Obituaries
Samm-Art Williams, Tony-Nominated Playwright and ‘Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ Producer, Dies at 78
Samm-Art Williams, a Tony-nominated playwright, actor and director and an executive producer on NBC’s The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, has died. He was 78. Williams died Monday in Burgaw, North Carolina, his cousin Carol Brown told The Hollywood Reporter. “Mr. Williams’ contributions to American theater and television will live on, but he will be greatly […]
- By
David Sanborn, Renowned Jazz Saxophonist, Dies at 78
David Sanborn, beloved jazz saxophonist who is credited on songs for Stevie Wonder, David Bowie and many more, died Sunday. He was 78. A message posted to the musician’s social media page confirmed the news, noting that Sanborn had been battling prostate cancer for the past few years. “Mr. Sanborn had been dealing with prostate cancer since […]
- By
Mark Damon, Actor Turned Indie Film Exec and ‘Monster’ Producer, Dies at 91
Mark Damon, who starred in the Vincent Price horror classic House of Usher and spaghetti Westerns before revolutionizing the foreign sales and distribution film business and producing features including 9 1/2 Weeks, Monster and Lone Survivor, has died. He was 91. Damon died Sunday of natural causes in Los Angeles, his daughter, Alexis Damon Ribaut, told […]
- By
Susan Backlinie, the First Victim of the Shark in ‘Jaws,’ Dies at 77
Susan Backlinie, the stuntperson and actress who as a young skinny-dipper out for a nighttime swim off the coast of Amity Island became the shark’s first victim in Steven Spielberg’s Jaws, has died. She was 77. Backlinie died Saturday at her home in Ventura, California, her convention agent, Matthew Templeton, told The Daily Jaws website. […]
- By
Roger Corman, Giant of Independent Filmmaking, Dies at 98
Roger Corman, the fabled “King of the B’s” producer and director who churned out low-budget genre films with breakneck speed and provided career boosts to young, untested talents like Jack Nicholson, Ron Howard, Peter Bogdanovich, Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, Jonathan Demme, Gale Anne Hurd and James Cameron, has died. He was 98. The filmmaker, […]
- By
Al Onorato, Casting Director and Talent Manager, Dies at 88
Al Onorato, who handled casting for such TV shows as Bewitched, The Partridge Family, Police Story and Fantasy Island and represented Mark Harmon, Kristin Chenoweth and others as a talent manager, has died. He was 88. Onorato died April 21 in Los Angeles, his nephew Chris Onorato announced. Onorato founded the Casting Society of America […]
- By
Bob Ellison, Emmy-Winning ‘Mary Tyler Moore Show’ Writer and Expert Joke Fixer, Dies at 91
Bob Ellison, the two-time Emmy Award winner who wrote for The Mary Tyler Moore Show and served as a game-saving creative/script consultant on Cheers, Wings, Becker and many other comedies, has died. He was 91. He died April 8 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, his business manager, Malcolm Orland, told The Hollywood Reporter. […]
- By
Sam Rubin, Longtime KTLA Entertainment Reporter and Anchor, Dies at 64
Sam Rubin, the popular entertainment anchor on KTLA-TV’s morning show since 1991, has died, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. He was 64. According to TMZ, Rubin died of a heart attack on Friday. He was on the air Thursday morning. “KTLA 5 is profoundly saddened to report the death of Sam Rubin,” the channel wrote […]
- By
Harry J. Pappas, Owner of Lots of TV and Radio Stations, Dies at 78
Harry J. Pappas, who presided over more than 30 TV stations as the CEO of what was the largest privately held broadcasting company in the U.S. in terms of household coverage, died April 24 in Reno, Nevada, his niece announced. He was 78. Under his watch, Pappas Telecasting stations KMPH-TV in Fresno, California; WHNS-TV in […]
- By
Steve Albini, Engineer-Producer of Nirvana, Pixies Albums, Dies at 61
Steve Albini, the exacting producer/engineer and frontman of the noisesome indie rock bands Shellac and Big Black, has died. He was 61. According to a staff member at Albini’s Electric Audio Recordings studio in Chicago, Albini died of a heart attack on Tuesday night. Though he disdained the term “producer,” preferring “engineer” instead, Albini said in a […]
- By
Ian Gelder, Actor Who Played Kevan Lannister on ‘Game of Thrones,’ Dies at 74
Ian Gelder, the British actor who played Kevan Lannister on HBO’s Game of Thrones and the villain Zellin on Doctor Who, has died. He was 74. “It is with huge huge sadness and a heavy heart broken into a million pieces that I’m leaving this post to announce the passing of my darling husband and […]
- By
Susan Buckner, Cheerleader Patty Simcox in ‘Grease,’ Dies at 72
Susan Buckner, the actress and dancer best known for her turn as the bubbly and often-teased Rydell High cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 blockbuster musical Grease, has died. She was 72. She died Thursday in Miami, family spokesperson Melissa Berthier announced. No cause of death was revealed. Buckner portrayed Hollywood bad girl Jean Harlow […]
- By
