Estelle Bennett (July 22, 1941 – February 11, 2009) was a member of the girl group The Ronettes, along with her sister Ronnie Spector and cousin Nedra Talley. After the Ronettes’ 1966 break-up, she recorded a single for Laurie Records, "The Year 2000/The Naked Boy". She then quit the music business and had rarely been seen since. She got married (last name Dong) and raised a family.
In 2007, when the group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, she refused to perform with them, and spoke only a brief two sentences during her acceptance speech, "I would just like to say, thank you very much for giving us this award. I’m Estelle of the Ronettes, thank you."
Death of Estelle Bennett Estelle Bennett died on February 11, aged 67
Jeremy Lusk (November 24, 1984 – February 9, 2009) was an American freestyle motocross racer from San Diego, California.
He won gold and silver medals at the 2008 X Games. He won a bronze helmet in the 2008 Moto X World Championships.
Death of Jeremy Lusk On February 7, 2009, Lusk crashed while attempting to land a Hart Attack backflip in a freestyle motocross competition in Costa Rica. He died of head injuries on February 10, 2009. At the time of his death, he lived in Temecula, California.
* There are Jeremy Lusk’s videos of the accident at youtube. That video will not be posted here.
Molly Bee, born Mollie Gene Beachboard and also known as Molly Muncy (August 18, 1939 – February 7, 2009), was an American country music singer who became a popular teenage star on the 1950s TV show Hometown Jamboree.
She was born in Oklahoma City. She had her first major recording success at the age of 13 with I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus. This was followed by at least three more hit singles, and a brief acting career. On February 7, 2009, Bee died of complications relating to a stroke, at the Tri-City Medical Center in Oceanside, California. She was 69
Blossom Dearie (April 28, 1926 – February 7, 2009) was an American jazz singer and pianist, often performing in the bebop genre and known for her "distinctive, girlish voice".
Death of Blossom Dearlie Dearie died on February 7, 2009, at her apartment in Greenwich Village, New York City
In 1974, Dearie established her own label, Daffodil Records. Her distinctive voice and songs have been featured on the soundtracks of several films, including Kissing Jessica Stein, My Life Without Me, The Squid and the Whale and The Adventures of Felix. She has also recorded with various musicians, including Lyle Lovett.
Dearie continued to perform in clubs until 2007. One of the last remaining supper-club performers, she performed regular engagements in London and New York City over many years
James Allen Whitmore, Jr. (October 1, 1921 – February 6, 2009) was an American two-time Academy Award-nominated, Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning film actor.
Death of Jame Whitmore Whitmore was diagnosed with lung cancer in November of 2008. He died of the disease, at his home in Malibu, California, James Whitmore was 87 years old at the time of his death.
Biography Following World War II, Whitmore appeared on Broadway in the role of the Sergeant in Command Decision. MGM hired Whitmore on contract, however his role in the film was played by Van Johnson. Whitmore’s first major movie was Battleground that was turned down by Spencer Tracy, for which Whitmore was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Other major films included The Asphalt Jungle, The Next Voice You Hear, Above and Beyond, Kiss Me, Kate, Them!, Oklahoma!, Black Like Me, Guns of the Magnificent Seven, Tora! Tora! Tora!, and Give ’em Hell, Harry!, for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of former President of the United States Harry S Truman.
To a younger generation, he was probably best known, in addition to his role in The Shawshank Redemption, as the commercial spokesman for Miracle-Gro plant food for many years.
Brooks Commits Suicide – James Whitmore as Brooks
James Whitmore’s Filmography continues next page
James Whitmore’s Filmography
The Majestic (2001) Here s To Life (2000) Behind the Planet of the Apes (1998) The Relic (1997) Wild Bill, Hollywood Maverick: The Life and Times of William A. Wellman (1996) The Shawshank Redemption (1994) Where The Red Fern Grows – Pt. 1 & 2 (1992) Old Explorers (1990) Glory! Glory! (1988) All My Sons (1987) Frontier Heritage (1987) Nuts (1987) Celebrity (1985) The Adventures of Mark Twain (1985) The Killing of Randy Webser (1981) Rage (1980) The First Deadly Sin (1980) Bully (1978) The Word (1978) The Serpent’s Egg (1977) Give ‘Em Hell, Harry! (1975) I Will Fight No More Forever (1975) Where the Red Fern Grows (1974) High Crime (1973) The Harrad Experiment (1973) Chato’s Land (1971) Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970) Guns of the Magnificent Seven (1969) Madigan (1968) Nobody’s Perfect (1968) Planet of the Apes (1968) Chuka (1967) Waterhole Number 3 (1967) Black Like Me (1964) Who Was That Lady? (1960) Face of Fire (1959) The Restless Years (1958) The Deep Six (1957) Crime in the Streets (1956) The Eddy Duchin Story (1956) The Last Frontier (1956) Battle Cry (1955) Oklahoma! (1955) The McConnell Story (1955) Them (1954) All the Brothers Were Valiant (1953) Kiss Me Kate (1953) The Girl Who Had Everything (1953) The Great Diamond Robbery (1953) Above and Beyond (1952) Because You’re Mine (1952) The Next Voice You Hear (1950) Battleground (1949) Ray Bradbury Dancing Among the Muses
Shirley Jean Rickert (March 25, 1926 – February 6, 2009) was an American child actress who was briefly the "blonde girl" for the Our Gang series in 1931, during the Roach talkie period. She left the "Our Gang" to work at Mickey Rooney’s comedy show.
After the series, she had a brief movie career, followed by a string of jobs including driving trucks for the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. She also worked in burlesque as Gilda and Her Crowning Glory. Until her death, she performed quilting and worked with her daughter and grandchild.
Death of Shirley Jean Rickert Shirley Jean Rickert died February 6, 2009 in Saratoga Springs, New York. Shirley Jean Rickert died after a long illness.
Philip Carey (July 15, 1925 – February 6, 2009) was an American actor.
A former U.S. Marine, Carey made appearances in films such as This Woman is Dangerous with Joan Crawford (1952) Calamity Jane (1953), Pushover (1954) and Monster (1979).
From 1965-1967, Carey played Captain Edward Parmalee on the NBC western television series Laredo, set in the South Texas city located on the Rio Grande. After Laredo, Carey guest starred in an episode of ABC’s military-western Custer starring Wayne Maunder in the title role.
From 1979 until late 2007, he has played the protective Texan patriarch Asa Buchanan on the ABC soap opera, One Life to Live.
Death of Philip Carey Philip Carey died of lung cancer Philip Carey was 83 years old at the time of his death. Philip Carey was diagnosed with lung cancer in January 2006 and underwent chemotherapy.
On February 5, 2009, the Supreme Court released a statement that Justice Bader Ginsburg had been hospitalized at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center for surgery for pancreatic cancer, and is expected to remain in the hospital for seven to ten days, according to her surgeon, Dr. Murray Brennan. This has been confirmed by several news outlets, including the Associated Press, Fox News, and NBC News. This is Ginsburg’s second bout with cancer. She had surgery for for colorectal cancer in 1999 and underwent chemotherapy for eight months
Ruth Joan Bader Ginsburg (born March 15, 1933, Brooklyn, New York) is an Associate Justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. She was appointed by Democratic President Bill Clinton with the support of Republican Judiciary Chairman Sen. Orrin Hatch in 1993 and generally votes with the liberal wing of the court. She is the second female Justice, Sandra Day O’Conner being the first, and the first Jewish woman to serve on the Supreme Court.
Clint Ritchie (August 9, 1938 – January 31, 2009) was an American actor.
He is best known for his role as Clinton "Clint" Buchanan, husband of Victoria "Viki" Lord (played by Erika Slezak) on the ABC soap opera, One Life to Live. He portrayed this role from 1979 through 1998, with recurring stints in 1999, 2003, and 2004.
He co-starred and guest starred in numerous television Westerns during the 1950s and 1960s, including the 1965 pilot for the long-running "Wild, Wild West." He also appeared on Batman and later played one of the airplane pilots in the 1974 disaster film Earthquake. He also appeared in many major motion pictures, especially while under contract to Twentieth-Century Fox, including but not limited to "The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre,""Bandolero,""A Force of One," and had a very memorable scene with George C. Scott in the Oscar-winning "Patton." His television movie roles included "Centennial" and "Three Desperate Women." Later, he would appear on "Roseanne" as "Clint Buchanan" with costars Robert S. Woods and John Loprieno.
Death of Clint Ritchie In late January 2009, Ritchie had surgery to implant a pacemaker. Although the surgery was successful, a blood clot traveled to his brain, resulting in a massive stroke. He died a few days later at about 4:00 a.m. on January 31, 2009. He was 70.
Dewey Martin (September 30, 1940 – January 31, 2009) was a Canadian rock drummer, best known for his work with Buffalo Springfield.
Death of Dewey Martin Dewey Martin died of unknown causes. Dewey Martin was 68 years old at the time of his death
Dewey Martin Biography Dewey Martin (real name: Walter Milton Dwayne Midkiff) started playing drums when he was about 13-years-old. After leaving Canada in the early 1960s, Martin worked as an itinerant drummer for many of country music’s greatest artists, including Carl Perkins, The Everly Brothers, Patsy Cline, Charlie Rich, Faron Young and Roy Orbison among others. In 1963, he travelled to Las Vegas with Faron Young’s band and then Los Angeles where he decided to stay.
Dewey Martin staid with Buffalo Springfield from its inception in April 1966 to its disbandment on May 5, 1968. During his time with the group, Martin also did session work for The Monkees.
When the original band broke up Martin formed a new version in September 1968. Dubbed "New Buffalo Springfield".
On February 5, 2009, the Supreme Court released a statement that Justice Bader Ginsburg had been hospitalized at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center for surgery for pancreatic cancer, and is expected to remain in the hospital for seven to ten days, according to her surgeon, Dr. Murray Brennan. This has been confirmed by several news outlets, including the Associated Press, Fox News, and NBC News. This is Ginsburg’s second bout with cancer. She had surgery for for colorectal cancer in 1999 and underwent chemotherapy for eight months