Rolling Obituary Thread: 2017

Darcus Howe

I used to like the "what say you?" cut of his jib on The Devil's Advocate. RIP

just watching a youtube of the one where he causes rasta uproar by alleging that Haile Selassie had a Swiss bank account and was bit of a sybarite/rum bugger!

Radley Metzger

http://www.therialtoreport.com/2017/04/02/radley-metzger-2/

Used to see Darcus Howe on TV all the time in the 90s, still remember this best of course -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vou_Ani-lKE

He was a good sport to put up with it

Metzger wow, rip, that's very sad. The Opening of Misty Beethoven is classic.

I remember Darcus Howe going nuts at Joan Rivers for saying that race doesn't mean a damn thing and everyone should just relax. For some reason I was off work and listening to Radio 4 that day.

I have strong memories of him getting shouted down by an impartial BBC interviewer for saying he wasn't surprised by the 2011 riots

provocateurs can be so boring but i always enjoyed Darcus, he looked like he was having fun and like he realised what a load of bollocks opinions on TV are

Howe, Metzger, Kakehashi and Yevtushenko all going within twenty four hours is a weird quadfecta of my interests.

My mother hated Darcus and there was a sense he was probably more of a jerk offscreen than on but he was such a huge and important voice - and as has been said - a rare and necessary provocateur.

the Imran Khan ball tampering episode of The Devil's Advocate, quite oddly, features G Boycott getting a round of applause by the Asians in the audience for condemning the "paki-bashing" of The Telegraph and British tabloids at the time. Mind you, being a wife-beater doesn't necessarily make one a racist as well.

Louisiana born, Chicago based bluesman Lonnie Brooks

http://wxrt.cbslocal.com/2017/04/02/lonnie-brooks-dies-at-age-83/

I used to pal around in bars with Radley Metzger's girlfriend. When she told me she was dating him I was stunned - he seemed like a mythical character from another era, not like someone you might come across irl (plus he was much older than her)

Chelsea Brown of the original Laugh-In cast

Bob Burns, the original drummer for Lynyrd Skynyrd (he's on the early demos, Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd, and Second Helping).

http://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/former-lynyrd-skynyrd-drummer-dies-bartow-county-c/53970940

don rickles

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/don-rickles-dead-legendary-comic-was-90-720153

jeeeezus

Gary Austin, founder of the Groundlings comedy troupe

http://peewee.com/2017/04/03/rip-gary-austin/

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-et-cm-gary-austin-groundlings-20170402-story.html

Elyse Steinman, guitarist for criminally underrated NYC-based retro Southern rock band Raging Slab.

Ah damn, just noticed this news. Completely agreed, they were one of those bands that were either too early or too late.

Don Rickles, the man who invented "problematic."

Rickles is a real loss. RIP

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/05/us/obituary-lolis-elie-dead-new-orleans-civil-rights-lawyer.html?_r=0

an undaunted civil rights pioneer whose advocacy as a lawyer, protest organizer and negotiator helped propel the racial desegregation of New Orleans

rickles dying makes me nervous for newhart

Glenn O'Brien, as announced here:

https://www.facebook.com/jerry.saltz/posts/10155389282874267

A favorite TV Party moment: Glenn hosts Klaus Nomi, there to show off his pastry abilities:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCbvM63_TcU

Man I knew he did a few things in life but I hadn't quite realized HOW much:

http://glennobrien.com/site/#/bio

The complete collection of TV Party on bluray was just announced within the past week or so, too.

Yeah, it's coming out in July.

Oh nice -- will have to snag that for sure.

william powell, author of the anarchist cookbook: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/29/arts/william-powell-anarchist-cookbook-writer-dies.html

Tim Pigott-Smith, aged 70 star of Jewel in the Crown and playing generally nasty, officious types.

Ah man, sad news. First saw him in Clash of the Titans of all things -- did a great job, and was a good guy in that one! If initially suspicious. "...A stranger here?"

i did watch Jewel/Crown when it first aired

strangely i don't remember ever seeing TV Party, but probably did at some retro

LennOno collaborator/stoner folkie David Peel

http://www.brooklynvegan.com/david-peel-rip/

Brian Matthew. Again. For real, this time.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-39541162

Listening to his voice Sound of the Sixties on a Saturday morning was always soothing, when lying in bed with a hangover.

john clarke. fucking devastated.

I just saw that. Fucking hell, gutted

http://kotaku.com/original-gundam-composer-yuushi-matsuyama-has-died-1794165818

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Qq-N4R-SB4

J. Geils

http://www.wcvb.com/article/guitarist-known-as-j-geils-found-dead-in-massachusetts-home/9263211

David Letterman's mother, at 95.

http://ew.com/tv/2017/04/11/david-letterman-mother-dead-dorothy-mengering-dies-95/

Srsly

She appeared on his show several times, and was beloved by the (American) public.

The bits with his mom were always great. "David..."

I get that this seems a trivial obit if you didn't regularly watch the show but she was on there a lot back in the day. I'd say she was a Larry 'Bud' Melman-level guest star.

yeah, Dave's mom was a celebrity hoosier in her own right, her segments were always very sweet

@TMZ
#BREAKING Comedian Charlie Murphy Dead at 57 After Leukemia Battle

aw man

goddammit.

the great cinematographer Michael Ballhaus

https://www.fandor.com/keyframe/michael-ballhaus-1935-2017

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBMKyNJvNV8

Is wrong that the first thing I think of when I think Ballhaus is that amazing crane (?) shot in Fabulous Baker Boys, the one during the New Years concert that starts at the back of the ballroom looking straight down at the attendees as the camera pans over the whole room before landing behind the stage as the Bridges bros. & Pfeiffer finish their song? I saw projected during a Jeff Bridges retro years ago and am still blown away. RIP