/ Stars that died in 2023

Sunday, August 12, 2012

Cliff Brittle, English sports administrator, Chairman of the Rugby Football Union (1996–1998), died he was 69.

Benjamin Clifford "Cliff" Brittle was an English business man and former rugby union player who was the chairman of the Rugby Football Union from 1996 to 1998 died he was 69..

(1952 – 11 September 2011) 

Rugby career

Brittle first played rugby as a student while at Longton High School, and as a senior played for Old Longtonians, Stoke on Trent and most notably for Sale.[1] He also played county rugby for Staffordshire.In 1996 he took the post of Chairman of the Rugby Football Union, the year after the game of rugby union adopted professionalism. In his role of Chairman, Brittle appointed Fran Cotton as vice-chairman who in turn recommended Clive Woodward as England head coach.[2] Brittle's time in office was turbulent; he resisted attempts by club owners and the media to overpay players in a rushed attempt to cash in on the professional era. This caused Brittle to be vilified by sections of the media, and in 1998 Cotton resigned when Brittle was excluded from talks between the English clubs and the RFU.[3]
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Christian Bakkerud, Danish racing driver, died from injuries sustained in a car accident he was 26.

Christian Bakkerud  was a Danish racing driver, who competed in the 2007 and 2008 GP2 Series seasons, albeit hindered by a recurrent back injury died from injuries sustained in a car accident he was 26.. Prior to GP2 he competed in British Formula Three and Formula BMW.

(November 3, 1984 – September 11, 2011)

Formula BMW

Bakkerud competed in Formula BMW from 2002 to 2004, joining the British version of the series in the latter year after two seasons in Germany.

Formula Three

Bakkerud competed in British Formula Three in 2005 and 2006. Having finished seventh in the championship in 2005, he improved to sixth place in 2006, and also scored his first series win for Carlin at Mugello in 2006 - arguably his career highlight. During this time he also competed in the Macau Grand Prix and the Ultimate Masters of Formula Three race.

GP2 Series


Bakkerud driving for Super Nova in the 2008 GP2 Asia Series season.
Bakkerud took part in the 2007 GP2 Series season for the DPR team,[1] paired with Spaniard Andy Soucek. The season was disappointing, as Bakkerud failed to score any points. He also suffered back injuries, trapping nerves whilst racing on two separate occasions.[2]
He moved to the Super Nova team for the 2008 GP2 Asia Series, reinforcing his unlucky reputation by retiring from all but three of the races.[3] He remained for the 2008 GP2 Series proper, he suffered a recurrence of his back injury after a collision with Ben Hanley in the first race.[4] He was replaced by Soucek whilst he recovered,[5] and made his return to the cockpit at Monaco, after missing the championship round at Istanbul. He crashed at the start of the sprint race at Monaco, briefly going airborne after hitting Kamui Kobayashi. He did not suffer a recurrence of his back injury despite a heavy landing.[6] However, the injury flared up once more following a testing session, and he withdrew from the rest of the season on medical grounds. He was replaced by Soucek.[7]

DTM


Christian Bakkerud on the Hockenheimring 2009
In 2009, Bakkerud raced in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters in a two-year-old Audi A4 for Futurecom-TME.

Le Mans

Bakkerud also made his Le Mans début in 2009, driving an Audi R10 TDI privately entered by Colin Kolles's team. Paired with Christijan Albers and Giorgio Mondini, he finished ninth overall and in class. He returned to the event in 2010 with the same team and car, but on this occasion he, Albers and Oliver Jarvis failed to finish.

Retirement

Bakkerud retired from driving following the 2010 Le Mans race. In the year prior to his death, he worked as an import manager at a shipping company.[8]

Death

On September 10, 2011, Bakkerud was involved in a car crash at the Tibbet's Corner roundabout at Putney Heath, near Wimbledon Common. He died a day later, in St George's Hospital, from his injuries. He was driving an Audi RS6 at the time of the accident; a police investigation is ongoing.[8][9] Travelling south on the A219 on Tibbet's Ride from Putney Hill, the car appeared to fail to negotiate a left turn into the large roundabout itself and instead travelled onwards and hit a thick, 1.5-metre (4.9 ft) high concrete barrier on the inside of the dual lane roundabout. The car then flipped over the barrier, fell down a steep 3-metre (9.8 ft) grass incline before smashing through the steel fence separating the bridleway and pedestrian/cyclist underpass routes. Crash investigators used yellow spray paint to mark skid and impact points on the road and where the car flipped over the barrier. The straight skid marks showed his car crossed from nearside to inside lane, as the road veered left at the roundabout entry, before it made a glancing blow on a heavy steel crash barrier prior to the barrier impact some six metres later.[citation needed]
Within a week a large number of flower bouquets were left at the location where the car came to rest. Police had also erected a yellow sign appealing for witnesses, which stated the accident occurred at about 6am on September 10.
Formula One team HRT, led by Colin Kolles, added a tribute to Bakkerud to the livery of their cars during the 2011 Singapore Grand Prix weekend.[10] McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton also paid tribute to Bakkerud by wearing a helmet featuring his initials.

Racing record

Complete GP2 Series results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 DC Points
2007 David Price Racing BHR
FEA

13
BHR
SPR

Ret
ESP
FEA

12
ESP
SPR

Ret
MON
FEA

Ret
FRA
FEA

Ret
FRA
SPR

12
GBR
FEA

Ret
GBR
SPR

21
EUR
FEA

Ret
EUR
SPR

18
HUN
FEA

Ret
HUN
SPR

DNS
TUR
FEA

DNQ
TUR
SPR

DNQ
ITA
FEA
ITA
SPR
BEL
FEA

12
BEL
SPR

Ret
VAL
FEA

Ret
VAL
SPR

Ret
32nd 0
2008 Super Nova Racing ESP
FEA

Ret
ESP
SPR
TUR
FEA
TUR
SPR
MON
FEA

10
MON
SPR

Ret
FRA
FEA
FRA
SPR
GBR
FEA
GBR
SPR
GER
FEA
GER
SPR
HUN
FEA
HUN
SPR
EUR
FEA
EUR
SPR
BEL
FEA
BEL
SPR
ITA
FEA
ITA
SPR

27th 0

Complete GP2 Asia Series results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 DC Points
2008 Super Nova Racing UAE1
FEA

Ret
UAE1
SPR

11
IND
FEA

Ret
IND
SPR

14
MAL
FEA

Ret
MAL
SPR

Ret
BHR
FEA

Ret
BHR
SPR

Ret
UAE2
FEA

Ret
UAE2
SPR

9
27th 0

Complete DTM results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Pos Points
2009 Audi HOC1
14
LAU
14
NOR
15
LAU
DSQ
OSC NÜR
13
BRH
16
CAT
17
DIJ
Ret
HOC2
12
19th 0

24 Hours of Le Mans results

Year Class No Tyres Car Team Co-Drivers Laps Pos. Class
Pos.
2009 LMP1 15 M Audi R10 TDI
Audi TDI 5.5L Turbo V12
(Diesel)
Germany Kolles Netherlands Christijan Albers
Switzerland Giorgio Mondini
360 9th 9th
2010 LMP1 15 M Audi R10 TDI
Audi TDI 5.5L Turbo V12
(Diesel)
Germany Kolles United Kingdom Oliver Jarvis
Netherlands Christijan Albers
331 DNF DNF
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Douglas Allen, Baron Croham, British civil servant, Head of the Home Civil Service (1974–1977), died he was 93.

Douglas Albert Vivian Allen, Baron Croham  was a British politician and civil servant died he was 93..

(15 December 1917 – 11 September 2011)

The son of Albert John Allen, Douglas Allen was only one when his father was killed in action during the First World War. Allen was educated at Wallington County Grammar School and at the London School of Economics (LSE), where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in statistics in 1938. During the Second World War, from 1940 to 1945, he served in the Royal Artillery.
Having entered the British Civil Service, Allen worked in the Board of Trade between 1939 and 1947, and in Her Majesty's Treasury between 1948 to 1958. In 1958, he became a Under-Secretary at the Ministry of Health, a post he held until 1960, when he changed to Her Majesty's Treasury again. Made a Third Secretary in 1962 and a Permanent Secretary in 1966, he worked for the Department of Economic Affairs from 1964 to 1968. Allen was Permanent Secretary of Her Majesty's Treasury from 1968 to 1974, and Permanent Secretary of the Civil Service Department and Head of the Home Civil Service from 1974 to 1977.
Allen was chairman of British National Oil Corporation (BNOC) from 1982 to 1986, of Guinness Peat Group from 1982 to 1987, and of Trinity Insurance Ltd from 1987 to 1992. He was president of the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) between 1978 to 1992, and of the British Institute of Energy Economics between 1986 to 1994. For the Anglo-German Foundation he was chairman from 1982 and 1998. Allen was governor of the London School of Economics between 1977 and 2004 and of the Wallington County Grammar School between 1993 and 2003. He was member of the First Division Association (FDA) and vice-president of the Anglo-German Association. He was also a member of the Institute of Directors and a companion of the British Institute of Management.
Allen was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and was made an Honorary Doctor of Social Science (DSocSc) by the University of Southampton. In 1963, he was appointed a Commander of the Order of the Bath (CB), in 1967 a Knight Commander (KCB) and in 1973, a Knight Grand Cross (GCB). On 8 February 1978, he was created a life peer as Baron Croham, of the London Borough of Croydon.
Allen was married to Sybil Eileen Allegro from 1941 until 1994, when his wife died. They had two sons and a daughter.

Offices held

Government offices
Preceded by
Sir William Armstrong
Head of the Home Civil Service
1974–1977
Succeeded by
Sir Robert Armstrong
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Saturday, August 4, 2012

Cliff Robertson, American actor (Charly, Spider-Man, PT 109), died from natural causes died he was 88.


Clifford Parker "Cliff" Robertson III was an American actor with a film and television career that spanned half a century. Robertson portrayed a young John F. Kennedy in the 1963 film PT 109, and won the 1968 Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in the movie Charly. On television, he portrayed retired astronaut Buzz Aldrin in the 1976 adaptation of Aldrin's autobiographic Return to Earth, played a fictional character based on Director of Central Intelligence Richard Helms in the 1977 adaptation of John Ehrlichman's Watergate novel The Company, and portrayed Henry Ford in the 1987 Ford: The Man and the Machine. His last well-known film appearances were in 2002 through 2007 as Uncle Ben in the Spider-Man film trilogy.

(September 9, 1923 – September 10, 2011) 


Early life

Robertson was born on September 9, 1923 in La Jolla, California, the son of Clifford Parker Robertson, Jr. (1902–1968), and his first wife, the former Audrey Olga Willingham (1903-1925).[6][7] His Texas-born father was described as "the idle heir to a tidy sum of ranching money".[8] Robertson recalled that his father "was a very romantic figure—tall, handsome. He married four or five times, and between marriages he'd pop in to see me. He was a great raconteur, and he was always surrounded by sycophants who let him pick up the tab. During the Depression, he tapped the trust for $500,000, and six months later he was back for more."[9] The actor's parents divorced when he was one, and Robertson's mother died of peritonitis a year later in El Paso, Texas, at the age of 21.[3][9][10] He was raised by his maternal grandmother, Mary Eleanor "Eleanora" Willingham (née Sawyer, 1875–1957), in California, and he and his father rarely saw one another.[3][9][11] He graduated from La Jolla High School in 1941,[12] where he was known as "The Walking Phoenix".[13][why?] He then served in the merchant marine in World War II[3] before attending Antioch College in Ohio and dropping out to work as a journalist for a short time.[14][15]

Career

Robertson had a bit part in Mr. Roberts (1950) in Boston.

Feature films

Robertson was President John F. Kennedy's personal choice to play him in 1963's PT 109 as a young Lieutenant PT boat captain. Kennedy chose Robertson over Edd "Kookie" Byrnes, Warren Beatty (Jacqueline Kennedy's choice), and Jeffrey Hunter.[16]
The next year, Robertson played a presidential candidate in The Best Man.
He won the 1968 Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of a mentally disabled man in Charly, an adaptation of the science fiction novel Flowers for Algernon.
Other films included Picnic (1955), Autumn Leaves (1956), Gidget (1959), Sunday in New York (1963), Devil's Brigade (1968), Too Late the Hero (1970), J. W. Coop (1972), Three Days of the Condor (1975), Obsession (1976), Star 80 (1983) and Malone (1987). Late in his life Robertson's career had a resurgence. He appeared as Uncle Ben Parker in the first movie adaptation of Spider-Man (2002), as well as in the sequels Spider-Man 2 (2004) and Spider-Man 3 (2007). He commented on his website: "Since Spider-Man 1 and 2, I seem to have a whole new generation of fans. That in itself is a fine residual."[17] He was also in the horror film Riding the Bullet (2004).
In 1989, he was a member of the jury at the 39th Berlin International Film Festival.[18]

Television

Robertson's early television appearances include a starring role in the live space opera Rod Brown of the Rocket Rangers (1953–1954), as well as recurring roles on Hallmark Hall of Fame (1952), Alcoa Theatre (1959), and Playhouse 90 (1958, 1960), The Outlaws (three episodes as Chad Burns). Other appearances included The Twilight Zone episodes "A Hundred Yards Over the Rim" (1961) and "The Dummy" (1962) followed by guest-starring roles in such series as the NBC medical drama about psychiatry The Eleventh Hour (1963) in the role of Jeff Dillon, "The Man Who Came Home Late". In 1958, he portrayed Joe Clay in the very first broadcast of Playhouse 90's Days of Wine and Roses, in what some critics[who?] cite as a superior version of this story about alcoholism. Other network appearances included The Greatest Show on Earth (1963) and ABC's Breaking Point (1964) and the ABC Stage 67 episode "The Trap of Gold" (1966).
He had starring roles in episodes of both the 1960s and 1990s versions of The Outer Limits. He was awarded an Emmy for his leading role in a 1965 episode from Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre entitled "The Game".
He appeared twice as a guest villain on Batman as the gunfighter "Shame" (1966 and 1968), the second time with his wife, Dina Merrill, as "Calamity Jan".
In 1976, he portrayed a retired Buzz Aldrin in an adaptation of Aldrin's autobiography Return to Earth. The next year, he portrayed a fictional Director of Central Intelligence (based on Richard Helms) in Washington: Behind Closed Doors, an adaptation of John Ehrlichman's roman a clef The Company, in turn based on the Watergate scandal. In 1987, he portrayed Henry Ford in Ford: The Man and The Machine.
Later he appeared on Falcon Crest (1983–1984) as Dr. Michael Ranson.
In 1984, he narrated an AT&T promotional video documenting some of its technological improvements at the time. Robertson then became AT&T's national television spokesman for ten years, winning the Advertising Age award for best commercial. He was to be the keynote speaker at an AT&T stockholders' meeting during a strike by AT&T workers, but he refused to cross the picket line and did not speak.
In 2003, he appeared on the short-lived series The Lyon's Den.[citation needed]

Columbia Pictures scandal

In 1977, Robertson discovered that his signature had been forged on a $10,000 check payable to him, although it was for work he had not performed. He also learned that the forgery had been carried out by Columbia Pictures head David Begelman, and on reporting it he inadvertently triggered one of the biggest Hollywood scandals of the 1970s.[19] As a result of Robertson's whistle-blowing, Begelman was charged with embezzlement: he later was fired from Columbia. Robertson was subsequently blacklisted for several years before he finally returned to film in Brainstorm (1983).[15][20] The story of the scandal is told in David McClintick's 1982 bestseller Indecent Exposure.

Personal life

In 1957, Robertson married actress Cynthia Stone, the former wife of actor Jack Lemmon. They had a daughter, Stephanie, before divorcing in 1959; by this marriage he also had a stepson, Chris Lemmon.
In 1966, he married actress and Post Cereals heiress Dina Merrill, the former wife of Stanley M. Rumbough, Jr.; they had a daughter, Heather (1969-2007), before divorcing in 1989.[3] By this marriage, he also had stepchildren Stanley Hutton Rumbough, David Post Rumbough, and Nedenia (Nina) Colgate Rumbough.
One of Robertson's main hobbies was flying and, among other aircraft, he owned several de Havilland Tiger Moths, a Messerschmitt Bf 108, and a genuine World War II era Mk.IX Supermarine Spitfire MK923.[21][22] He even entered balloon races, including one in 1964 from the mainland to Catalina Island that ended with him being rescued from the Pacific Ocean. A certified private pilot, Robertson was a longtime member of the Experimental Aircraft Association, working his way through the ranks in prominence and eventually co-founding the EAA's Young Eagles program, which he chaired from its 1992 inception to 1994 (succeeded by former test pilot Gen. Chuck Yeager). He was flying a private Beechcraft Baron directly over New York City on the morning of September 11, 2001. He was directly over the World Trade Center, climbing through 7,500 feet, when the first Boeing 767 struck. He was ordered by air traffic control to land immediately at the nearest airport following a nationwide order to ground all civilian and commercial aircraft following the attacks.[23]

Death

On September 10, 2011, just one day after his 88th birthday, Robertson died of natural causes in Stony Brook, New York.[24]

Filmography

Year Film Role Notes
1943 Corvette K-225 uncredited
We've Never Been Licked Adams (uncredited)
1956 Picnic Alan Benson
Autumn Leaves Burt Hanson
1957 The Girl Most Likely Pete
1958 The Naked and the Dead Lieutenant Robert Hearn
1959 Gidget The Big Kahuna
As the Sea Rages Clements
Battle of the Coral Sea Lt. Cmdr. Jeff Conway
1961 The Big Show Josef Everard
"A Hundred Yards Over the Rim" (The Twilight Zone) Christian Horn
All in a Night's Work Warren Kingsley, Jr.
Underworld U.S.A. Tolly Devlin
1962 The Interns Dr. John Paul Otis
The Dummy: The Twilight Zone: Episode 98 Ventriloquist[25]
1963 My Six Loves Reverend Jim Larkin
PT 109 Lt. (j.g.) John F. Kennedy
Sunday in New York Adam Tyler
1964 633 Squadron Wing Cmdr. Roy Grant
The Best Man Joe Cantwell
1965 Up from the Beach Sgt. Edward Baxter
Masquerade David Frazer
Love Has Many Faces Pete Jordon
1967 The Honey Pot William McFly
1968 The Devil's Brigade Maj. Alan Crown
Charly Charlie Gordon Academy Award for Best Actor
National Board of Review Award for Best Actor
Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
1970 Too Late the Hero Lt. (j.g.) Sam Lawson
1972 J. W. Coop J. W. Coop
The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid Cole Younger
1973 The Men Who Made the Movies: Alfred Hitchcock narrator
Ace Eli and Rodger of the Skies Ace Eli Walford
1974 Man on a Swing Lee Tucker
1975 Out of Season Joe Tanner Entered into the 25th Berlin International Film Festival
Three Days of the Condor J. Higgins
1976 Shoot Rex
Midway Cmdr. Carl Jessop
Obsession Michael Courtland
Return to Earth Buzz Aldrin
1977 Fraternity Row Narrator
Washington: Behind Closed Doors William Martin Adaptation of The Company; character based on Richard Helms
1979 The Little Prince
Martin the Cobbler
Rip Van Wynkle
The Diary of Adam and Eve
Host; The pilot (Little Prince) Package of Claymation shorts by Will Vinton
1980 Dominique David Ballard
The Pilot Mike Hagan
1983 Brainstorm Alex Terson
Falcon Crest Dr. Michael Ranson Season 3
Class Mr. Burroughs
Star 80 Hugh Hefner
1985 Shaker Run Judd Pierson
1987 Malone Charles Delaney
Ford: The Man and the Machine Henry Ford
1991 Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken Doctor Carver
1992 Wind Morgan Weld
1994 Renaissance Man Colonel James
1995 Waiting for Sunset or The Sunset Boys (Pakten) Ted Roth
1996 Escape from L.A. President
1998 Assignment Berlin Cliff Garret
Melting Pot Jack Durman
1999 Family Tree Larry
2000 Falcon Down Buzz Thomas
2001 Mach 2 Vice President Pike
2002 13th Child Mr. Shroud Robertson was one of the writers of this film
Spider-Man Ben Parker
2004 Spider-Man 2 Ben Parker Cameo
Riding the Bullet Farmer
2007 Spider-Man 3 Ben Parker Cameo; Last film appearance

Awards

Robertson received an award from Antioch College Alumni in 2007 for his contributions to his field of work. In addition to his Oscar and Emmy and several lifetime achievement awards from various film festivals, Robertson has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6801 Hollywood Blvd. He was also awarded the 2008 Ambassador of Good Will Aviation Award by the National Transportation Safety Board Bar Association in Alexandria, Virginia, on May 18, 2008, for his leadership in and promotion of general aviation.
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Bernice Lake, Anguillan-born Antiguan jurist, first Eastern Caribbean woman to be appointed Queen's Counsel, died she was 78.

Dame Bernice Lake , died she was 78.

 (died September 10, 2011)

was an Anguillan-born jurist and legal scholar whose career spanned more than forty years. In 1985, she became the first woman from the Eastern Caribbean to be appointed Queen's Counsel.[1][2] Lake was also the first graduate of the University of the West Indies to receive the honor.[1][2]
Lake was born in Anguilla and attended school on St. Kitts, but resided in Antigua for most of her life.[1][3][4] She obtained a degree in history and graduated with honors from the University College of the West Indies at Mona in Jamaica, which later became the University of the West Indies.[3][4]
Lake worked as a diplomat for the short-lived West Indies Federation's foreign service until the federation collapsed in 1962.[1] Lake soon launched a second career by entering law school at UCL Faculty of Laws at University College London.[1][3] She campaigned against apartheid in South Africa and other causes as a law student.[4] Lake earned her Honours Degree in Law in 1967.[4]
Lake was admitted to the bar in St. Kitts in 1967 soon after obtaining her law degree.[4] Lake became a prominent jurist, specializing in human rights and constitutional law.[1] Her chambers, Lake & Kentish, which she opened with attorney Joyce Kentishher niece and was later joined by Kendreth Kentish and George Lake, were located on Antigua.[1][2] Lake was the chief architect of the 1975 Constitution of Anguilla.[1][2][4] In 1981, she served as a member of the committee charged with framing the Constitution of Antigua and Barbuda.[1][2] Another member of the Antiguan constitutional committee, Sydney Christian QC, said of Lake's role in drafting the document, "She was very much in the forefront of the fight for constitutional law and she was always very aggressive in her defence of the Constitution here in Antigua."[4]
Lake was a supporter of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ),[5] which was established in 2001.
In 2004, the government of Antigua and Barbuda bestowed knighthood and the title Dame on Lake for her contributions to contributions to the Antiguan and the Caribbean legal systems,[4] as well as her outlook on women's rights, political rights and civil rights.[1] The University of the West Indies awarded Lake a Honorary Doctorate in Law at its Cave Hill campus graduation in Barbados in 2007.[1][2] In July 2011, the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, Anguilla Bar Association, and the other bar associations of the OECS honored her for her contributions at a joint event.[4]
Dame Bernice Lake died at Mount St John Medical Centre in Antigua September 10, 2011, at the age of 78 after a brief illness.[1][4][5] Her funeral was held at St Peters Parish Church in St. John's with burial in the churchyard.[5] Dignitaries in attendance included Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda Baldwin Spencer, Governor-General of Antigua and Barbuda Dame Louise Lake-Tack, opposition leaders and members of the Caribbean legal community.[5] The delegation from Anguilla included Minister of Home Affairs Walcott Richardson.[5]
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Graham Collier, British jazz bassist, died he was 74.

James Graham Collier  was an English jazz bassist, bandleader and composer  died he was 74..

(21 February 1937 – 10 September 2011) 

Life and career

Born in Tynemouth, Northumberland, on leaving school Collier joined the British Army as a musician, spending three years in Hong Kong. He subsequently won a Down Beat magazine scholarship to the Berklee School of Music, Boston, studying with Herb Pomeroy and was its first British graduate in 1963. On his return to Britain he founded the first version of an ensemble devoted to his own compositions, Graham Collier Music, which included Kenny Wheeler, Harry Beckett and John Surman, and in later line-ups Karl Jenkins, Mike Gibbs, Art Themen and many other notable musicians.[2] Collier was the first recipient of an Arts Council bursary for jazz, and was commissioned by festivals, groups and broadcasters across Europe, North America, Australia and the Far East. He produced 19 albums and CDs of his music and also worked in a wide range of other media: on stage plays and musicals, on documentary and fiction film, and on a variety of radio drama productions.
Collier was also an author and educator, having written seven books on jazz and given lectures and workshops around the world. As Simon Purcell noted, "Jazz education in the UK owes an enormous amount to Graham Collier (alongside Eddie Harvey and Lionel Grigson) without whom our current positions and extent of provision would been considerably harder to achieve."[3]In 1987, Collier launched the jazz degree course at London’s Royal Academy of Music and was its artistic director until he resigned in 1999 to concentrate on his own music. In 1989, he was among the group of jazz educators who formed the International Association of Schools of Jazz, whose magazine, Jazz Changes, he co-edited for seven years. He was awarded an Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in 1987 for his services to jazz.
Latterly, Collier lived on a small island in Greece,[4] where he composed, wrote and administered his back catalogue, travelling to present concerts and workshops around the world. His book, The Jazz Composer: Moving Music Off the Paper, a philosophical look at jazz and jazz composing, was published by Northway Books in 2005, and his nineteenth CD, directing 14 Jackson Pollocks, mainly recorded in 2004, was released by the jazzcontinuum label.

Works

Discography

Books

  • Jazz - A Students' and Teachers' Guide (Hardback and Paperback, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1977) Translated into German, Norwegian and Italian.
  • Inside Jazz (Hardback and Paperback, London: Quartet Books, 1973)
  • Compositional Devices (Boston, Mass.: Berklee Press Publications, 1975)
  • Cleo and John (London: Quartet Books, 1976)
  • Jazz Workshop the Blues, (Universal Edition 1988) ISBN 0-900938-61-7
  • Interaction – Opening Up the Jazz Ensemble (1998)
  • The Jazz Composer, moving music off the paper (London: Northway Publications, 2009) ISBN 978-0-9557888-0-2
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Dickey Betts died he was 80

Early Career Forrest Richard Betts was also known as Dickey Betts Betts collaborated with  Duane Allman , introducing melodic twin guitar ha...