DEATHS ; Notable Passings; The Thread to Pay Last Respects

[Old Rogue]

I grew up with the repeats in the late Seventies / early Eighties. And watched them all again in the late nineties. Not only did they still hold up, but the true anarchy and cleverness of the humour was even more apparent - so much went over my head as a kid. (Peter stealing towels from the hotel in episode one with the thought bubble "everyone does it!" - you'd never get away with that today.... ha....). I also went to see them on their reunion tour in 1997 - the only reunion tour they did with all four original members. It was amazing.

I would have loved to have seen them during that tour. And you're absolutely right about the humor in the original show. On the surface it appears corny, but there are many subtle layers and it's actually fairly sophisticated. It does tend to make the shows hold up well after all these years.

 

[dhermann1]

Well, Rock impresario Don Kirschner is the man who "invented" the Monkees. He knew what he was doing. Sadly, they didn't appreciate him. They all, especially Mike Nesmith, wanted to do their own music and be a "real" band. This urge wound up tearing them apart very quickly.

 

[MrBern]

Rip strange

Billy Strange, ’60s Session Guitarist, Dies at 81

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/25/arts/music/billy-strange-60s-session-guitarist-dies-at-81.html?ref=obituaries

 

[Feraud]

The illustrator Ralph Mcquarrie passed today. Most known for his designs of films like Star Wars, E.T., Raiders of the Lost Ark.

 

[Doctor Strange]

Seconded. His contribution to Star Wars, etc., was huge!

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/54019

 

[Formeruser012523]

Also what he did for NASA.

http://www.ralphmcquarrie.com/gallery_2/space_program/index.html#

 

[Doctor Strange]

Robert Sherman, who with his brother composed a pile of iconic Disney songs:

http://news.yahoo.com/songwriter-robert-sherman-dies-86-144321017.html

 

[ButteMT61]

Here's one for the books: Twin sisters, 73, 'found dead in home from natural causes' uncovers former showbiz career as detectives hunt for family

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

The illustrator Ralph Mcquarrie passed today. Most known for his designs of films like Star Wars, E.T., Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Ralph McQuarrie also produced the animation for CBS that was used in their coverage of the Apollo missions.

[video=youtube;sJv5_y2l5as]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJv5_y2l5as[/video]

[video=youtube;58vFEOHSc1I]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58vFEOHSc1I[/video]

 

[MrBern]

James Morehead, World War II Flying Ace, Dies at 95

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/20/us/james-morehead-world-war-ii-flying-ace-dies-at-95.html

http://www.goldengatewing.org/proptalk/speaker.cfm?ID=38

 

[Feraud]

Boxing writer Bert Sugar passed away.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/25/bert-sugar-boxing-writer-dies-heart-attack_n_1378668.html

MOUNT KISCO, N.Y. -- Bert Sugar, an iconic boxing writer and sports historian who was known for his trademark fedora and ever-present cigar, died Sunday of cardiac arrest. He was 75.

Jennifer Frawley, Sugar's daughter, said his wife, Suzanne, was by his side when he died at Northern Westchester Hospital. Sugar also had been battling lung cancer.

"Just his intelligence and his wit and his sense of humor," Frawley said when asked what she will remember about her father. "He was always worried about people. He was always helping people."

Sugar was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2005. According to the hall's website, Sugar wrote more than 80 books, including "The 100 Greatest Boxers Of All Time." He also appeared in a handful of films, including "The Great White Hype" starring Samuel Jackson.

"Around ringside, it's not going to be the same with Bert not there," said Jack Hirsch, the president of the Boxing Writers Association of America.

Sugar was born in Washington, D.C., in 1936. He graduated from Maryland and went to law school at Michigan. He passed the bar in his hometown and worked in advertising in New York City before he got into writing in the 1970s.

"Bert was obviously a showman in the way he did things outwardly, very flamboyant, but in quiet moments I found him to be an extremely modest individual," Hirsch said.

Frawley said arrangements for a memorial service are still pending and anyone wishing to honor Sugar should make a donation to the boxing hall.

"He was really a brilliant man," she said.

 

[dhermann1]

Yes, Bert Sugar. Cool guy, a great loss.

 

[Touchofevil]

Boxing writer Bert Sugar passed away.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/25/bert-sugar-boxing-writer-dies-heart-attack_n_1378668.html

Definitely a sad day.

 

[randooch]

Earl Scruggs and Adrienne Rich

R.I.P.

 

[Mario]

Oh...Earl Scruggs...that's some sad news indeed.

 

[Widebrim]

^^Yes, it is. I recall Scruggs and Flatts appearing on the Beverly Hillbillies.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

This really made me sad. Foggy Mountain Breakdown will always be one of my favorite songs.

I just spent some time watching all his Gospel Performances on Youtube a week or two ago.

Oh...Earl Scruggs...that's some sad news indeed.

 

[Bluebird Marsha]

Just a few weeks ago, I was having a Scruggs and Flatt marathon on Youtube. I could listen to Cripple Creek all night. I wish I could've seen him when he played Bonaroo .

There was a very nice piece in The Tennessean: http://blogs.tennessean.com/tunein/2012/03/28/earl-scruggs-country-music-hall-of-famer-dies-at-age-88/

“I’m not saying everything I did was right,” he told The Tennessean in 2009. “But it’s been a good travel for me.”

 

[hatophile]

Flatt and Scruggs together again in that Grand Ole' Opry in the Sky!

 

[Justin B]

Jim Marshall, founder of Marshall Amplification, the Lord of Loud, has passed away today at the age of 88. If you have ever enjoyed the music of Led Zepplin, Cream, Black Sabbath, Metallica, and countless others, you have Jim Marshall to thank for it.

I've got one of his brood in my living room.