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.
Anna Marie Nanasi, better known by her professional name Ahna Capriwas Budapest, Hungary-born American film and television actress best known for her role as Tania (secretary of the Han) in the classic martial-arts movie Enter the Dragon.
(July 6, 1944 – August 19, 2010)
Capri started her career as a child actress, appearing on such series as Father Knows Best and The Danny Thomas Show. She made her film debut at age 13 in Outlaw's Son. She went on to appear in many more TV and films,[1] including Enter the Dragon and Payday (both 1973).
On August 9, 2010, Capri was in a car accident in which a 5-ton truck collided with her car. After 11 days in a coma and on life support, she died on August 19, aged 66.[2][3]
Jackson Clark Gillis was an American radio and television scriptwriter whose career spanned more than 40 years and encompassed a wide range of genres died from pneumonia, he was 93.[1]
(August 21, 1916 – August 19, 2010)
Gillis was born in in Kalama, Washington to a highway engineer and a piano teacher. His family moved to California when he was a teenager. He attended California State University, Fresno, but transferred to Stanford University where he earned his undergraduate degree in English in 1938.[2] He worked in England after graduating from college. After returning to the United States, he performed with the Barter Theatre in Virginia, together with Gregory Peck. George Bernard Shaw attended a performance Gillis appeared in of one of Shaw's plays. Gillis received a note from Shaw that critiqued his exit, a postcard that Gillis retained for decades. He enlisted in the United States Army and working as an intelligence officer during World War II in the Pacific Theater.[1]
After completing his military service, Gillis moved to Los Angeles and took a job writing for radio shows, including the dramas The Whistler and Let George Do It. He moved into television scriptwriting and earned his first credit — for an episode of Racket Squad, a series that starred George Raft — in 1952. He wrote for The Adventures of Superman from 1953 to 1960 and also spent several years writing for Perry Mason and Lassie. His scriptwriting was prolific and varied, and over the years, he worked on shows such as Lost in Space, Hawaii Five-O, and Knight Rider. He wrote for the series Columbo, starring Peter Falk, from 1971 to 1992.[1] He also wrote a pair of detective novels, The Killers of Starfish and Chain Saw.[2]
After retiring from Hollywood in the 1990s, Gillis and his wife moved to Moscow, Idaho, to be near their daughter.[3] Gillis was married to the former Patricia Cassidy, a fellow actor whom he met during his brief acting career at the Barter Theatre, until her death in 2003. He died at age 93 on August 19, 2010, of pneumonia in Moscow, Idaho.[1] His daughter recalled that her father watched little on television other than football, as "he thought most of what was on TV was junk".[1]
Suzanne Grossman was an American actress, playwright and television writer, born in Basel, Switzerland [1] died from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, she was , 72,. Grossmann appeared in the original 1966 Broadway staging of The Lion in Winter. She later ventured into writing, both for the stage and for television. Among the shows she worked on was the soap operaRyan's Hope.[2]
(December 21, 1937 – August 19, 2010)
Suzanne Grossman is a Brooklyn-based writer, musician and activist who has been working in the field of women’s and girls’ advocacy for over ten years. She was most recently the Director of Programs and Alumnae Relations for the Woodhull Institute of Ethical Leadership, an organization that supports women’s personal and professional aspirations. Prior to Woodhull, Suzanne spent over three years at the Institute for Women’s Leadership at Rutgers University, helping to run an undergraduate honors program for women. She is an Irish music fiddle player and one of the founders of the Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls.
Suzanne has a BA in Psychology from Tufts University and a Master’s degree in Women's and Gender Studies from Rutgers University, writing on the movement to legalize abortion in Ireland. She has worked at the Irish Family Planning Association in Dublin and the Center for Reproductive Rights in NY, and was designated one of the inaugural “REAL hot 100,” which honors the accomplishments of young women. Last fall, she toured with the pro-choice theater production Words of Choice in South Dakota and is author of a resource guide which accompanies the DVD version of the show.
Dick Maloney[1] was a jazz singer, entertainer and radio host based in Ottawa, Canada who had been performing for over 40 years died he was 77. In recognition for his achievements, the City of Ottawa named December 10, 1994 as Dick Maloney day. [2] He continued to host his own radio program, Sentimental Journey, on Oldies 1310 until his death.
(March 17, 1933 – August 19, 2010)
Maloney was partially paralyzed after falling on the sidewalk in July, 2006 while walking to meet his wife Carrie for lunch at an outdoor restaurant.[3] On August 20, 2010, CTV's Canada AM reported in a news crawl that Dick Maloney had died at the age of 77. Oldies 1310 announced further on the same date that Maloney had succumbed to his injuries from his fall, and that he died at St. Vincent Hospital in Ottawa, where he was residing following the accident.
Coyne was born in Springs, South Africa in 1965.[1] She was a member of the Capab drama group for seven years after training as an actor.[1] She also worked at a rhinocerous and elephant sanctuary in Kenya for four years.[1]
In 2009, Coyne appeared in The Adventures of Pinocchio, a pantomine by Janice Honeyman, as Katarina the Cat.[1] She also authored the book, Who Moved My Ladder? The Working Woman's Guide to Success.[2]
Coyne was best known to South Africans for her role as the presenter of The Weakest Link. Her appearance, hair, dress and style of speaking to contestants were modelled on Anne Robinson, who hosted the British version of the show.[1] Coyne beat approximately 500 people for The Weakest Link role.[2] She was flown to London in 2003 to train with Anne Robinson before the South African version of the show was launched.[2]
Fiona Coyne died at her home in Fish Hoek, South Africa, on August 18, 2010, of a suspected suicide at the age of 45.[1] She had recently divorced her husband, Willie Fritz, after 22 years of marriage.[3] She had reportedly left notes for her housekeeper, Zoleka Shumani, and her family.[4] A funeral was held at St. Peters Catholic church in Strand, Western Cape.[4]
Having been a founding member of The Stone Poneys in 1964 with Linda Ronstadt and Bobby Kimmel, Edwards next turned his musical attention to the band Bryndle (with Karla Bonoff, Andrew Gold & Wendy Waldman) five years later.
In 1970, Bryndle recorded their debut album for A&M Records. The album went through many revisions before being submitted to the record company, but it was never released. Edwards subsequently returned to work with Linda Ronstadt on her ground-breaking album, Heart Like A Wheel. He then spent many years with Ronstadt as a sideman, singer, arranger and touring band member. Edwards also became a noted producer and was responsible for masterminding former Bryndle colleague Bonoff's solo albums. His session work has seen Edwards work either live or in the studio with acts such as Emmylou Harris, Stevie Nicks, J.D. Souther, Don Henley, Brian Wilson, Warren Zevon, Art Garfunkel, Vince Gill, Mac McAnally, David Lee Murphy, Jennifer Warnes, Danny Kortchmar, Lowell George, as well as a younger generation of artists including Glen Phillips and Natalie D-Napoleon. Edwards released his first, self-titled solo album in 2002. In his later years, he performed as a singer-songwriter, often with Nina Gerber accompanying, while completing the recording of a second solo release.
In 1964, Linda Ronstadt moved to Los Angeles to form a band with her old Tucson friend Bob Kimmel, who had already begun co-writing several folk-rock songs with guitarist-songwriter Edwards. As The Stone Poneys, the band was signed by the late Nik Venet to Capitol and released three albums in a 15-month period in 1967–68: The Stone Poneys; Evergreen, Volume 2; and Linda Ronstadt, Stone Poneys and Friends, Vol. III. The band is best known for their hit single "Different Drum" (written by Michael Nesmith prior to his joining the Monkees), which reached #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #12 in Cash Box. The song remains one of Linda Ronstadt's most popular recordings. While Stone Poneys broke up before the release of their third album, Edwards recorded and toured with Ronstadt from the mid-1970s to the early 1990s.
Bryndle
In 1970, Bryndle recorded their debut album for A&M Records with Chuck Plotkin helming one of his first major production undertakings. The album went through several revisions, but was never released. A single, "Woke Up This Morning," written by Karla Bonoff and produced by Lou Adler, did arise from those sessions and met with modest success. This was to be the only release from the original incarnation of Bryndle as the band subsequently disbanded. Waldman, Bonoff, Gold and Edwards established solo careers and session work before reforming in the early 1990s. In 1995, a newly recorded debut was released and the band began a tour of America and Japan. In 1996, Andrew Gold departed the band while Bryndle continued touring through 1997. After a break of more than five years, the band reformed for two house concert performances in 2002. Those two performances were edited down to a single CD released the next year. The band has been mostly inactive since their 2002 performances.
Solo
From early 2000 until his death, Edwards predominantly performed as a solo singer-songwriter. In that time he recorded and released his first self-titled solo album (2002) and a second titled "Resurection Road" (2009). He undertook showcase performances at roots-based music festivals and series including Folk Alliance and Sings Like Hell. He also regularly supported Karla Bonoff on tour while also serving as her accompanist.
Death
According to a post on his website, Edwards died at approximately 5:30 pm on August 18, 2010 after battles with cancer and a blood disorder. Edwards had reportedly been diagnosed with the blood disorder TTP (thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura) and had also been receiving chemotherapy for prostate cancer. He was 64 years old.
Subair was an Indianfilm actor in Malayalam cinema industry. He was part of Malayalam films for nearly two decades and has acted in around 200 films.[1]
(25 May 1962 – 18 August 2010)
Personal life
Subair was born in the village of Panoor in Kannur District, Kerala, India as the son of Sulaiman and Aysha.[2] Subair died on August 18, 2010 due to a cardiac arrest.[3][4] He is survived by his wife Dilshad and two kids Aman and Amina Miya.[2]
Career
Subair started his career in movies as a film producer at the age of 28. He produced a movie together with four of his friends, but unfortunately the movie was never released. His first movie as an actor was Bharatham in 1991[2] which followed by the 1992 movie Manthrikacheppu.[4] His break came through the character Kadayadi Thambi in Lelam (1997). The Tiger, Bharathchandran I.P.S. and Pathaka are his notable works.
He has also acted in a mega tele-serial named Vamsham telecasted in DD Malayalam channel in 1994.
Capri started her career as a child actress, appearing on such series as Father Knows Best and The Danny Thomas Show. She made her film debut at age 13 in Outlaw's Son. She went on to appear in many more TV and films,[1] including Enter the Dragon and Payday (both 1973).
