Christa Wolf, German writer, died she was 82.

Christa Wolf was a German literary critic, novelist, and essayist died he was 82..^[1][2] She was one of the best-known writers to have emerged from the former East Germany.^[3][4]

^{(née Ihlenfeld; 18 March 1929, Landsberg an der Warthe – 1 December 2011, Berlin)}

Biography

Wolf was born in Landsberg an der Warthe in the Province of Brandenburg;^[3] the city is now Gorzów Wielkopolski, Poland. After World War II, Wolf and her family, being Germans, were expelled from their home on what had become Polish territory. They crossed the new Oder-Neisse border in 1945 and settled in Mecklenburg, in what would become the German Democratic Republic, or East Germany. She studied literature at the University of Jena and the University of Leipzig. After her graduation, she worked for the German Writers' Union and became an editor for a publishing company.
She joined the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED) in 1949 and left it in June 1989. She was a candidate member of the Central Committee of the SED from 1963 to 1967. Stasi records found in 1993 showed that she worked as an informant (Inoffizieller Mitarbeiter) during the years 1959–61.^[4] The Stasi officers criticized what they called her "reticence", and they lost interest in her cooperation. She was herself then closely watched for nearly 30 years. During the Cold War, Wolf was openly critical of the leadership of the GDR, but she maintained a loyalty to the values of socialism and opposed German reunification.^[1]
Wolf's breakthrough as a writer came in 1963 with the publication of Der geteilte Himmel (Divided Heaven).^[2] Her subsequent works included Nachdenken über Christa T. (The Quest for Christa T.) (1968), Kindheitsmuster (Patterns of Childhood) (1976), Kein Ort. Nirgends (1979), Kassandra (Cassandra) (1983), Störfall (Accident) (1987), Medea (1996), Auf dem Weg nach Tabou (On the Way to Taboo) (1994), and Stadt der Engel oder The Overcoat of Dr. Freud (2010) (City of Angels or The Overcoat of Dr. Freud). Christa T was a work that—while briefly touching on a disconnection from one's family's ancestral home—was concerned with a woman's experiencing overwhelming societal pressure to conform.
Kassandra is perhaps Wolf's most important book, re-interpreting the battle of Troy as a war for economic power and a shift from a matriarchal to a patriarchal society. Was bleibt (What Remains), described her life under Stasi surveillance, was written in 1979, but not published until 1990. Auf dem Weg nach Tabou (1995; translated as Parting from Phantoms) gathered essays, speeches, and letters written during the four years following the reunification of Germany. Leibhaftig (2002) describes a woman struggling with life and death in 1980s East-German hospital, while awaiting medicine from the West. Central themes in her work are German fascism, humanity, feminism, and self-discovery.
Wolf died 1 December 2011 in Berlin, where she lived with her husband, Gerhard Wolf.^[5] She was buried on 13 December 2011 in Berlin's Dorotheenstadt cemetery.^[6]

Reception

Wolf's works have sometimes been seen as controversial since German reunification. Upon publication of Was bleibt, West German critics such as Frank Schirrmacher argued that Wolf failed to criticize the authoritarianism of the East German Communist regime, whilst others called her works "moralistic". Defenders have recognized Wolf's role in establishing a distinctly East German literary voice.^[7] Fausto Cercignani's study of Wolf’s earlier novels and essays on her later works have helped promote awareness of her narrative gifts, irrespective of her political and personal ups and downs. The emphasis placed by Cercignani on Christa Wolf’s heroism has opened the way to subsequent studies in this direction.^[8]
Wolf received the Heinrich Mann Prize in 1963, the Georg Büchner Prize in 1980, and the Schiller Memorial Prize in 1983, the Geschwister-Scholl-Preis in 1987, as well as other national and international awards. After the German reunification, Wolf received further awards: in 1999 she was awarded the Elisabeth Langgässer Prize and the Nelly Sachs Literature Prize, and Wolf became the first recipient of the Deutscher Bücherpreis (German Book Prize) in 2002 for her lifetime achievement. In 2010, Wolf was awarded the Großer Literaturpreis der Bayerischen Akademie der Schönen Künste.



To see more of who died in 2011 click here

Alan Sues, American comic (Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In), died from a heart attack he was 85.

Alan Grigsby Sues was an American comic actor widely known for his roles on the 1968–1973 television series Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In died from a heart attack he was 85.. Alan's on-screen persona was campy, outrageous and contained verbal slapstick. Typical of his humor was a skit that found him following a pair of whiskey-drinking cowboys to a Wild West bar and requesting a frozen daiquiri.^[2][3] Alan's recurring characters on the program included Big Al the Sportscaster and Uncle Al the Kiddie's Pal.^[2] Alan also parodied castmate Jo Anne Worley when she left the show, appearing in drag.

(March 7, 1926 – December 1, 2011)

Early life

Alan was born on March 7, 1926, in Ross, California. His parents were Alice (née Murray) and Melvyn Sues, who raised racehorses, requiring the family to move frequently. Alan served in the Army in Europe during World War II.^[1]

Career

Alan used World War II veterans’ benefits to pay for acting lessons at the Pasadena Playhouse, where he performed, later making his Broadway debut in the stage play Tea and Sympathy, directed by Elia Kazan, which had a successful run in New York City beginning in 1953.^[1] During this period, Alan met and married Phyllis Gehrig, a dancer and actress, subsequently starting a vaudevillian nightclub act in Manhattan — with which they toured North America before divorcing in 1958.^[1]
After touring the country with his wife, Alan was able to get more work in stand-up comedy (at Reuben Bleu and Blue Angel, both clubs in Manhattan), worked with Julius Monk, and joined an improv/sketch group with The Mad Show, which led to his being cast in Laugh-In.^[1]
Outside of Laugh-In, Alan appeared in the classic Twilight Zone episode "The Masks", in a non-comic role. This episode called for his character to be of college (or, possibly even high school) age, as evidenced by references to his being captain of the football team and doing well in school. Being 38 at the time, his looks ran counter to this, with a comb-over and thinning hair.^[4] He also had supporting roles in the films Move Over, Darling (1963) and The Americanization of Emily (1964).^[5]
After Laugh-In, Alan also portrayed Moriarty onstage in Sherlock Holmes (opposite John Wood, and later Leonard Nimoy), which, according to Alan, was "one of my favorite roles, because it's so against type, and I loved the makeup". The makeup for Moriarty was used in several books about makeup as an example of shadowing and technique.
Alan appeared in television commercials for Peter Pan Peanut Butter during the 1970s, as a tongue-in-cheek Peter Pan. He also toured with Singin' in the Rain, playing the Elocution Instructor. In addition, he appeared in several movies, and provided voiceovers including Oh! Heavenly Dog and Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July.

Later years

Alan appeared in the short films Lord of the Road (1999) and Artificially Speaking (2009), the latter making its premiere at the 2009 Dances With Films festival in Los Angeles.^[6]
In 2008, fifty years after his divorce from Phyllis, she conducted a lengthy interview with Alan at his home for her website.^[7]
Alan had recently finished recording an audio stories CD collection, entitled Oh, Nothing.., which was released for sale December 22, 2011 on his website. The project is compiled of several comedic stories and anecdotes from his 50 years in theater, film and television.
Alan died on December 1, 2011, at Ceders-Sinai Medical Center, West Hollywood, where he was taken after suffering an apparent heart attack while watching television with his beloved dog, Doris,^[1] according to his friend and accountant, Michael Michaud.
Michael Michaud said that, even though Alan never disclosed publicly during his career that he was gay, his over-the-top, flamboyant, stereotypically gay mannerisms displayed on Laugh-In were an inspiration to many viewers when they were young, as he was "the only gay man they could see on television at the time."^[1]
Alan was survived by various family members, including his late brother’s widow, her daughter and her daughter's husband and their three children, and by many long-standing friends.
A private Memorial was held for Alan at his house in West Hollywood on March 25, 2012, where he was remembered, on a sunny California afternoon, with much humor and affection. Many surviving “Laugh-In” alumnae attended.
Alan's ashes were scattered on the ocean off the Connecticut coast.

Stage

• Tea and Sympathy (1953–1955) — Ralph
• Happy Birthday (1956)
• The Mad Show (1966–1967) Off-Broadway
• Good News (1972) Community theatre  — Kenley Players (Ohio)^[8]
• The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1974–1976) — Professor Moriarty
• The Three Musketeers (1976)
• Singin' in the Rain (national tour 1995–1999) — Director/elocutionist
• Two for the Show (1998–2000) — One-man stage show, multiple characters

Filmography

Film

• Move Over, Darling (1963) — Court Clerk
• The Americanization of Emily (1964) — Officer Enright
• Oh! Heavenly Dog (1980) — Freddie
• Snowballing (AKA Smooth Moves) (1984) — Roy
• A Bucket of Blood (1995) — Art Buyer
• Lord of the Road (1999)
• Artificially Speaking (2009) — Sparky Schlosser

Television

• The Twilight Zone "The Masks" (1964) — Wilfred Harper, Jr.
• The Wild Wild West (1965) — Matt Dawson
• Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1968–1972) — Regular performer
• Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July (1979) — Scratcher the jealous Reindeer
• The Brady Brides "Cool Hand Phil" (1981) — Duke
• Punky Brewster "Tangled Web" (1987) — Andre Sockstein
• Sabrina, the Teenage Witch "Good Will Haunting" (1998) — Bellevuedere

To see more of who died in 2011 click here

Louis Silverstein, American artist and graphic designer, died he was 92.

Louis Silverstein was an American artist and graphic designer who is best known for his work at The New York Times. He was inducted into the Art Directors Hall of Fame in 1984 died he was 92..

(October 10, 1919 – December 1, 2011) 

Silverstein was born in Brooklyn, New York. He attended Boys High School and graduated from the Pratt Institute with a degree in fine arts. During World War II, Silverstein served in the Army Air Forces, doing graphic design. After the war, he attended the Chicago Institute of Design, where he was exposed to avant-garde design.
Silverstein worked for a variety of employers, including labor unions and an advertising agency. He was art director for Amerika, a Russian magazine prepared by the U.S. State Department for distribution in the Soviet Union.
In 1952, Silverstein joined the promotions department at The New York Times. He helped make the newspaper more readable in 1967, when he enlarged the typeface. In 1976, he changed the format of the front page from eight columns to six. Also that year, he helped introduce the new weekday sections of the newspaper ("SportsMonday", "Science Times", "Living", "Home", and "Weekend").
Silverstein was inducted into the Art Directors Hall of Fame in 1984. At the time, Massimo Vignelli said, "We are affected by all the factors in the environment around us, and nothing is more ubiquitous than the newspaper. By changing the Times and influencing so many newspapers in other cities, we are indebted to him for improving the quality of our lives."
After his 1985 retirement, Silverstein continued to consult to The New York Times and other newspapers. He was responsible for the new look of 35 regional newspapers as well as papers in Brazil, Kenya, and Spain.

Bibliography

Silverstein, Louis (1990). Newspaper Design for the Times. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold. ISBN 978-0-442-28321-6.
To see more of who died in 2011 click here

Purificacion Quisumbing, Filipino human rights advocate, Chairperson of Commission on Human Rights (2002–2008), died from multiple myeloma she was 77.

Purificacion Valera Quisumbing  was a Filipino human rights activist who served as the Chairperson of Commission on Human Rights from 2002 to 2008 died from multiple myeloma she was 77..^[1]

^{(c. 1934 – December 1, 2011)}

In March 2011, the United Nations Human Rights Council re-elected Quisumbing to a second, three-year term on the council's advisory committee.^[2]
Quisumbing died on December 1, 2011, at the age of 77.^[1] She was survived by her husband, Leonardo Quisumbing, a retired Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines and their 2 daughters.


To see more of who died in 2011 click here

Mr. Ebbo, Tanzanian rapper, died from leukemia he was 37.

Abel Loshilaa Motika , known for his stage name Mr. Ebbo, was a Masai hip hop musician from Tanzania  died from leukemia he was 37..

(born May 26, 1974,^[1] died December 1, 2011 in Arusha)

Mr Ebbo was one of the pioneering bongo Flava artistes. He rose to national fame with his single "Mimi Mmasai" in early 2000s. His other hits include "Bado" and "Kamongo". Most of his recordings were made at Motika Studios in Tanga. He performed in traditional Masai costumes.^[2]
In 2003 he was named to head a government campaign endorsing privatisation, for which he composed the song "Ubinaf-sishaji" (privatisation).^[3]
He died of leukemia on December 1, 2011 at Mission Usa River Hospital in Arusha. He left a widow with two daughters.^[2]

Albums

• Fahari Yako (2002)
• Bado (2003)
• Kazi Gani (2004)
• Alibamu (2005)
• Kamongo (2006)

To see more of who died in 2011 click here

Bill McKinney , American actor (Deliverance, The Outlaw Josey Wales), died from esophageal cancer he was 80.

William Denison "Bill" McKinney was an American character actor whose most famous role was the sadistic mountain man in the movie Deliverance. McKinney was also recognizable for his performances in seven Clint Eastwood films, most notably as Union cavalry commander Captain "Redlegs" Terrill in The Outlaw Josey Wales died from esophageal cancer he was 80..

(September 12, 1931 – December 1, 2011) 

Early life

McKinney was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He had an unsettled life as a child, moving twelve times. Once when his family moved from Tennessee to Georgia, he was beaten by a gang and thrown into a creek. At the age of 19, he joined the Navy during the Korean War. He served two years on a mine sweeper in Korean waters, as well as being stationed at Port Hueneme in Ventura County, California.^{[citation needed]}
While on leave from this posting, he visited Los Angeles; during this time, he decided he wanted to be an actor. Upon his discharge in 1954, he settled in southern California, attending acting school at the famous Pasadena Playhouse in 1957. His classmates included Dustin Hoffman and Mako. During this time, McKinney supported himself by working as an arborist, trimming and taking down trees - he continued working in this field until the mid-1970s, by which time he was appearing in major films.^{[citation needed]}

Career

After Pasadena Playhouse he moved onto Lee Strasberg's Actors Studio, making his movie debut in exploitation pic She Freak (1967). For ten years he was a teacher at Cave Spring Middle School. He made his television debut in 1968 on an episode of The Monkees and attracted attention as Lobo in Alias Smith and Jones. It was the film Deliverance which provided his breakthrough in 1972, and remains his signature role.^{[citation needed]}
He cemented his reputation as an onscreen villain in the 1970s with appearances in Junior Bonner, The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean and The Parallax View. It was with Clint Eastwood that McKinney would become most associated, becoming part of Eastwood's stock company^[1] after they worked together in Michael Cimino's Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, in which McKinney played a character called Crazy Driver. He starred as 'Capt. "Redlegs" Terrell' in The Outlaw Josey Wales under Eastwood's direction. He appeared in another six Eastwood films from The Gauntlet in 1977, Every Which Way but Loose in 1978, Any Which Way You Can in 1980, Pink Cadillac in 1989 when the stock company disbanded.
Other memorable roles include a misanthrope who is done in by John Wayne's The Shootist. He also appeared in such later films as First Blood (1982), Heart Like a Wheel (1983), Against All Odds (1984), Back to the Future Part III (1990), and The Green Mile (1999). He appeared in the TV movie The Execution of Private Slovik (1974), while guest-starring on such television shows as The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, Starsky and Hutch, The A-Team, Murder, She Wrote and Columbo. He also had an uncredited role in the TV miniseries Roots (1977), playing alongside Georg Stanford Brown, Lloyd Bridges and Burl Ives.
McKinney took up singing in the late 1990s, eventually releasing an album of standards and country & western songs appropriately titled Love Songs from Antri, reflecting Don Job's pronunciation of the infamous town featured in Deliverance. One of his songs featured in the film Undertow, directed by David Gordon Green. ^[2] He also played Jonah Hex in an episode of Batman: The Animated Series called "Showdown". In February 2010 he accepted a role in the Robin Hood–inspired horror film Sherwood Horror^[3] and formerly had a short cameo in 2001 Maniacs.^[4]

Death

McKinney's death was announced on his Facebook page on December 1, 2011.^[5][6] The announcement read:

"Today our dear Bill McKinney passed away at Valley Presbyterian Hospice. An avid smoker for 25 years of his younger life, he died of cancer of the esophagus. He was 80 and still strong enough to have filmed a Dorito's commercial 2 weeks prior to his passing, and he continued to work on his biography with his writing partner. Hopefully 2012 will bring a publisher for the wild ride his life was. He is survived by son Clinton, along with several ex-wives. R.I.P. Bill sept.12 1931 - dec. 1 2011" [sic]".

To see more of who died in 2011 click here

François Lesage, French embroidery designer, died he was 82.

François Lesage was a French embroidery designer and heir to the embroidery atelier  died he was 82., Maison Lesage. Lesage was a Chevalier of the Legion d'Honneur.^[1]
Lesage was born in Chaville, France, on March 31, 1929.^[2]
Lesage inherited the Maison Lesage, which was bought by his father, Albert Lesage, in 1924.^[2] He became well known for his embroidery work throughout the French high fashion houses in Paris.^[1] Lesage shepherded the business throughout the late 20th Century, at a time when many other traditional embroidery houses in France disappeared.^[1] Under Lesage, the House collaborated with new, well known fashion clients, including Givenchy, Christian Lacroix, Balenciaga and Dior.^[1] Lesage partnered with many of the era's best known fashion designers, including Elsa Schiaparelli and Vionnet.^[1]
François Lesage sold the Maison Lesage to Chanel in 2002. Chanel had begun its acquisition of many of Paris' top petites mains in a bid to ensure their continued survival in a changing fashion industry.^[1]
Lesage was awarded the Maître d'Art from the French Ministry of Culture in November 2011, just one week before his death.^[2] At the time, Minister of Culture Frédéric Mitterrand said, "I cannot imagine fashion without embroidery, embroidery without Monsieur Lesage."^[2]
Francois Lesage died at a Paris hospital on December 1, 2011, at the age of 82.^[2] He was survived by his wife and four children.^[3]


To see more of who died in 2011 click here