R.I.P. CELEBRITY DEATHS 2021(NON WRESTLERS)

[TTX]

Gatchaman is still my favorite anime. RIP.

[jimsteel]

‘Gone Girl' Actor Lisa Banes Dies After Hit-and-Run Scooter Crash in NYC
Banes, 65, was struck by either a scooter or a motorcycle in the Upper West Side of Manhattan near Lincoln Center on June 4



Banes, 65, was struck by either a scooter or a motorcycle in the Upper West Side of Manhattan near Lincoln Center on June 4 as she was crossing Amsterdam Avenue on the way to visit the Julliard School, her alma mater,

Banes has appeared in numerous television shows and movies, including supporting roles in “Gone Girl” starring Ben Affleck in 2014 and “Cocktail” with Tom Cruise in 1988. On television, she's had roles on “Nashville,” “Madam Secretary,” “Masters of Sex” and “NCIS.”

[jimsteel]

Legendary referee Bruce Spendley passes away

The PDC is saddened to learn that PDC Hall of Fame member and former referee Bruce Spendley passed away on Tuesday.

Cleveland-based Spendley, 80, joined the PDC following its formation and worked for two decades on as a referee in televised events and as an official at tournaments across the circuit until his retirement in 2013.

He had refereed in his first World Championship in 1980, and was highly respected throughout the sport following a distinguished career.

Spendley was inducted into the PDC Hall of Fame following his retirement in 2013, having refereed the second half of the 2013 World Championship final between Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen in his farewell match.

[TTX]

not a good day to be a referee.

[jimsteel]

Frank Bonner dies at 79: Star of TV sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati passes away 'due to complications from Lewy body dementia'

He played Herb Tarlak

[TTX]

RIP Frank. Terrible disease.

[throwingtoasters]

www.thewrap.com/john-paragon-jambi-the-genie-pee-wees-playhouse-dies-at-66/



John Paragon, the actor and comedian best known for playing Jambi the Genie on “Pee-wee’s Playhouse,” has died at age 66.

TMZ reported Paragon passed away in April of unknown causes.

Paragon got his start performing improv at The Groundlings alongside classmates like Paul Reubens, Phil Hartman and Cassandra Peterson, all of whom he would work with later in his career.


He made his TV debut in “The Pee-wee Herman Show,” a stage show developed by Reubens in 1980. Paragon reprised his role as the sassy genie Jambi in “Pee-wee’s Playhouse,” which ran from 1986-90, and he even wrote and directed several episodes of the beloved children’s show. In 1988, he and Reubens co-wrote “Pee-wee’s Playhouse Christmas Special,” which earned an Emmy nomination for Best Writing in a Children’s Special.

Paragon returned to his performance as Jambi in the Broadway adaptation of the “Pee-wee Herman” stage show in 2010.

Paragon’s other TV credits include “Cheers,” “Seinfeld,” “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” “Pacific Blue” and “Elvira’s Movie Macabre,” on which he played the recurring role of “The Breather.” On the film side, he appeared in “Echo Park,” “The Frog Prince,” “Airplane II: The Sequel” and “Honey I Blew Up the Kid.”

According to Paragon’s Groundlings bio, the actor later worked with Walt Disney Imagineering, where he came up with “ways to incorporate improvisational performance into attractions at Disney parks.”

Upon news of his death, The Groundlings tweeted on Thursday, “R.I.P John Paragon.”

[throwingtoasters]

RIP Jambi the Genie. I met him once and he was a super nice guy. Funny as hell.

[WTIC]

JOANNE LINVILLE DEAD AT 93

From USA Today: www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/tv/2021/06/21/joanne-linville-star-trek-twilight-zone-actress-dead-at-93/5300957001/

Joanne Linville, who made a memorable "Star Trek" appearance as a Romulan commander in the original TV series, died Sunday in Los Angeles. She was 93.

In a statement to USA TODAY, her family said Linville "lived a full life."

"One whose spirit, passion for art and life was an inspiration to all who had the pleasure of knowing her," the statement continued. "A loving mother and proud grandmother."

The actress, born Beverly Joanne Linville on Jan. 15, 1928, in Bakersfield, California, stood out in an acclaimed 1961 episode of "The Twilight Zone." She played a Southern belle in the final days of the Civil War who learns the cost of war and hatred in one of the classic series' famous twists.

She appeared on classic series including "Alfred Hitchcock Presents," "Gunsmoke," "Dr. Kildare," "Ben Casey," "Route 66," "I Spy," "Bonanza," "The Fugitive," "Hawaii Five-," "Kojak," "The Streets of San Francisco," "Charlie's Angels," "Dynasty" and "L.A. Law."

In the late ‘80s, Linville and Adler started an acting conservatory under Adler's name. Linville also wrote a book "Seven Steps to an Acting Craft," published September 2011.

Joanne Linville as Romulan Commander in the STAR TREK episode, "The Enterprise Incident."
"Trek" fans remember Linville for 1968's "The Enterprise Incident" episode, a fan-favorite from the original TV show's final season in which she portrayed the commander of a Romulan vessel.

Her character falls for Spock (Leonard Nimoy) while he and Captain James Kirk (William Shatner), enemies from the Federation, are in custody on her ship.

Linville's movie credits include "The Goddess" (1958), "Scorpio" (1973), "Gable and Lombard" (1976), "A Star Is Born" (1976) and "The Seduction" (1982). She played gossip columnist Hedda Hopper in "James Dean," a 2001 TV movie starring James Franco and directed by her ex-husband, Mark Rydell.

Besides Rydell, Linville is survived by their two children, Christopher Rydell and Amy Rydell; grandchildren Austen, Ruby and Ginger; and great-grandson Kingston Fisher Lourd Rydell, the son of Carrie Fisher's daughter Billie Lourd and Linville's grandson Austen Rydell.

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

R.I.P., Joanne!

Loved her episode of Star Trek, one of my faves!  ---> Spock a traitor?  Kirk as a Romulan?  The "Vulcan Deathgrip"?  What's not to love?

Todd C
WTIC

[jimsteel]

Rene Robert, Member of Famed 'French Connection Line', Passes Away
Longtime NHL winger René Robert died at the age of 72 on Tuesday.

A native of Trois-Rivières, Que., Robert had stints in Toronto and Pittsburgh before beginning his tenure with the Buffalo Sabres near the end of the 1971-72 season. In his first full year with the club the year after, he recorded 40 goals and 83 points, later topping that two seasons with a 100-point campaign.

Robert never failed to fall below the 62-point mark in seven complete seasons with the club, making up a spot of the famed "French Connection" line with fellow Quebecers Gilbert Perreault and Richard Martin. The line was one of the most deadly in the league at the time and a staple of Sabres legend.