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...

Sheb Wooley -- of “Purple People Eater” Fame -- Dead at 82 09/16/2003 Singer, songwriter and actor Sheb Wooley -- who also recorded a series of parody hits as Ben Colder -- died Tuesday (Sept. 16) at Skyline Medical Center in Nashville. He was 82. Wooley had suffered from leukemia for the past five years, his widow, Linda Dotson, told CMT.com. However, she said he had been strong enough to go with her to Johnny Cash’s wake on Sunday (Sept. 14). While there, she continued, he seemed to falter: “It was like God laid His hand on his shoulder and...

The three-day shoot for the video was about to wrap, and director Mark Romanek needed just one more shot from his singer star, Johnny Cash. As Romanek recalls, "I said to John, 'This is the last take. So if you want to get angry or smash something up, this is your last chance.'" Cash didn't get it. He thought Romanek meant this would be the final shot in the ailing star's life, so he had better make it good. Cash wouldn't, couldn't surrender to such defeatism. "I hope it's not the last take," he said in that baritone growl, which...

<p>Edward Teller, the man who played a key role in U.S. defense and energy policies for more than half a century and was dubbed the "Father of the H-bomb" for his enthusiastic pursuit of the powerful weapon, died Tuesday, a spokesman for Lawrence Livermore Laboratory confirmed. He was 95.</p>

BERLIN (AP) Leni Riefenstahl, best known for her Nazi-era propaganda films, has died at age 101, a German magazine reports, quoting a long-time friend.

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.

August 23, 2003 SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Bobby Bonds, one of the first major leaguers to blend home-run power with base-stealing speed and the father of one of baseball's greatest sluggers, died Saturday. He was 57. Barry Bonds' father had been ill for nearly a year with a brain tumor and lung cancer, but he never lost his love for baseball. He was at Pacific Bell Park as recently as Wednesday night, watching his superstar son and the San Francisco Giants. Bobby Bonds died shortly before 9 a.m. PDT, a Giants spokesman said. Barry Bonds will be away from the...

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...

ABC Radio News just reported that Buddy Ebsen passed away. He was one of the stars of the Beverly Hillbillies.

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...

<p>Dr. Robert Atkins, creator of the high-protein, low-carbohydrate Atkins Diet, died Thursday after an accidental fall on April 8 left him comatose.</p> <p>Atkins, 72, was rushed to New York Weill Cornell Medical Center by his colleague, Dr. Keith Berkowitz, where surgeons removed a blood clot to relieve pressure in his brain on April 9.</p>

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"...

HANOVER, N.H., April 17 — Maurice Rapf, a screenwriter, a founder of the Writers Guild of America and a professor emeritus of the film studies department at Dartmouth, died on Tuesday. He was 88. Mr. Rapf was the son of Harry Rapf, a pioneering executive at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, and he recalled having a brief career as a child actor, portraying orphans, street urchins and assorted brats. "Making movies was the family business, and with parental help it became mine as well," he wrote in 1990 for the Dartmouth alumni magazine. After graduating from Dartmouth in 1935 he returned to Hollywood...

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.

Arab News cartoonist Kahil dies in London By Khalid Al Maeena, Editor in Chief JEDDAH, 12 February 2003 — Arab News cartoonist Mahmoud Kahil died yesterday after undergoing surgery at a British hospital. An internationally known political cartoonist, Kahil was the technician in charge of the publications of the Saudi Research & Publishing Company, which publishes Arab News and 16 other publications. Prince Faisal ibn Salman, chairman of the Saudi Research & Marketing Group, expressed his deep sorrow on hearing news of the death of Kahil, who had been working for the company since 1979. In a full-page obituary...

<p>BRANDON, Fla. -- Professional wrestler Curt ``Mr. Perfect'' Hennig was found dead in a hotel room Monday. Officials said foul play wasn't suspected.</p> <p>Hennig, 44, of Champlin, Minn., was scheduled to appear Monday night at the Florida State Fair in Tampa.</p>

Curt Hennig, who was in his prime one of the most talented wrestlers of the modern era, died earlier today in Tampa. He was 44. Hennig was in town for a show being promoted by Jimmy Hart at the Tampa State Fairgrounds tonight. He was seen alive at 9:30 a.m. by Mickey Jay in his room, but a few hours later when he failed to show up at the gym, a workout partner went back to the room and he was found passed out at about 1 p.m. He was officially pronounced dead a short time later.

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., Jan. 23 — Nell Carter, who played the sassy, matronly housekeeper on the 1980s sitcom “Gimme a Break!” and received a Tony Award for her performance in the Broadway musical “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” died Thursday, her publicist said. She was 54. THE SINGER-ACTRESS collapsed in her Beverly Hills home and was found by her 13-year-old son, Joshua, spokesman Roger Lane said. Carter had suffered from diabetes for years, Lane added, and underwent brain surgery in 1992 to remove an aneurysm. She recovered and continued to perform, mostly on stage.

Prosecutor: inmate convicted in atheist's plot dies in prison 02/04/2003 The Associated PressSAN ANTONIO — A prosecutor says the man convicted in the extortion plot that ended in the slaying of atheist activist Madalyn Murray O'Hair has died in prison.David R. Waters had suffered from poor health since his sentencing on a federal extortion charge in O'Hair's death.Assistant U.S Attorney Gerald Carruth of Austin, who prosecuted Waters and once described him in court as "a depraved recidivist," learned of his death Monday."We always have believed and still believe that Mr. Waters was the mastermind of this plot," Carruth told the...

Pioneer In Black Radio Dies At Age 89 Carter Started KPRS In 1950 POSTED: 7:11 p.m. CST January 24, 2003 UPDATED: 7:26 p.m. CST January 24, 2003 KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A pioneer in broadcasting history has died. Mildred Carter, 89, started KPRS radio with her husband in 1950. Carter died in Florida earlier this month. KPRS in Kansas City is the oldest station in the country owned by African-Americans, KMBC's Krista Taschl reported. The station currently broadcasts on FM 103.3. Family friend Chuck Moore eulogized Carter, who friends called "Millie," at a service Friday. "She was bright, she...

<p>The B-29 superfortress Enola Gay lands at its Tinian base after its historic atomic bombing mission over Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945.</p> <p>LOS ANGELES(AP) - Richard Nelson, the radio operator aboard the Enola Gay, which dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, has died. He was 77.</p>

LONDON, Jan. 24 — Alan Nunn May, a British atomic scientist who spied for the Soviet Union, died on Jan. 12 in Cambridge. He was 91. The Times and the Daily Telegraph reported his death but did not give a cause. One of the first Soviet spies uncovered during the cold war, Dr. Nunn May worked on the Manhattan Project and was betrayed by a Soviet defector in Canada. His unmasking in 1946 led the United States to restrict the sharing of atomic secrets with Britain. His discovery ignited a search for other spies inside the Manhattan Project and led...

I am saddened to learn that Richard Mitchell, the Underground Grammarian, died at his home on December 27th of 2002. The English language lies all but prostrate and defenseless with the passing of its ablest defender. If you are not familiar with his works, you are in for a treat. All of them are available online, available for free use, up to and including rank plagiarism. I have just spoken with Prof. Nathan Carb, the chairman of the English department of Rowan University. There will be a memorial service for Dr. Mitchell in the small concert hall of the Wilson...

Actress-Singer Collapses, Found By Son Actress Nell Carter, who starred in the television comedy "Gimme A Break," died at her Beverly Hills home Thursday of natural causes, her publicist announced. She was 54. Carter had won an Emmy for her role in "Gimme a Break!" and a Tony for her performance in the Broadway musical "Ain't Misbehavin." The actress-singer collapsed and was found by one of her 13-year-old adopted sons.

Old Soldiers Never Die, They Just Fade Away His work speaks for itself. http://ww2.pstripes.osd.mil/02/nov02/mauldin/index.html Raise a glass for Bill Mauldin. May his works never fade away. "Why th' hell couldn't you have been born a beautiful woman?" "This is th' town my pappy told me about."

OBITUARIES Nedra Volz, 94; TV Actress Played Many 'Old Lady' RolesBy Myrna Oliver, Times Staff WriterNedra Volz, a character actress remembered for her early 1980s roles as housekeeper Adelaide Brubaker on the popular television comedy "Diff'rent Strokes" and postmistress Miz Emma Tisdale on "The Dukes of Hazzard," has died. She was 94.Volz, who played her customary "old lady" role in her final film, "The Great White Hype," which was released in 1996, died Jan. 20 in Mesa, Ariz., of complications of Alzheimer's disease.[...]

WWII CARTOONIST BILL MAULDIN DIES AT 81 NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. (AP) . Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Bill Mauldin, who as a young Army rifleman during World War II gave newspaper readers back home a sardonic, foxhole-level view of the front with his drawings of weary, dogface GIs Willie and Joe, died Wednesday at 81. Mauldin died at a nursing home of complications from Alzheimer's disease, including pneumonia, said Andy Mauldin, one of his seven sons. ``It's really good that he's not suffering anymore,'' he said. ``He had a terrible struggle.'' Mauldin was one of the pre-eminent editorial cartoonists of the 20th...

<p>NEW YORK (AP) --Al Hirschfeld, whose graceful, fluid caricatures captured the essence of performers from Charlie Chaplin to Jerry Seinfeld, died Monday. He was 99.</p> <p>Hirschfeld's work was collected in several books. "Hirschfeld's New York" featured the Algonquin Round Table on its cover.</p>