Obituary Stories category, Page 22
Singer Traci Braxton of ‘Braxton Family Values’ dies at 50
NEW YORK — Singer Traci Braxton, who was featured with her family in the reality television series “Braxton Family Values,” died at age 50 on Saturday. Her sister, Toni, and family said that Braxton died “this morning as the snow was falling.” According to reports, Traci Braxton had been fighting...
Emilio Delgado, Luis on ‘Sesame Street’ for 45 years, dies
Emilio Delgado, the actor and singer who for 45 years was a warm and familiar presence in children’s lives and a rare Latino face on American television as fix-it shop owner Luis on “Sesame Street,” died Thursday. His wife, Carol Delgado, told The Associated Press that Emilio Delgado died from...
‘Dark Shadows,’ ‘Lethal Weapon’ actor Mitchell Ryan dies
Mitchell Ryan, who played a villainous general in the first “Lethal Weapon” movie, a ruthless businessman on TV’s “Santa Barbara” and had character roles on the soap opera “Dark Shadows” and the 1990s sitcom “Dharma & Greg,” died Friday. He was 88. Ryan died of congestive heart failure at his...
Paralyzing accident didn’t stop Stahltown’s Katie Smith, an inspiration to others
Katie Smith of Stahlstown did not let a car accident that left her paralyzed stop her from living life the way she wanted, from continuing to play sports here and abroad to being a positive impact in people’s lives, according to her friends. Smith, who was crowned Ms. Wheelchair Pennsylvania...
Mac Martin, Pittsburgh-area bluegrass musician ‘known ’round the world,’ dies at 96
Bluegrass musician Mac Martin had his roots in Pittsburgh, but his music was known around the world, according to other bluegrass musicians and fans who knew him. “He was known all over the world. He played in a bar in East Liberty (Walsh’s Lounge) in the 1950s, and people would...
Blawnox resident Ann Casile recalled for tremendous volunteer spirit
Ardent volunteer Ann Casile is being recalled by friends as a true champion of her Blawnox community. Casile died Feb. 17 at age 87. A founding member of Aspinwall Meals on Wheels, which operates from St. Edward Church in Blawnox, Casile left her mark as a woman who was born...
Oscar-nominated ‘M*A*S*H’ actor Sally Kellerman dies at 84
LOS ANGELES — Sally Kellerman, the Oscar and Emmy nominated actor who played Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan in director Robert Altman’s 1970 film “M*A*S*H,” died Thursday. Kellerman died of heart failure at her home in the Woodland Hills section of Los Angeles, her manager and publicist Alan Eichler said. She...
Former PPG Industries top executive Vincent Sarni dies at 93
Vincent “Vin” Sarni, retired PPG Industries chairman and chief executive officer, died on Feb. 21 at age 93. Sarni served as chairman and CEO of the company from 1984 until his retirement in 1993, concluding a 25-year career with PPG. “Vin was a strong and highly respected leader. He was...
Gary Brooker, frontman of rock band Procol Harum, dies at 76Video
LONDON — Gary Brooker, the Procol Harum frontman who sang one of the 1960s’ most enduring hits, “A Whiter Shade of Pale,” has died. He was 76. The English rock band said Brooker died at his home on Saturday. He had been receiving treatment for cancer. A statement posted on...
Screaming Trees singer, Seattle icon Mark Lanegan dies at 57
Mark Lanegan, the singer whose raspy baritone and darkly poetic songwriting made Screaming Trees an essential part of the early Seattle grunge scene and brought him an acclaimed solo career, died Tuesday at age 57. “Our beloved friend Mark Lanegan passed away this morning at his home in Killarney, Ireland,”...
‘Candy Bomber’ who dropped sweets during Berlin airlift dies
U.S. military pilot Gail S. Halvorsen — known as the “Candy Bomber” for his candy airdrops during the Berlin airlift after World War II ended — has died at age 101. Halvorsen died Wednesday following a brief illness in his home state of Utah, surrounded by most of his children,...
P.J. O’Rourke, irreverent author and commentator, dead at 74
NEW YORK — P.J. O’Rourke, the prolific author and satirist who re-fashioned the irreverence and “Gonzo” journalism of the 1960s counterculture into a distinctive brand of conservative and libertarian commentary, has died at age 74. O’Rourke died Tuesday morning, according to Grove Atlantic Inc. Books publisher and president Morgan Entrekin....
Ivan Reitman, producer, ‘Ghostbusters’ director, dies at 75
Ivan Reitman, the influential filmmaker and producer behind beloved comedies from “Animal House” to “Ghostbusters,” has died. He was 75. Reitman died peacefully in his sleep Saturday night at his home in Montecito, Calif., his family told The Associated Press. “Our family is grieving the unexpected loss of a husband,...
‘A shining, positive light’: Friends, family remember Southmoreland coach Ron Frederick
The last football game that Rob Frederick watched his brother Ron coach wasn’t a Southmoreland game. Instead, it was a youth football league game in which Ron’s son, Colin, played. Rob said he was “captivated” watching Ron coach Colin. There was more pep in the proud father’s step that game....
Former WPXI reporter Kimberly Easton dies at 56
Former WPXI-TV reporter Kimberly Easton is being remembered as both a consummate professional and a kind, loving person, following her death Monday at her home in Columbus, Ind. She was 56. Her death was attributed to a heart attack. Easton worked at WPXI in Pittsburgh from 2003 to 2010. During...
Texas native Jane Glenn spearheaded community projects in New Kensington over 60 years
On a Sunday afternoon in March 1958, a Texas woman sitting outside a coffee shop in New Orleans caught the eye of a man from Leechburg. Before too long, she found herself in New Kensington. Jane Glenn arrived in New Kensington newly wedded to that Leechburg man — James Glenn...
Shirley Cuban, mother of Mavericks owner and Mt. Lebanon native Mark Cuban, dies
DALLAS — Shirley Cuban, the mother of Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, has died, her son Brian Cuban said. She was 84. Cuban died Friday in the suburban Pittsburgh home where she and her husband, Norton, raised sons Mark, Brian and Jeff, The Dallas Morning News reported. Brian Cuban said...
Miss USA winner Cheslie Kryst jumps to her death from Midtown Manhattan luxury high-rise
NEW YORK — A former Miss USA beauty pageant winner jumped to her death from her luxury Midtown high-rise apartment building Sunday, police said. Cheslie Kryst, who was crowned Miss USA in 2019, jumped from a common area on the 29th floor of the 60-floor building at 350 W. 42nd...
Howard Hesseman, star of ‘WKRP in Cincinnati,’ dies at 81
NEW YORK — Howard Hesseman, who played the radio disc jockey Dr. Johnny Fever on the sitcom “WKRP in Cincinnati” and the actor-turned-history teacher Charlie Moore on “Head of the Class,” has died. He was 81. Hesseman died Saturday in Los Angeles due to complications from colon surgery, his manager...
Jerry Weber, founder of Jerry’s Records in Pittsburgh, dies
Jerry Weber, the beloved Pittsburgh purveyor of vinyl, has died. Weber owned Jerry’s Records on Murray Avenue in Squirrel Hill — a haven for vinylheads and a kingdom of records. “We are devastated to hear of Jerry’s passing,” the record store wrote Saturday on Facebook. “Our beloved founder and Pittsburgh’s...
Gene Clines, member of 1st all-minority lineup, Pirates’ 1971 World Series champs, dies
Gene Clines took great pride in making baseball history as a member of the first all-minority starting lineup and the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 1971 World Series champions, especially considering the company. Clines was a backup in an outfield that featured Hall of Famers Roberto Clemente and Willie Stargell and seven-time All-Star...
Lenny Calderone remembered as beloved ‘ambassador’ of Vandergrift
Leonard Rocco “Lenny” Calderone, a Vandergrift native known for intense pride in his hometown, died on Sunday. His sister, Elizabeth Calderone, said he died suddenly at home from a heart attack. He was 78. While Calderone never held a position in local government, he was widely considered the unofficial ambassador...
Louie Anderson, Emmy-winning comedian, dies at 68Video
LOS ANGELES — Louie Anderson, whose four-decade career as a comedian and actor included his unlikely, Emmy-winning performance as mom to twin adult sons in the TV series “Baskets,” died Friday. He was 68. Anderson died at a hospital in Las Vegas of complications from cancer, said Glenn Schwartz, his...
Meat Loaf, ‘Bat Out of Hell’ rock superstar, dies at 74
NEW YORK — Meat Loaf, the heavyweight rock superstar loved by millions for his “Bat Out of Hell” album and for such theatrical, dark-hearted anthems as “Paradise By the Dashboard Light,” “Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad,” and “I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That),” has died....
Yvette Mimieux, ’60s starlet of ‘Time Machine,’ dies at 80
Yvette Mimieux, the blond and blue-eyed 1960s film star of “Where the Boys Are,” “The Time Machine” and “Light in the Piazza,” has died. She was 80. Michelle Bega, a family spokeswoman, said Mimieux died in her sleep of natural causes overnight Monday evening at her home in Los Angeles....
