Passings
Nasa ‘Earthrise’ astronaut dies at 90 in plane crash
Apollo 8 astronaut Bill Anders, who snapped one of the most famous photographs taken in outer space, has died in a plane crash at the age of 90.
Officials say a small aircraft he was flying crashed into the sea off Washington state.
Anders’ son Greg confirmed that his father’s body was recovered on Friday afternoon.
On Christmas Eve, 1968, Apollo 8 Astronaut Bill Anders captured a sight that had never been seen before: "Earthrise." pic.twitter.com/kmtyQHYs7t
— American Experience (@AmExperiencePBS) December 24, 2023
Roger Corman dies aged 98
Roger Corman, who directed a series of cult films including 1960’s The Little Shop of Horrors, has died aged 98.
His family told industry publication Variety that he died on Thursday at his home in Santa Monica, California.
“His films were revolutionary and iconoclastic, and captured the spirit of an age,” their statement said.
Jack Nicholson and Robert De Niro are among the actors he helped develop. Directors James Cameron and Martin Scorsese cut their teeth on his films.
‘The voice of everyday people’: Rex Murphy’s fans and critics respond to his death
Tributes and remembrances from across the political spectrum have poured in for Rex Murphy, who died aged 77.
Mark Critch, a fellow Newfoundlander who parodied Murphy on the CBC program This Hour Has 22 Minutes, recalled that Murphy had worked with his father at VOCM radio in St. John’s, N.L. “You might not always agree with what he had to say but oh, could he say it,” Critch wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “I hope he makes it home to Gooseberry Cove.”
Carson Jerema: Rex Murphy kept conservatism alive in Canada
No one in Canada wrote like Rex Murphy. A thundering prose peppered liberally with humour and sarcasm and frequent lyrical flourishes, he expressed what mattered to Canadians in their bones. The best opinion writers persuade by tapping into deep emotions. Rex wasn’t just among the very best, he stood above us all. A true polemicist, his words combined to conjure feelings of anger, glee, disgust or relief. It didn’t matter what the topic, whether it was the latest outrage in Parliament, or his beloved home province of Newfoundland, Rex ensured his readers felt what he felt.
Dickey Betts, Allman Brothers Guitarist, Dies at 80
Dickey Betts, whose country-inflected songwriting and blazing, lyrical guitar work opposite Duane Allman in the Allman Brothers Band helped define the Southern rock genre of the ‘60s and ‘70s, died Thursday in Osprey, Fla. He was 80.
OJ Simpson dies of cancer, hunt for real killer suspended
Former American football star OJ Simpson has died at the age of 76 after a battle with cancer.
His official Twitter account posted: ‘On April 10th, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with cancer. He was surrounded by his children and grandchildren.
Joe Flaherty, ‘SCTV’ Star, Dies at 82
Veteran actor Joe Flaherty, best known for starring in the popular Canadian sketch comedy series SCTV and as Harold Weir on Paul Feig’s Freaks and Geeks, has died. He was 82.
Aw Crap.
Brian Mulroney Has Died
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On behalf of my mother and our family, it is with great sadness we announce the passing of my father, The Right Honourable Brian Mulroney, Canada’s 18th Prime Minister. He died peacefully, surrounded by family.— Caroline Mulroney (@C_Mulroney) February 29, 2024
Former prime minister Brian Mulroney dies at 84
Experts reveal what caused Buddy Holly’s plane to crash 65 years ago today
So many sing about “the day that music died” on Feb. 3, 1959, when Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson were killed in a plane crash.
Don McLean coined the term in his 1971 hit “American Pie.”
The song about the decline of the 60s starts with the death of the three young musicians, “the end of the happy 50s,” he told Forbes Magazine.
Melanie, the singer-songwriter who shot to fame after Woodstock and sang the chart-topping hit Brand New Key, is dead at 76
The singer Melanie, who was best known for her massively popular singles Lay Down (Candles In The Rain), Brand New Key and the Rolling Stones cover Ruby Tuesday, has died.
The songwriter’s children Leilah, Jeordie and Beau-Jarred announced that she died on January 23 at the age of 76.
‘Dear ones,’ they began, using a greeting that their mother often favored when writing to fans, ‘This is the hardest post for us to write, and there are so many things we want to say, first, and there’s no easy way except to say it… Mom passed, peacefully, out of this world and into the next on January 23rd, 2024.’