Deaths of the Rich and Famous - January, 2020

Arts & Letters  ––   Business  ––   Miscellaneous


Movies, Stage, & Television  ––   Politics & Government  ––   Music  ––   Sports

Arts and Letters

Mary Higgins Clark (age 92) - Clark was probably best known as an author of mystery novels, with more than 50 standalone novels published since 1968, as well as mystery series, plays, and television scripts. KNown as "the Queen of Suspense," Clark not only won writing awards but has one named after her, the Mary Higgins Clark Award. Clark died January 31, 2020.

Mike Resnick (age 77) - Resnick's long and varied career included stints as a writer and editor of "adult" material and a couple of movie scripts, but his first love and his main genre were fantasy and science fiction. Resnick holds the unofficial record for Hugo Award nominations at 37, with a total of five winners. Resnick died January 9, 2020.

Elizabeth Wurtzel (age 52) - Wurtzel was a lawyer and writer, famous for her suffering from depression throughout her teenage years and twenties, a period detailed in her memoir Prozac Nation. Her career both as author and lawyer were marred by controversy, including charges of fabricating sources. She died January 7, 2020, of breast cancer.

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Business

Georges Duboeuf (age 82) - Duboeuf, principal of the wine merchants Le Vins du Georges Duboeuf, was popularly known as "The King of Beaujolais" in his native France. Although raised on a vineyard of Chardonnay grapes, a young Georges assembled a Beaujolais syndicate and the die was cast. Duboeuf succumbed to a stroke on January 2, 2020.

Leila Janah (age 37) - Janah, a graduate of Harvard, founded two firms: Samasource, a not-for-profit digital training center intended to help lift clients out of poverty through education; and LXMI, a luxury skin care brand. Janah died of a rare cancer January 24, 2020.

Forrest Wood (age 87) - Wood is often cited as the developer of the modern bass boat, a style he pioneered with the company he founded in 1968, Ranger Boats. The company was, for decades, the official sponsor of the Bassmaster Classic fishing tournament. The tournament renamed itself the FLW Tournament in 1996, drawing its name from Wood's initials. He passed away on January 24, 2020.

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Miscellaneous

Peter Kirstein (age 86) - A computer scientist in the United Kingdom, Kirstein is credited with establishing some of the first internet-connected computer outside of the United States. In 1973, Kirstein's London laboratory connected to ARPANET via trans-Atlantic cable. He was also instrumental in developing the TCP/IP protocol by which computers communicate. Kirstein died January 8, 2019.

Dee Molenaar (age 102) - Molenaar was a WW2 veteran, serving in the U. S. Coast Guard. After the war, he earned a geology degree and joined the U. S. Geological Survey. He is a member of the Hall of Mountaineering Excellence, earning that honor for multiple first ascents, including K2 and Mount St. Elias, and dozens of ascents of Mt. Rainier. Molenaar died January 19, 2020.

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Movies, Television, and Stage

Jack Burns (age 86) - An actor, writer, and director; Burns began his career as part of a comedy duo with George Carlin and later with Avery Schreiber. On television, he was cast as the equally bumbling replacement for Barney Fife on "The Andy Griffith Show." He made guest appearances on a number of television shows, hosted an early "SNL," and received Emmy nominations for his work as writer for "The Muppet Show." Burns died January 28, 2020.

Edd Byrnes (age 87) - Byrnes was the essence of beat-era hipster in his role as "Kookie" Kookson, sidekick to Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., in "77 Sunset Strip." Byrnes himself invented the character's trademark greasy pompadour and frequent applications of his comb. After the show's six-year run, he went on the guest-appearance circuit, appearing in such shows as "Love, American Style" and "Mannix." Byrnes died January 8, 2019.

Marj Dusay (age 83) - Dusay broke into film in 1967 with a walk-on in an Elvis Presley movie, and spent most of the next 40 years in and out of soap operas, especially "The Guiding Light." She made many guest appearances in television and played the wife of the title character in MacArthur. Dusay passed away January 28, 2020.

Harriet Frank (age 97) - Frank and her husband, Irving Ravetch, were a screenwriting team who brought many projects to the silver screen. One of their earliest successes was the Paul Newman vehicle Hud (1963), for which they collaborated with director Martin Ritt. The trio met success with other films, including Norma Rae and Murphy's Romance; gaining Oscar nominations for two of the films. Frank died January 28, 2020.

Buck Henry (age 89) - Henry's career in television comedy spanned six decades, both as a writer-producer and an actor. He Developed and wrote for "Get Smart" and was a regular host of "Saturday Night Live" in the late 1970s (when it was funny). On the big screen he appeared in The Graduate as well as received an Oscar nomination for co-writing the script, and was also nominated for a directing Oscar for Heaven Can Wait. Henry died January 8, 2019.

Silvio Horta (age 45) - The Miami-born Horta was a screenwriter and television producer, including the development of three television series. The best-known of the three was Horta's adaptation of the Colombian telenovela Betty la Fea, which ran four seasons as "Ugly Betty." Horta received a Golden Globe in 2007. He wasfound dead in a hotel room on January 7, 2020, of an apparent suicide.

Terry Jones (age 77) - Jones is best known as the squeaky-voiced "man in drag" in multitudinous skits with the Monty Python comedy troupe. He co-wrote and -directed Monty Python and the Holy Grail and directed Life of Brian and Monty Python's the Meaning of Life. Jones was also a historian, a journalist, and a musician. He succumbed to dementia on January 21, 2020.

John Karlen (age 86) - Karlen played more than 100 roles in television and film, including the husband of Mary Beth Lacy (Tyne Daley) on television's "Cagney and Lacey." He appeared in almost 200 episodes of the soap "Dark Shadows," playing five different characters. Karlen was nominated foe an Emmy three times for his "Cagney and Lacey" role, winning once (986). He passed away January 22, 2020.

Stan Kirsch (age 51) - Best-known for his role of Richie Ryan, Duncan McLeod's buddy and semi-apprentice in "Highlander: The Series," Kirsch also made guest appearances in a wide variety of television shows and films. He also wrote and produced screenplays with his own company, Stan Kirsch Studios. Kirsch was found dead of suicide on January 11, 2020.

Jim Lehrer (age 85) - Lehrer's career began in Dallas, where he covered the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963 for the Dallas Morning News. He moved to television, where he soon became a correspondent for the "Robert MacNeil Report," eventually joining MacNeil as co-anchor of the "MacNeil/Lehrer Report" on PBS. His public television career lasted until 2011, when he stepped down as anchor of the "PBS News Hour," although he still contributed pieces. He won multiple Emmy awards and a Peabody award, and is a member of the Television Hall of Fame. Lehrer passed away January 23, 2020.

Margo Lion (age 75) - Lion was a producer of on- and off-Broadway plays. Her best-known production is probably Hairspray, which collected eight Tony Awards in 2003. In all, her productions won more than twenty Tonys and a Pulitzer Prize. Lion suffered a brain aneurysm and died on January 24, 2020.

Fred Silverman (age 82) - Silverman spent his entire career in television, beginning with an MA thesis that analyzed ABC's programming. He rose to a VP at CBS, then vaulted to head of programming. He introduced such shows as "All in the Family" and the "Mary Tyler Moore Show" before jumping to ABC, where he greenlighted "Three's Company" and "Charlie's Angels," earning the ire of those opposed to jiggle TV. Beginning in 1978, he headed NBC, where he introduced "Hill Street Blues" and "Cheers." Silverman died  of cancer January 30, 2020.

Jack Van Impe (age 88) - Van Impe broadcast a Christian evangelical program from his home base in the Detroit area every week for decades. Sometimes known as "The Walking Bible," Van Impe had memorized great swathes of scripture. He and his wife, Rexella, once received the "Ig Nobel Prize in Astrophysics" for their revelation that black holes are the likely location of Hell. Van Impe died January 18, 2020.

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Music

Nedda Casei (age 87) - Casei was an operatic mezzo-soprano, a leading mezzo for the New York Metropolitan Opera for more than twenty years; a period in which she made some 280 appearances. She recorded with such conductors as Bernstein, Rivoli, and Swarovski. Casei was also a teacher, leading master classes at universities worldwide. Casei's death was announced on January 29, 2020.

Marty Grebb (age 73) - The Chicago-born Grebb had a fifty-year career as a keyboardist, including early success with local band The Buckinghams that led to six top-ten hits. He then toured with national artists such as Chicago, Leon Russell, Elton John, Eric Clapton, and Bonnie Raitt; spending 25 years as a member of Raitt's road band. Grebb appeared on hundreds of tracks with dozens of artists, plus film work. Grebb died January 2, 2020.

Bob Nave (age 75) - Nave, a keyboardist who favored the Hammond organ, was a member of one-hit wonders The Lemon Pipers when they soared to the top of the charts with "Green Tambourine" in 1968. The band soon broke up, and Nave spent the next few years with a variety of rock, blues, and jazz bands. Beginning in the 1980s, he was a radio DJ in Cincinnati (not for WKRP), occasionally lending his sound to The Blues Merchants. Nave died January 27, 2020.

Neil Peart (age 67) - Peart was the drummer for the Toronto-based rock band Rush and shared writing credit as lyricist for many of the band's compositions. He was inducted into the DRUM Magazine Hall of Fame in 1993 and, with his Rush bandmates, into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013. He also wrote fiction and travel nonfiction. Peart retired from Rush in 2015 and succumbed to glioblastoma on January 7, 2020.

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Politics

Qaboos bin Said Al Said (age 79) - The Sultan of Oman for almost 50 years, Qaboos assumed the position at a time when Oman little more than was a backwater state on the Persian Gulf. Though absolute ruler of his country, he was judged to be a benevolent despot and helped bring Oman into the modern world by leveraging the country's petroleum resources. He died January 10, 2020, leaving no direct heir.

Pete Stark (age 88) - Stark, a banker by trade, was a Democratic U. S. Representative from California for twenty terms, lasting from 1973 to 2013. He was the only admitted atheist in Congress at the time of his retirement. He was known as a moderate, speaking out against the Iraq war and occasionally bucking the party bosses in the days when Congressmen still did that. Stark died January 24, 2020.

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Sports

John Andretti (age 56) - Andretti was the nephew of racing icon Mario Andretti and a racing star in his own right. He drove in NASCAR, CART, IMSA, and sports cars on the track as well as occasional forays onto drag strips. Like his uncle, cousin, and brother, John drove in the Indianapolis 500, finishing as high as 7th (1991) in a dozen starts. Andretti succumbed to colon cancer on January 30, 2020.

Kobe Bryant (age 41) - Bryant, one of the all-time greats of the NBA, died in a private helicopter crash that also killed his 13-year-old daughter. In his 21-season career with the Lakers, Bryant was an NBA All-Star 18 times and an 11-time first-team choice. He finished his career third in all-time points, and was passed by LeBron James on the night before his death. Bryant died January 26, 2020.

Chris Doleman (age 58) - Doleman, a defensive end, was the Minnesota Vikings' first-round draft pick in 1985, and he spent eight seasons with the team (1985-93); earning a spot in the Pro Bowl in five of those years. He spent six more years in the league, picking up two more Pro Bowl jerseys, before returning to the Vikings for his final season (1999). He finished with 150.5 sacks and 8  picks, three for TDs. He entered the NFL Hall of Fame in 2012.Doleman died of glioblastoma on January 28, 2020.

Pete Dye (age 94) - Dye and his wife, Alice Dye, were America's premiere golf course designing family. He started playing at an early age on a Ohio course built by his father. After marrying Alice, Pete embarked on his career, beginning with courses in the Indianapolis area including Crooked Stick. In all, Dye was involved in the design of more than 100 private and public courses. He may be best known for the 17th hole art Sawgrass. Dye passed away January 9, 2019, 11 months after Alice.

Larry Eisenhauer (age 79) - Eisenhauer was a member of the AFL's Boston Patriots, playing defensive end for almost the entire 1960s (1961-69). He racked up four AFL All-Star berths, and is a member of the Patriots' 1960s Decade team. He appeared in 115 games, compiling 47.5 sacks. Eisenhauer died January 29, 2020.

Doug Hart (age 80) - Hart, a defensive back, was cut by the St. Louis Cardinals before ever playing an NFL down. The Green Bay Packers signed him two days later, and he went on to eight seasons with the team, including three NFL championships and two Super Bowl wins. In 112 games, he had 15 picks for 436 return yards. After retirement, he was a successful businessman. Hart died January 1, 2020.

Justice Pain (age 41) - Christopher Wilson, known by the ring name "Justice Pain," was a wrestler in the Combat Zone and Xtreme Pro Wrestling. He was a five-time CZW heavyweight champion and a four-time CZW tag team champion. His career lasted from the 1990s to 2007. Wilson died January 24, 2020.

Don Larsen (age 90) - Larsen's fifteen years in major league baseball found him in six different cities on seven teams. His greatest claim to fame, however, was game 5 of the 1956 World Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers, when he pitched the only no-hitter in series history, a perfect game. Larsen completed his career with an 81-91 W-L record and a 3.89 ERA. Larsen died January 1, 2020.

Hal Smith (age 89) - Smith, primarily a catcher, played for five different teams during a ten-season career. His longest stint was with the Kansas CIty A's from 1956-59, after which he was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates. In the decisive 7th game of the 1960 World Series, he hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the 8th to give the Bucs a 9-7 lead. His heroics were all but forgotten when Bill Mazerowski broke a 9-9 tie in the bottom of the ninth to beat the hated Yankees. Smith died January 9, 2020.

David Stern (age 77) - Stern took the reins of the National Basketball League in 1984, and held the commissioner's position until retiring in 2014. His thirty years with the NBA rank as the longest tenure of any major sports commissioner. Stern is credited with raising the visibility of the league over the decades, despite multiple controversies, and with establishing the WNBA. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2014. Stern suffered a traumatic brain hemorrhage and died on January 1, 2020.

Sam Wyche (age 74)  - Wyche spent some nine seasons as an AFL/NFl quarterback (1968 to 1976), usually in a backup role. He spent three seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals, including their transition season into the NFL. After retiring, Wyche began coaching at both the college and professional levels, returning to the Bengals as head coach in 1984-91 and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers  (1992-5). He finished his coaching career with a record of 84-107 and two conference championships. Wyche died January 2, 2020.

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Deaths in December, 2019 --- Deaths in February, 2020