It
seems that I just wrote this column for 2013 a few months ago – Amazing how
quickly time passes, and with it so many who influenced us and left their
imprint on the world …
January ~
Russell
Johnson
You may not remember the name but if you’re over
the age of 40 you will probably remember “The Professor” on Gilligan’s Island – Russell Johnson.
Johnson
was born on November 10, 1924 in Pennsylvania.
After high school he served as a second lieutenant and flew 44 combat
missions in the Pacific Theatre during World War II as a bombardier aboard a
B-24 Liberator.
After
the war, Johnson studied acting at the Actors’ Lab in Hollywood and began his
acting career in 1952, taking movie roles that were mainly in westerns. He
played opposite Audie Murphy, (a personal friend), Ronald Reagan, William
Shatner, and June Allison. Johnson then moved into the science fiction television
genre appearing in The Twilight Zone
and Outer Limits episodes. 
From
1964 to 1967, Johnson played the part of Professor Roy Hinkley, an amazing
inventor who sailed into fame aboard the S.S. Minnow to Gilligan’s Island. (Although Johnson’s character was great at
building inventions; he could not, as Johnson once pointed out, fix the hole in
the boat.) After the show ended, Johnson appeared in The Big Valley, Lassie, 
That Girl, and Gunsmoke.
In the 1980s he made regular appearances on the TV show Dallas and the soap opera Santa
Barbara.
Russell
Johnson died on January 16 of kidney failure at his home in Bainbridge Island,
Washington. He was 89 years old.
Ruth
Duccini
The
last of the original female Munchkins from the movie, The Wizard of Oz died in January. Ruth Robinson Duccini was born in
Rush City, Minnesota on July 23, 1918. Duccini was cast in the movie after
arriving in California with a troupe of dwarfs. She later met her husband, Fred
Duccini while working at MGM.
Duccini
told reporters that she was proudest of her work at the Douglas Aircraft Factory
during WWII. Because of her size, she could fit into tight places and became one
of the thousands of Rosie the Riveters who worked at defense plants around the
country. Duccini
went on to act in the 1981 movie, Under
the Rainbow and Memories of Oz in
2001.
Duccini
died on January 16 in Las Vegas from natural causes. She was 95 years old. She
is buried at Mountain View Cemetery in Prescot, Arizona. (Only one Munchkin remains; Jerry Maren who played a member of the Lollipop
Gang. On January 24, 2015, he will turn 95 years old.)
February ~
Shirley
Temple
Although
she did many things during her adult life including a stint as a U.S.
Ambassador and U.S. Representative at the United Nations General Assembly;
Shirley Temple Black was best known as the perky child with the blond curls who
could sing and dance her way into your heart.
Born
April 23, 1928, Shirley Temple began acting when she was three-years-old. She
was Hollywood’s number one box office star from 1935 through 1938 with Curly Top, Bright Eyes and Heidi. She was considered “the nation’s greatest weapon against the
Depression.” Once she became a teen, her film popularity waned and by 1950
she had retired from the industry – at the age of 22. 
Temple
married for the first time in 1945 and had a daughter, but divorced in 1949 and
regained her maiden name. Then in 1950, she met Charles Alden Black, a WWII
Navy intelligence officer and a well-to-do California resident. The couple had
two children and had been married for 54 years until Mr. Black’s death in 2005.
Temple
Black began her diplomatic career in 1969 as a representative at a United
Nations General Assembly session. She served a U.S. Ambassador to Ghana from
1974 to 1976 and as the first and only female U.S. Ambassador to Czechoslovakia
from 1989 to 1992. She also served on several boards including the Walt Disney
Company, Bank of America and the National Wildlife federation.
Shirley
Temple Black died on February 10 at her home in Woodside, California. She was
85-years-old. Her remains were cremated and her ashes given to her family.
Harold
Ramis
Here
was a man who could make us laugh with his acting and his writing. Harold Ramis
wrote some of the most popular comedies of all time: Ghostbusters, Groundhog Day and National
Lampoon’s Animal House, to name a few.
Harold
Ramis was born on November 21, 1944 in Chicago. After graduating from
Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri he returned to Chicago and began
writing for local newspapers, but comedy was in his blood and soon he was
writing joke for Playboy Magazine.
He
began studying with Second City’s Improv comedy troupe. He left for a while and
was replaced by John Belushi. Ramis returned and by 1974 he, Belushi, Bill Murray, Joe Flaherty,
Gilda Radner and Christopher Guest were starring in The National
Lampoon Show. Ramis went on to become head writer for SCTV from 1976 to 1979.
During this time, he wrote National
Lampoon’s Animal House. The film became the highest grossing comedy ever,
bringing in over $141-million.
Ramis
was known for his tongue-in-cheek view of corporate America. His love of Improv
remained a part of his movies, which included his close friends and writing
buddies, Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd. Ramis wrote, directed and/or performed in
over thirty films.
Harold
Ramis died on February 24 in Chicago of complications from autoimmune
inflammatory vasculitis. He was 69.
March ~
David
Brenner
He
was known as the pioneer of observational comedy – humor based on everyday
events. But David Brenner not only did stand-up comedy, he wrote, produced or
directed over 100 TV documentaries.
David
Norris Brenner was born on February 4, 1936 to Jewish parents in Philadelphia.
His father was a vaudeville comedian and Brenner followed in his footsteps when
he began at the Improv in 1969.
He
debuted on The Tonight Show in 1971 and continued to appear on the show over
150 times; Johnny Carson’s most frequent guest. Brenner also sat in the host’s chair 75 times between 1975 and 1984. In 1986,
Brenner was given his own late-night talk show, but it lasted only one season.
Brenner
had also headed up the documentary divisions for Westinghouse Broadcasting and
Metromedia, writing, producing or directing 115 documentaries for television.
He also write five books: Soft Pretzels With Mustard (1983), Revenge
is the Best Exercise (1984), Nobody Ever Sees You Eat Tuna Fish
(1986), If God Wanted Us to Travel... (1990), and I Think There's a
Terrorist in My Soup: How to Survive Personal and World Problems with
Laughter—Seriously (2003).
David
Brenner died on March 15 at his home in Manhattan from cancer. He was 78. His
final request was for $100 in small bills to be placed in his left sock "just
in case tipping is recommended where I'm going."
Jeremiah
Denton, Jr.
Jeremiah
Denton, Jr. – It’s a name few of us recognize. But this was the first man to
confirm that American POW’s were being subjected to horrendous abuse and
torture in Vietnam.
Denton
was born on July 15, 1924. He entered the U.S. Naval Academy in 1943 and
graduated three years later. He was credited with developing the “Haystack Concept” strategy during the
Cold War. This tactic provided a way to conceal aircraft carriers from radar by
mixing them in with commercial ships.
Denton
served as a naval aviator during the Vietnam War, commanding Attack
Squadron VA-75. Then on July 18, 1965
Commander Denton was leading 28 planes on a bombing mission when his plane was
shot down over the city of Thanh Hoa. Denton and his navigator/bombardier,
Lieutenant Bill Tschudy were taken prisoner by the North Vietnam.
Denton
and Tschudy were held for eight years – four in solitary confinement. Then in
1966, Denton was forced to take part in a television press conference to supposedly show how American POWs were being treated. During that interview, Denton
repeatedly blinked his eyes using Morse code to spell out T-O-R-T-U-R-E. This was
the first time that officials were able to confirm that Americans were being abused by the North Vietnamese.
On
February 12, 1973, Denton and Tschudy were both released along with other
American POWs during Operation Homecoming. In 1974, Denton became the
commandant of the Armed Forces Staff College and worked at the college until
1977 when he retired with the rank of Rear Admiral. In 1980, Denton ran for a
seat in the U.S. Senate and won. He ran again in 1986 but lost his re-election
bid.
Jeremiah
Denton, Jr. died on March 28 from a heart ailment in Virginia Beach. He was
89-years-old. Denton is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
April ~
Mickey
Rooney
A
lifelong actor, he began performing before he was two-years-old with a career
that spanned over 80 years. Mickey Rooney acted in Vaudeville, radio, Broadway, film
and television making him one of the most popular celebrities of the 20th
century.
Mickey
Rooney was born Joseph Yule, Jr. on September 23, 1920 in Brooklyn, New York.
His parents were both Vaudeville actors and Rooney became part of his parents
act when he was 17-months–old. His first appearance in a film was in 1926 and
the following year played the lead in the first Mickey McGuire film. It was during this time that he took the stage
name of Mickey Rooney.
In
1937, Rooney played the part of Andy Hardy in A Family Affair, which led to another 20 films starring the
character. He appeared with Judy Garland in Babes
in Arms in 1939 and they went on to do several films together. Rooney also
acted in dramas; his first was with Spencer Tracy in Boys Town in 1938 for which he won a Juvenile Academy Award.
As
he became older, Rooney also acted in movies with Elizabeth Taylor, Audrey
Hepburn, Jackie Gleason and Anthony Quinn.
When his box office star began to fade, Rooney appeared in four
television shows from 1954 to 1993.
Rooney
was also known for his many marriages, eight in all. In 2011, Rooney filed
elder abuse charges against his stepson Christopher Aber, and appeared before
the Senate to speak out about senior abuse and what needs to be done.
Mickey
Rooney died during his sleep on April 6 at the home of his son, Mark Rooney in
Studio City, California. He was 93-years-old. Rooney is buried in Hollywood
Forever Cemetery.
Kevin
Sharp
He
was a country singer, a motivational speaker and a cancer survivor who lost his
fight in 2014. Kevin Grant Sharp was born on December 10, 1970 in Redding
California. He dreamed of becoming a singer when he grew up. As a teenager, he
was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer and given little chance of
surviving. Sharp underwent radiation treatments, which caused his hair to
fall out and never grow back.
During
this time, Sharp met record producer David Foster through the Make-A-Wish
Foundation, which grants the wishes to children and teens with life-threatening
illnesses. After two years of treatments his cancer went into remission, and
Sharp created a demo tape, which he sent to Foster. 
By
November 1996, Sharp released his debut album, Measure of a Man. His first hit, Nobody Knows went to the top of the Billboard Hot Country Singles
chart and stayed there for four weeks. Two other songs from the album, She’s Sure Taking It Well and If You Love Somebody both made it into
the Top 5 Country Singles.
In
1997, Sharp was named New Touring Artist of the Year by the Country Music
Association and nominated for the Top Male Vocalist by the Academy of Country
Music. He also became a spokesperson for the Make-A-Wish Foundation and
received the foundation’s Wish Granter of the Year award.
Sharp
continued singing but also became a motivational speaker, telling of his battle
with caner and how his dreams of being a country singer came true. In 2004, he
wrote about his bout with cancer in the book, Tragedy’s Gift.
Kevin
Sharp died on April 19 at his home in Fair Oaks, California from complications
due to past surgeries. He was 43-years-old.
May ~
Jerry
Vale
He
was one of the popular crooners of the 1950s – Jerry Vale, (born Genaro Louis
Vitaliano) began his career singing while shining shoes in New York City. He
changed his name after high school and started landing supper club dates all
around New York. Between
1955 and 1974, Vale released over 30 studio albums and had over 40 hits on the
Hot 100 or Adult Contemporary charts.
Vale’s
version of the Star-Spangled Banner, which was recorded in 1963, was played at
sporting events around the country for years. He received a Gold Record award
for this and frequently sang at Yankee Stadium games. He
appeared in the movies Goodfellas,
and Casino, playing himself. He also appeared
on the TV series The Sopranos.
Jerry
Vale died of natural causes on May 18 at his home in Palm Desert, California.
He was 83-years-old. He is buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Cathedral City,
California.
Maya
Angelou
The terms poet,
writer, actress and singer describe her just as well as civil rights activist,
historian and public speaker do; Maya Angelou was born as Marguerite Johnson on
April 4, 1928 in St Louis.
Raised
by her paternal grandmother, Marguerite learned about racial discrimination
first-hand in Arkansas. She won a scholarship to the San Francisco Labor School
where she studied dance and drama. A few weeks after graduating she gave birth
to a son and found ways to support him while still performing and writing. In
1954, Angelou toured Europe with the opera production of Porgy and Bess. Then in 1958, she joined the Harlem Writer’s Guild
and began writing her memoir, I Know Why
The Caged Bird Sings. Published in 1970, the book made the bestsellers list.
She wrote over 30 books during her lifetime.
Angelou
worked with Malcom X and Dr. Martin Luther King to advance the causes of
Civil Rights. She served on two presidential committees, wrote and
delivered the poem On the Pulse of the
Morning at the inauguration of President Clinton, and penned Amazing Peace, a poem she wrote for George Bush in 2005. In
2010, President Obama presented her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom –
the country’s highest civilian honor.
Maya
Angelou died on May 28 at her home in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She was
86-years-old. Angelou was cremated and her ashes scattered.
June ~
Ann
B. Davis
She
was another child star, beginning her acting career at the age of
six. Ann B. Davis and her twin sister, Harriet were born on May 5,
1926 in Schenectady, New York. She
graduated college with a degree in drama and speech, and by 1953 was appearing
on ABC’s Jukebox Jury television
show.
In
1955, Davis was cast as Charmaine “Schultzy” Schultz, the secretary on The Bob
Cummings Show where she stayed for four years: She won the Primetime Emmy Award
for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for two of those years.
In 1960, Davis received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
During the 1960s, she appeared on The John Forsythe Show and did numerous commercials
for the Ford Motor Company. Then in 1969, she landed the role she would be best
remembered for… Alice Nelson, the housekeeper on The Brady Bunch TV show.
Davis
appeared on the show from 1969 through 1974 and had cameo roles in all the
Brady movies. In her later years, Davis took to the stage, performing in
Arsenic and Old Lace and did a world-tour of Crazy for You.
Ann
B. David died on June 1 at a hospital in San Antonia, Texas after sustaining a
subdural hematoma from a fall. She was 88-years-old. Davis was buried at Saint
Helena’s Columbarium and Memorial Gardens in Boerne, Texas.
Casey
Kasem
He
spent almost 60 years on the air as a disc jockey, voice actor and radio
personality. Kemal Amen “Casey” Kasem was born on April 27, 1932 in Detroit,
Michigan.
Kasem
did his first radio show during high school and soon after began a professional
career in broadcasting. After a suggestion from a general manager, Kasem
changed his radio patter and began to intermingle tidbits about the artists during their music. He began supplementing his income by hosting dance hops at local TV stations and was "discovered" by Dick Clark.
Clark
hired him to co-host a daily teen show in 1964. By the mid-1960s, he was appearing
in guest roles on Hawaii Five-O and Ironside. By the end of the 1960s, Kasem
was working as a voice-actor, voicing one of his most popular characters –
Shaggy on the cartoon Scooby-Doo, Where
Are You! He continued to voice Shaggy for over 40 years.
In
1970, he, along with three others, launched the weekly radio program American Top 40 – where he counted down
from the #40 song of the week to #1 while mixing in dedications, trivia and
history about the groups and singers. Kasem would voice the show for 18 years until 1988
when he left due to a contract dispute. Quick to bounce back, he signed a
15-million contract to host Casey’s Top
40 – a show he did for another ten years. 
In
2013, it was reported that Kasem was suffering from Parkinson’s disease. Due to
family squabbles, which led to court orders, Kasem’s last year was controlled
by fights between his wife, Jean Kasem and daughter Kerri, from his first
marriage. On June 6, Kasem had to be removed from a hidden location in
Washington State and taken to a hospital where he was admitted in critical but
stable condition.
Casey
Kasem died on June 15 at St. Anthony’s Hospital in Gig Harbor, Washington. He
was 86-years-old. Kasem reportedly had requested to be buried at Forest Lawn
Memorial Park in Glendale but his wife had his remains shipped to Canada and
then, later to Oslo, Norway where he was buried at Western Cemetery on December 16, 2014.
Next
week, we’ll conclude this look back at those who passed between July and
December, 2014.
Here’s
wishing you a Happy and Healthy New Year!
~
Joy
