/ Stars that died in 2023

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Wade Crane, American pool player, died from an automobile accident he was , 66.

 Wade Arlyn Crane  was an American professional pool player, nicknamed "Boom-Boom" because of the cannonball sound that emanated from his powerful break. Crane also played under the alias of "Billy Johnson died from an automobile accident he was , 66.."
A former World 8-Ball and 9-Ball champion, Crane was a dominant player in the 1980s. He was voted by his peers to have the best 9-ball break in history.[3]

(February 20, 1944 – December 26, 2010)

 Early Days

Wade Arlyn Crane grew up in Robbinsville, a small town with a population of 700 located in the western-most part of North Carolina in the Smokey Mountains. He was the youngest of four children. His father was killed in an automobile accident shortly after he was born, which necessitated him being raised by his grandmother.
Coming from a modest background, he sought employment at the age of 12 and landed a job in a small five-table pool room named Cooper's. It was here where he initially developed his passion for playing pool. He did odd jobs, keeping the pool room clean, sweeping floors, and even had a shoe shine stand. The owner would direct the customers to play pool with young Wade if the pool room was empty. Crane was a self-taught pool player. He soon began to enjoy the competitive spirit. In high school, he was a fullback on the football team, the Robbinsville squad, and made it to the state playoffs two years straight.
After high school, Crane decided to leave Robbinsville and live with his older brother in Chicago, where he got a job at Brach's Confections, a candy company. He worked there for three years, earning $150 a week, and initially had little interest in playing pool. Sometimes, though, his older brother, Bill, would call on Wade to meet him at the local pool hall on Cicero Avenue. Bill would make bad games and find himself overmatched. He would then call on his little brother, Wade, to bail him by having him play the same pool players that he lost to. Thereafter, Bill began to match up Wade with the local players. At this time, both Bill and Wade became active in Chicago's pool scene. Soon Wade was competing at Bensinger's pool room in Chicago against tough opponents in the area, like Mexican Johnny, John Abruzzo, and George Walker.
In 1965, Crane was making more money playing pool than working at Brach's Confections, so he decided to leave the Windy City and move to Atlanta, Georgia. It was at this time that he assumed the alias of "Billy Johnson," a moniker he would hang onto for 20 more years. He changed his name because he wanted to engage in money matches down South and feared some might recognize the name "Wade Crane" from his earlier days of gambling throughout that region.
"While me and a friend were driving along the interstate to this pool room, we passed a Howard Johnson's," said Crane. He decided to just add on "Johnson" to "Bill" and came up with the road name of "Billy Johnson." It was a good name for him because he had been using his brother's fake ID to get into the Chicago taverns and pool rooms, so he was used to answering to "Bill."
In the early '70s, Crane returned to North Carolina and opened his own pool room in Asheville, which was an attraction for many of the top players in the country, i.e., Buddy Hall, Jim Rempe, Mike Sigel, and Allen Hopkins. Now the 25-year-old Crane was ranked second to Luther Lassiter, who was the 9-Ball Champion of the South.[4]
The money matches began to dwindle, so he decided to move to Knoxville, Tennessee, for a change. It is here where he met his third wife, Linda, who was a waitress at a steak and seafood restaurant. They dated for 18 months before he proposed. After they were married, the couple moved back to Crane's hometown of Robbinsville, where he operated a small video arcade and quit playing pool. It was three and a half years before his wife saw him shoot a game of pool.
In 1983, pool became attractive to Crane once more, due to the large money payouts in pocket billiard competitions. Crane returned to the pool scene, but this time, he would be shooting pool in a new environment, competing in short race-type matches on pristine equipment at tournament venues instead of gambling long ahead sets on inferior equipment in various pool rooms around the country.[5][6]

Professional Career

At the height of Crane's game in June 1985, he scored a perfect Accu-Stats score in the finals against Buddy Hall at the Resorts International Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in the Last Call for 9-Ball tournament, a feat that to this day has never been achieved by any other competitor in a pool tournament during a finals match.[7] During one match, he ran seven consecutive racks against Hall. He was the top money winner of major professional pool tournaments in 1985.[8]
Crane went undefeated at the 1985 Red's Open 9-Ball Championship in Houston, Texas, until he met Efren Reyes in the finals, who was at this time shooting pool under an alias of "Cesar Morales." The irony, however, was that Crane happened to be the only other competitor in the 108-player event that also used an alias, "Billy Johnson," when he took second-place honors. The final score was 13 to 9. This was the first tournament that a then-unknown Efren Reyes, a pool champion from the Republic of the Philippines, competed in on American soil.[9]
Pool & Billiards Magazine named Wade Crane in 1985 as the Pool & Billiard Magazine's All Star Player of the Year.
At the 1987 Steve Gumphreys Memorial 9-Ball Open tournament held in Jackson, Mississippi, Crane defeated Earl Strickland twice in the finals of a double-elimination format event to win the title.[10]
Crane was heralded as a legend by pool industry members.[11] He was deemed as a courteous pool competitor, with a sense of humor that was enjoyed by his peers, according to Nick Varner and Johnny Archer, both Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame Inductees.[12]
As owner of Crane's Billiard Academy, he gave instructions to beginners, amateur players, as well as male and female professional pool competitors.
For 15 years, he was an instructional journalist for Pool & Billiards Magazine, providing guidance on shot selection and other pool-related strategies in his monthly article entitled "Crane's Winning Way."
A recognition ceremony to commemorate Crane's legacy of pool in action will be held at the 7th Annual One-Pocket Hall of Fame dinner on January 25, 2011, at the 2011 Derby City Classic. Wade Crane will be inducted into the One-Pocket Hall of Fame posthumously with the Lifetime Pool in Action Award for his tremendous all-around talent.[13]
At 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, December 26, 2010, Crane was in an automobile accident in Knoxville, Tennessee, when his 2000 Volkswagen crossed three lanes of traffic and struck a retaining wall. No other vehicle was involved in the accident. It is believed that Crane suffered from an undiagnosed medical condition before the crash.[14] He was pronounced dead at the University of Tennessee Hospital.[15][16]

Filmography

Wade Crane produced a pool instructional videotape entitled "Learn to Play the Winning Way." [17]
Accu-Stats Video Productions filmed several live matches of Wade Crane in pocket billiards competitions:[18]

Titles

  • 1972 Golden 8-Ball Tournament (Tempe, Arizona)
  • 1985 Last Call for 9-Ball (Atlantic City, New Jersey)
  • 1985 Florida State 9-Ball Championship (Davies, Florida)
  • 1985 Busch World Open 9-Ball Championship (Moline, Illinois)
  • 1986 Shenandoah Open
  • 1987 Steve Gumphreys Memorial 9-Ball Open (Jackson, Mississippi)
  • 1991 Southeastern 9-Ball Tournament (St. Petersburg, Florida)
  • 2010 One-Pocket Hall of Fame Lifetime Pool in Action Award

To see more of who died in 2010 click here
at 1 comment:

Eugene K. Garfield, American founder of the Auto-Train Corporation, died from esophageal cancer he was , 74

Eugene Kerik Garfield  was an American lawyer who founded the Auto-Train Corporation died from esophageal cancer he was , 74. Auto-Train became what is now known as Amtrak's Auto Train. He served in the executive branch of the State of Florida and the federal government.[2][3]

(January 18, 1936 – December 26, 2010)


Early life and government career

Garfield was born in Newark, New Jersey, on January 18, 1936, and developed a life-long interest in railroading after receiving a toy train set as a child, which his sister would later recall saying "I would ask him, 'Is that what started all this?'".[1] He graduated from Rutgers University in 1957 with concentrations in Natural Sciences and Higher Mathematics. He graduated from the University of Miami School of Law on June 9, 1960, where he earned his Juris Doctor degree.[1]
He practiced law in Florida and Washington, D.C. In Florida, Garfield served governmental entities in several capacities including Legal Counsel to the Governor of Florida and as General Counsel to the Florida Department of Education. Garfield was a member of the Florida Council of 100, appointed by Governor Reubin Askew. He was a member of the National Highway Safety Commission, appointed by President Gerald R. Ford. While working in Florida, he founded the Florida School Board Attorney's Association. In Washington, D.C., during the administration of President Lyndon B. Johnson, Garfield served in capacities as Assistant to the White House Chief of Staff and Assistant to the first United States Secretary of Transportation.[1] During his tenure there, the Department of Transportation was considering alternatives for developing a scheduled train service for passengers and their vehicles that would operate along the East Coast, operating between travel destinations in Florida and the cities in the Northeast, though it would later decide to leave such service to non-governmental operators.[1]

Post-government career

See also: Auto-Train Corporation and Auto Train
Following his work in the United States government, Garfield founded the Auto-Train Corporation as a passenger railroad that could also transport personal cars. The Auto-Train came into service in 1971, carrying passengers and their cars on the 900 miles (1,400 km) between Lorton, Virginia and Sanford, Florida, with food service, movies and sleeping cars available to passengers during the 15-hour trip in each direction.[1] The initial trip featured luxury food for passengers and a bar that remained open until 3 a.m.[4]
Garfield had his own personal Pullman car, with private bedrooms and a dining room for himself and his family, that could be attached to the Auto Train.[1] The service was profitable during its first years of operation, frequented by snowbirds making their annual winter migration to Florida, with a disproportionate share of elderly travelers, many taking along their Cadillacs, the vehicle that accounted for as much as 60% of the Auto-Train's car load.[4] In later years losses mounted in the face of lower prices available to leisure travelers heading to Florida by airplane and renting a vehicle at their destination, as well as a money losing branch route to Kentucky.[4] The Auto-Train operation went out of business in 1981, but Amtrak decided to take over the operation in 1983 and continues to offer the service.[1]
He was a member of the Board of Trustees for the Pan American Development Foundation, American University in Washington, D.C., and the National Symphony of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.. Garfield was a member of the Transportation Committee of the Metropolitan Orlando International Affairs Commission. He was also an Advisory Board Chairperson for the Institute for Transportation Research at Barry University. He served as the primary advisor to the Governor of Florida and the Florida Department of Transportation on the development of a high speed rail system in Florida. Garfield lectured at many schools in the United States including the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Florida State University, and the Andreas School of Business at Barry University.[1][3]

Later years

Garfield retired from the Auto-Train along with the practice of law and served as the Chairman of the North American Maglev Corporation, his next locomotive endeavor. He died at the age of 74 on December 26, 2010, in Hollywood, Florida due to esophageal cancer.[1]



To see more of who died in 2010 click here
at No comments:

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Teena Marie American singer and composer. died she was , 54.

Mary Christine Brockert, better known by her stage name Teena Marie,  was an American singer, songwriter and producer died she was , 54.. She was known as Tina[1] before taking the stage name Teena Marie; she later acquired the nickname of Lady Tee (sometimes spelled Lady T) given to her by mentor, collaborator, and friend Rick James. She was known for her distinctive soulful vocals which initially caused many listeners to believe she was African American. Her success in R&B and soul and loyalty to these genres would earn her the title Ivory Queen of Soul. She played rhythm guitar, keyboards and congas. She also wrote, produced, sang and arranged virtually all of her songs since her 1980 release, Irons in the Fire, which she later said was her favorite album.



(March 5, 1956 – December 26, 2010)

 Biography

Early life (1956–1978)

Mary Christine, or Tina as she was called, was the fourth of five children born in Santa Monica[citation needed] to construction worker Thomas Leslie Brockert and his wife, home renovator Mary Anne. She spent her early childhood in Mission Hills. Her ethnic heritage was Portuguese, Italian, Irish and Native American. In 2005, while visiting Louisiana, she had discovered that her paternal ancestors once lived in New Orleans.[2][3][4]

Brockert took to singing naturally, performing Harry Belafonte's Banana Boat Song by age two. She also developed a fondness for singing the songs of Motown, and her self-professed “Gift from God” would become fine-tuned as the years progressed.
Brockert's parents began sending her out on auditions when she was eight years old, which netted an acting role on The Beverly Hillbillies, credited as Tina Marie Brockert.[5] She also sang at the wedding of actor Jerry Lewis' son when she was 10 years old. Reared in a Roman Catholic household, Teena learned to play the piano under the tutelage of two nuns and later taught herself the guitar, bass, and congas. She would go on to form a semi-professional R&B band with younger brother Anthony and their cousin.
In the early 70s, after the family moved to Venice, Los Angeles, Brockert spent her adolescent years in the historically black Venice enclave of Oakwood, nicknamed "Venice Harlem". There, she would acquire a strong spiritual influence from neighborhood matriarch Berthalynn Jackson, an African American who would become her godmother.[6][7][8]
While attending Venice High School, Brockert joined the Summer Dance Production, and also had the female lead in the school's production of The Music Man.[9]
After graduating, Brockert juggled auditioning for various record companies with studying English Literature at Santa Monica College. She credited her love of reading with helping her to write the lyrics she's known for.

Motown era (1979–1982)




In 1976, Brockert (as lead singer member of a band she assembled which included long time friend Mickey Boyce) gained an introduction to Motown Records staff producer Hal Davis (best known for his work with Brenda Holloway and the Jackson 5). This led to an audition for a film about orphans being developed by Motown. The project was shelved, but label boss Berry Gordy decided to sign her as a solo act, impressed with her singing but having no need for a musical group. She recorded unreleased material with a number of different producers over the next few years, before being spotted by labelmate Rick James who was immediately impressed with her sound. (Some of the earlier unreleased material has since been made available on compilation.) At the time, James, already established as a successful recording artist, was on tap to produce for Diana Ross but changed his mind and decided to work with Brockert. The result was debut album release, Wild and Peaceful. The album was, at one point, due to be credited to "Teena Tryson", but ultimately was put out under Teena Marie, the name by which she would be known throughout her career. It scored Teena Marie her first top-ten R&B hit, "I'm Just a Sucker for Your Love" (#8 Black Singles Chart),[10] a duet with James. Neither the album nor its packaging had her picture on it, and many radio programmers incorrectly assumed she was African-American during the earliest months of her career.[10] This myth was disproved when she performed her debut hit with James on Soul Train in 1979, becoming the show's first white female guest (she would appear on the show eight more times, more than any other white act).
In 1980, her second album, Lady T, would have her portrait on the cover upon its release. It's also noted for having production from Richard Rudolph (husband of R&B singer Minnie Riperton, who died a year earlier). Teena Marie had asked Berry Gordy to contact Rudolph and secure his input as Rick James was unavailable and she felt unprepared to be sole producer of her own material. Rudolph intended for the song he penned, "Now That I Have You", to be sung by his wife, but it was later given to Teena Marie.[11] Rudolph also co-composed the single "Behind The Groove", which reached number 21 on the black singles chart and reaching #6 on the U.K. singles chart in 1980.[10] The song would also be included on the soundtrack of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City on the Fever 105 soundtrack.[12] Another notable track, "Too Many Colors," featured Rudolph and Riperton's then 7-year-old daughter, Maya Rudolph, who became Teena Marie's god-daughter.
Also in 1980, Teena Marie released her third LP, Irons in the Fire, for which she handled all writing and production herself, including the horn and rhythm arrangements of her band and all backing vocals, all considered rare at the time for a female artist.[10] The single "I Need Your Lovin'" (#37 Pop, #9 Black Singles) brought Teena Marie her first top 40 hit. This single also peaked at #28 in the UK chart. That same year, Teena Marie appeared on James' hugely successful album, Street Songs, with the duet "Fire and Desire". In an interview, Teena Marie said she had a fever at the time yet managed to record her vocals in one take. After the session, she was driven to a hospital. The two would perform the single at the 2004 BET Awards, which would be their last TV appearance with one another as Rick James died later that year.[13]
Teena Marie continued her success with Motown in 1981, with the release of It Must Be Magic (#2 Black Albums Chart), her first gold record, which included her then biggest hit on R&B, "Square Biz" (#3 Black Singles). Other notable tracks include "Portuguese Love" (featuring a brief, uncredited cameo by James, #54 Black Singles), the title track "It Must be Magic" (#30 Black Singles), and album only track "Yes Indeed", which she cited as a personal favorite.[citation needed]
In 1982, Teena Marie got into a heated legal battle with Motown Records over her contract and disagreements about releasing her new material.[14] The lawsuit resulted in "The Brockert Initiative", which made it illegal for a record company to keep an artist under contract without releasing new material for that artist. In such instances, artists are able to sign and release with another label instead of being held back by an unsupportive one. Teena Marie commented on the law in an LA Times article, saying, "It wasn't something I set out to do. I just wanted to get away from Motown and have a good life. But it helped a lot of people, like Luther Vandross and the Mary Jane Girls, and a lot of different artists, to be able to get out of their contracts."[15] She left Motown as the label's most successful white solo act.

Epic era (1983–1990)

Contacted by Epic Records in the Fall of 1982 after expressing dismay over her Motown contract, Teena Marie signed a worldwide deal with the Columbia Records' subsidiary that also allowed her to establish her own publishing company, Midnight Magnet. Epic released the concept album Robbery, which featured the hit "Fix It" (#21 R&B), as well as "Shadow Boxing" and "Casanova Brown." The latter was one of a number of tracks Teena Marie would write over the years about her real-life romance with one-time mentor Rick James. The relationship had ended by that point, but the two would continue a sometimes tempestuous friendship, until James' death in August 2004. In 1984, Teena Marie released her biggest-selling album, Starchild. It yielded her biggest hit "Lovergirl", which peaked at #4 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart[16] in March 1985. It also peaked at #9 on the R&B chart. The label also released the moderate R&B hit "Out on a Limb", which peaked at #56 on the R&B chart, but didn't break the Hot 100. "14k" was featured on the soundtrack of the film Goonies (1985) but was not a hit (only making the U.S. R&B charts at #87).
In 1986, Teena Marie released a rock music-influenced concept album titled Emerald City. It was controversial with her established fan base and not as successful as its predecessors. She also recorded another rock-influenced track, "Lead Me On", co-produced by Giorgio Moroder, for the soundtrack of the box office hit film, Top Gun (1986). In 1988, however, she returned to her R&B and funk roots, releasing the critically-acclaimed album Naked to the World. That album contained the hit "Ooo La La La", which reached the top of Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart and was her only #1 single on that chart. During her 1988 Naked to the World concert tour, she suffered a fall and was hospitalized for six months.
Teena Marie released Ivory in the fall of 1990 and it scored no pop hits, but it did experienced two R&B hits: "Here's Looking at You" (#11 R&B) and "If I Were a Bell" (#8 R&B).

Hiatus, Passion Play and Black Rain (1991–2003)

During the 1990s, Teena Marie's classic R&B, soul, and funk records were either sampled by hip-hop artists or covered by R&B divas. Teena Marie herself is regarded as something of a pioneer in helping to bring hip-hop to the mainstream by becoming one of the first artists of her time to rap one of her singles—the aforementioned "Square Biz". In the hip-hop portion of that song, she mentions some of her inspirations: Sarah Vaughn, Johann Sebastian Bach, Shakespeare, Maya Angelou, and Nikki Giovanni, "just to name a few". In 1996, the Fugees paid tribute to her by interpolating the chorus of her 1988 hit, "Ooo, La, La, La", into its own "Fu-Gee-La", which was a huge hit.
In the fall of 1994, Teena Marie released Passion Play on her independent label, Sarai Records.[17] Lacking the backing of a major label, this album sold less well than her earlier work, but was well received by fans.[citation needed]
Subsequently, Teena Marie devoted most of her time to raising her daughter Alia Rose[18] (who has since adopted the stage name "Rose Le Beau" and is pursuing her own singing career). During the late 1990s, Teena Marie made appearances (as herself) on the TV sitcoms, The Steve Harvey Show and The Parkers. She also began work on a new album, titled Black Rain. She was unable to secure a major label deal for this, and did not want to put it out on her own Sarai label in light of the modest sales of Passion Play. However, a version pressed for promotional purposes was widely bootlegged among fans. This contained the tracks, "The Mackin' Game", "I'll Take the Pressure", "Baby, I'm Your Fiend", "My Body's Hungry", "Ecstasy", "I'm on Fire", "Watcha Got 4 Me", "Black Rain", "1999", "Butterflies", "Spanish Harlem", "Blackberry Playa", "The Perfect Feeling", and "Rainbow Outro". Some of these tracks resurfaced on the later albums: La Doña, Sapphire, and Congo Square; in some cases (e.g. "The Mackin Game") in significantly reworked versions.

La Doña to Congo Square, and her final years (2004–2010)

After a 14-year sabbatical from the national spotlight, Teena Marie returned to her musical career by signing with the Classics sub-label of the successful hip-hop label, Cash Money Records. She released her comeback album, La Doña, in 2004, and follow up Sapphire, in 2006. La Doña became a gold-certified success (and the highest-charting album of her career, peaking at #6 on the Billboard 200 chart) on the basis of the Al Green-sampled "I'm Still In Love" (#23 R&B, #70 Pop) and a duet with the late Gerald Levert, "A Rose by Any Other Name". Teena Marie was nominated for a 2005 Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for "Still in Love". Teena Marie quickly followed this success with the release of Sapphire in 2006. While sales were not as great this time around (the album peaked at #24 on the Pop Chart), the release did give her yet another R&B Top-40 hit, "Ooh Wee" (#32); it also reunited her (on "God Has Created" and "Cruise Control") with Smokey Robinson, the early Motown mentor whose style she had emulated on early hits such as "Young Love". Teena Marie parted ways with Ca$h Money records after the release of Sapphire.
On September 19, 2008, Teena Marie performed in concert at B.B. King's Blues Club in New York City. Teena took this time to play a couple of finished tracks from her upcoming album, Congo Square, and she received a positive response from the crowd. Congo Square was released on June 9, 2009 on Stax/Concord Records. She has described the album as "personal and spiritual" and indicated that it was more jazz-influenced than most of her previous work. "Can't Last a Day", a duet with Faith Evans, leaked to the Internet in March 2009. Teena Marie says of Evans, "It was after I had recorded the song ("Can't Last a Day") I got the idea to put Faith on it. I’ve always loved Faith and her vocal style. She reminds me of me. Her correlation with Biggie — having a career with him and without him — reminds me of me and Rick. I feel like she’s a younger me. Of the younger ladies, she’s the one I love most.”[19]
Meanwhile, with regard to her early-life inspirations for Congo Square, in January 2010 Teena Marie told Lee Tyler, editor of Blues & Soul magazine: "I wanted to do songs that reflected the things that I loved when I was growing up. Every single song on the record is dedicated to someone, or some musical giant that I loved. 'The Pressure' is dedicated to Rick James; 'Can't Last a Day' is dedicated to the Gamble & Huff sound - the Philly International sound'. Then 'Baby I Love You' and 'Ear Candy' are dedicated to Marvin Gaye and Curtis Mayfield - with memories of riding down Crenshaw in LA in jeeps and bumping to music on ``the 808 i.e. Roland TR-808 drum machine. While 'Miss Coretta' is, of course, dedicated to Mrs. Coretta Scott King, the late wife of Dr. Martin Luther King."[20]
Sales-wise, the album proved another success, reaching the Top 20 on Billboard's Top 200, and giving Teena Marie yet another Top 10 R&B chart entry. In 2010, Teena Marie continued to be a headliner on the Las Vegas Strip, appearing regularly at the Las Vegas Hilton and other venues until just before her death.
At the time of her death, Teena Marie had completed her 14th CD and was also working on jazz and inspirational CDs. In addition, she was in the midst of her writing her memoir.[citation needed]

Personal life

Teena Marie, who never wed, gave birth to a daughter in 1991, whom she named Alia Rose,[21] who, as of 2009, sang under the name Rose LeBeau.[22]
Throughout her career, Teena Marie had lived in Inglewood, California and Encino before settling in Pasadena in the mid-1980s.
In addition to Maya Rudolph, Teena Marie was godmother to Marvin Gaye's daughter Nona Gaye. She also cared for Rick James' son, Rick Jr. and family friend Jeremiah O'Neal. Lenny Kravitz posted a video in which he revealed that Teena Marie had taken him into her home and helped him when he was struggling early in his career.[23][24] Teena's hobbies included archery, drawing, and writing poetry.[citation needed]

Death and memorials

Around 2004, Teena Marie lay sleeping in a hotel room when a large picture frame fell and struck her in the head. The blow caused a serious concussion that would result in momentary seizures for the rest of her life. She had suffered a grand mal seizure just one month before her death.[25]
On the afternoon of December 26, 2010, Teena Marie was found unresponsive by daughter Alia Rose at her home in Pasadena, California.[26][27] As of December 30, 2010, an autopsy was performed by the Los Angeles County coroner, who found no signs of apparent trauma or discernible cause of death.[27] Eventually it was concluded that Teena Marie died of natural causes.[27][28]
A memorial was held at Forest Lawn Cemetery on January 10, 2011. Among the luminaries who attended were her long-time idol Smokey Robinson, LisaRaye, Sinbad, Tichina Arnold, Stevie Wonder, and Tata Vega.

Discography

Main article: Teena Marie discography




Studio albums


To see more of who died in 2010 click here
at No comments:

Jessie Rae Scott, American gubernatorial First Lady (1969–1973), widow of North Carolina governor Bob Scott, died after a long illness she was , 81.


Jessie Rae Scott was the First Lady of North Carolina from 1969 to 1973 and the widow of former North Carolina Governor Robert W. Scott died after a long illness she was , 81.. [1][2] Scott unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for North Carolina's labor commissioner in 1976 and served as the state coordinator for Jimmy Carter presidenital campaign.[1] She also acted as the chief lobbyist for North Carolina's Equal Rights Amendment for women.[1]

(1929 - December 26, 2010)

Biography

Early life

Scott was born Jessie Rae Osborne in Swepsonville, North Carolina,[2] to Albert and Rosa Lee Osbourne.[3] She received a bachelor's degree from Greensboro Women's College,[2] which is now part of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.[1]
Scott married her husband, Robert W. Scott, in 1951.[2] The two had met in third grade and began dating in high school.[1]

First Lady

Scott served as the First Lady of North Carolina from 1969 to 1973.

Later life

In 1982, Scott became the chairwoman of the North Carolina chapter of the American Cancer Society.[2] The American Cancer Society honored her with its Sword of Hope award that same year and granted her honorary life membership in the organization in 1995.[2]
Jessie Rae Scott died at the Hillcrest Convalescent Center in Durham, North Carolina, on December 26, 2010, at the age of 81.[2] She had been hospitalized since July 2010 due to complications from a fall.[2] Her funeral was held at the Hawfields Presbyterian Church in Mebane, North Carolina.[4]

To see more of who died in 2010 click here
at No comments:

Bernard Wilson, American singer (Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes), died from a stroke and heart attack. he was , 64

 Bernard Wilson was a second tenor and baritone R&B, funk and soul music vocalist, who was a member of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, and thus helped to define the “Sound of Philadelphia” in the 1970s died from a stroke and heart attack. he was , 64.[1]

(1946 – December 26, 2010)

Early career

Wilson was a North Philadelphia native who grew up in the Strawberry Mansion neighberhood. His parents died while Wilson was still young and he was thereafter raised by his grandmother. He attended Bok Technical High School, but left home at the age of 16 to seek fame and fortune as an entertainer.[2] In 1970, Wilson joined the evolving line-up of Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes, which featured Harold Melvin – another native of Philadelphia. With the addition of Teddy Pendergrass to the group and the release of their first record, the Bluenotes achieved great success. Their self-titled LP with Philadelphia International Records overseen by Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff, landed three singles on the Billboard charts. It was this early-to-mid 1970s lineup that had such hits as "If You Don't Know Me by Now," "The Love I Lost," "Don't Leave Me This Way," and "Bad Luck." Other chart toppers for the band such as "I Miss You" and "Wake Up Everybody, from their5 self-titled platinum record soon followed. Wilson stayed with the Bluenotes through six albums and then left the group in 1977, shortly after Teddy Pendergrass's departure, to pursue a solo career.[3]

Later career

Wilson had hoped to recover from his illnesses and sing gospel, however the last time he performed was during the 1990s, at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City.

Death

Wilson died on December 26, 2010, at the age of sixty-four, due to complications of a stroke and heart attack.

Discography

With Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes


To see more of who died in 2010 click here
at No comments:

Aron Abrams, American screenwriter and television producer (Everybody Hates Chris, King of the Hill) died he was , 50

Aron Abrams, was an American screenwriter and television producer whose works ranged from Everybody Hates Chris to Grounded for Life. Born in Emerson, New Jersey, Abrams landed several projects with famed producer Dino De Laurentiis before establishing himself as a comedy writer died he was , 50.


(February 3, 1960 - December 25, 2010)

Career

Abrams began his career in the 1990s, writing and producing episodes for shows like the short-lived Fired Up and Maggie.
Abrams then began to write for popular shows 3rd Rock from the Sun, Grounded for Life, King of the Hill (which he also served as a consulting producer) as well as Glenn Martin DDS and Everybody Hates Chris.[1]


Death

On Christmas morning, 2010, Abrams was found dead in his luxury hotel suite by staff. Foul play was not suspected.[2] Abrams is survived by his wife Lynn, his children, niece and brother, Ian (also a writer). His final TV job was as a consulting producer on the Fox comedy Bob's Burgers.

To see more of who died in 2010 click here
at No comments:

Bud Greenspan, American Olympic filmmaker, died from Parkinson's disease. he was , 84

Jonah J. "Bud" Greenspan  was a film director, writer, and producer known for his sports documentaries  died from Parkinson's disease. he was , 84.


(September 18, 1926 – December 25, 2010)


Career

Greenspan was born in New York City. He overcame a lisp in adolescence and went into sports broadcasting after graduating from New York University.[1] In 1947 Greenspan became sports director at New York City's WMGM (AM), at that time the largest sports radio station in the US, when he was 21 years old. When he left WMGM, Greenspan began contributing articles to magazines while also producing television commercials.
He dabbled in documentary filmmaking in 1952, with The Strongest Man in the World, a 15-minute feature on weightlifter John Davis, but he began his filmmaking career in earnest in 1964, accompanying Jesse Owens to West Berlin to film Jesse Owens Returns to Berlin. In 1967, he formed his own film company, Cappy Productions, Inc., with wife Cappy Petrash Greenspan (deceased 1983). He and his wife had one son. After his wife's death, Greenspan ran Cappy Productions with his companion Nancy Beffa.
Several hour-long productions followed. Greenspan won his first Emmy for 1976's The Olympiad, 22 hour-long documentary specials on the Olympics (including Jesse Owens Returns to Berlin). The series was broadcast in 80 countries. In 1977, he branched into docudrama with the two-hour movie of the week biography of gold-medalist Wilma Rudolph. Wilma, starring Cicely Tyson, featured Denzel Washington in his first movie role. In 1979, he launched the first of several vignette series: This Day in Sports, which aired on CBS, featured 365 30-second film shorts highlighting exciting sports moments from years past. It was followed in 1980 by the similar Olympic Moments, Olympic Events and Olympic Vignettes.
In addition to his prolific film work, Greenspan continued working in other media. He was a contributing editor for PARADE magazine. He also authored a number of books, including several on the Olympics, a book of sports bloopers called Play It Again, Bud, and We Wuz Robbed, which addresses sports controversies. Great Moments in Sports, his first album, went gold and led him to produce 18 more spoken word albums.

Awards and recognition

Greenspan's work was recognized many times. He received Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Directors Guild of America in 1995 and from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences at the 2006 Annual Sports Emmy Awards. In 1996, he received a George Foster Peabody Award to recognize "distinguished and meritorious public service",[2] cited as one of the industry's most prestigious awards.[3]
Greenspan received the Olympic Order award in 1985, at which time International Olympic Committee President Juan Antonio Samaranch said, "Mr. Greenspan has been called the foremost producer, writer and director of Olympic films; more than that, he is an everlasting friend of the Olympic family."[4] In 2004, Greenspan was inducted as a "Special Contributor" into the United States Olympic Hall of Fame. His visual and musical The Spirit of the Olympics is on display permanently at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland. In 1994, Greenspan was inducted in the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. In 2006, he was given the Al Schoenfield Media Award by the International Swimming Hall of Fame.

Death

Greenspan died of Parkinson's disease on Christmas Day 2010, at the age of 84 in New York City.[5]

To see more of who died in 2010 click here
at No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

Dickey Betts died he was 80

Early Career Forrest Richard Betts was also known as Dickey Betts Betts collaborated with  Duane Allman , introducing melodic twin guitar ha...