Obituary Stories category, Page 24
bell hooks, groundbreaking feminist thinker, dies at 69
NEW YORK — bell hooks, the groundbreaking author, educator and activist whose explorations of how race, gender, economics and politics intertwined helped shape academic and popular debates over the past 40 years, has died. She was 69. In a statement issued through William Morrow Publishers, hooks’ family announced that she...
Michael Nesmith, the Monkee for all seasons, dies at 78
LOS ANGELES — Michael Nesmith, the singer-songwriter, author, actor-director and entrepreneur who will likely be best remembered as the wool-hatted, guitar-strumming member of the made-for-television rock band The Monkees, has died at 78. Nesmith, who had undergone quadruple bypass surgery in 2018, died at home Friday of natural causes, his...
Al Unser, a 4-time winner of Indianapolis 500, dies at 82
Al Unser, one of only four drivers to win the Indianapolis 500 a record four times, died Thursday following a long illness. He was 82. Unser died at his home in Chama, New Mexico, with his wife, Susan, by his side, Indianapolis Motor Speedway said early Friday. He had been...
‘Laverne & Shirley’ star Eddie Mekka dead at 69
Longtime “Laverne & Shirley” actor Eddie Mekka was reportedly discovered dead last Saturday at his California home. He was 69. Mekka, who portrayed Carmine Ragusa on the popular sitcom, had battled blood clots recently, his brother told TMZ. Authorities went to Mekka’s home in Newhall after receiving reports that Mekka...
1983 AL Cy Young Award winner LaMarr Hoyt dies at 66
CHICAGO — LaMarr Hoyt, who won the 1983 AL Cy Young Award with the Chicago White Sox, has died. He was 66. The White Sox announced his death on Wednesday. The team said he died Monday in his hometown of Columbia, S.C., following a lengthy illness. Hoyt went 98-68 with...
Daystar CEO Marcus Lamb dies after covid diagnosis
DALLAS — Marcus Lamb, CEO and founder of the conservative Christian Daystar Television Network who was outspoken against covid-19 vaccines, has died at age 64 after contracting the virus. Daystar confirmed his death Tuesday. “It’s with a heavy heart we announce that Marcus Lamb, president and founder of Daystar Television...
Lee Elder, 1st Black golfer to play Masters, dies at age 87
Lee Elder, who broke down racial barriers as the first Black golfer to play in the Masters and paved the way for Tiger Woods and others to follow, has died at the age of 87. The PGA Tour announced Elder’s death, which was first reported Monday by Debert Cook of...
Celebrated snowboarder Marko Grilc dies in Austria after hitting head on snow-covered rock
Slovenian snowboarder Marko Grilc died Tuesday in a tragic accident in the Austrian ski resort of Solden, authorities said. He was 38. Police in the western Austrian state of Tyrol released a press release late on Tuesday saying that a “38-year-old Slovene” had “suffered fatal head injuries” after a snowboarding...
Ligonier man worked for Coke, Disney, Steelers, Pitt, and drove limousines
Lelia Tosh can remember being in a grocery store, several thousand miles away from home on one of her family’s many motor home trips, and catching her father straightening up the store’s Coca-Cola display. “We’d say, ‘C’mon, Dad, we’re on vacation!’ ” Tosh said. “But he was just so proud.”...
Former Saint Vincent College president who handled school’s coed transition dies
Much like the early church fathers, the Rev. Augustine Flood, OSB, traversed the world. During a life in the priesthood that spanned half a century, he served as a parish priest, missionary, theology professor and president of Saint Vincent College. The priest, affectionately known as “Father Gus,” studied in Italy,...
Dean Stockwell of ‘Quantum Leap,’ ‘Blue Velvet’ dies at 85
NEW YORK — Dean Stockwell, a top Hollywood child actor who gained new success in middle age in the sci-fi series “Quantum Leap” and in a string of indelible performances in film, including David Lynch’s “Blue Velvet,” Wim Wenders’ “Paris, Texas” and Jonathan Demme’s “Married to the Mob,” has died....
Retired public relations director was an institution at Saint Vincent College
Don Orlando was an institution within an institution at Saint Vincent College. Orlando, who graduated from the college in 1972, was back within several years working at the college where he went on to serve as director of public relations for 40 years. Former Saint Vincent President Brother Norman Hipps...
The Gap Band founder Ronnie Wilson dies at age 73
Ronnie Wilson, multi-instrumentalist and founder of the popular R&B and funk group The Gap Band, has died. He was 73. His wife, Linda Boulware-Wilson, posted on Facebook that her husband died on Tuesday. “Ronnie Wilson was a genius with creating, producing, and playing the flugelhorn, trumpet, keyboards, and singing music,...
Jerry Remy, Boston Red Sox player and broadcaster, diesVideo
BOSTON — Jerry Remy, a Boston Red Sox second baseman who went on to become a local icon as a television broadcaster, has died of cancer. He was 68. The Red Sox confirmed that Remy died on Saturday night. He had a long and public struggle with lung cancer, and...
Ray Mello, Hempfield softball legend, remembered for his commitment to team, players
Ray Mello, an instrumental coach for the Hempfield Area softball team, will long be remembered for his commitment to the sport and his dedication to the players. Mello died Sunday after a three-year battle with cancer. He was 82. “He impacted so many people in the community,” said Bob Kalp,...
Obituary: Pittsburgh jazz musician Hill Jordan ‘made everyone feel like family’
The Pittsburgh jazz family is somber today. One of its own, Hill Jordan, 50, died Wednesday of unknown causes. Jordan, known to many as “Hilly,” was a trombonist and leader of Hill Jordan & Slide Worldwide. He regularly played clubs and festivals throughout Pittsburgh and the region. Many knew him...
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...
