Category: Celebrity Death

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Kirk Douglas, Legendary Actor, dies 103

Hollywood walk of fameHollywood walk of famegolden globegolden globegolden globeEmmy Winner

Kirk Douglas (born Issur Danielovitch; December 9, 1916 – February 5, 2020) was an American actor, producer, director, philanthropist and writer. After an impoverished childhood with immigrant parents and six sisters, he made his film debut in The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946) with Barbara Stanwyck. Douglas soon developed into a leading box-office star throughout the 1950s, known for serious dramas, including westerns and war films. During his career, he appeared in more than 90 films. Douglas was known for his explosive acting style, which he displayed as a criminal defense attorney in Town Without Pity (1961).

Douglas became an international star through positive reception for his leading role as an unscrupulous boxing hero in Champion (1949), which brought him his first nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor. His other early film include Young Man with a Horn (1950), playing opposite Lauren Bacall and Doris Day, Ace in the Hole opposite Jan Sterling (1951), and Detective Story (1951), for which he received a Golden Globe nomination as Best Actor in a Drama. He received a second Oscar nomination for his dramatic role in The Bad and the Beautiful (1952), opposite Lana Turner, and his third nomination for portraying Vincent van Gogh in Lust for Life (1956), which landed him a second Golden Globe nomination.

Health issues and death of Kirk Douglas

On January 28, 1996, Douglas suffered a severe stroke, which impaired his ability to speak. Doctors told his wife that unless there was rapid improvement, the loss of the ability to speak was likely permanent. After a regime of daily speech-language therapy that lasted several months, his ability to speak returned, although it was still limited. He was able to accept an honorary Academy Award two months later in March and thanked the audience. He wrote about this experience in his 2002 book, My Stroke of Luck, which he hoped would be an “operating manual” for others on how to handle a stroke victim in their own family.

Douglas died at his home in Beverly Hills, California surrounded by family, on February 5, 2020, at age 103. The cause of death was kept private. Douglas’s funeral was held at the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery on February 7, 2020.

Kirk Douglas – Transformation From 17 To 101 Years Old

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Mary Higgins Clark, bestselling author of suspense novels, dies 92

Mary Theresa Eleanor Higgins Clark (December 24, 1927 – January 31, 2020), known professionally as Mary Higgins Clark, was an American author of suspense novels. Each of her 51 books was a bestseller in the United States and various European countries, and all of her novels remained in print as of 2015, with her debut suspense novel, Where Are the Children?, in its seventy-fifth printing.

Higgins Clark has had over 50 novels published, with millions of copies sold throughout the United States.

Many of the books deal with crimes involving children or with telepathy.

Higgins Clark died of natural causes in Naples, Florida on January 31, 2020, at age 92.

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Kobe Bryant, basketball legend, dies 41

Supporting Actor Streetcar Named Desire 1951

Kobe Bean Bryant (August 23, 1978 – January 26, 2020) was an American professional basketball player. He played his entire 20-year career in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the Los Angeles Lakers. He entered the NBA directly from high school and won five NBA championships. Bryant was an 18-time All-Star, 15-time member of the All-NBA Team, 12-time member of the All-Defensive team and was the NBA’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 2008. Widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time, he led the NBA in scoring during two seasons, ranks fourth on the league’s all-time regular season scoring and fourth on the all-time postseason scoring list. Bryant was the first guard in NBA history to play at least 20 seasons.

Kobe Bryant cause of death.

At 9:06 a.m. Pacific Standard Time on January 26, 2020, Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and seven others took off from John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California, in a Sikorsky S-76 helicopter owned by Bryant.

The helicopter crashed in Calabasas, California, at about 9:47 a.m. and caught fire. Personnel from the Los Angeles County Fire Department attended the scene, and the fire had been extinguished by 10:30 a.m. All nine passengers of the helicopter died. Initial reports indicated that the helicopter crashed in the mountains above Calabasas in heavy fog.

Witnesses reported hearing a helicopter struggling due to fog and visibility before crashing.

Kobe’s TOP 50 NBA Highlights

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Bob Shane, the last original member of Kingston Trio, dies 85

Robert Castle Schoen (February 1, 1934 – January 26, 2020), known professionally as Bob Shane, was an American singer and guitarist who was a founding member of The Kingston Trio. In that capacity, Shane became a seminal figure in the revival of folk and other acoustic music as a popular art form in the United States in the late 1950s through the mid-1960s.

The Kingston Trio won a Grammy for “Tom Dooley”

Bob Shane died on January 26, 2020 at a hospice facility in Phoenix, Arizona at the age of 85.

The Kingston Trio Tom Dooley Live 1958

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Edd Byrnes, ‘Grease’, ’77 Sunset Strip’, dies 87

Edd Byrnes (Edward Byrne Breitenberger; July 30, 1932 – January 8, 2020) was an American actor, best known for his starring role in the television series 77 Sunset Strip. He also was featured in the 1978 film Grease as television teen-dance show host Vince Fontaine, and was a charting recording artist with “Kookie, Kookie (Lend Me Your Comb)” (with Connie Stevens).

Edd Byrnes cause of death

Edd Byrnes died of natural causes on January 8, 2020, at his Santa Monica home.

Edd Byrnes & Connie Stevens “Kookie, Kookie, Lend Me Your Comb”

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Neil Peart, drummer and songwriter for band Rush, dies 67

Neil Ellwood Peart, OC (/pɪərt/; September 12, 1952 – January 7, 2020) was a Canadian musician and writer best known as the drummer and primary lyricist of the rock band Rush. Peart received numerous awards for his musical performances, including an induction into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 1983,[3] making him the youngest person ever so honoured.[4][failed verification] His drumming was renowned for its technical proficiency, and his live performances for their exacting nature and stamina.

In the mid-2010s, Peart acquired U.S. citizenship.[

On December 7, 2015, Peart announced his retirement. In January 2018, bandmate Alex Lifeson confirmed that Rush was retiring due to Peart’s health issues. During his last years, Peart lived in Santa Monica, California, with his wife, photographer Carrie Nuttall, and daughter Olivia.

After a three-year illness, Peart died of glioblastoma on January 7, 2020, at age 67.

YYZ – Rush (Neil Peart Drum Solo)

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Sue Lyon, star of ‘Lolita,’ dies 73

golden globe

Suellyn “Sue” Lyon (July 10, 1946 – December 26, 2019) was an American actress. She joined the entertainment industry as a model at the age of 13, and later rose to prominence and won a Golden Globe for playing the title role in the film Lolita (1962). Her other notable film appearances included The Night of the Iguana (1964), 7 Women (1966), Tony Rome (1967), and Evel Knievel (1971).

Lyon died at age 73 in Studio City, California on December 26, 2019. She had been in poor health for “some time”.

Sue Lyon in Lolita

Lolita 1962 Car Scene

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Don Imus, radio shock jock, dies 79

John Donald Imus Jr. (July 23, 1940 – December 27, 2019) was an American radio personality, television show host, recording artist, and author. He was known for his radio show Imus in the Morning which aired on various stations and digital platforms nationwide until 2018. He attended broadcasting school in the 1960s and in 1968 secured his first radio job at KUTY in Palmdale, California. Three years later, he landed the morning spot at WNBC in New York City; he was fired in 1977.

In 1979, Imus returned to WNBC and stayed at the station until 1988 when the show moved to WFAN. He gained widespread popularity when the show entered national syndication in 1993. He was labelled a “shock jock” radio host throughout his later career. He retired from broadcasting in March 2018, after nearly 50 years on the air, and died the following year.

Don Imus Health and death

During his early years broadcasting in New York City, Imus battled with alcoholism. In 1983, he was persuaded by Michael Lynne, then his lawyer, to attend Alcoholics Anonymous. Imus attended meetings and ceased to drink in public, but continued to in private. On July 17, 1987, after a nine-day vodka binge, he attended rehabilitation at a Hanley-Hazelden treatment center in West Palm Beach, Florida, for six weeks and remained sober. By 1991, Imus had adopted a vegetarian diet.

In 2000, Imus suffered serious injuries after a fall from a horse at his ranch and broadcast several shows from a hospital. The injuries resulted in chronic breathing problems, especially at higher altitudes, which he spoke about on his program.

In March 2009, Imus was diagnosed with stage 2 prostate cancer. He was advised to have radiation treatments, but said he chose to treat the disease holistically.

Imus was hospitalized at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center in College Station, Texas, on December 24, 2019. He died three days later, on December 27, at the age of 79. The cause of his death was not immediately reported.

Best Of Imus Montage

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Jerry Herman, Broadway composer, ‘Hello Dolly,’ ‘Mame,’ dies 88

Gerald Sheldon Herman (July 10, 1931 – December 26, 2019) was an American composer and lyricist, known for his work in Broadway musical theater. He composed the scores for the hit Broadway musicals Hello, Dolly!, Mame, and La Cage aux Folles. He was nominated for the Tony Award five times, and won twice, for Hello, Dolly! and La Cage aux Folles.

In 2009, Herman received the Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre. He was a recipient of the 2010 Kennedy Center Honors.

Herman was openly gay and at the time of his death was partnered with Terry Marler, a real estate broker.

Herman was diagnosed HIV-positive in 1985. As noted in the “Words and Music” PBS documentary, “He is one of the fortunate ones who survived to see experimental drug therapies take hold and was still, as one of his lyrics proclaims, ‘alive and well and thriving’ over quarter of a century later.”

Herman died of pulmonary complications at a hospital in Miami on December 26, 2019, at age 88.

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Lee Mendelson, Producer, ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas,’ Dies 86

Leland Maurice Mendelson (March 24, 1933 – December 25, 2019) was an American television producer and the executive producer of the many Peanuts animated specials.

A Charlie Brown Christmas aired December 9, 1965, on CBS. The show went on to win both the Emmy and Peabody award, and was the first of over 40 animated Peanuts specials created by Mendelson, Meléndez and Schulz. In addition, they collaborated on The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show, which ran on Saturday mornings during the 1980s.

Mendelson founded and headed Lee Mendelson Film Productions, a Burlingame, California-based television and film production company. Mendelson Productions has produced over 100 television and film productions, winning 12 Emmys and 4 Peabodys, as well as numerous Grammy, Emmy, and Oscar nominations.

Lee Mendelson cause of death

Mendelson died on December 25, 2019, from lung cancer, leaving a wife, Ploenta, and four children.