Obituary Stories category, Page 4
Former Tribune-Review business, real estate writer Ron DaParma ‘could cover anything’
Ronald L. “Ron” DaParma, a longtime business editor and business writer for newspapers in McKeesport, Greensburg and Pittsburgh, had the ability to cover a broad spectrum of topics, whether it was real estate, Pittsburgh’s banking behemoths, small business, or steel mill operations and the steelworkers who labored in those factories....
Bobby Sherman, teen idol in the 1960s and ’70s, and later a CPR teacher, dies at 81
Bobby Sherman, whose winsome smile and fashionable shaggy mop top helped make him into a teen idol in the 1960s and ’70s with bubblegum pop hits like “Little Woman” and “Julie, Do Ya Love Me,” has died. He was 81. His wife, Brigitte Poublon, announced the death Tuesday and family...
Mick Ralphs, founding member of Bad Company and Mott the Hoople, dies at 81
Mick Ralphs, a guitarist, singer, songwriter and founding member of the classic British rock bands Bad Company and Mott the Hoople, has died. A statement posted to Bad Company’s official website Monday announced Ralphs’ death at age 81. Ralphs had a stroke days after what would be his final performance...
Food Network star Anne Burrell dead at 55
NEW YORK — Anne Burrell, the Food Network star best known for leading the channel’s hit show “Worst Cooks in America,” died on Tuesday. She was 55. Burrell died at her home in Brooklyn, according to TMZ. Her cause of death was not immediately reported; sources told the outlet she...
Brian Wilson, Beach Boys visionary leader and summer’s poet laureate, dies at 82
Brian Wilson, the Beach Boys’ visionary and fragile leader whose genius for melody, arrangements and wide-eyed self-expression inspired “Good Vibrations,” “California Girls” and other summertime anthems and made him one of the world’s most influential recording artists, has died at 82. Wilson’s family posted news of his death to his...
Brandt recalled as man of deep faith, made difficult decisions
Bishop Emeritus Lawrence E. Brandt, who led the Roman Catholic Diocese of Greensburg for 11 years, was not afraid of making difficult decisions at a time of declining church membership, according to those who knew him. “He will be remembered by me as a man of courage and grace, always...
Sly Stone, leader of funk revolutionaries Sly and the Family Stone, dies at 82
NEW YORK — Sly Stone, the revolutionary musician and dynamic showman whose Sly and the Family Stone transformed popular music in the 1960s and ’70s and beyond with such hits as “Everyday People,” “Stand!” and “Family Affair,” has died. He was 82 Stone, born Sylvester Stewart, had been in poor...
Former Franklin Regional, North Allegheny basketball coach was ‘dedicated to excellence’
Robert Greenleaf’s slogan with his Franklin Regional basketball team was “Dedicated to Excellence.” And the longtime educator and basketball aficionado lived the motto in all aspects of his life, friends and family said. “He was well-known and well-loved,” said Bob Bozzuto, who worked with Greenleaf in both the Franklin Regional...
Vikings’ Purple People Eater Jim Marshall, the ‘all-time iron man,’ dies at 87
EAGAN, Minn. — Former Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jim Marshall, one of the four members of the famed Purple People Eaters front that formed the backbone of four Super Bowl teams, died Tuesday after a long hospitalization for an undisclosed illness. He was 87. The Vikings announced Marshall’s death Tuesday...
Loretta Swit, Emmy winner who played Houlihan on ‘M.A.S.H.,’ dies at 87
NEW YORK — Loretta Swit, who won two Emmy Awards playing Major Margaret Houlihan, the demanding head nurse of a behind-the-lines surgical unit during the Korean War on the pioneering hit TV series “M.A.S.H.,” has died. She was 87. Publicist Harlan Boll says Swit died Friday at her home in...
Former Pirates president Mark Sauer, who called for changes to baseball’s inequities, dies at 78
Mark Sauer transformed from an executive for three major sports franchises, including the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1990s, to become a passionate advocate for educational equality in retirement. Sauer died May 22 in Delray Beach, Fla. He was 78. After serving as deputy chief operating officer of MLB’s St. Louis...
Former New York Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik, who pleaded guilty to federal tax fraud, dies at 69
NEW YORK — Bernard Kerik, who served as New York City’s police commissioner on 9/11 and later pleaded guilty to tax fraud before being pardoned, has died. He was 69. FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed his death on Thursday on social media, saying it came “after a private battle with...
Rick Derringer, who had a hit with ‘Hang On Sloopy’ and produced ‘Weird Al,’ dies at 77
Guitarist and singer Rick Derringer, who shot to fame at 17 when his band The McCoys recorded “Hang On Sloopy,” had a hit with “Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo” and earned a Grammy Award for producing “Weird Al ” Yankovic’s debut album, has died. He was 77. Derringer died Monday...
Marcel Ophuls, the Oscar-winning filmmaker who forced France to face its WWII past, is dead at 97
PARIS — Marcel Ophuls, the Academy Award-winning filmmaker whose landmark 1969 documentary “The Sorrow and the Pity” shattered the comforting myth that most of France had resisted the Nazis during World War II, has died at 97. The German-born filmmaker, who was the son of legendary filmmaker Max Ophuls, died...
Former U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel of New York has died at age 94
NEW YORK — Former U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel of New York, an outspoken, gravel-voiced Harlem Democrat who spent nearly five decades on Capitol Hill and was a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus, died Monday at age 94. His family confirmed the death in a statement provided by City...
Duck Dynasty patriarch and conservative cultural icon Phil Robertson dies
WEST MONROE, La. — Phil Robertson, who turned his small duck calling interest in the sportsman’s paradise of northern Louisiana into a big business and conservative cultural phenomenon, died Sunday, according to his family. He was 79. Robertson’s family announced in December on their Unashamed With the Robertson Family podcast...
Colts’ music-loving owner Jim Irsay dies at age 65Video
INDIANAPOLIS — Jim Irsay, the Indianapolis Colts owner who leveraged the popularity of Peyton Manning into a new stadium and a Super Bowl title, died Wednesday at age 65. Pete Ward, Irsay’s longtime right-hand man and the team’s chief operating officer, made the announcement in a statement from the team....
George Wendt, who played a beloved barfly on ‘Cheers’ and found another home onstage, dies at 76
NEW YORK — George Wendt, an actor with an Everyman charm who played the affable, beer-loving barfly Norm on the hit 1980s TV comedy “Cheers” and later crafted a stage career that took him to Broadway in “Art,” “Hairspray” and “Elf,” has died. He was 76. Wendt’s family said he...
Owner of Janet’s Dance Studio in Irwin inspired generations of students
Janet Naughton had the spirit of a Broadway hoofer and the calling to share her talent with generations of younger aspiring dancers. Naughton, who died Thursday at 88, wasn’t tall enough to realize her dream of becoming a Radio City Rockette. But she was overjoyed when students at her Irwin...
Former Supreme Court Justice David Souter, a Republican who became a liberal darling, dies at 85
WASHINGTON — Retired Supreme Court Justice David H. Souter, the ascetic bachelor and New Hampshire Republican who became a darling of liberals during his nearly 20 years on the bench, has died. He was 85. Souter died Thursday at his home in New Hampshire, the court said in a statement...
Julia Parsons, U.S. Navy code-breaker during World War II, dies
Julia Parsons, a U.S. Navy code-breaker during World War II who kept a military secret about her assignment for decades, including from her Army husband, Don, died April 18 A longtime resident of Forest Hills, she was 104. “Julia was a pioneer for women’s roles in American Society,” said Todd...
Ligonier Valley School Board member Joseph Vella dies suddenly at home
The Ligonier Valley School District community was shocked this week by the unexpected death of school board member Joseph Vella. Vella, 54, who was midway through his first term on the board, died Tuesday at his Ligonier Township home. The cause of death has yet to be determined, according to...
Ruth Buzzi, comedy sketch player on groundbreaking series ‘Laugh-In,’ dies at 88
LOS ANGELES — Ruth Buzzi, who rose to fame as the frumpy and bitter Gladys Ormphby on the groundbreaking sketch comedy series “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In” and made over 200 television appearances during a 45-year career, has died at age 88. Buzzi died Thursday at her home in Texas, says...
Jill Sobule, the singer-songwriter known for ‘I Kissed a Girl,’ dies in a fire
Jill Sobule, the award-winning singer-songwriter whose witty and poignant writing first attracted widespread attention with the gay-themed song “I Kissed a Girl,” died in a house fire Thursday. She was 66. Her death was confirmed by her publicist, David Elkin, in an email Thursday afternoon. It was not immediately clear...
Chicago Bears great Steve McMichael dies at 67 after battle with ALSVideo
CHICAGO — Steve McMichael, a star defensive tackle on the Chicago Bears’ famed 1985 Super Bowl championship team whose larger-than-life personality made him a fixture in the Windy City for decades and a natural for professional wrestling, has died following a battle with ALS. He was 67. McMichael died Wednesday...
