Celebrities Who Died Young (Memorial Tribute)

A video presentation of celebs who died young. LINK: Youtube

Lonesome George Dead

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Staff at the Galapagos National Park in Ecuador say Lonesome George, a giant tortoise believed to be the last of its subspecies, has died. Scientists estimate he was about 100 years old. Lonesome George, a giant tortoise, was believed to be the last of his subspecies. With no offspring and no known individuals from his subspecies left, Lonesome George became known as the rarest creature in the world. For decades, environmentalists unsuccessfully tried to get the Pinta Island tortoise to reproduce with females from a similar subspecies on the Galapagos Islands. Park officials said the tortoise was found dead in his corral by his keeper.
LINK: The presurfer

Josef Stalin's daughter dies at 85 in southwestern Wisconsin

MADISON, Wis. - Soviet dictator Josef Stalin's daughter, whose defection to the West during the Cold War embarrassed the ruling communists and made her a best-selling author, has died. She was 85.

Lana Peters - who was known internationally by her previous name, Svetlana Alliluyeva - died of colon cancer Nov. 22 in southwestern Wisconsin, where she lived off and on after becoming a U.S. citizen, Richland County Coroner Mary Turner said Monday.

Her defection in 1967 - which she said was partly motivated by the poor treatment of her late husband, Brijesh Singh, by Soviet authorities - caused an international furor and was a public relations coup for the U.S. But Peters, who left behind two children, said her identity involved more than just switching from one side to the other in the Cold War. She even moved back to the Soviet Union in the 1980s, only to return to the U.S. more than a year later.

When she left the Soviet Union in 1966 for India, she planned to leave the ashes of her late third husband, an Indian citizen, and return. Instead, she walked unannounced into the U.S. embassy in New Delhi and asked for political asylum. After a brief stay in Switzerland, she flew to the U.S.

Peters carried with her a memoir she had written in 1963 about her life in Russia. "Twenty Letters to a Friend" was published within months of her arrival in the U.S. and became a best-seller.

Upon her arrival in New York City in 1967, the 41-year-old said: "I have come here to seek the self-expression that has been denied me for so long in Russia." She said she had come to doubt the communism she was taught growing up and believed there weren't capitalists or communists, just good and bad human beings. She had also found religion and believed "it was impossible to exist without God in one's heart." LINK

Hollywood Icon Elizabeth Taylor Dies at 79

Oscar winning actress Elizabeth Taylor died today at Los Angeles' Cedars-Sinai Hospital. She was 79.

"She was surrounded by her children: Michael [Howard] Wilding, Christopher Wilding, Liza Todd, and Maria Burton," Taylor's publicist, Sally Morrison, said in a statement.

In the same statement, Michael Howard Wilding, 58, memorialized his mother:

"My Mother was an extraordinary woman who lived life to the fullest, with great passion, humor, and love," he said. "Though her loss is devastating to those of us who held her so close and so dear, we will always be inspired by her enduring contribution to our world. Her remarkable body of work in film, her ongoing success as a businesswoman, and her brave and relentless advocacy in the fight against HIV/AIDS, all make us all incredibly proud of what she accomplished. We know, quite simply, that the world is a better place for Mom having lived in it. Her legacy will never fade, her spirit will always be with us, and her love will live forever in our hearts."

In addition to her children, Taylor is survived by 10 grandchildren and four great grandchildren. Morrison said that a private family funeral will be held later this week. In lieu of flowers, the family asked that contributions be made to the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation and said that those wanting to send personal messages can log on to Taylor's official Facebook page. LINK

Click here to see photos of Elizabeth Taylor through the years.

Dog remains faithful to dead owner

Wayne Giroux passed away five months ago, but his dog, Spot, still sits on a road waiting for him to come home. LINK: Youtube

Legendary Producer Dino De Laurentiis Dead at 91

Sad news from Hollywood, prolific producer Dino De Laurentiis has passed away at the age of 91. De Laurentiis had produced over 500 movies over his 70-year career, many of which you are undoubtedly familiar with.

He won an Oscar in 1957 for Federico Fellini's La Strada and was awarded the prestigious Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award in 2001. Since immigrating to Hollywood in the 1970's after the collapse of the Italian studios, De Laurentiis headed many highly-regarded projects, most notably Serpico with Al Pacino and Conan The Barbarianwith Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Take a closer look at De Laurentiis' filmography over at IMDb.com. His passing truly marks the end of an era.

Sparky Anderson Links: Local and national writers share their stories about the legendary manager

>Jerry Green has a great column where he recounts a number of stories including when Sparky Anderson placed a silent wager with slugger Kirk Gibson right before he hit a home run in the 1984 World Series. [DN]

>Just like when Ernie Harwell passed back in May, you're going to get a lot of columns talking about what a nice guy Anderson was. There might not be a better one than Jason Erardi's for the Cincinnati Enquirer. [CE]

>Before the 2000 season, Atlanta Braves pitcher John Rocker was making headlines with rants laced with homophobia and racism. Looking to counter the attention Rocker was getting, the Sporting News' Dave Kindred wrote about baseball's polar opposite; Sparky Anderson. [SN]

>Here is a great quote from Drew Sharp's column: In a sport that’s grown scripted and bland, Sparky was that prism that transformed conformity into vibrant color. [DFP]

>Joe Lapointe wonders how much Pete Rose's gambling scandal impacted Anderson's emotional state toward the end of his managerial career. [FH]

>Hal McCoy tells comical stories about Anderson, including a night where he intentionally gave opposite answers to the same question just minutes apart. [MJ]

>If you're looking for a statistical look at Anderson's career, ESPN has you covered. [ESPN]

>Jo-Anne Barnas recounts a 2006 interview she had with Sparky in his hometown of Thousand Oaks. She shares many of the small philosophical nuggets Sparky said during the interview that didn't make her original story. A great read if you have the time. [DFP]

>Former MLive.com beat reporter Danny Knobler writes: He understood how to run a clubhouse, just as much as he understood how to run a baseball game. There are managers who are brilliant strategists and managers who are great at dealing with people, but Sparky was both. [CBS Sports}

>Sports Illustrated has a wonderful photo gallery. Sparky always looked older than he was, but it's fascinating how much he appeared to age between the 1959-69. [SI]

>Another Hal McCoy column where he tells some of the same stories, but shares how Sparky admitted to treating star players differently. "Yes, I treat the stars differently, give them more space and more freedom. They’ve earned it – guys like Johnny Bench, Pete Rose, Joe Morgan and Tony Perez. Anybody else has to earn it. When they accomplish what those guys have accomplished then they’ll get the same respect." [FSO]

>Related topics: Sparky Anderson

More on Sparky Anderson: LINK 1, LINK 2

Fainting Goat Kittens - This is Sad

charlie and spike are two kittens with myotonia congenita, otherwise known as 'fainting goat' syndrome. at the slightest sound, the kittens respond by collapsing and falling into a rigid paralysis which lasts about a minute before they return to normal. This condition has hardly ever before been diagnosed in a cat, is rarely found in dogs and is more common in goats. The kittens are able to walk, but they cannot run or jump. aside from this they are normal. sad to report that the black and white kitten (spike) died on 27th october from respiratory failure. thanks for all the kind messages. comments enabled once again as duplicate videos are appearing. this is the original

"This is an "UPDATE" that they posted"
Sunday 31/10 - I'm devastated to report that Charlie (tabby cat ) died in my arms last night. we are in a state of shock and disbelief at this. During the short time we had them, both Charlie and Spike touched our lives in a way that we never expected. I had prepared a second film which I have now posted to you tube dedicated to their memory. thanks again for all the kind comments you have posted. Ed & Becky x

The music on this clip is Jeanne Newhall - Theme from "The Year of Living Dangerously"
track: French Cafe. LINK: Youtube

Bob Guccione, RIP

Bob Guccione, founder of much-loved and much-missed science fiction magazine Omni, died yesterday of cancer in a Plano, TX hospital.

Guccione also won fame as the producer of the classic seventies epic Caligula.

A Rolling Stone profile from 2004 is worth a revisit on this day: The Twilight of Bob Guccione. Via: Boingboing

Barbara Billingsley, Beaver's TV Mom, Dies At 94

Barbara Billingsley, who gained supermom status for her gentle portrayal of June Cleaver, the warm, supportive mother of a pair of precocious boys in Leave It to Beaver, died Saturday. She was 94.

Billingsley, who had suffered from a rheumatoid disease, died at her home in Santa Monica, Calif., said family spokeswoman Judy Twersky.

When the show debuted in 1957, Jerry Mathers, who played Beaver, was 9, and Tony Dow, who portrayed Wally, was 12. Billingsley's character, the perfect stay-at-home 1950s mom, was always there to gently but firmly nurture both through the ups and downs of childhood.

Born Barbara Lillian Combes in Los Angeles on Dec. 22, 1915, she was raised by her mother after her parents divorced. She and her first husband, Glenn Billingsley, divorced when her sons were just 2 and 4.

Her second husband, director Roy Kellino, died of a heart attack after three years of marriage and just months before she landed the Leave It to Beaver role.

She married physician Bill Mortenson in 1959 and they remained wed until his death in 1981.

Survivors include her sons, three stepchildren and numerous grandchildren.

More on this story at the LINK.

Alex Chilton on 120 Minutes (1985) "RIP"

Alex Chilton appears on 120 Minutes on MTV to promote his new record on Big Time called Feudalist Tarts, which came out in 1985, so I'm guessing that is when this segment aired. LINK: Youtube

May he RIP.

RIP Alex Chilton

Ben Greenman remembers singer and guitarist Alex Chilton, who died lastnight at age 59.

Alex Chilton, who died, wrote songs. He recorded songs. He made songs. He unmade them. In the end, the life was largely in song, and the songs all had life, and that's all there is to say, and there isn't anything that can be done. Once he covered "Let Me Get Close to You," which was Goffin-King via Skeeter Davis:

How long I'll never know
I've waited to tell you that I love you so
Now I have finally said it
Come on baby don't make me regret it

"It's Your Funeral" is an instrumental. There are no words.

RIP, Alex Chilton, Via: Boingboing

Today, Steve Jobs Is Sad: The Passing of Jerome York

Apple Director and IBM ex-CFO Jerome B. York is dead following his hospitalization yesterday, after a burst brain aneurysm. He joined Apple's board when Steve Jobs came back into the company. Needless to say, Steve is very sad:

Jerome B. York is survived by his wife Eilene York, four children, and six grandchildren. May he rest in peace.

More on this post st Gizmodo.

J.D. Salinger dies at 91

From the Associated Press:

J.D. Salinger, the legendary author, youth hero and fugitive from fame whose "The Catcher in the Rye" shocked and inspired a world he increasingly shunned, has died. He was 91. Salinger died of natural causes at his home on Wednesday, the author's son said in a statement...

'Catcher in the Rye' author J.D. Salinger dies [AP] Photo: Tatteralan. LINK: Boingboing

Musicians Who Died in the Sky: A Tribute

This is a tribute to stars we no longer see but their voices will never die. They may have sang for years with many hits, or as in the case of Richie Valens, just starting out on their career. Whatever their life map was, they remain with us in the form of music. They may have died the same way but they were all very different in the way they entertained us.


Picture Source

The swing band musical Major, Glenn Miller became famous for his jazz band and the jiving swing sound was welcomed during WWII. As soon as you hear the music, you just find yourself tapping your feet, even if you are not a jazz fan.



December 1944 he was flying from Bedford in the UK to Paris, this trip was to entertain the American troops based there, sadly he never made it. LINK, Via: Youtube

French anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss has died

The man widely considered to be the father of modern anthropological study has passed away at 100 years of age. NYT, Bloomberg, Wikipedia, AFP.

"Among the more striking conclusions of his work was the idea that there is no fundamental difference between the belief systems and myths of so-called 'primitive' races and those of modern western societies." LINK, Via: Youtube

Be sure to go to youtube and see the rest of the interview videos.

TV funny man Soupy Sales dies at 83

October 23, 2009

Comedian Soupy Sales died at the age of 83. Sales died Thursday night at Calvary Hospice in the Bronx, New York. Sales suffered many health problems in later years, and entered the hospice last week.
Sales began his TV career in Cincinnati and Cleveland. He moved to Los Angeles in 1961. At the peak of his fame in the 1950s and '60s, Sales was one of the best-known faces of comedy.
Sales is survived by his wife, Trudy, and two sons, Hunt and Tony. LINK

"Alice Cooper on The Soupy Sales Show 1979" LINK: Youtube

Irish Boy Band Singer Found Dead

Stephen Gately, a singer with the Irish boy band Boyzone who made headlines when he came out as gay a decade ago, has died while on vacation in Spain, the group said on its Web site Sunday. He was 33. (Oct. 11). LINK: Youtube

Paul Harvey 1918 - 2009

LINK

Bio of Paul Harvey

Photos of Paul Harvey

Leave your condolence for the Harvey family here

Paul Harvey - "An Open Letter from God"



Link: Whats the difference between a duck. Via: Youtube

Otters holding hands

Vancouver Aquarium: two sea otters float around, napping, holding hands. SO CUTE! LINK: Youtube

Nyac: "Famous holding-hand Otter dies"


Nyac one of the two famous otter-holding-hands YouTube stars and long-time resident of the Vancouver Aquarium died on September 23, 2008. She was one of the last surviving sea otters from the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill. Nyac came to the Vancouver Aquarium in 1989 as one of the few young survivors of the oil spill. LINK: Youtube