Obituaries & memorials

Joni Sledge, of ‘We Are Family’ group Sister Sledge, dies at 60

Joni Sledge, who belonged to the four-sister disco-era group Sister Sledge, best known for its No. 1 hit “We Are Family,” died Friday at her home in Phoenix, a spokeswoman for the group announced. She was 60. No cause of death has been announced. “Yesterday, numbness fell upon our family,” said the Sledges in a […]

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Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Obituaries & memorials

Haiti pays last respects to former President Rene Preval

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti—Haiti said goodbye Saturday to one of its most decorated and respected presidents, Rene Preval, in a Catholic ceremony spanning almost three hours. Just as in life, Preval, in death, brought together Haitians of all colors, socioeconomic standings and political leanings as peasant organizations paid tribute by wearing of traditional straw hats — a

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International, Obituaries & memorials

Fred Weintraub, who financed ‘Woodstock’ and helped discover Bruce Lee, dies at 88

Were it not for the renegade work of club owner, Hollywood producer and self-described showman Fred Weintraub, the lives of Bruce Lee, Frankie Valli, Neil Diamond, Richard Pryor and Woody Allen, to say nothing of the mud-encrusted hippies Weintraub captured in the film “Woodstock,” might have taken other turns. Weintraub died Sunday, leaving a legacy

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Obituaries & memorials, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Robert Osborne, movie connoisseur and host of Turner Classic Movies, dies at 84

Robert Osborne, who displayed an encyclopedic knowledge — and love — of films and film history as the primary host of Turner Classic Movies, has died in New York, the network said Monday. He was 84. Osborne was a former longtime columnist for the Hollywood Reporter and the author of the official history of the

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Obituaries & memorials, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Miriam Colón Dead At 80: Legendary Puerto Rican Actress Dies After Pulmonary Infection

Miriam Colón has passed away at the age of 80, her husband Fred Valle has confirmed. The cause of death was revealed to be complications from a pulmonary infection. Colón is a legendary Puerto Rican actress that was widely recognized as playing the mother of Tony Montana in the 1983 remake of “Scarface.” The directors

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Obituaries & memorials, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Long-time Israeli photojournalist David Rubinger dies aged 92

Tel Aviv (dpa) – Israeli photographer David Rubinger, best known for his image of Israeli soldiers standing awestruck in front of the Western Wall during the Six-Day War, has died aged 92, a family statement said on Thursday. Rubinger, who died Wednesday in Jerusalem, “eternalized history as it will be forever etched in our memories,”

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Middle East, Obituaries & memorials

Gerald Kaufman, UK’s longest-serving lawmaker, dies at 86

LONDON — Gerald Kaufman, the longest-serving lawmaker in Britain’s House of Commons, has died aged 86.Kaufman’s family says the Labour Party legislator died Sunday after a long illness.Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn on Monday called Kaufman “an iconic and irascible figure” who was proud of his Jewish roots and strove to bring peace to the Middle

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International, Obituaries & memorials

Judge Joseph Wapner, who presided over ‘The People’s Court,’ dies at 97

LOS ANGELES — He was a retired Los Angeles County Superior Court judge who became an unlikely American TV icon, a white-haired jurist who was dubbed the “Solomon of Small Claims.” Judge Joseph A. Wapner, who presided over “The People’s Court” for 12 years in the 1980s and ’90s, has died, a family member told

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Obituaries & memorials, USA

Ira Lerner: A Community Institution

By David Ogul SAN DIEGO — Judaism teaches that the world relies on three principles: religious observance, divine work and acts of kindness. Ira Lerner showed his dedication to this philosophy through his professional life, his commitment to his religion and his ties to his family and many friends. Professionally, he served his country as

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David Ogul, Jewish Religion, Obituaries & memorials, San Diego County

George ‘The Animal’ Steele, wrestling great, dead at 79

WASHINGTON, February 24, 2017 – First cast as an almost sub-human villain before he later morphed into an oddly lovable character later in his career, bigger-than-life wrestling legend George “The Animal” Steele passed away in Florida on February 16, 2017 at the age of 79. Steele had been under hospice care since the spring of

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Obituaries & memorials, Sports & Competitions, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Alan Colmes, Fox News’ liberal voice, dead at 66

Alan Colmes, the longtime radio host best known as Fox News’s liberal voice on the network’s popular “Hannity & Colmes” show and later as a Fox commentator, has died at the age of 66 after a brief illness, Fox News reported Thursday morning. “When Alan and I started ‘Hannity & Colmes,’ there wasn’t a day

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Obituaries & memorials, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Wife of former Brazilian president Lula dies aged 66

Rio de Janeiro (dpa) – Marisa Leticia Rocco, the wife of former Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, died Friday in a Sao Paulo hospital aged 66, multiple local media reports confirmed. Rocco was Thursday declared brain dead in the Hospital Sirio Libanes where she had been admitted after suffering a stroke. Lula’s predecessor,

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International, Obituaries & memorials