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Post by SUVFan on Apr 10, 2020 9:04:02 GMT -5
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Post by gth (Columbus OH) on May 5, 2020 8:33:51 GMT -5
Don Shula, 90, longtime coach of the Miami Dolphins, died "peacefully at his home" on Monday.
During his 33 years as an NFL head coach, 7 with the Baltimore Colts and 26 with the Dolphins, Shula amassed a record 347 NFL wins for an overall record of 347-173-6, one of only 3 NFL head coaches to garner 300 or more wins. (The other 2 are Bill Belichick and the legendary George Halas). He took the Dolphins to the Super Bowl 5 times, winning twice, in 1972 and 1973. He coached the Dolphins to the only undefeated season in the NFL (17-0) in 1972. During his Dolphins tenure, he had only 2 seasons less than .500. Prior to coming to Miami, he took the Baltimore Colts to Super Bowl III (losing to the Joe Namath led New York Jets). In his career, he coached 3 Hall of Fame quarterbacks: Johnny Unitas, Bob Griese and Dan Marino.
Prior to his coaching, Shula played 7 seasons as a defensive back in the NFL, 2 of those seasons with the original Cleveland Browns. He was born and raised in Grand River Ohio and played college football at John Carroll University in nearby Cleveland. He also served a stint in the Ohio National Guard during the Korean war. I don't know what major college team he rooted for, but I'm claiming him as a Buckeye. 
Don Shula, RIP.
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Post by gth (Columbus OH) on May 8, 2020 21:14:12 GMT -5
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Post by gth (Columbus OH) on May 10, 2020 20:30:47 GMT -5
Rock and roll legend Little Richard, 87, of cancer.
Born Richard Penniman in Macon Georgia, Richard was one of the first African-American performers to appeal to white audiences, with hits in the late 1950s like "Tutti Fruiti" and “Good Golly Miss Molly.” With his wild frentic style and flamboyant costumes, he inspired many later rock greats from Paul McCartney to Prince. His personal life was as chaotic as his performances, veering from rock to Gospel music and religion through alcohol and substance abuse.
As befits his pioneering role, he was one of the first inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in 1986.
Little Richard, RIP.
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Post by gth (Columbus OH) on May 11, 2020 22:21:51 GMT -5
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Post by gth (Columbus OH) on May 16, 2020 21:19:52 GMT -5
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Post by gth (Columbus OH) on May 19, 2020 19:50:53 GMT -5
Another victim of the coronavirus: Annie Glenn, 100, widow of pilot, pioneering astronaut and US Senator John Glenn. Born Anna Margaret Castor in New Concord, Ohio, she and John Glenn met when they were both toddlers and were married for over 70 years. John Glenn passed away in 2016.
While John was in the Senate, Annie, who had overcame a severe stuttering problem, became a national advocate for people with communications disorders.
After John's death, Annie moved to be close to her daughter. She passed away in a nursing home in St Paul, Minnesota.
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Post by SUVFan on May 21, 2020 10:09:00 GMT -5
Another victim of the coronavirus: Annie Glenn, 100, widow of pilot, pioneering astronaut and US Senator John Glenn. Born Anna Margaret Castor in New Concord, Ohio, she and John Glenn met when they were both toddlers and were married for over 70 years. John Glenn passed away in 2016.
While John was in the Senate, Annie, who had overcame a severe stuttering problem, became a national advocate for people with communications disorders.
After John's death, Annie moved to be close to her daughter. She passed away in a nursing home in St Paul, Minnesota. Victim of the Kung Flu? Seems more like someone getting shot but they find traces of the virus in the vic and, under the CDC guidance as I understand it, poof, it's a COVID death. 100 years old, her life expectancy was probably not even a full year. It may sound harsh, but something was going to get her. Frankly, most likely, it was mismanagement in that nursing home. |
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Post by gth (Columbus OH) on May 31, 2020 22:33:20 GMT -5
As everyone I'm sure knows, George Floyd, 46, an African-American accused of forgery, died while while being detained by Minneapolis police, apparently by asphyxiation as an office placed his knee on Floyd's neck while on his back. The office and 3 others were fired, the officer has been charged with murder.
And riots have broken out across the nation.
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Post by gth (Columbus OH) on May 31, 2020 22:38:38 GMT -5
Eccentric artist Christo, 84, died today at his New York home. No cause of death was reported.
Christo was known for massive projects like wrapping the Reichstag in Berlin. He was planning to wrap the Arc de Triomphe in Paris at the time of his death.
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Post by SUVFan on Jun 3, 2020 16:30:05 GMT -5
As everyone I'm sure knows, George Floyd, 46, an African-American accused of forgery, died while while being detained by Minneapolis police, apparently by asphyxiation as an office placed his knee on Floyd's neck while on his back. The office and 3 others were fired, the officer has been charged with murder.
And riots have broken out across the nation. Mr Floyd's death, the charging of the cop with murder, and the resulting riots will likely end up being the story of the year. The cause of death is contested. The ME says it was a heart attack brought on by the lack of oxygen. A doctor hired by Mr. Floyd's surviors found it to be asphyxiation. I tend to believe the ME, as it seems like a heart attack might well result in those circumstances. Either way, it appears to have been caused by the cop. I saw an angle of the scene I had not viewed until today. Previously, I'd viewed only the famous video, which shows the scene described by GTH with a single officer looking back over the the cop with the chokehold's head and shoulders. I immediately thought he was a lookout. Today, I saw a still shot from the other side of the cruiser, which shows two more cops keeling behind the cop whose knee is on Mr. Floyd's throat. They both appeared to be observing that act. More than ever, I believe the cop who can be seen in that video standing to the left, appropriately socially distanced (the others were not), facing the reverse direction. I still believe that cop was a lookout. How he missed the videographer has probably been the source of questions from the other cops in that photo. I'm glad he did as this kind of thing has to stop. I don't condone the violent riots but fully support peaceful protests over this. The protesters simply have to be aware of violence and leave as soon as they see it turning, lest they move from an exercise of 1st Amendment rights to accessories to domestic terrorism. I would not be surprised if Mr. Floyd is posthumous Time Person of the Year |
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Post by SUVFan on Jun 16, 2020 11:18:46 GMT -5
I was just looking for information on the late '50s/early 60s TV show, 77 Sunset Strip and learned that one of it's co-stars, Edd Byrnes, who played the teen aged heart throb "Kookie", passed away on January 8th at the age of 87. The linked obit reveals that JFK's vanity deprived Byrnes of the leading role in PT 109. Byrnes was better known to me for his role in the 1978 movie musical Grease, in which he played Frank Fontaine, an apparent play on Dick Clark's role on American Bandstand. Here's a clip of Bryne's appearance on the Saturday Night Beech-Nut Show on April 04, 1959 with Connie Stevens performing their 1959, err, hit called, Kookie, Kookie, Lend Me Your Comb (it would peak at #4 on the Billboard 100 the following month): |
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Post by gth (Columbus OH) on Jun 19, 2020 17:05:52 GMT -5
Good catch SVF!
Jean Kennedy Smith, 92, last surviving sibling of John F Kennedy, Robert F Kennedy and Edward "Ted" Kennedy passed away Wednesday in her home in Manhattan.
She was one of 9 children born to Joseph P and Rose Kennedy. The oldest child, Joseph Jr, was killed during World War II. Kathleen died in a 1948 plane crash. President John F Kennedy was assassinated in 1963; brother Robert, former Attorney General, was assassinated in 1968 while running for President. Former Senator Edward and sister Eunice Kennedy Shriver passed away in 2009. her other siblings, sisters Rosemary and Patricia died in 2005 and 2006.
Married to Stephen Edward Smith, who was the Kennedy family financial adviser and later White House chief of staff, Jean Smith mostly stayed out of the spotlight. However she was appointed Ambassador to Ireland by President Bill Clinton, and in that role she was instrumental in negotiating peace in Norther Ireland. At one point she persuaded Clinton to grant a visa to notorious IRA terrorist and Sinn Fein party leader Gerry Adams, a move protested by the British government even thought believed by some necessary to achieving peace. But in any case, the peace agreement is her legacy.
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Post by gth (Columbus OH) on Jun 22, 2020 21:06:04 GMT -5
Dame Vera Lynn, 103, beloved British singer during World War II, died last Thursday, June 18.
She was famous for performing for British troops in places like India and Egypt. But she was most famous for "We'll Meet Again" recorded in 1939, just before the outbreak of the war. It's lyrics speak of the eventual reunion with loved ones that gave hope to the troops:
"We'll meet again
Don't know where
Don't know when
But I know we'll meet again some sunny day. . ."
Over the years since the war, that song popped up on odd places in the movies. (I first encountered it as the closing song to "Doctor Strangelove"). But as many of us are separated from loved ones by the demands of "social distancing" due to the pandemic, the lyrics take on a new poignancy (pointed out by no less a person than Queen Elizabeth II in her pandemic address to the United Kingdom).
". . .So will you please say hello
To the folks that I know
Tell them it won't be long
They'll be happy to know
That as you saw me go
I was singin' this song
We'll meet again
Don't know where
Don't know when
But I know we'll meet again some sunny day."
We'll meet again, Dame Vera. RIP
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Post by gth (Columbus OH) on Jun 30, 2020 21:47:08 GMT -5
Versatile comedian, actor, writer and director Carl Reiner, 98, died Monday night (June 29) of natural causes in his Beverly Hills home.
Reiner was best remembered for creating "The Dick Van Dyke Show" (in which he occasionally appeared as Alan Brady, the comedian for whom Van Dyke's character Rob Petrie worked). That show also launched the career of Mary Tyler Moore, who played Laura Petrie.
Reiner also acted in many movies over the years, from "It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World" to "Ocean's Eleven". His directing credits include "Oh God," “Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid,” and "The Jerk". Reiner got his start as a comedian in "Sid Caesar's Show of Shows" in the 1950s.
Seemingly rare in Hollywood, he was married to one wife, Estelle, who passed away in 2008, and with whom he had two sons and a daughter. One son is famous in his own right, the actor/director Rob Reiner (aka Michael Stivic on "All in the Family").
On his death, among the tributes were from son Rob, from protégés Alan Alda and Steve Martin, and also from contemporary comic genius Mel Brooks.
RIP.
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