DEATHS ; Notable Passings; The Thread to Pay Last Respects

[Fading Fast]

Tom Wolfe - author of "The Right Stuff" and many others successful books and novels passed away today at 87.

Talented writer - wrote page turners that were also intelligent.

 

[Frunobulax]

Tom Wolfe - author of "The Right Stuff" and many others successful books and novels passed away today at 87.

Talented writer - wrote page turners that were also intelligent.

I need to catch up with his later works. My copy of EKAAT was pretty much worn out by me and some friends passing it around. And the opening pages of Bonfire is some of the funniest stuff I've ever read.


Sent directly from my mind to yours.

 

[Doctor Strange]

Bill Gold, the artist behind lots of classic movie posters - the NYT obit includes a slide show:

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/20/obituaries/bill-gold-dead-movie-posters.html

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/bill-gold-dead-master-movie-poster-was-97-1111346

 

[LizzieMaine]

Artist Robert Indiana has died at his secluded island home in Penobscot Bay at the age of 89. A former sign painter, Indiana specialized in bold graphic images such as his famous square LOVE sculpture that became a prominent symbol of the pop-art movement. He came to Maine in the 1970s following the example of his idol Marsden Hartley, and spent his later years living in a former Masonic lodge hall on the island of Vinalhaven. His last days have been clouded by charges that he was being essentially held prisoner in his own home and ruthlessly exploited by his handlers, and a federal lawsuit on those charges was filed last week.

Indiana's work is popular in my town, where his EAT sign, created for the 1964 New York World's Fair, is displayed seasonally on the roof of the Farnsworth Art Museum, where staff are constantly fending off inquiries from disoriented tourists who think the museum must be a restaurant.

 

[AmateisGal]

Clint Walker has died. He was probably best known for his TV show, Cheyenne, but he also appeared in lots of other films, including The Dirty Dozen. He was 90.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Stage and screen star Patricia Morison died Sunday at the age of 103. Although her career on the Broadway stage went back to 1933, and she had small success in films as a second-tier player at Paramount and Fox, she hit the jackpot in 1949 as the female lead in the original Broadway cast of Cole Porter's immortal "Kiss Me Kate," a role to which she'd return time and again in revivals, touring shows, and television productions. She was still active on stage into the mid-2010s.

 

[Lean'n'mean]

World renowned American author, Philip Roth, died yesterday (22nd), aged 85.

 

[Frunobulax]

Clint Walker has died. He was probably best known for his TV show, Cheyenne, but he also appeared in lots of other films, including The Dirty Dozen. He was 90.

A bit surprised he was still with us; haven't heard of him in some time. I remember when he had that skiing accident and pierced his heart.

RIP, Posey.


Sent directly from my mind to yours.

 

[LizzieMaine]

World renowned American author, Philip Roth, died yesterday (22nd), aged 85.

His "The Plot Against America," which pictures a Fascist takeover in the US beginning with the election of President Charles A. Lindbergh in 1940 is one of the most fascinating "alternate history" novels I've ever read, and one that doesn't get the attention it deserves. It goes off the rails at the very end, but the bulk of the book is absolutely chilling in the matter-of-fact way it sets up its projection of how it Could Have Happened Here.

 

[Fading Fast]

I have a lot of issues with Roth's politics and some with his writing, but here's the truth, I was almost always deeply engaged with the books of his that I read - and I remember and reflect on them often - that says a lot about his immense talent.

 

[kaiser]

His "The Plot Against America," which pictures a Fascist takeover in the US beginning with the election of President Charles A. Lindbergh in 1940 is one of the most fascinating "alternate history" novels I've ever read, and one that doesn't get the attention it deserves. It goes off the rails at the very end, but the bulk of the book is absolutely chilling in the matter-of-fact way it sets up its projection of how it Could Have Happened Here.

The German press picked on this and suggested this book predicted Donald Trump.

 

[Lean'n'mean]

Astronaut (among many other things) Alan Bean, the 4th man to walk on the moon, has died aged 86.
He also dabbled in the fine arts.

 

[TimeWarpWife]

Sadly, fashion designer Kate Spade was found dead in her NYC apartment of an apparent suicide. I could never afford her handbags, but some of them were really cute and vintage looking. She leaves behind a husband and 13 year old daughter.

 

[Tiki Tom]

Jerry Maren has died at age 99. He had a noteworthy role in the "Wizard of Oz." RIP.

https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainmen...-wizard-oz-munchkin-jerry-maren-dies-55701354

 

[BobHufford]

Anthony Bourdain dead at 61...

https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/08/us/anthony-bourdain-obit/index.html

I liked him. He reminded me a lot of a former roommate and co-worker back when I was in the restaurant business.

 

[AbbaDatDeHat]

So very sad.
This man who came from meager beginnings, fought and overcame addiction, rose to the pinnacle as a chef and storyteller of the world, inspired peace and commonality among men and nations, helped all who watched him go on adventures and learn of the world most never knew. He seemed like the big brother we always wanted.
I will miss his vagabond adventure and spirit.
So sad.

 

[Trenchfriend]

RIP, Danny Kirwan.

 

[MisterCairo]

The first "Bond Girl", and the only one to appear in more than one film, Eunice Gayson ("Trench. Sylvia Trench." using the classic Bondian name format before Connery's first ever "Bond. James Bond." in Dr. No) has died, aged 90:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-44425293

https://www.steynonline.com/8695/trenchant-dialogue

 

[HudsonHawk]

Long-time blues guitarist Matt "Guitar" Murphy has died. Murphy is probably best known to contemporary audiences as a member of The Blues Brothers band, appearing in the movie as band member and husband of soul food restauranteur Aretha Franklin. In the real world Murphy was a legendary sideman, playing with blues royalty such as Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, and James Cotton. Murphy was 88.

 

[Just Jim]

Ah man, that's sad news.