Celebrity Obits 2021

[TTL News 308]

 

[Kevin 334]

Prince Philip also

[TTL News 308]

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Tom T. Hall, the singer-songwriter who composed "Harper Valley P.T.A." and sang about life’s simple joys as country music’s consummate blue collar bard, has died. He was 85.

His son, Dean Hall, confirmed the musician's death on Friday at his home in Franklin, Tennessee. 

Known as "The Storyteller" for his unadorned yet incisive lyrics, Hall composed hundreds of songs.

Along with such contemporaries as Kris Kristofferson, John Hartford and Mickey Newbury, Hall helped usher in a literary era of country music in the early ’70s, with songs that were political, like "Watergate Blues" and "The Monkey That Became President," deeply personal like "The Year Clayton Delaney Died," and philosophical like "(Old Dogs, Children and) Watermelon Wine."

"In all my writing, I’ve never made judgments," he said in 1986. "I think that’s my secret. I’m a witness. I just watch everything and don’t decide if it’s good or bad."

 

See the rest here.

[Chris 2,162]

I like a lot of his songs. They're simple, right to the heart. I mean, how can you lose with a song like this?

 

[TTL News 308]

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NEW YORK (AP) — Comic Norm Macdonald, a former “Saturday Night Live” writer and performer who was “Weekend Update” host during the 1990s, has died.

Macdonald, who was 61, died Tuesday after a nine-year battle with cancer that he kept private, according to Brillstein Entertainment Partners, his management firm in Los Angeles.

The son of two schoolteachers raised in Quebec City, Canada, Macdonald was a standup comic and briefly a writer for the sitcom “Roseanne” when he was picked to join the cast of “Saturday Night Live” in 1993.

 

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[Kevin 334]

I loved him on the news desk of SNL. 

[Chris 2,162]

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In response to a number of comments on his annual “In Memoriam” article, stating that Tom’s cause of death was by suicide, Saving Country Music writer Kyle Coroneos reached out to Williamson County officials and received confirmation via the Williamson County Medical Examiner’s office.

And today, he reported that Tom T. Hall had in fact died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. His death was ruled a suicide.

 

Source

So sad.

[Hal 341]

Really Sad , what a story teller ! Old Dogs was one of my favorites , and little baby ducks was another chart topper .  

[Chris 2,162]

I can't help but wonder if he had dementia or something that was going to cause him to waste away. And so he just took matters into his own hands. 

All we can do is honor his memory and enjoy the music. And I will. 

[Kevin 334]

Such a shame!

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-59907931

[Chris 2,162]

He had a good, long life. RIP sir.

I don't know that I've ever sat and watched a complete movie of his. I've seen bits and pieces of "To Sir, With Love". I'll have to look for it and watch the whole thing.

[MsKreed 1,181]

I think "A Patch Of Blue" was probably the first dramatic movie that ever grabbed my attention enough to follow the whole story.

I think I was seven or eight, so a few plot lines went over my head (and I believe some "mature" scenes were edited for TV). But the idea that the respectful and kind man was somehow shunned by the family that could only be described as "white trash" made an impact. 

Edited January 8, 2022 by MsKreed

[TTL News 308]

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NEW YORK (AP) — Meat Loaf, the heavyweight rock superstar loved by millions for his “Bat Out of Hell” album and for such theatrical, dark-hearted anthems as “Paradise By the Dashboard Light,” “Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad,” and “I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That),” has died. He was 74.

The singer born Marvin Lee Aday died Thursday, according to a family statement provided by his longtime agent Michael Greene.

“Our hearts are broken to announce that the incomparable Meat Loaf passed away tonight,” the statement said. “We know how much he meant to so many of you and we truly appreciate all of the love and support as we move through this time of grief in losing such an inspiring artist and beautiful man... From his heart to your souls… don’t ever stop rocking!”

No cause or other details were given, but Aday had numerous health scares over the years.

 

Read the rest here. 

[MsKreed 1,181]

Hard to believe he was 74!

That makes me feel old. Ithaca 99.9 (I-100) has been playing his stuff throughout the day. 

 

[Chris 2,162]

You know, reading this today it occurred to me that over the next 10-15 years we’re in for a lot of heartbreak as some of the greatest musicians and entertainers pass on.