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.
Ezekiel was the producer of the label Som Livre , an engraver of Globo Organizations , chaired by John Araujo , father of singer Cazuza .J Along with the late producer Guto Graça Mello , was the mentor of the singer and his band, the Red Baron .He wrote for the magazine Rolling Stone . Ezekiel followed the career of Baron, which produced all the albums from the beginning, and was also a musical partner of Cazuza.
His death occurred exactly on the 20th anniversary of the death of his great friend and pupil Music, Cazuza . Zeca, as he was known, suffered from a cancer on the brain and died in St. Vincent Clinic in Gávea , South Zone of Rio de Janeiro .
Daniel Cho, a cellist for Regina Spektor, reportedly drowned Tuesday, July 6, in Lake Geneva, Switzerland, according to Geneva Lunch. The tragedy happened a day before Spektor's scheduled gig at the Montreux Jazz Festival.
Spektor still managed to take the stage at Montreux, where she was described as distraught and in tears. She made it through her performance, with several breaks needed for her to regain her composure.
In addition to his musical career, Cho was also a correspondent for ESPN Soccernet, where he's been covering South Korea's World Cup team. His original cello and piano compositions can be heard at his MySpace page. To see more of who died in 2010 click here
Jansen began his musical journey in pop bands such as The Rockets, performing music made popular by the South African radio stations such as Springbok Radio. The first instruments he played were the concertina and the mouth organ. The repertoire of the first bands he played with was comprised of British pop of the hippie era. But after a trip to London, which was part of a prize in a band competition, he soon discovered black music from the USA and in particular the groups with brass sections and he decided he wanted to be a brass instrument player. Brass instrument bands were not new to Robbie as his father was associated with the Salvation Army bands, but he chose the rock and jazz genre for himself. He played in the brass section of Cape Town's cult jazz/rock group Pacific Express from where he went solo as an alto-sax player and singer.
His former bands were all in some way ground breakers. Such groups as Oswietie, The Hearthrob and Sons of Table Mountain all offered original music.
His history in music reflects the history of the Coloured People under apartheid. Jansen was self taught. His work with Dollar Brand and Basil Coetzee in the 1970s introduced him to jazz audiences in many countries, and he became leading figure in Cape Jazz.
Jansen became very ill in July 2005 and the provincial government of the Western Cape announced that his medical bills would be met by the state. This was immensely popular with Capetonians and when Jansen returned to performing, usually with his band Sons of the Table Mountain, he was always met with affection, love and respect. Unlike many of his fellow jazz musicians from the apartheid years he welcomed all into his musical experience.
In 2006 his album, Nomad Jazz, was finalist for a SAMA Award, as best Jazz album of the year. He has two other solo albums, Vastrap Island and The Cape Doctor. The albums were produced by Patrick Lee-Thorp for the Mountain Records label.
A blow to his career came in March 2007 when his doctors said that he could no longer travel long distances by air due to his respiratory condition. This forced the cancellation of his 2007 European tour and put an end to his international performances.
Fuqua founded the seminal R&B/doo wop group the Moonglows in the 1950s. He is noted for later having been one of the key figures in the development of the Motown label in Detroit, Michigan: his group gave Marvin Gaye's musical career a start, and Fuqua and his wife at the time, Gwen Gordy, distributed the very first Motown hit single, Barrett Strong's "Money (That's What I Want)", on their record label, Anna Records. Fuqua later sold Anna Records to Gwen's brother Berry Gordy, and became a songwriter and executive at Motown.
Fuqua was born in Louisville, Kentucky, and was the nephew of Charlie Fuqua of The Ink Spots. In 1951, with Bobby Lester, Alexander Graves and Prentiss Barnes, he formed a vocal group, the Crazy Sounds, in Louisville, later moving with other members of the group to Cleveland, Ohio. There, they were taken under the wing of disc jockey Alan Freed, who renamed them "The Moonglows" after his own nickname, 'Moondog'. The Moonglows' first releases were for Freed's Champagne label in 1953. They then recorded for the Chance label in Chicago, before signing for Chess Records in 1954. Their single "Sincerely" reached #1 on the BillboardR&B chart, and # 20 on the Hot 100, in late 1954.[1]
Recording on Chess Records, Fuqua initially shared lead vocals with Lester, but eventually asserted himself as the leader of the group. This changed in 1957 when he, in effect, sacked the other members and installed a new group, previously known as the Marquees, which included Marvin Gaye. The new group, billed as Harvey and the Moonglows, had immediate further success, but Fuqua left in 1958. The Moonglows reunited temporarily in 1972, and in 2000 were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
While on the Chess label, Fuqua also appeared on record in duets with Etta James, having hits with "If I Can't Have You" (#6 R&B, #52 pop, 1960) and "Spoonful" (#12 R&B, #78 pop, 1961).[2]
Fuqua left the Moonglows when Leonard Chess suggested that he join Anna Records in Detroit. At Anna Records, Fuqua began working with Anna Gordy, Billy Davis, Lamont Dozier and Johnny Bristol. He also introduced Marvin Gaye to Anna's brother, Berry Gordy, and married their sister Gwen Gordy. In 1961, he started his own labels, Tri-Phi Records and Harvey Records, whose acts included the Spinners, Junior Walker and Shorty Long. However, tiring of running a small independent label, Fuqua welcomed the opportunity to work at Motown, and was hired to head the label's Artist Development department and meanwhile worked as a producer for the company. Fuqua brought the Spinners and Johnny Bristol to Motown, and co-produced several hits with Bristol. He was also responsible for bringing Tammi Terrell to the label, and for suggesting and producing her duets with Marvin Gaye, including "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" and "Your Precious Love".
Around 1971, Fuqua left Motown and signed a production deal with RCA Records, having success particularly with the band New Birth. He also discovered disco pioneer Sylvester, and "Two Tons O' Fun" (aka The Weather Girls), producing Sylvester's hit singles "Dance (Disco Heat)" and "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)" in 1978 as well as his album Stars in 1979. He also served as Smokey Robinson's road manager. In 1982 he reunited with Marvin Gaye to produce the singer's Midnight Love album which included the single "Sexual Healing". In 2000 he set up his own "Resurging Artist Records", and also acted as a trustee of The Rhythm and Blues Foundation.
Fuqua resided in Las Vegas, Nevada until his death from a heart attack in a hospital in Detroit on July 6, 2010.[3] His nephew is filmmaker Antoine Fuqua.
Discography
Charitable Work
In March 1995, Harvey Fuqua, along with his wife Dr. Carolyne, incorporated The Foundation for the S.T.A.R.S., a nonprofit organization that reaches out to address some of the difficulties that plague underprivileged youth in the inner-cities of America, with the belief that every dream should at least have the opportunity to be realized.
In 1996, the From Me to We Foundation, a division of S.T.A.R.S. (Souls Taking Action Reaching Souls) was created to address the needs of youth in developing countries. Over the past fifteen years, it has developed programs in the areas of education, housing, and medicine for youth worldwide, such as the adoption of the Gourna Village in Luxor, Egypt, under the Adopt-a-Village Program. In recent years, Dr. Carolyne has traveled to Ghana, West Africa, to further her soul-liberating work in Begoro Village and Accra. She has also traveled to Uganda, participating in a discourse with prime ministers, ambassadors, and members of Parliament on future humanitarian efforts. The S.T.A.R.S. International Scholarship Fund has led to the education of students in Egypt, Ghana, and India.
In 2009, their love of music led to the formation of The S.T.A.R.S. Vocal Ensemble.[4] (Singers Taking Action Reaching Souls), that travels the globe lifting hearts and souls with their transformative singing and songs.
It was the Fuquas' dream to make a difference on the planet through the power of music, and now with The S.T.A.R.S. Vocal Ensemble, his dream is realized. Harvey Fuqua introduced the world to such artists as Marvin Gaye and the Spinners. As this legendary singer and producer passes on, he leaves us with one last gift: he introduces the world to The S.T.A.R.S.
In honor of Harvey's life, we're providing an opportunity to donate to S.T.A.R.S. Click on the little number two to go to the website.[5] With your loving contribution, Harvey's dream stays alive as this vocal ensemble travels the world spreading love and joy through music.
Jia was born 19 March 1967 – 5 July 2010 in Jilin Sipin, near Beijing, China, to Jia Fengsen and Chai Xiuling, both retired theater actors from northeast China. He had a younger sister, Wang Tong.
Life and career
Jia began acting in the late 1980s, and is probably best remembered in the 2001 Chinese drama film, Quitting, a movie that chronicles his life and his story, in which he struggles to overcome drug and alcohol addiction. He also appeared in other Chinese films.
He graduated from the Central Academy of Drama in Beijing in 1989, and soon gained fame in the late 1980s and early 1990s as an actor in films such as The Case of the Silver Snake and A Woman from North Shaanxi. While rehearsing for a stageplay titled Kiss of the Spider Woman (also directed by Zhang Yang) in the fall of 1992, Jia first became exposed to marijuana and eventually became addicted, while also experimenting occasionally with heroin. Then, in 1995, after filming Weekend Lovers, Jia quit acting completely and lived off his younger sister Wang Tong. He was also an avid fan of The Beatles. He listened to their music obsessively and began to fantasize himself as the son of the lead singer, John Lennon.
In late 1995, his parents decided to move to Beijing in order to help their son quit drugs. Wang Tong also came back to live with her parents and brother in the same apartment. Several efforts made by his parents to penetrate their son's inner world were met with indifference, sometimes even hostility. Over time, however, Jia began to open up. He started to take regular walks with his father, usually buying a bottle or two of beer along the way. Jia Fengsen also bought his son cassette tapes by The Beatles.
In early 1996, Jia relapsed after being off drugs for almost six months. On 19 March of that year, after drinking several bottles of beer for the celebration of his twenty-ninth birthday, Jia slapped his father, claiming it was to teach him the "meaning of life". Jia's family was upset by this and felt he needed to be taught a lesson. They contacted the police, and three officers arrived at their house the next day. Jia was taken into custody and sent to a mental institution.
Upon arrival at the institution, after being placed on medication, his condition improved greatly. He also stopped fantasizing and started to see himself as just an ordinary human being. His doctor determined that Jia was not suffering from schizophrenia but recommended that he stay a little longer to sober completely. He was finally discharged on 19 March 1997, his thirtieth birthday.
Death
On 5 July 2010, Jia jumped to death from Building 19, an apartment building at the Anyuan Beili Community in Chaoyang District in Beijing. He was found dead on the trunk of a car around 6:00pm.
Morgan's career as a poet began in the mid-1950s when he was 16 and living alone in London. He entered the British Army and rose to the rank of infantry platoon commander while serving in West Germany but began to question this career choice. By the mid-1960s he had become a pacifist and resigned his commission.
In 1964 he moved to Edinburgh, where he started to publish his poems and to perform recitals in public.
Born a Lancastrian, he returned to the North of England in 1971, though this time to Yorkshire, to live and work in the fishing village of Robin Hood's Bay.
Over the years he has emphasized the oral tradition of poetry and song. It is no surprise therefore that some of his poems have been set to music and have been recorded by such artists as Al Stewart ("My Enemies Have Sweet Voices" on the 1970 "Zero She Flies" album), The McCalmans and most recently The Levellers. (During his 1999 UK Tour, Al Stewart invited Morgan to read the lyrics as he performed the above song in the City Varieties Theatre show at Leeds on the 7th. of November).
Morgan's BBC Television series - 'A Voyage Between Two Seas', first screened in 1983, presented a journey across Northern England via the region's waterways. His subsequent TV programme 'The Grain Run', told the story of the Roman supply route from East Anglia to the Yorkshire town of Aldborough.
His most recent book of poetry was August Light ISBN 1-904614-23-X, published in 2006.
His output was slim – only five collections and a handful of pamphlets in 40 years – but Pete Morgan's poetry was admired by Carol Ann Duffy, Ted Hughes and George Mackay Brown, among others, for its sophistication, humour and poignancy. Morgan, who has died aged 71, had his first pamphlet published in 1968 by the Kevin Press. Entitled A Big Hat Or What?, its cover featured a photograph of Morgan looking smart, long-limbed and wearing said large hat.
Morgan's work was included in Faber's Poetry: Introduction series in 1971. When his first full-length collection, The Grey Mare Being the Better Steed, was published in 1973, he was hailed by Edna Longley, in the Times Literary Supplement, as "a genuine original". He was also admired by musicians. Al Stewart set his poem My Enemies Have Sweet Voices to music on his 1970 album Zero She Flies. The McCalmans and the Levellers also turned his poems into songs.
Morgan was born in Leigh, Lancashire, the oldest of three children. His father, who died when Morgan was 11, had been in the army and his mother's family ran a laundry business. He attended Normanton school in Derbyshire and left at 16 to move to London, where he pinned his poems to trees on Hampstead Heath in an early attempt to find an audience.
In 1957 Morgan joined the army. He rose to the rank of infantry platoon commander of the Loyal Regiment, but by the mid-1960s had resigned his commission, having become a pacifist. Moving to Edinburgh, he began performing his poems, appearing at the Traverse theatre as part of the Edinburgh festival in 1965. At his early gigs, he read love ballads and protest pieces that matched the mood of the times, but were more nuanced than those of his contemporaries. He married Kate Smith in 1965 and they had two children, Caitlin and Martin.
In the early 1970s Morgan taught creative writing at Lumb Bank, an Arvon writing house in Heptonstall, West Yorkshire, where he encouraged a young Ian McMillan, among others. McMillan later wrote of the encounter: "He was wearing a denim shirt. He was having a glass of wine and we hadn't even had our tea! On that first night the tutors read their work to us students. Pete stood by the fire. He opened his book and then didn't look at it because the poem, it seemed to me, was written on his heart."
He also became a friend of Hughes, and the pair corresponded and shared a mutual respect for each other's work. Morgan presented a series of arts programmes for BBC North as well as the 1983 series A Voyage Between Two Seas, which explored the waterway system between Leeds and Liverpool.
He continued to publish full-length collections: The Spring Collection in 1979, One Greek Alphabet in 1980, and A Winter Visitor in 1983. A Winter Visitor celebrated the Robin Hood's Bay area of North Yorkshire, where Morgan had resided since 1971, captured in these lines from the poem Gouge:
We live where ice
Gouged out an eye
Inching to its own oblivion
and after ice
came stone and rock
a premonition on the face
of what was greening into new
It was his last collection for more than two decades. After suffering a brain tumour in 1984, Morgan was unable to travel and perform. He wrote at home. He relished "a freedom not to have to write, to keep the poems in (my) head", but also regretted that he had not published more and not appeared more regularly on the poetry-reading circuit.
Morgan maintained a line in self-deprecating humour, and had a rich and sonorous voice that worked beautifully in performance.
In 2001 he collaborated with the cellist Tony Moore on Talking Cello, a programme for Radio 4 that featured a number of Morgan's poems. His final full-length collection, August Light, was published in 2005. He also wrote two plays for theatre.
A sold-out concert celebrating his 70th birthday was held at York University last year. The guests included McMillan and Duffy, who said of Morgan: "Pete's the real thing."
He is survived by Kate, Caitlin and Martin.
• Colin Peter Morgan, poet, born 7 June 1939; died 5 July 2010
Robert A. Probert was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward. Probert played for the National Hockey League's Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks. While a successful player by some measures, including being voted to the 1987–88 Campbell Conference all-star team, Probert was best known for his activities as a fighter and enforcer, as well as being one half of the "Bruise Brothers" with then-Red Wing teammate Joey Kocur, during the late 1980s and early 1990s.Probert was also known for his off-ice antics and legal problems.
(June 5, 1965 – July 5, 2010)
He actively supported young hockey players in the community, and often bought tickets for kids who couldn't afford to go to Red Wings games.
(June 5, 1965 – July 5, 2010)
Prior to playing with the Detroit Red Wings, Probert was with the Brantford Alexanders of the Ontario Hockey League. After being drafted, he spent one more season with the Alexanders before spending his 1984–85 season with both the Hamilton Steelhawks and the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the OHL [edit] Detroit Red Wings (1985–1994)
Probert was drafted as the 4th pick in the third round (46th overall) in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft, in which the Red Wings also selected Kocur and Steve Yzerman.
During the 1985–86 and 1986–87 seasons, Probert spent the majority of his time with the Red Wings while occasionally playing for their minor league affiliate at the time, the Adirondack Red Wings of the American Hockey League. In the 1985–86 season, he finished third on the team in penalty minutes behind Kocur and Randy Ladouceur, both of whom played more regular season games than Probert. In the 1986–87 season, Probert accumulated only 24 points, but amassed 221 penalty minutes.
The 1987–88 season saw Probert develop his fighting abilities and reputation as a enforcer with 398 penalty minutes. He also tied for third on the team in points with 62 (Petr Klima also had 62 points). That season, Probert played in his only NHL All-Star Game, and he contributed the most points during the Red Wings' playoff run, in which Yzerman missed all but the final three games with a knee injury.
Probert's career hit a snag in 1989 when he was arrested for cocaine possession while crossing the Detroit-Windsor border.U.S. Customs agents at the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel found 14 grams of cocaine hidden in Probert's underpants. He served three months in a federal prison in Minnesota, three more months in a halfway house, and was indefinitely suspended from the NHL. The NHL lifted the suspension at the conclusion of his prison term.
When Probert returned to the Red Wings, he was temporarily one of the alternate Captains of the team along with Gerard Gallant. While his penalty minutes remained high, he also averaged 40 points a season. Though during his last season with the Red Wings, he accumulated only 17 points for the team.
At this time, Probert once again got into trouble with the law. On July 15, 1994, he suffered minor injuries when he crashed his motorcycle into a car in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan. Police determined that his blood alcohol level was approximately triple the legal limit, and that there were also trace amounts of cocaine in his system.At the time of the accident, Probert had been ruled an unrestricted free agent. On July 19, the Red Wings announced that they would not offer him a contract. "This is the end," said senior vice-president Jim Devellano. "[In] my 12 years with the organization ... we've never spent more time on one player and his problems than we have on Probert." Chicago Blackhawks (1995–2002)
Probert's first season with the Blackhawks was the last in which he accumulated over 40 points in a season. From then on, his points and penalty minutes gradually decreased. While he never returned to the levels of point production he achieved with the Red Wings, he remained a physical force on the ice and continued many long-term rivalries with other enforcers.
Probert also sustained various injuries during his time with the Blackhawks, most notably a torn rotator cuff injury which caused him to miss most of the 1997–98 season. One of the more noteworthy occurrences of his career with Chicago is that he scored the final NHL goal at the historic Maple Leaf Gardens on February 13, 1999. Fighting
He saw it as his job to protect his teammates, especially Detroit captain Steve Yzerman. In a recent news story, he recalled a time that he sucker-punched enforcer Kevin Maguire of the Buffalo Sabres after Maguire attacked Yzerman. Maguire then unsuccessfully attempted to avoid Probert.
Some significant tilts in Probert's career include:
* Two long fights with Craig Coxe of the Vancouver Canucks in the mid-1980s. * A career-spanning series of battles with Tie Domi of the New York Rangers, Winnipeg Jets, and Toronto Maple Leafs. One of Probert's memorable confrontations was also the genesis of Tie Domi's now-infamous belt gesture, where he gestured to the crowd as if he had a heavyweight title belt around his waist. Fights afterwards between Domi and Probert were seen in the eyes of many as Probert "regaining the title" from Domi. * A career-spanning series of fights with longtime enforcer Stu Grimson, including a fight in December 1993 when the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim made their first visit ever to Detroit. * A memorable fight on December 17, 1993 with former teammate Joey Kocur of the Rangers, during a brawl involving several players from both teams. Probert and Kocur had grabbed the nearest opposing player without realizing who it was, and continued trading punches even after they identified each other. Later on in Probert's career, he would face Kocur a couple more times when he was with the Chicago Blackhawks. * A fight on February 4, 1994, against Marty McSorley, then of the Pittsburgh Penguins, lasting nearly 100 seconds.
Retirement
After the 2001–02 season, Probert was placed on waivers by the Blackhawks. Because he was not picked up by another team, he was advised that his role with the Blackhawks would be limited, or even relegated to playing in the minor leagues again. On November 16, 2002, Probert opted to "unofficially" retire so that he could join the Blackhawks radio broadcasting team. He had finished fourth on the NHL's all-time list with 3,300 penalty minutes.
His stint with the Blackhawks radio team did not last long. In February 2003, it was reported that Probert went back to rehab. During the 2002–03 offseason, Probert formally announced his retirement. Post-retirement Hockey-related appearances
Probert regularly appeared in charity games, spoke at conventions, and conducted youth clinics. His activities as a Red Wings alumnus were somewhat limited by the fact that, due to his criminal history, he required an immigration waiver each time he wanted to cross the border.
On January 2, 2007, Probert appeared along with many other former Red Wings teammates to honor the retiring of Steve Yzerman's number 19 at Joe Louis Arena. He wore his number 24 Red Wings jersey, and helped former teammate Vladimir Konstantinov onto the ice for the ceremony. The Detroit crowd gave him a very warm welcome, which he later said he appreciated. He stayed on to watch the game with Joey Kocur behind the penalty box.
This was noted as a possible reconciliation with the Red Wings organization. Apparently it worked, as Probert became a late addition to a January 27, 2007, Red Wings Alumni game against the Boston Bruins Alumni at Joe Louis Arena. He scored a goal and two assists, though the Red Wings alumni lost the game 8-6. Probert recently worked on the Mike Myers 2008 film The Love Guru, making a cameo as a hockey player. He commented on the irony of being given jersey number 28 to wear in the film — the same number worn by longtime rival Tie Domi.
In 2009, Probert participated in the Canadian figure skating reality television show Battle of the Blades which features figure skating pairs comprised of male hockey players and female figure skaters competing against other pairs. Probert was partnered with Kristina Lenko. [edit] Legal problems
On June 4, 2004, Probert was arrested for allegedly parking his BMW sport utility vehicle on the wrong side of the street and entering into an altercation over drugs with bystanders. Several police officers intervened and had to subdue Probert with taser and stun guns. He was later acquitted on all charges related to this incident.
On July 1, 2005, Probert was arrested at his Windsor-area (Lakeshore) home for breach of peace, resisting arrest, and assaulting a police officer. Probert's attorney, Patrick Ducharme, advised the media, "I anticipate he will be pleading not guilty and going to trial." Probert was arrested again on August 23, 2005, at a bar in Tecumseh, Ontario, for violating two conditions of his probation that he not consume alcohol or be in an establishment that serves liquor. He was released after paying a $200 CAD fine. All charges stemming from the arrest on July 1 were eventually dropped. Death
On July 5, 2010, Probert was boating on Lake Saint Clair, Ontario, with his children, father-in-law, and mother-in-law when he developed what was described as "severe chest pain" and collapsed at approximately 2:00 pm local time. His father-in-law, Dan Parkinson, a Cornwall, Ontario, police chief, attempted CPR to save his life.He was rushed to Windsor Regional Hospital with no vital signs. Efforts to revive him were unsuccessful, and he was pronounced dead later that afternoon.
Funeral services were held July 9, 2010 in Windsor, Ontario, Canada and attended by several former teammates and opponents, including Dino Ciccarelli, Tie Domi, Gerard Gallant, Doug Gilmour, Stu Grimson, Joey Kocur, Darren McCarty, and Steve Yzerman, as well as Red Wings general manager Ken Holland and owners Mike and Marian Ilitch. Yzerman delivered the eulogy. In recognition of Probert's love of motorcycle riding, his funeral procession was led by a group of 54 motorcyclists, and his casket was transported on a custom-built motorcycle sidecar. Probert is survived by his wife and four children and nephew.
Ezequiel Neves - was an actor, journalist and music producer Brazil has died after a long illness he was , 74..
Rolling Stone . Ezekiel followed the career of Baron, which produced all the albums from the beginning, and was also a musical partner of Cazuza.
