Year: 2010

Fess Elisha Parker, Jr.
Born: August 16, 1924 Fort Worth, Texas, United States
Died: March 18, 2010 (aged 85) California, United States

Fess Elisha Parker, Jr. was an American film and television actor best known for his 1950s portrayals of Davy Crockett for Walt Disney and of Daniel Boone in the late 1960s. He was also known as a wine maker and resort owner-operator.

Death of Fess Parker
Fess Parker died of complications from old age.
Fess Parker was 85 years old at the time of his death.

Fess Parker’s Filmography continues next page

Fess Parker Filmography

    * Harvey (1950)
    * No Room for the Groom (1952)
    * Untamed Frontier (1952)
    * Springfield Rifle (1952)
    * Take Me to Town (1953)
    * The Kid from Left Field (1953)
    * Island in the Sky (1953)
    * Thunder Over the Plains (1953)
    * Dragonfly Squadron (1954)
    * Them! (1954)
    * The Bounty Hunter (1954)
    * Battle Cry (1955)
    * Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier (1955)
    * The Great Locomotive Chase (1956)
    * Davy Crockett and the River Pirates (1956)
    * Westward Ho, The Wagons! (1956)
    * Old Yeller (1957)
    * The Light in the Forest (1958)
    * The Hangman (1959)
    * Alias Jesse James (1959)
    * The Jayhawkers! (1959)
    * Hell Is for Heroes (1962)
    * Smoky (1966)
    * Daniel Boone: Frontier Trail Rider (1966)

Television

    * City Detective, (1 episode, 1955)
    * Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1962-1963)
    * Daniel Boone (lead cast member from 1964-1970, with Ed Ames, Patricia Blair, Darby Hinton, and Veronica Cartwright)
    * Climb an Angry Mountain (1972)
    * The Fess Parker Show (1974) (unsold pilot)

William Alexander Chilton
Born: December 28, 1950, Memphis, Tennessee
Died: March 17, 2010, New Oleans, (aged 59)

Alex Chilton was an American songwriter, guitarist, singer and producer best known for his work with the pop-music  bands the Box Tops and Big Star. Chilton’s early commercial sales success in the 1960s as a teen vocalist for the Box Tops was not repeated in later years with Big Star and in his indie music solo career on small labels, but he did draw a loyal following in the indie and alternative music fields.

Death of Alex Chilton:
Chilton was taken to hospital in New Orleans on March 17, 2010, complaining of health problems, and died the same day of a suspected heart attack. He is survived by his wife, Laura and son, Timothy.

Box Tops, The Letter – Alex Chilton Singing

Born: Peter Aurness March 18, 1926 Minneapolis, Minnesota
Died: March 14, 2010 (aged 83) Pacific Palisades, California

Peter Graves was an American  film and television  actor. He was known for his starring role in the television series Mission: Impossible from 1967 to 1973, and its revival, from 1988 to 1990. He was the younger brother of character actor James Arness.

Death of Peter Graves
Graves died on March 14, 2010, just four days prior to his 84th birthday. He collapsed outside his home in Pacific Palisades, shortly after returning from a Sunday brunch with his family. His daughter tried to revive him, but failed. According to Graves’ business manager, Graves died of a heart attack

Awards
Peter Graves won a Golden Globe Award in 1971 for his role as Jim Phelps in the series Mission: Impossible.
He won an Emmy Award for outstanding informational series in 1997 as host of A&E Biography

Hollywood Walk of Fame
Peter Graves’ star was added just 5 months before his death

Airplane – Trailer

Peter Graves’ Filmography Next Page

Peter Grave Filmography

    * Winning Your Wings (1942) (short subject)
    * Up Front (1951)
    * Fort Defiance (1951)
    * The Congregation (1952)
    * Red Planet Mars (1952)
    * Stalag 17 (1953)
    * War Paint (1953)
    * East of Sumatra (1953)
    * Beneath the 12-Mile Reef (1953)
    * Killers from Space (1954)
    * The Yellow Tomahawk (1954)
    * The Raid (1954)
    * Black Tuesday (1954)
    * Fort Yuma (1955)
    * The Long Gray Line (1955)
    * Robbers’ Roost (1955)
    * Wichita (1955)
    * The Naked Street (1955)
    * The Night of the Hunter (1955)
    * The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell (1955)
    * It Conquered the World (1956)
    * Hold Back the Night (1956)
    * Canyon River (1956)
    * Beginning of the End (1957)
    * Bayou (1957)
    * Death in Small Doses (1957)

    * Wolf Larsen (1958)
    * A Stranger in My Arms (1959)
    * A Rage to Live (1965)
    * Texas Across the River (1966)
    * The Ballad of Josie (1967)
    * Mission: Impossible vs. the Mob (1968) (compilation of episodes released to European theaters)
    * Sergeant Ryker (1968)
    * The Five Man Army (1969)
    * Where Have All The People Gone? (1974) (TV movie)
    * Scream of the Wolf (1974)
    * Sidecar Racers (1975)
    * The Mysterious Monsters (1976) (documentary) (narrator)
    * High Seas Hijack (1978) (in English version)
    * The Clonus Horror (1979)
    * Survival Run (1980)
    * Airplane! (1980)
    * The Guns and the Fury (1981)
    * Savannah Smiles (1982)
    * Airplane II: The Sequel (1982)
    * The Winds of War (1983)
    * Number One with a Bullet (1987)
    * War and Remembrance (1988)
    * Addams Family Values (1993)
    * House on Haunted Hill (1999)
    * Men in Black II (2002)
    * Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003)

Merlin Jay Olsen
Born     September 15, 1940 Logan, Utah
Died     March 10, 2010 (aged 69) Duarte, California

Merlin Olsen was a former American football player in the National Football League and an actor. He played his entire 15-year career with the Los Angeles Rams and was elected to the Pro Bowl  in 14 of those seasons, a current record shared with Bruce Matthews. He is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame. As an actor he portrayed Jonathan Garvey on Little House on the Prairie. After leaving that series, he starred in his own NBC drama, Father Murphy, playing the title role of a traveling priest.

NFL Career
Olsen played professionally (from 1962 to 1976) for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League. A leading defensive star of his era, he missed only two games in his 15-season NFL career. He was named the NFL’s Rookie of the Year in 1962 and was First-team All-Pro in 1964, and 1966 through 1970. He was voted Second-team All-Pro in 1965, 1973 and 1974.

Acting Career
He also enjoyed success as an actor. When Little House on the Prairie actor Victor French left to star in his own comedy Carter Country in 1977, Olsen was tapped to play Michael Landon’s new sidekick Jonathan Garvey for several years. One memorable quote from Merlin during the series, "I don’t know nothin’ bout football!" was when Charles and Jonathan were to coach a boys football team. A couple of years later, Landon cast Olsen as the eponymous Father Murphy.

Illness and Death of Merlin Olsen
Merlin Olsen was diagnosed with mesothelioma  in 2009  and underwent three courses of chemotherapy. In January 2010 he filed a lawsuit against NBC Studios, NBC Universal, and 20th Century Fox for exposing him to asbestos.  Merlin’s brother Orrin Olsen announced that he died on March 11, 2010, aged 69, following Merlin’s brief battle with cancer.

Merlin Olsen on LIttle House on the Prairie

Corey Ian Haim (December 23, 1971 – March 10, 2010)
Born: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Died: North Hollywood, California (38)

Corey Haim was a Canadian  actor, known for a 1980s Hollywood career as a teen idol. He starred or co-starred in a number of films such as Lucas, Murphy’s Romance, The Lost Boys, License to Drive and Dream a Little Dream. Most notably, he collaborated numerous times with Corey Feldman, the pair being dubbed "The Two Coreys". Haim and Feldman starred in a TV ‘reality’ show titled The Two Coreys, which aired on the A&E Network from 2007 to 2008.

• Corey Haim filed for bankruptcy in 1997.
• In the 2000s, Corey Haims spent time in rehab for addiction (Valium & etc.)
• Corey Haim was living with his mother in the apartment.
• His partner & friend Corey Feldman once refused to have contacts with Haim until he recovered from his addiction.

Death of Corey Haim
Corey Haim was taken to Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, California and pronounced dead at 3:30 a.m.
Cory Haim was 38 years old at the time of his death.
Preliminary cause of death was accidental drug overdose. (Keep reading below)
* On May 4, 2010, the L.A. County Coroner’s office autopsy report revealed that Haim died of diffuse alveolar damage and pneumonia, together with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and coronary arteriosclerosis, ruled a natural death.  As to speculation about whether drugs were involved, the Coroner stated: "the toxicology report revealed no significant contributing factor."

Corey Haim in Lost Boys

Corey Haim’s Filmography continues next page

Cory Haim’s Filmography

    * The Edison Twins (1982) (TV)
    * Firstborn (1984)
    * Secret Admirer (1985)
    * Silver Bullet (1985)
    * A Time to Live (1985) (TV)
    * Murphy’s Romance (1985)
    * Lucas (1986)
    * Roomies (1987) (TV)
    * The Lost Boys (1987)
    * Watchers (1988)
    * License to Drive (1988)
    * Dream a Little Dream (1989)
    * The Dream Machine (1990)
    * Fast Getaway (1991)
    * Prayer of the Rollerboys (1991)
    * Oh, What a Night (1992)
    * The Double 0 Kid (1992)
    * Blown Away (1992)
    * Double Switch (1993) (VG)
    * Anything for Love (1993)
    * Fast Getaway II (1994)
    * National Lampoon’s Last Resort (1994)
    * Dream a Little Dream 2 (1995)
    * Life 101 (1995)
    * Snowboard Academy (1996)
    * Shooter on the Side (1996)
    * Fever Lake (1996) (V)
    * Demolition High (1996)
    * Busted (1996)
    * Never Too Late (1997)
    * Demolition University (1997) (V)
    * Merlin (1998) (TV)
    * Without Malice (2000) (TV)
    * The Back Lot Murders (2002)
    * Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star (2003)
    * Universal Groove (2007)
    * Lost Boys: The Tribe (2008)
    * Crank: High Voltage (2009)
    * Shark City (2009)
    * Terminal Hotel (2009)[20]
    * American Sunset (2009)
    * Trade In (2009)
    * The Girl (2010)
    * The Pick Up (2010)
    * SAD (Standard American Diet)

Nan Martin
Born: Decatur, Illinois, U.S.
Died: Malibu, California, U.S. (82 years old)

Nan Martin (July 15, 1927 – March 4, 2010) was an American actress who starred in movies and on television.

Born in Decatur, Illinois and raised in Santa Monica, California, her first film role was The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit (1956). Her other film roles included The Mugger (1958), Doctor Detroit (1983), All of Me (1984), A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987) where she played the role of Amanda Krueger, the mother of killer Freddy Krueger. Her last film role is in 2005’s Thicker than Water.

Martin starred on Mr. Sunshine. Her other well known roles were in the 1983 miniseries The Thorn Birds and on the soap opera Santa Barbara. She had a recurring role on the ABC hit TV series The Drew Carey Show as Mrs. Lauder. She made many guest appearances on various television series, some of those appearances range from Ben Casey, The Untouchables, The Twilight Zone, and Star Trek: The Next Generation  as Victoria Miller in the season 1 episode "Haven", and she played Rose, the secretary of murderer Alex Brady in the Columbo television movie, Murder, Smoke and Shadows.

She appeared on two episodes of The Golden Girls: first as the mean-spirited and nasty Frieda Claxton, who was told to drop dead by Rose Nylund, which she did. She also portrayed Philomena, a friend of Sophia Petrillo’s from Sicily, who claimed that Dorothy was really her daughter and not Sophia’s.

Death of Nan Martin
Nan Martin died of complications of emphysema.
Nan Martin was 82 years old at the time of her death.

Nan Martin on Drew Carey Show as Mrs. Lauder (Boss)
(first 1 minute)

If I have to pick 5 celebrities I miss the most…

* I miss them, which means I have clear memories of them when they were alive.

1. Michael Jackson
2. Johnny Carson
3. Patrick Swayze
4. Hal Fishman (local TV news anchor)
5. Frank Sinatra

I miss them a lot.

* It’s not easy to pick only 5 favorites out of hundreds of dead celebrities.  But, that’s the whole point of this post (to think real hard and pick only 5).

Of course, it’s perfectly fine if you cannot pick any less than 10. 

Joshua Andrew Koenig (August 17, 1968 – February 25, 2010), also known as Josh Andrew Koenig or Andrew Koenig, was an American character actor, film director, editor and writer. His father is actor Walter Koenig known for his role Pavel Chekov in Star Trek.

Koenig played Richard "Boner" Stabone on ABC sitcom Growing Pains. He also had a minor role in "Sanctuary," an episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

Andrew Koenig is the son of actor Walter Koenig (who played "Chekov" in the original television version of Star Trek) and his wife, Judy Levitt.

His brother-in-law is stand-up comedian Jimmy Pardo, who is married to Koenig’s sister Danielle Koenig.

Disappearance & Discovery of Body
In February 2010, Koenig was reported missing by friends and family. He was last seen near a bakery in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada on February 14, and missed a scheduled flight back to the U.S. on February 16. According to his parents, Koenig left evidence that he was depressed prior to his disappearance.  On February 25, 2010, it was reported by CNN that his body was found by friends searching for him in Stanley Park in Vancouver.  Police later confirmed Koenig’s body was found earlier in the day, and Koenig’s father told reporters at an evening press conference that his son took his own life

Kathryn Grayson (February 9, 1922 – February 17, 2010) was an American actress and operatic soprano singer.

Grayson was contracted to MGM and was given lead roles in such films as Show Boat (1951) and Kiss Me Kate (1953). She was paired with Howard Keel and Mario Lanza in some of her films.

She progressed to theatre work including the highly successful Camelot from 1962 until 1964. During the 1960s, she performed in several operas, including La bohème, Madama Butterfly, Orpheus in the Underworld and La traviata.

Personal life & Death of Kathryn Grayson
In Hollywood she married twice, first to the actor John Shelton and then to the actor/singer Johnnie Johnston. Both marriages ended in divorce. Her second marriage produced her only child, her daughter Patricia Kathryn Johnston (b. October 7, 1948).

Grayson died in her sleep at her home in Los Angeles, California on February 17, 2010, at the age of 88

Kathryn Grayson and Carl Esmond – "You and the Waltz and I"

Kathryn Grayson’s Filmography continues on next page

Kathryn Grayson Filmography

1941     Andy Hardy’s Private Secretary
1942     The Vanishing Virginian
1942     Rio Rita
1942     Seven Sweethearts
1943     Thousands Cheer
1945     Anchors Aweigh     Susan Abbott     
1946     Ziegfeld Follies
1946     Two Sisters from Boston
1946     Till the Clouds Roll By
1947     It Happened in Brooklyn
1948     The Kissing Bandit
1949     That Midnight Kiss
1949     Some of the Best
1950     The Toast of New Orleans
1951     Grounds for Marriage
1951    Show Boat
1952     Lovely to Look At
1953     The Desert Song
1953     So This Is Love
1953     Kiss Me Kate
1956     The Vagabond King
1977     The Amazing World of Psychic Phenomena
1994     A Century of Cinema
2003     Cole Porter in Hollywood: Too Darn Hot
2004     The Masters Behind the Musicals