With sadness I report that the magnificent Nichelle Nichols has passed away, she was 89.
I probably cannot add to the hundreds of tributes pouring in around the world as I write this, but I can say, that Nichelle was a singular entertainer, dancer, and trail-blazing inspiration to millions of women of all colors around the world. She was Magic.
I saw Nichelle briefly in 1976 at the Star Trek Bicentennial 10 Convention in NYC. I was 15, and totally entranced by her. She gamely and graciously answered Star Trek question from the hungry fans, even if she had answered them dozens of times already. She loved the fans, and her time on Trek, and she knew that her experience as Lt. Uhura became the key to her amazing post-Trek life. At the end of her talk, she even sung a few bars of “Beyond Antares” in her silky, embracing voice. What a love. I can hear her voice now:
“The skies are green and glowing Where my heart is, where my heart is….”
Today my heart is with Nichelle. Rest in peace and love, dear incredible woman. Your star will shine forever.
To see a great documentary about Nichelle’s remarkable life, be sure to catch “Woman in Motion” now streaming on Paramount Plus. Beautiful and Touching!
And now, some of my favorite pictures of Nichelle <3
As I did last year and as I hope to do every year, here is my collage tribute to all the wonderful actors, entertainers, writers, musicians, and newsmakers who have passed on. So many wonderful lives here; some long, some painfully too short. But all memorable. Sadly we lost several notable Star Trek guest actors too, but I’m thankful I can include them as often they are overlooked. I’ve included as many as I can find, and forgive me if I left some out. But I hope you will find some beloved familiar faces, and discover some new ones! Lots of inspiration here. Gone but not forgotten, Rest in Peace.
I’ve included a Key to all the faces below. Let me know who you remember and enjoyed! <3
1. Senator Harry Reid, 82, Senate Majority Leader under POTUS Obama 2. Colin Powell, 84, Former Secretary of State, General under POTUS G.W.Bush 3.Walter Mondale, 93, Senator of Minnesota, Presidential Candidate 1984. 4.Mort Sahl, 94, Political Comedian, In Love and War, Don’t Make Waves5. Captain Sir Tom Moore, 100, Beloved British WWII Army Captain who walked 100 laps around his garden leading up to his 100th birthday, to raise money for Covid. He raised millions of pounds. Sadly later passed from Covid,but not before he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II. 6. Bell Hooks, 69, Writer, Professor, Activist, Ain’t I A Woman?7. Jackie Mason, 93, Borscht Belt Comedy Legend 8. Janet Malcolm, 86, Writer and journalist The Silent Woman, Nobody’s Looking at You 9. Desmond Mpilo Tutu, 90, Archbishop of South Africa, Anti-Apartheid Activist and Peacemaker.10.Joan Didion, 87, Writer, Slouching Toward Bethlehem, The Year of Magical Thinking11. Ned Beatty, 83, Actor, Deliverance, Superman, Network, The Big Easy.12. Michael Constantine, 94, Actor, Room 222, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 13. Cicely Tyson, 96, Beloved Actress Sounder, Roots, The Biography of Miss Jane Pittman 14. Norm MacDonald, 61, comedian and actor, Saturday Night Live15. Jean Paul Belmondo, 88, Actor and Director, Breathless,L’Homme de Rio,Le Professionnel16. Michael K. Williams, 54, Actor, Django Unchained, 12 Years a Slave, Assassin’s Creed17. Tanya Roberts, 65, Actress A View to a Kill, Sheena, The Beastmaster18. Granville Adams, 58, Actor, Oz, Homicide: Life on the Street, Empire 19. Dustin Diamond, 44, Actor Saved by the Bell, Pee Wee’s Big Top 20. Dean Stockwell, 85, Actor, The Boy with the Green Hair, Quantum Leap21. Dilip Kumar, 98, Beloved Bollywood Actor Devdas, Madhumati, Ram, Aur, Shyam 22. Arlene Golonka, 85, Actress, Mayberry RFD, Hang ‘Em High, Penelope23. Willard Scott, 87, original Ronald McDonald, beloved weatherman of The Today Show24.Charles Grodin 86, Actor, Heaven Can Wait,Seems Like Old Times 25. Claus Evans, 85, Beloved local repertory actor of The Cider Mill Playhouse and more, Fiddler on the Roof, A Christmas Carol, 1776. 26. John Arndt, 93, Actor, as various crew-members in 5 Star Trek TOS episodes. 27. Fran Bennett, 84, Actress, Star Trek TNG: Redemption I, The Manor.28. Henry Darrow, 88, Actor, Manito Montoya on High Chaparral, Kolopak on Star Trek Voyager29.Mimi Cozzens, 86, Actress, The Master, Question of Honor, and ST:TNG- Reunification Part I (Romulan Soup Woman) 30. Gregory Sierra, 83, Actor, Sanford & Son, Barney Miller, Star Trek DS931. Beverly Cleary, 104, Magical Children’s Author, Ramona series 32. Eric Carle, 91, Children’s Author The Hungry Hungry Caterpillar 33. Sarah Weddington, 76, Attorney, Law Professor, won Roe V. Wade 34. Cloris Leachman, 94, Beloved Actress The Last Picture Show, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Raising Hope 35. Peter Scolari, 66, Actor, Bosom Buddies, Newhart, That Thing You Do!36. Brayden Smith 24, Young 5-time Champion of Jeopardy!37. Sally Ann Howes, 91, Actress, Singer, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Mission Impossible38 .Don Everly, 84, Musician, writer, with brother Phil, half of The Everly Brothers, All I have to Do is Dream, Wake Up Little Susie39.Walter Olkewicz, 72, Actor, Twin Peaks, Seinfeld, Cheers40. Lionel Blair, 92, British Dancer Give Us a Clue, The Real Marigold Hotel 41. Haya Harareet, 89, Beautiful Actress, Last surviving cast member of Ben-Hur (1959) where she played Esther. 42.Jane Withers 95, actress, Affairs of Geraldine, Giant, and in Comet commercials Josephine the plumber 43. Jane Powell, 92 Actress, Singer, Dancer, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Royal Wedding 44. Betty Lynn, 95 Actress, Thelma Lou on The Andy Griffith Show45. George Gerdes, 72, Singer, Composer, Character Actor Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, NCIS46. Sophie 34, musician and activist, It’s Okay to Cry47.James Hormel, 88, American philanthropist, LGBT activist, diplomat, and heir to the Hormel meatpacking fortune 48. Tom LeGarde, 90, Musician and actor, along with brother Ted, one of The LeGarde Twins, a pioneering Australian Country Duo. Also with his brother, one of the Herman Series in I, Mudd, Star Trek TOS 49. Gavin O’Herlihy, 70, Actor, Happy Days, Willow, and as Maje Jabin in Star Trek Voyager (Caretaker) 50. Nathan Jung, 74 Actor, Genghis Khan on Star Trek TOS, Big Trouble in Little China, Darkman .51. Jan Shutan 88, Actress, lovely and determined Lt. Mira Romaine TOS The Lights of Zetar52. Eddie Paskey, 81 Actor and stuntman, beloved Mister Leslie, and several other crew members on Star Trek TOS53. Alex Cord, 88, Actor, Dylan Hunt in (Gene Roddenberry’s) Genesis II, Archangel in Airwolf 54. Sharon Begley 64, Science Journalist, The Plastic Brain, Can’t Just Stop 55. Willie Garson,57, Actor, 57 Sex and the City 56. Ed Asner, 91, Actor, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Lou Grant, Up57.Betty White, 99, beloved pioneering Television actress and Comedienne, Password, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Golden Girls58.Prince Philip 99, Husband and Consort of Queen Elizabeth II 59. Deshayla Harris 29, Singer/rapper Bad Girls Club60. Chick Corea 79, Jazz Legend & composer, keyboardist, bandleader, Light as a Feather61. Marion Ramsey 73, Actress, Officer Laverne Hooks in Police Academy movies. 62. Arlene Dahl, 96, Hollywood Actress, Journey to the Center of the Earth, My Wild Irish Rose63. AnneBuydens Douglas, 102, Producer, Deep River, Widow of Kirk Douglas.64. Mary Wilson 76, Beloved Singer, Co-Founding Member of The Supremes 65. Joanne Rogers 92, Puppeteer, writer, and wife of Mister Rogers, Mr. Rogers Neighborhood. 66. Neville ‘Bunny’ Wailer, 73, Founding Member of The Wailers 67.Nick Kamen,59, Model and Singer, I Promised Myself, Each Time 68. Joseph Siravo 64, Actor, Carlito’s Way, The Sopranos 69. Robert Herron 97, Actor Stuntman, “Sam” in Charlie X Star Trek TOS70. Christopher Plummer 91, Shakespearian Actor, Oedipus Rex,The Sound of Music, and General Chang in Star Trek VI71. Joanne Linville, 93. Actress, Twilight Zone, Star Trek TOS as the Romulan Commander. Author, Seven Steps to an Acting Craft. 72. Mary-Linda Rapelye, 76, Actress, In Cold Blood, As the World Turns, and Irina in Star Trek’s The Way to Eden73. Camille Saviola, 71, Broadway Actress, Nine, The Heights, Chicago, and KaiOpaka in DS974. Michael McKenzie, 74, My dear oldest Brother, Scuptor, Writer, Author, loving Dad, Major Toad. 75. John McKenzie, 70, My dear second oldest Brother, hard working, loving artist, helper, and every-man .76. Joe Lara 58, Actor, Tarzan, Hologram Man. 77. George Segal 87, Actor, The Goldbergs, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf?78.Gavin MacLeod 90, Actor, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Love Boat 79. Markie Post, 70, Actress, The Fall Guy, Night Court, and Hearts Afire80. Deezer D (Dearon) Thompson 55, Actor, ER, Rapper It’s Goin’ Down Tonight, Stop-I love Hip Hop. 81. DMX,(Earl Simmons),50, Rapper Party Up, Where the Hood At?82. Jay Pickett 60, Actor, General Hospital, Port Charles. 83. Olympia, Dukakis 89,Oscar Award winning Actress Moonstruck. Steel Magnolias,Mr. Holland’s Opus. 84. Dusty Hill 78, Musician, member of ZZ Top, Legs 85.Melvin Van Peebles 89, Actor, filmmaker, playwright, novelist, and composer. Father of actor Mario. 86. Gerry Marsden 78, Gerry and the Pacemakers Ferry Cross the Mersey 87. Charlie Watts 80, Beloved drummer of The Rolling Stones 88.Carlos Marin, 53, Beloved baritone singer of Il Divo 89.Trisha Noble 76, Singer Actress, Carry On Series, Columbo, Star Wars Episodes II and III as Jobal Naberrie 90. Inge Ginsberg, 99, Holocaust Survivor and Heavy Metal singer. Inge & the Tritone Kings91. Dennis “Dee Tee” Thomas, 70, Saxophonist, Kool & the Gang, 92. Harry Brandt, 24, Model, Socialite 93. Art Lafleur, 78, Actor The Sandlot, Field of Dreams 94. Peter Mark Richman 93, Actor, Santa Barbara, Dynasty, Ralph Offenhouse in Star Trek TNG93. 95. Lisa Banes 65, Actress, Gone Girl, Cocktail, Star Trek DS9, (Dr. Renhol) 96. Patrick Horgan, 92, Actor, Zelig, The Doctors, Ryans Hope, and Eneg in Patterns of Force (TOS) 97. JoAnna Cameron 70, Actress, The Secrets of Isis, Shazaam!. B.S. I Love You. 98. Reuben B. Klamer, 99, Engineer and creator of the Phaser Rifle used in the first pilot episodes of Star Trek99. Tom. O‘Conner, 80, British Television host 100. Mira Furlan, 65, beloved Actress of Babylon 5 and Lost101. Stuart Damon, 84, Actor, Prince Charming in Cinderella and Dr. Alan Quartermaine on General Hospital.102.Larry King 87, Talk Show Host, Larry King Live103. Jahmil French, 29, Actor Degrassi: The Next Generation 104.Hal Holbrook 95, Beloved Actor, All the Presidents Men, Mark Twain Tonight105. ClarenceWilliams III, 81, Actor, The Mod Squad, Tales from the Hood106. Al Harrington, 85 Actor, Hawaii Five-0 107. Leon Spinks 67, Heavyweight Boxing Champion. 108. Paddy Moloney 83, Lead singer with tin whistle with The Cheiftans109. Michael Nesmith,78, Musician and Composer, Beloved Member of The Monkees, instrumental in creating MTV. 110. Hilton Valentine, 77, Musician, guitarist for The Animals 111. Quindon Traver 38, Singer, Everybody’s Free, When Doves Cry (cover) 112. Astro, (Terence) Wilson,64, Founding Member of UB40 Red Red Wine, Kingston Town113. Brian Travers,80, Founding Member UB40 114.Sylvain (Mizrahi) Sylvain 69, Musician, New York Dolls. 117. Tawny Kitaen 59, Actress, Model in Whitesnake video, Here I Go Again, Bachelor Party, 115. Mark Eden, 92, Actor, Coronation Street116. Johnny Briggs, 85, Actor Coronation Street117. Tawny Kitaen 59, Actress, Model in Whitesnake video, Here I Go Again, Bachelor Party118.Ron Popiel ,86 Creator of the Pocket Fisherman, the Veg-O-Matic and Master of all the other gadgets you thought you couldn’t live without. 119. Peter Ackroyd 65, Actor and writer, Saturday Night Live, brother of actor/comedian Dan Ackroyd. 120. Helen McCrory 52, ActressHarry Potter Movies, Skyfall, Peaky Blinders, wife of actor Damian Lewis. 121.Jackie Lane 79, Actress, Singer, Dr Who, Compact 122. Una Stubbs, 84, Actor, Dancer, Til Death Us Do Part, Worzel Gummidge, Sherlock123. John Paragon, 66 Comedian and Actor, Jambi on Pee Wee’s Playhouse.124.Felix Silla 84, Beloved character actor, Buck Rogers (Twikki) , Cousin Itt, and even a background Talosian!125. Barbara Shelly 86, Queen of Horror Movies Dracula Prince of Darkness, Village of the Damned, Five Million Years to Earth126. Elbaz Alber, 59, fashion designer, Creative Director of Lanvin, Paris 127. Anne Rice 80, Gothic Novelist, Interview with the Vampire 128. Paul Ritter 54, Character Actor, Harry Potter, Chernobyl. 129. Shin’ichi ‘Sonny’ Chiba, 82, Actor, Kill Bill I & II, The Street Fighter. 130. Siegfried Fischbacher, 81, Tiger Trainer, partner of the late Roy Horn. 131.Yaphet Kotto 85 Actor, Live and Let Die, Alien132. Jessica Walter 80, Actress, Play Misty for Me, Arrested Development, Archer133. (Henry) ‘Hank’ Aaron 86, Baseball Legend, #44, Milwaukee Braves and Milwaukee Brewers, who broke Babe Ruth’s hitting record in 1974. (715 hits) 134. Biz Markie, 57 rapper, actor, producer, Just a Friend, Let Go My Eggo135. Graeme Edge 80, Drummer for the Moody Blues Nights in White Satin136. Tommy Lasorda 93, Manager of the LA Dodgers 1976-1996. 137. Vincent Jackson, 38, Football Player, San Diego Chargers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers.138. Michael Apted, 75, British Film Director, SEVEN Up! 63 Up, The World is not Enough139. Sondheim Stephen, 91, Genius Lyricist, Company, Follies, A Little Night Music 140. John Madden, 85, Beloved American Football Coach and Broadcaster, 141. James Michael Tyler, 59, Actor, Friends142. Halna Hutchens, 42, Ukrainian Cinematographer, Archenemy, Rust 143. Robert Downey Sr, 85 Actor, Director Father of Robert Downey Jr. 144. Mike Mitchell,77, Musician with The Kingsmen Louie, Louie145. Virgil Abloh, 41, American Fashion designer and Entrepreneur. Artistic director of Louis Vuitton’s menswear 146.Richard Gilliland,76, Actor,Designing Women, The Waltons (husband of actress Jean Smart) 147. John Reilly, 86, Actor, General Hospital, Sunset Beach, and Passions148. Jean-Marc Vallee,58, Canadian filmmaker, film editor, and screenwriter. Dallas Buyers Club, Young Victoria149. Richard Donner, 91, Director, Superman (1978) The Goonies. 150. James Hampton, 84, Actor, F Troop, (Dobbs) Teen Wolf, Sling Blade 151. Tommy Kirk, 79, beloved Disney Actor, Old Yeller, The Swiss Family Robinson, The Shaggy Dog. Fired from Disney for being openly gay.
Recently I asked for your prayers for my brother John, who had been diagnosed with Covid on August 10th. I thank you for all of your care, prayers, and support.
Sadly, my dear brother John passed away from complications of Covid on August 31, just a few days after his 70th Birthday. We are devastated, especially since we just lost our only other brother, Mike,74, on July 27, only a couple weeks after a devastating fall. As I mentioned in a post recently, earlier this year I also lost my brother-in-law Jack (from M.S.) and a wonderful friend, Mary (from recurrent cancer). This has been a hellish year.
I’m sure you’ll understand why I haven’t posted for a while, but I truly appreciate your continued patronage and friendship through this site. I have been working on a fun Trek article about props, but I probably won’t get back to it for a little while, as you can imagine.
At the moment I’m still processing John’s passing, and it is hell. Michael’s passing was bad enough but somehow easier to take since he had been in the ICU for nearly two weeks. But John. The hell of it was that we couldn’t visit him in the Covid ward, and because every day he was fighting so hard just to breathe, that it was even difficult for him to talk on the phone for long, and was so weak to even text. We were able to relay to him our love not long before he passed, and he related to my remaining 4 sisters and I that he loved us too. I cannot imagine life without him, he was such a loving and helpful man; always there for us. We are broken.
My brother John was so funny and loving. At 10 years older than I, he used to torment me as a kid, like most big brothers, but he loved me and all of us dearly. (For years I’d cringe when he’d enter a room in case he’d give me a Vulcan Nerve pinch – complete with whistled sound effect!) He was a magnificent artist with pen and ink, loved car racing, motorcycles and Clint Eastwood spaghetti westerns. Of course he liked Trek too, it was his poster of Mr. Spock on his bedroom wall that first fascinated me with the character. He never owned a car that didn’t need body work, and he loved his cats.
The worst part of this whole event was that it was avoidable. Sadly, John wouldn’t get the vaccination, even though the rest of us had all had our shots, and had urged him to get it. Tragically, he had been taken in by misinformation and baseless conspiracy theories. In the end, he realized he realized he was wrong to have not gotten it, and regretted that he was a denier. He relayed a heartfelt apology to us. I can only take comfort that he is with our brother Mike and sister Maggie, and our Mom and Dad and all his beloved friends and family who went before him.
I can only urge anyone out there who feels that they are impervious to any current or future strain of Covid that they must take this seriously. Covid does not care about your race, nationality, sex, politics or age, it only knows it can kill you. Our only defense is masking, social distancing and most of all getting vaccinated. The more of us who are vaccinated, the better the chance we can stop the next, worse, variant in its tracks. Otherwise the variants will get worse, and we cannot afford that, not in America, not in the whole world.
If I lose a few readers here for my stance here, that’s your choice. But because I love you all, I urge you to please take care and get vaccinated. I don’t want this to happen to you. Too many families have suffered losses from this preventable, frightening virus. I never thought that my family would become another statistic, but here it is.
Thank you, I’ll be back soon <3
Here is a photo of my two brothers taken in 2009. John (left) and Michael. My heart will ache forever.
This year has been tough for me, I have lost three people who were very close to me.
The first was my brother-in-law, Jack. (January) He was a wonderful poet, writer, photographer and such a funny, kind man. I’m so thankful he was part of our family.
The second was my friend Mary,(June) who was one of the busiest people I ever knew. Always active in school events and supporting animal shelters. She sang in two choirs, and well as an excellent chef. Her sense of humor would leave us laughing for hours.
And most recently, my oldest brother Michael, (this past week) who would have been 75 this coming Sunday. He was a sculptor, artist, and writer, with a wicked dry sense of humor. He was a loving brother all of us and devoted single father of five daughters, 11 grand-kids, and 2 great grand-kids, the loves of his life. He even wrote a funny fan fiction, Major Toad which was his own take on Mr. Toad’s adventures after “The Wind and The Willows”.
I will miss these three beautiful people so much, but I am so thankful they were in my life. I take joy in all the love and happiness love they brought to my life and the lives of all their friends and family. They will never be forgotten, and always a part of my heart.
Sad to report that today, another star has fallen from the Trek Galaxy. The amazing Joanne Linville peacefully passed away on Sunday, June 20 in California. She was 93.
Although she had many acting roles, she was cherished as the first female Romulan Commander ever seen in the Trek universe, in the classic The Enterprise Incident. From the first time I ever saw that episode, The Romulan Commander became one of my most favorite characters in TOS. Her coolness and manner even rivaled Spock; the object and ultimate betrayer of her affections.
The Enterprise Incident itself was not a perfect episode, but definitely one of the better highlights of the weaker final season. Joanne’s character was a strong, cool, and (naturally) commanding character, and she flew with it. I loved her from the moment she scoffs at Kirk when he says he is honored to meet her. She sealed her character’s personality in that quick moment; the Romulan Commander takes no crap from anyone, regardless of rank!
Linville’s chemistry with Nimoy was on point too. You can see her passion growing in her eyes every time she stares at him, and in the sultry, if firm, tone in her voice. Even though we knew Spock was only ‘flirting’ with the Commander under orders, you couldn’t deny the ‘feelings’ of the characters throughout the episode. Especially in the end where Spock expresses his hope to her that they exchanged something more permanent than fleeting military secrets.
Did you know that in the original script, Spock was supposed to ‘rain kisses’ all over the Commander’s shoulder? Although I’m sure that visual would be enjoyable, DC Fontana and Nimoy both found it quite illogical for Spock’s character to slobber all over her, so it was thankfully changed. She was cool, He was cool, and he initiates intimacy with some stroking hand-play that somehow comes off even sexier than any nibbling might have been. (Not NOW, TAL!!)
Another tidbit about Linville’s character was that although we never hear The Commander’s name in the original episode, The Romulan Commander name was revealed in Trek Fiction as Liviana Charvanek She was also known as Di’on Charvon, Thea, and Nevesa! How rare and beautiful indeed! It suits her!
Linville studied her craft well, and like Nimoy, taught acting. She started an acting conservatory with with her teacher Stella Adler, and she co-wrote the book Seven Steps to an Acting Craft. with John Deck. She performed in over 80 TV and movie appearances, and although never a regular in a series, she was unforgettable. She is survived by her former husband Mark Rydell, Children Amy and Christopher Rydell, who are both also actors. Amy even reprised her mother’s iconic role in the Star Trek Continues series Finale “To Boldly Go, Part II) (an astonishing resemblance!) She will be greatly missed but never forgotten. My deepest sympathy and comfort to her family. <3
Goodnight Charvanek, may you rest among the stars. I hope Spock has some blue Vulcan ale for you. <3
Every year I try to make a tribute page to the wonderful actors, entertainers, writers, musicians, and newsmakers who have passed on. Originally I was going to add this to a bigger collage of this awful last year, but in 2020, there were so many, it was easiest to just make a big collage. (I’ll post a 2020 collage of events soon). So many wonderful lives here some long, some painfully too short, but all memorable. I’ve included as many as I can find, and forgive me if I left some out. But I hope you will find some beloved familiar faces, and discover some new ones! Lots of inspiration here. Gone but not forgotten, Rest in Peace.
I’ve included a Key to all the faces below. Let me know who you remember and enjoyed! <3
Alas, I found one more – Trini Lopez, 83, wonderful singer and actor (If I had a Hammer, The Dirty Dozen) Heaven sings!
The past few days have been hard with the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. I keep her spirit in my prayers, and although I am saddened, I still see a glimmer of hope on the horizon. I made this tribute collage for Ruth, and I dedicate it to all who pursue justice for ALL. Rest in Peace and Power, Ruth. Thousands of little girls will know you, and follow in your footsteps. Here’s to you, here’s to them. (If you share this, please do not remove my name from it, thank you.)
Before the month is over, I wanted to remember the many beloved celebrities and artists who passed away in 2019 (You can see a separate list of the Star Trek family who passed away this past year here). It always bugs me that magazines and media cover these passings before the year is over, so I always wait until January to make a tribute here. Some you may have heard of, some you haven’t, but if anything good can come of one’s passing, it’s the acknowledgment of their gifts. So now, we say goodnight to the many others who made our lives a little happier with their celebrity careers. Bless them all and Thank You. <3
January4th, Louisa Mortiz, Actress, (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, M*A*S*H)January 9th, Verna Bloom, 80. (High Plains Drifter, Animal House)January 9th, Paul Koslo, 74. (The Omega Man, Rooster Cogburn)January 13th, Rip Taylor, 88, Zany Comedian and Actor, (The Monkees, Sigmund and the Sea Monsters, Duck Tales Movie)January 15th Carol Channing, 97, Legendary and Effervescent Actress of Broadway, TV and Movies. Original Dolly Levi of Hello Dolly, Original Lorelai in Gentleman Prefer Blonds, (The First Traveling Saleslady,Thoroughly Modern Millie) I adored Carol!January 15th, Bradley Bolke, 93. The voice of Chumley the Walrus(on Tenneseee Tuxedo) and so many moreJanuary 22nd,Kevin Barnett, 32. Comedian and writer. (Broad City, Rel.)January 21st, Kaye Ballard, Singer, Actress, Comedienne, 93, (Cinderella (1957), The Mothers in Law, The Doris Day Show).January 21st, Russel Baker, 93, Pulitzer Prize winning Author and Journalist. (So this is Depravity, Growing Up).January 29th, James Ingram, 66. Soul and R&B Singer. (Find 100 Ways, Baby Come to Me)February 1st, Lisa Seagram, 84, Actress, (Beverly Hillbillies, Bewitched, Batman) February 3rd,Kristoff St. John, 52, Actor. (The Young and the Restless)February 4th, Nita Beiber, 92, Dancer and Actress (Rhythm and Weep, Summer Stock). February 7th, Albert Finney, 82, Actor, (Tom Jones, Scrooge, Erin Brokovich, Skyfall) February 10, Jan Michael Vincent, Actor, 74, The World’s Greatest Athlete, AirwolfFebruary 24th, Peter Tork, 77, beloved Folk Musician and member of The Monkees (and my favorite Monkee) (For Pete’s Sake)February 25th, Mark Hollis 64, Writer and Lead Singer of Talk Talk (It’s My Life, Life’s What You Make It) February 19th, Karl Lagerfeld, 85, Photographer and Fashion Designer for Chanel. February 21st, Stanley Donan, 94. Oscar Winning Director, (Singin’ in the Rain, Funny Face, The Pajama Game, Charade, Arabesque, Bedazzled)February 26th, Mitzi Hoag, 86, Actress, (Here Comes the Brides, We’ll Get By).February 27th Nathaniel Taylor, 80. (Sanford & Son, What’s Happening?, The Redd Foxx Show) March 2nd, Janice Freeman, 33. Singer and Performer (The Voice, Pitch Perfect 3) March 3rd, Keith Flint, 49, Composer and Actor,(Firestarter, Breathe) March 4th, Luke Perry, Actor, 52. (Beverly Hills 90210, Riverdale)March 4th, King Kong Bundy, 63, (Christopher Alan Pallies) Wrestler. March 5th, Susan Harrison, 80, Actress. (The Sweet Smell of Success, The Twilight Zone)March 9th, Jed Allan, 84, Actor, (Beverly Hills 90210, Days of Our Lives, Santa Barbara). March 11th, Hal Blaine, 90, Legendary Session Drummer with over 6000 credited singles. (here with George Harrison) March 22nd, June Harding, 80, Actress. The Trouble with Angels (seen here at left, with Hayley Mills) March 22nd, Scott Walker, 76, Influential, deep voiced Singer and lead of The Walker Brothers (The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore , JoAnna, Jackie) March 23rd, Denise DuBarry, 63, Actress and Producer, (Being There, Black Sheep Squadron, CHiPs) Former wife of Gary Lockwood.March 24th, Nancy Gates, 93, Actress. (Some Came Running, Suddenly)March 30th, Tania Mallet, 77 Actress and Model, (Goldfinger)March 31st, Nipsy Hussle, 33, Rapper, Entrepreneur, ActivistApril 4th Roberta Haynes, 91. Actress (Return to Paradise, The Nebraskan)Dennis Day, former Mousketeer, 75, disappeared July 2018, body found April 7th, 2019 April 14th, Bibi Andersson, 83, Actress. (Persona, The Seventh Seal, Wild Strawberries)April 15th, Georgia Engel, 70. Actress and Dancer. (The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Everybody Loves Raymond).April 16th, Fay McKenzie, 101, Actress, (Down Mexico Way Breakfast at Tiffany’s, The Party) April 24th, Anne Neyland, Actress, (Jailhouse Rock, Highway Patrol, Sea Hunt).April 25th, Larry “Flash” Jenkins, 63, Actor and Producer. (Fletch, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off Bay City Blues) April 28th, John Singleton, 51 American film director, screenwriter, producer, and actor. (Boyz in the Hood, Poetic Justice, Shaft)April 28th, Jo Sullivan, 91, Actress, Singer, and widow of Composer Frank Loesser, (The Most Happy Fella, The Ed Sullivan Show) April 30th, Peter Mahew, 74, Actor, (Chewbacca in Star Wars) May 5th, Barbara Perry, 97, Actress and Dancer, (The first Pickles Sorrell on The Dick Van Dyle Show)May 6th, Kip Niven, 73, Actor (Alice, Magnum P.I.)May 8th, Jim Fowler, 87, Zoologist, (left) Here with Marlin Perkins) on Wild Kingdom, and occasional guest on The Tonight ShowMay 9th, Allene Roberts, 90, Actress, (Knock On Any Door, Adventures of Superman)May 11th,Peggy Lipton, 72, Actress, (Mod Squad, Twin Peaks), and Mother of actress Rashida JonesMay 13th, Doris Day, Beloved Singer, Actress, and Animal Rights Activist (Pillow Talk, Love Me or Leave Me, Midnight Lace, That Touch of Mink, The Thrill of it All, Please Don’t Eat the Daisies, The Doris Day Show and so many more)May 14th, Tim Conway 85, Actor and Physical Comedian Extraordinaire, (McHale’s Navy, The Carol Burnett Show, Mama’s Family)May 15, Bobby Diamond, 75, Actor, (Fury, The Twilight Zone)May 16th, I.M. Pei, 102, Architect (Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame, The Lourve Pyramid) May 26, Bart Starr, 85, Quarterback, Green Bay PackersMay 29th, Peggy Stewart, 95, Actress (Red River Renegades, All this and Heaven Too). May 30th, Leon Redbone, 69, singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor specializing in jazz, blues, and Tin Pan Alley classics.June 6th, Dr. John, 77, Singer, Songwriter, (Right Place -Wrong Time, The Last Waltz, The Wreaking Crew) June 12th, Sylvia Miles, 94, Actress, Midnight Cowboy, Farewell My Lovely,Crossing Delancey June 15th, Bob Dorian, 85, Actor, Magician, Host of American Movie ClassicsJune 17th Gloria Vanderbilt, 95, Heiress, artist, socialite, actress, fashion designer, and mother of Anderson Cooper.June 18th, Milton Quon, Artist and Animator for Walt Disney. Dumbo, FantasiaJune 19, Etika, (Desmond Daniel Amofah) 29, YouTuber, streamer and model.June 22nd, Judith Krantz, 91, Author, (Princess Daisy, Scruples, Mistral’s Daughter)June 24th Billy Drago, 73, Actor, (The Untouchables, Pale Rider, The Hills Have Eyes)June 26th, Max Wright, 75, Actor (Misfits of Science, ALF) July 3rd, Arte Johnson, 90, Actor ,Voice Actor, Comedian, ( Laugh-In, Love American Style) July 6th, Eddie Jones, Actor (Lois and Clark…Superman, The Rocketeer, The Singing Detective)July 6th, Cameron Boyce, Actor, (The Descendants, Runt) July 9th, Rip Torn, 88, Actor, (King of Kings, Sweet Bird of Youth, Men in Black I,II,III) July 9th, H. Ross Perot, 89 Texas Billionaire, Independent Candidate for President 1992 and 1996.July 10th, Valentina Cortese, 96, Actress, (The Barefoot Cotessa, Juliet of the Spirits, The Adventures of Baron Münchhausen) July 10th, Denise Nickerson, 62, Actress, (Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, The Electric Company, The Brady Bunch, Dark Shadows)July 18th, David Hedison, 92, Actor (The Fly, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Live and Let Die) July 23rd, Gabe Couth, 46, Actor , Voice Actor, (Once Upon a Time, Power Puff Girls Z) July 29th, Rutger Hauer, 75, Actor, (Blade Runner, Ladyhawke, Keetje Tipell, Nighthawks) August 16th, Peter Fonda, 79, Actor and Activist (I loved Pete, one of my favorite Actors EVER!) (Easy Rider, The Trip, Outlaw Blues, Ulee’s Gold) August 30th, Valerie Harpur, 80, Actress, (The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Rhoda, Valerie.)September 3rd, Carol Lynley 77, Actress, (Under the Yum Yum Tree, Return to Peyton Place, The Poseidon Adventure) September 8th, John Wesley, 72, Actor, (Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Hang Em’ High)September 13th, Eddie Money, 70, Singer, Composer (Take Me Home Tonight, Baby Hold On, I Think I’m in Love)September 15th, Ric Ocasek, 75, Lead Singer of The Cars (Just What I Needed, Good Times Roll, Let’s Go)September 15th, Phyllis Newman, 85, Stage and Screen Actress , (Subways are for Sleeping, Picnic)September 16th, Paul Ingrassia, 69, Pulitzer Prize-winning Journalist, Managing Editor of ReutersSeptember 16th, Sander Vanocer, 91, Veteran Journalist and Reporter for NBC NewsSeptember 17th, Cokie Roberts, 75, Legendary News Journalist, Author, and Political Commentator for NPR and ABC.September 20th, Jan Merlin, 94, Actor. (Cadet Roger Manning of Tom Corbett, Space Cadet)September 21th, Carl Ruiz, 44 Food Network Celebrity Chef. Owner Marie’s Italian Specialties.September 27th, Robert Garrison, 59, Actor, (The Karate Kid, Cobra Kai)September 28th, Linda Porter, 86, Actress (Twin Peaks, Superstore). October Beverly Watkins, 80, Blues Guitarist extraordinaireOctober 3rd, Lewis Dauber, 70 Actor. (Days of Our Lives, Jingle All the Way)October 4th, Diahann Carroll, 84. Pioneering Actress, Singer. (Paris Blues, Carmen Jones, Julia, Dynasty) October 6th, Ginger Baker, 80, Legendary drummer for CreamOctober11th Robert Forster, 78, Actor (Reflections in a Golden Eye, Jackie Brown, El Camino) October 13th, Scotty Bowers, 96, Hollywood “Male Madam” who wrote controversial biography of classic celebrity love lives. October 16th, Karen Pendleton, 73, Original Mouseketeer, (The Mickey Mouse Club)October 16th, John Clarke, 88, Actor (Days of Our Lives).October 17th,Baltimore Representative and Congressman, Elijah Cummings, 68, Chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, Civil Rights Leader.
October 21st, Jerry Fogel Actor,83, (The Mothers in Law)October 21st, Josip Elic, Character Actor 98, (Santa Claus Conquers the Martians, The Twilight Zone, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest). October 24th, Kaoru Yachigusa, 88, Japanese Actress, (Musashi Miyamoto, With Beauty and Sorrow,Duel at Ganryi Island) October 29th, John Witherspoon, 77, Actor (The Wayans Brothers, The Boondocks, Boomerang)November 2nd, Brian Tarantina, 60, Actor (The Gilmore Girls, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) November 4th, Virginia Leath, 94, Actress, (A Kiss Before Dying, The Brain that Wouldn’t Die)November 5th, Laurel Griggs, 13, Broadway Actress, (Caused by massive asthma attack) Once, Bubble Guppies, Cafe Society)November 7th, Robert Freeman, 82, Legendary Photographer who created the famous With The Beatles LP cover among so many others.November 13th, Niall Tobin, 89, Actor, (Brideshead Revisited, Ballykissangel, The Irish P.M.) November 13th, Jane Galloway Heitz, 78, Actress, (Glee, The Big Bang Theory) November 16th,Terry O’Neil, 81, Fashion and Style Photographer of Music and Movie Pop Icons; The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Elton John, Frank Sinatra, and so many more. December 12, Danny Aiello, 86, Actor, (Moonstruck, The Godfather Pt. II, Radio Days, Do the Right Thing)December 26th, Sue Lyon, 73, Actress (Lolita, Night of the Iguana, Tony Rome)
The last 12 months have been a bit hard on Trek fans, as we have lost several notable friends from the Star Trek Universe who have slipped the bonds of earth and entered the greater galaxy. This post is dedicated to these wonderful actors, actresses, and writers and artists who brought Star Trek to life for so many of us.
Although we know many of them through Star Trek in its many variations, I highly recommend that you look up all the other works they have done in their creative careers. Lives well lived, if some too awfully short. May they rest in eternal peace and love. I thank them for all their gifts. (And Thank You Todd Walkenhurst for helping me compile all the names). I will soon be posting a full obituary page for all the wonderful personalities we lost this past year, but for now, we remember these beloved members of the Star Trek Family. May you All Rest in Peace, and Bless you on your Final Frontiers. <3
It is with a very heavy heart that I report today that our friend Celeste Yarnall has passed away. Surrounded by her loving family, she will never be forgotten. She is forever remembered to us Trek fans as Yeoman Martha Landon in The Apple, but she was so much more.
Celeste and her beloved Nazim in 2013. Soulmates so happy together.
Celeste passed on Sunday night after a hellish battle with cancer which began as ovarian four years ago and evolved into lung cancer recently. I can only imagine how awful it was when it was reported recently that she had non-stop coughing, pain, and mucus from the lung invasion. When I read that she was in hospice, I suspected that she was soon to be on her final celestial journey. I send my deepest condolences and comfort to her husband Nazim, daughter Cami, and granddaughter Gaby. You were her rock and her heart.
I first became friends with Celeste through Facebook. It was there I had learned of her cancer and I was determined to help her raise money through her cancer fund to help her with medical payments. I had sent her my interpretation of her Star Trek episode, The Apple, as a movie poster:
She liked it so much, she printed it up big and displayed it frequently at her autograph signings! I was so honored.
Inspired, I created numerous Star Trek ‘funnies‘ depicting her in her role as Yeoman Martha Landon in The Apple with Trek characters encouraging donations, like this one: I also like making artistic portraits of her as Martha the occasional collages for her business ventures like Bemer and Hemp Oil. She really enjoyed these, and was so gracious and thankful when she posted them on her blogs. I hope they helped.
One of the first things I did after making Celeste’s acquaintance was making her a pretty peach floral pillowcase. We often conversed through Facebook and I had the joyous fortune of several phone conversations with her, and we would talk health, family, and occasionally Elvis and Star Trek. She was so funny and dear, and very passionate about letting people know about wellness and the promise of Immunotherapy, which helped her battle the ovarian cancer. She was comforting to me when I was going through my time with minor breast cancer,(Stage 0 – now free) which was nothing compared to hers. But she understood my fears, and gave me comfort, which helped me through it. Forever grateful.
My only regret is that I never got to meet her personally. I couldn’t really afford a trip to Las Vegas to see her in one of her annual appearances there. If I had known this year’s would be her last, I’d have happily gone into credit debt to see her. But that is life, and I am so blessed that I got to know her in these past few years.
When I heard of her hospice care, I immediately started making a photo book for her through a photo site. It was a collection of all the funnies and posters I made for her. Sadly, although it is on its way as I write this, she’ll never see it. But I truly hope that Nazim and Cami will take comfort in it as a memorial. They have worked so hard for her, and I pray they know that all their efforts were not in vain.
Celeste’s last artistic request to me was for a poster that read “Keep Calm and Beam Me Up” I made the one below, and she was very pleased. Yet I can’t help but think that she knew the end was coming, and this was her subtle way of saying goodbye. And now that she has beamed up to the celestial heavens, I know she will be welcomed there with all the love and more that she had on Earth. Goodnight Dearest, Sweet Yeoman, my friend. You are forever in my heart. <3
Here’s to you, here’s to them. (If you share this, please do not remove my name from it, thank you.) 
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I also like making artistic portraits of her 
