Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

 

  Actor William Hurt passed away March 13, at the age of 71. His death comes after a public battle with prostate cancer. Mr. Hurt was a versatile performer who performed regularly Off Broadway between stints as a successful character actor in Hollywood. From 1977 to to 1989, he was a member of the Circle Repertory Company. While a member of the company, Mr. Hurt received an Obie Award for his appearance in Corinne Jacker's My Life , and won a 1978 Theatre World Award for his collective performances in Fifth of July, Ulysses in Traction , and Lulu . In 1979, Mr. Hurt played Hamlet  opposite Lindsay Crouse and Beatrice Straight , before finding film stardom in the neo-noir film Body Heat .  Read more here:  https://www.playbill.com/article/actor-william-hurt-passes-away-at-71?fbclid=IwAR23VGaw2rz9oiwx-JEN8S3tlrmbLUY1hptrPIsngugzRsQo-J2a2L71P7k

  Actress Sally Kellerman has died. She was the original ”Hot Lips” Houlihan in the movie M*A*S*H in 1970. Kellerman was 84.

  Facebook photo (CNN) Louie Anderson, an Emmy winner whose career spanned from stand-up and game show host to starring roles in TV and film, died Friday in Las Vegas from complications related to cancer, his publicist Glenn Schwartz confirmed to CNN. He was 68.   On Thursday his friend, fellow comedian Pauly Shore, tweeted that he had said his goodbyes to Anderson and asked for prayers for the ill star. Read more here: https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/21/entertainment/louie-anderson-dead/index.html

  Facebook photo (CNN) Meat Loaf, the larger-than-life singer whose bombastic rock opera "Bat Out of Hell" is one of the best-selling albums of all time, has died at age 74, according to a statement on his verified Facebook page. "Our hearts are broken to announce that the incomparable Meat Loaf passed away tonight with his wife Deborah by his side," the statement said. "Daughters Pearl and Amanda and close friends have been with him throughout the last 24 hours."   Meat Loaf's agent confirmed his death to CNN. No cause of death was shared.   The singer, whose real name is Marvin Lee Aday, was born in Dallas.   Read the full story here: https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/21/entertainment/meat-loaf-obit/index.html

  NEW YORK (AP) — Ronnie Spector, the cat-eyed, bee-hived rock ‘n’ roll siren who sang such 1960s hits as “Be My Baby,” “Baby I Love You” and “Walking in the Rain” as the leader of the girl group The Ronettes, has died. She was 78. Spector died Wednesday after a brief battle with cancer, her family said. “Ronnie lived her life with a twinkle in her eye, a spunky attitude, a wicked sense of humor and a smile on her face. She was filled with love and gratitude,” a statement said. No other details were revealed. Tributes flooded social media , from Stevie Van Zandt saying it was an honor to produce her, to Brian Wilson, who wrote on Twitter: “I loved her voice so much and she was a very special person and a dear friend.” Diane Warren called her “The voice of a million teenage dreams including mine.”   Read the rest of the story here:  https://apnews.com/article/ronnie-spector-dead-84c905db02a01ffa43a6052c3ce66920

John Heard, the actor who portrayed Kevin McCallister's father in a pair of Home Alone films, has died at the age of 72. The Santa Clara Medical Examiner’s office confirmed Heard's death, Variety reports. TMZ adds that the actor was found dead in his Palo Alto, California hotel room, just days after Heard underwent minor back surgery, his rep said. Read the full story here: http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/news/john-heard-home-alone-actor-dead-at- 72-w493618

Comedian Joan Rivers has died at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, according to her daughter, Melissa Rivers. She was 81. "It is with great sadness that I announce the death of my mother, Joan Rivers," Melissa Rivers said in a prepared statement. "She passed peacefully at 1:17 p.m. surrounded by family and close friends." Watch Lester Holt's report here .

Actress Lisa Robin Kelly, one of the stars of TV's "That '70s Show," has died, according to her agent, Craig Wyckoff. Kelly was 43, according to her biography on the Internet Movie Database. "Lisa had voluntarily checked herself into a treatment facility early this week where she was battling the addiction problems that have plagued her these past few years,” Wyckoff said. “I spoke to her on Monday and she was hopeful and confident, looking forward to putting this part of her life behind her. (Wednesday) night she lost the battle,” Wyckoff said. “Cause of death has not been issued yet and no death certificate has been issued either." The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Pauline Phillips, the original “Dear Abby” advice columnist, died Wednesday at the age of 94 after a decade-long struggle with Alzheimer’s disease. Phillips wrote the most widely syndicated column in the world – published in more than 1,200 newspapers and read by nearly 9 million people daily – under the pen name Abigail Van Buren for four decades. You can read more at NBCNews.com The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

By Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, TODAY Actor Conrad Bain, perhaps best known for his role as kindly millionaire Phillip Drummond on "Diff'rent Strokes," has died at 89, his daughter, Jennifer, has confirmed to Access Hollywood. Bain had been hospitalized since Thursday, Jennifer Bain said, and wasn't suffering from an illness. "He just died of old age," she told Access Hollywood. Read more here . The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Jazz composer and pianist Dave Brubeck, whose pioneering style in pieces such as "Take Five" caught listeners' ears with exotic, challenging rhythms, has died. He was 91. Brubeck died Wednesday morning of heart failure after being stricken while on his way to a cardiology appointment with his son Darius, said his manager Russell Gloyd. For more on this story go to NBCNews.com . The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

By NBC News staff and wire Actor Larry Hagman — who became a global icon playing the cunning J.R. Ewing in the television series "Dallas" — died on Friday at the age of 81, NBC Dallas-Fort Worth reported. Hagman was at Medical City Dallas Hospital when he died Friday afternoon from complications of his recent battle with cancer, the Dallas Morning News reported, citing members of his family. A statement from Warner Bros. described Hagman as "a giant, a larger-than-life personality whose iconic performance as J.R. Ewing will endure as one of the most indelible in entertainment history." Earlier in his career, Hagman was known for his role as Maj. Anthony Nelson, the master-turned-husband of a beautiful genie played by Barbara Eden in the sitcom "I Dream of Jeannie." In July 1995, he was diagnosed with liver cancer, which led him to quit smoking, and a month later he underwent a liver transplant. Read more at NBCNews.com The news leader of ...

PAMatters.com has in-depth coverage on the life of the late US Senator Arlen Specter. It includes reaction from President Obama and others, as well as a story from RadioPA's Brad Christman about a moment that did not get on the air. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

ST. LOUIS -- Andy Williams, the silky-voiced, clean-cut crooner, whose hit recording "Moon River" and years of popular Christmas TV shows brought him fans the world over has died, his publicist said. He was 84. Williams died Tuesday night at his home in Branson following a yearlong battle with bladder cancer, his Los Angeles-based publicist, Paul Shefrin, said Wednesday. For the full story go to MSNBC.com . The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Composer and conductor Marvin Hamlisch, best known for the torch song "The Way We Were," died Monday. He was 68 years old. Hamlisch collapsed after a brief illness, his family announced. In a career that spanned over four decades, Hamlisch won virtually every major award: three Oscars, four Grammys, four Emmys, a Tony, and three Golden Globes. For more on this story go to MSNBC.com . The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

The first American woman to go into space, Sally Ride, died Monday after a 17-month battle against pancreatic cancer, her company said. Ride made history in 1983 as a crew member on the space shuttle Challenger, breaking the gender barrier for U.S. spaceflight. Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space in 1963, but it took another 20 years for NASA to follow suit. For more on this story go to MSNBC.com . The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

MSNBC.COM - Actor Andy Griffith, who won the hearts of 1960s TV viewers with his role as gentle Sheriff Andy Taylor in “The Andy Griffith Show,” then returned as a 1980s country lawyer in “Matlock,” died Tuesday at 86. The news was confirmed to North Carolina television station WITN by Bill Friday, former president of the University of North Carolina and a Griffith friend. For more on this story go to MSNBC.com . The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Actor Don Grady died Wednesday at the age of 68. Grady passed away in L.A. after a long battle with cancer. Read more at MSNBC.com The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Ray Bradbury, the author of classics such as “Fahrenheit 451,” “Something Wicked this Way Comes” and “The Martian Chronicles,” died Tuesday night in Los Angeles at the age of 91. Read more at MSNBC.com . The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947 The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947