Karl Lagerfeld, Fashion Designer, Dies 85

Karl Otto Lagerfeld (September, 10 1933 – February, 19 2019) was a German creative director, fashion designer, artist, photographer, and caricaturist who lived in Paris. He was known as the creative director of the French fashion house Chanel, a position he held from 1983 until his death, and was also creative director of the Italian fur and leather goods fashion house Fendi, and of his own eponymous fashion label. He collaborated on a variety of fashion and art-related projects. He was recognized for his signature white hair, black sunglasses, fingerless gloves, and high, starched, detachable collars.

Following health complications in January 2019, Lagerfeld was admitted to the American Hospital of Paris in Parisian suburb Neuilly-sur-Seine on 18 February. He died there the following morning from complications of pancreatic cancer.

James Ingram, singer, ‘Just Once,’ ‘Somewhere Out There’, dies 66

James Edward Ingram (February 16, 1952 – January 29, 2019) was an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and instrumentalist. He was a two-time Grammy Award-winner and a two-time Academy Award nominee for Best Original Song.

Since beginning his career in 1973, Ingram had charted eight Top 40 hits on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart from the early 1980s until the early 1990s, as well as thirteen top 40 hits on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. In addition, he charted 20 hits on the Adult Contemporary chart (including two number-ones). He had two number-one singles on the Hot 100: the first, a duet with fellow R&B artist Patti Austin, 1982’s “Baby, Come to Me” topped the U.S. pop chart in 1983; “I Don’t Have the Heart”, which became his second number-one in 1990 was his only number-one as a solo artist. In between these hits, he also recorded the song “Somewhere Out There” with fellow recording artist Linda Ronstadt for the animated film An American Tail. The song and the music video both became gigantic hits. Ingram co-wrote “The Day I Fall in Love”, from the motion picture Beethoven’s 2nd (1993), and singer Patty Smyth’s “Look What Love Has Done”, from the motion picture Junior (1994), which earned him nominations for Best Original Song from the Oscars, Golden Globes, and Grammy Awards in 1994 and 1995.

James Ingram cause of death

Ingram died on January 29, 2019, from brain cancer, aged 66, at his home in Los Angeles.

James Ingram ” Just Once “

Patti Austin & James Ingram – Baby Come To Me (1983)

Linda Ronstadt & James Ingram – Somewhere Out There

Michel Legrand, composer of ‘Windmills of Your Mind,’ dies 86

Supporting Actor Streetcar Named Desire 1951

Michel Legrand (February 24, 1932 – January 26, 2019) was a French musical composer, arranger, conductor, and jazz pianist. Legrand was a prolific composer, he wrote over 200 film and television scores, in addition to many memorable songs. He is best known for his often haunting, jazz-tinged film music. His celebrated scores for the films of French New Wave director Jacques Demy, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964) and The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967), earned Legrand his first Academy Award nominations. Legrand won his first Oscar for the song “The Windmills of Your Mind” from The Thomas Crown Affair (1968).

Legrand died in Paris on 26 January 2019 at the age of 86. Cause of death was not released. He remained active until his death and had concerts scheduled to take place in the spring.

Windmills of your Mind

James Frawley, TV director, ‘Muppet Movie’ & ‘Monkees’, dies 82

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James Frawley (September 29, 1936 – January 22, 2019) was an American director and actor. He was a member of the Actors Studio since around 1961. He was best known for directing The Muppet Movie in 1979 and The Monkees television series.

In 1966, he was hired as a director for the new series The Monkees; he ended up directing half of the series’ 58 episodes.

He began a career of over four decades as a director. TV series he directed included Cagney & Lacey, Smallville, Ghost Whisperer and Judging Amy, along with many others. He directed occasional feature films and television films, most notably The Muppet Movie in 1979, in which he also had a cameo. His last acting role was a bartender in TV’s American Gothic in 1996.

He won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series in 1967 for the episode “Royal Flush” of The Monkees, and was nominated for the same award the following year for another Monkees episode, “The Devil and Peter Tork”.

Frawley died in Indian Wells, California on January 22, 2019.

Gloria Greer interviews Jim Frawley

Carol Channing, Original Hello, Dolly! & Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Dies 97

grammy winnergrammy winner

Carol Elaine Channing (January 31, 1921 – January 15, 2019) was an American actress, singer, dancer and comedienne. Known for starring in Broadway and film musicals, her characters usually radiated a fervent expressiveness and an easily identifiable voice, whether singing or for comedic effect.

She began as a Broadway musical actress, starring in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes in 1949 and Hello, Dolly! in 1964, winning the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for the latter. She revived both roles several times throughout her career, most recently playing Dolly in 1995. Channing was nominated for her first Tony Award in 1956 for The Vamp followed by a nomination in 1961 for Show Girl. She received her fourth Tony Award nomination for the musical Lorelei in 1974.

As a film actress, she won the Golden Globe Award and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Muzzy in Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967). Her other film appearances include The First Traveling Saleslady (1956) and Skidoo (1968). On television, she appeared as an entertainer on variety shows, from The Ed Sullivan Show in the 1950s to Hollywood Squares. She had a standout performance as The White Queen in the TV production of Alice in Wonderland (1985), and had the first of many TV specials in 1966, An Evening with Carol Channing.

Channing was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame in 1981 and received a Lifetime Achievement Tony Award in 1995. She continued to perform and make appearances well into her 90s, singing songs from her repertoire and sharing stories with fans, cabaret style. She released an autobiography, Just Lucky I Guess, in 2002, and Larger Than Life, a documentary film about her career, was released in 2012.

Carol Channing cause of death

Channing died on January 15, 2019, of natural causes at her home in Rancho Mirage, California at the age of 97.

Carol Channing – “Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend” (1957)

Hello Dolly Carol Channing 1965

Gene Okerlund, ‘Mean Gene’, WWE Hall of Fame Announcer, Dies 76

Eugene Arthur Okerlund (December 19, 1942 – January 2, 2019), better known by his ring name “Mean” Gene Okerlund, was an American professional wrestling interviewer, announcer and wrestler. He was best known for his work in the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling. Gene was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006 by Hulk Hogan. He was eventually signed to a lifetime contract with WWE and worked for promotional programs, mostly WWE Network programming and, occasionally, the TV series.

Okerlund died on the morning of January 2, 2019, at the age of 76 in a Sarasota, Florida hospital. This was later confirmed on WWE social media and its official website later that day. It was revealed by his son, Todd Okerlund, that he had received three kidney transplants and had suffered a fall in the weeks leading up to his death.

Hulk Hogan San Francisco Promo 1988

Bob Einstein, Super Dave Osborne, ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’, dies 76

EmmyEmmy

Stewart Robert “Bob” Einstein (November 20, 1942 – January 2, 2019) was an American actor, comedy writer and producer, who is best known for creating and performing the satirical stuntman character Super Dave Osborne. Einstein is also known for his roles as Marty Funkhouser in Curb Your Enthusiasm and Larry Middleman on Arrested Development.

Einstein got his start as a writer on several television variety shows, including The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour and The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour. Einstein won two Emmy Awards as a writer and was nominated four other times. He also won a CableACE Award for acting as Super Dave, along with five other nominations.

Einstein is the older brother of fellow actor and comedian Albert Brooks.

He was 76 and recently had been diagnosed with cancer.

Ray Sawyer of Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show Dies 81

Ray Sawyer (February 1, 1937, Chickasaw, Alabama, United States – December 31, 2018) was an American singer best known as a vocalist with the 1970s rock band, Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show. Though primarily a backing vocalist and occasional percussionist on congas or maracas, he sang lead on their hit song “The Cover of Rolling Stone” and was a recognisable presence in the band due to the eyepatch and cowboy hat he wore. He was also the uncle of the vocalist of Wild Fire, Zack Sawyer.

Dr. Hook had many hit singles such as “Sylvia’s Mother”, “Cover of a Rolling Stone”, “A Little Bit More”, “Only Sixteen”, “Walk Right In”, “Sharing the Night Together”, “When You’re in Love with a Beautiful Woman”, “Better Love Next Time”, “Sexy Eyes”, “Girl Can Get It”, and “Baby Makes Her Bluejeans Talk”.

No cause of death was given.

Dr Hook & The Medicine Show – “Cover Of The Rolling Stone”
Ray Sawyer with eyepatch

Penny Marshall, ‘Laverne & Shirley’, ‘Big,’ ‘A League of Their Own’, dies 75

walk of fame

Carole Penny Marshall (October 15, 1943 – December 18, 2018) was an American actress, director and producer. She was the daughter of Marjorie Marshall, a tap dance teacher, and Tony Marshall, a film director and producer. Her parents’ background in entertainment, along with her brother, Garry Marshall’s, background as a comedy writer and her sister’s background as a casting director and producer, gave rise to Marshall’s career in the industry. She rose to fame in the 1970s for her role as Laverne DeFazio on the television sitcom Laverne & Shirley (1976–1983), receiving three nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy for her portrayal.

Marshall progressed to directing films in the 1980s, making her directorial debut with Jumpin’ Jack Flash (1986) before directing Big (1988), which became the first film directed by a woman to gross more than $100 million at the U.S. box office. Her subsequent directing credits have included Awakenings (1990), which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture, A League of Their Own (1992), Renaissance Man (1994), The Preacher’s Wife (1996), and Riding in Cars with Boys (2001). She has also produced Cinderella Man (2005) and Bewitched (2005), as well as episodes of the sitcom According to Jim.

On April 10, 1971, Marshall married actor/director Rob Reiner, who adopted her daughter and gave her his last name. Her marriage to Reiner ended in 1981 but Reiner and Marshall have five grandchildren.

Marshall had a brief relationship with singer Art Garfunkel in the mid-1980s, and he credits her with helping him through his depression. Their friendship stayed strong even after their romantic relationship ended. Garfunkel would later say of Marshall, “Everything changed. Penny is a sweet human being who can bring anybody down to earth. We had a lot of laughs, great sex, and a ton of party nights.”[31]

In 2010, it was reported that Marshall had been diagnosed with lung cancer that had metastasized to her brain, but she revealed in 2012 that she was in remission.

Marshall passed away on December 17, 2018 from complications of diabetes.

Laverne and Shirley – Take My Plants. Please!