obituary

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Earl Scruggs Dead at 88
 Earl Scruggs Dead at 88 
OBITUARY
Mar 29, 2012 5:00 AM CDT

Earl Scruggs Dead at 88

Master banjoist pioneered 3-finger picking

(Newser) - Earl Scruggs, the master banjoist whose three-finger power picking propelled the instrument from mere prop directly to center stage and the heart and sound of bluegrass, died yesterday of natural causes, reports the New York Times . He was 88. Scruggs came to prominence in the 1940s with guitarist and longtime...

Feminist Poet Adrienne Rich Dead at 82

Ground-breaking writer fought for women's rights with words

(Newser) - As a woman, a lesbian, and a Jew, Adrienne Rich felt triply excluded by society, and she used her long and influential career as a poet to fight for change. Rich, who has died from complications linked to rheumatoid arthritis at the age of 82, was one of America's...

Thai Billionaire Behind Red Bull Dead at 89

Chaleo Yoovidhya's parents sold ducks, fruit to survive

(Newser) - The Thai billionaire who sparked the worldwide "energy drink" craze and co-founded Red Bull has died of natural causes in Bangkok, the AP reports. Chaleo Yoovidhya was 89. Born to a Thai mother and Chinese father who sold ducks and fruit to survive, Chaelo died as Thailand's third-richest...

Doobie Brothers Drummer Dead at 65

Michael Hossack had cancer

(Newser) - Longtime Doobie Brothers drummer Michael Hossack is dead of cancer at age 65, reports Wyoming's Lake County News . "Big Mike" played with the band from 1971-73, a stretch that included hits such as "Listen to the Music," "China Grove," and "Blackwater," notes...

'It's a Small World' Songwriter Dead at 86

Robert Sherman also co-wrote 'Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious'

(Newser) - Songwriter Robert Sherman is dead at 86, and the AP notes that his life's work might be summed up in the word "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious." He and brother Richard wrote that song along with the ubiquitous "It's a Small World (After All)" for Disney. They also wrote...

RIP Andrew Breitbart
 RIP Andrew Breitbart 
REACTIONS
Mar 1, 2012 12:49 PM CST

RIP Andrew Breitbart

Death sets off both tributes and good-riddance shots

(Newser) - Andrew Breitbart's death continues to set off a wide range of reactions. Some examples:
  • 'Liberals celebrate': The Washington Examiner rounds up tweets from the left under that headline, including one from Slate's Matt Yglesias, who says the "world outlook is slightly improved" now.
  • Tone it
...

Breitbart Collapsed While Walking

Father-in-law adds that Breitbart had suffered heart problems

(Newser) - Details related to the shocking death of Andrew Breitbart are beginning to trickle out, with father-in-law Orson Bean telling the AP that the conservative firebrand was walking near his Brentwood home shortly after midnight when he collapsed. Someone apparently saw him do so, and called paramedics. Breitbart had suffered heart...

Andrew Breitbart Dead at 43
 Andrew Breitbart Dead at 43 
obituary
Mar 1, 2012 8:42 AM CST

Andrew Breitbart Dead at 43

His sites confirm the conservative blogger died in LA this morning

(Newser) - Andrew Breitbart's Big Government today confirmed that its founder died early this morning at the age of 43. "With a terrible feeling of pain and loss we announce" that "Andrew passed away unexpectedly from natural causes shortly after midnight this morning in Los Angeles," it reports....

Monkees&#39; Davy Jones Dead at 66

 Monkees' 
 Davy Jones 
 Dead at 66 
obituary
Feb 29, 2012 12:59 PM CST

Monkees' Davy Jones Dead at 66

Singer suffered fatal heart attack

(Newser) - Monkees frontman Davy Jones died of a heart attack this morning in Florida at the age of 66. Jones had the heart attack in his home, and was taken to Martin Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, a spokesman tells TMZ . He gave what turned out to be his...

Jan Berenstain Dead at 88

 Jan Berenstain 
 Dead at 88 
obituary
Feb 27, 2012 1:43 PM CST

Jan Berenstain Dead at 88

Berenstain Bears co-creator was working on books until the day she died

(Newser) - Sad news for the millions of former kids who learned about messy rooms and those awful gimmes from the Berenstain Bears: Co-creator Jan Berenstain died on Friday in Solebury, Pa., at the age of 88. Her son told the AP that she suffered a severe stroke the day prior. Jan,...

Barney Rosset, Censorship-Fighting Publisher, Dies

Grove Press founder championed Beat poets, Samuel Beckett, erotica

(Newser) - Barney Rosset, founder of the envelope-pushing, censorship-defying Grove Press, died at age 89 on Tuesday after a double-heart-valve replacement, the New York Times reports. The irascible Rosset once described his press as "a breach in the dam of American Puritanism," and it lived up to that name, publishing...

Mom Gets an Awful Obituary Thanks to Squabbling Kids

Josie Anello's son pens passive-aggressive swing at sis

(Newser) - Josie Anello's obituary ran in the Tampa Tribune on Feb. 14—but it wasn't exactly teeming with love. The wording of the 93-year-old woman's obit has brought her Internet fame after death, and turned the spotlight on her not-exactly-chummy kids. Its third line read: "She is...

One of World's Most Interesting Men Is Dead

John Fairfax, 74, had a resume that almost defies belief

(Newser) - He may not be the Dos Equis man, but John Fairfax arguably has the most interesting obituary in the world. The New York Times' piece on Fairfax, who died Feb. 8 from a heart attack at the age of 74, begins by reminding us of Fairfax's most famous feats:...

Hall of Famer Gary Carter Dead at 57

Catcher for Mets, Expos had brain cancer

(Newser) - Hall of Fame catcher Gary Carter, whose single for the New York Mets in the 1986 World Series touched off one of the most improbable rallies in baseball, died today. He was 57. Carter, diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor last May, was an 11-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glove...

Photographer Lillian Bassman Dead at 94

Renowned art director experienced revival in 1990s

(Newser) - Lillian Bassman, who shot to fame as a self-taught photographer and the daring art director of a Harper's Bazaar spin-off, died yesterday at 94 in her Manhattan home. Bassman, born in Brooklyn and raised in the Bronx, studied fabric design and fashion illustration, and became a protégé of...

Music Industry Mourns Icon Houston
 Music Industry 
 Mourns Icon Houston 
APPRECIATION
Feb 12, 2012 7:06 AM CST

Music Industry Mourns Icon Houston

Singers, critics, pros all call her one of greatest ever

(Newser) - Tributes are pouring in for the career of the late Whitney Houston, after her shocking death yesterday, focusing on her uniquely powerful voice and incredible catalogue of hits. A sampling:
  • "At her peak, Houston was the golden girl of the music industry," praised Billboard . "She wowed audiences
...

Whitney Houston Dead at 48
 Whitney Houston Dead at 48 
Feb 11, 2012 7:08 PM CST

Whitney Houston Dead at 48

She had battled substance abuse for years

(Newser) - Whitney Houston, who reigned as pop music's queen until her majestic voice and regal image were ravaged by drug use, erratic behavior, and a tumultuous marriage to singer Bobby Brown, has died. She was 48. Publicist Kristen Foster said today that the singer had died, but the cause and...

Actor Ben Gazzara Dead at 81
 Actor Ben Gazzara Dead at 81 
Feb 3, 2012 6:11 PM CST

Actor Ben Gazzara Dead at 81

He was a longtime presence on Broadway, TV, and the big screen

(Newser) - Actor Ben Gazzara died of pancreatic cancer today, reports the New York Times . The obituary recounts a long and varied career on stage (a starring role in the original Cat on a Hot Tin Roof), television (Run for Your LIfe in the early '60s), and film (especially with director...

Artist Mike Kelley Dead in Apparent Suicide

Influential American reportedly depressed after breakup

(Newser) - Influential American artist Mike Kelley was found dead yesterday at age 57, in what police say appears to be a suicide. A friend told investigators he had been depressed following a recent breakup, the New York Times reports. Kelley specialized in large-scale pieces, often incorporating sculpture, video, or performance, and...

Soul Train's Don Cornelius Found Dead

Police believe the 75-year-old committed suicide

(Newser) - Soul Train creator and longtime host Don Cornelius was found dead this morning in his Sherman Oaks, Calif., home, in what police are calling an apparent suicide. Law enforcement sources say the 75-year-old died from a single gunshot wound to the head, which they believe was self-inflicted. Cornelius' Soul Train...

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