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The following are 12 personalities (some more familiar than others) that have passed on in the past several weeks. Most recent death is shown at the top. Note: some deaths are not reported for days, even weeks. That is why some obit updates do not appear on the top. Once again, obits are listed in order of date of death, most recent date on top. |
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December 23, 1971 - March 10, 2010 |
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Former teen heartthrob Corey Haim died at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank. The actor was 38. The LAPD said his death appeared to be an accidental drug overdose, and an investigation is underway. Haim had flulike symptoms before he died and was getting over-the-counter and prescription medications, Police Sgt. William Mann said. Haim's first role was in the 1984 hit "Firstborn," in which he played a young child caught up in a family war. Haim is most famous for his roles in the 1980s films "Lucas" and "The Lost Boys." Haim and Corey Feldman starred in several popular films together, including "License to Drive" and "Dream a Little Dream," and became one of the hottest young actor teams in Hollywood. Haim's drug use took over his life, however, and helped ruin his career. After starring in several direct-to-video films in the 1990s, the actor made a comeback in 2006 in the reality series "The Two Coreys," again with Corey Feldman. The successful show lasted two seasons, but Feldman said he refused to do a third season because of Haim's continued drug use. Haim went to rehab and said he was sober and ready to work again, even taking out an ad in Variety magazine saying as much. The actor was involved in several projects at the time of his death, including the film "The Science of Cool" with actress Mischa Barton, due out in 2010, and "The Dead Sea," which is currently filming.
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July 15, 1927 - March 4, 2010 |
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Nan Martin, a stage, TV and film actress who played Ali MacGraw's snobbish mother in "Goodbye, Columbus" and was a mainstay on the Southern California theater scene for decades, has died. She was 82. Martin, who suffered from emphysema, died at her home in Malibu. Among Martin's Broadway credits are a Tony-nominated role in Archibald MacLeish's "J.B." (1958-59), directed by Elia Kazan; "Under the Yum Yum Tree" (1960-61); and Tennessee Williams' "The Eccentricities of a Nightingale" (1976). She also was a mainstay actress in Joseph Papp's Shakespeare in the Park productions in New York in the early 1960s. For 50 years, beginning in 1955, Martin amassed scores of television credits, including episodes of "The Untouchables," "The Twilight Zone," "NYPD Blue" and "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation." She also played the supporting role of Mrs. Louder on "The Drew Carey Show" and appeared in more than two dozen films, including "Toys in the Attic," "For Love of Ivy" and "Shallow Hal." In the 1969 comedy-drama "Goodbye, Columbus," Martin played opposite Jack Klugman as Mrs. Ben Patimkin, MacGraw's unflattering, nouveau-riche mother, who despises her daughter's unambitious new boyfriend, played by Richard Benjamin. "She was one of our superstars," Martin Benson, artistic director at South Coast Repertory, told the Los Angeles Times. "She did a lot of television and all that, but her real love was theater. You could always dangle a part in front of her, and she'd jump at it."
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February 9, 1922 - February 17, 2010 |
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Kathryn Grayson, whose beauty and lilting soprano voice brightened such popular MGM musicals of the 1940s and '50s as "Anchors Aweigh," "Show Boat" and "Kiss Me Kate," died at her Los Angeles home. She was 88. Signed to MGM by Louis B. Mayer as a teenager, her first film was opposite Mickey Rooney in 1941's "Andy Hardy's Private Secretary." After making a splash in the Gene Kelly/Frank Sinatra musical "Anchors Aweigh," she graduated to leading status, headlining three musicals with Keel and two with Mario Lanza. Garyson's popularity, however, declined alongside that of the MGM musical, and she spent the latter half of her career realizing her early operatic dreams, touring with Keel (including gigs in Las Vegas) and starring in one-woman shows. She did concerts in Australia and appeared in a one-woman show of film clips and reminiscences. She married and divorced MGM contract players John Shelton (1940-1946) and Johnny Johnston (1947-1951). The marriage to Johnston produced her only child, Patricia Towers. She never wed again after her second marriage, and in a 1988 interview she said she had no intention of writing a memoir because it wouldn't be the "kiss and tell" kind the publishers wanted. "I'm a Pollyanna," she confessed. "I had to stop writing because I love everybody and I was saying everyone was beautiful. I just happen to think people are pretty wonderful."
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December 31, 1938 - February 8, 2010 |
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Character actor David Froman, best known for his role on the popular television series Matlock, died of cancer in Oklahoma. He was 71. According to Internet Movie Database, Froman played Lt. Bob Brooks in 56 episodes of "Matlock," the series starring Andy Griffith that aired from 1986 to 1994. He played Capt. K'Nera, a Klingon starship commander, in a 1988 episode of the TV series "Star Trek: The Next Generation." He also had roles in single episodes of "Hill Street Blues," "Trapper John, M.D.," "T.J. Hooker," "21 Jump Street" and "Cheers." All of those were in the 1980s. He also was on the television game show "Family Feud." He was working as a part-time drama instructor at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College in Miami at the time of his death. He had worked for the college in that capacity since August 2007. Pamela Catt, the current MLT board president, said that in the first play she directed, "Annie," Froman had the role of Daddy Warbucks. That was six or seven years ago. "That's how I first met David," Catt said. She said Froman had a strong voice that no one could forget. "He was a professional actor," Catt said. "He was a good friend and a good person to know."
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January 1, 1919 - January 27, 2010 |
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J.D. Salinger, the American author of The Catcher in the Rye who was once described as "the Greta Garbo of literature," died of natural causes at his home in Cornish, New Hampshire. He was 91. The celebrated author chose to spend the last half-century of his life in virtual seclusion, guarding his privacy with such fervor that he only succeeded in fanning the flames of public curiosity. As Paul Alexander put it in his book Salinger: A Biography, "He became famous for wanting not to be famous." But of course, Salinger's main claim to fame has always been as the man who wrote The Catcher in the Rye. First appearing in 1951, Jerome David Salinger's only published novel introduced the world to Holden Caulfield, a callow, disaffected 16-year-old just expelled from prep school, roaming the streets of Christmastime Manhattan in aimless flight from the parents, teachers, and various other "phonies" of a button-down grown-up world. If Salinger had never written another word after The Catcher in the Rye, his place in the pantheon of modern American authors would have been assured. But he also left behind a number of masterful short stories, as well as two volumes of inter-related stories and novellas, Franny and Zooey (1961), and Raise High the Roofbeam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction (1963). "There's a marvelous peace in not publishing," he said in a rare 1974 interview. "Publishing is a terrible invasion of privacy ... I love to write. But I write just for myself and my own pleasure."
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May 18, 1928 - January 25, 2010 |
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Pernell Roberts Jr, who played the introspective eldest son of wealthy rancher Ben Cartwright on the hit TV western "Bonanza" and went on to star in the medical drama "Trapper John, M.D.," died of pancreatic cancer. He was 81. "Bonanza" first aired in 1959, and Roberts starred in the show from the start, as rancher Ben Cartwright's son. Roberts earned many fans with the role as the quiet and serious Adam, but he left the show in 1965, even though some at the time said he was ruining his career by doing it. "Bonanza" ran until 1973, and the popular series is one of the longest running westerns in TV history, behind "Gunsmoke." After "Bonanza," Roberts mainly appeared in stage musicals and guest starring roles in TV shows, before he returned to series work in 1979 with his title role in "Trapper John, M.D." a part he played for seven seasons. The actor supported the U.S. civil rights movement, and in 1965 he marched to Selma, Alabama, with Martin Luther King Jr in a campaign for voting rights for blacks.
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January 31, 1929 - January 22, 2010 |
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Jean Simmons, the lovely, ethereal film star who played Ophelia to Laurence Olivier's Hamlet, sang with Marlon Brando in "Guys and Dolls" and costarred with Gregory Peck, Paul Newman and Kirk Douglas, died at her home in Santa Monica from lung cancer. She was 80. Already a stunning beauty at 14, Simmons made her movie debut in the 1944 British production "Give Us the Moon." Several minor films followed before British director David Lean gave the London-born actress her breakthrough role of Estella, companion to the reclusive Miss Havisham in 1946's "Great Expectations." That was followed by the exotic "Black Narcissus," and then Olivier's Oscar-winning "Hamlet" in 1948, for which Simmons was nominated as best supporting actress. She would be nominated for another Oscar, for best actress for 1969's "The Happy Ending," before moving largely to television roles in the 1970s, '80s and '90s. Her other notable films included "Elmer Gantry" (with Burt Lancaster), "Until They Sail" (with Newman), "The Big Country" (Peck), "Spartacus," (Douglas), "This Earth Is Mine" (Rock Hudson), "All the Way Home" (Robert Preston), "Mister Buddwing" (James Garner) and "Rough Night in Jericho" (Dean Martin). In the 1980s and '90s she appeared on such television shows as "Murder, She Wrote," "In the Heat of the Night" and "Xena: Warrior Princess." She also appeared in numerous TV movies and miniseries.
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March 26, 1950 - January 13, 2010 |
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Teddy Pendergrass, who became R&B's reigning sex symbol in the 1970s and '80s with his forceful, masculine voice and passionate love ballads and later became an inspirational figure after suffering a devastating car accident that left him paralyzed, died at age 59. The singer's son, Teddy Pendergrass II, said his father died at Bryn Mawr Hospital in suburban Philadelphia. The singer underwent colon cancer surgery eight months ago and had "a difficult recovery," his son said. Pendergrass suffered a spinal cord injury and was paralyzed from the waist down in the 1982 car accident. He spent six months in a hospital but returned to recording the next year with the album "Love Language." He returned to the stage at the Live Aid concert in 1985, performing from his wheelchair. Pendergrass gained popularity first as a member of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes on songs including "If You Don't Know Me by Now," but it was his solo hits that brought him his greatest fame. With songs such as "Love T.K.O.," "Close the Door" and "I Don't Love You Anymore," he came to define a new era of black male singers with his powerful, aggressive vocals that spoke to virility, not vulnerability. Pendergrass made women swoon with each note, and his concerts were a testament to that adulation, with infamous stories of women throwing their underwear on stage for his affection.
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March 24, 1939 - December 24, 2009 |
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George Michael, a high-rated and hyperanimated Washington sportscaster whose use of game highlights on his syndicated sports program became the model for successful broadcasters such as ESPN, died from complications of chronic lymphocytic leukemia. He was 70. Michael was a popular DJ in Philadelphia and New York before making a successful transition to television. He worked at WRC from 1980 to 2008, leaving abruptly after the station sought to cut the budget of the interview programs and segments he hosted. He was a mainstay on the Washington, D.C., sports television scene for decades who reached a national audience with "The George Michael Sports Machine" highlights show. In a statement, WRC TV in Washington, where Michael had been a sports director, called him a pioneer in sports broadcasting. His show, which began as a late-night local feature, ran from 1980 to 2007. The trendsetting program became the first nationally syndicated sports highlights show in 1984 and was eventually broadcast in 194 markets across the United States and in 10 foreign countries.
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July 24, 1928 - December 22, 2009 |
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Michael Currie, popular character actor on stage, television and in film, died in his home of natural causes. He was 81. He appeared in four Clint Eastwood movies and guest starred in numerous television shows. In a career that began back in the 1960s, Currie gained stardom as Sheriff Jonas Carter in the cult series "Dark Shadows." He went on to became a popular and well-known character actor making numerous appearances on such television shows as "Lou Grant," "MASH," "Trapper John, M.D.," "Soap," "Cheers," and more. Michael Currie also appeared in several Clint Eastwood films including the fourth Dirty Harry film, "Sudden Impact" and in it's 1988 sequel "The Dead Pool." Currie played Captain Donnelly in the first, then Capt. turned Lieutenant in the second. Other Clint Eastwood film roles include "Firefox" as Capt. Seerbacker and "Any Which Way You Can" as a Wyoming officer. Currie also appeared in the 1982 horror classic "Halloween III: Season of the Witch." His last big movie was the 1997 Ridley Scott flick "G.I. Jane" starring Demi Moore. He was the commission speaker.
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September 28, 1918 - December 20, 2009 |
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Arnold Stang, an actor who appeared alongside Milton Berle and Frank Sinatra and was known for his nerdy looks and distinctive nasal voice, died of pneumonia in Massachusetts, said JoAnne Stang, his wife of 60 years. He was 91. She attributed her husband's career longevity to his willingness to tackle any professional challenge. Despite often playing goofy characters, Stang was the consummate professional, preparing the same for his biggest roles and the smallest commercials. He played alongside Berle on radio and television in the 1950s, starred as Sinatra's sidekick in the 1955 movie "The Man with the Golden Arm," and was a member of the ensemble comedic cast of "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" in 1963. The dramatic role alongside Sinatra was one of his favorites, his wife said. He voiced cartoons, including the lead character in the 1960s cartoon "Top Cat," and did dozens of commercials, perhaps most notably for the Chunky candy bar. He appeared in movies alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bill Cosby and continued acting into his 80s, playing a role in the 1993 movie "Dennis the Menace." "He was really unique, because he could perform in any role, comedy or drama, he just loved it all," his wife said. "He always thought of himself just as an actor, not any particular kind of actor, but just an actor who would play whatever he was asked to play."
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November 10, 1977 - December 20, 2009 |
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Brittany Murphy, the actress who got her start in the sleeper hit "Clueless" and rose to stardom in "8 Mile," died in Los Angeles. She was 32. Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Spokeswoman Sally Stewart would not provide a cause of death, or any other information. Her career started in the early 1990s with small roles in television series, commercials and movies. She is best known for parts in "Girl, Interrupted," "Clueless" and "8 Mile." Her on-screen roles declined in recent years, but Murphy's voice gave life to numerous animated characters, including Luanne Platter on more than 200 episodes of Fox's "King of the Hill" and Gloria the penguin in "Happy Feet." She is due to appear in Sylvester Stallone's upcoming film, "The Expendables," set for release next year. Her role in "8 Mile" led to more recognition, Murphy told The Associated Press in 2003. "That changed a lot," she said. "That was the difference between people knowing my first and last name as opposed to not." Murphy credited her mother, Sharon, with being a key to her success. "When I asked my mom to move to California, she sold everything and moved out here for me," Murphy told the AP in 2003. "I was really grateful to have grown up in an environment that was conducive to creating and didn't stifle any of that. She always believed in me."
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