Category Archives: Late Greats

Thank You for Being a Friend, Betty White: Icon Dies @ 99

It's been a terrible year for so many reasons, and now we have another sad milestone — TV icon Betty White has died at 99, just weeks shy of her 100th birthday. A Rose by any other name (Image via NBC) TMZ reported the heartbreaking news that White died at her home in Brentwood. Variety reportsWhite is believed…
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Bridget Hanley of ‘Here Come the Brides’ Dies @ 80

Lovely actress Bridget Hanley, best known for her performance as Candy Pruitt on Here Come the Brides (1968-1970) opposite Bobby Sherman (b. 1943), died last week at 80. Hanley with co-stars Robert Brown (still with us at 95), Joan Blondell (1906-1979), David Soul (still with us at 78) and Bobby Sherman (still with us at…
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Cara Williams, Oscar Nominee & Sitcom Star, Dies @ 96

I have been fascinated lately by the number of famous or formerly famous figures who have died and who we seem to forget were part of long-ago iconic productions, or who worked with long-dead icons. It is incredible to me, for example, that Cara Williams — who died at her Beverly Hills home Thursday at…
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Monkees Maestro Mike Nesmith Dies @ 78

Michael Nesmith, the singer-songwriter whose work elevated the creative autonomy of the Monkees, died Friday at 78. Nesmith signed this just a year ago. (Image via book cover) Nesmith had undergone quadruple-bypass heart surgery in recent years. His death was attributed to natural causes. A statement from his family read, "With Infinite Love we announce…
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Bronski Beat’s Steve Bronski Dies @ 61

Steve Bronski, co-founder of the British synthpop trio Bronski Beat, died this week at 61. Teen fodder circa 1984 (Image via Smash Hits) Further details were not immediately available, but his old bandmate Jimmy Somerville, 60, who bolted the group in 1985, took to social media to remember him, writing: It was also a triumph…
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Eddie Mekka, ‘Laverne & Shirley’s’ Carmine, Dies @ 69

Just 69 years old, Eddie Mekka — most famous as Laverne & Shirley's resident belter Carmina The Big Ragu Ragusa — died at his Newhall, California, home on November 27. I met Mekka about 10 years ago at an autograph show (Image by Matthew Rettenmund) No cause was given. A friend announced, "R.I.P. Big Ragu: It…
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Arlene Dahl, Movie Star & Beauty Expert, Dies @ 96

One of Hollywood's most glamorous redheads, Arlene Dahl, died Monday, November 29, in NYC. She was 96. A stunner for the ages (Image via head shot) Also an enterprising beauty expert and glamorous presence at red-carpet events for decades, she was the mother of Falcon Crest star Lorenzo Lamas, 63, with fellow actor Fernando Lamas…
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Stephen Sondheim, Broadway’s Biggest Legend, Dies @ 91

Stephen Sondheim, whose work resonated with generations of American theatergoers, died Friday unexpectedly at 91. What a dear man, and what a ferocious talent. (GIF via GIPHY) https://twitter.com/BarbraStreisand/status/1464364472399761413?s=20 He had celebrated Thanksgiving the day before with friends, and less than two weeks prior ventured from Connecticut to NYC to check out new productions of his…
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Gavan O’Herlihy, Mysterious Son Chuck from ‘Happy Days,’ Dies @ 70

Gavan O'Herlihy has become the second Happy Days Cunningham kid to die after Erin "Joanie Cunningham" Moran. O'Herlihy died September 15 in England at age 70, his agent Michael Emptage has belatedly confirmed. "Yes, Chuck?" (Image via ABC) No cause of death was provided, but it was not related to COVID-19. In a statement, Emptage…
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