LOS ANGELES — Hugh Hefner, the incurable playboy who built a publishing and entertainment empire on the idea that Americans should shed their puritanical hang-ups and enjoy sex, has died. He was 91. He died of natural causes at his home, the Playboy Mansion, according to Teri Thomerson, a Playboy spokesperson. Hefner was the founder […]
Hugh Hefner, Playboy founder, dies at 91 Read More »
Obituaries & memorials, USAPRAGUE, Czech Republic — Czech harpsichordist Zuzana Ruzickova, the world’s first soloist to record Johann Sebastian Bach’s complete works for keyboard instruments, died aged 90 on Wednesday, Czech media said. Ruzickova, who recorded Bach’s complete work on 35 records between 1965 and 1975, died in a Prague hospital after a short illness. Get The Times
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International, Jewish History, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Obituaries & memorialsLOS ANGELES — He flew bombing missions for the U.S. during World War II and then came back to America to study law. But the escalating conflict between the newly declared State of Israel and its Arab neighbors had already gotten under Mitchell Flint’s skin. “I’m Jewish, Israel desperately needed fighter pilots, so I thought
Mitchell Flint, US aviator who helped found Israeli Air Force, dies at 94 Read More »
Jewish History, Middle East, Obituaries & memorials, USARabbi Joshua Haberman, rabbi emeritus of the Washington Hebrew Congregation and founder of the Foundation for Jewish Studies, died this week at 98. Haberman, who represented the Jewish community during the memorial service for the victims of 9/11 held at the National Cathedral, died Sunday at his home in Washington, DC, following a rabbinic career
Rabbi Joshua Haberman, champion of adult Jewish education, dies at 98 Read More »
Jewish Religion, Obituaries & memorials, USAFormer Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton led tributes following the death of LGBT rights campaigner Edith Windsor, 88, whose lawsuit led to the federal recognition of equal rights for same-sex couples. “America’s long journey towards equality has been guided by countless small acts of persistence, and fueled by the stubborn willingness of quiet heroes
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Obituaries & memorials, USAUltiminio “Sugar” Ramos, a featherweight champion whose diminutive sized masked a giant punch, died Sunday in Mexico City. He was 75. #RIP Sugar Ramos, great @WBCBoxing featherweight champ. Won title @Dodgers stadium, battled Raul Rojas, Mando Ramos in ’70 @olympicaud pic.twitter.com/ZCbFKpWCRV — OlympicAuditorium (@olympicaud) September 4, 2017 Ramos’ career saw great success and tragedy. He
Boxing world in mourning as a former champ and Hall of Famer has passed away Read More »
International, Obituaries & memorials, Sports & CompetitionsErik Ross This September 4 (I confess I’m using Pope Gregory’s calendar) is the third anniversary of the death of a great comedian: Joan Rivers. Wikimedia It’s not speaking ill of the dead to say that Rivers was so vulgar she’d make your eyes water. Shock was her stock in trade. Some of her views
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Obituaries & memorials, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USALOS ANGELES — Shelley Berman, who tapped into the neuroses and frustrations of post-World War II America and brought an actor’s sensibility to his monologues to become one of the top comedians of the late 1950s and early ’60s, died Friday at his home near Thousand Oaks. Berman, who acted throughout his career and had
Shelley Berman, pioneering stand-up (or sit-down) comedian, dies at 92 Read More »
Obituaries & memorials, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USAGene Wilder, the legendary Hollywood actor, who starred in famous films like “Blazing Saddles,” “Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory” and “Stir Crazy” died on Aug. 28, 2016, when he was 83 years old, due to complications from Alzheimer’s disease. He was born Jerome Silberman in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on June 11, 1933, to Jewish parents.
10 Famous Sayings By Gene Wilder On His First Death Anniversary Read More »
Obituaries & memorials, Theatre, Film & BroadcastBy Mark D. Zimmerman MELVILLE, New York — Comedian Jerry Lewis died last week at the age of 91. Lewis, who was Jewish and was born Jerome Levitch, rarely spoke of his religious beliefs, though he did say in reponse to a question about his high school years that he was “the original graffiti artist—I drew
Jewish trivia quiz: Jerry Lewis, z”l Read More »
Mark D. Zimmerman, Obituaries & memorials, Trivia, Humor & Satire
By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO — The San Diego History Center on Sunday welcomed three Arizona women whose family lent to its museum the diary of mid-19th century teenager Victoria Jacobs for the current exhibition about the history and heritage of the local Jewish community. The visitors included Alden Hardy Carroll, the great-great
1850s teen diarist Victoria Jacobs Franklin recalled Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Obituaries & memorials, San Diego County, USALOS ANGELES — Character actor and radio personality Jay Thomas, who became known to television viewers for his roles on “Cheers,” “Murphy Brown” and most recently on the crime drama “Ray Donovan,” has died at his home in Santa Barbara. He was 69. Thomas’ death Thursday was confirmed by the actor’s New York publicist, Thomas
Jay Thomas, actor in ‘Cheers,’ ‘Murphy Brown’ and ‘Ray Donovan,’ dead at 69 Read More »
Obituaries & memorials, Theatre, Film & BroadcastJerry Lewis, the manic, rubber-faced comedian who burst onto the post-World War II show-business scene with partner Dean Martin to form the hottest comedy team of their era before launching his own highly successful solo career a decade later, died Sunday. He was 91. Lewis died of natural causes in Las Vegas with his family
Jerry Lewis — comedian, actor and director — dies at 91 Read More »
Obituaries & memorials, Theatre, Film & BroadcastDick Gregory, who became the first black stand-up comic to break the color barrier in major nightclubs in the early 1960s, a decade in which he satirized segregation and race relations in his act and launched his lifetime commitment to civil rights and other social justice issues, died Sunday. He was 84. His death was
Dick Gregory, groundbreaking comedian and civil rights activist, dies at 84 Read More »
Obituaries & memorials, USA