Peter Graves died he was 83

Peter Aurness ,^[1][2][3][4] known professionally as Peter Graves, has died he was 83. Graves was an American film and television actor. ^[5] He was known for his starring role in the CBS television series Mission: Impossible from 1967-1973. He has an older brother, actor James Arness (born 1923) of the long-running Gunsmoke western series, which aired on CBS from 1955-1975.

(March 18, 1926 – March 14, 2010)

Graves was born Peter Aurness in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the son of Ruth (née Duesler, died September 1986), a journalist, and Rolf Cirkler Aurness (July 1894 - July 1982), a businessman descendants of Norwegian and German immigrants. The original paternal family name was "Aursnes," but when paternal grandfather Peter Aursnes immigrated from Norway to New York City in 1887, he changed the name to "Aurness."
He attended Southwest High School (Class of 1944) and spent two years in the United States Army Air Force before he enrolled at the University of Minnesota, where he was a member of Phi Kappa Psi fraternity.
Graves appeared in more than seventy films, TV series and TV movies.^[6] He is especially well known for the following roles:

• The rancher (Broken Wheel Ranch) and adoptive single father, Jim Newton, to a son played by child actor Bobby Diamond on the 1950s NBC television series Fury. The other costars were William Fawcett, who played the housekeeper and general ranch hand Pete Wilkey, and Roger Mobley, who appeared as Joey's friend Homer "Packy" Lambert.
• Price, a World War II German spy pretending to be a prisoner of war in the film Stalag 17
• A father on the run from the law in Night of the Hunter
• Jim Phelps, the leader of the elite Impossible Missions Force in the iconic CBS TV series Mission: Impossible
• Major Noah Cooper, commander of the Fighting 69th squadron in the NBC TV series Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
• Captain Clarence Oveur in the comedies Airplane! and Airplane II: The Sequel^[7]
• Colonel John Camden on the WB Network TV series 7th Heaven, with Barbara Rush as his wife, Ruth

From 1960–1961, Graves starred as leading character Christopher Cobb in 34 episodes of the TV series Whiplash. In the story line, Cobb is an American who arrives in Australia in the 1850s to establish the country's first stagecoach line, using a bullwhip rather than a gun to fight the crooks that he encounters. The series also starred Anthony Wickert as Dan. Graves also starred in Court Martial as well as guest roles in such series as Alfred Hitchcock Presents and Route 66.
In 1967, Graves was recruited by Desilu Studios to replace Steven Hill as the lead actor on Mission: Impossible. Graves played Jim Phelps, the sometimes gruff leader of the Impossible Missions Force or IMF, for the remaining six seasons of the series.
After the series ended in 1973, Graves played a cameo-type support role in the feature film Sidecar Racers in Australia which was released in 1975. Graves also made a guest appearance in the teen soap opera Class of '74 in mid-1974, playing himself.


In 1988, a Hollywood writers' strike resulted in a new Mission: Impossible series being commissioned. Graves was the only original cast member to return as a regular (although others made guest appearances). The series was filmed in Australia, and Graves made his third journey there for acting work. The new version of Mission: Impossible lasted for two seasons, ending in 1990. Bookending his work on Mission: Impossible, Graves starred in two pilot films called Call to Danger, which were an attempt to create a Mission: Impossible-style series in which Graves played a government agent (the Bureau of National Resources) who recruited civilians with special talents for secret missions.^[8][9] The 1960s version of the pilot, according to Patrick White in The Complete Mission: Impossible Dossier, is credited with winning Graves the role of Phelps; after Mission: Impossible ended in 1973, Graves filmed a second version of the pilot, but it did not sell as a series. The concept was later used in the 1980s adventure series Masquerade.

During the 1990s, he hosted the documentary series Biography on A&E. He also acted in a number of films featured on Mystery Science Theater 3000, which subsequently featured running jokes about Graves' Biography work and presumed sibling rivalry with Arness. The films that have been featured on Mystery Science Theater 3000 include SST: Death Flight, It Conquered the World, Beginning of the End, and Parts: The Clonus Horror. The movie Killers from Space was featured in The Film Crew, Michael J. Nelson's follow-up to MST3K. Graves himself parodied his Biography work in the film Men in Black II, hosting an exposé television show.
In the 1996 film update of Mission: Impossible, the character of Phelps was reimagined as a traitor who murdered three fellow IMF agents, a decision that disappointed Graves. Jon Voight was cast as Phelps.^[10]
On October 30, 2009 Graves was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.^[11]
In 2009, AirTran Airways featured Graves in a series of web-only "Internetiquette" videos in which Graves appeared in a pilot's uniform and references classic Airplane! lines.^[12] The videos were part of an AirTran Airways campaign to promote their in-flight wireless Internet access.^[12]
In the summer of 2009, Graves signed on as a spokesperson for reverse mortgage lender; American Advisors Group (AAG).^[13] Graves appeared in a national commercial in which he educated seniors about the benefits of reverse mortgages.^[14]
Graves was married to Joan Endress from 1950^[2] until his death. Their marriage produced three daughters: Kelly Jean, Claudia King and Amanda Lee.^[15] Graves had six grandchildren.
Graves died of a heart attack on March 14, 2010,^[16] four days prior to his 84th birthday. The actor had just returned from brunch with his wife and children, collapsing before he could enter the house. Although one of his daughters administered CPR, she could not revive him.

To see more of who died in 2010 click here

Corey Haim died he was 38

Corey Haim, a 1980s teen heartthrob for his roles in "Lucas" and "The Lost Boys" whose career was blighted by drug abuse, has died. He was 38.



 (December 23, 1971 – March 10, 2010





Haim died at 2:15 a.m. Wednesday at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, Los Angeles County coroner's Lt. Cheryl MacWillie said.

An autopsy will determine the cause of death and there were no other details, she said. Police Sgt. Michael Kammert said there's no evidence of foul play.

Haim had flulike symptoms before he died and was getting over-the-counter and prescription medications, Police Sgt. William Mann said. The cause of death is unknown, Mann said.

"He could have succumbed to whatever (illness) he had or it could have been drugs. Who knows?" Mann said. "He has had a drug problem in the past."

Earlier, police officials told CBS Radio News that the actor died of an apparent drug overdose, though it's unknown what kind of drug was involved.



Haim was taken by ambulance to the hospital from an apartment in Los Angeles near Burbank. The enormous complex is known as Oakwood and is popular with young actors, Kammert said.

Haim acknowledged his struggle with drug abuse to The Sun in 2004.

"I was working on Lost Boys when I smoked my first joint," he told the British tabloid.

"I did cocaine for about a year and a half, then it led to crack," he said.

Haim said he went into rehabilitation and was put on prescription drugs. He took both stimulants and sedatives such as Valium.

"I started on the downers which were a hell of a lot better than the uppers because I was a nervous wreck," he said. "But one led to two, two led to four, four led to eight, until at the end it was about 85 a day."

In 2007, he told ABC's "Nightline" that drugs hurt his career.

"I feel like with myself I ruined myself to the point where I wasn't functional enough to work for anybody, even myself. I wasn't working," he said.

The Toronto-born actor got his start in television commercials at 10 and earned a good reputation for his work in such films as 1985's "Murphy's Romance" and his portrayal of Liza Minelli's dying son in the 1985 television film "A Time to Live."

His career peaked and he became a teen heartthrob with his roles in the 1986 movie "Lucas," and "The Lost Boys," in which he battled vampires.

In later years, he made a few TV appearances and had several direct-to-video movies. He also had a handful of recent movies that have not yet been released.


But in 1997 he filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, listing debts for medical expenses and more than $200,000 in state and federal taxes.

His assets included a few thousand dollars in cash, clothing and royalty rights.

In recent years, he appeared in the A&E reality TV show "The Two Coreys" with his friend Corey Feldman. It was canceled in 2008 after two seasons. Feldman later said Haim's drug abuse strained their working and personal relationships.

In a 2007 interview on CNN's "Larry King Live," Haim called himself "a chronic relapser for the rest of my life."
To see more of who died in 2010 click here

Merlin Olsen died he was 69

Merlin Jay Olsen^[1] died he was 69. Olsen was a former American football player in the National Football League and an actor. He played his entire 15-year career with the Los Angeles Rams and was elected to the Pro Bowl in 14 of those seasons, a current record shared with Bruce Matthews. He is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame.

(September 15, 1940 - March 11, 2010)

Born to Lynn Jay and Merle Barrus Olsen in Logan, Utah, Sep 15, 1940, Olsen was the second of nine children, and the first son, of the couple. He had three brothers and five sisters: Colleen, Clark, Lorraine, Gwen, Phil, Winona, Ramona, and Orrin.

He married Susan Wakley on March 30, 1962, and they had three children: Kelly, Jill, and Nathan, and four grandchildren. Olsen belonged to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was a passionate fisherman, his favorite being fly fishing.

He was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2009^[2] and underwent three courses of chemotherapy. In January 2010 he filed a lawsuit against NBC Studios, NBC Universal, and 20th Century Fox for exposing him to asbestos.^[3]

Olsen's brother Orrin announced that he passed away on March 11, 2010 from his struggle with cancer. ^{[4] [5]}

Olsen attended Utah State University and was a three-year letterman in football as a defensive tackle. In football, as a senior, he was a consensus All-American selection (making the vast majority of All-America teams) and was the winner of the Outland Trophy. After Olsen's junior year of 1960 he was also named All-American by the Football Writers Association of America and Newspaper Enterprise Association. He was also All-Conference in both 1960 and 1961. Olsen and Utah State were in the 1960 Sun Bowl, losing to New Mexico State, 20-13. Led by Olsen, the Aggie defense held the New Mexico State Aggies to just 44 rushing yards on 32 carries.

The Aggie defense Olsen anchored as a senior gave up an average of 50.8 rushing yards (which led the nation), 88.6 passing yards, and 139.4 total yards which all still stand as school records for defense. The 1961 Aggie defense gave up an average 7.8 points a game, which is second in team history behind Olsen's 1960 team, which allowed 6.5 points per game.^[6] Additionally, the Aggie defense held four opponents to less than 100 total yards. One, the University of Idaho, was held to a school-record 23 total yards, with the Aggies winning 69-0.

The Aggies, not known as a national power football program, finished 10th in both the AP and UPI post-season polls, the only time that has occurred in school history. The Aggies had a combined 18-3-1 record during Olsen's junior and senior seasons under coach John Ralston and were conference champions those two seasons as well.

Olsen played in the East-West Shrine Game in 1961 and in 2003 was voted to the game's Hall of Fame.^[7] He also played in the Hula Bowl after his senior season and was voted MVP of the game.^[8]

Olsen is a member of the State of Utah’s Sports Hall of Fame, the Utah State University Sports Hall of Fame and USU’s All-Century Football Team. In 2000, he was selected by Sports Illustrated as one of the State of Utah’s Top 50 Athletes of the Century. He was voted to the All-Academic All-America Hall of Fame in 1988. In 1969 he was voted to the Newspaper Enterprise Association All-Time All-America team with collegiate greats such as Bronco Nagurski, Red Grange, Jim Thorpe, and O.J. Simpson, among others. ^[9]

In 2008 Olsen was named to the 75th Anniversary All-Sun Bowl Team to commemorate the Sun Bowl Association's Diamond Anniversary. ^[10]

Utah State University announced the intention to name its football field after Olsen during a ceremony in Logan during halftime of the USU-St. Mary’s basketball game on December 5, 2009.^[11] HOF Sculptor Blair Buswell is creating a bronze sculpture that will sit at the entrance to Merlin Olsen Field at Romney Stadium.

Olsen also was a three-time academic All-American at Utah State and graduated Summa Cum Laude and Phi Kappa Phi in 1962 with a degree in finance.

Coming out of college, Olsen had offers from both Los Angeles of the NFL and the Denver Broncos of the rival American Football League. He chose the security of the NFL and signed with the Rams. Olsen's first contract was for around $50,000 for two years, plus a signing bonus. It was 1962, and the average football player salary at the time was around $12,000 a year. He was the first USU Aggie to be drafted in the 1st round of the NFL draft.

Olsen played professionally (from 1962 to 1976) for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League. A leading defensive star of his era, he missed only two games in his 15-season NFL career. He was named the NFL's Rookie of the Year in 1962 and was First-team All-Pro in 1964, and 1966 through 1970. He was voted Second-team All-Pro in 1965, 1973 and 1974.

Olsen almost ended up on offense, but was later moved to the defensive line after a few experiments in practice. Soon he became part of one of the best front fours in NFL history. Deacon Jones, Rosey Grier, and Lamar Lundy joined Olsen on the defensive line in 1963 that was nicknamed "The Fearsome Foursome." He was named the Associated Press NFL Defensive Player of the Week for week 12 in 1965. Olsen scored his first touchdown in that game.

Throughout the 1960s, this quartet terrorized opposing offenses. Olsen's play helped the Rams to the playoffs in 1967 and 1969. He was voted the club's Outstanding Defensive Lineman from 1967-70 by the Los Angeles Rams Alumni. In week 14, 1967, Olsen and the rest of the Fearsome Foursome were named the AP NFL Defensive Players of the Week for their performance against the Baltimore Colts.

In the 1970s, Olsen continued his dominant play at defensive tackle and his eleven sacks in 1972 were second on the team. After week 8 in 1972, Olsen was named the Associated Press NFL Defensive Player of the Week for the third time in his career.

The Rams won the NFC West crown in 1973 through 1976 thanks in part to the play of Olsen. They ranked first in the NFL in run defense in 1973 and 1974 and finished second in sacking opposing passers both years. In 1973 Olsen was voted the NFLPA NFC Defensive Lineman of the Year and the next season, 1974, he was voted the Bert Bell Award as the NFL MVP as voted by the Maxwell Club. Olsen accepted the award "on behalf of all who toil in the NFL trenches".

Three brothers – Merlin, Phil, and Orrin – all played in the NFL, with Merlin and Phil Olsen playing together for the Rams from 1971-1974. A nephew, Hans, son of his brother, Clark, also played professional football.

In 1975 and 1976, the Rams defense finished second in the NFL against the run while ranking in the top five in sacking opposing quarterbacks and compiling a 22-5-1 record over those two seasons.

Olsen's last game was the NFC Championship game in 1976 at Bloomington, Minnesota. The Vikings took advantage on a freak play early in the game. A blocked field goal returned 90 yards for a touchdown shocked the Rams in the first quarter. The defense was later victimized by a couple of big plays by the Vikings. The Rams came up short, losing 24-13, bringing the storied career of the Rams finest defensive tackle to an end.

Olsen made the Pro Bowl a record 14 times throughout his career, only missing it on his final year. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1982. In 1999, he was ranked number 25 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players.

Following his retirement as a player, Olsen went to television as a color commentator, teaming with Dick Enberg on NBC's coverage of the AFC throughout the 1980s.

He and Enberg also teamed for the Rose Bowl Game broadcast beginning with the 1980 Rose Bowl through the 1988 Rose Bowl.

He also enjoyed success as an actor. When Little House on the Prairie actor Victor French left to star in his own comedy Carter Country in 1977, Olsen was tapped to play Michael Landon's new sidekick Jonathan Garvey for several years. One memorable quote from Merlin during the series, "I don't know a thing about football" was when Charles and Jonathan were to coach a boys football team. A couple of years later, Landon cast Olsen as the masquerading priest Father Murphy.

Olsen was the commercial spokesman for FTD Florists for many years.

Olsen's most recent television acting work was in the short-lived 1988 TV series Aaron's Way, in which he played the lead role. Olsen has often co-hosted the Children's Miracle Network telethons, a humanitarian organization founded in 1983 by Marie Osmond and John Schneider.

He also appeared in many Sigma Chi Fraternity promotional campaigns; Merlin, along with his brother Phil, was a Life Loyal Sig, Significant Sig (given to members for distinguishing acts outside the fraternity) and a member of the Order of Constantine (given for service to the Fraternity).

Olsen donated one of his cleats, which were bronzed, to be used during the annual football rivalry between two Las Vegas high schools, Eldorado High School and Chaparral High School, which both opened in 1973. Each year, Olsen presented the "trophy" in the ceremony at the rivalry game.

He was named the Walter Camp Man of the Year in 1982 and Athlete of the Century for the state of Utah. During halftime of a basketball game between Utah State, Olsen's alma mater, and Saint Mary's on December 5, 2009, it was announced that the turf inside Romney Stadium, home stadium for Utah State's football program, would be named Merlin Olsen Field in Olsen's honor. A sculpture of Olsen will also be unveiled in a plaza south of the stadium during an official dedication ceremony in Fall 2010.^[12]

Olsen was voted to the California Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2010, along with Bill Walton, Dwight Stones, Jim Otto, among others. ^[13]

• Olsen acted in the movie The Undefeated opposite John Wayne and Rock Hudson in 1969.

• Had two brothers, Phil Olsen and Orrin Olsen, play in the NFL while he was still active.

• Olsen is also mentioned in the film Anchorman, as Will Ferrell humorously claims he is friends with Olsen to try to impress Veronica Corningstone.

• Olsen was mentioned in a commercial for the National Association for the Self Employed (NASE) on the Free Speech Radio Network in 2007.

To see more of who died in 2010 click here

Dorothy Janis died she was 100

Dorothy Janis died she was 100. Janis was a American silent film actress.

(February 19, 1910 – March 10, 2010^[1])

Born in Dallas, Texas, her short film career began when she was visiting a cousin, who was working on a film for Fox Film Corporation in 1927. Her beauty was noticed at once and she was asked to make a screen test. Janis went on to make five films: four silents and one talkie.

The one talkie was Lummox (1930) based on the Fannie Hurst novel. This film, released by United Artists, only exists as a single nitrate print at the British Film Institute.^[2] Janis was best known for playing opposite Ramon Novarro in the MGM film The Pagan (1929), for which MGM publicity portrayed her as half-Cherokee. The Pagan, directed by W. S. Van Dyke, was a part-sound film, with music and sound effects only, and featured Pagan Love Song on the soundtrack.

She retired in 1930 and married bandleader Wayne King in 1932. The vice president of the Music Corporation of America, W. H. Stein, was best man. Stein, as agent for King, reportedly collected $2,000 from King, a forfeit for violation of an agreement he made in 1930 that denied marriage before 40. They were happily married for 53 years, until his death in 1985.^[3]

Dorothy sailed from the Philippines to Vancouver, British Columbia onboard the Empress of Canada on October 25, 1930. This ship would later be torpedoed and sunk during World War II with the loss of nearly 400 people.

She lived in Paradise Valley, Arizona from 2004 up until her death on March 10, 2010 at the age of 100.

To see more of who died in 2010 click here

Micky Jones has died he was 63.

With Merthyr Tydfil-born Jones, the band had four Top 40 UK albums from the late 1960s and toured across Europe and America, where admirers included Frank Zappa.

Friend and former colleague Phil Little said Jones had a "command of melody" and was "the most humble guy".

Jones, who had been fighting a brain tumour, died at a care home in Swansea.

Mr Little, who played with Jones in the 1980s with the London-based The Flying Pigs, said Frank Zappa once described Jones as "one of the 10 best guitarists in the world".

He said: "I did hundreds of gigs with him and I never saw him have a cross word with anybody. He had maximum respect from all the musicians.

With Micky Jones on guitar, Man had four albums in the UK UK Top 40

"He had great command of melody. He would improvise fantastically. He also have a very pure and soulful voice."

Jones' first band The Bystanders, was a Merthyr-based close harmony four-piece formed in the early 1960s, with BBC Wales radio presenter Owen Money, who was calling himself Gerry Braden, on vocals.

Money said he was "devastated" at the loss of someone who was a family friend as well as an artistic collaborator.

He said: "We came up together, we shared our life together. I know it was an inevitability but words can't express what I'm feeling at the moment.

"He taught me to play the guitar. His first job was as a hairdresser. He cut my hair.

"He was a fantastic musician. He had a "Frankie Valli" voice. We were set apart from any band in Wales at the time - we could do songs others could not do - because of his high falsetto voice.

Micky Jones (second right) was ever-present in the band's line-up

The women loved him so much, especially in the 60s. There we girls screaming and always three times as many screaming for Micky than anyone else. He was good looking boy."

In 1968, after Money had moved on, the Bystanders added Deke Leonard, Jones' guitar partner for some three decades, embraced the counterculture and became Man.

They had four albums in the UK Top 40 between 1973 and 1976 and toured on continental Europe and America.

Music journalist Michael Heatley, who ran a Man fans newsletter for 20 years, said the band reached "the upper second division of British rock" but had been overlooked in the history of rock.

He said: "Man were a live band. People would go and see them because they knew that the live performance was going to be much better than the record.

To see more of who died in 2010 click here

Mark Linkous died he was 47

Mark Linkous,died he was 47, linkous was an Arlington County-born musician who was lead singer of the indie-rock band Sparklehorse that attracted a small but devoted following, died March 6 in Knoxville, Tenn. Mr. Linkous's manager told the New York Times the singer-songwriter shot himself near a friend's home.

Sparklehorse's albums included

"Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot," "Good Morning Spider," "It's a Wonderful Life" and "Dreamt for Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain." A 1999 profile in The Washington Post described Sparklehorse's sound as a "surprisingly fecund combination of crunchy guitars and fill-the-room jangle, all narrated by Linkous's often technically manipulated carnival-barker voice and interspersed with various outtakes, answering machine messages and hum."


Mr. Linkous, who grew up around Virginia and was the son of a coal miner, moved to New York after high school and started the band the Dancing Hoods. Unable to break into the music industry in Los Angeles, Mr. Linkous soon settled in the Virginia countryside between Richmond and Charlottesville. He won increasingly greater critical recognition over the years but still struggled with attracting popular attention.


Mr. Linkous had a troubled personal history and in 1996 collapsed after taking Valium and antidepressants. His legs were injured by the fall and nearly amputated. Mr. Linkous spent months undergoing rehabilitation, which inspired his song "Saint Mary," about the hospital where he recuperated.
To see more of who died in 2010 click here

Jerry E. Smith died he was 59

Jerry E. Smith died he was 59. Smith was an author, lecturer, poet, and editor. His bibliography of published works includes three books from Adventures Unlimited Press (AUP), scores of non-fiction articles and reviews, and more than a dozen ghost-written books.
He was a close friend and literary partner of author Jim Keith. They worked together on magazines and books, and co-hosted a radio show broadcast from the campus of the Oregon Institute of Technology.

(8 April 1950, Pomona, California – 8 March 2010)

Smith's first book from AUP was HAARP: The Ultimate Weapon of the Conspiracy, which considered conspiracy theories connected to the High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP). The book, published in 1998, has been described as "blurring the lines between fiction and non-fiction" by detractors,^[1] and as "comprehensive and erudite" by other reviewers. While the author admits that the work is speculative, he also contends that it was not intended to explain how HAARP works, but rather to summarize the many claims made about HAARP on the Internet and to analyze their validity. Smith focused on two major points: the United Nations' Convention on the Prohibition of Military or Any Other Hostile Use of Environmental Modification Techniques and mind control. After giving a brief history of each he then speculated on whether these technologies were being developed, at HAARP or elsewhere, and if so, in furtherance of whose agenda(s).






Smith's second book, published in 2005, was about the so-called Spear of Destiny, and focused on Nazi occultism and urban legends about a Nazi base in Antarctica.
His third book for AUP, published at the end of 2006, WEATHER WARFARE, covers the history of weather modification from the "Rain Makers" of the 1890s through the development of cloud seeding in the middle of the 20th century to today’s suspected ability to manipulate hurricanes. Addressed at length is the Convention on the Prohibition of Military or Any Other Hostile Use of Environmental Modification Techniques. Smith believed that the refusal of the mainstream scientific community to believe that terrorists and/or the military are capable of, and currently engaged in intentional manipulation of the environment skews the data in the global warming debate. This he maintained is of the gravest importance, as he felt that the politics of the 21st century, and possibly our survival as a species, would turn on how this debate played out. Also included is an update on recent developments at HAARP. Embracing the chemtrail theory, his book examines claims that chemicals are being deliberately injected into our atmosphere.

To see more of who died in 2010 click here