R.I.P CELEBRITY DEATHS(NON WRESTLING) 2018

[Bazzy]

Bullseye's Jim Bowen R.I.P

[jimsteel]

Ed Charles, Infield Sage of the Miracle Mets, Is Dead at 84

Ed Charles, the heart and soul of the Miracle Mets of 1969, died on Thursday at his home in East Elmhurst, Queens. He was 84.

harles was a vital member of the Mets team that suddenly jelled during the 1969 season, winning the World Series in one of the most surprising surges in baseball history and endearing themselves forever to fans who had suffered through the team’s wretched play since its beginning, just seven years earlier.

The Mets’ players relied on the smile and the wisdom of Charles, who was then 36.

“Ed Charles was this guy, you wanted to sit on his knee and hear how he made it,” Ron Swoboda, the right fielder on the 1969 team, said in a telephone interview on Thursday. He added: “He had a physical and emotional grace that most of us didn’t seem to feel. He would say, ‘Don’t wrestle with what looks like complexity.’”

Edwin Douglas Charles was born in Daytona Beach, Fla., on April 29, 1933, a time of racial segregation in Florida. But he took heart as a teenager when he spotted Jackie Robinson in town as a Montreal Royal farmhand during spring training in 1946. Robinson was expected to become the 20th century’s first black player in the major leagues

[jimsteel]

Comedian and actor Mike MacDonald dead at 63
The comic and familiar face at the Just For Laughs comedy festival died on Saturday.

Canadian comedian and actor Mike MacDonald died Saturday at the age of 63.

MacDonald suffered from various ailments in recent years. In 2012, the Ottawa comic announced he needed help getting a liver transplant as a result of hepatitis C, which he was diagnosed with about a year prior. MacDonald eventually got the transplant and after an outpouring of support, likened himself to “Jimmy Stewart in It’s A Wonderful Life.”

MacDonald also spoke about his private life, including a history of drug use and struggles with bipolar disorder.

MacDonald started his comedy career when he moved to Toronto in the late 1970s, eventually writing and starring in Mr. Nice Guy, a 1987 mafia-themed comedy film. He appeared on Just for Laughs, Late Night with David Letterman, The Arsenio Hall Show and Comedy Club All-Star Show. He also worked for events like Stand Up for Mental Health.

[TTX]

RIP Mike.

[jimsteel]

TV personality known for playing Bozo the Clown dies at 89

Longtime Boston television personality and entertainer Frank Avruch, who was the star of the popular children's TV program Bozo the Clown, has died. He was 89.

Avruch died Tuesday at his Boston home from heart disease, his family said in a statement to WCVB-TV .

Avruch played Bozo the Clown from 1959 to 1970, a clown character particularly popular in the U.S. in the 1960s because of widespread franchising in television. Avruch became the first nationally-syndicated Bozo the Clown.

"He had a heart of gold," manager Stuart Hersh told The Associated Press on Wednesday, "He brought the Bozo the Clown character to life better than anyone else's portrayal of Bozo the Clown."

Avruch also was a contributor to WCVB-TV for more than 40 years as a host of Man About Town and The Great Entertainment.

Avruch passed away on Tuesday, March 20, 2018, of heart disease at his Boston home.

He was an active philanthropist and a board member of UNICEF'S New England chapter. He toured the world performing as Bozo the clown for UNICEF.

"He touched so many people with his portrayal," Hersh said.

[TTX]

While I'm famliar with the Chicago Bozos, know Boston had a long run as well. RIP.

[jimsteel]

TOYS 'R' US FOUNDER CHARLES LAZARUS DEAD AT 94

Charles Lazarus, the man who founded Toys 'R' Us in 1948, has died, just days after the company went belly up.

After Lazarus returned from WWII, he realized quickly the baby boom generation was ripe for a cool, interactive toy superstore. Barbie Dolls, Hula Hoops and Slinkys were all the rage, and he had the idea to create a fun experience for kids and parents.

He experimented with a nondescript children's store, Children's Bargain Town, but then in '57 opened the first Toys 'R' Us in Maryland. Fast-forward ... at its height there were 1,600 stores around the world.

[jimsteel]

Legendary Pennsylvania Jockey Dies After Headfirst Fall in Horse Racing Accident

Jose Flores, a Pennsylvanian jockey who earned $64 MIL in his storied career, is dead at 57 after a headfirst fall during a race Monday in Philly.

Flores suffered major head and spine injuries as a result of the accident ... and was pulled off life support on Thursday.

The tragic incident happened Monday at Parx Racing in Bensalem, Pennsylvania ... when Jose's horse, Love Rules, went down -- launching him from his saddle.

Flores had compiled 4,650 wins across 3 decades in the sport ... and was reportedly going for the magic number of 5,000.

Jose is the 157th North American rider to die from a horse-racing accident since 1940.

[TTX]

RIP Charles.

[jimsteel]

Chicago Fire’ Actress DuShon Monique Brown Dies At 49

“Chicago Fire” actress DuShon Monique Brown has died after suffering an apparent heart attack. She was 49.

Production sources tell us Brown admitted herself to a Chicago hospital a few days ago after suffering chest pains, we’re told she went through tests but was released a short time later.

Things apparently took a turn for the worse Friday … our sources say Brown died at home after some type of cardiac episode.

DuShon — a Chicago native — has been on “Chicago Fire” since the show started in 2012. She played Connie, the assistant to Chief Boden. She was also on “Prison Break” from 2005 to 2007.

Brown also starred in a made for TV movie titled “Public Housing Unit” about Chicago cops … the project is set to premiere later this year.