Tag Archives: obit

U-Roy, the influential reggae artist who specialized in the art of toasting and whose style became a key precursor in the early development of hip-hop, has died at the age of 78. The singer and producer died in his native Jamaica Wednesday after a long illness, Loop Jamaica reported. “We …

Cloris Leachman, the Emmy- and Oscar-winning actress beloved by generations for endearing and comedic roles, died of natural causes on Tuesday in Encinitas, CA, according to her longtime manager Juliet Green. She was 94. Leachman was perhaps best known for her role as Phyllis Lindstrom from The Mary Tyler Moore …

Michael Apted, the director of Coal Miner’s Daughter, the James Bond film The World Is Not Enough and the Up documentary series, has died at the age of 79. Apted’s reps the Gersh Agency confirmed the filmmaker’s death to Variety, though a date or cause of death was not revealed. …

K.T. Oslin, the first female songwriter to win the CMA Award for Song of the Year, for her 1987 hit “80’s Ladies,” died Monday at 78. Oslin had been battling Parkinson’s disease and was diagnosed with Covid-19 last week, according to her friend, the journalist Robert K. Oermann, who confirmed …

Mac Davis, the country-music artist and songwriter behind some of Elvis Presley‘s most indelible recordings, died Tuesday at 78. Davis became “critically ill following heart surgery in Nashville,” according to a tweet from his family on Monday. His manager confirmed the entertainer’s death in a statement. Born in Lubbock, Texas, …

Allen Garfield, the filmmaker-favorite character actor who played small but significant roles in Seventies classics like The Conversation and Nashville, has died at the age of 80. The New Jersey Star-Ledger, where Garfield worked as a sportswriter in the Fifties, first reported the Newark-born actor’s death following complications from COVID-19. …

Paul English, Willie Nelson‘s longtime drummer who was immortalized in Nelson’s road song “Me and Paul,” has died at 87 following a bout with pneumonia. Nelson’s publicist confirmed English’s death to Rolling Stone. Born in 1932 in Vernon, Texas, English joined Nelson’s Family Band in 1966 and continued to perform …

Michael Busbee, the producer and songwriter who helped shape Maren Morris‘ country-music career with her debut album Hero and co-wrote hits for Pink, Florida Georgia Line, and Lady Antebellum, has died. Known professionally as “busbee,” the California native was 43. The cause of death was not yet disclosed, but Warner …

Ross Perot, the Texas-born self-made billionaire who twice ran for president as a third party candidate, had died at 89 after a bout with leukemia. The former candidate died at his Dallas home on Tuesday surrounded by family members, according to a statement released by his family. “In business and …

Max Wright, the actor who portrayed the father on the Eighties sitcom Alf, has died. He was 75. On Wednesday, Wright’s son Ben confirmed his death to the Hollywood Reporter. TMZ first reported the death, adding that Wright died at his home in Hermosa Beach, California following a long battle …