Sunday, January 1, 2012

Don Mueller aka Mandrake the Magician

Outfielder for the New York Giants and the Chicago White Sox -- via the New York Times.

Jody Rainwater aka Charles Johnson

Bluegrass bassist and singer; radio personality; comedian -- via the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Wilbert "Al" Russell

Composer, bandleader and pianist -- via the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Rosman Garcia

Pitcher -- via Sporting News.

Constantine Sidamon-Eristoff

Environmentalist -- via the New York Times.

Kim Geun-Tae

Pro-democracy activist -- via the New York Times.

Louise Henry

Actress and acting teacher -- via TCM.

Jack Totheroth

Teacher -- via westernboothill.blogspot.com. An interesting footnote -- he was perhaps the oldest surviving silent film actor. At the age of nine months, in 1915, he appeared in "The Bachelor's Baby," which starred Broncho Billy Anderson.

Leopold Hawelka

Influential cafe owner -- via the Telegraph.

James Rizzi

Artist -- via the Guardian.

Friday, December 30, 2011

Who shall we remember? The deadlists of 2011

Oh dear.

Now that 2011 is nearly over, all and sundry are coming out with their "those we lost" lists for the year. I will post as many as I can, as I find them.

Got any candidate sites? Links? Send them my way!


CNN
New York Times
The Onion
Mental Floss
ARTINFO
The Mirror
The Nation
Blackamericaweb.com
famousdead.com
deathlist.net
ranker.com

Kim Jong-Il impersonator loses income due to death of original

The problem with hitching your wagon to a star is that when the star falls, so does your little red vehicle. This was the fate of engraving shop owner Kim Young-sik, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. The lookalike for the late North Korean dictator had some fun with his doppelganger second career as his impersonator. Now, however, after the death of his model, that option is seen as tasteless and taboo. Darn.

Sean Bonniwell

Musician with the Wayfarers and the Music Machine -- via the New York Times.

Betty McQuade

Singer -- via noise11.com.

Barbara Lea aka Barbara LeCoq

Vocalist -- via shirazsocialist.wordpress.com.

Kaye Stevens aka Catherine Louise Stephens

Singer and actress -- via Billboard.

Sean Collins

Passionate surfer, surf forecaster, and creator of surfline.com -- via the New York Times.

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Steve Beshekas

Club manager, lifelong friend of John Belushi, and repeated inside reference during many of Belushi's bits on "Saturday Night Live" -- via the Chicago Sun-Times.

Sam Rivers

Saxophonist and composer -- via the L.A. Times. Although classified as part of the free jazz movement, he could play any style, as well as a broad range of instruments. Additionally, he spearheaded the D.I.Y. movement of loft performance -- concerts in private spaces that allowed musicians the playing time and audiences they needed when clubs and concert halls wouldn't do the trick.

Nicholas G. Bliss

Trumpeter -- via the Chicago Sun-Times.

Clive Robbins

Pioneering music therapist -- via the Guardian.

Eleanor Baillie aka Eleanor Retallack

Musical scholar -- via the Telegraph.

Clem DeRosa

Jazz musician, educator, bandleader, arranger, composer and author -- via basementrug.com.