Obituary News

Harrison Ridley Jr., 70, Longtime Jazz Radio Host

Source: All About Jazz
February 23, 2009

Harrison Ridley Jr., 70, Philadelphia's sagacious jazz musicologist and radio host who expressed approval for a song with his on-air trademark “Yes, indeedy," died Thursday of complications of a stroke. Mr. Ridley, who was born and raised in West Philadelphia, educated and entertained jazz devotees listening to Temple University radio on Sunday nights. A proud and discriminating collector of jazz, Mr. Ridley often played songs from his personal collection of more than 8,000 recordings (most of them vinyl) and books, ...

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Elo Bass Player Kelly Groucutt Dies

Source: All About Jazz
February 21, 2009

Kelly Groucutt, former bass player with 1970s rock hitmakers ELO, died Feb. 19 in Worcester, central England, after having a heart attack. He was 63.

Formed in Birmingham, England, in 1971 by local musicians Jeff Lynne and Roy Wood, ELO -- short for Electric Light Orchestra -- combined rock 'n roll with orchestral arrangements replete with string sections, choirs and symphonic sweep.

Groucutt joined ELO in 1974 after leaving his previous band, Sight and Sound. He played bass and sang ...

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Cameraman Robert Ulland Dies

Source: All About Jazz
February 21, 2009

Operator worked on Fugitive, Batman Forever

Steadicam operator-cameraman Robert Ulland died Feb. 15 in an accident on his boat in Florida. He was 58. The accident was likely related to his lifelong battle with diabetes.

Ulland's work was seen in films including The Fugitive, Batman Forever, The Horse Whisperer, What Women Want, Domestic Disturbance, and The Guardian. In television, he worked on The West Wing, which was noted for its Steadicam sequences. He was considered one of the pioneers in ...

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WRTI Remembers Legendary Jazz Host Harrison Ridley, Jr.

Source: All About Jazz
February 20, 2009

Philadelphia, PA - February 20, 2009 - A Philadelphia jazz icon has been lost. WRTI's beloved and long-time jazz host Harrison Alexander Ridley, Jr. passed away on Thursday, February 19th after a brief illness. Harrison Ridley Jr. was 70 years old and dedicated 32 years of his life as a jazz broadcaster on WRTI. Harrison Ridley, Jr. was the host of WRTI's award-winning program, The Historical Approach to the Positive Music. Fans from all over the world who wanted to ...

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A Broadway Tribute to Gerald Schoenfeld

Source: Michael Ricci
February 20, 2009

The line to enter the Majestic Theater is always long — The Phantom of the Opera plays there, after all — but Monday the line stretched much farther than usual, as more than 1,500 people arrived for a memorial tribute to Gerald Schoenfeld, the influential theater owner and producer who died at 84 in November.

It was an unusual Broadway moment, as famous friends of the famous Mr. Schoenfeld — like Henry A. Kissinger and Barbara Walters — mixed with ...

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Snooks Eaglin R&B Singer and Guitarist Dies

Source: Michael Ricci
February 20, 2009

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The R&B singer and guitarist Snooks Eaglin, who counted platinum-selling rockers among his fans, died here Wednesday. He was 72.

The cause was a heart attack he suffered after falling ill and being hospitalized last week, said John Blancher, a family friend. Mr. Eaglin learned he had prostate cancer last year.

Musicians including Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney, Robert Plant and Bonnie Raitt would seek out Mr. Eaglin to watch him perform, Mr. Blancher said. But New ...

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Oreste Lionello Italian Movie Dubber Known as Voice of Woody Allen Dies

Source: Michael Ricci
February 19, 2009

ROME -- Oreste Lionello, an entertainer and film dubber who was Italy's “voice" of Woody Allen, Jerry Lewis and other comic stars, died in a Rome hospital today.

Lionello, 81, was a star in Italy's important entertainment industry of movie dubbing. Relatively few Italian cinemas show films in the original language, so moviegoers often only know the voices of Hollywood stars through dubbers like Lionello.

Italian actor and director Pier Francesco Pingitore, who did cabaret acts with Lionello, said the ...

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John McGlinn Restorer of Musicals is Dead

Source: Michael Ricci
February 19, 2009

John McGlinn, a conductor and musical historian who delved deep into neglected archives to recreate musicals like Show Boat, Anything Goes and No, No, Nanette in their original form, died on Saturday at home in Manhattan. He was 55.

His brother, Evan, said that no official cause of death had been determined but that he had probably had a heart attack.

Throughout his career, Mr. McGlinn breathed the intoxicating air of the early Broadway musical, with special attention lavished on ...

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