Year: 2011

Susan Elizabeth Rotolo (November 20, 1943 – February 24, 2011) known as Suze Rotolo (pronounced Soo-zee), was an American artist, perhaps best known as Bob Dylan’s girlfriend between 1961 and 1964. She is the woman walking with him on the cover of his album The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan. In her book, A Freewheelin’ Time: A Memoir of Greenwich Village in the Sixties, Rotolo described her time with Dylan and other figures in the folk music scene in Greenwich Village, New York. She also discussed her upbringing as a "red diaper" baby—a child of radicals during the McCarthy Era. Later as an artist Rotolo specialized in artists’ books and taught at the Parsons School of Design in New York City.

Death of Suze Rotolo
Rotolo died in New York on 24 February 2011, aged 67, following a long illness.

Perry Moore (November 4th, 1971 – February 17, 2011) was an American author, screenwriter, and film director. He was best known as the executive producer of The Chronicles of Narnia film series and the author of the award-winning book Hero (about a gay teenage superhero).

Death of Perry Moore
Moore was openly gay and lived in New York City with Hunter Hill (a writer for Paper magazine). He died of an apparent drug overdose at his home in New York City on February 17, 2011. He was 39 years old. His body was discovered by his life-partner Hill.

Leonard King "Len" Lesser (December 3, 1922 – February 16, 2011) was an American actor. He was best known for his recurring role as Uncle Leo on Seinfeld, which began during the show’s second season in "The Pony Remark" episode.

Before he played the role of Uncle Leo, Lesser worked for years in film, TV and on stage. His resume includes projects with Clint Eastwood, Barbra Streisand, Lee Marvin, Dustin Hoffman and Steve McQueen. Lesser has appeared on American television steadily since 1955 on scores of TV classics such as The Monkees, "Bat Masterson," The Outer Limits, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Get Smart, Quincy, The Rockford Files, Mad About You, All in the Family, Boy Meets World, and, most recently, Castle. He has also appeared in a variety of films such as The Outlaw Josey Wales, including a key role in the Clint Eastwood movie Kelly’s Heroes.

Death of Len Lesser
On February 16, 2011, Lesser died from cancer-related pneumonia in Burbank, California, at the age of 88.

"Can you blame her?"

Sir George Shearing, OBE (August 13, 1919 – February 14, 2011) was an Anglo-American jazz pianist who for many years led a popular jazz group which recorded for MGM Records and Capitol Records. The composer of over 300 titles, he had multiple albums on the Billboard charts during the 1950s, 1960s, 1980s and 1990s.

He became known for a piano technique known as Shearing’s voicing, a type of double melody block chord, with an additional fifth part that doubles the melody an octave lower. George Shearing credited the Glenn Miller Orchestra’s reed section of the late 1930s and early 1940s as an important influence.

Shearing’s interest in classical music resulted in some performances with concert orchestras in the 1950s and 1960s, and his solos frequently drew upon the music of Satie, Delius and Debussy for inspiration.

Death of George Shearing
George Shearing died of heart failure in February 2011 in New York City
George Shearing was 91 old at the time of his death

Lullaby of Birdland – George Shearing – 1987 

George Shearig (piano) with Mel torme (sining) – Berlin 89 part 4

Betty Garrett (May 23, 1919 – February 12, 2011) was an American actress, comedienne, singer and dancer who originally performed on Broadway before being signed to a film contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. While there, she appeared in several musical films before returning to Broadway and making guest appearances on several television series.

Later, she became known for the roles she played in two prominent 1970s sitcoms: Archie Bunker’s liberal neighbor Irene Lorenzo in All in the Family and landlady Edna Babish in Laverne & Shirley.

In later years, Garrett appeared in television series such as Grey’s Anatomy, Boston Public and Becker as well as in several Broadway plays and revivals.

Betty Garrett won a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film for a role of landlady Edna Babish in Laverne & Shirley.

Death of Betty Garrett
Betty Garrett died of an aortic aneurysm in Los Angeles on February 12, 2011,
Betty Garrett was 91 years old at the time of her death.

Betty Garrett Montage – Betty Garrett’s 90th Birthday Bash

Kenneth Mars (April 14, 1936 – February 12, 2011) was an American television, movie and voice actor. He may be best-remembered for his roles in several Mel Brooks films: the insane Nazi playwright Franz Liebkind in 1968’s The Producers, and the relentless Police Inspector Hans Wilhelm Fredrich Kemp in 1974’s Young Frankenstein.

He voiced the roles of Ariel’s father King Triton in The Little Mermaid, and Littlefoot’s Grandpa Longneck in The Land Before Time movie series and the spin-off television series.

Death of Kenneth Mars
Kenneth Mars died of pancreatic cancer.
Kenneth Mars was 75 years old at the time of his death.

The Producers (1968) – Franz Liebkind (Kenneth Mars)

Marvin Sease (February 16, 1946 – February 8, 2011) was an American blues and soul singer, known for his racy lyrics.

Sease died of pneumonia in Vicksburg, Mississippi, on February 8, 2011, eight days before his 65th birthday

 Cany Licker (Warning, adult content)

1998 AFI’s 100 Years… 100 Movies #59

Some call it "Rebel Without a Cause Curse"

Rebel Without a Cause (1955) is a film directed by Nicholas Ray that tells the story of a rebellious teenager played by James Dean, who comes to a new town, meets a girl, defies his parents, and faces the local high school bullies. It sought to portray the existing decay of youth in middle America, critique parental style, and expose the rift between two generations. The title is taken from psychiatrist Robert Lindner’s 1944 book, Rebel Without A Cause: The Hypnoanalysis of a Criminal Psychopath but has no other relationship to the book.

In 1990, Rebel Without a Cause was added to the preserved films of the United States Library of Congress’s National Film Registry as being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

Cast with tragic death

• James Dean – Jim Stark
• Natalie Wood – Judy
• Sal Mineo – John "Plato" Crawford
• Nick Adams – Moose

James Dean
James Byron Dean (February 8, 1931 – September 30, 1955): Died in traffic accident at the age of 24. Accident was caused by opposit way driver hitting James Dean head on.

Natalie Wood
(July 20, 1938 – November 29, 1981) Her drowned body was found at Catalina Island, California. Aged 43

Salvatore "Sal" Mineo, Jr.
(January 10, 1939 – February 12, 1976) Arriving home after a rehearsal on February 12, 1976, Sal Mineo was stabbed to death in the alley behind a West Hollywood apartment building. He was 37 years old.

Nick Adams
(July 10, 1931 – February 7, 1968) His lawyer/friend Erwin Roeder found Nick Adams’ dead body at his house. He was 26 years old. Cause of death is still a mystery (accident, drug, suicide…)

Robert William Gary Moore (April 4, 1952 – February 6, 2011) known simply as Gary Moore, was a musician best recognized as a blues rock guitarist and singer from Belfast, Northern Ireland.

In a career dating back to the 1960s, Moore played with artists including Phil Lynott and Brian Downey as early as his secondary school days, leading him to membership with the Irish rock band Thin Lizzy on three separate occasions. Moore shared the stage with such blues and rock luminaries as B.B. King, Albert King, Colosseum II, Greg Lake and Skid Row (not to be confused with the glam metal band of the same name), as well as having a successful solo career. He guested on a number of albums recorded by high profile musicians, including a cameo appearance playing the lead guitar solo on "She’s My Baby" from Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3.

Death of Gary Moore
Gary Moore died at the age of 58, in the early hours of 6 February 2011, while on holiday at the Kempinski Hotel in Estepona, Spain. Cause of death is not known at this moment.

* As of February 8, 2011 – Reports indicate Gary Moore is likely to have died of heart atack.

Gary Moore – Parisenne Walkway (From "One Night In Dublin: A Tribute To Phil Lynott")
August 20th 2005

Gary Moore – Still Got The Blues (Live)

John Paul Getty III (November 4, 1956 – February, 5 2011) was the eldest of four children of Paul Getty and Gail Harris, the grandson of oil tycoon Jean Paul Getty, and the father of actor Balthazar Getty.

On July 10 1973, John Getty III was kidnapped in the Piazza Farnese in Rome.  The kidnappers cut off his ear and send it to a newspaper. Getty III was found alive in southern Italy on December 15, 1973, shortly after the ransom ($2.9 million) was paid. Several of the kidnappers were apprehended. Most of the ransom money was never recovered

Getty was an alcoholic and drug addict. In 1981, taking a cocktail of valium, methadone and alcohol resulted in liver failure and a stroke which left Getty quadriplegic and nearly blind

Death of John Paul Getty III
On February 5, 2011, Getty died at Wormsley, his home in Buckinghamshire, England after a long illness. He had been in poor health since his 1981 drug overdose. He is survived by his son.