Tag Archives: obit

Sixto Rodriguez, the Mexican-American singer-songwriter who languished in obscurity for decades before his brilliant music was rediscovered and chronicled in the 2012 Oscar-winning documentary Searching for Sugar Man, died on Tuesday. He was 81. Rodriguez’s death was announced Wednesday on his official website. “It is with great sadness that we …

Robbie Robertson, the Band‘s guitarist and primary songwriter who penned “The Weight,” “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,” “Up on Cripple Creek,” and many other beloved classics, died Wednesday at age 80. Robertson’s management company confirmed the musician’s death. “Robbie was surrounded by his family at the time of …

William Friedkin, one of the great directors of the New Hollywood era who helmed classics like The Exorcist and Oscar-winner The French Connection, died Monday, The New York Times reports. He was 87. Sherry Lansing, a former head of Paramount Pictures, and Friedkin’s wife, confirmed his death. She said the …

It’s not a movie chase scene so much as the movie chase scene: a breakneck race against time between a criminal on an elevated subway and a cop in a commandeered car, careening through the streets of Brooklyn at ridiculous speeds. The bad guy works for a European drug cartel, …

John Gosling, who served as keyboardist for the Kinks throughout their fruitful Seventies period, has died at the age of 75. The band announced Gosling’s death in a statement Friday, “We are deeply saddened by the news of the passing of John Gosling. We are sending our condolences to John’s …

Mark Margolis, the longtime character actor whose career pinnacled with unforgettable arcs on Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, has died at the age of 83. Margolis’ son announced the actor’s death Friday, noting that Margolis died at New York’s Mt. Sinai Hospital on August 3 following a short illness. …

Paul Reubens, the actor who portrayed beloved character Pee-wee Herman that amused kids and adults of multiple generations, died on Sunday night at the age of 70. The cause of death was an unspecified cancer. “Last night, we said farewell to Paul Reubens, an iconic American actor, comedian, writer, and …

It was the laugh that got you first: A staccato giggle combined with what sounded like a T. rex’s roar. If you watch The Pee-wee Herman Show, the HBO special taken from Paul Reubens’ 1981 stage show that — along with a handful of appearances on Late Night with David …

Sinéad O’Connor, the fiery Irish singer-songwriter whose striking voice briefly made her an unlikely pop superstar while her bold public stances on child abuse, war, and organized religion made her a controversial figure, has died at the age of 56. O’Connor’s family confirmed the singer’s death in a statement to …

Tony Bennett, the affable pre-rock standards crooner who came to be newly appreciated and beloved by everyone from the grunge generation to Lady Gaga, died on Friday. He was 96. Bennett’s publicist, Sylvia Weiner, confirmed the singer’s death to Rolling Stone, adding that he died in his hometown of New …