Obituary Stories category, Page 26
Mort Sahl, comedian who satirized politics, dies at 94
NEW YORK — Satirist Mort Sahl, who helped revolutionize stand-up comedy during the Cold War with his running commentary on politicians and current events and became a favorite of a new, restive generation of Americans, died Tuesday. He was 94. His friend Lucy Mercer said that he died “peacefully” at...
James Michael Tyler, who played Gunther on ‘Friends,’ diesVideo
NEW YORK — James Michael Tyler, the actor known widely for his recurring role as Gunther on “Friends,” has died. He was 59. Tyler died Sunday at home in Los Angeles from prostate cancer, said his manager, Toni Benson. Tyler was first diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer in 2018. “The...
Peter Scolari of ‘Newhart,’ ‘Bosom Buddies,’ dies at 66
LOS ANGELES — Peter Scolari, a versatile character actor whose television roles included a yuppie producer on “Newhart” and a closeted dad on “Girls” and who was on Broadway with longtime friend Tom Hanks in “Lucky Guy,” has died. He was 66. Scolari died Friday morning in New York after...
Former Highlands teacher, administrator Ang Bruni recalled for lifelong service
Longtime Highlands teacher and Brackenridge Councilman Ang Bruni is being recalled by friends and family as a consummate professional with a gift for writing and public speaking. Angelo “Ang” Bruni Sr., 84, died Tuesday at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh. “He was my English teacher in the 1970s,” Highlands School...
Alabama teen chef known for TV cooking shows dies at 17
Fuller Goldsmith knew his life’s arc well before he even began school. During hours waiting out chemotherapy treatments at Children’s of Alabama hospital, the Tuscaloosa native grew bored watching Disney Channel and cartoons, and turned instead to Food Network shows, thus setting his path. The young chef won the “Chopped...
‘Sex and the City’ actor Willie Garson dies at 57
LOS ANGELES — Willie Garson, who played Stanford Blatch, Carrie Bradshaw’s friend on TV’s “Sex and the City” and its movie sequels, has died, his son announced Tuesday. He was 57. “I love you so much papa. Rest In Peace and I’m so glad you got to share all your...
‘Saturday Night Live’ comedian Norm Macdonald dead at 61 after battle with cancer
Norm Macdonald, a “Saturday Night Live” cast member best known as the host of Weekend Update, died Tuesday. He was 61. Macdonald succumbed to a nine-year cancer battle that he kept private, his management team told Deadline. “He was most proud of his comedy,” producing partner Lori Jo Hoekstra told...
Michael Constantine of ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding’ dies at 94
Michael Constantine, an Emmy Award-winning character actor who reached worldwide fame playing the Windex bottle-toting father of the bride in the 2002 film “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” has died. He was 94. Constantine died Aug. 31 at his home in Reading of natural causes, his family said. The news...
Actor Michael K. Williams, Omar on ‘The Wire,’ dead at 54Video
NEW YORK — Actor Michael K. Williams, who as the rogue robber of drug dealers Omar Little on “The Wire” created one of the most popular characters in television in recent decades, died Monday. Williams was found dead Monday afternoon by family members in his Brooklyn penthouse apartment, New York...
Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts dies at age 80
Charlie Watts, the self-effacing and unshakeable Rolling Stones drummer who helped anchor one of rock’s greatest rhythms sections and used his “day job” to support his enduring love of jazz, has died, according to his publicist. He was 80. Bernard Doherty said Tuesday that Watts “passed away peacefully in a...
Grammy-winning folk singer-songwriter Nanci Griffith dies
Nanci Griffith, the Grammy-winning folk singer-songwriter from Texas whose literary songs like “Love at the Five and Dime” celebrated the South, has died. She was 68. Her management company, Gold Mountain Entertainment, said Griffith died Friday but did not provide a cause of death. “It was Nanci’s wish that no...
Markie Post, TV veteran actor of ‘Night Court,’ dies at 70
Markie Post, who played the public defender in the 1980s sitcom “Night Court” and was a regular presence on television for four decades, has died. She was 70. Post’s manager, Ellen Lubin Sanitsky, said Post died Saturday in Los Angeles after a years-long battle with cancer. Post was a longtime...
Kool & the Gang co-founder Dennis Thomas dead at age 70
Dennis “Dee Tee” Thomas, a founding member of the long-running soul-funk band Kool & the Gang known for such hits as “Celebration” and “Get Down On It,” has died. He was 70. He died peacefully in his sleep Saturday in New Jersey, where he was a resident of Montclair, according...
Ron Popeil, inventor and king of TV pitchmen, dies at 86
LOS ANGELES — Ron Popeil, the quintessential TV pitchman and inventor known to generations of viewers for hawking products including the Veg-O-Matic, the Pocket Fisherman, Mr. Microphone and the Showtime Rotisserie and BBQ, has died, his family said. Popeil died “suddenly and peacefully” Wednesday at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in...
ZZ Top: Bearded bassist Dusty Hill dies in his sleep at 72
HOUSTON — ZZ Top bassist Dusty Hill, one of the Texas blues rock trio’s bearded figures, died at his Houston home, the band announced Wednesday. He was 72. In their Facebook post, guitarist Billy Gibbons and drummer Frank Beard said Hill died in his sleep. They didn’t give a cause...
1960s civil rights activist Robert Moses dies at 86
Robert Parris Moses, a civil rights activist who was shot at and endured beatings and jail while leading Black voter registration drives in the American South during the 1960s and later helped improve minority education in math, has died. He was 86. Moses, who was widely referred to as Bob,...
Entrepreneur, philanthropist John G. Rangos Sr. dies just before 92nd birthday
Entrepreneur and philanthropist John G. Rangos Sr. died Wednesday, one week shy of his 92nd birthday. Rangos died following a brief illness, according to a news release from the John G. Rangos Sr. Charitable Foundation. The release said he died surrounded by his children — John Rangos Jr., Alex Rangos...
‘Kansas’ rock violinist, singer Robby Steinhardt, dies at 71
Robert E. “Robby” Steinhardt, a violinist and vocalist with the progressive rock band Kansas, has died due to complications from pancreatitis. He was 71. His wife, Cindy Steinhardt, said he died Saturday at a hospital in Tampa, Florida. She announced on Facebook Monday that he had just recorded his first...
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...
