R.I.P. Celebrities(Non Wrestlers or Sports related) 2023

[jimsteel]

Ian Falconer, Creator of 'Olivia' Children's Book Series, Dead at 63

[derekvb]

He was amazing author and artist.

[on_the_edge]

I remember Robert Blake as Beretta and I remember being at a lecture by Dave Toma, the police officer that Beretta was based on.

[jimsteel]

VH1'S 'THE X-LIFE' DENISE RUSSO DEAD AT 44

[throwingtoasters]

Grim Reaper apparently needs more comedy music legends.  First Artie Barnes now this.

bestclassicbands.com/jerry-samuels-obituary-napoleon-xiv-3-10-23/



Jerry Samuels Dies: One of Pop Music’s Most Unique One-Hit Wonders as ‘Napoleon XIV’

Jerry Samuels, who as “Napoleon XIV” wrote and recorded one of pop music’s most unusual hit singles, 1966’s “They’re Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!,” died today (March 10, 2023). Samuels, 84, had operated a Philadelphia-based talent agency for the past four decades. News of his passing was shared by his wife, Bobbie Samuels, on her Facebook page. “My friends,” she wrote, “Jerry died early this morning. He was my rock and the greatest love of my life. He taught me to be strong.”

Samuels, born May 3, 1938, was a recording engineer in New York City. He came up with an idea: a song about a poor guy who’s so distraught over his girlfriend leaving him that he’s driven to madness. He took on the name Napoleon XIV, credited his composition to N. Bonaparte and somehow got Warner Bros. Records to agree to release it in July 1966. With only a snare drum and a tambourine as accompaniment, Samuels recites—never sings—his tale of woe.

“They’re Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!” was, by any measure, one of the most bizarre records to come out in any year. It took off like, well, like crazy, reaching #3 in the U.S. and #4 in the U.K.

The single’s B-side was “!aaaH-aH ,yawA eM ekaT ot gnimoC er’yehT,” the same recording played backwards.

A few years earlier, Sammy Davis Jr. earned a #1 R&B / #17 pop hit with a Samuels composition, “The Shelter of Your Arms.”

As Napoleon XIV, Samuels was a one-hit wonder, though his 1966 single lived on largely via airplay from novelty record aficionado Dr. Demento, who included it on many compilation albums. There was actually a Napoleon XIV album, which did not chart (it included an answer song, “I’m Happy They Took You Away, Ha-Haaa!” by “Josephine XV”), numerous cover versions and, in 1988, a sequel by Samuels, “They’re Coming To Get Me Again, Ha Haaa!”

[TTX]

Always enjoyed that song. RIP.

[jimsteel]

DARK ANGEL Guitarist JIM DURKIN Dead At 58

Durkin played on the band's first three albums.

Dark Angel guitarist Jim Durkin has passed away at 58 years old. Durkin played in Dark Angel between 1983 and 1989, and was in the band once again between 2013 and present day. Durkin performed on Dark Angel's albums We Have Arrived in 1985, Darkness Descends in 1986, and Leave Scars in 1989.

[jimsteel]

José Abelardo Gutiérrez Alanya "Tongo" passed away at the age of 65

The singer of "La Pituca" and other hits suffered from terminal renal failure and advanced diabetes.

[jimsteel]

Rockstar Junnosuke Kuroda Dead at 34

Japanese rock band sumika is mourning the loss of one of their own. The four-member band has canceled their upcoming shows after guitarist Junnosuke Kuroda died Thursday, Feb. 23 at the age of 24.

[jimsteel]

Lewis Largent, the MTV VJ who hosted alt-rock show 120 Minutes in the mid-'90s, has died following a long illness, as originally reported by Variety. He was 58.

A native of Southern California, Largent got his start at L.A. alt-rock station KROQ where he began as an intern in 1985 but rose to Music Director in 1989. In 1992 he left the station for a job at MTV as VP of Programming and as an on-air VJ. He took over hosting duties of Sunday night alternative show 120 Minutes following the departure of Dave Kendall, and was the face of the series from 1992-1995.

When he stepped down from 120 MInutes, making way for Matt Pinfield, Largent remained in his VP position at MTV till 1999 when he took a job as senior vice president of A&R at Island Def Jam Records where his signings included Sum 41 and Andrew WK. He left the label in 2004 and, as Variety reports, went back to school, getting his MFA in creative writing from Sarah Lawrence in 2015.