James Arness, Marshall Dillon of Gun Smoke Fame Dead at the Age of 88, RIP

James Arness, Marshall Matt Dillon  of  Gun Smoke fame has passed away at the age of 88 from natural causes. From 1955 to 1975 Arness graced TV screens as the larger than life Marshall Dillon keeping the streets of Dodge City safe from outlaws, Indians and desperadoes. How I loved this show growing up and never missed an episode. Interesting back then we had characters on TV that were heroic role models. What we didn’t know about James Arness, he served his country in the army during WWII at Anzio He was wounded in his right leg and received the Purple Heart.

REST IN PEACE JAMES ARNESS

Matt Dillon, the mythical marshal of Dodge City, stood tall — all 6 feet, 6 inches of him — on “Gunsmoke” from 1955 to 1975. He outlasted dozens of other Western heroes while making history on TV’s longest-running dramatic series, a record that held until NBC’s “Law & Order” tied the CBS Western’s record in 2010.

James Arness wrote a letter that was to be posted to his web site upon  his final farewell:

I had a wonderful life and was blessed with some many loving people and great friends. The best part of my life was my family, especially my wife Janet. Many of you met her at Dodge City so you understand what a special person she is.

I wanted to take this time to thank all of you for the many years of being a fan of Gunsmoke, The Thing, How the West Was Won and all the other fun projects I was lucky enough to have been allowed to be a part of. I had the privilege of working with so many great actors over the years.

I was honored to have served in the army for my country. I was at Anzio during WWII and it makes you realize how very precious life is.

Thank you again for all the many letters, cards, emails and gifts we received from you over the years. You are and always have been truly appreciated

Check out the John Wayne introduction James Arness and  Gun Smoke

Much more at OTB of the passing of James Arness.

CNBC Anchor Mark Haines, Founder of Squawk Box, Dead at the Age of 65

REST IN PEACE MARK HAINES

How very sad, CNBC anchor Mark Haines passed away Tuesday at the age of 65. Haines was the founding anchor of CNBC’s morning show “Squawk Box,” was co-anchor of the network’s “Squawk on the Street.” CNBC’s president Mark Hoffman called Haines a “building block” of the financial networks’ programming.

I have been watching since the early 90′s and there was not a day that went by that I did not watch Mark Haines in the morning on Squawk Box. As stated at the Daily Caller, what made Mark Haines so unique and appreciated was that he asked that questions  that us regular folks asked, not the over educated and massive ego intellectuals did. Mark was one of us. Today, there was actually a moment of silence on the floor of the NY Stock Exchange in memory of Mark Haines.

CNBC President Mark Hoffman called Haines a “building block” of the financial network’s programming. Hoffman said Haines died at his home.

“With his searing wit, profound insight and piercing interview style, he was a constant and trusted presence in business news for more than 20 years,” Hoffman said in a statement to CNBC employees. “From the dotcom bubble to the tragic events of 9/11 to the depths of the financial crisis, Mark was always the unflappable pro.

“Mark loved CNBC and we loved him back. He will be deeply missed.”

Mark Haines was a master of mixing economic information and humor and providing unbiased numbers in a stock trading environment that all too often had an agenda.

Haines was well-known around the newsroom for giving his colleagues on-air nicknames. He was responsible for calling David Faber “The Brain,” Joe Kernen “The Kahuna” and Steve Liesman “The Professor.” If a colleague ever complained about it, he would respond, “What’s worth more, your name or the nickname?”

At such an uncertain economic time where jobs are needed to get the United States back on track, a voice like Mark Haines will most surely be missed. Who can forget the tearful good by of Mark Haines to CNBC’s co-host Erin Burnett. Now we say goodbye to Mark.

Geraldine Ferraro, First Female VP Candidate Dead at Age 75 … Rest in Peace

There is sad news to report … Geraldine Ferraro, the first woman Vice Presidental candidate to run on a major party ticket has died at the age of 75. According to reports, Ferraro passed away from complications from multiple myeloma that she has fought for many years. She passed away at Massachusetts General Hospital surrounded by her family. Our prayers go out to her family, may she rest in peace.

Rest in Peace

Geraldine A. Ferraro, who earned a place in history in 1984 as the first woman to run on a major party national ticket for vice president, has died.  She was 75-years-old.

Ferraro, who was born in Newburgh, New York, passed away today at Massachusetts General Hospital while surrounded by her loved ones, a statement from her family read.

The cause of death was complications from multiple myeloma, a blood cancer that she had battled for twelve years, her family said.

Geraldine Ferraro is most famously known for being the first female to be a VP candidate on a major party ticket. Before there was Sarah Palin, there was Geraldine Ferraro who was Walter Mondale’s VP candidate who faced Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush in the 1984 election. She broke the glass ceiling of the old boys network of having a man on both the top and bottom of the ticket. However, it would not be until 2008, some 24 years later before another woman would be named as a VP choice. Sarah Palin wrote on her Facebook page regarding the passing of Geraldine Ferraro.

My family and I would like to express our sincere condolences to the family of Geraldine Ferraro. When I had the honor of working alongside Geraldine on election night last year, we both discussed the role of women in politics and our excited expectation that someday that final glass ceiling would be shattered by the election of a woman president.

Ferraro Wiki

More from CNN, “Geraldine Anne Ferraro Zaccaro was widely known as a leader, a fighter for justice, and a tireless advocate for those without a voice.

Family statement via The Hill:

“To us, she was a wife, mother, grandmother and aunt, a woman devoted to and deeply loved by her family. Her courage and generosity of spirit throughout her life waging battles big and small, public and personal, will never be forgotten and will be sorely missed.”

Elizabeth Taylor Passes Away … Dead at the Age of 79, Rest in Peace

Hollywood’s most giving an glamours megastars has passed away.

Actress Elizabeth Taylor has passed away at the age of 79.  She literally was the last of a dying breed of Hollywood actress from the Golden Age of Hollywood whose life on and off the silver screen was larger than life. The two time Oscar winning actress had a list of movies that is just too long to mention. According to her publicist, “Taylor passed away from congestive heart failure in hospital last night having suffered from the condition since November 2004″. She died surrounded by her children: Michael Wilding, Christopher Wilding, Liza Todd and Maria Burton

Taylor died “peacefully today in Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles,” said a statement from her publicist. She was hospitalized six weeks ago with congestive heart failure, “a condition with which she had struggled for many years. Though she had recently suffered a number of complications, her condition had stabilized and it was hoped that she would be able to return home. Sadly, this was not to be.”

 A Place in the Sun (1951)

From ‘National Velvet’, to ‘A Place in the Sun’, to ‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof’, to ‘Cleopatra’ to the many many others … Elizabeth Taylor will be more than missed. Who could not forget her in ‘Lassie Come Home’?  On a personal note, Elizabeth Taylor was one of my mom’s favorite actresses. Never did an Elizabeth Taylor movie not come on when I was growing up that did not take precedent on the tube. I did not realize until later on in life that a pic in my house was not that of Elizabeth Taylor, but was in fact my mom. Now with the passing of Mrs. Taylor, I guarantee one of her biggest fans will be greeting her in Heaven.

A statement from Michael Howard Wilding, 58, memorialized his mother:

“My Mother was an extraordinary woman who lived life to the fullest, with great passion, humor, and love,” he said. “Though her loss is devastating to those of us who held her so close and so dear, we will always be inspired by her enduring contribution to our world. Her remarkable body of work in film, her ongoing success as a businesswoman, and her brave and relentless advocacy in the fight against HIV/AIDS, all make us all incredibly proud of what she accomplished.

Much more at TMZ.

Elizabeth Taylor … Rest in Peace.

Scared Monkeys Says Good Bye to One of Their Own … 2NJSONS_MOM Passed Away, To Our Friend, Rest in Peace

In Loving Memory of 2NJSons_Mom …

Loss is always difficult and saying goodbye is especially hard when it is one of your own.

Sadly, we learned over the weekend that 2NJSons_Mom, a long time beloved Scared Monkey and moderator had passed away. The shock of the news was only outdone by the tears. Our hearts and prayers go out to the family and friends of 2NJSons_Mom as we all at Scared Monkeys deal with her loss. As news spread of her passing, Scared Monkeys members expressed their sorrow, tears, condolences and prayers for 2NJSons_Mom and her family.

I’m so sorry to let you know mom passed this afternoon. She was up and alert this morning ready to start cancer treatment next week. Something with her heart gave out this morning and she went into cardiac arrest and was put on life support. We waited until all family was there to later take her off.

While I’m truly saddened to pass this news, I want to express our gratitude for your little community that she was so into and enjoyed being part of. Thank you also for all the well wishes along the way. She’s at peace now after a rough few weeks.

Thanks,
2NJ’s Son

WE REMEMBER 2NJSONS_MOM … ALWAYS IN OUR HEART

Scared Monkeys would like to thank the family of 2NJSons_Mom for sharing her with us. She was a special person who touched many lives.  You touched so many of us with your character and just being you. The pain of letting you go is only comforted by knowing that Heaven just became a better place and that you are no longer in pain and in eternal peace with The Father.

Dear Father,

As we let go of 2NJ’s hand, we know that You hold her and that You will never let go. Thank You for the gift You gave us in 2NJ. You gave me a family when I was devastated without mine and 2NJ was a dear member and close to my heart. Thank You for 2NJ’s character, humor, strength, and caring nature. The world is changed because she walked within it, and her footsteps created paths and inroads for many that we will take everytime we remember 2NJ. I will remember 2NJ …

Read the many tributes prayers and condolences for 2NJSons_Mom from those that knew her at SM.  Special comments for a special person.

2NJSons_Mom, Rose Anne Jordan’s obituary. The viewing and funeral arrangements can be seen HERE.

JORDAN Rose Anne (Della Penna), 61, of Hewitt on Friday, March 11, 2011. Born in Paterson, lived in Wanaque before moving to Hewitt thirty-five years ago. She worked for Spherion Corporation in Ringwood for ten years, retiring in 2006. She was a parishioner of St. Mary’s R.C. Church in Pompton Lakes. Beloved wife of Paul (Gus) Jordan of Hewitt. Loving mother of Thomas Jordan and Joseph Jordan both of Hewitt. Dear sister of John Della Penna and wife Sharon of Pompton Lakes, Michael Della Penna and wife Brenda of Tampa, FL, and Amy Pellechia and husband Victor of Wayne. Also survived by nephews and nieces. Funeral from D’Agostino Funeral Home, 881 Ringwood Avenue, Haskell, on Wednesday, 8:45 AM and a 9:30 AM Mass at St. Mary’s R.C. Church, Pompton Lakes. Interment at Laurel Grove Memorial Park, Totowa. Visiting on Monday, 7-9 PM and Tuesday, 2-4 and 7-9 PM. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Foundation Fighting Blindness, 7168 Columbia Gateway Drive, Suite 100, Columbia, MD 21046, 1-800-683-5555, www.fightblindness.org

Please sign the Guest Book.

It is with our deepest sympathies that we say goodbye to 2NJSons_Mom, a special person who helped make Scared Monkeys a special place and the world a better place.  Please know dear God that the memory and spirit of 2NJ’s Son Mom will forever be in our hearts and a part of Scared Monkeys. Until we meet again dear 2NJ’s Son Mom, I only say good bye for now, until we meet again my friend … thank you for making a difference and this world a better place.

With all of our profound sadness and love,

Your family at Scared Monkey … God Bless You and Rest in Peace my Friend.

Fitness Guru Jack LaLanne Passes Away at the Age of 96

Jack LaLanne, the Godfather of fitness and health, has passed away at the age of 96. The man who brough fitness and health to households long before it became a cottage inductry has passed.

Rest in Peace

The man who for 70 years has told Americans to eat healthy, pump iron, lose weight and exercise has died from respiratory failure due to pneumonia in his Morro Bay, CA home Sunday afternoon. The fitness pioneer revolutionized the way we looked at health and fitness. Jack LaLanne is survived by his wife Elaine, his two sons Dan and Jon, and a daughter, Yvonne.

“The Jack LaLanne Show”

This is a nation of tired people,” he said, in an effort to encourage people to exercise. “Everyone is suffering from that chronic disease that I like to call pooped-out-itis.”

“Inactivity is a killer,” LaLanne once said.  “The only way you can hurt the body is not use it.”

 LaLanne was a fitness pioneer, opening the first of his many exercise studios in 1936. He focused on weight-training at a time when the idea of pumping iron was strictly taboo, especially for women.

“You have to understand that it was absolutely forbidden in those days for athletes to use weights. It just wasn’t done. We had athletes who used to sneak into the studio to work out,” he once said.

Athletic trainers believed bulking up would slow athletes down and women were supposed to look curvy and feminine, not athletic and toned.

“Back then, women weren’t supposed to use weights. I guess I was a pioneer,” LaLanne said.

Jack LaLanne has been igniting change and promoting fitness for years. We have truly lost a national treasure. Jack LaLanne was a man before his time.

LaLanne spent decades talking about the healthful benefits of exercise and fitness. He opened his own health spa in California in 1936, years before the fitness craze swept the United States. LaLanne even designed the world’s first leg-extension machine, along with several other pieces of fitness equipment now standard in the fitness industry.

He was born in San Francisco on September 26, 1914. A self-confessed sugar- and junk-food addict as a child, he went on to study bodybuilding and weight-lifting by the time he was in his late teens.

 Jack’s wife of 51 years,  Elaine LaLanne said in a statement: “I have not only lost my husband and a great American icon, but the best friend and most loving partner anyone could ever hope for.”

The Six Innocent Victims Killed by Gunman Jared Lee Loughner are Named

So much focus has been put on the shooting of US Rep Gabrielle Giffords in the horrendous mass shooting by gunman Jared Lee Loughner. Thankfully, Giffords was not killed, but is still in critical condition after being shot in the head at close range. 

However, sadly as reported at Michelle Malkin.com via MyFoxPhoenix, six innocent people died yesterday who did nothing more than wake up on a Saturday and try and meet their Congresswoman. Among the dead include a Giffords’ staffer, a federal judge and a 9 yea old little girl. Our hearts and prayers go out to the families, friends and loved ones of the victims and may the Peace of the Lord be with you, rest in peace.

9 year old Christina Greene, a life taken far to soon, RIP

The Pima County Sheriff has confirmed that five people were pronounced dead at the scene, and a 9-year-old later died at a local hospital.

The deceased have been identified as: Judge John Roll ,63; Dorthy Murray, 76; Dorwin Stoddard, 76; Christina Greene, 9;Phyllis Scheck, 79; and Gabriel Zimmerman, 30

Please say a prayer …

Legendary Pink Panther, Comedy & Film Director Blake Edwards Dead at Age 88

Talk about the loss of one of the best writer/directors of comedies ever. An SOB, Cool Cat and 10 rolled all up into one …

Julie Andrews & Blake Edwards, 1973
Rest in Peace Blake Edwards: 1922 – 2010

Blake Edwards, the legendary Hollywood comedy director has passed away at age 88 from complications of pneumonia  at a hospital in Santa Monica, California with his wife and children at his bedside. Aside from his acclaimed directing, Blake Edwards might best be known for his 40 year marriage with Academy Award winning  English actress Julie Andrews. Oh how I have laughed at this man’s films over the years, they still crack me up like I just heard them for the first time … REST IN PEACE

Hear Blake Edwards discuss how he met Julie Andrews

Hat Tip: AOL News

Edwards not only directed comedy classic like The Pink Panther series, he also directed such classic films ‘Like Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ and ‘Days of Wine and Roses’. Who could also forget the movie that put Bo Derek on the map and changed how we all rated woman, “10″, as well as other over the top moview like ‘SOB’ and ‘Victor/Victoria’.

His publicist, Gene Schwam, said the cause was complications of pneumonia. Mr. Edwards’s wife, the actress Julie Andrews, and other family members were at his side at St. John’s Health Center, Mr. Schwam said.

What the critic Pauline Kael once described as Mr. Edwards’s “love of free-for-all lunacy” was flaunted in good movies and bad ones …

Blake Edwards was born William Blake Crump on July 26, 1922, in Tulsa, Okla. He became Blake McEdwards when he was 4, after his mother, Lilian, had married Jack McEdwards, an assistant director and movie production manager. Having joined the Coast Guard after high school, Mr. Edwards was seriously injured when, after a night of alcohol-fueled partying, he drunkenly dived into a shallow swimming pool. He spent five months in traction at the Long Beach Naval Hospital.

From the UK Telegraph:

When he was three years old Blake’s family moved to California, and he was brought up in Los Angeles and educated at Beverly Hills High School. While there he worked as a child actor, appearing in numerous B-pictures, but claimed that he “never wanted to act seriously enough to make a career of it”. He left school in 1940 and continued to accept small roles — often as a soldier — in films such as Ten Gentlemen from West Point (1942), Marine Raiders (1944) and A Wing and a Prayer (1944).

During the war he served in the US Coast Guard and was badly injured in a diving accident. After a lengthy recuperation he decided to try to re-enter the film industry, writing a low-budget Western with his friend John Champion and approaching Monogram for backing. When the company turned down the project, Edwards and Champion raised the money themselves, making their debuts as producers with Panhandle in 1948.

More great clips from Blake Edward’s The Pink Panther.

How Sad, Elizabeth Edwards Stops Cancer Treatment, Prognosis Described as Terminal (Update: Elizabeth Edwards Loses Battle with Cancer)

My prayers go out to Elizabeth Edwards, what strength and grace during such difficult times.

What terrible news for Elizabeth Edwards with regards to her battle with cancer. It is being reported that Elizabeth Edwards is stopping her cancer treatment as she was informed bydoctors that further treatment would be unproductive. Terrible, just terrible. Having known many who have passed away from cancer, including my mom, I can only wish Elizabeth Edwards my prayers and the strength to remain positive during these difficult times. God bless and may the peace of the Lord be with you.

Elizabeth Edwards is surrounded by family and friends in her North Carolina home after being informed by her doctors that further cancer treatment would be unproductive.

“Elizabeth has been advised by her doctors that further treatment of her cancer would be unproductive,” the Edwards family said Monday in a statement. “She is resting at home with family and friends and has posted this message to friends on her Facebook page.”

Read more

Actor Leslie Nielsen of Airplane & Naked Gun Fame Dies at Age 84

Surely you can’t be serious, actor  Leslie Nielsen has passed away at the age of 85.

Sad news from an actor that brought us so many laughs. Actor Leslie Nielsen has passed away at the age of 85 after a long bought with pneumonia. Believe it or not, Nielsen used to do serious acting roles; however, was best known for his dead pan humor in such movies as Airplane, Police Squad and the Naked Gun series.

Rest in Peace Leslie Nielsen

Leslie Nielsen, the Canadian-born actor who in middle age tossed aside three decades of credibility in dramatic and romantic roles to make a new, far more successful career as a comic actor in films like “Airplane!” and the “Naked Gun” series, died on Sunday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He was 84.

According to The Associated Press, his agent, John S. Kelly, said Mr. Nielsen died at a hospital near his home in Fort Lauderdale where he was being treated for pneumonia.

 More at Boing Boing with videos of many movie clips. More from The Hollywood Reporter:

“We are sadden by the passing of beloved actor Leslie Nielsen, probably best remembered as Lt. Frank Drebin in The Naked Gun series of pictures, but who enjoyed a more than 60-year career in motion pictures and television,” said a statement from Nielsen’s family released through his rep.

Nielsen died surrounded by family including his wife, Barbaree, and friends.

Nielsen was born Feb. 11, 1926, in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. He came to Hollywood in the mid-1950s after performing in 150 live TV dramas in New York. His acting career spanned several decades, starting with episodes of series including The Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse and Tales of Tomorrow and encompassing several genres.

God bless and rest in peace.