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Charles "Van" Johnson (August 25, 1916 - December 12, 2008) was an American film and television actor and dancer.

He passed away on December 12, 2008 at an assisted living center in Nyack, NY. He was 92.

Van Johnson with Lucy

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Paul Benedict (September 17, 1938 - December 1, 2008) was an American character actor who made numerous appearances in television and movies beginning in the 1960s. He is probably best recognized for his roles as The Number Painter on the PBS children's show Sesame Street, and as the quirky English neighbor "Harry Bentley" on the CBS sitcom The Jeffersons.

Death of Paul Benedict
On December 1, 2008, Benedict was found dead at his home in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. Paul Benedict was 70 years old at the time of his death.

Biography
Benedict was born in Silver City, New Mexico, the son of Alma Marie (née Loring), a journalist, and Mitchell M. Benedict, a doctor.[1] He grew up in Massachusetts. As a young man, he suffered from acromegaly, a pituitary disorder that affects the extremities and face, which accounted for his slightly oversized jaw and nose.

As could be heard in his other film and TV roles, he had a slight English accent even when not in character as Bentley. Benedict played the director of the Richard III production in the 1977 movie The Goodbye Girl starring Richard Dreyfuss, in which Richard was to be portrayed in the play as a stereotypical gay man. He was in a short scene in the 1984 mockumentary film This is Spinal Tap, playing the awkward desk clerk who checks in the band. In the 1990 film The Freshman, he played the condescending NYU film school professor of Matthew Broderick's main character. He also made a memorable appearance as the incorrectly assumed title character in the 1996 film Waiting for Guffman, another mockumentary involving many of the same writers and actors.

Benedict also played the role of a slave trader in Dino De Laurentiis' Mandingo opposite James Mason and Perry King in 1975. Perhaps his best known movie role was of the reverend Lundquist in the 1972 Sydney Pollack film Jeremiah Johnson.

Muslim Mahammad oglu Magomayev (Azeri: Müslüm Maqomayev; born August 17, 1942 in Baku - October 25, 2008 in Moscow) was an Azerbaijani baritone operatic and pop singer of the 1960s and 1970s.

Death of Muslim Magomaev
Muslim Magomaev died after a long illness.
Muslim Magomaev was 66 years old at the time of his death.

Early life
Muslim Magomaev represented one of the most respected artistic dynasties in Azerbaijan. His grandfather Muslim Magomayev (1885-1937), a friend and contemporary of the prominent Azerbaijani composer Uzeyir Hajibeyov, was one of the founders of Azerbaijani-composed music. Magomaev's father, Mahammad Magomaev, who died during World War II, was a gifted Scenic designer, and his mother was an actress.

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Muslim MAGOMAEV - "Figaro"

Richard Blackwell (born Richard Sylvan Selzer) (August 29, 1922 - October 19, 2008) was a fashion critic, journalist, television and radio personality, artist, former child actor and former fashion designer, sometimes known just as Mr. Blackwell. He was the creator of the Ten Worst Dressed Women list, an annual awards presentation he unveiled in January of each year. He published the "Fabulous Fashion Independents" list and an annual Academy Awards fashion review, both of which receive somewhat less media attention. His longtime companion, former Beverly Hills hairdresser, Robert Spencer, managed him. He wrote two books, Mr. Blackwell: 30 Years of Fashion Fiascos and an autobiography, From Rags to Bitches.

Death of Richard Blackwell
Blackwell died in Los Angeles on October 19, 2008, aged 86, of complications from an intestinal infection

Dee Dee Warwick (September 25, 1945 - October 18, 2008), was an African-American soul singer. She was born Newark, New Jersey as Delia Mae Warrick. Following the example of her elder sister, Dionne Warwick, she changed her surname from Warrick to Warwick in the early 1960s.

She is best-known for her hits during the 1960s, including the #13 R&B hit I'm Gonna Make You Love Me, co-written by Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff and later covered by Diana Ross & the Supremes, The Temptations, and Play. She is also a two time Grammy nominee for "Foolish Fool" and "She Didn't Know".

Recordings of both her Mercury Records years and her Atco years are available on CD and hopefully her RCA, Kama Sutra, Heritage and Private Stock Records will follow. In late 2006 Dee Dee returned to much success singing background for Dionne in concert and also was part of the "Family First" song in the Tyler Perry movie and soundtrack for "Daddy's Little Girls"

In January 2008 Dee Dee is featured in the title song from Dionne's gospel album "Why We Sing" and was continuing background work with her sister

In February 2008, Dee Dee continued her background vocals for Dionne's one woman show "My Music and Me" in Europe.

Warwick was the niece of gospel singer Cissy Houston and a cousin of Whitney Houston

Dee Dee Warwick - I'll Be Better Off...

Nick Reynolds is the father of folk songs, paved the way for Bob Dylan and Joan Baez.

Nick Reynolds (July 27, 1933 San Diego, California - October 1, 2008 San Diego, California) American folk musician and recording artist. One of the founding members of The Kingston Trio group, whose largely folk-based material captured international attention during the late fifties and early sixties.

Death of Nick Reynolds
Nick Reynolds died on October 1, 2008, in San Diego, CA
Nick Reynoldswas 75 years old at the time of his death

Nick Reynolds lived the last years of his life comfortably and well in Coronado, California with his wife Leslie. For eight years, Nick joined John Stewart to do a “Trio” fantasy camp in Scottsdale, Arizona. In addition to a dinner with a question and answer session, fantasy campers joined Reynolds and Stewart on stage to perform a song, becoming for that one moment a member of a "Kingston Trio," the group whose contributions to folk, pop, and world music constitute Nick Reynolds' musical legacy.

Nick Reynolds' biography continues next page

The man who never returned

Hazel Warp (1914 – August 26, 2008) was an American stuntwoman. She was Vivien Leigh's stunt double in Gone with the Wind. Warp rode and trained horses in the film, was a Leigh's stand-in in all of her horseback-riding scenes. She also tumbled down the stairs in the famous scene near the end of the film where Scarlett O'Hara loses her balance and falls. Other films she appeared in included Wuthering Heights, Ben-Hur and National Velvet. She was born in Harlowton, Montana and was twice married. She died August 26, 2008 in Livingston Memorial Hospital, Montana aged 93

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John Arnold Griffin III (April 24, 1928 – July 25, 2008) was an American bop and hard bop tenor saxophonist.

Death of Johnny Griffin
Johnny Griffin died in Availles-Limouzine, France, where he had lived for the past 24 years.
Johnny Griffin was 80 years old at the time of his death.
Cause of death is unknown for now.  Griffin's wife Miriam found him dead before he was due to give a concert.

Johnny Griffin's last concert was July 21, 2008, in Hyères, France.

Early life and education
Griffin studied music at DuSable High School under Walter Dyett, starting out on clarinet before moving on to oboe and then alto sax. While still at high school at age 15, Griffin was playing with T-Bone Walker in a band led by Walker's brother.

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Johnny Griffin's Sax Solo

Larry Harmon (January 2, 1925 - July 3, 2008) was an American entertainer, best-known as Bozo the Clown.

Together with a group of investors, Harmon purchased the licensing rights to the Bozo character from Capitol Records. Harmon marketed the Bozo property aggressively. By the late 1950's Harmon had created local Bozo TV shows in nearly every major U.S. market, and across the world in places as far away as Thailand, Greece and Brazil.

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Yves Henri Donat Dave Mathieu-Saint-Laurent (August 1, 1936 – June 1, 2008) was a French pied noir fashion designer, and was considered among the greatest of the 20th century.

Death of Yves Saint-Laurent
He died on June 1, 2008, in his home in Paris of a long-term illness

The son of an insurance company president, Yves Saint-Laurent was born on 1 August 1936 in Oran, in what was then French Algeria. Saint Laurent left home at the age of 17 to work for the French designer Christian Dior. Following Dior's death in 1957, Yves, at the age of 22, was put in charge of the effort of saving the Dior house from financial ruin.

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John Phillip Law (September 7, 1937 – May 13, 2008) was an American film actor, with more than a hundred movie roles to his credit. He was the son of actress Phyllis Sallee, and the brother of actor Thomas Augustus Law.

He is best known for his roles as the blind angel Pygar in the science fiction classic Barbarella, and as news anchor Robin Stone in The Love Machine. (The latter reteamed him with Alexandra Hay, his costar from the 1968 "acid comedy" Skidoo.)

Besides Barbarella, a few of Law's movies have become cult classics, including Danger: Diabolik, The Golden Voyage of Sinbad, Death Rides a Horse, Attack Force Z, and The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming. 

Death of John Phillip Law
Cause of death is not known,  John Phillip Law was 70 years old at the time of his death

Death Rides a Hourse - US Film Trailer

Eddy Arnold (May 15, 1918 – May 8, 2008) was an American country music singer who was second to George Jones in the number of individual hits on the country charts but, according to a formula derived by Joel Whitburn, is the all-time leader in an overall ranking for hits and their time on the charts. From 1945 through 1983 he had 145 charted songs, including 28 number-one hits.

Death of Eddy Arnold
Eddy performed his final concert on May 16, 1999 (the day after his 81st birthday) at the Hotel Orleans in Las Vegas. He married the former Sally Gayhart in November of 1942. She preceded him in death in March of 2008 following hip replacement surgery. The couple were the parents of a son and a daughter, "Dickie" and Jo Ann. Arnold died on May 8, 2008 in Nashville, Tennessee. Both Eddy and Sally were survived at the times of their deaths by their children, "Dickie" and Jo Ann, as well as two grandchildren and four great-grandchildren

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Richard Widmark (December 26, 1914 - March 24, 2008) was an Academy Award-nominated American film actor.

For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Widmark has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6800 Hollywood Boulevard. In 2002, he was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Death of Richard Widmark
Richard Widmark was 93 years old at the time of his death.
Richard's wife stated that he had a fractured a vertebra recently which worsened his condition. We don't know the exact cause of his death. But Richard Widmark had an illness for a long time.

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Brad Barron Renfro (July 25, 1982 – January 15, 2008) was an American actor.

Death of Brad Renfro:
Brad Renfro, aged 25, was found dead January 15, 2008, in his home. According to Craig Harvey, chief investigator for the Los Angeles County coroner's office, paramedics pronounced him dead at 9 a.m. The cause of death was not immediately determined, Harvey said, but an autopsy could be conducted as early as Wednesday. Renfro had reportedly been drinking with friends the evening before his death, Harvey said.

Latest: Brad Renfro had a secret Son, known as "Y".

The cause of death has yet to be determined

Renfro's lawyer, Richard Kaplan, said he did not know whether the death was connected to any problems with addiction. The actor struggled with drugs and alcohol, but "he was working hard on his sobriety," Kaplan said. "He was doing well. He was a nice person." The actor served 10 days in jail in May 2006 after pleading no contest to driving while intoxicated and guilty to attempted possession of heroin. The latter charge stemmed from his arrest in Los Angeles' Skid Row area, when he attempted to buy heroin from an undercover officer in 2005. For several years he was better known for that drug bust and the resulting criminal case than for acting. After one court appearance, he talked to reporters about drug rehabilitation, saying he was "tired of paying the consequences" for drinking and drug use and eager to get clean.

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Dick Wilson (born Riccardo DiGuglielmo; July 30, 1916 – November 19, 2007), was a British-born American character actor who played the role of finicky grocery store manager Mr. (George) Whipple in over 500 Charmin toilet paper television commercials (1965–1989, 1999). In appreciation for his performance of the recognizable character, Procter & Gamble famously provided Wilson with a free lifetime supply of Charmin

Death
Wilson died at the Motion Picture and Television Hospital in Woodland Hills, California, United States. Cause of death was not specified.  Dick Wilson was 91 years old at the time of his death.  Wilson was survived by his wife Meg, daughters Wendy and actress Melanie Wilson of the ABC sitcom Perfect Strangers, and five grandchildren. He was Buried at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles.

• Dick Wilson Biography, Filmography 
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Charmin Commercial - Dick Wilson as Mr. Whipple

Kevin DuBrow (October 29, 1955 – November 19, 2007) was an American rock vocalist, best known as the lead singer of the heavy metal band Quiet Riot. During Quiet Riot's commercial heyday in the 1980s, Dubrow was known for his on-stage charisma, gravelly bluesy voice, and suspenders.

Kevin DuBrow Death
Kevin DuBrow was found dead On November 25, 2007.
The cause of death has yet to be reported.
Kevin DuBrow was 52 years old at the time of his death.

The Vegas Eye reported on its website that DuBrow was found dead on that day in his apartment in Las Vegas. Drummer Frankie Banali confirmed DuBrow's death in an email to Spain's The Metal Circus. Banali wrote:

"Please respect my privacy as I mourn the passing and honor the memory of my dearest friend Kevin DuBrow."

Friends and former bandmates are said to be shocked.

These initial reports were confirmed by local authorities and reported by major news outlets on November 26, 2007. The cause of death has yet to be reported. According to local police, there was no forced entry and no suspicious circumstances were reported. KTNV in Las Vegas reported that he had passed away about six days prior to his discovery

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One of the best heavy metal songs, sang by Kevin DuBrow with Quiet Riot

 
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Lilian Ellison (July 22, 1923 – November 2, 2007) better known by her ring name The Fabulous Moolah, was a female professional wrestler who was marketed by World Wrestling Entertainment for holding the record for the longest title reign by any athlete in any professional sport. She was well known as being the first NWA and WWF Women's Champion.

Fabulous Moolah's Death

Fabulous Moolah died iin Columbia South Carolina.
Fabulous Moolah was 84 years old at the time of her death.

Championships and accomplishments

• National Wrestling Alliance
  NWA Women's Championship (5 times) (First)
• World Wrestling Federation
  WWF Women's Championship (4 times) (First)
• WWF Hall of Fame (Class of 1995)

• Fabulous Moolah biography 
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Joey Bishop (February 3, 1918 – October 17, 2007) was an American entertainer, perhaps best remembered as being a member of the "Rat Pack" with Frank Sinatra, Peter Lawford, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr. He was the last survivor of that group of entertainers.

In 1941, Bishop married Sylvia Ruzga, who died in 1999. They had one son, Larry Bishop.

Bishop appeared on television as early as 1948 and was a frequent guest on television talk shows, game shows, and comedy shows. He is listed as #96 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 greatest standups of all time.

Bishop was the last living member of The Rat Pack and was also the longest-lived member.

Cause of Death
Publicist and longtime friend, Warren Cowan, announced Bishop died of multiple causes at his home in Newport Beach, CA on October 17, 2007.  Joey Bishop was 89 years old at the time of his death.

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Maxwell Lemuel "Max" Roach (January 10, 1924 – August 16, 2007) was a bebop/hard bop percussionist, drummer, and composer. He worked with many of the greatest jazz musicians, including Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus, Sonny Rollins and Clifford Brown. Roach also led his own groups, and made numerous musical statements relating to the civil rights movement of African-Americans. He is generally considered to be one of the most important drummers in history. Member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.

Death
Max Roach was 83 years old at the time of his death.  Cause of death was not known. but he had suffered for years from a neurological disorder.

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Charles Lane (born as Charles Gerstle Levison January 26, 1905 – July 9, 2007) was an American character actor seen in many movies and TV shows, and at the time of his death was the oldest living American actor. Lane appeared in many Frank Capra films, including Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Arsenic and Old Lace, and It's a Wonderful Life.

Cause of death: unknown (he was 102 years old at his death)

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Charles Lane 100 yr celebration, TV clips review

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Kerwin Mathews (January 8, 1926 – July 5, 2007) was an American actor. He is best known for playing Sinbad in the 1958 Ray Harryhausen stop-motion animation feature The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad, where he engaged in a sword fight with animated skeletons.

Death
He died in his sleep in San Francisco on July 5, 2007 at the age of 81.

Biography
Mathews was born in Seattle, Washington, USA. He attended Janesville High School in Janesville, Wisconsin, where he had moved with his mother after his parents divorced. Mathews said that "a kind high school teacher put me in a play, and that changed my life." According to a classmate, he was a "handsome rascal" even then.After serving in the Army Air Forces, he attended and performed at nearby Milton College for two years before transferring to Beloit College on drama and music scholarships. Before acting, he was briefly a high school teacher in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin

After moving to Los Angeles in 1954, Mathews acted at the Pasadena Playhouse, where he met the head of casting for Columbia Pictures, leading to a seven-year studio contract.

Mathews was best known for his roles in fantasy movies in the 1950s and 1960s, particularly Jack the Giant Killer and The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad. He also notably played Lemuel Gulliver in Harryhausen's 1960 The 3 Worlds of Gulliver. He retired from acting in 1978.

Although he felt typecast, he "looked fondly" on his Hollywood career, with his favorite role Johann Strauss II in the Disney two-part telefilm The Waltz King.

After retirement, he moved to San Francisco, where he ran a clothing and antiques shop. He died in his sleep in San Francisco on July 5, 2007 at the age of 81. He leaves behind his partner of 46 years, Tom Nicoll.

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Ernest Gallo (March 18, 1909 – March 6, 2007) was the American co-founder of the E & J Gallo Winery, which recently changed its name to Gallo Family Vineyards. He was ranked 297th on the 2006 Forbes 400 list of billionaires.

After the death of his parents, Ernest and brother Julio (1910–1993), along with their wives Amelia (1910–1993) and Aileen (1913–1999), raised their thirteen-year-old little brother Joseph (1919–2007). In 1986, the brothers sued Joseph for using the Gallo name on his cheese labels. The brothers won and their relationship with Joseph was forever strained.

Ernest Gallo was married for sixty-two years to Amelia Franzia Gallo. When she died on December 22, 1993, Ernest released the following statement: "Amelia was a great wife, mother and grandmother, and a truly great lady. While her loss is very, very difficult for me, I feel fortunate and thankful I have had her for sixty-two memorable years." The couple had two sons: David, who died in 1997, and Joseph.

His younger brother, Joseph Gallo, died on February 17, 2007 at age eighty-seven. Weeks later, on March 6, 2007, Ernest Gallo died at his home in Modesto, California.

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Saddam Hussein (April 28, 1937 – December 30, 2006), was the President of Iraq from July 16, 1979, until April 9, 2003

Saddam was hanged on the first day of Eid ul-Adha, December 30, 2006, despite his wish to be shot (which he felt would be more dignified). The execution was carried out at "Camp Justice," an Iraqi army base in Kadhimiya, a neighborhood of northeast Baghdad. The execution was videotaped on a mobile phone, showing Saddam being taunted before his hanging. The video was leaked to electronic media, becoming the subject of global controversy.

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June Allyson (October 7, 1917 – July 8, 2006) was a Golden Globe-winning American film and television actress, popular in the 1940s and 1950s.

Death of June Allyson
June Allyson had been in failing health since undergoing a hip-replacement surgery, and died at her home in Ojai, California on July 8, 2006. She was 88 years old. Her death was a result of pulmonary respiratory failure and acute bronchitis. Her husband of nearly 30 years, David Ashrow, was at her side.

For her contribution to the motion picture industry, June Allyson received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1537 Vine Street.

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Claydes Charles Smith (September 6, 1948 – June 20, 2006) was an American musician best known as co-founder and lead guitarist of the group Kool & the Gang.

Born in Jersey City, New Jersey, he was introduced to jazz guitar by his father in the early 1960s.

Later in that decade he was in a group of New Jersey jazz musicians, including Ronald Bell (later Khalis Bayyan), Robert "Kool" Bell, George Brown, Dennis Thomas and Robert "Spike" Mickens, who became Kool & the Gang. Other members would include lead singer James "JT" Taylor.

Kool & the Gang grew from jazz roots in the 1960s to become one of the major groups of the 1970s, blending jazz, funk, R&B, and pop. Despite their popularity waning briefly, the group enjoyed a return to stardom during the 1980s.[1]

Illness forced Smith to stop touring with the group in January 2006. He died in Maplewood, New Jersey.

Smith, who was known professionally as Charles Smith, wrote the hits "Joanna" and "Take My Heart," and was a co-writer of others, including "Celebration," "Hollywood Swinging," and "Jungle Boogie."

Smith is survived by his six children -- Claydes A. Smith, Justin Smith, Aaron Corbin, August Williams, Uranus Guray, and Tyteen Humes -- and nine grandchildren.