Rolling Obituary Thread: 2018

earlier generations -- so STUPID, amirite

idk it's sort of a tricky thing with comedy, i think it's one of the hardest areas to put yourself in the shoes of another time. like for whatever reason i can watch, say, a universal horror picture and go "i know factually that this scared people in 1933, and while it doesn't scare me, i'm still digging it, and can count its former scariness towards my sense that i'm enjoying a good movie." with comedy, if it's not making me laugh (or worse, if it's making me cringe) it's really hard to make the same move. i watched california suite a few months back and was absolutely bored to tears when i wasn't cringing. it just didn't land; i believe simon's comedy landed for somebody else, at some point in time, but i left just thinking "wow that was a shitty movie."

no one likes that one. Simon began to repeat himself around 1971-72, which seemed to last until he wrote that autobiographical trilogy of plays in the '80s (the first two of which launched Matthew Broderick's career).

(repeating himself made him rich, however)

(repeating himself made him rich, however)

and you accused me of condescending?

mirka mora

Lucie Brock-Broido, back in March of this year but I just found out.

2 comics veterans' deaths reported today -- Marie Severin and Gary Friedrich.

RIP Marie, such a great lifetime of work

Good remembrance of Neil Simon:
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-et-cm-neil-simon-appreciation-20180826-story.html

https://www.millsverse.com/johnarmstrongtribute/

John Armstrong, one of the most important names in British girls comics of the 70s. Best known probably for Moonchild in Misty.

Ah, he was drawing for Bunty when I was reading for it - I remember the Secret Gymnast.

Paul Taylor
https://www.washingtonpost.com/amphtml/local/obituaries/paul-taylor-prolific-modern-dance-choreographer-dies-at-88/2018/08/30/fd8c5fc4-ac60-11e8-8a0c-70b618c98d3c_story.html?noredirect=on

2 comics veterans' deaths reported today -- Marie Severin and Gary Friedrich.

A former ILXor on them: https://alewing.tumblr.com/post/177563962975/reblogging-this-to-mark-the-passing-of-gary

Paul Taylor had a good run.

Vanessa Marquez from ER, shot by the police.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/aug/31/vanessa-marquez-er-actor-shot-killed-police

what the hell

Award for the worst headline of the year: https://www.insideedition.com/former-er-actress-vanessa-marquez-who-once-criticized-george-clooney-shot-dead-cops-46423

Jazz pianist Randy Weston, at 92.

Oh no. RIP:(

Been seeing his face all week, think he was scheduled to play a gig soon

How did you find out?

Okay, I see it on Facebook

I was thinking about going to that upcoming show but once I realized what a giant pain in the ass it would be to get there (the venue was all the way at the end of the R line in Queens) I had already blown it off.

I know almost nothing about his work. Earlier today, though, I was listening to a solo album from 1974, Blues to Africa, that was really good.

What venue was it, do you remember?

Glad I got to see him I few times, both onstage and in the audience at another show. Incredible musician, bandleader and personality

It was the Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning, and it was back in July:

https://www.jcal.org/randyweston

RIP Randy, I've got an album of his somewhere. One of the things I remember about him is that he was really tall, like 6'7" or 6'8".

Saw that Conway Savage may have passed?... it’s only on 1 site atm though (noise11) , seems somewhat premature & unverified

Showing up all over now re Conway Savage. RIP music man.

;_;

kenny shopsin of new york restaurant shopsins

calvin trillin profiled him in 2002
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2002/04/15/dont-mention-it

I know I ate there once, was OK. There's a documentary about him too.

Jacqueline Pearce of Blake's 7 fame - love her sitar wig-out in Hammer's The Reptile:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmR7bqVaNZE

:( RIP Jacqueline. Kind of a Cosey Fanni Tutti look going on in that clip.

RIP Servalan.

http://extratv.com/2018/09/03/gloria-jean-30s-and-40s-singer-and-actress-dead-at-92/

Gloria Jean, costar to W.C. Fields and Groucho Marx, 92.

Rachael Bland (40), from 5Live https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-45410652

Carole Shelley, Tony winner for The Elephant Man and Gwendolyn Pigeon in three incarnations of The Odd Couple

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/carole-shelley-dead-one-pigeon-sisters-odd-couple-was-79-1139227

Liz Frazer, actress probably best known for her Carry On work.

Whoa, you really scared me there for a second.

RIP the original Liz Frazer.

burt reynolds

damn...I'm not surprised, he's looked pretty frail for a few years now.

I think he was pretty damn underrated, back in the early days when he was committed to being more "serious" onscreen he really seemed like a major star presence, and I think his more lightweight mustache era work kind of undermined his legacy a bit. But he was good.

aw man

i loved Burt :(

Not the Liz Fraser I care about

Thank you for that contribution. RIP Burt.

I had a big cardboard cutout of Burt Reynolds (taken from spec savers, I think?) from the end of school through university. Not entirely sure why...

The Man Who Loved Women will forever resonate int me soul

The NY library actually has a copy of that on *VHS*. The idea of a Blake Edwards remake of a Truffaut film is still bizarre.

Burt voted for Trump, so no wonder he was dumb enough to turn down the Nicholson role in Terms of Endearment.

Mac Miller