Obituary Stories category, Page 18
Charlie Gracie, Philadelphia’s first rock and roll star, dies at 86
PHILADELPHIA — Charlie Gracie, 86, the South Philadelphia singer and guitarist whose 1950s hits made him an international star, has died. His music had a major impact on the Beatles and many other British acts of the 1960s. Gracie died Friday in Aldan, Delaware County, his son, Charlie Gracie Jr.,...
Ex-Mafia boss ‘Cadillac Frank’ Salemme dies in prison at 89
BOSTON — Francis “Cadillac Frank” Salemme, the once powerful New England Mafia boss who was serving a life sentence behind bars for the 1993 killing of a Boston nightclub owner, has died at the age of 89, according to the Bureau of Prisons. Salemme died on Tuesday, according to Bureau...
‘Ellen’ show DJ tWitch dead at age 40
The man known to many daytime viewers of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” as tWitch has died, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office. Stephen Boss, known as tWitch while serving as DJ on DeGeneres’s daytime show was 40 years old. TMZ is reporting the death appears to be...
‘Twin Peaks’ composer Angelo Badalamenti dies at 85
Angelo Badalamenti, the composer best known for creating otherworldly scores for many David Lynch productions, from “Blue Velvet” and “Twin Peaks” to “Mulholland Drive,” has died. He was 85. He died of natural causes on Sunday, his family said in a statement. Born in Brooklyn in March 1937 to a...
Pitt visionary remembered for her legendary leadership
A centenarian praised for a lifetime of leadership in America is being remembered for her tireless dedication to the Girl Scouts organization, the University of Pittsburgh and numerous global endeavors. Frances Hesselbein, of Easton, died at her residence Sunday, Dec. 11. She was 107. The former CEO of Girls Scouts...
Soccer writer Grant Wahl dies at World Cup match in Qatar
LUSAIL, Qatar — Grant Wahl, one of the most well-known soccer writers in the United States, died early Saturday while covering the World Cup match between Argentina and the Netherlands. He was 48. U.S. media seated near him said Wahl fell back in his seat in a section of Lusail...
Mills Lane, Hall of Fame boxing referee, dies at 85
Mills Lane, the Hall of Fame boxing referee who was the third man in the ring when Mike Tyson bit Evander Holyfield’s ear, died Tuesday. He was 85. Lane had suffered a stroke in 2002 and his son, Tommy, said his father had taken a significant turn for the worse...
Bob McGrath, ‘Sesame Street’ legend, dies at 90
Bob McGrath, an actor, musician and children’s author widely known for his portrayal of one of the first regular characters on the children’s show “Sesame Street” has died at the age of 90. McGrath’s passing was confirmed by his family who posted on his Facebook page on Sunday: “The McGrath...
Christine McVie, Fleetwood Mac singer-songwriter, dies at 79
NEW YORK — Christine McVie, the British-born Fleetwood Mac vocalist, songwriter and keyboard player whose cool, soulful contralto helped define such classics as “You Make Loving Fun,” “Everywhere” and “Don’t Stop,” died Wednesday at age 79. Her death was announced on the band’s social media accounts. No cause of death...
Clarence Gilyard, ‘Die Hard’ and ‘Matlock’ actor, dies at 66
NEW YORK — Clarence Gilyard Jr., a popular supporting actor whose credits include the blockbuster films “Die Hard” and “Top Gun” and the hit television series “Matlock” and “Walker, Texas Ranger,” has died at age 66. His death was announced this week by the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where...
‘Fame,’ ‘Flashdance’ singer-actor Irene Cara dies at 63Video
NEW YORK — Oscar, Golden Globe and two-time Grammy winning singer-actress Irene Cara, who starred and sang the title cut from the 1980 hit movie “Fame” and then belted out the era-defining hit “Flashdance … What a Feeling” from 1983’s “Flashdance,” has died. She was 63. Her publicist, Judith A....
‘Power Rangers’ star Jason David Frank dies at 49
NEW YORK — Jason David Frank, who played the Green Power Ranger Tommy Oliver on the 1990s children’s series “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers,” has died. He was 49. Justine Hunt, Frank’s manager, said in a statement Sunday that Frank passed away. She did not name the cause of death or...
Robert Clary, last of the ‘Hogan’s Heroes’ stars, dies at 96
LOS ANGELES — Robert Clary, a French-born survivor of Nazi concentration camps during World War II who played a feisty prisoner of war in the improbable 1960s sitcom “Hogan’s Heroes,” has died. He was 96. Clary died during the night Wednesday of natural causes at his home in Beverly Hills,...
John Aniston, star of ‘Days of Our Lives,’ dead at 89
NEW YORK — John Aniston, the Emmy-winning star of the daytime soap opera “Days of Our Lives” and father of Jennifer Aniston, has died at age 89. The actor’s daughter posted a tribute to him Monday morning on Instagram, announcing that he had died Friday, Veteran’s Day. John Aniston served...
Jeff Cook, co-founder of country band Alabama, dies at 73
NEW YORK — Guitarist Jeff Cook, who co-founded the successful country group Alabama and steered them up the charts with such hits as “Song of the South” and “Dixieland Delight,” has died. He was 73. Cook had Parkinson’s disease and disclosed his diagnosis in 2017. He died Tuesday at his...
Singer-rapper Aaron Carter dies in California at age 34
LOS ANGELES — Aaron Carter, the singer-rapper who began performing as a child and had hit albums starting in his teen years, was found dead Saturday at his home in Southern California. He was 34. Representatives for Carter’s family confirmed the singer’s death. His fiance, Melanie Martin, asked for privacy...
Ray Guy, first Pro Football Hall of Fame punter, dies at 72
HATTIESBURG, Miss. — Ray Guy, the first punter to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame, died Thursday. He was 72. Southern Mississippi, where Guy starred before becoming the first punter ever taken in the first round of the NFL draft, said he died following a lengthy illness. He had...
Andrew Duncan, ‘Slap Shot’ announcer Jim Carr, dies
Actor Andrew Duncan, better known to Johnstown hockey fans as fictional Charlestown Chiefs broadcaster Jim Carr, has died, according to Second City Theater, which announced the news on Monday. His age and cause of death had not been announced as of Tuesday, but Duncan told The Tribune-Democrat he was 90...
Takeoff, dead at 28 in shooting, was ‘chill’ Migos member
At just 28, rapper Takeoff had cultivated a rich hip-hop legacy with Migos — along with a reputation as the trio’s most lowkey member — before he was killed in a shooting early Tuesday. Takeoff was pronounced dead at the scene outside a Houston bowling alley, police there said at...
Julie Powell, food writer of ‘Julie & Julia,’ dies at 49
NEW YORK — Food writer Julie Powell, who became an internet darling after blogging for a year about making every recipe in Julia Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking,” leading to a book deal and a film adaptation, has died. She was 49. Powell died of cardiac arrest Oct....
Owner of former Greensburg’s Cook’s Market loved customers, making friends
Gary A. Baum Sr. of Hempfield loved serving good food — especially Italian roast beef and chicken salad — as much as getting to know the customers in the 27 years he operated Cook’s Market in Greensburg. “He really liked to create this atmosphere, like the song from the television...
Jerry Lee Lewis, outrageous rock ‘n’ roll star, dies at 87
Jerry Lee Lewis, the untamable rock ‘n’ roll pioneer whose outrageous talent, energy and ego collided on such definitive records as “Great Balls of Fire” and “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” and sustained a career otherwise upended by personal scandal, died Friday morning at 87. The last survivor of a...
French iconic painter of black Pierre Soulages dead at 102
PARIS — French painter Pierre Soulages, an icon of post-World War II European abstract art famed for his use of black, has died, according to the Soulages Museum in his hometown of Rodez. He was 102. Soulages became highly influential for his reflections of black, which he called “noir-lumiere,” or...
Ash Carter, defense chief who opened combat to women, dies at 68
WASHINGTON — Former Defense Secretary Ash Carter, who opened combat jobs to women and ended a ban on transgender people serving in the military, has died at age 68. Carter died Monday evening after suffering a heart attack in Boston, his family said in a statement Tuesday. Known as a...
Leslie Jordan, versatile Emmy-winning actor, dies at 67
LOS ANGELES — Leslie Jordan, the Emmy-winning actor whose wry Southern drawl and versatility made him a comedy and drama standout on TV series including “Will & Grace” and “American Horror Story,” has died. He was 67. “The world is definitely a much darker place today without the love and...
