R.I.P. CELEBRITY DEATHS 2019(NON WRESTLERS)

[TTX]

Dick Dale was one of my favorites for surf music. RIP.

[jimsteel]

Special Effects Legend John Carl Buechler Passes Away at 66


Special effects master John Carl Buechler has lost his battle with cancer, according to various sources on social media. He was 66.

Buechler is best known for his work on films such as Re-Animator, A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master, Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, Ghoulies, and From Beyond, not to mention being the director of Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood, which introduced fans to Kane Hodder’s Jason Voorhees.

He was an integral part of Charles Band’s Empire Pictures having both directed and provided the effects for Troll, The Dungeonmaster (segment “Demons of the Dead”), and Cellar Dweller. He also proved the effects work for Trancers, TerrorVision, and the aforementioned Re-Animator. He would also reteam with Kane Hodder on Adam Green’s first Hatchet film.

IMBd notes that, when he ran the make-up effects department at New World Pictures, Roger Corman called him “…the best in the business.”

[jimsteel]

Twilight Zone' Actor Richard Erdman Dies at 93

Actor Richard Erdman has died at the age of 93. The actor is best known to modern viewers as Leonard, the elder student at Greendale Community College on Community. His 70-year career also includes roles in The Twilight Zone and Stalag 17. Erdman’s friend, film historian Ala K. Rode, confirmed Erdman’s passing on Twitter, tweeting, “Goodbye pal. Dick Erdman 1925-2019.” Some of his Community co-stars also commented on Erdman’s passing. Joel McHale tweeted, “Such a good & funny man. We’ll miss you ‘Leonard.'” Yvette Nicole Brown tweeted, “I knew the day we’d have to say goodbye to this lovely man would come sooner than any of us were ready. But knowing that doesn’t make it any easier. Richard Erdman was JOY walking. Anyone who saw him on Community gleefully stealing every scene he was in knows that’s true.”

Erdman recently appeared on an episode of Dr. Ken, a vehicle for another Community alum, Ken Jeong. Jeong remembered Erdman on Facebook, writing “Thank you Richard Erdman for blessing us with your brilliance. Sweet, gentle and fearless. Nailed every take. Always made me laugh hard.”


Erdman was born in Oklahoma and grew up in Colorado before moving to Hollywood. His career began in the 1940s. In 1953 he appeared in the wartime comedy Stalag 17 as Sgt. Hoffy Hoffman. He began working in television in the 1950s with roles on Where’s Raymond?, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and Make Room for Daddy. In 1963, he starred in The Twilight Zone episode “A Kind of Stopwatch” as Patrick McNulty, a man who comes to possess a stopwatch that can stop time. He also had recurring roles on Lou Grant and Perry Mason, and guest appearances on Love, American Style; That Girl; I Dream of Jeannie; The Beverly Hillbillies, and The Six Million Dollar Man. His other film work includes roles in Cry Danger, Anything Goes, and Tora! Tora! Tora! He also lent his voice to The Smurfs, Scooby-Doo, and Duck Tales.

[jimsteel]

Former Ozzy Osbourne Guitarist Bernie Tormé Dies At 66

Bernie Tormé has died at the age of 66. The Irish-born guitarist was recently hospitalized while battling double pneumonia and was later put on a ventilator.

The news was posted online; Tormé reportedly died yesterday, one day short of his 67th birthday.
Mik Gaffney, who played drums with Tormé, wrote about his late bandmate on Facebook, noting, "It's been a thrill playing drums for him for the past couple of years. He was loud, passionate, didn't suffer fools but he was always a true gentleman. ... I will miss our arguments about Irish whiskey vs Scottish whisky, I will miss him calling me a c**t, I will miss seeing that sparkle in his eye when he strapped his guitar on ... RIP Bernie. We we all miss you ... "
Tormé cut his teeth performing in clubs around Dublin and London as a teenager. His first taste of fame came in 1979, when he became the guitarist in Gillan, the hard-rock group fronted by former Deep Purple singer Ian Gillan. The band enjoyed modest success in the U.K., where four of its Tormé-era albums charted in the Top 20. He left in 1981 due to disagreements over compensation.

Tormé's next stop was in Ozzy Osbourne’s band, which he joined after Randy Rhoads' death in 1982. In a 2017 interview with UCR, Tormé reflected on the uncomfortable circumstance he found himself in during rehearsals.
“I was out there on the Thursday, and Randy had died the previous Saturday," he said. "It wasn’t even a week. I don’t think anyone spoke to me the day I arrived, other than [keyboardist] Don Airey. It was a really bad atmosphere, and understandably so."

The situation didn't improve after they took the stage. “Even if I played okay, even if I played a nice solo or whatever, if anyone looked at me onstage they thought, ‘Oh, shit. It isn’t Randy,'" he recalled.

After only a handful of shows, Tormé elected to leave the band and focus his attention on solo work. Night Ranger guitarist Brad Gillis took his place.
From that point on, Tormé's career consisted of many false starts. A self-titled band released three albums in the U.K. but never found mainstream success. In the late '80s, he teamed with Twisted Sister's Dee Snider to form Desperado. Label issues delayed their debut album until 1996, long after the metal group had disbanded.
More recently, Tormé released four crowdfunded solo albums: Flowers & Dirt (2014), Blackheart (2015), Dublin Cowboy (2017) and Shadowland (2018). “In the past you were pretty distant and separated from your fans with a record label in between,” the guitarist said. “Making these albums with pledge campaigns has been a great experience. I like having the connection with fans and getting the feedback direct on making an album.”
Even as he got older, Tormé's love of touring never waned: “I feel very lucky, very blessed, to be able to still perform live and as long as I can keep doing it I will,” he said on his official website. Tormé's final performance took place on Dec. 1, 2018.

[jimsteel]

R&B Singer Andre Williams Dies at 82

R&B singer/producer Andre "Mr. Rhythm" Williams, died in Chicago on Sunday (March 17) at age 82, according to a statement from his label, Pravda Records. "It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of legendary artist Andre Williams," read a FB statement from the Chicago-based label. "He died this after in Chicago at the age of 82. He touched our lives and the lives of countless others. We love you Dre."

William's manager, Kenn Goodman, tells Billboard that the singer died on Sunday afternoon while in hospice care in Chicago surrounded by family. "He was diagnosed two weeks ago with colon cancer that spread to his lungs and brain," Goodman says. "After that his body started shutting down pretty quickly," he adds, noting that Williams had battled a number of other health issues recently, including strokes and seizures. "But was committed to trying to sing and record again."

Born in Bessemer, Alabama, on Nov. 1, 1936, Zephire "Andre" Williams launched his career as a teenager after moving to Detroit in the early 1950s, where he quickly became a key member of the city's then blossoming R&B scene, making his name after winning the top prize at the Warfield Theatre's amateur night show eight weeks in a row. Known for his fiery, often profane style, Williams signed to Fortune Records and took over the lead vocal slot in the vocal group The Five Dollars.

Renamed Andre Williams and the Don Juans, the group released "Goin' Down to Tijuana" in 1955, with Williams releasing his signature hit, "Bacon Fat," the next year, hitting No. 9 on the Billboard R&B chart. His sing-talking style on the track presaged hip-hop, earning him the nickname "godfather of rap." He wrote and produced hits for other acts during his early years in the business, including the Five Dutones' "Shake a Tail Feather," as well as cranking out other beloved Fortune Records singles including "Jail Bait" and "The Greasy Chicken."

An early 1960s four-year gig as artist/producer/writer for Motown Records failed to produce any recordings of note, though he did score a co-write on Stevie Wonder's first song, 1964's "Thank You For Loving Me," and worked with The Temptations, while continuing to write and produce for other acts at the time, including Alvin Cash & The Crawlers ("Twine Time") and The Contours. He followed in 1965 with a run at Chicago's Chess Records, during which he released some of his other most beloved tracks such as "The Stroke," "Humpin' Bumpin' & Thumpin'" and "Cadillac Jack."

Williams sat in on sessions withe everyone from Parliament to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ike & Tina Turner and Mary Wells over the years, hitting his most productive stride in the 1990s and early 2000s, when a new generation of soul-loving rockers discovered his gritty, grooving sound. Always natty on stage in colorful suits and matching hats, Williams' career renaissance took off in 1998 with the Silky album, which featured backing from members of the garage rock band The Gories, adding some punk swagger to his raunchy soul.

The next year he continued the re-up with the Bloodshot Records release of the country-fried Red Dirt, recorded with The Sadies as his backing band, and featuring Williams' versions of songs by Johnny Paycheck, Eddy Arnold and Lefty Frizzell. Energized by working with younger acts, Williams kept the train rolling with a series of raucous albums on indie labels that bested his entire early career studio album output, including The Black Godfather (2000), Bait and Switch (2001), Greasy (2003), That's All I Need (2010) and his final studio effort, 2016's Pravda release Don't Ever Give Up.

[jimsteel]

'The Curse of Oak Island' treasure hunter Dan Blankenship dead at 95

Dan Blankenship, a renowned treasure hunter and “Curse of Oak Island” mainstay, died Sunday at the age of 95,

He spends 50 years of his life looking for treasures and investigating mysteries on the well-known island.

He had many people that were fans of him and the History show. He was frequently seen giving advice to the brothers Marty and Rick Lagina. The siblings are still looking for the treasure on the Oak Island.

[Pariah]

Mar 19, 2019 11:57:31 GMT -5 jimsteel said:

'The Curse of Oak Island' treasure hunter Dan Blankenship dead at 95

Dan Blankenship, a renowned treasure hunter and “Curse of Oak Island” mainstay, died Sunday at the age of 95,

He spends 50 years of his life looking for treasures and investigating mysteries on the well-known island.

He had many people that were fans of him and the History show. He was frequently seen giving advice to the brothers Marty and Rick Lagina. The siblings are still looking for the treasure on the Oak Island.

My wife, daughter and I actually met him when we visited Oak Island a few years ago... His knowledge was a treasure all its own... R.I.P.

[jimsteel]

Rising country music star Justin Carter dies in accidental shooting. He was 35

A rising country music singer from Texas has died after a reported accidental shooting that happened with a gun that was being used as a music video prop.

Justin Carter recently signed a deal with Triple Threat Management, which didn't offer many details about the musician's death.

"Justin had a potential to, you know, in our eyes, and a lot of people's eyes to be the next Garth Brooks," said Mark Atherton with Triple Threat.

According to Atherton, a gun that was going to be used for a music video shoot was the same one that ultimately killed Carter at his apartment.

Friends and family said Carter spent much of his time recording music at Enclave Recording Studios off of FM-1960. His mother told us his music was important to him.

"His music was his world," said Carter's mother, Cindy McClellan. "He was always there for everybody."

[jimsteel]

R.I.P. Larry Cohen, B-Movie Legend Behind ‘It’s Alive’, ‘Maniac Cop’, ‘The Stuff’ and More

The movie world just lost an absolute legend. Larry Cohen, the prolific writer, director and producer behind some of the most unique, jaw-dropping, and utterly bonkers B-movies in history, has died at 77. Cohen began his career in television, breaking into films in the 1970s. Some of his many projects include The Stuff, It’s Alive, Maniac Cop, and Q.


Multiple outlets are reporting Larry Cohen has died, and that’s a damn tragedy. A part of me assumed Cohen would somehow beat the odds, and live forever. Cohen’s prolific career began in the 1950s, when he worked for NBC, learning how to write scripts in the process. During his time writing for television, he created the TV series The Invaders, and wrote episodes of The Fugitive, Columbo, Branded and anthology shows like Kraft Television Theatre and Kraft Suspense Theatre.

In 1972, Cohen made his feature directorial debut with Bone, starring Yaphet Kotto, Joyce Van Patten, and Andrew Duggan. The severely dark comedy focused on a rapist who breaks into a house in Beverly Hills, where he finds his hostages hate each other and want to task him with killing one another. Cohen always thought of the movie as comedy, but the distributor attempted to sell it as drama – which, in Cohen’s opinion, destroyed the film’s chances.

After Bone, Cohen entered into the blaxploitation genre, helming Black Caesar and Hell Up in Harlem. As writer, director and producer of his films, Cohen did everything his way, staging dangerous stunts for his actors, and even shooting the films at his own house, so he wouldn’t have to venture to far. “I’m only interested in making movies my way,” he told the Village Voice. “Total freedom.”

Cohen broke into horror in 1974, with It’s Alive. The story focused on a couple who give birth to a killer mutant baby. Released by Warner Bros., It’s Alive was a commercial flop at first. Three years after its initial release, Warners went through a regime change, at which point Cohen asked the new executives to give the movie another chance. Re-released in 1977 with a new marketing campaign, It’s Alive went on to become a box office hit. Cohen would eventually follow it up with two sequels – It Lives Again (1978), and It’s Alive III: Island of the Alive (1987).

[WTIC]

R.I.P., Larry!

Thanks for posting that, Jim!

I had seen different parts of It Lives before, but not the whole movie. Was only aware of The Stuff recently, will watch that soon. Never heard of Bone, and barely know of Maniac Cop.

The Stuff does look like a fun film though! They really should do a remake / sequel to that!

Trailer for The Stuff (because they don't make trailers like this anymore, LOL) :