Obituary News

Rosella Hightower Prima Ballerina and School Founder Passes

Source: Michael Ricci
November 6, 2008

Rosella Hightower, an Oklahoma-born ballerina of enormous flair and virtuosity who followed up a celebrated international career by founding the Centre de Danse Classique in Cannes, France, one of the worlds leading ballet schools, has died at her home in Cannes, her daughter said Tuesday. Miss Hightower was 88. Her daughter, Dominique Monet Robier, told Agence France-Presse that her mother died overnight, late Monday or early Tuesday, after suffering several strokes. Miss Hightower was adored in Europe. After winning praise ...

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Zappa Drummer Jimmy Carl Black Passes

Source: JamBase
November 6, 2008

Frank Zappa Drummer Jimmy Carl Black Passes Away

Jimmy Carl Black Original Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention drummer Jimmy Carl Black (born James Inckanish Jr. in El Paso Texas) - the self-proclaimed “Indian of the group" - passed away on Saturday, November 1. Black suffered from lung cancer and was 70-years-old. On Black's website, a simple note reads:

Jimmy passed away peacefully last night Saturday 11/01/08 at 11:00 o'clock pm. Jimmy says hi to everybody and he ...

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Studs Terkel: 1912-2008

Source: Michael Ricci
November 6, 2008

The Chicago fixture used his knack for conversation to capture oral histories on World War II, the Great Depression and more.

Studs Terkel, who made his name listening to ordinary folks talk about their ordinary lives -- and who turned that knack for conversation into a much-honored literary career -- died Friday. He was 96. Terkel died of old age at his home in Chicago, his son Dan said. “He lived a long, eventful, satisfying, though sometimes tempestuous life," Dan ...

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Ray Ellis Arranger for Darin, Mathis, Day and Holiday Dies

Source: Michael Ricci
November 5, 2008

Ray Ellis dies at 85; arranger worked with Bobby Darin, Johnny Mathis, Doris Day, scores of others. Ellis, a saxophone player who turned to arranging pop music, wrote charts for hits by the Four Lads, Bobby Darin, Connie Francis, Doris Day, Johnny Mathis, Barbra Streisand, Billie Holiday and many others.

Ray Ellis, the versatile pop music arranger who wrote the charts for hits by the Four Lads, Bobby Darin, Connie Francis, Doris Day and Johnny Mathis, has died. ...

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Michael Crichton Million-Selling Science-Fiction Author Dies at 66

Source: Michael Ricci
November 5, 2008

Best-selling author Michael Crichton, who wrote such novels as The Andromeda Strain and Jurassic Park, and created the popular TV drama ER, has died at 66, his family said today.

Crichton, a medical doctor turned novelist whose books have sold more than 150 million copies worldwide, died “unexpectedly" Tuesday in Los Angeles after a private battle with cancer, his family said.

“While the world knew him as a great story teller that challenged our preconceived notions about the world around ...

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Jheryl Busby Ex-Motown Chief Dies

Source: All About Jazz
November 5, 2008

Jheryl Busby, the former president and chief executive of Motown Records who helped foster the careers of Boyz II Men and Johnny Gill, has died. He was 59.

Busby was found early Tuesday in a hot tub at his home in Malibu, said Los Angeles County Assistant Coroner Chief Ed Winter. “It was a possible accident or else he died of natural causes," Winter said. Busby was named Motown's president and chief executive officer in 1988 and stayed there for ...

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Jimmy Carl Black Mothers of Invention Drummer Dead at 70

Source: All About Jazz
November 5, 2008

Jimmy Carl Black, the original drummer for Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, passed away this past weekend after a bout with lung cancer. He was 70.

Black, the self-proclaimed Indian of the group, served with the Mothers from their acclaimed 1966 debut Freak Out! until Zappas 1970 album Weasels Ripped My Flesh. Black is also known for donning a dress on the cover of Were Only In It For the Money.

Blacks drumming also formed the heartbeat during ...

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Yma Sumac Peruvian Songbird Silenced

Source: Michael Ricci
November 4, 2008

Yma Sumac, 'Peruvian songbird' with multi-octave range, dies at 86 The singer with a persona matching her exotic voice became an international sensation in the 1950s.

Yma Sumac, the Peruvian-born singer whose spectacular multi-octave vocal range and exotic persona made her an international sensation in the 1950s, has died. She was 86. Sumac, who was diagnosed with colon cancer in February, died Saturday in an assisted-living facility in Silver Lake, said Damon Devine, her personal assistant and close friend. Bursting ...

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