Arts & Letters –– Business –– Miscellaneous
Movies, Stage, & Television –– Politics & Government –– Music –– Sports
Alicia Alonso (age 98) - Havana native Alicia Ernestina de la Caridad Martínez del Hoyo was the most famous ballet dancer to come out of Cuba, debuting at age 19 in her native country. She spent decades in the New York City Ballet and the Ballet Russe, despite being nearly blind. Alonso died
October 17, 2019.
Harold Bloom (age 89) - Bloom, long a professor of Humanities at Yale, was perhaps America;s best-known literary critic. He published numerous volumes of literary criticism, particularly poetry, as well as works on religion. Bloom died October 14, 2019.
Edward Clark (age 92) - The New Orleans-born Clark made a name for himself as an abstract expressionist and experimenter in the visual arts. Among other accomplishments, Clark was one of the first painters to experiment with non-rectangular canvases and painting with non-standard implements such as brooms. His works are in the permanent collections of museums around the world, including in his adopted home of Detroit. Clark died
October 18, 2019.
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Jill Freedman (age 79) - A documentary photographer by trade, Freedman was known for her choice of subject matter. It was often said that she chose to illustrate the lives of people on the margins, showing their humanity without glorifying them. Among topics she'd studied were circus performers, policemen, and firemen. Freedman said that she had literally run away to join the circus, and her first book was a record of that time. Freedman died October 9, 2019. |
| Philip Gips (age 88) - Gips had a long and distinguished career as a graphic designer and artist. He was perhaps best-known for the movie posters he designed, which included Aliens, Hoosiers, Desperately Seeking Susan, and Downhill Racer. He also designed logos, including the original ESPN and History Channel logos as well as the logo of the band .38 Special. Gips died October 3, 2019. |
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Nick Tosches (age 69) - Tosches had a long career as a music journalist, contributing to such print outlets as Vanity Fair, Creem, and Rolling Stone. In addition to his music criticism, Nick wrote four novels and several non-fiction books about music, including a Jerry Lee Lewis biography (Hellfire) and Country Music: The Twisted Roots of Rock and Roll. Tosches passed away October 20, 2019. |
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Mark Hurd (age 64) - Hurd had a long career in the technology sector; beginning with more than two decades at NCR (National Cash Register), where he rose from junior salesman to CEO. He left the company after two years at the top to take the CEO position at Hewlett-Packard, where he remained for five years. He moved from H-P to a co-CEO position at Oracle, where he remained from 2010 until his death. Hurd passed away
October 18, 2019.
Morton Mandel (age 98) - Mandel and his brothers founded the Premier Automotive Supply, an auto-parts distributor, in 1940. The company later branched into industrial and electronic parts, eventually becoming one of the largest such companies in the world. Mandel was chairman of the company for 36 years, dueing which he also became an active philanthropist in the Cleveland, Ohio, area. Mandel died
October 16, 2019.
Emilio Nicholás (age 88) - The Mexican-born Nicholás came to the US in his teens, attending school in San Antonio, Texas. He graduated with a chemistry degree and worked in research for several years before signing on as a producer with local Spanish-language radio station KCOR. He bought KCOR-TV in 1961, renamed it KWEX, and founded the Spanish International Network. KWEX ultimately became the foundation of Univision. SIN was the first US network to adopt satellite transmission of programming. Nicholás died
October 12, 2019.
Gerald Paul (age 90) - Paul and his family escaped Nazi Germany in 1938 and emigrated to the U. S. Though he did not speak English when he came to the US, Paul graduated from high school at 15 and began working in the clothing industry in his new home of Indianapolis. In 1952, he and Earl Harris founded the Paul Harris clothing chain, which eventually grew into a chain of almost 400 stores before folding in the 2001. Paul died
October 29, 2019.
Warren Rosenthal (age 96) - Rosenthal founded two restaurant chains - Long John Silver's and Jerry's - and bred thoroughbred horses on his farm in Lexington, Kentucky. Rosenthal grew his seafood restaurant chain to more than 1300 properties worldwide before selling the chain to A&W in 1999. Rosenthal died
October 19, 2019.
Beverly Sackler (age 95) - Sackler was the wife of Raymond and father of Richard and Johnathan Sackler, all members of the English/American Sackler family that owns the Purdue Pharma Company. She was one of several family members named in the opioid class-action suit filed by several hundred states, counties, and cities. Sackler passed away
October 14, 2019.
Don Valentine (age 89) - Valentine started out as a salesman for tech companies like Raytheon and National Semiconductor, but ultimately founded the venture capital firm Seqouia Capital. The company specialized in tech ventures, among which were early investments in Atari and Apple. Valentine's company also helped stake Google, Oracle, Cisco, and YouTube. He died
October 25, 2019.
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Scotty Bowers (age 96) - For more than forty years, George "Scotty" Bowers was Hollywood's most (in)famous pimp. A poorly-kept secret, Bowers' career was ultimately chronicled in his tell-all memoir, Full Service, in which he named more than a few famous names including such stars as Rock Hudson and Bette Davis. Bowers passed away October 13, 2019. |
Francis S. Currey (age 94) - Currey received the Medal of Honor for his courageous actions at the Battle of the Bulge during WW2. He also received a Bronze Star, a Silver Star, and three Purple Hearts for his service. Currey was featured on a U. S. postage stamp release sheet and a GI Joe figure was created in his likeness. He died
October 8, 2019.
Bernard Fisher (age 100) - Fisher practiced medicine in the Pittsburgh area for six decades, including many years of research on breast cancer. He was instrumental in the modern use of radiation and chemotherapy with lumpectomy instead of radical mastectomy, and also researched the used of tamoxifen in treatment of the cancer. He died
October 16, 2019.
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John Kirby (age 79) - Kirby was trained as an attorney and held a position within the Civil Rights division of the U. S. Department of Justice in the 1960s just as the Civil Rights Act was enacted. In later life he became a corporate attorney, and is best known for having successfully defended Nintendo when they were sued over the rights to "Donkey Kong." The Nintendo character Kirby was named in his honor. He passed away October 2, 2019. |
Alexei Leonov (age 85) - A Russian cosmonaut, Leonov holds the honor of being the first man to walk in space. On March 18, 1965, he spent twelve minutes outside, tethered to his Voshkod 2 capsule. Ten years later, Leonov commanded a Soyuz capsule that docked with an American Apollo capsule in orbit. Leonov died
October 11, 2019.
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Joseph Lombardo (age 90) - "Joey the Clown" Lombardo was allegedly consigliere of theItalian organized crime gang known as the Chicago Outfit. Lombardo was sentenced to 15 years in 1982 for racketeering and bribery in a case related to the Teamsters union. In 2006 he was a central figure in the "Family Secrets" trial, and was convicted of racketeering, bribery, and murder. He died in federal prison on October 19, 2019. |
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| Al Burton (91) - Burton teamed with Norman Lear to develop such properties as "Fernwood 2Night" and "One Day at a Time" before starting his own production company in the 1980s. There, he produced "Charles in Charge" and "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, among programs. His "Win Ben Stein's Money" segment on Comedy Central collected seven Emmy Awards. Burton is credited with starting the careers of such stars as Michael J. Fox and Christina Applegate. He passed away October 22, 2019. |
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Diahann Carroll (age 84) - Often cited as a ground-breaking African-American artists, Carroll was the first Black woman to win a Tony Award (1962, for No Strings) and the first to have a starring role in a television show (1968, starring as a nurse in "Julia"). She was nominated numerous times for Emmys and once for an Oscar. In 2011, she was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame. Carroll died October 4, 2019, of cancer. |
Ann Crumb (age 69) - Crumb was a Broadway actor and a singer who recorded show tunes and jazz. She was nominated for a supporting actress Tony for her role in
Anna Karenina, and toured as the lead in
Evita. Crumb succumbed to ovarian cancer on
October 31, 2019.
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Robert Forster (age 78) - Forster's career in television and film spanned six decades, beginning in the 1960s with a part in John Houston's Reflections in a Golden Eye. He worked in both the large and small screens over the next fifty years, including television roles as the sherriff in the reboot of "Twin Peaks" and an Oscar-nominated role in Tarantino's Jackie Brown. Forster succumbed to brain cancer on October 11, 2019. |
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Bill Macy (age 97) - No relation to actor William H. Macy, Bill Macy had a long and distinguished career of his own. His filmography includes such films as The Jerk, me, Myself and I, and Analyze This. He is probably best known as the hapless Walter, husband of Bea Arthur's "Maude." He appeared nude in the stage production of Oh! Calcutta. Macy died October 17, 2019. |
| Karen Pendleton (age 73) - Millions of boomer kids turned in every afternoon to head Pendleton announce, "I'm Karen!" Karen was one of the original Mouseketeers, lasting the show's entire five-year run (1955-1959). After The Mickey Mouse Club ended, Pendleton departed show business and became a social worker and advocate for the disabled. She died of a heart attack October 6, 2019. |
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Eric Pleskow (age 95) - Pleskow was assigned by the U. S. Army to rebuild the largest German movie studio after WW2, after which he was a European rep for United Artists. By 1973, he had risen to the position of CEO of the company, leading them during a period in which the studio had three consecutive Best Picture Oscars. He was later the founder and head of Orion Pictures, capping a career in which his studios won fourteen Academy Awards. Pleskow passed away
October 1, 2019.
| Bernard Slade (age 89) - The Canadian-born Slade was a screenwriter and playright. In addition to writing scripts for many television series in the 1960s and 70s; including such series as "The Flying Nun," "Bewitched," and "The Partridge Family." He went on to write Same Time Next Year, earning a Tony nomination for the play and an Oscar nomination for his screen adaptation. Slade died October 30, 2019. |
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John Witherspoon (age 77) - A comedian and actor, Witherspoon may have been best known for the recurring role of Willie Jones in the "Friday" film series, including Friday and Next Friday. In addition to a long list of film roles, he also made guest appearances in dozens of television series, ranging from "Barnaby Jones" to "Blackish." Witherspoon also toured as a comedian. He died October 29, 2019. |
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| Ginger Baker (age 80) - Peter "Ginger" Baker was a British drummer who collaborates with such rock and roll greats as Eric Clapton and Jack Bruce, joining those two in Cream (1966-68). Baker also provided percussion for Ginger Baker's Air Force and Blind Faith, as well as taking up African rhythms with Fela Kuti. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Cream in 1993. Baker died October 6, 2019. |
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Paul Barrere (age 71) - Barrere was an accomplished guitarist, capable of playing many styles. He recorded with such acts as Taj Mahal, Carly Simon, and RObert Palmer; but is best known as a mainstay of the band Little Feat, which he joined in 1973 and remained until his death. He succumbed to liver cancer on October 26, 2019. |
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Steve Cash (age 73) - Cash, a singer-songwriter and sometime blues harp player, was a founding member of the country rock band, the Ozark Mountain Daredevils. The band was probably best known for their hit song "Jackie Blue." He remained with the band from its founding in 1971 until his death. Cash is also the author of the scifi series known as the Meq trilogy. He died October 14, 2019. |
| George Chambers (age 88) - Along with brothers Lester, Willie, and Joe, George Chambers was a member of the soul group the Chambers Brothers. Originally a gospel group, the brothers' only hit was the "psychedelic soul" tune "Time Has Come Today," released in 1973. In later years, the brothers performed as an opening act and at folk festivals. George, the oldest brother, died October 12, 2019. |
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Ed Cherney (age 69) - Cherney spent decades as a record producer and recording engineer, collecting four Grammy Awards over his career. He worked with artists ranging from Bonne Raitt to Willie Nelson to Michael Jackson, picking up two Grammys for Nelson albums ("Summertime" and "My Way") and one with Raitt ("Nick of Time"). He also worked on such films as The Bourne Legacy and Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Cherney died of cancer October 22, 2019. |
| Molly Duncan (age 74) - Malcolm (Molly) Duncan was a Scottish musician with a long and varied career. Over the years, he recorded with such artists as Ray Charles, Ben E. King, Dire Straits, and Chaka Kahn. Duncan was also a founding member of the '70s "blue-eyed funk" group Average White Band. He died of cancer on October 8, 2019. |
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Jay Frank (age 47) - Frank was a music industry executive and an author of DIY books aimed at would-be musicians. After a stint with CMT, he joined Universal Music Group in 2015. Along the way, he founded the company DigSin ("Digital Single"), which distributes music on a subscriber basis. Frank died of cancer
October 13, 2019..
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Larry Junstrom (age 70) - Junstrom and three others founded rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1964, naming the band after their high school PE teacher. Junstrom left the band in 1971. His replacement, Leon Wilkeson, survived the 1077 plane crash that killed founding member Ronnie Van Zandt. Junstom joined van Zandt's brother Donnie in the band .38 Special in 1977. He died October 6, 2019. |
Bob Kingsley (age 80) - Kingsley was a syndicated country music radio host for more than forty years, beginning as a producer in 1974 with the Kasey Kasem creation American Country Countdown. In 2006, Kingsley inked a new contract and renamed the program Bob Kingsley's Country Top 40. He remained in that seat until not long before his death on
October 17, 2019.
Raymond Leppard (age 92) - Leppard spent 15 seasons as the director of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, a period during which he helped reintroduce baroque music to the classical schedule. Also a composer, Leppard scored the films
Lord of the Flies (1963) and
Hotel New Hampshire (1984). Leppard passed away
October 22, 2019.
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Kim Shattuck (age 56) - Shattuck was a musician and songwriter associated with several bands, most notably The Muffs and The Pandoras. She also briefly toured with The Pixies in 2013 as the bass guitarist. Shattuck succumbed to ALS on October 2, 2019. |
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Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (age 48) - The Iraqi cleric rose to power within the terrorist organization ISIS (ISIL), ultimately reaching the level of "Emir of the Caliphate." His birth name is reported to have been Ibrahim al-Samarri. He is reported to have detonated a suicide vest on
October 26, 2019, to avoid capture by American forces during a raid on a compound in Syria.
John Conyers (age 90) - Conyers served his Detroit-area district in the U. S, House of Representatives for more than fifty years (1965-2017), becoming one of the longest-serving representatives in history. He came into Congress as an advocate for civil rights, and left after being accused of sexual harassment. Conyers died
October 27, 2019.
Elijah Cummings (age 68) - Cummings was a U. S. Congressman from Baltimore, Maryland, from 1986 until his death. He chaired the House Oversight Committee beginning in 2019. Cummings' career included several bills intended to increase governmental transparency such as amendments to the Presidential Records Act. Cummings was mot recently known for sparring with the White House over investigations into the actions of President Donald Trump. He died suddenly on
October 17, 2019.
Abul-Hasan al-Muhajir (unknown) - This was the pseudonym of an anonymous spokesman for ISIS (ISIL). He assumed the role of spokesperson in 2016, and is widely believed to have been a non-Arab. Some have postulated that he was a Texan who converted to Islam. He was killed in a CIA bombing raid in Syria on
October 27, 2019, hours after the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
William Milliken (age 97) - Milliken was heading the family's department store in his native Traverse City when he was drawn into politics in 1947. He rose through the ranks as a state senator and lieutenant governor before being elected governor in 1968 as a moderate Republican. He held the office for four terms, making him the longest-serving governor in state history. He died
October 18, 2019.
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Bill Bidwill (age 88) - William Bidwell was the principal owner of the St. Louis and Arizona Cardinals franchise of the NFL. He and his brother inherited the team from his parents, his father Charles having bought the Chicago Cardinals in the 1930s. His mother moved the team to St. Louis in 1960 and Bill packed them off to Phoenix in 1988. He died October 2, 2019. |
| Willie Brown (age 78) - Brown played 16 years at cornerback in the AFL and NFL, starting with the Broncos before being traded to the Raiders in 1967. He racked up three Super Bowl rings with the Raiders, as well as being a 5-time AFL all-star and four-time pro-bowler. After retirement, he was a defensive backs coach for the Raiders for another 15 seasons. An NFL Hall of Famer, Brown passed away October 21, 2019. |
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Eric Cooper (age 52) - Cooper wore number 56 during his 20-year career as a major league baseball umpire. The Iowa native is tied for the most no-hitters as plate umpire at three, one of which was a perfect game. Other milestones include World Series games, an All-Star game, division series, and championship series. He was an umpire at the last game in Yankee Stadium and in Cal Ripken, Jr;s final game. Cooper died
October 20, 2019, of complications after surgery.
| Andy Etchebarren (age 76) - Etchebarren spent fifteen years behind the plate for the Orioles, Angels, and Brewers. He was a two-time AL All-Star (1966, 1967) and played on two World Series champs. Etchebarren finished his career with a .235 batting average over 948 games. He died October 5, 2019. |
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| Ron Fairly (age 81) - Fairly, a solid but slow-footed first baseman / outfielder, debuted with his hometown L A Dodgers in 1958. He played twelve seasons for the Dodgers before joining the Montreal Expos in 1969. He also spent time with the A's, Blue Jays, and Cardinals before retiring with the Angels in 1978. After retirement, he became a broadcaster for Angels, Giants, and Mariners, remaining in the booth until 2012. Fairly is one of few major-leaguers to have played more than 1000 games in both the infield and outfield. He passed away October 30, 2019. |
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Danny Grant (age 73) - Grant spent 14 seasons as an NHL winger, braking in with the Canadiens near the end of their 1968 Stanley Cup championship run. The next season, his first full season in the league, he won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year withe the North Stars. He was an NHL all-star three times. Grant finished his career with the Kings after six seasons with the Red WIngs, amassing 535 points in 736 games. He died October 14, 2019. |
Jordie Lunn (age 36) - The Canadian-born Lunn parlayed his passion for mountain biking into a professional career, carving a niche for himself in films about his favorite sport. While riding on a trail near Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, Lunn suffered a fatal head injury in a crash. His family announced his death on
October 11, 2019.
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Sammy Taylor (age 86) - Taylor was a perennial backup catcher after starting strong in 1958 and 1959 for the Cubs. In 1962, he was traded to the Mets; he played briefly with the Mets, Reds, and Indians in 1963. He finished his career with a .245 average in 473 games over seven years. Taylor died October 8, 2019. |
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