R.I.P. CELEBRITY DEATHS 2020(NON WRESTLERS)

[jimsteel]

Hiroshi Masuoka, Beloved Dragon Ball and Anpanman Voice Actor, Dies at 83

Today, Japan's voice acting community has come together to mourn the loss of one of its own. Not long ago, reports surfaced which confirmed actor Hiroshi Masuoka has passed away. The actor enjoyed plenty of success during his career with hit shows like Sazae-san, Dragon Ball GT, Anpanman, and more. He was 83 years old.

According to reports, Masuoka passed away over the weekend following his fight with rectal cancer.

[TTX]

RIP Hiroshi.

[jimsteel]

AND ANOTHER



Mark Blum, actor on 'Law & Order' and 'Succession,' dies from coronavirus
Madonna, his co-star from "Desperately Seeking Susan," remembered Blum as "funny warm, loving and professional."

Veteran character actor Mark Blum — a union activist best known for the movies "Desperately Seeking Susan" and "Crocodile Dundee," as well as television work on "Law & Order," "Us" and "Succession" — died of complications from COVID-19, the disease associated with the coronavirus, his friends said Thursday.

He was 69.

In "Desperately Seeking Susan," he played Gary Glass, the husband of bored New Jersey homemaker Roberta Glass, portrayed by Rosanna Arquette.

"This is really tragic and my heart goes out to him, his family and his loved ones," Madonna, his "Desperately Seeking Susan" co-star, said on social media. "I remember him as funny warm, loving and professional when we made Desperately Seeking Susan in 1985!!"

Blum was active in the Screen Actors Guild, having served on the New York and national boards

[jimsteel]

All My Children veteran John Callahan dies at 66

John Callahan, the actor best known for playing Edmund Grey on All My Children, has died. He was 66.

The actor reportedly died from a stroke Friday in Rancho Mirage, CA., according to Soap Opera Digest. His ex-wife Eva LeRue released this statement to the outlet: “We are extremely saddened and distraught over the loss of John. He was my great friend, co-parent and amazing father to Kaya. The absence of his bigger than life, gregarious personality will leave a hole in our hearts forever. Words cannot express the shock and devastation we are feeling at this time. The Yankees just lost one of their greatest fans.”

His death was reportedly not related to the Covid-19 outbreak.

Born in New York, the actor is best known for his lifetime of work in daytime. He started off by playing Craig Hunt on Santa Barbara before joining AMC in 1992. He then moved onto Days of Our Lives in 1989 for the roles of Dr. Baker and Tyler Malone before leaving the NBC sudser in 2010.

He and La Rue, his AMC co-star, married in 1996 and were divorced in 2005. They had one child.

[TTX]

Joe Diffie passes at 61

www.yahoo.com/entertainment/country-star-joe-diffie-dead-at-61-due-to-coronavirus-complications-203803845.html

[jimsteel]

David Schramm, Star of ’90s Sitcom ‘Wings,’ Dies at 73

Veteran character actor played the rival airline owner in all 172 episodes of NBC series

David Schramm, a veteran character best known for his work on the ’90s NBC sitcom “Wings,” has died at age 73.

His death was announced Sunday by Margot Harley, co-founder of the New York-based theater troupe the Acting Company, of which Schramm was a founding member. The exact date and cause of death were not disclosed.

Schramm, a native of Louisville, Kentucky, came to New York City as a member of the first graduating class of Juilliard School. He appeared in dozens of theater productions on and off Broadway, including a 2009-10 Broadway revival of the musical “Finian’s Rainbow.”

But he is best known for his supporting role on all eight seasons of “Wings,” as Roy Biggins, the owner of a rival Nantucket-based airline competing with an outfit run by brothers played by Tim Daly and Steven Weber. He appeared in all 172 episodes between 1990 and 1997.

Additional credits include roles on “Jake and the Fatman,” “The Equalizer,” “Miami Vice” and “Spenser: For Hire.” He also starred in the PBS productions “The Time of Your Life” (1976) and the musical “Cradle Will Rock” (1999).

[TTX]

He was one of my favorites. RIP.

[on_the_edge]

Two big ones. I'm afraid more will be coming thanks to COVID-19 along with normal ones.

[jimsteel]

Alan Merrill, 'I Love Rock 'n' Roll' Songwriter, Dies at 69 From Coronavirus Complications

The guitarist, vocalist and songwriter -- best known for writing "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" -- died on Sunday from complications due to coronavirus. He was 69.

Merrill's daughter, Laura, mourned her father's death on Facebook on Sunday. "The Coronavirus took my father this morning," she wrote. "I was given 2 minutes to say my goodbyes before I was rushed out. He seemed peaceful and as I left there was still a glimmer of hope that he wouldn’t be a ticker on the right hand side of the CNN/Fox news screen. I walked 50 blocks home still with hope in my heart. The city that I knew was empty. I felt I was the only person here and perhaps in many ways I was. By the time I got in the doors to my apartment I received the news that he was gone."

Merrill originally wrote and recorded "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" while he was a member of the band the Arrows, who released the track in 1975. It would later become an iconic song -- and a huge hit for Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, when they topped the charts with it in 1982.

[jimsteel]

'Star Wars' Actor Andrew Jack Dead at 76 from COVID-19


'Star Wars' actor Andrew Jack, who was also a dialect coach to the stars, has died from the coronavirus ... TMZ has learned.

Andrew's rep, Jill McCullough, tells us her client passed away Tuesday morning at a hospital outside of London as a result of complications he'd developed from COVID-19.

Jill says Andrew's wife couldn't be there for her husband because she herself is in quarantine in Australia -- and there may not be a way to accommodate a proper funeral due to conditions created by the global pandemic.

Andrew was still very much active and working up until a few weeks ago -- most notably, he was hired as the dialect coach on the new 'Batman' movie starring Robert Pattinson. That production was shut down less than a month ago.



His biggest claim to fame -- aside from teaching countless actors different accents and dialects over the years on blockbuster films -- might be the 'Star Wars' franchise itself. He acted in some of the latest installments, and also served as the dialect coach.

So, in other words, the reason British John Boyega pulled off such a convincing American accent as Finn is probably due, in part, to Andrew.



He served as the dialect coach on "Avengers: Endgame," 'Robin Hood,' 'Sherlock Holmes,' "Alien v. Predator," "Lord of the Rings," "Die Another Day," "Eastern Promises," "Captain America," "Men in Black: International" and on and on and on.

He's worked with Viggo Mortensen, Christian Bale, Robert Downey, Jr. and so many other A-list actors -- and was a master of Chinese and Japanese dialects too. In other words ... he had a ton of range during his 30-plus year career.