Reverend Ike died he was 74.

Reverend Ike, formally the Right Reverend Dr. Frederick J. Eikerenkoetter II , Th.B., D.Sc.L., Ph.D., founder and pastor of the Christ United Church, was an American minister and electronic evangelist based in New York City. Reverend Ike was of African American and Indonesian descent.

(June 1, 1935, Ridgeland, South Carolina - July 28, 2009, Los Angeles, California^[1])

He began his career as a teenage preacher and became assistant pastor at Bible Way Church in Ridgeland, South Carolina. After serving a stint in the Air Force as a Chaplain Service Specialist (a non-commissioned officer assigned to assist chaplains), he founded, successively, the United Church of Jesus Christ for All People in South Carolina, the United Christian Evangelistic Association in Boston, Massachusetts (which is still his main corporate entity), and the Christ Community United Church in New York City.

Reverend Ike's ministry reached its peak in the mid 1970s, when his weekly radio sermons were carried by hundreds of stations across the United States. He was still active as of 2007, with a presence on the Internet and a syndicated television program.

He fully restored and owned the Christ United Church "Palace Cathedral" in Manhattan's Washington Heights section, formerly the Loews 175th Street movie theatre (one of the grandest and most extravagant of the "Wonder Theaters" movie palaces of the 1920s; restoration included the seven-story high, twin chamber Robert Morton organ). The "Miracle Star of Faith," visible from the George Washington Bridge, now tops the cupola of the building. He was also the "chancellor" of the United Church Schools, which include the Science of Living Institute and Seminary (which awarded him the D.Sc.L.: Doctor of the Science of Living); the Business of Living Institute (home of Thinkonomics); and other educational projects. He also offered a large number of books, audio and video tapes and a magazine to followers.

The Reverend Mrs. Eula M. Dent Eikerenkoetter (“Rev. Mrs. Ike”), B.A., M.A., D.Sc.L., his wife, served as Senior Co-Pastor, and his son, The Right Reverend Xavier Frederick Eikerenkoetter (“Rev. Ike’s Son”), B.A., M.Sc.L, D.Sc.L., was his "Bishop Coadjutor."

Reverend Ike had his own personal style of “preaching prosperity” and it is purported that he influenced a succeeding generation of "prosperity teachers" such as E. Bernard Jordan and Neale Donald Walsch.

Ike also made a guest appearance on Hank Williams, Jr.'s late 1986 single "Mind Your Own Business", which was a Number One country hit.^[2]

Reverend Ike died on July 28, 2009 of a stroke. He was 74.

Merce Cunningham died he was 90

Mercier (Merce) Philip Cunningham died he 90. Cunningham was an American choreographer who was at the forefront of the American avant-garde for more than 50 years. Throughout much of his life, Cunningham was also considered one of the greatest American dancers. A constant collaborator who has influenced artists across disciplines—including musicians John Cage and David Tudor, artists Robert Rauschenberg and Bruce Nauman, designer Romeo Gigli, and architect Benedetta Tagliabue—Cunningham’s impact extends beyond the dance world to the arts as a whole.

(April 16, 1919 – July 26, 2009)

As a choreographer, teacher, and leader of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, Cunningham had a profound influence on modern dance. Many dancers who trained with Cunningham formed their own companies, and they include Paul Taylor, Trisha Brown, Lucinda Childs, Karole Armitage, Foofwa d’Immobilité, Kimberly Bartosik, and Jonah Bokaer.

In April 2009, Cunningham celebrated his 90th birthday with the premiere of a new work, Nearly Ninety, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York. Also in 2009, the Cunningham Dance Foundation announced the Legacy Plan, a precedent-setting plan for the continuation of Cunningham’s work and the celebration and preservation of his artistic legacy.

Cunningham earned some of the highest honors bestowed in the arts, including the National Medal of Arts and the MacArthur Fellowship. He also received Japan's Praemium Imperiale, a British Laurence Olivier Award, and was named Officier of the Légion d'honneur in France.

Cunningham’s life and artistic vision have been the subject of numerous books, films, and exhibitions, and his works have been presented by groups including the Ballet of the Paris Opéra, New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, White Oak Dance Project, and London's

Merce Cunningham was born in Centralia, Washington in 1919, the second of three sons. Both his brothers followed their father into the legal profession. Cunningham initially asked to attend dance school when he was ten years old, and received his first formal dance and theater training at the Cornish School (now Cornish College of the Arts) in Seattle, which he attended from 1937-1939. During this time, Martha Graham saw Cunningham dance and invited him to join her company.^[1]

In the fall of 1939, Cunningham moved to New York and began a six year career as a soloist in the company of Martha Graham. He presented his first solo concert in New York in April 1944 with composer John Cage, who became his life partner and frequent collaborator until Cage's death in 1992.

In the summer of 1953, as a teacher in residence at Black Mountain College, Cunningham formed the Merce Cunningham Dance Company as a forum to explore his new ideas on dance and the performing arts.

Over the course of his career, Cunningham choreographed more than 200 dances and over 800 “Events,” which are site-specific choreographic works. In addition to his role as choreographer, Cunningham performed as a dancer in his company into the early 1990s.

He continued to lead his dance company until his death, and presented a new work, Nearly Ninety, in April 2009, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York, to mark his 90th birthday.^[2]

Cunningham lived in New York City, and was Artistic Director of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company. Cunningham died peacefully in his home on July 26, 2009.^[3]

Johnson died he was 68

PHILADELPHIA -- Jim Johnson, whose attacking defenses helped the Philadelphia Eagles to one Super Bowl appearance and five NFC title games, has died. He was 68.

Johnson had taken a leave of absence from the team in May as he continued to battle a cancerous tumor on his spine. The Eagles announced his death on Tuesday afternoon.

A veteran of 22 years as an NFL assistant, Johnson was considered one of the top defensive minds in the league, known for complex schemes that confused opponents and pressured the quarterback from every angle. His defenses consistently ranked among the best in the league, including last season, when the Eagles finished third in total defense and fell one victory short of the Super Bowl.

From 2000-08, Johnson's Philadelphia defenses ranked second in the NFL in sacks (390). During his 10-year tenure, the Eagles made the playoffs seven times and he produced 26 Pro Bowl selections.

"This whole Eagles-Andy Reid regime here that's taken place wouldn't have been possible without Jim," said Andy Reid, who hired Johnson to be his defensive coordinator shortly after he got his first head coaching job with the Eagles in 1999.

"I'm not sure there's a person that I've met that isn't a Jim Johnson fan. He really represented everything this city is all about with his toughness and grit. That's the way he fought this cancer."

Eagles chairman Jeffrey Lurie praised Johnson for his leadership skills and the person he was.

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"For 10 years, Jim Johnson was an exceptional coach for the Philadelphia Eagles, but more importantly, he was an outstanding human being," Lurie said. "As an integral part of the Eagles family, Jim epitomized the traits of what a great coach should be -- a teacher, a leader, and a winner ... It was easy to feel close to him."

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell echoed Lurie's sentiments.

"He was a teacher to many players both on and off the field and devoted his life to the game of football," Goodell said in a statement. "He had a positive influence on scores of young men, and leaves behind a wonderful legacy."

On Sunday, the Eagles announced that Sean McDermott would replace Johnson. In his first news conference as coordinator, McDermott gave full credit to Johnson.

"What haven't I learned from Jim?" McDermott said. "I don't think it would be fair to Jim, in this setting, to try and limit in one statement, one press conference, the effect that Jim has had on my life."

McDermott paid Johnson the ultimate compliment in describing the style of defense he wanted the Eagles to play: Johnson's style.

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"There is one thing I know, and that is that this system, it works," McDermott said. "Jim has spent a considerable amount of time in his coaching career researching and finding things that work and finding things that didn't work, quite frankly, and I'm going to respect that and we're going to build on that. From there, we'll add wrinkles."

Coaches across the league paid homage to Johnson's impact on their careers and the league.

"I loved Jim Johnson," said Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh, an Eagles assistant for nine seasons with Johnson. "He had a special ability to bring out the best in people while getting you to see the best in yourself. He saw potential and developed it. He made me believe I could coach at this level. In football, he was a pioneering and brilliant strategist, changing the way defense is played in the NFL. For me, he was a father-type mentor, and above all, a cherished friend. He belongs in the Hall of Fame. I will miss him so much."

"He was a dear friend and a special person," said St. Louis Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo, a member of the Eagles defensive staff under Johnson for eight seasons. "Our prayers and thoughts go out to his wife Vicki and their family. Jim meant the world to me, both personally and professionally. I am very blessed to have had the privilege to work for him and with him. The NFL has lost a good man."

New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin did not know Johnson, but admired him from afar.

"He was great to work with and for, and he had his priorities in order," Coughlin said. "His players loved to play for him and his coaches loved to coach with him. It is a sad day for the National Football League to lose somebody the quality of Jim Johnson. It is a sad note on which to start the season."

Johnson had been treated for melanoma in 2001.

In January, he complained of back pain and coached from the press box in the Eagles' playoff win over the New York Giants and in the loss to the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC championship.

An MRI after the divisional playoff win against the Giants on Jan. 11 alerted doctors that something might be wrong. Following the Arizona loss, the team announced the cancer had returned and Johnson would undergo more treatments.

Johnson had recovered sufficiently to coach during the team's first post-draft minicamp in May. But he coached from a motorized scooter during practices and said he wasn't certain he'd be able to return for the season.

"Jim was tailor-made to coach in Philadelphia," said Denver Broncos safety Brian Dawkins, who played 10 seasons for Johnson in Philadelphia. "He was a tough coach who wasn't afraid to let you know how he was feeling, but at the same time, he cared about us deeply."

Johnson is survived by his wife, two children and four grandchildren.

Henry J. Patch died he was 111

Patch, who was conscripted to the Army at the age of 18, had no inclination to fight, much less to kill anyone

The death of Harry Patch leaves no known British survivors of those who fought in the trenches of the First World War. He was the last of the infantry soldiers — the “Tommies”, immortalised by Kipling — who fought and died in hundreds of thousands on the Western Front, at Gallipoli, in Mesopotamia and Palestine during the “war to end all wars”, but which led inexorably to the conflict of 1939-45. Until the passing of the Military Service Act of January 1916, the Army had relied on volunteers, including those of the Territorial Army, to swell the ranks of its small regular force. It was indeed so small by Continental standards that the German Kaiser, Wilhelm II, dismissed it as Britain’s “contemptible little army”. By the close of 1915 a force of thirty-eight divisions was deployed on the Western Front, including those from Australia, Canada and New Zealand, but the casualties suffered during the 1915 offensives made it no longer possible for Britain to rely on volunteers. Conscription for unmarried men between 18 and 41, but excluding Ireland from where many volunteers had already come, began in January 1916. Patch was called up to join the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry at the age of eighteen and a half in December 1916.

By his own account, he would never have volunteered, having no inclination to fight, much less to kill anyone. Nevertheless, he proved a natural rifle shot and qualified for the coveted cross-rifles marksman badge by the end of his basic training. Such skill often led to selection as a sniper, but it seems that lacking the individual ruthlessness required Patch was assessed as best suited to be part of a team. He was trained on the American-designed Lewis machinegun, introduced into the British Army on a scale of two per battalion, increased to two per company and finally to one per platoon during the course of the war.

On going to France in 1917, Patch joined 7th DCLI as a reinforcement following the battalion’s serious losses in earlier fighting. Hearing a call for someone trained on the Lewis gun, a comrade volunteered Patch for the post. He consequently became the Number 2 of a Lewis gun team in ‘C’ Company. The team consisting of the Number 1 who fired the gun, No 2 who was the loader, and the remaining three who carried the ammunition to refill the 50-round circular magazines. The Number 1 would normally fire the gun but if he were wounded or killed the Number 2 was trained to take over.

As often happened, his first group of close friends remained the most prominent in his memory. Eighty years on, Patch would recall sharing a parcel from home with his gun team members: half the packet of Royal Seal tobacco to the only other pipesmoker, thirteen cigarettes each for the other three from the two packets of twenty and socks to the one who needed them most. Everything was shared without hesitation.

Fire from the Lewis gun was strictly controlled by the officer in charge of the stretch of trench where it was situated. This was to conserve ammunition and limit the chances of the enemy identifying the position from gun flashes and retaliate with artillery fire. Prolonged firing demanded a hasty move to a new position and overheating also presented difficulties. The gun was gas-operated, so that draughts of air were driven back between the barrel and the outer casing, but it would become too hot to touch after firing the hundred rounds from two magazines.

During the preliminary stage of the British advance in the Third Battle of Ypres, which began on July 31, 1917, Patch’s battalion took part in the attack on Pilckem Ridge, the scene of bitter fighting in the first autumn of the war. The 7th DCLI went over the top of their assault trenches with ‘A’ and ‘B’ companies leading and ‘C’ and ‘D’ companies following in immediate reserve. They ran forward over the dead and wounded of earlier waves of infantry lying in no-man’s land, but no time could be spared to help them.Patch’s Lewis gun team was struggling towards an enemy second-line trench when three German soldiers climbed out of it, one advancing on them with bayonet fixed. Guessing correctly that the man had used all his ammunition, Patch drew the Colt revolver the Number 2 carried and shot the man in the shoulder then, as he still came on, in the leg. As a good shot with the Colt, he could easily have killed him, but he chose to spare his life.

Six weeks later, after his battalion had been relieved in the line and was withdrawing at night to the support trenches, Patch lost the three supporting members of the Lewis gun team to a single shell burst, one of his comrades disappearing completely in the blast. He was wounded in the groin by shrapnel. For the rest of his long life Harry Patch held his own private day of remembrance recalling the three friends he lost on September 22, 1917.

He was evacuated to hospital in England and after recovery from his wound was sent to a reinforcement camp on the Isle of Wight to wait return to France. He and other soldiers awaiting drafting were on the rifle range on the morning of November 11, 1918. They had heard talk of a possible ceasefire in France and told that if an armistice was signed a rocket would be sent up from camp headquarters. Just after 11 o’clock they saw the rocket soar into the air, filling everyone with a huge sense of relief that they would not have to return to the trenches.

The countries of the then British Empire lost one million men in all the battlefields of the First World War, by far the largest proportion on the Western Front in Belgium and France. Of this awful figure, the bodies of approaching 500,000 either were never found or could not be identified. France lost 1,700,000 killed and Germany around two million.

To Patch and to the thousands who had lost family members in the war, the conflict was just a terrible waste of lives, provoking the question: “Could war have been avoided?”. The answer is probably “yes”, but placing the blame is more difficult. Austria’s ultimatum to Serbia, following the assassination of Crown Prince Franz Ferdinand, was uncompromising, but had the Foreign Secretary Sir Edward Grey made clear to France that Britain would stand by her only if she urged restraint on her treaty ally Russia, then Germany might have paused. Kaiser Wilhelm asked his army to slow down the rate of mobilisation against France but the Chief of Staff, von Moltke, argued this was impossible without upsetting the schedules of the 11,000 trains involved. Hence a vital signal for peace was not sent.

On demobilisation in early 1919, Henry John Patch returned to Bath, Somerset, where he had been born. He worked for the local Fire Service and was awarded the British Fire Services Association medal on retirement. Together with other surviving British veterans of the First World War, he was appointed to the Légion d’Honneur by the French Government in 1999 in recognition of his services to France in 1917.

He maintained his connections with his old regiment through the Light Infantry Regional Office in Cornwall until shortly before his death.

His wife Ada, née Billington, whom he married in 1919, predeceased him, as did their two sons.

Henry J. Patch, the last “Tommy” of the First World War, was born on June 17, 1898. He died on July 25, 2009, aged 111

Alexis Cohen died she was 25

Authorities say a 25-year-old former two-time "American Idol" contestant has been struck and killed by a car in a New Jersey shore town.

The Asbury Park Press reports that Alexis Cohen, of Allentown, Pa., was killed early Saturday in Seaside Heights.

Deputy Chief Michael Mohel of the Ocean County Prosecutors Office says an autopsy indicated she suffered chest, head and abdominal injuries. Mohel says investigators are seeking more information about the collision.

Cohen auditioned in Philadelphia for the popular Fox singing competition in August 2007, and the episode was aired in January 2008. She tried out again during the show's eighth season.

A video of her angry rant after being rejected by judges went viral on the Internet.

Vernon Forrest Ex-boxing champ shot to death he was 38

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Former boxing champion Vernon Forrest is dead at 38 after being shot multiple times in a neighborhood southwest of downtown Atlanta, officials said Sunday.

Police say they have no suspects in the death of former boxing champion Vernon Forrest.

An Atlanta police spokeswoman said it appeared that Forrest, 38, had been robbed, which led to a confrontation in which he was shot several times in the back.

Police had no suspects as of midday Sunday, said the spokeswoman, Sgt. Lisa Keyes.

Mark Guilbeau, senior investigator with the Fulton County Medical Examiner's office in Atlanta, said an autopsy will be conducted Sunday, and results are expected by afternoon.

Forrest was the International Boxing Federation welterweight champion in 2001, the World Boxing Council welterweight champion in 2002-2003, and the WBC light welterweight champion in 2007-2008 and 2008-2009, according to the BoxRec Web site.

He was named the World Boxing Hall of Fame fighter of the year in 2002, according to BoxRec.

E. Lynn Harris died he was 54,

(CNN) -- E. Lynn Harris, the author who introduced millions of readers to the "invisible life" of black gay men, was a literary pioneer whose generosity was as huge as his courage, friends said Friday.

E. Lynn Harris touched fans with his courage and his kindness, friends say.

Harris, 54, died Thursday night while on a business trip to Los Angeles, California, said Laura Gilmore, his publicist.

Harris wrote a series of novels that exposed readers to characters rarely depicted in literature: black, affluent gay men who were masculine, complex and, sometimes, tormented.

Keith Boykin, an author and friend, said Harris encouraged the black community to talk openly about homosexuality.

"We have a 'don't ask, don't tell' policy in the black community," Boykin said. "E. Lynn Harris encouraged people to ask and to tell."

How Harris broke ground

In books like "Invisible Life," "A Love of My Own," and his New York Times best-selling memoir, "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted," Harris virtually invented a new genre: books that depicted black gay men living double lives.

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Though Harris wrote primarily about black gay men, some of his biggest fans were black women. His books became staples in black beauty salons, bookstores and book clubs.

"It was hard to go on a subway in places in New York or D.C. and not see some black woman reading an E. Lynn Harris novel," Boykin said.

Harris was an unlikely literary pioneer. He was a former IBM executive who decided to write about his life. He started off in 1991 selling books from the trunk of his car to African-American beauty salons and bookstores.

He eventually became one of the nation's most popular writers with an estimated 4 million of his books in print.

Tina McElroy Ansa, author of "Taking After Mudear," met Harris at the beginning of his literary career when he was selling his first book "Invisible Life." She said they were both so poor they only had enough money to buy each other's book.

Ansa said she took Harris' "Invisible Life" home and was stunned by the time she reached page 20. She came across a scene where Harris depicted two black men playing in the snow with one another.

She immediately dropped the book, called Harris and told him she had never read such a scene before.

"I had never seen homosexual love in African-American men portrayed that way," she says. "It was playful, loving, and it wasn't hidden."

Years later, when Harris became successful, he thanked Ansa for her early encouragement.

"He gave me a string of pearls," Ansa said.

In 2000, Harris told the magazine Entertainment Weekly how important "Invisible Life" was for him.

''When I wrote "Invisible Life," it had to be the first book out of me -- it helped me to deal with my own sexuality,'' Harris said. "'For me, my 20s and early 30s were spent just hiding and running, because there was no one to tell me that my life had value and the way I felt was okay.''

Standing room only at his book events

"It's heartbreaking; he had such a generous spirit," said Tananarive Due, author of "Blood Colony."

"When I was just starting out, he flew me to an event out of his own pocket and put me up just because he thought more people should know my work," Due said.

Harris was as generous with his fans as he was with his friends, some said.

They describe an author who held dinner parties for aspiring writers at his home, loved meeting and hugging fans at book readings, and never seemed to let his fame change him.

"You could get trampled at an E. Lynn Harris reading," Ansa said. "People loved him."

Due said Harris would answer up to 200 e-mails from his fans each day. She said Harris had been a cheerleader in college "and a spirit of joy followed him through his life."

"He genuinely loved being around people and remembered names," Due said. "I remember seeing him at an event in Florida, and one woman in the crowd raised her hand and he said, 'Oh, Mary, you were here for my hardcover book signing.'"

Nonetheless, Harris had his share of personal pain.

He was born in Flint, Michigan, and grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas. In his 2003 memoir, he wrote about enduring abuse by his stepfather and an attempted suicide in 1990.

And he had critics. Some said Harris was a mediocre writer who stumbled on a winning literary formula. Boykin says Harris was stung by some of the criticism.

"He always said 'I'm not a James Baldwin,'" Boykin said, referring to the openly gay black author from the 1960s. "He was writing accessible literature for the masses."

Boykin said Harris received most of his criticism not from outraged straight critics, but people within the black community.

"He was hurt by some of the criticism from some black gay men who felt he wasn't portraying them accurately and others who thought he was telling too much," Boykin said.

In a 2003 Detroit Free Press interview, Harris said he resisted becoming an advocate for gay rights.

"It's such a small part of who I am, " he said. "It's what I do when I'm with my partner that puts this label on me. Most of my friends are straight. I tend to have a regular life, if you will."

Due said there has traditionally been a lot of pain associated with homosexuality in the black community. Harris took a little of that pain away with his life and his books.

"He really helped let the air in," Due said. "He helped us all breathe a little better."