Thousands Cheer as Mandela Goes Home for Last Time

by Scott Bobb

The body of South Africa’s former president Nelson Mandela has been returned to his ancestral home Saturday where it is to be buried Sunday at his family compound in Qunu. Thousands of people cheered the funeral procession as it traveled Saturday from Mthatha to Qunu. 

Throngs of people sang and danced along the roads as they waited many hours for the funeral procession.

As the convoy passed with its coffin draped with the South African flag, police struggled to keep the crowd from surging onto the highway.

It was the beloved leader’s last public appearance.

Sizwe -- he goes by only one name -- was eight years old when Mandela was freed from prison 20 years ago. He says his generation will never forget South Africa’s first black president. 

“Especially us, the youth, because we are looking up to him, a lot of things that he has done for us. Even here in this area there is a lot of changes through him," said Sizwe. "If he didn’t fight for this country like he did I don’t think we’d be standing where we are today.

Luyanda Liberty Gcaza agrees. He is graduating with a university degree in biology. 

“In the olden days it was rare to find a man like me in South Africa, completing his degree," said Gcaza. "I think this is special because education was the first [most] important thing for him because he said that in order for South Africa to be free we need to be educated.”

Nano Binase, a mother of two, also waited for hours to pay her last respects. She says she wants her children to learn Mandela’s humility and his ability to forgive despite many injustices.

“He has lived an exemplary life. We can [should] follow his example," said Gcaza.

Mandela, before his body was returned to his home region, was eulogized by leaders of his ANC party at a memorial service near Johannesburg.

His grandson and designated family heir, Mandla Mandela, said his 95-year-old grandfather worked tirelessly even after his retirement to improve people’s lives. He focused on social issues such as HIV/AIDS and improving the well-being of South Africa’s children.

Authorities say more than 100,000 people paid their respects over three days while Mandela lay in state in Pretoria.

He was eulogized Tuesday at a memorial in Johannesburg that was attended by more than 60,000 people and more than 80 heads of state and government.

The anti-apartheid icon is to be buried in Qunu Sunday following ceremonies to be attended by several thousand people - family members, close friends and a handful of leaders, mostly from Africa.

American Rock Pioneer Lou Reed Dead at 71

Influential American rock musician Lou Reed, the widely acknowledged poet laureate of the dark, hard-edged genre known as punk rock, has died in New York.

Reed's agent said the 71-year-old performer, who had been in frail health in recent months, died Sunday outside of New York City of apparent complications from a recent liver transplant.

Known for his cold onstage persona and gaunt appearance, Reed's early compositions with his band, Velvet Underground, focused on New York City's darker themes of drug addiction, sexuality and violence.  Critics say his groundbreaking imagery rivaled that of 1960s icon Bob Dylan, radically expanding lyrical boundaries into themes never before explored in popular music.

Reed had only one commercial hit, the 1972 composition "Walk on the Wild Side."  Other songs popular among his followers included "Heroin," "Sweet Jane" and "All Tomorrow's Parties."

Reed would perform decades later at the White House during the Clinton administration. He also was the subject of a public broadcasting "American Masters" documentary and the recipient of a 1999 Grammy Award.

Pulitzer Prize-Winning Novelist Oscar Hijuelos Dies at 62

Pulitzer Prize-winning Cuban-American novelist Oscar Hijuelos, best known as the author of The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love, has died.

His wife said Hijuelos collapsed while playing tennis in New York. He was 62.

The New York-born Hijuelos captured the Cuban immigrant experience in The Mambo Kings -- the story of two Cuban brothers who move to the United States and form a band.

They gain short-lived celebrity after appearing on the real-life television comedy I Love Lucy, starring Cuban-born entertainer Desi Arnaz.

The 1989 novel won Hijuelos a Pulitzer Prize for fiction and was turned into a popular movie.

Hijuelos wrote several other novels and also his 2011 memoirs, Thoughts Without Cigarettes.

Vietnam Mourns General

by Marianne Brown

Streets are blocked off in central Hanoi and unrelated public events canceled this weekend as Vietnam mourns the death of one of its most celebrated war heroes, General Vo Nguyen Giap, who died on October 4 at the age of 102.

On Saturday, the country's most powerful politicians and military leaders led processions of mourners to honor a man considered one of modern Vietnam’s founding fathers.  Rows of soldiers in white uniforms stood at attention outside the the National Funeral Hall in central Hanoi, where the general’s body lies in state.

Over the course of the day, 175 delegations are expected to visit.

Earlier this week, tens of thousands of mourners stood in line for hours outside the general’s home, many carrying yellow daisies to pay their respects to the man dubbed Vietnam’s “red Napoleon” for his role in masterminding the battle of Dien Bien Phu, which ended French colonial rule in 1954.

Through tears, one elderly woman, who gave her name only as Thu, said Giap’s role in Vietnamese history was second only to President Ho Chi Minh.

Thu, volunteer during the war, said Giap was the greatest commander, very good at leading the country against the French and the Americans. She said thanks to him, Vietnam has peace today.

Another mourner, 84-year-old Nguyen Xuan Tu from Nghe An, says he spent 34 years in the army fighting for the North Vietnamese. When he heard about the general’s death he said he was so moved he could not cry.

As well as the battle of Dien Bien Phu, Giap is also credited as one of the tacticians behind the 1968 Tet Offensive and other major military campaigns against the United States.

However, some historians question how crucial his role in war against the Americans really was.

Lien-Hang Nguyen, associate professor of history at the University of Kentucky and author of the book "Hanoi’s War: An International History of the War for Peace in Vietnam," says it is inaccurate to say Giap led the war effort against the United States because he was sidelined politically by leaders in the Communist Party, Le Duan and Le Duc Tho, who felt threatened by his popularity.

"There was no way they could do away with him, but what they could do behind closed doors was marginalize him in the top party leadership, and silence him when he opposed them" Hang said.

After Dien Bien Phu, where thousands more Vietnamese troops died compared to their French adversaries, Giap became known as a tactician willing to sacrifice large numbers of soldiers in return for victory.  However, Hang said later in the war he did not want to spend as many lives and it was other leaders who were blind to the casualties.

In the early 1980s the general was removed from his position in the Ministry of Defense and the politburo, and effectively pushed out of political office by the 1990s.

Despite outliving his rivals, Giap never spoke out against the party.

Some observers have questioned whether the general did make a political statement in the end by choosing to be buried in his hometown in Quang Binh province, south of Hanoi. Many expected him to be buried alongside his war-time associates at Mai Dich military cemetery in Hanoi.

The National Funeral Hall will remain open to mourners until Saturday evening. On Sunday, a grand procession will escort the general's body to his hometown for burial.

World's Oldest Man Dies

The man recognized as the world's oldest man by Guinness World Records has died.

Salustiano Sanchez-Blazquez died Friday at a nursing home in Grand Island, New York. He was 112 years old.

He was born in 1901 in the village of El Tejado do Bejar, Spain.

The self-taught musician moved to Cuba when he was a teenager with his brother and a group of friends where they worked in the sugarcane fields.

In 1920, Sanchez came to the United States through Ellis Island and eventually settled in New York's Niagara Falls area.

Sanchez's wife died in 1988. He is survived by a daughter, a son, seven grandchildren, 15 great grandchildren, and five great great grandchildren.

Jazz Pianist Marian McPartland Dead at 95

by Eric Felten, Bernie Bernard

Marian McPartland, one of the best-known jazz artists in America, died August 20 in Port Washington, New York. She was 95. A musician who broke ground for women instrumentalists in the 1940s and ‘50s, she would later become best known as host of the long-running radio program “Piano Jazz.”

McPartland’s elegant approach to jazz gracefully spanned several major eras, from swing to bebop and beyond. Ms. McPartland brought the musical knowledge earned over decades playing in night-clubs to National Public Radio, where for more than 30 years she hosted “Piano Jazz,” a program that mixed conversation and performance with many of the world’s best musicians.

Born Margaret Marian Turner in Windsor, England, as a girl she took up piano. To her parents’ dismay, when she was 20 she left home to join a four-piano vaudeville act. On a tour playing for Allied troops during World War II she met American jazz trumpeter Jimmy McPartland. They married, and, after the war, moved to the United States. With her husband's encouragement, McPartland went on to lead her own small bands.

McPartland landed a steady job performing at a New York City jazz club, the Hickory House. She played there for eight years, and developed a reputation not only for her fine piano playing, but for her melodic original compositions. Her songs were recorded by singers such as Tony Bennett, Sarah Vaughan, and Peggy Lee.

At first, McPartland was so nervous about her songwriting she wouldn't take the credit for her own tunes.

"Years ago, I felt very insecure about writing songs, and I wrote one at the Hickory House," she said. "Somebody said, 'That's a nice song,' so then it was O.K. for me to say that I had written it. Isn't that sick?"

Starting in the 1960s, McPartland traveled to schools around the United States, encouraging students to develop an appreciation for jazz. She would use popular songs to introduce young listeners to the many sounds of jazz.

"I'll probably pick a tune that they know, something they've all heard, like the theme of [television program] 'M.A.S.H.,' for instance. They all know that. Then I'll do it another way, maybe like jazz, blues or something slow.  And I'll go through a whole thumbnail history of jazz. I'll do some boogie-woogie and so on, and really kind of grab them with that. But as long as you know tunes that they know, I think that helps a lot."

McPartland took that approach to the airwaves in 1979. Her weekly show, “Piano Jazz” became one of the most popular programs on public radio, airing across the United States for over three decades. Each week she would engage noted musicians in casual, relaxed interviews. She would take turns with her guests playing songs, and then would perform duets with them. Both in its music and its conversations, McPartland’s “Piano Jazz” expressed the core jazz virtue of improvisation.

The National Endowment for the Arts recognized McPartland as a “Jazz Master” in 2000. Four years later she won a special Grammy Award for her lifetime achievement. She continued to perform and broadcast into her nineties.

George Duke, Jack Clement, Marilyn King

In Memoriam

Last week, three music legends died.

67-year-old jazz keyboardist George Duke lost his battle with lymphocytic leukemia on August 5.  Last month, Duke released his final album DreamWeaver, which he recorded as a tribute to his wife who died one year ago.  The album reached Number One on Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz chart.

On August 8, 82-year-old “Cowboy” Jack Clement died at his Nashville home of liver cancer.  During his long career, Clement produced records for such artists as Johnny Cash, Eddy Arnold, Roy Orbison, Charley Pride, Louis Armstrong, U2, and many others.  Earlier this year, it was announced that Clement is among the latest inductees into the Country Music Hall of Fame.  The official induction for Clement, Kenny Rogers and Bobby Bare takes place on October 27. 

And, Marilyn King, the last surviving member of the King Sisters, died on August 7.  The King Sisters are credited with influencing generations of jazz vocal groups. They recorded some 150 records from the 1940s through the 1960s.

Remembering J.J. Cale

by Katherine Cole

Songwriter J.J. Cale was a guitarist who preferred to stay in the background and let others make hits of his songs, such as “After Midnight” and “Call Me The Breeze.”

Cale, 74, died on July 26 at a hospital in La Jolla, California. Cause of death was listed as a heart attack.

Cale was born in Oklahoma City and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  He grew up in what he described as a vibrant, boom town. Oil had brought money to Tulsa, and workers from all over the world followed it. Their music came along, too.

“Tulsa is kind of in the middle of the United States and rhythm and blues and blues came out of Mississippi and kind of filtered up there and jazz coming out of the north, Kansas City was a big jazz hotbed in the ‘50s and late ‘40s, and Western swing, which is kind of a Country guy’s impression of swing music of, say, Glenn Miller and those kind of guys. So it was kind of a melting pot in there," Cale said. "Then rock & roll hit about 1956 or ’54, I guess. And I decided that was my kind of music.”

Influenced by all those different styles, Cale picked up a guitar and learned to play. After finishing high school, he performed in bands and began working as a recording engineer.  Cale was friendly with another Tulsa musician, Leon Russell, and the piano player soon convinced him to pack up his guitar and move to Los Angeles. In California, Cale continued working as a guitar player and made his first recordings, but they weren’t hits and he decided to return to Oklahoma.
       
In those days, Cale saw himself as a guitarist first and an engineer second. Songwriting wasn’t his career. In fact, he said, it wasn’t even something he put a lot of effort into. It was just something you had to do, if you were going to make an album.

In 1970, times were tough for Cale and he was about to give up music altogether. One night he turned on the radio and heard a song he had written, “After Midnight,” being sung by Eric Clapton. And suddenly, Cale was a hit songwriter.

“When Eric Clapton cut 'After Midnight,' he sold so many records and it was so big at the time, I decided that I would pursue the songwriting thing." Cale said. "I was 34 years old at that time. I’d been down the pike and back before I had any success at all.”

Soon, Cale was in Nashville, cutting “Naturally”, his most successful solo album, and a disc that featured his hit single, “Crazy Mama.”

While he went on to record more than a dozen solo albums and one Grammy-winning duet CD with Eric Clapton, he saw himself as a songwriter first and a performer second. 

“What my whole object was is not to really sell records. I was trying to sell songs," Cale said. "And instead of running around Nashville or New York or Los Angeles, knocking on people’s doors and trying to get them to cut my songs, we thought that making records would get the songs out there farther and it really did. So, my records really didn’t sell, but musicians started picking up on my sound and my songs and cutting my songs and that turned into a gold mine.” 

Other artists covering Cale’s songs include Dionne Warwick, Johnny Cash, Tom Petty, Carlos Santana, and The Band.

If you’re interested in hearing Cale sing his own songs, there is a newly-released boxed set containing five early albums. “The Road To Escondido,” his Grammy-winning blues duet album with Eric Clapton is another good choice. It’s a mix of originals and covers, including their take on the classic “Sporting Life Blues.”

Legendary White House Reporter Helen Thomas Dead at 92

Former White House correspondent Helen Thomas, who covered American presidents for nearly 50 years, has died at the age of 92.

Friends and colleagues say she died early Saturday at her home in Washington.

Thomas was a pioneer for women in journalism at a time when men dominated the profession. She covered every U.S. commander-in-chief since President John F. Kennedy.

She was known to often express strong views on sensitive issues even when questioning a president during nationally broadcast news conferences.

In 2010 Thomas was recorded on video saying that Israel should get out of Palestine. She later apologized but ended her White House career after the video led to widespread condemnation.

Helen Thomas worked for the United Press International wire service and Hearst newspapers. She ended dozens of presidential news conferences with the familiar phrase "Thank you, Mr. President."

Teen Dies of Cancer After Touching Millions With Song

Zach Sobiech, an 18-year-old whose battle with cancer became a global story, has died.

The Minnesota native became famous when his song “Clouds,” which is about facing death, became a viral sensation on YouTube, topping 3 million views. The song was originally released in December of last year.

The video was so popular that a group of celebrities were inspired to create a video tribute in which they lip-synch the lyrics.

Sobiech was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer, osteosarcoma, at 14 and was told a year ago that he likely only had months to live.

“Cancer may have taken Zach too soon, but he leaves a lasting legacy that most of us will never achieve,” read a statement on the Children’s Cancer Research Fund’s website. “His message of love and hope delivered through infectious lyrics and memorable tunes have imprinted on the minds and hearts of millions around the world.”

Sobiech also played in a band called A Firm Handshake, which released their second album, “Fix Me Up,” this past February.

"It is with heavy heart that we announce the passing of our son Zachary David Sobiech," his family said in a statement obtained by the Today Show. "Our family has been blessed not only by his amazing presence in our lives, but also by the love and support of our family and friends and by so many people in the community. In particular we'd like to thank those people who listened with their hearts and helped Zach bring his message and his music to the world."

The Sobiech family requests that all memorials be directed to the Zach Sobiech Osteosarcoma Fund in lieu of flowers.

Music Fans Mourn Country Legend George Jones

by Mary Morningstar

Music fans are mourning the loss of a true Country legend. George Jones, 81, died Friday at Nashville’s Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

In 1955, Jones recorded “Why Baby Why,” his first hit for Starday Records.  Born in Saratoga, Texas, he began performing in local clubs at age 10.  In the late 1940s, he worked as a disc jockey at various radio stations in his home state, before entering the U.S. Marine Corps in 1950.  Three years later, Jones completed his military service and returned to the Texas nightclub circuit.  He was discovered by Starday’s founder, “Pappy” Dailey, who convinced Jones to record for his label.

Jones says his first studio session proved a great learning experience.

“The first time I went in to do my first recording session, for about two hours I sang like Roy Acuff, Lefty Frizzell and Hank Williams," he said. "Finally, the producer came in the studio -- after he figured I’d had enough fun -- and he wanted to know if I could sing like George Jones.  So I said, ‘Oh, I didn't know that.  I thought I was supposed to sing like those people.’  They were selling records.  I didn’t know the difference, you know.”

After leaving Starday Records in 1957, Jones worked with several other labels.  In 1969, he joined Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry, and the same year, married singer Tammy Wynette.  Their union lasted only six years, but during that time, they collaborated on numerous duets, including the Number One hits “We’re Gonna Hold On,” “Near You” and “Golden Ring.”

Through much of his life, George Jones battled an addiction to alcohol that nearly ruined his professional career.  He earned the nickname “No Show Jones” for missing numerous concert dates.  At one point, lawsuits against him by show promoters seeking compensation forced Jones to declare bankruptcy.  He credited his fourth wife Nancy, whom he married in 1983, for helping him overcome his dependency to alcohol and giving his life new meaning.

Countless singers, including Garth Brooks, George Strait, Alan Jackson and Randy Travis name George Jones as a major influence.

Bill Ivey, former director of the Country Music Foundation, once described the role Jones played in Country music. 
   
“He has a unique vocal style that really is so special that it hasn’t been much imitated," he said. "I think people in contemporary Country music, who look back on George’s early work for inspiration, don’t try to sound like him.  They, I think, try to write like him and try to get that spirit into their interpretation.  What George Jones has is a constant presence of the real energy of Country music and I think it’s something that’s much admired.”

At age 62, Jones was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.  The surprise announcement was made during the 1992 Country Music Association Awards telecast.  The overwhelmed performer described his feelings in this acceptance speech.

“You know, I’ve won a lot of awards - I’m not bragging - a lot of awards over the period of years and each and every one of them was fantastic," he said. "They made you feel great. They kept you going and made you try harder and work harder, but this has got to be the greatest one in the world.  Country music has been awful good to me throughout a whole bunch of years, and I’ll tell you what, I’d like to just thank all the fans in the whole, wide world.”

New pop-oriented trends have broadened Country music's boundaries in recent years, but never lessened the popularity of George Jones’ traditional sound.  Several of his peers, including Vince Gill, Patty Loveless, Clint Black, Travis Tritt and Pam Tillis, fulfilled a life-long dream, when they collaborated with Jones on the Grammy Award-winning single, “I Don’t Need Your Rockin’ Chair.”

On many occasions, George Jones said that he played, sang and wrote Country songs out of his deep love for the music.  Equally gratifying was his relationship with his fans.

Jones once revealed, “It’s not really that important to me, as far as glory, popularity and those things.  I just feel like I’m making people happy.  And they sure make me happy when I walk out on that stage.  That’s all that’s really important to me.”

In the early 1990s, Country music fans and musicians named Jones’ recording of “He Stopped Loving Her Today” as the greatest song of all time.  The single topped the chart in 1980 and earned Jones a Grammy and two Country Music Association awards.  His other industry honors included induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1992.  Three years later, he teamed with his former wife Tammy Wynette to record the chart-topping album, “One.”

Jones autobiography, “I Lived To Tell It All,” was published in 1996, and an album of the same name followed.  MCA Records dropped him from its roster in 1998 and he later formed his own label, Bandit Records.

In 1999, George Jones suffered life-threatening injuries when he lost control of his car and slammed into a bridge near his home.  After making a full recovery, he returned to recording and touring.  His last solo album, “Hits I Missed and One I Didn’t,” contains songs made famous by other artists, plus a newly recorded version of his signature tune, “He Stopped Loving Her Today.” 

Jones’ many accolades included a 2008 Kennedy Center Honor and a 2012 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. 

In late 2012, he kicked off his farewell tour, scheduled to conclude on November 22 in Nashville.  Alan Jackson, Garth Brooks, Kenny Rogers and many other Country stars were set to perform at the show.

During the past year, Jones had been hospitalized several times, most recently on April 18 with fever and irregular blood pressure.

(2005 photo of George Jones by Chester L. Roberts.)

Remembering Richie Havens

by Katherine Cole

Folk-rocker Richie Havens, who died Monday of a heart attack, will be remembered for many things, among them a smooth singing voice, standing six-and-a-half-feet tall, and singing at President Bill Clinton’s first inauguration. But the most famous of his many lauded concert appearances happened by accident.

Richie Havens’ performance at Woodstock in 1969 catapulted him into music history, but the lanky, soulful folk singer wasn’t supposed to open the festival - he was scheduled to play fifth that day. Plans changed when the opening band, Sweetwater, got caught in traffic. Havens and his band had traveled to the upstate New York festival site by helicopter, so they were ready to hit the stage when organizers asked Havens to go on instead.

In his book about the festival, producer Michael Lang said he chose Havens as his “emergency opener” “because of his calm but powerful demeanor”. His performance went overtime because the next act was stuck in traffic, too. This led Richie Havens to improvise what became one of the most iconic moments of the Woodstock Festival: his performance of “Freedom/Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child.”

Havens later explained how he came up with his most famous song. He thought back to the start of the festival and hearing “freedom” over and over again in the crowd. Picking up the chant, Havens repeated the word, and then began singing an old gospel song that he’d learned as a child. The improvised medley was a highlight of the Woodstock movie and cemented Havens’ place in music history.
   
The oldest of nine children, Havens was raised in the poor Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, New York. As a child, he dreamed of growing up to be a surgeon, but set off on a musical path as a teenager. Forming a gospel group in high school, he then landed in New York’s Greenwich Village folk clubs at 17. He stood out from the other young singers, not just because of his height, but his ethnicity - Richie Havens was African-American in a largely white folk music scene.

He recorded two albums on small labels before signing with Bob Dylan’s manager, Albert Grossman. He then joined a larger label and went on to tour for more than 40 years, releasing close to 30 albums.

While he was a good songwriter, Richie Havens was also an exceptional song interpreter. In interviews and at shows he’d tell of spending three days learning Bob Dylan’s “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall,” repeatedly practicing the song in a stairwell. One night, a man stopped him and said it was the best version he’d ever heard. Havens always ended the story and started the song by saying: “that’s how I first met Bob Dylan.” 

In 2008, Richie Havens released his final studio album, “Nobody Left To Crown.”

Havens died April 22 at the age of 72. He embodied the spirit of the 1960s and carried that message of peace and love well into the 21st century.

US Folk Musician Richie Havens Dead at 72

American folk musician Richie Havens, who was the first performer at the Woodstock music festival, has died.

His family said Havens died of a heart attack in New Jersey Monday. He was 72.

Havens opened the three-day 1969 Woodstock Festival with the song Freedom, and performed for three hours.  The concert was the turning point of his career.

He also performed at Bill Clinton's presidential Inauguration in 1993.

Havens released his debut album Mixed Bag in 1967 and went on to release more than 25 albums. Havens' last album was 2008's Nobody Left to Crown.

His website said he had kidney surgery in 2010 and that he never recovered enough to perform concerts the way he used to.

(Photo of Richie Havens in 1974 courtesy of William Morris Agency.)

Britain Says Goodbye to Former PM Thatcher

by Al Pessin

Queen Elizabeth II and dignitaries from around the world attended the funeral of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in London. Thatcher, 87, died last week.

Her casket was carried on a horse-drawn gun carriage through the center of London, as people crowded the sidewalks to pay their respects.

It was escorted by military units, and all along the route security was even tighter than originally planned because of Monday’s Boston Marathon bombings. 

There were some protests, but there were no serious incidents.

Inside St. Paul’s Cathedral, the casket lay in front of more than 2,000 mourners. The current Prime Minister David Cameron was there, as were leaders and former leaders from around the world. But there was no official from Argentina, which Thatcher defeated in the 1982 Falkland Islands War.

It was a prayer service, with no formal eulogy. But the Bishop of London, Richard Chartres, gave a brief address, saying, "After the storm of a life lived in the heat of political controversy, there is a great calm. ... Lying here, she is one of us, subject to the common destiny of all human beings.”

Margaret Thatcher was Britain’s only female prime minister, and the longest serving of the 20th Century, holding the office for 11 years. Her passionately conservative policies transformed the country, and ignited strong emotions both in favor and opposed, feelings that have been on display again during the past week, even though she left office 23 years ago.

And that, in the end, is testament to the impact of her life.

(Photo by Minoritenplatz8/Martin451)

Britain's Thatcher to be Buried April 17

Britain has announced that the funeral for former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher will take place next Wednesday, April 17.

The government has said Thatcher would receive a ceremonial funeral at St. Paul's Cathedral with military honors - a step short of a state funeral - in accordance with the wishes of her family. It said a private cremation would follow later.

The former British prime minister died Monday at the age of 87 following a stroke. The outspoken Thatcher led the Conservative Party to three election victories from 1979 to 1990, the longest continuous period in office by a British prime minister since the early 19th century.

U.S. President Barack Obama and other leaders around the world have have paying tribute to Thatcher, known was the "Iron Lady" for her personal and political toughness.

Thatcher was a stern conservative who broke the power of British unions, eliminated many government subsidies and enabled a far greater role for private enterprise.

She led Britain through its 1982 war with Argentina over the Falkland Islands, strongly opposed European integration and built a close "special relationship" with U.S. President Ronald Reagan that some people claim helped spur the downfall of Soviet communism.

Tributes to Margaret Thatcher Pour In

Reaction to the death of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher is coming in from around the world.

U.S. President Barack Obama said in a statement, "The world has lost one of the great champions of freedom and liberty."

European Union Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso recalled her contributions to a more stable Europe.

"She was without doubt a great stateswoman, the first female prime minister of her country, and a circumspect yet engaged player in the European Union. She will be remembered both for her contributions and her reserves to our common project," said Barroso.

Former French president Valerie Giscard d'Estaing remembered Thatcher as a leader who always put her country first.

"She was not interested in the structure of the system, not very much in the future of the system, she was interested in the position of Britain in Europe and she protected it as best as she could," said d'Estaing.

Israeli President Shimon Peres called her exceptional. "I had the highest regard and admiration for the way she combined leaders and ideas to create a new situation." 

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the world will miss her great leadership, calling her a "pioneer" for her contributions to peace and security during the height of the cold war. He also praised Thatcher for giving great hope to women for gender equality in politics.

Former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev said Thatcher was a "great politician" whose words "carried great weight." The Nobel Peace Prize winner, who held frequent meetings with Thatcher at the end of the Cold War, called her death "sad news."

Other world leaders also are offering praise, including Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, who said today's leaders would do well to learn from her.

"Her unbreakable commitment to freedom, democracy and the state of law, as well as her firm reformist determination, are an invaluable legacy for European current leaders who, just like it happened in the 80's when Margaret Thatcher ruled, face now very complex challenges that require big doses of political ambition and courage," said Rajoy.

Britain's 'Iron Lady' Dead at 87

by Al Pessin

Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher has died at the age of 87, following a stroke.

Family spokesman Lord Tim Bell said Britain's only female prime minister died peacefully on Monday morning. Within minutes of the announcement, ordinary citizens began to put flowers and condolence notes outside her home in London.

The British government said Thatcher would receive a ceremonial funeral at St. Paul's Cathedral with military honors - a step short of a state funeral - in accordance with the wishes of her family. It said a private cremation would follow later, but provided no details on the timing of the service.

Thatcher, who was made a baroness by Queen Elizabeth, had a long and controversial career, transforming the British economy and society with her Conservative Party’s anti-union, anti-regulation policies during an 11-year tenure from 1979 to 1990.

She was a grocer’s daughter who rose to become Britain’s only woman prime minister, and she held the job longer than anyone else in the 20th Century. When she first came to office, she expressed this hope.

“Where there is discord may we bring harmony, where there is error may we bring truth, where there is doubt may we bring faith and where there is despair may we bring hope,” she said.

But her tenure through three election victories created considerable discord, alienating workers, deregulating health and safety hazards, and splitting her own Cabinet on some issues. She stood firm against militants in Northern Ireland, allowing one of them to starve himself to death in prison. 

She supported British membership in the European Union, but insisted on not participating in the open borders agreement and the common euro currency. And she took the country to war with Argentina over the Falkland Islands.

Dignitaries react

On Monday, Queen Elizabeth expressed sadness at Mrs. Thatcher’s death, and approved plans for a ceremonial funeral with full military honors and a procession across London to St. Paul’s Cathedral.

Prime Minister David Cameron, also a Conservative, cut short a visit to Spain and France following the news. He said Monday his country had "lost a great leader, a great prime minister and a great Briton."

Cameron said “she did not just lead our country, she saved our country,” and said she will go down in history as “the greatest British peacetime prime minister.” 

European Commission head Jose Manuel Barroso paid tribute Monday to her "contributions" to the growth of the EU, despite her reservations about its merits.

Former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev said Thatcher was a "great politician" whose words "carried great weight." The Nobel Peace Prize winner, who held frequent meetings with Thatcher at the end of the Cold War, called her death "sad news."

U.S. President Barack Obama said “the world has lost one of the great champions of freedom and liberty, and America has lost a true friend.”

Within minutes of the announcement, ordinary citizens began to put flowers and condolence notes outside her home in London. Throughout the city, people were hearing the news as they went out for lunch.

“It is a terrible loss for the UK, but also I think all around the world really," said one citizen. "I think she was an inspirational woman, and I think there will be lots of people affected by this.”

“She took some difficult decisions, was not afraid to put people’s noses out of joint," said another. "And I think a lot of people on both sides of the political spectrum respected her for that.”

“I do not think she did more harm than good. I think she did what could with what she had, like most people do. And it was a hard job to do, I would say, especially being a woman,” another citizen added.

Mrs. Thatcher’s supporters and opponents agree that she had a huge impact on Britain, as a pioneering woman in politics and as a transformational prime minister. As with any politician, her legacy will be mixed, but all appear to agree she earned her nickname, the Iron Lady.

Changed British politics

Thatcher, who is credited with changing the face of British politics during her three terms as Prime Minister, was married to Denis Thatcher and had two children, a son and daughter - twins.

In her autobiography, Thatcher said her foremost achievement, as prime minister, was to shift British policy from what she called soft socialism to a free-enterprise society.

Five years after leaving office, she told a television interviewer she had also restored Britain's high rank in the world because of her unwavering stand for freedom and liberty. She recalled her decision to send British troops to defend the Falkland Islands in 1982 when Argentine forces invaded the British dependency.

"People knew that we would not tolerate an aggressor. We would not appease an aggressor. So we went down to the Falklands," she recalled. "That was the first time an aggressor had been thrown out in the post war period. So we did turn Britain around to become a great nation again although within much smaller borders in a way because we no longer have an empire. But we got back our self-respect and our reputation."

The same could be said for her condemnation of Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990. Standing next to then U.S. President George Bush at a meeting in the United States, Thatcher did not hesitate to call for military action if necessary to stop Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.

Thatcher studied research chemistry and law but soon switched to politics. Margaret Thatcher served as secretary of state for education and science in the 1970s. She quickly rose through Conservative party ranks and became leader of the opposition in Parliament in 1975. She was elected prime minister in 1979.

Thatcher's leadership was controversial at the time. She cut the power of the labor unions, reduced public spending, privatized state-run companies, and moved her centrist Conservative Party farther to the political right.

She never hid her hostility toward the European Union's design for closer economic and political cooperation. Thatcher warned it would rob Britain of its sovereignty.

As the only woman EU leader at the time, Thatcher's trademark became the black handbag she always carried on her arm. Her blunt style and sharp tongue were described as "handbagging."

The term became synonymous with Thatcher tirades against EU leaders trying to forge closer unity.

"You can't just have precisely the kind of leader that you would like. It's a choice between what's on offer," she noted. "Doubtless there were many people for whom I was not the ideal leader, particularly those who wanted to go into Europe much more deeply than I did."

Despite the criticism, the tenacious Margaret Thatcher won landslide victories for second and third terms in office. But her deliberate move to the political right angered many within her own party.

She was ousted as party leader and prime minister in 1990. Thatcher was later made a baroness and appointed to the House of Lords.

In a 1996 speech, Thatcher blamed her party's loss of popularity on a new leadership that she said had betrayed her principles. What works she insisted, is free enterprise, not big government.

She did not hesitate to offer advice to her successor, John Major, as he battled unsuccessfully to keep the Conservative Party in power.

"Never give up power voluntarily," she advised. "If you believe in your message you want to win because you know the message in your hands is likely to be very much more effectively administered than people who now say they agree with it but who never have thought of it in the first place."

Ironically, it was a newly fashioned Labour Party that dumped its socialist rhetoric and adopted the Thatcher strategy to win power in 1997 and put the Conservative Party back in the opposition.

Thatcher refused to sit quietly in the background even in her final years. She was a tireless campaigner for conservative candidates around the country and never hesitated to offer advice and support to the next generation of Conservative Party leaders.

Venezuelans Mourn Chavez

Crowds of grieving Venezuelans sobbed and threw flowers as his coffin made its way through the streets of Caracas Wednesday. A somber Vice President Nicolas Maduro, Chavez's hand-picked successor, walked next to the hearse.

Chavez died Tuesday of cancer. He was 58-years-old.

Several close Chavez allies, including the presidents of Argentina, Bolivia and Uruguay, already are in Venezuela for Friday's funeral.

The United Nations Security Council held a moment of silence Wednesday for Chavez. Cuba, home of Chavez's mentor Fidel Castro, is observing two days of official mourning. Chinese and Iranian leaders also expressed their sorrow.

The U.S. Embassy in Caracas is closed until after the funeral. The U.S. delegation to the funeral has not yet been announced. President Barack Obama said he reaffirms his support for the Venezuelan people and is committed to polices promoting democracy and human rights.

Chavez, a staunch socialist, was elected president in 1998. He earned the enmity of the United States and others for such policies as nationalizing major companies and courting world leaders such as Fidel Castro, Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Libya's Moammar Gadhafi.

The country's opposition accused him of being a dictator. But millions of poor Venezuelans revered him for using the country's vast oil wealth to give them access to low-cost food, free medical care and other social programs. However, experts say Chavez failed to control crime or use oil wealth to enrich the overall economy.

Nicolas Maduro, Venezuelan VP:

"We now have to be united more than ever with major discipline and collaboration," he said. "We are going to grow. We are going to be dignified, inheritors and children of a great man. He was and will always be Comandante Hugo Chavez. Glory and honor Comandante Hugo Chavez. Long live Chavez!''

Latin America analyst Sean Burges, Australian Center for Latin American Studies:

"It’s definitely going to be the economy. Nobody knows what’s going on with the oil company and how much it’s producing," he said. "There are balance payments problems. There are production problems. There are supply problems. And these are all things that even if Chavez had stayed in power, he was going to have to deal with in the next four years. So it’s going to be a really titanic exercise in economic management and rationalization."

"Irrespective of what happens, I think some of the social policies and the political, dynamic changes Chavez brought in, those are going to be around forever."

World Leaders Express Sorrow Over Chavez Death

The death of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has inspired many tributes and expressions of hope for the Venezuelan people.

Some of the late president's closest allies -- Bolivian President Evo Morales, Argentine President Cristina Fernandez and Uruguayan President Jose Mujica -- arrived in Venezuela Wednesday, several days ahead of the leftist leader's state funeral set for Friday.

After learning of Chavez's death, a tearful President Morales had said that the late president would continue to be an inspiration for people who fight for their liberation.

Meanwhile at the United Nations headquarters in New York, the U.N. Security Council held a moment of silence to honor Chavez's memory.  Earlier, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon had offered his condolences to the Venezuelan people.

Another close ally of the Chavez government, Cuba, is observing two days of mourning with flags flown at half-staff.  A statement from the government said the Cuban people considered him one of their "most outstanding sons."

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad also offered his condolences and said he may attend Friday's funeral.  China called Chavez "a great leader and great friend of the Chinese people."

The U.S. Obama administration, often the target of Chavez's criticism, was cautious in its response, releasing a statement expressing support for the Venezuelan people and interest in "developing a constructive relationship with the Venezuelan government."

In the largely Venezuelan community of Doral in the Florida city of Miami, many people who left Venezuela while Chavez was in power took to the streets to celebrate his passing. Some expressed hope that the problems they left behind -- crime, corruption, and a poor economy -- would finally begin to improve.

Venezuelan President Chavez Dead

by Candace Williams

Venezuelan officials say President Hugo Chavez has died after a long struggle with cancer.

Vice President Nicolas Maduro announced the death on national television Tuesday. He urged the Venezuelan people to show strength and courage, and to be united and fulfill the expectations of "this great leader."

Chavez once dreamed of becoming a professional baseball player, but instead he entered the world of politics. During his lifetime, the controversial president courted figures such as Fidel Castro of Cuba, Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and then-Libyan leader Moammar Gadhadi.

As an army paratrooper in 1992, Mr. Chavez led an unsuccessful coup against then-president Carlos Andres Perez, and he spent time in jail for plotting the failed coup. Mr. Chavez's political fortunes later changed.  He was elected president of oil-rich Venezuela in 1998, running on a populist platform and pledging to wipe out poverty and corruption.

He considered himself a revolutionary and said he was inspired by his political mentor, Fidel Castro, who held power for close to 50 years in Cuba. Critics often accused Mr. Chavez of steering Venezuela toward a Cuban-style one-party dictatorship.  Political analyst Luis Vicente Leon says Venezuela became undemocratic under the president's growing authoritarian rule.

"We rediscovered the needs of the poor classes, we rediscovered that it was necessary to tend to their problems.  What are the negatives?  Well, I think the most important of all is that Venezuela's democracy nowadays is quite a poor democracy," Leon said.

Chavez was a fierce critic of the United States, which he often referred to as "the empire," and he accused the U.S. of supporting coup attempts against him - charges Washington denied. Back in 2006, he famously referred to then-U.S. president George W. Bush as "the devil" during a speech before the United Nations General Assembly. 

"Yesterday the devil was here at this very spot. This podium where it is now my turn to speak still smells of sulfur," Chavez said.

As president, Chavez nationalized major companies across a range of industries -- from oil, steel and cement, to electricity and telecommunications. He also directed funds from the country's oil wealth to social programs for the needy.  Additionally, he used electoral victories to extend the presidential term to six years and remove term limits.

Michael Shifter is an analyst with the Inter-American Dialogue in Washington.  He says the president's leftist policies hurt long-term economic development and contributed to rising crime.  But he says Mr. Chavez will be remembered as a champion of the people who used his country's vast oil wealth to provide the poor with free housing and health care.

"There is nobody around who has the charisma and the ability to connect to Venezuelans the way Chavez did. Chavez as a figure and the memory of Chavez won't disappear.  That will help sustain the movement," Shifter said.

Chavez also earned the ire of critics by cracking down on the opposition media.  The human rights body of the Organization of American States voiced concern about the use of the punitive power of the state to silence opponents in Venezuela.

In 2008, Venezuela and Ecuador broke diplomatic relations with Bogota after Colombian troops raided a Colombian FARC rebel camp in Ecuador, killing a rebel commander and several other people. 

Ties between Venezuela and Colombia soured over accusations that Venezuela harbors FARC rebels.  Venezuela denied financing and supporting the FARC.  Mr. Chavez, however, helped win the release of some Colombians held hostage by the FARC.

In June 2011, President Chavez was diagnosed with cancer and subsequently underwent surgeries in Cuba to remove tumors from his pelvic area.  He then underwent chemotherapy both in Cuba and Venezuela for the disease.  The president did not disclose what kind of cancer was being treated, but insisted he would be ready to run for re-election in October 2012.  Mr. Chavez won a fourth term, but underwent a fourth cancer operation in Cuba in December.  He was not seen in public after that, although a photograph of him with two daughters was released in the weeks prior to his death.

Chavez was to have been sworn in this past January, but the event did not occur because he was not well enough for the occasion.

(2006 photo by José Cruz/ABr)

Civil Rights Pioneer James Hood Dies at 70

One of the first black students to defy racial segregation at a university in the American south a half century ago has died.

Officials at a funeral home in Gadsden, Alabama said James Hood died Thursday of natural causes. He was 70.

Hood made history in 1963 when he and fellow student Vivian Malone were confronted at the University of Alabama by then Governor George Wallace, who tried to block their entry to the auditorium where they were to register for classes. The students were accompanied by U.S. Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach in a confrontation still referred to by historians as “the stand in the schoolhouse door.”

Wallace backed down later in the day, and Hood and Malone registered for classes. The governor's capitulation came just months after publicly promising the citizens of Alabama to maintain “segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever.”

University of Alabama President Judy Bonner on Friday remembered Hood as “a man of courage and conviction” for his role in integrating the university. Bonner told the Associated Press that Hood maintained a connection to the school that drew him back years later to earn his doctorate.

Hood was the last survivor among the major figures in the schoolhouse door confrontation. Wallace, who years later recanted his segregationist stance, died in 1998. Vivian Malone Jones died in 2005, and Attorney General Katzenbach last year.

'Dear Abby' Advice Columnist Dies at 94

Long-time American newspaper columnist Pauline Friedman Phillips, who for decades wrote the syndicated advice column "Dear Abby," has died. She was 94.

Phillips' publicist said she died Wednesday in Minnesota after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease.

Phillips' column -- seen by millions of readers -- competed for decades with another widely circulated advice column, "Ann Landers," authored by Phillips' twin sister Esther Friedman Lederer.

"Abby" appeared in 1,000 newspapers, as far away as Brazil and Thailand. It addressed queries ranging from marriage and relationships to illness, aging, sex, dying and equal rights.

The first Dear Abby column appeared in 1956, and Phillips continued writing the advice feature until 2000, when she and daughter Jeanne began sharing the byline.

Jeanne Phillips took over the column full time in 2002 when the family announced that Pauline Phillips had Alzheimer's.

In 2003, Phillips' family and an anonymous donor gave $10 million to the Mayo Clinic medical center to boost Alzheimer's research.

Aaron Swartz, Internet Activist, Dead at 26

Twenty-six-year-old computer prodigy and Internet activist Aaron Swartz has been found dead in his apartment in New York.

The New York medical examiner said Friday Swartz apparently hanged himself. He had publicly discussed on his blog his struggle with depression.

Swartz was set to go on trial later this year on federal charges that he stole millions of scholarly articles from JSTOR, an online archive and journal distribution service, in an attempt to make the articles freely available to the public. He faced decades in prison and $1 million in fines, if convicted.

JSTOR did not press charges against Swartz, once it reclaimed the articles from him.

However, media reports say U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz would not drop the case.

She is reported to have said “stealing is stealing, whether you use a computer command or a crowbar, and whether you take documents, data or dollars.”

Swartz's family said in a statement that his death “is not simply a personal tragedy. It is the product of a criminal justice system rife with intimidation and prosecutorial overreach.”

As a young teenager, Swartz helped create RSS, a family of Web feed formats used to gather updates from blogs, news headlines, audio and video for users.

He co-founded the social news website Reddit, which was later sold to Conde Nast.

He was also the co-founder of the political action group Demand Progress, which campaigns against Internet censorship.

(2009 photo by Sage Ross.)

Canadian Who Sheltered Americans During Iran Hostage Crisis Dies

John Sheardown, a former Canadian diplomat who sheltered fugitive American Embassy staffers in his Tehran home during the Iran hostage crisis more than three decades ago, has died. He was 88 years old.

Sheardown had been treated for Alzheimer's disease and other ailments before his death December 30 in Ottawa.

The rescue of the Americans has become known as the “Canadian caper” and is depicted in Ben Affleck's Oscar-contender film Argo. However, Sheardown is not portrayed in the film.

Affleck has said Sheardown's role in the hostage crisis was omitted in the film due to time constraints and plot developments.

Sheardown and his wife, Zena, housed four of the six fugitive diplomats in their 20-room home in Tehran. The other two Americans were taken in by Canadian Ambassador Ken Taylor. The group had escaped from the U.S. Embassy compound when Iranian radicals seized the embassy on November 4, 1979, in retaliation for U.S. support for the deposed shah, who was ousted early in the year. The hostage-takers held 52 other Americans for 444 days.

Sheardown received a telephone call from one of the escaped Americans about a week after the embassy takeover, asking for help and Sheardown agreed.

His wife said “it was just not in John's nature to refuse help to anyone.”

In a story posted in October on the Slate magazine website, one of the rescued American diplomats, Mark Lijek, said without Sheardown's “enthusiastic welcome we might have tried to survive on our own a few more days. We would have failed.”

Sheardown was made a Member of the Order of Canada for his role in the rescue.

Pakistani Religious Scholar Dies

Prominent Pakistani religious scholar Qazi Hussain Ahmed has died at the age of 74.

He was the chief of Jamaat-e-Islami, Pakistan's leading religious group, for 22 years before stepping down in 2009.

In November, Ahmed escaped unhurt from an assassination attempt when a suicide bomber detonated explosives near him.

He was a strong critic of the U.S.-NATO participation in the civil war in neighboring Afghanistan.

Ahmed died Sunday morning in Islamabad. He had suffered from heart disease for years.

Writers: Final Exits of 2012

Polish Nobel Laureate Dies
http://post-humous.blogspot.com/2012/02/polish-nobel-laureate-dies.html

Award-Winning New York Times Reporter Dies in Syria
http://post-humous.blogspot.com/2012/02/award-winning-new-york-times-reporter.html

Famous Children's Author Leaves Legacy of Wild Things
http://post-humous.blogspot.com/2012/05/famous-childrens-author-leaves-legacy.html

Science Fiction Icon Ray Bradbury Dead at 91
http://post-humous.blogspot.com/2012/06/science-fiction-icon-ray-bradbury-dead.html

Humorist, Screenwriter Nora Ephron Dies at 71
http://post-humous.blogspot.com/2012/06/humorist-screenwriter-nora-ephron-dies.html

Novelist Gore Vidal Dies at 86
http://post-humous.blogspot.com/2012/08/novelist-gore-vidal-dies-at-86.html

Dissident Vietnamese Poet Nguyen Chi Thien Dies at 73
http://post-humous.blogspot.com/2012/10/dissident-vietnamese-poet-nguyen-chi.html

Movies and TV: Final Exits of 2012

Famed Greek Director Theo Angelopoulos Killed During Movie Filming
http://post-humous.blogspot.com/2012/01/famed-greek-director-theo-angelopoulos.html

Robert Hegyes
http://post-humous.blogspot.com/2012/01/robert-hegyes.html

Ian Abercrombie
http://post-humous.blogspot.com/2012/01/ian-abercrombie.html

Award Winning Actor Ben Gazzara Dies
http://post-humous.blogspot.com/2012/02/award-winning-actor-ben-gazzara-dies.html

Mike Wallace, Iconic American Journalist, Dies at 93
http://post-humous.blogspot.com/2012/04/mike-wallace-iconic-american-journalist.html

TV Remote Control Inventor Dies
http://post-humous.blogspot.com/2012/05/tv-remote-control-inventor-dies.html

Remembering Remote Control Inventor Gene Polley
http://post-humous.blogspot.com/2012/06/remembering-remote-control-inventor.html

US TV Legend Andy Griffith Dead at 86
http://post-humous.blogspot.com/2012/07/us-tv-legend-andy-griffith-dead-at-86.html

Oscar-Winning Actor Ernest Borgnine Dies at 95
http://post-humous.blogspot.com/2012/07/oscar-winning-actor-ernest-borgnine.html

Oscar-Winning Film and Stage Actress Celeste Holm Dies at 95
http://post-humous.blogspot.com/2012/07/oscar-winning-film-and-stage-actress.html

Hollywood Director Tony Scott Dies
http://post-humous.blogspot.com/2012/08/hollywood-director-tony-scott-dies.html

Actor Michael Clarke Duncan Dies
http://post-humous.blogspot.com/2012/09/actor-michael-clarke-duncan-dies.html

Music: Final Exits of 2012

Dave 'Omar' Alexander
http://post-humous.blogspot.com/2012/01/dave-omar-alexander.html

Bulgarian-Born Pianist Alexis Weissenberg Dies at 82
http://post-humous.blogspot.com/2012/01/bulgarian-born-pianist-alexis.html

Bridie Gallagher
http://post-humous.blogspot.com/2012/01/bridie-gallagher.html

US Blues Legend Etta James Dies of Leukemia
http://post-humous.blogspot.com/2012/01/us-blues-legend-etta-james-dies-of.html

Remembering Blues Legend Etta James
http://post-humous.blogspot.com/2012/01/remembering-blues-legend-etta-james.html

John Levy
http://post-humous.blogspot.com/2012/01/john-levy.html

Camilla Williams
http://post-humous.blogspot.com/2012/01/camilla-williams.html

Legendary Soul Train Host Found Dead
http://post-humous.blogspot.com/2012/02/legendary-soul-train-host-found-dead.html

Tributes Pour in for Late Soul Train Creator
http://post-humous.blogspot.com/2012/02/tributes-pour-in-for-late-soul-train.html

Singer Whitney Houston Dead at 48
http://post-humous.blogspot.com/2012/02/singer-whitney-houston-dead-at-48.html

Singer Whitney Houston Memorialized at Pre-Grammy Awards Gala
http://post-humous.blogspot.com/2012/02/singer-whitney-houston-memorialized-at.html

Davy Jones
http://post-humous.blogspot.com/2012/02/davy-jones.html

Remembering Davy Jones
http://post-humous.blogspot.com/2012/03/remembering-davy-jones.html

Bluegrass Legend Earl Scruggs Dead at 88
http://post-humous.blogspot.com/2012/03/bluegrass-legend-earl-scruggs-dead-at.html

Remembering Earl Scruggs
http://post-humous.blogspot.com/2012/03/remembering-earl-scruggs.html

Entertainment Pioneer Dick Clark Dies at 82
http://post-humous.blogspot.com/2012/04/entertainment-pioneer-dick-clark-dies.html

Adam Yauch of The Beastie Boys Dies at 47
http://post-humous.blogspot.com/2012/05/adam-yauch-of-beastie-boys-dies-at-47.html

Chuck Brown, 'The Godfather of Go-Go,' Dies at 75
http://post-humous.blogspot.com/2012/05/chuck-brown-godfather-of-go-go-dies-at.html

Queen of Disco Loses Battle with Cancer
http://post-humous.blogspot.com/2012/05/queen-of-disco-loses-battle-with-cancer.html

Godfather of Go-Go Music Dies
http://post-humous.blogspot.com/2012/05/godfather-of-go-go-music-dies.html

Last Dance for Queen of Disco; Donna Summer Succumbs to Cancer
http://post-humous.blogspot.com/2012/05/last-dance-for-queen-of-disco-donna.html

Disco Era Icon Robin Gibb Dies of Cancer at 62
http://post-humous.blogspot.com/2012/05/disco-era-icon-robin-gibb-dies-of.html

American Folk Legend Doc Watson Dies
http://post-humous.blogspot.com/2012/05/american-folk-legend-doc-watson-dies.html

Robin Gibb to Be Buried June 8
http://post-humous.blogspot.com/2012/06/robin-gibb-to-be-buried-june-8.html

Country Music Pioneer Kitty Wells Dies at 92
http://post-humous.blogspot.com/2012/07/country-music-pioneer-kitty-wells-dies.html

Award-Winning Composer Marvin Hamlisch Dies
http://post-humous.blogspot.com/2012/08/award-winning-composer-marvin-hamlisch.html

Hamlisch Remembered for Iconic Broadway Tunes
http://post-humous.blogspot.com/2012/08/hamlisch-remembered-for-iconic-broadway.html

Legendary US Songwriter Hal David Dies at 91
http://post-humous.blogspot.com/2012/09/legendary-us-songwriter-hal-david-dies.html

Singer Andy Williams, Star of Records and TV, Dies at 84
http://post-humous.blogspot.com/2012/09/singer-andy-williams-star-of-records.html

Pioneering Jazz Musician Dave Brubeck Dies
http://post-humous.blogspot.com/2012/12/pioneering-jazz-musician-dave-brubeck.html

Indian Sitarist Ravi Shankar Dies
http://post-humous.blogspot.com/2012/12/indian-sitarist-ravi-shankar-dies.html

Russian Soprano Galina Vishnevskaya Dies At 86
http://post-humous.blogspot.com/2012/12/russian-soprano-galina-vishnevskaya_13.html

Former Pop Superstar Patti Page Dies at 85

American Singer Patti Page, who sold more than 100 million records during her seven-decade-long career, has died. She was 85 years old.

The Oklahoma-born Page was a major star and the premier female popular singer in the pre - rock 'n roll era of the early 1950s. Her best selling recordings of “The Tennessee Waltz” and “How Much Is That Doggie in the Window” were standards, and appealed to fans of pop tunes as well as those of country music.

She also was a pioneer in the recording technique known as overdubbing, in which she sang along with recordings of her own voice being played back.

In addition, Page hosted television variety shows and appeared in films.

She was scheduled to appear at next month's Grammy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles to receive a lifetime achievement award.