In Memoriam
Total 1690 Posts
Debbie Reynolds was 84. She was the actress and singer who starred in memorable films including 1952's Singin' in the Rain, 1962's How the West Was Won and 1956's Bundle of Joy. I loved her in Albert Brooks' Mother.
Carrie Fisher was 60. She was the actress best known as Star Wars‘ Princess Leia Organa. She also appeared in films like The Blues Brothers, When Harry Met Sally, The 'Burbs and Woody Allen's Hannah and Her Sisters.
George Michael was 53. He was the pop singer who launched his career with Wham! in the 1980s and continued his success as a solo performer. On a personal note, this one strikes me square in the nostalgia bone. I owned Wham!'s Make It Big on cassette and loved
Zsa Zsa Gabor was 99. She was the actress and socialite I knew best from her appearances on Hollywood Squares.
Jeff "Scruff Connors" Newfield was 64. He was the radio broadcaster best known in these parts for his two stints at Q107, and most recently, MOJO Radio.
Alan Thicke was 69. He was the Canadian actor, songwriter, and game and talk show host best known for his role as Jason Seaver on Growing Pains. I actually spent some time with Alan about five years ago. I wanted to talk about how he composed the themes to Diff'rent
John Glenn was 95. He was the first American astronaut to orbit the Earth and is the oldest person to go into space.
Fidel Castro was 90. He was the Cuban politician who governed the Republic of Cuba as Prime Minister from 1959 to 1976 and then as President from 1976 to 2008.
Florence Henderson was 82. She was the actress best known for her role as matriarch Carol Brady in The Brady Bunch. She was also the first female guest host of The Tonight Show.
Janet Wright was 71. She won a Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for Bordertown Café, but is best known for her role as Emma Leroy on the hit Canadian sitcom Corner Gas.
Leon Russell was 74. He was the legendary singer, songwriter, pianist and 2011 Rock and Roll Hall of fame inductee who wrote songs such as A Song For You, Shine a Light (as (Can't Seem to) Get a Line on You) and Superstar.
Leonard Cohen was 82. He was the legendary Canadian singer-songwriter best known for songs like "Suzanne", "So Long, Marianne", "Bird on the Wire", "Everybody Knows", "Closing TIme" and "Hallelujah". He was also an accomplished poet and novelist and a personal favourite of mine. I did my best, it wasn't much
Dave Broadfoot was 90. He was a member of the Royal Canadian Air Farce on radio from 1973 until 1993.
Shimon Peres was 93. He twice served as prime minister of Israel and later as the country’s ninth president. His defining achievement was as one of the key architects of the Oslo peace accords for which he was jointly awarded the Nobel peace prize with Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser
Arnold Palmer was 87. He was the golfer who won seven major championships and, along with Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player, helped popularize and commercialize the sport around the world.
Jose Fernandez was 24. He was the Miami Marlins pitcher who was named Rookie of the Year in 2013 and was in the midst of his finest season in the majors. I challenge you to watch this video and not tear up.
Bill Nunn was 62. He was the actor who played Radio Raheem in Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing.
Curtis Hanson was 71. He was the Academy Award-winning film director who directed L.A. Confidential, 8 Mile and Wonder Boys.
W.P. Kinsella was 81. He was the author best known for his 1982 novel Shoeless Joe, the source material for the 1989 film Field of Dreams. As a young baseball fan, I read The Thrill of the Grass and was smitten.
Gene Wilder was 83. He was the comic actor who starred in The Producers, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein.
John Saunders was 61. He was the television play-by-play announcer for the Toronto Raptors from 1995 to 2001, eventually being replaced by Chuck Swirsky. He also hosted and provided play-by-play for a variety of sports on ESPN and ABC.
Garry Marshall was 81. He created such television shows as Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley and Mork & Mindy and directed movies, including The Flamingo Kid and Pretty Woman.
Buddy Ryan was 82. During his 35-season NFL coaching career, he served as the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles and Arizona Cardinals, and the defensive coordinator of the Chicago Bears and Houston Oilers.
Pat Summitt was 64. She was the winningest coach, male or female, in NCAA basketball history winning 1,098 games and eight NCAA championships with the University of Tennessee Lady Vols.
Anton Yelchin was 27. He was the actor best known for playing Pavel Chekhov in the Star Trek reboots.