Author: John

Roderick George “Roddy” Toombs (April 17, 1954 – July 31, 2015), better known by his ring name “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, was a Canadian professional wrestler, actor, and podcast host.

In professional wrestling, Piper is best recalled for his work with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, later WWE) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW) between 1984 and 2000. Although he was Canadian, because of his Scottish heritage he was billed as coming from Glasgow and was known for his signature kilt and bagpipe entrance music. He earned the nicknames “Rowdy” and “Hot Rod” by displaying his trademark “Scottish” rage, spontaneity, and quick wit. Industry veteran Ric Flair hailed Piper as “the most gifted entertainer in the history of professional wrestling”.

Roddy Piper cause of death

On July 31, 2015, Piper died in his sleep at the age of 61, in his home in Hollywood, California. His death certificate attributes this to cardiopulmonary arrest caused by hypertension, listing a pulmonary embolism as a contributing factor; TMZ reported this as a heart attack caused by the embolism. Piper is survived by his wife, Kitty, their four children and four grandchildren.

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Repo Man vs. Roddy Piper

Lynn Rene Anderson (September 26, 1947 – July 30, 2015) was a multi-award-winning American country music singer known for a string of hits throughout the 1970s and 1980s, most notably her 1970 country-pop, worldwide megahit “(I Never Promised You a) Rose Garden”. Anderson’s crossover appeal and regular exposure on national television helped her to become one of the most popular and successful country singers of the 1970s.

Anderson charted 12 No. 1, 18 Top 10, and more than 50 Top 40 hits. In addition to being named “Top Female Vocalist” by the Academy of Country Music (ACM) twice and “Female Vocalist of the Year” by the Country Music Association (CMA), Anderson won a Grammy Award (earning seven nominations), People’s Choice Award and an American Music Award (AMA). She was named Billboard’s Female Artist of the Decade (1970–1980).

Anderson was the first female country artist to win the American Music Award (in 1974), as well as the first to headline and sellout Madison Square Garden that same year.

Anderson debuted in 1966, at the age of 19.

Lynn Anderson Cause of Death

Anderson died on July 30, 2015 at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee from a heart attack at the age of 67. She had been hospitalized due to pneumonia after returning from a trip to Italy.

Lynn Anderson – Rose Garden

Omar Sharif (April 10, 1932 – July 10, 2015) was an Egyptian actor. He began his career in his native country in the 1950s, but is best known for his appearances in both British and American productions. His films included Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Doctor Zhivago (1965) and Funny Girl (1968). He was nominated for an Academy Award. He won three Golden Globe Awards and a César Award.

Omar Sharif Health problems and death

Sharif had a triple heart bypass in 1992 and suffered a mild heart attack in 1994. Until his bypass, Sharif smoked 100 cigarettes a day. He quit smoking after the operation.

In May 2015 it was reported that Sharif was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. His son Tarek Sharif said that his father was becoming confused when remembering some of the biggest films of his career; he would mix up the names of his best-known films, Doctor Zhivago and Lawrence of Arabia, often forgetting where they were filmed.

On 10 July 2015 Sharif died after suffering a heart attack at a hospital in Cairo, Egypt. He was 83.

Lawrence of Arabia – Original 1962 Trailer

James Roy Horner (August 14, 1953 – June 22, 2015) was an American composer, conductor and orchestrator of film scores. He was known for the integration of choral and electronic elements in many of his film scores, and for his frequent use of motifs associated with Celtic music.

Horner was an accomplished concert hall composer before he moved into writing film scores. His first major film score was for the 1979 film The Lady in Red, but did not establish himself as a mainstream composer until he worked on the 1982 film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Horner’s score for Titanic is the best selling orchestral film soundtrack of all time while Titanic and Avatar, both directed by James Cameron, are the two highest-grossing films of all time.

Horner died at the age of 61 when his single-engine Tucano aircraft crashed in the Los Padres National Forest.

Titanic Suite (James Horner) – Hollywood in Vienna 2013

Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known by his stage name B.B. King, was an American blues singer, songwriter and guitarist.

Rolling Stone magazine ranked him at No. 6 on its 2011 list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time (previously ranked No. 3 in the 2003 edition of the same list), and he was ranked No. 17 in Gibson’s “Top 50 Guitarists of All Time”. According to Edward M. Komara, King “introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending and shimmering vibrato that would influence virtually every electric blues guitarist that followed.” King was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. He is considered one of the most influential blues musicians of all time, earning the nickname “The King of Blues”, and one of the “Three Kings of the Blues Guitar” (along with Albert King and Freddie King). King was also known for performing tirelessly throughout his musical career, appearing at more than 200 concerts per year on average into his 70s. In 1956, he reportedly appeared at 342 shows.

In 1990, King was awarded the National Medal of Arts by President George H.W. Bush. In 2006, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George W. Bush. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential blues guitarists of all time, inspiring countless other electric blues and blues rock guitarists.

Illness and death

After the cancellation of the remaining eight shows of his 2014 tour due to health problems, King announced on October 8, 2014 he was back at home to recuperate. On May 1, 2015, after two hospitalizations caused by complications from high blood pressure and diabetes, King announced on his website that he was in hospice care at his home in Las Vegas, Nevada. He died there on May 14 at 9:40 P.M. PDT.  He died in his sleep.

BB King & Bobby Blue Bland – The thrill is gone – 1977

BB King with President Obama

Benjamin Earl King (September 28, 1938 – April 30, 2015), professionally known by his pseudonym Ben E. King, was an American soul and R&B singer. He was perhaps best known as the singer and co-composer of “Stand by Me”-a US Top 10 hit, both in 1961 and later in 1986 (when it was used as the theme to the film of the same name), a number one hit in the UK in 1987, and #25 on the RIAA’s list of Songs of the Century-and as one of the principal lead singers of the R&B vocal group the Drifters.

Ben E. King cause of death

It was announced on May 1, 2015, that King had died at the Hackensack University Medical Center on April 30, 2015, at the age of 76. His agent said he suffered from “coronary problems” at the time of his death. King was survived by his wife of 51 years, Betty.

Stand By Me, Ben E King, 1961

Ben E. King and The Drifters – There Goes My Baby

Jack Brown Ely (September 11, 1943 – April 28, 2015) was an American guitarist and singer, best known for singing the Kingsmen’s version of “Louie Louie”. He was born in Portland, Oregon; his father died when Jack was four. Ely was classically trained in piano and began playing guitar after seeing Elvis Presley on television. In 1959, he co-founded the Kingsmen and with them recorded “Louie Louie” in 1963; Ely’s famously incoherent vocals were partly the result of his braces and the rudimentary recording method. Before the record became a hit Ely was forced out of the group and began playing with his new band, the Courtmen.

Ely died in Terrebonne, Oregon, on April 28, 2015 at age 71 after suffering unknown illness.

Louie Louie – The Kingsmen

Julie May Wilson (October 21, 1924 – April 5, 2015) was an American singer and actress. She was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical in 1989 for her performance in Legs Diamond.

Wilson suffered a stroke on April 5, 2015 in Manhattan and died the same day. She was 90.

Julie Wilson in This Could be the Night (1957)

Leonard Simon Nimoy (March 26, 1931 – February 27, 2015) was an American actor, film director, photographer, author, poet, singer and songwriter. He was known for his role as Mr. Spock of the Star Trek franchise.

In 1965, he made his first appearance in the rejected Star Trek pilot “The Cage”, and went on to play the character of Spock until 1969, followed by eight feature films and guest slots in the various spin-off series.

Leonard Nimoy starred in Mission: Impossible for two seasons. He also had a recurring role in the science fiction series Fringe.

Leonard Nimoy has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Leonard Nimoy cause of death

Leonard Nimoy died of complications of COPD on February 27, 2015, at the age of 83, in his Bel Air home.

In February 2014, Nimoy revealed publicly that he had been diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a condition he attributed to a smoking habit he had given up about 30 years earlier. On February 19, 2015, having been in and out of hospitals for the past several months, Nimoy was taken to UCLA Medical Center for chest pains.

TOP 7 Spock’s Moments [season 2]