/ Stars that died in 2023

Friday, June 10, 2011

John Sullivan, British writer (Only Fools and Horses), died from viral pneumonia he was , 64

 Thomas Sullivan OBE  was an English television scriptwriter responsible for several popular British sitcoms, including Only Fools and Horses, Citizen Smith and Just Good Friends died from viral pneumonia he was , 64. From working-class South London, Sullivan worked in a variety of low-paid jobs for 15 years before getting his first break writing Citizen Smith. However, it was for the sitcom Only Fools and Horses (1981–2003) that he is perhaps best known. Other sitcoms include Dear John, Just Good Friends, Sitting Pretty, Roger Roger, and The Green Green Grass.[1] In addition, he wrote the comedy drama serial Over Here and the drama series Micawber for ITV, and co-wrote the comedy Heartburn Hotel. His work won him a number of comedy awards, including the BAFTA for best sitcom on three occasions, and he was made an OBE in 2005. His last work was Rock & Chips, a comedy drama prequel to Only Fools and Horses. The final episode of Sullivan's last comedy series aired five days after his death from pneumonia on 23 April 2011.[2]


(23 December 1946 – 23 April 2011)

Biography

John Sullivan grew up in Balham, South London,[3] failed his eleven-plus and left school at 15 with no qualifications. From a working-class background, Sullivan's Irish father, John, Sr., was a plumber and his mother, Hilda, occasionally worked as a charlady.[4] It was in Balham where he observed the sort of market trader that would later appear in Only Fools and Horses. Sullivan's first paid employment was as a messenger boy for Reuters, and he continued to work in a number of low-paid jobs in South London for a further 15 years.[1][5]
During this time, he continued to submit scripts to the BBC (unsuccessfully) before getting a job in the BBC props department.[1] He approached television producer Dennis Main Wilson with a script about a young Marxist. This led to a pilot for Comedy Special in 1977 which, following a positive reaction, was commissioned for a full series, Citizen Smith (1977–80).[1] Citizen Smith ran for four series, after which Sullivan was asked to submit another idea. An initial idea for a comedy set in the world of football was rejected, so he proposed an alternative idea for a sit-com centring around a cockney market trader in working-class, modern-day London called Readies.[6]
Through Ray Butt, a BBC producer and director whom Sullivan had met and become friends with when they were working on Citizen Smith, a draft script was shown to the Corporation's Head of Comedy, John Howard Davies. Davies commissioned Sullivan to write a full series under an alternative title Only Fools and Horses, which had also been the name of a Citizen Smith episode. Sullivan believed the key factor in it being accepted was the success of ITV's new drama Minder, a series with a similar premise and also set in modern-day London.[7]
Much of Sullivan's material for Only Fools and Horses scripts came from his real-life experiences: falling through a raised bar flap,[8] the chandelier falling, his father's poker sessions, his niece working in the police force, and his grandfather falling down holes to claim money. It is arguable that the economic insecurity experienced by the Trotter family, and their eventual rise to wealth, is based on Sullivan's own personal background, who grew up in a poor household and noted in an interview that he and his friends seemingly had no other opportunities after leaving school apart from low-paid factory work. The success of Only Fools and Horses, however, made him rich.[9]
With the success of Only Fools and Horses, at the suggestion of his wife he decided to write a romantic comedy series featuring a strong female lead character. His source of inspiration was a letter in a magazine read to him by his wife, written by a woman who had been jilted by her fiancé on the day of her wedding.[10] Just Good Friends ran for three series and a feature-length special between 1983 and 1986. Other sitcoms included Dear John (1986–7) and Sitting Pretty (1992–3).[1]
Later in his career, he moved towards writing comedy drama series such as Over Here (1996), Roger Roger (1996) and Micawber (2001). His last work, Rock and Chips (2010), was the second spin-off of Only Fools and Horses.[1]

Awards and honours

Only Fools and Horses won the BAFTA award for best comedy series in 1986, 1989 and 1997, as well as the RTS best comedy award in 1997, best sitcom at the 1990 British Comedy Awards, and two Television and Radio Industries Club Awards for comedy programme of the year in 1984 and 1997. Sullivan won the Writers' Guild of Great Britain comedy award for the 1996 Only Fools and Horses Christmas trilogy and another from the Heritage Foundation in 2001.[11]
In the 2005 New Years Honours, Sullivan was awarded an OBE for services to drama.[12] On 2 September 2008, he was awarded an Honorary Fellowship at Goldsmiths, University of London.[13]

Death

Sullivan died aged 64 on 23 April 2011 in a private hospital in Surrey, after having viral pneumonia for six weeks.[14] BBC Director-General Mark Thompson paid tribute, saying: "John had a unique gift for turning everyday life and characters we all know into unforgettable comedy."[2]
Gareth Gwenlan, a producer of Only Fools and Horses and a close friend of Sullivan, paid tribute to the writer: "The sudden death of John Sullivan has deprived the world of television comedy of its greatest exponent. John was a writer of immense talent and he leaves behind him an extraordinary body of work which has entertained tens of millions of viewers and will continue to do so for many decades to come."[15] Sullivan is survived by his wife Sharon, two sons, a daughter[16] and two grandchildren.[14]

Works

Sullivan wrote (and in two cases sang) the theme tunes for Only Fools and Horses, Just Good Friends, Dear John and The Green Green Grass.[17]

 

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Dutch Tilders, Australian blues musician, died from cancer he was , 69.


Matthew "Dutch" Tilders was a Netherlands-born Australian blues musician died from cancer he was , 69..

(29 August 1941–23 April 2011)

Biography

Dutch Tilders was born in the Netherlands in 1941 and emigrated with his parents and siblings to Australia in 1955. As a child he had sung in school and church choirs, but later moved towards blues music, his first paying gig being on harmonica at Collingwood Town Hall at age 15, at a concert also featuring Johnny O'Keefe.
Tilders later took up the guitar, to be able to accompany himself when playing in cafes around Melbourne.[3]
Tilders released his self-titled first album in 1972 and during the 1970s recorded and performed with musicians including Kevin Borich, Taj Mahal, John Mayall and Brownie McGhee.[4]
Tilders also worked solo and toured with John Mayall, Taj Mahal, Brownie McGhee and Sonny Terry. B B King first met him in 1976. Having only heard and never seen Tilders, King assumed that he was black. King and Tilders became good friends mates simply because King believed that, regardless of his European origins, the Dutchman was a genuine bluesman.
During the 1970s and 1980s, Tilders fronted bands such as the Elks, the Cyril 'B' Bunter Band, Mickey Finn and the R&B Six. Later he toured extensively with The Blues Club and The Legends Band.[5]
Tilders was dubbed the "Godfather of Blues" in Australia.[citation needed] As recently as November 2010 he joined Barbara Blue, known as the "Queen of Memphis Blues", on her Australian tour.
Tilders died on 23 April 2011, aged 69.[6] He had announced that he had been diagnosed with lung cancer in May 2010, and had retired from performing in January 2011 due to his illness and treatment.[7]

Discography

Albums
  • Dutch Tilders (1972)
  • Australian Jazz Singer – The Blues Singers (1974)
  • Break" (1975)
  • Working Man" (1976)
  • Direct" (1979)
  • The Blues Had A Baby (1980)
  • The Blues Is My Life (1989)
  • Eureka Files 1975–1980 (1992)
  • Live at the Station (1993)
  • I'm a Bluesman (1998)
  • One More Time – Live at St Andrews (2001)
  • Highlights of Bob Barnard's Jazz Party (2003)
  • Dutch Direct/Blues Had A Baby (Remastered) (2004)
  • Mine & Some I Adopted (2005)

 

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Thursday, June 9, 2011

Moin Akhter, Pakistani actor and comedian, died from a heart attack he was , 60.


Moin Akhtarwas a Pakistani television, film and stage actor, as well as a comedian, impersonator, and a host. He was also a play writer, singer, film director and a producer died from a heart attack he was , 60.

( 24 December 1950 – 22 April 2011)
Akhtar was born in Karachi to Urdu speaking parents migrated from Mumbai India[3] , was highly dynamic and versatile performer, he made his debut for television on 6 September 1966, in a variety show held on PTV to celebrate the first defense day of Pakistan‎. Since then, he has performed several roles in TV plays/shows, later making a team with Anwar Maqsood and Bushra Ansari. [4]
He was beloved for providing humor for people of all ages, and with an etiquette that remains unmatched. His attempts to avoid vulgarity in his humor rendered him a favorite amongst family audiences. Akhtar was fluent in several languages, including English, Bengali, Sindhi, Punjabi, Memon, Pashto, Gujarati and Urdu. He performed not only in Pakistan but played in several stage shows like Bakra Qiston Pe and Buddha Ghar Pe Hai with Umer Sharif in India too.[5]
Moin Akhtar rose to the national spotlight and gathered critical acclaim for his performance in the drama Rosy /Rozy (روذی), in which he played the role of a female TV artist. Rozy was an Urdu adaptation of Hollywood movie Tootsie starring Dustin Hoffman.[6] Moreover, in a talk-show namely Loose Talk, which began in 2005 on ARY Digital, he appeared as a different character in each and every of over 400 episodes interviewed by Anwar Maqsood, the writer and the host of the program. Akhter also briefly hosted the game show Kya Aap Banaingay Crorepati?, the Pakistani version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire?.
He was awarded honorary citizenship of Dallas in 1996 for his achievements[7]. He is also listed among Amazing Pakistanis of all time. [8]

Selected television serials

  • Rozi
  • Dollar Man
  • Makaan No 47
  • Half Plate
  • Family-93
  • Eid Train
  • Bandar Road Se Keamari
  • Such Much
  • Aangan Tehra
  • Baby
  • Rafta Rafta

Host

He was the host of the show in which

Television shows

  • Fifty Fifty (comedy serial from PTV)
  • Show Sha
  • Showtime
  • Studio Dhhaai (Studio 2.5)
  • Studio Pone Teen (Studio 2.75)
  • Loose Talk (From ARY Digital)

Songs and albums

Album - Tera Dil Bhi Yun Hi Tadpe
  • "Chhorr Ke Jaane Wale"
  • "Choat Jigar Pe Khai Hai"
  • "Ro-Ro Ke De Raha Hai"
  • "Tera Dil Bhi Yun Hi Tadpe"
  • "Dard Hi Sirf Dil Ko Mila"
  • "Dil Ro Raha Hai"
  • "Hoten Hai Bewafa"

Death

He died on 22 April 2011 at about 6:15pm in Karachi after suffering from a heart attack.[1] He is survived by his wife, three daughters and two sons.[9] The funeral prayers of Moin Akhtar were offered in Tauheed Mosque near his residence. Thousands of people attended the funeral prayer which was led by Junaid Jamshed.[10]

 

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Patrick Billingsley, American mathematician and actor died he was , 85.

Patrick Billingsley  was an American mathematician and stage and screen actor, noted for his books in advanced probability theory and statistics died he was , 85.

(May 3, 1925 – April 22, 2011)

After earning a Ph.D. in mathematics at Princeton University in 1955, he became a professor of mathematics and statistics at the University of Chicago, where he served as department chair from 1980 to 1983 and retired in 1994. In 1983 he was president of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics. He was given the Lester R. Ford Award for his article "Prime Numbers and Brownian Motion".[3]
He starred in a number of plays at Court Theatre and Body Politic Theatre in Chicago and appeared in at least nine movies.[4]
In 1978 he told the Chicago Tribune Magazine, "As a teacher you’re used to being on stage."

Stage plays

  • We Bombed in New Haven (1970)
  • The Tempest (1977)
  • Equus (1980)
  • The Birthday Party (1978 and 1985)

Films

Books

Notes and references

1.       ^ Mathematician-Actor Patrick Billingsley Dies at 85
2.       ^ Patrick Billingsley, probability theorist and actor, 1925–2011
3.       ^ Patrick Billingsley, "Prime Numbers and Brownian Motion", American Mathematical Monthly, volume 80, pages 1099–1115, 1973
4.       ^ Internet Movie Database page on Patrick Billingsley

 

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Cheung Sai Ho, Hong Kong footballer, committed suicide by jumping.he was , 35

Wiel Coerver  was a football (soccer) manager from the Netherlands and the developer of the Coerver Method, a soccer coaching technique. He won the UEFA Cup with Feyenoord Rotterdam in the 1973-1974 season committed suicide by jumping.he was , 35.
Coerver, who was born in Kerkrade, Limburg, was nicknamed “the Albert Einstein of Football”. He died in Kerkrade.

(3 December 1924 – 22 April 2011)

Coerver Method

The Coerver Method is a soccer coaching technique which Coerver created. By analysing videotapes of various great players including Pelé, devised a new concept in football which advocates that skill could not only be inherent with the young players but could also be passed on in a comprehensive academic way. Under this technique, players progress in a structured manner, pyramidal, from basics of ball mastery to a tactically driven group attack. They would be exposed to the other essentials like Receiving and Passing, Moves (1v1), Speed and Lethal Finishing.
The 1998 FIFA World Cup in France saw the first Coerver student, Boudewijn Zenden who played for the Netherlands national football team, make it to the FIFA World Cup.

Cheung Sai Ho (simplified Chinese: 蒋世豪; traditional Chinese: 蔣世豪; Mandarin Pinyin: Jiǎng Shìháo; Jyutping: Zoeng2 Sai3 Hou4; 27 August 1975 – 22 April 2011[1]) was a Hong Kong professional football player.
In the 1993 Gothia Cup, at the age of 18, Cheung Sai Ho scored the then fastest ever goal on record (2.8 seconds).
He played his last game for Hong Kong during the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification in 2007, where he helped Hong Kong defeat East Timor 2:3 away and 8:1 at home to advance to the next round.[2] He officially announced his retirement from professional football in July 2008.[3]

Death

On 22 April 2011, Cheung Sai Ho died at the age of 35 after committing suicide by jumping from his home in Tin Heng Estate. The police reported that he was having a dispute with his wife over money and love before the incident.[4]

 

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Eldon Davis, American architect, creator of Googie architecture, founder of Armet & Davis died he was , 94

Eldon Davis  was an American architect, considered largely responsible for the creation of Googie architecture, a form of modern architecture originating in Southern California. Googie architecture is largely influenced by Southern California's car culture and the Space Age of the mid-20th Century died  he was , 94. Davis was a founding partner of the Armet & Davis architectural firm which championed Googie architure, including the original Norms Restaurant, a Googie coffee shop designed by Davis. For his work, the Los Angeles Times called Davis, "the father of the California coffee shop."

(1917 - April 22, 2011)

Eldon Davis was born in Washington state in 1917.[1] He originally worked at a fish cannery while attending the University of Southern California.[1] He created a new design for the fish cannery as an architectural student, a design that was later built.[1] Davis earned a bachelor's degree in architecture from the University of Southern California in 1942.[1]
Davis and his business partner, architect Louis Armet, expected to work in industrial architecture following their graduation from USC.[1] However, their plans changed thanks to the post-war construction boom in Southern California following World War II.[1] They began designing structures geared towards a growing population, including nurseries, churches, country clubs, banks and even bowling alleys.[1]
In 1947, Davis and Armet opened their architectural firm, Armet & Davis, in 1947.[1] Together, the architects used their firm and its designs to champion Googie architecture, espcially in California.[1]
One of the best preserved examples of Davis' work is the Pann's coffee shop and its neon sign in Westchester, Los Angeles.[1] Davis also designed the early prototypes for local Big Boy and Denny's restaurants in Los Angeles.[1]
Eldon Davis died of complications from spinal meningitis, at a hospital in West Hills, Los Angeles, on April 22, 2011, at the age of 94.[1] He was survived by his second wife, Luana; a dauughter, Karen; three sons, Dan, Mark and Wyatt; five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.[1] His first wife of more than thirty years died in the 1970s.[1]

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Hazel Dickens, American bluegrass singer died she was , 75.

Hazel Jane Dickens was an American bluegrass singer, songwriter, double bassist and guitarist died she was , 75.. She was the eighth child of an eleven-child mining family in West Virginia.[1] Her music was characterized not only by her high, lonesome singing style, but also by her provocative pro-union, feminist songs. Cultural blogger John Pietaro noted that "Dickens didn’t just sing the anthems of labor, she lived them and her place on many a picket line, staring down gunfire and goon squads, embedded her into the cause." The New York Times extolled her as "a clarion-voiced advocate for coal miners and working people and a pioneer among women in bluegrass music".

(June 1, 1935 – April 22, 2011)

Career

Dickens was born in Mercer County, West Virginia. She met Mike Seeger, younger half-brother of Pete Seeger and founding member of the New Lost City Ramblers and became active in the Baltimore-Washington area bluegrass and folk music scene during the 1960s. During this time she also established a collaborative relationship with Mike Seeger's wife, Alice Gerrard, and as "Hazel & Alice" recorded two albums for the Folkways label: Who's That Knocking (And Other Bluegrass Country Music) (1965) and Won't You Come & Sing for Me (1973). Dickens and Gerrard were bluegrass bandleaders at a time when the vast majority of bluegrass bands were led by men. According to Bill Warren, her "music, and especially her songwriting, assumed an even more political cast almost as soon as she began pursuing a solo career."[2]
Dickens appeared in the documentary Harlan County, USA and also contributed four songs to the soundtrack of the same film. She also appeared in the films Matewan and Songcatcher.

Memorial concert

Extolling that "music saves mountains", fans and supporters of Dicken's activism announced a special memorial entitled "Tribute to West Virginia Music Legend Hazel Dickens" at the Charleston, West Virginia Cultural Center June 5, 2011. The text is replicated verbatim:
"Legendary bluegrass singer Hazel Dickens passed away this April after a lifetime fighting for social justice in Appalachia. Her legend lives on as hundreds mobilize for the march on Blair Mountain, a five-day, fifty-mile action calling for an end to mountaintop removal, strengthened labor rights, and investment in sustainable jobs. Join us for a special night of music honoring Hazel and those who will walk in her footsteps during the March on Blair Mountain."[3]

The goals of the march are consistent with Dickens' longstanding involvement with environmental justice, with the announced goals of to preservation of Blair Mountain, abolition of mountaintop removal, strengthening of labor rights, and an investment in sustainable job creation for all Appalachian communities.[4]

Discography

With Alice Gerrard

  • Who's That Knocking (1965)
  • Strange Creek Singers (Arhoolie, 1970) – Also with Mike Seeger and Tracy Schwarz
  • Won't You Come & Sing for Me (1973)
  • Hazel & Alice (Rounder Records, 1973)
  • Hazel Dickens and Alice Gerrard (Rounder Records, 1975)
  • Hazel Dickens & Alice Gerrard – Pioneering Women of Bluegrass (Smithsonian Folkways, 1996) – Re-mastered and re-sequenced compilation of first two albums

Solo albums

  • Hard Hitting Songs for Hard Hit People (Rounder Records, 1981)
  • By the Sweat of My Brow (Rounder Records, 1984)
  • It's Hard to Tell the Singer From the Song (Rounder Records, 1986)
  • A Few Old Memories (Rounder Records, 1987) – Compilation "best of" first three albums

With Carol Elizabeth Jones, Ginny Hawker

  • Heart of a Singer (Rounder Records, 1993/1998)

Compilations

  • Rounder Old-Time Music (1987)
  • Mountain Music Played on the Autoharp (Folkways Records, 1962)
  • American Banjo: Three-Finger and Scruggs Style (Smithsonian Folkways, 1990)
  • Don't Mourn—Organize!: Songs of Labor Songwriter Joe Hill (Smithsonian Folkways, 1990)
  • Blue Ribbon Bluegrass (1993)
  • The Old Home Place: Bluegrass and Old-Time Mountain Music (1993)
  • Live Recordings 1956–1969: Off the Record Volume 1 (Smithsonian Folkways, 1993)
  • Old-Time Music on the Air, V. 1 (1994)
  • Hills of Home: 25 Years of Folk Music on Rounder Records (1995)
  • Hand-Picked: 25 Years of Bluegrass on Rounder Records (1995)
  • Songs of the Louvin Brothers (1997)
  • They'll Never Keep Us Down: Women's Coal Mining Songs – Re-issued under the title: Coal Mining Women (1997)
  • Blue Trail of Sorrow (2001)
  • There Is No Eye: Music for Photographs (Smithsonian Folkways, 2001)
  • Classic Mountain Songs from Smithsonian Folkways (Smithsonian Folkways, 2002)
  • Bluegrass Mountain Style: Over 60 Minutes of Classic Bluegrass from Rounder Records (2002)
  • Mama's Hand: Bluegrass and Mountain Songs about Mother (2002)
  • Classic Bluegrass from Smithsonian Folkways (Smithsonian Folkways, 2002)
  • Mountain Journey: Stars of Old Time Music (2005)
  • Classic Bluegrass Vol. 2 from Smithsonian Folkways (Smithsonian Folkways, 2005)
  • Harlan County USA: Songs of the Coal Miner's Struggle (2006)
  • Classic Labor Songs from Smithsonian Folkways (Smithsonian Folkways, 2006)
  • Masters of Old-time Country Autoharp (Smithsonian Folkways, 2006)

Films

Films in which Dickens appears

Films in which Dickens contributes to the soundtrack

  • Harlan County U.S.A. (1976). Directed by Barbara Kopple.
  • Coalmining Women (1982). Directed by Elizabeth Barret. Whitesburg, Kentucky: Appalshop.
  • Matewan (1987). Directed by John Sayles.
  • Black Lung (2006). Directed by Shane Roberts.

 

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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...