Thom Bell: Philadelphia soul pioneer dies at 79
Source: BBC
Thom Bell, one of the key architects of the richly-orchestrated Philly Soul sound, has died at the age of 79.
A prolific songwriter and producer, he had credits on dozens of timeless hits, including The Stylistics' Betcha By Golly Wow, The Spinners' Rubberband Man and The O'Jays' Backstabbers.
His publicist said he had died at home in Bellingham, Washington. No cause of death was given.
Nile Rodgers led tributes, calling Bell "one of the greatest... of all time".
Russian sausage tycoon Pavel Antov dies in Indian hotel fall
2 hours ago
Russian sausage tycoon Pavel Antov has been found dead at an Indian hotel, two days after a friend died during the same trip.
They were visiting the eastern state of Odisha and the millionaire, who was also a local politician, had just celebrated his birthday at the hotel.
Antov was a well known figure in the city of Vladimir, east of Moscow.
Last summer he denied criticising Russia's war in Ukraine after a message appeared on his WhatsApp account.
The millionaire's death is the latest in a series of unexplained deaths involving Russian tycoons since the start of the Russian invasion, many of whom have openly criticised the war.
Dame Vivienne Westwood: fashion designer dies aged 81
Fri 30 Dec 2022 07.52 GMT
Dame Vivienne Westwood, the pioneering British fashion designer who played a key role in the punk movement, has died in London at the age of 81.
Westwood died “peacefully, surrounded by her family” in Clapham, south London, on Thursday, her representatives said in a statement. She had continued to do the things she loved, including designing, working on her book and making art, “up until the last moment”, they added.
Her husband and creative partner, Andreas Kronthaler, said: “I will continue with Vivienne in my heart. We have been working until the end and she has given me plenty of things to get on with. Thank you darling.”
Former Pope Benedict XVI has died at his Vatican residence, aged 95, almost a decade after he stood down because of ailing health.
He led the Catholic Church for less than eight years until, in 2013, he became the first Pope to resign since Gregory XII in 1415.
Benedict spent his final years at the Mater Ecclesiae monastery within the walls of the Vatican.
His successor Pope Francis said he had visited him there frequently.
The Vatican said in a statement: "With sorrow I inform you that the Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI, passed away today at 9:34 in the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in the Vatican.
"Further information will be provided as soon as possible."
Anita Pointer from Grammy-winning Pointer Sisters dies aged 74
Sun 1 Jan 2023 07.09 GMT
Anita Pointer, one of the Grammy-winning Pointer Sisters whose string of pop, country and R&B hits in the 1970s and 80s included I’m So Excited, Jump (For My Love) and Fire, has died of cancer aged 74, her publicist said.
Pointer was surrounded by family at her Beverly Hills home when she died on Saturday, publicist Roger Neal said.
The family said in a statement: “While we are deeply saddened by the loss of Anita, we are comforted in knowing she is now with her daughter Jada and her sisters June and Bonnie are at peace. She was the one that kept all of us close and together for so long. Her love of our family will live on in each of us.”
Anita was the second-oldest of four sisters who started performing as the duo of June and Bonnie in 1969 and soon became a trio when Anita quit her job as a secretary to join the group, according to an official biography. The Pointer Sisters later became a quartet for a while with Ruth, the only one of the original singing sisters still alive.
Anita’s daughter Jada died in 2003, leading Anita to take over raising her granddaughter, Roxie McKain Pointer.
Fred White, Earth, Wind & Fire drummer, dead at 67
Source: CNN Entertainment
CNN — Fred White, a drummer for classic ’70s superband Earth, Wind & Fire, has died, according to an Instagram post from his older brother and former bandmate, Verdine White. He was 67.
Verdine White wrote on Instagram on Sunday, “Our family is saddened today with the loss of an amazing and talented family member, our beloved brother Frederick Eugene ‘Freddie’ White.” Verdine White called his brother a “child protégé” and identified him as an “original” founding member of Earth, Wind & Fire “with gold records at the young age of 16 years old.”
“But more than that,” Verdine White continued, “at home and beyond he was the wonderful bro that was always entertaining and delightfully mischievous!” Details about the cause of death were not immediately available. CNN has reached out to the band’s representatives.
The band’s official Instagram account also posted a memorial tribute to Fred White, sharing a clip of a drum solo during Earth, Wind & Fire’s Tour of the World at Rockpalast in Essen, Germany in 1979.
Boen featured as criminal psychologist Dr Peter Silberman opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger’s cyborg assassin
Inga Parkel
1 day ago
Terminator actor Earl Boen has died, aged 81.
The veteran character actor, best known for his role as criminal psychologist Dr Peter Silberman in The Terminator franchise, died on Thursday (5 January) in Hawaii.
Boen’s family member confirmed his death to TMZ but would not disclose the cause or specifics of his passing.
However, according to a close friend of Boen and his family, the actor had been diagnosed with stage four lung cancer in the fall of 2022 (via Variety).
Born in 1941, Boen had an extensive list of on-screen credits in films and TV shows.
'EIGHT IS ENOUGH' STAR ADAM RICH DEAD AT 54
Source: TMZ
Adam Rich, who starred in the enormous hit, "Eight Is Enough" has died ... TMZ has learned.
A family member tells TMZ ... Adam died Saturday at his L.A. area home. The family member would not reveal the cause of death, but a law enforcement source tells TMZ someone came to his home and found him lifeless. The law enforcement source adds ... this was not foul play.
Cardinal George Pell has died in Vatican City aged 81.
Pell, the former Catholic archbishop of Melbourne and Sydney, died on Tuesday evening after complications from hip surgery.
He was the Vatican’s top finance minister before he left in 2017 to stand trial in Australia for child abuse offences. In 2018 Pell was convicted of molesting two teenage choirboys in the sacristy at St Patrick’s Cathedral while he was archbishop of Melbourne in 1996, but always maintained his innocence and his convictions were quashed in a unanimous decision by the high court in 2020.
Church figures have confirmed Pell died of heart complications after surgery in Rome.
Jeff Beck, One of the Guitar Masters of the Rock Era, Dies at 78
Source: MSN
Jeff Beck, among the most innovative and certainly the most unpredictable of ’60s guitar heroes, has died. He was 78.
“On behalf of his family, it is with deep and profound sadness that we share the news of Jeff Beck’s passing. After suddenly contracting bacterial meningitis, he peacefully passed away yesterday,” reads a statement from his rep. “His family ask for privacy while they process this tremendous loss.”
Lisa Marie Presley dies at 54 after hospitalization
Lisa Marie Presley — the only child of Elvis Presley — died Thursday after being hospitalized earlier that day, her mother said in a statement. The singer was 54.
“It is with a heavy heart that I must share the devastating news that my beautiful daughter Lisa Marie has left us,” Priscilla Presley said in a statement Thursday evening. “She was the most passionate, strong and loving woman I have ever known.”
The announcement came just hours after Priscilla Presley had confirmed that Lisa Marie Presley was rushed to the hospital earlier Thursday.
Los Angeles County paramedics were dispatched to a Calabasas home at 10:37 a.m. following a report of a woman in full cardiac arrest, according to Craig Little, a spokesperson for the county’s fire department. Property records indicate Presley was a resident at that address.
Robbie Bachman, drummer of Bachman-Turner Overdrive, dead at 69
Source: CNN Entertainment
CNN — Robbie Bachman – the drummer of Canadian rock band Bachman-Turner Overdrive – has died at age 69, his brother and bandmate Randy Bachman announced via Twitter on Thursday.
“Another sad departure. The pounding beat behind BTO, my little brother Robbie has joined Mum, Dad & brother Gary on the other side. Maybe Jeff Beck needs a drummer! He was an integral cog in our rock ‘n’ roll machine and we rocked the world together,” Bachman said alongside a black and white photo of the band.
Born in Winnipeg, Canada, Robin “Robbie” Bachman founded the band Brave Belt in 1971, alongside Randy and Chad Allan, both of whom had left the band The Guess Who a year earlier. They were later joined by bassist Fred Turner and recorded two albums.
After Allan left Brave Belt in 1972 and another Bachman brother, Tim, joined, the band renamed itself Bachman-Turner Overdrive and it was in this incarnation that they found widespread success.
STUNTMAN ROBBIE KNIEVEL SON OF EVEL KNIEVEL DEAD AT 60
Source: TMZ
1/13/2023 7:56 AM PT
Robbie Knievel, daredevil and son of stuntman Evel Knievel, has died.
A family source tells Robbie was in hospice care for his final days after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He died early Friday morning with his daughters at his side.
Robbie, also known as "Kaptain Robbie Knievel," followed in his dad's footsteps from a young age -- jumping his bike at only 4 years old, and first performing at Evel's show at Madison Square Garden when he was 8.
He went on to perform over 350 jumps in his career, setting world records for 20 of them. One of the most memorable was successfully jumping the fountains at Caesars Palace in 1989 -- a feat his father tried and failed at in the past.
Gina Lollobrigida, Film Beauty Who Charmed Hollywood, Dies at 95
Source: Bloomberg via MSN
(Bloomberg) -- Gina Lollobrigida, the Italian-born film star who was among Hollywood’s most sought-after female actresses in the 1950s and ’60s and was frequently described as one of the world’s most beautiful women, has died. She was 95.
She died in Rome after a long illness, Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reported.
The daughter of a furniture manufacturer shared the screen with leading men such as Humphrey Bogart, Rock Hudson, Burt Lancaster, Frank Sinatra and Anthony Quinn. She carved out a movie career that landed her on the cover of Time Magazine in 1954 and earned a Golden Globe award in 1961 for the romantic comedy “Come September.” The men in her personal life were no less illustrious, including billionaire Howard Hughes and heart-transplant pioneer Christiaan Barnard.
American singer and guitarist David Crosby has died at the age of 81.
One of the most influential rock singers of the 1960s and 1970s, Crosby co-founded two influential bands - The Byrds and Crosby, Stills And Nash.
He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of both groups.
In a statement given to Variety, Crosby's wife Jan said: "It is with great sadness after a long illness, that our beloved David (Croz) Crosby has passed away. He was lovingly surrounded by his wife and soulmate Jan and son Django.
"Although he is no longer here with us, his humanity and kind soul will continue to guide and inspire us. His legacy will continue to live on through his legendary music."
Lisa Loring, the original Wednesday Addams, dies at age 64
Loring was just five when she starred in the 1964 TV adaptation of Charles Addams’ macabre cartoons – a performance that has set the character’s tone for decades
Mon 30 Jan 2023 06.18 GMT
Lisa Loring, the actor who played Wednesday Addams in the first screen adaptation of The Addams Family, has died at the age of 64 from a stroke.
Loring died on Saturday night in hospital surrounded by family, her daughter told Variety.
“She went peacefully with both her daughters holding her hands,” she said.
Loring’s personal friend, the author Laurie Jacobson, wrote on Facebook that Loring had “suffered a massive stroke brought on by smoking and high blood pressure” and had been on life support for three days before her family decided to remove it on the weekend.
Jacobson paid tribute to Loring’s “legacy in the world of entertainment”, writing: “She is embedded in the tapestry that is pop culture and in our hearts always as Wednesday Addams.”
