In 2024, we've experienced the loss of several luminaries in the world of entertainment. These beloved figures—actors, comedians, musicians, singers, and coaches—have touched our lives with their talent, passion, and dedication. They've left an indelible mark on our hearts and shaped the world of entertainment in ways that will continue to inspire and influence generations to come.
Among the incredible actors who bid farewell this year, we mourn the loss of a true chameleon who effortlessly.
Professional freestyle motocross rider Jeremy Lusk died Monday night after receiving a brain injury in a Feb. 7 crash at the X Knights event in San Jose, Costa Rica. Video of the crash shows Lusk completing the initial trick of his run in San Jose's Saprissa Stadium, but after his launch from a second, smaller ramp, his bike pitched forward while he attempted a landing after a back flip. His full-face helmet sheared apart on impact with the landing surface and stopped the forward movement of his head as his body flipped over. He had a similar crash in the 2007 X Games but escaped serious injury. Lusk, 24, was coming off his best season ever: He won a 2008 X Games gold medal in Freestyle and was third in the Freestyle World Championships. The X Knights event was not associated with the X Games..
Lusk was rushed to the Calderon Hospital intensive care unit in San Jose, where he was treated for major brain trauma. Doctors there induced a coma to allow swelling of his brain to subside. His family and friends immediately rushed to Costa Rica on Saturday in hopes of returning Lusk to the U.S. for treatment, but his injuries were too severe. He was pronounced dead at 11:03 p.m. PT Monday. Freestyle motocross is a spinoff from traditional motocross racing in which riders race around an undulating dirt track. Freestyle is a judged event in which riders perform tricks on a dirt course with several large launch ramps. Although injuries are frequent in freestyle, there has never been a fatality in either the X Games or Dew Tour. more
It has been confirmed to us today that veteran comedian and actor Rodney Winfield has passed away today due to complications with his kidneys. No word yet on exactly what sort of ailment he had, but it has been confirmed that he passed away today. Winfiled was probably best known for his perfomance in Talking Dirty After Dark and Dead Presidents. Winfield was 76 years old.
Following World War II, Whitmore appeared on Broadway in the role of the Sergeant in Command Decision. MGM hired Whitmore on contract, but his role in the film adaptation was played by Van Johnson. Whitmore's first major picture was Battleground, in a role that was turned down by Spencer Tracy, and for which Whitmore was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Other major films included The Asphalt Jungle, The Next Voice You Hear,[2][3] Above and Beyond, Kiss Me, Kate, Them!, Oklahoma!, Black Like Me, Guns of the Magnificent Seven, Tora! Tora! Tora!, and Give 'em Hell, Harry!, for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of former U.S. PresidentHarry S Truman. In the movie Tora! Tora! Tora! he played the part of Admiral William F. "Bull" Halsey. In the 1960-1961 television season, Whitmore starred in his own crime drama on ABC entitled The Law and Mr. Jones, in the title role, with Conlan Carter as legal assistant C.E. Carruthers and Janet De Gore as his secretary. The program ran at the 10:30 Eastern half-hour slot on Friday. It was cancelled after one year but returned in April 1962 for thirteen additional episodes on Thursday to fill the half-hour vacated by the cancellation of the ABC sitcomMargie. In 1963, Whitmore played Captain William Benteen in The Twilight Zone episode "On Thursday We Leave for Home". In 1967 he guest starred as a security guard in The Invaders episode, Quantity: Unknown. That same year, he appeared on an episode of ABC's Custer starring Wayne Maunder in the title role. In 1969, Whitmore played the leading character of Professor Woodruff in the TV series My Friend Tony, produced by NBC. Whitmore also made several memorable appearances on the classic ABC western "The Big Valley" starring Barbara Stanwyck during the second half of the 1960s. Generally portraying a villain (corrupt sheriff or politician), his role was often that of a layered, complicated, and tormented character noted for intensity. Whitmore's natural ability to utilize the period slang terms and late 19th century language of the Old West gave a credibility to the performance seldom matched by other actors. His characters dominated the scenes and episodes in which he appeared.
Whitmore was twice married to Nancy Mygatt. They first married in 1947 and the couple had three sons before their divorce in 1971. One of those sons, James III, has gone on to find success as a television actor and director, under the name James Whitmore, Jr. Following the divorce from Mygatt, Whitmore was married to actress Audra Lindley from 1972 until 1979. He later remarried Mygatt, but they divorced again after two years.
Although not always politically active, in 2007, Whitmore generated some publicity with his endorsement of Barack Obama for U.S. President. In January 2008, Whitmore appeared in television commercials for the First Freedom First campaign, which advocates preserving "the separation of church and state" and protecting religious liberty.[4] Whitmore resided in Malibu, California where he was known through-out the community for being neighborly and warm hearted.[5] He smoked a pipe.
Whitmore was diagnosed with lung cancer in November 2008, from which he died at his Malibu, California home on February 6, 2009. He was 87.[6]
Bob May, a cherished actor, stuntman, and an unforgettable part of t
elevision history, left a lasting mark on the entertainment industry. Born in New York City on September 4, 1939, he was the grandson of vaudeville comedian Chic Johnson and inherited a love for show business at a young age, appearing in the Hellzapoppin comedy review at just two years old.Best remembered for his role as The Robot in the iconic TV series Lost in Space, May appeared in all 83 episodes donning a prop costume created by Bob Stewart. The robot's voice was dubbed by Dick Tufeld, who also served as the series' narrator. May enjoyed the role, calling the suit his "home away from home," and amusing his co-stars with his cigarette smoke emanating from the costume during breaks.
Apart from Lost in Space, May appeared in several films alongside Jerry Lewis, such as The Nutty Professor. His talents extended beyond acting; he performed in various TV series like The Time Tunnel, McHale's Navy, and The Red Skelton Show. Moreover, he worked as a stuntman in numerous TV shows and movies in the 1950s and 1960s, like Cheyenne, Hawaiian Eye, Palm Springs Weekend, and The Roaring Twenties.
As a beloved figure in the world of science fiction, May was a familiar face at autograph conventions throughout the Los Angeles area and across the United States, eagerly sought out by devoted fans of the Lost in Space series.
Sadly, May's home in the San Fernando Valley was destroyed in the devastating California wildfires of November 2008, although he and his wife were fortunate to escape unharmed. On January 18, 2009, Bob May passed away at age 69 due to congestive heart failure. He left behind a legacy as a talented actor, stuntman, and an unforgettable part of popularculture.Born in New York City,. For years, May was a regular at autograph conventions in the Los Angeles area and around the country, sought after by fans of the show.
May's home in an upscale mobile home park in the San Fernando Valley was destroyed in the November 2008 California wildfires that hit the Los Angeles area, though he and his wife were able to escape without injury.
May died at age 69 on January 18, 2009 at a hospital in Lancaster, California of congestive heart failure. He was survived by his wife, Judith, two children and four grandchildren.
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Actor Ricardo Montalban, best known as the mysterious Mr. Roarke on the popular television series ''Fantasy Island,'' died on Wednesday at the age of 88, a Los Angeles city official said. Mexican-born Montalban had a long..."; Ricardo Gonzalo Pedro Montalbán Merino KCSG was a Mexicantelevision, theatre, and filmactor. He had a career spanning decades and multiple notable roles. During the late 1970s, he was the spokesperson in automobile advertisements for the Chrysler Cordoba (in which he famously extols the "Corinthian leather" used for its interior). From 1977 to 1984 he starred as Mr. Roarke in the television series Fantasy Island. He also played the villainous Khan Noonien Singh in both the 1967 "Space Seed" episode of the first season of the original Star Trek series, and the 1982 film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. He won an Emmy Award in 1978, and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Screen Actors Guild in 1993. Up until his 80s, he continued to perform, often providing voices for animated films and commercials.
Montalbán was born in Mexico City, the son of Ricarda Merino and Jenaro Montalbán, a store manager.[1] He had a brother, actor Carlos Montalbán, and a sister, Carmen.[2] He was a practicing Roman Catholic and once had said that his religion was the "most important thing" in his life.[3] He remained a Mexican citizen by choice, having never applied for American citizenship. He married Georgiana Young, an actress, in 1944; they had four children. She was half-sister of the actresses Sally Blane, Polly Ann Young, and Loretta Young, who nicknamed her "Georgie". After 63 years of marriage, Georgiana Young de Montalbán died on November 13, 2007, at the age of 84. Montalbán died on January 14, 2009 in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 88.
Montalbán stated that when he first arrived in Hollywood, studios wanted to change his name to Ricky Martin.[5] He has frequently portrayed Asian characters - mostly of Japanese background (as in Sayonara and the Hawaii Five-O episode "Samurai"). His first leading role was the 1949 film Border Incident, with actor George Murphy. During the 1950s and 1960s he was one of only a few actively working Hispanic actors. Many of his early roles were in Westerns in which he played character parts, usually as an "Indian" or as a "Latin Lover". In 1950, he was cast against type, playing a Cape Cod police officer in the film Mystery Street. In 1957, he played Nakamura in the Oscar-winning film Sayonara. From 1957 to 1959 he starred in the Broadway musicalJamaica, singing several light-hearted calypso numbers opposite Lena Horne. In 1975, he was chosen as the television spokesman for the new Chrysler Cordoba. The car became a successful model, and over the following several years, was heavily advertised; his mellifluous delivery of a line praising its "soft Corinthian leather" upholstery, often misquoted as "rich Corinthian leather", became famous and was much parodied, and Montalbán subsequently became a favorite subject of impersonators. Eugene Levy, for example, frequently impersonated him on SCTV. In 1986, he was featured in a magazine advertisement for the new Chrysler New Yorker. Montalbán's best-known television role was that of Mr. Roarke in the television series Fantasy Island, which he played from 1978 until 1984. For a while, the series was one of the most popular on television, and his character as well as that of his sidekick, Tattoo (played by Hervé Villechaize), became pop icons. Another well known role was that of Khan Noonien Singh in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, which was a reprisal of his role in the 1967 episode of Star Trek entitled "Space Seed". There were some questions initially as to whether Montalbán had prosthetic muscles applied to his chest during filming of Star Trek II to make him appear more muscular, on account of his being over 60 years old at the time. Montalbán and others associated with the production of Star Trek II have disputed this, most notably Leonard Nimoy in his book I Am Spock, citing the fact that he was always physically active and worked out regularly, and those really were his muscles. The theory that those chest muscles were Montalban's own is furthered by an episode of the Biography series about him, in which both William Shatner and Montalban's son say Ricardo worked out strenuously to achieve that look. Film clips and shots throughout the episode bolster these claims, as they evidence a man in fine physical shape even into the 1970s. Montalbán appeared in many diverse films including The Naked Gun as well as two films from both the Planet of the Apes and Spy Kids series. In addition, he appeared in various musicals, such as 1966's The Singing Nun, also starring Debbie Reynolds. Over the course of his long career, he played lead roles or guest starred in dozens of television series. Since 1993, Montalbán had to use a wheelchair after a long-unresolved spinal injury from the 1951 film Across the Wide Missouri recurred. In filming though, Montalban was reportedly thrown off a horse, knocked out, and walked on by another horse, leaving him with a spinal injury that troubled him for the rest of his life and grew more painful as he aged. In 1993, he underwent surgery, but it only made the pain worse. Montalban continued to work, usually delivering his lines from a wheelchair.
Patrick McGoohan, the creator and star of cult classic The Prisoner, has died aged 80, it was confirmed today. He died yesterday after a short illness, his son-in-law film producer Cleve Landsberg said. McGoohan played the title character Number Six in the surreal 1960s show filmed in Portmeirion in Wales.
He also won two Emmy Awards for his work on the Peter Falk detective drama Columbo.
Patrick McGoohan at his Los Angeles home in April last year In more recent years he appeared as King Edward Longshanks in the 1995 Mel Gibson film Braveheart. McGoohan was a stage actor before landing TV and film roles. In 1955 he landed a five-year Rank contract and in the early 1960s McGoohan starred in All Night Long, an attempt at re-staging Shakespeare's Othello in the context of a fashionable London jazz party. The Danger Man star scripted and directed several episodes of The Prisoner in addition to serving as executive producer and starring as the lead. The cult show tells the story of a man who finds himself trapped in a mysterious and surreal place known as The Village, with no memory of how he arrived. As he frantically explores his environment, he discovers that its inhabitants are identified by number instead of by name and have no memory of a prior existence or outside civilisation. Not knowing who to trust, Number Six is driven by the desperate need to discover the truth behind The Village, which is controlled by the sinister and charismatic Number Two.
When Tony Martin's wife, dancer Cyd Charisse, died six months ago, he was bereft. They had a blessed marriage - the kind where if one of them was away even for a few days, he or she would call the other to eagerly relate everything that had happened. After 65 years together, Martin suddenly found himself alone in their spacious Los Angeles condo, staring at photos of his gorgeous wife.
Aware of the need for a change, he phoned his agent, Scott Stander, and said he wanted to work. That made sense except for a few details: Martin was 95 years old and his profession was singing to audiences. Sinatra was forgetting lyrics in his 60s, and Elvis' voice was shot in his 30s.
But Martin still has the sound - "an unusually rich timbre synonymous with virility," in the words of one music critic - that made him one of the great singer-actors of the first half of the 20th century. He made hits of "To Each His Own," "I Get Ideas," "I Hear a Rhapsody," "La Vie en Rose" and "There's No Tomorrow" (based on "O Sole Mio," which also was the basis for Presley's "It's Now or Never").
These songs form the heart of the nightclub act he'll perform this weekend in San Francisco. A piano player comes regularly to his house to help him rehearse. "I wouldn't perform unless I could remember well. This is my business," he says. In the midst of our phone conversation, he started crooning "You stepped out of a dream. You are too wonderful to be what you seem." He first sang it to Judy Garland, Hedy Lamarr and Lana Turner in the 1941 "Ziegfeld Girl."
A gerontologist should make a study of what keeps him going. Everybody wants what he has at his age. Martin attributes his stamina to doing calisthenics almost every day. It must be working. Stander says that Martin's couch is quite low and that he himself has trouble getting out of it, but "Tony bounds right up." He lives alone and dresses without assistance. For a photo shoot the other day, he put on a well-tailored tweed suit.
Charisse was the cook at their house. Martin admits to being hopeless at it. The evenings when his housekeeper doesn't prepare a meal, he orders out. "French, Italian, Chinese - it all depends what I feel like," he says. "I have a good appetite." Martin still drives and will sometimes meet his friends at a restaurant for dinner. He's also an ardent San Francisco Giants fan who used to drag his wife to windy and cold Candlestick Park. Martin now follows the games religiously on TV. "As you get older, what you hold on to as long as you can is your independence, and Tony has his," says Stander, who has known him for years. "He makes his own decisions. He has a housekeeper and people that keep an eye on him, but he is very self sufficient."
Lusk was rushed to the Calderon Hospital intensive care unit in San Jose, where he was treated for major brain trauma. Doctors there induced a coma to allow swelling of his brain to subside.
