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January
Thursday, 1 January
Harold Henning, pro golfer, after a long illness, 69.
David Bale, an activist and the husband of feminist
writer Gloria Steinem, has died at age 62.
Friday, 2 January
Etta Moten Barnett, actress ("Flying Down to Rio"), of pancreatic cancer, 102.
Paul Hopkins, major-league baseball player (Washington), 99.
Saturday, 3 January
Rick Van Santen, a co-president of Goldenvoice, a Los Angeles concert promotion
company that ushered punk rock from the fringes of the music scene to a wide
audience, died Sunday at his home in Ventura County of flu-related
complications, his Goldenvoice partner Paul Tollett said. He was 41.
Beatrice Winde, a stage and screen actress and director, died January 3, 2004
two days short of her 80th birthday, at her home in New York, according to
friends.
The cause of death was cancer. The Chicago native, born Beatrice Lucille
Williams, graduated from the Chicago Music Conservatory with hopes of pursuing a
singing career.
She attended Yale School of Music and toured with its "Colored Choir," then came
to New York to study at Juilliard.
Along the way, she began pursuing acting. Mixing acting and singing talents, Ms.
Winde won the Theatre World Award and snagged a 1972 Tony Award nomination for
Best Featured Actress in a Musical for Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death.
In Ain't Supposed to Die she was the woman fervently yelling, "Hey,
Doro-thy...!," to her lover, incarcerated somewhere within New York City's
Women's House of Detention.
In 1997, Ms. Winde co-starred with actors Rip Torn and Shirley Knight in Horton
Foote's The Young Man From Atlanta, at Chicago's Goodman Theatre, where she
earned a Joseph Jefferson Award. She and the staging transferred to Broadway.
In 1997, Ms. Winde received the National Black Theatre's Living Legend Award.
Her stage credits include A Lesson Before Dying, Dreaming Emmitt, One Last Look,
and performances at Negro Ensemble Company, Manhattan Theatre Club, Signature
Theatre, Playwrights Horizons, Frank Silvera Writers' Workshop, Henry Street
Settlement, WPA, La Mama, Arena Stage, Long Wharf Theatre, Center Stage, Seattle
Repertory Theatre, Capitol Repertory Theatre, McCarter Theatre, American Stage
Company, Missouri Repertory Theatre, and elsewhere.
Her credits also include many films, such as "Mickey Blue Eyes," "The
Hurricane," "Simon Birch," "The Real Blonde," "She's the One," "Lone Star,"
"Dangerous Minds," and the TV serial "Guiding Light."
Her theatre credits as a director include original works by playwrights Gertrude
Greenridge, Steve Carter, Ed Bullins at Seattle's Black Arts West; LeBourgeois
Gentilhomme at The Family Rep Inc. (also seen in Paris), Invitation to the
Blues, The Dream Exchange, Zelda's Ghost Dance and Eddie 'Heartbreaker' Malone.
She was cremated in New York City, and her ashes will be "set free," by her
request, according to friends, at a special place in Chicago, following a
memorial at the Church of the Good Shepherd. A memorial in New York is being
planned.
Sunday, 4 January
Actress Dorothea Vida Ross, 103, of Rancho Mirage died Jan. 2, 2004, of natural
causes.
Ross was an actress for both silent and sound films, known on screen as Dorothea
Hays.
She began her career as a model and in the early 1920s began acting for the
screen in "Wine," distributed by Universal Pictures. She made the transition to
sound films in 1927 with "The Jazz Singer," where she appeared with Al Jolson.
She was a member of the Theater Guild and active in the USO during World War II.
She was born Oct. 1, 1900, to William R. and Amanda Shields Hays in Bloomington,
Ind.
She married Benjamin R. Ross in 1938.
She is survived by her sister, Olive Gates, of Rancho Mirage.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Benjamin R. Ross, in 1962.
A service will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Victory Christian Center of
Rancho Mirage with Wiefels & Son Funeral Directors in charge of arrangements.
The family suggests a donation be made to American Heart Association.
Steven Dorfman, who for nearly two decades wrote questions — that is, answers —
for the television game show "Jeopardy!," died on Sunday at his home in Los
Angeles. He was 48.
The cause was complications of colon cancer, his father, Neil, said.
Allen Miner - Writer, director and producer best known for his work on TV on
such series as "Wagon Train", "Perry Mason", "Route 66", "Mission Impossible"
and "The Untouchables", who directed and produced several films including "The
Naked Sea" in 1955 and "Black Patch" in 1957, and who wrote and directed the
1968 film "Chubasco", died January 4, 2004 in San Marcos, California at age 86.
Miner also was a combat photographer in WWII who shot newsreel footage of
beachhead battles in the South Pacific and recorded General Douglans McArthur's
landing in the Philippines
Monday, 5 January
PHILADELPHIA - Tug McGraw, the zany relief pitcher who coined the phrase "You
Gotta Believe" with the New York Mets and later closed out the Philadelphia
Phillies only World Series championship, died Monday. He was 59.
McGraw died of brain cancer at the home of his son, country music star Tim
McGraw, outside of Nashville, according to Laurie Hawkins, a family
spokesperson. He had been battling the disease since March when he underwent
surgery for a malignant tumor.
McGraw's illness came as a shock to fans and friends alike last spring. He was
at Phillies' training camp in Clearwater, Fla., as a special instructor, looking
fine and acting as funny as ever. On March 12, he was hospitalized and the tumor
was discovered. He later said there had been signs something was wrong. For
example, he mistakenly showed up at the ballpark on an off day.
"We lost a part of Mets history tonight," Mets owner Fred Wilpon said. "Tug was
a battler on and off the field. I know he fought the disease with every ounce of
energy he had. We'll all miss him dearly."
Especially former Phillies teammate and Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt.
"He put up a gallant fight," Schmidt said. "Publicly, he never let on that he
had gotten a raw deal. He was Tug through the entire thing. As he always said,
`I front-loaded my life, just like my contract.' His passing is hard to take
because his presence meant so much to people around him."
Bob Boone, who was the Phillies' catcher from 1972-81, remained a close friend,
too.
"I was real pleased I was able to be with him a little bit the last couple of
months," Boone said from his home in Anaheim, Calif. "All of a sudden it hit and
he went real quick, which probably is a blessing.
"I know he got more living out of his 59 years than anybody. What you saw was
what Tug was. There was no phoniness at all. He loved people and loved life."
McGraw participated in the closing ceremonies for Veterans Stadium, which will
be demolished next month. During the program, he re-enacted his final pitch of
the 1980 World Series, striking out Kansas City's Willie Wilson for the title.
He popularized the phrase "You Gotta Believe" during the Mets' 1973 NL
championship season and carried the slogan through his illness, vowing he'd be
on hand next month to push the button to bring down the Vet.
McGraw was known for charging off the mound, slapping his right hand on his
thigh and tapping his chest after a close call.
"Patting his hand on his heart after a guy hits a home run foul, who would do
that in the heat of the battle?" said Phillies manager Larry Bowa, who played
with McGraw on the 1980 championship team. "But it showed he had no fear. He was
loose. That's how he played the game."
A left-hander who threw a screwball, McGraw could be a bit of screwball himself.
Once asked whether he preferred to play on a grass field or an artificial
surface, he said, "I don't know. I never smoked any AstroTurf."
McGraw's playful personality often overshadowed his talent. He was an
outstanding big-game pitcher during his 19-year career.
In 26 postseason games, he had a 2.23 ERA and was 3-3 with eight saves.
McGraw was 96-92 with a 3.14 ERA and 180 saves, and was a two-time All-Star. He
made his major league debut with the Mets in 1965 at age 20 and finished with
the Phillies in 1984.
After the 1974 season, McGraw was traded by the Mets to Philadelphia in a
six-player swap that sent John Stearns to New York. With McGraw, the Phillies
won five division titles, two NL pennants and one World Series.
McGraw had 20 saves and a 1.46 ERA in 1980, helping put Philadelphia into the
playoffs. After the Phillies got past Houston in a tight NLCS — McGraw pitched
in every game of the best-of-five series — they faced the Royals in the World
Series.
In addition to his son Tim, McGraw is survived by sons Mark and Matthew McGraw;
a daughter, Cari Velardo, and four grandchildren.
Funeral arrangements were not immediately available.
John Guerin, 64; Star Jazz and Pop Drummer
John Guerin, a drummer who was best known as a founding member of the L.A.
Express and for his contributions to an innovative Joni Mitchell recording, has
died. He was 64.
Guerin, who had a broad resume in both jazz and pop, died Monday, January 5,
2004 of heart failure at West Hills Hospital in West Hills. He had been battling
a cold that led to pneumonia, but continued to perform as late as Dec. 30, when
he accompanied singer Steve Tyrell at the Catalina Bar & Grill in Hollywood.
Guerin was hospitalized the next day.
As a performer, producer and arranger, he worked with a number of the leading
figures in jazz and pop music in his four-decade career. In the world of jazz,
that list included Thelonious Monk, George Shearing, Ella Fitzgerald and Roger
Kellaway. Among pop and rock figures, besides Mitchell, Guerin played with Frank
Sinatra, Frank Zappa, the Byrds, Lou Rawls and Linda Ronstadt.
In 1975, Guerin was a founding member of the L.A. Express, a jazz fusion band
made up of four studio musicians. Led by saxophonist Tom Scott, the top-flight
roster included guitarist Robben Ford and bassist Max Bennett.
The band started playing Tuesday-night gigs at the Baked Potato, a small jazz
club in North Hollywood. After hearing the group play, Mitchell invited the
combo into the studio when she was recording her "Court and Spark" album. The
band later went on tour with her as the opening act.
Guerin also collaborated with Mitchell on the title track of her album "The
Hissing of Summer Lawns."
"I'm very proud of that album," he told Down Beat magazine. "It's a portrait in
sound of the American dream, marriage and suburbia, in a myriad of shapes and
forms. The album has touched a lot of people where they didn't want to be
touched. Joni has a way of articulating self-exploration in a very heartfelt
way."
Guerin was born in Hawaii but grew up in the San Diego area.
By his early 20s, he was performing professionally with major figures such as
clarinetist Buddy DeFranco.
Guerin played with pianist Shearing in the mid-1960s and was off and running on
an eclectic career that included work on film scores, notably those for Clint
Eastwood's biography of Charlie Parker, "Bird," and the recent Diane Keaton-Jack
Nicholson release, "Something's Gotta Give."
Guerin is survived by his wife, Michelle Palombi Guerin, of Chatsworth; a son,
Scott, of Los Angeles; a sister, Victoria Shoemaker, of Oakland; a brother,
Michael, of Santa Rosa; and two grandchildren. Another son, Shaun, died last
summer.
The family suggests that donations be made to Guerin's favorite charity, the
Nevada SPCA, 4800 W. Dewey Drive, Suite D, Las Vegas, NV 89118.
Tuesday, 6 January
NEW YORK - Fashion photographer Francesco Scavullo, who shot covers for
Cosmopolitan magazine for more than 30 years, died Tuesday morning, January 6,
2004 of heart failure, his companion said. He was 81.
Scuvullo was preparing for an assignment when he complained of feeling weak, and
then collapsed, Sean Byrne said.
Known for works ranging from enamel-on-canvas photo silkscreens to portraits of
celebrities such as Grace Kelly and Elizabeth Taylor, Scavullo was also
recognized for his photographs of children. One of the most famous was his 1975
portrait of a young Brooke Shields.
Byrne said his partner's work was guided by his love of beauty and children —
themes Scavullo himself cited in a 1985 interview with The Associated Press.
"I have a passion for taking pictures of beautiful women," he said in the
interview. "I was fascinated when my mother got done up. My mother made the
transformation from Cinderella every day of her life."
Born Jan. 16, 1921, on Staten Island, Scavullo was one of five children whose
father owned the old Central Park Casino. As a youth he got a job assisting the
fashion photographer, Horst, and learned much of his craft from him.
He later worked for Vogue and Seventeen magazines before launching a lucrative
and lengthy career that included photographing covers for Cosmopolitan, Harper's
Bazaar and other magazines. At the peak of his career he commanded as much as
$10,000 a sitting.
"He was one of the most generous people I ever met in my life," Byrne said. "He
helped a lot of needy people and never mentioned it."
Thursday, 8 January
Thomas Kindness, U.S. Congressman (R-OH, 1975-87), of cancer, 74.
STOCKHOLM, Sweden - Ingrid Thulin, who with Greta Garbo (news) and Ingrid
Bergman (news) was often cited as one of Sweden's best actresses, has died at
the age of 76.
Thulin died Wednesday at Karolinska Hospital in Stockholm, Swedish news agency
TT reported. She had lived in Rome since the 1960s, but had returned to Sweden
for treatment of an unspecified illness.
Born Jan. 27, 1926, in Sollefteaa in northern Sweden, Thulin trained as a ballet
dancer and attended Stockholm's Royal Dramatic Theatre.
She worked in stage productions with legendary Swedish film director Ingmar
Bergman (news) before moving to films, appearing in minor roles in the 1940s and
1950s.
It was her film work with Bergman that eventually brought her fame, including a
shared Cannes Film Festival (news - web sites) best actress award in 1958 with
fellow Swedes Bibi Andersson and Eva Dahlbeck for their roles in "Brink of
Life."
In 1956 she was cast with Robert Mitchum (news) in "Foreign Intrigue," her first
American starring role, according to the All Movie Guide.
Her time in Hollywood was marred by her role in 1962's "The Four Horsemen of the
Apocalypse." Before the film came out, her lines were dubbed over by actress
Angela Lansbury (news).
Thulin also appeared on Broadway and on television productions, including a 1961
remake of "Intermezzo" on NBC and in "Moses, The Lawgiver" on CBS in 1975.
After her first marriage to Claes Sylwander ended in divorce, she remarried in
1958 to Harry Schein, founder of the Swedish Film Institute.
There was no information on survivors or funeral plans
WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. (AP) — Paul W. Keyes, an award-winning television comedy
writer and producer for shows including "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In," died Jan. 2
of natural causes. He was 79.
He was buried Thursday, a cemetery spokesperson said.
Keyes won three Emmy Awards and was nominated for 10 during his long career that
began in radio. He wrote and produced for "The Dean Martin Show" and later for
presentations of the Emmys, the Grammy Awards and the People's Choice Awards.
After starting out in radio production for the Yankee Network and Hearst Radio,
Keyes moved to television, and by 1955 was a writer for NBC.
In 1957, Keyes became head writer for "The Jack Paar Show," which he later
produced.
Keyes won an Emmy in 1968 for his writing on "Laugh-In," another in 1969 for
producing the show, and another in 1974 for producing "The American Film
Institute ( news -web sites ) Salute to James Cagney."
He earned a Golden Globe Award and in 1994 was inducted to the Producers Guild
of America Hall of Fame.
Keyes forged a friendship with President Nixon, produced specials for Frank
Sinatra and John Wayne, and oversaw a series of "All Star Parties" to raise
money for Variety Clubs International by honoring celebrities.
Songwriter and pioneering Music Row businesswoman Lorene Allen died Friday
evening, January 9, 2004 at Alive Hospice after a long battle with cancer. She
was 78.
Her songs were recorded by such stars as Loretta Lynn, Sonny James, Charlie
Louvin, Conway Twitty, Eddy Arnold, Ernest Tubb, Dottie West, Don Gibson, Marie
Osmond and Pat Boone.
She served as the general manager for Loretta Lynn Enterprises until her
retirement in 1994. In September Ms. Allen was honored by the SOURCE
organization at its inaugural banquet to salute the female pioneers of the
Nashville music business.
Born Lorene Linville Allen on Oct. 13, 1925, in Hominy, Okla., she began her
professional career in the oil industry, eventually becoming the only female
executive at DX Sun Oil in Tulsa. She moved to Nashville to pursue songwriting
in 1966.
In the late 1960s, Ms. Allen worked for the Grand Ole Opry duo The Wilburn
Brothers, then at Capitol Records. She then became Lynn's office manager and
oversaw her Coal Miner's Music publishing company.
Lorene Allen's name was originally listed in the songwriter credits for The Pill,
one of Lynn's most famous and controversial recordings.
Daughter Meredith Miller said yesterday that her mother frequently helped Lynn
with other songs without taking credit.
Among Ms. Allen's most notable compositions are Another Man Loved Me Last Night
,Let Me Go ,You're Hurtin' Me and If We Put Our Heads Together (Our Hearts Will
Tell Us What to Do) , all recorded by Lynn in 1968-69.
Lorene Allen was a communicant of the Cathedral of the Incarnation. She is
survived by her husband, Harold Dee; two daughters, Theresa Cokes of Hot
Springs, Ark., and Meredith Miller of Nashville; and two grandchildren.
A brief service was held in her honor on Monday, January 12th in the south side
mausoleum at Woodlawn Memorial Park.
Saturday, 10 January
Max Duane Barnes, country songwriter ("Chiseled in Stone"), of pneumonia, 67.
David Lees, photographer ("Life"), of pneumonia, 86.
Ewald Pyle, major-league baseball player (New York Giants), 93.
Ripley, Author of 'Scarlett,' Dies at 71
RICHMOND, Va. - Alexandra Ripley, the prolific historical fiction writer best
known for "Scarlett," the official sequel to "Gone With the Wind," has died. She
was 71.
Ripley died of natural causes January 10, 2004 at her Richmond home, her
daughter, Elizabeth Lyon Ripley, said Sunday.
The estate of "Gone With the Wind" author Margaret Mitchell picked Ripley to
write "Scarlett." The 1991 novel was met by lackluster reviews, but ended up a
best seller.
Ripley had always wanted to be a writer, but "didn't get up the nerve" until
after she had worked at several publishing houses, writing catalog and flap copy
for books that had been accepted for publication, said the author's friend and
former publicist, Lynn Goldberg.
Her first novel, "Who's That Lady in the President's Bed?" was published in 1972
under the pseudonym B.K. Ripley.
Ripley's "Charleston" became the first of the historical novels for which she
was best known. It was followed by books including "On Leaving Charleston," "The
Time Returns" and "A Love Divine."
Part of Ripley's charm was her whole-hearted enjoyment of life, Goldberg said.
She would regale her friends with stories about her adventures and misadventures
with self-deprecating humor, she said.
"Her recollections were the stuff of novels," Goldberg said. "She often said
that if it hadn't happened to her, she wouldn't believe it, either. If asked if
her life story was real, she could quote Marco Polo, saying, 'I did not tell
half of what I saw.'"
Ripley is survived by two daughters, Elizabeth Ripley and Merrill Ripley Geier,
and a granddaughter, Alexandra Geier, all of Richmond. She was separated from
John Graham of Charlottesville.
Sidney Miller, 87, an actor, director and songwriter known for his touch with
comedy and work with Donald O'Connor, died Jan. 10 in Los Angeles after a
two-year bout with Parkinson's disease.
Beginning as a child and juvenile actor, Miller appeared in about 100 films,
most notably with Mickey Rooney in 1938's "Boys Town," which won an Oscar for
Spencer Tracy as Father Flanagan, and the movie's sequel, "The Men of Boys
Town." He had an important supporting role as "Slow-Burn" in Billy Crystal's
1988 film "Memories of Me." He also voiced several cartoon characters for
children's television programs.
As a director, Miller guided episodes of such television series as "The Ann
Sothern Show," "The Real McCoys," "My Favorite Martian," "The Addams Family,"
"Get Smart," Marlo Thomas' "That Girl," and "The Mickey Mouse Club." Miller was
comedy consultant, writer and sketch director for "The Donnie and Marie Osmond
Show." He memorably appeared as a drunk on episodes of "Dragnet" and wrote the
song "Foggy Night in San Francisco" for the Jack Webb series.
Miller first paired with O'Connor for comedy sketches on the early 1950s
television variety show "Colgate Comedy Hour," and nearly two decades later
produced "The Donald O'Connor Show."
He remained O'Connor's longtime partner, writing songs and sketches for the
star's musical motion pictures and television specials.
Sunday, 11 January
Erle Jolson Krasna, an occasional actress who was the influential widow of both
singer Al Jolson and Oscar-winning screenwriter and producer Norman Krasna, has
died. She was 81.
Krasna died Sunday, January 11, 2004 of cancer at her Century City home.
Widowed by Jolson's death in 1950, she retained control over his recordings
after marrying Krasna a year later. Jolson, whose signature song was "My Mammy,"
became a superstar in the first "talkie," "The Jazz Singer" of 1927.
Krasna was portrayed by actress Barbara Hale in the 1949 "Jolson Sings Again," a
sequel to the better-received 1946 biopic "The Jolson Story." When Jolson's
remarkable life in entertainment was revisited in the 1999 stage musical, Krasna
attended its premiere at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium before it ventured to
Broadway as "Jolson & Co."
The former Erle Chenault Galbraith, born Dec. 1, 1922, in Little Rock, Ark., was
an X-ray technician at the Army and Navy General Hospital in Hot Springs, Ark.,
when she met Jolson, known for his tours to entertain troops. The singer, 36
years her senior, suggested that, pretty as she was, she should try Hollywood.
The young woman signed a contract with Columbia, then went on to 20th Century
Fox when Columbia declined to pick up her option. She had a few small roles
showcasing her beauty, including one in a Phil Silvers comedy, but never earned
major recognition.
On March 24, 1945, she married Jolson in Quartzsite, Ariz., becoming his fourth
wife. Upon his death five years later from a heart attack in San Francisco,
after a tour to entertain soldiers in the Korean War, she also became his widow.
At age 28, she was in control of nearly half of his $4-million estate and, more
important, his musical legacy.
The couple had adopted a son and named him after Jolson, who was born Asa
Yoelson in Lithuania. Young Asa, also called Albert Jolson Jr., has been known
most of his life as "Jolie."
The youthful widow met Krasna, 13 years her senior, the summer after Jolson's
death and just after the writer's five-day engagement to actress Betty Hutton
had ended. The couple married Dec. 7, 1951.
Norman Krasna, originally a New York journalist and playwright, had won an
Academy Award in 1943 for his script to "Princess O'Rourke" starring Olivia de
Havilland and was nominated for Oscars for three other screenplays — "The
Richest Girl in the World" in 1934, Fritz Lang's "Fury" in 1936 and "The Devil
and Miss Jones" in 1941.
By the time he married Erle Jolson, he was also a producer and executive helping
to run RKO.
The Krasnas later spent 20 years as residents of Switzerland. He died in 1984.
In addition to Jolie, Krasna is survived by three children from her marriage to
Norman Krasna, Beth, Emily and David; and three grandchildren.
A service is scheduled for 1 p.m. Friday at All Saints Episcopal Church, 504 N.
Camden Drive, Beverly Hills.
Monday, 12 January
Randy Van Warmer, pop singer ("Just When I Needed You Most"), of leukemia, 48.
William T. Young, racehorse owner, 85.
Philip Crosby , one of Bing Crosby's twin sons and the last of the
four sons from the legendary crooner's first marriage has died of natural causes. He
was 69. Philip was found dead in his Woodland Hills home on Tuesday.
Philip Crosby, one of Bing Crosby's twin sons — and the last of the four sons
from the legendary crooner's first marriage — has died. He was 69.
Crosby was found dead in his Woodland Hills home on Tuesday, according to Crosby
family attorney Ed O'Sullivan. The Los Angeles County coroner's office said
Crosby died of natural causes.
Crosby's four sons from his marriage to former jazz singer-actress Dixie Lee,
who died of cancer in 1952, were Gary, Lindsay and twins Philip and Dennis. All
four entered show business as young men and had varying degrees of success.
In the late '50s, the four brothers formed a nightclub act called the Crosby
Boys and performed in Las Vegas and elsewhere, including on their father's TV
specials.
But the young Crosbys were known for getting into trouble with drinking and
other problems, and Gary dropped out of the Crosby Boys in 1959 after a
dressing-room brawl with his brothers in Montreal. He then launched a solo act,
and his brothers continued performing as a trio.
Philip Crosby, who made some recordings and had small roles in films such as
"Robin and the Seven Hoods" and "None but the Brave," both starring Frank
Sinatra, had a relatively short-lived show-business career.
In 1983, he told People magazine that he hadn't performed in a year and that his
last gig was at an Elks Club party in Burbank.
By then he had been married four times, the first three to Las Vegas showgirls.
He had also been arrested several times for drunk driving in 1980 and, despite
18 months of Alcoholics Anonymous, he told the magazine, "I don't drink anymore
— but I don't drink any less."
Each of the Crosby brothers, according to the magazine article, received
four-figure monthly checks from a trust fund established by their mother.
Born in Los Angeles in 1934, Philip Crosby and his brothers grew up in a 20-room
mansion in the Holmby Hills neighborhood on the Westside, where they became
fodder for their father's publicity machine and posed for pictures in matching
outfits.
The National Father's Day Committee once honored Bing Crosby as "Hollywood's
Most Typical Father."
But his image as the easygoing, all-American father was shattered decades later
with the publication of Gary Crosby's 1983 memoir "Going My Own Way."
In the book, the eldest Crosby son portrayed Bing as a cold, aloof and abusive
father who frequently beat his sons.
Both parents were strict disciplinarians. When Philip hid his bacon and eggs
under a rug instead of finishing his breakfast, Gary Crosby wrote, their mother
found the food and forced him to eat it, "dirt, hairs and all."
And the punishment for not putting away their underwear was to tie the underwear
in a string and wear it around their necks until bedtime.
But it was Bing's job to provide the whippings for the most serious offenses and
Gary, reportedly the most rebellious of the four brothers, received the most
beatings.
As soon as their father got home and learned of the day's offense, he told
People, "I'd get bent over and my pants taken down and beat until I bled." Gary
Crosby's book provoked what the magazine characterized as "a high-powered
fraternal feud."
"Gary is a whining … crybaby, walking around with a 2-by-4 on his shoulder and
just daring people to nudge it off," Philip Crosby said at the time.
Dennis Crosby called the book "Gary's business," while brother Lindsay sided
with Gary. "I'm glad he did it," he said. "I hope it clears up a lot of the old
lies and rumors."
Philip Crosby disputed many of the revelations in his brother's book but did not
deny that his father believed in corporal punishment.
"We never got an extra whack or a cuff we didn't deserve," he told People.
After attending a strict, Jesuit-run boarding school south of San Francisco, he
served a stint in the Army in the mid-1950s and attended what is now Washington
State University in Pullman, where he was a guard on the football team.
Chuck Morrell, the team's star fullback who shared a house with Crosby at the
time, recalled that when Philip needed a car in college, his father had a driver
deliver him a brand-new Chevrolet.
"He wasn't snooty or anything," Morrell, who remained lifelong friends with
Crosby, told The Times on Friday. "He was a good, friendly guy and everybody
liked him. You wouldn't know he was Bing Crosby's son."
Bing Crosby died in 1977 at age 73. Lindsay Crosby committed suicide in 1989, as
did Dennis Crosby two years later. Gary Crosby died from complications of lung
cancer in 1995.
Philip Crosby is survived by four children: Mary Elizabeth Crosby, Dixie Lee
Crosby, Flip Crosby and Philip Crosby Jr.; and three half-siblings from Bing
Crosby's second marriage, to Kathryn Grant: Harry Crosby, Mary Frances Crosby
and Nathaniel Crosby.
A funeral Mass will be held at 7 p.m. Monday at Church of the Good Shepherd in
Beverly Hills.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Reuters) - Country music songwriter Max Barnes, who wrote hits
for such stars as George Jones (news) and Merle Haggard (news), has died,
hospital officials said on Monday.
Barnes, 67, suffered complications from pneumonia and died on Sunday, a Baptist
Hospital spokesman said.
Barnes was best known for the hits "Chiseled in Stone," written with
singer-songwriter Vern Gosdin (news) and nominated for a Grammy, "Look At Us,"
and "Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes?" a major hit for Jones.
He also co-wrote numerous songs with Haggard and other performers and won
numerous Country Music Association awards.
Barnes was elected to the Nashville Songwriters Association Hall of Fame in
1992.
Born in Hardscratch, Iowa, he worked as a carpenter and truck driver before
moving to the country music capital of Nashville in 1973. His first hits were
"Don't Take It Away" and "Redneckin' Love Makin' Night," recorded by Conway
Twitty (news).
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Randy VanWarmer, who recorded the pop hit "Just When I Needed
You Most" and then had a successful career as a songwriter, has died. He was 48.
Randy VanWarmer
VanWarmer died Monday night in Seattle at the University of Washington Medical
Center, where he was being treated for leukemia. He had been ill for about a
year.
"Just When I Needed You Most" reached No. 4 on Billboard's pop chart in 1979.
VanWarmer, also a guitarist, had written it when he was 18.
More recently, VanWarmer wrote "I'm in a Hurry (And Don't Know Why)," a No. 1
hit by the country group Alabama in 1992, and "I Guess It Never Hurts to Hurt
Sometimes," No. 1 by the Oak Ridge Boys in 1984.
"A lot of people think he disappeared after 'Just When I Needed You Most,' but
he had a good run as a songwriter," Jeff Pearson, a close friend and fellow
songwriter, said Tuesday.
"I've seen audiences mesmerized by him when he performed," Pearson said. "His
voice, in one word, was angelic."
VanWarmer was born March 30, 1955, in Indian Hills, Colo., and spent much of his
childhood in Cornwall, England, after his father died. As a young man he lived
in New York City and then Los Angeles before moving to Nashville in 1985.
VanWarmer had recently recorded a duet with country singer Razzy Bailey,
"Sandcastles," due to be released this spring
Tuesday, 13 January
David N. Henderson, U.S. Congressman (D-NC, 1961-77), 82.
V. J. Lovero, sports photographer ("Sports Illustrated"), of lung cancer, 44.
Arne Naess, shipping executive (Norwegian), in a fall while mountain climbing,
66.
Wednesday, 14 January
Jack Cady, science fiction writer ("The Hauntings of Hood Canal"), of bladder
cancer, 71.
Uta Hagen, Broadway actress ("Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"), after a lengthy
illness, 84.
Ron O'Neal, actor ("Superfly"), of cancer, 66.
LOS ANGELES - Actor Ron O'Neal, best known for starring in two "Superfly"
blaxploitation movies in the 1970s, has died. O'Neal, who was 66, died Wednesday
night at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles after a long battle with
cancer, his wife said.
O'Neal played a cocaine dealer named Youngblood Priest in "Superfly" and the
sequel, "Superfly TNT," which he also directed. Though known for his work as a
street tough character in the films, O'Neal also was a stage actor. In fact, it
was his performance in Joseph Papp's Public Theater production of "No Place To
Be Somebody" that brought O'Neal to the attention of the producers of
"Superfly."
Following the "Superfly" films, O'Neal had a long career as a character actor on
television and in movies, appearing in low-budget films like "Mercenary
Fighters" in 1987 and "Up Against the Wall" in 1991, which he also directed. In
1996, he joined Jim Brown (news), Fred Williamson, Richard Roundtree (news) and
Pam Grier (news) in a reunion of blaxploitation superstars in the film "Original
Gangstas."
O'Neal capped his career two years ago with a performance in "On The Edge,"
teaming again with Fred Williamson and Ice-T.
LONDON (AFP) - Family doctor Harold Shipman, who murdered more than 200 patients
to become one of the worst serial killers of all time, hanged himself in his
prison cell, on the eve of his 58th birthday, prison officials said.
"He was found hanging in his cell" at Wakefield prison, Yorkshire, a spokeswoman
for the prison service told AFP as his body was removed for a post-mortem
examination.
Shipman, who became known as "Doctor Death", was sentenced to life imprisonment
in January 2000 for the murder of 15 female patients between 1975 and 1998, and
faced no prospect of parole.
Two years later, an inquiry concluded that he was responsible for the deaths by
lethal injection of at least other 200 mostly female and elderly patients at his
practice in Cheshire.
A prison source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Shipman "used a
bedsheet as a ligature from the bars on his windows" to take his life in his
single-occupant cell.
Most of Shipman's victims died suddenly, without having experienced any
life-threatening symptoms.
His motivation for the murders was never known, though the judge who headed the
inquiry said it was possible he was addicted to killing.
"I am not sorry he has gone, but it brings it all back and it stirs it all up
for us again," said Kathleen Wood, whose 83-year-old mother Bessie Baddeley died
in 1997 at Shipman's hands.
"I just wish he had been forthcoming and admitted he had done those things,"
Wood said. "It would have put a lot of people's minds at rest."
Home Secretary David Blunkett ruled in June 2002 that Shipman should never be
released from jail -- joining a select few prisoners in Britain who have been
told they would remain in prison until their dying day.
Shipman's lawyer Giovanni di Stefano told Sky News television that his client
had been intending to lodge an appeal against his murder conviction.
"Dr Shipman had never ever accepted his guilt and he's never ever admitted
culpability in any of the murders that he's convicted of," Di Stefano said.
"Something is not really quite right there."
In a statement, the prison service said: "Mr Shipman was found hanging in his
cell at 6:20 am (0620 GMT) and despite the best efforts of staff who immediately
attempted resuscitation he was pronounced dead by a doctor at 8:10 am."
The statement said that since arriving at Wakefield on June 18, 2003, Shipman
had never been on a suicide watch and had been treated like other inmates.
Prisons minister Paul Goggins announced that a full investigation into the death
would be carried out by prisons ombudsman Stephen Shaw.
The independent inquiry beginning Wednesday will look into whether warning signs
that Shipman was planning suicide had been missed by jail authorities.
A prisons spokeswoman said Shipman had been behaving "utterly normally" and
shown no signs of suicidal tendencies, even down to a telephone conversation
with his wife Primrose on Monday night.
Brian Caton, general secretary of the Prison Officers Association, the union
that represents Britain's prison guards, said Shipman "held the curtains around
himself so that no one could see him".
"It would appear that Shipman settled in well at Wakefield," he said. "He hadn't
been on a suicide watch at all and wasn't on a suicide watch at the time that he
took his life.
Caton added: "Whilst it's a loss of a human life, it's a loss of one of the
vilest humans in the country."
In a July 2002 report, Dame Janet Smith, the senior judge who chaired the
inquiry into the kind-looking bearded physician, said it was "possible" that
Shipman "was addicted to killing".
"He betrayed (patients') trust in a way and to an extent that I believe is
unparalleled in history," Smith said.
Most of Shipman's victims were from the greater Manchester area, where he
practiced.
They were, by and large, elderly women who died after being given a lethal
injection, usually of morphine, while Shipman visited them in their homes.
At the former premises of Shipman's practice on Tuesday, in the town of Hyde,
the word "justice" was seen scrawled 12 times across the metal shutters.
The Smith inquiry looked into a total of 887 deaths, and concluded that he had
killed 200 people on top of the 15 for whom he had been convicted.
It also told of a "real suspicion" that Shipman may have been responsible for an
additional 45 deaths, although the evidence was not clear enough to reach a
positive conclusion.
Bindman and Partners, a law firm representing the Shipman family, said in a
statement: "Neither the family nor their solicitors have any other comment at
the moment on his death."
Thursday, 15 January
Alex Barris, game show panelist (Canadian), of complications from a stroke, 81.
Olivia Goldsmith, novelist ("The First Wives Club"), of complications from a
heart attack during plastic surgery, 54.
James Lawrence, guitarist (Hope of the States), hanged (apparent suicide), 26.
Gus Suhr, major-league baseball player (Pittsburgh Pirates), 98.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Gus Suhr, who played more games at first base for the
Pittsburgh Pirates than anyone else, has died. He was 98.
Suhr died at his home Thursday, January 15, 2004, said his son, Gus Suhr Jr.
Suhr set the NL record of 822 consecutive games played, a streak that ended in
1937 when he attended his mother's funeral. The mark stood until Stan Musial
broke it in 1957.
"It's a long life. It was a healthy life and it was a good life," his son said
Friday. "Everybody should have such a life."
Suhr hit .279 with 84 home runs and 818 RBIs in the majors from 1930-40. He
spent the first 8 1/2 seasons with the Pirates and finished with the
Philadelphia Phillies.
Suhr was a hit from the start, batting .286 with 17 homers and 107 RBIs as a
rookie. He posted three 100-RBI seasons overall.
An All-Star in 1936, Suhr played 1,339 games at first base for the Pirates.
In 2002, the Pirates honored him at PNC Park as one of 17 former Pittsburgh
All-Stars.
Suhr was promoted to the majors after starring for the San Francisco Seals of
the PCL. He hit .381 with 51 home runs and 177 RBIs in 1929.
Friday, 16 January
Robert Dryden, radio actor ("CBS Radio Mystery Theater"), of Parkinson's
disease, 86.
Kalevi Sorsa, Finnish prime minister (1972-87), cause not reported, 73.
Saturday, 17 January
Harry Brecheen, major-league baseball player (St. Louis), 89.
BETHANY, Okla. (AP) — Former St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Harry "The Cat"
Brecheen, who won three games in the 1946 World Series, died Saturday, January
17, 2004 the funeral home said. He was 89.
Brecheen was a two-time All-Star during his 12-year career. He had a 133-92
record with a 2.92 ERA in 11 seasons with the Cardinals and one with the St.
Louis Browns.
He had a career record of 4-1 in the World Series, and is one of only 11
pitchers to win three games in a World Series since 1905.
In 1946, he beat the Ted Williams-led Boston Red Sox three times to help the
Cardinals win the championship in seven games. He pitched complete games in
Games 2 and 6, and came on in relief to win Game 7.
Brecheen also pitched in the 1943 and the 1944 World Series for the Cardinals.
Brecheen's best season came in 1948 when he went 20-7 and led the National
League with a 2.24 ERA, 149 strikeouts and seven shutouts. He finished second in
the league with 21 complete games
Ray Stark, film producer ("The Way We Were"), after a lengthy illness, 88
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Ray Stark, a publicist and actors' agent who became a
Hollywood power broker and producer of such movies as "Funny Girl,""The Way We
Were," and "The Sunshine Boys," died Saturday after a long illness. He was 88.
Stark died at his home, longtime friend Warren Cowan said.
Stark was considered the last of the great independent producers, following the
pattern of Samuel Goldwyn and David O. Selznick. Like them, he made films that
were often based on best-selling books or hit plays, rich in production value
and cast with major stars.
But unlike Goldwyn and Selznick, who thrived on publicity, Stark preferred to
remain out of the limelight.
He gave only a handful of interviews during his career, and then only if he had
an ax to grind. He issued only a few details in his official biography and was
even sketchy about his age. He indicated his birth date was 1914, but gave no
month or day.
A news release from Stark's family Saturday said he was born Oct. 3, 1915.
Stark's career as producer was notable for his association with Barbra
Streisand.
The son-in-law of Fanny Brice, Stark had long desired to dramatize the life of
the great Broadway singer and comedienne. He put together a stage musical,
"Funny Girl." To play Fanny he chose Streisand, then establishing herself as a
dynamic singer with Broadway and television appearances.
"Funny Girl" and Streisand became the hits of Broadway with the show's premiere
in New York on March 24, 1964. Stark converted it into a glittering movie,
Streisand's debut film. For director he chose William Wyler, a three-time Oscar
winner who had never directed a musical. Herbert Ross staged the musical
numbers.
"Funny Girl" won Streisand an Oscar as best actress (shared in a tie with
Katharine Hepburn for "The Lion in Winter"). She made three more films under her
contract with Stark - "The Owl and the Pussycat,""The Way We Were" and "Funny
Lady." Even after they parted, they remained friends.
Stark films also won Academy Awards for George Burns ("The Sunshine Boys"),
Richard Dreyfus ("The Goodbye Girl") and Maggie Smith ("California Suite").
As a producer, Stark maintained long-term relationships with directors, writers
and stars, some of whom he had represented as an agent. He made 10 films with
Neil Simon, eight with Herbert Ross, five with Jackie Gleason, four with
Streisand, four with John Huston and three with Sydney Pollack.
In 1980, Stark received the Motion Picture Academy's highest prize for a
producer: the Irving G. Thalberg Award for consistent high quality of
production.
Referring to the legendary MGM production head, presenter Kirk Douglas remarked:
"Ray does what Irving used to do."
Stark replied: "Thank you, Kirk, I couldn't have said it better myself."
Stark also enjoyed his reputation as a film industry power broker. Company heads
and financiers often sought his advice and counsel. For many years, he was one
of the biggest stockholders in Columbia Pictures, and he was influential in
company policy. When he was upset over how the new production head, David
Puttnam, was running the studio, he reportedly pulled strings and had Puttnam
fired.
When Coca-Cola bought Columbia for $750 million in 1982, Stark played a
behind-the-scenes role in the sale. He took his Columbia holdings in Coke stock;
by 1987 he had shares worth $44 million. In 1984, Forbes magazine estimated his
net worth at at least $175 million.
Stark was educated at Rutgers University in New Jersey and first worked as a
reporter and publicist. After World War II, he entered the agency business,
starting with radio writers as clients, then moving up to authors such as John
P. Marquand, Thomas Costain and Ben Hecht.
In Hollywood, he joined Charles Feldman's agency, Famous Artists, and learned
the ins and outs of movie deals. Among the clients: William Holden, John Wayne,
Richard Burton, Kirk Douglas and Marilyn Monroe.
In 1957, Stark and Eliot Hyman formed Seven Arts Productions, which supplied
television and feature movies. While there, Stark produced "The World of Suzie
Wong" (William Holden), Tennessee Williams'"The Night of the Iguana" (Richard
Burton, Ava Gardner) and "Reflections in a Golden Eye" (Marlon Brando, Elizabeth
Taylor).
Stark left Seven Arts in 1966 to form Rastar Productions. His first film: "Funny
Girl."
Other Rastar films include: "Fat City,""Murder by Death,""The Cheap
Detective,""Chapter Two,""The Electric Horseman,""Annie,""Brighton Beach
Memoirs,""Nothing in Common,""Smokey and the Bandit,""Peggy Sue Got
Married,""Biloxi Blues,""Steel Magnolias,""Revenge." In 1993, he ventured into
television, making the docudrama "Barbarians at the Gates" for HBO.
Stark was long married to Frances Brice. They had two children, including a son
who died of a drug overdose. Stark owned a horse farm where he raised
thoroughbreds for his racing stable, and he and his wife accumulated one of the
most impressive art collection in the film community.
In a rare public statement, Stark in 1999 answered a Los Angeles Times request
for his philosophy about film making. In his essay, Stark deplored the trend
toward homogenization of movies:
"Films work b