Asad Ali Khan, Indian musician, recipient of the Padma Bhushan died he was , 74

Asad Ali Khan was an Indian musician who played the plucked string instrument rudra veena died he was , 74. Khan performed in the style dhrupad and was described as the best living rudra veena player in India by The Hindu. He was awarded the Indian civilian honor Padma Bhushan in 2008.

 (1937 – 14 June 2011)

Life and career

Khan was born 1937 in Alwar in the seventh generation of rudra veena players in his family.^[1][2] His ancestors were royal musicians in the courts of Rampur, Uttar Pradesh, and Jaipur, Rajasthan in the 18th century.^[3][4] His great-grandfather Rajab Ali Khan was head of the court musicians in Jaipur and owned a village land holding.^[4][5] His grandfather Musharraf Khan (died 1909) was court musician in Alwar, and performed in London in 1886.^[4][6] Khan's father Sadiq Ali Khan worked as a musician for the Alwar court and for the Nawab of Rampur for 35 years.^[6][7] Khan grew up in a musical surrounding and was taught the Beenkar gharana (stylistic school of rudra veena playing) of Jaipur and vocals for fifteen years.^[2][4][6]
Khan was one of a few active musicians who played the rudra veena and the last surviving master of one of the four schools of dhrupad, the Khandar school.^[3][4][8] He performed in many countries, including Australia, the United States, Afghanistan, and Italy and several other European countries, and conducted music courses in the United States.^[8][9] Khan worked at All India Radio, taught the sitar in the Faculty of Music and Fine Arts at the University of Delhi for 17 years, and continued to train students privately after his retirement.^[7][8][10] Students of Khan who perform include his son Zaki Haidar and Bikramjeet Das of Kolkata.^[11][12] Khan criticized the lack of willingness among Indians to study the rudra veena and has more foreign than Indian students.^[9] He was involved in preserving the playing of the instrument, which he believed to be created by the deity Shiva, and performed for SPIC MACAY, promoting Indian classical music to young Indians.^[2][4][8] Khan was a Shi'a Muslim.^[13]
Khan received several national awards, including the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1977 and the civilian honor Padma Bhushan in 2008, which was awarded by Indian President Pratibha Patil.^[3][14][15] He was described as the best living rudra veena player in India by The Hindu and lived in Delhi.^[6][16]

Death

Khan died on 14 June 2011 in the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi. Khan never married and is survived by his nephew and adopted son Zaki Haidar.^[11]

 

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Oscar Sambrano Urdaneta, Venezuelan writer died he was , 82.

Oscar Sambrano Urdaneta was a Venezuelan writer, essayist and literary critic, specialized in the life and work of Andrés Bello died he was , 82..

(February 6, 1929 - June 14, 2011)

Sambrano Urdaneta was born at the town of Boconó, Trujillo state. Arrives to Caracas during his youth, studying at the National Pedagogical Institute and the Central University of Venezuela, graduating as Doctor of Literature.

In the 1940s, thanks to writer Pedro Grases, Urdaneta was designated as member of the group in charge of the selection of the complete works of Andrés Bello, presided by Rafael Caldera.^[3] Since that, Urdaneta was involved in the literary world, admiring and approaching the work of Andrés Bello. Between 1959 and 1978, he was professor at the National Pedagogical Institute and between 1965 until 1990 at the Central University of Venezuela. He was director of the La Casa de Bello Foundation (Andrés Bello Institute), from 1977 for more than 20 years, was chief editor of the National Magazine of Culture (1959–1963) and director of collections like Biblioteca Popular Venezolana and Tricolor, also was a member of the consultative council for Biblioteca Ayacucho and the publishing Monte Ávila Editores.^[4]
In 1978, he won the Municipal Prize of Literature for the work Poesía contemporánea de Venezuela. In 1984 he got an individual number at the Venezuelan Academy of Language, being its president until 2009. He is also an honorary member of the Caro y Cuervo Institute of Bogotá. During the second government of Rafael Caldera (1994–1999), he was president of the National Council of Culture (CONAC), and in 2003 was a member of the committee in tribute to Andrés Eloy Blanco.
From 2006 was the conductor of the cultural TV program Valores (Values), transmitted by Vale TV; the main theme of this space is the learning of Venezuelan culture in all its dimensions, ans was named in memory of Venezuelan writer Arturo Uslar Pietri and his TV program Valores Humanos (Human Values).^[3] In June, 2008, he proposed to the Venezuelan academy of language the creation of a linguistic and literary research center.^[5]

Partial bibliography

• Cecilio Acosta, vida y obra
• Apreciación literaria
• “El Llanero”, un problema de crítica literaria
• Cronología de Andrés Bello
• El epistolario de Andrés Bello
• El Andrés Bello Universal
• Verdades y mentiras sobre Andrés Bello
• Aproximaciones a Bello
• Poesía contemporánea de Venezuela
• Literatura hispanoamericana (in collaboration with Domingo Miliani)
• Del ser y del quehacer de Julio Garmendia

 

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Mack Self, American rockabilly musician died he was , 81.

Wiley Laverne "Mack" Self was an American rockabilly singer, songwriter and musician, who recorded for Sun Records in the 1950s and was a member of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame died he was , 81.

(22 May 1930 – 14 June 2011)


Self was born in Calico Bottoms, Phillips County, Arkansas, one of four children, and started playing guitar as a child, often performing with his friend C.W. Gatlin. In 1955, after playing on radio station KXJK in Forrest City, Arkansas, disc jockey Hal Webber encouraged him to make a recording of his song "Easy to Love". The demo recording then found its way to Sam Phillips of Sun Records, who invited him to audition.^[2] Self's first recordings were not released, but Phillips encouraged him to write more songs. He returned to the recording studio in March 1957 to work with producer Jack Clement, and re-recorded "Easy to Love" along with several new songs on which he was backed by guitarist Therlow Brown and bass player Jimmy Evans. "Easy to Love" was then released in 1957 as Sun 273, but by that time its style was regarded as somewhat old-fashioned and it was not a hit. However, Self returned to the recording studio in 1959, and released a second single, "Mad At You" / "Willie Brown". He continued to perform despite his lack of recording success, and in the early 1960s recorded several country singles for the Zone label in Memphis with producer Chips Moman.^[3] He also continued to write songs, setting up his own publishing company.^[2]
Self gave up the music business in 1963, and established a heating, air and sheet metal business in Helena, Arkansas. He returned to undertake occasional performances after 1992, with his Silver Dollar Band, and was inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame in 1993.^[2][3]
His recordings for the Sun label were reissued on CD by Bear Family Records in the early 1990s, and - with a number of unreleased recordings - by DeeGee Records in Germany in 1997.

 

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Ambrose Griffiths, British Roman Catholic prelate, Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle (1992–2004) died he was , 82

Dom Ambrose Griffiths, OSB, KC*HS was a Roman Catholic bishop of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, and a Benedictine abbot died he was , 82.


(4 December 1928 – 14 June 2011)

Born Michael Griffiths in Twickenham, Middlesex, and educated at Ampleforth College, near York, and at Balliol College, Oxford, he entered the monastery at Ampleforth, taking the religious name of Ambrose, and was ordained to the priesthood on 21 July 1957. In 1976, following the appointment of Abbot Basil Hume as Archbishop of Westminster, Dom Ambrose was elected Abbot of Ampleforth, a post he held until 1984 when he became Parish Priest of Leyland, Preston, Lancashire (Archdiocese of Liverpool), when he received the title of Abbot of Westminster.
In 1991 Bishop Hugh Lindsay announced his intention to resign the See of Hexham and Newcastle on the grounds of ill health. His resignation was accepted by Pope John Paul II, who in turn appointed Abbot Ambrose Griffiths as eleventh Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle. He received episcopal ordination in St. Mary's Cathedral, Newcastle upon Tyne, on 20 March 1992, the feast of St. Cuthbert, co-patron of the diocese. The principal consecrator was Archbishop Derek Worlock of Liverpool, who was assisted by retiring Bishop Bishop Hugh Lindsay and Bishop Owen Swindlehurst, Auxiliary Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle and titular Bishop of Cuncacestre.
Auxiliary Bishop Swindlehurst died on 28 August 1995 and was not replaced, leaving Bishop Griffiths to administer the diocese without the assistance of any auxiliary. He implemented a number of changes to the structure of the diocese in order to ease transition to a new model of administration, and these measures included appointing new Vicars General to assist the Bishop. Throughout his tenure, Bishop Griffiths worked closely with young people, establishing a Youth Mission Team in the diocese and representating young members of the faithful in the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales.
He served as leader of the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle for twelve years until he himself submitted his resignation to the Pope, having reached the age limit for bishops of 75 years, prescribed in the Code of Canon Law. His resignation was accepted and he retired on 25 May 2004. Among his final duties, he presided at the episcopal ordination of his successor as diocesan bishop, Kevin Dunn, on the same date, the feast of St. Bede the Venerable. Griffiths retired to St Mary's parish in Leyland, Preston, Lancashire and continued in his work as a member of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales.
He died in the afternoon of 14 June 2011, aged 82.

 

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Badi Uzzaman, Indian-born British actor, died from chest infection he was , 72

Mohammed Badi Uzzaman Azmi), better known as Badi Uzzaman and also known as BadiUzzaman, was an Indian-born British television and film actor died from chest infection  he was , 72. According to The Guardian, Uzzaman was perhaps best known for his role as a hospital patient in the 1985 television series, The Singing Detective, opposite actor Michael Gambon. He later appeared in numerous television roles during his career, often as a supporting character, including Torchwood, Inspector Morse, Coronation Street, Cracker, The Bill and Casualty.



(8 March 1939 - 14 June 2011


Uzzaman was born on March 8, 1939, in Phulpur, Azamgarh, British India.^[1] His father worked for the railroad industry, so he moved to the city of Abbottabad in present-day Pakistan.^[1] He continued to move with his family depending on his father's job transfers, which included time in both Quetta and Lahore.^[1] Uzzaman graduated from Government College, Abbottabad, in 1959, where he studied English and Urdu.^[1][2]
Uzzaman began his career as a radio presenter in Pakistan. He switched to acting, appearing in roles of Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV) following the state-owned channel's launch in 1964.^[1]
In 1984, Uzzaman was cast in Malia, a Pakistani film about a traveling fair with a strong, underlying theme against the martial law imposed by the government of General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq.^[1][2] In the film, Uzzaman played five different characters.^[3] The film was sharply rebuked by Zia's government,^[1][2] and had to be completed in London.^[3] Uzzaman left Pakistan and was granted political asylum in the United Kingdom soon after Malia's release.^[1][2] He became a British citizen.^[1][2]
At the age of 72, Uzzaman died of a lung infection on 14 June 2011.^[1][2]

 

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Betty Neumar, American murder suspect died she was , 79

Betty Neumar was an American woman charged with arranging the murder of her fourth husband, Harold Gentry, who died in 1986. Al Gentry, brother of Neumar's fourth husband Harold, had urged police to investigate his death for 22 years, prior to her arrest in 2007. Following this arrest, and learning of the fact that Neumar had had five husbands in total who had all died, the case generated much media interest in the United States, who dubbed Neumar the 'Black Widow'  died she was , 79. On June 13, 2011 Betty Neumar died in a Louisiana hospital of an undisclosed illness.


(November 1931 – June 13, 2011)

Husbands

Betty Johnson was born in November 1931 in Ironton, Ohio to Odis and Elizabeth Walden Johnson. She graduated from South Point High School in 1949.^[3]
She was married five times:

1. Clarence Malone (1950–1952) remarried twice after the couple split and died November 27, 1970 in Medina, Ohio;^[4]
2. James Flynn (? – 1955) was shot dead on a pier in New York in 1955;
3. Richard Sills (? –1965) died from an allegedly self-inflicted gunshot wound sustained during an argument the couple was having in a closed room in their Big Coppitt Key, Florida home;
4. Thomas Harold Gentry (1968–1986) was found dead in the couple's Norwood, North Carolina home, shot multiple times;^[5] and
5. John Neumar (1991–2007) was found dead from apparent natural causes.

Mr. Neumar's cause of death was listed as sepsis, ischemic bowel, and ileus - symptoms that could point to death by arsenic poisoning. Additional reasons his death were considered suspicious came from Neumar's son, John Neumar, Jr., who told authorities he was not informed of the death until reading about it in a newspaper. When he contacted the widow about his father, he was told that he had already been cremated despite having previously bought a burial plot.^[6]

Investigation

In May 2008 Neumar was charged with hiring a hit man to kill her husband.^[7]
Investigators are taking a closer look at the deaths of her other husbands, three of whom had been shot dead.^[8]
Neumar was extradited to Albemarle, North Carolina in June 2008, a month after her arrest. She was charged with the murder of her fourth husband, Harold Gentry, by North Carolina officials after receiving a tip pointing to her involvement.^[9] The indictment alleges that Neumar "sought out a former police officer and her neighbor to kill her husband in the months before his death", with the motive allegedly being his $20,000 life insurance policy.^[10]
To date (July 16, 2008), the deaths of four of her five dead husbands are being reinvestigated, as well as the death of her first child, Gary Flynn, whose 1985 death was ruled as suicide.^[11]
Neumar was released in October 2008 on a $300,000 bail bond.^[12]
Charged with three counts of solicitation to commit first-degree murder, as of May 2009 Neumar remained free on bond while she waited for the trial.^[13] Investigators had the ashes of her fifth husband John Neumar seized, and analysed for traces of arsenic. The results were negative.^[10] As of November 2009, no trial date had been set.^[10]

BBC documentary

The case of Betty Neumar was the subject of a BBC television documentary, Black Widow Granny?, first aired on BBC One on 3 November 2009.^[1] The film featured interviews with friends and relatives, as well as an interview with Neumar, who had otherwise avoided the media.^[10]

Death

On June 13, 2011 Betty Neumar died in a Louisiana hospital of an undisclosed illness. Police stated that they would look into her death

 

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Geoffrey Fisken, New Zealand World War II flying ace died he was , 95

Geoffrey Bryson Fisken, DFC), was a New Zealand fighter pilot who was the British Commonwealth’s leading air ace in the Pacific theatre of World War II died he was , 95. He is credited with shooting down 11 Japanese aircraft.

(17 February 1916 - 12 June 2011)

Early life

Fisken was born in Gisborne,^[2] He was the son of a farmer, and entered that profession himself, farming sheep at Masterton. Fisken learnt to fly privately during the 1930s, taking lessons in a DH60 Gypsy Moth.^[3]

Military career

In September 1939, at the outbreak of World War II Fisken volunteered for the Royal New Zealand Air Force, but was initially barred from enlisting. At the time in New Zealand farming was considered to be a reserved occupation as it was considered vital for the war effort, and as such it was not until early 1940 that Fisken was able to enlist, after convincing his employer to release him for service.^[2] Following this Fisken was accepted as a pilot and undertook training at Bell Block in New Plymouth and also at Ohakea, before graduating as a Sergeant Pilot in 1941.^[2]

Singapore and Malaya

In February 1941, Fisken was posted to Singapore to join No. 205 Squadron RAF which was flying Short Singapore flying boats at the time. When he arrived, however, he discovered that these machines were being transferred to No. 5 Squadron RNZAF, so Fisken was instead sent to complete a fighter conversion course on Royal Australian Air Force CAC Wirraways, and Brewster Buffaloes.^[2] Upon completion of this course, he was posted to No. 67 Squadron RAF, which was primarily made up of New Zealanders at the time and was in the process of forming at Kallang along with No. 243 Squadron RAF.^[2]
The all-metal monoplane Buffaloes that equipped these squadrons were an advance on the biplanes that Fisken was used to, as well as the Wirraways he'd flown during his fighter training. However, the stubby Buffalo has acquired a mixed reputation as a fighter.^{[citation needed]} Successful in Finnish hands against the Soviets during the Winter War, nevertheless it was placed on second-line duties by the Royal Air Force, who found the aircraft that arrived in Singapore had multiple faults, including secondhand poorly-conditioned engines, design flaws in the undercarriage, unserviceable weapons and unserviceable oxygen. As increasing numbers of aircraft arrived at the end of 1941, local modifications were hurriedly contrived to make them more battle ready.
In October 1941, as fears of Japanese aggression increased, No. 67 Squadron moved to Mingaladon, Burma, but Fisken was posted back to Kallang to join No. 243 Squadron.^[2]
The Japanese attacked Allied territories in Asia and the Pacific on 8 December 1941. Initially, No. 243 Squadron concentrated on the unsuccessful defence of HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse. Fisken was flying one of two Buffaloes to arrive at the sinkings first, describing the scene as "a grey metal bow sticking out of the sea, surrounded by an oil slick and many bodies.”^[4] As the Japanese advanced down the Malay Peninsula, Singapore came under an increasing number of bombing raids, and 243 Squadron was tasked with defending the city.
On 16 December, Fisken claimed a victory over a Zero. A fortnight later, on 29 December, he claimed two unidentified Japanese bombers.^[2] On 12 January 1942, Fisken claimed a Ki-27.^[3] He claimed a Mitsubishi Zero two days later on 14 January,^[2] being lucky to land after being caught in the explosion of the Japanese plane.^{[nb 1]} On 17 January, he shot down, or assisted in the destruction of, three Mitsubishi G3M bombers, and four days later brought down another fighter.^[2]
By this time, 243 Squadron had lost the majority of its pilots and virtually all its aircraft. As a result it was merged with the Australian No. 453 Squadron RAAF, which continued to operate, along with No. 488 Squadron RNZAF.^[2] Fisken claimed another fighter on 1 February.^[3] Five days later, he was "bounced" by two Japanese fighters.^[5] He nevertheless shot one down, but only narrowly escaped the other, being injured in the arm and leg by a cannon shell before the dogfight ended.^[3] He was evacuated to New Zealand shortly before Singapore fell.^[2]

No. 14 Squadron RNZAF

In late March the RNZAF formed the surviving pilots from No. 243 and 488 Squadrons into No. 14 Squadron RNZAF at Ohakea.^[2] Employed in the home defence role, they were initially equipped with Harvards, while awaiting delivery of Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawks.^[2]
As a result of his performance in Singapore, Fisken received a commission and was promoted to the rank of pilot officer. In April 1943, he joined No. 14 Squadron at Wigram.^[2] Later the squadron was posted to the New Hebrides where they were based at Espiritu Santo, before moving to the front line at Guadalcanal on 11 June 1943.^[2] The following day Fisken destroyed two more Zeroes. On 4 July, flying the colourful P-40 "Wairarapa Wildcat" he had his last victories, destroying a further two Zekes and a Mitsubishi G4M.^[2] "Wairarapa Wildcat" also had success in the hands of other pilots. NZ3072 was scrapped after the war, but NZ3009 was restored and painted to represent NZ3072 "Wairarapa Wildcat".
In September 1943 Fisken was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.^[2] However, he found himself increasingly troubled by the injuries he had received in Singapore, and was medically discharged from the RNZAF in December 1943.^[2][5]
Although his last victories in the Solomons were clearly documented, the number of his confirmed victories (as against probables) over Singapore has been contested, giving rise to totals of between 10 and 13 in different texts. Nevertheless, he is believed to be the highest scoring British Commonwealth ace in the Pacific theatre.^[2][3][5]

Later life

Following his discharge from the RNZAF, Fisken returned to farming.^[5]
He passed away on 12 June 2011 at Lara Lodge in Rotorua where he had lived for 31 years. His wife Rhoda predeceased him by 14 years. They had six children, five boys and a girl.^[6]
In 2005, Geoff Fisken and "Wairarapa Wildcat" were reunited at a Masterton airshow.

 

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