Ed Asner, Emmy-Winning Star of ‘Lou Grant’ and ‘Up,’ Dies at 91 Ed Asner, the burly character actor who won seven Emmy Awards — five of them for playing the same character, the gruff but lovable newsman Lou Grant, introduced on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” — and later starred in film hits like “Up” and “Elf” — died on Sunday at his home in Tarzana, Calif. He passed away peacefully surrounded by family. He was 91
Norm Macdonald, comedian and 'Saturday Night Live' alum, dies at 61 Macdonald had been battling cancer for several years but kept his diagnosis private, his friend and producing partner, Lori Jo Hoekstra, told CNN in a statement. "He was most proud of his comedy. He never wanted the diagnosis to affect the way the audience or any of his loved ones saw him," Hoekstra said. "Norm was a pure comic. He once wrote that 'a joke should catch someone by surprise, it should never pander.' He certainly never pandered. Norm will be missed terribly." Born in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada, he started in entertainment as a standup comedian who worked the Ottawa club circuit before branching out to clubs across Canada.
RIP John Shelby Spong. A man I admired for his sincerity even if he sometimes say things that were factually wrong. Someone ahead of his time, like Bishop James Pike was. RIP: John Shelby Spong, former Newark bishop who pushed for LGBTQ+ inclusion, dies at 90
Tommy Kirk, Former Disney Teen Idol, Is Dead at 79 Tommy Kirk, the former Disney star of such films as Old Yeller and Swiss Family Robinson, has died. He was 79. Kirk was huge for Disney, as big or bigger than Kirk Douglas, until a 1964 drug arrest and rumors of his homosexuality changed his image. Kirk came out as gay in 1973. “I knew I was gay, but I had no outlet for my feelings. It was very hard to meet people and, at that time, there was no place to go to socialize,” Kirk said in Filmways magazine in 1993. It wasn’t until the early ’60s that I began to hear of places where gays congregated. The lifestyle was not recognized and I was very, very lonely.” Kirk said he didn’t blame the studios for not wanting to work with him after his struggles with drugs. “I want to be remembered for my Disney work,” Kirk said when he became a Disney Legend in 2006. Many of Kirk’s Disney films can be found on Disney+, such as The Shaggy Dog, The Absent Minded Professor, Old Yeller, and Swiss Family Robinson.
Myron Dewey, Who Documented Resistance to Dakota Access Pipeline, Killed in Car Accident | Democracy Now!
Ricarlo Flanagan, 'Shameless' actor, dead at 40: report Ricarlo Flanagan, the actor, rapper and stand-up comedian best known for "Shameless" and being a semifinalist on Season 9 of "Last Comic Standing," has died at age 40. Flanagan’s agent, Stu Golfman of KMR Talent confirmed the news of his death to Deadline with a statement that read: "Ricarlo was one of the nicest people I have ever met in my life and a joy to work for. He will be missed dearly." An official cause of death was not given. However, Flanagan had posted to Twitter on Oct. 1 revealing to his followers that he had contracted the coronavirus.
Cause of Death Nesmith died of heart failure on Friday in Carmel Valley, California, a rep for the star confirms to PEOPLE. "With Infinite Love we announce that Michael Nesmith has passed away this morning in his home, surrounded by family, peacefully and of natural causes," his family told Rolling Stone in a statement. "We ask that you respect our privacy at this time and we thank you for the love and light that all of you have shown him and us." A native of Texas, Nesmith wrote many popular songs for the television pop-rock group, including "Mary, Mary," "Circle Sky," "Listen to the Band" and "The Girl I Knew Somewhere." He also had a 1970 hit on his own with "Joanne," which he recorded with his post-Monkees project the First National Band. After joining the Monkees in 1965, Nesmith told Rolling Stone in 2012 that he was never quite as fond of his time with the band as frontman Davy Jones was, referring to Jones as the leading man and him and his other groupmates, Peter Tork and Micky Dolenz, as the "side men." "It was nonstop from the moment the show aired, so there was a constant hyper-interest in the group of us," he said of living life under a microscope during the band's peak. "The meter was maxxed and stayed that way for a couple of years."
Stand-up comedian - a very funny man !!! Jethro has died !!! Comedian Jethro dies at 73 after contracting Covid Kerri-Ann Roper and Rod Minchin, PA 15 December 2021, 10:17 am Cornish comedian Jethro, real name Geoffrey Rowe, has died at the age of 73, his family has announced. A statement posted on Facebook said he died on December 14 after contracting Covid-19. It read: “It is with tremendous sadness that we announce the passing of the well known and popular Cornish comedian Jethro. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here to do so. “Tragically Jethro passed away on 14th December 2021 after contracting Covid-19. “Jethro leaves behind his life partner Jennie, sons Jesse and Lanyon, step daughter Sarah, daughter-in-law Stacey and of course his much loved grandchildren. “We ask that you respect our privacy at this very sad time and give us all time to grieve. “We will continue to support each other in the knowledge that our lives will never be the same without him.” The comedy star was double jabbed and had had a booster vaccination, the PA news agency understands. Born in St Buryan in Cornwall, the stand-up’s stage name Jethro was reportedly inspired by a character of the same name from American sitcom The Beverly Hillbillies. Throughout the 1980s he built a following in Cornwall and Devon, before making a national television performance in 1990 on the Des O’Connor Show. In 2001, he appeared on the Royal Variety Show and went on to become one of the biggest stars from Cornwall. In February 2020, he announced on social media he was “hanging up my mic” and retiring from the comedy circuit. However, he promised to honour his upcoming tour dates although they were later postponed due to the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. Comedian Jim Davidson was among the people paying tribute to him, tweeting: “My good friend Jethro has left us. RIP Jethro, you will be greatly missed.” Comedy impressionist Danny Posthill added: “I remember when I first started showing an interest in comedy and I used to buy stand-up shows on VHS with my paper round money. “Lee Evans, Chubby Brown, Jim Davidson, Jimmy Jones and Jethro. Sadly today one of those legends have left us. RIP Jethro. Thanks for the laughs.” Fellow stand-up Richard Herring and Welsh tenor Paul Potts also paid tribute to the comic.
Interview with the Vampire Author Anne Rice Dies at 80 Due to Complications from Stroke Interview with the Vampire Author Anne Rice Dies at 80 Due to Complications from Stroke Anne Rice will be buried in a family mausoleum at Metairie Cemetery in New Orleans in a private ceremony following her death on Saturday Anne Rice, the beloved author behind the 1976 novel Interview with the Vampire, has died. She was 80. On Saturday evening, Anne's son, Christopher Rice, announced her death in a social media statement shared on Facebook. Christopher said his mother died of complications from a stroke and will be buried in a family mausoleum at Metairie Cemetery in New Orleans in a private ceremony. A public memorial is also planned for sometime next year in the Louisiana city, Christopher added. In his Facebook statement, Christoper wrote that Anne "left us almost 19 years to the day my father, her husband Stan, died." "The immensity of our family's grief cannot be overstated," he added. Christoper also wrote that Anne was surrounded by her family before her death. "In her final hours, I sat beside her hospital bed in awe of her accomplishments and her courage, awash in memories of a life that took us from the fog laced hills of the San Francisco Bay Area to the magical streets of New Orleans to the twinkling vistas of Southern California," Christopher shared. "As she kissed Anne goodbye, her younger sister Karen said, 'What a ride you took us on, kid.' I think we can all agree," he continued. Born in New Orleans on Oct. 4, 1941, Anne's biggest success was her debut novel, Interview with the Vampire. Lestat, the main character in the book, would later become an important part of her The Vampire Chronicles series. In 1997, Anne's novel was turned into a film starring Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Antonio Banderas, Christian Slater, and Kirsten Dunst. Anne adapted the screenplay from her book and the film went on to earn two Oscar nominations. Earlier this year, AMC announced that it had moved ahead with plans for a scripted television series based on Anne's popular novel, per The Hollywood Reporter. The show is scheduled to premiere sometime next year. Alongside Interview with the Vampire, and it's subsequent sequels, Anne also penned a pair of historical novels — 1979's The Feast of All Saints and 1982's Cry to Heaven — and an erotic Sleeping Beauty series, among others.
Desmond Tutu - The world has lost a huge Anti-Apartheid freedom fighter, and a champion of the anti-poverty movement !!!
RIP T. Mark Taylor, who also worked on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, died at his home in Southern California of congestive heart failure, according to the Associated Press. He was 80. He-Man was based on Taylor’s vision of Cro-Magnon men, and Vikings, Taylor once said, according to the AP. More than 70 million Masters of the Universe action figures flew off the shelves in the first 2.5 years of the brand, which launched in 1982, according to reports.
