Last Dance … Donna Summer, The Queen of Disco Has Died at the Age of 63 from Cancer

The death of a music icon …

Donna Summer, the Queen of Disco has passed away at the age of 63. She passed away at her home in Naples, Florida after a long battle with cancer. How very sad, for those of you old enough to remember vinyl records and 8-track tapes, Donna Summer was the diva of diva’s of the 1970′s music era and the undisputed Queen of Disco. Donna Summer then went on to have a career beyond disco and had such 80′s hits as with “She Works Hard for the Money” and “This Time I Know It’s for Real.” TMZ is reporting that Donna Summer died of lung cancer which she and her family kept very secret and private.

We’re told Summer was in Florida at the time of her death. She was 63 years old.

Sources close to Summer tell us … the singer was trying to keep the extent of her illness under wraps. We spoke to someone who was with Summer a couple of weeks ago … who says she didn’t seem too bad.

In fact, we’re told she was focused on trying to finish up an album she had been working on.

 Donna Summer: 1948 – 2012 … Rest in Peace

From the LA Times, much more on the life and times of Donna Summer.

An early fan of gospel singer Mahalia Jackson, Summer sang in a psychedelic rock band called Crow in the late 1960s. She left home for New York City at 18 and quickly landed a role in a touring production of the Broadway show “Hair.”

She spent the next three years living and touring in Europe. While there she met and married singer Helmuth Sommer, and took a variation of his last name as her stage name. In Europe she also met Moroder, whose early dance tracks were making an impact there.

“Love to Love You Baby” was their first hit together. A shortened version of it that was released in 1975 by Casablanca, then a hot label, peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard singles chart.

Donna Summer’s family released a statement:

Her family released the following statement Thursday: “Early this morning, surrounded by family, we lost Donna Summer Sudano, a woman of many gifts, the greatest being her faith. While we grieve her passing, we are at peace celebrating her extraordinary life and her continued legacy. Words truly can’t express how much we appreciate your prayers and love for our family at this sensitive time.”

MTV Interview: Donna Summer Calls Singing ‘The Greatest Gift’ In 1989 … ‘Sometimes you can’t communicate in words, but in a song, you can.

“Music is part of my life. For my judgment, music is the greatest of all the gifts,” Summer told MTV News’ John Norris in a rare 1989 interview. “The voice — not my voice, but the voice — to me is the greatest gift. Having a voice. You need no other instrument, all you have to do is sing. Open your mouth, and it’s there.”‘

She will be laid to rest in Nashville, TN.

George Lindsey, Actor Best Known as Goober on ‘The Andy Griffith Show,’ dies in Tennessee at Age 83

George Lindsey, best known for playing “Goober Pyle” on ‘The Andy Griffith Show’ and ‘Hee-Haw’ has died in Tennessee at the age of 83. Lindsey died in Nashhville, TN at 12:05 a.m. Sunday after an extended hospitalization. Lindsey was born in Fairfield, AL, Dec. 17, 1928, to parents George Ross Lindsey and Alice Smith Lindsey, and grew up in Jasper, AL. He received a bachelor of science degree from Florence State Teachers College (now the University of North Alabama) in 1952 after majoring in physical education and biology and playing quarterback on the football team. Goober moved to Hollywood in the early 1960s and then to Nashville, Tennessee in the early 1990s.

Rest in Peace: George Lindsey (December 17, 1928 – May 6, 2012)

A press release from Marshall-Donnelly-Combs Funeral Home in Nashville said Lindsay died early Sunday morning after a brief illness. Funeral arrangements were still being made.

Lindsey was the beanie-wearing Goober on “The Andy Griffith Show” from 1964 to 1968 and its successor, “Mayberry RFD,” from 1968 to 1971. He played the same jovial character — a service station attendant — on “Hee Haw” from 1971 until it went out of production in 1993.

Acting career of George Lindsey. He had roles in other shows other than The Andy Griffith Show’, like ‘Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.’, ‘Daniel Boone’, ‘The Rifleman’, ‘Mayberry R.F.D.’, ‘Gunsmoke’, ‘Love, American Style’, ‘Fantasy Island’, ‘M*A*S*H’ and my personal cult TV classic show ‘Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea’.

Goober does his imitation of Cary Grant on ‘The Andy Griffith Show’

From The Tennessean, Actor Andy Griffith said in a statement that accompanied the family’s Sunday-morning announcement of Mr. Lindsey’s death:

“George Lindsey was my friend. I had great respect for his talent and his human spirit. In recent years, we spoke often by telephone. Our last conversation was a few days ago. We would talk about our health, how much we missed our friends who passed before us and usually about something funny. I am happy to say that as we found ourselves in our eighties, we were not afraid to say, ‘I love you.’ That was the last thing George and I had to say to each other. ‘I love you.’”

From USA Today:

Lindsey told The Associated Press in 1985 that “America has grown up with me. Goober is every man; everyone finds something to like about ol’ Goober.”

Rapper Adam (MCA) Yauch, Co-Founder of the Beastie Boys Dead at the Age of 47

Adam Yauch, MCA,  co-founder of the vanguard 1980′s rap group the Beastie Boys, has died at the age of 47 after a long battle with cancer. He leaves behind his wife and daughter. What a shame, I truly feel like a piece of my college days has passed as well. The Beastie Boys originally started rapping as a lark with three Jewish white boyz, the rest is music altering history. In 2009, Adam Yauch announced that he’d been diagnosed with cancer. Later that year, Yauch performed at Bonnaroo with the Beastie Boys, in what would turn out to be his last concert.

Many years ago after releasing their album, yes, that would be considered a vinyl record, ‘Licensed to Ill,’ rapper Adam MCA Yauch and the Beastie Boys taught us all … “You Gotta Fight For Your Right, To Party. They were on the ground floor of mainstreaming tap and hop-hop. We all just look back to the 1980′s and admire the simpler time.

Rest in Peace.

Your pop caught you smoking, and he said, “No way!”
That hypocrite smokes two packs a day
Man, living at home is such a drag
Now your mom threw away your best porno mag (Bust it!)

With a scratchy voice that grew scratchier through the years, Mr. Yauch rapped as MCA in the Beastie Boys, who were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year. They offered many listeners in the 1980s their first exposure to hip-hop. They were vanguard white rappers who helped extend the art of sampling and gained the respect of their African-American peers.

While many hip-hop careers are brief, the Beastie Boys appealed not only to the fans they reached in the 1980s but to successive generations, making million-selling albums into the 2000s. They grew up without losing their sense of humor or their ear for a party beat.

Statement from the Beatie Boys.

“It is with great sadness that we confirm that musician, rapper, activist and director Adam ‘MCA’ Yauch, founding member of Beastie Boys and also of the Milarepa Foundation that produced the Tibetan Freedom Concert benefits, and film production and distribution company Oscilloscope Laboratories, passed away in his native New York City this morning after a near-three-year battle with cancer,” reads an official statement from the Beastie Boys. “He was 47 years old.”

More from the NY Times and the life and times of MCA and the Beastie Boys:

When they started rapping in 1983, the Beastie Boys — Mr. Yauch, Adam Horovitz (Ad-Rock) and Mike Diamond (Mike D) — were greeted by some hip-hop purists as a novelty act. They were Jewish bohemians, not ghetto survivors; they were jokers, not battlers. Yet the Beastie Boys recorded for a label that was a bastion of New York hip-hop, Def Jam, and they toured alongside Run-D.M.C. and LL Cool J.

They went on to garner admiration and influence with productions that kept coming up with surprises — including, eventually, the rappers’ playing instruments again — and with rhymes that would mingle humor, boasting and an increasing idealism. Even when the Beastie Boys were treated as a joke, it was a joke they would be in on for decades to come.

Adam Nathaniel Yauch was born on Aug. 5, 1964, in Brooklyn. Playing bass, he and Mr. Diamond started the Beastie Boys in 1981 as a hard-core punk band. The group’s original drummer, Kate Schellenbach, has said, “Whereas other bands, just as awful as the Beastie Boys, would actually believe they were good, for Mike and Adam the whole point was to be terrible and admit it.”

Mr. Yauch once said that the Beasties had started rapping as a joke, but found that audiences liked it better than their punk-rock. Mr. Rubin, then a student at New York University, joined the group as a disc jockey. He also brought them to the attention of Russell Simmons, the manager of Run-D.M.C. and other leading hip-hop acts of the era. He added the Beasties to his roster.

When Mr. Rubin and Mr. Simmons started Def Jam, the Beastie Boys were one of the label’s first signings: catalog number DJ 002, in 1984, was the Beastie Boys’ single “Rock Hard.” The Beastie Boys toured with Madonna in 1985, to the confusion of pop audiences.

NFL Great and Former San Diego Charger Junior Seau Dead at the Age of 43 of Apparent Suicide

Tragic news from the NFL … former San Diego Charger great and 12 time Pro-Bowler Junior Seau dead at the age of 43. According to police accounts, Seau was found unconscious by his girl friend with a gun shot wound to his chest. Life saving efforts were unsuccessful. It is believed that Junior Seau’s death was a suicide as a gun was found near his body; however, no note was found. Junior Seau attended USC and played 20 seasons in the NFL with the San Diego Chargers, Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots. When Seau becomes eligible, he will most certainly be a first ballot NFL Hall of Famer. What a shame.

Junior Seau: 1969 – 2012, Rest in Peace

OCEANSIDE, Calif. — Junior Seau, a homegrown superstar who was the fist-pumping, emotional leader of the San Diego Chargers for 13 years, was found shot to death at his home Wednesday morning. He was 43.

Police Chief Frank McCoy said Seau’s girlfriend reported finding him unconscious with a gunshot wound to the chest and lifesaving efforts were unsuccessful. A gun was found near him, McCoy said, and police were investigating the possibility that Seau’s death was a suicide. Police said no suicide note was found and they didn’t immediately know to whom the gun was registered.

Sadly, Seau could handle 20 years in the NFL and became a larger than life icon in the San Diego area as a local boy made good. However, tragically Junior Seau’s death shows an continued alarming trend of ex-NFL player who have committed suicide.

Former Charger GM Bobby Bethard who drafted Seau out of USC in1990 remembers the Super Charger.

“It’s a sad thing. It’s hard to understand,” said Bobby Beathard, who as Chargers general manager took Seau out of Southern California with the fifth pick overall in the 1990 draft. “He was really just a great guy. If you drew up a player you’d love to have the opportunity to draft and have on the team and as a teammate, Junior and Rodney (Harrison), they’d be the kind of guys you’d like to have.”Watch former teammate and ESPN analyst  Marcellus Wiley’s tearful remembrance of Junior Seau (VIDEO).

The Washington Post has numerous remarks of those who played with Seau as they remember him. Also some eye opening stats of many other players who have died before the age of 45.

Several former NFL players have died unexpectedly in recent months. Last month, authorities in Richmond told Fox that former Atlanta Falcons safety Ray Easterling’s death had been ruled a suicide. Easterling was among the former NFL players involved in concussion-related litigation against the league.

Seau was not known to be involved in any of the concussion-related lawsuits against the NFL. He survived a 100-foot fall down a cliff in his car in October 2010, a few hours after being arrested in a domestic incident. He was hospitalized but reportedly suffered only minor injuries and police said it was believed he fell asleep at the wheel.

He is the eighth member of the 1994 Chargers team, which reached the Super Bowl, to die before age 45. The others are Chris Mims, David Griggs, Rodney Culver, Lew Bush, Doug Miller, Curtis Whitley and Shawn Lee.

Junior Seau was a joy yo watch on the field and always came across as an ultimate leader as he inspired so many others. He was so full of life on the field, it is so tragic that he could not do the same off. Next stop Canton and the Football Hall of Fame.

REST IN PEACE JUNIOR SEAU.

American Band Stand & New Year’s Rockin’ Eve’s Dick Clark Dead at the Age of 82 … Rest in Peace

It is the death of an American icon … TV legend Dick Clark, the world’s oldest teenager dead at the age of 82.

It is truly a sad day as a piece of my childhood died today as Dick Clark passed away at the age of 82. According to reports, Dick Clark passed away from a massive heart attack at St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica, CA. The man was a part of millions of people’s homes. The oldest teenager has passed … Dick Clark will be missed.

Who didn’t grow up with Dick Clark ringing in the New Year with “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve? I can remember the very first one transitioning from Guy Lombardo to a more hip way to ring in the New Year. I cannot remember a year that Dick Clark was not a part of my New Year’s except in 2004, when Clark suffered a stroke that left him partially paralyzed and struggling to speak. I have to admit that the following year when a speech impaired Dick Clark counted down 2005, several tears came rolled down my face as Mr. Clark struggled through the countdown that had been the trademark of his career.

Dick Clark: 1929-2012

VIDEO

Dick Clark, the creator of “American Bandstand” and “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve,” died Wednesday morning.

He was 82.

Clark suffered a massive heart attack after entering St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica on Tuesday night for an outpatient procedure, his family said in a statement.

Attempts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful.

Clark had suffered a stroke in 2004, which forced him to significantly curtail his hosting of “New Years’ Rockin’ Eve,” a show he created in 1972.

American Bandstand – Dick Clark – 2/12/66

ABC News has more from the life and time of Dick Clark and the New York Times.

Born in Mount Vernon, N.Y., on Nov. 30, 1929, Richard Wagstaff Clark began his lifelong career in show business began before he was even out of high school. He started working in the mailroom of WRUN, a radio station in upstate New York run by his father and uncle. It wasn’t long before the teenager was on the air, filling in for the weatherman and the announcer.

“American Bandstand’s” formula was simple. Clean-cut boys and girls danced to the hottest hits and the newest singles. In between, Clark chatted with the teens, who helped “rate-a-record,” turning songs into sensations. Everyone showed up on “American Bandstand,” from Elvis Presley to Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry to Chubby Checker.

“Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” on ABC became a Dec. 31 tradition, with Clark hosting the festivities for more than three decades, introducing the entertainment acts and, of course, counting down to midnight as the ball dropped in New York’s Times Square.

Dick Clark discusses the genesis of New Year’s Rockin’ Eve

Rest in Peace Dick Clark … you brought so much joy to so many. You will forever be a part of News year’s forever. God Bless.

Veteran Broadcast Journalist & ’60 Minutes’ Correspondent Mike Wallace Dies at Age 93

Mike Wallace, veteran broadcast journalist most known as being a ’60 Minutes’ correspondent has died at the age of 93.  Wallace was a correspondent on the CBS News program “60 Minutes” for 38 years since its premiere in 1968 and retired in 2006. He passed peacefully surrounded by family members at Waveny Care Center in New Canaan, CT. Rest in Peace.

Mike Wallace 1918-2012

Veteran broadcast journalist Mike Wallace has died, according to CBS News.

He was 93 years old and had been in declining health in recent years. A cause of death has not been released yet.

This morning, “Face the Nation” host Bob Schieffer announced his death on the program.

Schieffer said Wallace died Saturday night at a care facility in New Haven, Conn., where he had lived in the past several years.

From CBS News regarding the death of Mike Wallace.

“It is with tremendous sadness that we mark the passing of Mike Wallace. His extraordinary contribution as a broadcaster is immeasurable and he has been a force within the television industry throughout its existence. His loss will be felt by all of us at CBS,” said Leslie Moonves, president and CEO, CBS Corporation.

Read more

Andrew Breitbart Passes Away at Age 43 … Death of a Conservative Hero and Patriot … RIP

DEATH OF AN AMERICAN HERO …

Sad news to report … Andrew Breitbart has passed away at the age of 43.  We have lost one of the most courageous, pit bull, Conservative heroes and voices.  As I drove to work I heard the news flash that Conservative activist, blogger and free speech hero Andrew Breitbart had unexpectedly passed away at the age of 43. According to accounts he collapsed while walking near his home. Andrew had a history of heart problems and it is believed he had a heart attack. As reported at the Hollywood Reporter, just hours before he passed he was talking politics. Andrew left behind a wife and 4 children. God Bless you Andrew and our prayers go out to your family and friends.

ANDREW BREITBART: 1969 – 2012 … REST IN PEACE MY FRIEND

It is a crushing loss to a man that I considered a great inspiration. Andrew Breitbart will be missed but not forgotten.  Every Conservative blogger knows there is a piece of Andrew in all of us. His lasting legacy will be to never be ashamed of your Conservatism and to express you opinions and ideals always. Never be afraid to make your feelings be heard, especially when the LEFT tries to silence you.

Breitbart was walking last night near his Los Angeles home when he collapsed, said his father-in-law, actor Orson Bean.

“He collapsed on the sidewalk and the paramedics were there very quickly and they couldn’t revive him,” Bean told Reuters in a phone interview.

A friend of Breitbart told Reuters he had a history of heart problems and is believed to have suffered a heart attack.

The brash and outspoken blogger and commentator, who published politically inspired photos and undercover videos, was the center of several major news websites, including www.Breitbart.tv, www.breitbart.com and www.biggovernment.com.

More from the Other McCain.

Andrew Breitbart fought the war against the institutional MSM. What I most admired most was his willingness to go into the Lion’s den and tajke them on. He backed down to no one and that drove the LEFT nuts.

Breitbart’s death is a tragedy, not only for those who delighted in following him into battle but for those who cheered him on as well. Andrew was larger than life, a charismatic natural leader, a big man in every way — physically, spiritually, and intellectually. He would meet a total stranger and immediately try to enlist him or her into his army, railing against the Left’s mendacity and misdeeds. He would practically pick you up by the lapels and shake you in order to make you understand the furious, urgent necessity of his fight.

However, to the dismay of the LEFT … this is hardly the end, Andrew Breitbart and his vision will live on. He inspired far too many people and showed all of us just what it takes to take on the institutional media and the crazy LEFT. Thank you for everything … Rest in Peace.

UPDATE I: Steve Bannon: We Are Going to Release the Breitbart ‘Obama Harvard Tapes’ in One Week to 10 Days (Video)

Davy Jones of the Monkees Dies at Age 66 … Rest in Peace

HEY, HEY HE WAS ONE OF THE ORIGINAL MONKEES … REST IN PEACE DAY JONES.

Davy Jones, one of the original teen boy band heart throbs and distant “Monkee” relative has passed away in Florida at the age of 66. The lead man of the iconic 1960′s band the Monkees died of an apparent massive heart attack. The front man of the Monkees, that included Peter Tork, Micky Dolenz and Mike Nesmith, sang lead on some of the group’s biggest hits, including Daydream Believer, which reached No. 1 on the charts. Davy Jones was born December 30, 1945, in Manchester, England and become a 60′s heartthrob with his long hair and British accent.  Davy Jones is survived by his wife Jessica and four daughters.

Davy Jones: 1945 – 2012

Jones, lead singer of the 1960s group that was assembled as an American version of The Beatles, died of a massive heart attack in Indiantown, where he lived, his publicist Helen Kensick said.

Jones, 66, had complained he wasn’t feeling well earlier in the morning. Fire-rescue personnel responded, taking him to Martin Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

More from TMZ.

The passing of Davy Jones really hits home and reminds me of my childhood and days gone by.  Oh how I remember as a kid watching the Monkees TV show and my sisters would have Davy’s pic on their bedroom walls. Talk about a simpler time and when TV was not filled with reality TV, but more upbeat and fun TV. Check out more of the life and times of Davy Jones. In 1989, the Monkees received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The Monkees TV Show Theme

Hey, hey, we’re the monkees
And people say we monkey around,
But we’re too busy singing
To put anybody down.

You know that we want to
Do what we like to do,
The only time we get restless
Is around something new

Hey, hey, we’re the monkees
And people say we monkey around,
But we’re too busy singing
To put anybody down.

We’re just trying to be friendly
So come and Hey, hey, we’re the monkees
And people say we monkey around,
But we’re too busy singing
To put anybody down.

Farewell Day Jones, rest in Peace … you made all Monkeys believers … from the Monkees, “I’m a Believer”.

Baseball Hall of Fame Catcher Gary “Kid” Carter Passes Away at the Age of 57

Baseball and its fans mourn over the passing of Hall of Fame great Gary Carter.

The “Kid” played for 19 years with the following teams, Mets, Montreal, San Francisco and the Los Angeles Dodgers, he was an 11 time All-Star, and finished his career with a  .262 average, 324 home runs and 1,225 RBIs. However, as anyone who ever saw Gary Carter play, he will be forever known for his fire, passion and love of the game. Carter was the poster child on how the game of baseball should be played. Sadly, Carter was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor last May.  Our prayers go out to the family and friends of Gary Carter who has died far too young. Rest in Peace.

Carter was diagnosed with four brain tumors last May, two weeks after finishing his second season as coach at Palm Beach Atlantic University. In recent months, the family hoped that, with chemotherapy and other treatments, the tumors were in check. But in January, the family revealed that doctors found several new tumors on Carter’s brain.

“I am deeply saddened to tell you all that my precious dad went to be with Jesus today at 4:10 p.m. This is the most difficult thing I have ever had to write in my entire life but I wanted you all to know,” Carter’s daughter, Kimmy Bloemers, wrote on the family website.

“He is in heaven and has reunited with his mom and dad. I believe with all my heart that dad had a STANDING OVATION as he walked through the gates of heaven to be with Jesus,” Bloemers wrote.
Carter was diagnosed with four brain tumors last May, two weeks after finishing his second season as coach at Palm Beach Atlantic University. In recent months, the family hoped that, with chemotherapy and other treatments, the tumors were in check. But in January, the family revealed that doctors found several new tumors on Carter’s brain.

“I am deeply saddened to tell you all that my precious dad went to be with Jesus today at 4:10 p.m. This is the most difficult thing I have ever had to write in my entire life but I wanted you all to know,” Carter’s daughter, Kimmy Bloemers, wrote on the family website.

“He is in heaven and has reunited with his mom and dad. I believe with all my heart that dad had a STANDING OVATION as he walked through the gates of heaven to be with Jesus,” Bloemers wrote.

Gary Carter was one of my favorite players of all time, even though he was the one who started the Mets comeback against the Red Sox in the 1986 World Series. Carter was a class act.  Rest in Peace Kid.

‘Soul Train’ Creator Don Cornelius Dead of Gun Shot Wound at Age of 75 of an Apparent Suicide

Don Cornelius, the creator of the TV dance show ‘Soul Train’ has died at the age of 75 of an apparent gun shot wound. How tragically sad. It appears that Cornelius was found dead in his apartment around  4 am of an apparent suicide, self inflicted gun shot wound. He was rushed to a hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead.

Cornelius died of a gunshot wound at a house on Mulholland Drive, said Los Angeles police Officer Tenesha Dodine. Police responded to the call about 4 a.m. (7 a.m. ET), Dodine said.

Cornelius was pronounced dead at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, according to Lt. Larry Dietz of the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office.

Los Angeles police investigators reported to the coroner that Cornelius died from a “self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head,” coroner’s Assistant Chief Ed Winter said. The coroner’s office will perform an autopsy to confirm the cause of death.

He was the black Dick Clark of the 1970′s. However, it was not just black America that watched ‘Soul Train’. I can remember Soul Train on the TV on Saturday and the amazing crazy dance moves performed that I could only dream of doing. As stated at the WAPO, long before BET or MTV,  before cable television or the Internet, “Soul Train” taught a generation how to dance and let black America see itself having fun. At the center stood Cornelius in all his preternatural cool.   Some singing greats provide comments of the dearly departed Don Cornelius.

Gladys Knight, who performed on the pilot of the show more than four decades ago, said Cornelius “opened up so many avenues for African-American artists.”

In an interview with CNN Wednesday, Knight said he appeared in ill health when she saw him recently.

“Last time I saw him, he was pretty sick,” Knight said. “He had lost a lot of weight, but he still had that thing about him.”

Singer Aretha Franklin called his death “so sad, stunning and downright shocking.”

Singer Smokey Robinson said it was “a musical tragedy.”

Music producer Quincy Jones expressed shock and deep sadness in a written statement to CNN.

Tremendous obit at the Washington Post and the New York Times.