In Memoriam: Entertainment Industry Celebrity Deaths

[Spartan Girl]

Helen almost played Bellatrix Lestrange instead of Narcissa Malfoy but she got pregnant at the last moment. Fate worked out for the best because she was a brilliant Narcissa and I can’t picture anyone but HBC as Bellatrix. RIP.

[VCRTracking]

I first saw her in "The Queen" as Cherie Blair. Terrific as the Republican(non Monarchist) voice in the movie. She reprised her role along with Michael Sheen's Tony Blair in "The Special Relationship".

[kittykat]

1 hour ago, VCRTracking said:

I first saw her in "The Queen" as Cherie Blair. Terrific as the Republican(non Monarchist) voice in the movie. She reprised her role along with Michael Sheen's Tony Blair in "The Special Relationship".

I still remember Roger Allam's brilliant line reading, "her curtsy could best be described as...shallow.". And lordy it was.  This one is definitely shocking.  Thoughts to Damian and the family.

She was a wonderful Anna Karenina in a 2000 miniseries opposite Kevin McKidd and Stephen Dillane.

[Katmai]

Cousin Itt has died. RIP

https://www.tmz.com/2021/04/16/felix-silla-dead-dies-addams-family-cousin-itt-star-wars-ewok/

Edited April 17, 2021 by Katmai

[Anduin]

13 minutes ago, Katmai said:

Cousin Itt has died. RIP

https://www.tmz.com/2021/04/16/felix-silla-dead-dies-addams-family-cousin-itt-star-wars-ewok/

For my fellow Star Wars fans, this is him. https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Unidentified_Ewok_(hang_glider)_1

Edited April 17, 2021 by Anduin

[Hiyo]

RIP Helen McCrory.

I remember noticing her range when Hugo came out the same year as the last Harry Potter movie. While she didn't have the biggest role in either movie, she definitely stood out in both movies and both showed her range as an actress playing two very different parts.

[MissAlmond]

10 hours ago, Katmai said:

Cousin Itt has died. RIP

https://www.tmz.com/2021/04/16/felix-silla-dead-dies-addams-family-cousin-itt-star-wars-ewok/

Ah, Cousin Itt.  You just knew he was invited to all the coolest parties in town.  R.I.P. Felix Silla.   D'ya d'yeh dih dium d'oh.

 

Edited April 17, 2021 by MissAlmond

[Lady Whistleup]

CHoreographer Liam Scarlett has died. He had been fired from several companies for abusive behavior.

[MaryMitch]

Felix Silla is also known as one of the little people in one of the most famous Bonanza episodes: "Hoss and the Leprechauns":

He is the smallest one, 2nd from left, no hat.

Edited April 17, 2021 by MaryMitch

[Blergh]

IIRC, it was John Astin who'd record a bunch of gibberish which then got speeded up and played backwards for Cousin Itt's dialogue. Despite his appearance and dialogue, Cousin Itt was by far the most conventional of the Addamses (along with Thing) but he seemed to live an entirely autonomous life on his own while residing with them in his own adapted quarters- except for those times when they'd have a story line for him. 

Well, despite being totally concealed by his costume and not speaking in his own voice, Mr. Silla definitely gave Cousin Itt a good personality and soul and, yes, he made good use of the roles he was in. I wonder if he ever met Carroll Spinney ('Big Bird')? Well, hopefully, now they can compare notes about what it's like to bring iconic characters to life while being completely concealed within them! Now only Gomez and Wednesday survive!  RIP, Mr. Silla!

[Vermicious Knid]

Co-creator of the PDF and founder of Adobe, Charles “Chuck” Geschke has died at 81. Think how much harder your office work would be without it.

[MissAlmond]

16 hours ago, Blergh said:

IIRC, it was John Astin who'd record a bunch of gibberish which then got speeded up and played backwards for Cousin Itt's dialogue.

Sound engineer Anthony Magro provided Cousin Itt's voice.  From the Hollywood Reporter:

Quote

(The character was the idea of a producer and was not in the Charles Addams' cartoons on which the series was based, and Cousin Itt's voice on the show was provided by sound engineer Tony Magro in postproduction.)

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/felix-silla-cousin-itt-on-the-addams-family-dies-at-84

 

[VCRTracking]

 

 

[Hiyo]

An article Helen McCrory wrote for the Guardian back in 2000, which is still relevant and interesting to read today.

Helen McCrory: ‘How should a woman live her life?’

[stewedsquash]

Alma Wahlberg died yesterday. I loved seeing her on that silly show with her sons. I did not realize that there were nine kids. 

[legaleagle53]

8 hours ago, VCRTracking said:

 

 

You really have to respect someone who was able to maintain such a keen sense of humor right up until the end. We should all have Helen's attitude when our time comes!

[Katmai]

Scottie Pippen's son died

https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/19/us/antron-pippen-death-scottie-pippen-son-trnd/index.html

[MissAlmond]

Academy Award winning costume designer Anthony Powell has died, age 85.   

As mentioned on the Movies forum, I'm a huge fan of John Guillermin's Death on the Nile.  Anthony Powell not only designed the costumes, he won one of his Oscars for it.  He also designed the costumes for another fave of mine, Evil Under the Sun.  Fabulous costumes for both and always in character.   R.I.P. Mr. Powell.

https://deadline.com/2021/04/anthony-powell-dead-obituary-academy-award-tony-award-death-on-the-nile-sunset-boulevard-1234739775/

https://variety.com/2021/artisans/news/anthony-powell-dead-indiana-jones-101-dalmatians-1234955056/

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/anthony-powell-three-time-oscar-winning-costume-designer-dies-at-85

 

 

Edited April 20, 2021 by MissAlmond

[MissAlmond]

This link has photos of various film costumes Anthony Powell designed.

http://thefilmexperience.net/blog/2021/4/18/anthony-powell-1935-2021.html

Quote from a BFI interview where Powell speaks of improvising a last minute costume addition for Mia Farrow in Death on the Nile.

Quote

 

Do you ever have to improvise a costume?

Quite often. When we were doing Death on the Nile, suddenly a new scene was written in and I needed a new costume for Mia Farrow. We were in Egypt, in the middle of nowhere, so I thought what can I make it of? We had just enough pale blue silk in the workshop to make some pyjama trousers, but I needed something amusing to make a little top out of, and there was nothing at all.

But as I wandered around, there was our tailor’s mother, a wonderful cook, making her paella on the stove, using this quite grubby tea towel covered in grease and garlic and olive oil, but it was white linen with multi-coloured stripes which you could just see through all the grease. I thought there will just be enough to make a little waistcoat, if I can get all this filth out. So we boiled it and boiled it till it was sort of the colour it was meant to be, and we whizzed up this very pretty little waistcoat. We did the fitting with Mia, and I gave her a big straw hat, and she said, “I like this, this is very pretty, but can you smell garlic?” I said, “No, I can’t.” She said, “There’s definitely a smell of garlic; where could that be coming from?” I thought, It’s coming from you! 

 

https://www2.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/news-bfi/interviews/clothing-tess-poirot-indiana-jones

Edited April 21, 2021 by MissAlmond

[MissAlmond]

BAFTA In Memoriam 2021

 

[GHScorpiosRule]

42 minutes ago, MissAlmond said:

BAFTA In Memoriam 2021

 

Awww, *sniff* Chintu* (Rishi Kapoor) was included!

Taken too soon. FUCK CANCER!

[giovannif7]

RIP composer/lyricist/producer Jim Steinman - the P.T. Barnum-style showman of pop music - responsible for SO many overwrought 70s, 80s and 90s classics including:

Bonnie Tyler's Total Eclipse Of The Heart

Meat Loaf's Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad

Air Supply's Making Love Out Of Nothing At All

Barbra Streisand's Left in the Dark

Barry Manilow's Read 'Em And Weep

Bonnie Tyler's Holding Out For A Hero

Meat Loaf's I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)

Celine Dion's It's All Coming Back to Me Now

and his own 1981 Top 40 hit Rock and Roll Dreams Come Through

 

[Wiendish Fitch]

15 minutes ago, giovannif7 said:

RIP composer/lyricist/producer Jim Steinman - the P.T. Barnum-style showman of pop music - responsible for SO many overwrought 70s, 80s and 90s classics including:

Bonnie Tyler's Total Eclipse Of The Heart

Meat Loaf's Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad

Air Supply's Making Love Out Of Nothing At All

Barbra Streisand's Left in the Dark

Barry Manilow's Read 'Em And Weep

Bonnie Tyler's Holding Out For A Hero

Meat Loaf's I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)

Celine Dion's It's All Coming Back to Me Now

and his own 1981 Top 40 hit Rock and Roll Dreams Come Through

 

Jim Steinmen's stuff was bloated, but in the absolute best way possible. There will never again be another like him.

[MissAlmond]

3 hours ago, Wiendish Fitch said:

Jim Steinmen's stuff was bloated, but in the absolute best way possible. There will never again be another like him.

I agree.  Total Eclipse Of The Sun.  It's All Coming Back To Me Now. Making Love Out Of Nothing At All.  I love these songs and don't care who knows it.  R.I.P. Mr. Steinmen.

[andromeda331]

6 hours ago, giovannif7 said:

RIP composer/lyricist/producer Jim Steinman - the P.T. Barnum-style showman of pop music - responsible for SO many overwrought 70s, 80s and 90s classics including:

Bonnie Tyler's Total Eclipse Of The Heart

Meat Loaf's Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad

Air Supply's Making Love Out Of Nothing At All

Barbra Streisand's Left in the Dark

Barry Manilow's Read 'Em And Weep

Bonnie Tyler's Holding Out For A Hero

Meat Loaf's I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)

Celine Dion's It's All Coming Back to Me Now

and his own 1981 Top 40 hit Rock and Roll Dreams Come Through

 

So many great songs. Thank you.

[Ohiopirate02]

14 hours ago, Wiendish Fitch said:

Jim Steinmen's stuff was bloated, but in the absolute best way possible. There will never again be another like him.

He wrote some great Karaoke bangers.

[Bort]

11 hours ago, MissAlmond said:

I agree.  Total Eclipse Of The Sun.  It's All Coming Back To Me Now. Making Love Out Of Nothing At All.  I love these songs and don't care who knows it.  R.I.P. Mr. Steinmen.

I love “It’s All Coming Back to Me.” That’s a really hard song to sing with the tempo changes and the range required. Props to Celine Dion for pulling it off.

[AimingforYoko]

4 years ago I wrote, "I wish I was as good at anything as Jim Steinman is at writing cheesy pop ballads." Still holds true. R.I.P.

[Ohiopirate02]

13 minutes ago, kariyaki said:

I love “It’s All Coming Back to Me.” That’s a really hard song to sing with the tempo changes and the range required. Props to Celine Dion for pulling it off.

That song was originally written for Meatloaf.  He passed on it and Celine recorded it with some changes.  Meatloaf eventually did his own verison

 

[MissAlmond]

Two random things I still remember from the 2017 solar eclipse:

1) The Phoenix Suns' perfectly timed Twitter blocking of other NBA teams (When the Suns block back) the second the moon moved on.

2) Bonnie Tyler (with DNCE) singing Total Eclipse of the Heart on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship.

Edited April 21, 2021 by MissAlmond

[Vermicious Knid]

Paradise by the Dashboard Light, the only song to feature a play-by-play from Phil Rizzuto.

[Hiyo]

Monte Hellman, Two-Lane Blacktop director and Reservoir Dogs executive producer, dies at 91.

The cult filmmaker's credits also included The Shooting and Ride in the Whirlwind, both of which starred Jack Nicholson. The director died, aged 91, at Eisenhower Health hospital in Palm Desert a week after he had fallen in his home.

[BetterButter]

Burlesque Legend Tempest Storm, Friend of Marilyn Monroe and Bettie Page, Dead at 93

[AimingforYoko]

Steady, folks of a certain age, this one's going to hit kinda hard:

Bay City Rollers frontman Les McKeown, dead at 65.

[SunnyBeBe]

1 hour ago, AimingforYoko said:

Steady, folks of a certain age, this one's going to hit kinda hard:

Bay City Rollers frontman Les McKeown, dead at 65.

Oh, the memories!  It’s so crazy that this past weekend a friend and I were talking about good old days and we both broke out singing S A T U R D A Y........

Here’s another link about him.  
https://www.legacy.com/news/celebrity-deaths/les-mckeown-1955-2021-lead-singer-for-the-bay-city-rollers/

 

 

 

Edited April 23, 2021 by SunnyBeBe

[WinnieWinkle]

48 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

Oh, the memories!  It’s so crazy that this past weekend a friend and I were talking about good old days and we both broke out singing S A T U R D A Y........

This song got played LOUD at every party back then.   Simpler times, you played their record, bought 16 if you wanted a picture you could put up on your wall and you hoped your teen crush would be on American Bandstand so you could actually see them "live".

[AimingforYoko]

And the hits keep on comin.....Gregory Jacobs, better known as Digital Underground lead rapper Shock G and his hilarious alter-ego Humpty Hump has died at 57.

They had their big hit, "Humpty Dance" and a few other hits, but they're almost more known now as the group that broke out Tupac Shakur.

[AgentRXS]

Damn. 57 is too young. They really never got enough credit for birthing '90s hip hop via discovering 2Pac. RIP Shock G.

[DearEvette]

 I am an unabashed East Coat hip hop  fan.  To me late 80s-90s east coast hip hop is a golden age.  And I love that Digital Underground was at the vanguard of the alterna hip hop movement (along with Diggable Planets, De La Soul, Tribe Called Quest amongst others).  I enjoyed the humor they infused in their music as well as their playing with different styles (jazz, classical). Sex Packets was such a great album and doesn't get the praise it deserves, imo.

Rip Shock G.

[Lugal]

As a kid I remember many an afternoon after school watching videos on MTV (yes, I'm old) and Digital Underground was one of my introductions to hop-hip.

RIP Shock G

[MissAlmond]

Veteran TV and film producer Chuck Fries has died, age 92.  From the Deadline link:

Quote

 

Considered the godfather of the television movie, he pioneered the genre at Metromedia Productions in the 1970s. He then mastered it with his own independent production and distribution company, Fries Entertainment.

Known for issue-oriented movies, Fries Entertainment programs included more than 200 hours of content for ABC, CBS and NBC, including iconic TV movies like Small Sacrifices starring Farrah Fawcett and Ryan O’Neal; The Neon Empire, a three-hour epic saga starring Ray Sharkey, Martin Landau and Gary Busey; Leona Helmsley: The Queen of Mean, starring Suzanne Pleshette and Lloyd Bridges; The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury, starring Rock Hudson and Darrin McGavin; Woman on the Ledge with Deidre Hall; Bitter Harvest, starring Ron Howard and Art Carney; The Word, starring David Jansen and based on the book by Irving Wallace; and the Emmy-nominated LBJ, starring Randy Quaid and Patty Lupone.

 

https://deadline.com/2021/04/chuck-fries-producers-guild-lifetime-achievement-award-winner-was-92-1234742755/

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/charles-w-fries-dead-television-producer-executive-was-92-1160619

https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/chuck-fries-dead-tv-producer-1234959268/

 

 

 

[BetterButter]

Meat Loaf Remembers Jim Steinman: ‘He Was the Centerpiece of My Life’

Quote

In an emotional, two-day interview, Meat Loaf looks back at the ups and downs of his five-decade saga with the writer of his biggest hits. “We belonged heart and soul to each other,” he says. “We didn’t know each other. We were each other”

 

[Vermicious Knid]

Ted Koplar, the man responsible for chopping up a few sentai shows and creating Voltron, has died at 77.   I always preferred the lions to the cars.

[Hiyo]

Alber Elbaz, Fashion Designer, Dies of Covid at 59.

[praeceptrix]

Opera star Christa Ludwig has died at the age of 93.

[MissAlmond]

The Academy Awards 2021 In Memoriam

The Oscar's In Memoriam 2021 Gallery of Names

https://aframe.oscars.org/news/in-memoriam

 

Edited April 26, 2021 by MissAlmond

[ElleryAnne]

2 hours ago, MissAlmond said:

The Academy Awards 2021 In Memoriam

The Oscar's 2021 Gallery of Names

https://aframe.oscars.org/news/in-memoriam

 

Damn, I still get teary when I see Chadwick Boseman's picture.  

[Browncoat]

Much better than having someone singing, and the camera focusing more on the singer, but some of those seemed to go by really fast.  I had a hard time keeping up/reading them!

[MissAlmond]

Bernie Kahn, writer-producer for such shows as Get Smart, The Addams Family, and Bewitched has died, age 90.

https://deadline.com/2021/04/bernie-kahn-dead-prolific-writer-producer-elite-swimmer-was-90-1234744388/

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/bernie-kahn-dead-writer-bewitched-get-smart-and-super-friends-90

https://variety.com/2021/tv/obituaries-people-news/bernie-kahn-dead-dies-sitcom-writer-producer-1234960930/

 

[Macbeth]

On 4/26/2021 at 2:26 PM, Browncoat said:

Much better than having someone singing, and the camera focusing more on the singer, but some of those seemed to go by really fast.  I had a hard time keeping up/reading them!

It was way too fast in some parts.  It felt very disrespectful to me, as it happened to those that were not as well known.

Maybe it went so fast there would be no complaining that some people were left off.