them to drink distilled water, and boom, arthritis gone in a matter of months.  No more pain, no more pain meds, just healthy movement in their joints.  And no doctor visits and doctor bills.

[MeganC]

This is a new one for me.  Never heard of it.  But drinking distilled water, one malady I will never have.

Again, drinking distilled water keeps impurities from building up in the body.  No blocked arteries, no kidney stones or gall stones, no arthritis with deposits, no cataracts, no Alzheimers, no LBD.

And yet the pukes in the AMA, most of them, will continue to focus on keeping patients CHRONIC PATIENTS and not make recommendations to their patients that end what is making them ill.

Can't tell you how many people I met in my life with arthritis due to deposits, and got them to drink distilled water, and boom, arthritis gone in a matter of months.  No more pain, no more pain meds, just healthy movement in their joints.  And no doctor visits and doctor bills.

Do you distill your own water or where do you buy it in glass bottles?

[Free Vulcan]

This is a new one for me.  Never heard of it.  But drinking distilled water, one malady I will never have.

Again, drinking distilled water keeps impurities from building up in the body.  No blocked arteries, no kidney stones or gall stones, no arthritis with deposits, no cataracts, no Alzheimers, no LBD.

And yet the pukes in the AMA, most of them, will continue to focus on keeping patients CHRONIC PATIENTS and not make recommendations to their patients that end what is making them ill.

Can't tell you how many people I met in my life with arthritis due to deposits, and got them to drink distilled water, and boom, arthritis gone in a matter of months.  No more pain, no more pain meds, just healthy movement in their joints.  And no doctor visits and doctor bills.

I've drank it since college and it's really paid off.

[deb]

Pastor John MacArthur.
Well done, good and faithful servant.

https://gracechurch.org/news/posts/4230

[mountaineer]

Pastor John MacArthur.

I'm sad, but rejoicing.

[Bigun]

I'm sad, but rejoicing.

  

[escapeefromtaxachusetts]

Do you distill your own water or where do you buy it in glass bottles?

I have a water distiller in my office ( regular water corrodes dental equipment) and the sediment that builds up after 10 or more cycles is disgusting. I'm tempted to have it analyzed but not sure I want to do so.

[deb]

I'm sad, but rejoicing.

Been in tears since last evening. MacArthur’s preaching and teaching changed my worldview. I’m so glad he made it available for so many people searching for truth.

[Free Vulcan]

Met him and Billy Graham once. Good guys.

[mountaineer]

David Morrill
@coconservative7
Many will ask, "Who will take up the mantle of John MacArthur now that he's in the presence of the Lord?" The answer must be you. And me. And every child of God for whom he set a faithful example to follow.
1 Corinthians 1:11 "Follow me as I follow Christ." Lord, may it be so!
10:05 PM · Jul 14, 2025

[MeganC]

I have a water distiller in my office ( regular water corrodes dental equipment) and the sediment that builds up after 10 or more cycles is disgusting. I'm tempted to have it analyzed but not sure I want to do so.

Some minerals are added to water for taste but like you I prefer pure water. Tap water in cities necessarily has chlorine in it and it almost always has aluminum fluoride in it too.

Aluminum fluoride is a toxic byproduct of aluminum smelting and it is NOT good for you in any way.

Stannous fluoride in small amounts is good for oral health but you still don't need it in your water. Toothpaste is good enough.

 

[deb]

David Morrill
@coconservative7
Many will ask, "Who will take up the mantle of John MacArthur now that he's in the presence of the Lord?" The answer must be you. And me. And every child of God for whom he set a faithful example to follow.
1 Corinthians 1:11 "Follow me as I follow Christ." Lord, may it be so!
10:05 PM · Jul 14, 2025

May we be up to the challenge.

[jmyrlefuller]

Related humor re: MacArthur from the Babylon Bee.

St. Peter Learning A Lot About The Bible From This John MacArthur Fellow
https://babylonbee.com/news/St-Peter-Learning-A-Lot-About-The-Bible-From-This-John-MacArthur-Fellow

[jmyrlefuller]

Dan Rivera, paranormal investigator who popularized and toured with the allegedly cursed "Annabelle" doll, dies at 54

https://www.eveningsun.com/story/news/local/2025/07/15/paranormal-investigator-dan-rivera-passes-away-during-devils-on-the-run-tour-gettysburg-annabelle/85202499007/

[jmyrlefuller]

Connie Francis dies at 87

Developing...

[MeganC]

Connie Francis has died at age 87.

She had a recent hit 'Pretty Little Baby'. She died of unspecified natural causes.

[mystery-ak]

Saw this movie with my older sister....recently watched it again on TCM...different times..


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqgl0VRJW0E&ab_channel=Crinale819

[jmyrlefuller]

I have to say... as a guy who digs the oldies, I caught when her song "Pretty Little Baby" got the viral treatment earlier this year and was thrilled for her. She went through a deep rough patch in the 1970s, between being raped at a hotel while on tour, losing her voice for a time, and her brother being whacked by the mob... she hit rock bottom, of no fault of her own, and ended her life on top. You can't tell a better story than that.

Today, one of the oldies stations I listen to played an old interview of Francis on a Chicago morning show in 1984. The one thing that struck me about her was her irrepressible optimism. No matter how much the host (Oprah, before her national breakthrough) tried to goad her into reliving her trauma, she kept everything in perspective. She always wanted to be remembered for her fun, upbeat and happy songs. Even at the end of her life, when "Pretty Little Baby" exploded, she'd hoped to make a comeback.

Godspeed, Connie. Say hi to Bobby Darin for us. 

[jmyrlefuller]

Felix Baumgartner, who earned fame in 2012 for his record 24-mile-high skydive, dies at 56 in a paragliding accident

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/felix-baumgartner-dies-italy-age-56-jump-from-stratosphere/

[jmyrlefuller]

Alan Bergman, songwriting legend, dies at 99

As part of a songwriting team with his wife Marilyn, Bergman was one of the most influential songwriters of the 20th century.

https://people.com/alan-bergman-dead-songwriter-99-8714269

[jmyrlefuller]

Edwin J. Feulner, co-founder of the Heritage Foundation, dies at 83

https://www.nationalreview.com/news/remembering-ed-feulners-legacy-conservative-and-republican-leaders-weigh-in/

[bigheadfred]

Malcolm-Jamal Warner, former 'Cosby Show' star, dead at 54

https://abcnews.go.com/US/malcolm-jamal-warner-former-cosby-show-star-dead/story?id=123932998

[Lando Lincoln]

Malcolm-Jamal Warner, former 'Cosby Show' star, dead at 54

https://abcnews.go.com/US/malcolm-jamal-warner-former-cosby-show-star-dead/story?id=123932998

Vacationing with his family in Costa Rica. Man, that’s rough.

[mystery-ak]

Fox reporting he drowned

Variety
@Variety
·
1h
Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who played Theodore Huxtable across all eight seasons of “The Cosby Show,” has died in an accidental drowning. He was 54.

[mountaineer]

One article said he drowned on a family vacation. That's sad. 

[berdie]

That is sad. He was awfully young. I always enjoyed the show and he was good on it. There was one episode in particular when Theo was becoming a spoiled brat and Bill emptied his room and required him to work to get things back. Not only funny, but taught a good lesson.

[MeganC]

https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/bill-cosby-mourns-late-star-malcolm-jamal-warner/story?id=123940226

Bill Cosby speaks to ABC News about late co-star Malcolm-Jamal Warner

[bigheadfred]

Ozzy Osbourne dies at age 76

https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/ozzy-osbourne-death-age-sharon-black-sabbath-b2539322.html

[mountaineer]

Just two weeks ago he fought through Parkinson’s to give his fans one last show in Birmingham

https://twitter.com/barstoolsports/status/1947721595440746507