Jani Lane was 47. He was the lead singer for Warrant, best known for the hits "Heaven" and "Cherry Pie". Here's Jani Lane talking about Cherry Pie, the song he wished he never wrote.
January 07, 2025
In Memoriam
Total 1575 Posts
Bubba Smith was 66. He was a defensive star in the NFL and played Moses Hightower, the soft-spoken officer in the "Police Academy" series.
Hideki Irabu was 42. He was the New York Yankees pitcher labelled "The Nolan Ryan of Japan" who went 34-35 with a 5.15 ERA in three seasons.
Amy Winehouse was 27. She was a singer-songwriter, known for her powerful contralto vocals and her eclectic mix of various musical genres including R&B, soul, and jazz. You likely knew her big hit "Rehab" from her second studio album, Back to Black. This one really ticks me off.
Elwy Yost was 86. He was the long-time host of Saturday Night at the Movies and Magic Shadows on TVOntario. As a very young boy I remember watching Elwy on TVOntario as he introduced classic films I was far too young to appreciate. I fondly recalled Elwy in this space
Sherwood Schwartz was 95. He was the creator of such iconic shows as The Brady Bunch and Gilligan’s Island, not to mention the ninth owner in the history of the Toronto Argonauts.
Betty Ford was 92. She was the widow of late US President Gerald Ford and a co-founder of an eponymous addiction center in California.
Dick Williams was 82. He led the Oakland A’s to two of their three 1970s World Series championships and led the 1967 Red Sox and 1984 Padres to pennants.
Nick Charles was 64. He was CNN's first sports anchor and served in that role for nearly two decades. I spent many a night watching Nick Charles and Fred Hickman on "Sports Tonight."
Peter Falk was 83. He marshaled actorly tics, prop room appurtenances and his own physical idiosyncrasies to personify Columbo, one of the most famous and beloved fictional detectives in television history.
Clarence Clemons was 69. He was a saxophonist with the E Street Band and a vital ingredient of Bruce Springsteen's sound and an invaluable onstage foil to "the Boss".
Betty Fox was 71. She was Terry Fox's mom and she nurtured his legacy into one of international action and inspiration in the fight against cancer. Every year I raise funds here and run in the Terry Fox Run. This year, I won't just be running for Terry, I'll be
Carl Gardner was 83. He was the original lead singer of the R&B group the Coasters, best known for the 1950s hits "Yakety Yak," "Searchin'," "Poison Ivy" and "Young Blood."
Jack Kevorkian was 83. He was a former pathologist, dubbed as “Dr. Death” in the 1990’s for his “right-todie” campaign, who assisted in more than 130 physician-assisted suicides.
Gil Scott-Heron was 62. He was the poet, musician, and author known primarily for his work as a spoken word performer in the 1970s and 80s, and for his collaborative soul works with musician Brian Jackson. He was the man behind such seminal pieces of music as “Home Is Where
Jeff Conaway was 60. He made his name playing bad boy Kenickie in the movie Grease and as struggling actor Bobby Wheeler in the sitcom Taxi.
Pete Griffin was 81. He and David Haydu formed the comedy duo Pete & Geets, hosting a morning-drive radio show on CHUM-FM in the early 1970s that was later revived between 1982-1987 on CFNY. Here's some great audio of Pete and Geets, originally shared here. I once interviewed my buddy
"Macho Man" Randy Savage was 58. He was one of the most famous WWF superstars of all-time. I always loved Macho Man. In fact, less than a month ago, I wrote about his epic rap career. I highly recommend you visit Macho Man's Rap Career Was Epic for more memories
Harmon Killebrew was 74. He was the affable, big-swinging Hall of Famer whose tape-measure home runs made him the cornerstone of the Minnesota Twins.
Derek Boogaard was 28. He played 277 regular-season games with the Minnesota Wild and the New York Rangers over six seasons, accumulating three goals and 13 assists and 589 penalty minutes.
Mel Queen was 69. He had a brief stint as the Toronto's interim manager in 1997 and served the Blue Jays in numerous roles, including director of player development and pitching coach.
Seve Ballesteros was 54. He was a five-time major golf champion whose passion and gift for imaginative shot-making invigorated European golf and the Ryder Cup.
Osama bin Laden was 54. He was the founder of the jihadist organization al-Qaeda, most widely recognized for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets. I've been documenting the deaths of the famous and infamous here for over 10
Ken Kostick was 57. He hosted the TV cooking show What's for Dinner with Mary Jo Eustace. He was also part of the first morning show in the history of 103.9 Proud FM.
Sidney Lumet was 86. He was the award-winning director of such acclaimed films as "Network," "Serpico," "Dog Day Afternoon" and "12 Angry Men."
