Tag Archives: Celebrity Deaths

Patrick Swayze Dies at 57

This is the blog I had dreaded doing. I knew it was coming, but I also knew that the day it happened, I would be really sad. When someone lives a long life, you can always say, well, they lived a long life. In cases like DJ AM, you wonder if survivor guilt drove him back to his addiction. With someone like Michael Jackson, we knew for years he didn’t look healthy. And, although we have known for a year that Patrick Swayze was battling a fight he probably wouldn’t win, I think it hurts so much because he did … Continue reading →

Actor Ricardo Montalban Dead at 88

Ricardo Montalban, known to a generation as Mr. Roarke from “Fantasy Island,” died yesterday at the age of 88. Cause of death has not been released, but his son-in-law Gilbert Smith said Montalban’s health had been deteriorating over the last several days. Montalban was born in Mexico City, Mexico on November 25, 1920. He starred in many Spanish language films before making his American film debut in Fiesta in 1947 alongside Cyd Charisse and Esther Williams. (This work, Fiesta, is in the public domain because it was published in the United States between 1923 and 1977, inclusive, without a copyright … Continue reading →

John Travolta and Kelly Preston’s Son Jett Dies

Wow, what a tragedy for the Travolta family – their 16 year old son Jett died today while the family, which includes eight year old daughter Ella Bleu, was celebrating the New Year in the Bahamas. While at the family vacation home at the Old Bahama Bay Hotel on Grand Bahama Island, Jett suffered a seizure. Photo, from the 1976 film Boy in the Plastic Bubble, is in the public domain because the copyright has expired. He hit his head on the bathtub and was found unconscious by a caretaker around 10 a.m. this morning. Medical responders attempted to revive … Continue reading →

Eartha Kitt Dies at Age 81

Groundbreaking singer/actress Eartha Kitt died of colon cancer on Christmas Day this year at the age of 81. Eartha had a career that spanned six decades, so I thought a blog about her life was only fitting. Eartha was born in North, South Carolina (one of the funniest city names I’ve ever heard!) in 1927. Her parentage was of a Cherokee/African-American mother and a German/Dutch father, which gave the singer/actress an unusually striking beauty. This photo, by Carl Van Vechten, is in the public domain. She started her career as a dancer for the Katherine Dunham Company in the 40s. … Continue reading →

Van Johnson Checks out While Tara Reid Checks In

Okay, even I will admit that Van Johnson was a bit before my time. But, I do have fond memories of the “I Love Lucy” episode where he waltzes Lucy across the nightclub to impress Caroline Appleby. Johnson, a heartthrob from the ‘40s, died yesterday at the age of 92 of natural causes. (This work is in the public domain because it was published in the United States between 1923 and 1977, inclusive, without a copyright notice.) Johnson often appeared in roles at the All-American boy, exhibiting a charm that earned him the nickname “the non-singing Sinatra.” Through a career … Continue reading →

Macaulay Culkin’s Sister Killed

Actor Macaulay Culkin of “Home Alone” fame is grieving the loss of his sister today. According to reports, Dakota Culkin was struck and killed by a car in Los Angeles on Tuesday and died from her injuries yesterday. Police say the 29-year-old stepped off a sidewalk in West L.A. just before 11 p.m. on Tuesday and was struck by a car. Authorities say Dakota was rushed to UCLA hospital with massive head trauma and died the following day. A LAPD spokesman confirmed that the driver of the car did stop to render aid after striking the actor’s sister. The spokesman … Continue reading →

Jerry Reed Dead at 71

This just confirms that I am actually older than I feel. I remember going to the theater with my parents in the ‘70s to see Jerry Reed star alongside Burt Reynolds and Sally Field in Smokey and the Bandit. I read that Jerry died last Monday due to complications from emphysema. Jerry was somewhat of a good ole boy Renaissance man in the ‘70s. He was a singer, guitarist, songwriter, and actor, but he did it the hard way. He dropped out of high school to tour with Ernest Tubb and Faron Young then signed his first recording contract at … Continue reading →

Former North Carolina Senator Jesse Helms Dead at 86

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Conservative politician Jesse Helms has died at the age of 86. The cause of death was not announced, but he had been in poor health in recent years. Upon hearing of his death, President Bush said of Helms, “Sen. Helms has been a tireless defender of our nation’s freedom and a champion of democracy abroad.” Helms was a North Carolina Republican who was considered by many to be a conservative icon. He himself was once quoted as saying his job was to “derail the freight train of liberalism.” Helms started out in his career as a sports reporter for the … Continue reading →

Acclaimed Director/Actor Sydney Pollack Dies of Cancer

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Sydney Pollack, who was a great actor, director and producer, died today at the age of 73. He had been suffering from cancer for about nine months. He was at his home in Pacific Palisades surrounded by family when he passed away. I loved Sydney as Dustin Hoffman’s agent in Tootsie. When Dustin comes into the restaurant dressed as Tootsie and Sydney’s character doesn’t know it is him dressed as a woman, it is a scream! One of my favorite lines of the movie is when Sydney’s character is telling Dustin that he is unemployable as an actor. Dustin says … Continue reading →

Hee Haw Loses a Twin

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When I was growing up, there were only four channels and that included PBS, which when I was a child had THE most boring programming, even for kids. So, when Saturday afternoon rolled around, there was only one show to watch – “Hee Haw.” Yes, it was cornier than the cornfields that they told their jokes in, but the competition was – well, there really wasn’t any. The show, which started in 1969, was so wholesome that it made “Little House on the Prairie” look risqué. Even though it was cornball comedy at its best, there are some skits that … Continue reading →