Leslie Esdaile Banks, American author (The Vampire Huntress Legend Series), died from adrenal cancer she was , 51.

Leslie Esdaile Banks, née Peterson  was an American writer under the pennames of Leslie Esdaile, Leslie E. Banks, Leslie Banks, Leslie Esdaile Banks and L. A. Banks died from adrenal cancer she was , 51. She wrote in various genres, including African American literature, romance, women's fiction, crime suspense, dark fantasy/horror and non-fiction.
She won several literary awards, including the 2008 Essence Literary Awards Storyteller of the Year.

(December 11, 1959 – August 2, 2011)

Biography

Leslie Ann Peterson was born and raised in Philadelphia. She married Michael Eslaide, and they had a daughter, she remarried with Al Banks in 2000.
She contributed to magazines, newspaper columns, and wrote commercial fiction for five major publishers: St. Martin's Press (NYC), Simon and Schuster (NYC), Kensington Publishing (NYC), BET/Arabesque (NYC), and Genesis Press (MS).^[4]
Books 1 and 2 of The Vampire Huntress Legend Series (Minion and The Awakening, respectively), have been optioned for Hollywood films by GothamBeach Entertainment and Griot Entertainment. Originally a nine book series, The Vampire Huntress Legend Series has now been expanded to twelve books (the last being called "The Thirteenth").^[5] She was a founding partner of The Liars Club, a networking group of professional in publishing and other aspects of entertainment.

Illness and death

In June 2011 it was announced on Banks' website that she had been diagnosed with late stage adrenal cancer. It was revealed that due to the extreme costs of her medical care, her family opened up a charitable fund in her name in one of the local Pennsylvania banks. The literary community also rallied around the ailing author, with several supporters starting a series of auctions where the proceeds went towards Banks' medical care. ^[6][7] Many well known people such as bestselling authors P.N. Elrod, Heather Graham and Charlaine Harris donated books and services, as would others in the literary community. ^[8] On August 2, 2011, the official website of L.A. Banks was updated to reflect her death.
Leslie Ann Peterson Esdaile Banks died on August 2, 2011, aged 51.^[9] She is survived by her daughter.

Bibliography

As Leslie Esdaile

Romance novels

• Sundance (1996)
• Slow Burn (1997)
• Love Notes (2001)
• Love Lessons (2001)
• River of Souls (2001)
• Love Potions (2002)
• Still Waters Run Deep (2002)
• Tomorrow’s Promise (2002)
• Through the Storm (2002)
• Sister Got Game (2004)
• Keepin’ It Real (2005)
• Take Me There (2006)
• Better Than (June 2008)

Romance novellas

• “Home For The Holidays” in Midnight Clear (et al.) (2000) (*)
• “Time Enough for Love” in After the Vows (et al.) (2001) (*)
• “Valentine’s Love” in Candlelight and You (et al.) (2003) (*)
• “Shameless” in Sisterhood of Shopaholics (et al.) (2003) (*)
• “A 'No Drama' Valentine's” in Valentin's Day is Killing Me (et al.) (2006) (*)

Alexis Grant

Men of the Delta Force Series

• Sizzle & Burn
• Locked at Loaded

Non-Fiction

• How To Write A Romance For The New Market (1999) (*)

As Leslie E. Banks

Romance novels

• Soul Food: For Better, For Worse (2002)
• Soul Food: Through Thick and Thin (2003)

As Leslie Banks

Non-Fiction

• “Light at the End of the Tunnel” in Chicken Soup for the African American Soul (2004) (*)

As Leslie Esdaile Banks

Crime/Suspense

• Betrayal of the Trust (2004)
• Blind Trust (2005)
• Shattered Trust (2006)
• No Trust (final book) (September 2007)

As L. A. Banks

Crime/Suspense

• Scarface, The Beginning, Volume 1 (2006)
• Scarface, Point of No Return, Volume 2 (TBD)

Paranormal

The Vampire Huntress Legend Series

1. Minion (trade paperback) (2003) (mass market) (2004)
2. The Awakening (trade paperback) (2004) (mass market) (2004)
3. The Hunted (trade paperback) (2004) (mass market) (2005)
4. The Bitten(trade paperback) (2005) (mass market) (2005)
5. The Forbidden (trade paperback) (2005) (mass market) (2006)
6. The Damned (trade paperback) (2006) (mass market) (2007)
7. The Forsaken (trade paperback) (2006) (mass market) (2007)
8. The Wicked (trade paperback) (2007) (mass market) (2008)
9. The Cursed (trade paperback) (2007) (mass market) (2008)
10. The Darkness (trade paperback) (2008) (mass market) (2008)
11. The Shadows (trade paperback) (2008) (Book 11) (2009)
12. The Thirteenth (trade paperback) (2009)

NOTE: The Darkness (10), The Shadows (11), and The Thirteenth (12) are called The Armageddon Finale to The Vampire Huntress (trademark) Legend Series.

Crimson Moon Novels

1. Bad Blood (2008)
2. Bite The Bullet (2008)
3. Undead on Arrival (2009)
4. Cursed to Death (2009)
5. Never Cry Werewolf (2010)
6. Left for Undead (2010)

Dark Avengers Series

1. Finders Keepers (2008)
2. Loser's Weepers (2008)

Paranormal novellas

• Stroke Of Midnight (et al.) (2004) (*)

(New York Times bestseller extended list 2004)

• Dark Dreams (edited by Brandon Massey) (2004) (*)
• Voices From the Other Side: Dark Dreams 2 (edited by Brandon Massey) (2006) (*)
• Love at First Bite (et al.) (2006) (*)
• My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding (edited by P.N. Elrod) (2006) (*)
• Vegas Bites (et al.) (2006) (*)
• Creepin' (edited by Monica Jackson) (2007) (*)
• Dark Delicacies 2 (et al.) (2007) (*)
• On the Line (et al.) (2007) (*)
• Hotter Than Hell (edited by Kim Harrison) (2008) (*)
• The Darker Mask (edited by Gary Phillips and Christopher Chambers (2008) (*)
• The Ancestors (et al.) (2008) (*)

(*) Indicates story was featured in an anthology.

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Allan Watkins, Welsh cricketer, died after a short illness he was , 89.

Allan Watkins , born Albert John Watkins, was a Welsh cricketer, who played for England in fifteen Tests from 1948 to 1952 died after a short illness he was , 89.. He toured India and Pakistan in 1951–52 with the MCC, and also participated in the 1955–56 'A' Tour to Pakistan. In 1953–54, he played with the Commonwealth team in India and Pakistan, returning home early through injury.

(21 April 1922 – 3 August 2011)

Life and career

Born in Usk, Monmouthshire,^[1] Watkins made his debut for Glamorgan just three weeks after his seventeenth birthday in 1939, as World War II loomed. He was an all-rounder, being a left-handed batsman, a medium to fast left-arm bowler and a brilliant close fielder, particularly at backward short leg.^[1]
He was the first Glamorgan cricketer to score a century in Tests for England, and played for the county until 1961, when he was 39 years old.
He was voted 'Indian Cricket Cricketer of the Year' in 1951–52, after a successful series there with the MCC. During that tour, Watkins battled his way to a nine hour long, unbeaten 137, in Delhi, his best Test score. Oddly, Watkins' better performances were overseas, as his five home Tests did not provide a single innings above fifty.^[1]
Watkins went on to successfully coach school cricket, most notably at Oundle School and Framlingham College.
He also played football for Cardiff City and Plymouth Argyle.^[2] He died in Kidderminster, Worcestershire on 3 August 2011, following a short illness.^[3]

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Mohsen Koochebaghi Tabrizi, Iranian Shi'ite Muslim marja, died from a heart attack he was , 87 .

Grand Ayatollah Mirza Mohsen Koochebaghi Tabrizi  was an Iranian Twelver Shi'a Marja  died from a heart attack he was , 87 ..

(9 January 1924 – 3 August 2011)

Early life

Tabrizi was born on 9 January 1924 in Tabriz, Iran. His father, Ayatollah Mirza Abbas Kochebaghi was also an Grand Ayatollah. He was studied in seminaries of Najaf, Iraq under Grand Ayatollah Abul-Qassim al-Khoei ^[3] and Mirza Fataah Shahidi Tabrizi.^[4]

Social works

He was famous for his religious careers in Tabriz. He was Friday Prayers Imam of Jameh Mosque of Tabriz for years.

Books

• Adiye A'mal Haj (1958)
• Adiye Namaz Shab (1961)
• Makaseb Ayatollah Shahidi (1969)
• Basaer Ol-Darajat (1974)
• A'mal Haj va Madine (1979)
• Shafie Ol-Maznabin (1988)
• Ojobat Ol-Astefaat (1995)
• Hashiye Bar Orve (2007)
• Borhan Alal Vojod Emam Zaman (2010)

Death

He died on 3 August 2011 in his house after a heart attack. His funeral was held on 4 August 2011 and he was buried in Vadi Rahmat of Tabriz.^[5]

 

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Bubba Smith, American football player (Baltimore Colts) and actor (Police Academy) died he was , 66.

 Charles Aaron "Bubba" Smith  was an American professional football player who became an actor after his retirement from the sport. He first came into prominence at Michigan State University, where he twice earned All-American honors as a defensive end on the Spartans football team. He had a major role in a 10–10 draw with Notre Dame in 1966 that was billed as "The Game of the Century." He was one of only three players to have his jersey number retired by the program. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1988.^[1]
He played nine years in the National Football League (NFL) with the Baltimore Colts (1967–1971), Oakland Raiders (1973–1974) and Houston Oilers (1975–1976). The first selection of the 1967 NFL Draft, he was the Colts' starting left defensive end for five seasons who played in Super Bowls III and V, the latter with the winning side. He was named to two Pro Bowls and was a First-Team All-Pro in 1971.^[2] Despite being 6 feet 7 inches (2.01 meters) tall and weighing 265 pounds (120.20 kilograms),^[3] his tremendous speed and quickness usually caused him to draw two blockers.^[2]
During his acting career, he mainly specialized in comedic roles in films, television advertisements and programs. For about a decade following his retirement from football, he appeared in various commercials for Miller Lite. His best-known role was as Moses Hightower in the first six Police Academy movies.^[4]

(February 28, 1945 – August 3, 2011)

Early life

Smith was born on February 28, 1945 in Orange, Texas, and raised in nearby Beaumont. His father was Willie Ray Smith Sr., a football coach who accumulated 235 victories in a career spent at three high schools in the Beaumont area. It was at Charlton-Pollard High School in Beaumont where the son got to play for the father.^[2] The younger Smith developed into one of the state's best-ever high school football players.^[5]

Football career

College

Smith originally had hopes of playing college football at the University of Texas. Even though Longhorns head coach Darrell Royal was willing to offer him an athletic scholarship, he was prohibited from doing so because of the prevalent racial segregation throughout the Southern United States. At the time, Texas was a member of the Southwest Conference (SWC), which finally integrated in 1967. The university's football program did not do likewise until three years later in 1970. The situation motivated Smith to become a much better player.^[5]
Smith played college football at Michigan State University. He was awarded with All-America honors in 1965 and 1966. Smith was a popular athlete at Michigan State, with the popular fan chant of "Kill, Bubba, Kill."
His final game at Michigan State was a 10–10 draw with Notre Dame at Spartan Stadium on November 19, 1966.^[6] It was hyped as "The Game of the Century" because both teams were undefeated, untied and ranked atop the national polls entering the contest (Notre Dame was #1 at 8–0–0, Michigan State #2 at 9–0–0).^[7] Early in the first quarter, Smith tackled Fighting Irish starting quarterback Terry Hanratty, who suffered a separated left shoulder on the play. Hanratty was replaced for the remainder of the match by Coley O'Brien. Smith, who admitted that Hanratty's injury actually backfired on the Spartans, stated, "That didn't help us any. It just let them put in that O'Brien who's slippery and faster and gave us more trouble. The other guy just sits there and waits, and that's what we wanted."^[8] Michigan State finished second behind Notre Dame in the voting for the National Championship.^[7]
In 1988, Smith was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame. Michigan State retired his number 95 jersey on September 23, 2006, prior to the Spartans' home game against Notre Dame, amid repeated cheers of his old slogan from the student section. This game also celebrated the 40th anniversary of the "Game of the Century."

Professional

Smith spent nine seasons in the NFL as a defensive end. He was the first overall selection in the 1967 NFL draft, chosen by the Baltimore Colts. The Colts won Super Bowl V at the end of the 1970 season, earning Smith his only Super Bowl ring. However, in interviews, Smith stated that he would never wear the ring, as it was seen as a "sloppy" game by many. He was traded to the Oakland Raiders before the 1972 season, and finished his career with the Houston Oilers. He was selected All-Pro one year, All-Conference two years, and went to two Pro Bowls.

Acting career

After leaving professional football, Smith began his acting career in small movie and television roles in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He is perhaps best known for his role as Moses Hightower in the Police Academy movie series, a role he reprised in all but one of the Police Academy sequels. Bubba appeared in the 1982 TV film Fighting Back: The Rocky Bleier Story. He was Arnold the driver in the 1983 movie Stroker Ace that cast stars such as Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty, Jim Nabors, and Loni Anderson. He was a supporting character in the 1981 - 1982 flop Open All Night. He appeared in two episodes of the hit television series Married... with Children, once as the character "Spare Tire" Dixon and in a later episode as himself. He was the long time spokesman of Baltimore-area law firm Cohen, Snyder, Eisenberg & Katzenberg. Smith starred in the short-lived television series Blue Thunder, partnering with Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive star Dick Butkus, with whom he frequently costarred in advertisements for Miller Lite beer. Smith also appeared in Tales of the Gold Monkey, in the episode called "God Save the Queen", along with fellow actor James Avery. He appeared on Good Times as Claude, a bodyguard/thug working for Marion "Sweet Daddy" Williams. He also appeared on an episode of The Odd Couple;when asked by Oscar Madison what his most embarrassing moment was, he replied, "When my mother named me 'Bubba'". Smith appeared in a 1982 Episode of Taxi (Season 4 Episode 19) where Smith's character played a football player trying to get back into the NFL after being cut. He inspired Tony, played by Tony Danza to train hard enough to earn his license back as a boxer. He also appeared on Macgyver (Season 7, Episode 10).

Personal life

Smith's brother Tody Smith played for the University of Southern California and for the Dallas Cowboys, Houston Oilers and Buffalo Bills.

Death

Smith was found dead in his Los Angeles home by his caretaker on August 3, 2011. He died from acute drug intoxication and heart disease. Phentermine, a weight-loss drug was found in his system. His heart weighed more than twice that of an average human heart. He was 66 years old.^[9][10][11]

 

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William Sleator, American science fiction writer (Interstellar Pig) died he was 66.

William Warner Sleator III , known as William Sleator, was an American science fiction author who wrote primarily young adult novels but also wrote for younger readers. His books typically deal with adolescents coming across a peculiar phenomenon related to an element of theoretical science, then trying to deal with the situation. The theme of family relationships, especially between siblings, is frequently intertwined with the science fiction plotline.
Due to the suspenseful and often eerie nature of some of his works, Sleator has been compared to young-adult horror writer R. L. Stine. Others cite a strong resemblance to the paranoid, dream-like style of Franz Kafka, which is most notable in House of Stairs, one of Sleator's more popular novels.

(February 13, 1945 – August 3, 2011)

Biography

Early life

Sleator was born in Havre de Grace, Maryland, the oldest of four siblings, to William Warner Sleator, Jr., a professor of physiology and biophysics, and to Esther Kaplan Sleator, a pediatrician who did pioneering research on attention deficit disorder (ADD).^[2] The Sleator family moved to suburban St. Louis, Missouri, when Billy, as the family called him, was three. His younger siblings are Vicky Wald, Tycho, and Daniel. He attended University City High School, where he was known as a composer who wrote scores for school plays and the orchestra, graduating in 1963.

Career

After graduating from Harvard University with a degree in English in 1967, Sleator moved to England, earning money by playing music in ballet schools. Eventually, Sleator returned to the U.S. to write his first novel, Blackbriar, eventually published in 1972, which was based on real life experiences.^[3] His first published book, however, was a children's story called The Angry Moon, released in 1970. Sleator's writing has been described as a clean, simple style. His characters are reluctant teenage heroes, and Sleator's younger siblings and friends have often found themselves being written into his prose, as in the semi-autobiographical story collection Oddballs.^[4] Elements of Thai culture also occasionally turn up in his stories. His 2009 short story, "Lep" appears in the anthology How Beautiful the Ordinary: Twelve Stories of Identity and is from a young gay Thai man's perspective.
Unlike the 'Golden Age' science-fiction future-oriented model (one of Buck Rogers tomorrowlands), Sleator's work often includes a morbid or negative fixation on the past or includes visions of alternate worlds (future or otherwise) in which something has gone wrong. For example, Green Futures takes place in the past in addition to the future; the world outside the House of Stairs is hinted to be dystopic; and Interstellar Pig draws upon the supposed insanity of a long-dead prisoner.

Personal life

Sleator split his time between homes in Boston, Massachusetts, and a small village in rural Thailand. His companion Siang Chitsa-Ard had died in 2008, and his preceding partner Paul Peter Rhode had died in 1999.^[2] He died on August 3, 2011, in Bua Chet, Thailand.^[5]

Works

• The Angry Moon (1970)
• Blackbriar (1972)
• Run (1973)
• House of Stairs (1974)
• Among the Dolls (1975)
• Into the Dream (1979)
• Once, Said Darlene (1979)
• The Green Futures of Tycho (1981)
• That's Silly (1981)
• Fingers (1983)
• Interstellar Pig (1984)
• Singularity (1985)
• The Boy Who Reversed Himself (1986)
• The Duplicate (1988)
• Strange Attractors (1989)
• The Spirit House (1991)
• Others See Us (1993)
• Oddballs (1993) (story collection)
• The Elevator (1993) (story collection)
• Dangerous Wishes (1995)
• The Night the Heads Came (1996)
• The Beasties (1997)
• The Boxes (1998)
• Rewind (1999)
• Boltzmon! (1999)
• Marco's Millions (2001)
• Parasite Pig (2002)
• The Boy Who Couldn't Die (2004)
• The Last Universe (2005)
• Hell Phone (2006)
• Test (2008)
• Monster (2009)
• The Phantom Limb (2011)

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Zhanna Prokhorenko, Russian film actress (Ballad of a Soldier) died she was , 71.

Zhanna in 1959

Zhanneta "Zhanna" Trofymovna Prokhorenko
was a Ukrainian-born Soviet-era actress, best known to European and North American audiences for her role in Grigori Chukhrai's 1959 film, Ballad of a Soldier died  she was , 71..

(11 May 1940 – 1 August 2011)

Life/career

She was born in Poltava, Ukraine, and grew up in central Ukraine before she and her family moved to Leningrad. She graduated from the Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography in 1964. She was awarded People's Artist of the USSR in 1988. She was also a recipient of the Order of the Badge of Honour and of the Medal "For Labour Valour".

Marriages

Prokhorenko married twice: Her first husband was film director Evgeniy Vasilyev (Евгений Иванович Васильев), they had one daughter actress Ekaterina Vasiyeva (the mother of Russian actress Mariana Spivak). Her second husband, writer Artur Makarov, was murdered in 1995.

Death

She died in Moscow on 1 August 2011, aged 71, from undisclosed causes.

 

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Attilio Pavesi, Italian cyclist and Olympic Champion, died he was, 101

Attilio Pavesi

 was an Italian cyclist and Olympic champion , died he was,  101. He won a gold medal at the 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, in the Individual Road Race,^[1] as well as a gold medal in the Team Road Race. He turned 100 in October 2010.^[2] He died at the age of almost 101 years, on August 2 of the next year, in a retirement home of Buenos Aires, Argentina.^[3] At the time of his death he was thought to be the oldest surviving Olympic champion ^[4] and one of the oldest living Olympic competitors.

(October 1, 1910 – August 2, 2011)

Early life

Pavesi was the 11th child in an affluent family in Caorso, Emilia-Romagna.^[5]

Professional career

Pavesi turned professional after his Olympic victories, but his only subsequent success was a stage win in the 1934 Tour of Tuscany.^[5]
At the start of World War II he emigrated to Argentina where he took part in Six-day racing in Buenos Aires.[5

 

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