obituary

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Jazz Pioneer George Russell Dead at 86

His theory influenced Miles Davis, John Coltrane

(Newser) - Jazz innovator George Russell died at 86 yesterday in Boston of Alzheimer’s complications, the Globe reports. Russell developed a jazz theory that played a key role on landmark records like Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue and John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme. Russell’s theory “gives you a...

Dance Legend Cunningham Dead at 90
 Dance Legend Cunningham 
 Dead at 90 
Obituary
Jul 27, 2009 10:49 AM CDT

Dance Legend Cunningham Dead at 90

(Newser) - Merce Cunningham, one of the most influential dancers and choreographers of the 20th century, died last night at age 90, the New York Times reports. Hailed as the creator of new classicism, he remained productive to the end; this year saw the premiere of his final work, “Nearly Ninety,...

One of the Last WWI Vets Dies at 111

(Newser) - Harry Patch, the last British man to survive World War I’s trenches, has died at age 111, the BBC reports. He was the oldest man in Europe, and the third oldest in the world. “I had the honor of meeting Harry, and I share his family's grief at...

Black, Gay Lit Trailblazer E. Lynn Harris Dead at 54

(Newser) - Author E. Lynn Harris, who offered a glimpse into the secret lives of closeted gay black men, died last night at 54, the AP reports. His publicist says the cause is unknown, and that Harris suddenly took ill just days ago. An autopsy will be performed next week. Harris was...

Mount Washington Mascot Dies
 Mount Washington Mascot Dies 
obituary
Jul 24, 2009 2:10 PM CDT

Mount Washington Mascot Dies

Nin charmed visitors, staff for 12 years

(Newser) - Mount Washington’s mascot of 12 years died last week at 19 or possibly 20, the Boston Globe reports. Nin the cat “brought a little piece of home” to the New Hampshire mountain’s observatory, says its executive director. He wasn’t much bothered by the site’s vicious...

Taco Bell Chihuahua Dies at 15
 Taco Bell 
 Chihuahua 
 Dies at 15 
obituary
Jul 22, 2009 12:24 PM CDT

Taco Bell Chihuahua Dies at 15

Gidget charmed viewers in ads for chain

(Newser) - Gidget, the iconic chihuahua of Taco Bell ads, died of a stroke last night at 15, her trainer tells People. “She made so many people happy,” Sue Chipperton says. Largely retired, the canine spent most of her time basking in the sun and appearing in photo shoots, where...

Angela's Ashes Author McCourt Dead at 78

(Newser) - Frank McCourt, the former schoolteacher who gained literary stardom by recounting his unhappy childhood in Angela's Ashes, died today in New York of skin cancer, the New York Times reports. He was 78. The Brooklyn-born author grew up in Limerick and taught in New York public schools for 30 years...

Cronkite: A Cool Drummer, Too

(Newser) - Yeah, he was the most trusted man in America and all that, but Boing Boing points out a different reason we're going to miss Walter Cronkite: The man had rhythm. "True fact, Walter Cronkite was a hot drummer," the site quotes John Perry Barlow, the Grateful Dead lyricist,...

Iconic Newsman Walter Cronkite Dead at 92

(Newser) - Walter Cronkite, the CBS anchorman who revolutionized television news for a generation, died today at age 92, CBS News reports. He had suffered a long illness and was at home in New York with his family. Cronkite helmed the CBS Evening News throughout the 1960s and '70s, guiding America through...

Architecture Photographer Shulman Dead at 98

(Newser) - Architectural photographer Julius Shulman has died at the age of 98, the Los Angeles Times reports. In a career spanning two-thirds of the 20th century, Shulman became the premier photographer of modernist architecture and worked with the likes of Frank Lloyd Wright and Eero Saarinen. But his most famous shot...

World's Oldest New Mom Dies, Leaves Twin Toddlers

(Newser) - A Spanish woman believed to have become the world's oldest new mother when she gave birth at 66 has died at 69, leaving behind twin toddlers, Spanish newspapers reported today. Maria del Carmen Bousada gave birth in 2006 as a single mother after in vitro fertilization treatment. Her brother confirmed...

Conductor Downes, Wife End Lives in Swiss Suicide Clinic

Couple faced failing health

(Newser) - British conductor Edward Downes and his wife, Joan, have died at a Swiss suicide clinic, ending their lives “under circumstances of their own choosing,” the couple’s children said today. Downes, 85, was largely blind and Joan, 74, had cancer, the Times of London reports, which their children...

Vietnam Architect Robert McNamara Dead at 93

Kennedy appointee held post during Vietnam war

(Newser) - Robert S. McNamara, who presided over the escalation of the Vietnam War as Defense secretary under presidents Kennedy and Johnson, died at his home this morning after a period of failing health, his wife told the AP. He was 93. Known as a policymaker with a fixation for statistical analysis,...

McNair's Talent Paved the Way for Others
McNair's Talent Paved the Way for Others
appreciation
Jul 5, 2009 2:35 PM CDT

McNair's Talent Paved the Way for Others

Gritty QB blazed a trail for black franchise players in the NFL

(Newser) - Steve McNair had plenty of hype to live up to at the beginning of his professional career, and rose to the occasion, not only proving himself but also paving the way for black franchise quarterbacks from Donovan McNabb to Vince Young, writes Tom Curran for MSNBC. He had both grit...

Karl Malden, Oscar-Winner and AmEx Face, Dead at 97

'Don't leave home without it,' he reminded

(Newser) - Karl Malden—the Oscar-winner who later famously reminded travelers not to leave home without their American Express traveler’s checks—died today at 97 of natural causes, the Los Angeles Times reports. The former steel worker played supporting roles in 50 films during the 1950s and ‘60s, winning an...

Jackson Aide: He Took Drugs in Bid to Avoid London Shows

Singer wanted trip to hospital but overdid it

(Newser) - A confidante of Michael Jackson says the singer may have inadvertently triggered his own death by purposely taking an overdose of prescription drugs so he'd end up in the hospital and be excused from some of his London tour dates, reports Gerald Posner of the Daily Beast. “Like a...

Dance Legend Pina Bausch Dead at 68
 Dance Legend 
 Pina Bausch 
 Dead at 68 
Appreciation
Jun 30, 2009 1:45 PM CDT

Dance Legend Pina Bausch Dead at 68

(Newser) - Visionary choreographer Pina Bausch died today at age 68, five days after being diagnosed with cancer, Germany’s Wuppertal Dance Theater announced today. The theater didn’t reveal the cause of death, except to call it “unexpectedly fast.” Bausch’s strange modern style of dance couldn’t be...

Impressionist Travalena Dead at 66
 Impressionist 
 Travalena Dead at 66 
OBITUARY
Jun 29, 2009 11:58 AM CDT

Impressionist Travalena Dead at 66

(Newser) - Fred Travalena, a master impressionist whose catalog of voices ranged from US presidents to Frank Sinatra doing Boy George, has died at 66 of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, the Los Angeles Times reports. The actor-singer-mimic, known as the "Man of a Thousand Faces," opened for the likes of Shirley...

Jackson Played Peter Pan to Charm White America

To understand Jackson, look beyond the man in the mirror

(Newser) - A musical genius, yes, but Michael Jackson was also a master of performing roles. And his greatest may have been that of a de-sexualized, non-threatening black man who appealed to white audiences, David Gates writes in Newsweek. The King of Pop looked "blackest" on the cover of 1979's...

Obit Writers Agree: He Was Peter Pan

(Newser) - It's no secret that Michael Jackson, onetime owner of Neverland, loved Peter Pan, and the reference provided legions of obituary and tribute writers with a theme:
  • New York Times: "For his legions of fans, he was the Peter Pan of pop music: the little boy who refused to grow
...

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