Astronaut Neil Armstrong Dies at 82

Former U.S. astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, has died.

A family statement said the 82-year-old icon died Saturday in his home state of Ohio, following a cardiovascular procedure earlier this month.

Armstrong commanded the Apollo 11 spacecraft that landed on the moon on July 20, 1969. After stepping on the lunar surface, he sent the historic message: “that's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” As an enthralled world looked on, Armstrong spent nearly three hours walking on the moon with fellow astronaut Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin.

Armstrong had largely withdrawn from public life in recent years. But he spoke earlier this year at Ohio State University at an event honoring fellow space pioneer John Glenn, former senator from Ohio.

Weeks after the moon walk, Armstrong, Aldrin and the mission's third astronaut, Michael Collins, received a thunderous welcome with ticker-tape parades in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. They later made a world tour.

The moon walk marked America's victory in the Cold War space race with the Soviet Union that began in October 1957 with the launch of the Soviet satellite “Sputnik 1.”

President Barack Obama, in a statement Saturday, called Armstrong “among the greatest of American heroes, not just of his time, but of all time. When he and his fellow crew members lifted off … they carried with them the aspirations of an entire nation. They set out to show the American spirit can see beyond what seems unimaginable — that with enough drive and ingenuity, anything is possible.”

Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney called Armstrong an American hero who will inspire him for the rest of his life. He praised the astronaut for operating “with courage unmeasured and unbounded love for his country.”

Saturday's family statement described Armstrong as “a loving husband, grandfather brother and friend.” It asked that the public “honor his example of service, accomplishment and modesty. And the next time you walk outside on a clear night and see the moon smiling down at you, think of Neil Armstrong and give him a wink.”

Armstrong's Apollo 11 mission earned decorations from 17 nations and many special American honors, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Congressional Space Medal of Honor and the NASA Distinguished Service Medal.

In later years, he served as Deputy Associate Administrator at NASA headquarters, and was a professor of aerospace engineering at the University of Cincinnati. He and his family lived on a 120-hectare farm outside of Cincinnati.

Hollywood Director Tony Scott Dies

Authorities in Los Angeles say movie director Tony Scott, director of such Hollywood blockbusters as Top Gun, Days of Thunder and Beverly Hills Cop II, has died after jumping from a Los Angeles County Bridge.

An officer with the Los Angeles County Coroner's office said the 68-year-old Scott's death Sunday is being investigated as a suicide.

Police say several people called emergency services shortly after midday Sunday to report that someone had jumped from the Vincent Thomas Bridge in Los Angeles.

A dive team with Los Angeles Port Police pulled the body from the murky water several hours later, Nordquist said. Scott's body was taken to a dock in Wilmington and turned over to the county coroner's office. 

The British-born Scott was producer and director Ridley Scott's brother. Ridley Scott's Prometheus was a summer blockbuster.

Scott frequently worked with Denzel Washington, most recently on the runaway train drama Unstoppable.

Scott and Washington collaborated on four other films: Man on Fire, Deja Vu, and The Taking of Pelham 123.

Other Scott films include True Romance and Crimson Tide. Scott was married to actress Donna Scott. They have twin sons.

Ethiopian Leader Meles Dies at 57

Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has died at the age of 57, after months of speculation about his health.

State television announced his death Tuesday, saying he died from a sudden infection late Monday at a hospital abroad.

Government spokesman Bereket Simon would not say where Mr. Meles died, or disclose the illness that led to his hospitalization.

“The prime minister had been sick for quite a while,” he said. “And he was attending medical support in, somewhere in, ah, abroad. And he had some chance in recuperating. But ultimately some infection happened to him and doctors couldn't control that infection.”

Mr. Meles had not been seen in public for nearly two months before his death.

Spokesman Bereket said Deputy Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn will serve as acting prime minister.

He said Mr. Meles' body will arrive Tuesday in Ethiopia, and officials are making plans for the funeral.

Prime Minister Meles ruled his country for more than 20 years, after the rebel alliance he led, the EPRDF (Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front), seized power in 1991.

Mr. Meles earned praise abroad for improvements in the economy, education and health care. But human rights groups sharply criticized him for various abuses, including restrictions on independent media.

Under Mr. Meles, Ethiopia fought a border war with Eritrea and sent troops to Somalia to fight Islamist militants.

Ethiopia and Eritrea fought from 1998 to 2000 in a conflict that killed more than 70,000 people. Tension between the two countries remained high.

Mr. Meles was also known as an ally to the United States against terrorism.

In 2006, Ethiopian troops entered Somalia to fight Islamist militants allegedly armed and trained by the Eritrean government. Ethiopian forces returned to Somalia last year in a multi-nation offensive against militant group al-Shabab.

Mr. Meles' most serious political challenge came in the 2005 elections, when opposition parties said the government rigged to results to cheat them of victory. Nearly 200 people died in post-election violence and protests.

In the most recent elections in 2010, the EPRDF and its allies took all but one seat in parliament, sparking new accusations of fraud.

The criticism increased in recent years as Ethiopian courts jailed journalists and political activists under an anti-terrorism law that rights groups said was overly vague and broad.

Mr. Meles was born in the northern Ethiopian town of Adwa in 1955. He attended Addis Ababa University for two years before joining the Tigrayan Peoples' Liberation Front, or TPLF, one of several groups that was fighting the government of Mengistu Hailemariam. The TPLF later became the core group within the EPRDF.

After taking power in 1991, Mr. Meles served as president for four years before assuming the prime minister's post in 1995.

(Photo by Monika Flueckiger, 2012.)

Comedienne Phyllis Diller Dies at 95

Comedienne Phyllis Diller, one of America's first female stand-up comedy stars, has died at age 95.

Diller began her career in the 1950s when women stand-up comics were rare. She created an indelible persona with her distinctive laugh, a cigarette holder, teased hair, outlandish costumes and a fictional husband she called “Fang.”

Her first national exposure came as a contestant on Groucho Marx's TV show You Bet Your Life.

After retiring from stand-up in 2002, Diller continued to take occasional small parts in movies and TV shows, and she pursued painting as a serious hobby.

She published her autobiography, Like a Lampshade in a Whorehouse, in 2005.

The 2006 film Goodnight, We Love You documented her career.

The cause of Phyllis Diller's death was not released.

(Photo by Allan Warren, 1973.)

Hamlisch Remembered for Iconic Broadway Tunes

by Katherine Cole

Marvin Hamlisch, who composed the scores of dozens of plays and movies, died in Los Angeles on August 2 at the age of 68. His songs were some of the most iconic of Hollywood and Broadway.

Origins

Hamlisch, the Pulitzer prize-winning composer of “A Chorus Line” and recipient of numerous Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Awards, was born in New York City to immigrant parents. His father was a professional accordion player and, seeing musical promise in his son, sent him to the famed Julliard School for piano lessons before he turned 7. As he recounted in many interviews, however, Marvin Hamlisch soon realized he wasn’t cut out to be a classical concert pianist.  Instead, he turned his sights to pop music. He was 21 when he wrote Lesley Gore’s 1965 hit “Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows.”

Legacy

It is for his Broadway and Hollywood scores that Marvin Hamlisch will be best remembered.

Hamlisch was only 29  when he swept the music categories at the 46th Academy Awards in 1974, becoming the first person to receive three Oscars on the same evening. That night, he won best scoring for “The Sting,” and best song and best original dramatic score for “The Way We Were.”

In July, Hamlisch received the first Legends Award from the film, television and digital media non-profit organization CINE at its 55th Annual Awards Gala.  Mark Finkelpearl, a filmmaker and Cine Board member, says that during a question and answer session before the awards, Hamlisch explained that he had to fight to get “The Way We Were” the way he wanted it.

“He played the piano for us in this little, tiny theater and showed clips from movies like 'The Way We Were' and 'The Sting' and talked about different scenes and how changing the music a little bit would change a scene completely. He didn’t like the final music cue in the scene between [Robert] Redford and Barbra Streisand outside the Plaza Hotel in 'The Way We Were.' And the director wouldn’t let him change it," Finkelpearl recalled.  " [He said] ’You know what Marvin? We’re too far along, we don’t want to change it, I think it works. You’re overthinking it.’  And Marvin said ‘Look, I have to live with this movie for the rest of my life. And I know that I can make it better.  I will take the money out of my fee to go back and redo the cue and lay it into the film the way that I think it should be laid in.’  And the director agreed to that. So he lost some money on the deal, but he got the cue the way he wanted it for the end of “The Way We Were.” It was a really, really poignant about craft. And about really elevating your craft to the point where if you’re not happy with it, if you can’t live with it, it’s not right.”

Finkelpearl added that it's not possible to overstate Hamlisch's importance.

"Marvin Hamlisch was a titan.  There’s no one who can ever fill those shoes again," he noted. "Everything’s changed. Showbiz has changed, the movies have changed. There will never be another Marvin Hamlisch.”

Last works

Hamlisch’s latest musical theatre work is the Broadway-bound production of “The Nutty Professor,” based on the 1963 Jerry Lewis Movie. The show, with songs by Hamlisch and Rupert Holmes, just opened in Nashville. Producer Mac Pirkle says Hamlisch was a joy to work with.

“He’s got a very high level of excellence that he strives for in everything that he does," Pirkle recalled. "And that shows in the music that he did and shows in the detail of the arrangements that followed from his compositions. And shows in the work that he did with Rupert [Holmes].” They really have been able to explore the wide variety of emotions in the show in a beautiful way that is fun, it’s energetic, it provides great moments for dance, great moments for character insights. It’s great fun.”

Symphony

A tireless worker, Hamlisch was also the principal Pops conductor for the Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, Dallas, Seattle, San Diego and Pasadena Symphony Orchestras and next week was to announce that he’d taken on the same role with the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Hamlisch was the recipient of four Grammy Awards, four Emmys, three Academy Awards, two Golden Globes, a Tony and the Pulitzer Prize. That last honor came for “A Chorus Line” which ran for 6,137 performances on Broadway from 1975 to 1990.  Hired by director Michael Bennett, he scored the lyrics and composed songs including “One (Singular Sensation)” and the oft covered ballad “What I Did For Love.”

(Photo by Alan Light.)

Award-Winning Composer Marvin Hamlisch Dies

The American composer and conductor Marvin Hamlisch, who composed the music for great films and Broadway musicals, has died.

Hamlisch's music touched lives around the world and won him three Oscars, four Grammys, four Emmys, a Tony, and three Golden Globe awards. He won multiple awards for his score of the groundbreaking show A Chorus Line. That musical also won a Pulitzer Prize. He worked with a number of American stars, including Barbra Streisand and Aretha Franklin.

He composed more than 40 motion picture scores, including the Oscar-winning score and song for The Way We Were and his adaptation of Scott Joplin’s ragtime music for The Sting, which provided his third Oscar.

One of his last performances was on July 13, at the Wolf Trap Performing Arts center outside Washington. Hamlisch performed with Broadway singer Melissa Errico, in an evening of George Gershwin tunes. Errico said she cherishes the experience.

“It was the greatest artistic experiences of my life, not to mention the amount of laughter we got out of the audience, which is so Marvin to do a serious job with music but to be super silly. That’s Marvin. He likes to have a good time and turn the corner and do incredible music,” she said.

Hamlisch was the principal pops conductor for several U.S. orchestras, including the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Pasadena Symphony and Pops and The San Diego Symphony. He's considered one of the most versatile modern composers, with works from Broadway hits to classical compositions and rhythm and blues hits.

“[He] is someone who knows how to take classical music, historical music, theater music, jazz music, stuff that some people would say is not popular anymore and bring it to life and make it fun and funny," said Errico. "He believes that a pops concert should feel, not serious, not feel like you’re going back in time, but that it’s happening right now. There is no one in the world like him, I cannot articulate this loss.”

Hamlisch, 68, died on Monday, his family said Tuesday.

He was a graduate of the Julliard School of Music and Queens College. He often spoke of music's universal appeal. On his Web site, he wrote, “There is a global nature to music, which has the potential to bring all people together."

Novelist Gore Vidal Dies at 86

American writer Gore Vidal, whose intellectual novels, essays and plays sharply examined politics and culture, has died at his Los Angeles home. He was 86.

His literary career began with a novel he wrote while enlisted in the U.S. Army during World War II.

But it was his third book, “The City and the Pillar,” published in 1948, that marked his early career. The story about two male lovers was met with a backlash, leading Vidal to abandon novels and shift to writing for the theater and television. He penned the Tony-nominated play “The Best Man,” which later became a movie.

After a failed attempt to run for Congress in 1960, Vidal returned to writing books, producing a series of acclaimed historical novels that many critics considered his best work. These include best selling novels “Lincoln” and “Myra Breckenridge.”

His commentary included discussion of America's decline, and included a controversial defense of anti-government terrorist Timothy McVeigh and the assertion that former president George W. Bush had advance knowledge of the September 11 attacks.

Vidal was known for high-profile clashes with writers and pundits, including Ernest Hemingway, Truman Capote and William Buckley, Jr.

His grandfather was a United States Senator, and in 1982 Vidal lost his own bid for a Senate seat.

(Photo by David Shankbone.)