Jerry Leiber, one of the greatest rock and roll songwriters to ever ply the trade,
has died aged 78. Along with songwriting partner Mike Stoller, he was responsible for so many hits, including but not limited to:
Love Potion No. 9 by The Coasters,
Stand By Me by Ben E. King,
Hound Dog by Big Mama Thornton, later
popularised by Elvis Presley, and, solo, in conjunction with Phil Spector,
Spanish Harlem, as sung by Aretha Franklin.
posted by Len
on Aug 22, 2011 -
63 comments
24 year old Olympic marathon champion Sammy Wanjiru
died yesterday in Nyahururu, Kenya after "falling" from a balcony.
Sammy set a world record for the half marathon of 58:53 in the United Arab Emirates in 2007, only to best it again two months later in the Netherlands, with a 58:35. He won five marathons, setting an Olympic record of 2:06:32 in 2008, and a personal best of 2:05:10 in London in 2009. He might be best remembered for his
dramatic win in Chicago in 2010.
[more inside]
posted by roomthreeseventeen
on May 16, 2011 -
28 comments
Comedian Mike DeStefano has died of a heart attack at 44. DeStefano told wrenching tales from his life as a recovering drug addict, like the MOTH monologue in the title link, which begins with a very bad day he had while caring for his wife as she was dying of AIDS (NSFW language).
[more inside]
posted by itstheclamsname
on Mar 8, 2011 -
24 comments
"The "chitlin' circuit" sounds like something that's gone, and with good reason. After all, the name itself derives from the "soul food" of chitterlings (fried pig intestines) that was a staple at early performances. But from CC Blues Club on Thomas Street to the Cannon Center downtown, thousands of Memphis music fans flock to hear stars like Marvin Sease and Bobby Rush sing what's too risqué for radio play, and to watch dancers shake what's too big for TV. That's both the beauty of the chitlin' circuit and the reason for its survival. While its roots run back to racial segregation, it thrives today because performers give audiences what they can't get through mainstream media. It's called "grown folks music," and it's all in the name of the blues."
Soul-blues singer
Marvin Sease has
died at age 64. Here's
a comprehensive playlist of his (sexually-explicit/NSFW) songs on YouTube, including the one that never received any radio airplay but whose title the former gospel singer took as his professional nickname:
Candy Licker [more inside]
posted by zarq
on Feb 9, 2011 -
15 comments
"All my life I’ve focused on the poor. The rich ones have their own photographers."
Social documentary photographer
Milton Rogovin's '
life was about seeing. In the literal sense, he was an optometrist. In a more figurative sense, through the lens of his camera, he saw things and people that were often ignored — the poor, the oppressed, the "
forgotten ones," as he called them.' "A librarian in Buffalo's Communist Party, he was called before the
House Un-American Activities Committee in 1957, and was named "Buffalo's Top Red" in the Buffalo Evening News. Losing business and facing intense social persecution, Rogovin turned to photography
in order to create images that conveyed his desire for a more equal and just society, and to give voice to others who were persecuted, who were invisible to most." Mr. Rogovin
died on January 18th at his home in Buffalo at the
age of 101.
Previously on Metafilter [more inside]
posted by zarq
on Jan 21, 2011 -
9 comments
"
Dear Plasticians,
As you may know, January 15th will be our 10th anniversary.
Unfortunately, Plastic will shut down a month from then, around February 15th (exact date to come)."
[more inside]
posted by iviken
on Jan 17, 2011 -
112 comments
First Leslie Nielsen, and now
Anne Francis. Fortunately, Robbie the Robot will live forever.
While probably best known as
Altaira Morbius, the Miranda character in the Shakespeare-inspired sci-fi classic "
Forbidden Planet", Francis had a long career in film and TV. She co-starred with Spencer Tracy in the thriller "
Bad Day at Black Rock", which took a stand against the racism of Japanese internment during WWII, and played a private detective in "
Honey West." An Aaron Spelling copy of Great Britain's "The Avengers," "Honey West" was more notable for the lead's
pet ocelot than compelling writing, though Anne's charm and good looks kept the show afloat for two seasons.
Francis first appeared in film in 1947 and
continued to work up until the last decade, when she was slowed by a battle with lung cancer. She died Sunday at age 80.
posted by CheeseDigestsAll
on Jan 4, 2011 -
21 comments
British actor Pete Postlethwaite
has died at the age of 64, after a lengthy battle with cancer. A renowned veteran of the Royal Shakespeare Company (he held the leading roles in both
The Tempest and 2009's
King Lear among others), Postlethwaite is perhaps best known worldwide for his roles in
The Usual Suspects (
trailer),
The Constant Gardener and
The Lost World: Jurassic Park. Steven Spielberg supposedly described him as "the best actor in the world", although Postlethwaite himself often
denied this.
posted by fight or flight
on Jan 3, 2011 -
136 comments
Aaron-Carl Ragland, known simply as "Aaron-Carl" to most, was a songwriter, remixer, producer, radio show host, record label founder and all-around character. The news of Ragland's death was first posted on his friend and fellow
Detroit musician Piranha Head's Facebook page in a status update, saying simply:
Just lost one of his best friends, Aaron-Carl, and my arms are far too short to box with GOD. One of the best Human beings in the WORLD is gone. I have no words. Music is Silence.
Aaron-Carl himself posted
this video just five days ago on his blog discussing his diagnosis and upcoming surgery after
canceling his upcoming European tour.
Factmag reports that Aaron-Carl is believed to have died shortly after or during essential lymph node surgery; it appears that he died overnight after beginning his first chemotherapy session.
[more inside]
posted by Unicorn on the cob
on Sep 30, 2010 -
15 comments
Actor, Playwright, Artist, Comedian, Magician, "Man of A Thousand Voices" (including Mighty Mouse,) "Beloved Herring Maven"
Mr. Ira Stadlen (Stage name: "
Captain" Allen Swift) has
passed away at the age of 87. Throughout his career, Mr. Stadler voiced characters in more than 30,000 television and radio commercials, as well as cartoons such as
Underdog,
Tom and Jerry and
Diver Dan, but some might remember him most as the man who saved
Howdy Doody. His nephew
has posted a remembrance on his blog, which includes a link to a "novelty 45" mp3 recording of Swift's
"Are You Lonesome Tonight."
[more inside]
posted by zarq
on Apr 28, 2010 -
13 comments
CK Prahalad, Paul and Ruth McCracken
Distinguished University Professor of Corporate Strategy at the Stephen M. Ross School of Business in the University of Michigan
passed away on 16th April 2010 after a brief illness. His core
competency was strategic insight and vision and his
legacy to the world, the
concept of the
Bottom of the Pyramid, which changed
the way big
business viewed the teeming, huddled poverty stricken masses of the
former third world as
micro-innovators, micro-
producers and so, micro-consumers in
their own right. Among others,
his work inspired Ratan Tata as the
Nano turned conventional wisdom of automobile manufacturing on its head and
paved the way for Indian industry
to focus on the
high volume/low margin potential of their domestic
market. In
2009, he was named the "
world's most influential thinker" .
Though not
uncriticized for
his theories on the
Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid, one can acknowledge his role in overcoming the "
tyranny of dominant logic" that the poor should
not simply be recipients of charity but
demanding customers in
challenging environments. RIP, sir. {
previously,
previously}
posted by infini
on Apr 17, 2010 -
14 comments
