Tag Archives: obit

Let’s say that, in January of 1972, you had never heard a note of Kris Kristofferson‘s music. You didn’t know the former helicopter pilot and Rhodes scholar had written “Me and Bobby McGee,” which Janis Joplin had turned into her signature song. Or “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down,” which he gave …

Dikembe Mutombo, the Hall of Fame NBA center, who was a towering defender on the court and an ambassador for the game off of it, has died from brain cancer. He was 58. The NBA confirmed Mutombo’s death, with commissioner Adam Silver calling him “simply larger than life.” He continued: …

As the songwriter of legendary compositions like “Help Me Make It Through the Night,” “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down,” and “Me and Bobby McGee,” Kris Kristofferson transformed lyrics into literature, elevating the craft to a legitimate American art form in a way few had done before. Part Romantic poet, part folk …

John Ashton, the character actor who starred alongside Eddie Murphy in the Beverly Hills Cop series, has died at the age of 76. The actor’s rep confirmed his death to TMZ, adding that Ashton died Thursday in Fort Collins, Colorado after a battle with cancer. Ashton was best known for …

Maggie Smith, the Oscar-winning British actress who starred in Downton Abbey and the Harry Potter series, has died at the age of 89. Smith’s sons announced her death Friday morning in a statement. No cause of death was revealed, but the actress was at a British hospital at the time …

Hugh Prestwood, the country songwriter who penned hits for Randy Travis, Trisha Yearwood, Alison Krauss, and Jimmy Buffett, died Sunday, Sept. 22, following a stroke, according to his close friend, songwriter James Dean Hicks. Prestwood was 82. With hits like “Ghost in This House,” “The Song Remembers When,” and “Hard …

Tommy Cash, country singer and brother of the late music icon Johnny Cash, has died at the age of 84. The Johnny Cash Museum confirmed Tommy’s death in a statement Saturday, “We are saddened to announce that the world lost a bright light last evening with the passing of Tommy …

Frankie Beverly, founder of the legendary funk and soul band Maze who dropped a plethora of gold albums during the Seventies and Eighties and notched a generational hit with 1981’s “Before I Let Go,” has died. He was 77. Beverly — born Howard Stanley Beverly — died Monday, Sept. 10, …

James Earl Jones, the renowned actor of stage and screen who lent his booming, inimitable voice to Darth Vader and The Lion King, died Monday morning at the age of 93. Jones died at his home in Duchess County, New York, with his family surrounding him, the actor’s representatives at …

Herbie Flowers, the bassist who played on songs like Lou Reed’s “Walk on the Wild Side” and David Bowie’s “Space Oddity,” has died at the age of 86. Flowers’ September 5 death was confirmed on social media by the bassist’s family members (via the Guardian); no cause of death was …