Free Republic

<p>BOSTON, Massachusetts (AP) -- William Steig, a prolific illustrator for The New Yorker known as the "King of Cartoons" for his award-winning, best-selling children's books including "Shrek," has died. He was 95.</p> <p>Steig died of natural causes of Friday night at his home in the Back Bay section of Boston, said his agent, Holly McGhee.</p>

LONDON (Reuters) - A British war hero, said to have been the inspiration behind secret agent James Bond, has died aged 90, British newspapers reported Wednesday. Former Royal Navy Lieutenant Commander Patrick Dalzel-Job carried out a series of daring exploits behind enemy lines during the Second World War including some while serving under author Ian Fleming, who created the 007 character. Although he never claimed to be the real James Bond, Fleming had told him he was the model for the heroic spy, the Guardian newspaper said. Dalzel-Job's real life adventures certainly read like a James Bond novel. In one...

<p>At the height of Wally George's fame in the mid-1980s, fans of the conservative talk-show host with the shock of white hair would wait several weeks to secure one of 60 tickets to his "Hot Seat" television show, taped in Anaheim.</p>

Oct. 6 (Bloomberg) -- James Forlong, a Sky News reporter who quit amid accusations that he faked a report during the war on Iraq, has been found dead, the British Broadcasting Corp. reported, citing local police. Forlong, 44, who had worked for Sky News for 10 years, was found dead at his home in Hove, southern England by local police in the early hours of Saturday morning, the BBC said. Police said the circumstances surrounding his death were not suspicious, the BBC reported. Forlong resigned from the satellite television news channel three months ago over allegations that he faked a...

When Elia Kazan was presented a lifetime achievement Oscar in 1999, he closed his speech - and the door to his confounding life - with the words "I think I can just slip away." And now he has. Kazan died Sunday in his Manhattan home at the age of 94. Besides his indelible work as a theater director, Kazan leaves behind conflicting legacies as one of postwar Hollywood's most important filmmakers and one of its biggest finks. A former member of the Communist Party USA, Kazan wilted before the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1952 and named names. Afterward, he...

NEW YORK -- Edward W. Said, a Columbia University professor, literary critic and leading spokesman in the United States for the Palestinian cause, has died, his editor at Knopf publishers said Thursday. He was 67. Said died at a New York hospital, said editor Shelly Wanger. He had suffered from leukemia at least since the early 1990s.

Robert H. Lochner, who as John F. Kennedy's interpreter helped the president practice his famous "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech in 1963, has died, his family said Monday. He was 84. A journalist by trade who helped revive free media in West Germany after World War II, Mr. Lochner died of a lung embolism early Sunday at his home in western Berlin, said his daughter Anita. Mr. Lochner was head of Radio in the American Sector, a radio station supported by the United States in West Berlin during Kennedy's triumphal visit to West Germany and the non-Communist half of the...

That's it - just came in our newsroom

MUNDELEIN, Ill. -- A northern Illinois man who legally changed his name to Santa Claus in 1997 was found dead Tuesday in his Mundelein-area home. Born Robert Rion, he officially changed his name after decades of playing Santa. At 6 feet tall and 300 pounds, with a long white beard, the name fit him. Claus made Christmas appearances across Lake County and operated a year-round hotline so kids could talk to Santa.

Herb Brooks, 66, former University of Minnesota hockey coach, was killing this afternoon in car crash near Forest Lake, Minn., on Interstate 35.....

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) Sam Phillips, who discovered Elvis Presley and helped usher in the rock 'n' roll revolution, died Wednesday. He was 80. Phillips died at St. Francis Hospital, spokeswoman Gwendolyn McClain said. No details were immediately available about the cause of death or how long he had been hospitalized. Phillips founded Sun Records in Memphis in 1952 and helped launch the career of Presley, then a young singer who had moved from Tupelo, Miss. He produced Presley's first record, the 1954 single that featured ``That's All Right, Mama'' and ``Blue Moon of Kentucky.'' ``God only knows that we didn't...

Just heard from a friend, who heard it on the radio. I cannot find an article as of yet.

Bob Hope: 1903-200307/28/2003By PHILIP WUNTCH / The Dallas Morning News Bob Hope, the vaudeville jokester turned pop-culture giant whose ski-slope profile cast a wry shadow over the 20th century and into the 21st, died late Sunday night, just two months after his 100th birthday. He died late Sunday of pneumonia at his home in Toluca Lake, with his family at his bedside, longtime publicist Ward Grant told the Associated Press on Monday. From vaudeville venues to wartime USO stages, from big-screen Road tales opposite Bing Crosby to small-screen holiday specials opposite Brooke Shields, he kept America chuckling for nearly...

<p>July 28, 2003 -- Jane Barbe, whose voice was familiar to millions of telephone users across the country who ever dialed a wrong number or had to "Please listen to the following options" in a voice-mail system, died July 18 in Roswell, Ga., of complications from cancer. She was 74.</p>

EXACTLY what made Dr David Kelly’s life suddenly unbearable will be the focus of political recriminations for years to come. The pioneering weapons inspector who uncovered Saddam Hussein’s secret anthrax programme was incensed at his treatment by a committee of MPs and frustrated that his own evidence to them had been flawed. Dr Kelly apparently found it impossible to live with his inner torment. At 3pm on Thursday he left his house, saying he was going for a walk. Paul Weaver, a farmer, spotted the scientist on a footpath more than a mile from his home. The only oddity was...

Jazz Great Benny Carter Dead at 95 in Los Angeles By Kevin Krolicki LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Legendary jazz pioneer and big band leader Benny Carter, who helped break Hollywood's bar to black composers, died on Saturday at Cedars Sinai hospital in Los Angeles, friends said on Sunday. He was 95. Reuters Photo AP Photo Slideshow: Jazz Great Benny Carter Dies at 95 Carter, who was one of the first black composers and arrangers to work on mainstream Hollywood films, including such classics as "Stormy Weather," had been hospitalized for about two weeks, complaining of bronchitis and fatigue, said...

N!xau WINDHOEK, Namibia (AP) - N!xau, the diminutive bushman catapulted from the remote sandswept reaches of the Kalahari Desert to international stardom in the film "The Gods Must Be Crazy" has died, police officials said Saturday. He was estimated to have been about 59, although he himself said he did not know his exact age. Police in the remote area of Tsumkwe in the Namibian part of the Kalahari where N!xau lived confirmed his recent death, but did not have any details of how or when he died. His name is a usual transliteration of his tribal language, which uses...

Breaking..

LONDON -- Former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher appeared frail yesterday as she arrived at a London chapel for the funeral of her husband of more than 50 years. The 77-year-old Thatcher was supported by her twin children, Mark and Carol, as they entered the chapel at historic Royal Hospital behind the coffin of Sir Denis Thatcher, who died June 26 at 88. The coffin, draped in the British Union Jack, was covered with with red roses and white lilies. Among the 120 mourners at the private service was Sir Denis' old friend Lord Deedes, 90, one of Britain's most...

Yep, she's left us

Joseph H. Gottschalk, whose habit of riding a bicycle while wearing only a thong brought him both local celebrity and notoriety, was found dead over the weekend in Big Bend National Park. Park officials said hikers spotted some clothing near the edge of a cliff some 30 feet from the South Rim trail Saturday afternoon. Peering down a sharp drop, the hikers saw Gottschalk’s naked body on a wide ledge about 100 feet below, park spokesman David Elkowitz said. A search-and-rescue team used pulleys to raise and retrieve Gottschalk’s corpse, and a Brewster County justice of the peace examined it...

Wednesday, June 18, 2003Doby was AL's first African-American playerAssociated Press NEW YORK -- Hall of Famer Larry Doby, the first black player in the American League, died Wednesday night after a long illness.He was 78.Doby died at his home in Montclair, N.J., said his son, Larry Doby Jr. Larry Doby, second from left, batted .301 during Cleveland's 1948 championship season. Doby was a seven-time All-Star in a 13-year career, almost all of it spent in the outfield for the Cleveland Indians. He helped lead the Indians to their last World Series title in 1948.On July 5, 1947, just 11 weeks...

NORTH HOLLYWOOD, Calif. -- Actor Trevor Goddard, who starred in the series "Jag," was found dead Sunday in his North Hollywood home. The coroner said the cause of death may be suicide. Goddard, who was 38, was a native of Perth, Australia. According to the Internet Movie Database, Goddard starred in the recurring role of Lt. Cmdr. Michael "Mic" Brumby in "JAG" from 1998-2001. Among Goddard's film credits were "Mortal Kombat," "Deep Rising" and "Gone in Sixty Seconds." Goddard also has a role in the upcoming Johnny Depp film "Pirates of the Carribean: Curse of the Black Pearl."

Hendrix Bassist Noel Redding Dies By Marcus ErricoNoel Redding , has died. The bassist passed away Sunday at his home in County Cork, Ireland, according to his manager, Ian Grant. Grant made the announcement on a message board for , Redding's label. "I can't yet take it in that, once more, I am sitting at my desk bringing sad news. Noel passed away," Grant wrote. The cause of death was not immediately known. Redding was 57. His death reportedly comes just a week after his mother's. Originally a guitarist, Redding converted to bass when he joined with Hendrix and drummer...

Santa Barbara, California-AP -- A woman who was the forerunner of today's supermodels is dead. Her stepdaughter says Suzy Parker died at her home in Montecito, California. She was 69. Parker, whose face was one of the most widely-recognized in the 1950's, was known for her full red hair and beautiful bone structure. She was the signature model for Coco Chanel, and was the top earner for her time, making 200 dollars an hour. She made her film debut in 1957, appearing with Fred Astaire and Audrey Hepburn in "Funny Face." Her other film credits include "Kiss Them for Me"...

Hank Ballard, the R&B star who wrote and recorded "The Twist" with little success and watched a year later as Chubby Checker used the song to teach the world a new dance, died Sunday at his home in Los Angeles. Ballard, who had been suffering from throat cancer, was 66.