Obituary
R.I.P. Tommy Lister Jr., Friday Actor Dead at 62
Tommy “Tiny” Lister Jr., who famously played Deebo in the Friday film franchise, has died at the age of 62. According to TMZ, police found Lister’s body at his Marina Del Rey apartment on Thursday (December 10th) just before 3 p.m. local time. He was pronounced dead at the scene, but a cause was not immediately clear. Lister’s other notable film roles included playing the Galactic President in The Fifth Element; Adam Sandler’s character’s older brother Cassius in Little Nicky; and the bail agent in Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown. He also appeared in Sublime’s music video for “Santeria”. Outside of acting, Lister wrestled in both the WWF and WCW under the name of Zeus. [embedded content] [embedded content] Related You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we...
R.I.P. Harold Budd, Legendary Ambient Composer Dead at 84
Harold Budd, the legendary avant-garde ambient composer, has died at 84. His frequent collaborator Robin Guthrie of Cocteau Twins confirmed the news on Facebook, writing, “It is with great sadness that we learned of the passing of Harold Budd. Rest in peace, poet of the piano.” Born in Los Angeles in 1936, Budd quickly took to music at a young age. He played the drums growing up and, once enrolled at Los Angeles City College, signed up for a music theory course in harmony. Budd briefly stepped away to enlist in the army, where he met Albert Ayler, the avant-garde saxophonist and his eventual bandmate for a short spell. Once back, Budd studied under composer Gerald Strang at San Fernando Valley State College and was deeply moved by a lecture John Cage delivered while attending the school, g...
R.I.P. Hugh Keays-Byrne, Mad Max’s Toecutter and Immortan Joe Dead at 73
Hugh Keays-Byrne, the Anglo-Australian actor best known for his roles in the Mad Max film franchise, has died at 73. The news was announced by his friend, the filmmaker Brian Trenchard-Smith, in a Facebook post. No cause of death was given. Via IMDB, Keays-Byrne was born in Kashmir, India, the son of British citizens. As a child he moved with his parents to England, and in his twenties he performed with the legendary Royal Shakespeare Company. As The Independent reported, he arrived in Australia on a 1973 RSC tour and soon booked his first movie role in the Australian cult biker film Stone. His scene-stealing turn as Toad attracted the attention of George Miller, then plotting a kind of biker movie of his own. In 1979, Keays-Byrne starred as the axe-wielding villain Toe...
Regional Mexican Singer-Songwriter Jerry Demara Dies at 45 Due to COVID-19
The songwriter’s titles have been recorded by multiple artists, including fellow regional Mexican singer Gerardo Ortiz, whose version of Demara’s “Regresa Hermosa” peaked at No. 1 on Billboard‘s Regional Mexican Airplay chart. Most recently, Ortiz recorded Demara’s “Callada,” featured on his chart-topping album Más Caro Que Ayer. Born in Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico, Demara also received multiple ASCAP Awards for the most played regional Mexican songs of the year. Jerry and his son Gera penned the track “Anímate y Verás,” the first single from Chiquis’ 2020 Latin Grammy-winning album Playlist. Demara also penned tracks for Alejandra Guzmán, Germán Montero, Yahir, Original Banda El Limón, Edith Márquez, El Chapo de Sinaloa and...
R.I.P. Dave Prowse, Darth Vader Actor Dies at 85
Dave Prowse, the British actor who portrayed Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy, has died at the age of 85. A former champion weightlifter and bodybuilder, the 6-foot-7 Prowse was asked to audition for the roles of Darth Vader and Chewbacca after Star Wars director George Lucas saw him in A Clockwork Orange, where he played as Frank Alexander’s bodyguard, Julian. Ultimately, Prowse tried out for the role of Darth Vader, because as he explained, “everyone remembers the villain.” Prowse filled Darth Vader’s suit for the first three Star Wars movies, including for legendary scenes such as when Darth Vader threw Emperor Palpatine off the balcony. As Lucas wanted a “darker voice,” the character’s lines were later overdubbed by ones read by James Earl Jones in post-production. Fo...
R.I.P. Bruce Swedien, Grammy-Winning Engineer of Michael Jackson Albums Dead at 86
Bruce Swedien, the sensitive ear behind classic Michael Jackson albums, has died at 86. According to a Facebook post from his daughter Roberta Swedien, he “passed away peacefully last night.” Via Swedien’s official website, he was born in Minneapolis in 1934. In 1944 his father gifted him a disc recording machine… Please click the link below to read the full article. R.I.P. Bruce Swedien, Grammy-Winning Engineer of Michael Jackson Albums Dead at 86 Wren Graves You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It begins with giving you back power. Get to meet Beautiful people, chat and make money in the process. Earn rewards by chatting, sharing photos, blogging and help give users back their fair share o...
Walter C. Miller, Longtime Producer for the CMA Awards, Dies at 94
Walter C. Miller, a former executive producer for the Country Music Association Awards, died on Nov. 13, the organization revealed on Saturday (Nov. 14). He was 94. Miller worked for the CMAs for four decades in various producing capacities. “Walter was an absolute television legend,” says Sarah Trahern, CMA chief executive officer. “When you worked with him, you instantly knew you were in the presence of greatness. He brought so much innovation and brilliance to the CMA Awards over the 40 years he worked with the organization.” He was born in 1926 and began his television career in the ’40s as a lighting director for variety series The Horn and Hardart Children’s Hour on NBC. Among his other early credits, Miller worked on Startime, The Bell Telephone H...
R.I.P. Ken Spears, Scooby-Doo Co-Creator Dead at 82
Ken Spears, the cartoon producer and writer who co-created Scooby-Doo, has died at the age of 82. His son, Kevin Spears, confirmed the news to Variety, saying his father passed on Friday, November 6th from complications related to Lewy body dementia. Spears’ death comes just over two months following that of his longtime collaborator, Joe Ruby. Spears initially befriended the son of William Hanna while living in his Los Angeles hometown. That led to a sound editing job at Hanna-Barbera Productions in 1959, where he met and befriended Ruby. The two became writing partners, co-creating Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! in 1969. They also came up with other classic Hanna-Barbera series Dynomutt, Do Wonder and Jabberjaw. Their success continued outside of Hanna-Barbera, as well, including workin...
Midnight Oil’s Bass Player Bones Hillman Dies at 62
Later, Hillman would step onto the biggest stages of them all when joined Midnight Oil in 1987, replacing Peter Gifford. With Hillman in the lineup, The Oils etched their name in the history books. He took his place on stage with his bandmates in Sydney in 2006 when The Oils were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame, again 2009 when the rockers reunited for the Sound Relief fundraiser at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, and in 2018, when the group were feted with the Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Australian Music. And when Peter Garrett and Co. got the band back together for The Great Circle 2017 World Tour, Hillman took his place at front of stage. Hillman and Midnight Oil “did thousands of gigs together,” reads the band’s statement. The Kiwi musician played on 1990’s Blue Sky ...
R.I.P. Alex Trebek, Jeopardy! Host Dead at 80
Alex Trebek, the host of Jeopardy! for more than three decades, has died at the age of 80 following a battle with pancreatic cancer. In a statement, a spokesperson for Jeopardy! said Trebek passed away peacefully at home early this morning (November 8th), surrounded by family and friends.” Born in Sudbury, Ontario, on July 22nd, 1940, to chef George Edward Trebek and Lucille Lagacé, George Alexander “Alex” Trebek wore his Canadian heritage as a badge of honor, staying in the country throughout his formative years and receiving a degree in philosophy from the University of Ottawa. Trebek’s aptitude for on-camera work was apparent early into his post-graduate career. In 1961, the year of his graduation, he began to work for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, headquartered in Ottawa....
Chicago Rapper King Von Shot and Killed: Report
Chicago rapper King Von was reportedly shot and killed outside of an Atlanta nightclub early Friday morning. According to Atlanta police deputy chief Timothy Peek (via the Atlanta Journal Constitution), a confrontation between two groups erupted outside of Atlanta’s Monaco Hookah Lounge shortly after 3:00 a.m. local time. Tragically, “that physical altercation escalated into an exchange of gunfire with those groups.” Two off-duty Atlanta police officers who were working security at the club intervened and exchanged gunfire. Peek said police are investigating the incident, but have yet to determine a motive or identify the gunman(s) responsible for the fatal shots. DJ Akademiks has confirmed that King Von was one of the victims killed in the shooting. “I spoke with his manager who...
Cheryl Tiano, Longtime Film/TV Music Agent, Dies at 59
The Society of Composers & Lyricists also acknowledged Tiano’s death with the following statement: “Cheryl had long ago taken her place amongst the top tier of composer agents in the entertainment industry. Her clients loved her, and she loved repping them. She is an enormous loss to our media music community.” Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Tiano studied composition at Boston’s Berklee College of Music and later graduated from the California Institute of the Arts. Early in her career, she spent several years working at a variety of high-profile arts organizations, including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, where she ran the Monday Evening Concert series. She was hired at Gorfaine/Schwartz in May 1993. It was Tiano’s music background that, in the words of GSA partner ...
