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

[WTIC]

From: www.startrek.com/news/remembering-trek-guest-star-morgan-woodward

Any actor would envy the career of Morgan Woodward, who died on February 22 at the age of 93, in Paso Robles, California. He was a two-time Star Trek: The Original Series guest star who, over the course of five decades, from the 50s to the 90s, amassed 400-plus film and television credits. Along the way, he played some mighty memorable roles, including Shotgun Gibbs on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, Boss Godfrey in Cool Hand Luke, Jock Ewing’s pal Punk Anderson on Dallas and (Old) Harry Cokely on The X-Files.

But, perhaps most enduringly, he had the distinction of portraying two wild-eyed, emotionally volatile characters on Star Trek: The Original Series: Dr. Simon Van Gelder in “Dagger of the Mind” and Captain Ronald Tracey in “The Omega Glory.

Back in 2015, StarTrek.com interviewed Woodward, who marveled at the fact that with so many credits to his name, Star Trek is arguably his greatest claim to fame. “Star Trek is a cult, and any time you’ve got a cult, it continues and continues,” he noted. “They’re getting ready to do another Star Trek movie now and some of the original people could be in it. It just keeps going. So, no, it doesn’t surprise me. It doesn’t surprise me, not at all. The (conventions and autograph) shows that I’ve gone to, most of the people want me to sign pictures from Star Trek. I sign pictures from Dallas and the westerns and Cool Hand Luke, too. The Man with No Eyes from Cool Hand Luke is still very, very popular, and that’s almost 50 years, too. But it’s mostly Star Trek that people want me to sign pictures of, and I get that.”

-------------------

He passed away yesterday...

R.I.P., Morgan! Loved your Trek episodes!

[jimsteel]

BRODY STEVENS COMEDIAN DEAD AT 48
Apparent Suicide by Hanging

Stand-up comedian Brody Stevens was found dead Friday after an apparent suicide at his home in Los Angeles.

Law enforcement sources confirm to TMZ ... Brody was found hanging in his home Friday afternoon, shortly after 1 PM.

Brody -- who co-created his own Comedy Central series, "Brody Stevens: Enjoy It!" with his friend Zach Galifianakis -- had struggled with mental health issues in the past. He was hospitalized in 2011 after suffering a bipolar episode.

He was a mainstay at huge comedy events like the Montreal and Vancouver Comedy Festivals -- and just 2 days ago he was at the Festival of Friendship in Burbank.

Later that night he did a set -- which appears to have been his last -- at the famed Comedy Store on the Sunset Strip.

[jimsteel]

1st Marilyn of TV’s ‘The Munsters,’ Beverley Owen, Dies

An original member of The Munsters TV series cast, Beverley Owen, who played Marilyn Munster, the teenaged niece of the family matriarch, Lily Munster, died February 21, 2019.

The news of her death was shared by fellow cast member, Butch Patrick, who played Eddie Munster, in a Facebook post on February 24. “What a sweet soul,” he wrote. (See his complete statement below.) Owen was 81.

The Munsters originally aired on CBS from 1964 to 1966. While the series was not a ratings hit during its first run, it has lived on in syndication for decades.

The Munsters also starred Fred Gwynne as Herman Munster; Yvonne De Carlo as his wife, Lily; Butch Patrick as their son, Eddie; and Al Lewis, as Lily’s father, Grandpa.

Owen appeared in the program’s first 13 episodes, replaced midway through the first season by Pat Priest, who appeared in the rest of the series’ 57 episodes.

In both cases, the character of Marilyn was played by a stunning actress, juxtaposed by the ghoulish appearance of the rest of the family, who often referred to her, ironically, as “the plain one.” Both Marilyns were blondes; Owen donned a wig for the role.

The sitcom ran concurrently with The Addams Family, another series about a bizarre American family displaying their unique habits and interests while living next door to more traditional neighbors.

The program ranked #18 for the 1964-1965 season. Ratings fell precipitously in January 1966 when ABC counter-programmed it with the live action series, Batman. The Munsters was cancelled after its 1965-1966 season.

[jimsteel]

WZZO personality 'Bearman' has died

Longtime Lehigh Valley radio personality Kevin “The Bearman" Schutts, a mainstay of WZZO’s morning programming with partner Keith Moyer, has died, according to a post on the station’s Facebook page Sunday.

He was 64.

“With great sadness, we must inform you of The Bearman’s sudden and unexpected passing,” says the post, which did not disclose a cause of death.

“He was a wonderful family man and great partner with his friend and teammate Keith. There will be opportunities to share your favorite memories in the coming days. At this difficult time, we ask that your thoughts are with Bearman’s family and friends,” the post said.

Schutts and Moyer built their show around goofy, often crude humor and stunts. In a 1994 Morning Call story about their 1,000th show — aired from the State Theatre in Easton — Schutts offered a cheerfully self-deprecating assessment of the team’s appeal: “God, the biggest joke on our show is us — and we know it.”

The post about Schutts’ death drew more than 1,000 comments and thousands of shares within an hour.

“Tomorrow morning and hereafter on WZZO will never be the same without your voice,” said a typical comment.

According to a 2008 profile in R&R, a radio industry trade publication, Schutts lived a nomadic broadcast life. He began as a part-time disc jockey in Allentown in 1972 at WGPA.

He became a full-time DJ in 1977 before moving to a station in his native Buffalo, N.Y., in 1980. After two years there, he moved to several different markets before returning to Allentown in 1988 and pairing with Moyer.

That lasted for two years before Schutts decamped to Buffalo again. But in 1992, he returned to WZZO and reunited with Moyer.

“Just a couple of goofy guys goofing on everything and everybody,” Schutts told the magazine.

Their taste in stunts brought hilarity and, sometimes, heat. Once they drilled holes in frozen turkeys and used them as bowling balls. When they were called out for wasting food that could have fed the poor, they bought and donated 60 turkeys.

On another occasion, they announced that they would set a groundhog loose on Route 22 on Groundhog Day. If the marmot made it across alive, spring would come early, they said. If it didn’t — six more weeks of winter.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals showed up to protest. The groundhog turned out to be a one of the morning crew’s colleagues in a costume

[TTX]

From what I've seen, Beverly just couldn't handle the stress of Hollywood which was why she left the show so quickly.

[jimsteel]

'Fullmetal Alchemist', 'Attack on Titan' Actress Maeghan Albach Passes Away

According to a recent report by Anime News Network, voice actress Maeghan Albach has passed away at age 44.

The news was confirmed via Wade Funeral Home as the site shared Albach’s moving obituary. Born in Texas, the actress is survived by her immediate family and was described as a “free-spirited, beautiful soul.”

"Maeghan was a free-spirited, beautiful soul. She was well educated, well read, well mannered, articulate, highly intelligent, cultured, graceful, kind, friendly, fun and extremely talented," Albach's obituary reads. "Her light and lovely presence was a breath of fresh air. Maeghan was a beautiful dancer, having studied ballet at Fort Worth Country Day School, Margot Dean School Of Dance, TCU and the esteemed Joffrey Ballet in Chicago."

Anime fans will known Albach for her extensive work with English dubbing. The actress worked with Funimation Entertainment for 13 years and brought her voice to dozens of titles. Most notably, Albach provided dubbing for series such as Evangelion: 1.0 You Are Not Alone, One Piece, Fairy Tail, Attack on Titan, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, A Certain Magical Index, Princess Jellyfish, and many more.

Having studied acting in school, Albach was known for her live performances as well. The actress had roles in numerous stage pieces around the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

[jimsteel]

Talk Talk frontman Mark Hollis dead at 64

As the frontman of Talk Talk, Hollis is credited for pioneering the post-rock genre

Mark Hollis, the co-founder and frontman of trailblazing post-rock outfit Talk Talk, has reportedly died at the age of 64.

News of Hollis’ death was first reported by author and academic Anthony Costello, who is believed to be Hollis’ cousin-in-law. Fellow post-punk stalwarts The The subsequently shared the news via their Twitter account.
In a post to Facebook, Talk Talk bassist Paul Webb wrote, “I am very shocked and saddened to hear the news of the passing of Mark Hollis. Musically he was a genius and it was a honour and a privilege to have been in a band with him. I have not seen Mark for many years, but like many musicians of our generation I have been profoundly influenced by his trailblazing musical ideas. He knew how to create a depth of feeling with sound and space like no other. He was one of the greats, if not the greatest.”

As of publication, there has been no official confirmation from Hollis’ representatives.

Hailing from London, Talk Talk is one of the rare bands to achieve success in two entirely distinct genres. In their early years, Hollis, Webb, drummer Lee Harris, and keyboardist Simon Brenner played synthpop music and toured with Duran Duran. Their debut album, 1982’s The Party’s Over, produced two top 25 hits in “Today” and “Talk Talk”. Arriving two years later, its follow-up, It’s My Life, brought Talk Talk even greater mainstream attention. The album’s title track proved to the band’s commercially successful single in the US, while “Such a Shame” cracked the top 10 in several countries, including in Sweden, where it went No. 1.

[Bazzy]

Some great songs by Talk Talk

R.I.P Mark Hollis

[jimsteel]

Andy Anderson, Drummer for the Cure, Iggy Pop, Dead at 68

Musician revealed terminal cancer diagnosis last week

Andy Anderson, the drummer who enjoyed stints with Iggy Pop and the Cure while assisting an array of artists as a session musician, died Tuesday. He was 68.

Just last week, Anderson revealed on Facebook that he had terminal cancer. Despite the diagnosis, he wrote, “

lease, no boo hooing here, just be positive, for me it’s just another life Experience and Hurdle, that one has to make yet another Choice in life, be cool, I most definitely am and positive about the situation.”

Founding member of the Cure Lol Tolhurst confirmed the news of Anderson’s death. “Andy Anderson was a true gentleman and a great musician with a wicked sense of humor which he kept until the end, a testament to his beautiful spirit on the last journey. We are blessed to have known him,”

Anderson joined the Cure in 1983 after original drummer Laurence “Lol” Tolhurst switched to keys. His first contributions were two cuts off the band’s 1983 singles collection, Japanese Whispers, “Speak My Language” and the “The Love Cats” which became the Cure’s first Top 10 hit in the U.K. Anderson also helped Robert Smith and Tolhurst record their 1984 record The Top, and he appeared on their live album, Concert, as well.

Born in the West Ham neighborhood of London in January 1951, Anderson got his start as a professional musician when he teamed up with members of Hawkwind on their various side projects. He contributed to Nik Turner’s Sphynx’s 1978 album Xitintoday – credited as “Android Anderson” – and also played on Steve Hillage’s three LPs, Green, Live Herald and Open. Anderson did play with Hawkwind on their 1983 tour, but he never recorded with them. Instead, he left the group to join Robert Smith and Siouxsie and the Banshees’ 1983 side project, the Glove, which released their first and only album, Blue Sunshine, in 1983.

After his stint with the Cure, Anderson embarked on a long and successful career as a session musician. Over the course of his career he worked with Iggy Pop, Jeffrey Lee Pierce, the Sex Pistols’ Glen Mattlock, Edwin Collins, Peter Gabriel and Isaac Hayes. More recently, Anderson was working extensively as a solo artist, and though he didn’t release any proper albums, he put out an array of tracks under the moniker AAMuzik.

[jimsteel]

Bodybuilding legend and admitted steroid user Jeff Everson, 68, is found dead in his bed at home in LA after complaining of leg and foot pain


Jeff Everson -- a major force in the bodybuilding world -- has died, TMZ Sports has learned. He was 68.

Everson -- who founded Planet Muscle magazine -- was a competitive bodybuilder for years who went on to train and marry 6x Ms. Olympia champion Cory Everson, arguably the greatest female bodybuilder of all time. Jeff and Cory divorced back in the '90s.

Sources connected to Jeff told us ... he was found in his bed Monday at his Los Angeles home when his roommate (a former fiancee) returned from a work trip.

We're told it appears Everson may have passed away a few days before his body was discovered. There are no signs of foul play. Officials do not believe Jeff took his own life. We're told investigators believe he died of natural causes.

We spoke with family members who tell us Jeff had recently complained of pain in his legs and feet, but Jeff suspected it was from powerlifting and nothing more serious than that.

Jeff had been open about his steroid use in the past -- but we're told he had not used in a very long time.

Back in his prime, Everson was featured on a bunch of muscle magazines -- both by himself and with Cory.

Jeff met Cory while working at the University of Wisconsin as a strength coach. The two married in 1982 and even launched a bodybuilding-inspired clothing line together, Sampson and Delilah.

Jeff won the Masters Nationals - NPC bodybuilding competition in 1992, the same year he placed 6th in the masters division of the Mr. Universe competition.