Obituary Stories category, Page 7
Brian Leri, longtime chef at Hoffstot’s Cafe Monaco, remembered for devotion to restaurant, customers
Brian Leri, 51, of Natrona Heights, the longtime executive chef at Hoffstot’s Cafe Monaco in Oakmont, died Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. Leri spent 30 years at the eatery after graduating from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., in 1994. He became the restaurant’s executive chef in 2002....
Chuck Woolery, smooth-talking game show host of ‘Love Connection’ and ‘Scrabble,’ dies at 83
NEW YORK — Chuck Woolery, the affable, smooth-talking game show host of “Wheel of Fortune,” “Love Connection” and “Scrabble” who later became a right-wing podcaster, skewering liberals and accusing the government of lying about covid-19, has died. He was 83. Mark Young, Woolery’s podcast co-host and friend, said in an...
Vladimir Shklyarov, ballet star who dazzled with Russia’s Mariinsky Theatre, dies at 39
Vladimir Shklyarov, who impressed ballet audiences as a principal dancer with Russia’s prestigious Mariinsky Ballet Theatre, has died. He was 39. Shklyarov died “tragically” Saturday, the Mariinsky announced Monday in a statement on its website. “His loss is deeply felt by the entire Mariinsky family and the wider ballet world.”...
Veteran news executive Reg Murphy, who survived abduction decades ago, has died at 90
Reg Murphy, a renowned journalist whose newsgathering career included stints as an editor and top executive at newspapers in Atlanta, San Francisco and Baltimore — and who found himself the subject of national headlines when he survived a politically motivated kidnapping — has died at age 90. Murphy, who lived...
Elaine Effort, former KQV news reporter, dies
Elaine Effort, an award-winning pioneer of Pittsburgh journalism and a longtime broadcaster on news station KQV Radio, unexpectedly died Wednesday, according to the Pittsburgh Black Media Federation, of which she was a founding member. “Mrs. Effort was always willing to listen to new ideas and roll up her sleeve to...
Bob Bordonaro Sr., longtime owner of Hillcrest Volkswagen and Gunny’s Lounge, remembered as ‘personable guy’
At first, Bob Bordonaro Sr. wasn’t too sure about getting into the car business. It was 1962 when he tagged along with a friend buying a car at Hillcrest Motors in Lower Burrell when the owner at the time encouraged him to work there. “Meanwhile, he was only 19, just...
Bernie Marcus, Home Depot co-founder and billionaire philanthropist, dies at 95
NEW YORK — Bernard “Bernie” Marcus, the co-founder of The Home Depot, the world’s largest home improvement chain, a billionaire philanthropist, and a big Republican donor, has died. He was 95. Marcus died Monday in Boca Raton, Florida, surrounded by family, according to a Home Depot spokesperson. Marcus was Home...
Quincy Jones, music titan who worked with everyone from Frank Sinatra to Michael Jackson, dies at 91
Quincy Jones, the multi-talented music titan whose vast legacy ranged from producing Michael Jackson’s historic “Thriller” album to writing prize-winning film and television scores and collaborating with Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles and hundreds of other recording artists, has died at 91. Jones’ publicist, Arnold Robinson, says he died Sunday night...
Jeffrey D. Smail, Unity auto dealer, enjoyed family, life
Jeffrey D. Smail was a man who worked hard in his family’s successful automobile dealerships east of Greensburg while dedicating himself to his family and enjoying traveling around the world with his wife. “He was one of the most kind and caring and generous persons. He made everyone feel welcome....
Teri Garr, the offbeat comic actor of ‘Young Frankenstein’ and ‘Tootsie,’ has diedVideo
LOS ANGELES — Teri Garr, the quirky comedy actor who rose from background dancer in Elvis Presley movies to co-star of such favorites as “Young Frankenstein” and “Tootsie,” has died. She was 79. Garr died Tuesday of multiple sclerosis “surrounded by family and friends,” said publicist Heidi Schaeffer. Garr battled...
Retired Lutheran pastor had passion for her faith, helping others
The Rev. Elaine Marie Hower, who was a pastor at Lutheran churches in Spring Church, Natrona Heights and Lower Burrell for more than 20 years, grew up in the church, had a passion for her faith and a compassion for helping others in need, said one of her three sons....
Grammy-winning crooner Jack Jones, known for singing ‘The Love Boat’ theme song, dies at 86
RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. — Jack Jones, a Grammy-winning crooner known for “The Love Boat” television show theme song, has died. He was 86. Jones died Wednesday night at a hospital in Rancho Mirage, California, after battling leukemia for more than two years, according to a statement from his manager, Milt...
Ron Ely, TV’s ‘Tarzan’ in the 1960s, dies at 86
LOS ANGELES — Ron Ely, the tall, musclebound actor who played the title character in the 1960s NBC series “Tarzan,” has died at age 86. Ely’s daughter, Kirsten Casale Ely, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that her father died Sept. 29 at his home in Los Alamos, California, an...
Fernando Valenzuela, Mexican-born pitcher whose feats for Dodgers fueled ‘Fernandomania,’ dies at 63
LOS ANGELES — Fernando Valenzuela, the Mexican-born phenom for the Los Angeles Dodgers who inspired “Fernandomania” while winning the NL Cy Young Award and Rookie of the Year in 1981, has died. He was 63. The team said he died Tuesday night at a Los Angeles hospital, but did not...
Ethel Kennedy, social activist and widow of Robert F. Kennedy, has died
BOSTON, Mass. — Ethel Kennedy, the widow of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy who raised their 11 children after he was assassinated and remained dedicated to social causes and the family’s legacy for decades thereafter, died on Thursday, her family said. She was 96. Kennedy had been hospitalized after suffering a...
Bob Butter, Pittsburgh’s ‘patriarch of public relations,’ dies
Tree of Life Congregation Rabbi Jeffrey Myers made a daily call to Bob Butter for comfort and advice. Butter, a public relations giant in Pittsburgh, helped Myers handle the media onslaught after the Oct. 27, 2018, attack on Tree of Life in Squirrel Hill. “We knew we would need extra...
Cissy Houston, Whitney Houston’s mother and a Grammy-winning singer, dies at 91
LOS ANGELES — Cissy Houston, the mother of the late Whitney Houston and a two-time Grammy winner who performed alongside superstar musicians like Elvis Presley, and Aretha Franklin, has died. She was 91. Houston died Monday morning in her New Jersey home while under hospice care for Alzheimer’s disease, her...
Frank Fritz, longtime co-host of ‘American Pickers’ and a ‘bearded charmer,’ dies at 60
Frank Fritz, the antiques enthusiast and reality TV personality who co-hosted “American Pickers,” has died. Fritz died Monday, the History Channel and “American Pickers” producer Cineflix Productions confirmed in a joint statement to The Times. Additional information, including a cause of death, was not revealed. Fritz was 60. “We will...
John Amos, patriarch on ‘Good Times’ and an Emmy nominee for the blockbuster ‘Roots,’ dies at 84Video
LOS ANGELES — John Amos, who starred as the family patriarch on the hit 1970s sitcom “Good Times” and earned an Emmy nomination for his role in the seminal 1977 miniseries “Roots,” has died. He was 84. Amos’ publicist, Belinda Foster, confirmed the news of his death Tuesday. No other...
Drake Hogestyn, ‘Days of Our Lives’ star, dies at 70
Drake Hogestyn, the “Days of Our Lives” star who appeared on the show for 38 years, died Saturday, his family confirmed. He was 70. The actor was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and his family said in a statement Hogestyn died after “putting up an unbelievable fight” against the disease. “He...
Pete Rose, baseball’s banned hits leader, has died at age 83
Pete Rose, baseball’s career hits leader and fallen idol who undermined his historic achievements and Hall of Fame dreams by gambling on the game he loved and once embodied, has died. He was 83. Stephanie Wheatley, a spokesperson for Clark County in Nevada, confirmed on behalf of the medical examiner...
Gavin Creel, Tony Award winner and musical Broadway veteran, dies at 48
NEW YORK — Gavin Creel, a Broadway musical theater veteran who won a Tony Award for “Hello, Dolly!” opposite Bette Midler and earned nominations for “Hair” and “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” died Monday of a rare and aggressive form of cancer. He was 48. Publicist Matt Polk said Creel died at...
Dikembe Mutombo, a Hall of Fame player and tireless advocate, dies at 58 from brain cancer
Dikembe Mutombo, a Basketball Hall of Famer who was one of the best defensive players in NBA history and a longtime global ambassador for the game, died Monday from brain cancer, the league announced. He was 58. His family revealed two years ago that he was undergoing treatment in Atlanta...
Kris Kristofferson, singer-songwriter and actor, dies at 88Video
LOS ANGELES — Kris Kristofferson, a Rhodes scholar with a deft writing style and rough charisma who became a country music superstar and A-list Hollywood actor, has died. Kristofferson died at his home on Maui, Hawaii on Saturday, family spokeswoman Ebie McFarland said in an email. He was 88. McFarland...
John Ashton, ‘Beverly Hills Cop’ actor, dies at 76
NEW YORK — John Ashton, the veteran character actor who memorably played the gruff but lovable police detective John Taggart in the “Beverly Hills Cop” films, has died. He was 76. Ashton died Thursday in Fort Collins, Colorado, his family announced in a statement released by Ashton’s manager, Alan Somers,...
