obituary – News Stories About obituary - Page 135

Aug 29, 2007 1:40 PM CDT

Punk Rock Impresario Kristal Dead

NYC club CBGB launched some of movement's top acts

(Newser) - Hilly Kristal, whose iconic club CBGB was the epicenter of American punk rock, died yesterday at 75 after a battle with lung cancer. The New York venue—fully titled CBGB & OMFUG, or "Country, Bluegrass and Blues & Other Music For Uplifting Gourmandisers"—showcased the Ramones, the Talking...

Writer Grace Paley Dies at 84

Aug 23, 2007 6:07 PM CDT

Writer Grace Paley Dies at 84

'Neurotically Anti-Authoritarian' Activist and Author Gave Voice to Women of Native Bronx

(Newser) - Acclaimed writer and activist Grace Paley, who in only three collections of short stories gave earthy voice to the interior life of the Bronx Everywoman, died yesterday at age 84 in her Vermont home, the Los Angeles Times reports. Paley—whose sensibility admirer Philip Roth called "splendidly comic...

Hotelier Helmsley Dead at 87

Aug 20, 2007 1:21 PM CDT

Hotelier Helmsley Dead at 87

'Queen of Mean' learns certainty of death, if not taxes

(Newser) - Leona Helsmley, the notoriously tyrannical real-estate baroness dubbed New York’s “Queen of Mean,” died of heart failure today at 87. The Brooklyn native took the reins of her husband Harry's real-estate empire in the 70s, and soon her name was synonymous with both luxe hotels and the...

Reagan Aide Michael Deaver Dead at 69

Aug 18, 2007 5:11 PM CDT

Reagan Aide Michael Deaver Dead at 69

Controversial advisor who managed Gipper's image falls to cancer

(Newser) - The man who crafted Ronald Reagan’s public persona died today of pancreatic cancer at age 69, the AP reports. Michael Deaver, part of the so-called “troika” that directed the Reagan presidency, specialized in managing the president’s image in the media. His own image was damaged by a...

Max Roach Dies at 83

Aug 16, 2007 3:18 PM CDT

Max Roach Dies at 83

Star percussionist redefined the genre - more than once

(Newser) - Max Roach, a drummer who moved to his own beat and became a seminal figure in modern jazz, died today at 83. Roach renovated his genre's traditional instrumentation, and pioneered a layered, contrapuntal style that became the trademark of contemporary percussion. Even his recent albums defied the conventions he helped...

Yankees Legend Rizzuto Dies

Aug 14, 2007 2:02 PM CDT

Yankees Legend Rizzuto Dies

(Newser) - Phil Rizzuto, who filled the annals of the New York Yankees as both a shortstop and a broadcaster, is dead today at 89. The Scooter tended the infield for 13 years with the Bombers, alongside Mickey Mantle and Joe DiMaggio, and took home seven World Series titles. After being cut...

Brooke Astor Dead at 105

Aug 13, 2007 4:40 PM CDT

Brooke Astor Dead at 105

Charity and society queen was victimized at the end of her life

(Newser) - Brooke Astor—philanthropist and former queen of New York society -- has died at 105. The socialite had been in the news for being abused and exploited by her descendants, but her enduring legacy was her tireless charity work. "Money is like manure; it’s not worth a thing...

Painter Elizabeth Murray Dies

Aug 13, 2007 8:59 AM CDT

Painter Elizabeth Murray Dies

Adventurous artist reshaped Modernism

(Newser) - Elizabeth Murray, a painter whose vivid, cartoon-based work was part of a contemporary movement away from minimalism, died yesterday of lung cancer. She was 66. A leading figure in the New York art scene, Murray won a MacArthur genius grant in 1999 and enjoyed a retrospective at MoMA last year.

Merv Griffin Dies at 82

Aug 12, 2007 12:06 PM CDT

Merv Griffin Dies at 82

The founder of 'Jeopardy!' passes

(Newser) - Merv Griffin, a TV impresario who found success both in front of and behind the camera, died of prostate cancer this morning at 82. Griffin is perhaps best known for creating "Jeopardy!" and "Wheel of Fortune," two of television's most successful and iconic game shows. A...

Oliver Hill,
Civil Rights Crusader, Dies

Aug 6, 2007 3:37 AM CDT

Oliver Hill, Civil Rights Crusader, Dies

Virginia lawyer played key role in Brown v. Board of Education

(Newser) - Oliver Hill, a Virginia civil rights crusader whose work contributed to the Brown v. Board of Education decision against school segregation, died yesterday at 100. Described as "last lion of the civil-rights movement," Hill was a survivor of D-Day's Omaha Beach landing, and close friends with Justice Thurgood...

Tommy Makem Dies at 74

Aug 3, 2007 4:19 AM CDT

Tommy Makem Dies at 74

(Newser) - Tommy Makem, the great Irish singer and storyteller who, with the Clancy Brothers, led the revival in Irish folk music in the late 1950s and 1960s, died after a long battle with lung cancer yesterday. He was 74. "To hear Tommy Makem sing 'Four Green Fields,' " writes...

Antonioni Dead at 94

Jul 31, 2007 9:36 AM CDT

Antonioni Dead at 94

Great Italian filmmaker was behind ‘L’Avventura’ and ‘Blow-Up’

(Newser) - Michelangelo Antonioni, one of Italy’s most beloved filmmakers, died yesterday at age 94, after directing 25 films over nearly 50 years. His masterpieces of alienation, known for their nearly wordless, melancholic style, included "Red Desert" and "The Passenger." Immobilized by a stroke that left him mute,...

Ex-49er Coach Bill Walsh Dies

Jul 31, 2007 3:04 AM CDT

Ex-49er Coach Bill Walsh Dies

Super Bowl chief and quarterback kingmaker was Frisco's coach of the 80s'

(Newser) - Bill Walsh, the coach who led the San Francisco 49ers to three Super Bowl championships in the 1980s, died of leukemia yesterday at the age of 75. During his decade-long tenure, Walsh won six National Football Conference division titles, transforming a club that had won only 10 games in 1987...

Ex 49-ers Coach Walsh Dies At 75

Jul 30, 2007 7:02 PM CDT

Ex 49-ers Coach Walsh Dies At 75

Hall of Famer battled leukemia since 2004

(Newser) - Bill Walsh, known as "The Genius" in football circles for leading the San Francisco 49ers to three NFL championships, has died. He was 75. Walsh, who had been in failing health in recent months, was diagnosed with leukemia in 2004. Walsh was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of...

In Virtual Graveyard, Friends, Voyeurs Gather

Jul 30, 2007 3:36 PM CDT

In Virtual Graveyard, Friends, Voyeurs Gather

MyDeathSpace collects obits, profiles and more

(Newser) - A site that collects obituaries, often of young people, and links to their social-network profiles is gaining traction, the AP reports. MyDeathSpace.com lists more than 2,700 deaths and receives more than 100,000 hits daily. "This site does kind of let you look into the heart of...

Late-Night Icon Tom Snyder Dead at 71

Jul 30, 2007 12:24 PM CDT

Late-Night Icon Tom Snyder Dead at 71

'Tomorrow Show' host's conversational style enchanted insomniacs

(Newser) - Talk show host Tom Snyder, known for his interviews with celebrities like John Lennon and Johnny Rotten, died yesterday after battling leukemia for 2 years, the AP reports. The man who paved the way for David Letterman and Conan O'Brien as the host of NBC's "Tomorrow Show" and gained...

'Best Little Whorehouse' Crusader Dies

Jul 30, 2007 7:36 AM CDT

'Best Little Whorehouse' Crusader Dies

Texas sheriff turned journalist inspired musical

(Newser) - Crusading Texas journalist Marvin Zindler, whose successful efforts in shutting down a brothel inspired the play and film The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, died yesterday from pancreatic cancer. He was 85. He began his journalism career at the age of 51 after he was fired from a Texas...

Ingmar Bergman Dies at 89

Jul 30, 2007 5:59 AM CDT

Ingmar Bergman Dies at 89

(Newser) - Swedish director Ingmar Bergman, one of the giants of cinematic storytelling, died today at 89 after a career spanning more than half a century and over 50 films. Bergman's films scanned the dreary but often resplendent landscape of the human condition, one deeply conditioned by his native country.

Wake Forest Hoops Coach Dead at 56

Jul 27, 2007 7:55 AM CDT

Wake Forest Hoops Coach Dead at 56

Prosser steered Demon Deacons to unprecedented heights

(Newser) - Wake Forest basketball coach Skip Prosser, who led the Demon Deacons to their only top national ranking, died in his office yesterday after apparently suffering a heart attack. The 56-year-old collapsed and couldn't be resuscitated, the News and Observer reports. Praise flowed for the witty, literate Prosser, beloved for his...

Odile Crick
Dies at 86

Jul 23, 2007 4:25 AM CDT

Odile Crick Dies at 86

Wife of Francis Crick first sketched the double helix structure of DNA

(Newser) - Odile Crick, who made the first published sketch of double-helix structure of DNA, died July 5th in La Jolla, CA, at age 86. She was the wife of Francis Crick, who together with James Watson discovered the structure of DNA. Odile Crick's drawing first appeared with her husband's...