In Memoriam
Total 1576 Posts
Jim Gregory was 83. He was General Manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs for 10 seasons during which time they made eight playoff appearances. Jim came up in my recent conversation with Jim McKenny beause he famously said he wouldn't trade McKenny for Bobby Orr straight up.
Ron Fairly was 81. He was the major league ballplayer and broadcaster who played for both the Montreal Expos and Toronto Blue Jays over a 20 year career. He's the only player to represent both franchises at the MLB All-Star Game.
Robert Forster was 78. He was the actor best known for his Oscar-nominated performance in Quentin Tarantino's Jackie Brown. Prior to this late career resurgence, he was best known for his roles in Medium Cool and the detective series Banyon.
Rip Taylor was 84. Known as the "King of Confetti" and "The Crying Comedian," he was a television and nightclub mainstay for more than six decades.
Ginger Baker was 80. He was a drummer and founder of Cream who was known as "rock's first superstar drummer".
Diahann Carroll was 85. She starred in Julia, the first US sitcom to centre on a black woman, and she was also the first black woman to win the Tony for best actress in 1962 for the Broadway musical No Strings.
Rik Ocasek was 75. He was a founding member of the Cars, a band best known for the hits "Just What I Needed", "My Best Friend's Girl", "Good Times Roll", "Shake It Up", "You Might Think" and "Drive".
Eddie Money was 70. He was the singer and songwriter whose songs “Baby Hold On,” “Two Tickets to Paradise,” “Shakin'” and “Take Me Home Tonight” were big hits in the 1970s and 1980s.
Valerie Harper was 80. She played Rhoda Morgenstern on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and went on to star in the spinoff "Rhoda."
Peter Fonda was 79. He was the two-time Oscar nominee who co-wrote, produced and starred in the seminal 1969 road movie "Easy Rider."
Toni Morrison was 88. She was the author of 11 novels, winning the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993. She is perhaps best known for her novels "The Bluest Eye" and "Song of Solomon."
Rip Torn was 88. He was the actor who was nominated for an Oscar for portraying Marsh in Cross Creek, but I loved him most as Larry Sanders' producer on The Larry Sanders Show, a role for which he was nominated for six Emmy Awards, winning in 1996.
Bill Buckner was 69. He was the first baseman who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox, California Angels, and Kansas City Royals during a 22 season major league career. And yes, he let a Mookie Wilson slow roller go between his legs in the tenth
Bart Starr was 85. He was the Green Bay Packers quarterback most famous for the sneak that won the famed "Ice Bowl" in 1967. He led the Packers to the first two Super Bowl titles.
Dave “Bookie” Bookman was 58. Bookie was as fine a radio personality as a city like Toronto could hope for. He loved the music, and it showed. After 21 years on 102.1 the Edge, he was let go in 2012, but quickly resurfaced on Indie 88 where he hosted
Tim Conway was 85. He was the comedic actor best known for being a core member of the “The Carol Burnett Show” troupe. He also starred in several Disney movies as well as the Dorf series of comic how-to videos.
Doris Day was 97. She was the singer turned actress enjoyed success in such films as Calamity Jane and Pillow Talk and had a hit in 1956 with Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be).
Peter Mayhew was 74. He was the actor who played Wookiee warrior Chewbacca in the original Star Wars trilogy beginning in 1977 as well as later films..
Red Kelly was 91. He won eight Stanley Cups with the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs in a Hall of Fame career.
John Singleton was 51. He was the directory who earned a pair of Oscar nominations (original screenplay and direction) for 1991's Boyz N the Hood, becoming the first black filmmaker to receive one for directing as well as the youngest contender ever in that category.
John Havlicek was 79. He played 16 seasons with the Boston Celtics, winning eight NBA championships, and is enshrined in the basketball hall of fame.
Dick Dale was 81. He was the guitarist nicknamed "King of the Surf Guitar" whose signature single Misirlou was prominently featured over the opening titles of Pulp Fiction.
King Kong Bundy was 61. He was the WWE wrestler who gained fame in the 1980s for defeating opponents with "the avalanche". I remember a three-count wasn't sufficient for Bundy, so he'd always ask the ref for a five-count.
Luke Perry was 52. He's the actor best known for playing Dylan McKay on “Beverly Hills, 90210”. To me, he'll always be Sideshow Luke Perry.
Ted Lindsay was 93. He was part of “The Production Line” for the Detroit Red Wings, playing with Gordie Howe and Sid Abel, winning four Stanley Cups over 17 NHL seasons. He was pivotal in organizing the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA) in the late 1950s, an action which
