obituary – News Stories About obituary - Page 138

Dec 2, 2007 7:11 AM CST

Brit Fan Hails 'True American Original'

Knievel was 'NASA, Elvis, Barnum & Bailey rolled into one'

(Newser) - Like thousands of children growing up in the 1970s, Daily Telegraph columnist Damien Lanigan played with an Evel Knievel doll, delighting in the indestructibility of the figurine. The man who inspired the toys—and delighted a generation—proved to be less enduring than his plastic manifestations, but his legend survives...

Evel Knievel Dead at 69

Nov 30, 2007 4:35 PM CST

Evel Knievel Dead at 69

Motorcycle daredevil and '70s showman had been in failing health

(Newser) - Evel Knievel, the motorcycle daredevil who never saw a canyon—or a row of vehicles—he didn't want to jump, died today at 69. He was known for his spectacular failures as well as successes, including an attempt to jump the fountains at Caesar's Palace that put him in a...

Ex-GM CEO, Chairman Smith Dead at 82

Nov 30, 2007 12:33 PM CST

Ex-GM CEO, Chairman Smith Dead at 82

Unwitting Roger and Me costar led auto giant throughout 1980s

(Newser) - Roger B. Smith, the chairman of General Motors from 1981 to 1990 and the subject of Michael Moore's critical documentary Roger and Me, died yesterday in Detroit at 82. "He was a leader who knew that we have to accept change, understand change, and learn to make it work...

Henry Hyde Dies at 83

Nov 29, 2007 8:59 AM CST

Henry Hyde Dies at 83

Conservative voice in the House for 32 years; led Clinton impeachment

(Newser) - Henry Hyde, the former Illinois congressman who was a powerful conservative voice in the capital for decades, died today at 83. As the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Hyde took the lead in the impeachment proceedings against President Bill Clinton. He was a vocal foe of abortion, sponsoring what...

Veteran Pitcher
Joe Kennedy Dead at 28

Nov 23, 2007 3:36 PM CST

Veteran Pitcher Joe Kennedy Dead at 28

Agent cites heart attack or brain aneurysm as possible cause

(Newser) - Major league pitcher Joe Kennedy died unexpectedly today while visiting the Tampa Bay area for a wedding. The cause of death is unknown, although his agent speculated that a brain aneurysm or heart attack may be responsible. Kennedy, 28, pitched for five major league teams in 7 years, finishing last...

Rhodesian
PM Ian Smith
Dies at 88

Nov 20, 2007 9:47 PM CST

Rhodesian PM Ian Smith Dies at 88

Broke from Britain and defended white minority rule for 15 years

(Newser) - Ian Smith, the Rhodesian leader who unilaterally declared independence from Britain in 1965 and defended white rule for 15 tumultuous years, died today at 88. Seen as a symbol of African colonial-era racism, Smith was unrepentant during his lifetime, arguing that what is now Zimbabwe suffered more under the tenure...

Charmin Icon Dies at 91

Nov 19, 2007 10:57 PM CST

Charmin Icon Dies at 91

TV adman played Mr. Whipple, who urged customers to refrain from squeezing

(Newser) - Dick Wilson, the actor who played Charmin's Mr. Whipple for 21 years, died today at the age of 91, the AP reports. Although he did stints at Disney and had parts in popular television shows of the 1960s, Wilson will be widely remembered as the uptight grocer who urged customers,...

From Detroit
to Dresden
to Siberia

Nov 16, 2007 5:42 PM CST

From Detroit to Dresden to Siberia

American memoirist imprisoned in Soviet gulag dead at 84

(Newser) - John Noble, an American who wrote two memoirs about the decade he spent as a Soviet prisoner, including 3 years in the gulag, died last week at 84, the Telegraph reports. Taken into Soviet custody in 1945, Noble and his father were incarcerated in Dresden, Germany, where they had run...

Kanye West's Mother Dies
After Surgery

Nov 12, 2007 10:30 AM CST

Kanye West's Mother Dies After Surgery

Complications developed following cosmetic procedure

(Newser) - Kanye West's mother died in Los Angeles Saturday after complications developed following a "cosmetic procedure," her publicist said today. Dr. Donda West, 58, a retired English professor, inspired the hip-hop superstar's 2005 hit "Hey Mama." No cause of death was released, and the family requested "...

Literary Bull Blundered
and Thrived

Nov 10, 2007 7:33 PM CST

Literary Bull Blundered and Thrived

Time and Salon critics recall brilliant, failed, iconic Mailer

(Newser) - Egotist, chauvinist, brawler, Mailer battled "a culture subsiding into room temperature," Time says. His work vented "his own inner conditions" as he lurched from fame at age 25 to so-so books to his "brilliant" Armies of the Night in 1968. He made big gaffes—blaming patients...

Norman Mailer Dead at 84

Nov 10, 2007 6:45 AM CST

Norman Mailer Dead at 84

Literary legend's 6-decade career included 2 Pulitzers

(Newser) - Norman Mailer, one of the 20th century's literary lions and a pioneer of the genre that came to be known as New Journalism, died this morning. He was 84. His career spanned 6 decades and more than 40 books, from 1948's The Naked and the Dead to this year's The ...

Osmond Family Patriarch Dies

Nov 7, 2007 2:45 AM CST

Osmond Family Patriarch Dies

George Osmond, father of Donny & Marie, launched careers of musical clan

(Newser) - It was the end of an era for the singing Osmond family with the death yesterday of patriarch George Osmond, who launched the musical careers of his children during a family trip to Disneyland 45 years ago, the Los Angeles Times reports. Osmond died at his Utah home of apparent...

Death Takes Down the Fabulous Moolah

Nov 5, 2007 4:45 AM CST

Death Takes Down the Fabulous Moolah

First Lady of pro wrestling dead at 84

(Newser) - Pro wrestling’s "Fabulous Moolah," 30-year champion of World Wrestling Entertainment, has died at 84. Mary Lillian Ellison was the first female wrestler inducted into the WWE’s Hall of Fame. When a promoter asked her why she wanted to wrestle, she answered: “For the money! I...

Communicating Chimp Signs Off

Nov 2, 2007 5:07 PM CDT

Communicating Chimp Signs Off

Washoe, simian with impressive vocabulary, is dead at 42

(Newser) - Washoe, the first non-human to learn a human language, is being remembered as a linguistic pioneer and a "polite, cheerful person," even though she was a chimp. Washoe, who died this week at 42, could use around 250 different American Sign Language signs in conversation, the Seattle Times ...

Hiroshima Bomb Pilot Dead at 92

Nov 1, 2007 3:19 PM CDT

Hiroshima Bomb Pilot Dead at 92

Pilot defended his role to the last, said he had 'no regrets'

(Newser) - The commander and pilot of the B-29 that dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, in 1945—the first military use of nuclear weapons—died today, the Associated Press reports. Paul Tibbets was 92, and requested no funeral or headstone for fear that they might attract anti-nuclear protesters. Tibbets always...

Robert Goulet Dies at 73

Oct 31, 2007 3:39 AM CDT

Robert Goulet Dies at 73

Acclaimed crooner was awaiting a lung transplant

(Newser) - Robert Goulet, whose deep baritone and matinee-idol looks propelled him to fame in the 1960s, died yesterday while waiting for a lung transplant. Goulet, 73, became a star almost overnight when he debuted as Lancelot in the Broadway production of Camelot, the LA Times reports, and went on to a...

Opry Star Wagoner Dead at 80

Oct 29, 2007 9:40 AM CDT

Opry Star Wagoner Dead at 80

Pioneer revolutionized country music

(Newser) - Grand Ole Opry star Porter Wagoner died of lung cancer in Nashville last night, just as the Country Music Hall of Fame—which enshrined him in 2003—gathered to induct new members. He was 80. Wagoner will be remembered as a rhinestone-clad innovator who pioneered the country concept album and...

DNA Pioneeer Kornberg Dies

Oct 27, 2007 4:05 PM CDT

DNA Pioneeer Kornberg Dies

Biochemist won in '59 for research; son received prize in 2006

(Newser) - Nobel laureate Dr. Arthur Kornberg, 89, a pioneering biochemist in the fields of DNA and human genetics, has died of respiratory failure, the New York Times reports. Kornberg shared the award in 1959 for his research into how DNA works, and that research is the foundation for many of today's...

Packers Great Max McGee Dies

Oct 21, 2007 9:50 PM CDT

Packers Great Max McGee Dies

McGee scored the first touchdown in Super Bowl history

(Newser) - Max McGee, the Green Bay Packer legend who scored the first touchdown in Super Bowl history, died yesterday after falling from the roof of his Minnesota home. McGee played 12 seasons with the Cheeseheads and served two years in the Air Force, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says. The Nevada native...

Last Rat Packer Joey Bishop Dies

Oct 18, 2007 5:27 PM CDT

Last Rat Packer Joey Bishop Dies

Comic and actor was the last living member of Sinatra's group

(Newser) - A comedian, actor, talk show host, and last living member of the Rat Pack, Joey Bishop died last night of multiple causes at age 89, CNN reports. Though many critics minimized Bishop's role, Sinatra termed him "the Hub of the Big Wheel." Bishop hosted Johnny Carson's "Tonight...