They All Died In 2016, 2017, etc ...

[topdog]

Silvio BERLUSCONI (1936)
IT Media Tycoon and Politician
​

Berlusconi was a controversial populist Prime Minister of Italy in four governments from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006 and 2008 to 2011. He was also a member of the Chamber of Deputies, Senate of the Republic, and most recently a Member of the European Parliament (MEP). With a net worth of US$6.9 billion as of June 2023, Berlusconi was the third-wealthiest person in Italy. He was convicted several times on charges of tax fraud and other finacial crimes, but largely escaped punishment because his government limited the scope and penalties for those offences.

 

[topdog]

Treat WILLIAMS (1951)
US Film, Stage, and TV Actor
​

Williams began his career on Broadway in the original production of Grease. But he came to the public's attention in 1979 when starred in the film version of Hair, and had a prominient role in Steven Speilberg's 1941. He went on to lead roles in Prince of the City and Once Upon a Time in America. On television he starred in the series Everwood.

 

[topdog]

Glenda JACKSON, CBE (1936)
UK Actor and Politician
​

She won the Academy Award for Best Actress twice: for her roles in the romance films Women in Love (1970) and A Touch of Class (1973). She won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971). She left acting in 1992 to become an MP in the UK Parliament, a post she held until 2015. That year she returned to the stage as the title character in King Lear, first in London, and then in 2019 on Broadway.

 

[topdog]

Daniel ELLSBERG (1931)
US Political Activist and Military Analyst
​

In the US Ellsberg caused a huge political controversy in 1971 when he released the Pentagon Papers to The New York Times, The Washington Post, and other newspapers. This was a top-secret Pentagon study of U.S. government decision-making in relation to the Vietnam War - showing the embarrasing difference between the way the Pentagon publicly talked about the war, compared to their actual actions and on-the-ground intelligence. He was arrested on espionage charges, which the judge threw out after hearing the evidence.

 

[tonka]

Ellsberg was an extraordinary man. He had access to doents showing how deeply flawed the Vietnam was was...and how the government hid this.
He put it all out there; he took responsibility for it. He expected to be imprisoned for life.

A man of great courage.

 

[topdog]

Sheldon HARNICK (1924)
US Broadway Lyricist and Songwriter
​

Sheldon Harnick along with his composing partner, Jerry Bock, were one of the greatest songwriting teams on Broadway in the 1960s They won a Tony and a Pulitzer Prize in 1959 for Fiorello!. They went on to write She Loves Me (1963), followed by Fiddler on the Roof (1965). His passing, along with the recent deaths of Jerry Herman, Stephen Sondheim, and Harnick's partner Jerry Bock, truly mark the end of an era.

 

[slimjim]

Alan Wolf ARKIN (1934)​

Alan Arkin was an American actor, director, and screenwriter. In a career spanning eight decades, he received various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Tony Award. He had many apperances on stage and TV and amongst his many movies (100+) are such as Argo; Glengarry Glenn Ross; Little Miss Sunshine; Edward Scissorhands and Grosse Point Blank but for me his most memorable performance is as Yossarian, the anti-hero in the wonderful film adaptation of Joseph Heller's "un-filmable" anti-war satire novel Catch-22

 

[haiducii]

Dilano van 't HOFF (2004) - Dutch racing driver​

 

[haiducii]

Milan MILUTINOVIĆ (1942) - former Serbian president​

 

[defiance0]

Milan Kundera has dies age 94

 

[haiducii]

Jane BIRKIN (1946) - the British-born actor and singer

 

[topdog]

Tony BENNETT (1926)
US Singer
​

Anthony Dominick Benedetto sold over 50 million records. His first Top 10 album was I Left My Heart in San Francisco in 1962. His last one was Love for Sale in 2021. He has 20 Grammy Awards (incluiding a Lifetime Acheivement Award) among many other honors. He sang with Judy Garland, and he sang with Lady Gaga. When crooner pop went out of style at the end of the 1960s, Bennett struggled with the music business heading exclusively towards rock and singer-songwriters.

After some financial and drug problems, his son Danny signed on as his manager and turned Bennett's career around with the 1986 album The Art of Excellence. Danny booked his father on shows like Late Night with David Letterman, The Simpsons, and The Muppetts and introduced the master singer to a younger audience. He sang with k.d.lang and Elvis Costello and had a popular segment on MTV Unplugged. Bennett became his own brand.

 

[defiance0]

Sinéad O’Connor, acclaimed Dublin singer, dies aged 56​

 

[dargelos]

This is a horrible painful shock. Such an early age, its crushingly sad. What else to do but cry.

 

[slimjim]

I missed the news on this due to getting sorted for something tomorrow. Terribly sad news indeed, a troubled and controversial life, but one ended too soon. A precocious talent - one that produced the wonderful & Grammy-winning album I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got resulting in her biggest hit, the cover of Prince's "Nothing Compares 2 U". But for me I think my favourite track is........ well it's a toss-up between these two

 

[haiducii]

Remi LUCIDI (1993) - French daredevil known for scaling skyscrapers around the world​

 

[topdog]

Paul REUBENS (1952)
US Actor, Writer, Comedian
​

Paul Reubens started in improv comedy with The Groundlings in Los Angeles in the 1970s. He developed his character Pee-wee Herman there, eventually expanding it into a successful stage show. HBO filmed it as a comedy special, and Pee-wee took off with a television show and two movies. He updated the stage show in 2010 and brought it successfully to Broadway.

 

[W!nston]

Paul REUBENS (1952)
US Actor, Writer, Comedian
​

Paul Reubens started in improv comedy with The Groundlings in Los Angeles in the 1970s. He developed his character Pee-wee Herman there, eventually expanding it into a successful stage show. HBO filmed it as a comedy special, and Pee-wee took off with a television show and two movies. He updated the stage show in 2010 and brought it successfully to Broadway.

I'm not the only one surprised by this sad news. Say what they may about Paul he brought a lot of laughs to a lot of people. I haven't watched Pee Wee's Big Adventure if years. It's going on the list for this weekend.

 

[haiducii]

Margit SAAD (1929) - German actress and director​

 

[topdog]

Jimmy BUFFETT (1946)
US Singer, Songwriter, Businessman
​

James William Buffett went from busking in Key West in 1971 to creating his own genre of music called "Gulf & Western". He hit it big in 1976 with "Margaritaville". He developed a fan base called "Parrotheads", and they flocked to his concerts. In the 1980s he branched out into merchandise at his gift shop in Key West, and well as a chain of Margaritaville restaurants. He still had big hits in the 21st century, including his duet with Alan Jackson, "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere". Buffett was one of the wealthiest US Musicians - he was worth over $1 billion in 2021.