Tag Archives: obituary

Alf Clausen, the longtime composer on The Simpsons who scored countless iconic moments on the animated series, has died at the age of 84. The Emmy-winning composer died Thursday at his home in Los Angeles following an eight-year battle with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), Clausen’s daughter told the Hollywood Reporter. …

Valerie Mahaffey, the Emmy and Obie Award-winning actress known for playing eccentric characters on shows including Northern Exposure and Desperate Housewives, died on Friday. She was 71. Her husband, actor Joseph Kell, said she died in Los Angeles following a battle with cancer, Variety reports. Mahaffey won an Emmy in …

Michael Sumler, who worked alongside funk legends Kool & the Gang as their hype man and was known as “Chicago Mike,” died in a car crash on Sunday in Georgia. He was 71. Local Atlanta television station 11Alive reported that Sumler was traveling on Veterans Memorial Highway in Cobb County …

James Lowe, lead singer and principal member of the Sixties psychedelic band the Electric Prunes, has died at the age of 82. Lowe’s family announced on social media Thursday that he died “peacefully of natural causes” on May 22, surrounded “by music” and his family. “It is with heavy and …

Rick Derringer, the guitarist and songwriter who scored hits with “Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo” and a cover of “Hang on Sloopy” while working with everyone from Steely Dan to “Weird Al” Yankovic, died today. He was 77. Derringer’s death was confirmed by his friend, Tony Wilson, on Facebook. “Derringer’s …

Sacha Jenkins, the hip-hop journalist, filmmaker, and historian who co-founded the seminal Nineties magazine Ego Trip, died on Friday. He was 53. Rolling Stone has confirmed Jenkins’ death. Jenkins’ wife, Raquel Cepeda, toldThe Hollywood Reporter that the cause was complications from multiple system atrophy. Jenkins’ output was multifaceted and vast. …

George Wendt, the actor and comedian best known for playing Norm Peterson on the classic sitcom Cheers, died Tuesday, May 20. He was 76. A rep for Wendt confirmed his death to Rolling Stone. An exact cause of death was not given, though the rep said Wendt “died peacefully in …

Joe Don Baker, the prolific character actor who appeared in Seventies classics like Walking Tall and Junior Bonner and a trio of James Bond movies, has died at the age of 89. The actor’s May 7 death was revealed in a Legacy.com obituary (via the Hollywood Reporter) that was posted …

Robert Benton, the beloved Oscar winner behind Kramer vs. Kramer and Bonnie and Clyde, died Sunday. The screenwriter and director’s longtime manager Marisa Forzano revealed the news to The New York Times on Tuesday. He was 92. Benton was a three-time Academy Award winner and seven-time nominee. His 1979 film, …

Johnny Rodriguez, the first country star of Mexican American descent known for such recordings as “You Always Come Back (To Hurting Me)” and “Ridin’ My Thumb to Mexico,” died Friday after entering hospice care. He was 73. His daughter confirmed Rodriguez’s death in a social media post. “It is with …