Entertainment industry obituaries

Sandrich directed 100 episodes of The Cosby Show, 1984-92; 14 episodes of It Takes Two, 1982-83; 54 episodes of Soap, 1977-80; and 119 episodes of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, 1970-77. He also directed multiple episodes of Ink, Thea, The Office, The Golden Girls, The Bob Newhart Show, The Bill Cosby Show, The New Dick Van Dyke Show, The Governor & J.J., The Ghost & Mrs Muir, Get Smart, Night Court, Insight, Rhoda, Phyllis, Here's Lucy, Style & Substance, He & She, Nanny & The Professor, Beacon Hill and It's A Living. Whew!

Jay Sandrich, Emmy-winning director of The Cosby Show and The Mary Tyler Moore Show, dies at 89

https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/jay...ow-1235072444/

Ellis, a jazz saxophonist, composer and arranger, released 11 studio albums and two live albums. He recorded 12 albums with Van Morrison, five with Maceo Parker and four with the JB Horns. He also recorded with George Benson, Ginger Baker, Sonny Stitt, Shirley Scott, Hank Crawford and many others. Ellis co-wrote several James Brown hits including Cold Sweat, Soul Pride, Licking Stick and Mother Popcorn.

Alfred 'Pee Wee' Ellis, James Brown bandleader and prolific songwriter, dies at 80

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/...183037678.html

Status Quo, originally known as the Scorpions, formed in 1962 in London. They've released 33 studio albums and 11 live albums and have had 57 top-40 hits in the UK – but only two of their songs charted in the US, both in 1968: Pictures Of Matchstick Men reached #12 on Billboard's Hot 100 and Ice In The Sun reached #70.

Status Quo bassist Alan Lancaster dies at 72

https://www.theguardian.com/music/20...r-dies-aged-72

Commander Cody reached #9 on the Hot 100 in May 1972 with a remake of Johnny Bond's 1960 hit Hot Rod Lincoln. Commander Cody also charted with remakes of Roy Hamilton's 1958 hit Don't Let Go, Tex Williams' 1947 number-one hit Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! and Will Bradley's 1940 hit Beat Me Daddy (Eight To The Bar).

George Frayne, leader of Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen, dies at 77

https://bestclassicbands.com/command...rayne-9-26-21/

Thompson, born Eva Sue McKee, had five top-40 hits in the 1960s including Sad Movies, Norman, James Hold The Ladder Steady and Paper Tiger. In the 1970s, she had 11 country hits including nine duets with Don Gibson. The three biggest were I Think They Call It Love, Good Old Fashioned Country Love and Oh How Love Changes. From 1953 to 1963, Thompson was married to singer/songwriter/banjoist Hank Penny.

Sue Thompson dies at 96

https://www.noise11.com/news/sue-tho...ge-96-20210928

Riddle worked at Los Angeles top-40 stations KRLA, KFWB, KHJ, KDAY and KROQ in the 1960s-70s. He hosted local television programs 9th Street West and Boss City and the 1965-66 syndicated series Hollywood A Go-Go and produced dozens of specials for ABC, CBS, FOX, Telemundo, Univision and other networks.

Sam Riddle, Los Angeles DJ and Star Search producer, dies at 83

https://variety.com/2021/tv/obituari...ch-1235076034/

Martin released six singles and one album. Let Me Return The Favor, a duet with with Lil Kim and Organized Noize, was a #32 R&B hit and #82 pop hit in late 1998. Martin also recorded with Michael Woods, Rudo Brody, Switch, Toddla T and others. Among the more than 200 songs she co-wrote are Monica's Before You Walk Out Of My Life, SWV's You're The One, En Vogue's Don't Let Go (Love), Toni Braxton's I Love Me Some Him, CeCe Peniston's Through Those Doors and Adina Howard's It's All About You.

Andrea Martin, singer-songwriter behind En Vogue and Monica hits, dead at 49

https://www.nydailynews.com/snyde/ny...twe-story.html

Lonnie Smith – not to be confused with keyboardist/trumpeter Lonnie Liston Smith – was a member of the George Benson Quartet in 1966-67 and recorded two albums with the group before going solo. He released 25 studio albums and two live albums and also recorded with Red Holloway, Eric Allison, Richie Hart, Javon Jackson, Lou Donaldson and others. Among Smith's best-known songs are Afrodesia, Move Your Hand, Turning Point, Too Damn Hot, Spinning Wheel, Slouchin' and I Can't Stand It.

Dr. Lonnie Smith, master of the Hammond organ, dies at 79

https://www.npr.org/2021/09/28/10413...gan-dies-at-79

Tommy Kirk and Tim Considine starred in 29 episodes of The Hardy Boys serials that were shown on The Mickey Mouse Club in 1956-57. Kirk went on to co-star in 12 Disney movies: Old Yeller, The Shaggy Dog, Swiss Family Robinson, The Absent-Minded Professor, The Horsemasters, Babes In Toyland, Moon Pilot, Bon Voyage!, Escapade In Florence, Son Of Flubber, Savage Sam and The Misadventures Of Merlin Jones. His last movie appearance was as Albert Kornfield in the 2001 horror film The Education Of A Vampire.

Tommy Kirk, child star of Old Yeller and The Shaggy Dog, dies at 79

https://deadline.com/2021/09/tommy-k...79-1234846897/

Twin brothers Paul & Barry Ryan – their real last name was Sapherson – had several big hits in the UK, 1965-67. Barry then began recording solo. His biggest hit, Eloise, was written by Paul and went to number one in late 1968 in several countries including Spain, France, Belgium, Switzerland and the Netherlands. It reached #2 in the UK and #86 in the US. Among Barry's other hits: Love Is Love, The Hunt and Can't Let You Go.

Singer Barryl Ryan dies at 72

https://www.aceshowbiz.com/news/view/00177774.html

Tylo played Quentin Chamberlain (originally Quinton McCord) in 43 epsiodes of Guiding Light, 1981-84 and 1996-97, played Alcalde Luis Ramone in 45 episodes of The Family Channel's Zorro series, 1990-91, and played Alexander "Blade" Bladeson in 48 episodes of The Young & The Restless, 1992-95. He also appeared in multiple episodes of Another World, General Hospital, All My Children and The Bold & The Beautiful..

Soap opera veteran Michael Tylo passes away at 73

https://celebratingthesoaps.com/gene...es-away-at-73/

As a pianist, Renzi recorded with Ruth Brown, Tony Bennett, Mel Tormé, Maureen McGovern, Peggy King. Peggy Lee, Liza Minnelli, Sylvia Syms, Blossom Dearie, Carol Sloane, Grady Tate, Gerry Mulligan and many others. Renzi also spent ten years as musical director for the PBS children's series Sesame Street.

Composer and musical director Mike Renzi dies at 80

https://www.broadwayworld.com/articl...at-80-20210929

Floyd was born in Latta, North Carolina and many of his operas were set in the South. Among his works: Susannah, Slow Dusk, Markheim, Wuthering Heights, Of Mice & Men, Willie Stark, Bilby's Doll, Cold Sassy Tree, The Sojourner & Mollie Sinclair and The Passion Of Jonathan Wade. In 1983, the National Opera Institute presented Floyd with its highest honor, the Award For Service To American Opera.

Carlisle Floyd, a founding father of American opera, has died at 95

https://www.npr.org/sections/decepti...-composer-dead

VosTV in Voskresensk, Russia, is reporting the death of actor Ravil Isyanov at age 59. Isyanov was born in Voskresensk and emigrated to the United States in 1991. He played Admiral Konstantin Nikolajewitsch Ruskov in five episodes of The Last Ship, 2014-18, and played Anatoli Kirkin in seven episodes of NCIS: Los Angeles, 2013-21. He also appeared in multiple episodes of GLOW, Shooter, The Americans, The Mentalist, Alias and 24 and in the movies Defiance, Follow Me, Anywhere With You, GoldenEye, The Jackal, The Saint, No Escape and Transformers: Dark Of The Moon.

Kalter was an announcer on To Tell the Truth, The $25,000 Pyramid, The Money Maze, The $128,000 Question and The Late Show With David Letterman and was the announcer on all 124 episodes of Jim Hendricks' 1985-89 USA Network series Commander USA's Groovie Movies. Kalter also voiced radio and television commercials for Gillette, Michelin, Bufferin, AT&T, American Airlines and hundreds of other companies.

Alan Kalter, David Letterman's Late Show announcer, dies at 78

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv...er-1235025323/

Horgan played Dr. John Morrison in 306 episodes of The Doctors, 1970-74, and played Thatcher Ross in 27 episodes of Ryan's Hope, 1978-79. He also appeared in multiple episodes of Guiding Light, One Life To Live, Casablanca and The Gentle Falcon and recorded several audio books, including several Sherlock Holmes novels, for the National Library Service For The Blind.

Soap actor Patrick Horgan dead at 92

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/a...gan-dead-at-92

Adams played Zahir Arif in 48 episodes of HBO's 1997-2003 series Oz and played Officer Jeff Westby in 11 episodes of NBC's Homicide: Life On The Street, 1996-99. He also played a detective in the 2002 John Leguizamo movie Empire.

Oz star Granville Adams dies at 58 after long battle with cancer

https://ew.com/tv/oz-star-granville-adams-dies-58/

The Beat – known in the United States and Canada as the English Beat – formed in 1978 in Birmingham, England. Their hits include Save It For Later, I Confess, Mirror In The Bathroom, Too Nice To Talk To and Can't Get Used To Losing You.

The Beat drummer Everett Morton dead at 71

https://ultimateclassicrock.com/beat...t-morton-dead/

Ruthie Tompson died today, October 11, at age 111. She appeared as an extra in several of Walt Disney's Alice comedies in the mid-1920s and joined the studio's Ink & Paint department in 1937. She worked on Snow White, Pinocchio, Fantasia and Dumbo and eventually became supervisor of the Scene Planning department. She worked on every animated feature until Walt Disney Productions President Card Walker issued a memo, "Anyone 65 or older as of October 1975 will be immediately terminated." Ruthie had turned 65 three months earlier. Disney executive chairman Robert Iger wrote on Twitter, "RIP Ruthie Thompson, a true animation legend." Yes, he misspelled her name!

https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/rem...uthie-tompson/

Estus released seven singles in the US and UK, 1984-89. Me Or The Rumours was a #15 dance hit in 1988. Heaven Help Me, a duet with George Michael, reached #3 on the R&B chart and adult contemporary chart and #5 on the Hot 100 in April 1989. Spell reached #11 on the adult contemporary chart in August 1989.

Deon Estus, bassist for Wham! and George Michael, dies at 65
Estus performed with various other musicians over the years, including Tina Turner, Elton John, Marvin Gaye, George Clinton and Annie Lennox.

https://ew.com/music/deon-estus-bass...-michael-dead/