Rolling Obituary Thread: 2018

RIP. In the UK she's definitely best known for her cover of 'My Toot Toot', which was a top ten hit in 1985.

that was a big morning-zoo hit in the '80s too

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZL3Wwo6RGyw

betty jane willis, who released a couple of singles in the '60s, including this leon russell-produced cover of buck owens' 'act naturally'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5NShyAiE1I

this is an in-depth obituary

https://www.ocregister.com/2018/01/04/betty-jane-willis-more-than-another-homeless-death-she-was-a-soul-singer/

Any source for the Jeff Cotton death other than wikipedia (which is no source at all)? He's been notoriously hard to find for decades.

Only Gary Lucas's Facebook page, which is probably no source at all either. Hmm. Let's see if a proper statement comes out, apologies for jumping the gun if it turns out to be a false alarm.

Sleuthing reveals his wife died early last year, but I can't find anything on his dying other than that Lucas post.

Maura - thank you for that Betty Willis obit, very sad, but nice they spoke with her daughter, former coworker and Bill Medley to tell a little of her story.

Starting to look like Jeff Cotton isn't true, but nothing more than FOAF reports either way. I do know his wife died of cancer last year -- that might be the source of the rumors.

Neave Brown, architect of low-rise social housing in Camden, recently awarded RIBA medal for same. Lived until his death in north London’s Dunboyne Road flats, which he designed. Here’s an interview from October conducted by one of my best friends:

https://www.ribaj.com/culture/humanity-as-a-design-tool-riba-royal-medal-neave-brown

BREAKING: Edgar Ray Killen, convicted in 1964 'Mississippi Burning' slayings of 3 civil rights workers, dies in prison. https://t.co/dKu8bikhBC

— The Associated Press (@AP) January 12, 2018

college football broadcaster keith 'whoa, nellie' jackson

First celebrity I ever saw opening something, Bella Emberg

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/bella-emberg-dead-blunder-woman-actress-russ-abott-show-costume-tributes-dies-died-tv-shows-a8157636.html

‘opening something’

25 years old, my god ;_;

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/jan/13/model-killed-in-latest-london-stabbing

Doreen Tracey, Mousekateer who later worked with Frank Zappa.

http://beta.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-doreen-tracey-20180111-story.html

Bloody hell, Bella Emberg, that's someone for the people you didn't realise were still alive except now they aren't thread

https://www.rte.ie/amp/933526/?__twitter_impression=true

Dolores O’Riordan.

Gobsmacked and then some.

46

I just found out that Chu Ishikawa died at the end of last year. He was 51 and apparently was battling a long illness. He did the soundtracks for most of Shinya Tsukamoto's films and must have been quite influential in industrial music but he could do quite a variety of styles. I did think he looked alarmingly thin at times but I knew nothing about his illness.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xh_L6tVsg2o

Dr Mathilde Krim

http://www.newnownext.com/mathilde-krim-dead/01/2018/

Edwin Hawkins, hitmaker of "Oh Happy Day"

https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/01/16/578235211/gospel-star-edwin-hawkins-known-for-oh-happy-day-dies-at-74

as noted elsewhere, Joe Frank

https://www.allaccess.com/net-news/archive/story/173192/joe-frank-influential-radio-monologuist-dies-at-79

Doug Harvey, the baseball umpire known as "God"

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/14/obituaries/doug-harvey-dead-baseball-umpire.html

Jo Jo White

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/22124169/jo-jo-white-boston-celtics-great-basketball-hall-famer-dies-71

Peter Wyngarde:

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2018/jan/18/actor-peter-wyngarde-department-s-dies

Oh no! RIP Peter ;_; That's it I'm pulling out my copy of his album to listen to.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_HiW9J5prc

Mike Carroll, of Poison 13 and Lord High Fixers

Stansfield Turner, CIA chief 1977-81

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/adm-stansfield-turner-who-led-major-cia-overhaul-as-director-of-central-intelligence-dies-94/2018/01/18/eac46390-fc99-11e7-ad8c-ecbb62019393_story.html

Artist Ed Moses, 91.

http://beta.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-me-ed-moses-dies-20180118-story.html#nt=oft12aH-2gp2

Bradford Dillman
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/bradford-dillman-dead-actor-compulsion-way-we-were-was-87-1075818

Peter Mayle

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/18/obituaries/peter-mayle-who-wrote-of-a-year-in-provence-is-dead-at-78.html

I did not know til a month ago that Dillman had been the first Edmund in Long Day's Journey.

Dorothy Malone

http://variety.com/2018/film/people-news/dorothy-malone-dies-dead-peyton-place-1202670315/

RIP, Dot :(

:o

i'm sorry I reminded everyone she was alive yesterday.

Legendary French chef Paul Bocuse

Jim Rodford.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/01/20/kinks-zombies-bassist-jim-rodford-has-died-aged-76/

christian burchard of embryo died on jan. 17

Bob Smith, first out gay comedian to appear on The Tonight Show, of ALS

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/bob-smith-pioneering-gay-comedian-writer-dies-at-59-1076420

I took an improv class with Bob in 1985; he was sweet, acidic and very cute. I would've hit on him if I'd been gay then.

Oh, what a shame, they played in London recently - or maybe they're scheduled to play? Anyway, I have got some Embryo on my mp3 player, so can listen to them today - I'm at my mum's this weekend. RIP Christian.(xp)

Steve Nisbett, Steel Pulse drummer

https://www.reggaeville.com/artist-details/steel-pulse/news/view/steve-grizzly-nisbett-passed-away-founding-member-of-steel-pulse/

Bob Wakelin, creator of instantly recognisable art for a generation of Brits and designer of the Ocean software logo.

RIP Bob Wakelin - Any 80's gamers will be familiar with his iconic covers. pic.twitter.com/uOtlRWcv9l

— Stu Wood (@DigitalWood) January 21, 2018

"A couple of times the guys at Ocean said to me 'Look Bob, this game really isn't very good so we need an extra special cover.'

I suppose I should feel guilty for it."

Howard Lew Lewis, best known as Elmo in Brush Strokes but also one of the main cast in Maid Marian and her Merry Men.

http://www.denofgeek.com/uk/tv/54752/howard-lew-lewis-1941-2018

Aw :(

Hugh Masekela

https://www.timeslive.co.za/tshisa-live/tshisa-live/2018-01-23-breaking-legendary-musician-hugh-masekela-has-died-report/

Oh man, RIP hugh

RIP, he was a legend and had an amazing life

☠️ is really cramming them in before the end of the year

like, what is that today? 6?

Guitarist James Calvin Wilsey (Chris Isaak, The Avengers) Dead At 61

was disappointed to find how little of Lam, Woo, To, et al's filmography is available on streaming services.

Randomly enough I just searched for Johnnie To movies on Netflix the other day and they have a pretty good set right now. None of the more famous Johnnie films but still pretty cool ... they used to only have Three (which I didn't like much).

Netflix has Loving You (1996), Lifeline (1997), Justice My Foot (1992), Mad Monk (1993), The Barefooted Kid (1993), Don't Go Breaking My Heart (2011), Blind Detective (2013), Three (2016)

Norman Gimbel, film and TV lyricist

Whenever you hear a bossa nova classic sung in English it's about even odds the lyrics are his.

(Sometimes they're from Ray Gilbert or Gene Lees, who are also no longer with us).

RIght. Or every once in a while Tom Jobim even wrote them himself. Not a big fan of the Gimble or Gilbert bossa lyrics tbh.

Okay, I guess I like some of his lyrics more than I thought. "How Insensitive" for bossa, "Sway" and "Bluesette" in other styles.

Ray Sawyer.

http://www.wkrg.com/news/mobile-county/dr-hook-s-ray-sawyer-chickasaw-native-dead-at-81/1681232151

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ux3-a9RE1Q

"Oh, that's beautiful."

Oh noooooooo. Will be watching this epic triumph / trainwreck in tribute:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4c3W-XoNXM

aw shit

https://youtu.be/7LXpnNKNxJI