/ Stars that died in 2023

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Dimitra Arliss, American actress (The Sting, General Hospital, Xanadu), complications from a stroke, died he was 79.


Dimitra Arliss ,sometimes credited as Dimitra Arlys, was an American actress.

(October 23, 1932 – January 26, 2012)

Of Greek descent,[2] she was born in Lorain, Ohio, on October 23, 1932. Her acting career began at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago. She first gained attention after appearing in Arthur L. Kopit's Broadway play Indians in the 1960s in which she played a Native American character who spoke with an Italian accent. She went on to appear in multiple stage, television and film productions including the 1973 classic The Sting.

Voice-over work

She voiced Anastasia Hardy in the Spider-Man: The Animated Series episodes "The Sins Of The Fathers, Chapter II: Make A Wish" (1995) and "The Sins Of The Fathers, Chapter IV: Enter The Green Goblin" (1996).[3]

Death

Arliss died at the Motion Picture and Television Fund Hospital in Woodland Hills, California, aged 79, from complications of a stroke. She is survived by a sister.[3]

Partial filmography



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Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Dimitra Arliss, American actress (The Sting, General Hospital, Xanadu), died from complications from a stroke, she was 79.


Dimitra Arliss,[1] sometimes credited as Dimitra Arlys, was an American actress died from complications from a stroke, she was 79..

(October 23, 1932 – January 26, 2012)

Of Greek descent,[2] she was born in Lorain, Ohio, on October 23, 1932. Her acting career began at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago. She first gained attention after appearing in Arthur L. Kopit's Broadway play Indians in the 1960s in which she played a Native American character who spoke with an Italian accent. She went on to appear in multiple stage, television and film productions including the 1973 classic The Sting.

Voice-over work

She voiced Anastasia Hardy in the Spider-Man: The Animated Series episodes "The Sins Of The Fathers, Chapter II: Make A Wish" (1995) and "The Sins Of The Fathers, Chapter IV: Enter The Green Goblin" (1996).[3]

Death

Arliss died at the Motion Picture and Television Fund Hospital in Woodland Hills, California, aged 79, from complications of a stroke. She is survived by a sister.[3]

Partial filmography



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Ian Abercrombie, British actor (Seinfeld, Wizards of Waverly Place, Birds of Prey), died from kidney failure he was 77.

Ian Abercrombie was an English actor  died from kidney failure he was 77..[1]

(11 September 1934 – 26 January 2012)


Abercrombie was known for playing Alfred Pennyworth in Birds of Prey. He appeared as Elaine Benes's boss, Justin Pitt, during the sixth season of Seinfeld, and Rupert Cananaugh, Ian Hainsworth's butler, in Desperate Housewives.

Early life

Abercrombie was born on 11 September 1934 in Grays, Essex, England.[2] He began his theatrical career during the Blitz in World War II. After his footwork years during which he earned Bronze, Silver and Gold medals in stage dancing, he performed in London, Scotland, Ireland and the Netherlands. He moved to the United States aged 17.[2] He made his American stage debut in 1955 in a production of Stalag 17 with Jason Robards and Jules Munshin. Many plays in summer stock, regional and off-Broadway followed in a variety of theatrical offerings, from revues to Shakespeare (in a particularly low period, he worked as a magician's assistant for $10 a performance).
In 1957, he was drafted into the US Army and stationed in Germany as part of Special Services, where he directed the continental premiere of Separate Tables. In the United States, he went to California for a backers' audition, which went nowhere but he began a long film and television career. He received awards[clarification needed] for his work in Sweet Prince with Keir Dullea; Teeth N'smiles; A Doll's House with Linda Purl; and The Arcata Promise, opposite Anthony Hopkins. He received acclaim for the one-man show, Jean Cocteau - A Mirror Image.

Career

He shared two roles with actor Clive Revill. Revill was Alfred Pennyworth in early episodes of Batman (1992), a role Abercrombie played in the television series Birds of Prey (2002). Revill was also the first actor to play Palpatine, in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980). Abercrombie portrayed the character in the animated Clone Wars series and film.
Abercrombie was known to cult film audiences as Wiseman in the comedy horror film Army of Darkness (1993). He guest-starred in many television series such as Seinfeld, The Nanny, Wizards of Waverly Place, Airwolf, Babylon 5, and NewsRadio. He portrayed Chancellor Palpatine and Darth Sidious in the film The Clone Wars (2008) and reprised his role as Palpatine/Sidious in the television adaption from Seasons 1-5 and its two spin-off video games: Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes and Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Lightsaber Duels. On radio he was heard in several productions of the Hollywood Theater of the Ear.[citation needed] Abercrombie voiced Ambrose in 2011's Oscar-nominated Rango. He also portrayed Ganthet in Green Lantern: The Ani­mated Series, completing his work on the latest episode of the Cartoon Network show just before his death.[3]

Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Ian portrayed Chancellor Palpatine and Darth Sidious in the Animated television series "The Clone Wars" from Seasons 1-5, and its two spin-off video games, Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Republic Heroes and Star Wars - The Clone Wars: Lightsaber Duels. Supervising Director Dave Filoni said that Ian was very excited that Darth Sidious finally was going to be seen in person and not as a hologram anymore; during Celebration VI Filoni also mentioned that before his passing, Ian did record for most of Season 5 as both characters, but did not finish. In February 2013 it was announced that actor Tim Curry was going to be the next voice of Palpatine, beginning with the Season 5 finale, The Wrong Jedi..

Death

Abercrombie died in Hollywood, California on 26 January 2012 at age 77, from kidney failure. During Celebration VI (23–26 August) there was a show called Vocal Stars of the Clone Wars hosted by James Arnold Taylor and it included cast members Matt Lanter, Ashley Eckstein, Dee Bradley Baker and Tom Kane. They all dedicated the show to Ian and stated that they miss him deeply.[2]

Filmography




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Jean Wells, American game designer, died she was 56.

Oeva Jean Wells Koebernick  was an American writer, artist, and editor in the field of role-playing games died he was 56.. She was the first female game designer to be hired by TSR, Inc. However, her career at TSR stalled after she wrote a controversial Dungeons & Dragons adventure module that was withdrawn on the eve of publication and subsequently rewritten.

(July 25, 1955 – January 25, 2012)

Early life

Jean Wells was born July 25, 1955 in Jacksonville, Florida to Walton and Ellen Loft Wells.[2] During a college canoe camping trip, she participated in an impromptu session of Dungeons & Dragons.[3] She was fascinated by the game, and once back on campus, she quickly ordered her own set of the rules, and joined a local group called the "D&D Gang of Statesmen Complex". After several gaming sessions, she realized that she liked the role of dungeon master more than player. In her words, "It gave me an opportunity to use my creativity in an area I already liked, Medieval History and Fantasy."[3]

Career at TSR

Wells also ordered a subscription of The Dragon from TSR Hobbies, and in the July 1978 issue, she noticed an ad for "an alert and talented person [with] design and editorial talent and a good general knowledge of games" in TSR's design department.[4] Although she was still at college studying to be an elementary school art teacher, and her only gaming experience was the D&D she had just started playing, she applied for the position. After some back-and-forth correspondence with Gary Gygax during the fall of 1978, she flew to TSR headquarters in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin in January 1979 for a three-day visit. Despite her lack of experience, Gygax hired her as the first female in the design department. Wells later recalled that, "he knew I didn't know how to really write rules... He was hiring my imagination and would teach me the rest."[3]
However, Wells had arrived just as TSR was, in her words, "exploding",[5] and Gygax did not have time to introduce her to the world of game design. As a result, and especially because she was the only woman in the design department, Wells felt out of place. She later described herself as "the token female".[5]
She moved into a nearby house nicknamed the "TSR Dorm", since all the renters were TSR staffers—she actually took over the bedroom of Larry Elmore, who had just left TSR[5]—and she started to date Skip Williams.
Her first work was editing the adventure module S2 White Plume Mountain by Lawrence Schick. In addition, she also contributed interior art for the adventure module Lost Tamaochan, as well as artwork to the fourth printing of the original Monster Manual, including drawings of an eye of the deep, a giant Sumatran rat, and violet fungi.
She was the inaugural author of "Sage Advice", a D&D advice column that first appeared in The Dragon starting with issue #31 in November 1979.[6] She tried to bring some humor to the column, believing that some of her young readers were taking D&D too seriously.[3] One such example appeared in her first column, when she was asked how much damage a bow did in Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. Her answer was, "None. Bows do not do damage, arrows do. However, if you hit someone with a bow, I’d say it would probably do 1-4 points of damage and thereafter render the bow completely useless for firing arrows."[6] She continued to handle the "Sage Advice" column until issue #39 (July 1980).
In 1980, she did the design and layout of Brian Blume's The Rogues Gallery (which included her own D&D character Ceatitle). She was also the editor of Gary Gygax's module B2 Keep on the Borderlands, her bestselling piece of design work, since it was included in later printings of the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set,[7] which sold over one million copies.[8]

Controversy: Palace of the Silver Princess

After the success of B2 Keep on the Borderlands, Wells was assigned to write an adventure for the "B" (Basic) series that would teach new players how to play D&D. She consulted her editor, Ed Sollers, about every detail, and the result was B3 Palace of the Silver Princess. In keeping with the design of the first D&D module of the "B" series, B1 In Search of the Unknown by Mike Carr, Wells left several rooms and areas of the module incomplete so that players could customize those areas themselves. As she related, "I was trying to show the players that there was more to a 'dungeon' than just the building. I didn't complete the palace, trying to show them this map could be a mini base map for their game. The players could discover the part of the dungeon that had been caved in wasn't any longer and the DM could expand it. I was assuming that they were trying to learn to set up their own world and I was trying to help."[9]
During the editorial process, Wells wanted to replace artwork by Erol Otus that had transformed her "ubues"—new three-headed monsters—into hermaphrodites whose heads were caricatures of TSR staffers and management. However, she was told that the artwork couldn't be replaced without causing unreasonable printing delays.[5]

Original "orange" version
On the day when the cartons of printed modules arrived at TSR headquarters ready for shipping and copies were distributed to staff, someone in TSR's upper management strongly objected to the module. Some sources state that the objectionable content was four pieces of artwork by Erol Otus and Laura Roslof that were too overtly sexual[10] while others state that it was specifically the Otus illustration with the caricatures of TSR executives.[11]
Wells herself related that another member of the design department complained to Kevin Blume, and that subsequently she and her editor, Ed Sollers, were called into Kevin Blume's office and asked to explain why a module designed for a younger audience contained S&M.[9]
The end result was that the entire print run of what became known as the "orange version"—because of its orange cover design—was destroyed, except for a few copies that were saved from the trash pile by TSR employees.
The entire module was subsequently rewritten by Tom Moldvay, who changed the plot, replaced all of Wells' new monsters with standard monsters from the Monster Manual, and removed the empty areas. In addition, the four contentious pieces of artwork, as well as many others, were replaced. The new version was then released with a green cover.
Following the Silver Princess incident, Wells wanted to write another module, but in her words, "nobody would touch my game ideas with a ten-foot pole."[5] When she realized her suggestions for new adventures and games were being ignored and she was only being given secretarial tasks instead of new design work, she left TSR.[9]

Life after TSR

Wells married another TSR employee, Corey Koebernick, in 1981. When he was laid off by TSR a few months later, they moved to Beloit, Wisconsin, where she would spend the rest of her life. She did not work again, staying at home to raise two sons.
Wells struggled with several serious illnesses for the last thirty years of her life, including hepatitis C.[12]
On January 24, 2012, Wells was admitted to hospital, and died early the next morning.[2]

Legacy

The piece of work Wells was best known for, the orange version of Palace of the Silver Princess, is an extremely rare item, since most copies were destroyed before its release. One copy rated in VF/SW condition was sold at auction in March 2008 for $3050, making it the highest price paid for a single non-unique D&D module.[10]

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Kosta Tsonev, Bulgarian actor, died he was 82.

Kosta Tsonev  was a Bulgarian actor of Greek heritage starring in theatre, TV and cinema died he was 82..[1] He was born on 10 June 1929 in the capital of Bulgaria, Sofia. He studied at the National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts. He has been married three times: twice to Anahid Tacheva and then to his present wife Elena.

(Bulgarian: Коста Цонев; 10 June 1929 – 25 January 2012)

He has a son, famed news reader Dimitar Tsonev, and a daughter. His second oldest brother was the late Vasil Tsonev, a dry witted satirist who wrote many books which have been published in several languages. His oldest brother was the late Iwan Tsonev (Iwan Zoneff) who moved to Australia in 1950s where he became one of the biggest property developers in South Australia during the mid 60's showing the diverse talents of the 3 brothers in each of their chosen fields. The father of the three brothers was a simple house painter. In 2001 Tsonev turned to politics and was elected to the National Assembly of Bulgaria as a representative of the former National Movement Simeon II (now National Movement for Stability and Progress).[1] He was reelected in 2005.[1]

Full Filmography

  • Trade Routes (2007) as Alexander Georgiev
  • Shantav den (2004) as Grandfather
in Bulgarian: Шантав ден
in English: Crazy Day (Europe: English title)
  • Zhrebiyat (1993) as Boris Skarlatov
in Bulgarian: Жребият
in English: The Lot
  • Kragovrat (1993) as Ivan Dimovski
in Bulgarian: Кръговрат
in English: Circle
  • Zweite Tod des Gregor Z., Der (1992) as Simeon Boiovic
  • Nemirnata ptitza lyubov (1990) as Svidetelyat
in Bulgarian: Немирната птица любов
in English: Love Is a Willful Bird
  • Bashti i sinove (1990) TV Series
in Bulgarian: Бащи и синове
in English: Fathers and Sons
  • Indianski igri (1990) as Angel
in Bulgarian: Индиански игри
in English: Indian Games
  • Plemennikat chuzhdenetz (1990) as Stranger
in Bulgarian: Племенникът — чужденец
in English: The Foreign Nephew
  • Razvodi, razvodi... (1989) as Mariya's husband
in Bulgarian: Разводи, разводи...
in English: Divorces, Divorces...
  • Neizchezvashtite (1988) TV Series
in Bulgarian: Неизчезващите
in English: People, Who Never Disappear
  • Slyapa sabota (1988) as Kosta Tsonev
in Bulgarian: Сляпа събота in English: Blind Saturday
  • Chicho Krastnik (1988)
in Bulgarian: Чичо Кръстник
in English: My Uncle Godfather
  • Vchera (1988) as Vera's Dad
in English: Yesterday
  • Dom za nashite deca (1987) TV Series as Hristo Aldanov
in Bulgarian: Дом за нашите деца
in English: Home for Our Children
  • Nebe za vsichki (1987) as General director of the company
in Bulgarian: Небе за всички
in English: A Sky for All
  • Vreme za pat (1987) TV Series as Hristo Aldanov
in Bulgarian: Време за път
in English: Time for Traveling (Europe: English title)
  • Mechtateli (1987) as Georgi Zhivkov
in Bulgarian: Мечтатели
in English: Dreamers
  • Eshelonite (1986) as Dimitar Peshev
in Bulgarian: Ешелоните на смъртта
in English: Transports of Death
  • Gorski hora (1985)
in Bulgarian: Горски хора
in English: Forest People
in English: Hijack
  • Tazi hubava zryala vazrast (1985) as Rumen Iliev
in Bulgarian: Тази хубава зряла възраст
in English: This Fine Age of Maturity
  • Boris I (1985) as Kliment Ohridski
in Bulgarian: Борис Първи
in English: The Conversion to Christianity & Discourse of Letters
  • V poiskakh kapitana Granta (1985) (mini) TV Series as Hetzel
in Russian: В поисках капитана Гранта
in English: In Search for Captain Grant
  • Spasenieto (1984) as Nikola Bakardzhiev
in Bulgarian: Спасението
in English: Salvation
  • Falshifikatorat ot "Cherniya kos" (1983) TV Series
in Bulgarian: Фалшификаторът от `Черния кос`
in English: Faker from 'The Blackbird'
  • Parizhskaya drama (1983)
  • Pochti reviziya (1983) (mini) TV Series as Vakrilov
in Bulgarian: Почти ревизия
in English: Almost an Inspection
  • Tzarska piesa (1982) as Alexander Tzanev, King' Adviser
in Bulgarian: Царска пиеса
in English: Royal Play
  • Kristali (1982) as Akademik Abadzhiev
in Bulgarian: Кристали
in English: Crystals
  • Udarat (1981) as Prince Kiril
in Bulgarian: Ударът
in English: The Thrust
  • Milost za zhivite (1981) as Professor Andrey Haydutov
in Bulgarian: Милост за живите
in English: Mercy for the Living
  • Sami sred valtzi (1979) TV Series as General Lukash
in Bulgarian: Сами сред вълци
in English: Alone Among Wolves
  • Tayfuni s nezhni imena (1979) TV Series as Emil Boev
in Bulgarian: Тайфуни с нежни имена
in English: Typhoons with Gentle Names
  • Po diryata na bezsledno izcheznalite (1979) TV Series
in Bulgarian: По дирята на безследно изчезналите
in English: On the Tracks of the Missing
  • Umiray samo v kraen sluchay (1978) TV Series as Emil Boev
in Bulgarian: Умирай само в краен случай
in English: Dying in the Worst (
  • Yuliya Vrevskaya (1978) as the old Rebel
in Bulgarian: Юлия Вревская
  • Adios, muchachos (1978) as Vasil
in Bulgarian: Адиос, мучачос
in Bulgarian: Басейнът
in English: The Swimming Pool
  • Godina ot ponedelnitzi (1977) as Anton Stamenov
in Bulgarian: Година от понеделници
in English: A Year of Mondays
  • Dopalnenie kam zakona za zashtita na darzhavata (1976) as Yosif Herbst
in Bulgarian: Допълнение към закона за защита на държавата
in English: Amendment to the Defense-of-State Act
  • Sinyata bezpredelnost (1976) as Emil Boev
in Bulgarian: Синята безпределност
in English: The Blue Infinity
  • Rekviem za edna mrasnitza (1976) as Boev
in Bulgarian: Реквием за една мръсница
in English: Requiem for a Tramp
  • Izgori, za da svetish (1976) TV Series as Pavel
in Bulgarian: Изгори, за да светиш
  • Il pleut sur Santiago (1976)
in Bulgarian: Над Сантяго вали
in English: It Is Raining on Santiago
in Bulgarian: Буна
in English: Riot
  • Magistrala (1975) as Head Engineer
in Bulgarian: Магистрала
in English: A Highway
  • Svatbite na Yoan Asen (1975) as Aleksander/Yoan Asen
in Bulgarian: Сватбите на Йоан Асен
in English: The Weddings of King Ioan Assen
  • Brazilska melodiya (1974)
in Bulgarian: Бразилска мелодия
in English: Brazilian Melody
  • Bashta mi boyadzhiyata (1974) as the Father
in Bulgarian: Баща ми бояджията
  • Golyamata skuka (1973) as Seymur, Uylyams
in Bulgarian: Голямата скука
in English: The Great Boredom
  • Golyamata pobeda (1973) as Big Brother Bonev
in Bulgarian: Голямата победа
in English: The Great Victory
  • Glutnitsata (1972) as Kalinov
in Bulgarian: Глутницата
in English: The Pack of Wolves
  • Neobhodimiyat greshnik (1972) as Attorney Ivan Asenov
in Bulgarian: Необходимият грешник
in English: The Indispensable Sinner
  • Na vseki kilometar — II (1971) TV Series
in Bulgarian: На всеки километър — втора част
in English: At Each Kilometer — II
  • Gnevno patuvane (1971)
in Bulgarian: Гневно пътуване
in English: Wrathful Journey
  • Demonat na imperiyata (1971) TV Series as Father Matey Preobrazhenski
in Bulgarian: Демонът на империята
in English: The Demon of the Empire
  • Nyama nishto po-hubavo ot loshoto vreme (1971) as Evans
in Bulgarian: Няма нищо по-хубаво от лошото време
in English: There Is Nothing Finer Than Bad Weather
  • Na vseki kilometar (1969) TV Series
in Bulgarian: На всеки километър
in English: At Each Kilometer
  • Gospodin Nikoy (1969) as Emil Bobev
in Bulgarian: Господин Никой
in English: Mister Nobody in USA Mr. Nobody
  • Svoboda ili smart (1969) as Podvoyvodata
in Bulgarian: Свобода или смърт
in English: Freedom or Death
in Bulgarian: Човекът от Ла Манча
in English: Man of La Mancha
  • Smart nyama (1963) as Mladenov
in English: There Is No Death
  • Zlatniyat zab (1962) as Captain Lukov
in Bulgarian: Златният зъб
in English: The Golden Tooth
  • Noshtta sreshtu 13-i (1961) as Major Andrey Panov
in Bulgarian: Нощта срещу тринадесети
in English: On the Eve of the 13th
  • Badi shtastliva, Ani! (1961) as Boyan
in Bulgarian: Бъди щастлива, Ани!
in English: Be Happy, Ani!
  • Bednata ulitza (1960) as Petar
in Bulgarian: Бедната улица
in English: Poor Man's Street
  • V tiha vecher (1960) as The captain
in Bulgarian: В тиха вечер in English: On a Quiet Evening
  • Komandirat na otryada (1959) as Danyo
in Bulgarian: Командирът на отряда
in English: The Commander of the Detachment
  • Siromashka radost (1958) as Lazar Dabaka
in Bulgarian: Сиромашка радост
in English: Poor Man's Joy
  • Dimitrovgradtsy (1956)
in Bulgarian: Димитровградци
in English: People of Dimitrovgrad


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Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans, American heiress and philanthropist, died she was 91.


Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans  was an American heiress and philanthropist died she was 91.. She was the great grand-daughter of tobacco industrialist and Duke University benefactor Washington Duke. She herself was a major benefactor of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.

(February 21, 1920 – January 25, 2012)


Life

Semans was born Mary Duke Biddle on February 21, 1920 to Mary Lillian Duke and Anthony J. Drexel Biddle Jr. Her father was the former U.S. Ambassador to Poland and Spain. Semans was raised in Manhattan, where she attended the Hewitt School in New York.[3] At the age of 14, she moved to Durham, North Carolina to live with her grandmother, Sarah P. Duke. At the age of 15, she enrolled at Duke University's Woman's College, graduating in 1939.[4]
While at Duke, she met Josiah Charles Trent, a Duke medical student and future surgeon and chief of Duke Hospital's division of thoracic surgery. Semans and Trent married in 1938 and had four children. Ten years later, Trent died of lymphoma at the age of 34.[5]
In 1953, she married James Semans, a Duke surgeon. The couple had three children. James Semans died in 2005.[6]

Other

In 1951, she became the first woman to be elected to the Durham City Council. She went on to serve as the city's mayor pro tem from 1952 to 1955.[7] In 1957, she became a trustee of The Duke Endowment, and was its chairman from 1982 to 2001. She also served on the board of the Mary Duke Biddle Foundation, and was on the board of trustees for Duke University.[8][9]



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Nick Santino, American actor, died from suicide by overdose he was 47.

Nick Santino  was an American actor known primarily for his roles on soap operas, including Guiding Light and All My Children, and also appeared on Gossip Girl died from suicide by overdose he was 47..[1]

(24 January 1965 - 25 January 2012)

 

In 2010, Santino became embroiled in a dispute with the condominium board of 1 Lincoln Plaza, where he lived: a new policy forbade tenants from owning pit bull terriers. Although Santino's pit bull Rocco was grandfathered in, several restrictions were imposed on Rocco's behavior, and Santino complained about dog-related harassment from other tenants and from building staff. On January 24, 2012, Santino had Rocco euthanized, citing changes in Rocco's behavior which he attributed to the harassment and restrictions. Several hours later, Santino committed suicide; his suicide note explained that he felt he had betrayed Rocco (whom he had originally rescued from an animal shelter).[2] The condominium board subsequently denied any responsibility for Santino's death.[3]


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Dickey Betts died he was 80

Early Career Forrest Richard Betts was also known as Dickey Betts Betts collaborated with  Duane Allman , introducing melodic twin guitar ha...