Five years ago today Russell, also known as The Ol' Dirty Bastard, passed away in a recording studio in New York City while finishing what was to be his final album. [prev] He is remembered by those close to him. [more inside]
posted by paisley henosis on Nov 13, 2009 - 46 comments

Carl Ballantine passed away at age 92. [more inside]
posted by ObscureReferenceMan on Nov 9, 2009 - 14 comments

Gerhardt 'Jerry' Fuchs, drummer for the bands Maserati (video) and The Juan MacLean died last night of injuries sustained while trying to jump of a disabled elevator in Brooklyn following an event for The Uniform Project (previously).
posted by setanor on Nov 8, 2009 - 30 comments

A posting last month to RISKS on the topic of posthumous emails brings to mind the story of Colin Douthwaite. Mr. Douthwaite, an active USENET user, passed away in March of 1999 after some prolonged medical difficulties. His son Ian's farewell message to alt.ascii-art inspired a small flood of original memorial works and a much larger flood from members' personal archives in his memory. [more inside]
posted by mkb on Nov 7, 2009 - 4 comments

From the middle of the middle of me, to the middle of the middle of you, RIP Brother Blue, master storyteller, deep soul extraordinaire. [more inside]
posted by alms on Nov 6, 2009 - 20 comments

R.I.P. Mr. Magic. Mr. Magic's Rap Attack on WBLS was the first and for some time the only commercial radio outlet for hip hop. On October 2 Mr. Magic, John Rivas, passed from a heart attack. Previously 1 2 3.
posted by caddis on Oct 7, 2009 - 16 comments

Memphis music legend Jim Dickinson has died. Dickinson's full credits are as impressive a resume as you'll find over the past 40 years: session player for many, including the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, and Aretha Franklin. Producer for albums by Jason and the Scorchers, Big Star, the Replacements, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, and Mudhoney. Among his survivors are sons Cody and Luther of the North Mississippi All-Stars. His death comes one week after a benefit show in his honor headlined by John Hiatt. R.I.P., Jim.
posted by Ufez Jones on Aug 15, 2009 - 25 comments

Writer, director, producer John Hughes has passed away. Responsible for hilarious Vacations, quirky boyfriends, Ferris' Day Off, a young boy being left Home Alone and the Shermer IL multiverse. If you liked films in the 80s, you liked John Hughes.
posted by crossoverman on Aug 6, 2009 - 234 comments

Mrs. Slocombe is no longer free. Actress Mollie Sugden has died at 86, after a long illness. Best known as the irascible Mrs. Slocombe in the long running British sitcom "Are You Being Served?" who famous cared a great deal about her pussy.
posted by dnash on Jul 1, 2009 - 84 comments

Former member of The Orb and electronic musician Andy Hughes passed away June 12th after a short illness. While he may not have been the most well-known member of The Orb, he definitely added a unique sound to many of their albums and remixes, including their groundbreaking Live 93 and Orblivion albums. In addition to his work with The Orb as well as his own solo material, Hughes also worked with Basement Jaxx, The Pet Shop Boys, Tina Turner, and David Bowie.
posted by 40 Watt on Jun 24, 2009 - 36 comments

R.I.P. Bob Bogle. [more inside]
posted by CheeseDigestsAll on Jun 17, 2009 - 16 comments

According to the BBC, US fantasy author David Eddings has died at 77 due to natural causes. More coverage at the Guardian. (via bureau42)
posted by reptile on Jun 7, 2009 - 84 comments

Mark "The Bird" Fidrych RIP. They really do come in threes. In '76, Bird was the word. Fidrych captivated baseball fans with his antics, talking to the ball, patting the mound, running off to talk to everyone. The Bird 1954-2009.
posted by caddis on Apr 13, 2009 - 39 comments

Paul Harvey 1918 - 2009. At 7:30 PM the Paul Harvey site looked like this. Now if looks like this. (via) [more inside]
posted by cjorgensen on Feb 28, 2009 - 103 comments

The founder of an international nonprofit group has passed away.
posted by JoKeR on Feb 3, 2009 - 19 comments

One half of Telefon Tel Aviv has died. Charlie Cooper was part of the well respected electronic/IDM group that has been releasing music and remixing since 2001.
posted by plexi on Jan 30, 2009 - 26 comments

John Martyn: 11th September 1948 - 29th January 2009
posted by Kiwi on Jan 29, 2009 - 35 comments

Charlie's Angels. Simon & Simon. 21 Jump Street. Baywatch. The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. And of course, The X-Files. His filmography spans nearly 40 years, and his habit of using profanity onset was immortalized in the classic episode Jose Chung's From Outer Space (sorry, no video), but in the end, he really loved those guys, and they loved him. He was lured out of semi-retirement and back to Canada to executive-produce and direct Supernatural for the WB (later CW). Kim Manners died of lung cancer in LA on January 25, 2009.
posted by cereselle on Jan 26, 2009 - 25 comments

Smiles, everyone. Ricardo Montalban dies at 88. The actor may be best remembered for his roles as Mr. Roarke in Fantasy Island and as the malevolent Khan in Star Trek (and, to a younger generation, as the grandfather in Spy Kids, and, to teevee fans, as the hawker of the fine Corinthian leather of the Cordoba), but, after early years of playing Asians (!), the actor might be most important for gaving been one of the few Hispanic actors to get lead roles during the 1950s and 60s. Also, the actor introduced the song "Baby It's Cold Outside," which he never gets credit for.
posted by Astro Zombie on Jan 14, 2009 - 131 comments

Miriam Makeba, 1932-2008. "Her haunting melodies gave voice to the pain of exile and dislocation which she felt for 31 long years. At the same time, her music inspired a powerful sense of hope in all of us" -- Nelson Mandela [more inside]
posted by fourcheesemac on Nov 10, 2008 - 46 comments

Studs Terkel has passed. Author, actor, oral historian, storyteller.
posted by me3dia on Oct 31, 2008 - 107 comments

Canadian founder of the International Federation of BodyBuilders (IFBB) and Napoleon Bonaparte theorist, Ben Weider has died.
posted by gman on Oct 18, 2008 - 10 comments

Levi Stubbs. Tears.
posted by Webbster on Oct 17, 2008 - 42 comments

RIP Nagi Noda (1973-2008) Amazingly talented art director/music video director. Sentimental Journey. Hearts on Fire. She's My Man. Her website of collected works, Uchu Country. Antville thread with a beautiful story from Aaron Stewart-Ahn is here.
posted by setanor on Sep 11, 2008 - 9 comments

Dave Matthews Band saxaphonist LeRoi Moore dead at 46 Died unexpectedly from complications of an ATV accident back in June. DMB is apparently going ahead with their concert tonight at the Staples Center in LA. Can't imagine them withour LeRoi, though. Here is one of my favorite DMB tracks featuring LeRoi.
posted by Bluecoat93 on Aug 19, 2008 - 60 comments

In Memoriam -- Ed Foster, Infoworld Ed Foster, the Infoworld columnist who often went to bat for consumers screwed by tech companies that misrepresented their products and services, died on Saturday. He was 59. :-(
posted by tcv on Jul 28, 2008 - 13 comments

Eric Lieber, producer of the groundbreaking Dick Cavett and Mike Douglas talk shows as well as the creator of (my own beloved guilty pleasure) Love Connection, has passed away of leukemia at age 71. [more inside]
posted by miss lynnster on Jul 7, 2008 - 5 comments

Legendary special effects artist Stan Winston has passed away from cancer at the age of 62. From Mr. Roboto to the Terminator to Iron Man, he leaves an almost unparalleled body of work.
posted by dersins on Jun 16, 2008 - 62 comments

Ellas Otha Bates R.I.P. We all knew him better as that cat with the rectangular-shaped Gretsch who played it with the hambone beat. Goodbye, Bo Diddley. And thank you.
posted by runningdogofcapitalism on Jun 2, 2008 - 100 comments

RIP, Harvey Korman [more inside]
posted by WolfDaddy on May 29, 2008 - 80 comments

Decrucify the Angel! John Phillip Law, star of Danger: Diabolik, Open Season, Death Rides a Horse, and The Golden Voyage of Sinbad, and, of course, Barbarella, has died at age 70. [more inside]
posted by Astro Zombie on May 15, 2008 - 14 comments

Humphrey Lyttelton has died. Musician, cartoonist, journalist and chairman of I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue
posted by verisimilitude on Apr 25, 2008 - 33 comments

Richard Widmark, who created a villain in his first movie role who was so repellent and frightening that the actor became a star overnight, died Monday at his home in Roxbury, Conn. He was 93. Rest in peace, Richard. Fans of his work, here is the entirety of one of the many terrific thrillers he starred in, Panic in the Streets.
posted by Astro Zombie on Mar 26, 2008 - 31 comments

Drummer Buddy Miles has died. Another wonderful musician - one who played with Jimi Hendrix's Band of Gypsies - died far too young.
posted by dbiedny on Feb 29, 2008 - 30 comments

RIP, Sheldon Brown. Head tech for Harris Cyclery, keeper of a vast (and very web 1.0) compendium of bicycle repair lore, often linked funny guy, and a standard answer to every bicycle question in AskMe.
posted by eriko on Feb 4, 2008 - 131 comments

Tony Silver, the director of the groundbreaking hip-hop documentary Style Wars passed last night. He was a family friend of mine, and had been sick for several years with a irreversible brain condition. Style Wars is considered by some to be the best hip-hop film ever made, and by everyone to be the first. It was shot at the very start of the 1980s, when graffiti was still hip-hop's dominant form, and the idea of graffiti as art was brand new. I recommend checking out the deluxe DVD edition of the film Tony put together a few years ago after many years where it was only available as an expensive educational-only VHS, but you can also check out the 1hr 10m version on Google Video.
posted by YoungAmerican on Feb 2, 2008 - 15 comments

Pimp C , one half of Texas rap group UGK (along with Bun B) was found dead today in a hotel room in Los Angeles.
posted by hominid211 on Dec 4, 2007 - 59 comments

Evel is gone from the world Robert Craig "Evel" Knievel, Jr. (October 17, 1938 - November 30, 2007) was a motorcycle daredevil who has been a household name since the late 1960s, and arguably the most iconic motorbike stuntman of all time. Evel Knievel's highly publicized motorcycle jumps, including his attempt to jump over the Snake River Canyon, claim four of the top 20 most-watched Wide World of Sports events of all time. He enjoyed a lengthy career in this extreme sport despite suffering a series of major injuries during stunts.
posted by Tommy Gnosis on Nov 30, 2007 - 116 comments

Mr. Whipple is dead. Long live Mr. Whipple. Oh how we loved you. [more inside]
posted by miss lynnster on Nov 19, 2007 - 62 comments

Ask any one-time resident of Excelsior, MN about Jimmy "the bum" Hutmaker and you are sure to hear a tale about their experiences with a treasured local character. Some of those tales are the stuff of the best urban legends. In fact, many wrongly believed that the man who walked Main Street with a cigar invariably clenched in his teeth was homeless. Perhaps the most remarkable story about this beloved man was the tale about a day back in the 60s when Mr. Jimmy met a man named Jagger in the old Bacon's drug store. Excelsior lost a piece of history last week when Jimmy died. Since hearing the news, I am finding myself saddened by the loss of a character from my youth. RIP Mr. Jimmy.
posted by Lola_G on Oct 11, 2007 - 23 comments

"I knew I didn't look like an ingenue... My nose was too long. I had crooked teeth. I wasn't blond. I knew I looked like a character actress. But I also knew I'd find a way." One of the most accomplished scene stealers in the history of TV comedy, character actress Alice Ghostley, is dead at 81. [more inside]
posted by miss lynnster on Sep 22, 2007 - 16 comments

The strange and sad case of Carter Albrecht, formerly of Sorta and the New Bohemians.
posted by Navelgazer on Sep 10, 2007 - 13 comments

Kurt Waldheim dies at 88: Wehrmacht lieutenant, Fourth Secretary-General of the United Nations, President of Austria. R.I.P.
posted by taosbat on Jun 14, 2007 - 38 comments

rsspect and AfroSpear -- both bringing more Black voices of the blogosphere to our attention. Rsspect is a growing collection of feeds, and AfroSpear a group blog. The loss of Steve Gilliard of the NewsBlog this week has caused many to rightly question why more minority voices aren't as visible or prominent online.
posted by amberglow on Jun 3, 2007 - 66 comments

Slobodan Milosevic has died. Again. I'm sure everyone in the vampire community will miss him - whatever your personal feelings about him, there's no denying his contributions to bloodsucking. Truly a Yugoslavian icon.
posted by Krrrlson on May 22, 2007 - 50 comments

Herbert Kornfeld, 1973-2007.
posted by monju_bosatsu on May 1, 2007 - 88 comments

Jack Valenti, RIP.
posted by Astro Zombie on Apr 26, 2007 - 93 comments

"Porky's was about anti-Semitism, about racism, it's not just about boys with erections," claims Clark. He then adds, pun intended, "It was a seminal film." Bob Clark, Director of two iconic 1980's films that profoundly impacted some of your childhoods (no doubt in decidedly different ways), and his 22 year-old son were in a fatal car crash on PCH this morning. This was set to be a promising year for the man who brought Ralphie and his bunny suit to the world. R.I.P.
posted by miss lynnster on Apr 4, 2007 - 75 comments

John W. Backus, creator of Fortran, RIP
posted by alms on Mar 19, 2007 - 30 comments

"I am not a great singer and I am not a great dancer, but I am a great actress, and nobody ever let me except Preston Sturges. He believed in me."

Rest in Peace, Betty Hutton.
posted by miss lynnster on Mar 12, 2007 - 17 comments