Pop Star Cilla Black Dies At Age 72

Via the Telegraph:

Cilla Black has died at her Spanish home, local police have confirmed. The much-loved TV star and singer is believed to have died of natural causes after being found at her home in Marbella. The Liverpoon-born star enjoyed her first taste of fame at the city's Cavern Club, where she performed alongside acts including The Beatles and Gerry and the Pacemakers. She went on to release 14 albums but later established herself as a television personality, presenting hit shows including Surprise Surprise and Blind Date. In 1968, she became the first woman to have her own prime-time chat show on BBC One. In more recent years, despite suffering from arthritis and deafness, she remained in the public eye. Her rise to stardom was recently told in award-winning three-part drama, Cilla, starring Sheridan Smith.

During her pop career Black charted nearly two dozen Top 40 hits in the UK including two #1 singles - Anyone Who Had A Heart and You're My World - both of which were drag staples in the 70s.

Country Legend Lynn Anderson Dies At 67

Via the Tennessean:

Country singer Lynn Anderson, best known for her classic recording “(I Never Promised You a) Rose Garden,” died Thursday night of a heart attack at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She had been hospitalized for pneumonia following a trip to Italy. She was 67 years old. In 1970, Ms. Anderson moved from California to Nashville, and signed with Columbia Records. In October of that year, she released what would become her signature song, and one of country music’s classics. The lilting “(I Never Promised You a) Rose Garden,” penned by Joe South, became a worldwide hit with its immediately recognizable intro and catchy lyrics. In the U.S., it spent five weeks atop the country music charts and crossed over to the pop charts as well. The recording also netted Ms. Anderson a Best Female Country Vocal Performance Grammy Award, and in 1971, the Country Music Association named her Female Vocalist of the Year.

Rose Garden will always remind of my dad because he was a Marine Corps recruiter and they used the song in one of their enlistment campaigns near the end of the Vietnam War. Anderson wasn't the first (and was far from the last) artist to cover Rose Garden - I've always been partial to the Three Degrees' version, which predated Anderson's by a few years.

Rowdy Roddy Piper Dies At Age 61

TMZ reports:

Wrestling legend "Rowdy" Roddy Piper has died at the age of 61 ... TMZ Sports has learned. Piper -- born Roderick George Toombs -- died from cardiac arrest in his sleep at his home in Hollywood on Thursday night. He was discovered on Friday. Piper was a wrestling icon -- one of the biggest stars in the WWE back in the '80s, and even wrestled in "Wrestlemania I" back in 1985 ... squaring off against Hulk Hogan and Mr. T. Roddy's rep tells us, "I am devastated at this news. Rod was a good friend as well as a client and one of the most generous, sincere and authentic people I have ever known. This is a true loss to us all." Piper had been diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma in 2006, but last November he said he was cancer free. A family source tells us he was "cancer free" at the time of his death.

Bobbi Kristina Brown Dies At Age 22

Via Entertainment Tonight:

Bobbi Kristina Brown, the daughter of late music legend Whitney Houston and R&B singer Bobby Brown, died on July 26, surrounded by her family, at Peachtree Christian Hospice in Duluth, Georgia. She was 22. "She is finally at peace in the arms of God," the Houston family said in statement to ET. "We want to again thank everyone for their tremendous amount of love and support during these last few months." On Jan. 31, Bobbi Kristina was found unresponsive in her bathtub, and was then taken to North Fulton Hospital in Roswell, Georgia, where she was put on a ventilator to assist her breathing. She was later placed in a medically induced coma at Atlanta's Emory University Hospital. Nearly two months later, she was moved to a rehabilitation center, where she remained until June 24, when she was moved to the hospice center.

Omar Sharif Dies At Age 83

The BBC reports:

Actor Omar Sharif, best known for his roles in classic films Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago, has died aged 83. Egypt-born Sharif won two Golden Globe awards and an Oscar nomination for his role as Sherif Ali in David Lean's 1962 epic Lawrence of Arabia. He won a further Golden Globe three years later for Doctor Zhivago. Earlier this year, his agent confirmed he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. His agent Steve Kenis said: "He suffered a heart attack this afternoon in a hospital in Cairo." Other notable roles came opposite Barbra Streisand in her first film Funny Girl and as Julie Andrews' lover in spy thriller The Tamarind Seed. He also got to play a series of real-life figures, among them Genghis Khan and the Argentine revolutionary Che Guevara.

Impressionist Jim Bailey Dies At Age 77

Via the Hollywood Reporter:

Jim Bailey, a self-proclaimed “character actor” who did spot-on re-creations of such iconic female entertainers as Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand and Peggy Lee, has died. He was 77. Bailey died Saturday of cardiac arrest from pneumonia complications at Pacifica Hospital of the Valley in Sun Valley, Calif., his manager of 27 years, Stephen Campbell, told The Hollywood Reporter. "Heaven is getting a fabulous show tonight with standing room only! Rest in Peace Our Sweet Prince," reads a statement on Bailey's website. A native of West Philadelphia, Bailey performed in nightclubs around the world and in such celebrated venues as the Palladium in London, Carnegie Hall in New York and the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. He was a regular in Las Vegas for years, did a Streisand tribute at halftime of the 1978 Super Bowl and put out three albums.

Eldergays will recall that Bailey appeared on many variety shows in the 60s and 70s.


(Tipped by JMG reader Bryan)

Funk Bassist Louis Johnson Dies At Age 60

Via the New York Times:

Louis Johnson, a bassist who had a string of funk hits with the Brothers Johnson and worked as a session musician for Quincy Jones, notably on the Michael Jackson albums “Off the Wall” and “Thriller,” was found dead on May 21 at his home in Las Vegas. He was 60. His death was confirmed by Jeff Mullen, the Brothers Johnson’s manager, who said the cause had not been determined. Mr. Johnson, who also sang, and his brother George, who played guitar and sang, began working with Mr. Jones in the mid-1970s. Mr. Jones mentored the brothers, and they collaborated for many years. “I considered Louis a core member of my production team,” Mr. Jones wrote in a tribute on his website. Nicknamed Thunder Thumbs (George was known as Lightning Licks), Mr. Johnson created a driving sound with his percussive, string-slapping technique. He was an early popularizer of the electric slap-bass style in funk, along with Larry Graham of Sly and the Family Stone. The Brothers Johnson had a number of platinum albums in the 1970s and ’80s. Their singles “I’ll Be Good to You,” “Stomp!” and “Strawberry Letter 23” all reached No. 1 on the Billboard R&B chart and made the pop Top 10.

It was Louis Johnson's memorable bassline that propelled Billie Jean into a global smash and helped make Thriller the best-selling album of all time. Below are my two favorite Brothers Johnson hits, the first of which I owned on a 45 that came with a strawberry-scented sleeve.


(Tipped by JMG reader Mark)

Beau Biden Dies Of Cancer At Age 46

Former Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden, son of Vice President Joe Biden, has died of brain cancer at the age of 46. The vice president has issued a statement:

It is with broken hearts that Hallie, Hunter, Ashley, Jill and I announce the passing of our husband, brother and son, Beau, after he battled brain cancer with the same integrity, courage and strength he demonstrated every day of his life. The entire Biden family is saddened beyond words. We know that Beau’s spirit will live on in all of us—especially through his brave wife, Hallie, and two remarkable children, Natalie and Hunter. Beau's life was defined by service to others. As a young lawyer, he worked to establish the rule of law in war-torn Kosovo. A major in the Delaware National Guard, he was an Iraq War veteran and was awarded the Bronze Star. As Delaware’s Attorney General, he fought for the powerless and made it his mission to protect children from abuse. More than his professional accomplishments, Beau measured himself as a husband, father, son and brother. His absolute honor made him a role model for our family. Beau embodied my father's saying that a parent knows success when his child turns out better than he did. In the words of the Biden family: Beau Biden was, quite simply, the finest man any of us have ever known.

Beau Biden first entered the national spotlight in 2008 when he delivered a rousing speech introducing his father at the Democratic National Convention. He had been considered the frontrunner in the 2016 Delaware gubernatorial race.

UPDATE: President Obama has issued a statement.

Michelle and I are grieving tonight. Beau Biden was a friend of ours. His beloved family – Hallie, Natalie, and Hunter – are friends of ours. And Joe and Jill Biden are as good as friends get. Beau took after Joe. He studied the law, like his dad, even choosing the same law school. He chased a life of public service, like his dad, serving in Iraq and as Delaware’s Attorney General. Like his dad, Beau was a good, big-hearted, devoutly Catholic and deeply faithful man, who made a difference in the lives of all he touched – and he lives on in their hearts. But for all that Beau Biden achieved in his life, nothing made him prouder; nothing made him happier; nothing claimed a fuller focus of his love and devotion than his family. Just like his dad.

Joe is one of the strongest men we’ve ever known. He’s as strong as they come, and nothing matters to him more than family. It’s one of the things we love about him. And it is a testament to Joe and Jill – to who they are – that Beau lived a life that was full; a life that mattered; a life that reflected their reverence for family. The Bidens have more family than they know. In the Delaware they love. In the Senate Joe reveres. Across this country that he has served for more than forty years. And they have a family right here in the White House, where hundreds of hearts ache tonight – for Hallie, Natalie, and Hunter; for Joe and for Jill; for Beau’s brother, Hunter; his sister, Ashley, and for the entire Biden clan.

“I have believed the best of every man,” wrote the poet William Butler Yeats, “And find that to believe it is enough to make a bad man show him at his best or even a good man swing his lantern higher.” Beau Biden believed the best of us all. For him, and for his family, we swing our lanterns higher. Michelle and I humbly pray for the good Lord to watch over Beau Biden, and to protect and comfort his family here on Earth.

Actress Anne Meara Dies At Age 85

Via CNN:

Comedy great Anne Meara, the quick-witted half of the comedy team "Stiller & Meara," died at 85 on Saturday, her family said. Meara and her husband, Jerry Stiller, were married for 61 years and worked together almost as long, the family said in a statement. In addition to her husband, she is survived by her children, comic actor Ben Stiller, daughter Amy Stiller and grandchildren. "Anne's memory lives on in the hearts of daughter Amy, son Ben, her grandchildren, her extended family and friends, and the millions she entertained as an actress, writer and comedienne," the family statement said. The couple made their name as Stiller & Meara in the 1960s with frequent performances on variety shows, including the "The Ed Sullivan Show." Desperate to come up with a bit at the last minute, they plumbed the depths of their background to create "uber-Jewish guy" Hershey Horowitz and "uber-Irish girl" Mary Elizabeth Doyle -- caricatures of themselves, they said in 2005.

Blues Legend B.B. King Dies At Age 89

Via the BBC:

The "King of the Blues", guitarist and singer BB King, has died aged 89. King, known for his hits My Lucille, Sweet Little Angel and Rock Me Baby, died in his sleep in Las Vegas. Born in Mississippi, King began performing in the 1940s, going on to influence a generation of musicians and work with Eric Clapton and U2. Once ranked as the third greatest guitarist of all time, he had been suffering ill health in recent months. He was recently taken to hospital with a diabetes-related illness. A former farmhand, King was awarded his 15th Grammy award in 2009 for his album One Kind Favor. He was also inducted into both the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Rolling Stone magazine placed him behind only Jimi Hendrix and Duane Allman in its list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. Until recently, King performed in at least 100 concerts a year.

Condolences from the music world are pouring out on Twitter.

You Sexy Thing: Errol Brown Dies At 71

Hot Chocolate vocalist Errol Brown, whose 1975 smash You Sexy Thing remains one of the most enduring hits of the disco era, died of liver cancer yesterday at his home in the Bahamas. His group landed 33 Top 40 hits in the UK, including three separate Top 10 appearances by You Sexy Thing in three different decades. Here in the US, Hot Chocolate took You Sexy Thing to #3 and scored Top 10 hits with Emma (1974) and (my favorite) Every 1's A Winner (1978). Just like I Will Survive, another disco classic, You Sexy Thing was first released as the B-side to different track. Hot Chocolate was a favorite of Princess Diana and they performed at her wedding reception. Condolences from the music world are pouring out on Twitter, including a message from Chic's Nile Rodgers.

Ben E. King Dies At Age 76

Via the Telegraph:

Ben E King, the soul and R&B singer best known for the classic song Stand By Me, has died aged 76. His publicist confirmed to The Telegraph that he died of natural causes on Thursday. The singer, loved around the world for the 1961 hit, rose to fame in the late 1950 with The Drifters, with songs including There Goes My Baby and Save The Last Dance For Me. The R&B singer went on to further success with Spanish Harlem, I (Who Have Nothing), and Don't Play That Song (You Lied). Born Benjamin Earl Nelson in North Carolina, he grew up in Harlem, New York and began his singing career in doo wop group the Five Crowns. He went on to sing for The Drifters, leaving in 1960 over a contract and pay dispute.

Cardinal Francis George Dies At Age 78

Longtime LGBT rights foe Cardinal Francis George has died of cancer at the age of 78. Via USA Today:

In recent years, his reputation was that of a conservative battling to stem the tide of secularism that witnessed millions of Catholics leaving the faith. One obituary even labeled him as "the American Ratzinger," referring to Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the reactionary doctrinal watchdog under Pope John Paul II who instituted numerous conservative reforms in his own brief pontificate as Benedict XVI. "Independence from foreign government does not necessarily mean that people will be free under their own government," he wrote last year in an Independence Day column about government pressure being put on religious institutions. "People can freely create a state that destroys a free society." Like many bishops, Cardinal George fought an uphill battle to defend the Catholic Church from legitimate charges that its leaders did not do enough to protect minors from sexual abuse by predatory priests. He used his influence to gain support for a zero-tolerance policy to defrock pedophiles but was dogged by evidence that he didn't move fast enough against criminal clerics in his own diocese.

(Tipped by JMG reader Andrew)

PREVIOUSLY ON JMG: In September 2014, Cardinal George declared that Catholics are "no longer welcome" in the pro-gay state religion. In July 2014, Cardinal George declared that America is being destroyed by the "tyranny of gay marriage." In January 2013, Cardinal George demanded that every Catholic in Illinois oppose same-sex marriage. In December 2012, Cardinal George declared that there is no such things as gay marriage because it cannot be consummated. In 2011, Cardinal George compared Chicago's gay pride parade to a parade of the Ku Klux Klan.

Obituary: Don't Vote For Hillary

Source. The Tea People are cracking up.

UPDATE: The family has been interviewed.

“He was very passionate about politics and probably passed a little of that on, so it was natural for me to think about that,” daughter Jill McLain said of putting the sentence about Clinton in Upright’s obituary. Upright was politically informed his whole life, but never involved in public office, according to family members. “We have got some very sweet responses and some pretty nasty responses,” Colleen Upright, his wife, told Channel 9. “We did this for him,” son Mike Upright said. “He had nothing to do with it other than voicing his opinion time after time after time.” Upright, who enjoyed golfing, fishing and spending time with his family, was a diehard Republican. “We know he’s up there giggling right now. Just laughing out loud,” Mike Upright said.

Percy Sledge Dies At Age 74

Via the Associated Press:

Percy Sledge, who soared from part-time singer and hospital orderly to lasting fame with his aching, forlorn performance on the classic "When a Man Loves a Woman," died Tuesday in Louisiana. He was 74. Dr. William "Beau" Clark, coroner for East Baton Rouge Parish, confirmed to The Associated Press that Sledge died early Tuesday morning, about an hour after midnight, of natural causes in hospice care. A No. 1 hit in 1966, "When a Man Loves a Woman" was Sledge's debut single, an almost unbearably heartfelt ballad with a resonance he never approached again. Few singers could have. Its mood set by a mournful organ and dirge-like tempo, "When a Man Loves a Woman" was for many the definitive soul ballad, a testament of blinding, all-consuming love haunted by fear and graced by overwhelming emotion.

Sledge was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in 2005 alongside U2, Pretenders, Buddy Guy, and The O'Jays.

Gay Rocker Andy Fraser Dies At Age 62

Openly gay and openly HIV+ bassist Andy Fraser has died at the age of 62. Fraser is best known as the author of his group Free's classic 1970 hit, All Right Now. Via the BBC:

The musician died on Monday and he had been fighting cancer and AIDS, according to an official statement regarding his death. The Riverside County coroner said the cause of death was not yet known and remains under investigation. The London-born musician became a founding member of the British group when he was just 15. He wrote most of the his material with Free lead singer Paul Rodgers, who went on to front bands Bad Company and The Firm. "A survivor of both cancer and AIDS, Andy was a strong social activist and defender of individual human rights," the statement read. "He leaves behind his daughters Hannah and Jasmine Fraser, and their mother Ri, his sister Gail, brothers Gavin and Alex, and many friends and associates in the industry."

All Right Now topped the charts in more than a dozen countries and peaked at #4 on Billboard's Hot 100. You might also know another famous Fraser composition, Robert Palmer's 1978 hit Every Kinda People, which has been covered by many artists.

In a 2005 interview, Fraser revealed what he considered to be his greatest achievement: "Coming to terms with being gay – not only personally, but publicly. Being able to share that with my daughters, which has enabled the most open, loving relationship imaginable. Family acceptance is important to everyone, and now having their incredible talents supporting, and working on my behalf really feels like a winner. Essentially being seen, and shown through their eyes, I couldn’t look any better."

Drag Legend Cashetta Has Died

From the Blue Moon in Rehoboth:

"It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of a very talented and loved member of the Blue Moon family. Scott Weston, aka Cashetta passed away during the night. At this moment we have very few details other than the confirmation of the loss of someone very dear to all of us."

Cashetta's partner Scott Cirlin writes on Facebook:

"It is with incredible sadness and grief that I announce the passing of my closest friend, deepest soul mate and legal domestic partner Cashetta Scott Weston. Scott has touched many people in his life, and will be missed by everyone. Details are still coming in as to what has happened, but the world has lost an incredible person today. It is impossible to describe how it feels to be ripped in half. Please send him your prayers."

(Tipped by JMG readers Mick and David)

Gene Gene Dies At Age 82

Via the Hollywood Reporter:

Gene Patton, the NBC stagehand in Burbank who stole the spotlight as Gene Gene the Dancing Machine on NBC’s wacky The Gong Show, died Monday, his family announced. He was 82. Patton died in Pasadena, according to a spokeswoman at the local Woods-Valentine Mortuary. He had suffered from diabetes. At a random moment during the game show, Barris would introduce Patton, and the curtain would part, bringing the shuffling stagehand with the painter’s cap onstage to the sounds of “Jumpin’ at the Woodside,” a jazz tune made popular by Count Basie. His dance sent everyone on the set — Barris, the judges, the cameramen, the audience — into an uncontrollable boogie.

We absolutely adored Gene Gene when I was in high school. And yes, we all did his dance.

Filmmaker & Model Dirk Shafer Dies At 52

Filmmaker and former model Dirk Shafer has been found dead of a presumed heart attack.

The former Playgirl centerfold who came out as gay and made the 1995 mockumentary Man Of The Year about his experiences, has died. Dirk Shafer was found dead in his car Thursday in West Hollywood, law enforcement officials told Deadline. The model, actor and fitness trainer was 52. An autopsy likely will be performed in the next few days, sources say. Police identified Shafer by his driver’s license and his family has been notified. Born on November 7, 1962, in Carbondale, IL, Shafer became an icon in the mid-90s when the 1992 Playgirl Man of the Year announced he was gay to the magazine’s straight female audience.

Shafer also directed the 2001 look at circuit parties, Circuit. In 2012 he returned to Playgirl for a 20th anniversary photo spread.

Cardinal Edward Egan Dies At Age 82

Cardinal Edward Egan, a longtime foe of LGBT rights and the former Archbishop of New York, has died at the age of 82.

Egan was pronounced dead at NYU Langone Medical Center at 2:20 p.m. after going into cardiac arrest, Archdiocese officials say. Joseph Zwilling, spokesman for the Archdiocese, told NBC 4 New York Egan seemed fine when he was eating lunch earlier Thursday and showed no signs of illness. He died a short time later. Zwilling said the Archdiocese was in shock. Egan was born on April 2, 1932, in Oak Park, Illinois. He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Chicago on Dec. 15, 1957. Egan was consecrated a bishop in 1985. For the next three years, he served as Auxiliary Bishop and Vicar for Education of the Archdiocese of New York. In 1988, he was appointed the Bishop of the Diocese of Bridgeport by Pope John Paul II. He was appointed Archbishop of New York in 2000 and made a cardinal in 2001.

Egan is perhaps best remembered for his 2012 retraction of the apology he made in 2002 for sexual abuses that took place under his watch while he was the Bishop of Bridgeport. The New York Times reported on the retraction:

In a interview with Connecticut Magazine published on the magazine’s web site last week, a surprisingly frank Cardinal Egan said of the apology, “I never should have said that,” and added, “I don’t think we did anything wrong.” He said many more things in the interview, some of them seemingly at odds with the facts. He repeatedly denied that any sex abuse had occurred on his watch in Bridgeport. He said that even now, the church in Connecticut had no obligation to report sexual abuse accusations to the authorities. (A law on the books since the 1970s says otherwise.) And he described the Bridgeport diocese’s handling of sex-abuse cases as “incredibly good.” All of which has Cardinal Egan, now 79 and living in Manhattan, drawing fire from advocates who say he has reopened old wounds.

The Diocese of Bridgeport ended up paying an estimated $15M to the sexual abuse victims.