Subject:  GOODNIGHT FOLKS...R.I.P. 2001 ... |
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Father Time 2001
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Date Posted: 22:14:19 12/31/01 Mon
Celebrity Deaths in 2001
2001 Claims Some Entertainment Greats
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - From the ``quiet Beatle'' and the ''boogie king'' of music fame to screen legends such as Hollywood's Oscar-winning everyman and Roy Rogers' ``Queen of the West,'' the year 2001 claimed the lives of some of the world's greatest entertainers.
George Harrison, the retiring lead guitarist of the Fab Four who gave the world ``Something'' and ``Here Comes the Sun,'' joined pioneering blues guitarist John Lee Hooker, two-time Oscar winner Jack Lemmon and singing cowgirl Dale Evans among the ranks of showbiz luminaries whose deaths dimmed the dawn of the millennium.
Hollywood bid farewell to such greats as Academy Award winner Anthony Quinn, best known for his title role in ``Zorba the Greek,'' television actor Carroll O'Connor, acclaimed for playing the lovable bigot Archie Bunker on ``All in the Family,'' and director-choreographer Herbert Ross, the man behind the camera for ``The Goodbye Girl'' and ``The Sunshine Boys.''
The year also marked the passing of one-time matinee idol Troy Donahue, veteran television comic Imogene Coca and canny character actor Ray Walston, who starred on stage and screen as the devil in ``Damn Yankees'' and gained TV fame playing the extraterrestrial Uncle Martin on ``My Favorite Martian.''
Besides Harrison and Hooker, the music industry lost more than its share of performing legends, among them violin virtuoso Isaac Stern, country guitarist Chet Atkins, laid-back crooner Perry Como, R&B vocalist Aaliyah, punk rock pioneer Joey Ramone, Big Band leader Les Brown, jazz saxophonist Joe Henderson and John Phillips of the Mamas and the Papas.
Two of popular music's most prolific songwriters also reached their final measure -- lyricist Kal Mann, who co-wrote hits for Chubby Checker, Elvis Presley and Bobby Rydell, and Oscar-winning composer Jay Livingston, who helped pen such hits as ``Que Sera Sera'' and ``Silver Bells.''
Several leading ladies took their final bows, among them on-screen matriarch Dorothy McGuire, film noir temptress Jane Greer, street-smart showgirl Ann Sothern and Broadway and film actress Kim Stanley.
The following is a list of some of the entertainment figures who died during the past 12 months, in the order of their passing. Famous or not, we all end up dead. Here are some of the better known people to have passed on recently...
-- Ray Walston, 86. Jan. 1. Tony and Emmy award-winning actor whose best-known roles include the devil in ``Damn Yankees,'' the cranky Uncle Martin of ``My Favorite Martian'' and the judge on TV series ``Picket Fences.''
-- Les Brown, 88. Jan. 4. Musician and orchestra leader who made his Band of Renown a mainstay of Bob Hope's act for decades and turned ``Sentimental Journey'' into a No. 1 hit and standard in the American repertoire.
-- Al Waxman, actor best known for his roles in King of Kensington and Cagney and Lacey, died January 18 at the age of
65.
-- Dale Evans, 88. Feb. 7. Actress-singer who became ``Queen of the West'' by starring with husband Roy Rogers in 27 cowboy films and writing their theme song, ``Happy Trails.''
-- Howard W. Koch, producer whose credits include The Manchurian Candidate, died February 16 at the age of 84.
-- Dr. William H. Masters, sex researcher, died February 16 at the age of 85.
-- Dale Earnhardt, NASCAR star, died February 18 at the age of 49.
-- Stanley Kramer, director best known for Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, died February 19 at the age of 87.
-- Morton Downey Jr, talk show host, died March 12 at the age of 67.
-- Robert Ludlum, author of spy thrillers, died March 12 at the age of 73.
-- Ann Sothern, 92. March 15. Actress who starred as the saucy, liberated showgirl in MGM's ``Masie'' movies during the 1940s and played single working women on TV in ``Private Secretary'' and ``The Ann Southern Show.''
-- John Phillips, 65. March 18. Singer-songwriter who founded the 1960s pop act the Mamas the Papas.
-- William Hanna, 90. March 22. Animator who co-founded with Joseph Barbera the studio that created such TV cartoon favorites as Yogi Bear and the Flintstones.
-- Louis Dudek, famed Canadian poet, died March 22 at the age of 83.
-- Willie Stargell, baseball star, died April 9 at the age of 61.
-- Billy Mitchell, 74. April 18. Saxophonist played with jazz greats Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie and Woody Herman.
-- Clifton Hillegass, inventor of Cliffs Notes, died May 5 at the age of 83.
-- Douglas Adams, author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, died May 11 at the age of 49.
-- Perry Como, 88. May 12. Singer whose relaxed vocal style endured through six decades with such easy-listening ballads as ''Catch a Falling Star'' and ``It's Impossible.''
-- Arlene Francis, actress best known as a panelist on What's My Line, died May 31 at the age of 92.
-- Hank Ketcham, creator of Dennis the Menace, died May 31 at the age of 81.
-- Imogene Coca, 92. June 2. TV comedian best remembered as Sid Caesar's better half on ``Your Show of Shows'' in the 1950s.
-- Anthony Quinn, 86. June 3. Two-time Oscar winner known for his portrayal of earthy characters with a zest for life, most notably the worldly wise peasant in ``Zorba the Greek.''
-- John Lee Hooker, 83. June 21. Superstar blues guitarist dubbed ``The King of the Boogie,'' helped turned the roots music of the Mississippi Delta into one of the most influential genres of popular music.
-- Carroll O'Connor, 76. June 21. Emmy-winning actor who changed the face of television through his portrayal of lovable bigot Archie Bunker on the landmark show ``All in the Family.''
-- Jack Lemmon, 76. June 27. Two-time Oscar-winning actor whose roles ranged from brash and befuddled young men to grumpy old ones, he formed one of cinema's great odd couples with late partner Walter Matthau.
-- Joan Sims, actress best known for her roles in the Carry On films, died June 28 at the age of 71.
-- Joe Henderson, 64. June 30. Jazz tenor saxophonist who recorded with musicians ranging from Miles Davis to Blood, Sweat and Tears.
-- Chet Atkins, 77. June 30. Influential guitarist who helped modernize country music in the 1960s and played with stars ranging from Hank Williams to Elvis Presley.
-- Mordecai Richler, author best known for The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, died July 3 at the age of 70.
-- Ely Callaway, inventor of the Big Bertha driver beloved of golfers, died July 5 at the age of 82.
-- Eudora Welty, Pulitzer prize winning author, died July 23 at the age of 92.
-- Poul Anderson, science fiction writer, died July 31 at the age of 74.
-- Kim Stanley, 76. Aug. 20. Stage, film and TV actress who starred in Broadway's ``Bus Stop'' and ``Picnic'' and earned Oscar nominations for ``Seance on a Wet Afternoon'' and ``Frances.''
-- Sir Fred Hoyle, astronomer and sf writer, died August 20 at the age of 86.
-- Peter Maas, author of Serpico, died August 23 at the age of 72.
-- Jane Greer, 76. Aug. 24. Film noir actress who overcame facial paralysis from Bell's palsy as a teen-ager and went on to enchant some of Hollywood's biggest names on screen and off.
-- Aaliyah, 22. Aug. 25. R&B singer and budding actress who made her film debut in ``Romeo Must Die'' and was killed in a plane crash in the Bahamas.
-- Troy Donahue, 65. Sept. 2. Matinee idol who climbed to stardom in the 1950s with his role in ``A Summer Place.''
-- Pauline Kael, movie critic for the New Yorker, died September 3 at the age of 82.
-- Dorothy McGuire, 85. Sept. 13. Stage and screen actress notable for her maternal roles in such films as ``A Tree Grows in Brooklyn,'' ``Friendly Persuasion'' and ``Old Yeller.''
-- Fred de Cordova, 90. Sept. 15. Longtime producer for Johnny Carson on NBC's ``The Tonight Show.''
-- Samuel Z. Arkoff, film producer, died September 16 at the age of 83.
-- Ernie Coombs, Mr. Dressup, died September 18 at the age of 73.
-- Isaac Stern, 81. Sept. 22. Hailed as the ``supreme violin virtuoso of the 20th century,'' he performed with the New York Philharmonic more than any other violinist in history.
-- Herbert Ross, 76. Oct. 9. Director and choreographer whose credits include the hit movies ``The Goodbye Girl,'' ``The Sunshine Boys'' and ``The Turning Point.''
-- Dagmar (Virginia Ruth Egnor), 79. Oct. 9. Buxom blonde actress who became one of TV's first sex symbols in the pioneering NBC late-night show ``Broadway Open House.''
-- Anthony Shaffer, playwright best known for Sleuth, died November 6 at the age of 75.
-- Ken Kesey, author best known for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, died November 10 at the age of 66.
-- George Harrison, 58. Nov. 29. Lead guitarist and youngest of the Beatles whose fascination with Hindu spirituality and music flavored the Fab Four's recordings.
-- John Knowles, author best known for A Separate Peace, died November 29 at the age of 75.
-- Nigel Hawthorne, actor best known for the title role in The Madness of King George, died December 26 at the age of 72.
====================
SO LONG...
 http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20011228/capt.1009590746ye_deaths_ny594.jpg"
http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20011228/capt.1009590787ye_deaths_ny593.jpg"
...AND HERE'S A FEW MORE ...
IMOGENE COCO (Sid's girl)
http://i.imdb.com/Photos/Mptv/1192/0096_0032.jpg"
STANLEY KRAMER (Film Director Extrodinaire; IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD, GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER, JUDGEMENT AT NUREMBERG)
http://www.wallsoffame.com/assets/images/1099kramer.jpg"
JOHN PHILLIPS ("Papa John")
http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drf000/f008/f00882oqzc4.jpg"
ANN-SOTHERN (Versatile Actress)
http://www.lucyfan.com/annso1.jpg"
PERRY COMO (Mr. Excitement, and hell of a crooner)
http://www.bigbandsandbignames.com/perrycomo.jpg"
CARROLL O'CONNOR (Archie...We miss ya)
http://a740.g.akamai.net/f/740/606/1d/image.pathfinder.com/time/daily/2001/0106/archie0622.jpg"
DOROTHY McGUIRE (Actress; A TREE GROES IN BROOKLYN, GENTLEMAN'S AGREEMENT)
http://movieforum.com/people/actresses/dorothymcguire/images/dorothymcguiresm.jpg"
ARLENE FRANCIS (Actress, and everybody's favorite 'panelist')
http://www.arlenefrancis.com/otr/pic/afpg1.jpg"
RAY WALSTON (Our "Uncle Martin", and "Mr. Hand")
http://www.timvp.com/martian6.jpg"
DALE EVANS ("Happy Trails, Until We Meet Again")
http://www.royrogers.com/images/rd95f.jpg"
AND LAST, BUT NOT LEAST ...
Minoru Yamasaki's architectual marvel ...
WORLD TRADE CENTER TWIN TOWERS
http://www.allposters.com/images/ISI/43080.jpg"
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