The Rest In Peace and Remembrance Thread

[Scott Reppert]

Christian singer Dana Key dead at 56
June 7, 2010, 4:24 PM EST

MSN Entertainment

Dana Key, one-half of the Christian rock group DeGarmo & Key, died at age 56 on Sunday from complications associated with a blood clot.

His death was confirmed after singer Todd Agnew posted a goodbye letter to Key on his Web site Monday:

"Dana Key took that last step to the promised land last night. Right now, his God, his Father, his Savior is filling every promise He made. I don't know exactly what that looks like, but Dana deserved it."

Key and bandmate Eddie DeGarmo, who have known each other since grade school, began playing as DeGarmo & Key in 1978. Key has also released two solo albums.

Sadly, no "good" DeGarmo & Key or Dana solo video is available to link in the post. Might have to change that in the next week or so...

[weaver]

Another contemporary Christian music pioneer recently died: Kevin Thomson, bass player for Sweet Comfort Band.

[David Paleg]

From TV Guide online:

CNN Co-Founder Robert Wussler Dies at 73
Kate Stanhope
Jun 12, 2010 11:15 AM ET


Robert Wussler, one of CNN's co-founders and a former president of CBS,
has died, according to The Hollywood Reporter. He was 73.

Wussler, a seven-time Emmy winner, died on June 5 at his Westport, Conn.,
home after battling a long illness, spokesman Arthur Sando told THR.

Wussler got his start working in the mailroom at CBS. He eventually became
executive producer of CBS News, where he worked on such specials as the
network's coverage of the moon landing. At age 39, he became the youngest
network president in CBS history.

In 1980, Wussler was recruited by Ted Turner to join Turner Broadcasting
Services. During the next decade, Wussler helped manage CNN as well as
Headline News, and served as the president of TBS. He also helped launch
TNT in 1988.

Wussler is survived by his six children and six grandchildren.

[David Paleg]

Singer, sausage businessman Jimmy Dean dies at 81
By Dena Potter, Associated Press Writer
June 13, 2008 - 11:18 PM


RICHMOND, Va. – Jimmy Dean, a country music legend for his smash hit about a workingman hero, "Big Bad John," and an entrepreneur known for his sausage brand, died on Sunday. He was 81.

His wife, Donna Meade Dean, said her husband died at their Henrico County, Va., home.

She told The Associated Press that he had some health problems but was still functioning well, so his death came as a shock. She said he was eating in front of the television. She left the room for a time and came back and he was unresponsive. She said he was pronounced dead at 7:54 p.m.

"He was amazing," she said. "He had a lot of talents."

Born in 1928, Dean was raised in poverty in Plainview, Texas, and dropped out of high school after the ninth grade. He went on to a successful entertainment career in the 1950s and '60s that included the nationally televised "The Jimmy Dean Show."

In 1969, Dean went into the sausage business, starting the Jimmy Dean Meat Co. in his hometown. He sold the company to Sara Lee Corp. in 1984.

Dean lived in semiretirement with his wife, who is a songwriter and recording artist, on their 200-acre estate just outside Richmond, where he enjoyed investing, boating and watching the sun set over the James River.

In 2009 a fire gutted their home, but his Grammy for "Big Bad John," a puppet made by Muppets creator Jim Henson, a clock that had belonged to Prince Charles and Princess Diana and other valuables were saved. Lost were a collection of celebrity-autographed books, posters of Dean with Elvis Presley and other prized possessions.

Donna Meade Dean said the couple had just moved back into their reconstructed home.

With his drawled wisecracks and quick wit, Dean charmed many fans. But in both entertainment and business circles, he was also known for his tough hide. He fired bandmate Roy Clark, who went onto "Hee Haw" fame, for showing up late for gigs.

More recently, a scrap with Sara Lee led to national headlines.

The Chicago-based company let him go as spokesman in 2003, inciting Dean's wrath. He issued a statement titled "Somebody doesn't like Sara Lee," claiming he was dumped because he got old.

"The company told me that they were trying to attract the younger housewife, and they didn't think I was the one to do that," Dean told The Associated Press in January 2004. "I think it's the dumbest thing. But you know, what do I know?"

Sara Lee has said that it chose not to renew Dean's contract because the "brand was going in a new direction" that demanded a shift in marketing.

Dean grew up in a musical household. His mother showed him how to play his first chord on the piano. His father, who left the family, was a songwriter and singer. Dean taught himself to play the accordion and the harmonica.

His start in the music business came as an accordionist at a tavern near Bolling Air Force Base in Washington, D.C., where he was stationed in the 1940s. After leaving the Air Force in 1948, he fronted his band, the Texas Wildcats, and drew a strong local following through appearances on Washington-area radio.

By the early 1950s, Dean's band had its first national hit in "Bummin' Around."

"Big Bad John," which is about a coal miner who saves fellow workers when a mine roof collapses, became a big hit in 1961 and won a Grammy. The star wrote it in less than two hours.

His fame led him to a string of television shows, including "The Jimmy Dean Show" on CBS. Dean's last big TV stint was ABC's version of "The Jimmy Dean Show" from 1963 to 1966.

Dean in February was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame. He was to be inducted in October and his wife said she thinks he was looking forward to it.

Dean became a headliner at venues like Carnegie Hall and the Hollywood Bowl and became the first country star to play on the Las Vegas strip. He was the first guest host on "The Tonight Show," and also was an actor with parts in television and the movies, including the role of James Bond's ally Willard Whyte in the 1971 film "Diamonds Are Forever."

Besides his wife, Dean is survived by three children and two grandchildren, Donna Meade Dean said. Arrangements have not be made, but it will be a private service, she said.

In the late '60s, Dean entered the hog business — something he knew well. His family had butchered hogs, with the young Dean whacking them over the head with the blunt end of an ax. The Dean brothers — Jimmy and Don — ground the meat and their mother seasoned it.

The Jimmy Dean Meat Co. opened with a plant in Plainview. After six months, the company was profitable.

His fortune was estimated at $75 million in the early '90s.

Having watched other stars fritter away their fortunes, Dean said he learned to be careful with his money.

"I've seen so many people in this business that made a fortune," he told the AP. "They get old and broke and can't make any money. ... I tell you something, ... no one's going to play a benefit for Jimmy Dean."

Dean said then that he was at peace at his estate and that he had picked a spot near the river where he wanted to be buried.

"It's the sweetest piece of property in the world, we think," he told the Richmond Times-Dispatch. "It sure is peaceful here."

[CoolBreeze]

I believe it was in 1975 when Jimmy walked into our studios at WCAW, promoting his new sausage products. He had a disposable "Styrofoam briefcase" custom made to hold the different products that he gave us. He was a really nice guy.

[Bob Campbell]

From All Access

'Pied Piper' Singer Crispian St. Peters Dies
CRISPIAN ST. PETERS, the British singer who had a U.S. and British top 10 hit with "The Pied Piper," died TUESDAY (6/8) in SWANLEY, KENT, ENGLAND at 71.
ST. PETERS, born ROBIN PETER SMITH, also had a hit in the U.K. with a cover of "You Were On My Mind," which was a U.S. hit for WE FIVE. He had stopped performing after a stroke in 1995.

so.......St. Peters got to meet St. Peter.

[Scott Reppert]

Pied Piper' Singer Crispian St. Peters Dies

Funny that I featured he and his biggest hit last week on my Wednesday "Scott's Song Of The Week" on Facebook.

I remember that Phil Lynott died on a Saturday morning at 10:17 and I was playing "Whiskey In The Jar" on "Saturday Morning Classix" at that exact time.

PS: If you seek to be my Facebook friend, just ask. It's exploded...

[David Paleg]

I remember that Phil Lynott died on a Saturday morning at 10:17 and I was playing "Whiskey In The Jar" on "Saturday Morning Classix" at that exact time.

DJ of Death. Glad I never recorded a song.

[fearpeddler]

Manute Bol dead at 47....

http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/06/19/1 ... -dies.html

[amayo]

GARY SHIDER DIES--LONGTIME PARLIAMENT-FUNKADELIC MUSICAL DIRECTOR--aka "DIAPERMAN"

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - Garry Shider, the longtime musical director of Parliament-Funkadelic whose funky guitar work, songwriting skills and musical arrangements thrilled fans around the globe and earned him a spot in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, has died. He was 56.

Shider, who died Wednesday at his home in Upper Marlboro, Md., was known to millions of fans as "Starchild" or "Diaperman," the latter because of the loincloth he often wore onstage.

Shider's son, Garrett, said Thursday that his father had been diagnosed with brain and lung cancer in late March. He then briefly went out on tour one last time but had to stop because of his failing health.

"He was a beautiful man who had a beautiful heart, who loved his fans just as much as they loved him," Garrett Shider said. "I'm sure if he had the choice, he would have passed on a tour bus, because he loved playing music, playing for the fans."

A New Jersey native, Shider started his mus ical career as a young boy, performing mostly gospel music in churches in a group that included his brother and was overseen by their father. The band also played backup for many prominent gospel artists when they performed concerts in the area, but Shider's musical taste soon grew more diverse.

The teenager first met P-Funk mastermind George Clinton in the late 1960s at a Plainfield barbershop Clinton owned, where future P-Funk members would sing doo-wop for customers and counsel local youths. Then, when he was around 16, Shider and a friend went to Canada, where they formed a funk/rock band called United Soul, or "U.S." Clinton, who was living in Toronto at the time, heard about the band from people in the local music business, and took the band under his wing upon learning that Shider was a member. He helped produce some of their songs and eventually invited Shider to join P-Funk, a combination of two bands, Parliament and Funkadelic.

Shider soon became a mainstay of Clinton's wide-ranging musical family, eventually serving as its musical director and co-writing some of Parliament-Funkadelic's biggest hits. "Thank you, Garry for all you have done. Forever funkin' on!" Clinton noted in a message posted on his website.

Shider first appeared on Funkadelic's 1971 album "Maggot Brain" and Parliament's second album "Up for the Down Stroke," and joined P-Funk for good in 1972. He became one of Clinton's most trusted lieutenants, co-writing and providing vocals on some of the band's biggest hits - including "Atomic Dog," ''Cosmic Slop," ''Can You Get to That" and "One Nation Under the Groove."

He also toured with P-Funk for many years and was still considered an active member of the group.

"My dad left home when he was about 16 years old, and wouldn't come back until he had a hit. He obviously accomplished that goal and did so much more," said Garrett Shider, who recently formed an entertainment company and ho pes to produce a movie on his father's life. "People know about his talent, but I want them to know about the great man he was."

Barbara Thomas, part of a group that is raising money to help Shider's family cover his medical bills, said she was "truly heartbroken" over his death. She said upcoming benefit concerts in New York and New Jersey would go on as planned.

"Over the past forty years, Garry put his stamp and signature of everything he did musically," stated a message posted on the group's website, www.garryshidermedicalfund.com. "His talent was and always will be unmatched."

[genlock]

PIKEVILLE, Ky. (WSAZ) -- A well-known radio personality in eastern Kentucky has died.

Randy Jones, the morning DJ for WDHR in Pikeville, died Sunday at his home.

Jones was also the voice of Pikeville High School football and basketball games.

“Most people started their day with him. At six a.m. the microphone opened and Randy Jones was there to say good morning, it's going to be a beautiful day. That's going to be sadly missed, but it's his contribution to the community that's really going to be missed,” Keith Casebolt, East KY Broadcasting GM said.

Jones was 59 years old.

His visitation will be Tuesday night at JW Call and Son Funeral Home in Pikeville.

The funeral is set for Wednesday afternoon.

[Dave Allen]

One of the TRULY GREAT people in our industry.

[fearpeddler]

One of the TRULY GREAT people in our industry.

damn dave, stop reading my obituary early.... thats how it starts... on another note, it is truly sad to see any local-ish personality pass....

[David Paleg]

'Charlie's Angels' composer Allyn Ferguson dies
Jun 29, 1:10 PM (ET)

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. (AP) - Allyn Ferguson, an Emmy-winning composer who co-wrote the themes for the 1970s TV shows "Charlie's Angels" and "Barney Miller," has died at 85.

Ferguson died at his home in Westlake Village near Los Angeles on June 23, said his daughter, Jill Ferguson.

Ferguson wrote scores for dozens of TV episodes in the 1970s and 1980s but he may be best-known for the "Charlie's Angels" and "Barney Miller" themes he co-wrote with Jack Elliott.

He received eight Emmy nominations, winning the award for music composition in 1985 for scoring a television adaptation of the classic novel "Camille."

It was one of several literary adaptations that Ferguson scored for producer Norman Rosemont.

"Allyn will always be remembered as the co-writer of two iconic television themes," said Jon Burlingame, author of "TV's Biggest Hits.""But I think his real strength was in writing large-scale orchestral scores for Rosemont."

"He'd often write lavish orchestral scores, some very swashbuckling in nature, that helped to set the mood and place the viewer in the proper period," Burlingame said. "It was great stuff; he was really good at this."

Ferguson also conducted and was musical co-director for Academy Award, Emmy and Grammy shows.

During his career, Ferguson also was an arranger or musical director for artists such as Sarah Vaughan, Andy Williams, Johnny Mathis and Julie Andrews.

He wrote the arrangements for the Count Basie Orchestra's 1998 Grammy-winning album, "Count Plays Duke."

In addition to his daughter, Ferguson is survived by his wife, Joline; sons, Dan and Todd; his sister, Marilyn Dallman; and six grandchildren.

[David Paleg]

Cult comic writer Pekar dead at 70 in Ohio
Jul 12, 12:10 PM (ET)
By THOMAS J. SHEERAN

CLEVELAND (AP) - Comic book writer Harvey Pekar, whose "American Splendor" was made into a 2003 film starring Paul Giamatti, was found dead in his home early Monday, authorities said. He was 70.

Officers were called to Pekar's suburban home by his wife about 1 a.m., Cleveland Heights police Capt. Michael Cannon said. His body was found between a bed and dresser.

Pekar had been suffering from prostate cancer, asthma, high blood pressure and depression, according to Cannon. Pekar had gone to bed about 4:30 p.m. Sunday in good spirits, his wife told police.

An autopsy was planned, said Powell Caesar, a spokesman for the Cuyahoga County coroner's office in Cleveland. He had no information on the cause of death.

Pekar's "American Splendor" comics, which he began publishing in 1976, chronicle his grousing about work, money and the monotony of life.

His quirky commentary developed a cult following and his insights and humor were often a bit on the dark side.

In 2003, the New York Film Critics Circle honored "American Splendor" as best first film for the directing-writing team of Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini. Part feature and part documentary, with animated elements added, the film starred Giamatti as the disgruntled Pekar.

Pekar told The Associated Press in a 1997 interview that he was determined to keep writing his "American Splendor" series.

"There's no end in sight for me. I want to continue to do it," Pekar said. "It's a continuing autobiography, a life's work."

[genlock]

George Steinbrenner dies at 80


New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner died, a high-placed source with the team told the Daily News.

Steinbrenner died around 6:30 a.m. Tuesday in Tampa, the source said.

Steinbrenner, who celebrated his 80th birthday on July 4, has been the owner of the Yankees since 1973.

The Yankees won 11 pennants and seven World Series titles during his tenure.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseb ... z0tZQXPu3w

[jag]

Tuli Kupferberg, a founding member of the underground rock group and staple of 1960s anti-war protests, the Fugs, has died.

Kupferberg, who had suffered strokes in the past year, died Monday in a Manhattan hospital, said his friend and bandmate Ed Sanders. He was 86.

"I think he will be remembered as a unique American songwriter," Sanders told The Associated Press in a telephone interview from his home in Woodstock, N.Y. "Tuli had an uncanny ability to shape nuanced lyrics."

Sanders, who is writing a new memoir about the Fugs, said he visited his friend in the hospital on Thursday. Although Kupferberg was clearly ailing, he leaned into his ear and sang him the lyrics to a Fugs classic, "Morning, Morning," Sanders said.

"And then I said, `goodbye,'" he said.

Kupferberg's contributions were recognized in January when Lou Reed, Sonic Youth and others appeared at a benefit concert in Brooklyn to help pay for some of his medical expenses. He was too ill by then to attend the show, but recorded a 10-second video message, according to the New York Times, thanking the audience.

"Now go out there and have some fun," he said. "It may be later than you think."

The Fugs were formed by Sanders and Kupferberg, who were neighbors on Manhattan's Lower East Side in early 1965, according to the band's website. Their name, a substitute for a common expletive, was inspired by Norman Mailer, who used it in his classic, "Naked and the Dead."

The band ran in the same circles as Andy Warhol, Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and other icons of the 1960s. It often performed at peace protests.

Kupferberg once referred to the band as "the U.S.O. of the left," according to the Times.

The group disbanded in 1969, but reformed several times since. It performed for a time on the Reprise label, which was owned by Frank Sinatra, who had final approval on album releases.

Sanders notes many of the songs Kupferberg wrote tended to be on the ribald side. "He wrote satirical, erotic songs," Sanders said, rattling off titles such as "Morning, Morning," "The Garden is Open" and "Kill for Peace."

Kupferberg, who also was a poet, produced cartoons for the Village Voice and had a longtime television program on the Manhattan public access cable channel, Sanders said. He posted some recent performances, which he called "preverbs," on YouTube, including, "Backward Jewish Soldiers (Hug your Gentile brothers)," which was his adaptation of the classic, "Onward Christian Soldiers."

He is survived by his wife, Sylvia Topp; three children and three grandchildren.

[jag]

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Hank Cochran, a consummate songwriter who composed a string of country hits including "Make the World Go Away" for Eddy Arnold, died Thursday. He was 74.
Martha E. Moore, his publicist, said Cochran died at his home in Hendersonville north of Nashville. He had been in declining health in recent years, and suffered an aortic aneurysm in March. He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer two years ago.

He co-wrote the following No. 1 hits: Patsy Cline's "I Fall to Pieces"; George Strait's "Ocean Front Property"; and "Set 'em Up Joe" by Vern Gosdin.

He also wrote the No. 1 hits: "Don't You Ever Get Tired of Hurting Me" by Ronnie Milsap; "He's Got You" by Cline and Loretta Lynn; "I Want to Go With You" by Arnold; and "That's All That Matters to Me" by Mickey Gilley.

This pleading sentiment was expressed in 1965 in "Make the World Go Away":

"Make the world go away.

"And get it off my shoulders.

"Say the things you used to say

"And make the world go away."

Arnold died in 2008.

Moore said Cochran's close friends Billy Ray Cyrus, Jamey Johnson and Buddy Cannon visited him Wednesday night and they sang songs together.

Cochran said recently: "I'm sure thankful to be where I am, and that the good Lord has run enough songs through me that I'm seriously satisfied with. As long as he keeps giving them to me, I'm going to try to do something with them."

Survivors include his wife, three sons and a daughter. A private memorial service will be held later. His ex-wife is Grand Ole Opry singer Jeannie Seely.

Cochran was born in Isola, Miss., and worked the New Mexico oilfields as a young man.

He arrived in Nashville in 1960, and got a job as a staff songwriter with Pamper Music for $50 a week, hired by country singer Ray Price.

Shortly after that, Cochran helped Willie Nelson get a songwriting job with Pamper. Nelson went on to write classics such as "Crazy," sung by Cline, and his own singing career.

"I recorded a lot of his songs," Price said Thursday about Cochran. "He was a great songwriter and a great friend, so it's a double loss for me."

Cochran was a member of the Nashville Songwriters Association International Hall of Fame and the Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame.

[David Paleg]

Actress Vonetta McGee dead at 65
July 16, 2010 at 5:37 PM

NEW YORK, July 16 (UPI) -- U.S. actress Vonetta McGee has died of cardiac arrest in Berkeley, Calif., where she was a resident, a family spokeswoman said. She was 65.

McGee, who died July 9, is best known for her work in the blaxploitation pictures "Blacula," "Hammer" and "Shaft in Africa." Her other film credits include "Faustina," "Il Grande Silenzio," "The Lost Man," "The Kremlin Letter," "Detroit 9000," "Thomasine & Bushrod" "The Eiger Sanction," The New York Times said Friday.

Her small-screen credits include "Hell Town," "Bustin' Loose," "L.A. Law" and "Cagney & Lacey."

She is survived by actor Carl Lumbly, her husband since 1986, as well as their son, Brandon Lumbly; her mother, Alma McGee; three brothers -- Donald, Richard and Ronald; and a sister, also named Alma McGee, the Times noted.

[David Paleg]

Character actor James Gammon dies at 70
July 17, 2010|By Hal Boedeker, Orlando Sentinel Television Critic

James Gammon, a graduate of Orlando's Boone High School who became one of the top character actors in movies, television and theater, died Friday in Costa Mesa, Calif. He was 70, and also had a home in Ocala.

"He had cancer two and a half years ago," his wife, Nancy, said Saturday. "It came back aggressively about a month ago in his adrenal glands and liver, and he was very weak. They couldn't do surgery or chemotherapy. He decided he wanted to come home, and we did hospice."

Gammon started his career by working at Channel 6 (then with the call letters WDBO) and acting in local theater. He moved on to California, acted in TV series and made his film debut in Cool Hand Luke, the 1967 classic starring Paul Newman.

Gammon logged more than 135 television and screen credits, from The Wild Wild West and Gunsmoke to Grey's Anatomy and Monk. He delivered memorable performances in Urban Cowboy, Silverado, Major League and Cold Mountain. He played Don Johnson's father on Nash Bridges.

"He had this great voice," said actor and friend Tom Bower. "Onstage, he could do King Lear, but on film, he was more often thought of as the gnarly, western guy."

Gammon was a crucial influence on the playwright Sam Shepard.

"When Sam wrote a play, he thought of Jim being the lead actor," Bower said. "He thought of him as his father image. He was one of the greatest stage actors in this country"

Gammon acted in Shepard's Curse of the Starving Class, A Lie of the Mind, The Late Henry Moss and Simpatico. Gammon was nominated for a Tony for the Broadway revival of Shepard's Buried Child and acted in Shepard's film Don't Come Knocking.

Theater was Gammon's first love, he told the Orlando Sentinel in 1996. "If I could make the money you make in film doing theater, I would take theater," he said. "I've always been a theater person, and you kind of pay to do that. It's a cost to you personally to indulge your art."

Wife Nancy said, "He was very proud of his stage work. One time he was referred to as Sam Shepard's muse. He did a lot of plays for Sam and originated a lot of characters."

He also founded his own theater group, the Met, in Los Angeles, in the 1970s. His wife said there will be a memorial service at the Met in August.

Nancy said her husband's favorite films were Major League (he played the manager), Cool Hand Luke (he forged friendships that lasted the rest of his life) and the western Silverado (he liked the director Lawrence Kasdan).

But for all his fame, Gammon remembered his start in Orlando. He graduated from Boone High in 1959. Mark Barker hired him as a cameraman at Channel 6.

"Jim was devoted to the people he grew up with," Barker said. "He was the one who initiated getting the Channel 6 Pioneers together. He called me in the late '80s and asked me to gather up some people who worked at Channel 6 in the early years." The group meets every five years.

He was a cameraman on Romper Room with Miss Nancy. "He was a young fellow and interested in everything that went on in television," said Nancy Stilwell. "He was just a neat guy. The children loved the cameramen because they would talk to them before the show. They just loved Jim."

Gammon's other survivors include two daughters, Allison Mann of Costa Mesa, and Amy Gammon of West Hollywood, Calif.; two grandsons, Henry James Mann and Hudson Richard Mann; a brother, Phillip Gammon of North Ridge, Calif.; and a sister, Sandra Glaudell of Ocala.

"Acting was always what he wanted to do. That was his goal in life," Barker said. "He achieved it and achieved it very well. He has never forgotten anyone, and I think that's an admirable quality."