In Memoriam: Entertainment Industry Celebrity Deaths

[Spartan Girl]

On 9/14/2022 at 10:22 AM, MissAlmond said:

Actor Irene Papas who starred in Z, Zorba the Greek, and The Guns of Navarone has died, age 93. 

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/14/movies/irene-papas-dead.html

https://www.npr.org/2022/09/14/1122908972/irene-papas-died

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/irene-papas-dead-greek-actress-hollywood-fame-1235220338/

https://www.barrons.com/news/majestic-greek-zorba-star-irene-papas-dies-at-93-01663152008?tesla=y

Aw man, she did a ton of adaptations of Greek tragedies, but I remember her the most as Anticlea from The Odyssey miniseries. The was she just walked into the ocean has stayed with me since I was 10.

[Miss Anne Thrope]

12 hours ago, MissAlmond said:

Actor/screenwriter Mark Miller who played Professor Jim Nash on the TV series Please Don't Eat the Daisies and wrote the screenplay for the film A Walk in the Clouds has died, age 97. 

https://deadline.com/2022/09/mark-miller-dead-please-dont-eat-the-daisies-actor-1235119129/

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/mark-miller-dead-please-dont-eat-daisies-1235220657/

And Penelope Ann Miller's dad.   I loveloveloved Please Don't Eat the Daisies.

[Blergh]

13 hours ago, MissAlmond said:

Actor/screenwriter Mark Miller who played Professor Jim Nash on the TV series Please Don't Eat the Daisies and wrote the screenplay for the film A Walk in the Clouds has died, age 97. 

https://deadline.com/2022/09/mark-miller-dead-please-dont-eat-the-daisies-actor-1235119129/

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/mark-miller-dead-please-dont-eat-daisies-1235220657/

While many think it was just a show about a somewhat chaotic household with four growing boys and a HUGE sheepdog, I think Mr. Miller helped give it some extra depth playing this college professor who not only kept his cool in this midst of all this chaos, but (being the child of academics) I liked that he was  hands-on father, a friend to his wife and was supportive of her literary ambitions (instead of trying to stifle them due to the four sons), and was someone that his neighbors were happy to have had for a friend. All-in-all, a rare positive example of a well-rounded educator  on sitcoms that usually had them as nothing more than stuffed shirts and foils.

I don't know how much of that was via the scripts and how much was via Mr. Miller's persona fleshing things out, but he definitely was a plus to the series.

97 is an excellent age to reach. Thanks for the memories and RIP, Mr. Miller.

[bmasters9]

And Mark Miller was Jerome Greenwood in the fourth-season episode of The Streets of San Francisco called "The Cat's Paw" (OAD Thursday, December 4, 1975 on ABC); incidentally, The Streets of San Francisco itself now celebrates its 50th anniversary today, Sept. 16, 2022.

[BetterButter]

Henry Silva, Distinctive Actor in ‘Ocean’s Eleven,’ ‘Manchurian Candidate,’ Dies at 94

[Crashcourse]

Wow, I've seen Henry Silva in so many movies.  I didn't know he was 94 though.  He had quite a career.

R.I.P., Mr. Silva

And I loved his cheekbones.

[MissAlmond]

Author Hilary Mantel who wrote the Wolf Hall trilogy has died, age 70.

https://deadline.com/2022/09/hilary-mantel-wolf-hall-dies-1235125449/

https://www.thebookseller.com/news/hilary-mantel-double-booker-winner-and-wolf-hall-trilogy-author-dies-aged-70

https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/hilary-mantel-death-wolf-hall-age-b2173764.html

Edited September 23, 2022 by MissAlmond

[Hiyo]

Hilary Mantel, celebrated author of Wolf Hall, dies aged 70.

The Booker prize-winning author of the Wolf Hall trilogy, Dame Hilary Mantel, has died aged 70, her publisher HarperCollins has confirmed.

Mantel was regarded as one of the greatest English novelists of this century, winning the Booker Prize twice, for Wolf Hall and its sequel, Bring Up the Bodies, which also won the 2012 Costa Book of the Year.

[Zella]

Oh no I really liked Mantel as a writer. Her Thomas Cromwell series probably gets the most buzz--and I did like it--but my favorite is actually A Place of Greater Safety, an earlier novel about the 3 main architects of the French Revolution. When I was in college, I took a class on the French Revolution from a professor who was a specialist in the time period and he suggested the book to me as one of the most historically accurate. He was one of my favorite professors and passed away a couple of years ago himself. My first instinct on hearing the news about Mantel was to want to send him an email. :(

[BetterButter]

Louise Fletcher, Oscar Winner for ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,’ Dies at 88

[Hiyo]

Cherry Valentine, star of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, dies aged 28.

Drag performer George Ward appeared on second series of hit show before launching TV career. Ward qualified as a mental health nurse in 2015 and three years later began performing as Cherry Valentine. During the pandemic Ward worked in a Covid vaccination centre.

Edited September 24, 2022 by Hiyo

[Spartan Girl]

7 hours ago, BetterButter said:

Louise Fletcher, Oscar Winner for ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,’ Dies at 88

She was a magnificently icy bitch as Nurse Ratched. And let’s not forget she played the grandmother in the first movie adaptation of Flowers in the Attic.

[Wiendish Fitch]

2 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

She was a magnificently icy bitch as Nurse Ratched. And let’s not forget she played the grandmother in the first movie adaptation of Flowers in the Attic.

And Kai Winn on Star Trek: Deep Space 9. Louise Fletcher could really play passive-aggressive power grubbers like no one else.

I've always loved the story of how Fletcher got the part of Nurse Ratched, because she was far from Milos Forman's first choice. Jane Fonda, Anne Bancroft, Ellen Burstyn, and Colleen Dewhurst had all turned it down, so Fletcher had to work twice as hard and really prove herself, and it paid off beautifully.

So to all you actors out there, professional or amateur, never be ashamed that you weren't the director's first choice. If you're fortunate enough to get chosen, be so good that they'll regret not thinking of you first!

Edited September 24, 2022 by Wiendish Fitch

[Hiyo]

Jazz legend Pharoah Sanders dead at 81.

Revered spiritual jazz saxophonist was known for his unique playing style and collaborations with John Coltrane.

[Crashcourse]

A jazz legend, indeed.

R.I.P., Mr. Sanders

[DearEvette]

My husband is so bummed by the death of Pharaoh Sanders so guess what we have been listening to all day?  He is a major jazz lover.  Our first date was a Sonny Rollins outdoor concert.   And he has tried to make a point of seeing as many jazz greats in person as he could.  Our first anniversary was seeing McCoy Tyner and Max Roach at the Iridium in NYC.  So he is super bummed that he didn't get an opportunity to see Mr. Sanders play live.

RIP Mr Sanders.

[blueray]

I was sad to hear about Louise Fletcher. I know she is most known for One flies over the cuckoo's nest but to me her performance as Kai Winn is Star Trek: DS9 was amazing and a very rememberable part of the show. She made me hate her so much, which shows how talented she was. As the character in my opinion is one of the best villain's as unfortunately there are real people like her. 

Anyhow, RIP Louise Fletcher. 

Edited September 24, 2022 by blueray

[Fool to cry]

I recently watched an old Perry Mason from 1960 "The Case of the Mythical Monkeys", and his client falsely accused of murder looked so familiar. It wasn't until 15 minutes in I realized it was Louise Fletcher. It was so strange seeing her young and innocent! The only non evil role I seen her in was in Neil Simon's Sam Spade parody "The Cheap Detective" with Peter Falk.

[magicdog]

Yes, she had a career well before her best known role but she took a few years off to raise her kids.  That was around 1965.  

[Lugal]

10 hours ago, Fool to cry said:

I recently watched an old Perry Mason from 1960 "The Case of the Mythical Monkeys", and his client falsely accused of murder looked so familiar. It wasn't until 15 minutes in I realized it was Louise Fletcher. It was so strange seeing her young and innocent! The only non evil role I seen her in was in Neil Simon's Sam Spade parody "The Cheap Detective" with Peter Falk.

I remember one of her non-villainous roles from the "Barrel Bear" episode of Wonderfalls, where she and Rue McClanahan both claimed to be the first woman to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel.

[giovannif7]

13 hours ago, Fool to cry said:

I recently watched an old Perry Mason from 1960 "The Case of the Mythical Monkeys", and his client falsely accused of murder looked so familiar. It wasn't until 15 minutes in I realized it was Louise Fletcher. It was so strange seeing her young and innocent! The only non evil role I seen her in was in Neil Simon's Sam Spade parody "The Cheap Detective" with Peter Falk.

2 hours ago, Lugal said:

I remember one of her non-villainous roles from the "Barrel Bear" episode of Wonderfalls, where she and Rue McClanahan both claimed to be the first woman to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel.

Ms. Fletcher also played a warm, supportive character in the 2000 gay-themed dramedy Big Eden. It's about a NYC artist (Arye Gross) who returns to his Montana hometown to help care for the ailing grandfather who raised him, to revisit past relationships and discover his family. It co-stars Tim DeKay (White Collar), Eric Schweig (The Last of the Mohicans), Veanne Cox (You've Got Mail), and the late George Coe and Nan Martin. Fletcher wonderfully portrays a sincere and loving old friend of the family, and the town's moral compass. Well worth a watch to see her play the antithesis of Nurse Ratched.

[MissAlmond]

Dale McRaven who created Mork & Mindy and Perfect Strangers and wrote for such shows as The Dick Van Dyke Show and The Odd Couple has died, age 83.

https://deadline.com/2022/09/dale-mcraven-dies-mork-mindy-perfect-strangers-creator-dick-van-dyke-show-1235126936/

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/dale-mcraven-mork-mindy-perfect-strangers-1235227274/

https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/dale-mcraven-dead-perfect-strangers-mork-and-mindy-1235383251/

[andromeda331]

On 9/24/2022 at 4:41 AM, Spartan Girl said:

She was a magnificently icy bitch as Nurse Ratched. And let’s not forget she played the grandmother in the first movie adaptation of Flowers in the Attic.

She was really good as the Grandmother.

[MissAlmond]

Actor Venetia Stevenson once labeled “the most photogenic girl in the world,” has died, age 84.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/venetia-stevenson-dead-darbys-rangers-photogenic-girl-1235228156/

https://www.thedailybeast.com/venetia-stevenson-golden-age-screen-siren-and-once-the-most-photogenic-girl-in-the-world-dies-at-84

Edited September 28, 2022 by MissAlmond

[magicdog]

Heartland actor Robert Cormier died, age 33.

[Popples]

"Gangsta's Paradise" was the first rap song I ever learned all the words to. RIP

[Annber03]

Whoa, oh, my god. This is a shock. 

[RealHousewife]

1 minute ago, Annber03 said:

Whoa, oh, my god. This is a shock. 

I know, he was so young. Heartbreaking. 

[Fool to cry]

"As I walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death..." Where does the time go?

Man, that song just takes me back to 1995. 

Edited September 29, 2022 by Fool to cry

[Spartan Girl]

I too loved “Gangsta’s Paradise” but this song was my childhood:

Edited September 29, 2022 by Spartan Girl

[Bastet]

I love "Gangsta's Paradise".  The movie was awful, but I love the song.

[Cinnabon]

12 minutes ago, Bastet said:

I love "Gangsta's Paradise".  The movie was awful, but I love the song.

Are you familiar with the song he sampled, Stevie Wonder’s “Pastime Paradise?” For anyone who is not, I highly recommend checking out Stevie Wonder’s album “Songs in the Key of Life.” It’s a true masterpiece. Pure joy.
 

Edited September 29, 2022 by Cinnabon

[voiceover]

The news about Coolio stunned me.  “Gangsta’s Paradise”: haunting & soul-stirring; got under my skin the first time I heard it (“Tell me why are we, so blind to see/That the ones we hurt, are you and me?”)

I’m so sorry for his family and friends.  So strange that this past week I’ve been listening to the Commodores & “Nightshift”, over and over.  To quote: “I bet you’re singin’ proud/I bet you’ll pull a crowd”.  
 
 

[Lady Whistleup]

Coolio's death sounds like an overdose. I hope I'm wrong but ...

[Vermicious Knid]

Well of course how could this not be posted?

[Trini]

' Coolio, Grammy-Winning ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’ Rapper, Dies at 59 '

[MissAlmond]

Learned of Coolio's death from a Muppet tweet of all places.  What a shock. R.I.P. Coolio.

[andromeda331]

I loved Gangsta's Paradise. He was also funny in the Nanny episode where he plays the nerdy gift wrapper Irwin who Fran helps turn into a rapper. RIP Coolio.

[Spartan Girl]

56 minutes ago, MissAlmond said:

Learned of Coolio's death from a Muppet tweet of all places.  What a shock. R.I.P. Coolio.

In fairness, it was a very sweet tribute. And yes, I remember that episode of Muppets Tonight—put it on streaming already, Disney+!
 

It must be said that Gangsta’s Paradise was the one good moment in The Green Hornet:

[AimingforYoko]

Is it me, or do rappers seem to have a similar life expectancy as professional wrestlers? (Not counting the ones who died violently)

Hard to overstate how big "Gangstas Paradise" was. R.I.P.

[Trini]

A list of some of the Coolio tributes at Deadline; and Kel Mitchell just posted one this morning: https://www.instagram.com/p/CjF20QPLtMX/

[GHScorpiosRule]

13 hours ago, Popples said:

"Gangsta's Paradise" was the first rap song I ever learned all the words to. RIP

Nooo! I loved Coolio! He just seemed so...cool. I remember there was someone...I'm blanking...courier, I think, at one of my old jobs, who was a doppleganger for Coolio. I love, will always love "Gangsta Paradise"

11 hours ago, Vermicious Knid said:

Well of course how could this not be posted?

I'd totally forgotten that Carol Brady Florence Henderson was in this.

[Bastet]

[Popples]

I can't believe I forgot another important Coolio moment of my childhood. 🎵Rollin with my homies🎵

[Vermicious Knid]

We get at least one more Coolio performance, due to the huge lead time for animation. Appearing as Kwanzaabot again for the new season of Futurama.
 

Quote

Coolio appeared in three episodes of the original series (including the direct-to-DVD movie Bender’s Big Score) as Kwanzaabot, the robotic patron saint of the celebration of African-American culture in the show’s far-future world. It was, like many of the projects Coolio took on over the years, a role that blended his well-known sense of humor with his musical talents, rapping such memorable lines as “I’m fighting back for Kwanzaa so the children won’t miss it. I’m confused about its meaning, but I know it when they diss it.”

According to Cohen, Coolio returned to the studio just a few weeks ago to record more dialogue, as well as a new song, for the Futurama revival, which was originally announced (along with a healthy dose of drama about returning cast members) as a Hulu project earlier this year. Cohen also says that the episode in question will be dedicated to Coolio, saying, “Coolio was one of my favorite guests. He was always totally upbeat and genuinely enjoyed coming in to record as his character Kwanzaabot.”

[magicdog]

15 hours ago, AimingforYoko said:

Is it me, or do rappers seem to have a similar life expectancy as professional wrestlers? (Not counting the ones who died violently)

It's not your imagination.  Most rappers are in a culture that often leads to an early grave.

[truthaboutluv]

9 hours ago, magicdog said:

It's not your imagination.  Most rappers are in a culture that often leads to an early grave.

There are many rappers who've lived long lives and yes, some who died young, just as there are many rock stars who lived long and very many who died young. 

[SunnyBeBe]

This says Coolio seemed in fine health right before his death. 

https://www.tmz.com/2022/09/30/coolio-rapper-dead-dies-happy-health-good-spirits/

[Hiyo]

Quote

just as there are many rock stars who lived long

Who'da thunk Keith Richards, of all people, would have outlasted so many others...

[truthaboutluv]

5 hours ago, Hiyo said:

Who'da thunk Keith Richards, of all people, would have outlasted so many others...

Or Ozzy Osbourne.