The Celebrity Obituary Thread

[Jed Cooper]

Wow, sure brings back a lot of memories.  Rest In Peace, sir.

Dick Van Patten, 'Eight Is Enough' Star, Dies at 86



Mr. Van Patten has a connection to Clint Eastwood in that he appeared in "Incident of the Power and the Plow", a 1959 episode of Rawhide, as well as in the 1972 film Joe Kidd.

[Hemlock]

Patric Macnee is dead.



http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/jun/25/patrick-macnee

[Jed Cooper]

Patric Macnee is dead.
http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/jun/25/patrick-macnee

Wow, rest in peace Mr. Macnee. 

[higashimori]

 '' Omar Sharif, 83, a Star in ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ and ‘Doctor Zhivago,’ Dies ''      Very sad news.....

 http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/11/movies/omar-sharif-a-star-in-dr-zhivago-dies-at-83.html?emc=edit_na_20150710&nlid=51580126&ref=cta&_r=0

 

Omar Sharif, the Egyptian actor who rode out of the desert in the 1962 screen epic “Lawrence of Arabia” into a glamorous if brief reign as an international star in films like “Doctor Zhivago” and “The Night of the Generals,” died on Friday in Cairo. He was 83.

His death, at a hospital, was caused by a heart attack, said his agent, Steve Kenis.

Mr. Sharif — who later became as well known for his mastery of bridge as he was for his acting — was a commanding, darkly handsome presence onscreen. He was multilingual as well, and comfortable in almost any role or cultural setting.

He had appeared in a number of Egyptian films before the British director David Lean added him to the cast of “Lawrence of Arabia,” a freewheeling depiction of the real-life exploits of the British adventurer T. E. Lawrence, who led Arab fighters in a series of battles against Turkish occupiers. Peter O’Toole starred in the title role.

 

 R.I.P.

[KC]

Sad news, but a nice obituary. I meant to post it earlier. Thanks, Higashimori.

He seems to have been a true cosmopolitan, a rare thing in today's world. R.I.P.

[Jed Cooper]

Alex Rocco, Character Actor in ‘Godfather,’ ‘Facts of Life,’ Dies at 79

Rest In Peace, sir.

[Jed Cooper]

Rest In Peace.

Theodore Bikel, ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ Star, Dies at 91

Source of photos below:  Theodore Bikel/Wikipedia


Bikel (back, center), performing in The Elgin Hour, 1955, with (l-r) Joe Mantell, Orson Bean, Polly Bergen




Bikel, right at AFL–CIO Convention in 1977, with Russian dissident Vladimir Bukovsky, center, upon his release from the Soviet Union, and Tom Kahn, left, an assistant to AFL–CIO President George Meany.

[Christopher]

I just recognized Bikel from the second photo above. He did an episode of Columbo in the '70s where he played a genius.

[Jed Cooper]

'Rowdy' Roddy Piper dead at 61

[The Schofield Kid]

Tributes have poured in for Cilla Black, one of Britain's best-loved television presenters, following her death at the age of 72.

Born Priscilla White, she started out working in the cloakroom at the Cavern club, where The Beatles were first spotted, before taking to the stage herself.

The band championed Black and introduced her to their manager Brian Epstein, who signed her.

Black released her first single in 1963 and the following year had two number one hits, You're My World and Anyone Who Had a Heart. She went on to release 14 albums.

smh

[Jed Cooper]

^^^RIP Ms. Black.

[Jed Cooper]

Sadly, the lovely Yvonne Craig has passed away. 

The Hollywood Reporter:  Yvonne Craig, TV's Sexy Batgirl of the 1960s, Dies at 78

Variety:  TV’s Batgirl Yvonne Craig Dies at 78

Ms. Craig as Batgirl and with Adam West & Burt Ward as Batman and Robin, respectively.



Here she is with Elvis in It Happened At The World's Fair (1963) and Kissin' Cousins (1964)



Fun on the set of Star Trek with William Shatner in the episode Whom Gods Destroy (1967)



May God Bless you, Ms. Craig.  Rest In Peace.

[Jed Cooper]

Sadly, the lovely Yvonne Craig has passed away. 

The Hollywood Reporter:  Yvonne Craig, TV's Sexy Batgirl of the 1960s, Dies at 78

Variety:  TV’s Batgirl Yvonne Craig Dies at 78

May God Bless you, Ms. Craig.  Rest In Peace.

Another story on Yvonne Craig regarding her role as the Orion slave girl Marta on Star Trek:  Beyond Batgirl: Yvonne Craig's Unforgettable 'Star Trek' Turn

[Jed Cooper]

‘F Troop’ Actress Melody Patterson Dies at 66

Sad news.  This is one of many shows my brother introduced to me when we were kids.  I always got a kick out of Larry Storch's character, Agarn.

Patterson as Wranger Jane on F Troop.  I have to admit, she was one of my earliest tv crushes.



With Ken Berry, Forrest Tucker and Larry Storch



God bless you Ms. Patterson.  May you Rest In Peace. 

[Gerry]

Late, but RIP Rudy Diaz 1918-2006.

[Christopher]

Director Wes Craven has died at 76. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/wes-craven-horror-maestro-dies-818806

I've often written about my love of various movies he made over the years on this board, Wes Craven's New Nightmare being my favorite.

[fum]

He was a good director for such films as Nightmare On Elm Street. 

[Jed Cooper]

RIP Mr. Craven.  A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors was an instant favorite of mine.



LOL, I used to have the cassette single of the title song by Dokken.  "Cassingle" never caught on...   

[KC]

Director Wes Craven has died at 76. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/wes-craven-horror-maestro-dies-818806

I've often written about my love of various movies he made over the years on this board, Wes Craven's New Nightmare being my favorite.

Here is the New York Times obituary:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/31/movies/wes-craven-a-master-of-slasher-horror-films-dies-at-76.html

And a very nice tribute in the same newspaper:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/01/movies/wes-craven-a-filmmaker-who-invaded-your-dreams.html

[KC]

As the headline in the New York Times put it:

Oliver Sacks, Neurologist Who Wrote About the Brain’s Quirks, Dies at 82

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/31/science/oliver-sacks-dies-at-82-neurologist-and-author-explored-the-brains-quirks.html

Besides the obituary, there is a tribute by one of the paper's literary critics, Michiko Kakutani:

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/31/arts/oliver-sacks-wrote-awakenings-and-cast-light-on-the-interconnectedness-of-life.html

His patients have lost an erudite and compassionate doctor. The world has lost a writer of immense talent and heart, a writer who helped illuminate the wonders, losses and consolations of the human condition.

R.I.P.