Red Auerbach was 89. He coached the Boston Celtics to nine NBA championships in the 1950s and 1960s.
December 23, 2024
In Memoriam
Total 1569 Posts
Trevor Berbick was 52. He ended the career of Muhammad Ali when he defeated the legendary boxer in 1981 and he went on to become the world heavyweight champion in 1986 before losing the title to Mike Tyson that same year.
Joe Niekro was 61. He was a former major league pitcher who twice won twenty games in a season and is Houston's career victory leader.
Jane Wyatt was 96. She was the lovely, serene actress who for six years on "Father Knows Best" was one of TV's favorite moms.
Lister Sinclair was 85. He had a storied career at the CBC, working as a host, playwright and panellist.
Freddy Fender was 69. He was the singer best known for his country hit Before The Next Teardrop Falls.
Sid Adilman was 68. He was the long-time Toronto Star entertainment writer widely regarded as one of the greatest champions of Canadian movies, music, books and television.
Gino Empry was 83. He was a long-time Toronto entertainment promoter and an icon in the international artistic community who represented some of the biggest names in show business, including Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Bob Hope and Ella Fitzgerald.
Cory Lidle was 34. He pitched for the New York Mets, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Oakland Athletics, Toronto Blue Jays, Cincinatti Reds, Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees going 12-15 for the Jays in 2003.
Ed Benedict was 94. He was the legendary animator who put life, love and laughter in TV cartoon characters like Fred Flintstone, Barney Rubble and Yogi Bear.
Ian Scott was 72. He was the former Ontario attorney general who helped orchestrate the end of the Conservative party’s 40-year-rule in the Ontario legislature.
Tamara Dobson was 59. She was the tall, stunning model-turned-actress who portrayed a strong female role as Cleopatra Jones in two "blaxploitation" films.
R. W. Apple was 71. He was the colorful New York Times correspondent who charted the fall of Richard Nixon and covered wars from Vietnam to the Persian Gulf while having a parallel career as a food and travel writer.
Iva Toguri D'Aquino was 90. She was accused of being "Tokyo Rose" who helped the Japanese propaganda effort during the Second World War by making anti-American radio broadcasts.
Byron Nelson was 94. He was golf's elegant "Lord Byron" whose 11 straight tournament victories in 1945 stand as one of sports' most enduring records.
Etta Baker was 93. She was a blues guitarist from North Carolina who influenced generations of musicians, from 1960s folkies to modern-day blues rockers.
Mickey Hargitay was 80. He was the actor and world champion bodybuilder who was married to 1950s sex siren Jayne Mansfield and whose daughter is Emmy-winning actress Mariska Hargitay.
Floyd Curry was 81. He was a four-time Stanley Cup champion with the Montreal Canadiens who scored 105 goals and 204 points in 601 NHL games.
Steve Irwin was 44. He was the hugely popular Australian television personality and conservationist known as the "Crocodile Hunter."
Charlie Wagner was 93. He pitched for the Boston Red Sox during the 1930s and '40s and worked for the organization for 70 years.
Glenn Ford was 90. He was the Canadian actor who starred in movies such as The Blackboard Jungle, Gilda and The Big Heat during a 53-year Hollywood career.
Maynard Ferguson was 78. He was the Canadian jazz trumpeter known for his soaring high notes and for recording the hit theme song to the film Rocky.
Frank Lennon was 79. He was the photographer best remembered for taking this picture of Paul Henderson celebrating his winning goal in the 1972 Summit Series.
Dr. George Mario (Jamie) Astaphan was 60. He provided Ben Johnson with the performance-enhancing drugs that helped fuel his rise and fall as an athlete.
Bruno Kirby was 57. He was the veteran character actor who costarred in "When Harry Met Sally," "City Slickers" and many other films.
