Last American World War I Veteran Dies

Portrait of Frank Buckles, taken 28 February 2011, at the Pentagon, where anonymous workers placed white roses and a handwritten note in his memory. Buckles, the last known American veteran of World War I, died Sunday at age 110. He attended the portrait's unveiling three years ago. The handwritten note reads, 'Thank you for your service to our country. May you and your generation rest in peace.' (Photo: VOA - A. Pessin)

Last American World War I Veteran Dies
Al Pessin
Pentagon
28 February 2011

The last known American veteran of World War I died Sunday at his home in West Virginia.  Former U.S. Army Corporal Frank Buckles was 110 years old. VOA Pentagon Correspondent Al Pessin had the chance to speak to Mr. Buckles several years ago and filed this remembrance.

"I did not lie [laughter].  Nobody calls me a liar! [laughter]”

Mr. Buckles had us laughing that day in March of 2008, when he came to the Pentagon for the unveiling of a set of new portraits of himself and other World War I veterans. He admitted he exaggerated his age, twice, in order to join the Army in 1917, when he was just 15 years old. But with a wink he said that did not make him a liar.

“I had added some years onto my age and was 18. He [the recruiter] said, ‘Sorry, but you have to be 21.’ So I came back later and I had aged. I was 21. [laughter]”

And he was still lying about his age, just a little bit.

“I do not feel that I am any older than you are [laughter],” said Buckles.

In fact, he was more than twice as old as any of the Pentagon reporters who interviewed him that day.

On Monday, anonymous Pentagon workers put white roses and a handwritten note on his portrait. The note reads, "Thank you for your service to our country. May you and your generation rest in peace."

Three years ago, Buckles captivated the crowd from his wheelchair in the Pentagon auditorium, as speakers, including U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, offered their praise and thanks.

“We cherish the memory of those who have passed away," said Gates. "We cherish the chance to say thank you in person to Corporal Frank Buckles. We will always be grateful for what they did for their country 90 years ago, and feel glad, too, for the longevity that they enjoyed on this earth.”

Buckles also was welcomed at the White House that week, by then-president George W. Bush.

“It has been my high honor to welcome Mr. Buckles, and his daughter, Susannah, here to the Oval Office," said Bush. "Mr. Buckles has a vivid recollection of historic times. And one way for me to honor the service of those who wear the uniform in the past and those who wear it today is to herald you, sir, and to thank you very much for your patriotism and your love for America.”

Buckles wanted to serve when World War I broke out, and his lie to the recruiter made it possible. Shortly afterward, at age 16, he deployed to Europe as an ambulance driver. He saw the horror of war close up, ferrying the wounded from the trenches to primitive field hospitals. Later, he drove German prisoners back to Germany.

Buckles left the army in 1920 and years later he went to work for a shipping company in the Philippines. When World War II broke out, he and other Americans there were put in prison camps by the occupying Japanese forces. Although he was not a soldier at that time, he spent more than three years in the notorious Los Baňos prison. The cup he ate out of for all that time is in the background of his 2008 portrait, which now hangs with eight others along one of the Pentagon’s many corridors.

In a statement issued Monday, President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle praised Buckles, saying he continued to serve America until his death, as the Honorary Chairman of the World War I Memorial Foundation. The Obamas said they join the Buckles family “in celebrating a remarkable life that reminds us of the true meaning of patriotism and our obligations to each other as Americans.” 

In one sense, Frank Buckles was not much different from millions of other World War One veterans. With his enthusiasm to serve and his longevity, however, it certainly was possible to say about him what he said about that Pentagon ceremony three years ago.

“Really, it was remarkable. I enjoyed every minute of it here.”

US Actress Jane Russell Dies

Actresses Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell putting signatures, hand and foot prints in cement at Grauman's Theater, 1953. (Photo: Los Angeles Times photographic archive, UCLA Library)

US Actress Jane Russell Dies
Tuesday, 1 March 2011

U.S. actress Jane Russell, the brunette who shot to fame as the star of Howard Hughes' 1943 movie,The Outlaw, has died in California. She was 89 years old.

Russell's relatives say the actress died at her home Monday of respiratory problems.

Russell gained stardom after billionaire Howard Hughes cast her in The Outlaw, her first movie.

Although reviews were unfavorable, the movie launched Russell's career and her reputation as a sex symbol.

Russell later starred with Bob Hope in the 1948 movie The Paleface and in the 1953 musical Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, which featured Marilyn Monroe.

Although Russell made only a handful of films after the 1960s, she later appeared on television screens advertising a brand of brassieres for “full-figured” women. She was also involved in children's charities over many years.

Married three times, Russell's first marriage ended in divorce. She was widowed twice.

Baseball Dodgers’ Great Duke Snider Dies At 84

Baseball Dodgers’ Great Duke Snider Dies At 84
Sunday, 27 February 2011

Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Duke Snider of the Los Angeles Dodgers has died in California at the age of 84.

Edwin Donald Snider's 18-year career spanned the Dodgers' final seasons in Brooklyn and the first years after the team moved to Los Angeles. The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum announced Snider's death Sunday on behalf of his family.

A lifetime .295 hitter, Snider hit 407 home runs during his career and was named to the All-Star team eight times. Seven of his All-Star appearances came with Brooklyn, where Snider was known as “The Duke of Flatbush.” He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1980.

In the late 1950s, Snider was one of three renowned players patrolling the center fields of New York teams, along with Mickey Mantle of the Yankees and Willie Mays of the Giants. He also was the last surviving member of the Dodgers' so-called “Boys of Summer,” the team that won Brooklyn's only World Series title in 1955.

Final Exits, 15-21 February 2011

American actor Len Lesser

Obituaries for 15-21 February 2011

15
* Dame Judith Binney, 70, New Zealand historian and author.
* Charles Epstein, 77, American geneticist and Unabomber victim, pancreatic cancer.
* Joe Frazier, 88, American baseball player and manager.
* Dorian Gray, 75, Italian actress, suicide by gunshot. (Italian)
* Sidney Harth, 85, American violinist and conductor, respiratory complications.
* Yiannis Karabesinis, 80, Greek singer-songwriter and bouzouki player. (Greek)
* Francis Nyangweso, 71, Ugandan military officer, Olympic boxer and sports administrator.
* Karin Stanek, 65, Polish pop singer. (Polish)
* Cyril Stein, 82, British businessman.
* Christopher Anne Templeton, 58, American actress.
* Ken Winters, 81, Canadian music critic and broadcaster.

16
* Neal Amundson, 95, American chemical engineer.
* Alfred Burke, 92, British actor (Public Eye, Enemy at the Door), chest infection.
* Tonny van Ede, 86, Dutch football player (Sparta Rotterdam). (Dutch)
* Len Lesser, 88, American actor (Seinfeld, Everybody Loves Raymond), cancer-related pneumonia.
* Justinas Marcinkevičius, 80, Lithuanian poet and playwright. (Lithuanian)
* Santi Santamaria, 53, Spanish chef.

17
* Ricky Bell, 36, American football player (Chicago Bears, Jacksonville Jaguars, Winnipeg Blue Bombers).
* George Clarke, 89, British footballer (Ipswich Town).
* Carlos Domínguez, 77, Peruvian photographer, lung cancer. (Spanish)
* Dave Duerson, 50, American football player (Bears, Cardinals, Giants), suicide.
* Sergio Embrioni, 50, Argentine guitarist (Enanitos Verdes), suicide by hanging. (Spanish)
* Francis Anthony Gomes, 79, Bangladeshi Roman Catholic prelate, Bishop of Mymensingh (1987–2006).
* Ron Hickman, 78, South African-born British inventor (Black & Decker Workmate, Lotus Elan).
* John S. Horn, 79, American politician, Representative from California (1993–2003), complications from Alzheimer's disease.
* Augustine Hu Daguo, 88, Chinese Roman Catholic underground bishop of Guiyang.
* George Lewis, 93, Trinidad and Tobago Olympic track and field athlete.
* James McLure, 59, American playwright.
* Bill Monroe, 90, American journalist, host of Meet the Press (1975–1984).
* Perry Moore, 39, American author and film producer (The Chronicles of Narnia), apparent overdose.
* Vivien Noakes, 74, British literary critic, cancer.
* Gustave Olombe Atelumbu Musilamu, 83, Congolese Roman Catholic prelate, Bishop of Wamba (1968–1990).
* William Schuder, 88, American Army colonel, Brigade Commander (West Point).
* Phil Vane, 46, British crust punk vocalist (Extreme Noise Terror).
* Predrag Vušović, 51, Croatian actor (Bitange i princeze), stroke. (Croatian)

18
* Nancy Carr, 50, American television executive (CBS, Hallmark Channel), complications from a perforated colon.
* Cayle Chernin, 63, Canadian actress (Goin' Down the Road), cancer.
* Len Gilmore, 93, American baseball player (Pittsburgh Pirates).
* Nikiforos Haragionis, 97, Greek businessman. (Greek)
* Spook Jacobs, 85, American baseball player (Philadelphia/Kansas City Athletics, Pittsburgh Pirates).
* Buddy Lewis, 94, American baseball player (Washington Senators), cancer.
* Lucas Maree, 58, South African songwriter and musician, prostate cancer. (Afrikaans)
* Walter Seltzer, 96, American film producer (Soylent Green, The Omega Man).
* Tykhon Zhylyakov, 42, Ukrainian Orthodox Bishop of Kremenchuk and Lubny (since 2009), cardiac arrest. (Ukrainian)

19
* Suresh Babu, 58, Indian Olympic athlete, cirrhosis.
* Omar Bocoum, 40, Senegalese soldier, self-immolation. (French)
* Florinda Chico, 84, Spanish actress.
* Norman Corner, 68, British footballer.
* Ollie Matson, 80, American Hall of Fame football player (Cardinals, Rams, Lions, Eagles), complications from dementia.
* John Pulsifer, 74, American automobile salesman, pancreatic cancer.
* Anson Rainey, 81, American academic and author, pancreatic cancer.
* Dietrich Stobbe, 72, German politician, Mayor of West Berlin (1977–1981). (German)
* Yuan Xuefen, 88, Chinese Yueju opera actress.

20
* Drew Baur, 66, American banker, co-owner of the St. Louis Cardinals, heart attack.
* Terry Clements, 63, American guitarist (Gordon Lightfoot), stroke.
* Barbara Harmer, 57, British aviator, first female Concorde pilot, cancer.
* Troy Jackson, 35, American basketball player (AND1 Mixtape Tour).
* Jay Landesman, 91, American publisher, writer and nightclub owner, husband of Fran Landesman.
* Sir Fred Phillips, 92, Kittitian politician, Administrator (1966–1967) and Governor (1967–1969) of Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla.
* Helmut Ringelmann, 84, German film and television producer, organ failure. (German)
* Gustavo Stroessner, 66, Paraguayan air force officer, son of Alfredo Stroessner, lung cancer.
* Malaysia Vasudevan, 66, Indian actor and playback singer, heart failure.

21
* Abdi Salaan Mohamed Ali, 20, Somali footballer, bombing.
* Ben Fricke, 35, American football player (Dallas Cowboys), colon cancer.
* Edwin D. Kilbourne, 90, American research scientist and influenza vaccine expert.
* Dick Klugman, 87, Australian politician, member of the House of Representatives (1969–1990).
* Dwayne McDuffie, 49, American comic book writer, editor and animator, complications following surgery.
* Bernard Nathanson, 84, American pro-choice activist and co-founder of NARAL, later pro-life activist and writer, cancer.
* Jerzy Nowosielski, 88, Polish painter, graphic artist, scenographer and illustrator.
* Russell W. Peterson, 94, American politician, Governor of Delaware (1969–1973), stroke.
* Kenneth Pillar, 86, British Anglican prelate, Bishop of Hertford (1982–1989).
* Aranmula Ponnamma, 96, Indian actress.
* Premananda, 59, Sri Lankan-born Indian religious leader, convicted rapist and murderer.
* Haila Stoddard, 97, American actress and Broadway producer.
* Judith Sulzberger, 87, American physician.
* Antonín Švorc, 77, Czech operatic bass-baritone. (Czech)

US Abortion Rights Advocate Turned Opponent Dies

Dr. Bernard Nathanson, known as a "King of abortion", would later be an active member of a pro-life/anti-abortion organization. (Photo: Jorosmtz)

US Abortion Rights Advocate Turned Opponent Dies
Tuesday, 22 February 2011

U.S. physician Bernard Nathanson, a leading campaigner for abortion rights in the 1960s and 70s before turning into a fierce opponent of the practice, has died in New York City at the age of 84.

His wife says Dr. Nathanson died after a long battle with cancer.

An obstetrician-gynecologist, Dr. Nathanson helped found the National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws in 1969. When abortion was legalized in New York state in 1970, he became director of the Center for Reproductive and Sexual Health in New York City.

Nathanson later says he began having serious reservations after overseeing 75,000 abortions, feelings which grew stronger after viewing ultrasound images of the human fetus.

In 1986, he narrated an anti-abortion film, The Silent Scream, which graphically depicts the abortion of a 12-week-old fetus. He produced a later film about a later-term procedure critics describe as partial-birth abortion.

Ugandan IOC Member Dies at 72

Wednesday, 16 February 2011

Longtime International Olympic Committee member Major General Francis Nyangweso of Uganda has died at the age of 72. The IOC announced his death Wednesday.

Nyangweso had been an IOC member for the past 23 years, serving on the Culture and Education Commission and the Olympic Solidarity Commission.

He spent 28 years as the head of Uganda's National Olympic Committee, from 1975-2009. He was also vice president of the International Amateur Boxing Association from 1986 to 2006 and the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa from 1974 to 1978.

Nyangweso competed in boxing at the 1960 Rome Olympics. He later worked as a banker and had a long and distinguished military and political career.

Final Exits, 8-14 February 2011

Betty Garrett as seen in the trailer for the film Take Me Out to the Ball Game, 1949.

Obituaries for 8-14 February 2011

8
* Roza Baglanova, 89, Kazakh singer, People's Artist of the USSR. (Russian)
* Luiz Bueno, 74, Brazilian race car driver, cancer. (Portuguese)
* Cliff Dapper, 91, American baseball player (Brooklyn Dodgers).
* Fred Kirby, 91, American executive (Alleghany Corporation).
* Bradley C. Livezey, 56, American ornithologist, car accident.
* Tony Malinosky, 101, American baseball player (Brooklyn Dodgers).
* Marie-Rose Morel, 38, Belgian politician, cancer. (Dutch)
* Jacobo Morett Estévez, 76, Mexican journalist, radio commentator and writer, cardiac arrest. (Spanish)
* Charles O. Perry, 81, American sculptor, stomach cancer.
* Jorma Ojaharju, 72, Finnish author. (Finnish)
* Jack Popejoy, 63, American news anchor, cancer.
* Angelo Reyes, 65, Filipino general and politician, suicide by gunshot.
* Cesare Rubini, 87, Italian basketball player and coach, water polo player. (German)
* Donald S. Sanford, 92, American film and television writer (Midway).
* Marvin Sease, 64, American blues singer, pneumonia.

9
* Miltiadis Evert, 71, Greek politician and minister, Mayor of Athens (1987–1989), after long illness. (Greek)
* Joseph Hamernick, 82, American Jesuit and academic, professor of communications (University of Scranton).
* Leroy Rountree Hassell, Sr., 55, American jurist, Chief Justice of the Virginia Supreme Court (2003–2011).
* David Sánchez Juliao, 65, Colombian author. (Spanish)
* Jimmy Lemi Milla, 62, Southern Sudanese politician, shot.
* Salvador Ojeda, 80, Mexican musician. (Spanish)
* Alicia Pietri de Caldera, 87, Venezuelan First Lady (1969–1974; 1994–1999), widow of President Rafael Caldera.

10
* Trevor Bailey, 87, English Test cricketer and BBC radio broadcaster (Test Match Special), house fire.
* Emory Bellard, 83, American football coach, creator of wishbone offense.
* Doug Davis, 66, American football player (Minnesota Vikings).
* Saad El Shazly, 88, Egyptian military leader.
* Joshua Goldberg, 43, American website editor, son of Lucianne Goldberg and brother of Jonah Goldberg, injuries sustained in a fall.
* Michael Harsegor, 86, Israeli historian.
* Bill Justice, 97, American animator, natural causes.
* Blanche Honegger Moyse, 101, American conductor.
* Jon Petrovich, 63, American journalist, executive at CNN, cancer.
* Józef Życiński, 62, Polish Roman Catholic prelate, Archbishop of Lublin (since 1997).

11
* Bad News Brown, 33, Canadian rapper and harmonica player, beaten and shot.
* Tom Carnegie, 91, American sports announcer (Indianapolis Motor Speedway).
* Bo Carpelan, 84, Finnish poet and author.
* Joe R. Greenhill, 96, American attorney, Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court (1972–1982).
* Gerry Huth, 77, American football player (Giants, Eagles, Vikings).
* Earle Morris, Jr., 82, American politician, Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina (1971–1975).
* Shōichirō Ōkubo, 63, Japanese anime screenwriter (Mermaid Forest, Lupin III), stroke.
* Josef Pirrung, 61, German footballer, cancer. (German)
* Chuck Tanner, 82, American baseball manager (Athletics, Braves, Pirates, White Sox) and player (Braves, Dodgers), after long illness.
* Werner Uhlmann, 82, German mathematician, co-founder of statistical quality control. (German)

12
* Peter Alexander, 84, Austrian actor and singer. (German)
* Kevin Barry, Sr., 74, New Zealand boxing coach, after long illness.
* Gino Cimoli, 81, American baseball player (Brooklyn Dodgers, Pittsburgh Pirates).
* Mato Damjanović, 83, Croatian chess grandmaster. (Croatian)
* Betty Garrett, 91, American actress (On the Town, All in the Family, Laverne & Shirley), aortic aneurysm.
* Fedor den Hertog, 64, Dutch cyclist and Olympic medallist, prostate cancer.
* Masahiro Katayama, 56, Japanese animator and art professor, pneumonia.
* Ntinos Kosmopoulos, 83, Greek politician, Mayor of Thessaloniki (1989–1999), cardiac arrest. (Greek)
* Kenneth Mars, 74, American actor (Young Frankenstein, Malcolm in the Middle), pancreatic cancer.
* John Monson, 11th Baron Monson, 78, British aristocrat and politician, head injuries following a fall.
* Saleh Abdul Aziz Al Rajhi, 87, Saudi Arabian businessman. (Arabic)
* Jim Reed, 75, Canadian journalist, lung cancer.
* Frank Whitten, 68, New Zealand actor, cancer.
* Zaharuddin Abu Kassim, 63, Malaysian politician, member of the Pahang State Legislative Assembly, heart attack.

13
* Arnfinn Bergmann, 82, Norwegian ski jumper and Olympic champion, after a brief illness. (Norwegian)
* Bustanil Arifin, 85, Indonesian politician.
* Manuel Esperón, 99, Mexican composer and actor, respiratory arrest. (Spanish)
* Oakley Hall III, 60, American playwright, heart attack.
* T. P. McKenna, 81, Irish actor (The Avengers, Doctor Who).
* Inese Jaunzeme, 78, Latvian javelin thrower and Olympic gold medalist (1956 Melbourne). (Latvian)

14
* David F. Friedman, 87, American film producer (Blood Feast), heart failure.
* Cecil Kaiser, 94, American Negro league baseball player, injuries from a fall.
* Margaret K. McElderry, 98, American children’s book publisher
* Jigme K. Norbu, 45, American activist for Tibet, nephew of the Dalai Lama, traffic collision.
* Peter Pilkington, Baron Pilkington of Oxenford, 77, British academic and life peer, Chairman of the BCC (1992–1996).
* Sir George Shearing, 91, British-born American jazz pianist, heart failure.
* Muhamed Sherri, 62, Albanian stage actor, after long illness. (Albanian)
* Joanne Siegel, 93, American widow of Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel, model for Lois Lane.

George Shearing

George Shearing: Lullaby of Birdland (Photo: View Video)

Jazz Great George Shearing Dies at 91
Doug Levine
14 February 2011

Famed jazz pianist and composer George Shearing, 91, died Monday, February 14 of heart failure in New York City. Shearing was born in England but settled in the United States in 1947. His recording career lasted more than six decades and included albums with some of the top names in jazz. Despite being blind, George Shearing became one of the world's most popular performers.

George Shearing appeared on the American jazz scene in the early 1940s with a series of successful recordings that featured a fine-tuned rhythm section of guitar, bass, drums and vibraphone. He was already quite famous in England, but after the release of his hit song "September In The Rain," his quintet rose to new heights.

Shearing was born blind in London on August 13, 1919. He began playing piano at age three and soon fell in love with the music of Earl Hines, Fats Waller, and Art Tatum. At 19, he performed jazz accordion in Claude Bampton's all-blind band and got his first real taste of show business.

"One night, we were all ready to go.  Fifteen blind musicians taught to play instruments from being chair caners and basket makers and so on," Shearing said. "Now, we're all ready to go in the theatre and the stage manager says 'Ok fellas.' And someone's glass eye had fallen out, rolled across the stage, [and] fifteen blind guys [are] down on the floor looking for this eye. They found it and gave it to him, and he put it in and the show got underway."

Shearing won over American audiences with his own style of boogie-woogie, blues and jazz swing which later became known as "The Shearing Sound." One of his best-known compositions is the jazz standard “Lullaby of Birdland,” co-written with lyricist George David Weiss.

Critics were enamored of his heartfelt melodies often described as "romantic" and "whimsical." Shearing once said the birth of rock 'n' roll gave a new dimension to his repertoire.

"We have benefited from the embryonic stages of rock and roll which started probably in the early '50's, and are now the glad recipients, most of the time, of a healthy integration between jazz, folk and rock," he said.

Over the years, Shearing's ever-changing personnel included singers Mel Torme, Carmen McRae and Peggy Lee, as well as Joe Pass, Cal Tjader and Hank Jones. His 1962 album "Nat 'King Cole' Sings, George Shearing Plays" features one of the most famous piano introductions of all time on the selection "Let There Be Love." In 1976, he collaborated with the great French jazz violinist Stephane Grappelli for the critically-acclaimed album "Reunion." In 2003, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the BBC Jazz Awards.  

Shearing avoided the trappings of jazz fusion, synthesizers and electronics that arrived late in his career. He believed that more volume didn't necessarily mean better music. 

"I know that there is quite a bit of talent around and it's too loud," Shearing said. "And it's a shame."          

At the peak of his career, George Shearing was immortalized in Jack Kerouac's 1957 novel “On The Road.” Upon seeing Shearing in a Chicago nightclub, Kerouac wrote, "as always he leaned his blind head on his pale hand, all ears opened like the ears of an elephant, listening to the American sounds and mastering them for his own English summer-night's use."

Jazz Great George Shearing Dies at 91

George Shearing: Swing Era (Photo: Idem)

Jazz Great George Shearing Dies at 91
Monday, 14 February 2011

Legendary jazz pianist and composer George Shearing has died. He was 91.

Shearing succumbed to congestive heart failure in New York on Monday.

Born blind in London in 1919, he began playing the piano at the age of three. He was already popular in England when he decided to emigrate to the United States in 1947 where he embarked on an extraordinary career.

Shearing wrote more than 300 compositions. But he is probably best known for the 1952 classic Lullaby of Birdland .

Shearing received numerous awards during his six-decade career, including a BBC Lifetime Achievement Award. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2007 for his contribution to music.

Final Exits, 1-7 February 2011

Obituaries for 1-7 February 2011

Olof Palme (who played himself in an uncredited role in the movie "I Am Curious (Yellow)") and Lena Nyman, taken at the Guldbagge Award ceremony. Ms. Nyman won the 1967 award for Best Actress in a leading role. (Photo: Arbetarörelsen arkiv)

1
* Isabella Cerqueira Campos, 72, Brazilian actress, breast cancer. (Portuguese)
* Sidney Cipriano, 46, Brazilian singer (Fat Family), cardiac arrest. (Portuguese)
* Jimmy Fell, 75, English footballer (Grimsby Town), natural causes.
* Daniele Formica, 60, Italian comedian, actor and dubber. (Italian)
* Lennox Fyfe, Baron Fyfe of Fairfield, 69, British politician.
* Zeke Garner, 98, American baseball player, inducted into Maine Baseball Hall of Fame.
* Jiří Kárnet, 91, Czech-born American journalist, playwright and theatre director.
* Stanisław Michalski, 78, Polish actor. (Polish)
* Derek Rawcliffe, 89, British Anglican prelate, Bishop of Glasgow and Galloway (1981-1991).
* Husik Santurjan, 91, Turkish-born Armenian archbishop of Armenian Apostolic Church.
* Johannes Somary, 75, Swiss-born American conductor and organist, complications from a stroke.
* Takis Varvitsiotis, 95, Greek poet. (Greek)
* Gyõzõ Veres, 74, Hungarian Olympic bronze medal-winning (1960, 1964) weightlifter.

2
* Federico Aguilar Alcuaz, 78, Filipino painter.
* Darrel Baldock, 72, Australian football player and coach, member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly (1972–1987) and Minister (1975–1982), stroke.
* Daniela Castelo, 47, Argentine journalist and radio host, aneurysm. (Spanish)
* Armando Chin Yong, 53, Malaysian opera singer, heart disease.
* Bill Foster, 78, American television director (Benson, Full House, Sanford and Son), cancer.
* Defne Joy Foster, 35, Turkish actress, presenter and VJ.
* Douglas M. Head, 80, American politician, Minnesota Attorney General (1967–1971), natural causes.
* Margaret John, 84, British actress (Gavin & Stacey).
* Eric Nicol, 91, Canadian writer.
* René Verdon, 86, French-born American White House Executive Chef, leukemia.

3
* Ajib Ahmad, 63, Malaysian politician, Chief Minister of Johor (1982–1986).
* Don Butler, 80, American gospel singer, founder of Gospel Music Association, after long illness.
* Édouard Glissant, 82, French writer.
* LeRoy Grannis, 93, American surfing photographer.
* Tony Levin, 71, British jazz drummer.
* Bill Mansfield, 68, Australian trade unionist.
* Fermín Marmol León, 74, Venezuelan criminologist. (Spanish)
* Ron Piché, 75, Canadian baseball player (Braves, Angels, Cardinals), cancer. (French)
* Maria Schneider, 58, French actress (Last Tango in Paris), cancer.
* Tatyana Shmyga, 82, Russian operetta singer and film actress (Hussar Ballad), People's Artist of the USSR, vascular disease.
* Machan Varghese, 50, Indian Malayalam film actor, cancer.
* Neil Young, 66, English footballer (Manchester City), cancer.
* Robert Young, 95, American Olympic silver medal-winning (1936) athlete.

4
* Françoise Cachin, 74, French museum director and museum co-founder (Musee d'Orsay), amyloidosis.
* Martial Célestin, 97, Haitian lawyer and diplomat, Prime Minister (1988). (French)
* Toon Ebben, 80, Dutch Olympic equestrian. (Dutch)
* Robert L. Frye, 84, American educator.
* Woodie Fryman, 70, American baseball player (Detroit Tigers, Montreal Expos).
* Michael Habeck, 66, German actor, after short illness. (German)
* Dame Olga Lopes-Seale, 92, Guyanese-born Barbadian broadcaster and singer.
* Ahmed Mohammed Mahmoud, 36, Egyptian journalist (Al-Ahram), shot during 2011 Egyptian protests.
* Lena Nyman, 66, Swedish actress (I Am Curious (Yellow), I Am Curious (Blue), Autumn Sonata), cancer.
* Vasile Paraschiv, 82, Romanian political activist and dissident. (Romanian)
* Martin Rogelio Cabrera, 21, Paraguayan footballer. (Spanish)
* Pavlos Sarlis, 83, Greek politician, Member of Parliament (1981–1989), Member of European Parliament (1989–1999). (Greek)
* Tura Satana, 72, American actress (Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!), heart failure.
* Joyce Sloane, 80, American producer (The Second City), natural causes.
* Uga VIII, 1, American bulldog, University of Georgia mascot, lymphoma.
* Yiannis Vasilopoulos, 73, Greek clarinetist. (Greek)

5
* Omar Amiralay, 67, Syrian filmmaker, heart attack.
* Mary Cleere Haran, 58, American cabaret singer, biking accident.
* Brian Jacques, 71, British fantasy author (Redwall), heart attack.
* Adjie Massaid, 43, Indonesian actor and politician, heart attack.
* Chris McNeill, 56, American Olympic ski jumper, pulmonary embolism.
* Hiroko Nagata, 65, Japanese radical and murderer, vice-chairman of United Red Army.
* Pertti Purhonen, 68, Finnish Olympic bronze medal-winning (1964) boxer, Alzheimer's disease. (Finnish)
* Peggy Rea, 89, American character actress (Grace Under Fire, The Dukes of Hazzard, Step by Step, The Waltons), heart failure.
* Pavel Vondruška, 85, Czech conductor and actor, accidental fall. (Czech)

6
* Andrée Chedid, 90, Egyptian-born French poet and novelist.
* Billy Gallier, 78, English footballer (Tamworth) and manager.
* John Paul Getty III, 54, American heir, grandson of J. Paul Getty, after long illness.
* Per Grundén, 88, Swedish opera singer and actor (Jönssonligan). (Swedish)
* Josefa Iloilo, 90, Fijian politician, President (2000–2006; 2007–2009).
* Gary Moore, 58, Northern Irish rock guitarist and singer (Thin Lizzy), heart attack.
* William Morais, 19, Brazilian footballer (América-MG), shot. (Portuguese)
* Ken Olsen, 84, American engineer, co-founder of Digital Equipment Corporation.

7
* Maria Altmann, 94, Austrian-born American art heiress, after long illness.
* Hysen Hakani, 78, Albanian screenwriter and director, directed first Albanian short film. (Albanian)
* Frank Roberts, 65, Australian boxer, first Australian Aboriginal Olympian (1964), heart attack.

Oil Heir John Paul Getty III Dies

Oil Heir John Paul Getty III Dies
Tuesday, 8 February 2011

John Paul Getty III, grandson of billionaire oil tycoon John Paul Getty, has died at the age of 54 following a lengthy illness.

Family members say Getty died Saturday at his home northwest of London. The cause of death was not known, but Getty had been in poor health since a drug overdose in 1981 left him paralyzed and partially blind.

Getty gained notoriety after having part of his ear cut off during a 1973 kidnapping in Rome at the age of 16. The oil heir was released after five months in captivity and a ransom payment of nearly $3 million by his grandfather, who initially refused to pay and thought the abduction was a hoax.

Reports say the younger Getty continued to struggle with the after-effects of his abduction throughout his life. As a young man, he suffered from drug and alcohol problems that led to his paralyzing stroke in 1981 at the age of 25.

He later had to turn to the courts to have his father, who had inherited his grandfather's fortune, pay for his medical care.

John Paul Getty III is the father of U.S. television actor Balthazaar Getty.

Final Exits, 29-31 January 2011

Obituaries for 29-31 January 2011

29
* Abdul Latif Ashna, Afghan politician, Deputy Governor of Kandahar, suicide bombing.
* Milton Babbitt, 94, American composer.
* Zahra Bahrami, 46, Dutch-Iranian protestor and convicted drug trafficker, execution by hanging.
* Raphael de Almeida Magalhães, 80, Brazilian politician, Governor of Guanabara (1965) and Minister (1986–1987). (Portuguese)
* Geórgia Gomide, 73, Brazilian actress, infection. (Portuguese)
* Dariush Homayoon, 82, Iranian politician and journalist, Minister of Information and Tourism (1977–1978). (Persian)
* Hemayel Martina, 20, Curaçaon poet, complications of car accident. (Dutch)
* Raymond McClean, 78, Irish politician and doctor.
* Megan McNeil, 20, Canadian singer, adrenal cancer.
* Emilio Ogñénovich, 88, Argentine Roman Catholic prelate, Archbishop of Mercedes-Luján (1982–2000).
* Nora Sun, 72, American diplomat, businesswoman and author, injuries from car crash.
* Emanuel Vardi, 95, Israeli-born American violist, cancer.
* Liza Vorfi, 86, Albanian stage actress, after long illness. (Albanian)

30
* John Barry, 77, British film score composer, five-time Academy Award winner, heart attack.
* Ajahn Maha Bua, 97, Thai Buddhist monk. (Thai)
* José Llopis Corona, 92, Spanish footballer.
* Tony Guerrero, 66, American trumpeter and bandleader.
* Michael Herzog, 58, Austrian Olympic ice hockey player, skiing accident. (German)
* Tim McCaskey, 65, American sports executive (Chicago Bears), cancer.
* Charles Nolan, 53, American fashion designer, liver cancer.
* Bernard O'Brien, 96, American politician, member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives (1965–1980).

31
* Hernán Alvarado Solano, 65, Colombian Roman Catholic prelate, Vicar Apostolic of Guapi (since 2001).
* Bartolomeu Anania, 89, Romanian Orthodox Metropolitan of Cluj-Napoca, Alba Iulia, Crişana and Maramureş (since 1993).
* Phil Bondelli, 83, American television director (CHiPs, The Six Million Dollar Man).
* Nikolay Dorizo, 87, Russian poet. (Russian)
* Charles Kaman, 91, American aeronautical engineer, founder of Kaman Aircraft and Ovation Guitar Company.
* Francis Zoro Kekana, 72, South African jazz singer, musician and composer.
* Kaiti Labropoulou, 85, Greek actress. (Greek)
* Giorgos Papakostas, 76, Greek film director. (Greek)
* Nildo Parente, 74, Brazilian actor, stroke. (Portuguese)
* Eunice Sanborn, 114, American supercentenarian, world's oldest living person at time of her death.
* Charles Sellier, 67, American film and television producer (The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams).
* Michael Tolan, 85, American actor (The Greatest Story Ever Told, The Mary Tyler Moore Show), heart disease and renal failure.
* Doc Williams, 96, American country performer.

Acclaimed Rock Guitarist Gary Moore Found Dead in Spain

Gary Moore, 2005.05.21 (Photo: LivePict.com)

Acclaimed Rock Guitarist Gary Moore Found Dead in Spain
Sunday, 6 February 2011

Critically acclaimed rock guitarist Gary Moore, a former member of the Irish band Thin Lizzy, has been founded dead in his hotel room in southern Spain.

He was 58 years old and no cause of death is immediately known.

Moore's former bandmates say they are in shock, calling him a robust and healthy guy.

The Belfast-born Moore started out playing guitar with the Irish band Skid Row before joining Thin Lizzy in the early 1970s.

Some of the band's popular hits include “The Boys Are Back in Town” and “Whiskey in the Jar.”

Moore also collaborated with other rock legends, including George Harrison, and enjoyed a successful solo career, winning praise from critics and fellow musicians.

‘Last Tango in Paris’ Actress Maria Schneider Dies

‘Last Tango in Paris’ Actress Maria Schneider Dies
Thursday, 3 February 2011

French actress Maria Schneider, best known for her role in the controversial 1972 movie “Last Tango in Paris,” died Thursday in Paris at the age of 58.

French news reports quote her family as saying she died after a long illness.

French Culture Minister Frederic Mitterand issued a statement Thursday saying that Schneider will remain a singularly strong image of today's woman.

Schneider was 19 when she shot to international fame in “Last Tango in Paris,” directed by Bernardo Bertolucci. Her graphic sex scenes with late American actor Marlon Brando sparked controversy and the movie was banned in several countries.

She later blamed the Italian director for forcing her to make those scenes, saying she was too young to know better.

Bertolucci told the Italian news agency ANSA Thursday that Schneider had accused him of robbing her of her youth and that he is wondering now whether she was right. He said he wished he could have told her he was sorry.

Schneider made other movies, including “The Passenger” opposite Jack Nicholson and her last, the 2008 French movie “Cliente.” But none brought her the fame she gained with “The Last Tango in Paris.”