2018 Obituaries Thread

[Teddy]

Seeing that The Big Bang Theory will have two weeks off due to the NCAA Tournament, I wonder what it'll do for a tribute? Perhaps we'll see in the next new episode or the one after...

R.I.P. Stephen Hawking

[RJSchex]

Charles Lazarus, 94, founder of the (soon-to-be) defunct store chain Toys 'Я' Us. (And what a bad time for it to happen!)

http://money.cnn.com/2018/03/22/news/companies/toys-r-us-founder-obituary/index.html

[Ccook]

Frank Avruch, who was Bozo the Clown on WCVB in Boston from 1959 to 1970 (that show would be nationally syndicated) has passed on at age 89. Cause: heart disease.

[JayC]

Blockbuster, Waste Management, AutoNation founder as well as original Florida/Miami Marlins, Florida Panthers, and one-time Miami Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga passed away at the age of 80: http://money.cnn.com/2018/03/23/news/companies/huizenga-obituary/index.html

[CheckGameMeBob]

Zell Miller, former US Senator and Governor of Georgia has died at 86

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/zell-miller-georgia-governor-and-senator-with-unpredictable-streak-dies-at-86/2018/03/23/9bc8a858-2eaf-11e8-b0b0-f706877db618_story.html?utm_term=.3e7c4be14e36

[Ccook]

DuShon Monique Brown, of the series Chicago Fire, age 49, cause not yet disclosed.

[GR_Man_9009]

Linda Brown of Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka Kansas has died at the age of 76
https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/26/us/linda-brown-dies/index.html

[Ccook]

Fred Crippen, animator and creator of the 1965 cartoon Roger Ramjet, age 90, cause not given.

[Ccook]

New York Mets icon Rusty Staub (RF, 1B), from various health issues. He would have turned 74 Sunday.

[Teddy]

Steven Bochco, who created great shows like NYPD Blue, L.A. Law and Hill Street Blues, has passed away at age 74:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/news/steven-bochco-innovative-co-creator-of-‘nypd-blue’-‘hill-street-blues’-dies-at-74/ar-AAvm9UW?ocid=spartanntp

[Ccook]

Winnie Mandela, anti-apartheid campaigner and former wife of South Africa president Nelson Mandela, age 81 after a long illness.

[Blissey]

Isao Takahata, co-founder of the legendary Japanese animation studio Studio Ghibli, has passed away from lung cancer at age 82.

https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2018-04-05/director-studio-ghibli-co-founder-isao-takahata-passes-away/.130020

[Ccook]

Long time kids show host and cartoon voice Chuck McCann (Sonny the Cuckoo Bird from the Cocoa Puffs commercials), age 83. Cause not known.

[Superballer]

Also liked him as Duckworth; his laid back take on the character contrasted well with Scrooge's over the top tantrums. 

[RJSchex]

I best remembered Chuck McCann for some memorable commercials he did:
(1) The 70's ads for Right Guard, in which he reaches through his neighbor's medicine cabinet ("Hi, Guy!") and steals his neighbor's Right Guard. ("Mona!")
(2) A 1980 ad for Jack In The Box (also featuing Nedra Volz) in which the clown gets blown up. ("He's going bye-bye, lady!")