Obituary Stories category, Page 25
Ricki Wertz, star of WTAE-TV’s ‘Ricki and Copper,’ diesVideo
Ricki Wertz, one of the original stars of Pittsburgh TV as the host of WTAE-TV’s “Ricki and Copper” and “Junior High Quiz,” died Wednesday in Chicago. She was 86. The cause of death was not immediately available. A Wilkes-Barre native, Ruth Elizabeth Wertz Bordenkircher came to Pittsburgh to study acting....
Former wrestling superstar Paul Orndorff aka ‘Mr. Wonderful’ dead at 71
Former World Wrestling Federation favorite Paul Orndorff, who gained fame with fans as Mr. Wonderful in the 1980s, has died at age 71. His death was confirmed via Instagram on Monday by his son Travis, who has documented his father’s recent health struggles. “It is with great sadness that I...
Former Steelers DB Dicky Maegle dies
HOUSTON — Dicky Maegle, the Rice running back tackled in the 1954 Cotton Bowl by an Alabama player who came off the bench in one of the most legendary plays in college football history, has died. Rice University and the National Football Foundation said Tuesday that Maegle passed away Sunday....
Henry Parham, member of only all-Black unit in D-Day invasion, dies at 99
On a hot and steamy July day two years ago, Henry Parham sat in his Wilkinsburg home with his wife, Ethel by his side and relived the horror of the D-Day invasion. Though the invasion had happened some 75 years before, the look in Parham’s eyes made it seem like...
`Superman,’ `Lethal Weapon’ director Richard Donner dies
Filmmaker Richard Donner, who helped create the modern superhero blockbuster with 1978’s “Superman” and mastered the buddy comedy with the “Lethal Weapon” franchise, has died. He was 91. Lauren Shuler Donner, his wife and producing partner, told the Hollywood trade Deadline that Donner died Monday. Donner gained fame with his...
Frank Bonner, Herb on ‘WKRP in Cincinnati,’ dies at 79Video
LOS ANGELES — Frank Bonner, who played a brash salesman with an affection for polyester plaid suits on the TV comedy “WKRP in Cincinnati,” has died. He was 79. Bonner died Wednesday from complications of Lewy body dementia, said his daughter, Desiree Boers-Kort. The actor died at his home in...
North Hills girls soccer coach dies
The North Hills athletic community took a hit with the announcement of the sudden death of soccer coach Rick Kabbert. The 52-year old Kabbert coached the Indians high school girls team last fall after two years with the North Hills Middle School boys program. “Rick was dedicated, committed and passionate...
Ned Beatty, indelible in ‘Deliverance,’ ‘Network’ dies at 83Video
NEW YORK — Ned Beatty, the Oscar-nominated character actor who in half a century of American movies, including “Deliverance,” “Network” and “Superman,” was a booming, indelible presence in even the smallest parts, has died. He was 83. Beatty’s manager, Deborah Miller, said Beatty died Sunday of natural causes at his...
Clarence Williams III, ‘The Mod Squad’s’ Linc, dies at 81
Clarence Williams III, who played the cool undercover cop Linc Hayes on the counterculture series “The Mod Squad” and Prince’s father in “Purple Rain,” has died. He was 81. Williams died Friday at his home in Los Angeles after a battle with colon cancer, his manager Allan Mindel said Sunday....
Celebrity attorney F. Lee Bailey dead at 87
WALTHAM, Mass. — F. Lee Bailey, the celebrity attorney who defended O.J. Simpson, Patricia Hearst and the alleged Boston Strangler, but whose legal career halted when he was disbarred in two states, has died, a former colleague said Thursday. He was 87. The death was confirmed Thursday by Peter Horstmann,...
‘Hooked on a Feeling’ singer B.J. Thomas dies at 78
B.J. Thomas, the Grammy-winning singer who enjoyed success on the pop, country and gospel charts with such hits as “I Just Can’t Help Believing,” “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head” and “Hooked on a Feeling,” has died. He was 78. Thomas, who announced in March that he had been diagnosed...
Gavin MacLeod, ‘Love Boat’ captain, dies at 90
LOS ANGELES — Gavin MacLeod, the veteran supporting actor who achieved stardom as Murray Slaughter, the sardonic TV news writer on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” before going on to even bigger fame as the cheerful Capt. Stubing on “The Love Boat,” has died. He was 90. MacLeod died early...
‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ author Eric Carle dies at 91
NEW YORK — Eric Carle, the beloved children’s author and illustrator whose classic “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” and other works gave millions of kids some of their earliest and most cherished literary memories, has died at age 91. Carle’s family says he died Sunday at his summer studio in Northampton,...
Former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Stephen Zappala Sr. remembered for distinguished public service
Former Pennsylvania Supreme Court Chief Justice Stephen A. Zappala Sr. was remembered for his distinguished legal career and public service. Zappala, a Collier resident, died Friday. He was 88. Zappala went from a private law practice to Allegheny County planning development director to county solicitor, an Allegheny County judge in...
Pioneering comic Paul Mooney, a writer for Richard Pryor, dies at 79Video
NEW YORK — Paul Mooney, the boundary-pushing comedian who was Richard Pryor’s longtime writing partner and whose bold, incisive musings on racism and American life made him a revered figure in stand-up, has died. He was 79. Cassandra Williams, Mooney’s publicist, said he died Wednesday morning at his home in...
Charles Grodin, Pittsburgh native and star of ‘Midnight Run,’ dies at 86
Charles Grodin, the Pittsburgh-born actor and writer whose offbeat style scored as a newlywed cad in “The Heartbreak Kid” and the father in the “Beethoven” comedies, has died. He was 86. Grodin’s son Nicholas said his father died Tuesday at his home in Wilton, Conn., from bone marrow cancer. Grodin...
Tawny Kitaen, star of ’80s rock music videos, dies at 59
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. — Tawny Kitaen, the sultry red-haired actress who appeared in rock music videos during the heyday of MTV and starred opposite Tom Hanks in the 1984 comedy “Bachelor Party,” has died. She was 59. The Orange County coroner’s office said she died at her home in Newport...
Rachel Zoll, much-admired AP religion writer, dead at 55
Rachel Zoll, who for 17 years as religion writer for The Associated Press endeared herself to colleagues, competitors and sources with her warm heart and world-class reporting skills, died Friday in Amherst, Massachusetts, after a three-year bout with brain cancer. She was 55. Zoll covered religion in all its aspects,...
Olympia Dukakis, Oscar-winning ‘Moonstruck’ star, dies at 89
MAPLEWOOD, N.J. — Olympia Dukakis, the veteran stage and screen actress whose flair for maternal roles helped her win an Oscar as Cher’s mother in the romantic comedy “Moonstruck,” has died. She was 89. Allison Levy, her agent at Innovative Artists, said Saturday that Dukakis died Saturday morning in her...
Astronaut Michael Collins, Apollo 11 pilot, dead of cancer
Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins, who piloted the ship from which Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin left to make their historic first steps on the moon in 1969, died Wednesday of cancer, his family said. He was 90. Collins was part of the three-man Apollo 11 crew that effectively ended...
Dr. William Balash’s half-century of medicine reflected deep concern for patients
A former colleague of Dr. William Balash will never forget the snowy night in January several years ago when he received a phone call at 2 a.m. One of Balash’s patients was in the intensive care unit of Allegheny Valley Hospital. He wasn’t doing well. “Dr. Balash cared about his...
Rapper Shock G of Digital Underground found dead in FloridaVideo
Rapper Shock G, who was famous for the hit single “The Humpty Dance,” died Thursday night, according to Digital Underground co-founder Chopmaster J. He was 57. A report from TMZ said that Shock G, named Gregory Jacobs by birth, died at a hotel in Tampa, Fla. RIP to Hip Hop...
Les McKeown, who fronted the Bay City Rollers, dies at 65Video
LONDON — Les McKeown, the former lead singer of the 1970s Scottish pop sensation Bay City Rollers, has died suddenly at the age of 65, his family said Thursday. A statement from his family posted on social media said: “It is with profound sadness that we announce the death of...
Former Scottdale district judge dedicated to God, family, community
Former Scottdale police officer and longtime District Judge J. Bruce King was a man dedicated to the important things in life, his friends said. “He was first dedicated to God. Second, dedicated to his family and, third, dedicated to his community,” said Roger Eckels, a former Mt. Pleasant Township district...
Longtime Penn Hills science teacher James Schultz has died; grief counseling available
Longtime Penn Hills teacher James Schultz has died at the age of 64, district officials announced April 9. He began teaching in the district in 2001, most recently Linton Middle School and high school science classes via the district’s cyber academy. Superintendent Nancy Hines called Schultz “a true professional” and...
