Andrzej Lepper, Polish politician, died from a suspected suicide by hanging he was , 57

Andrzej Zbigniew Lepper was a Polish politician who was the leader of Samoobrona RP (Self-Defense of the Republic of Poland) political party  died from a suspected suicide by hanging he was , 57.
He was the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development between 5 May 2006 and 22 September 2006, and again from 16 October 2006 to 9 July 2007, in the cabinet of Jarosław Kaczyński. Lepper's civil profession prior to entering politics was farming in the village of Zielnowo, Pomerania.
He was a candidate in the Polish presidential election in 1995, 2000, 2005 and 2010.

(13 June 1954 – 5 August 2011) 

Early years and education

Lepper was born in Stowięcino, a tiny hamlet of roughly 200 people,^[1] which has suffered greatly since Poland's transformation to a market-based economy because of its previous reliance on the socialist agricultural system.
A farmer by trade, he did not complete his secondary education at the State Agricultural Technical School in Sypniewo and has no formal higher education.^[1] During the period of economic transformation his farm fell into debt and he was on the verge of bankruptcy. He received several "doctor honoris causa" titles from the University of Kiev (Ukraine).^[1]

Political career

From 1977 to 1980 he was a member of PZPR Polish United Workers' Party, Poland's communist party. In 1992 Lepper formed a new political party, an organisation of struggling farmers like himself, naming it "Samoobrona" (Self defence) (SO).^[1] His first task was to displace and eliminate his rival Stanislaw Tyminski as a competitor. For this purpose, Lepper adopted much of Tyminski's political program as his own. Lepper organized anti-government demonstrations and other actions, most significantly against the Suchocka and Buzek governments, against what he saw as growing injustice, especially against farmers.
As party president he challenged Aleksander Kwaśniewski in the 1995 presidential election (1.3% votes). In the 2000, SO organized a campaign of blocking major roads^[1] in order to bring media attention to the hard-pressed situation of Polish agriculture. Lepper won 3.05% votes in the 2000 presidential election. In the 2001 parliamentary election, Lepper's party managed to enter the lower chamber of the Polish Parliament (Sejm)^[1] and formed an important fraction of it. Lepper was elected from Koszalin constituency.
Lepper's party received 11.4% of the vote and 56 seats in the September 2005 parliamentary election, making it the 3rd biggest party in the Sejm. Lepper stood in the October 2005 presidential election as his party's candidate and received 15% of the vote, the third highest result.
Lepper entered his party into a ruling coalition with the dominant PIS party in May 2006, taking on the position of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Agriculture. Subsequently, he accused his allies of spying on him and working to harm Samoobrona. Following several conflicts within the alliance, Prime Minister Jarosław Kaczyński asked his brother President Lech Kaczyński to sack Lepper from the Cabinet in September 2006. Kaczyński re-invited Lepper back to his cabinet several weeks later on 16 October 2006.

Political style and views

Samoobrona ("SO") and Lepper successfully tapped into the disillusion felt by millions of poor citizens who have not benefited from Poland's entry into the European Union. Many SO voters live in small towns and villages with high unemployment rates, and therefore believe that they have lost out in the transition to the free market economy after 1989. However, Lepper was often criticized for not acknowledging the economic growth Poland has experienced since then.^{[citation needed]}
Using strongly populist messages and committing acts of civil disobedience, he managed to gain nationwide publicity and a strong following in the countryside, where he was regarded as a common man. He also protested against the selling of Polish land to foreigners. Lepper and SO opposed Poland joining the European Union, but stopped short of running a fully fledged "no" campaign, on account of the popular predisposition of the Polish population towards EU membership.
Lepper's anti-EU stance was based in part on nationalism, but also on the presumed detrimental economic effect that accession would have on Polish agriculture. Lepper remained a Eurosceptic, but later toned down his position since. During his recent tenure as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture, Lepper worked hard for Polish agriculture within the European structures and on his departure was described by Union officials as "pragmatic" and "professional".
Andrzej Lepper was one of the few high-profile politicians that consistently opposed Poland's involvement in American global military operations. He was involved in promoting close relations with the country's eastern neighbours - Ukraine, Russia and Belarus.
Some of his many famous quotes are that "It is impossible to rape a prostitute"^[2] or "I see myself as a positive dictator".^[3] Lepper himself appeared to be a restless man, not easily placated and not inclined to settle down as an office holder, as his participation in Kaczyński's government showed.^{[citation needed]}
With the votes of the left-wing majority in the Sejm, in 2001 he was elected as Vice-Speaker of Sejm (Wicemarszałek Sejmu), but after violating time constraints in debates he was dismissed.
Among Lepper and SO's undertakings in parliament were such incidents as the use of their own loudspeakers in the Sejm and claims that Robert Smoktunowicz of the liberal Civic Platform (Platforma Obywatelska) engaged in the precious-stone trade doing business with the Afghan Taliban.

Criminal charges

Andrzej Lepper in 2007

Andrzej Lepper was charged with criminal offenses, including assault, blocking roads and dumping grain on railroad tracks in the course of anti-government demonstrations (The New York Times, 2006).^[4]
In May 2001 Lepper was sentenced to sixteen months in prison.^{[citation needed]} In May 2006 Polish students protested against the coalition government and also mocked Lepper's recent criminal conviction for slander, chanting "Lepper to prison".^[5]
As of 2007 Lepper faced criminal charges for slander and levelling corruption accusations against ministers and members of the parliament (Financial Times, 2002).^[6]

Harassment scandal

In December 2006 a female party member claimed that Lepper and party deputy Stanisław Łyżwiński had demanded sexual favours in exchange for a job in a regional SO party office. After the publication of these claims in the Gazeta Wyborcza,^[7] several other women came forward with similar accusations. Poland's chief prosecutor Janusz Kaczmarek later launched an investigation into the abuse allegations against both men. In February 2010 Andrzej Lepper was sentenced to two years and three months in jail after being found guilty of demanding and accepting sexual favours from female members of his SO party. The district court in central Poland also sentenced former SO party deputy Stanislaw Lyzwinski to five years for rape and taking sexual advantage of female members of his party. Lepper said that the entire case against him was "imagined", and that he would appeal the decision.^[8]

Antisemitism scandal

The Interregional Academy of Personnel Management in Kiev, a private institution which actively promotes anti-Semitism ^[9] awarded Lepper with two honorary doctorates^[10] and an honorary professorship. The Anti-Defamation League strongly condemned Lepper for accepting these titles.^[11]

2007 political developments

Lepper in 2009

On 9 July 2007, Prime Minister Kaczyński dismissed Lepper from the government, which Kaczyński said was due to suspicions that Lepper was involved in corruption. On 10 July, Lepper said that Samoobrona would withdraw from the ruling coalition, but later on the same day said that the party would remain in the coalition conditionally.^[12] Lepper claimed to have been the victim of a politically motivated 'sting' operation, initiated by Prime Minister Kaczynski and PiS, and he demanded that a parliamentary inquiry be conducted to investigate the legality and motivation of the CBA operation mounted against him. This was one of the conditions put to PiS in return for SO remaining within the coalition.
On 16 July 2007, Lepper, together with Roman Giertych, chairman of another junior coalition partner League of Polish Families, announced a merger of their two parties, to be called League and Self-Defense (LiS). On August 5, the party quit the ruling coalition, leaving it without a majority.^[13]
Early parliamentary elections for both houses of parliament (Sejm and Senat) were held on 21 October 2007, after the Sejm voted for its own dissolution on September 7. The party suffered a huge voter backlash, thereby failing to cross the 5% electoral threshold for elections to the Sejm. Consequently it lost all its seats.

2010 presidential election

He was one of the candidates in the 2010 Polish presidential election, but got only 1.28% of votes and didn't get into the second round.

Death

He was found dead in his Warsaw office on 5 August 2011. According to first news reports, police suspect he committed suicide by hanging.^[14]

 

To see more of who died in 2011 click here

Frank Potenza, American police officer and actor (Jimmy Kimmel Live!),died from cancer he was 77.

Francis "Frank" Potenza was an American retired police officer for the New York City Police Department and former security guard died from cancer he was 77.. He later became a television actor and comic relief for the late night show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!. He appeared as Jimmy Kimmel's real-life Uncle Frank on the ABC show as a regular from 2003 until the year of his death, 2011.

(November 11, 1933 – August 23, 2011)

Early life and career

Francis Potenza was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1933.^[3] He served in the United States military during the Korean War.^[1] Potenza joined the New York Police Department (NYPD) following the war, serving as a beat cop in Lower Manhattan for twenty years.^[1][2] He reportedly made just six arrests during his two decades in the NYPD, believing that a lecture by the police delivered more benefits than a prison sentence.^[3]
He became a security guard and moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, upon his retirement from the NYPD.^[2] He served inside Frank Sinatra's personal security detail and as bodyguard when Sinatra performed at Caesars Palace.^[1] He returned to New York City to take a security position at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan.^[2]

Role on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Potenza worked security for more than ten years in New York City and Las Vegas when his nephew, comedian Jimmy Kimmel, asked him to join his late-night show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, as a regular in 2003.^[1][3] Potenza, who was still working security at St. Patrick's Cathedral at the time,^[2] accepted Kimmel's offer and moved to southern California.^[1] He was introduced to audiences as Kimmel's "Uncle Frank," serving as the late night host's comic relief.^[1] Potenza appeared on the show for nine years from 2003 to 2011. Uncle Frank quickly developed his own fan following, with Kimmel noting in 2007, "People can tell that Uncle Frank is the genuine article... That's why they like him."^[1]
In one ongoing comic piece, Potenza was teamed with his former wife (and Kimmel's aunt), Conchetta ("Chippy"), for a series of tasks ranging from self defense lessons to dairy farming. Potenza was often paired with Guillermo Rodriguez, the show's parking lot security guard for comedic value, and Veatrice Rice, the show's security guard. Rice died of cancer on January 21, 2009. ^[1]

Death and tributes

Potenza died from cancer in Los Angeles on August 23, 2011, aged 77.^[3] He was survived by his former wife, three daughters, and a granddaughter.^[1] He was married to his former wife, Chippy, for more than 28 years before their divorce. His memorial service was held in Las Vegas.^[1] In a Twitter message, Kimmel thanked Potenza's fans tweeting, "Thank you for your kind words about a very kind man" and "RIP Uncle Frank, his comic timing took a lifetime to earn. Today I eat cake for him."^[2]
The show was on summer hiatus at the time of Potenza's death and was scheduled to return on September 6, 2011.^[4] On September 6, Kimmel aired a special tribute episode to Uncle Frank, with an interview with Frank's favorite guest, Don Rickles. A caricature of Uncle Frank appears in tribute on the back cover of The Mighty Mighty Bosstones' album The Magic of Youth, released on December 16, 2011.

To see more of who died in 2011 click here

Peter Terpeluk, Jr, American diplomat, Ambassador to Luxembourg (2002–2005), died from a heartattack he was 63.

J. Peter Terpeluk, Jr. was a Republican politician from Pennsylvania and a American diplomat who was the United States Ambassador to Luxembourg for part of the tenure of President George W. Bush died from a heart attack he was 63..

(February 18, 1948 – August 23, 2011) 


Born in Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania, Terpeluk graduated from Malvern Preparatory School and received a Bachelor of Arts degree from La Salle College and master's degree in public administration from Rider College, as well as honorary doctorates from Sacred Heart University and La Salle College.^[1]
From 1972 to 1981, Terpeluk served as town manager in two townships in southeastern Pennsylvania and later served in the Small Business Administration until 1984.^[2] He founded the consulting firm Terpeluk and Associates in 1986, which he continued to operate while a principal in the Washington office of the firm S.R. Wojdak & Associates from 1989 to 1993. He served as finance chairman for the Republican Party.
President George W. Bush nominated Terpeluk in December 2001, and the U.S. Senate confirmed Terpeluk on March 20, 2002. Terpeluk swore his oath to the President on April 17, 2002 and presented his credentials to Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg on April 30, 2002.^[2] From 2002 to 2005, he served as United States ambassador to Luxembourg.^[3]
From 2009 until his death, Terpeluk served as national finance chairman for the Republican National Committee.^[4] Terpeluk died on August 23, 2011 when he was leaving his Chevy Chase, Maryland home to meet Texas Governor Rick Perry.^[1]


To see more of who died in 2011 click here

Pap Dean, American political cartoonist, died at the age of 96

Preston Allen Dean, Jr. , known as Pap Dean, was an American cartoonist who was employed from 1938 to 1979 as chief illustrator and editorial cartoonist for the Shreveport Times in Shreveport, the largest newspaper in North Louisiana  died at the age of 96. An original inductee of the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame, Dean since 1993 had prepared a caricature for the exhibit of each honoree in the museum, which is located in a former railroad depot in downtown Winnfield.^[3]
A devotee of Louisiana politics, Dean recalled that Huey Pierce Long, Jr., once bought him a hamburger while they were on the train from Baton Rouge to Nashville, Tennessee, to watch the Louisiana State University Tigers play football.

(August 25, 1915 – August 15, 2011)

Early years, education, military

Dean was born in Colfax, Louisiana, to P.A. Dean, Sr., and the former Addie Swafford (1888–1978)^[5] in Colfax, the seat of Grant Parish in north central Louisiana. He received his unusual nickname from teasing classmates in grade school. When he was in his early teens, Dean enrolled in the Landon School of Cartooning in Chicago. C. H. Landon apparently saw such promise in young Dean that he gave him considerable personal instruction.^[4]
While in high school his father gave him a portion of land on which to grow cotton. When the crop was sold, the money was deposited in a bank account for Dean's college education. He graduated from Colfax High School in 1932, and enrolled at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, then known as “Louisiana Normal. However, the bank in Colfax failed, as the Great Depression swept the nation, and Dean lost his uninsured college funds.
Meanwhile, the still hopeful Dean heard Huey Long speak in Colfax while as governor, Long ran for the United States Senate. Dean wrote Long and told him of his own plight regarding the loss of the college funds. A month later, a local banker sent Dean to Baton Rouge to see LSU President James Monroe Smith, later convicted in the statewide scandals of 1939 known as the "Louisiana Hayride", an identical term to the Shreveport-based Country music program, the Louisiana Hayride. Long had asked Smith to offer Dean financial aid and entry into LSU.^[4] By working three jobs in the meantime, Dean obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1937 in political science.^[4]
After LSU, Dean enrolled in the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts and then joined the Shreveport Times staff. He was married to Doris Moore and had three children. His tenure there was interrupted by three and one-half years in the United States Army, beginning in 1942. He landed with an anti-aircraft battalion at Omaha Beach on D-Day, received a battlefield commission, and was promoted ultimately to the rank of lieutenant colonel.^[4]

Cartoonist and author

Dean’s studio is filled with sketches and caricatures of other cartoonists, including Al Capp, the creator of Lil Abner, and Bill Mauldin, whose “Up Front” appeared in the Stars and Stripes military newspaper during the war. The late Jeff MacNelly, Pulitzer Prize winner of the Chicago Tribune, patterned his style after Mauldin and later honored Dean with a caricature of Dean himself.^[4]
Dean has published some of his drawings in Louisiana Historical Homesteads and he has written a history of Louisiana and a separate volume in 2005 on Natchitoches, considered the oldest town in the former Louisiana Purchase except for Harrisonburg, the seat of Catahoula Parish. Entitled Historic Natchitoches: Beauty of the Cane, the book is a study of the history, people, and attractions of the city.^[6] On April 13, 2006, Dean wrote a column in the Alexandria Daily Town Talk discussing the origin of the names of the various communities.^[7]
After his newspaper tenure, Dean and his second wife, Jimmie S. Dean (1919–2005),^[5] retired to the hamlet of Baghdad near Colfax, home of the Louisiana Pecan Festival. He continued thereafter to practice his craft at his own pace through the River Oaks Studio in downtown Alexandria, the seat of Rapides Parish and the largest city in Central Louisiana, located some twenty-five miles south of Colfax.
Dean died ten days before his 96th birthday in an Alexandria hospital. His former Shreveport Times colleague, Wiley W. Hilburn, said that the newspaper office "sort of revolved around Pap. He had a big desk, light table, in the middle of the newsroom. He was a really likable guy. ... He was really good at what he did, and we all grew to rely on him."^[1]
Dean donated his body to medical science.^[1]A memorial service was to be held at the Colfax United Methodist Church on September 10, 2011.

 

To see more of who died in 2011 click here

Norm Willey,American football player (Philadelphia Eagles), died when he was 83.

Norman Earle "Norm" Willey  was an American football defensive lineman in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles  died he was  83..

(August 22, 1927 – August 18, 2011)

He went to two Pro Bowls during his eight-year career and was credited with an unofficial 17 sacks in one game.^[1] Willey played college football at Marshall University and was drafted in the thirteenth round of the 1950 NFL Draft. Willey went on to teach physical education and coach football in Pennsville, New Jersey; the Norm Willey Boot trophy is awarded annually to the winner of the Pennsville-Pennsgrove football game.
In 2003, he was elected into the Marshall University Athletics Hall of Fame for his career in football and basketball.^[2]
Wiley died on August 18, 2011, aged 83, only four days short of his 84th birthday.

 

 

To see more of who died in 2011 click here

Donald Ray Kennard, American politician, member of the Louisiana House of Representatives (1976–2008), died from a brain aneurysm rupture he was , 74..

Donald Ray Kennard  was an educator, athletic director, and politician who represented part of East Baton Rouge Parish in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1976 to 2008. Originally a conservative Democrat, Kennard switched his partisan affiliation in 1995, when he won the first of three terms as a Republican.

(August 11, 1936 – August 5, 2011)

Family and background

Kennard was born to Sterling D. Kennard (1914–1989),^[3] an East Baton Rouge Parish justice of the peace from the Central City community, and a son of William and Annie Kennard. Donald Kennard's mother was the former Camille Carpenter (1917–2010), one of ten children born to Maurice Carpenter and the former Bertie Ritterman. She was a homemaker and a school bus driver. Donald Kennard and his wife, the former Ramona "Mona" Norris, are the parents of Robin Lisa Kennard and Stacy Rae Kennard Doucet, wife of David Doucet. Their grandchildren are Philip James Doucet, Samuel Sterling Doucet, Thomas David Doucet, and Camille Elizabeth Doucet.^[4]
In 1954, Kennard graduated from Central High School in East Baton Rouge Parish, where he held thirteen letters in football, basketball, baseball, and track. In 1958, he procured his Bachelor of Science degree in professional education from Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond. He taught and coached at Istrouma High School in Baton Rouge. Thereafter, while he pursued his Master of Education degree from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, which he completed in 1960, Kennard coached the LSU freshmen basketball team. He served for ten years in the United States Air Force Reserve, having first completed basic training at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri. He was stationed at Fort Dix in Trenton, New Jersey. Afterwards for two years, he taught health and physical education at the University of New Orleans. He was a football spotter from 1958 until 2007, much of that time as a member of the LSU sports broadcasting team. In January 1963, he launched his LSU career as an academicic advisor in the athletic department, a position that he maintained for twenty-two years. Thereafter, he was for many years the LSU assistant athletic director in charge of sales and marketing.^[1]

Legislative service

In the 1987 jungle primary, Kennard defeated the Republican Michael "Mike" Harig, 10,310 (69 percent) to 4,693 (31 percent).^[5] In 1991, when his District 65 also included a precinct from neighboring Livingston Parish, Democrat Kennard defeated the Republican Kenneth "Ken" Wood, 8,092 (58 percent) to 5,908 (42 percent).^[6] Kennard was then unopposed as a Republican in 1995 and 1999. He was a big winner in the 2003 primary, when he defeated the Democrat Wade Byrd, 9,329 (73 percent) to 3,482 (27 percent).^[7]
While serving in the legislature, Kennard continued as the assistant athletic director at LSU. A licensed counselor, he was also a past president of the American Professional Guidance Association and a member of the National Association of Academic Advisors.^[1] He is included in Who's Who in Louisiana.
In 1999, Kennard was elected secretary of the American Legislative Exchange Council. ALEC is the nation’s largest organization of state legislators and claims to be dedicated to developing policies based on the Jeffersonian principles of free markets, limited government, federalism, and individual liberty.^[8] Kennard first became affiliated with ALEC in 1992, when he was still a Democrat. He served on the board of directors and was the organization's state chairman in 1994. He was the first national ALEC officer from Louisiana. In 2003, he was elevated to ALEC national chairman.^[1]
In 1996, as a new Republican, Kennard authored and obtained passage of "Truth In Sentencing" legislation, which mandates that a person convicted of a violent crime must serve 85 percent of the sentence. The change virtually abolished "good time." For his work in passing the legislation, Kennard received the "Crime Fighter of the Year" award from the organization Victims and Citizens Against Crime. He was also recognized by the Law Enforcement Association of America for his support of local, state, and national law enforcement in authoring and passing the first legislation in the nation to protect officers injured on the job by inmates. ALEC considers this model legislation. Kennard was a strong supporter of former East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff Elmer Litchfield, a Republican who served for twenty-three years before retiring late in 2006.
In 2005, Kennard was among twenty-one legislators who toured areas ravaged by Hurricane Katrina. The lawmaker said: "To me, it just looks like swampland. There's not even the remnants of homes for blocks ... I think it should make all of us humble. It should make all of us sympathetic. It should make all of us thankful for what we have been spared." The legislators toured the area three days before they convened for a special session called by Democratic Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco to consider hurricane-recovery issues.
Kennard was active in the successful campaign to separate Central City public schools from the East Baton Rouge Parish system. He also worked to procure funding for roads in his district and to finance the diversion canal of the Comite River.^[9]
Term-limited, Kennard could not seek a ninth four-year term in the primary held on October 20, 2007. Both of the state House candidates who entered the primary are Republicans. Clifton S. Richardson, an East Baton Rouge Parish businessman, justice of the peace, and friend of Kennard's, defeated Edward "Clarke" Clark, 8,610 (67 percent) to 4,193 (33 percent).^[10]

Death

Kennard died in Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge from the effects of the rupture of a brain aneurysm^[9] six days before what would have been his 75th birthday. Services were held on August 8, 2011, at the Zoar Baptist Church at 11848 Hooper Road, where Kennard was a longtime member. Interment was at the church cemetery, where his parents are also buried. His pallbearers will include his three grandsons and his successor in the House, Representative Clif Richardson, along with Democratic State Senator Francis C. Thompson of Delhi in Richland Parish.^[1]

 

To see more of who died in 2011 click here

Joe Yamanaka, Japanese rock singer, died from lung cancer he was , 64.

Akira Yamanaka  better known as Joe Yamanaka, was a Japanese singer known for both his work with Flower Travellin' Band and as a solo musician; singing at a vocal range of 3 octaves died from lung cancer he was , 64 He was also an actor and appeared in many movies, such as Takashi Miike's Deadly Outlaw: Rekka and the 1989 version of Zatoichi.^[2][3]
He is also recognized for 20 years of charity and volunteer work with the Japan International Cooperation Agency and flew around the world helping those in poor or war-torn conditions; visiting more than 30 countries including Afghanistan, Myanmar, Bosnia, numerous sovereign states in Africa, China, Ukraine (including Chernobyl), North Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Brazil. While doing aid work in Jamaica he met local musicians and later became involved in reggae music. His aid work was a personal inspiration to help those who are growing up in similar conditions he had experienced as a child.

(September 2, 1946 – August 7, 2011)

Biography

Akira was born a war baby of World War II to a Japanese mother and a father of Jamaican descent who was enlisted in the US Army. In his autobiography he mentions that he never met his father and that he came from a poor family in ruined Yokohama. He grew up in an orphanage when his mother and foster father died. During an interview with Mainichi Shimbun Akira states that he was born with tuberculosis and that he never really thought about his biological father and believed those who raised you are your real parents.^[4][5] He left the orphanage at the age of 16 and became a boxer (inspired by his childhood idol Hiroyuki Ebihara) to earn money, he then met his lifelong friend Rikiya Yasuoka who was a kick-boxer of Japanese-Sicilian heritage. The pair decided to become actors and starred in the 1963 Japanese film Bicycle Thieves, although Akira's career changed when he met another lifelong friend Johnny Yoshinaga, who persuaded him to become a musician. Akira mentions that he adopted the English name Joe because it is the English pronunciation of his favourite painter Keito Joh; with Joh meaning castle in Japanese and as a teenage boxer he used the nickname Akira Joh.^[4]
He was known as one of the three "real tough guys" in Japanese cinema, along with Tsunehiko Watase and Jerry Fujio. The trio are known for being good-natured but with a rebellious past and noted fighting prowess. In his autobiography Akira recounts the times during his youth when he was involved in violent fights. After a large brawl with members of the Zenkyoto in Hibiya Park in which he almost killed a man and the resulting police raid led to an epiphany that "violence leads to nothing".^[4]
Yamanaka starred as himself in the Hollywood action movie Ulterior Motives featuring Thomas Ian Griffith and Ellen Crawford,^[6] three of Joe's songs were used in the film.
His most well known song is "Proof of the Man" (人間の証明) which sold more than half a million copies in two weeks and is a household name throughout Asia. It is the title and theme song for the film Proof of the Man which is based on a novel by Seiichi Morimura about war babies. Joe also has a small acting role in the film as the half Japanese, half African-American who is murdered, which the film is based around. In Chinese speaking countries the song is called "Old Straw Hat", taken from lyrics in the song.
He was close friends with numerous celebrities including Mickey Curtis and Yoko Ono. He recorded the entrance theme for Shinji Takehara titled "Hot Vibration" and composed the song "Sorrow of Florence" (哀しみのフローレンス) with his friend Amália Rodrigues. He later became the lead singer of The Wailers for around five years after his friend Bob Marley died.^[6]
In March 2010 it was announced that Joe was diagnosed with lung cancer.^[3][7] He died from his cancer on August 7, 2011 less than a month before his 65th birthday.^[3][7]

Selected discography

• 1975 - The Times
• 1977 - - TO THE NEW WORLD
• 1978 - JOE
• 1979 - GOIN' HOME
• 1980 - Joe '70s
• 1986 - 20th ANNIVERSARY
• 1991 - LOVE IS AN ART=
• 1999 - REGGAE HISTORY
• 2001 - W's
• 2006 - Mr. Rally - stupid philosopher
• 2009 - Reggae Vibration IV

Collaborative

• 1982 - Reggae Vibration (with The Wailers)
• 1983 - Reggae Vibration II (with The Wailers)
• 1984 - Reggae Vibration III (with The Wailers)
• 1984 - Japanesque (with Akira Ito and Hideki Ishima)^[9]

 

To see more of who died in 2011 click here