In Memoriam
Total 1575 Posts
Al Arbour was 82. He is second to Scotty Bowman for most wins and games coached in league history. As coach of the New York Islanders, he led the team to four Stanley Cups in a row, stringing together 19 straight playoff series victories, a professional sports record.
Frank Gifford was 84. He played with the New York Giants his entire NFL career, from 1952 to 1964, and went to the Pro Bowl at three different positions. If you're my age, you know him best as part of the broadcast booth of "Monday Night Football."
Christopher Hyndman was 49. He was co-host of the afternoon talk show Steven and Chris on CBC-TV. Prior to their CBC show, the real-life couple starred in Chic with Steven and Chris, Design Rivals and Designer Guys.
Rowdy Roddy Piper was 61. He was a WWF / WWE superstar who also starred in John Carpenter’s "They Live." He was also my favourite wrestler when I followed the WWF in the mid-80s. I'd tune in weekly to hear him on the Piper's Pit. His "For Everybody" was the
Roger Rees was 71. He was the actor best known for his role as millionaire Robin Colcord on Cheers. He also had a key role in The West Wing and played the Sheriff of Rottingham in Robin Hood: Men in Tights.
Omar Sharif was 83. He was the Academy Award nominated actor best known for his roles in Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago and Funny Girl.
Ken Stabler was 69. He threw for 27,938 yards during his 15-year career in the NFL, compiling a 96-49-1 record as a starting quarterback and a win over the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl XI. He played for the Raiders from 1970 to 1979, winning the NFL MVP award
James Horner was 61. He composed the score for such films as Field of Dreams, Braveheart and Titanic. He was nominated for 10 Oscars in total, winning twice for Titanic.
Christopher Lee was 93. He was a prolific actor best known for his portrayal of Dracula in a string of films, Francisco Scaramanga in the James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun, Saruman in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy and The Hobbit film trilogy, and Count
B.B. King was 89. He was one of the most influential blues musicians of all time, earning the nickname "The King of Blues." He's best known for such hits as The Thrill is Gone and Every Day I Have the Blues. You might remember him from When Love Comes
Ben E. King was 76. He was the soul and R&B singer best known as the singer and co-composer of "Stand by Me" which hit the top ten twice, in 1961 and 1986.
Lois Lilianstein was 78. She was a member of the children's musical trio Sharon, Lois & Bram, best known for "Skinnamarink". If you were born in the 70s, you were likely raised on Sharon, Lois & Bram. They starred in The Elephant Show on CBC and seemed to pop up
Percy Sledge was 73. He was the soul singer best known for his classic song "When a Man Loves a Woman."
James Best was 88. He played Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane in The Dukes of Hazzard. I loved The Dukes of Hazzard so much as a kid my bed was adorned with The Dukes of Hazzard sheets and covers. Daisy Duke was my very first crush.
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.
