obituary

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James Spain Dead at 81
James Spain Dead at 81
Jan 6, 2008 12:00 PM CST

James Spain Dead at 81

Career diplomat served as US Ambassador in Tanzania, Turkey & Sri Lanka

(Newser) - James Spain, a career diplomat in the US Foreign Service, passed away of natural causes in Wilmington, NC at age 81 on January 2, 2008.  Ambassador Spain's life was devoted to serving his country first in the US Army as a photographer on Gen. Douglas MacArthur's staff in occupied...

George MacDonald Fraser Dead
George MacDonald Fraser Dead
Jan 3, 2008 8:00 PM CST

George MacDonald Fraser Dead

(Newser) - George MacDonald Fraser, the creator of the Flashman series of of historical novels, died yesterday at age 82.  Fraser's widely read and beloved series of 12 novels featured a lovable, cowardly cad named Harry Flashman, first created as a minor character in the classic 19th century English novel, "...

Winningest Horse Trainer Dead at 72
Winningest Horse Trainer Dead at 72
Dec 26, 2007 4:19 PM CST

Winningest Horse Trainer Dead at 72

Baird racked up more than 9,400 victories

(Newser) - Dale Baird, the trainer with the most wins in the history of horse racing, died Sunday in a car accident at age 72. Baird racked up 9,445 wins—no other trainer even has 7,000—in a storied career at the West Virginia racetrack now known as Mountaineer. Despite...

Choreographer Kidd Dies at 92
Choreographer Kidd Dies at 92
Dec 25, 2007 6:20 PM CST

Choreographer Kidd Dies at 92

He won five Tonys and and an honorary Oscar

(Newser) - Choreographer Michael Kidd, creator of some of the most enduring dance steps on Broadway and in Hollywood, has died of cancer at age 92, the New York Times reports. Kidd, who won five Tonys and an honorary Oscar, is best known for his choreography in the 1954 film Seven Brides ...

Oscar Peterson Dies at 82
Oscar Peterson Dies at 82
Dec 24, 2007 2:10 PM CST

Oscar Peterson Dies at 82

Jazz virtuoso known for quickness at the keyboard

(Newser) - Legendary jazz pianist Oscar Peterson died last night at his home near Toronto from kidney failure, CBC News reports. He was 82. The Canadian musician made hundreds of recordings, won seven Grammys, and played alongside greats like Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker, and Ella Fitzgerald. "The world has lost the...

Billionaire Dies After Fall at Building Site

Ken Hendricks, 66, built ABC Supply Co. into home-supply chain

(Newser) - Billionaire Ken Hendricks, 66, died today of head injuries after falling through a hole in his unfinished garage roof, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports. Hendricks—a high-school dropout who turned ABC Supply Co. into a national building-supply chain—apparently fell through a tarp covering an unfinished portion of an addition to...

Eulogy Offers Some Answers
Eulogy Offers Some Answers
Dec 19, 2007 2:17 PM CST

Eulogy Offers Some Answers

A journalist leaves a doctor's funeral 'feeling a sense of wonder'

(Newser) - The questions have echoed through the ages, ever since people started dying and leaving behind loved ones able to express the sentiment: Why? Why now? Now what? Writing for the Newsweek/Washington Post website "On Faith," Sally Quinn points her readers to the extraordinary eulogy Erik Kolbell delivered last...

Singer, Songwriter Dan Fogelberg Dies at 56

Lost 3-year battle with prostate cancer

(Newser) - Soft rock singer-songwriter Dan Fogelberg died yesterday morning at his home in Maine after a three-year battle with prostate cancer. He was 56. Fogelberg was most popular in the '70s and early '80s with hits like "Longer," "Leader of the Band," "Same Old Lang Syne,...

Kerrigan Plotter Dies at Age 40
Kerrigan Plotter Dies at Age 40
Dec 16, 2007 3:31 PM CST

Kerrigan Plotter Dies at Age 40

Ex-bodyguard changed name, 'died a long time ago,' brother says

(Newser) - A plotter in the 1994 attack on skater Nancy Kerrigan died this week of natural causes at age 40, the AP reports. Brian Sean Griffith, ex-bodyguard to figure-skating Olympic hopeful Tonya Harding, confessed to helping organize the attack on Kerrigan days after it happened. Griffith served 14 months and...

Ike Turner Dead at 76
Ike Turner Dead at 76
Dec 12, 2007 4:07 PM CST

Ike Turner Dead at 76

Musical legend gained infamy as Tina's abusive husband

(Newser) - Ike Turner, who gained nearly as much fame for his pioneering rock and soul music as he did being Tina Turner's abusive husband, died at age 76 today, the AP reports. The cause of death was not immediately known. Turner teamed with Tina for a series of powerful hits in...

3,000 Say Goodbye to Knievel
3,000 Say Goodbye to Knievel
Dec 10, 2007 5:27 PM CST

3,000 Say Goodbye to Knievel

Fireworks and heartfelt eulogies mark daredevil's passing

(Newser) - Thousands of mourners, including actor Matthew McConaughey and boxing champ Joe Frazier, gathered today to bid farewell to Evel Knievel, New West reports. The ceremony took place in the famed daredevil’s hometown, Butte, Mont., which marked the arrival of his coffin last night with a 3-minute salvo of fireworks....

Composer Stockhausen Dead at 79
Composer Stockhausen Dead at 79
Dec 7, 2007 9:11 PM CST

Composer Stockhausen Dead at 79

Creator of world's longest opera inspired many, including the Beatles

(Newser) - Karlheinz Stockhausen, the controversial composer who wrote the world's longest opera—29 hours, to be played over 7 days—has died at the age of 79, the Guardian reports. Though he inspired the Beatles and won high critical acclaim, Stockhausen also snubbed modern music trends and received little mainstream acceptance...

ABT Ballerina Killed in Jersey Crash

Dancer dies, husband injured as they're struck exiting disabled car

(Newser) - A dancer for the American Ballet Theater is dead and her dancer husband seriously injured after a fender-bender on an icy New Jersey highway turned fatal. Jennifer Alexander and her husband were returning from a Pennsylvania performance of The Nutcracker when they exited their vehicle after a nine-car pileup, and...

Rapper Pimp C Found Dead in Hotel Room

No sign of foul play in mystery death of UGK star

(Newser) - Rapper Pimp C, half of the chart-topping duo UGK, was found dead in his Los Angles hotel room yesterday, and authorities have found no signs of foul play. Paramedics responded to a 911 call yesterday morning to discover Pimp C, 33, dead in bed, fully clothed. No drugs or related...

Writer Hardwick Dead at 91
Writer
Hardwick
Dead at 91
Dec 4, 2007 5:05 PM CST

Writer Hardwick Dead at 91

Critic, essayist, novelist co-founded New York Review of Books

(Newser) - Elizabeth Hardwick, co-founder of the New York Review of Books, died Sunday at 91, the Times reports. The Kentucky-born Hardwick moved north in 1939—“my aim was to be a New York Jewish intellectual,” she said later—and became a critical giant. "I have always written essays...

Brit Fan Hails 'True American Original'

Knievel was 'NASA, Elvis, Barnum & Bailey rolled into one'

(Newser) - Like thousands of children growing up in the 1970s, Daily Telegraph columnist Damien Lanigan played with an Evel Knievel doll, delighting in the indestructibility of the figurine. The man who inspired the toys—and delighted a generation—proved to be less enduring than his plastic manifestations, but his legend survives...

Evel Knievel Dead at 69
Evel Knievel Dead at 69
Nov 30, 2007 4:35 PM CST

Evel Knievel Dead at 69

Motorcycle daredevil and '70s showman had been in failing health

(Newser) - Evel Knievel, the motorcycle daredevil  who never saw a canyon—or a row of vehicles—he didn't want to jump, died today at 69. He was known for his spectacular failures as well as successes, including an attempt to jump the fountains at Caesar's Palace that put him in a...

Ex-GM CEO, Chairman Smith Dead at 82
Ex-GM CEO, Chairman Smith Dead at 82
Nov 30, 2007 12:33 PM CST

Ex-GM CEO, Chairman Smith Dead at 82

Unwitting Roger and Me costar led auto giant throughout 1980s

(Newser) - Roger B. Smith, the chairman of General Motors from 1981 to 1990 and the subject of Michael Moore's critical documentary Roger and Me, died yesterday in Detroit at 82. "He was a leader who knew that we have to accept change, understand change, and learn to make it work...

Henry Hyde Dies at 83
Henry Hyde Dies at 83
Nov 29, 2007 8:59 AM CST

Henry Hyde Dies at 83

Conservative voice in the House for 32 years; led Clinton impeachment

(Newser) - Henry Hyde, the former Illinois congressman who was a powerful conservative voice in the capital for decades, died today at 83. As the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Hyde took the lead in the impeachment proceedings against President Bill Clinton. He was a vocal foe of abortion, sponsoring what...

Veteran Pitcher Joe Kennedy Dead at 28

Agent cites heart attack or brain aneurysm as possible cause

(Newser) - Major league pitcher Joe Kennedy died unexpectedly today while visiting the Tampa Bay area for a wedding. The cause of death is unknown, although his agent speculated that a brain aneurysm or heart attack may be responsible. Kennedy, 28, pitched for five major league teams in 7 years, finishing last...

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