The stories behind the headlines—honoring remarkable lives, preserving enduring legacies.
History has always been shaped by two kinds of people: those who stood firm in their convictions, and those who traded their principles for comfort or out of fear. Those who yielded to tyranny are rarely counted among the truly notable. It is those whoremained steadfast—when the cost was greatest—whom history remembers with honor.
Carter collected more than $3 million in live winnings in a tournament career spanning the 1980s to 2015. The biggest score of his career came in 1995, when Carter finished third in the WSOPmain event for $302,750.
His first bracelet came in 1991, when Carter took down a $1,500 no-limit hold’em event for $166,800. He added a second in 1994 after winning a $1,500 limit Omaha event for $83,400. Continue reading at Cardplayer.com
NEW YORK (AP) — Philanthropist Nancy Kissinger, onetime foreign policy researcher and wife of former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, has died. She was 92.
She died Thursday at her home in Kent, Connecticut, Robert Johnson, manager of the property, told The Associated Press. The cause of her death was not disclosed. Johnson said she will be buried next to her late husband at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date.
The daughter of a New York City lawyer, she met Henry Kissinger while working for New York Gov. Nelson Rockefeller. The couple wed in 1974.
She was described by one profiler as a brainy, Blass-bedecked blonde. She was often seen at high fashion openings and was a strong presence on the New York philanthropy scene. Continue reading at the Associated Press
TOKYO (AP) — Christopher Bodeen, a tenacious, old-school wire service reporter who brought a keen analytical eye and a wry sense of humor to decades of work in China,Taiwan and in war zones and natural disasters across the globe for The Associated Press, has died. He was 55.
Bodeen died Monday after a struggle with cancer and complications from a stroke, his daughter, Ingrid, said Thursday by telephone from Taiwan.
Billy Smith, one of the legendary players who helped power St George to unmatched rugby league dominance in the 1960s, has died at 84.
Smith is remembered as the defining halfback of his era and played in the last four of the Dragons’ 11 consecutive premiership wins that spanned 1956 to 1966. Read more at au.news.Yahoo.com
President of the Sri Lanka Singers Association (SLSA) Keerthi Pasquel confirmed her death and said arrangements for her final rites would be announced later.
Nanda Malini was widely regarded as one of Sri Lanka’s greatest vocalists, with a career spanning several decades. Her powerful voice and distinctive style earned her a lasting place in Sinhala music, particularly through her contributions to Sinhala cinema and classical music.
She became a household name through songs such as Ammawaruni from Yasa Isuru, Yowun Wasanthaye from Duhulu Malak, Galana Gangaki Jeewithe from Ranmuthu Duwa and Ma Hada Wawnu Be from Nivena Ginna. Her song Ayanna Kiyanna was also particularly popular among children.
Alongside her artistic achievements, Nanda Malini was also a prominent and sometimes controversial voice during periods of political and social upheaval in Sri Lanka. continue reading at dailymirror.lk
Wilem Frischmann, former chairman of engineering firm Pell Frischmann, has died at the age of 95.
Frischmann was widely considered among the most influential engineers of his generation, best known for his work with architect Richard Seifert on schemes including Centre Point, Tower 42 and Drapers Gardens.
He was also known for his seminal report on the 1968 collapse of the Ronan Point tower, which led to fundamental changes to how tall buildings in the UK were designed, constructed and regulated. continue reading at bdonline.co.uk
The forward was a key figure in Bill Nicholson’s 1960-61 side who were the first English team in the 20th Century to achieve a First Division and FA Cup double.
One of his defining moments occurred two years later when he scored twice in a 5-1 victory over Atletico Madrid to secure European Cup Winners’ Cup success. Continue reading at bbc.com
Director John Irvin on the set of 1987’s ‘Hamburger Hill’ Paramount/Everett Collection
According to Irvin’s producers, the filmmaker died peacefully at the UK home of his sister-in-law on August 11, surrounded by his family. Continue reading on deadline.com
British filmmaker John Irvin, known for action movies including Hamburger Hilland Raw Deal and the BAFTA-winning TV series Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, has died. He was 86.
José SuárezTelemundo
José Suárez, president and general manager of Telemundo 31, Telemundo 49, and Telemundo Ft. Myers–Naples, died. He was 55.
The Telemundo executive died on Wednesday, August 19, following a helicopter crash in Kenya, NBC6 reports. Read more at deadline.com
Dr. Albert Schwartz, a respected pediatrician who spent more than four decades caring for children and families throughout Arizona’s East Valley, has died at the age of 85.
Dr. Schwartz
Dr. Schwartz served the Phoenix-area medical community for 42 years, building a career remembered for his dedication to generations of young patients and their families. Before beginning his long civilian practice, he served his country as a Captain in the United States Air Force at Williams Air Force Base.
His influence extended well beyond his private practice. Dr. Schwartz served as chief of pediatrics at Banner Desert Medical Center in Mesa and helped establish the hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), contributing to the development of critical care services for some of the Valley’s most vulnerable newborns.
Dr. Schwartz was also the father of Ian Schwartz, the Mesa-born meteorologist and reporter familiar to Valley viewers from Good Morning Arizona on Arizona’s Family (3TV and CBS 5). Ian’s career has made the Schwartz name familiar to another generation of Arizona families.
Dr. Albert Schwartz leaves behind a legacy measured not simply in years of medical service, but in the thousands of children and families whose lives were touched by his care. His contributions to pediatric medicine helped shape health care in the East Valley, leaving an enduring mark on the community he served for more than four decades. Notice provided by Groff Media.
Frank BeardGetty Images
Frank Beard, who drummed with ZZ Top for nearly six decades, playing on such classics as “La Grange,” “Tush,” “Sharp Dressed Man” and “Legs,” died Monday. He was 77.
The band’s longtime rep Bob Merlis confirmed to our sister publication Rolling Stone that Beard died at his ranch in Richmond, Texas, while in hospice care. He did not provide a cause of death, but the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer was forced to leave ZZ Top’s current tour in March due to an unspecified “health issue.” He had returned to play some shows, but the trio canceled its planned Hollywood Bowl concert this month as Beard’s health worsened. Continue reading at deadline.com
He represented the Augusta area in the senate starting in 1990. Walker was a prominent leader in the Georgia legislature, and became senate majority leader in 1996.
Yet, in 2005, Walker was also convicted on federal charges of tax evasion, mail fraud, theft, misusing campaign funds, and conspiracy. He was sentenced to ten years in federal prison.
Walker’s family released this statement: Continue reading at WFXG.com
Phyllida Law IAN GAVAN/GETTY IMAGES
Phyllida Law, the Scottish actress of stage and screen and the mother of actresses Emma and Sophie Thompson, has died. She was 94.
Her death was announced by her manager, Jacky Leggo, who said in a statement that she “died supremely peacefully at home, surrounded by all her family.”
Law appeared with Emma in films including Peter’s Friends (1992), Much Ado About Nothing (1993) — both directed by then-son-in-law Kenneth Branagh — and Junior (1994), and they portrayed mother and daughter in The Winter Guest (1997), directed by Alan Rickman. Read more at The Hollywood Reporter…
Nicolas Altmayer and Mathilde FavierAurore Marechal/Getty Images.
French film producer Nicolas Altmayer and Dior PR executive Mathilde Favierhave died in a car accident in France, local authorities announced this afternoon.
French media reports state the couple was killed around 4 pm on Monday on a road in the northern part of the Deux-Sèvres department in western France. The couple’s car “collided with a heavy goods vehicle traveling in the opposite direction, while they were overtaking another vehicle,” the local police chief told AFP. Local authorities have opened an investigation into involuntary manslaughter by a driver to determine the circumstances of the crash. Continue reading at deadline.com
ESPN co-founder Bill Rasmussen tosses a ball before a baseball game between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees in Boston, Sept. 8, 2019. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)
ESPN historian Mike Soltys said Rasmussen died at his Florida home from the effects of Parkinson’s disease. Rasmussen announced in 2019 that he had been diagnosed with the degenerative disease in 2014.
“Bill was a remarkable man — a visionary and an innovator who conceived the idea of a network entirely devoted to sports,” ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro said in a statement. “Quite simply, none of us would be here today if it wasn’t for Bill’s passion and all the hard work and entrepreneurial spirit he put into building ESPN in the late 1970s — key aspects of our company culture that still carry on to this day.”
Rasmussen and his son Scott came up with the idea of a network carrying sports around the clock, and it would revolutionize Americans’ TV-watching habits. But the pair didn’t stick around long. They were forced out after only a year by ESPN majority owner Getty Oil. Continue reading at the Associated Press…
She shared mics with Basil Rathbone, Lionel Barrymore, Harold Lloyd and Herbert Marshall, created a TV show that turned out to be ‘Our Miss Brooks’ and starred in ‘The Screaming Skull.’
Peggy Webber, the prolific radio actress who portrayed the mother of Jack Webb’s Joe Friday on the original version of Dragnet before appearing for Orson Welles in Macbeth and Alfred Hitchcock in The Wrong Man, has died. She was 100.
Webber died Saturday of natural causes at an independent living facility in Napa, California, her son, Rob Sinskey, told The Hollywood Reporter. She had moved north from Los Angeles after she had to be evacuated from her home amid the fires in January 2025.
Webber worked on thousands of episodes of radio shows, among them The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce; The Story ofDr. Kildare, starring Lionel Barrymore and Lew Ayres; The Man Called X, starring Herbert Marshall; and Escape, starring William Conrad.
She played Ingrid Bergman’s role of Ilsa in a 1944 serialized version of Casablanca for the NBC Radio anthology program Star Playhouse and frequently had “four soap operas going at the same time,” she toldhistorian Kliph Nesteroff in 2023. “I’d be running from one studio to the other, never eating. It was a very wearing thing.”
She had worked with Webb on radio shows including Escape and This Is Your FBI when he asked her to voice a role on his 1949 pilot for Dragnet, his new procedural crime show for NBC Radio. She then portrayed Ma Friday, the mother of Webb’s Sgt. Joe Friday, over the years.
The versatile Webber also had done radio with Welles when he approached her about playing Lady Macduff in his 1948 film adaptation of Macbeth. Continue reading at The Hollywood Reporter
Brigance, 56, was in many ways the heartbeat of the organization, a courageous and inspiring leader who kept coming to work despite his physical limitations.
Brigance had a profound impact throughout the Ravens organization, providing guidance and perspective to players, coaches, and personnel.
A Houston native, Brigance originally landed in Baltimore with the Canadian Football League’s Stallions and helped the team win the 1995 Grey Cup championship. Years later, he was a linebacker and special teams standout on the Ravens’ Super Bowl-winning team in 2000. Brigance set the tone with the first tackle of Super Bowl XXXV. Continue to read at baltimoreravens.com
Born in New York City on April 12, 1935, Cranis attended high school in Brooklyn and did not pick up tennis until the relatively late age of 17. He attended George Washington University on a basketball scholarship but left after one year, later serving two years in the army before dedicating himself fully to tennis.
A left-handed player, Cranis twice reached the second round of the singles draw at the U.S. national championships, in 1955 and again in 1967. Over the course of his career, he claimed a series of notable titles, including the 1956 Brooklyn Indoor Championships, where he defeated George Mandel, who had won the New York Indoor title that same season, and the 1960 Seventh Regiment Armory Invitational in New York City, where he beat Sidney Schwartz in the quarterfinal and J. Allen Morris in the final. In 1967, Cranis recorded a notable upset win over Frank Froehling at the Southampton Invitational, and in 1971 he won the Eastern Hardcourt Championships in Woodbury, Long Island, defeating Don Brosseau in the final. Continue reading at That Eric Alper
“It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden,” her father, Skip Panettiere, said in a statement provided by her representative.
The Greenville County Coroner’s Office on Monday said that Panettiere’s cause of death remains pending further investigation. An autospy was completed Monday, the statement added, and “no signs of trauma were discovered that would have contributed to the death.”
At around 1:50 p.m. Sunday, authorities received a 911 call regarding a “reported cardiac arrest” at an apartment complex, according to the coroner’s office. Police say an acquaintance of Panettiere made the 911 call. Continue reading
His ability to paint portraits of the then-leader Pol Pot was why he was kept alive.
The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, a U.N.-backed tribunal that sought to try Khmer Rouge leaders for genocide and other crimes against humanity, said he died late Friday due to age-related illness. Continued reading at the Associated Press.
Tommy John, a reliable stalwart of big league rotations who won 288 games over three decades while seeing his name become synonymous with a medical procedure that has saved the careers of countless other pitchers, has died. He was 83.
A four-time All-Star left-hander with the second-most wins of any pitcher in the Modern Era not elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, John endured for 26 seasons on Major League mounds. He made his debut with Cleveland in 1963 and threw his final pitch for the Yankees in 1989, when he was 46.
Pitching for the Dodgers on July 17, 1974, John threw a fastball to the Expos’ Hal Breeden and felt what he described as a “crash” in his left elbow. It was later revealed to be a career-threatening complete tear of the hurler’s left ulnar collateral ligament. Continue reading at MLB.Com
She was 79 R & B Legend Ruby Andrew has died. She was 79. Andrews, who was born Ruby Mae Stackhouse, died at home in Chicago.
A post on her Facebook page on Aug. 13 shared the news.
“Today my heart is broken as I share the heartbreaking news that my beloved Auntie Ruby Andrews, the great blues and soul singer, has passed away. Auntie Ruby was truly one of a kind. Her powerful voice, soulful spirit, and incredible talent touched generations of music lovers.”
Andrews was best known for her 1967 hit “Casanova (Your Playing Days Are Over).” Parade Magazine noted that song “crossed over from R&B onto the pop charts, sending her on tour and onto the Apollo Theater Stage.” “Casanova” made it to No. 9 on the R&B charts and to No. 51 on the pop charts. Continue reading…
JGM joins the family, friends, and many fans of Nikki Ross Bellamy in grieving this loss not only to the Houston gospel community, but to the national gospel music scene. Continue reading at the journalofgospelmusic.com
Phil Lyne, legendary rodeo champion and versatile cowboy, dies at 79
Lyne’s family announced his death in an Instagram post on Saturday. He was born Jan. 18, 1947, in San Antonio, Texas.
Lyne won the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association’s Rookie of the Year award in 1969, then captured his first world championships in calf roping and all-around competition in 1971. He repeated as world champion in both events in 1972 and later returned from retirement to win the 1990 world steer roping championship.
Mary Anne Heilmann, the American painter whose vibrant, unconventional abstractions influenced generations of younger artists, died on August 14, 2026, at a hospital in Riverhead, New York, from complications following a fall the previous week. She was 86.
Born in San Francisco in 1940, Heilmann grew up in Los Angeles before her family returned to San Francisco after her father’s death in 1953. She studied literature and art at the University of California, Santa Barbara, drawn by the surf culture of the coastal town, before attending San Francisco State College and later entering the master’s program in ceramics and sculpture at UC Berkeley, where she studied under modernist ceramicist Peter Voulkos and sculptor Jim Melchert. At Berkeley, she formed a lasting friendship with artist Bruce Nauman, who introduced her to his teacher, William T. Wiley. Continue reading at That Eric Alper
Dave Marsh, the influential and widely read rock critic for Creem, The Village Voice and Rolling Stone and the author of the foundational Bruce Springsteen 1979 biography Born to Run, died Friday, August 14, at his home in Connecticut. He was 76.
His death, reported by Deadline sister publication Billboard and confirmed on Facebook by Marsh’s friend Jim Rotolo, followed an extended period of declining health, although a cause has not been disclosed. Continue reading at deadline.com
Crafford died July 22 at his home in Brazil after a long battle with cancer, his son Scott Crafford told The Hollywood Reporter.
Crafford cut Tommy Chong’s Still Smokin (1983), Frank Oz’s The Indian in the Cupboard (1995), David Anspaugh’s The Game of Their Lives(2005) and two features for fellow countryman Michael Apted, Class Action (1991) and Thunderheart (1992). Continue reading at The Hollywood Reporter
On Tuesday, Ryan’s sister Melissa remembered his “huge heart” as she announced that he had died with a heartfelt tribute. A cause of death was not immediately known.
“Ryan was so damn funny and witty. He was fiercely loyal to those he loved. He had a huge heart, always,” wrote Melissa on Facebook. “I can’t explain what it’s like to lose a sibling. Someone who’s been there from the beginning and shares the same memories. No matter what we were going through, I loved him immensely. Life as I know it will never be the same.” Continue reading on deadline.com
In a statement, NSN said the team was heartbroken to announce Tarling’s passing.”Fin was a much-loved member of our team but most importantly, he was a son, a brother, and a friend to so many. He will be deeply missed “Our deepest condolences go out to Fin’s parents Michael and Dawn, his brother Josh, and everyone who was lucky enough to call Fin a friend.”A 19-year-old British cyclist has been killed in an accident during the eighth stage of the Volta a Portugal.
An investigation is underway, according to local authorities.
Tarling, the younger brother of Netcompany-Ineos rider Josh, had raced for Great Britain on the road and track.
He was competing for the NSN Development Team when the incident occurred on the 166.8-kilometre route from Melgaco to Fafe. Continue reading at abc.net.au
The Southport-born goalkeeper was on the bench when United beat Benfica to win the 1968 European Cup.
Rimmer started Villa’s 1-0 win over Bayern Munich in the 1982 European Cup final, though he was replaced by Nigel Spink after nine minutes because of a neck injury.
He started every game of Villa’s run to the final, as he did in their league title-winning campaign of 1980-81.
Rimmer made 229 league appearances for the Midlands club, and also spent time with Swansea City and Arsenal. He won the latter’s player of the season award in 1974-75. CONTINUE READING AT THE BBC.COM
Jason Arday, youngest Black professor at Cambridge, found dead at 41 after resignation
The Times and Telegraph newspapers, along with the BBC and Sky News, reported that Arday, 41, was found “unresponsive” inside a home in Battersea, south London, on Friday afternoon. Continue reading at PBS.com
“Those players,” Selig continued, then paused as the fans roared at the surprise. “Those players who currently wear 42, including those like Butch Huskey of the Mets … who wear the number in tribute to Jackie, may continue to wear the number for the remainder of their careers.”
Huskey died on Friday, the Mets announced on X. Jay Horwitz, the team’s vice president for alumni relations, said the cause was a blood clot in his lung, and that Huskey died in his hometown of Lawton, Okla., after having trouble breathing this morning. He was 54 years old and is survived by his wife, Kristy, a son, Bryce, and daughters Kennedy and Kyrbi. Continue reading at nytimes.com
Sheila Mathews with her husband Charles Reading in 1957 Credit: PA
The actress made her stage debut at the age of 3 and had a career that spanned more than 90 years.
She died on Tuesday after suffering a series of strokes, her long-term friend Michael Thornton said in a statement written on behalf of her family.
The statement said: “Sheila Mathews achieved almost all of her career ambitions, but the last one eluded her. She wanted desperately to live to be 100 and to receive a royal telegram from the King. She made it to 99, but then, sadly, her time ran out. Read more about her life at telegraph.co.uk
Rydell died Thursday of natural causes at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, his daughter, Amy Rydell, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Rydell also was an actor who played one-half of a young couple that drove the CBS daytime soap As the World Turns to No. 1 in the ratings in the 1950s. He later portrayed a brutal mobster in Robert Altman‘s The Long Goodbye (1973), the real-life mob accountant Meyer Lansky in Sydney Pollack’s Havana (1990) and an agent, Al Hack, in Woody Allen’s Hollywood Ending (2002). Continue reading at The Hollywood Reporter.
Seattle Totems Great “JUMBO’ JIM POWERS” DIES
Longtime Seattle Totems great and Mill Creek resident “Jumbo’ Jim Powers was best remembered for the company he kept on and off the ice during the star-studded heyday of minor professional hockey in this city.
And one of those who spent years alongside Powers, who died Thursday morning of natural causes at age 89, was his opposite winger and future NHL player Bob Barlow. With Barlow on left wing, legendary Totems captain Guyle Fielder at center and left wing Powers shifting to the right side when needed, the forward trio sent shivers through opposing defenders in the minor pro Western Hockey League for three seasons in the early 1960s.
“It was just as exciting off the ice during those years with the Space Needle being built and the Monorail – it was a very exciting time for the city of Seattle,” said Barlow, 91, from his home in British Columbia. “We had capacity crowds in the rink and they treated us well. And as a team, we played very well for those crowds.
Jack Crabtree, who has died aged 87, was a figurative painter whose work gave dignity to people whose lives were often overlooked. He developed a distinctive form of social realism, rooted in his working-class upbringing and driven by a belief that every person had a story worth telling. He painted miners, steelworkers, industrial communities and ordinary people caught up in extraordinary circumstances.Jack Crabtree spent a year working underground in 1974, in the south Wales coalfields, producing 119 sketches and paintings
Born in Rochdale, the son of Lilian, a cotton mill worker, and Roland Crabtree, a labourer at the gasworks, Jack discovered art almost by accident. A schoolteacher at Rochdale grammar school for boys encouraged him to try the subject, and a scholarship eventually took him from Rochdale College of Art in 1955 to St Martin’s School of Art in 1957, then the Royal Academy Schools from 1959 to 1961. Continue reading at The Guardian
English dance-pop group EMF announced the death of their co-founder and keyboardist Derry Brownson on Friday morning (Aug. 14).
“Late last night we started to hear the news that we have lost our Brother In Arms Derran Brownson,” the group said in an Instagram post of their 55-year-old bandmate, who formed the group with singer James Atkin, DJ Milf, drummer Marc Decloedt and guitarist Zac Foley in Cinderford, Gloucestershire, England in 1989.
“We are devastated, the only solace we can find is that we are eternally grateful Derry was able to join us on stage a couple times just a few short months back,” the group continued; at press time Billboard had not independently confirmed Brownson’s death or the keyboardist’s cause of death. “Nothing will ever be the same again without our band mate and friend, fly high brother Derry. 💔”
BATON ROUGE — Legendary LSU baseball coach and athletics director Skip Bertman passed away Friday morning at the age of 88. While he was not originally from Louisiana, Bertman came to be known and recognized as synonymous with LSU Baseball and championing athletic greatness.
Born in Detroit, Bertman was raised in Miami Beach, where he later met his wife Sandy, who preceded him in death in March 2025. They were married for 63 years and had four children.
Bertman arrived at LSU in the summer of 1983. He coached LSU Baseball for 18 seasons (1984-2001) before working as the athletics director for seven years. Continue reading…
Ruby Mae Stackhouse, the Chicago soul singer known professionally as Ruby Andrews, died at her home in Chicago on August 13, 2026, at the age of 79.
Born in Hollandale, Mississippi, Andrews moved with her family to Chicago around 1953 and attended Hyde Park Academy High School, graduating in 1966. She began singing with the vocal group the Vondells around her senior year of high school, launching a career that would establish her as one of Chicago soul’s distinctive voices.
Andrews made her recording debut on the Kelmac label before scoring her breakthrough hit in 1967 with “Casanova (Your Playing Days Are Over),” co-written and produced by Joshie Jo Armstead and recorded with arrangements by Detroit producer Mike Terry. The song crossed over into the pop charts, reaching number nine on the R&B chart and number 51 on the pop chart, and remains her best-known recording. She followed it with a string of chart singles through the late 1960s and early 1970s, including “You Made a Believer (Out of Me),” which reached number 18 on the R&B chart in 1969, and “Everybody Saw You,” which peaked at number 34 in 1970. Many of her Zodiac label releases were written and produced by Fred Bridges, Robert Eaton, and Richard Knight, who also performed together as the vocal group Brothers of Soul. Continue reading at That Eric Alper
When Director Scheid was found unresponsive, life-saving measures were performed, but he was unable to be resuscitated.
Director Scheid had served with the Coldwater Police Department for 29 years. Survivors include his wife, two daughters, his parents, a sister, nieces, and nephews. Continue reading here…
The Guyana-born, Trinidad-raised soprano had a wide-ranging career spanning Glyndebourne and Covent Garden to the creation of the Duchess in Thomas Adès’s Powder Her Face.
British soprano Jill Gomez, whose career encompassed opera, concert performances and broadcasting and who created the central role in Thomas Adès’s Powder Her Face, has died aged 83.
Gomez was born in New Amsterdam, Guyana, in 1942, and grew up in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago before moving to England as a teenager. She went on to study at the Royal Academy of Music and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
From Glyndebourne to Covent Garden
Gomez began her professional career at Glyndebourne, initially singing in the chorus from 1966 to 1968. In 1967, she received the John Christie Award, established to support outstanding young singers in the Glyndebourne company.Continue reading here…
His family released a statement today. “Johnny was the creator, host and producer of the much loved television show Young Talent Time. He wrote and produced many iconic hit songs including The Real Thing and Smily,” it reads.
“Johnny leaves behind his wife Marisha, sister Cornelia, daughters Anna and Fleur, son Craig (dec.), seven grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. The family respectfully asks for privacy during this difficult time. Details of a memorial service will be announced soon.” au.variety.com
Reality TV star Tyler Duckworth, who first appeared on MTV’s The Real World: Key West and went on to compete on six seasons of The Challenge, winning twice, has died. He was 44.
His mother, Joni, announced her son’s death Thursday on Facebook. “My son, Tyler, passed away earlier this week,” she wrote. “Cause of death has yet to be determined. I will post on Facebook about services as soon as his dad and I figure it out.” Read more at deadline.com
From the Center’s earliest days, Ambassador Laney helped shape its vision and strengthen its mission to promote peace, preserve democracy, protect human rights, and improve health. He also played a vital role in fostering the enduring partnership between The Carter Center and Emory University.
James “Jim” Laney
“Jim Laney embodied the values that define The Carter Center — a commitment to service, a belief in the power of dialogue, and a deep respect for human dignity,” said Jason Carter, chair of the Carter Center Board of Trustees. “His wisdom, integrity, and friendship influenced generations of leaders, and his legacy will continue to inspire our work for years to come.”
We extend our deepest condolences to Ambassador Laney’s family, friends, and colleagues. We are grateful for his extraordinary contributions and will honor his legacy through the continued work of The Carter Center. Continue reading at the Carter Center…
A native of Campbellton, NB, Maher spent 33 years calling every Flames games ahead of his retirement at the end of the 2013-2014 season, including the team’s lone Stanley Cup triumph in 1989 and run to the finals in 2004. Maher called 2,954 Flames games by the time he ended his career.
Maher’s memorable phrases included “Yeah, baby!” and “You can put it in the win column!”
Maher was the recipient of the Hockey Hall of Fame’s Foster Hewitt Memorial Award, honouring the best in hockey broadcasters, in 2006. Upon his retirement, the Flames renamed its gondola as the Peter Maher Radio Broadcast Booth in the Scotiabank Saddledome. Flames media also began handing out the Peter Maher Award, given to the Flames player who best reflected Maher’s virtues: “Sincerity, Integrity, Dedication and Respect.” Continue reading at tsn.ca
While on patrol on Georgia Highway 13 during a rainstorm from Tropical Storm Beryl, Deputy Uriegas observed a group of people on private property. After turning her patrol vehicle around to investigate, she heard gunfire and hydroplaned on the wet road, crashing into a tree. She was stranded in her vehicle until another officer came to her aid. The group had dissipated by the time responding officers arrived.
Deputy Uriegas was transported to the hospital with a broken neck and remained a C4 quadriplegic. On August 8, 2026, she suffered pulmonary failure related to her injuries. Continue reading at the Officer Down Memorial Page.
Christy KnowingsInstagram
Christy Knowings, a cast member of Nickelodeon‘s ’90s hit All That, died Tuesday, August 11, after being removed from life support at a Los Angeles-area hospital, TMZ reports. She was 46.
Knowing’s aunt, Tyleah Joseph, announced the death Wednesday on Facebook, but a cause was not disclosed.
According to TMZ, citing family sources, Knowings was placed on life support after suffering an asthma attack on August 7 that left her with brain damage. The family made the decision to take her off life support on Tuesday. Continue reading at deadline.com
Puerto Rican boxer Prichard Colon dies aged 33 after suffering brain injury that left him unable to walk
Prichard Colon (right) has died at the age of 33 (Getty)
Colon’s father took to social media to share the news on Thursday.
“Good morning, my people,” Colon’s father Richard wrote on Facebook. “I regret to inform you of the passing of my son Prichard from this earthly world. Now he is in a better world.
“I did everything possible to fulfil his wish, his dream of bringing him on vacation to Puerto Rico as much as he desired, but couldn’t. “Thank you for so many years of love and prayers. As much as you can, please keep us in your prayers.”
According to the drama industry, Director Ahn closed his eyes on the afternoon of the 12th as his health deteriorated while battling a cerebral hemorrhage. He had recently been diagnosed with lung cancer and continued treatment, but his condition worsened when a cerebral hemorrhage compounded his struggles. He ultimately did not return to his fans. Continue reading…
Actress Cheryl Hall, known for roles in EastEnders, The Bill, and Citizen Smith, has died aged 76.
Her former partner, actor and singer Robin Askwith, confirmed the news on social media.
Taking to X, Askwith, who dated Hall for three years in the 1970s, wrote: ‘What a force of nature she was. A really innovative working class, charismatic actress coming out of the late 60s. Brave in every way.
‘And now I have the sad news she has passed away. I am devastated…continue reading at metro.co.uk
Churchill was a longtime professor of ethnic studies at CU Boulder. He became a nationally controversial figure in higher education after an essay he wrote that referred to some of the victims of the 9/11 attacks as “little Eichmanns,” a characterization that prompted widespread condemnation and made Churchill a national figure.
In 2005, the University of Colorado launched a formal investigation into allegations that Churchill had plagiarized portions of other people’s work, misused sources and fabricated material. University officials also investigated allegations that he had misrepresented his American Indian ancestry. Read more here…
TOKYO (AP) — Hiroshi Okuda, the former chief executive of Toyota, who led the Japanese automaker’s stellar rise in global markets, has died, the company said Wednesday. He was 93.
The date and cause of his death were not immediately available.
Okuda served as president then chairman of Toyota Motor Corp. from 1995 through 2006. In his 45-year career at Toyota, Okuda is especially remembered for having led the development of the gas-electric hybrid Prius in 1997, a model with the fuel-efficient technology that was ground-breaking at that time.
Bill Jersey, the Bay Area documentarian who wrote, directed, shot, edited and produced films for more than a half-century, collecting two Oscar nominations and three Emmy noms along the way, has died. He was 99.
Jersey died July 24 of congestive heart failure at his home in Lambertville, New Jersey, his wife, Shirley Kessler, told the San Francisco Chronicle.
Jersey earned his feature documentary Oscar noms for A Time for Burning (1967), about a white Lutheran minister’s unsuccessful attempt to connect to Black folks in Omaha, Nebraska, and Super Chief: The Life and Legacy of Earl Warren (1990), a profile of the Supreme Court justice that was narrated by Gregory Peck. Continue reading at The Hollywood Reporter.
Jon Cypher, who played Chief Daniels in scores of Hill Street Blues episodes, was He-Man’s chief ally in 1987’s Masters of the Universe, starred on Major Dad and appeared in dozens of other TV series and films over nearly a half-century, died August 3 at his home in Central Point, Oregon. He was 94.
His family told local news outlet Ashland News that he died with his wife by his side but did not reveal a cause of death. Continue reading at deadline.com
Reggie Bannister, actor best known for starring in the Phantasm film series, has died. He was 80.The actor died on Sunday, August 9, in his home in Crestline, his wife, Gigi Bannister told TMZ.
According to Bannister’s wife, the actor had been exposed to Agent Orange while serving in the U.S. military during the Vietnam War. Agent Orange is a powerful chemical that kills weeds and acts as a defoliant, which the military used during the war in Vietnam to clear dense jungle and destroy food crops. Continue reading at deadline.com
Hodges reportedly fell off a ladder while attempting to trim a tree limb at his East Memphis home on Monday. He was rushed to a hospital but later died, Memphis police confirmed.
Hodges was an entrepreneur who regularly ran for Memphis and Shelby County mayor since the 1970s. Hodges was known for his… Continue reading here...
The son of a producer of Elvis movies, he spent 30 years at the company and packaged talent for ‘The Cosby Show,’ ‘Roseanne,’ ‘Murphy Brown’ and ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.’
Katzman joined WMA in 1972 and rose from business affairs to become head of worldwide television, where he assembled creative talent and key elements of TV series including The Cosby Show, Roseanne, Murphy Brown, Murder, She Wrote and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
Jerry Katzman, the television-packaging pioneer who served as president of William Morris in the 1990s, died Sunday at his home in Los Angeles from Parkinson’s disease, a family spokesperson announced. He was 89.
John Crowley, the American author whose novels earned him recognition as one of the most acclaimed fantasy writers of his generation, died on August 9, 2026, at the age of 83.
Born in Presque Isle, Maine, in 1942, Crowley grew up across Vermont, Kentucky, and Indiana before studying at Indiana University. After college, he moved to New York City to pursue filmmaking, a career in documentary work he continued alongside his fiction writing for the rest of his life.
Crowley’s early novels, including ‘The Deep’ and ‘Beasts,’ established him within science fiction before ‘Engine Summer’ earned a nomination for the American Book Award in 1980. His reputation was cemented in 1981 with ‘Little, Big,’ which won the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel and the Mythopoeic Award, and was later praised by critic Harold Bloom as a neglected masterpiece. Bloom went on to name Crowley his favourite contemporary writer and included multiple of his works in his influential canon of literature. Continue reading at That Eric Alper
Lynn Council, a man who told WRAL News he survived being hanged by two Wake County deputies in the 1950s, died in his home on Sunday.
He was 93 years old.
Council and 7 others were accused of robbing a store outside Apex and were arrested by then-Apex Chief of Police Sam Bagwell. Newspapers from that era document Bagwell’s reputation for brutality.
Because it happened outside his jurisdiction, Bagwell drove Council and the others to the Wake County Sheriff’s Office, where Council was singled out. Council says two deputies hanged him from an oak tree, which stood along Kildaire Farm Road, hoping Council would confess to the crime. He says they let him down when he didn’t talk.
“They took me out of the cell, brung me out in the country, (and) they hung me,” Council said.
The deputies eventually let him down from the tree, but he wore the scar on his neck for the rest of his life. Read more about Council’s life and this story atWRAL.COM
Longtime Buffalo businessman Paul Snyder has died.
His daughter, Janet Snyder, announced his death on social media Monday.
Snyder was a prominent figure in Buffalo business and sports. He was known for owning the Buffalo Braves basketball team, as well as Darien Lake, and the Hyatt Regency Hotel.
Snyder also co-founded Freezer Queen in the 1950s, a frozen food packaging company based in Buffalo. Continue reading at WGRZ.com NBC2 On Your Side
Tedde Moore, who played Ralphie’s teacher Miss Shields in the holiday classic A Christmas Storyas part of a long screen and stage career, has died. She was 79.
Her family wrote on social media that she died August 5 in Huntsville, Ontario, but did not reveal a cause of death.
“On Wednesday August 5th under sunny skies overlooking Fairy Lake, Tedde passed away surrounded by family physically and spiritually in her beloved Huntsville Muskoka,” the statement read. Her bravery in this choice was almost overwhelming, beyond beautiful and also difficult. Forever the teacher, she had a quote for every occasion and a special way of touching the lives and hearts of everyone she met. Her magic and love will be remembered by all she took under her generous and welcoming wings. Continue reading at deadline.com
Milford was also co-founder of management agency The Artery Foundation, manager to bands like Attila and Chelsea Grin and more.
Mike Milford, founding vocalist of Orange County metalcore act Scars of Tomorrow and a longtime fixture of the heavy music industry, has died following a battle with cancer. His bandmates announced his passing on social media August 8th.
“We’re thinking about our friend and singer, Mike Milford, today as we mourn the news of his passing. Thank you to everyone who supported Mike and Scars over the past two plus decades. If you ever had the privilege of meeting Mike, you know what an amazing person he was. He was an incredible frontman, artist manager, label exec, father, friend and so much more. Our thoughts are with Mike and his family today. We hope his legacy lives on through the memories he gave us and all the incredible heavy music he made,” the band wrote.
Milford co-founded Scars of Tomorrow in October 2000, helping build a West Coast take on East Coast-style hardcore alongside fellow Orange County acts like Throwdown and Bleeding Through. They signed to Victory Records in 2003 and toured extensively with bands including Atreyu, Norma Jean, Unearth, and Bury Your Dead before initially disbanding in 2007. The band reformed in 2010, continuing to play shows and release music intermittently since.
Beyond Scars of Tomorrow, Milford spent over two decades shaping the business side of heavy music. He was a key figure at both The Artery Foundation and Artery Recordings, where he signed acts including Chelsea Grin and Vanna. He later founded Modern Empire Music, where he managed acts like Attila, Sworn In and more. Continue to read at metalinjection.net
Ben Jones, who portrayed the scruffy mechanic Cooter Davenport on all seven seasons of the CBS action series The Dukes of Hazzard before serving two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, died Sunday.
He was 84.
Jones died from a “massive heart attack” at home while preparing to watch a baseball game on TV, his wife, Alma Viator, announced on Facebook.
Jones had played a federal agent in Moonrunners (1975), a rollicking film from United Artists about bootleggers that was written and directed by Gy Waldron, starred Jim Mitchum and featured narration from country singer Waylon Jennings. Continue reading at The Hollywood Reporter…
Galbos was originally selected by the Washington Football Team in the ninth round of the 1973 NFL Draft, but instead opted to sign with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. He was traded to the Calgary Stampeders prior to his rookie season and went on to play five seasons for the organization. He served as a blocking back in front of Canadian Football Hall of Famer Willie Burden, who set Calgary’s single-season rushing record in 1975.
Former CFL running back Rick Galbos has passed at the age of 75.
During that season, Galbos was involved in one of the most unfortunate plays in CFL history, as he delivered a clean block against Hamilton Tiger-Cats linebacker Tom Pate, which caused him to strike his head on the turf. The 23-year-old never regained consciousness and was pronounced dead three days later due to an aneurysm, becoming the only player in CFL history to die as a result of an on-field injury. Galbos later described the experience as one of the worst moments of his life. Continue reading here…
Arthur Price was a legend at the old Boston Barracudas team, winning the Second Division Riders Championship while with them in 1973.
The same year Boston were the Division Two League champions and also the Division Two KO Cup winners.
He had started with Nelson Admirals in 1968 and finished riding in 1981 with Oxford Cheetahs.
A popular former speedway rider, who was with Workington Comets for a season, has died at the age of 80.
Price rode for the Comets in 1978 and ended the season at the head of the team averages on 8.63. Continue reading here….
“On Sunday morning our beloved husband, dad, grandfather and great-grandfather Don Nelson peacefully went to be with the Lord, surrounded by his loving family,” Nelson’s family said in a statement, according to NBA reporter Marc Stein. “Throughout his last week, friends and family encircled him with love, sharing the blessing of his friendship and revisiting treasured memories.”
In 31 seasons as an NBA head coach with the Milwaukee Bucks, Golden State Warriors (twice), New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks, Nelson finished with a regular season record of 1,335-1,063. He retired with the most coaching wins ever, a mark that was broken by the San Antonio Spurs’ Gregg Popovich in March 2022.
Born in Shattuck in 1950, Ware was raised in the Northwest Oklahoma towns of Gage and Woodward. His “lightning bolt moment” that led to him learning how to play the guitar came from watching The Beatles on “The Ed Sullivan Show” in February 1964, a performance he called “earthshaking.”
In high school, his rock and roll band The Debtors (later called The Debtor Group) played teen sock hops, school dances and VFW halls across Western Oklahoma and parts of Texas and Kansas. Ware later played bars and clubs around Norman and Oklahoma City with the band Sailor, while attending the University of Oklahoma in the early 1970s.
After graduation in 1972, he moved to Red River, New Mexico, where he met Soper, Oklahoma native Ray Wylie Hubbard. Along with fellow Okies Dennis Meehan (aka Clovis Roblaine) and Jim Herbst, they formed Ray Wylie Hubbard & The Cowboy Twinkies. That band released a self-titled record on Reprise Records in 1975 and toured throughout the 1970s, including an opening stint for Willie Nelson at The Troubadour in Los Angeles. Continue reading at KOSU.ORG
His death was announced on Saturday by his team, Kyushu Electric Power Kyuden Voltex — known as Kyushu KV.
The Japanese second-division club said Vunilagi died Friday after falling ill Monday and being hospitalized.
“After team practice on Monday … Saimoni displayed symptoms consistent with severe heatstroke. He was transported to a medical facility for treatment, but despite the best efforts of the medical team, he sadly passed away.” –––
the team said in a statement Saturday.
“The players, staff, and all team associates are devastated by this sudden news,” the team said. Read the complete death notification from theAssoicated Press here.
The Rosario-based Club Atlético Newell’s Old Boys announced his death in a social media post that said he had undergone treatment in recent months for an unspecified illness. The post described him as “the pillar and the person who, with vision, rigor and affection, supported the career of the best player of all time, alongside his wife, Celia Cuccittini.”
The president of Argentina’s soccer federation, Claudio Tapia, on Saturday issued a lengthy statement in which he recognized Jorge Messi “for having raised a person of values: humble, respectful, and deeply committed to others.”
The organization ordered a moment of silence to be observed at all matches across all categories of Argentine soccer and mandated that players, referees and coaching staff wear black armbands. You can read the complete story at the Associated Press.
Image caption, Phil Parkes made 382 appearances for Wolves between 1966 and 1978
Parkes spent 18 years with Wolves between 1960 and 1978 and made 382 appearances after joining the club as a schoolboy.
After retiring from playing in 1983, he went on to serve on the committee of Wolves’ former players association and was inducted into the club’s hall of fame in 2023. Continue reading obituary at the BBC.com
Born in Riverside, Illinois, in 1933, Damore played college football at Northwestern under head coach Bob Voigts, serving as a senior co-captain in 1954 and earning second-team All-Big Ten honours that same year. He was selected by the New York Giants in the 13th round of the 1955 NFL draft, though he would go on to spend his professional career with the Chicago Bears instead.
Damore played two seasons with the Bears, in 1957 and 1959, appearing in 12 career games and recording one fumble recovery. He missed the entire 1958 season after dislocating his right ankle in a preseason win over the Detroit Lions at the Cotton Bowl. He earned an annual salary of $9,000 during his playing days. Following the 1959 season, Damore stepped away from professional football to take over management of a Riverside, Illinois cement construction firm owned by his father, who had recently retired from its daily operations. Continue reading at That Eric Apler
The Dutch hip-hop legend passed away after a battle with Multiple Sclerosis (MS).Dutch rapper and musician Tony Scott has died at the age of 54, following a long battle with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). His family confirmed the news in a statement, noting that the producer had “passed away peacefully” on Thursday, 6 August, “surrounded by love.” Continue reading here at express.co.uk
“Today, we celebrate the beautiful life of our dear friend, Violet Hensley, who passed away at the remarkable age of 109.
For decades, Violet touched hearts of Silver Dollar City guests and citizens through the sounds of her fiddle, the warmth of her smile and her stories. She wasn’t simply one of America’s most respected fiddle makers and musicians, she was the heart of an Ozarks tradition that connected generations to this special place.
To know Violet was to experience genuine kindness, quiet humility and an unwavering love for others and her deep, deep love for her family. Not only was she an Arkansas treasure, through her wit and talent, she won hearts on her national television appearances like the Grand Ole Opry. Most importantly to Silver Dollar City citizens and guests, she will always be a part of our family.” BRANSON, Mo. (KY3) -Violet Hensley, a Silver Dollar City legend known as the ‘Whittlin’ Fiddler,’ has died. She was 109.“
Hensley was known for crafting fiddles at Silver Dollar City for more than 50 years. Learn more here at kY3.com
Matt McQuillan was a Canadian professional golfer who earned his PGA Tour card, and as as a rookie, had three top-ten finishes. His biggest highlight came at the PGA’s John Deere Classic where he put up a third-place finish.
According to his obituary, McQuillan was known as much for the warmth he shared with others as he was for his love of golf.
“Whether on the course or in everyday life, he had a remarkable ability to bring people together, offering encouragement, laughter, and genuine friendship to everyone he met. His welcoming personality and unwavering kindness made him a beloved figure within Kingston’s golfing community and beyond,”
read the obituary. Continue reading at thewhig.com
Joan Blackman LEE JOHNSON/TV GUIDE COURTESY EVERETT COLLECTION
Joan Blackman, who played women that Elvis Presley ultimately could not resist in Blue Hawaii and Kid Galahad, has died. She was 87.
Blackman died March 16 at a hospital in Santa Rosa, California, her son, Ngai Tarkington, told The Hollywood Reporter. She was a longtime resident of nearby Calistoga.
The San Francisco native also portrayed the first wife of a struggling actor (Anthony Franciosa) in the Hall Wallis-produced, Dean Martin-starring Career (1959) and recurred on the ABC primetime soap Peyton Place during its second season (1965-66) as Marion Fowler, wife of district attorney John Fowler (John Kerr).
William Orbit, the Grammy-winning producer who collaborated with Madonnaon her hit Ray of Light album and worked with other such artists as Blur, No Doubt, U2 and Britney Spears, died July 23. He was 69.
His death was announced by family in a statement posted on Instagram. No cause of death was given. Continue reading at deadline.com
Matthew Jukes, one of Britain’s best-known wine writers, critics and drinks entrepreneurs, has died suddenly while on holiday with his family in Portugal. He was 58.
Jukes died on 6 August. He is survived by his wife, Amelia, their sons, Rollo and Victor, and his daughters, Isadora and Elspeth.
Few figures have enjoyed such a varied and influential career in wine. A gifted communicator with an infectious enthusiasm for the subject, Jukes spent almost four decades introducing consumers and professionals alike to the pleasures of wine through restaurants, newspapers, books, and broadcasting. Continue reading at the drinksbusiness.com
Peter Katsis, longtime music manager for some of the biggest rock bands and a co-founder of the Prospect Park and The Firm management and production companies, died on Aug. 6 at the age of 69 from congestive heart failure.
The list of acts that Katsis has worked with and aided in their careers reads like a who’s who of the last 30-plus years of rock and alternative music. Katsis got his start in Chicago, initially working as a promoter in the late ’80s before getting involved with the city’s industrial scene and becoming an A&R executive at Trax Precision Records. One of his first discoveries was Ministry.
Before 4:00 p.m., Officer Abdelnabi and other officers went to investigate reports of an armed intoxicated man at a local business. When they arrived at the location, they were met with gunfire, and shots were exchanged.
Abbe Lane, the glamorous entertainer who starred in movies with Glenn Ford and Cornel Wilde and built a thriving singing career alongside her onetime husband, famed bandleader Xavier Cugat, has died. She was 93.
Lane died April 25 of natural causes in Los Angeles, her son Steven Leff told The Hollywood Reporter.
Lane starred in nearly two dozen Italian movies, working with the likes of Vittorio De Sica and Totó, and with Tony Randall toplined the 1958 Broadway musical comedy Oh Captain! (1958), directed by José Ferrer.
The influencer died at age 26 nearly three years after she was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma, a rare bile duct cancer. The news was announced on Thursday, Aug. 6, with posts to her social media pages, where she documented her life and treatment for over 1 million followers across platforms. Continue reading at The Hollywood Reporter…
Towle also regularly published personal essays to her Substack page in a series she titled “Stoop Thoughts.” On May 11, she shared her last full-length post, which was titled “In sickness and in health: why accepting help is a symbol of love.”
She discussed her reluctance to ask for help as her strength waned amid chemotherapy and her reaction to friends asking to visit her in the hospital, where she noted that she’d recently been readmitted. Towle confessed that she felt a certain amount of inexplicable guilt upon realizing that her loved ones were interested in coming to see and support her. Read more about her passing at People.
Jean Lodge, a British actress who appeared with Alan Ladd in the 1954 medieval adventure film The Black Knight, has died. She was 99.
Lodge died Wednesday, one day after her birthday, her granddaughter Amy Shaughnessy announced.
Survivors include her sons, Charles Shaughnessy, known for his turns as Maxwell Sheffield on The Nanny and Shane Donovan on Days of Our Lives, and David Shaughnessy, a producer on The Young and the Restlessand a director on The Bold and The Beautiful. Continue reading at The Hollywood Reporter…
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Martha Rivers Ingram, the prominent businesswoman and philanthropist whose support helped shape Nashville’s arts and cultural community, died Thursday. She was 90.
Photo by: The Ingram family Martha Rivers Ingram
Ingram died peacefully surrounded by her family.
Born in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1935, Ingram attended Ashley Hall before earning a history degree from Vassar College in 1957. She later worked with her father at WCSC’s radio and television stations in Charleston and served as a disc jockey for a classical music program. Learn more from Nashville’s NewsChannel5.com
Florence “Flo” Anthony, longtime AmNews columnist, trailblazing celebrity journalist dies at 74
Jack Hirsch, biographer for her husband, boxing legend Michael Spinks, confirmed that she died early Thursday, Aug. 6. The two had worked together on Michael “Jinx” Spinks: An Authorized Biography, which was released in March. He said that she recently disclosed to him that she was battling cancer.
Her weekly “Go With The Flo” column became a fixture in The New York Amsterdam News dating back to 2001, as well as in publications including the Philadelphia Sunday Sun and the Columbus Times. She also contributed entertainment news to the New York Daily News, served as publisher and editor-in-chief of Black Noir magazine, and acted as editor-in-chief of Black Elegance magazine.
CNN entertainment journalist Lisa Respers France posted her reaction on social media upon learning of Anthony’s passing, saying in part:
“As a Black woman who covers pop culture, I am deeply indebted to Florence ‘Flo’ Anthony, a syndicated columnist and author who did more than just cover gossip. She was so important to the culture.”
A woman of firsts
Anthony was known to walk into newsrooms and departments whose doors had once been barricaded against people of color—and particularly against African American women. She entered spaces where few people looked like her, where her presence alone challenged entrenched ideas about who could report the news, break a story, command a television screen, or become a trusted voice on celebrity culture. Continue reading at AmsterdamNews.Com
The team announced his death Wednesday night. He was 64.
“We are saddened by the passing of Cozell McQueen, who proudly wore the Red and White from 1981-85 and was a member of our unforgettable 1983 National Championship team,” the tam posted on social media. “Our thoughts are with his family, friends, teammates and all who knew him.” Charlotte 49ers golfer qualifies for USGA Women’s Amateur Championship
Standing at 6-foot-11, McQueen was a reserve center on the Jim Valvano-coached title-winning team. He averaged 5.3 points and six rebounds during his four-year career with the Wolfpack. Continue reading at qcnews.com
Born José Antonio Carmona Carmona in Granada, Habichuela belonged to one of flamenco’s most storied gypsy dynasties, founded by his grandfather, known as Habichuela el Viejo, and carried forward by his father, José Carmona, and his brothers Juan, Carlos, and Luis. In 1964, Habichuela moved to Madrid, where he began performing regularly in flamenco shows, sharing the stage with artists including Juanito Valderrama, Camarón de la Isla, and Enrique Morente.
Habichuela’s recording career produced a string of celebrated albums, beginning with his 1976 tribute to singer Antonio Chacón, made alongside Morente, which won Spain’s National Prize of discography in 1975. He went on to release albums including ‘A Mandeli’ and ‘Habichuela en rama,’ establishing himself as one of flamenco’s most respected guitarists over the following decades. Continue reading at That Eric Alper
TORONTO (AP) — Lloyd Robertson, who served as chief anchor of CTV National News for 27 years and became one of Canada’s most trusted journalists on the country’s top-rated nightly television newscast, has died. He was 92.
CTV News said Robertson’s family confirmed his death Tuesday.
For generations of Canadians, Robertson chronicled many of the defining events of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, from elections and wars to the Sept. 11 attacks. Continue reading at the Associated Press…
Jim Toman, the veteran college baseball coach who led Liberty University to its most successful era and later served as head coach at Middle Tennessee, died on August 4, 2026, from brain cancer he had been battling since his diagnosis in 2025. He was 64.
Born James Michael Andrew Toman in Monroeville, Pennsylvania, Toman played baseball at NC State from 1981 to 1984, serving as team captain in his final two seasons and earning a spot on the All-Tournament Team at the 1984 ACC tournament. After graduating in 1985, he spent several years coaching at the high school level before beginning his college coaching career in 1989 with a one-year stint at FIU.
Toman returned to his alma mater in 1990, joining Ray Tanner’s staff at NC State as an assistant, a partnership that carried through to South Carolina when Tanner took over the Gamecocks program in 1997. Toman spent eleven seasons as an assistant in Columbia, earning ABCA and Baseball America Assistant Coach of the Year honours in 2002. Continue reading at That Eric Alper
A spokesperson for Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, said the track was informed of Albarado’s death by multiple friends and family members. Albarado was hospitalized in recent days for a procedure to insert a stent to alleviate a blockage near his heart, according to trainer Kenny McPeek, who employed Albarado as an exercise rider.
“Saying goodbye to someone who left us too soon is extremely difficult,” Churchill Downs president Mike Anderson said in a statement. “We extend our deepest condolences to his family and numerous friends.”
Albarado is best known for riding Curlin to Preakness and Breeders’ Cup Classic victories in 2007, and he also won the second leg of the Triple Crown aboard filly Swiss Skydiver in 2020. Albarado has two other Breeders’ Cup wins among the 5,222 in his career. Continue reading at the Associated Press.
OCALA, Fla. (WCJB) — Dory Funk Jr., a pro wrestling Hall of Famer and longtime Marion County resident, has died. He was 85.
Funk began his pro wrestling career in the 1960s and continued making appearances until last year.
Since the 1990s, Funk and his wife, Marti, operated the Funking Conservatory, a wrestling school and ring in Ocala. The venue hosted charitable events and pro wrestling broadcasts over the years. Continue reading at newschannel10.com
Alfonso “Alfy” Fanjul Jr., 89
Alfonso “Alfy” Fanjul Jr., Cuban-born sugar billionaire, businessman, and philanthropist, has died at the age of 89. A prominent figure in the American sugar industry, Fanjul helped build one of the nation’s largest agricultural enterprises after his family reestablished its business in the United States following the Cuban Revolution.
Alfonso “Alfy” Fanjul Jr.,
As a leader of Florida Crystals, Fanjul played a key role in expanding the family’s sugar operations while becoming an influential voice in agriculture, business, and public policy. Beyond his business accomplishments, he was widely recognized for his philanthropic support of education, healthcare, cultural organizations, and community initiatives throughout Florida and beyond.
Fanjul’s success reflected both his entrepreneurial vision and his family’s resilience in rebuilding after losing their holdings in Cuba. His contributions to American agriculture and his charitable efforts left a lasting mark on the industries and communities he served.
Groff Media extends its sincere condolences to Alfonso Fanjul Jr.’s family, friends, colleagues, and all who mourn his passing. His legacy as a businessman, philanthropist, and leader in the sugar industry will be remembered for generations.
Mary Egida Rivera Dies: ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Actress Was 82
Rivera, who played the grandmother of Ned Leeds (Jacob Batalon) in the 2021 film, died after suffering a stroke.
Reportedly the actress was placed on life support after suffering a stroke. The doctors did not have a positive prognosis for Rivera if she ever returned from the coma, and with that information, “the family made the difficult decision to remove her from life support.”
Learn more about Mary Egida Rivera’s passing from deadline.com
FM William “Bill” Goichberg passed away Sunday Aug. 2, 2026, at age 83.
Between the 1960s and the 2000s, Bill held every one of the highest roles in US Chess. He was rating statistician; he was co-editor of Chess Life; he was a member of what we now call the Executive Board three separate times; he was executive director; he was president.
Image
Bill Goichberg (L) and Harry Sabine (R)
Goichberg in 1985 holding a beautiful inlaid chessboard gifted to him by Steve Doyle with an inscribed brass plate stating “to William Goichberg for Distinguished Service to Chess.”
Of course, most of us know Bill’s work through his Continental Chess Association. Founded in the 1960s, it runs some of the biggest tournaments in the country — the World Open in Philadelphia, the Los Angeles Open, and massive tournaments and prize funds everywhere in between. Continue to read here uschess.org
Dusty LaValley, Four-Time Canadian Bareback Riding Champion, Dies
The rodeo community is mourning the loss of Dusty LaValley, one of Canada’s most accomplished bareback riders and a four-time Canadian Professional Rodeo Association champion. A native of Bezanson, Alberta, LaValley built a reputation as one of the toughest and most consistent competitors in North American rodeo, earning widespread respect for his determination, athleticism, and sportsmanship.
The rodeo world mourns the loss of Dusty LaValley. We are keeping his family and friends close in prayer.
LaValley’s professional career included four Canadian bareback riding championships (2006, 2007, 2010, and 2011), two appearances at the National Finals Rodeo, and 13 qualifications for the Canadian Finals Rodeo. He was also the 2004 PRCA Bareback Riding Rookie of the Year, a milestone that launched a career filled with victories at many of rodeo’s premier events.
Known for his relentless travel schedule and unwavering commitment to the sport, LaValley inspired fellow competitors and rodeo fans alike. Whether competing in Canada or across the United States, he was admired for his grit, professionalism, and love of the western lifestyle. His accomplishments earned him induction into the Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in 2022, recognizing a career that helped shape modern Canadian rodeo.
Dusty LaValley leaves behind a lasting legacy as one of Canada’s finest bareback riders. His contributions to rodeo, his competitive spirit, and the example he set for future generations will be remembered throughout the rodeo community. Groff Media extends its sincere condolences to his family, friends, and fellow competitors during this time of loss.
ALS took four-time Canadian Professional Rodeo Association Bareback Riding Champ Dusty LaValley at 45 today. But not before a brave and courageous years-long battle against the brutal, debilitating disease also known as Lou Gehrig’s.
Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Famer Dusty competed in 13 Canadian Finals Rodeos, and won his four titles in 2006, 2007, 2010 and 2011. He qualified for twos NFRs in 2008 and 2010.
According to MMA’s leading promotion, the Brazilian flyweight was found unresponsive on Monday morning after suffering an apparent heart attack in his sleep.
“Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with Allan’s family, friends, team-mates and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time.”
Nascimento had been with the UFC since 2021 and his last fight was a split-decision loss to Mitch Raposo in June. Continue reading at BBC.com
NEW YORK (AP) — Benjamin Alire Sáenz, an award-winning fiction writer and poet who drew upon his sexuality and his life on the Southern border, has died at age 71. He was the first Latino to win the PEN/Faulkner prize.
“Hamilton” playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda, who narrated the audio edition and helped produce a 2023 film adaptation, wrote in an Instagram post that he was “heartbroken” over Sáenz’s death.
Sáenz, who produced a story collection that won the PEN/Faulkner prize and a young adult novel that received acclaim from readers and reviewers and condemnation from censors, died last week in El Paso, Texas after a lengthy illness, according to a spokesperson for Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing. Additional details were not immediately available.
Sáenz, born in Old Picacho, New Mexico, was an ordained Catholic priest who eventually left the order and came out as gay. His “Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe,” the story of two Mexican American boys falling in love, was published in 2012 and received a pair of citations for outstanding LGBTQ+ literature: a Stonewall Honors Book Award and the Lambda Literary Award.
David Rivkin, a Grammy-winning producer and engineer also known as David Z, has died at the age of 78. The influential studio veteran died on Sunday (Aug. 2) at a hospital in Burbank, Calif., due to complications from an infection, according to The Minneapolis Star Tribune. Continue reading at the Associated Press…
Widely regarded as one of the architects of the Minneapolis Sound, David Z played a pivotal role in launching rock icon Prince‘s career by producing his early demo recordings and engineering some of his early albums. His expertise also extended to work on Lipps Inc.’s chart-topping “Funkytown,” which earned the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1980. Additionally, David Z co-produced Fine Young Cannibals’ “She Drives Me Crazy,” which topped the Hot 100 in 1989 and earned a Grammy nomination for record of the year in 1990. Continue reading at Billboard.com
aHardy had recently completed Wrath of the Gods based on a long lost concept written by his father as the final feature in his The Wicker Man trilogy, following the original film and 2011 picture The Wicker Tree. It world premieres at Frightfest in London on August 28. Continue reading at deadline.com
Born Chang Yufang in Nanjing on June 13, 1933, Chang was a Haining, Zhejiang native who grew up in Shanghai before moving to Hong Kong with her father in 1948. She began vocal training as a child and cited the singer-actress Chow Hsuan as her idol growing up. Performing under the stage name Ko Lan, an approximation of her English name Grace, she launched her career with Taishan Pictures, making her debut in 1952’s ‘Seven Sisters.’ Continue reading at That Eric Alper
The TV star – who was known for his clean and family-friendly brand of comedy – fronted his own programme And There’s More in the late 1980s, appeared in several Royal Variety shows and hosted a comedy series, Jimmy’s Cricket Team, on Radio 2 in the 1990s.
In a statement shared on social media on Monday (3 August), Cricket’s family said he died “this morning after a short illness” and “spent his last few days surrounded by his family, love, laughter and songs”. Continue reading…
Liddle’s children paid tribute to their father, who they described as their guide “on how to live an extraordinary life”, while CEO of News UK, Rebekah Brooks, called him “an inimitable journalistic force.”
Brooks added that “he challenged conventional thinking and left an indelible mark on British journalism.”
Liddle, a columnist for the Sun and the Sunday Times, died at The James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough on Sunday evening. Read more at BBC.com
Natalia Dontcheva, the Bulgarian actress who starred in the French version of Doc Martin on TF1, has died. She was 56.
Dontcheva’s death was confirmed by her stepson, the French producer Hugo Sélignac. A cause of death was not disclosed, but Sélignac referred to her experiencing a “ten-year battle.” Continue reading at deadline.com
Vicki Wickham in 1965 Credit: Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Vicki Wickham, who has died aged 87, was one of the prime movers behind Ready Steady Go!, the innovative television show that helped to launch some of the biggest names in 1960s pop, and she went on to manage the soul diva Dusty Springfield.
Although unstarry herself and, on her own assessment, “not particularly fantastic-looking or musical”, Vicki Wickham emerged from the typing pool to become the new show’s tea girl, booker, writer, producer and finally editor.
Within a year, as one pop historian reckoned it, she was presiding over
“a thrilling sprint through whatever pop was right then and there in a particular week: sounds, fashions, dance steps, slang, attitude, colours, the whole crazy teen shebang”.
Up to 14 million viewers tuned in every week. Continue reading at telegraph.co.uk
Scott Hylands, the actor known for playing Detective Kevin “OB” O’Brien in Night Heat, has died. He was 83.
The Canadian actor died on Wednesday, July 29, his cinematographer son Luke Hylands announced in a statement memorializing his “forever hero and best friend” on social media.
Born Feb. 27, 1943 in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, Scott Hylands Douglas was raised in British Columbia, where he studied zoology at University of British Columbia before transferring to theater arts. After college, he pursued acting in New York City, where he made his off-Broadway debut as the lead in a 1965 production of Billy Liar. He also performed with the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco for several years before his onscreen debut in Daddy’s Gone A-Hunting (1969).
His famous “join-up” procedure transformed the relationship between horses and humans, and the calming rugs which took his name are a familiar sight wherever an anxious Thoroughbred is reluctant to enter the stalls. Continue reading at dressage-news.com
More sad news…Jeff Conolly also known as Monoman and member of two fabulous bands….DMZ and The Lyres…has died, age 69.
Details are sketchy, but it seems Jeff succumbed to kidney and liver failure after battling cancer. Jeff and DMZ started making a racket around the Boston area in early 1976. Eventually signed to Sire Records, they released an album, produced by none other than Flo & Eddie. Next came The Lyres, formed in 1979 and who Conolly continued to tour and record with until recently. I had the pleasure of seeing perform back in 1983 and my ears are still ringing. So pay tribute to Jeff by cranking up his music and continue living the dream. Continue reading at 13thfloor.co.nz
After two decades running nightclubs around New York, he became an actor at age 42, stood out in ‘Gotti,’ got whacked by David Chase and appeared twice on Broadway.
Vincent Pastore, the Bronx-born actor who portrayed Salvatore “Big Pussy” Bonpensiero, the mob informant who winds up sleeping with the fishes, quite literally, on The Sopranos, has died. He was 80.
Pastore was found dead by Steve Villano, the actor’s self-described “right-hand man,” in his Bronx home on Saturday, he told The Hollywood Reporter. He apparently died in his sleep, he added.
The son of a real-life wiseguy, he said, Pastore made a living running and owning bars and nightclubs for two decades and didn’t get into acting until he was 42. Yet by the time he was done, he had appeared in nearly 200 movies and TV projects — most often as an Italian American bad guy — and twice in singing roles on Broadway. Continue reading at The Hollywood Reporter
Nirmal Purja, the British-Nepali mountaineer whose renowned career was featured in the 2021 Netflix documentary 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible, died in an avalanche on Broad Peak in Pakistan on Thursday, July 30, his company has confirmed. He was 43.
Richard L. O’Connor, ‘On Golden Pond’ movie poster Courtesy
Richard L. O’Connor, an Emmy-winning TV producer and a studio executive in charge of production on such films as On Golden Pond, The Muppet Movie and Raise The Titanic, died July 22 in Palm Desert. He was 96.
Jakob Butturff died unexpectedly on Friday, July 31 at the age of 32.
JULY 31, 2026PROFESSIONAL BOWLERS ASSOCIATION
Butturff was an eight-time PBA Tour champion, winning one major in the 2019 USBC Masters.
“Jakob was one of the most unique players in PBA history,” PBA Commissioner Tom Clark said. “Fans marveled at his delivery, as he rode a wave of strikes into becoming a top player in the sport, capable of winning at any time, in any event. Jakob was kind, he was respectful, and he was a champion. He will never be forgotten. Our hearts are with all Butters touched on his one-of-a-kind journey.”
Butturff’s breakout came during the 2016 season. Continue reading this indepth article at PBS.COM
DEATH NOTICE -––
Orris E. Kelly, 100, retired U.S. Army Major General and former Chief of Chaplains of the United States Army, has died. Born on July 28, 1926, in Montrose, Kansas, Kelly served his country during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War before leading the Army Chaplain Corps as its 14th Chief of Chaplains from 1975 to 1979.
Following his military retirement, he continued a life of ministry and service through the United Methodist Church and hospital pastoral care. His century-long life was marked by faith, leadership, and a steadfast commitment to those serving in uniform. Details to follow…
Pearson, a fourth-generation member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, grew up in Gusher, Utah, and earned a master’s degree in theater from Brigham Young University. She went on to become one of the most recognized writers in Latter-day Saint literature, publishing more than 40 books and plays during her career. Continue reading at Salt Lake Tribune
Pearson thanked readers for traveling
“the long road with me, observing one woman navigating her life as a Latter-day Saint, as a feminist, as an activist for LGBT causes, as a mother, a friend, a seeker of God, a discoverer of godliness, a woman of laughter, a woman of grief, a celebrator of light.”
Early Wednesday morning, Town Marshal Fisher was responding to a report of a known stolen vehicle that had fled from a Randolph County sheriff’s deputy during a high-risk traffic stop.
While deploying a tire deflation system, the stolen vehicle struck Town Marshal Fisher and then crashed into a dump truck.
Town Marshal Fisher was transported to a local hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. Continue reading at the Officer Down Memorial Page
Angela Wales Kirgo, who spent nearly two decades as executive director of the Writers Guild Foundation, the educational and charitable arm of the WGA West, died Tuesday in her native Sydney after a battle with cancer, a family spokesperson announced. She was 78.
After serving as executive director of the Australian Writers’ Guild, she came to Los Angeles in 1990, joined the Writers Guild Foundation in 1993 and helped transform it into one of the entertainment industry’s premier educational institutions. Continue reading at The Hollywood Reporter
Neil Reading, UK publicist to the likes of John Cleese and Dawn French, has died. He was 56.
According to The Sun, which carried a number of tributes, the PR guru died following a short illness.
Reading ran a PR firm, Neil Reading PR, and was an extremely well-known publicist in the UK entertainment world. He launched his agency in 1992 and specialized in entertainment along with lifestyle PR. Continue reading at deadline.com
Eugene Benson, a Canadian professor, librettist, and prolific literary figure whose work spanned opera, fiction, drama, and scholarship, has died at 98. He passed away on July 29.
Born in Northern Ireland on July 6, 1928, Benson earned a bachelor’s degree from the National University of Ireland, a master’s from the University of Western Ontario, and a PhD from the University of Toronto before building a career that touched nearly every corner of Canadian literary and performing arts life.
Benson wrote the libretti for 6 operatic works over his career, including Heloise and Abelard for the Canadian Opera Company in 1973 and Everyman for the Stratford Festival in 1974, both with music by Charles Wilson. His later operas included collaborations with composers Victor Davies and John Burge, staged by companies including the Toronto Operetta Theatre and the Westben Arts Festival Theatre. Two of his works, Everyman and Psycho Red, were broadcast nationally by the CBC. Continue reading at ThatEricAlper.com
Spanish actor Manolo Solo, one of the most prolific and acclaimed actors in the last 25 years of Spanish cinema, has died of cancer at the age of 62, as confirmed by the Spanish Academy on Thursday.
Born in Algeciras and raised in Seville, he worked in over 50 movies and almost as many TV series, ranging from comedies to thrillers and dramas, winning one Goya award in 2016, for The Fury of a Patient Man (Tarde para la ira) and being nominated four other times, including this year for The Portuguese House (Una quinta portuguesa).
Solo received critical acclaim for most of his roles, including many that have received awards, nominations and acclaim internationally, such as B, la película (2015), The Good Boss (El Buen patrón, 2021), Close your eyes (Cerrar los ojos, 2023, by acclaimed director Víctor Erice), or the TV series The Anatomy of a Moment (2025) based on the failed coup d’état in 1981. He also worked with Guillermo del Toro in Pan’s Labyrinth (2006), Alejandro González Iñárritu in Biutiful (2010), and José Luis Cuerda (Tiempo después in 2018). Continue reading here….
Arlene Smith, an original member of The Chantels who wrote and sang the lead on the R&B girl group’s classic 1957 hit, “Maybe,” has died. She was 84.
Smith died Wednesday of natural causes in a hospital in her hometown of New York City, her friend Matt Beckoff told The Hollywood Reporter.
Born on Oct. 5, 1941, Smith had received classical training and performed at age 12 at Carnegie Hall when she and Lois Harris, Sonia Goring, Jackie Landry and Renée Minus auditioned for record producer Richard Barrett, a member of the doo-wop group The Valentines. Continue reading at The Hollywood Reporter
Billy Ray Smith, linebacker for the San Diego Chargers who then became a sports broadcaster, died Wednesday at age 64, according to KGTV.
Smith’s wife, Kimberly Hunt, is a news anchor at KGTV, which first reported the news.
Smith was drafted by the Chargers in 1983 and played until 1992. After that, he became a sports broadcaster on TV, radio and online.
Smith was selected 5th overall in the 1983 by the Chargers. Smith played his entire NFL career in San Diego, starring for the Chargers from 1983-1992. Continue reading at nbcsandiego.com
Pathbreaking Italian American artist, choreographer, and dancer Simone Forti has died at the age of ninety-one. Her death, in Los Angeles, was announced by the Milan-based gallery Raffaella Cortese, which represented her. Training under postmodern dance pioneer Anna Halprin in San Francisco in the last half of the 1950s, Forti burst onto the New York dance scene at the dawn of the ’60s with her seminal “Dance Constructions,” works in which dancers responded to cheap, ready-made objects that prompted improvisational actions such as leaning, climbing, or whistling. The pieces deeply influenced Yvonne Rainer and Steve Paxton, leading them to found the Judson Dance Theater, whose members would reshape modern dance over the ensuing decade in a way that continues to resonate more than half a century later. “This small, radical group of works by Forti was like a pebble tossed into a large, still, and complacent pond,” wrote Paxton years later. “The ripples radiated.” Continue reading here…
For My Friend, Trace Baldwin, Judge, Musician, Friend.
Some people enter our lives with great fanfare. Others simply appear one ordinary day and quietly become part of our story forever.
Trace Baldwin
That was Trace Baldwin.
When we first met, I was a young police officer. Trace was a clerk at C.R. Anthony’s Dry Goods Store, a clothing store well known throughout Oklahoma and Texas for quality merchandise and courteous employees. I had shopped there many times over the years, but I had never paid much attention to the young man behind the counter. At the time, he was simply another employee helping customers.
Life has a way of introducing us when we least expect it.
I had been assigned to spend my days around the local high school, providing a visible law enforcement presence. This was years before school shootings became part of our national vocabulary. Our department believed in prevention, and I enjoyed getting to know the students and their families. Before long, I knew nearly every teenager in town. Parents would often ask if I had seen their son or daughter, and more often than not, I could tell them exactly where they had been. I considered that trust one of the greatest compliments of my career.
One of those students was an outgoing young man named Mike Griffin. Every afternoon as he left school, he would honk his horn, wave enthusiastically, and flash me a thumbs-up. During lunch, he would often stop to visit, and one day he asked a simple question.
“Do you like to fish?”
“Of course,” I answered.
He invited me to spend the weekend fishing with him at Lake Thunderbird. He and a friend were taking his father’s pop-up camper for a weekend of camping and fishing. Since I happened to be off duty, I gladly accepted.
When I arrived at the campground, the lake was unusually high, leaving us almost alone on the shoreline. Mike introduced me to his friend, a skinny, quiet young man named Trace Baldwin.
Unlike Mike, Trace wasn’t particularly comfortable around police officers.
I couldn’t blame him. To him, I represented the badge.
The moment I climbed out of my truck, though, I put the badge and gun away. After making sure we were all of legal age, I opened a cold beer, and before long we settled into what became one of the most enjoyable weekends of my life.
We laughed.
We fished.
We told stories.
There wasn’t much else to do, and somehow that was exactly what made it perfect.
By the end of that weekend, Trace and I had become friends.
Over the following weeks, he began stopping by my house after work at Anthony’s. Before long, he wasn’t coming to visit a police officer. He was coming to see a friend. My home became a place where he could simply relax without being judged or challenged. Looking back, I think we both needed that more than either of us realized.
We spent countless hours exploring fishing holes throughout eastern Oklahoma County. Some of my favorite memories were made beside those quiet waters.
One trip stands above the rest.
Trace, his father Danny, and I drove to the Blue River to fish for trout. I never caught a single fish that day, but I left with something much greater. The beauty of the Blue River—the clear water, the peaceful woods, the stillness—was unlike anything I had experienced before. I remember thinking I had found paradise.
Without Trace, I never would have discovered that place.
He brought so many unexpected gifts into my life.
Years passed.
Life carried each of us in different directions, but somehow we always managed to find one another again. We laughed about old memories, and Trace would often remind me of moments I had long forgotten.
Not long ago he smiled and said, “You’re the only person I ever rode around with singing gospel songs at two o’clock in the morning while we drove around Lake Thunderbird.”
I had almost forgotten.
He never did.
Those little moments meant something to him.
One day he even asked me to officiate a wedding, a request that humbled me more than I probably ever told him.
As the years passed, the shy young man I had first met beside that flooded campground became an accomplished man. Trace earned his law degree from Oklahoma City University in 1998 and devoted his career to serving others through the Social Security Administration and Legal Aid Services. It somehow didn’t surprise me. The compassion, empathy, and quiet kindness I had seen in him as a young man never left him.
He found joy in life’s simple pleasures. He loved music, especially listening to his favorite band, Tool, on a carefully assembled stereo system. He was a gifted guitar player, sketch artist, and poet. He appreciated classic cars, motorcycles, World War II history, and Stephen King novels. He was known for his dry wit and quick sense of humor, but above all, he was a devoted father to his daughters, Keara and Bella.
Knowing all of that now makes me smile. It reminds me that the young man I met all those years ago never really changed. He simply became more of the person he was always meant to be.
I had been looking forward to talking with him again. There were still stories left to tell and memories left to share.
Then, on June 22, 2026, heaven quietly called my friend home.
The news left me heartbroken.
It reminded me how quickly time slips away and how important it is to tell those we love exactly what they have meant to us while we still have the chance.
Thank you, my friend, for walking beside me during one of the happiest seasons of my young life.
Thank you for every fishing trip, every late-night conversation, every laugh, every memory, and every mile we traveled together.
You helped shape my life far more than you probably ever knew.
Rest easy, Trace.
Listen for the call of the pipes—they will be playing, calling you home.
Someday, when my own journey is over, I hope to hear them too…
Jean-Pierre Dorléac, the French costume designer who won Emmy Awards for his work on TV’s Battlestar Galactica and The Lot and was Oscar nominated for the film Somewhere in Time, died July 23 of natural causes at his Hollywood Hills home. He was 83. His death was reported by a family… read more at deadline.com
His publisher, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers confirmed the news on July 29. The multi-award winning novelist’s last book, When the World Was Happy, comes out on Sept. 29 and started with a deeply personal story. It centers around twins CheChe and Emma who survive a school shooting, but suffer devastating losses.Ande Phipps, family matriarch, dies at 82 Continue reading at People….
Ande Phipps and her family were co-owners of Golden Tempo, this year’s Kentucky Derby and Belmont winner.
Andrea “Ande” Phipps, who was married to longtime Jockey Club chairman Ogden Mills “Dinny” Phipps for 46 years before his passing in 2016, died Tuesday in New York City after a brief illness surrounded by her children, according to a release sent out by The Jockey Club. She was 82.
The Phipps Stable is one of the most recognized names in Thoroughbred racing having marked its 100th anniversary this year. In partnership with Vinnie and Teresa Viola’s St. Elias Stable, the Phippses are the co-breeders and co-owners of Golden Tempo, this year’s Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winner. Continue reading at the Daily Racing Form…
Novak spent nearly four decades coaching on the gridiron at the high school and collegiate levels. He returned to Miami as an assistant coach from 1974-76. During that time, Miami won two MAC titles, going undefeated in MAC play in 1974 and 1975, while winning the Tangerine Bowl both of those seasons.
Prior to his time at Miami as a coach, Novak began his prep coaching career as an assistant at Warren Western Reserve High School in 1968. Elevated to head coach five years later, Novak led Western Reserve to a 12-0 record and Ohio’s large school division state title to earn 1972 Coach of the Year honors. Continue reading at miamiredhawks.com
Bobby Hunt, a standout defensive back who won two AFL championships across an eight-year professional career, has died at 85. His death was announced in July, though further details were not immediately available.
Bobby Hunt was born on August 15, 1940, in Lanett, Alabama, where he starred as a quarterback and punter at Lanett High School, earning first-team All-State honors as a senior and helping lead the team to two undefeated seasons. He went on to play both quarterback and defensive back at Auburn University, leading the Tigers in passing yards, rushing yards, and scoring as a sophomore in 1959, and later quarterbacking the South to victory in the 1961 Blue-Gray Game, where he was named the game’s outstanding player. Continue reading at That Eric Alper
Glen Hansard, seen here performing in Washington, D.C. in 2016, led the Irish band The Frames and won an Oscar for the song “Falling Slowly” from the film Once.
AJ Wilhelm/For NPR
Glen Hansard, the Irish singer who won an Oscar for the musical movie Onceand led the bands The Frames and The Swell Season, died on Wednesday. He was 56 years old. Hansard’s management shared a statement with NPR, and confirmed that he died following a motorcycle crash in Dublin.
“With broken hearts we announce the passing of Glen Hansard in the early hours of this morning,” the statement reads. “We are still dealing with the shock of it all, so we kindly ask that the privacy of Glen’s family, colleagues and friends is respected at this difficult time.”
Hansard dropped out of school at 13 to focus on music, performing frequently as a busker in Ireland. Not long after forming his band The Frames in 1990, he landed a part in the movie The Commitments — about a tempestuous Irish band that couldn’t overcome conflicts among its members. Continue reading at NPR.ORG
Nicholas Platt, Former U.S. Ambassador and Asia Society Leader, Dies at 90
Nicholas Platt, a distinguished American diplomat, former U.S. ambassador, and longtime president of the Asia Society, has died at the age of 90. His passing was announced by his son, acclaimed actor Oliver Platt, who shared that his father’s heart declined suddenly on Thursday morning, bringing to a close a remarkable life of public service and devotion to family.
Nicholas Platt
A career Foreign Service officer, Platt served the United States for more than three decades, including as ambassador to Zambia, the Philippines, and Pakistan. He also held senior diplomatic assignments in Canada, Hong Kong, China, Japan, and Washington, D.C., where he served as Executive Secretary of the U.S. Department of State. Following his diplomatic career, he led the Asia Society in New York, transforming it into one of the nation’s premier cultural institutions dedicated to strengthening understanding between Asia and the United States.
In a heartfelt tribute, Oliver Platt remembered his father as “deeply kind, generous and interested in others,” saying that while Nicholas Platt treasured the extraordinary people he met throughout his career, he loved his family above all else. He is survived by his three sons—Oliver, Adam, and Nicholas Jr.—and leaves behind a legacy of diplomacy, cultural leadership, and unwavering dedication to both his country and his family. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Sheila, with whom his family finds comfort in believing he has now been reunited.
‘Peep Show’ and ‘Doctor Who’ actor Tom Chadbon dead at 80
Tom Chadbon, the British actor best known for his roles in Doctor Who and Peep Show, has died aged 80.
Taking to social media, Fantom Films, which has been putting on Doctor Who-related events for fans since 2005, announced the sad news on July 27th, writing, “We are sorry to hear the news that Tom Chadbon passed away last weekend.” Continue reading…
Lippman died at his home in Tucson on July 25, according to his brother, Glenn. He died from multiple system atrophy, a rare brain disease.
A gifted writer and editor, Lippman likely made his greatest contribution to journalism through the scores of young editors and reporters he recruited, mentored in his soft-spoken but enthusiastic manner and shepherded to accomplishments they would acknowledge later they hadn’t thought possible. He had the ability to become friends with practically everybody he met, including those he supervised. Continue reading…
A central figure of the 1960s Black Art Movement, Saar pioneered assemblage boxes, or sculptures made of found objects, and reclaimed Jim Crow-era memorabilia as powerful totems of Black liberation.
Joel Cohen, a musician and scholar who spent his career restoring early music to the concert stage, has died at 84. He passed away in Haverhill, Massachusetts, on July 26.
Cohen was born on May 29, 1942, and studied at Harvard University before continuing his training in Europe, spending significant time in France, where he also worked on early music projects with the country’s national public radio. That grounding in both American academia and European performance practice shaped the rest of his career.
Owasso couple, including Oklahoma influencer, found dead after husband accused of child sex crimes
The Owasso and social media communities are in shock after a couple, including an influencer from Oklahoma, were found following a murder-suicide last week in their home.
Oklahoma influencer killed in murder-suicide
Owasso Police Department officials said in a news release that dispatchers received a call around 11:16 p.m. on July 23 about a reported domestic violence incident at a hcome on North 130th East Avenue in Collinsville, which falls within Owasso city limits. Read more at KOCO-TV News KOCO-NEWS 5ABC Oklahoma City, Oklahoma KOCO.COM
BERLIN (AP) — Gunther von Hagens, the German anatomist who generated both fascination and revulsion around the globe with his “Body Worlds” exhibits of preserved human corpses, has died. He was 81.
Von Hagens’ family and the Institute for Plastination, which he founded, said he died on Friday. A statement they issued on Monday gave no further details. Von Hagens had announced in 2010 that he was living with Parkinson’s disease.
Von Hagens trod a fine line between science, entertainment and commerce with his touring exhibits, as well as headline-grabbing actions such as a public autopsy. Continue reading at the Associated Press…
Bill Oddie, Britain’s most beloved birdwatcher and wildlife TV presenter, has died July 25. He was 85.
His death was confirmed by his agent, David Foster, in at a statement carried by several British news outlets.
“It is with deep sadness that I announce the passing of Bill Oddie, the country’s best-loved birder.
Bill was a multi-talented celebrity – wildlife presenter, broadcaster, comedian, writer, songwriter, musician and conservationist. Yet it was never fame that he valued.
Instead he encouraged us to respect and protect the environment. He taught us the wonder of it. He protested, lobbied and campaigned for it. He led the way and people of all ages and backgrounds responded to his call. And such a massive contribution to conservation will never be forgotten.
As Bill’s agent I witnessed close-hand his intelligence and wit. He was my friend and it was an honour and a privilege to represent him for so many years. I will miss him terribly. My thoughts and love are with Bill’s wife, Laura, and his daughters Bonnie, Kate and Rosie, who have asked not to be contacted at this sad time. Please respect their wishes.”
Oddie is best known for his BBC wildlife programs, especially those tracking the UK’s bird life, but he was also a script writer, composer and comedian.
His BBC shows include Springwatch, Autumnwatch, How to Watch Wildlife, Birding with Bill Oddie, Britain Goes Wild with Bill Oddie and Bill Oddie Goes Wild. Continue reading on Deadline.com
Esther Tomljanovich, Former Minnesota Supreme Court Justice, Dies at 94
Esther Tomljanovich, a respected jurist who served as an Associate Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court from 1990 to 1998, has passed away at the age of 94.
Throughout her distinguished legal career, Justice Tomljanovich earned a reputation for fairness, integrity, and a steadfast commitment to the rule of law. Her years on Minnesota’s highest court were marked by thoughtful opinions and dedicated public service, leaving a lasting impact on the state’s judicial system.
She is remembered by colleagues, members of the legal community, and countless Minnesotans for her contributions to justice and her lifelong dedication to public service.
Esther Tomljanovich Born: 1932 Died: 2026 Age: 94
Groff Media extends its condolences to Justice Tomljanovich’s family, friends, former colleagues, and all who had the privilege of knowing her. Her legacy of service to the law and the people of Minnesota will be long remember
A spokesperson for the Greater Manchester Police told PEOPLE in a statement that the influencer was discovered dead at around 5 p.m. on Sunday.
“Michael’s family have been informed and are being supported by specially trained officers at this difficult time,” the spokesperson added. “We would like to thank everyone who shared and supported this appeal.”
Ronnie Le Drew, the puppeteer whose work behind Zippy made him one of the most recognizable figures in British children’s television, died in July 2026 at the age of 78.
Le Drew was born in Toronto on October 23, 1947, and moved to Britain as a teenager, where he trained at London’s Little Angel Theatre under puppeteer John Wright, becoming his second apprentice and learning the craft from the ground up. His relationship with the theatre would last more than 30 years, first as a performer and later as a director.
In 1973, Le Drew began operating Zippy on Rainbow, eventually taking over the character’s voice as well, and stayed with the show and its spin-offs for roughly 20 years. The character became a defining piece of British children’s programming, and Le Drew’s work on it followed him for the rest of his career. Continue reading at That Eric Alper
Courtney Shah, the seven time Jeopardy! winner who went on to compete in the show’s Tournament of Champions, died at home on Tuesday after a battle with brain cancer. That, according to local radio station, KLOG, which cited confirmation from the college where Shah taught. She was 52. Continue reading at Deadline.com
Anderson’s family announced his death through the university, where he first arrived as a pitcher for a failed tryout in 1974 and spent 43 years as head coach of the Gophers until retiring after the 2024 season.
Anderson was hospitalized Wednesday after going into cardiac arrest, according to a person with knowledge of the situation who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the university did not announce the cause of death.
Anderson is survived by wife Jan and daughter Erin, who were with him when he died. His body was returned to the university for organ donation. Continue reading at the Associated Press.
Richard Fleming Brickhouse, a well-known racecar driver passed away on July 24 , 2026 at the age of 87 at his home in Rocky Point.
He was born October 27, 1938 in Wilmington, the son of James Albert Brickhouse and Idell Woodcock Brickhouse. In addition to his parents Richard is preceded in death by his son, Richard Gary Brickhouse; daughter, Jennifer McDowell; and his brother, Thomas Brickhouse
Richard is survived by his wife, Sara Lopez; children, Angela Campbell, Cara Saulter (Jason), and Richard F. Brickhouse Jr.; stepchildren, Patricia Vazquez, Sarah Vazquez, and Paul Vazquez; grandchildren, Sarah Saulter, Savannah Garner (Donald), and Kristi Byers (Scott); three great grandchildren; and many additional family members and friends.
Richard had a true spirit of adventure and embraced life with enthusiasm. Richard stated, “I stayed in trouble with the highway patrol losing my first license three weeks after receiving it. I was racing on Highway 421 with friends.” In 1969, Richard made history by winning the first NASCAR race held at Talladega, Alabama, a memory he cherished throughout his life. Strong-willed and passionate in all he did, Richard carefully considered every decision and lived with purpose and intention. He served in the US Army and considered his service a great honor. Richard deeply loved his family and found great joy in the relationships that meant the most to him. His life was one of zeal, determination, and love, leaving a lasting impact on all who knew him.
A graveside service will be held 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, July 28, 2026 at Kelley Cemetery near 473 Longview Road, Kelly with Pastor Jason Saulter officiating. The family will receive friends at the cemetery following the service.
A service of Quinn-McGowen Funeral Home Burgaw Chapel.
Asteryth Sloane, a British composer and poet whose contemporary classical works drew on nature, philosophy, and their own experience of blindness, died on or around July 23, 2026, at the age of 26. Their death was announced by the Royal Northern College of Music, where they had studied on scholarship.
Sloane began composing through improvisation at six years old and started formal lessons at twelve. Blind since the age of two, they developed a distinctive working method, imagining pitches away from any instrument, writing them down in Braille music notation, and dictating the results to an amanuensis who transcribed them onto notation software. Their compositions returned often to themes of climate change, psychology, and Buddhist and synaesthetic imagery, and they were known for an interest in silence as a compositional tool in its own right. Continue reading in That Eric Alper
Lou Koller of Sick of it Allperforms at the 77 Montreal Festival at Parc Jean-Drapeau on July 27, 2018 in Montreal, Canada.MARK HORTON/GETTY IMAGES
Lou Koller, the founding frontman of New York hardcore institution Sick of It All, has died following a battle with esophageal cancer. He was 59.
The band confirmed his death in a statement posted to Instagram on Friday (July 24). “It’s with unbelievable sadness that we announce to our worldwide hardcore family the passing of our brother Lou Koller,” the group wrote, noting that 2026 would have marked the band’s 40th anniversary.
“We have lost a beloved friend and an iconic frontman. Lou had the power to raise everyone’s spirits at our shows with a smile and a sarcastic comment, and he won people over wherever we played, from every culture and every corner of the world.” The band also thanked those who had contributed to Koller’s medical fund, writing that his “battle is over now and he can finally rest.”
Director, writer, producer and showrunnerRalph W. Hemecker, known for his work on Witchblade, Blue Bloods, Once Upon a Time, The Flash, and The X-Files,among many others, has died. Hemecker died at his Glendale, CA home on July 10, his family confirmed to Deadline. The cause of death was not disclosed. He was 65. Read more at Deadline.com
Charles Russell, the director of such 1980s and ’90s films and cult favorites as A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, The Mask, The Blob and Eraser, died at his San Diego-area home Wednesday, July 22. He was 74. Read more on Deadline.com
“Today would have been our 15th year anniversary,” Devey’s wife, Linsey, wrote in a post on Instagram. “We have filled the walls of our homes and hearts with countless memories, joys, struggles, and triumphs. We brought 4 beautiful children into this world that have your eyes, freckles, and compassion. You were our hero and our hearts ache in your absence. We love you. We miss you. And as you said in your last words to me, “we’ll talk soon.”
Devey was announced earlier this year as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for Eagle High School in Eagle, Idaho. Continue reading at Yahoo!Sports
Mary Kate Golding, a 34-year-old New York City set decorator whose credits include The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Goosebumps and the 2025 Netflix docuseries Gone Girls: The Long Island Serial Killer, died Tuesday at her Queens residence in what police say was a possible murder-suicide.
Golding’s husband, Joseph Azzaretto, 33, was later found dead in a nearby park. Law enforcement sources have told The New York Post and other outlets that the man found unresponsive in Astoria Park apparently died by hanging.
Golding was pronounced dead shortly after midnight on Tuesday, July 21, at her home, with a fatal stab wound to the back. Azzaretto’s body was discovered in the park shortly after 6:30 a.m. that day. The couple’s 11-month-old son was found unharmed at their Astoria, Queens, home. Continue reading at deadline.com
McGlaughlin hosted “Exploring Music,” a syndicated classical music radio program that aired nationwide, including on Classical IPR. He had recently stepped down as host.
In a post on her Facebook page, jazz musician Karrin Allyson wrote, “It is with deep sorrow that I announce the passing of my beloved partner, Bill McGlaughlin. In this season of grief, I am grateful for your kindness, your prayers, and the privacy to honor a life deeply loved and forever remembered.”
McGlaughlin had recently announced his departure from “Exploring Music” after 22 years. Produced and distributed by WFMT in Chicago, “Exploring Music” was widely regarded as the heir apparent to “Adventures in Good Music” with Karl Haas.
McGlaughlin also hosted “Saint Paul Sunday” from 1980 to 2007, which during its run was the most widely syndicated classical music radio program in the United States. Continue reading at Interlochen Public RadioInterlochenpublicradio.com
Hello! reports that McNally had been suffering from a long-term illness. His death comes just months after his eldest son, Sean, died suddenly in Scotland. Details of Sean’s death have not yet been released.
McNally was a Formula One driver and journalist before becoming involved in the management of the sport. In 1983, he formed Allsport Management SA, which provided corporate hospitality and trackside advertising at F1 events. He sold the company in 2006 and remained chief executive until his retirement in 2011. Continue reading at People…
A child prodigy, Jones performed at his first concert at the age of five — among the first in an endless list of milestones for the pianist and composer.
Jones was synonymous with Montreal’s Jazz Festival, performing at the world renowned event every year between 1981 and 1999.
“I kept on pinching myself saying I’m going to wake up and realize it’s just a dream,”
An 88-year-old Jones told CBC Montreal Daybreak host Sean Henry days after his induction.
“It just reminded me that, yes, I am still here, and people still remembered me.”
Jones was born in Montreal on Sept. 11, 1934 to parents from Barbados and raised in the Little Burgundy neighbourhood. Read more about Jones at CBC.ca
Luís Represas became one of Portugal’s best-known voices, both as the lead vocalist for Trovante and later through his solo career (Photo: Luís Represas Facebook page)
His death was confirmed this Wednesday morning (July 22) by his management agency, Sons em Trânsito.
Born in Lisbon on November 24, 1956, Represas began performing at a young age before co-founding Trovante and becoming the lead vocalist of Trovante, a band that helped redefine Portuguese popular music in the late 1970s and 1980s. Continue reading at The Resident
Norwegian media reported a statement by Tufte’s family on Tuesday that he was found unconscious at their farm and died at a hospital in Oslo. He is survived by his wife and two children.
“Tufte brought immense joy through sport to us as a nation,” Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said in a statement. “He was one of Norway’s greatest sporting heroes, a decorated Summer Olympian, one of the finest rowers we have ever had, and a great role model to many.”
The two-time champion in single sculls competed at each Summer Games from Atlanta in 1996 through the Tokyo Olympics held in 2021. He won back-to-back titles at Athens in 2004 and Beijing in 2008. In double sculls, Tufte took silver in Sydney in 2000 and bronze in 2016 at Rio de Janeiro. Continue reading at the Associated Press…
Mitch Byrd, longtime comic book artist probably best known for his run on Guy Gardner: Warrior with writer Beau Smith and inker Dan Davis, has passed away at 63, following a recent illness.
Byrd’s big break into comics came with the independent series, Cat and Mouse, about a pair of vigilante heroes in Louisiana, with writer Roland Mann and inker Steven Butler (the first issue had a cover by the great Paul Gulacy, so I’m using a later issue with cover art by Byrd), that was first published by EFGraphics, and then at Aircel Comics (when it was a Malibu Comics imprint. Mann maintained the rights to the characters, and has revived them in recent years at his Silverline Comics)...Read More…
Women Divers Hall of Fame is deeply saddened by the passing of Zale Parry, a member of our inaugural Class of 2000 and a woman whose courage, curiosity, and determination helped shape the history of scuba diving.
Long before opportunities for women in diving were common, Zale was breaking barriers. She set records, helped establish one of the first civilian hyperbaric chambers in California, became one of the earliest female scuba instructors, and inspired countless people through her underwater photography, television appearances, and lifelong passion for exploring the underwater world.
More than her accomplishments, Zale will be remembered for the doors she opened for those who followed. Her legacy lives on in every woman who dares to explore, discover, teach, and lead beneath the surface. Read More…
Former CIA Director R. James Woolsey Dies at 84
By Groff Media
R. James Woolsey, 16th Director of Central Intelligence
R. James Woolsey, the former Director of Central Intelligence who led the CIA from 1993 to 1995 during the Clinton administration, died on July 21, 2026, at the age of 84. A respected attorney and national security expert, Woolsey devoted decades to public service across both Democratic and Republican administrations.
Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on September 21, 1941, Woolsey earned degrees from Stanford University, the University of Oxford, and Yale Law School. In addition to serving as CIA Director, he was Under Secretary of the Navy under President Jimmy Carter and played a significant role in arms control negotiations with the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
Following his government service, Woolsey remained an influential voice on intelligence, national security, and energy policy through his work with defense organizations, private industry, and frequent media appearances. Throughout his career, he was recognized for his outspoken views on international security and the evolving challenges facing the United States.
Groff Media extends its condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of R. James Woolsey as they remember a lifetime dedicated to the service of the nation.
According to alabamaauthors.org, Gaines was born January 6, 1942, to Margaret Shook Gaines and Charles Latham Gaines in Jacksonville, Florida. When he was about 10, he and his family moved to Birmingham.
In Birmingham, Gaines attended Mountain Brook Grammar School, Indian Springs School and Birmingham University School, one of the institutions that later became the Altamont School, according to the American Museum of Fly Fishing.
According to the Notable People Project, in 1960, Gaines enrolled at Washington and Lee University but left the school to travel the country. He later enrolled at Birmingham-Southern College, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1963. Gaines married his wife Patricia Ellisor, an artist and the 1961 Miss Alabama, on June 20, 1963.
They were married for 63 years until his passing. Continue reading at al.com
Dixon Q. Dern, the influential entertainment lawyer who represented Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz and helped structure the business affairs of their landmark Desilu production company, has died. He was 97.
Dern died Sunday at his home in Los Angeles, a spokesperson for WME announced.
Dern also represented Bob Hope, Jackie Gleason, The Jackson 5 and the Television Academy, among many others. And as a founding partner of Dern, Mason, Swerdlow & Floum, he helped build a formidable Hollywood law practice. Continue reading at The Hollywood Reporter…
Doerksen was perhaps best known for the songs ‘Come Now Is the Time to Worship’, ‘Refiner’s Fire,’ ‘Faithful One,’ ‘Creation Calls,’ ‘Hope of the Nations,’ and ‘Today (As For Me and My House)
Jubileecast shared his backround in a recent piece about his life:
Doerksen became one of the defining voices of modern worship through his ministry with Vineyard Music before later recording with Integrity Music. Over the years he served as a worship pastor, helped plant The Bridge Church in Abbotsford, and later mentored future worship leaders as director of Prairie Bible Institute’s School of Worship Arts.
His influence has been recognized with a Dove Award, a Juno Award, numerous GMA Canada Covenant Awards, and a Lifetime Achievement Award. Continue reading at protestia.com
Rawlings Jr. died June 30 in Flagstaff, Arizona, his family announced.
His father, Richard L. Rawlings, was a two-time Emmy-nominated cinematographer, and their careers overlapped in 1978-79 on ABC’s Charlie’s Angels, with each of them handling half of the 22 episodes that season. Continue reading at The Hollywood Reporter…
Just two years ago, he was celebrating his 20th wedding anniversary with René Leboeuf — a wedding that was broadcast across Quebec and marked the first time a same-sex couple married in the province.
The couple had spent six years and $300,000 in court fighting for their right to get married, and their wedding took place in Montreal on April 1, 2004, after they had already been together for 30 years.
Steele spent 43 years in coaching. He was a part of the Bill Lewis staff that won the Peach Bowl. Following the 1991 season, Steele was hired by Campbell in 2006 as the Camels’ head football coach, restarting a program that had been dormant since 1950.
Later, he was a part of the 2025 Campbell Athletics Hall of Fame class. When his coaching days ended, he returned to East Carolina University as director of football administration. Continue reading at Yahoo!Sports
The sheriff’s office said deputies were called around 2:52 a.m. to a single-vehicle crash in the 11400 block of Windsor Road in Ijamsville.
preliminary investigation indicates that a 19-year-old Frederick man driving a Honda Accord left the road on the right side and struck a culvert. Investigators said excessive speed is believed to be a contributing factor in the crash.
The crash trapped the driver, who was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Hottle, 18, of Kyle, Texas, was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced deceased, the sheriff’s office said. Continue reading report at WBALTV.com
Peter LassallyMark Mainz/Getty Images for AFI
Peter Lassally, the late-night whisperer who produced The Tonight ShowStarring Johnny Carson and Late Show with David Letterman, died July 19.
He was 93.
Lassally was a pivotal figure in the entertainment business, particularly in late-night, where he also produced The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, retiring when he was 82 and the Scottish comedian was passing the baton to James Corden. Read more at deadline.com
It’s out of the ordinary for a man to become a legend in one aspect of his life. It’s nearly unbelievable for that man to do it in two. It’s even more uncommon for that man to reach legendary status in a third.
James Edgar (Jim) Lindsey, 81, who died Sunday following an extended illness, was a champion on the playing field as a multisport athlete at the high school, college and professional levels; in the business realm, developing Lindsey & Associates from the ground up following his NFL playing career; and as a philanthropist who used his wealth to lend a helping hand to an untold number of people during his lifetime.
Born Nov. 24, 1944, in Caldwell, Arkansas, Lindsey was an outstanding athlete for Forrest City High School. As great as he was on the gridiron, earning a scholarship to play for Frank Broyles’ Arkansas Razorbacks, he might have been a better baseball player, drawing crowds Sunday afternoons for his play on the diamond in American Legion baseball.
His death was announced Monday by former club Newcastle, where he had been both a player and coach. Keegan revealed last month that he had stage four cancer.
“One of the most iconic, influential and deeply loved figures in our club’s history,” Newcastle said.
For a time in the 1970s, Keegan transcended the English game with his celebrity status.
Sylvia Bugg, PBS‘ chief programming executive and general manager for general audience programming, died “unexpectedly this weekend,” PBS CEO Paula Kerger announced. She was 55.
“Over decades in public media, including her leadership at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and three chapters of service here at PBS, Sylvia shaped the programming that defines our service to the American people,”
Kerger said Sunday. “She brought forward landmark films across history, science and the arts and guided ourAmerica @250 slate through a defining year.” Continue reading at The Hollywood Reporter…
Simon Field, the pioneering film programmer and champion of filmmakers such as Wang Bing, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, and Christopher Nolan, has died. He was 80.
Field died on July 16. The news was confirmed by the veteran film critic Geoff Andrew, who posted an obituary of Field on his blog. Andrew was shortly followed by the Rotterdam Film Festival, which shared a tribute to Field over the weekend.
Field was Festival Director and Co-Director at Rotterdam from 1996 to 2004. During his tenure, filmmakers who passed through the festival’s Tiger Competition and won awards include Lou Ye, Christopher Nolan, Hong Sang Soo and Pablo Trapero. Continue reading at Deadline.com
The veteran star affectionately known as Fourth Brother has passed away peacefully at home after a career spanning seven decades in cinema.
Credit: Weibo
The postwar golden era of Hong Kong cinema has lost one of its most enduring stylistic anchors. Patrick Tse Yin, the charismatic actor and director whose screen presence defined regional film and television for over seventy years, died on Monday 20 July 2026. He was 89.
His family confirmed his passing in a public statement, noting that he died peacefully at his residence following a period of declining physical health. Known affectionately throughout the Chinese-speaking world by his moniker “Sei Gor” or “Fourth Brother,” Tse leaves behind a vast body of work that traced the transformation of the city’s entertainment industry from black-and-white studio serials to global action blockbusters. Continue reading at Resonate
According to Seoul Shinmun,Jang died at the age of 84 due to old age. Announcing the decision, the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee said, “The late Mr. Jang Chang-sun was a figure who made outstanding achievements and contributions to the development of sports in Korea,” adding that “the funeral will be held under the solemnity of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee.”
For decades, Jang Chang-sun inspired generations, first as an Olympic medal-winning wrestler and later as a coach, administrator, and mentor. The South Korean legend, who won Olympic silver at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, passed away on July 20. In recognition of more than five decades of service to Korean sports, the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee announced that his funeral would be held under the committee’s highest honors. Continue reading at EssientiallySports.com
Eddie Joyal, an undrafted forward who played nine seasons in the NHL for the Detroit Red Wings, Toronto Maple Leafs, Los Angeles Kings and Philadelphia Flyers, died Monday at the age of 86.
“The Jet” was mentored by Gordie Howe and had 262 points (105 goals, 134 assists) in 465 regular-season games and 19 points (11 goals, eight assists) in 50 Stanley Cup Playoff games. He debuted with the Red Wings on Jan. 24, 1963, and helped them to the 1964 Stanley Cup Final, where he scored the game-winning goal in a 2-1 victory against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 5 and a 3-2 lead in the best-of-7 series.
The Maple Leafs rallied to win Games 6 and 7 and the Stanley Cup. Continue readoing at NHL.com
Stourton, who had been diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2014, died on Saturday surrounded by his family, the BBC announced in a statement.
The presenter’s friend and former Today co-host James Naughtie praised Stourton’s “generosity of spirit”, adding he was “a journalist of enormous capability and experience”.
Another former Today presenter, Evan Davis, said Stourton was “a very important figure for all of us on the daily news programmes on Radio 4”.
“One of those people you’re really glad to have around,” Davis reflected. “All substance, minimum ego, deeply knowledgeable, totally reliable. And he was one of the nicest of colleagues as well. He’ll be missed.”
Presenter Mishal Husain described Stourton as “a true gentleman and a broadcaster of immense capacity. Continue reading at BBC.com
TD Place Stadium holds a moment of silence before the Ottawa Redblacks’ game against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers for Saskatchewan Roughriders linebacker Jayden Dalke, who passed away from a car accident the day prior at the age of 30.
REGINA — Saskatchewan Roughriders linebacker Jayden Dalke has died in a car accident.
The CFL club announced Sunday that the 30-year-old Dalke was killed Saturday night. The Roughriders were on a bye week.
“A relentless warrior on the field, Jayden’s determination, toughness and work ethic inspired his teammates, who cared deeply for him and are heartbroken by his passing. On and off the field, he was the true definition of what it means to be a Saskatchewan Roughrider. Our hearts go out to the entire Dalke family, who travelled the country to watch Jayden live his dream. We will miss him terribly and will never forget the impact he had on our lives and our team.”
The Riders said in a statement!
Saskatchewan selected Dalke, of Leduc, Alta., in the sixth round of the 2022 CFL Draft out of the University of Alberta. He appeared in 68 career regular-season games, registering 69 tackles, 31 special-teams tackles, three forced fumbles, an interception and a sack. Continue reading at SportsNet.ca
His son, the actor Jason Donovan, confirmed his father died peacefully in Melbourne, Australia on Saturday night.
“Our Dad was a huge character, larger than life. He was our best friend … our world! We will desperately miss him but we take comfort knowing we were all here by his side in his final days,” the post said.
London-born Donovan was also popular for his role in Australian police dramas Division 4 and Cop Shop, which aired in the 1970s and 1980s. Continue reading from BBC.com
(July 19, 2026) He didn’t possess a household name, but his voice was a part of the lives of millions of people around the world. Today we mourn the passing of powerful singer Jim Gilstrap at age 79. His family announced his passing on social media this morning.
The Texas-born singer became one of the most dependable background vocalists of the 1970s, lending his smooth, expressive tenor to recordings by many of the era’s biggest stars. After serving in the military, Gilstrap began his professional career with the Doodletown Pipers and later joined Stevie Wonder’s celebrated backing group, Wonderlove. He appeared on the landmark albums Talking Book and Innervisionsand memorably sang the opening lines of Wonder’s classic “You Are the Sunshine of My Life.” He also shared lead vocals on the familiar theme song from the television series Good Times. Continue reading at SoulTracks
Ward was in Toronto this week for the Blue Jays’ celebrations to honor those 1992-93 teams, which included Saturday’s unveiling of the Back-to-Back World Series Statue. Ward was noticeably absent from the ceremonies themselves, though, and the Blue Jays announced early Sunday that he passed away in Toronto from natural causes.
So many Blue Jays alumni spoke of Ward on Saturday, all of them still so grateful for the one-two punch that Ward and Tom Henke formed at the back of the bullpen in 1992, before Henke moved on the following season and Ward took over as the full-time closer. Cito Gaston, the legendary manager, has always joked about how easy his job became when those late innings rolled around. Continue reading on MLB.com
Jennifer Finch, the bassist for influential rock group L7, died Saturday after a battle with brain cancer. She was 59.
L7 confirmed Finch’s death in an Instagram post. “With a very heavy heart we announce that our beloved bandmate, friend, and fellow troublemaker Jennifer Finch has passed away today,” it read. “She had a long courageous fight with brain cancer and was loved by many wonderful friends, musical peers and fans worldwide. We love you Jennifer.”
The band also issued a statement via their rep, writing: “We are shattered by the loss of our beloved bandmate, sister and friend Jennifer Finch, whose fierce spirit, humor and boundless creativity helped shape L7 and changed all of our lives forever. Jennifer was a true original who lived entirely on her own terms, and the impact she made on music, art and everyone lucky enough to know her cannot be measured. We love her beyond words and will carry her with us always. Rest in power our dear friend.” Continue reading from RollingStone.com
Garry Sobers, the graceful West Indian cricketer whose world-record test innings of 365 not out as a 21-year-old set him on the path to becoming arguably the sport’s greatest allrounder, has died. He was 89.
West Indies’ cricket federation announced his death on Friday without providing a cause.
“In the story of cricket, there are great players. There are champions. Then, there are those rare individuals who redefine the very meaning of greatness,” said Kishore Shallow, president of Cricket West Indies.
Born in Bridgetown, Barbados, with an extra finger on each hand, Sobers hit 26 test centuries and had a test average of 57.78 from batting that was both elegant and powerful. He was also a versatile bowler, dangerous with both wrist-spin and fast-medium deliveries. Continue reading report from Associated Press…
Kirby died Wednesday, three years after being diagnosed with ALS. His associate, Nathan Besbitt, confirmed his death on Instagram.
“I am here to officially, with a broken heart, announce the passing of our beloved John on the early morning hours of Wednesday, July 15, and it has been devastating for all of us, and we’re trying to just find a way to cope,” Besbitt said.
Kirby lent his talents as an acting coach to a number of projects across his career and was a frequent collaborator with Jim Caviezel. Continue reading at The Hollywood Reporter.
Joe Caldwell, a writer on the original 1960s gothic cult-hit daytime TV series Dark Shadows who co-created the show’s signature vampire character Barnabas Collins, died Monday, July 13, following a stroke.
He was 97.
Caldwell’s death due to “a massive stroke,” was announced on Facebook by Bob Issel, a friend and frequent host of Dark Shadows fan events in the New York City area. Issel said Caldwell had fallen recently and had been convalescing at a rehabilitation center prior to his death. Read more at Deadline.com
It was Taylor’s restaurant, The Good Front Room, that confirmed the “sudden passing” of the founder.
“Dom was a visionary whose bold, joyful approach to celebrating the Caribbean cuisine of his childhood brought a fresh and exciting voice to London’s restaurant scene,” read the statement on the website.
“His passion, talent and generosity touched so many people, and his legacy will continue to inspire those who had the privilege of knowing him and experiencing his food.” The statement continued, “He will be deeply missed, and our thoughts are with his family, friends and everyone whose lives he touched during this incredibly difficult time.
We kindly ask that everyone respects the privacy of Dom’s loved ones at this time.”
Chef Taylor won the sole season of Netflix’s 2023 culinary competition Five Star Chef with his family by his side, celebrating the moment.
Thorpe joined the band in 1974, arriving as part of the lineup assembled around the smash hit “Sugar Baby Love,” a song that had already topped the UK charts for 4 weeks before the touring band was even fully formed. He shared guitar and vocal duties with Alan Williams, John Richardson, Pete Arnesen, Mick Clarke, and Bill Hurd, helping carry the band’s distinctive doo-wop and 1950s American pop influences through the mid-1970s.
Thorpe’s defining moment came with “Baby I Know,” a country rock-styled ballad he sang lead on that reached number 10 in both the UK and Germany in 1977. The song stands as the band’s most successful self-composed hit and remains one of Thorpe’s most enduring contributions to the group’s catalogue. Continue reading at That Eric Alper…
Sanford had been in declining health, and in recent public appearances had been limited in his mobility and speaking engagements. Still, despite his physical limitations, Sanford had participated in a flurry of recent events, including the announcement that he would donate $50 million to assist Smithfield Foods in relocating from central Sioux Falls and $300 million last year to support a new medical center.
Sanford’s legacy as a philanthropist was cemented with a $400 million donation to Sioux Valley Health System in 2007, at the time the largest ever donation to a U.S. health care organization. Sioux Valley was renamed Sanford Health, and hundreds of millions more would flow to the system in following years. Continue reading at The Dakota Scout…
For decades, the voice of Louis Champagne was a morning fixture in the Saguenay region, a broadcaster whose career was marked by both deep local connection and significant controversy. Born on September 16, 1947, Champagne became a prominent talk radio personality in Quebec, most notably as the host of the daily morning program on CKGS-FM in La Baie. His tenure in radio was long-standing, having previously hosted another daily show on CKRS-FM until November 2008. Read more…
Freddy “Boom Boom” Cannon, the early rock & roller who scored big, joyful radio hits with, among others, 1959’s “Tallahassee Lassie” and 1962’s “Palisades Park,” died yesterday, July 17, at a California hospice facility following a brief battle with cancer. He was 89.
His death was announced by Tom Cuddy, a longtime friend and iHeart Radio producer. Cuddy noted that Cannon’s children Conny Weber and Billy Cannon were with him in the days before his passing.
Cannon, who earned the nickname “Boom Boom” from the percussive power of his songs as well as the double entendre of his last name, took a spot in the post-Elvis/pre-Beatles rock & roll landscape through a string of hits and, perhaps more significantly, repeated appearances on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand musical variety series. Continue reading at Deadline.com
Ester, who died on July 9 at the age of 78, was among a few remaining witnesses to King’s assassination and its immediate aftermath in Memphis.With the passing of the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. in February and Ester this month, King aide and former U.N. ambassador Andrew Young is believed to be the last surviving eyewitness to the shooting.Ester Grew up in Memphis attending Centenary United Methodist Church, where her pastor was civil rights leader the Rev. James Lawson.
“We used to joke about colored water being Kool-Aid and the white water just being water, and so that satisfied us as children,” Ester told The Associated Press in 2018, around the 50th anniversary of King’s death. “But until you see the racism, until you see what has been withheld from you because of your color — is what started to really truly anger me. And I knew if there was a movement that could help change any of that, I had to be in it.”
Civil rights issues were often discussed from the pulpit of her church, Ester said. Lawson was very involved in the sanitation workers’ strike, so it was natural for her to become involved too. Continue reading information from the Associated Press…
Rudolph Marcus, a Canadian-born American chemist who received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for developing a theory that helped explain the electrochemical processes behind photosynthesis, respiration, oxidation and even how fireflies produce light, died on Thursday at his home in Pasadena, Calif.
He was 102.
His death was announced by the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, where he had taught since 1978.
Sarah Reisman, the chair of the chemistry and chemical engineering division at Caltech, said that it was almost impossible to overstate the importance of Dr. Marcus’s work.
“It provides a simple theory for one of the most fundamental processes in chemistry and has been applied to understand reactions ranging from small-molecule catalysts to proteins involved in photosynthesis,”
Ron Hunt, the combative second baseman who became the first Met to start in an All-Star Game, was runner-up to Pete Rose for the 1963 NL Rookie of the Year Award and who as an Expo set the astonishing Modern Era record of 50 hit-by-pitches in a single season, has died. He was 85.
Hunt spent the first four seasons of his 12-year career with the Mets, beginning in 1963. He played one season with the Dodgers, three with the Giants and parts of five with the old Montreal Expos — getting elected into the team’s Hall of Fame — before closing out his career in a brief stint with his hometown Cardinals in 1974. Continue reading at MLB.com
The Creek County Sheriff’s Office Task Force, the United States Marshals Service, Muscogee Nation Lighthorse Police, and Creek County Sheriff’s Office deputies were serving a warrant on a suspect wanted on multiple felony warrants. On July 7, the suspect had fled law enforcement during a traffic stop and had been charged with assault and battery on a law enforcement officer.
When officers attempted to arrest the suspect, he fled. Deputy Heitman, with his K9 partner, Thanos, pursued the suspect over a fence, across a creek, and through a field, apprehending the suspect.
Back at the Creek County Sheriff’s Office, Deputy Heitman suffered a medical emergency less than an hour after the arrest. Despite attempts at life-saving measures, he passed away that evening at Ascension St. John Sapulpa Hospital.
The suspect, a convicted felon with prior escape convictions and a long criminal record, has a pending DUI case, a deferred sentence in a 2014 drug case, charges for assault and battery, and escape from arrest.
Deputy Heitman was a United States Marine Corps veteran and had served with the Creek County Sheriff’s Office for four years. He previously served with the Kiefer Police Department. Survivors include his wife and two daughters. READ HONORS AT OFFICER DOWN MEMORIAL PAGE.
Brenda Fricker, a Best Supporting Actress Oscar winner for My Left Footwho had a memorable role inHome Alone 2, has died after a period of ill health, according to her agent. She was 81.
In a statement, her agent Phil Belfield confirmed Fricker’s death and said:
“We will never see her like again and the world is lesser for the lack of her. I was honored to know, love and work with her and she will always have a place in my heart and in the heart of so many film and TV fans the world over,”
Born in Dublin in 1945, Fricker started her career as a journalist before moving to TV and landing roles in British shows Coronation Street and Casualty, playing Megan Roach in the latter for 65 episodes. Continue reading at Deadline.com
During Lattie Coor’s tenure at Arizona State University (1990–2002), the university was granted Research 1 status by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching — a major milestone in its evolution that cleared the way for rapid advancement. Archive photo
ASU would not be the institution it is today without Lattie Coor’s vision, leadership and commitment to the community,” ASU President Michael M. Crow said.
“Our university’s advancements in research growth, semiconductor R&D, workforce development, community partnerships, public health and service to learners across Arizona and around the globe — is all rooted in Lattie’s foresight and dedication to what ASU could become. With his passing, the university and the state have lost a grand champion, and Sybil and I have lost a dear friend and colleague.”
Before he became president of ASU in 1990, he held the same post at the University of Vermont for nearly 14 years. In a 2018 interview for the Arizona Historymakers Project, Coor admitted, “I really did not intend to take another presidency. My thinking … was that it was about time for me to start doing something else.” Continue reading from ASU….
In a post on social media, the Kardashian matriarch shared news that her mother had died on July 16.
“Today, we said goodbye to my beautiful Mommy MJ,” Jenner posted on Instagram. “There are no words that could ever capture what she has meant to me or the heartbreak of having to say goodbye.”
MJ was featured on E!’s Keeping Up with the Kardashians throughout its run as well as Hulu’s The Kardashians. She was grandmother to Kim Kardashian, Kourtney Kardashian, Khloé Kardashian, Rob Kardashian, Kendall Jenner and Kylie Jenner.
Walden died Thursday morning while in hospice care as a result of an illness, his wife, Tosha Walden, confirmed that afternoon
Walden helped put Macon and numerous musicians on the map in the music industry, signing dozens of artists. Over the years, Walden managed careers for Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Outlaws and early on, Otis Redding.
“Otis Redding became my best friend in life, and when we moved to Round Oak, Georgia, I moved right next to him,”
Walden shared with WGXA News during a 2021 interview while reflecting on his life up to the release of his memoir, “Southern Man: Music and Mayhem in the American South.”
Walden opened Redwal Music with his brother Phil Walden and the great Otis Redding in 1965, publishing hit songs like “Respect”, “I Can’t Turn You Loose”, “Sweet Soul Music”, “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long”, and “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay”. He also co-founded Capricorn Records with his brother and later formed Hustler’s Inc., a management and publishing company. Continue reading this story at WXGA.tv
Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member Joe Melson has died at age 91.
Melson is best known for his 1960s collaborations with Nashville pop star Roy Orbison (1936-1988), including standards such as “Blue Bayou,” “Crying,” “Only the Lonely” and “Running Scared.”
Claudie Joe Melson was raised in Bonham, Texas, northeast of Fort Worth. By the time of his teen years in the early 1950s, he was singing professionally and writing songs. He went to work in the mailroom at Standard Oil while studying accounting at Odessa Junior College. In the evenings, he entertained youngsters at dances and nightclubs with his rockabilly band, The Cavaliers. The group’s crowd-pleasing “Raindrops” became Melson’s debut single.
A native of Columbus, Ohio, Nichols was one of eight children in a close-knit family that shaped his love of music from an early age. Alongside three of his brothers, he spent 24 years touring the country as a member of the Nichols Brothers. Two weeks before his passing, Nichols was inducted into the Ohio Country Music Hall of Fame. Throughout his career, his work extended beyond country music into pop, gospel and television.
Nichols is survived by his beloved wife, Tonya, who he spent the last few years caring for through a difficult illness. Continue reading at MusicRow…
Kontou had been receiving treatment at Agios Savvas Hospital after facing serious health problems in recent weeks.
Her early screen roles included The Yellow Gloves in 1960 and Woe to the Youngin 1961. That same year, she played Ismene opposite Irene Papas in the film adaptation of Sophocles’ Antigone.
Kontou became a familiar presence in Greek comedy, appearing alongside actors including Lambros Konstantaras, Dimitris Horn and Giorgos Konstantinou. Her films also included The Lady Driver, My Friend Lefterakis and An Italian Girl from Kypseli.
Her best-known role came in Giorgos Tzavellas’ 1965 comedy And the Wife Shall Revere Her Husband. Kontou played Elenitsa Kokovikou opposite Konstantinou’s Antonakis in a story about marriage, authority and changing expectations between husbands and wives. Continue reading…
Born John Louis Esposito on May 19, 1940, in Brooklyn, New York, Esposito completed his doctoral studies under Islamic scholar Isma’il Raji al-Faruqi. He spent nearly 20 years teaching religious studies at the College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts, where he held the Loyola Professor of Middle East Studies position and chaired the Department of Religious Studies.
Esposito later joined Georgetown University as a university professor, teaching religion, international affairs, and Islamic studies. In 1993, he founded the Prince Alwaleed Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown and served as its founding director, overseeing a $20-million endowment from Saudi Arabian Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal aimed at strengthening cross-cultural and inter-religious dialogue. Read more at That Eric Alper…
Veteran actorHal Williams, who played Officer “Smitty” Smith on the hit 1970s comedy Sanford and Son and also starred on ’80s hit 227during a long screen career, died July 15 at his home in Rancho Mirage, CA, according to his representative. He was 91.
As Smitty, Williams was one half of a crimefighting duo who appeared on 22 episodes of the classic 1972-77 NBC show adapted by Norman Lear from a British format. His partner, Officer “Hoppy” Hopkins — played by Howard Platt — would often lead off a scene with an “official” stiff police explanation of their investigation. Smitty would then interpret in plain English for Fred and Lamont — played by Redd Foxx and Demond Wilson, respectively. Continue reading on Deadline.com
Another Great has left the stage, but although he has passed on, we’ll forever and a day remember him with the deepest of affection, admiration and respect.
The World Boxing Council expresses its deepest sorrow over the passing of José Legrá, one of the most iconic figures in boxing history, who leaves behind an unforgettable legacy both inside and outside the ring.
Born in Baracoa, Cuba, and later becoming a Spanish citizen, José Adolfo Legrá Utría was a shining Star of excellence, perseverance, and sporting greatness. Known to millions of fans as “The Puma of Baracoa,” he captured the hearts of boxing enthusiasts through his extraordinary talent, charisma, determination, courage and unwavering competitive spirit.
Legrá etched his name into the history of the World Boxing Council by becoming WBC Featherweight World Champion on two occasions. His first reign began in 1968, and he reclaimed the crown in 1972, establishing himself as one of the truly great all time featherweights. Continue Reading…
Kendall’s former colleague Matt Pinfield announced his death on social media. No cause of death has been presented, and Kendall’s age has not officially been confirmed. Kendall’s Wikipedia page lists his age at 68.
“Heartbroken to hear about the passing of Dave Kendall,” Pinfield wrote on Tuesday. “Dave was one of the true believers. Long before alternative music found its way into the mainstream, he was there every week on 120 Minutes, introducing people to bands that would go on to define an era.”
Kendall created the program in 1986 and became its host in 1988. In 1991, he famously debuted Nirvana’s music video for Smells Like Teen Spirit, the song that launched grunge into the stratosphere and changed pretty much everything about rock and alternative music. Kendall exited the program the following year; Pinfield took over in 1995. Continue reading and learn more a The Hollywood Reporter.
Kent State, Corrigall’s alma mater, announced his passing on Wednesday. The university didn’t divulge the cause of death but in 2019 Corrigall and his daughter, Amy Corrigall Jones, told the Akron Beacon Journal he had learned that he likely suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), an incurable degenerative brain disease caused by repeated head trauma.
“We mourn the passing of Kent State great Jim Corrigall,” the school posted on social media. “Jim embodied what it means to be a Golden Flash both as a player and a coach.
“Our thoughts are with his family, friends, teammates, and all who had the privilege of knowing him.”
Kent State head coach Mark Carney echoed those sentiments.
“Sad to hear of the passing of @KentStFootball great Jim Corrigall,”
Carney said in a social media post.
“(He’s) one of just five players to have his number retired here.”
“Your legacy will not soon be forgotten Coach!”
Corrigall was born in Barrie, Ont., and attended high school in North Bay, Ont., before going on to play collegiately at Kent State. The six-foot-three, 253-pound Corrigall enjoyed a stellar university career, being selected the team’s most valuable sophomore, top defensive lineman and most inspirational player. Continue reading more at SportsNet.ca
Denise Oliver-Velez, American Activist and Community Organizer, Dies at 78
Denise Oliver-Velez, an American activist, educator, writer, and community organizer whose decades of work championed civil rights, women’s equality, public health, and social justice, has died at the age of 78. A pioneering voice in grassroots organizing, she devoted much of her life to advocating for underserved communities and empowering future generations.
Denise Oliver-Velez
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Oliver-Velez rose to national prominence as a member of the Young Lords, where she challenged gender inequality within the organization and became one of its highest-ranking female leaders. She later joined the Black Panther Party and continued a lifetime of activism that included AIDS education, community media, and public broadcasting. She also taught anthropology and women’s studies and became a respected writer and contributing editor, sharing her insights on history, culture, race, and Caribbean affairs with a wide audience.
Throughout her career, Oliver-Velez remained a passionate advocate for social justice and education, earning admiration from colleagues, readers, students, and fellow activists alike. In the days leading up to her passing, friends and supporters reflected on her enduring influence, describing her as a mentor, teacher, and unwavering champion for equality whose work inspired countless others.
Denise Oliver-Velez leaves behind a legacy of activism, scholarship, and public service that spanned more than five decades. Her commitment to justice and community empowerment will continue to be remembered by those whose lives she touched through her leadership, writing, and advocacy.
LUSAKA, Zambia (AP) — Guy Scott, the Zambian politician who briefly served as acting president to become Africa’s first white head of state in more than two decades, died Wednesday, the Zambian government said. He was 82.
Scott was Zambia’s vice president and stood in as president of the southern African country for three months when Michael Sata died in office in 2014.
The Hollywood representation community has suffered a tragic loss. Sam Masaru Sekoff, a literary manager at Entertainment 360, passed away unexpectedly yesterday morning, July 14, on what was his 33rd birthday. He died in his Los Angeles home by apparent suicide.
Born in Japan, Sekoff grew up in Florida and spent several years in foster care when his father died before moving to Los Angeles to attend USC. After graduating, he started his career in the mailroom at Gersh where he was made an agent in the television department in 2018 at the age of just 25. In 2021, Sekoff pivoted to management and joined Range Media Partners. He moved to Entertainment 360 in 2024. Continue reading at Dateline.com …
Born in Schagen on March 13, 1965, Geel built a career spanning film, television, radio, and theatre that stretched back to the 1990s. He appeared in the long-running Dutch crime series “Baantjer” and took on the role of Willem Van Maaren in the 2001 miniseries “Anne Frank: The Whole Story.”
Geel broke through with audiences nationwide in 2004, starring as a hash dealer coming to terms with a terminal cancer diagnosis in ‘Simon,’ the Dutch entry for the Oscars that year. The role earned him the Golden Calf for Best Actor. Continue reading at That Eric Alper…
Aguirre’s career began almost by chance. As a teenager, she was discovered at a talent contest held by CLASA Films Mundiales, a production company scouting new faces. She and her sister, Alma Rosa Aguirre, were cast together in their first film, ‘El sexo fuerte,’ in 1945.
From there, Aguirre built a filmography spanning more than 40 films and telenovelas across drama, romance, action, and fantasy. She shared the screen with some of Mexican cinema’s biggest names, including Pedro Infante in ‘Cuidado con el amor,’ Pedro Armendáriz in ‘Pancho Villa y la Valentina,’ and Ignacio López Tarso in ‘Vainilla, bronce y morir.’ Her role in ‘Algo flota sobre el agua’ even inspired a song written just for her, “Flor de azalea.” Continue reading…
The Rastafarian entertainer, whose given name was Owen Lennox Moncrieffe, passed away on Tuesday evening at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) in Kingston after suffering complications related to his heart.
A close associate of the singer told Observer Online that Fantan Mojah’s health had deteriorated rapidly in the days leading up to his death. Continue reading…
The Spanish Boxing Federation confirmed his death, describing him as “one of the greatest figures in Spanish boxing.” It paid tribute to the lasting impact he had on the sport: “Spanish boxing will always be grateful to him.”
Nicknamed ‘El Puma de Baracoa’ (The Puma of Baracoa), Legrá was born in Cuba, but moved to Spain in 1963 and went on to become one of the country’s greatest boxing icons.
Between 1967 and 1973, he won the world featherweight title and was crowned European champion seven times. Continue reading SURinEnglish
HOUSTON(AP) — Janice S. McNair, who alongside her late husband Robert “Bob” McNair brought the NFL back to Houston after the Oilers left for Tennessee by founding the Texans, has died. She was 89.
“It is with profound sadness that we announce Houston Texans co-founder and senior chair Janice S. McNair passed away peacefully in Houston this afternoon with her family by her side,” the Texans said in a statement on Tuesday.
“It is with profound sadness that we announce Houston Texans co-founder and senior chair Janice S. McNair passed away peacefully in Houston this afternoon with her family by her side,” the Texans said in a statement on Tuesday.
Around 3:00 p.m., members of the U.S. Marshals Violent Offender Task Force and deputies with the Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office were attempting to arrest a man wanted for sexual battery. When deputies entered the home, they found the suspect barricaded in a bedroom. He fired at officers, striking Deputy Marshal Hanson.
The suspect was apprehended after a three-hour standoff.
Deputy Marshal Hanson had served with the United States Department of Justice – United States Marshals Service for six years. He previously served with the U.S Border Patrol, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Ocean Springs, Mississippi, Police Department, the Mississippi Department of Transportation, and the Gulfport Police Department. Survivors include his wife and two children. Learn More….
Valle signed with the Dodgers as an amateur free agent in 1960, working his way through the organization before making his major league debut on June 6, 1965. His entire MLB career consisted of 9 games with the Dodgers that season, appearing 6 times behind the plate. He batted .308, going 4-for-13 with a run scored and 2 RBIs, while posting a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage across 21 defensive chances.
All 4 of Valle’s major league hits were singles, coming against pitchers Denny Lemaster, Bob Veale and Bob Sadowski. His final MLB appearance came on October 3, 1965. Read more at That Eric Alper
Vernon Taylor, a rockabilly pioneer whose career spanned Dot Records, Sun Records and a decades-later comeback, has died at 88. Born Walton Alderton on November 9, 1937, he passed away on July 12, 2026.
Taylor grew up in a Baptist family, the youngest of 4 children. His family moved to Spencerville, Maryland when he was 11, and it was there that he learned to play guitar. By 15, he’d formed his first band, The Nighthawks, with two high school classmates, and by 1956 the group had grown into a 5-piece outfit.
The Nighthawks got their first big break while still in high school, playing between sets for Curley Smith, who later joined the rock band Boston. The group went on to host an hour-long Saturday night TV show on WTTG channel 5 out of Washington, D.C., running from 1957 to 1960. During that stretch, Taylor signed with Dot Records in 1957, releasing 2 singles, “Losing Game”/”I’ve Got the Blues” and “Why Must You Leave Me,” neither of which found commercial success, leading Dot to cancel his contract. Continue reading at That Eric Alper.
Pat Oliphant, a Pulitzer Prize-winning political cartoonist whose cutting sketches critiqued power and corruption in U.S. politics over a lengthy career that made him one of the most recognizable and lauded artists in the newspaper business, died Monday morning.
He was 90 years old. His son, Grant Oliphant, said he died at his home in Santa Fe after suffering from a variety of age-related illnesses.
Pat Oliphant was a widely admired and highly influential newspaper cartoonist whose work lampooned American powerbrokers — chronicling their missteps with his own brand of grim fury — from President Richard Nixon to President Donald Trump. He was often described as the most syndicated editorial cartoonist in the country, and his daily political cartoons once appeared in more than 500 publications worldwide. Continue reading at the Sante Fe New Mexican
Mike Browning, a founding member of the pioneering death metal bands Morbid Angel and Nocturnus, has died at age 62.
Browning’s passing was reported by the record label Profound Lore, home of his most recent band Nocturnus AD. The label stated, “RIP death metal legend/sci-fi death metal godfather Mike Browning of Nocturnus/Nocturnus AD. Journey beyond the gateway to the outer void!”
Browning co-founded Morbid Angel in Tampa, Florida, in 1983. He sang lead and played drums on what was supposed to be the band’s debut album, Abominations of Desolation, but the LP was shelved with the band explaining that it wasn’t satisfied with the recording. However, Browning once said that the album didn’t see the light of day due to apparent in-fighting in the band that ultimately led to Browning’s departure. Continue reading.
BARCELONA Gilda Love, considered the longest-lived drag queen in the State, died at the age of 100 this Sunday in Barcelona, according to sources close to the artist.
Born in Cadiz as Eduardo Enrique Gustavo, the drag queen became an icon in the seventies in Raval cabarets. In recent years, Gilda Love had appeared little in public, but her legacy remains current in the world of drag.
The artist began her career at the Madame Arthur cabaret in Paris, where she adopted the name of the mythical character from the film Gilda, played by actress Rita Hayworth. Continue reading.
In 2023, Neill disclosed he had been diagnosed with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, a rare type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. He died on Monday in Sydney, according to a statement posted to the actor’s social media page.
His death was “sudden and unexpected,” the statement said, adding that he “remained cancer free” when he died. A cause of death wasn’t specified. “Sam was surrounded by family and passed with the dignity that has characterized his whole life,” his family wrote. Read more at the AP.
Scott Bryce
Scott Bryce, the actor best known for playing Craig Montgomery on As the World Turns across three separate runs, has died at age 68. Bryce died on July 12, 2026, after being diagnosed with terminal esophageal and stomach cancer in 2025.
Born Scott Macalister Bryce in New York City on January 6, 1958, he was the son of daytime actor Ed Bryce, who spent years playing Bill Bauer on The Guiding Light. Scott grew up in Westport, Connecticut, attending Staples High School, where he was an active member of the Staples Players theatre group. He made an early Broadway appearance at the Palace Theater in Caesar & Cleopatra alongside Rex Harrison in February 1977.
Bryce joined As the World Turns in 1982, originally paired opposite Meg Ryan, and played Craig Montgomery through 1987 before returning for shorter stints over the following years. He departed the role in 1994, returned again in 2007, and left the soap for good in 2008. The performance earned him two Daytime Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, along with multiple Soap Opera Digest Award nominations. Continue reading on That Eric Alper
Josh Grisetti — the Broadway actor, television performer and beloved musical theater educator known for his work on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Something Rotten! and It Shoulda Been You — died by suicide on Friday, July 10, PEOPLE can confirm. He was 44.
The sad news was announced in an emotional Instagram post on Sunday, July 12, by actor Rob McClure, who starred alongside Grisetti in Something Rotten! on Broadway and on the show’s national tour.
“It is with a shattered heart that I share that the brilliant Josh Grisetti took his own life on Friday,” McClure wrote. “I’m not ready to even attempt to understand. My heart is with his wife and family as they try to deal with the reality of this.”
“[My wife] and I are beyond heartbroken,” added McClure, noting that he served as the best man at Grisetti’s wedding. “Communities around the world will never be the same without him.”
“We love you Josh. Just a cataclysmic loss,” said the actor. “Memorial info to come in time.”
Brent N. Clarke/Getty Images NEW YORK, NY – MAY 16: Mary Morello attends the WhyHunger Chapin Awards held at The Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers on May 16, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Brent N. Clarke/Getty Images)
Mary Morello, the American educator and lifelong activist who founded the anti-censorship organization Parents for Rock and Rap, has died at the age of 102. A steadfast defender of free expression, she established the organization in 1987 to oppose efforts to censor popular music and to champion the protections guaranteed by the First Amendment.
A longtime high school teacher, Morello devoted her life to education, civil rights, and social justice. Her advocacy extended well beyond music censorship, including work in adult literacy, community activism, and support for humanitarian causes. In 1996, she was honored with the
– Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment Award in Arts and Entertainment –
for her unwavering commitment to freedom of speech.
Morello was also widely recognized as the mother of guitarist Tom Morello, whose own career in music and activism reflected many of the principles she championed throughout her remarkable life. Remembered for her courage, conviction, and dedication to constitutional freedoms, Mary Morello leaves behind a lasting legacy as one of America’s enduring voices for free expression.
Wai Ching Ho, the actress known for playing Madame Gao in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has died. She was 82.
The actress’ Daredevil co-star Peter Shinkoda was one of several to react to Wai’s passing on social media, after playing Gao’s The Hand supervillain organization co-founder Kagenobu Yoshioka on the Netflix series from 2015-’16.
“Just lost someone very special to me. She was one of the coolest. Thinking aloud,” he wrote in an Instagram post.
“I won’t ever forget you. I learned every minute from you when we were together on and off set,” Shinkoda added in another post. “I know wisdom – I’d hang on your every word. We will meet again, my friend. You were beautiful.”
Born Nov. 16, 1943 in Japanese-occupied Hong Kong, Wai’s onscreen debut came in the 1990 Robin Williams-starrer Cadillac Man. She went on to roles in Soapdish (1991), Happiness (1998), The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (2010), Tracers(2015), Set It Up (2018), Hustlers (2019) and Disney’s Turning Red (2022). Continue reading…
David Willey, who served as a BBC foreign correspondent for more than half a century, has died aged 93.
He reported from Algeria, Vietnam and China, but is best known for his time in Rome as the BBC’s Vatican correspondent, where he covered the papacies of five popes.
Widely regarded as one of the most experienced journalistic voices on the Vatican, Willey wrote a book on Pope Francis and was awarded an OBE for services to broadcast journalism.
LONDON (AP) — Ken Bates, the former Chelsea owner and chairman who bought the club for just a pound in 1982, has died. He was 94.
Chelsea confirmed the death in a statement Saturday, saying Bates “passed away peacefully in Monaco this morning surrounded by his wife and family.”
“The club sends our heartfelt condolences to Ken’s wife Suzannah, the rest of his family and his friends. Ken’s determination to fight for Chelsea when times were tough, and drive the team on to winning trophies will never be forgotten.”
Bates bought Chelsea when it was laden with debt and struggling in the English second division — hence the price of just one pound — but injected money into the club and oversaw a return to the top flight in 1984. Read More…
Police are asking for witnesses to come forward after a former basketball star was killed in a devastating Harlem shooting on Friday that also injured two others during a basketball tournament.
Kinu Rochford, 35, has been identified as the man who lost his life during the opening game of a basketball tournament on July 10. The Brooklyn man was found with a gunshot wound to his head at around 10:23 p.m. He was pronounced dead at Mount Sinai Morningside Hospital.
Rochford left a lasting legacy thanks to his time playing hoops for Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU), who themselves referred to the star as “a standout Knight and leader” in an Instagram post remembering him. He also played professionally throughout Europe. At the time of his death, he worked as a coordinator for WIN, a homeless service provider. Continue reading…
Bower, the German-born British actress who starred on an Adam & Eve-like episode of The Twilight Zone and portrayed the seductive catlike alien Sylvia on an installment of Star Trek, has died. She was 93
Bower died April 30 in an Eagle Rock senior retirement home in Los Angeles, her friend Carlotta Glackin — great niece of famed Golden Age character actor Edward Everett Horton — told The Hollywood Reporter.
On the big screen, Bower got top billing in the Filipino-shot horror film Superbeast (1972), played the wife of Leslie Nielsen and mother of Jamie Lee Curtis in the slasher classic Prom Night (1980) and was kidnapped by Charles Bronson in the action thriller The Evil That Men Do (1984). Continue reading at The Hollywood Reporter
The Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder’s body was found on Saturday morning in a house in the Schotschekloof suburb of central Cape Town, where police have begun an investigation into his death, according to the BBC. A cause of death is not yet known.
Gayton McKenzie, South Africa’s minister of sport, arts and culture, reacted to the news in a statement. “It is with profound shock and a heavy heart that I have learnt of the passing of Jayden Adams,” he said, according to the outlet. Read More from Deadline.com
Barbara Ling, the production designer behind Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood(2019) and Michael (2026), has died. She was 73.
The Academy Award winner died on Thursday in Santa Barbara after she was diagnosed with cancer, a WME spokesperson confirmed to Deadline.
“Equally gifted at period authenticity, contemporary realism, and stylized fantasy, Ling leaves behind a legacy that profoundly influenced the art of production design and the visual language of modern filmmaking,” said Ling’s family in a statement.
Born in August 1952, Ling began her career designing sets and lighting for more than 200 theater, opera, and musical productions, before she got her start in Hollywood as a lighting designer on the 1981 comedy special The Pee-Wee Herman Show. Her onscreen production design career began with David Byrne’s True Stories (1986). Continue reading on Dateline.com
Broadcasters and politicians have paid tribute to TV presenter Dermot Murnaghan, who has died a year after he revealed he had been diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer.
The former BBC, ITV and Sky News journalist was 68.
“It is with great sadness that the family of Dermot Murnaghan announces that he passed away at home in North London earlier this morning,” his family said in a statement posted to his X account. “He died peacefully with his family at his side.”
A fixture on British TV news across five decades, he presented flagship programmes including the ITV Evening News and the BBC News at Six and Ten. Continue reading…
Martha Lillard had just turned 5 when she was diagnosed with polio and depended on an iron lung to live. She died June 26 in Oklahoma, the last U.S. polio patient who used the machine, her sister said. She was 78.
“They told her she wasn’t supposed to live past 20 years old,” Lillard’s younger sister, Cindy McVey, told The Associated Press on Friday. “She had the enthusiasm and the drive to continue living and make the best of her life.”
McVey attributes her sister’s death to the effects of long-haul COVID-19. A death certificate lists causes as chronic pulmonary failure and post-polio syndrome, McVey said. Continue reading
AFSCME President Lee Saunders announced her passing in a special message to members and honored her legacy as a trailblazer.
“Her leadership at DC 37 and across AFSCME left a lasting mark on this union and on generations of labor leaders who followed her,” Saunders wrote.
Roberts built power for working people at a time when very few Black women held positions of leadership. She helped found the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists and made history as the first Black woman to serve as New York State Industrial Commissioner. Continue Reading.
Don Iwerks, the former Disney executive who innovated several cinematic advancements during his career, has died. He was 96.
The Iwerks Entertainment co-founder died peacefully on Thursday at Ojai Community Memorial Care Center, “surrounded by the love of family and friends,” according to an obituary shared by his family.
“Those who knew Don remember not only his extraordinary accomplishments, but the quiet grace with which he achieved them, like his father, he delighted in solving problems, sharing knowledge, and celebrating the successes of others. Humble, endlessly curious, and unfailingly optimistic, he believed every challenge held the possibility of a solution. Up to the end he was sketching new inventions, cheering on the Los Angeles Dodgers, and watching classic films. Mary Poppins remained especially close to his heart—a film whose optimism and enduring message that anything was possible perfectly reflected the way Don lived his life. … To the world, Don was an engineer, inventor, and Disney Legend. To those fortunate enough to know him, he was a devoted husband and father, a trusted mentor, a steadfast friend, and an eternal optimist.” ––– The family said of Iwerks.
Born July 24, 1929 in Dallas, Texas, Iwerks grew up in Southern California, where his father, animator Ub Iwerks, became Walt Disney’s business parter, co-creating Mickey Mouse and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Continue reading at DeadLine.com
Authorities in England have arrested a man in connection with the killing of right-wing British political and television personality Ann Widdecombe, after she was found dead with serious injuries at her home on Thursday.
Police said at a Friday evening news conference that a 26-year-old was apprehended in Newton Abbot, Devon. It is unlikely that the violent killing of 78-year-old Widdecombe was “a politically motivated crime,” Matt Longman, assistant chief constable at Devon and Cornwall, told the press on Friday evening. The case is not being treated as a terror attack, investigators said. Read more.
Veteran stage and screen actor Peter Van Norden, whose career spanned Broadway, film, television, and regional theater, died on July 9, 2026, at a Southern California hospice facility. He was 75. His wife, Wendy, said he passed away peacefully while facing multiple health conditions.
Van Norden was perhaps best known to movie audiences for portraying Officer Vinnie Schtulman in Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment and the White House Chief of Staff in The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear. Throughout a career that stretched across decades, he also appeared in The Accused (1988), the television adaptation of Stephen King’s The Stand (1994), and numerous television and stage productions, earning a reputation as one of Hollywood’s dependable character actors.
The theater remained at the heart of Van Norden’s career. He made his Broadway debut in Romeo and Juliet and performed with distinction at New York’s Circle in the Square Theatre and in acclaimed regional productions across the country. His final performance came in Los Angeles’ Matrix Theater production of Corktown ’39, where his portrayal of Philadelphia businessman Joe McGarrity received critical praise.
Whether on a Broadway stage, in front of a television camera, or bringing memorable supporting characters to life on the silver screen, Peter Van Norden devoted his life to the craft of acting. His performances, often understated yet unforgettable, leave behind a legacy appreciated by theatergoers, film enthusiasts, and television audiences alike.
Randolph Mantooth as Johnny Gage
Randolph Mantooth, who starred as the goofy but gallant firefighter-paramedic Johnny Gage on Emergency!, the 1970s NBC action show that changed life-saving services as we know it, has died. He was 80.
Mantooth died Thursday at a hospice facility in Ventura, California, his brother, Donald Mantooth, told The Hollywood Reporter. He had been “ill for a number of years and kept getting thinner and thinner,” he said.
Mantooth also had two stints (1987-90 and 1993-95) as Clay Alden/Alex Masters on the ABC soap opera Loving, and he appeared on other daytime serials including ABC’s General Hospital, CBS’ As the World Turns and ABC’s One Life to Live. Continue reading at The Hollywood Reporter!
Greg Hawthorne, the versatile former NFL running back, tight end, and wide receiver who was the Pittsburgh Steelers’ first-round selection in the 1979 NFL Draft and helped the franchise capture its fourth Super Bowl championship, died Wednesday. He was 69. His family announced his passing on Facebook.
A standout at Baylor University, Hawthorne was chosen with the 28th overall pick in the 1979 draft, the final selection of the first round. Although the choice surprised many at the time, he quickly became part of one of football’s greatest dynasties, earning a Super Bowl XIV championship ring during his rookie season with Pittsburgh. Over the course of his nine-year NFL career, he also played for the New England Patriots—appearing in Super Bowl XX—and finished his career with the Indianapolis Colts.
Known for his versatility, Hawthorne contributed as a running back, wide receiver, and tight end, compiling 527 rushing yards, 1,112 receiving yards, 92 receptions, and 11 total touchdowns during his professional career. His athleticism and willingness to fill multiple roles made him a valuable teammate wherever he played.
Though he entered the league amid the immense expectations that accompanied Pittsburgh’s championship era, Greg Hawthorne carved out a respected career defined by adaptability, professionalism, and perseverance. He will be remembered as a member of the Steelers’ storied Super Bowl teams and as a player whose contributions extended far beyond the statistics. Find similar news here…
Calvin Hayes, the British musician and co-founder of 1980s pop band Johnny Hates Jazz, has died at the age of 63 after collapsing at his home.
The keyboardist and drummer was found dead at his property in Washington in the US, his wife Kathy has confirmed.
Hayes rose to performing in Johnny Hates Jazz in 1986 alongside singer Clark Datchler and bassist Mike Nocito.
The band’s breakthrough came with their 1987 single Shattered Dreams, which became an international hit and reached the Top 10 in several countries. Read more…
Patricia Greene, the longest-serving cast member of BBC Radio 4 soap The Archers, has died at the age of 95.
She will be remembered for playing Jill Archer, the mother figure who was known for her lemon drizzle cake, in the programme for nearly 70 years after first appearing in 1957.
The news was announced on the Today programme, with the station’s controller Mohit Bakaya describing Greene’s contribution to the soap as “outstanding”. Continue reading…
Nicolas Johnson COURTESY OF JOHNSON FAMILY
Nicolas Johnson, the older son of prominent entertainment attorney Matt Johnson, died July 1 in a car crash. He was 28.
Johnson was killed in a single-vehicle crash in Sherman Oaks at about 1 a.m. at the intersection of Sepulveda Boulevard and Valley Meadow Road, just west of the 405 Freeway, the Canyon Newsreported. He was driving a Toyota GR86 when his car struck a curb and hit a light pole and was pronounced dead at the scene by Los Angeles Fire Department personnel.
Born on May 28, 1998, Johnson graduated from Crossroads School for Arts and Sciences in 2016 and left Los Angeles to attend Morehouse College in Atlanta, graduating magna cum laude in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. Continue reading…
Cristina Sanz, who appeared in all four seasons of A&E’s Emmy-winning 2015-19 reality series Born This Way that chronicled the lives of adults living with Down syndrome, died July 6 after suffering cardiac arrest in Long Beach, CA. She was 36.
Her death was announced by parents Mariano and Beatriz Sanz on Instagram. Continue reading.
According to his former Dutch club FC Utrecht, Van Veen was the first Ajax Cape Town coach when the club was formed in 1999 as an amalgamation of Cape Town Spurs and Seven Stars.
He stayed for the first season where Ajax finished fourth, in the best league finish by a new club and they also qualified to play the CAF Cup the next season.
Van Veen was known as ‘Mister FC Utrecht’ after playing 13 seasons at the club with 391 appearances and 154 goals. Continue reading….
Smith County Sheriff’s Deputy Gerald Atchison Jr. (left) with Sheriff Larry Smith in 2018. Atchison died Tuesday after suffering a medical emergency while on duty.
A longtime Texas deputy died Tuesday after suffering a medical emergency while on duty.
Smith County Sheriff’s Deputy Gerald Atchison Jr. was working at agency headquarters in Tyler at around 2 p.m. in his role as a property and evidence technician when he collapsed, the sheriff’s office stated in a news release posted to social media.
His colleagues began performing until medics arrived, but Atchison remained unconscious.
He was rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Atchison is thought to have suffered “a massive coronary event,” according to the sheriff’s office. Continue reading…
BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Former Romania soccer player Gabriel Muresan has died after drowning in a lake near the town where he was the mayor, local media reported on Thursday. He was 44.
The Romanian soccer federation confirmed the death of a midfielder who played nine times for the national team, including in qualifying games for the World Cup and European Championship from 2007-11.
“The Romanian Football Federation sends its most sincere condolences to the family, friends and all those who knew Gabriel Muresan,” it said.
Friends of the content creator confirmed his death in severalposts on social media on July 8.
Authorities in the Samut Prakan province of Thailand responded to a call of a man acting erratically on Tuesday afternoon at a luxury rental property, reported local outlets Bangkok Post and Thairath. When police arrived, the outlets reported, Murphy jumped into a nearby lake and swam for several minutes before appearing exhausted and drowning. Continue reading…
Harris Katleman, whose executive positions in television had him overseeing the development of such classic series as The Simpsons, NYPD Blue, CHiPS, Medical Center, In Living Color, Doogie Howser, M.D. and The Courtship of Eddie’s Father, died July 8 of natural causes in Los Angeles. He was 97. His death was announced by family. Read More
Joanna Pettet, who rose to fame as one of the tight-knit Vassar grads in Sidney Lumet’s 1966 adaptation of novelist Mary McCarthy’s bestseller The Group, died Tuesday, July 7. She was 83.
Her death was announced on Facebook by friend and former manager Pam DuBois, who noted that Pettet died on the anniversary of the death of her son (with actor and former husband Alex Cord) Damien Zachary Cord.
“We all loved Jo,” DuBois wrote. “But there was one person who loved her more. And yesterday on the 31st anniversary of his death. Damien Zach took his mother to heaven and there she will stay with him forever.”
Human Rights First mourns the passing of its beloved Chair Emeritus, William D. Zabel, and honors his outsize legacy championing human rights and social justice at home and abroad for over seven decades. A leading lawyer and towering figure in the ongoing quest to expand U.S. civil and human rights protections, Zabel was a guiding light and champion for Human Rights First from its earliest years and chaired its Board for more than 20 years. Zabel wrote the ACLU’s amicus brief in Loving v. Virginia, the case in which the Supreme Court ruled that laws prohibiting interracial marriage were unconstitutional and, in 1969, co-founded Schulte, Roth & Zabel, a leading New York-based law firm.
“Bill was one of a kind,” said Tom Bernstein, Human Rights First’s Chair Emeritus and a longtime friend of Zabel. “He was a lion who put his heart and soul into Human Rights First from day one. Over the next five decades, his joyful advocacy and steadfast commitment to the organization’s work inspired his extensive network of friends and admirers to join him in becoming human rights advocates and Human Rights First supporters.”
Zabel traveled the world on behalf of Human Rights First, participating in fact-finding missions investigating abuses in the Soviet Union, the Philippines, and China. In Pinochet’s Chile, Zabel investigated the disappearances of lawyers and judges and met Judge Carlos Cerda, who was under attack by the regime as the only judge to pursue human rights cases during that time. Zabel secured safe haven for Judge Cerda in the United States. In 1989, as the Iron Curtain came down, Zabel and Bernstein travelled to Moscow to examine the rights situation there.
“We had been friends before,” Bernstein recalled. “On that trip, we became comrades.”\
Zabel, born in Nebraska to Russian and Romanian immigrants, heard the call to activism early. Senator George McGovern, a friend of his politically-active parents, took him to the Sioux Indian Reservation in Pine Ridge where the brutal conditions left an impression. “Just like the organization he helped found, and to which he contributed so greatly, for Bill, human rights always came first,” said Lynda Clarizio, co-chair of the organization’s board of directors. Continue reading…
Franklin’s story starts remarkably early. Born in Berkeley, California, he began taking jazz piano lessons at just six years old under Dr. Herb Wong, a respected jazz journalist, disc jockey, and educator. By 14, he was already leading his own funk-jazz band, In One Piece, recording his first sessions at Ray Dobar’s House of Music in Berkeley. Before he’d even signed a major label deal, he was already working alongside John Handy, Bill Summers, Freddie Hubbard, and Marlena Shaw, building real credibility in the San Francisco jazz scene as a teenager.
He signed with CBS Records in 1978 and released his debut album, In the Center, at just 20 years old, already carrying a distinctive sound shaped by influences like McCoy Tyner, George Duke, Chick Corea, and Lonnie Liston Smith. Two years later, everything changed with You’ll Never Know and its lead single, “The Groove,” which climbed to number seven on the UK Singles Chart. The track didn’t just chart, it sparked its own dance craze in the UK called “The Freeze,” championed by DJ Chris Hill, turning Franklin into a defining voice of the era’s jazz-funk crossover sound. Read More.
Wally Funk, right, describes her flight experience as Mark Bezos, left, and Jeff Bezos, left, center, applaud in the spaceport.
In 2021, Funk was celebrated by the city of Grapevine for her historic spaceflight aboard a Blue Origin New Shepherd rocket. The mission was six decades in the making, as Funk, known as a pioneer for women in aviation and spaceflight, underwent a series of tests as part of NASA’s first human spaceflight program, “Project Mercury,” in the 1960s.
Funk was one of 13 women selected to undergo the tests, known as the “Mercury 13.” Though it is commonly held that the group of women qualified to fly in space but were excluded because of their gender, Funk was adamant she was not selected because she did not have an engineering degree. Continue reading…
Bonnie Tyler, the Welsh singer behind bombastic 1980s hits including “Total Eclipse of the Heart” and “Holding Out For A Hero,” has died. She was 75 years old. The news was shared on her website and official social media channels.
“Bonnie’s family and team are heartbroken to announce that Bonnie unexpectedly passed away last night in hospital in Portugal as a result of the illness that she was being treated for,” the statement reads.
In May, Tyler was admitted to a hospital near her home in Faro, Portugal for emergency intestinal surgery. Following the procedure, her official website announced that she had been placed in an induced coma for recovery. Continue reading…
After graduating from City College of New York in 1954 with a degree in mechanical engineering and a commission as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sonny began his engineering career with North American Aviation. When called to active duty the following year, he was assigned to the team led by Wernher von Braun in Huntsville. Following his military service, he remained with the group as an aerospace engineer and became one of the original members of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. Read More…
Phil Regan, a former All-Star pitcher who later managed the Orioles and spent decades as a pitching coach for teams including the Cubs and Mets, has died at age 89.
Regan died Wednesday, according to a report from ESPN’s Jeff Passan, citing Regan’s attorney, Matt Blit.
The righty made his MLB debut with the Tigers in 1960 and spent six seasons in Detroit before stints with the Dodgers, Cubs and White Sox. His best season came in 1966, when he went 14-1 with a 1.62 ERA and had an NL-best 21 saves during an All-Star campaign with the Dodgers that led to him being named both the Sporting News NL Reliever of the Year and the publication’s NL Comeback Player of the Year. Read More.
Rhett Bernstein – The football community is mourning the loss of Rhett Bernstein, the former Mjøndalen IF defender and Brown University standout, who passed away at the age of 38.On July 8, 2026, Mjøndalen announced Bernstein’s death, expressing condolences to his family and all those affected by the loss.
The club confirmed his passing but did not disclose a cause of death, and no additional details have been released publicly. A native of the United States, Bernstein built an impressive football career that began at Brown University, where he earned recognition as one of the program’s top defenders. In 2009, he represented Maccabi USA at the Maccabiah Games, proudly competing on the international stage. His professional career later included playing in Israel, Norway with Mjøndalen IF, and the United States with Miami FC.
Megas, the singer-songwriter widely regarded as the father of Icelandic rock and roll, has died at the age of 81. Born Magnús Þór Jónsson in Reykjavík on April 7, 1945, he passed away in July 2026 after a career spanning more than five decades that reshaped Icelandic music and literature.
An early admirer of Elvis Presley, Megas developed a love of rock and roll as a boy before immersing himself in painting, piano, and writing. By 1968 he had already published the sheet music and lyrics to 14 songs, drawing on influences like Bob Dylan and Ray Davies as he moved into songwriting as a young bohemian writer. Read More.
Merrell, who grew up in Delaware, played at Rutgers between 2009 and 2013, appearing in 32 games under head coaches Greg Schiano and Kyle Flood. He collected 79 tackles (16 for loss), including 8.5 sacks, and forced a fumble. Merrell served as a captain alongside his twin brother Jamal in 2013, when they became the second pair of brothers in program history to simultaneously serve as captains, doing so 120 years after George and Gabe Ludlow did so in the 1893 season. Read More.
Tony Rayns, the British film critic who introduced Korean cinema to global audiences, died Wednesday. He was 77.
The Busan International Film Festival announced his death on social media the same day. “Tony Rayns, who championed the value of Korean and Asian cinema to the world ahead of anyone else, has passed away. May he rest in peace,” the festival said.
Born in 1948, Rayns worked as a film critic for Sight and Sound, the magazine of the British Film Institute, and as a programmer for the London Film Festival and the Vancouver International Film Festival, continually discovering Korean films and introducing them overseas. Read More.
Kevin Chown, the versatile American bassist who spent nearly a decade touring and recording with Finnish vocalist Tarja Turunen and became a fixture across the progressive rock and metal world, has died at 56.
Born and raised in Escanaba, Michigan, Chown grew up surrounded by music thanks to a band-teacher father and piano-teacher mother, and switched from drums to bass after discovering Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones. He was performing professionally by age 15. After studying jazz at Wayne State University in Detroit, where he was named Montreux Detroit Jazz Festival’s College Jazz Soloist of the Year in 1993, Chown built a career that stretched across genres, session work and production, all while playing in the progressive metal band Edwin Dare and running his own Detroit recording studio. Read More.
Walt Whitman Odets (February 4, 1947 – July 5, 2026) was an American clinical psychologist and author. He has written about the early development, psychological and social experiences of gay men and their communities.
Odets’ earlier writing focused on the lives of men living in and surviving the early AIDSepidemic. The spring 1996 issue of Positive Impact Journal called him “an important voice in the AIDS education and prevention arena.”Odets’s 1995 study, In the Shadow of the Epidemic: Being HIV-Negative in the Age of AIDS, was listed by The New York Times as among the “Notable Books of the Year 1995.”Additionally, In the Shadow of the Epidemicwas the No. 1 bestselling book purchased by gay men in the late fall of 1995, according to The Advocate, and was confirmed as a “Gay Bestseller of 1995” by the Feminist Bookstore News.
Odets was born on February 4, 1947, in Los Angeles, California,to playwright, screenwriter and director Clifford Odets and actress Bette Grayson. The family, which included Walt’s sister Nora, two years his senior, moved to New York City in the summer of 1948. Odets and Grayson separated in October 1949 and were divorced in November 1951. In February 1954, Grayson died suddenly of pneumonia, leaving seven-year-old Walt and his disabled sister in the care of their father. In 1955, the truncated family moved back to the West Coast so that Clifford could return to screenwriting in order to make a living. He also considered California a healthier environment in which to raise children. Read More.
Clark was a standout linebacker for the Bellefontaine Chieftains from 1965 through 1968 before graduating from Bellefontaine High School in 1969. His success on the field earned him a scholarship to Michigan State University, where he became one of the nation’s top defensive players. During his collegiate career, Clark received both All-America and All-Big Ten honors while helping establish himself as one of the Spartans’ premier linebackers.
Following college, Clark fulfilled his dream of playing professional football in the National Football League. During his NFL career, he suited up for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Chicago Bears and New England Patriots. Read More.
Ski Racing Media has confirmed with people close to Lanning that TJ Lanning, a former U.S. Ski Team alpine racer remembered for his fearless approach to speed skiing, his resilience through repeated injuries and his later work as a coach, has died. He was 41.
Thomas “TJ” Lanning was born Aug. 27, 1984, in Helena, Montana, and became one of the most promising American speed skiers of his generation. He specialized in downhill, super-G and combined, bringing an aggressive, all-in style that made him one of the more compelling U.S. racers of his era.
Lanning learned to ski at a young age and emerged quickly as a standout junior racer. He competed at the 2001 and 2002 FIS Junior World Ski Championships and later represented the United States at the 2007 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in Åre, Sweden. READ MORE….
Former Afghanistan fast bowler Shapoor Zadran has died after a prolonged illness a day before his 39th birthday.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board made the announcement in a statement on Tuesday “with profound grief and deep sorrow.”
“Shapoor Zadran was one of the foundation-laying figures of Afghanistan cricket, whose dedication, passion, and unwavering commitment played a vital role in the rise and development of the game in our country.” Read More.
Brian Potter, the British songwriter and producer who teamed with Dennis Lambert on the Billy Jack theme “One Tin Soldier,” the Four Tops’ “Ain’t No Woman (Like the One I’ve Got)” and Glen Campbell’s Rhinestone Cowboy, has died. He was 87.
Potter died June 30 at a residence for seniors in Granada Hills after living with vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s for several years, his daughter, Courtney Potter, announced.
Other hits written by Lambert & Potter included 1971’s “Don’t Pull Your Love” by Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds, which made it to No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100; 1971’s “Two Divided by Love,” from The Grass Roots; 1974’s “Dream On,” by The Righteous Brothers; and 1975’s “It Only Takes a Minute” by Tavares, which peaked at No. 10. Read More.
Moritz de Hadeln, a pioneering industry professional who led the Berlin, Venice and Locarno Film Festivals, died July 4 of complications from a scheduled medical procedure. He was 85.
Reps close to de Hadeln’s family confirmed the news to Deadline.De Hadeln was born in the UK city of Exeter on December 21, 1940, the son of former WWII intelligence officer-turned-art book publisher Harry Hudson and Romanian French artist Alexandra Bălăceanu. READ MORE.
The Rev. Ed King, a United Methodist Church minister and co-founder of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic
Party (MFDP), is remembered by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History as a key figure in the Civil Rights Movement.
King died July 4, 2026, at the age of 89.
Born Ralph Edwin King, he joined the ministry as a young man and enrolled at Boston University, where he volunteered for civil rights causes. In 1963, he accepted a position as chaplain at Tougaloo College and joined the Jackson Freedom Movement, organizing a downtown Jackson boycott with Mississippi NAACP field secretary Medgar Wiley Evers and John Salter, a professor at Tougaloo College. King served as an “observer” during the 1963 Jackson Woolworth sit-in, reporting the demonstration’s ensuing violence to Evers. Read more.
FORT MILL, S.C. — Al Holland, used primarily as a reliever during his 10-year career in the major leagues, died on July 4, his son confirmed. He was 73.
Al Holland Jr. confirmed that his father died in Fort Mill, South Carolina, according to the North Carolina A&T baseball website.
The elder Holland is a member of the North Carolina A&T Sports (1994) and Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Halls of Fame (1993), the school said.
The Philliesannounced Holland’s death in a statement on X on Monday.
“The Phillies are saddened to learn of the passing of Al Holland, who spent parts of three seasons with the club from 1983-85,” the statement said. “As a dominant closer, Al was an integral part of the team’s winning the National League pennant in 1983 and was an All-Star in 1984. The club and fans are forever grateful for his contributions and the legacy he leaves behind in Philadelphia.” Read More.
JOHNNY GINGER ACTOR DIES
Galen Grindle, the beloved Detroit television personality known to generations of local kids as Johnny Ginger, has died. He was 92.
Grindle died on July 5, 2026. His death was announced by his former station, WXYZ Detroit.
Born on June 16, 1934 in Toledo, Ohio, Grindle grew up in a Vaudeville family act alongside his parents Ray and Edna and his tap-dancing brother Kenny, performing at Toledo’s Paramount Theater. His career began almost by accident when the family brought young Galen onstage to sing “Sonny Boy” and he became an instant hit. As a teenager, he built on that early spark performing stand-up comedy in clubs across Toledo, Detroit, and Canada. Read More.
Louise Lasser, whose pig-tailed braids, bangs and baby-doll gingham dresses took the nation by storm when they became her trademark look on Norman Lear‘s Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman in the 1970s, died Monday at her home in Manhattan. She was 87.
Her death was reported by her friend Susan Charlotte to The New York Times.
Initially making her name in early Woody Allen films — the two married in 1966 and divorced four years later — Lasser employed a droll, deadpan comic delivery to great effect not only in Allen’s Take the Money and Run, Bananas and Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex (But Were Afraid to Ask) but in buzzy commercials for NyQuil and Excedrin. Read More.
Renowned Quebec actorMarc Messier passed away on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, at the age of 78, leaving behind his three children, Gabrielle, Félix, and Jeanne, along with generations of grieving fans across the province.
The prolific performer sustained a career spanning over 50 years, transitioning from an athletic childhood of hockey and swimming in Granby to becoming one of Quebec’s most recognizable cultural figures. Messier achieved legendary status through his roles as Réjean in La petite vie, Marc Gagnon in Lance et compte, and Bob Chicoine in the Les Boys franchise, alongside a 38-year run in the theatrical comedy Broue. READ MORE.
Sprinter Asafa Powell, left, stands with his coach Stephen Francis as he poses with his Chairman Award for being named Jamaica Sportsman for 2005, Feb. 23, 2006 in Kingston, Jamaica. (AP Photo/Collin Reid, File)
KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) — Stephen Francis, the influential Jamaican track and field coach whose athletes won Olympic and world titles and helped turn the small Caribbean island into a sprinting powerhouse, has died, his club said Sunday. He was 64.
The training group Francis co-founded in 1999, the Maximising Velocity & Power Track & Field Club, or MVP, became one of the sport’s premier training centers, producing generations of Olympic champions and world record holders. The club said Sunday that Francis had died late Saturday but did not disclose a cause of death. Read More.
After receiving a call reporting shots fired, officers from the Rittman Police Department, Medina County Sheriff’s Office, and Wayne County Sheriff’s Office arrived at the scene, where they were immediately fired upon. Sergeant Ries and four Medina County Sheriff’s officers were struck. Sergeant Ries succumbed to his injuries at the scene.
Two deputies were transported to a local hospital in stable condition, two others were treated at the scene, and a Wayne County Sheriff’s Office K-9 who was shot during the incident remains in serious condition at a local animal hospital. Two other individuals were also killed during the incident. Read More.
After ASU, he was drafted in the ninth round by the Twins in 1977 and made his MLB debut on June 3, 1978, winning his start against the Detroit Tigers. Jackson spent all five years with the Twins before a career-ending arm injury at 27 years old.
The Los Angeles native pitched for the Sun Devils from 1974-77, including three College World Series appearances. The left-hander helped secure the national championship by throwing a three-hit shutout in the semifinals of the 1977 CWS. Read More.
George E. Johnson, who founded Johnson Products Company, and along with it a new universe of hair care products tailored to Black consumers, died Monday morning.
He died from natural causes at his Downtown Chicago condo, said his son John Edward Johnson. He was 99.
“I think his legacy as a businessman and philanthropist speaks for itself,” his son said.
The Tudors star Slaine Kelly has died “peacefully” at home, aged 43, surrounded by her family, following a battle with cancer. The mum of one’s death was confirmed by her family in a notice on obituary site RIP.ie.
It read: “Slaine Kelly … passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by her loving family. Beloved daughter of Marion and Joe Kelly. Cherished mother of Knox, much-loved sister of Darragh and sister-in-law of Mags and adored aunt of Eliza. Read More…
Mike Wallace, a self-proclaimed radical historian whose magisterial, unvarnished biography of New York, “Gotham,” written
with Edwin G. Burrows, won the Pulitzer Prize and inspired two more door-stopper volumes about the city, died on Sunday in Mexico City. He was 83.
His death, in a hospital, was confirmed in a statement by his wife, Carmen Boullosa, a poet and playwright. She said he had been suffering from Lewy body dementia. Read More…
JON DYMOND has left this earth this morning and is on his New Musical Journey with ALL the other Musicians, His Family Members, Friends and ANGELS.
Jon Dymond was an outstanding Bass Player and Vocalist. Oh so much Musical Talent Jon had and now he has joined the Heavens with this Talent.
Jon played in many Bands throughout his Musical Career. Jon has been in the Skunks, Bootleggers, Larry Lynne Band, Larry Lynne Revue, Larry Lynne Decades Band with me for over 24 Years. Gone Too Soon
We had such a great time playing at Mole Lake Casino and on the Road. Jon’s voice was so powerful that night ! Jon’s Last Song he Sang was “Does Anybody Really Know Time It is?” We believe Jon knew what time it really was and that was his message to ALL of US. We will miss you, Jon
As days go by Please Keep Jon’s Wife, Nancy in your Prayers as Nancy copes with her loss of her Husband, Jon.
Until we meet again Jon, we will listen for your SMOOTH TWANG of your Bass you played.
On a few Notes we are going to miss with Jon: If we could not find a piece of equipment at the end of the night, Jon’s Famous Words were: “Don’t worry about it, I put it on EBay already !”
Jon was our Stage Apparel Chief: “Boys, this is your apparel, Black Sequin Jacket, Black Shirt, White Bolo…
Jon, Please watch over ALL of US especially your Wife, Nancy & Georgie (your cat).
Jon – It’s Not Good Bye – It’s See YOU Later Our Musical Brother
R.I.P. Jon – Musically Yours, Larry Lynne, James Aubrey, Chris Eddie Davis. READ MORE….
July 4, 2026
Joby Baker in 1967 on
‘Good Morning World’ CBS via Getty Images
Joby Baker, whose presence on television and in film throughout the 1960s and ’70s made him one of the era’s more familiar faces in both drama and light comic fare, died June 22 of natural causes in Mount Kisco, New York. He was 92.
His death, announced to Deadline by his family, came just 10 days after that of Ronnie Schell, Baker’s co-star in the short-lived but fondly remembered 1967 sitcom Good Morning World. The CBS single-season comedy featured Baker and Schell as a morning drive radio disc jockey duo and best friends though of differing temperaments. Goldie Hawn also was a cast member. Read More…
Doreen C. Broadnax, known professionally as Sparky D, or spelled Sparky Dee (June 2, 1965 – July 2026) was an American hip–hop musician and rapper. Broadnax is noted as one of the first female battle rappers, first gaining attention through the Roxanne Wars; when she responded to Roxanne Shante’s “Roxanne’s Revenge” with “Sparky’s Turn (Roxanne, You’re Through)” in 1985.
Robert B. Sloan Jr., president of Houston Christian University, died at age 77 on July 4, 2026, after leading the institution for nearly two decades.(Michael A. Tims, Houston Christian University)
HOUSTON – Houston Christian University President Robert B. Sloan Jr. has died, the university announced Saturday. He was 77.
HCU Board Chairman Ramiro Peña said Sloan’s death was sudden and happened Saturday morning. In a statement to the university community, Peña credited Sloan with steering HCU through what he called its most consequential years, pointing to growth in enrollment and academic offerings, new construction and campus expansion, and increased national visibility.
Hip-hop Pioneer Doreen Broadnax, known professionally as Sparky D has reportedly passed away at the age of 61. Sparky D who helped shaped the early days hip-hop, during the legendary Roxanne wars of the mid 1980s, with a series of battle records. She later dedicated herself to Gospel Music and ministry, inspiring others through her faith and testimony. Read more.
Trevor Fishlock – Renowned reporter, author and broadcaster Trevor Fishlock has died. He wrote several books on Wales and was best-known for his long-running television series Fishlock’s Wild Tracks and Fishlock’s Wales.
The former foreign correspondent adopted Wales as his home after a career covering more than 60 countries. He was celebrated for his knowledge of Welsh history and creating engaging documentaries.
Zoe Thomas, Head of News and Programmes At ITV Cymru Wales, said: “ITV Cymru Wales is deeply saddened by the passing of legendary journalist, author, and broadcaster Trevor Fishlock.
“As a master storyteller, Trevor brought warmth, intellect, and humanity to Welsh broadcasting, capturing the heart of the nation through his acclaimed series Wild Tracks and Fishlock’s Wales.”
His books on Wales included ‘Wales and the Welsh’, ‘Talking of Wales’, ‘Fishlock’s Wild Tracks’, ‘Senedd’, ‘IOn This Place: The National Library of Wales’ and ‘Pembrokeshire: Journeys and Stories’.
Born in Hereford in 1941 Trevor moved to Cardiff as a correspondent for The Times in the 1970s and adopted Wales as his home. READ-MORE
Dave Stimson, co-founder of the pioneering ’80s hardcore punk zine, record label, and distribution company Touch & Go, has died. Stimson reportedly passed away Wednesday. Touch & Go’s Corey Rusk posted the news to the label’s Instagram account today along with a tribute to Stimson.
Today is a sad day. Touch and Go co-founder Dave Stimson has passed away. I spent last night reminiscing and telling DS stories with Tesco. Bittersweet. Back in the Touch and Go Fanzine days, Tesco was the master of verbose storytelling. Although Dave was his linguistically minimalist counterpart, Dave could convey as much with a dry, condensed sentence as Tesco could in a full page. He was funny in a very different manner from Tesco. Together, they were like cool older brothers to us guys in the Necros (who were still in high school when we met Dave and Tesco). They put us on the cover of their fanzine, started a label (which I quickly joined them in running) to put out our records, and got us opening slots at Lansing’s Club DooBee with Black Flag and DOA at the start of 1981. Legends… both of them.
Stimson and the Meatmen’s Tesco Vee launched the Touch & Go zine together in 1979. Stimson and Vee, elementary school teachers in Lansing, Michigan, published button-pushing humor and reviews of records by punk bands. As related in Michael Azerrad’s Our Band Could Be Your Life, their review of the debut Teen Idles single helped build a buzz around Dischord Records that helped the label to continue as a going concern. READ MORE…
Trainer John Parisella won more than 1,200 races and more than $23 million during his career.
John Parisella, a man with a big personality, who was dubbed “trainer to the stars,” and a winner of more than 1,200 races in a four-decade-plus career, died Friday in a hospital in Long Island, N.Y., according to his ex-wife Melissa. He was 85.
Parisella was born in Brooklyn and attended St. John’s University. He got into the sport as an assistant to trainer Tommy Gullo on the New York circuit and, according to Equibase, started training horses in 1969. He won 1,241 races and his horses earned more than $23 million purses before Parisella saddled his last horse in 2016.
Parisella trained a large number of graded stakes winners that included Simply Majestic, Chapel of Dreams, Chieftain’s Command, Am Capable, Danzig’s Dance, Raja’s Shark, Kamikaze Rick, Fray Star, Don Rickes, Fight Over and Jones Time Machine. Fight Over finished third in the 1984 Preakness. Simply Majestic finished third in the 1988 Breeders’ Cup Mile.
Parisella’s uncle Joe Scanadore was the manager for comedian Don Rickles. Through that relationship, Parisella was introduced to a number of Hollywood stars. He trained for some including James Caan, Jack Klugman, and Telly Savalas. Read More…
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Lam Wing-kee, a former Hong Kong bookseller who became a symbol of resistance to Beijing’s crackdown on speech freedom after he was seized by Chinese authorities in late 2015, has died in Taiwan, the island’s official Central News Agency reported, citing an unnamed source.
The news agency didn’t give a cause of death but said the 70-year-old Lam had a cancer relapse last year and was admitted to MacKay Memorial Hospital in Taipei on Tuesday. He fell into a coma on Wednesday and died Thursday evening, according to the report.
Kjell Nilsson, the Swedish born weightlifter and actor best known for playing the villainous masked marauder Lord Humungus in the classic 1981 Mad Max film The Road Warrior, died in Queensland, Australia, Thursday, July 2, following a four-year battle with kidney disease. He was 76.
Glass, who has played with a number of acclaimed metal bands over the past four decades, including SOIL, BROKEN HOPE, SINDROME, TERMINAL DEATH, DIRGE WITHIN, THE BLOODLINE and, more recently, REPENTANCE, passed away on July 1, a month after suffering a stroke at his Illinois home that he shared with his wife Michelle and their 13-year-old son Maddux.
Michelle shared the news of Shaun‘s death in a social media post on Wednesday (July 1). She wrote: “It is with an extremely heavy heart that I share that Shaun passed away this morning after suffering a medical emergency on May 31.
“Shaun and I met in 2003 and married in 2010. In 2012, we welcomed our son — Shaun‘s pride and joy, as anyone who knew him well already knows.
“Our lives will never be the same. We are devastated, and we ask for privacy and respect as our family begins to navigate this unimaginable loss.” Read More.
The two schools announced his death in statements Friday. No cause was given.
“We are saddened to learn of the passing of Coach Walden,” Cougars athletic director Jon Haarlow said. “He will forever be remembered as a great Coug who deeply loved Washington State. Our heart is with Coach Walden’s family, friends and all the former players whose lives he positively impacted.”
Walden was born and raised in Aberdeen, Mississippi, and played quarterback in junior college before transferring to Wyoming, where he played for future Nebraska coach Bob Devaney. He led the Cowboys to two championships in the old Skyline Conference.
The singer and guitarist died Thursday of natural causes, entertainment promoter and manager Brian Edwards confirmed to CBC News.
Hunter was 89.Born on March 20, 1937, in London, Ont., Hunter got an early start as an entertainer. He began taking guitar lessons at around nine years old, which soon led to him booking gigs, playing in churches and eventually landing on the radio.
He joined CBC’s Country Hoedown in 1956 as a rhythm guitarist before making his biggest mark: hosting The Tommy Hunter Show, which debuted as a radio show before transitioning to television. That series ran for 27 years, going off the airwaves in 1992. Read More.
Canada’s Oldest Draq Queen Russell Alldread, aka Michelle DuBarry, Has Passed.
Russell Peters Alldread, AKA Anita Modé, AKA Michelle DuBarry, Canada’s Oldest Drag Queen has passed away. November 23, 1931 – July 1, 2026
Russell was born and raised in Bowmanville, Ontario. But he was reinvented as first Anita, then our beloved Michelle, in Toronto, Canada. This is where he found his community, his people, his tribe, and lived for the remainder of his life.
He spent his remaining years at Heritage Nursing home, and his final days at Rekai Sherbourne. He will be missed.
She will be remembered.
The official Celebration of Life will take place at Woody’s on Church Str. in Toronto, Canada. Date to be announced soon. All are welcome. Read More.
July 2, 2026
Moritz Borman, a veteran producer whose credits include several Oliver Stonemovies along with Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Terminator Salvation, The Crow: Salvation and others, died July 1 in Munich, where his upcoming film was being shot. He was 71.
According to a statement from Mitchell’s family provided to KBTX, his death was “sudden and unexpected.”
“As we begin to process this heartbreaking loss, we ask for your continued prayers as we await additional answers in the days ahead,” the statement read, in part. “We trust that God will continue to surround our family with His peace, grace, and strength as we navigate this difficult journey.”
Mitchell was a member of the “Wrecking Crew” defense from 1993-96, including the 1993 Southwest Conference champion squad. He earned All-SWC honors in 1995, followed by an All-Big 12 nod in 1996 to go along with his College Football News All-America selection. Read More…
The news of the death of Hikaru Kurosaki, Japanese actor who marked generations as the hero Jaspion, has been confirmed. The artist was 64 years old and the information was published by the ZakII portal, part of the Sankei group in Japan.
The work “The Fantastic Jaspion”, a Japanese series in the tokusatsu genre, which combines action with real actors and visual effects, was produced by Toei. Its debut in Brazil in 1988 transformed it into a true cultural phenomenon, opening doors for the popularization of several other Japanese productions on Brazilian television.
The official statement about Kurosaki’s death was made by a colleague from the Diving Association in the city of Motobu, located in Okinawa Prefecture, through a post on the social network Facebook. Read More.
A truly gifted rider who became a household name in the 1980s, he was no stranger to trouble either and won a massive fanbase as a larger-than-life character on and off the racecourse.
Born near Wetherby in 1960, Bradley, whose dad Norman was a famous trainer, would ride more than 700 winners in a 22-year career which included the Gold Cup, Champion Hurdle and Irish Grand National. 1983 victory aboard 100-30 fav Bregawn at Cheltenham went down in history for trainer Michael Dickinson saddling the first five home – a feat unmatched to this day.
And his unforgettable 1996 Champion Hurdle win came after he was jocked off favourite Alderbrook after turning up late for a training session. Read More.
LeRoy Irvin, a first-team All-Pro at both cornerback and punt returner with the Rams in the 1980s, has died at the age of 68.
The Rams announced Irvin’s death today, and among those remembering him are former teammate Eric Dickerson, who posted about him on social media this morning.
“Devastated to hear about the passing of my brother, teammate, and Rams legend Leroy Irvin. Leroy wasn’t just a lockdown corner and a fierce competitor on the field; he was a true friend and a great man who always brought incredible energy. Rest in peace, my brother. Sending my thoughts and prayers to the Irvin family and all of Rams Nation,” Dickerson wrote. READ MORE.
A national hero, Momand died from cancer on June 21 in a hospital in Stuttgart, Germany, where he had lived since leaving Afghanistan in 1992 during the civil war.
“I am deeply saddened by the sudden death of Afghanistan’s first and only astronaut, Abdul Ahad Momand,” former President Ashraf Ghani wrote on X. “I pray to God to grant Momand a high place in heaven, and I extend my deepest condolences to his wife, children, and other family members.” Read More.
Mihovk-Rosenacker Funeral Homes in Cincinnati said he died June 28 but did not provide a cause of death.Born on November 24, 1939, Baumes served in the U.S. Navy before launching a career in show business in the early 1970s. He worked as a writer and/or producer on some TV movies before serving as an associate to the executive producer of CBS’ 1972-73 interfaith romance sitcom Bridget Loves Bernie. Baumes continued to work on telefilms before becoming an executive producer on the superhero series Wonder Woman.
Arbel served as state attorney from 1994 to 2004, after which she served on the Supreme Court until 2014.
She was born in Jerusalem in 1944 to a Czech-born father, Yitzhak, and a Hungarian-born mother, Tova.
Arbel was admitted to the bar in 1969 and worked for a few years at Tel Aviv’s Hayak law firm before joining the Central District Office of the State Attorney in 1972, and eventually became district attorney in 1984. Read More…
Texas-born Willis was a co-founder and the original lead singer for the band, whose hit singles included “Y.M.C.A.,” “Go West” and “In the Navy.”
Willis left the group in 1979 in hope of embarking on a solo career before he re-formed the flamboyant disco band in 2017, leading to disputes with some of his former bandmates.
Willis had said he got thousands of complaints about the use of the song at Trump’s events and had decided to ask him “to stop using Y.M.C.A. because his use had become a nuisance to me.”
He said he wrote the lyrics based on “the things I knew about the Y in the urban areas of San Francisco such as swimming, basketball, track, and cheap food and cheap rooms.” READ MORE...
SCHUYLKILL COUNTY, Pa. (WHP) — A Pennsylvania State Police trooper was killed Wednesday morning after he was struck by a tractor-railer while conducting an inspection on the side of I-81
“The man died a hero,” Bivens said. “He was an outstanding trooper.”
Gov. Josh Shapiro confirmed the driver was being treated at Lehigh Valley Hospital. Their condition is unclear at this time.Shapiro said flags will fly at half-staff to honor Pahira’s service.
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