In Memoriam
Total 1561 Posts
Sam Simon was 59. He developed “The Simpsons” with Matt Groening and James L. Brooks, and he subsequently co-wrote nearly a dozen “Simpsons” episodes during his tenure on the animated comedy, also serving as co-showrunner, character designer, creative consultant, creative supervisor, developer, and writer.
He was the longtime Toronto radio personality best known for his seven years at CFNY from 1985 to 1992 and his many years as Dr. Trance, Godfather of the Toronto rave scene. I was hoping to have Don Berns on my podcast, and when he came in, I was going
Leonard Nimoy was 83. He was the actor, film director, poet, singer, and photographer best known for his role as Spock in Star Trek. He lived long and prospered.
Lesley Gore was 68. She was the singer who topped the charts in 1963 with her epic song of teenage angst, "It's My Party," and followed it up with the hits "Judy's Turn to Cry" and "You Don't Own Me." And who could forget her "Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows" bellowing
Alison Gordon covered the Blue Jays’ beat for the Toronto Star from 1979 to 1984. At the time, women sportswriters were so rare that her membership card in the Baseball Writers Association of America identified her as Mr. Alison Gordon. They literally couldn't produce a card that was gender-neutral or
Jerry Tarkanian was 84. He was the head coach of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Runnin' Rebels from 1973-1992 winning the national championship in 1990 with one of the most dominant college teams ever.
Dean Smith was 83. He was the head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels from 1961 to 1997 winning two national championships, including the 1982 title with a squad led by Michael Jordan.
Toller Cranston was 65. He was the Canadian senior men’s figure skating champion from 1971 to 1976 winning the free-skate segment of the world championship four times and the bronze medal at the Olympic Games in Innsbruck, Austria.
Ernie Banks was 83. He was the shortstop known simply as "Mr. Cub" after hitting 512 home runs over a 19-year career spent entirely in Chicago. Playing double headers with my slo-pitch team, I'd often remark "let's play two" in honour of Ernie.
Joe Cocker was 70. He was the singer-songwriter best known for his cover of the Beatles' With A Little Help From My Friends. He also had hits with You Are So Beautiful and Up Where We Belong.
Jean Béliveau was 83. He led the Montreal Canadiens to 10 Stanley Cup championships during his 20 seasons in the NHL. In 1,125 games, he scored 507 goals, set up 712 others and finished with 1,219 points.
Pat Quinn was 71. He coached the Philadelphia Flyers, Los Angeles Kings, Vancouver Canucks, Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers, reaching the Stanley Cup Finals twice, with the Flyers in 1980 and the Canucks in 1994. Under Quinn, the Maple Leafs had consistently been contenders, recording three 100-point seasons and
Mike Nichols was 83. He won an Oscar for directing the 1967 film The Graduate, and was nominated for Working Girl, The Remains of the Day, Silkwood and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?.
Marcia Strassman was 66. She played Gabe Kaplan's wife, Julie, on the 1970s sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter. She was also the mother in Honey I Shrunk The Kids and its sequel, Honey I Blew Up The Kid.
Elizabeth Peña was 55. She starred in the series I Married Dora as well as well as dozens of movies, including John Sayles's Lone Star in which she was awesome.
Jan Hooks was 57. She was a regular cast member of Saturday Night Live from 1986 to 1991. She also had a memorable role in Pee-wee's Big Adventure as a know-it-all tour guide at the Alamo.
In the mid-80s, there were a series of Midas ads featuring Richard Kiel. His line "don't provoke me!" became a personal favourite to this 10-year old. Richard Kiel, best known for his role as the Bond villain Jaws in the 007 movies The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker, and
Joan Rivers was 81. She was the comedian and actress best known for her appearances on The Tonight Show, hosting the Joan Rivers Show and co-hosting red carpet specials and Fashion Police. As a kid, I knew Joan Rivers from Hollywood Squares, The Muppets Take Manhattan and Spaceballs. I always
Richard Attenborough was 90. He won two Academy Awards for directing and producing Gandhi and is best known for his roles in Brighton Rock, The Great Escape, 10 Rillington Place, Miracle on 34th Street and Jurassic Park.
Lauren Bacall was 89. She was the Oscar-winning actress best known for her roles in “Key Largo,” “The Mirror Has Two Faces,” “Designing Woman,” and “To Have and Have.”
Robin Williams was 63. He was the Oscar-winning actor and comedian who starred in the TV show "Mork and Mindy" before starring in such interesting films as "Good Morning, Vietnam", "Dead Poets Society", "The Fisher King" and "Good Will Hunting". On a personal note, his "Popeye" is the very first
James Garner was 86. His whimsical style in the 1950s TV Western Maverick led to a stellar career in TV and films such as The Rockford Files and his Oscar-nominated Murphy's Romance.
Elaine Stritch was 89. She was a five-time Tony nominee who I knew best as Colleen Donaghy on 30 Rock.
Tommy Ramone was 65. He was the last surviving founding member of seminal punk band The Ramones. I wrote a little about the sad curse of The Ramones here.
Bobby Womack was 70. He was the soul singer best known for the hits "Lookin' For a Love", "That's The Way I Feel About Cha", "Woman's Gotta Have It", "Harry Hippie", "Across 110th Street" and "If You Think You're Lonely Now".
