The ALL DEAD Club

Art Laboe Dies: Los Angeles Radio Legend Was 97

Art Laboe, a revered Los Angeles radio mainstay for more than half a century who delighted local fans and a syndicated audience by playing those “oldies but goodies,” has died. He was 97.

Born Art Egnoian on August 7, 1925, in Salt Lake City, Laboe served in the Navy during World War II and arrived on the L.A. airwaves in 1955 as rock ‘n’ roll was taking hold. Having worked as a DJ since the mid-’40s, including stints in San Francisco and Palm Springs, his first L.A. station homes were KXLA-AM (later KRLA) and KPOP, and the baritone Laboe did live remote shows from midnight till 4 a.m. at a local drive-in restaurant — taking requests and becoming popular with the night-owl crowd. He later moved the KPOP show to after-school hours, and teenagers crowded the intersection of Sunset and Cahuenga.

Laboe then launched a series of dance concerts in El Monte, east of Los Angeles, which drew big crowds — and some of the era’s biggest touring acts including Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis and Ray Charles. It was during those live events that Laboe realized most of the audience requests were for older records. He regularly spun tunes by white, Latino and Black artists, and the events were a cross-cultural smash in the melting pot of Los Angeles. He would move them a decade later to Art Laboe’s Oldies but Goodies, his Sunset Strip club that had been Ciro’s and later would become the Comedy Store.

The nostalgic concept was cemented further in the pop culture zeitgeist when L.A. group Little Caesar and the Romans’ hit the national Top 10 with “Those Oldies but Goodies (Remind Me of You)” in 1961.

Laboe’s Hollywood-based Original Sound label also made original recordings. Two of its earliest releases, the percussion-driven instrumentals “Teen Beat” by Sandy Nelson and “Bongo Rock” by Preston Epps, were national pop hits in 1959.

All the while, Laboe continued to play the oldies. By 1970, he had moved his format to KPPC-FM, and — fueled by the success of Rick Nelson’s “Garden Party” and George Lucas’ future-star-laden film American Graffiti — the wave of nostalgia for the 1950s and early ’60s became a national trend. Happy Days would premiere in January 1974.

When L.A. outlet KRTH-FM switched to an all-oldies format in 1972, Laboe was an on-air jock and a consultant.

Laboe moved back to KRLA in 1975, where he would spend the rest of the decade. He was something of a Renaissance Man at the station, doing a show while serving as program director, sales consultant and in other capacities. By 1979, he was its senior VP.

He worked at KFI for a couple of years before beginning a third stint at KRLA in 1985 that would last nearly a decade. In 1994, his popular Sunday Night Killer Oldies Show went into successful national syndication.

Laboe remained an L.A. institution, and his final show was produced during the week and broadcast October 9. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland maintains a permanent Laboe display.

Eileen Ryan Dies: Actor, Mother Of Sean, Christopher & Michael Penn Was 94

Actor Eileen Ryan, the mother of actors Sean Penn and Christopher Penn and musician Michael Penn, died Sunday at her home in Malibu, just a week short of her 95th birthday.

Ryan, born Eileen Annucci, met fellow actor Leo Penn in 1957 at rehearsals for The Iceman Cometh, a Circle in the Square production (Leo Penn had taken over for Jason Robards). The two were married within a few months, a marriage that lasted 41 years until Leo Penn’s death in 1998.

From her first TV appearance in 1955’s Goodyear Television Playhouse, Ryan had a steady and prolific acting career for decades, with guest roles on The Twilight Zone, Bonanza, The Detectives, Ben Casey, Marcus Welby, M.D., Little House on the Prairie, Arli$$, Ally McBeal, NYPD Blue, ER, CSI, Men of a Certain Age and Grey’s Anatomy, among many others. On the big screen, she appeared in films including Parenthood, At Close Range, Benny & Joon and various projects of her sons’ including At Close Range, I Am Sam, The Indian Runner and The Crossing Guard.

She appeared on Broadway in 1953’s Sing Till Tomorrow, and the short-lived Comes a Day in 1958.

Her death was announced by a spokesperson for the family. She was predeceased by son Christopher Penn in 2006.

Additional information, including a cause of death, was not immediately available.

Angela Lansbury Dies: Beloved ‘Murder, She Wrote’ Star, Icon Of Film, Stage & Television Was 96

Angela Lansbury, one of the most beloved and acclaimed actors of stage, film and television, who had a nearly 75-year career, died at her Los Angeles home today in her sleep, just five days short of her 97th birthday.

The three-time Oscar nominee and Murder, She Wrote star’s death was announced by her family.

“The children of Dame Angela Lansbury are sad to announce that their mother died peacefully in her sleep at home in Los Angeles at 1:30 AM today, Tuesday, October 11, 2022, just five days shy of her 97th birthday,” the statement reads.

Angela Lansbury Getty

Angela Lansbury, one of the most beloved and acclaimed actors of stage, film and television, who had a nearly 75-year career, died at her Los Angeles home today in her sleep, just five days short of her 97th birthday.

The three-time Oscar nominee and Murder, She Wrote star’s death was announced by her family.

“The children of Dame Angela Lansbury are sad to announce that their mother died peacefully in her sleep at home in Los Angeles at 1:30 AM today, Tuesday, October 11, 2022, just five days shy of her 97th birthday,” the statement reads.
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She is known to television fans as the star of the long-running smash Murder, She Wrote — she was Emmy-nominated for each of its 12 seasons — to Broadway fans as the definitive Auntie Mame and to film buffs for enduring performances in The Manchurian Candidate, her breakthrough Gaslight and the voice of Mrs. Potts in Disney’s animated Beauty and the Beast, among a vast number of other roles. Lansbury enjoyed one of the longest and most acclaimed acting careers in Hollywood and New York.

She amassed 18 Emmy noms overall but she never won.

Born on October 16, 1925, in London, Lansbury moved to the United States in 1940 and to Hollywood in 1942, where she signed to MGM and within two years made her debut as a maid in the classic psychological thriller Gaslight, starring Ingrid Bergman. The following year Lansbury appeared in The Picture of Dorian Gray, and she received Oscar nominations for both performances.

She received her third Oscar nomination for the performance in what would become perhaps her most memorable movie role: The monstrous, cutthroat mother of a political neophyte in The Manchurian Candidate. Other notable film credits of the era include The Long, Hot Summer (1958), All Fall Down (1962), and, later in the ’60s, The World of Henry Orient and The Greatest Story Ever Told.

The 1970s would bring continues film roles, including in Death on the Nile and The Mirror Crack’d. To generations of kids, Lansbury will be remembered for performances in Disney classics Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971) and, perhaps most indelibly, 1991’s Beauty and the Beast, in which she voiced the kindhearted teapot Mrs. Potts.

Lansbury conquered Broadway as well, earning a Tony Award for her performance in the title role of Mame (1966). Subsequent stage roles would include such seminal productions as Gypsy, Sweeney Todd and The King and I.

Lansbury made her Broadway debut in 1957, appearing in the short-lived Hotel Paradiso. In 1960 she appeared in the Tony Richardson-directed A Taste of Honey, and, in ’64, Anyone Can Whistle. Following her legendary performance in Mame, she appeared in Dear World (1969), a 1974 revival of Gypsy, 1977’s The King and I, and, in what would become yet another signature stage role, as Mrs. Lovett in 1979’s Sweeney Todd.

She continued her Broadway career through the 1980s (A Little Family Business, a Mame revival). She was largely absent from the stage throughout the run of Murder, She Wrote, returning in 2007’s Deuce by Terrence McNally. She received a Tony nomination for the performance.

She won her fifth Tony for the 2009 revival of Blithe Spirit (she played Madame Arcati), Also in 2009 she costarred opposite Catherine Zeta-Jones in the Broadway revival of A Little Night Music, receiving her seventh Tony nomination. She gave her final Broadway performance in 2012 in Gore Vidal’s The Best Man.

In all, Lansbury won Tonys for Mame (1966), Dear World (1969), Gypsy (1975), Sweeney Todd (1979), and Blithe Spirit (2009). She received the Lifetime Achievement Tony Award in 2022.

In a statement today, Heather Hitchens, president and CEO of the American Theatre Wing, which so-presents the Tonys, said, “The American Theatre Wing mourns the loss of our Honorary Chair, Angela Lansbury, whose involvement with the Wing spanned 8 astonishing decades. She first entered our world as a student of the American Theatre Wing Professional School, and then graced the stage with an unrivaled string of unforgettable performances. She won 5 Tony Awards and a Special Tony for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre just this past June and hosted 5 Tony Award telecasts; the most in the history of the awards. As our Honorary Chair, she was a passionate advocate for the next generation of theatre makers. Rest in power, dear friend! You will be deeply, deeply missed.”

Lansbury arguably achieved her most widespread fame as the star of one of the most popular series in TV history: As super-sleuth Jessica Fletcher, Lansbury solved crimes for 12 seasons on Murder, She Wrote. The lighthearted mystery drama ran from 1984-96, landing in the Top 10 for eight of those seasons and the Top 15 for the first 11.

Lansbury was Emmy nominated 18 times, though never took home the trophy. Her final nomination came in 2005 for an unforgettable performance on a crossover episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Law & Order: Trial by Jury. Harkening back to The Manchurian Candidate, Lansbury played yet another malicious matriarch, the powerful and overprotective Eleanor Duvall, mother of a serial rapist played by Alfred Molina.

Lansbury received an Honorary Oscar at the 2014 Governor Awards. The Academy called her “an entertainment icon who has created some of cinema’s most memorable characters, inspiring generations of actors.”

She was nominated for a Grammy in 1993 for the Beauty and the Beast soundtrack. In 2014, she was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II.

She is survived by three children, Anthony, Deirdre and David; three grandchildren, Peter, Katherine and Ian; five great grandchildren; and her brother, producer Edgar Lansbury. She was proceeded in death by her husband of 53 years, Peter Shaw.

A private family ceremony will be held at a date to be determined.

Austin Stoker Dies: ‘Assault On Precinct 13’ & ‘Roots’ Actor Was 92

Austin Stoker, the Trinidadian-American actor from Assault on Precinct 13 and Roots, has died. His wife Robin Stoker confirmed the actor’s death happened on Friday, October 7, his 92nd birthday.

Stoker reportedly died peacefully and surrounded by his loved ones due to renal failure. The actor is survived by his wife of over 40 years, his daughter Tiffany, his son Origen and his two grandsons Marcus and little Austin.

Born and raised in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, Stoker began acting at the age of 11. When he was 16, he joined The Whitehall Players and four years later he would travel to NYC when he joined the dance troupe Holder Dance Company.

Robbie Coltrane: Harry Potter actor dies aged 72

Actor Robbie Coltrane, who played Hagrid in the Harry Potter films, has died aged 72.

He also appeared in ITV detective drama Cracker and the James Bond films Goldeneye and The World Is Not Enough.

Coltrane was made an OBE in the 2006 New Year's honours list for his services to drama and he was awarded the Bafta Scotland Award for outstanding contribution to film in 2011.

The actor's career began in 1979 in the TV series Play for Today, but he came to prominence in A Kick Up the Eighties, a BBC TV comedy series which also starred Tracey Ullman, Miriam Margoles and Rik Mayall.

He also appeared in the 1983 ITV comedy Alfresco, with Stephen Fry, Emma Thompson, Siobhan Redmond and Hugh Laurie.

By 1987 he had a leading role in Tutti Frutti, about Scottish rock and roll band The Majestics, which also starred Emma Thompson and Richard Wilson.

Ehh u beated me again

‘American Idol’ Contestant Willie Spence Dies In Tennessee Car Accident At 23

Willie Spence, the American Idol runner-up in the 2021 Season 19 of the competition series, died Tuesday from injuries sustained in a car accident in Tennessee. He was 23.

His death was reported by the local news outlet based in Spence’s hometown of Douglas, Georgia. Details on the accident were not immediately available, but Spence was driving from Tennessee to his home in Atlanta when he collided with a parked truck.

Spence won over Idol judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie with his San Diego audition performance of Rihanna’s “Diamonds.” Richie said Spence was “so gifted, on the first note I had chills.” Spence ultimately placed second for the season, losing the top spot to Chayce Beckham.

Spence later released an EP titled The Voice, and performed frequently. At the time of his death, he was scheduled to perform in London on Nov. 12.

Joyce Sims Dies: Singer Was 63

Joyce Sims, whose 1980s hit “Come Into My Life” reached the Top 10 in the US and UK, has died at 63, her family confirmed. No cause of death was given.

Sims was touring in the UK as recently as this summer, and had an album released planned for later this year.

Her first hit was the ballad “All and All,” which made it to No. 6 on the US dance chart and made the top 20 of the UK singles chart. Sims also had hits with “Lifetime Love,” “Walk Away,” and “Looking for a Love.” She has also been sampled by Snoop Dogg, Angie Stone and Randy Crawford.

Sims was born in Rochester, N.Y. and lived in New Jersey with her husband, Errol, and two children. No memorial plans have been released.

Noel Duggan Dies: Founding Member of Irish Folk Group Clannad Was 73

Noel Duggan, who helped bridge traditional Celtic music and pop as one of the founding members of Clannad, has died. A tweet from the group said he was 73 and “died suddenly in Donegal” on Saturday evening.

The group said it was “heartbroken” by the news, which it shared on its Twitter account.

Clannad was formed in 1970 in Gweedore, County Donegal by siblings Ciarán, Pól, and Moya Brennan and their uncles Noel and Padraig.

“Noel will be forever remembered for his outstanding guitar solos, his love of music and his dedication to the band,” said the statement from Clannad.

Clannad came to its greatest attention when the band was asked to record the theme for ITV mini-series Harry’s Game, set during the Troubles in Northern Ireland.

They became the first band to sing in Irish on Top of the Pops in 1982.

Mike Schank Dies: ‘American Movie’ Documentary Co-Star Was 53

Mike Schank, a musician who was featured prominently in American Movie, the cult 1999 documentary that won a big prize at the Sundance Film Festival, has died. He was 53.

His close friend, Jackie Bogenberger, told the Associated Press that Schank died October 13 after a months-long battle with cancer. Several big-name actors and filmmaker mourned Schank on social media; read a sampling below.

Director Chris Smith’s American Movie premiered at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival and won the Grand Jury Prize — the first of several festival and critics’ awards and nominations it would glean. It centered on aspiring filmmaker Mark Borchardt’s attempts to finance his dream project by completing Coven, the low-budget horror short film he’d abandoned years before. Schank co-starred as his best friend since childhood, a guitarist and recovering substance abuser who was among the most reliable members of Borchardt’s crew.

Carly Simon Loses Both Sisters To Cancer This Week: Broadway Composer Lucy Simon And Opera Singer Joanna Simon Die One Day Apart

In a very sad development, Carly Simon lost both of her sisters this week, with Broadway composer Lucy Simon dying of breast cancer Thursday and former opera singer Joanna Simon passing from thyroid cancer on Wednesday.

Both deaths were confirmed by a source close to pop superstar Carly. Lucy Simon was 82, Joanna Simon was 85.

Born into wealth and a rarified atmosphere of celebrity and literati to Simon & Schuster publisher Richard Simon and wife Andrea, the Simon sisters – their brother Peter was the youngest sibling – would all find their ways to success in professional music careers.

Lucy entered show business in the early 1960s when she and Carly formed the folk singing duo The Simon Sisters, performing in Provincetown, Massachusetts, and New York City’s Greenwich Village. In 1964, the sisters recorded and released the song “Wynken, Blynken & Nod” to moderate success.

Within 10 years Carly Simon would become one of pop music’s most successful and commercially viable of the era’s singer-songrwriters, with hits including “That’s The Way I’ve Always Heard It Should Be” and “Anticipation” in 1971, and, the following year, her smash signature tune “You’re So Vain,” which endures on classic pop radio and as an object of debate over the mystery man of the lyrics.

Lucy Simon, although attending nursing school in the late 1960s, would continue a musical career, albeit one of a lesser profile than her younger sister’s. In 1975 she recorded the album Lucy Simon and in 1977 Stolen Time, that latter featuring backup vocals by Carly and then-husband James Taylor on about half of the songs.

In the early ’80s, Simon and husband David Levine produced two children’s albums that would win Grammy Awards: In Harmony: A Sesame Street Record in 1981 and Harmony 2 in 1983.

Lucy’s breakthrough success came in 1991 when she served as composer of the Broadway musical The Secret Garden, garnering a Tony Award nomination for Best Original Score. The acclaimed production would go on to win Tonys for book, scenic design and young Daisy Eagan’s featured performance. The cast also included Mandy Patinkin, Rebecca Luker, Robert Westenberg and John Cameron Mitchell.

Following up on the success of The Secret Garden, Simon composed music for a stage adaptation of Doctor Zhivago, which debuted at San Diego’s La Jolla Playhouse in 2006. The musical had a brief run on Broadway in 2015.

In 1993, Lucy Simon wrote and produced music for the HBO film The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom.

Prior to the progression of her illness, Lucy had been working with Susan Birkenhead and Emily Maan on On Cedar Street, a musical adaptation of the 2015 novel Our Souls At Night and 2017 Netflix film. The project is ongoing.

Joanna Simon performed regularly on opera and concert stages from 1962, when she made her debut at the New York City Opera as Mozart’s Cherubino, through 1986. She performed the title role in the world premiere of Thomas Pasatieri’s Black Widow at the Seattle Opera In 1972, and would make numerous recordings with orchestras over the years, including performances with the New York Philharmonic, the Vienna Philharmonic, and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.

After her semi-retirement from music in 1986, Joanna Simon worked as the arts correspondent for PBS’s MacNeil-Lehrer News Hour until 1992, winning a 1991 Emmy Award for her report on bipolar disorder and creativity. In later years, she worked in real estate.

Married to novelist and journalist Gerald Walker from 1976 until his death in 2004, Joanna Simon was the companion of newsman Walter Cronkite from 2005 until his death in 2009.

Lucy and Joanna Simon were predeceased by their brother, the photographer Peter Simon, who died of cardiac arrest at age 71 in 2018 after battling cancer.

British Actress Josephine Melville Dies Suddenly Backstage At UK Theater, was 61.

A British TV and theatre actress has died backstage after performing a play.

Josephine Melville, who became a familiar face on UK TV in the 1980s with her role of Tessa Parker in the longrunning soap EastEnders, had just performed in a production of Nine Night at the Nottingham Playhouse, in the country’s midlands.

The BBC reports that she was taken ill after the play had finished, was treated by paramedics and a medically qualified member of the audience, but sadly died at the scene.

As well as EastEnders, Melville’s acting credits included roles in The Bill and Casualty, along with a long list of theater roles.

All remaining performances of Nine Night at the venue have been cancelled.

R.I.P!!

Without him, we wouldn't pay much attention to Robin's tragic death.

‘Will & Grace’ Actor Leslie Jordan Dies In Single-Car Accident At 67

Leslie Jordan, the actor who rose to fame on Will & Grace as the caustic Beverley Leslie, frenemy of Megan Mullally’s Karen Walker, died in a single-car crash in Hollywood today. He was 67.

According to the LAPD, a driver, likely suffering a medical emergency, drove a car into a wall at the intersection of Cahuenga Boulevard and Romaine Street at around 9:45 am PT.

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s office told Deadline Jordan was pronounced dead at the scene and an examination is pending.

In addition to Will & Grace, Jordan appeared on TV in American Horror Story, Hearts Afire, Murphy Brown, Ugly Betty, and Boston Public. Film credits include The Help and Ski Patrol. He appeared onstage in the comedy Sordid Lives and reprised the role of “Brother Boy” in the 2000 film adaptation.

Jordan also appeared as himself in his own Instagram posts which became wildly popular as he documented his daily attempts to entertain himself during the pandemic. Among his most-viewed was a video where Jordan demonstrated his twirling talents.

Born and raised in Chattanooga, Tennessee – he’d utilize his Truman Capote-esqe Southern drawl to terrific comic effect – Jordan moved to Los Angeles in 1982, “with $1500 sewn into his clothing by his steel magnolia Mother,” he’d later write on his website.

Within four years of arriving in L.A., Jordan had started a prolific television career with often scene-stealing appearances on The Fall Guy, Night Court, Murphy Brown and Newhart. In 1990 he appeared in the film Ski Patrol as well as on the cult TV favorite Pee-wee’s Playhouse.

The ’90s proved even busier, with roles on American Dreamer, Perfect Strangers, The New WKRP in Cincinnati, Reasonable Doubts, Bodies of Evidence, Hearts Afire, Coach, The Pretender, Ellen, Dharma & Greg, and Caroline in the City.

But it was his recurring role on Will & Grace that provided his signature role. Beginning in 2001, Jordan portrayed the viciously witty Beverley Leslie, the only character on Will & Grace who could match Mullally’s Karen insult-for-insult. “Well, well, well, Karen Walker,” Jordan once famously quipped. “I thought I smelled gin and regret.”

Jordan played the character throughout the series’ finale in 2006, then reprised the role in the 2017 reboot. Unlike the actor who played him, Beverley Leslie refused to come out of the closet, despite all evidence to the contrary. “Me, a homosexual?” Beverley once said in astonishment. “The very idea makes me howl with manly laughter.” Jordan won a 2006 Emmy as Outstanding Guest Actor In A Comedy Series for his Will & Grace performance.”

Aside from Will & Grace, Jordan is perhaps best known as one of the American Horror Story repertory of actors, appearing as different characters in seasons from 2013 to 2019.

He also played Sid in the 2018 series The Cool Kids, and as Phil in the 2021 series Call Me Kat with Mayim Bialik and Swoosie Kurtz.

On stage, Jordan appeared in the Off Broadway autobiographical stage show Hysterical Blindness and Other Southern Tragedies That Have Plagued My Life Thus Far in 1994, with music and lyrics by Joe Patrick Ward. In 2010 he wrote and starred in a second autobiographical one-man-show titled My Trip Down the Pink Carpet, also Off Broadway.

Michael Kopsa Dies: ‘The X-Files’, ‘Stargate SG-1’ Actor Was 66

Michael Kopsa, a Canadian actor whose roles on hits and cult-favorites like The X-Files, Highlander, Smallville and Stargate SG-1 made him an immediately recognizable TV presence, died Sunday, Oct. 23, of complications from a brain tumor. He was 66.

A Toronto native, Kopsa studied acting at New York’s Circle in the Square Theater School for four years in the mid-1980s. He subsequently returned to Canada to attend the University of Toronto. Throughout his career he would perform in series filmed or made in Toronto or Vancouver.

Among his earliest credits were voiceover work for such animated series as Mobile Suit Gundam and small in-person roles on the 1988 Mr. T series T and T.

By the mid-’90s he had booked roles on The Commish, Lonesome Dove: The Outlaw Years, Highlander, and The X-Files. Subsequent credits include roles on Poltergeist: The Legacy, The Outer Limits, Beggars and Choosers, and, in the 2000s, Action Man and Galaxy Angel.

He recurred in two separate roles on Stargate SG-1, portraying a TV news anchor and General Kerrigan.

He voiced a couple roles on Dragon Ball Z, and, in 2001’s X-Men: Evolution, he voiced the character of Dr. Hank McCoy. In 2006 and 2007, he played Ray Ellis on Falcon Beach, and he played Captain Windmark in 2012’s Fringe, among many, many other roles.

Jerry Lee Lewis Dies: Rock And Roll And Country Music Hall Of Famer, Was 87

Jerry Lee Lewis, one of the pioneers of rock ‘n roll and a Hall of Fame member in several genres, died Friday morning at age 87. Lewis died at a home in Memphis, TN, his publicist Zach Farnum said in a release.

Nicknamed “The Killer,” Lewis’s work as a singer, songwriter, and pianist was marked by a frenetic energy that often saw him standing on his keyboard or bending over as if trying to inhale its essence. He stands in the pantheon of rock ‘n roll’s greatest artists, but also crossed over to rockabilly, gospel, country, blues and even jazz. Although he rarely wrote his own songs, his interpretation was his strength, as his keyboard dexterity and barely controlled passion transformed each work into something special.

Lewis made his first recordings in 1956 at the legendary Sun Records in Memphis. That first year was known for the hit “Crazy Arms,” which sold 300,000 units, but also for a recording of an impromptu gospel music jam session featured Lewis, Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash that didn’t surface until the 1980s.

The recordings were dubbed “The Million Dollar Quartet” by the news media. Even in that rarefied company, Lewis intimidated. “No one wanted to follow Jerry Lee, not even Elvis,” Cash later wrote in his 1997 autobiography, Cash.

That session happened in December 1956, but it was merely the warmup to perhaps the greatest year in Lewis’ history. The year 1957 saw the singles “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” and “Great Balls of Fire” arrive, both selling multiple millions and making Lewis a worldwide sensation.

But just as quickly as his career climbed, it crashed. His marriage to his 13-year-old cousin, Myra Gale Brown, was an international scandal, and its revelation cut short a planned 71-date tour in the UK after just three shows. Although Lewis had enough momentum to do well with the 1958 singles “Breathless” and “High School Confidential,” neither climbed as high on the charts as his previous hits.

As he moved into the 1960s, Lewis’ chart success waned. But he continued touring, building a reputation for wild and energetic performances. His 1964 album Live at the Star Club, Hamburg is considered one of the great live rock albums.

As the decade wore on and music morphed from rock’s roots, Lewis made a left turn into country music. The year 1968 saw him score a country hit with “Another Place, Another Time,” which kicked off a solid career in that genre that saw him place in the Billboard County Music charts with 30 songs in its Top 10. He had No. 1 hits with “To Make Love Sweeter for You,” “There Must Be More To Love Than This,” “Would You Take Another Chance on Me” and “Me and Bobby McGee.”

In 2022, Lewis was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. The decision to honor him was not easy for some in the country music community. In his lone appearance at the venerated Grand Ol’ Opry, he blew past his allotted time and angered some by playing more rock ‘n roll than country. The sore feelings lingered and kept him out of the hall until this year.

That long-overdue induction came 36 years after his entry as part of the inaugural class of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which saw Lewis joined in that first class by Elvis, Chuck Berry, Little Richard and James Brown.

The Lewis career scorecard ultimately shows a dozen gold records, four Grammy Awards, including a Lifetime Achievement honor, and two Grammy Hall of Fame Awards.

D.H. Peligro Dies: Drummer For Dead Kennedys, Red Hot Chili Peppers Was 63

Drummer D.H. Peligro (real name: Darren Henley) died at his home in Los Angeles on Friday. Police reported that he died from a trauma to the head caused by an accidental fall.

Peligro joined The Dead Kennedys in February 1981 and appeared on the EP In God We Trust, released in December 1981.

He would also record on the studio albums Plastic Surgery Disaster, Frankenchrist, and Bedtime for Democracy. He also appeared on the singles/rarities collection, Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death.

Peligro played with several other bands on the punk scene, and had his own solo career as a front man, releasing three albums. Of those, the most notable was Sum of Our Surroundings, which was voted Rock Album of the Year by the American Independent Music Awards.

Bruce Arnold Dies: Founder Of The Soft Rock Band Orpheus Was 76

Bruce Arnold, best known as the chief songwriter and singer of the soft-rock band Orpheus, has died at age 76 in Marin County. His family confirmed the death but did not provide a date or cause.

Born in Worcester, Massachusetts, Arnold founded Orpheus in 1967. The group recorded four albums and six singles for MGM and Bell Records, including the hit single “Can’t Find The Time,” which peaked at No. 80 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1969.

“Can’t Find the Time” was revived when Hootie & the Blowfish covered it in the 2000 comedy film Me, Myself & Irene, starring Jim Carrey and Renée Zellweger.

Orpheus performed with such acts as the Who, Cream, Janis Joplin, Led Zeppelin, the Lovin’ Spoonful and Blood, Sweat & Tears.

“We were right in the midst of that,” Arnold said in an interview with the Marin Independent Journal in 2012. “But Orpheus didn’t sound like the music being made by the hip groups. We were off on our own tangent.”

Arnold was also the pastor of a Church of the Open Door congregation in Point Reyes Station from 1975 to 1987.

A statement from actor Chuck Norris was given to the Marin Independent Journal on Arnold’s passing.

“His God-given talents of writing, singing and playing the guitar were only matched by his ability to spread the gospel of Christ,” Norris said. “We will cherish our memories and know his loving family will carry on his music and message.”

The first Orpheus album in more than 50 years was being worked on at the time of Arnold’s death.

Survivors include his wife, Judy Arnold and sons John Mark Arnold, Oliver Arnold and Gray Ainsworth; his daughter Erin Fish; his brother Les Arnold Jr.; and an extended family.

Cormac Roth Dies: Musician Son Of Actor Tim Roth Was 25

Cormac Roth, the musician son of actor Tim Roth, died October 16 after a year-long battle with a rare cancer, his family announced Monday. He was 25.

“He was a wild and electric ball of energy and his spirit was filled with light and goodness,” the Roth family said in a statement. “As wild as he was, Cormac was also the embodiment of kindness. A gentle soul who brought so much happiness and hope to those around him. The grief comes in waves, as do the tears and laughter, when we think of that beautiful boy across the 25 years and 10 months that we knew him. An irrepressible and joyful and wild and wonderful child. Only recently a man. We love him. We will carry him with us wherever we go.”

Roth, a graduate of Bennington College, disclosed his diagnosis last summer, writing on Instagram, “In November of 21 I was diagnosed with stage 3 germ cell cancer. Since then I’ve been fighting it daily, throwing everything I can at it. Chemo, high dose chemo, medication, transplants, transfusions, surgeries etc. It is called Choriocarcinoma, it is rare, and it has managed to stay many steps ahead of me no matter what I throw at it. It has taken away half of my hearing, 60 pounds of weight, my confidence, and will continue its murderous path until I can manage to stop it some how, and kill it. But it hasn’t taken away my will to survive, or my love of making music. It hasn’t taken me down yet. If you or someone you love is effected by cancer, please feel free to reach out for it is an emotional rollercoaster unlike anything else. Love to you all please make sure to do the things that you love. Life is short. It is chaos. And you never know when it’s going to be you.”

In his most recent and final post in August, Roth said in a video, “Remember that life is short and you don’t always get to choose your destiny and you don’t always get to choose your future but just be an undeniable force that lives and breathes that thing that you claim you love and are…”

He is survived by parents Tim and Nikki Roth, and brother Hunter Roth.

K-Pop Singer & Actor Lee Ji-han Among Dead In Seoul Crowd Surge Tragedy

Lee Ji-han, a rising star on the South Korean K-pop scene, was among the more than 150 people who died Saturday in a stampede at a Halloween event in the Itaewon district of Seoul, South Korea. He was 24.

His death was confirmed by his agency, 935 Entertainment. “We are sad to deliver such news today, but Lee Ji-han has passed away in the crush in Itaewon,” the company said in a statement to South Korean news outlets.

Ji-han’s career was launched when he was a contestant on the Korean singing competition Produce 101. Shortly thereafter, in 2019, he was cast in the Korean drama Today Was Another Nam Hyun Day.

South Korean law enforcement officials are investigating the Saturday night tragedy, which left at least 154 Halloween revelers dead. The incident occurred in Seoul’s Itaewon district, a popular nightlife area. President Yoon Suk Yeol has declared a week-long national mourning period.