2021 Obituaries Thread

[SeaBreeze341]

Okay, for me personally, it's been a very good weekend, but in terms of people I grew up admiring, not good.  Bobby Bowden's passing wasn't surprising at all.  I believe he made his pancreatic cancer diagnosis public earlier this summer.  The former FSU legend lived longer than a full life, had the 4th most wins in the NCAA, & 2 National Titles with Florida State.  Along with Nebraska, one of the best programs in the 90s.  Former player Deion Sanders put it best in terms of the character of Coach Bowden, when referring to young men having a father figure when (and if) they grew up without one.

I think I forgot Markie Post had cancer.  I remember hearing the news back when, but then I was a bit surprised upon her passing.  A tribute to her and Charles Robinson (and even Harry Anderson) would be awesome if a revival happens.

Dee Tee's death is the second one from Kool & The Gang within a year (Ronald Bell).  Not sure what was going on with him that cost him his life this weekend, but what a career.  Provided a lot of material over the years/decades.  Dennis lost his daughter more than 20 years ago.

[mellongraig]

Jane Withers passes on at 95, no cause of death has been reported as of yet:

https://deadline.com/2021/08/jane-withers-dead-former-child-star-and-voice-actress-was-95-1234811168

[SamJ93]

Bob Jenkins, longtime IndyCar and NASCAR announcer on both TV and radio, died at age 73 after a battle with brain cancer.

[jude_este]

Una Stubbs, known for her roles in British TV shows such as Worzel Gummidge, Till Death Us Do Part, EastEnders, and to international audiences for her role as Sherlock's landlady Mrs. Hudson in the series Sherlock, has passed away at age 84. Her cause of death was not revealed, but according to her agent, she had been ill for a few months.

[tpirfan1991]

Ernie Sigley, best known for people outside of Australia, as the first host of Australian Wheel of Fortune, from 1981 to 1984, has passed away, after a 5 year battle with Alzheimers, he was 82.

https://tvtonight.com.au/2021/08/vale-ernie-sigley.html

[ironman00710]

Sean Lock, a well known British comedian / comedy show panelist on "8 out of 10 Cats" and "8 out of 10 Cats Does Countdown" (a show I have gotten many a laugh from through clips), passed away earlier this week at the age of 58 from cancer.

https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-58254859

[Blissey]

Shinichi "Sonny" Chiba, a Japanese actor and martial artist best known for his "Street Fighter" series and for roles in the American films "Kill Bill: Volume 1" and "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift," has passed away of coronavirus complications at the age of 82.

https://variety.com/2021/film/news/sonny-chiba-dead-dies-martial-arts-kill-bill-1235044575/

[dagdoggnh]

Country music Hall of Famer Tom T. Hall, best known for writing and recording story songs and is credited as the writer of the Jeannie C. Riley hit "Harper Valley P.T.A.", passed away on August 20, 2021 at age 85.  No cause of death reported.  https://variety.com/2021/music/news/tom-t-hall-dead-country-music-legend-1235046057/

[jude_este]

Don Everly, of the country rock-and-roll duo The Everly Brothers, passed away Saturday at age 84. No cause of death was reported.

[Briguy]

This is a week old, but some WWF (now WWE) wrestling fans may remember Dominic DeNucci from the 1960s through early 1980s.

DeNucci passed away Aug. 13 at age 89. He won several championships for the WWF, most notably tag team championships. DeNucci's most recent was with Dino Bravo in 1978 (long before Bravo proclaimed himself the "World's Strongest Man").

https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/dominic-denucci-retired-pro-wrestler-dead-at-89

[Briguy]

Don Everly, of the country rock-and-roll duo The Everly Brothers, passed away Saturday at age 84. No cause of death was reported.

In country music, the roster of surviving stars who were active and had great success as far back as the 1950s just got that much smaller.

Mitchell Torok, who was born in 1929 and had a No. 1 hit in December 1953 with his crossover hit "Caribbean," might just be the earliest surviving No. 1 artist. (All of the 1940s No. 1 country artists are deceased.)

And it appears the only other surviving artists who had a No. 1 hit in the 1950s are Jerry Lee Lewis ("Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" and "Great Balls Of Fire" in 1957-1958) and Stonewall Jackson ("Waterloo" in 1959).

You'd have to go to 1961 to find the next artist who still survives and had a country No. 1 hit: Leroy Van Dyke and "Walk On By." (He was on a local radio program recently commenting about the Iowa State Fair. He's in his 90s now but still as active as ever.) Bill Anderson (yep, that guy who hosted several game shows in the 1970s and 1980s)Connie Smith, Warner Mack, Loretta Lynn, Jeannie C. Riley and Jerry Lee Lewis are among the 1960s No. 1 country artists who still are with us.

With the recent death of Tom T. Hall, I was thinking about it today how now there are starting to become fewer surviving country artists from as recent as the 1970s. I thought of 1970 in particular, the year Tom T. had his first No. 1 hit, "A Week in a Country Jail." That year, there were X artists who had No. 1 hits: David Houston, Tom T. Hall, Sonny James, Merle Haggard, Jack Blanchard and Misty Morgan, Charley Pride, Marty Robbins, Dave Dudley, Conway Twitty, Tammy Wynette, Hank Williams Jr., Ray Price, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn and Lynn Anderson. Of those, just four survive: Blanchard (Morgan, his wife, passed away in January), Bocephus (Williams), "the Killer" (Lewis) and the "Coal Miner's Daughter" (Lynn).

Moral: Enjoy the artists while you can. It's been a rough time for classic country fans, to be sure. Sorry for the long post but thought I'd weigh in.

Brian

[Ccook]

Charlie Watts, drummer for the Rolling Stones, age 80. No cause given although Watts bowed out of the Stones' forthcoming tour for health reasons.

[88JRFAN]

Got word on Facebook from a shared post by his sister ; Robin Miller, iconic racing journalist just passed away    A true legend in journalism. I met him and chatted with him at the 2016 Honda Indy Toronto. One of the nicest gentlemen ever. Godspeed, good sir 

[plinko2000]

Ed Asner has died.

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/ed-asner-dies-tv-icon-172330278.html

[Alfonzo]

Ed Asner has died.

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/ed-asner-dies-tv-icon-172330278.html

The last remaining Mary Tyler Moore cast member that was around for the entire run. Betty White and John Amos are the only surviving cast members. Rest in Peace, Edward.