More from Mike Barnes
Phil Donahue, Pioneering Talk Show Host, Dies at 88
Phil Donahue, the talk show innovator who changed the conversation and the course of daytime television with the weekday program he hosted for nearly three decades, has died. He was 88. Donahue died Sunday night at his New York City home following a long illness, his family announced. Survivors include his wife of 44 years, That […]
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John Aprea, Actor in ‘The Godfather Part II’ and ‘Full House,’ Dies at 83
John Aprea, the charismatic character actor who portrayed the young Salvatore Tessio in The Godfather Part II and the father of John Stamos’ character on Full House, has died. He was 83. Aprea died Aug. 5 of natural causes in Los Angeles, his manager, Will Levine, announced. The New Jersey native appeared for director Jonathan […]
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Patt Shea, Writer on ‘All in the Family’ and ‘Archie Bunker’s Place,’ Dies at 93
Patt Shea, the Norman Lear regular who co-wrote the 1979 series finale of All in the Family and co-created and worked on two spinoffs of the fabled sitcom, Archie Bunker’s Place and Gloria, has died. She was 93. Shea died April 12 of natural causes on her birthday at her home in Sherman Oaks, her […]
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Bob Weatherwax, Lassie’s Trainer, Dies at 83
Bob Weatherwax, who trained dogs who played Lassie as a member of the famous family that also taught Hollywood hounds a thing or two in The Thin Man (Asta), The Wizard of Oz (Toto) and Old Yeller (Spike), has died. He was 83. Weatherwax died Thursday at a Veterans Administration facility in Olyphant, Pennsylvania, his […]
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Maxie Solters, Third-Generation Hollywood Publicist, Dies at 37
Maxie Solters, a third-generation publicist and the daughter of Scoop Marketing principal Larry Solters, died unexpectedly Thursday at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank. She was 37. No cause of death was immediately available. In 2012, Maxie continued her family’s legacy by following in the public relations footsteps of her father and late grandfather, […]
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Greg Kihn, Pop Star Who Had a Big Hit With “Jeopardy,” Dies at 75
Greg Kihn, the singer, songwriter, guitarist and West Coast pop star best known for his bouncy hit “Jeopardy,” which made it to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 before being parodied by “Weird Al” Yankovic, has died. He was 75. Kihn died Tuesday after a battle with Alzheimer’s, publicist Michael Brandvold announced. His family […]
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Peter Marshall, Host of ‘The Hollywood Squares,’ Dies at 98
Peter Marshall, the velvety-voiced host who presided over NBC’s celebrity-filled game show The Hollywood Squares for 16 years, died Thursday. He was 98. Marshall, an accomplished singer who also was a leading man on Broadway and one-half of a popular comedy team before embarking on his game-show gig, died of kidney failure at his Encino […]
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Adam Epstein, Tony-Winning ‘Hairspray’ Producer, Dies at 49
Adam Epstein, who won a Tony Award for producing Hairspray before he was 30 and received other nominations for his work on revivals of Amadeus and The Crucible and adaptations of The Wedding Singer and Cry-Baby, has died. He was 49. Epstein died Tuesday at Adventist Health hospital in Glendale after a brief battle with […]
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Gena Rowlands, Actress of Unparalleled Excellence, Dies at 94
Gena Rowlands, the wife and muse of John Cassavetes whose unvarnished abilities found in such films as Faces, A Woman Under the Influence, Opening Night and Gloria put her in the pantheon of acting legends, died Wednesday. She was 94. Rowlands died surrounded by family members at her home in Indian Wells, California, according to […]
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Winsome Sinclair, Casting Director Who Worked Often With Spike Lee, Dies at 58
Winsome Sinclair, the casting director who helped bring in actors for Waiting to Exhale, Amistad, Precious, The Best Man and a dozen films directed by Spike Lee, has died. She was 58. Sinclair died Monday in hospice care on Long Island after a long battle with colon cancer, publicist Clorissa Wright-Thomas told The Hollywood Reporter. […]
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Kim Kahana, Stuntman Who Starred in ‘Danger Island’ and Doubled for Charles Bronson, Dies at 94
Kim Kahana, the stunt performer, teacher, coordinator and war hero who played Chongo on the kids show Danger Island and doubled for Charles Bronson in several action films, has died. He was 94. Kahana died Monday of natural causes at his home in Groveland, Florida, his wife, Sandy Kahana, told The Hollywood Reporter. Kahana, 5-foot-7 […]
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Didi O’Hearn, Longtime A&E Television Networks Executive, Dies at 63
Deirdre “Didi” O’Hearn, a veteran cable executive who spent 16 years at A&E Television Networks and also worked for WeTV and the Food Network, among other channels, died Monday. She was 63. O’Hearn, nominated for six Emmys and a winner of five Golden Eagle Awards, died in hospice care in St. Augustine, Florida, after a […]
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