Chris Mortensen was an award-winning journalist who reported on the NFL for ESPN for more than three decades.
May 16, 2024
In Memoriam
Total 1521 Posts
Brian Mulroney was Canada's 18th prime minister. He was elected in 1984 and served until his resignation in 1993.
Virgil, whose real name is Michael Jones, was the wrestler best known for his eight-year tenure in the WWF primarily as Ted DiBiase's personal assistant.
Richard Lewis played Marty Gold, the romantic co-lead opposite Jamie Lee Curtis, in the ABC series Anything But Love, and the reliably neurotic Prince John in Mel Brooks' Robin Hood: Men In Tights. He re-introduced himself to a new generation opposite fellow comedian Larry David in HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm,
Chuck "The Coach" Dickerson was the former CFL and NFL coach who I knew best as a radio host on WGR 550.
Kelvin Kiptum set the marathon world record last year at the Chicago Marathon, ratified by the international track federation World Athletics just last week.
Henry Fambrough was the last surviving original member of The Spinners, the group responsible for such hits as "It's A Shame", "Could It Be I'm Falling in Love", "The Rubberband Man", "Working My Way Back to You" and "Then Came You" with Dionne Warwick.
Toby Keith was the country music superstar known for a litany of hits including Who's Your Daddy and Made in America.
Wayne Kramer was the guitarist best-known for his work in the massively influential Detroit hard rock band MC5.
Carl Weathers was the actor best known for playing Apollo Creed in the Rocky movies, facing off against Arnold Schwarzenegger in Predator and teaching golf in Happy Gilmore. I also want to shout out his role in Arrested Development as Tobias' acting coach. The man knew how to make a
Jimy Williams joined the Toronto Blue Jays in 1980 as third-base coach and would manage the team from 1986 until 1989 when the Jays started the season 12-24 and Jimy was replaced by Cito Gaston.
Melanie Safka was the singer-songwriter best known for "Brand New Key," "What Have They Done to My Song Ma" and "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)." Billed as Melanie, she played Woodstock.
Frank Farian was the singer and producer who founded both Boney M and Milli Vanilli.
Norman Jewison directed such films as In The Heat of the Night, Fiddler on the Roof, Moonstruck and The Hurricane. He also shook my hand on stage at Convocation Hall when I received my degree from the University of Toronto.
Marlena Shaw was the jazz, blues and soul singer best known for her rendition of California Soul
As I've written here many, many times, I learnt to read thanks to Mr. Mugs. As a kindergarten student in Toronto during the 1970s, the English Sheepdog Mr. Mugs was the star of our "learn to read" books and I loved them. The creator and author of those early Mr.
Nerene Virgin is best known for playing the role of Jodie in Today's Special, a TV Ontario children's series that aired from 1981 to 1987. She also hosted Eye on Toronto on CFTO and anchored newscasts for CBC.
Rob Valentine, whose real name was Roberto De Cicco, and was sometimes known as Guy Valentine the “Guy in the Sky," was best known for doing airborne traffic reports for 1050 CHUM, Mix 99.9 and 680 CFTR.
Ed Broadbent was the longtime New Democratic Party leader who was the first leader of the New Democrats to see his party rise to first place in public opinion polling.
George Gamester was a Toronto Star columnist who wrote for the paper for more than four decades. He was best known for “Gamester’s People,” a recurring column in which he wrote about ordinary people and found out what was extraordinary about them.
David Soul was the actor best known for playing detective Kenneth "Hutch" Hutchinson on TV's Starsky & Hutch.
Norris McDonald appeared on Toronto Mike'd when he came to TMLX11 at Palma's Kitchen in December 2022, and Donald Shebib appeared via a recorded phone conversation with Peter Gross, but here are FOTMs who passed away this year and appeared on the podcast proper. David Onley, 72I would watch David
Schecky Greene was the legendary standup comedian known for his long tenure as a Las Vegas headliner and for working with Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley.
Tom Wilkinson was the Oscar-nominated actor best known for starring in “In the Bedroom” and his supporting role in “Michael Clayton.”
Tommy Smothers was one half of the socially conscious and groundbreaking comedy duo the Smothers Brothers. He participated in John Lennon and Yoko Ono's bed-in for peace on May 26, 1969 at the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal.
