Rolling Obituary Thread: 2016

Vanity?

http://www.tmz.com/2016/02/15/vanity-dies-singer-nasty-girl/

Boutros Boutros-Ghali, former UN secretary general, at 93.

Was one of those names I knew before I knew the person.

"the Roman Empire had no need for diplomacy. Neither does the United States."

God rest ye.

http://variety.com/2016/film/news/george-gaynes-dead-1201707777/

Henry from Punky Brewster/Commandant Lessard from the Police Academy franchise. Made it all the way to 98!

Aww, RIP. I think I mentioned him on the famous people you were surprised to learn are still alive thread a year or two back. He's great in Tootsie.

http://www.themoviescene.co.uk/reviews/_img/1424-3.jpg

Think I'll rewatch Tootsie asap.

Awwww

also his Giving-a-speech-while-receiving-a-below-the-lectern-blow-job performance should never be forgotten.

I actually used that line "I think we should just look at this.." in a presentation once, it wasn't until some time after I remembered where it came from.

Andrej Zulawski. Who apparently has just recently finished his first film in 15 years. You made probably the best horror film ever, RIP.

Acel Moore, trailblazing black journalist

http://6abc.com/news/longtime-philadelphia-journalist-acel-moore-dies/1199634/

William Tankersley, CBS in-house censor in the Smothers Bros/ Norman Lear era

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/18/arts/television/william-h-tankersley-watchdog-for-cbs-taste-standards-dies-at-98.html

harper lee

http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2016/02/harper_lee_dead_at_age_of_89_t.html

Aww

Thank goodness she cranked that new book out just in time.

Seriously though, she's been both dead for decades and more alive than any American. It's like the death of the person who wrote the dictionary. RIP.

Renato Bialetti, coffee pot king, last week. Ashes put in a Moka pot urn.

http://qz.com/618734/italys-coffee-pot-king-was-buried-in-the-appliance-that-made-him-famous/

Umberto Eco?

Confirmed.

well this is quite the year

:(

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-35615205
Hafiz Patel, leading figure and respected cleric of the Tablighi Jamaat branch of the Islamic faith. Over 20000 people turned up for his funeral earlier, which is an incredible sight in such a small area as Savile Town, Dewsbury. It's roads are completely ill-equipped to deal with such numbers, especially on a Friday. I was passing en-route to the sports centre and we had to abandon the taxi.

According to the Cravats, Vi Subversa has died. Can't find a story link but Wiki is claiming too.

Came here to post that. Also reported by Anthrax (UK) and Burnt Cross, but I'd assume they're getting it from the same source.

rip bruce lacey!

eco is a bit of a heartbreaker for me.

Samuel Willenberg, last survivor from Treblinka

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-35623492

I have seen him on a few documentaries, he was part of the Treblinka rebellion and a very impressive dude. RIP

Peter Mondavi, Sr.

Douglas Slocombe, cinematographer on everything from Kind Hearts and Coronets to Raiders of the Lost Ark, died age 103:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-35635360

Wow. The Servant! And some more Ealing comedies. Feel bad I had never known his name until now. RIP.

Wow, Dead of Night too!

ramon (not fidel, not raul) castro, 91

The Jeb Bush of the Castros.

slocombe also did polanski's dance of the vampires. he had an impressive career that i never knew about.

Word

Bye, Dr. Nick

Frank Kelly, aka Fr Jack Hackett (and a long career before and since)

http://www.thejournal.ie/frank-kelly-rip-father-jack-2630816-Feb2016/

RIP

Really lovely man. I used to go to Father Ted tapings and he was always charming and softly-spoken (and reminded me of my own grandfather, who had the genes but not the accent).

http://worldmusiccentral.org/2016/02/25/cuban-musician-reinaldo-hierrezuelo-rey-caney-dies-at-89/

Cuban vocalist, songwriter and tres player Reinaldo Hierrezuelo, better known as Rey Caney, died on Tuesday, February 23rd in Havana. Rey Caney was a highly influential figure in Cuban music.

Reinaldo Hierrezuelo, was born December 30, 1926 in Santiago de Cuba. In 1930 Rey Caney founded the seminal Cuban band Cuarteto Patria along with his cousin Francisco (Pancho) Cobas, Emilia Gracia and Rigoberto “Maduro” Echevarría. They performed traditional trova, boleros and música guajira (Cuban country music).

In 1952, Rey Caney formed the popular duo Los Compadres together with his brother Lorenzo. They accompanied celebrated singer-songwriter María Teresa Vera and Compay Segundo throughout the world.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/22/entertainment/sonny-james-obit-feat/

From 1960 to 1979, he spent 57 weeks at the top of the charts, according to Billboard and the Country Music Hall of Fame. James was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2006.

george kennedy

best in Cool Hand Luke and Modern Romance; eff off "Naked Gun star"

http://variety.com/2016/film/news/george-kennedy-dies-dead-airport-cool-hand-luke-1201718567/

can't believe you left out the eiger sanction

I haven't seen any of those Eastwood films he did! Not even Thunderbolt and Lightfoot.

Who's calling him "Naked Gun star?" Both of the obits went with Airport in their headlines.

Liked him best in CHL and, yes, The Naked Gun flicks. Why can't I remember him in Modern Romance?

RIP.

it was a TMZ headline... He's the ship captain in the cheap scifi film Brooks is working on.

i will admit "Earthquakes bring out the worst in some people" is the funniest line in any disaster film.

Oh man, how could I forget the film (within a film) that inspired the line "uh, space floor?"