'Me and Mrs. Jones' Singer, Billy Paul Dies

Singer Billy Paul, best known for his song Me and Mrs. Jones, died Sunday.  He was 80.

On Me and Mrs. Jones, a number one song in 1972, Paul crooned about a love affair between a man and a married woman.

The sultry song earned Paul a Grammy for best male rhythm and blues performance, beating out his competitors who included Ray Charles, Curtis Mayfield and Isaac Hayes.

It was his biggest hit and Paul would be identified with the song for the rest of his life.

Paul was one of many singers who found success with the writing and producing team of Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff, whose Philadelphia International Records also released music by the O'Jays, Teddy Pendergrass, and Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes.

Years later in 2003, however, Paul sued Gamble and Huff for unpaid royalties on Me and Mrs. Jones and won.  A California jury awarded Paul a half million dollars.

Paul was born Paul Williams.  At the suggestion of a manager, he began to use Billy Paul as his stage name to avoid confusion with the songwriter Paul Williams.

Paul continued to perform throughout the years.  The Associated Press reports that he was lining up appearances shortly before his death.

(Photo by Kassus: Billy Paul at Carthage Palace, 2006.)

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.)

Award Winning Actor Ben Gazzara Dies



 Emmy Award winning actor Ben Gazzara has died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 81.
A family attorney says Gazzara passed away at a New York City hospital Friday, with his family at his side.
Gazzara, son of Italian immigrants parents, was known for portraying emotionally complex characters, with a tough guy persona.
He gained recognition early in his career, playing the role of Brick in the Broadway production of 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof”.
Gazzara later won three Emmy Awards for television roles, including the lead in the hit prime time drama “Run for Your Life,” which aired on the U.S.-based NBC network in the mid to late 1960's.
He also earned Tony Award nominations for his theatre roles in works such as the critically acclaimed “Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf?”.
Gazzara is survived by a wife and daughter. A private funeral is planned. No public memorial has been announced.

Photograph of Ben Gazarra by Carl van Vechten, 13 May 1955.

Final Exits, 15-21 December 2011

Clark Terry and Bob Brookmeyer at the Clearwater Jazz Festival in the 1980s. Photo by Laura Kolb @ Lochaven.

Obituaries for 15-21 December 2011

15
* Eduardo Barreto, 57, Uruguayan comic book artist.
* Graham Booth, 71, British politician, Member of the European Parliament for South West England (2002–2008).
* William Claver, 75, Filipino human rights lawyer, Congressman from Kalinga-Apayao (1987–1992).
* David Fordham, 62, Australian sports commentator, cancer.
* Walter Giller, 84, German actor. (German)
* Christopher Hitchens, 62, British writer (God Is Not Great) and commentator (Vanity Fair), esophageal cancer.
* Paula Hyman, 65, American professor of modern Jewish history (Yale University).
* Ricardo Ibarra, 61, Argentine Olympic rower. (Spanish)
* Guy Ignolin, 75, French professional cyclist. (French)
* Nur Khan, 88, Pakistani air marshal, Chief of Air Staff (1965–1969) and Governor of West Pakistan (1969–1970).
* James M. Quigley, 93, American politician, Representative from Pennsylvania (1955–1957; 1959–1961).
* Jason Richards, 35, New Zealand race car driver, cancer.
* Carmen Rupe, 75, New Zealand transsexual entertainer, kidney failure.
* Mario Tovar González, 78, Mexican Olympic wrestler, respiratory complications. (Spanish)

16
* Ulf Aas, 92, Norwegian illustrator. (Norwegian)
* Bob Brookmeyer, 81, American jazz valve trombonist, cardiopulmonary arrest.
* Robert Easton, 81, American actor and dialect coach.
* Dan Frazer, 90, American actor (Kojak, As The World Turns), cardiac arrest.
* Alice Glenn, 89, Irish politician, TD for Dublin Central (1981–1982; 1982–1987).
* Chubee Kagita, 54, Japanese politician, heart failure. (Japanese)
* Gadzhimurat Kamalov, 46, Russian journalist, shot.
* Henry Kitchener, 3rd Earl Kitchener, 92, British soldier and aristocrat.
* Mark Kopytman, 82, Ukrainian-born Israeli composer. (Hebrew)
* Bert Muhly, 88, American politician and academic, Mayor of Santa Cruz, California (1974–1975), heart failure.
* Patrick V. Murphy, 91, American police chief, New York City Police Commissioner (1970–1973), heart attack.
* Te Paekiomeka Joy Ruha, 80, New Zealand Māori leader.
* Slim Dunkin, 24, American rapper (1017 Brick Squad), shot.
* Keith W. Wilcox, 90, American architect and politician, member of LDS priesthood.

17
* John Bishop, 65, American soul and jazz guitarist, heart attack.
* Sérgio Britto, 88, Brazilian actor and television host, heart failure. (Spanish)
* Michael Gower Coleman, 72, South African Roman Catholic prelate, Bishop of Port Elizabeth (1986–2011).
* Eva Ekvall, 28, Venezuelan TV news anchor and model, Miss Venezuela 2000, breast cancer.
* Cesária Évora, 70, Cape Verdean singer, heart failure.
* Kim Jong-il, 69 or 70, North Korean Supreme Leader (since 1994), heart attack.
* Mario Mannucci, 79, Italian rally co-driver. (Polish)
* Harley Sewell, 80, American football player (Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Rams).
* Joãosinho Trinta, 78, Brazilian Carnival designer, septic shock. (Portuguese)

18
* Doe Avedon, 86, American actress (The High and the Mighty) and model, pneumonia.
* Henry E. Catto, Jr., 81, American public servant and diplomat, complications of leukemia.
* Lorenzo de Rodas, 81, Mexican actor (Bajo la misma piel), heart attack. (Spanish)
* Jeremy Doyle, 28, Australian wheelchair basketball player, bladder cancer.
* Václav Havel, 75, Czech playwright and politician, President of Czechoslovakia (1989–1992) and the Czech Republic (1993–2003).
* Warren Hellman, 77, American investor, founder of Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festivals, complications from leukemia treatment.
* Salem Jubran, 71, Israeli Arab poet and journalist.
* Ralph MacDonald, 67, American percussionist and songwriter.
* Donald Neilson, 75, English serial killer.
* Don Sharp, 89, Australian-born British film director (Hammer horror).
* Ronald Wolfe, 89, British sitcom writer (The Rag Trade, On the Buses), complications from a fall.

19
* George Athor, 49, South Sudanese rebel leader, shot.
* Luciano Magistrelli, 73, Italian Olympic footballer, heart attack. (Italian)
* Héctor Núñez, 75, Uruguayan footballer, after long illness. (Spanish)
* Horst-Eberhard Richter, 88, German psychoanalyst and social philosopher. (German)
* Ron Smith, 70, American radio host (WBAL), pancreatic cancer.

20
* Robert Ader, 79, American psychologist, co-founder of psychoneuroimmunology.
* Hana Andronikova, 44, Czech writer and playwright, cancer.
* Hugh Carless, 86, British diplomat and explorer.
* Clem DeRosa, 86, American jazz drummer, arranger, bandleader and music educator, director of the International Association for Jazz Education.
* Vasilis Dioskouridis, 70, Greek intellectual. (Greek)
* Jack Goldman, 90, American physicist, chief scientist at Xerox Corporation.
* Iván Heyn, 34, Argentine economist and politician.
* Khalifa Kambi, 56, Gambian politician, Deputy Minister of Agriculture (since 2010).
* Yoshimitsu Morita, 61, Japanese film director (The Family Game), liver failure.
* Tushar Ranganath, 37, Indian film director (Gulama), heart attack.
* John Rex, 86, South African-born British sociologist. (death reported on this date)
* Leopold Unger, 89, Polish journalist. (Polish)
* Kenchappa Varadaraj, 89, Indian Olympic footballer.
* Václav Zítek, 79, Czech opera singer.

21
* Francis Braganza, 89, Indian Roman Catholic prelate, Bishop of Baroda (1987–1997).
* John Chamberlain, 84, American sculptor.
* P. K. Iyengar, 80, Indian nuclear scientist.
* Olavi Rokka, 86, Finnish Olympic modern pentathlete, bronze medalist (1952). (Finnish)
* Yevhen Rudakov, 69, Russian Olympic bronze medal-winning (1972) football goalkeeper. (Ukrainian)
* Robert Simons, 89, English cricketer (Hertfordshire).
* Roberto Szidon, 70, Brazilian classical pianist, heart attack. (Portuguese)
* Umanosuke Ueda, 71, Japanese professional wrestler and actor, respiratory failure. (Japanese)
* Jean-Pierre Urkia, 93, French-born Laotian Roman Catholic prelate, Vicar Apostolic of Paksé (1967–1975).

Final Exits, 8-14 October 2011

George "Mojo" Buford

Obituaries for 8-14 October 2011

8
* Al Davis, 82, American football coach and team owner (Oakland Raiders).
* David Hess, 75, American actor (The Last House on the Left), singer and songwriter, heart attack.
* Ovidio de Jesús, 78, Puerto Rican Olympic sprinter (1956, 1960). (Spanish) (death announced on this date)
* Piet Noordijk, 79, Dutch saxophone player.
* Nina Sorokina, 69, Russian ballerina, People's Artist of the USSR. (Russian)
* Mikey Welsh, 40, American artist and musician (Weezer).
* Roger Williams, 87, American pianist, pancreatic cancer.
* Ingvar Wixell, 80, Swedish opera singer. (Swedish)

9
* Kei Aoyama, 32, Japanese mangaka, suicide. (Japanese)
* Antonis Christeas, 74, Greek basketball player (AEK Athens) and coach. (Greek)
* Robert Boochever, 94, American federal judge.
* Bill Brown, 69, American disc jockey (WCBS-FM).
* Rob Buckman, 63, British-born Canadian oncologist and comedian.
* Vibeke Mowinckel Falk, 93, Norwegian actress. (Norwegian)
* Chauncey Hardy, 23, American basketball player, heart attack following beating.
* Pavel Karelin, 21, Russian ski jumper, traffic accident. (Russian)
* Edward Loper, Sr., 95, American artist, Alzheimer's disease.
* Manuel Prado Perez-Rosas, 88, Peruvian Roman Catholic prelate, Archbishop of Trujillo (1976–1999).
* Ljubo Stipišić, 73, Croatian composer. (Croatian)
* James Worrall, 97, Canadian Olympic athlete (1936) and administrator.

10
* Ray Aghayan, 83, Iranian-born American costume designer (Funny Lady, Doctor Dolittle).
* Milton Castellanos Everardo, 91, Mexican politician, President of Chamber of Deputies (1951), Governor of Baja California (1971–1977). (Spanish)
* Albert Rosellini, 101, American politician, Governor of Washington (1957–1965), natural causes.
* Jagjit Singh, 70, Indian musician, brain haemorrhage.
* Otto Tausig, 89, Austrian writer, director and actor. (German)
* Jyohji Yanagi, 63, Japanese blues singer. (Japanese)

11
* Amin al-Shami, Yemeni air force colonel, car bomb.
* Kim Brown, 66, British-born Finnish musician, cancer. (Finnish)
* George "Mojo" Buford, 81, American blues harmonica player.
* Cy Buker, 92, American baseball player (Brooklyn Dodgers).
* Ion Diaconescu, 94, Romanian politician, former PNŢCD leader, President of Chamber of Deputies (1996-2000), heart failure. (Romanian)
* Doctor X, 43, Mexican professional wrestler, shot. (Spanish)
* Bob Galvin, 89, American businessman, CEO of Motorola (1959–1986).
* Freddie Gruber, 84, American jazz drummer.
* Nauman Habib, 32, Pakistani cricketer, murdered.
* Henk Hofs, 60, Dutch footballer (Vitesse). (Dutch)
* Keith Holman, 84, Australian rugby league player and referee.
* Frank Kameny, 86, American gay rights activist, natural causes.
* Jose Vasconcelos, 85, Brazilian actor and comedian, respiratory failure. (Portuguese)

12
* Heinz Bennent, 90, German actor. (German)
* Patricia Breslin, 80, American actress (The People's Choice, Peyton Place, The Twilight Zone), wife of Art Modell, pancreatitis.
* Joel DiGregorio, 67, American keyboardist (The Charlie Daniels Band), car crash.
* Lambert Giebels, 76, Dutch writer, historian and politician. (Dutch)
* János Herskó, 85, Hungarian film director and actor. (Hungarian)
* Dieudonné Kabongo, 61, Congolese-born Belgian comedian, actor and musician.
* Vic Miles, 79, American reporter and news anchor.
* Dennis Ritchie, 70, American computer scientist, developer of C programming language. (body discovered on this date)
* Dick Thornett, 71, Australian triple international sportsman (water polo, rugby union and rugby league), heart disease.
* Martin White, 102, Irish hurler.

13
* Chris Doig, 63, New Zealand opera singer and sports administrator, bowel cancer.
* Pavlina Nikaj, 80, Albanian singer. (Albanian)
* Abdoulaye Seye, 77, Senegalese Olympic bronze medal-winning (1960) athlete. (French)

14
* Reg Alcock, 63, Canadian politician, MP for Winnipeg South (1993–2006); President of the Treasury Board (2003–2006), heart attack.
* Leon Cakoff, 63, Brazilian film critic, melanoma. (Portuguese)
* Michael Fitzpatrick, 69, Irish politician, TD for Kildare North (2007–2011), motor neurone disease.
* Adam Hunter, 48, Scottish golfer, leukemia.
* Sue Mengers, 78 or 81, American show business talent agent.
* Laura Pollán, 63, Cuban opposition leader, founder of the Ladies in White, cardiorespiratory arrest.
* Chuck Ruff, 60, American drummer (Edgar Winter, Sammy Hagar), after long illness.

Czech Anti-Communist Activist Masin Dies at 81

Ctirad Masin, a Czech anti-communist fighter who shot his way to freedom in a daring escape in 1953, died Saturday in a war veteran's residence in the U.S. midwestern city of Cleveland, Ohio. He was 81.

Masin, his brother Josef and another man, Milan Paumer, were part of the Masin brothers resistance cell established after the communists seized power in 1948 in the then Central European nation of Czechoslovakia. The group carried out raids in Czechoslovakia, killing several people, before fleeing to the West in 1953.

Two members of the five-person cell were captured during the escape and executed but the other three reached West Berlin after a month-long manhunt involving thousands of East German police and soldiers.

The three later settled in the United State and served in the U.S. army. Paumer returned home following the fall of communism in 1989 and died last year. The Masin brothers never returned to Czechoslovakia, which split in 1993 into the Czech Republic and Slovakia, saying it has not fully rid itself of its communist past.

Many Czechs consider the fighters to be heroes but others say they were criminals. In 2008, the group was awarded a prime minister's medal.

Photo: Ctirad Masin, 1950, courtesy of Barbara Masin, digitized by Don Rumata.

Apartheid-Era Defense Minister Malan Dies in South Africa

Monday, 18 July 2011

A South African defense minister who led military efforts against the anti-apartheid movement has died.

A statement released by the family of General Magnus Malan says he “died peacefully” early Monday at his home in Cape Town. He was 81.

Malan served as South Africa's defense minister from 1980 to 1991 and before that as army chief.

As defense minister, Malan organized the government's response to what he saw as a “total onslaught” against South Africa and its white-minority rule.

He deployed troops to control unrest in South African townships, and also sanctioned raids against anti-apartheid fighters in neighboring countries.

Later, Malan went on trial for the 1987 murders of 13 people in KwaZulu-Natal province. Malan and 19 others who were tried with him were eventually acquitted of those charges.

Malan is survived by his wife, three children and nine grandchildren.

Final Exits, 22-28 June 2011

Elaine Stewart in the film The Bad and the Beautiful, 1952.

Obituaries for 22-28 June 2011

22
* Sir John Agnew, 6th Baronet, 60, British landowner, prostate cancer.
* Kader Asmal, 76, South African politician, heart attack.
* Anatoli Bitkov, 38, Russian journalist and broadcaster, homicide. (Russian)
* Fanny de Sivers, 90, Estonian linguist and translator. (Estonian)
* Carmelo Juan Giaquinta, 81, Argentinian Roman Catholic prelate, Archbishop of Resistencia (1993–2005).
* Harley Hotchkiss, 83, Canadian businessman, member of Hockey Hall of Fame, prostate cancer.
* Robert Miller, 72, American art dealer, infection.
* Cyril Ornadel, 87, British conductor and composer.
* Coşkun Özarı, 80, Turkish football player and coach.
* David Rayfiel, 87, American screenwriter (Out of Africa, Three Days of the Condor), heart failure.
* Jared Southwick, 34, American rock guitarist (The Dream Is Dead), liver and kidney condition.
* Mike Waterson, 70, British folk singer, cancer.
* John Waite, 81, South African cricketer.
* Zbyněk Zeman, 82, Czech historian.

23
* Vladislav Achalov, 65, Russian general and activist.
* Gene Colan, 84, American comic book artist (Daredevil, Howard the Duck), complications from cancer and liver disease.
* Gaye Delorme, 64, Canadian musician, heart attack.
* Peter Falk, 83, American actor (Columbo, Murder, Inc., Pocketful of Miracles, The Great Race).
* Stéphane Franke, 47, German athlete. (German)
* Len King, 86, Australian politician and jurist, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of South Australia (1978–1995).
* Dennis Marshall, 25, Costa Rican footballer, car crash.
* Patricia Merbreier, 86, American actress and television personality (Captain Noah and His Magical Ark).
* Basil Mitchell, 94, British philosopher.
* Christiane Desroches Noblecourt, 97, French Egyptologist.
* Attilio Ruffini, 85, Italian politician, Minister of Defence (1977–1980) and Minister of Foreign Affairs (1980). (Italian)
* Fred Steiner, 88, American television composer (Perry Mason, Star Trek, The Twilight Zone).

24
* Tomislav Ivić, 77, Croatian football coach (Ajax, Anderlecht). (Dutch)
* Nisar Ahmed Khan, 110, Pakistani supercentenarian, thought to be oldest Pakistani.
* Richie Myers, 81, American baseball player (Chicago Cubs), complications from a fall.
* F. Gilman Spencer, 85, American Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper editor.

25
* George Ballas, 85, American entrepreneur, inventor of the Weed Eater.
* Nick Charles, 64, American sportscaster (CNN Sports Tonight), bladder cancer.
* Shelby Grant, 74, American actress (Our Man Flint, Fantastic Voyage, Medical Center), brain aneurysm.
* Martin H. Greenberg, 70, American anthologist, cancer.
* Jan Kułakowski, 80, Polish politician, Member of the European Parliament (2004–2009).
* J.O. Patterson, Jr., 76, American politician and religious leader, first black mayor of Memphis (1982).
* Alice Playten, 63, American actress, heart failure.
* Goff Richards, 66, English brass band arranger and composer, illness.
* Betty Roberts, 88, American politician and judge, Oregon Supreme Court (1982–1986), pulmonary fibrosis.
* Margaret Tyzack, 79, British actress, short illness.

26
* Roberto Bruce, 78, Chilean comedian, cardiac arrest. (Spanish)
* Simon Heere Heeresma, 79, Dutch writer. (Dutch)
* Norma Lyon, 81, American farmer and butter sculpture artist.
* Sidney Hollis Radner, 91, American collector of Harry Houdini memorabilia.
* Alan Rodger, Baron Rodger of Earlsferry, 66, British Supreme Court judge.
* Christopher Shale, 56, British political aide.
* Jan van Beveren, 63, Dutch football player and coach. (Dutch)
* Barry Wilkins, 64, Canadian hockey player (Vancouver Canucks), lung cancer.

27
* Lorenzo Charles, 47, American basketball player (NC State, Atlanta Hawks), bus accident.
* Mike Doyle, 64, English footballer (Manchester City), liver failure.
* Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz, 97, Israeli rabbi.
* Erling Olsen, 84, Danish politician, natural causes. (Danish)
* Elaine Stewart, 81, American actress and model, after long illness.
* Charles W. Whalen, Jr., 90, American politician, U.S. Representative from Ohio (1967–1979).
* Maciej Zembaty, 67, Polish writer and singer. (Polish)

28
* Giorgio Bernardin, 83, Italian footballer. (Italian)
* Carlos Diarte, 57, Paraguayan footballer, cancer. (Spanish)
* Richard Fox, 57, British jockey and actor.
* Aleksey Mazhukov, 75, Russian composer. (Russian)
* Aleksandr Novikov, 64, Russian politician, former deputy mayor of Moscow, suicide. (Russian)
* Richard Harding Poff, 87, American politician, U.S. Representative from Virginia (1953–1972).

Final Exits, 8-14 June 2011

Obituaries for 8-14 June 2011

8
* Anatole Abragam, 96, French physicist. (French)
* Larry Border, 60, American politician, member of the West Virginia House of Delegates (since 1990), stroke.
* Angie Garany, 30, Croatian reality television star (Farma), complications from a car accident. (Croatian)
* Nasir Jalil, 56, Singaporean footballer.
* Clara Luper, 88, American civil rights activist, after long illness.
* John Mackenzie, 83, British film director (The Long Good Friday, Ruby).
* Paul Massie, 78, Canadian BAFTA-winning actor and theater professor.
* Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, 38?, Comorian al-Qaeda terrorist, planned 1998 United States embassy bombings, shot.
* Jim Northrup, 71, American baseball player (Detroit Tigers, Montreal Expos, Baltimore Orioles), seizure.
* Steve Popovich, 68, American record executive, founder of Cleveland International Records.
* Alan Rubin, 68, American trumpeter (The Blues Brothers), lung cancer .
* Roy Skelton, 79, British actor (Rainbow, Doctor Who), stroke.
* Oliver William Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes, 85, British Anglican priest, Dean of Lincoln (1969–1989).

9
* Jorge Berlanga, 52, Spanish writer, hepatic disease. (Spanish)
* Jameel Fakhri, 67, Pakistani television, film and stage actor, brain hemorrhage.
* M. F. Husain, 95, Indian artist, heart attack.
* Josip Katalinski, 63, Bosnian footballer, after long illness. (Croatian)
* Tomoko Kawakami, 41, Japanese voice actress (Fushigi Yûgi, Revolutionary Girl Utena), ovarian cancer.
* Claude Léveillée, 78, Canadian actor and songwriter, apparent heart attack.
* Mike Mitchell, 55, American basketball player (Cleveland Cavaliers, San Antonio Spurs), cancer.
* Godfrey Myles, 42, American football player (Dallas Cowboys), heart attack.
* Vladimir Tumanov, 84, Russian lawyer, Chairman of the Constitutional Court of Russia (1995–1997). (Russian)
* Ignazio Vella, 82, American artisanal cheesemaker and businessman, long illness.
* Pavel Vinnik, 85, Russian film actor. (Russian)

10
* Jeanne Bice, 71, American entrepreneur and television personality.
* Pam Brown, 58, American politician, Nebraska state senator (1995–2006), ovarian cancer.
* Yuri Budanov, 47, Russian military officer and war criminal, shot.
* Cosimo Caliandro, 29, Italian middle distance runner, motorcycle collision.
* Theo Dubois, 100, Canadian rower.
* Abdi Shakur Sheikh Hassan, Somali politician, Interior Minister (since 2010), suicide bombing.
* Kenny Hawkes, British DJ and music producer, after short illness.
* Esmond Kentish, 94, Jamaican Test cricketer.
* Sir Patrick Leigh Fermor, 96, British author and soldier.
* Brian Lenihan, Jnr, 52, Irish politician, TD for Dublin West (since 1996) and Minister for Finance (2008–2011), pancreatic cancer.
* Darryl Pandy, 48, American house vocalist ("Love Can't Turn Around"), after short illness.
* Jim Rodnunsky, 54, Canadian technician, inventor of the Cablecam system, brain cancer.
* Al Schwimmer, 94, American-born Israeli businessman, founder of Israel Aerospace Industries.
* György Szabados, 71, Hungarian physician, pianist, and composer.
* Sven-Olof Walldoff, 82, Swedish conductor and composer.

11
* Shaun Best, 43, Canadian photographer (Reuters).
* Giorgio Celli, 75, Italian entomologist and politician (The Greens–European Free Alliance). (Italian)
* Robert Marie Jean Victor de Chevigny, 90, French-born Mauritanian Roman Catholic prelate, Bishop of Nouakchott (1973–1995).
* Jyotirmoy Dey, 56, Indian journalist, shot.
* Gunnar Fischer, 100, Swedish cinematographer (The Seventh Seal).
* Eliyahu M. Goldratt, 64, Israeli physicist and management guru.
* Kurt Nielsen, 80, Danish tennis player, only Dane to have played in a men's Grand Slam singles final. (Danish)
* Graham B. Purcell, Jr., 92, American politician, U.S. Representative from Texas (1962–1973).
* Seth Putnam, 43, American musician (Anal Cunt).
* James Rahal, Jr., 77, American physician and West Nile Virus expert, Rosai–Dorfman disease.
* Idwal Robling, 84, Welsh Olympic footballer and broadcaster.
* Raúl Marcelo Pacífico Scozzina, 89, Argentinian Roman Catholic prelate, Bishop of Formosa (1957–1978).
* Jack Smith, 82, British artist.
* William Carrington Thompson, 95, American politician, Virginia House of Delegates (1959–1968), Virginia Senate (1968–1973) and Supreme Court (1980–1983).

12
* René Audet, 91, Canadian Roman Catholic prelate, Bishop of Joliette (1968–1990).
* Christian Collardot, 77, French Olympic athlete. (French)
* Geoffrey Fisken, 95, New Zealand World War II flying ace.
* Carl Gardner, 83, American singer (The Coasters).
* Alan Haberman, 81, American grocer, first to use the barcode system, heart and lung disease.
* John Hospers, 93, American philosopher, first Libertarian Party presidential candidate (1972).
* Hoda Saber, 52, Iranian dissident, heart attack following a hunger strike.
* Kathryn Tucker Windham, 93, American author and journalist.
* Sir John Wilton, 89, British diplomat.
* Laura Ziskin, 61, American film producer (Pretty Woman, Spider-Man, What About Bob?), breast cancer.

13
* Germano Meneghel, 49, Brazilian vocalist (Olodum). (Spanish)
* Betty Neumar, 79, American murder suspect.
* Pablo Ruelas Barraza, 38, Mexican journalist, shot. (Spanish)
* William J. Spahr, 89, American CIA analyst and author, pneumonia.

14
* Tom Addison, 75, American football player (New England Patriots).
* Milivoj Ašner, 98, Croatian-born Austrian Nazi war criminal.
* Ambrose Griffiths, 82, British Roman Catholic prelate, Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle.
* Asad Ali Khan, 74, Indian musician, recipient of the Padma Bhushan.
* Augusto Ramírez Ocampo, 77, Colombian politician, Mayor of Bogotá (1982–1984), Foreign Minister (1984–1986), heart ailment.
* Oscar Sambrano Urdaneta, 82, Venezuelan writer. (Spanish)
* Peter Schamoni, 77, German film director.
* Mack Self, 81, American rockabilly musician.