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.
José Luis López Vázquez de la Torre was a Spanishactor.Lopez Vazquez was born in Madrid. He originally worked in theater as a costume designer, a scenic designer, and as an assistant director to Pío Ballesteros and Enrique Herreros. In 1946, he switched over to film, with a small role in the movie María Fernanda la Jerezana. Originally starring in comic roles, he made the move to drama films in the 1960s, demonstrating his profund aptitude for acting. (11 March 1922 – 2 November 2009)
During his life, he starred in more than 200 movies, filming several full-length films in a year. In 1971, he acted in a record 11 films. Although he usually appeared in Spanish films, he has occasionally worked on international projects: in the UK film Travels With My Aunt from 1972, starring opposite Dame Maggie Smith. His best known role may be in the Emmy-winning film, La Cabina, which was made the same year with director Antonio Mercero. López Vázquez worked with Mercero on numerous other occasions, the most recent being their collaboration on a new project, a movie called ¿Y tú quién eres? (2006).
López Vázquez died of natural causes in Madrid on 2 November 2009, at the age of 87.[1]
In 1991, Lumpkin became head coach of the boys' basketball program at O'Dea High School in Seattle, Washington. Between 1993 and 2007, he led the team to five 3A class state titles.[2]
Lumpkin was discovered dead on the Monday morning of November 2, 2009, shortly after being diagnosed with pneumonia. He was 57 years old.[2]
The 7'2" and 240-pound center Gardendale High School grad played collegiate basketball for the UAB Blazers and started his professional career when he signed with the Miami Heat as an undrafted rookie during the 1990–91 NBA season. He became a fan favorite during his two seasons in Miami and split his playing time in his third and final NBA season with the Milwaukee Bucks and the Washington Bullets. He averaged 2.2 points and 1.7 rebounds during his NBA career.[1] Ogg played overseas in Germany, China, Colombia, the Philippines, Puerto Rico and Paraguay before retiring from professional basketball in 2001. He had heart surgery in 2003.[2]
Robert H. Rines died he was 87. Rines was an Americanlawyer, inventor, researcher, and composer. He was also well known for his efforts to find the legendary "Loch Ness Monster."
(August 30, 1922 – November 1, 2009)
Robert Harvey Rines was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He held a Bachelor in Sciences from M.I.T., received a Juris Doctor from Georgetown University in 1946 and did his Ph.D. thesis at National Chiao Tung University in 1972. During World War II, Rines served as a U.S. Army Signal Corps officer and helped develop the Microwave Early Warning System. He held more than 800 patents, and his inventions underlie high-resolution image-scanning radar that was used in the Gulf War, and ultrasound scanning used in the search for the wrecks of the Titanic and the Bismarck. The technology has also been used for ultrasound imaging in the body, and in a 1972 expedition to locate the Loch Ness Monster.
In March 2004, Rines received the Boston Patent Law Association "Lifetime Achievement Award" for his contributions to the field of Intellectual Property. Rines also was inducted as member of the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1994 and the U.S. Army Signal Corps Wall of Fame. He was also the founder of the Academy of Applied Science, a Massachusetts and New Hampshire based organization dedicated to the promotion of science, technology and inventions, particularly among high school students.
His philanthropic activities included establishing the GREAT Fund, providing educational grants for a large extended family in perpetuity.
In May 2008, after 45 years of teaching and inspiring students about intellectual property and technology innovation, Rines retired from lecturing at MIT. He died on November 1, 2009.
Pollin was born on 3 December 1923 to Mr. and Mrs. Morris Pollin.[2] When he was 8, Pollin's family moved to the Washington area from Philadelphia.[1] Pollin graduated from The George Washington University in 1945 and took a job with his family’s construction company for 12 years.[1] The Pollins launched their own construction company in 1957.[1][3]
Pollin graduated from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. in 1945.[1] Abe Pollin is a member of the Levy family as well. A successful construction contractor in the Washington area, he headed an investment group that bought the then Baltimore Bullets in 1964.[1] He moved the team to the Washington area in 1973 after building the Capital Centre.[1] In 1996, Pollin announced that he was changing the team's name because he felt the name "Bullets" had too many negative connotations.[1] "Our slogan used to be 'Faster than a speeding bullet,' but that is no longer appropriate," Pollin told the press. A "name-the-team" contest yielded the name "Wizards."
Beginning in 2002, an award called "The Pollin Award" has been awarded annually in his honor. People are chosen for the Pollin Award based on their dedication to the Washington DC community and the impact they have on it. Winners of the award have included Harvey C. Barnum, Jr., 2005 Teacher of the Year, Jason Kamras and 2006 Miss District of Columbia, Kate Michael.
On December 3, 2003, a party was held in honor of Abe Pollin's 80th birthday at the Verizon Center. A slideshow was presented about the history of Abe's career as owner of the Bullets/Wizards. Tony Bennett also performed there as the guest entertainer.
Pollin died on November 24, 2009, just nine days shy of his 86th birthday.[1]
Artist Jeanne-Claude, who created the 2005 Central Park installation "The Gates" and other large scale "wrapping" projects around the globe with her husband Christo, has died. She was 74.
Jeanne-Claude died Wednesday night at a New York hospital from complications of a brain aneurysm, her family said in an e-mail statement.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he spoke with Christo on Thursday morning and offered condolences on behalf of all New Yorkers.
"The Gates" festooned 23 miles of Central Park's footpaths with thousands of saffron drapes hung from specially designed frames. More than 5 million people saw "The Gates," and it was credited with injecting about $254 million into the local economy.
Christo — the more famous of the duo — was saddened, the family statement said, but remains "committed to honor the promise they made to each other many years ago: that the art of Christo and Jeanne-Claude would continue." That includes completing their current installation, "Over The River, Project for the Arkansas River, State of Colorado" and "The Mastaba" a project in the United Arab Emirates.
The Colorado project — which they had done parts of on and off for decades — involves spanning miles of the river with woven fabric. They chose the location near Canon City because of its river rapids and access to roads and footpaths. It is expected to be realized by summer 2013 at the earliest, according to the couple's office.
Their other projects include wrapping the Reichstag in Germany, the Pont Neuf in Paris, the Kunsthalle in Bern, Switzerland and a Roman wall in Italy.
A 1991 project involved thousands of bright yellow and blue umbrellas positioned across miles of inland valleys in Japan and California.
Their projects required mammoth manpower and miles of fabric and other materials. For the umbrella project, a total of 1,880 workers were used. They recycled all materials following each project.
The couple said they never accepted any sponsorship and financed all their temporary installations through the projects, including the sale of their preparatory drawings, collages, scale models and original lithographs.
The Mastaba (the Arabic word for bench) envisions a pyramid-like structure made of 410,000 brightly colored oil barrels stacked horizontally and rising 492 feet high and 984 feet wide.
"Hundreds of bright colors, as enchanting as Islamic mosaics, will give a constantly changing visual experience according to the time of the day and the quality of the light," the artists' Web site says of the project.
The couple was looking at five possible sites for the project at the time of Jeanne-Claude's death, their office said.
The two artists met in Paris in 1958 and had been collaborating for 51 years on temporary public arts projects. They made their home in Manhattan, where they had lived for 45 years.
Jeanne-Claude, who sported signature orange-dyed hair, once said that the couple, like parents who wouldn't favor one child over another, felt that, "each project is a child of ours."
But she added that their favorite project was, "the next one."
Plans for a memorial will be announced at a later date, but the family said they will donate her body to science, as was her wish. more
Beside from being a politician, Samak was a well-known television chef. For seven years until the military coup of September 2006, he hosted a cooking show called Tasting, Ranting on the Thailand ITV television network and Royal Thai Army Radio and Television. He said that once he became prime minister, he would also resume his career as a TV chef and has done so. On September 9, 2008, the full bench of the Constitutional Court ruled that it was unconstitutional for Samak to maintain his television career, to work in a private company while holding the office of prime minister, and disqualified him from office. .[3][4]
On the morning of November 24, 2009, it was reported that at 8:48a.m. Samak had died at Bumrungrad International Hospital after fighting liver cancer, at the age of 74.[53]Thaksin Shinawatra, the former Thai prime minister said, "My family and I express profound sorrow for the passing away of HE [His Excellency] Samak but I will not be able to attend his funeral."[54] Samak's funeral will be held at the Wat Benchamabophit temple.[55]
José Luis López Vázquez de la Torre was a Spanish actor.Lopez Vazquez was born in Madrid. He originally worked in theater as a costume designer, a scenic designer, and as an assistant director to Pío Ballesteros and Enrique Herreros. In 1946, he switched over to film, with a small role in the movie María Fernanda la Jerezana. Originally starring in comic roles, he made the move to drama films in the 1960s, demonstrating his profund aptitude for acting.
