And last but certainly not least, we say farewell to all of the veterans of Star Trek. Of course, many of these performers worked on many projects outside of the Star Trek Universe, (Hello-Teri Garr!) but I always honor them for the little piece of the future they blessed us Trekkies with through the years. Godspeed old friends, and blessings as you travel the great beyond.
The Star Trek Family
Gary Graham, 73, Actor, Musician,Tanis onStar Trek Voyager, Ambassador Soval Star Trek: Enterprise, and Star Trek Axanar. Detective Matthew Sikes on Alien Nation, Ragnar in Star Trek: Of Gods and Men, and also in Star Trek: Renegades.
Peter Crombie, 71,Fallit Kott on Star Trek DS9, Seinfeld. Brief Illness
Obi Ndefo 51, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Drex on Star Trek: Deep Space 9, Protector on Star Trek Voyager, Dawson’s Creek, Stargate: SG1, Orthoexia Nervosa
Kenneth Mitchell, 47, Kol/Kol-Sha, Tenavik, and Aurellio on Star Trek: Discovery, Black Ops Officer 2 / Romulan Guard 1/ Tweerk Captain on Star Trek: Lower Decks. Complications from ALS
Tony Todd, 69, Kurn in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Adult Jake Sisko and ‘Prey’ in Star Trek: Deep Space 9. Stomach cancer.
Jill Jacobson 70, Vanessa in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Chalan Aroya in Star Trek Deep Space Nine, Esophageal cancer
Alan Scarfe 77 Tokath on Star Trek: The Next Generation,
Erich Anderson 67 Commander Kieran on Star Trek: The Next Generation, Melrose Place, Felicity. Cancer
Whitney Rydbeck 79, Ensign Alans on Star Trek: The Next Generation, M*A*S*H, Rocky II, Scrubs, Friday the 13th Pt, IV. Prostate Cancer
Mickey Cottrell 79 Arlik in Star Trek: The Next Generation, My Own Private Idaho, Ed Wood. Parkinsons
Teri Garr, 79, Roberta Lincoln on Star Trek, The Sonny and Cher Show, Young Frankenstein, Tootsie, Oh God, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Advocate for MS. Multiple Sclerosis
James B. Sikking, 90, Dementia
Patti Yasitake, 70, Nurse Alyssa Ogawa on Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek Generations, Star Trek: First Contact. T-Cell Lymphoma
Charles Dierkomp, 87, Morla on Star Trek, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Batman, Mission Impossible, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Sting, Maverick, Heart attack and Pneumonia
Michael Barrier, 90, Actor and US Coast Guard Lieutenant Commander. Lieutenant LaSalle on Star Trek, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Mission Impossible, Angel in my Pocket. (undisclosed)
Sadly we lost many favorite actresses and outstanding performers in 2024, but we are blessed with the joys they left behind. Several of my favorites were Glynis Johns from Mary Poppins and The Court Jester,Mitzi Gaynor, a dynamite Singer, Dancer, and Actress from South Pacific, The wonderful and ethereal Shelly Duval, Dame Maggie Smith (who was so much more than Professor McGonnagal ) and Olivia Hussey, who passed in late December. She’ll always be Juliet to me!
Rest in Radiance, lovely angels!
Tomorrow, the final installment: The Star Trek Family
ACTRESSES and PERFORMERS
Anouk Aimee, 92, Beloved French Actress, 8 ½,A Man and a Woman, La Dolce Vita, (undisclosed)
Dame Maggie Smith, 89, Oscar Winning Actress, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, Travels with my Aunt, Harry Potter series, Downton Abbey. Grave’s Disease.
Pat Colbert, 77, Dallas, Bensen, The Fall Guy. Several strokes.
Linda Lavin, 87, Barney Miller, Alice. Broadway shows. Lung Cancer.
Mitzi Gaynor, 92, Singer, Dancer, Actress, There’s No Business Like Show Business, South Pacific, Les Girls, Natural causes.
Sarah Rice 68 The first Johanna of Sweeney Todd, The Fantastiks, A Little Night Music. Cancer.
Jackie Loughrey 93, The First Miss USA 1952, Abbot and Costello Go to Mars, Escape from Burma, Burke’s Law, Six Characters in Search of an Author. (undisclosed)
Esta Terblanch 51, All My Children. Brain Hemorrhage from blunt force fall.
Katherine Grant Crosby, 90, Actress, Singer, Registered Nurse. The Seven Voyages of Sinbad, Anatomy of a Murder. Natural causes.
Peggy Moffitt, 86, Iconic Model and Actress Basic Black. Dementia.
Barbara Rush, 97,Peyton Place, All My Children, The Young Philadelphians, The Young Lions. Dementia.
Franca Bettoia 88, The Last Man on Earth, The Seventh Floor. Pneumonia
Janice Paige, 101, Actress and Singer, Romance on the High Seas, Please Don’t Eat the Daisies, General Hospital, Capital, Santa Barbara. Natural causes.
Erica Ash, 46,Mad TV,Survivor’s Remorse. Breast Cancer.
Judith Jameson, 81, Dancer and Choreographer with The Alvin American Dance Theater. Brief Illness.
Cat Glover, 60, Dancer with Prince. Congestive Heart Failure and COPD.
Chita Rivera 91, Broadway LEGEND. Bye Bye Birdie (Original Rosie), West Side Story (Original Anita) Kiss of the Spider Woman. Short Illness.
Nerene Virgin, 77, Canadian Actress, Today’s Special, (undisclosed)
Pat Heywood, 92, Romeo and Juliet (as Nurse), Goodbye Mr. Chips, Young Winston. Natural causes.
Olivia Hussey, 75, Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, Mary in Jesus of Nazareth
Joyce Randolph, 99, Trixie on The Honeymooners (Natural causes)
Glynis Johns, 100,The Court Jester, Mary Poppins, Papa’s Delicate Condition, The Sundowners. (Natural Causes)
Connie Chiume, 72, South African Actress and Filmmaker. Black Panther, Black is King,(undisclosed)
Silvia Pinal 93Viridiana, Simón del Desierto, Shark!, Guns for San Sebastian. (UTI)
Shelly Duval, 75, Faerie Tale Theatre, The Shining, Popeye. Diabetes
Lynn Marta, 78, Days of Our Lives, Love, American Style, Footloose. Cancer.
Pamela Salem 80,Never Say Never Again, Gods and Monsters
A day late but no less sincere as I didn’t finish this one yesterday. First I misplaced a few actors, (!) then a couple got numbered twice, and there’s a whole rigamarole you have to go through — new layers, new lines, new numbers and so forth. ANYWAY — Here are the many wonderful Actors and Entertainers we last in 2024. And, as I encourage you whenever you read these posts, look up the ones you’ve never heard of, you may find a new favorite! Too many, too soon but thanks for the memories. 🙂
Next time: Actresses and Entertainers
Actors and Entertainers
Dabney Coleman, 92 Tootsie, Nine to Five, Never Forget, Dysphagia and heart failure.
Donald Sutherland, 88, M*A*S*H, The Dirty Dozen, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Animal House, The Hunger Games,COPD
Ron Ely, 86,Tarzan. Doc Savage. End Stage Heart disease
Alain Delon, 88, French Legend. Purple Noon, Samurai. B Cell Lymphoma, Cardiac arrest.
James Earl Jones, 88,The Great White Hope, The Lion King, Field of Dreams Complications of diabetes.
Steve Lawrence, 88, Singer, Actor with beloved wife Eydie Gorme. Carol for another Christmas. The Carol Burnett Show, Alzheimer’s
Richard Simmons,76, Fitness Guru, General Hospital, Heart attack
Lou Gossett Jr., 87,An Officer and a Gentleman, Roots, COPD
Bob Newhart, 94, Brilliant, subtle comedian, The Bob Newhart Show, Newhart, Elf. Natural causes.
Chris Gauthier 48, Smallville, Eureka, Once Upon a Time. Short illness.
Scott L Schwartz 65, Oceans 11,
Mark Withers, 70, Dynasty, Kaz, Pancreatic cancer.
Michael Newman, 67 Actor, Real life Fireman and Lifeguard, Baywatch, Parkinsons Disease
Martin Mull 80, Actor and Comedian, Mary Hartman Mary Hartman, Fernwood Tonight, Roseanne, Long illness.
Terry Carter 95, McCloud Battlestar Galactica (undisclosed)
Tony Mondente,88, West Side Story, Family Ties. Short illness.
Bobby Bana, 90,WestSide Story, Mary Poppins. Pneumonia.
Carl Weathers, 76, Football player, Actor, Rocky, Predator, Cardiovascular disease
Perry Kurtz 73, Comedian, killed by hit and run driver.
Hiram Kasten, 71, Comedian-Actor, Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Long term illness.
Richard Lewis, 77, Comedian, Actor Men in Tights, Anything But Love, Curb Your Enthusiasm. Parkinson’s,Heart attack
Thom Chistopher, 84,Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, One Life to Live, (undisclosed)
David Emge, 77,Dawn of the Dead, Hellmaster, (undisclosed)
Chance Perdomo, 27, Gen V, After Ever Happy, Motorcycle Accident.
John Aprea, 83,Godfather II, Matt Houston, Another World, Full House. Natural causes.
Christian Oliver, 51, The Good German, Speed Racer, I Am Fear, Plane crash.
Alec Musser, 50, All My Children, Desperate Housewives, Suicide
(The Amazing) Kreskin, (George Joseph Kresge Jr.), 89, Clinical Psychologist, Mentalist, The Mike Douglas Show, The Merv Griffin Show, The Tonight Show, The Amazing World of Kreskin. Dementia.
Peter Marshall, 98, Actor, TV host, The Hollywood Squares, Annie, Kidney Failure
Chuck Woolery, 86. Host, Wheel of Fortune, The Love Connection, (undisclosed)
Michael Culver, 85, All-AroundBritish Actor,in over 300 Stage, Radio, TV and Motion Pictures, as well as voice work. The Empire Strikes Back, A Passage to India, (undisclosed)
Angus MacInnes 77, Canadian Actor, Star Wars,Half Moon Street, Witness,(undisclosed)
Harry Johnson, 81,Battle Star Galactica, Law and Order Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Long illness.
Spencer Milligan 86, Land of the Lost. The Bionic Woman, General Hospital (undisclosed)
Timothy West, 90, English Actor of Stage Film, and TV, Royal Shakespeare Company, Edward VI, Day of the Jackal, Cry Freedom Coronation Street, East Enders. Complications from a fall.
John Amos, 84. Beloved American Actor, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Good Times, The World’s Greatest Athlete. Congestive Heart Failure.
Mark Damon, 91, Actor and Producer, The Longest Day, House of Usher,Black Sabbath. Natural causes.
John Lassell 95, The Twilight Zone, As the World Turns. (undisclosed)
M. Emmet-Walsh, 88, Movie, TV, and Voice Actor, The Sandy Duncan Show, Harry and the Hendersons, 100+ more. Cardiac arrest.
Don Murray, 94, Bus Stop, A Hatful of Rain, The Outcasts, Knot’s Landing. (undisclosed)
Frank Fritz 60,Free-Styling Antique Collector, American Pickers (a.k.a. The Pickers) Complications from Stroke
Johnny Russel, 91, (John Russell Countryman) Child Actor, The Blue Bird, The Man I Married US Ambassador to Oman. Pneumonia
Benji Gregory, 46,Alf, Punky Brewster, Never Forget. Heatstroke.
Taylor Wily, 56, Actor, Sumo Wrestler and UFC Competitor (known as Teila Tuli) Forgetting Sarah Marshall,Hawaii 5-0 Natural Causes.
Eddie Driscoll 60The Last Ship, Entourage. Stomach cancer
Hinton Battle, 67, Three-Time Tony Winner, The Wiz, many more, Lengthy illness
Niels Arestrup, 75. French Stage, Screen, TV Actor and DirectorLumiere, The Future is Woman, Long Illness
Ron Harpur, 91,Love of Life, The Planet of the Apes (tv) Land of the Lost, Capital. (undisclosed)
Wayne Northrop 77, Days of Our Lives, Dynasty. Early-Onset Alzheimer’s
David Harris, 75,The Warriors, Fatal Beauty, Cancer.
Chad McQueen, 63, Actor, Martial Artist, Race Car Driver, The Karate Kid I and II, Red Line. Son of Steve McQueen. Organ failure.
Doug Sheehan, 75,General Hospital,Knots Landing, Sabrina The Teenaged Witch, (undisclosed)
Nicholas Pryor, 89,General Hospital, Risky Business, Hunger Games, Cancer.
Ken Page, 70, Actor and Cabaret Singer,Ain’t Misbehavin’. Torch Song Trilogy, Dreamgirls, Nightmare Before Christmas (as Oogie Boogie)(in his sleep)
Jonathan Haze, (Jack Aaron Schachter), 95,Little Shop of Horrors, Not of this Earth. Natural causes.
Geoffrey Duel, 81, Chisum, The FBI Mannix, The Mod Squad, The Young and the Restless. COPD
Darryl Hickman, 92, Grapes of Wrath, The Strange Love of Martha Ivers, Island in the Sky, Tea and Sympathy, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis (as Davey) Older brother of Dwayne Hickman. (undisclosed)
Phil Donahue, 88, Talk Show Host, Donahue, husband of Marlo Thomas. Long illness.
Bill Hayes, 98, Actor and Singer, Your Show of Shows,Days of Our Lives, Frasier (undisclosed)
Michael Cole, 84, The Mod Squad, The Return of the Mod Squad, General Hospital. (undisclosed)
Tom Bower, 86, The Waltons, Two-Minute Warning, Beverly Hills Cop II, True Believer,Clear and Present Danger, Natural causes.
Ron Hale, 78, All the President’s Men, General Hospital, Port Charles, Ryan’s Hope, Natural causes.
Drake Hogestyn, 70, Days of Our Lives. Pancreatic Cancer
Adrian Bailey, 67 Broadway Veteran,Sophisticated Ladies, My One And Only,Legs Diamond, Black and Blue,Jelly’s Last Jam, The Who’s Tommy, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Smokey Joe’s Café, The Little Mermaid. In 2008, Bailey fell through a trap door 30 plus feet before a matinee of The Little Mermaid, breaking many bones. Eventually he was able to walk again, but his career was halted. He died from complications in 2024.
John Ashton, 76, Beverly Hills Cop, Midnight Run. Cancer
Sam Art Williams, 78, Actor, Playwright, Producer, Cook and Peary: The Race to the Pole
Paul D’Amato 76, Slap Shot, The Deer Hunter, Suspect, Heart Attack
Paul Teal, 35, One Tree Hill, Dynasty, The Walking Dead Pancreatic cancer
You can see my other farewells for last year here.
This was was a bit tough. Think of all the music you hear in your life, and how much joy it’s brought to you. Losing these musical creatives brought about many memories. I’m sure you’ll recognize many of these talents, and be sure to discover those whom you’ve never heard of. After all, there are only so many songs and music we’ll never hear in our lifetimes, so each new song is a gift.
Rest in Harmony, old friends.
Tomorrow: Actors!
Les McCann, 88, Jazz Singer and Soul Piano player, Compared to What?
Judi Pulver, 77, Twice as Nice, Dancing on the Moon
Melanie Safka,76, Brand New Key, Lay Down (Candles in the Wind)
Sergio Mendes, 83, Leader of Brasil 66, Mas que Nada, The Look of Love, Long Covid
Cissy Houston, 91, Soul and Gospel singer, Think it Over, I Just Wanna Be with You, Mother of Whitney. Alzheimer’s.
Liam Payne, 31, One Direction What Makes You Beautiful, Perfect. Fall from Balcony.
Rich Homie Quan, 34, Type of Way, Accidental overdose, including Fentanyl
Richard Sherman, 95, Composer, Mary Poppins
Byron Janis 95, American classical pianist, The Philadelphia Symphony
Peter Schikele, 88, American composer, musical educator and parodist, D.Q. Bach.
Nell Smith, 17, singer composer Flaming Lips, Red Right Hand, Girl in Amber, Car accident
Francoise Hardy, 80, French Pop Singer Songwriter, Actress and Model. Tous les garçons et les filles, Viola MALT Lymphoma, Lung cancer.
Henry Fambrough 85 Last surviving original member of The Spinners, (undisclosed)
Gene Merlino, 95, KCBS Radio, Voice of Lancelot in Camelot Natural Causes
Brother Marquis, 58, 2liveCrew, Heart attack
Maurice Williams 86, The Zodiacs Stay, So Fine (undisclosed)
Cynthia Strother, 88, The Singing Bell Sisters Those Redheads from Seattle, Heart Failure
James Kottak, 61, Drummer for The Scorpions, Wild Horses, Warrant, and many more. Cardiac Arrest.
Joe Bonsall ,76, Tenor Vocalist with Oak Ridge Boys,Out Goin’ Cattin ALS
Abdul ‘Duke’ Fakir, 88, last surviving original member of The Four Tops Can’t Help Myself, Reach Out I’ll Be There, Cardiac Arrest.
Screamin Scott Simon, 75, Sha Na Na Pianist, Goodnight, Sweetheart, I Wonder Why, Sinus Cancer.
Roni Stoneman 85, First Lady of Banjo, Those Stonemans, Grand Ol Opry, Hee Haw (undisclosed)
Anfela Bofill 70, Composer and Singer, This Time I’ll be Sweeter, Angel of the Night”, Stroke
Quincy-Jones, 91, Legendary Music Composer and producer, It’s My Party, Super Bossa-Nova, Producer: We Are The World, Thriller, Film Scores: In the Heat of the Night, The Wiz, The Color Purple Pancreatic Cancer
Shifty Shellshock49, Seth Brooks Binzer Crazy Town, Butterfly, Accidental overdose of cocaine, fentanyl, and methamphetamine
Seiji Ozawa 88 Internationally renowned Japanese Conductor of the Chicago, Toronto, San Francisco, Boston Orchestras and more. Esophageal cancer and Heart failure.
Tito Jackson 70, Founding Member of the Jackson 5, I Want you Back, Get it, Baby, Heart Attack
Marlena Shaw 81 Jazz Singer, California Soul, Woman of the Ghetto, (undisclosed)
Charlie Colin, 58, Bassist for Train, Drops-of-Jupiter, Homeless Artist Advocate, Philanthropist, Fall in shower.
Kinky Friedman 79, Country Singed, Lasso from El Paso, Mystery Author Armadillo and Old Lace Parkinson’s
Peetah Morgan 46 Reggae Singer of the band Morgan Heritage. Down by the River (undisclosed)
Margo Smith, 84, There, I’ve Said it, Baby My Baby, Still a Woman, Stroke Complications
Fatman Scoop, 56, Be faithful. Stage collapse
Kris Kristofferson, 88, Singer Songwriter, Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down, Actor, A Star is Born,(undisclosed)
John Mayall, 90, Singer Songwriter, John Mayer and the Bluesbusters. ‘Godfather of British Blues” (undisclosed)
Brit Turner, 57, Drummer, Raspberry Smoke. Glioblastoma brain cancer
Wayne Kramer, MC5, Back in the USA, High Time, Pancreatic cancer
Vic Flick, 87, Guitarist 007 Theme, studio guitarist for many bit artists. Alzheimer’s
Duane-Eddy 86 Guitarist, Rebel Rouser, Peter Gunn, Because They’re Young.
Jack Jones 86, Singer, Lollipops and Roses, Wives and Lovers, Love Boat Theme, Leukemia
Chino XL 50 No Slow Rollin’, Rise /Jesus, March of the Imperial.
Greg Kihn,75, Rock Guitarist, The Greg Kihn Band. Jeopardy, Rendezvous Alzheimer’s
Mary Weiss, 75, The Shangri-Las, Remember (Walking in the Sand), Leader of the Pack, COPD
Dave Loggins, 76, Please come to Boston, Second Cousin to Kenny Loggins (undisclosed)
Eleanor Collins, 104, Canadas ‘First Lady Of Jazz’, Serenade in Rhythm, Natural causes.
Mojo Nixon 66 Singer, Elvis is Everywhere Cardiac Arrest
Day Two of our farewells the notable persons of 2024. Today we celebrate the Creators who have enriched our lives with their craft, and the Newsmakers who both make the news and report it. So many we shouldn’t forget. If you’re unfamiliar with any of the people in these tributes, be sure to look them up, we learn so much from lives well lived. Rest in Love.
Tomorrow Musicians and Singers!
Newsmakers and Creators
Jimmy Carter, 100, 39th US President, Humanitarian, The Carter Center. Natural Causes.
Joe Leiberman, 82, Former US Senator, Complications from fall.
Tep Vong, 93, Cambodian Buddhist Community Leader, Long Illness
Peanut, 7, beloved Central Park Eastern Gray squirrel. Euthanized. 😦
Falco, 13, beloved Central Park Eurasian Eagle Owl, escaped from park for a year, hit building in Upper West Side.
William Anders, 90, Apollo 8 Astronaut, photographer of Earthrise. Plane Crash in his Beechcraft T-34 Mentor
Alexei Navalny, 47, Russian Activist for Democracy. Murdered by Putin
Akiro Toriama, 68, Dragon Ball Z Manga and Anime, Accute subdermal Hematoma
Morgan Spurlock, 53, documentarian, Supersize Me, Cancer
Marshall Brickman, 85, screenwriter Annie Hall, Candid Camera (undisclosed)
Michael Mosely, 67, Health Journalist, Author of Deep Calm.. Collapse while hiking in Symi, Greece
Roger Corman, 98, Director and ‘The King of Cult’ low budget movies. Little Shop of Horrors, Masque of the Red Death, The Raven, The Wild Angels (undisclosed)
Eli Noyes, 81, Inspirational Stop Motion Animator, Liquid Television. prostate cancer
Mark Gustafason, 63, Stop Motion Artist, Pinocchio, Fantastic Mr. Fox. Heart attack.
Christopner Ciccione,63,Visual artist, interior designer, brother of Madonna. Pancreatic cancer
Eduardo Xol, 58, Home Designer, 58, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Stabbed.
Tim Sullivan, 76, Sci-Fi Author, actor, screenwriter. V, Twilight of the Dogs, Vampyre Femmes. Congestive heart failure.
Ken Melton, 69, Animation Sculptor, Aladdin,The Little Mermaid ,Paranorman. dementia
Alice Munro, 92, Author, and Nobel Laureate, Dear Life, The Moons of Jupiter. Cancer, dementia
Bob Weatherwax, 83, Son of Rudd, second generation Trainer of Lassie COPD.
Greg Hildebrandt, 85Lord of the Rings artist
Hailey Merkt, 31,Contestant on The Bachelor. Leukemia
So here’s the story. A little over two months ago I started to assemble my annual Memorial Collage, that is my yearly tribute to those notable people who passed in the last year. (you can see last year’s here). It can be quite a progress; listing all the names, ages and causes of death, finding a good picture of the person, deciding who gets more than one picture due to lifetime achievement, etc. Then there’s the matter of sorting them into groups, and outlining and numbering them in a key, and so forth.
WELL, this year after many hours of mind-boggling re-arranging, I looked at the final project and I realized that it was TOO DARN BIG to really appreciate each individual’s contribution to society. Not to mention it overwhelming in scope!! Over 300 names! The last thing I want to do is overtax one’s brain looking for their favorite celebrity or news-maker. So two weeks ago I started ALL OVERagain. The best option was to divide all these people up into their own individual group collage. At least it was easier to create since the individual .png files had been cut out and labeled already!
So here, finally, is Part 1 in my series of 6 collages — Athletics! Appropriate for Super Bowl Sunday, no?
Now unlike most Americans, I am not into Football or most sports at all (save the occasional local baseball game or Battlebots!), but as every year, I enjoy learning about the people who passed, even if it’s sad to say goodbye. Bless them all.
Be sure to check back every day this week for a new category, and have a lovely day!
ATHLETES
Pete Rose, 83, Cardiovascular disease and Diabetes
Don Gullet, 73 Heart issues
Rickey Henderson, 65, Pneumonia
Rocky Colavito, 91, Type 2 Diabetes
Carl Erskine, 97, Pneumonia
Kelvin Kiptum, 24, World Record Holder, Car Accident
Bobby Allison, 86, (undisclosed)
Tamayo Perry, 49, Master of Surfing, Shark attack
Jose DeLeon, 63, Cancer
Mike Brumley, 61, Car Accident
Willie Mays , 93,“The Say Hey Kid” 93, Heart Failure
Well Kids, I finally finished it! After two and a half months, I have finished my annual Memorial Collage to remember the notable celebrities and news-makers we lost in 2023. As you can see from time stamp in the bottom right corner of the above image, I ‘finished’ the original collage on January 29th. But then as I suspected would happen in my most recent post, I found at least a dozen celebrities I missed, and then I had to add them all into the original, and re-factor into the black and white key. Then I had to re-outline and renumber each image (multiple times when several were missed or accidentally double numbered!). Anyway I can safely say that the collage is well and FULLY complete! Whew!!!
Every year when I make this, I realize how much I love human faces — so I posted the best picture of each person I could find, (and sometimes more than one depending on their brilliance!)
Some of these people I’ve never heard of, as I’m sure you haven’t also. And there is great pleasure in the learning of these diverse lives. I felt I got to know a lot of these talented people through their biographies. Many lived to be centenarians, and into their 90s. Far too many (as it seems every year) died tragically and too soon; but their light did shine as they lived.
Although they have all passed, it is only fair to rediscover them and their legacies. That’s one reason I make these tributes every year; for so many are easily forgotten although they might have been very well known in their time.
May you find as much joy and inspiration as I have in discovering all these talents. Let me know what you think, and thanks for you patience.
Love survives, Therese
The KEY below is in Black and White with sections in colored numbers determined by occupation:
GREEN is Athletics, BRIGHT BLUE is Actors and Entertainers I, NAVY BLUE is Actors and Entertainers II, RED is Musicians, YELLOW is News-makers, and PURPLE are the many performers who fall into the STAR TREK FAMILY. Truly a rainbow of incredible and inspirational people. 🙂
ATHLETICS 1-51
1.Cartier Woods. 18,Detroit Northwestern H.S. (cardiac arrest) 2 .Jessie Lemonier, 25, Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Chargers 3.Dick Butkus, 80, Chicago Bears Linebacker, philanthropist. 4.Rick Hoyt, 61,Wheelchair Boston Marathon racer (with dad pushing) (cerebral palsy) 5.Duangphet (Dom) Phromthep, 17, Soccer Captain of The Wild Boars, Rescued from Thai cave in 2018 (suicide) 6. Dick Fosbury, 76, Olympic Jumper, inventor of “The Fosbury Flop” 7. Bobby Charlton, 86, beloved Soccer captain Manchester United 8. Bob Richards, 97, “The Vaulting Vicar” 9. Stanley Wilson, 40, Detroit Lions, (pulmonary thromboembolism, after collapse from police beating) 10. Otis Taylor,80, Kansas City Chiefs 11. Charles White, 64, Heisman Trophy Winner, Browns, Rams 12. Homer Jones,82, wide receiver Giants, Browns 13. Joe Kapp, 85, Quarterback, Vikings 14. Greta Anderson 97, Long Distance Swimmer 15. Lisa Lyone70, Body Builder 16. Jim Brown, 87, NFL Legend, Hollywood Action Actor 17. Walt Garrison, 79, Fullback, Dallas Cowboys 18. Johnny Lujak,98, Heisman Winner, Quarterback Notre Dame 19. Betsy Rawls, 95, US Women’s Open Golf Champion 20. Dean Smith, 91, Sprinter and Stuntman 21. Ralph Boston, 83 Gold Medalist Long Distance Jumper 22. Tom Courtney, 90, Gold Medalist runner 23. Willis Reed, 80, Seven Time All-Star, Knicks 24. George McGinnis 73,Basketball Hall of Fame, Pacers #30 25. Robbie Knievel, 60,Second-Generation Daredevil, Son of Evel (pancreatic cancer) 26. Jim Hines 76, 1968 100 Meter Champion Sprinter 27. Pat McCormick, 92, Olympic Gold Medalist Diver 28. Larry Mahan,79, Champion “Rodeo Elvis” (bone cancer) 29. Tom Wakefield, 57, Unique pitcher, Pirates, Boston Red Sox (seizure from brain cancer) 30. Dick Groat, 92, Pirates. Eight time All Star Shortstop 31. Joe Pepitone, 82, Yankees Outfielder, Houston Astros, Chicago Cubs 32. Tim McCarver, 81,Catcher and Broadcaster, St Louis Cardinals 33. Nicki McCray-Pensen 51, 2-time Olympic gold-medalist, ABL MVP and Women’s Basketball Hall of Famer (breast cancer) 34. Tori Bowie, 32, 3-Time Olympic medalist, Sprinter, (childbirth) 35. Jean Faut, 92, Women’s Baseball league pitcher 36. Frank Howard, 87,Dodger,4-time All-Star who slugged 382 home runs 37. Ray Herbert, 93, Pitcher, Phillies, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City A’s 38. Sal Bando, 78, Third Baseman, Oakland A’s 39. Brooks Robinson, 86, Baltimore Orioles famed Third Baseman 40. Craig Breedlove, 86, Five-time world land speed record holder.(cancer) 41. Roger Craig, 93,Pitcher, LA Dodgers, NY Mets, St. Louis Cardinals, Manager, SF Baseball 42. Vida Blue 73.Pitcher, Oakland A’s CY Young MVP 1971 3x World Series Champ 43. Willie Hernandez, 69, Detroit Tigers relief Pitcher, 1984 MVP 44. Bobby Hull, 84,Chicago Black Hawks “The Golden Jet” 45. Bray Wyatt (Windham Rotunda), 36, WWE Superstar (heart attack) 46.The Iron Sheik, (Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri) 81, Iranian Pro Wrestler (heart attack) 47. Terry Funk, 79, Wrestler NWA World Champion (dementia) 48. Superstar Billy Graham, (Eldredge Wayne Coleman) ,79, Influential Pro Wrestler (sepsis, multiple organ failure) 49. Adam Johnson 29, Pittsburgh Penguins, Philly Flyers, and Nottingham Panthers Hockey, (horrific freak accident) 50. Nic Kersiles 29, Anaheim Ducks (Motorcycle crash) 51.Gino Odjic, 52, Vancouver Canucks. NY Islanders, Philly Flyers Hockey Left Wing. (AL Amyloidosis)
ACTORS AND ENTERTAINERS, I, 52-110
52. Bob Barker, 99,Beloved Game Show Host, The Price is Right, Animal Activist 53. Cody Longo, 34,Days of Our Lives, Hollywood Heights 54. Quinn Redeker, 86,Days of Our Lives, ‘The Young and the Restless 55. Billy Miller, 43,Young and the Restless, General Hospital (suicide) 56. Mike Nussbaum, 99,Glengarry Glen Ross, Field of Dreams. 57. Camden Toy, 68, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (pancreatic cancer) 58. Ben Masters, 75,Passions, Mandingo, (Dementia, Covid) 59. Tyler Christopher, 50,General Hospital, Days of Our Lives (positional asphyxia) 60. Andrea Evans, 66, One Life to Live, Passions (breast cancer) 61. Jacklyn Zeman, 70,General Hospital, Young Doctors in Love (cancer) 62. Pamela Blair, 73,A Chorus Line, All My Children (cancer) 63. James McCaffrey, 65,Rescue Me, Max Payne, Viper, (myeloma) 64. Andre Braugher, 61,Homicide: Life on the Street, Brooklyn Nine-Nine’ lung cancer) 65. Ricou Browning, 93, The Gill-Man in Creature From the Black Lagoon 66.Nancy Frangione,70,Another World, All My Children 67.Elizabeth Hubbard, 89, As the World Turns, The Doctors 68. George R. Robertson, 89,Police Academy Films 69. Al Brown, 89,The Wire, Red Dragon, The Replacements (Alzheimer’s) 70. Earl Boen, 81,Mama’s Family, The Terminator 71. Michael Levin, 90,Ryan’s Hope, Law and Order, N.Y.P.D. 72. Arleen Sorkin, 67,Days of Our Lives, 1st Voice of Harley Quinn 73. Brett Hadley, 92,Young and the Restless 74. Shannon Wilcox, 80,NCIS, Grey’s Anatomy, Dallas 75. Ellen Holly, 92,One Life to Live, Guiding Light, School Daze 76. Kamar de los Reyes, 56,One Life to Live, Call of Duty, (cancer) 77. Tom Wilkinson,75,Michael Clayton, The Full Monty 78. Dorothy Tristan, 88,Klute, Scarecrow, The Looking Glass 79. Richard Moll, 80,Night Court, But I’m a Cheerleader! & Voice actor 80. Gayle Hunnicutt, 80,Eye of the Cat, The Legend of Hell House 81. Burt Young, 83,Rocky, Rocky II, Betsy’s Wedding 82. Gerald Castillo, 90,General Hospital, Saved by the Bell 83. Richard Romanus, 80,Mean Streets, Wizards, The Sopranos 84. Angus Cloud, 25,Euphoria, The Line, (accidental drug overdose) 85. Lee Sun-kyun, 48,Parasite, Kingmaker, (suicide) 86. Coco Lee, 48,Disney Live Action Mulan Star (suicide) 87. Betta St. John 93,The Robe, Dream Wife 88. Emmanuelle Debever, 60, French Actress Who Accused Gerard Depardieu of Sexual Assault, (suicide) 89. Jansen Panettiere, 28, (Hayden’s Brother) The Walking Dead (enlarged heart) 90. Pat Cooper, 93, Angry Stand-Up Comedian 91. Carole Cook, 98,The Incredible Mr. Limpet, Sixteen Candles 92. Suzanne Somers, 76, American Graffiti, Three’s Company, Step By Step (breast cancer) 93. David McKnight, 87,J.D.’s Revenge, Under Siege, (cancer) 94. Mike Batayeh, 52,Comedian, Breaking Bad (possible suicide) 95. Evan Ellingson, 35,My Sister’s Keeper, CSI: Miami (accidental overdose) 96. Austin Majors, 27,Child Actor on NYPD Blue (accidental fentanyl overdose) 97. Koko Da Doll, 35,Kokomo City, (murdered) 98. Janet Landgard, 75,The Swimmer, The Donna Reed Show (brain cancer) 99. Judy Nugent, 83,The Ruggles, Adventures of Superman 100. Sara Lane, 73,I Saw What You Did, The Virginian 101. Elaine Devry ,93, With Six you Get Eggroll, Guide for the Married Man 102. Carol Locatell, 82,Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning 103. Sharon Farrell 82,It’s Alive, Marlowe, The Reivers 104. Margie Duncan, 92. Dancer, Stand-In for friend Debbie Reynolds 105. Phyllis Coates, 96, the First Lois Lane on Television,(Superman) Blood Arrow 106. Linda Haynes, 75,Rolling Thunder, Brubaker 107. Noreen Nash, 99,Giant, The Southerner 108. Margia Dean, 101,TheQuatermass Xperiment, I Shot Jesse James 109. Jean Veloz, 98,Famed Lindy Hop Dancer 110. Miiko Taki, 99, Sayonara, Walk-Don’t Run, Paper Tiger
ACTORS AND ENTERTAINERS,II
111. Ryan O’Neal, 82,Love Story, What’s Up, Doc?, Paper Moon, (leukemia) 112. Kevin O’Neal, 77,No Time for Sergeants, Gunsmoke, What’s Up Doc? (Ryan O’Neal’s little brother) 114. Lara Parker, 84,Dark Shadows, Kung Fu, The Rockford Files 115. Raquel Welch, 82, One Million Years B.C., The Three (and Four) Musketeers 116. Richard Roundtree, 81, Shaft, Roots, Desperate Housewives (pancreatic cancer) 117. David McCallum, 90,The Greatest Story Ever Told, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., ‘NCIS 118. Lisa Loring, 64, Original Wednesday on The Addams Family 119. Treat Williams, 71,Hair, Prince of the City, Everwood, Truman and the Swans (Motorcycle Accident) 120. Cindy Williams, 75,American Graffiti, Laverne & Shirley 121. Paul Grant, 56,Harry Potter films, Star Wars 122. Ray Stevenson, 58,Thor Movies, RRR 123. Adam Rich, 54,Eight Is Enough 124. Barry Newman, 92, Vanishing Point, Petrocelli, 125. Gail O’Neill, 61, Fashion Model, Journalist, CBS The Early Show 126. Gina Lollobrigida, 95,Legendary Italian Screen Siren, Dies at 95 127. Mark Goddard, 87,Lost in Space, Johnny Ringo, (pulmonary fibrosis) 128. Keith Jefferson, 58,Hateful Eight, Django Unchained. (cancer) 129, Alan Arkin, 89,Little Miss Sunshine, The In-Laws, Wait Until Dark 130. Rose Gregorio, 97,The Shadow Box, ER. 131. Robert Blake, 89,In Cold Blood, Baretta 132. Johnny Hardwick, 64, Voice of Dale Gribble on King of the Hill 133. Lance Kerwin, 62,James at 15, Salem’s Lot 134. Glenda Jackson, 87,Twice Oscar Winner, Women in Love, A Touch of Class 135. Julian Sands, 65,A Room with a View. (Hiking Accident) 136. Frederic Forrest, 86,Apocalypse Now, The Rose 137. Jim Tweto, 68,Flying Wild Alaska, (plane crash) 138. Dex Carvey, 32, Comedian, and Son of Dana Carvey (accidental overdose) 139. Bill Saluga, 86, “You Can Call Me Ray” Comedian 140. Charles Kimbrough, 86, Anchor Jim Dial on Murphy Brown 141. Matthew Perry, 54,Friends, (Anesthetic Ketamine, Accidental Drowning) 142. Darren Kent, 36,Game of Thrones, Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (osteoporosis) 143. Suzanne Shepherd,89,Sopranos, Goodfellas 144. Piper Laurie, 91,The Hustler, Carrie, Twin Peaks 145. Marisa Pavan, 91,The Rose Tattoo, Man in the Grey Flannel Suit, twin sister of Pier Angeli 146. Casey Kramer, 67, Daughter of Stanley Kramer, Mississippi Requiem, Baskets 147. Andrea Fay Friedman. 53, Life Goes On (Alzheimer’s) 148. Joan Evans, 89,On the Loose, Skirts Ahoy! Edge of Doom 149. Shirley Anne Field, 87, The Entertainer, Alfie, Saturday Night and Sunday Morning 150. Michael Gambon, 82. British Stage Legend, Dumbledore of Harry Potter Movies 151. Paul Reubens,70, (aka Pee-wee Herman) PeeWee’s Playhouse,movies 152. Jimmy Weldon, 99, Ventriloquist and Voice of the cartoon duck Yakky Doodle 153. Ted Donaldson, 89,Father Knows Best, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn 154. Sandra Seacat, 86. Actress, Beloved Acting Coach 155. Michael Lerner, 81,M*A*S*H, Barton Fink, Eight Men Out 156. Eileen Saki, 79, Rosie the Bar Owner on M*A*S*H 157. Judy Farrell, 84,Nurse Able on M*A*S*H, 158. Tom Sizemore, 61,Saving Private Ryan, Heat, Natural Born Killers 159. George Maharis, 94,Route 66, Rich Man Poor Man, Exodus 160. Chaim Topol, 87, Stage and Screen Tevye the milkman, Fiddler on the Roof 161. Joanna Merlin, 92, Broadway Fiddler on the Roof (original Tzeitel) Casting Director 162. Sheldon Harnick, 99, Famed Fiddler on the Roof Lyricist 163. Melinda Dillon, 83.Close Encounters of the Third Kind, A Christmas Story 164. Frances Sternhagen 93, Two-Time Tony Winner, Sex and the City 165. Betty Sturm, 89,The World’s Greatest Sinner 166. Inga Swenson, 90,The Miracle Worker, Benson 167.Shelley Smith,70, Super Model and Actress, For Love and Honor 168. John Beasley, 79, Everwood, The Soul Man 169. Peter Gonzales Falcon, 74,Fellini’s Roma, Bordertown 170. Ron Cephas Jones 66,This Is Us, Dolemite is my Name 171. Jane Birkin, 76, Model, Actress and Singer 172. Lew Palter, 94,Titanic Actor and Longtime CalArts Teacher 173. Paul O’Grady, 67,Comedian, aka Lily Savage 174. Barry Humphries, 89. Comedian, aka Dame Edna Everage. 175. Gordon Pinsent, 92, There Will Be Blood, Away from Her 176. Sylvia Syms, 89, British Star. The Queen, Victim 177. Samantha Weinstein 28,Big Girl, The Stone Angel, Carrie, (cancer) 178. Carlin Glynn, 82, Broadway actress, Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Sixteen Candles 179. Michael McGrath, 65, Plaza Suite, Nice Work if you can Get it. 180.Len Goodman, 78. Judge of Dancing with the Stars, Strictly Come Dancing 181. Wally Campo, 99, Little Shop of Horrors, Roger Corman Films. 182. Clifton Oliver, 47, Broadway Actor of Lion King, In the Heights 183. Marlene Clark, 85,Sanford and Son, Ganja & Hess 184. Barbara Bryne, 94, Actress of many Sondheim Musicals on Broadway 185. Hersha Parady, 78,Little House on the Prairie. Keenan and Kel 186. Paxton Whitehead, 85, Stage Veteran, Back to School 187. Josephine Chaplin, 74, Actress, and Daughter of Charlie Chaplin 188. Jean Boht, 91, Star of the BBC Sitcom Bread 189. Lelia Goldoni, 86,Shadows, Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore 190. Marc Gilpin, 56,Jaws 2, The Legend of the Lone Ranger (glioblastoma) 191. Lance Reddick, 60,The Wire, John Wick (heart disease) 192. Murray Melvin, 90,A Taste of Honey, The Phantom of the Opera
193. Kenny DeForest, 37,Comedian (Bicycle Accident) 194. Michael Chiarello, 61,Food Network Chef. Easy Entertaining With Michael Chiarello (allergic reaction, heart attack) 195. Jacky Oh, (Jacklyn Smith),33, Wild ‘N Out (Complications of cosmetic surgery) 196. Stella Stevens, 84,The Nutty Professor, The Poseidon Adventure 197. Richard Belzer, 78, Sharp Comic, actor on Law and Order SVU 198. Shecky Greene, 97, Legendary Las Vegas Comedian and Headliner
NEWS-MAKERS
199 Rosalynn Carter, 96, Outspoken Former First Lady, beloved wife of President Jimmy Carter 200. Senator Dianne Feinstein, 90, California Senator 201. Pat Schroeder. Colorado Representative if the House (stroke) 202. Justice Sandra Day O’Conner, 93,1st Female Supreme Court Justice. 203. Judy Heumann, 75, Author and Disability Rights Activist
CREATORS 204-222
204. Leo D. Sullivan, 82, Pioneering Black Animator, Disney, Fat Albert 205. Paco Rabanne, 88, Designer w/ Space-Age Aesthetic, Perfumes 206. Mary Quant, 93, Mastermind of Swinging ’60s Style 207. Larry Fink, 82, Legendary American Photographer 208. Lloyd Morrisett, 93, Co-Creator of Sesame Street 209. Norman Lear, 101,Sitcom Genius, All In the Family, Maude, The Jeffersons, and Citizen Activist 210 Mark Russell, 90, Piano-Playing Political Satirist 211 Elliot Silverstein, 96,Director Cat Ballou and A Man Called Horse 212 Cormac McCarthy, 89, Author of No Country for Old Men 213 Kenneth Anger, 96, Author Hollywood Babylon I and II 214 Bernard Kalb, 100, Veteran Journalist and TV Host 215 Walter Mirisch, 101.Producer, In the Heat of the Night , many more 216 Martin Amis, 73, Author of London Fields,Money 217 John Jakes, 90, Author, North and South,The Bastard 218 Marty Krofft, 86, Producer, H.R. Puffinstuff, The Bugaloos, more 219 William Friedkin, 87, Director The French Connection. The Exorcist 220 Carol Higgins Clark, 66, Best-Selling Author and Actress 221 Bert I. Gordon, 100, Director of Cult (and Cheap) Sci-Fi Classics 222 Al Jaffee, 102,Trailblazing Beloved Mad Magazine Cartoonist,creator of The MAD Fold-In.
MUSICIANS 223-280
223. Alan Copeland, 96, The Modernaires and Your Hit Parade 224. Dusty Street, 77, Pioneering Female DJ for LA Radio Station KROQ, 225. Magoo, 50, Rapper, One Half of Duo Timbaland & Magoo 226. Tony Bennett, 96,The Gold Standard of Singers Everywhere, Rags to Riches,I Left My Heart in San Francisco, 227. Ed Ames, 95, Singer and Daniel Boone Sidekick 228. Bill Lee, 94, Composer, Father of Spike Lee 229. Fred White, 67, Drummer of Earth, Wind & Fire 230. Tom Verlaine, 73, Guitarist and Songwriter in the band Television 231. Big Pokey 48, Houston Rapper, (Collapsing Onstage) 232. Jeremiah Green, 45, Modest Mouse Drummer, Founding Member 233. Brian Gillis, 47,Singer, founder LFO 234. Robbie Robertson, 80, Frontman of The Band 235. Roger Whittaker. 87, Folk Singer, The Last Farewell 236. Charlie Robison, 59, Country Singer-Songwriter 237. Bernie Marsden 72 Rock n’ Blues guitarist for Whitesnake 238. Denny Laine, 79, Co-Founder of The Moody Blues, Wings, (lung disease) 239. Faye Fantarrow, 21, British Singer and Songwriter 240. Jeff Beck,78,The Yardbirds, solo Guitar God (bacterial meningitis) 241. Barrett Strong, 81,Money Singer Songwriter, I Heard It Through the Grapevine 242. Clarence Avant, 92, “Godfather of Black Music” 243. Sinéad O’Connor ,56, Irish Singer, Nothing Compares 2U 244 Laura Lynch, 65,Founding Member of The Dixie Chicks 245.Tina Turner, 83, Electrifying Entertainer and Feminist Hero 246. Andy Rourke, 59The Smiths Bassist (pancreatic cancer) 247. Alan Rankine, 63, The Associates, Club Country, White Car in Germany 248. Astrud Gilberto, 83, Exotic Songstress, The Girl from Ipanema 249. Kyle Jacobs, 49, Songwriter and Kellie Pickler’s Husband, (suicide) 250. Cyntha Weil, 82, Grammy-Winning Lyricist Hungry, Shades of Grey, 251. C.J. Harris, 31, Former American Idol Contestant 252.Harry Belafonte, 96, Singer, Actor, Producer and Activist “The Banana Boat Song, (aka Day-O!”) 253. Gordon Lightfoot, 84, Singer/Songwriter, Time in a Bottle, The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald 254. Peter Nero, 89, Grammy-Winning Pianist and Conductor, Love is Blue 255. Rudolph Isley, 84 Iconic Member of the Isley Brothers, Shout, This Old Heart of Mine 256. Gary Rossington, 71, Lynyrd Skynyrd (last surviving original member) 257. John Gosling, 75 Keyboard Player for The Kinks 258. DJ Casper, 58,Cha-Cha Slide (cancer) 259. Burt Bacharach, 94, Composer of Smooth Virtuoso of 1960s Pop I Say a Little Prayer for You, What the World Needs Now 260. Sixto Diaz Rodrguez 81 Musician, Searching for Sugar Man, Rich Folks Hoax 261. Randy Meisner, 77,Vocalist, Founding Member of The Eagles 262. Kiernan “AKA” Forbes, 49,South African Rapper Victory Lap, (Murdered) 263. Nashawn Breedlove,46, Rapper, Actor 8 Mile 264. Don Williams, 100, Last Surviving Member of The Williams Brothers 265. Lola Dee, 95, Popular Singer of the 1950s 266. Moonbin, 25,Member of K-pop Band Astro, (Suicide) 267. George Brown,74, Kool & the Gang Drummer 268. Bobby Caldwell, 71, Jazz, Pop singer, What You Won’t Do for Love 269. Sandra Reaves-Phillips 79,Singer. Round Midnight, Lean on Me 270. Gary Wright, 80,Singer, Dream Weaver, Fascinating Things 271. Steve Harwell, 56,Smash Mouth Founder, Former Lead Singer 272. Jimmy Buffett, 76,Margaritaville, Cheeseburger in Paradise 273. Trugoy the Dove, 54, De La Soul Co-Founder 274. Gangsta Boo, 43, Rapper, Three 6 Mafia 275. Paul Cattermole 46, S Club 7 Don’t Stop Movin’ 276. David Crosby, 81,The Byrds, and Crosby, Stills & Nash Founder 277. Irish Grinstead 43,Singer, 702. Where My Girls At?, Get it Together 278.Tom Smothers, 86, Comedian, Folk Musician, and the great Yo-Yo Man 279. Wayne Shorter, 89, Jazz Saxophone Pioneer. Moanin, Birdland 280.Lisa Marie Presley, 54, Singer, Songwriter and Elvis’ Daughter Lights Out, Idiot
THE STAR TREK FAMILY 281-302
281. Sharon Acker, 87.Star Trek TOS (Odona) Point Blank 282.Stephen Kandel, 96, Creator of Harry Mudd (Mudd’s Women, I Mudd, Mudd’s Passion) 283. Robert Butler, 95 Director on Star Trek pilot The Cage 284. Gerald Fried, 95,Star Trek and Roots Composer, Greatest. Fight. Music. EVER. in Amok Time. 285. Ed Fury, 94, Bodybuilder, Star Trek,(Omega Glory drummer) ‘Sword and Sandal’ Films 286. Patricia McNulty, 80,Star Trek,( as Tina Lawton in Charlie X , Tammy Tell me True, My Three Sons 286. Elizabeth Hoffman, 97,ST: TNG, Sisters, Fear No Evil 288. John Copage, 98,TOS and ST: TNG 289. Barbara Bosson, 83, Hill Street Blues, ST: TNG 290. J. Patrick McNamara, 80, ST: TNG. Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure 291. Annie Wersching, 45.Picard, ST: TNG, Bosch, 24, Runaways 292. Jerry Spicer, 64,ST: TNG, Voyager, Pump Up the Volume 293. Jack Axelrod, 93,ST: TNG, General Hospital, My Name Is Earl 294. Ken Lally, 52, Actor, Stuntman, fencer. Star Trek Enterprise, Resident Evil 2, (voice) 295. Nicholas Coster, 89, ST: TNG, Another World, All My Children 296 Julian Christopher, (James Watkins),78,ST: TNG, Elysium 297. Tom Kunis, 93,Star Trek: DS9, Hamlet, Taps 298. Paul Eckstein 59,Voyager, DS9, Law and Order, producer of Godfather of Harlem 299. Dan Kern, 74,ST: TNG, Star Trek Voyager, Me and The Big Guy 300. Nicolas Kepros, 90,ST: TNG, Broadway actor (St Joan) (stroke) 301. Peter White, 86,Star Trek: DS9, Love is an Many Splendored Thing, All My Children (melanoma) 302. Mark Margolis, 83,ST: TNG, Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul
Hi Everyone! I got my new computer installed two weeks ago and we’re still tweaking a few programs here and there, but I have gotten back to working on my annual salute to all the newsmakers we lost in 2023, and it’s almost done!!
When I make this annual collage, I always make sure to find the best pictures I can of each personality I can find. I can hear you now– “That’s fine Therese, but why does it take so long?”
Well, many factors, including the new computer, but especially this: I love faces, and I try to convey their best face in their farewells. This is one reason it almost always takes me so long to finish!! Another matter is once you have all the pictures, then I convert them into .png images so I can layer them into groups of similar professions (Sports, actors, creators, newsmakers, musicians, and of course, the Star Trek family). Some of the more well known/iconic performers get more than one picture (this year Tina Turner, Raquel Welch and Harry Belafonte to name a few) After gathering all the names (spelled right) ages, and brief descriptions of their careers, I arrange each face to their proper group, then make a black and white key where the images are painstakingly outlined and numbered. There are over 265 people in the coming collage!
Ah the key!! This is where the most mistakes happen! I may skip a number, or mislabel a person, or worst of all, review the original list and realize I have LEFT OUT one or two important names!! When this happens, I have to redo the original collage, slipping the person into the right section, and then you have to scooch aside the characters around them to make them fit, them start numbering all over again! If I’m lucky, you won’t be able to figure out who was left out! –I found 3 people this year I had to engineer back into the original, and them re-number, but it will all work out.
I hope to post the final collage by this coming Saturday 2/10, so stay tuned and thanks for your patience!! -Therese xo
I finally finished my annual tribute to the stars we lost in 2022. It took a bit longer than I expected, as I started this in December, and here it is March! But I wanted to be sure it was as complete as possible, and I believe it is.
After a while working on this, I felt I almost got to know all of these wonderful people personally. Some I had never heard of, and some died tragically (murder, car accidents, Covid, suicide) and way too young. Sadly there were also an unusually high number of passings in the Star Trek Family, some iconic and all beloved. But I hope the joy they brought the world will live on. Bless them on their journeys from life to life.
Unfortunately, there have been several notable passings already this year that I am aware of, but I am already beginning the 2023 farewells as I write this, and you will see them next January. (I’m only two months late with this!)
Let me know what you think, and feel free to include any of your favorite memories of these remarkable people. You can see all their names and accomplishments in the keys below.
Love and Blessings, Therese
ATHLETICS
1. Maury Wills, 89, Base-Stealing Shortstop for the Dodgers
2. Lusia Harris, 66, First Woman Drafted by NBA
3. Pelé, 82,Charismatic Master of the “Beautiful Game”
4. Jeremy Giambi, 47, Former MLB Player, portrayed in Moneyball.
5. Bill Russell, 88, Boston Celtics Legend and the NBA’s Ultimate Winner
6. Brad William Henke, 56, Super Bowl Winner, Orange Is the New Black, Lost
7. Scott Hall, 63, Notorious Bad Guy of Pro Wrestling
8. Bobby East, 37,Former NASCAR Driver (stabbed)
9. Jeff Gladney, 25, Arizona Cardinals Cornerback, (Car Accident)
10. Dwayne Haskins, 24, Pittsburgh Steelers Quarterback, (Struck by Car)
11. Franco Harris, 72, Steelers Hall of Fame Running Back ‘Immaculate Reception’
12. Len Dawson, 87,Hall of Fame Chiefs Quarterback ‘Inside the NFL,’
13. Tony “Goose” Siragusa 55,“Super Bowl Champion and Actor in The Sopranos
14. Vin Scully, 94, Treasured Voice of the Dodgers
ENTERTAINERS AND NEWSMAKERS
15. Robert Clary, 96, Corporal LeBeau on Hogan’s Heroes
16. Gail Halvorsen, 101, Cold War ‘Candy Bomber’
17. Sonya Eddy, 55,General Hospital. Come Away Home
18. Georgia Holt, 96, Actress, Singer and Cher’s Mother,
19. Robbie Coltrane, 72 Comic Performer, Hagrid in ‘Harry Potter’
20. Angela Lansbury, 96 Manchurian Candidate, Sweeney Todd, Murder She Wrote
21. Pat Carroll, 95, Cinderella, With Six you get Eggroll, The Little Mermaid,
22. Jules Bass, 87,Producer, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman
23. Ivan Reitman, 75, ‘Animal House’ Producer and ‘Ghostbusters’ Director
24. Kevin Conroy 66, Longtime Voice of Batman,
25. Steve Schapiro, 87, Acclaimed Photojournalist,
26. Douglas Kirkland, 88, Famed Photographer of Hollywood Luminaries
27. Patrick Demarchelier, 78, Fashion Photographer who took Princess Diana’s last portraits.
28. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, 95, Retired Leader of the Roman Catholic Church
29. Brenda Deiss, 60, Breakout star of Red Rocket
30. Queen Elizabeth II, 96. Britain’s Longest Reigning Monarch, Mother of King Charles III
31. Dale Chritchlow 92, Napoleon Dynamite
32. Gallagher, 76, Comic Known for Smashing Watermelons
33. Busi Lurayi, (Mid 30s) ‘How to Ruin Christmas’
34. Adam Wade, 87, Singer, Actor Musical Chairs, Kiss Me Goodbye, Claudine
35. Larry Storch, 99, Corporal Randolph Agarn on F Troop,
36. Robyn Griggs, 49 ‘Another World’
37. Irene Papas, 93, The Guns of Navarone, Zorba the Greek, The Moonspinners, Z.
38. Ann Turner Cook, 95, The Original Gerber Baby
39. James R. Olson, 91Andromeda Strain, Rachel, Rachel
40. Lindsey Pearlman, 43, ‘General Hospital’
41. P.J. O’Rourke, 74, Irreverent Author and Commentator
42. Michael Callan, 86, Actor in Broadway’s West Side Story and ‘Cat Ballou
43. Mary Alice, 85,Fences, Sparkle, The Matrix Revolutions,
44. Kenneth Tsang, 86,‘Rush Hour 2,’
45. Denise Dowse, 64. ‘Beverly Hills, 90210, Insecure
46. Paul Herman, 76, ‘The Sopranos,Entourage’ and ‘The Irishman,
47. Frank Vallelonga Jr.,60, Green Book, All In
48 Ray Liotta, 67,GoodFellas, ’Field of Dreams, Cocaine Bear
49. Leslie Phillips,98, Debonair British Actor of ‘Carry On,’ Potter’ Films
50. Clu Gulager, 93, ‘The Virginian,The Last Picture Show’
51. Robert Cormier 33,Heartland, Slasher
52. Michael Kopsa, 66, X-Files, Stargate SG-1
53. Tony Sirico, 79‘ The Sopranos’
54. Joan Hotchkis, 95, ‘The Odd Couple’, ‘Ode to Billie Joe,’
55. Stuart Margolin, 82, ‘The Rockford Files, M*A*S*H
56. Joe E. Tata, 85, Beverly Hills, 90210,A Clockwork Blue
For the past two months I’ve been working on my traditional, annual Memorial Collage for celebrities and newsmakers. I usually post this in January, but sadly, there were so many passing’s of notables that it’s taken a lot longer than usual. (The Musician page alone has way too many!)
Anyway, I worked all day yesterday on the final portion of the collage and I THOUGHT I saved it. Well, this morning it’s nowhere to be found and I have to start all over again on that part! (Waaaah!!)
Here’s hoping I’ll have the whole thing up within a week. You’ll see it here as soon as it’s finished, with name keys and all.
For now, here’s only a small portion.
Take care today and make every day count! Love you all – Therese
TrekkerScrapbook 