More on Roger Ebert’s passing: Legendary film critic Roger Ebert has died at the age of 70 after a lengthy battle with cancer. Ebert’s career began with the Chicago Sun-Times back in 1967, and many assumed it would be over after a June 2006 surgery cost Ebert his jaw and voice. However, the film critic persisted, reviewing more than 200 films a year for the Sun-Times, and more than 300 during 2012. Ebert became the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize back in 1975, and was added to the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2005. He is survived by his wife, step-daughter, and two step-grandchildren. (Photo via Chicago Magazine)
Here’s Dr. Koop, discussing the AIDS crisis. Koop, who was one of the most high-profile Surgeon Generals in U.S. history, died Monday at 96. Koop, as he mentions above, was known for his role in informing the public during the AIDS crisis. ”I stepped into a job that nobody gave me. I became, more or less by circumstance and pressure, the government spokesperson for AIDS,” he says in the clip above. The Reagan-era appointee took an extremely public role during the era, warning the public of the dangers of smoking and other issues. His stances—including his decision to not call for a reversal of Roe v. Wade despite his personal stance against abortion—infuriated conservatives but won supporters among liberals. No matter your opinions of him politically (he didn’t care, he was just doing his job), he was nonetheless the trusted face of public health in 1980s America.
An Icon Passes: A spokesperson has confirmed that actress and comedienne Phyllis Diller has passed away in her Los Angeles home. According to Milton Suchin, her manager for many years, Phyllis “died peacefully in her sleep with a smile on her face.” She is credited as one of the first successful female nightclub comedians, and also found success on a number of television shows during the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s. Additionally, Diller was the 1992 recipient of the American Comedy Award for Lifetime Achievement. She is survived by her son and two daughters. (Photo via Ottawa Citizen) source
After battling a variety of health issues over the past decade-plus, Irish author and playwright Maeve Binchy has passed away. Binchy first saw mainstream success with ‘Light A Penny Candle’, which spent more than a year in top 10 charts, and went on to write seven books which appeared in a list of the top 100 novels by Irish authors. Her works appeared more often, and outsold, those of other noted Irish authors including William Butler Yeats and Oscar Wilde. (Photo via UggBoy/UggGirl) source
The highly respected author passed away in Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center as a result of complications related to a bicycle accident that occurred in April. Covey, who Time Magazine once called one of the 25 Most Influential Americans, also co-founded the FranklinCovey consulting firm in Salt Lake City, Utah. He is survived by his wife, nine children, and fifty-two grandchildren. (Photo via Thinkers50) source
The Indiana University political science professor, and first woman to win the Nobel Prize for economics, died as a result of cancer on Tuesday. Ostrom overcame societal barriers on women’s education, and obtained her bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees from the University of California at Los Angeles. Ostrom won the 2009 Nobel Prize for her work with Oliver Williamson, studying the organization patterns used by people to manage available resources. She is survived by her husband Vincent Ostrom. (Photo via Indiana Public Media) source
Today’s Style section.
Chuck Brown (1936-2012).
The obituary | His impact | The reaction | Video
Illustration by Marc Burckhardt
One of D.C.’s greatest homegrown musical figures, Chuck Brown, died Wednesday. Here’s the Post’s coverage on the guy, who was still an active musician in the region well into 2012.
He brought the flippers and the tilt: Kordek, who died last Sunday, revolutionized what were then called “pin games”, in which a user would drop a ball into a maze of pins, by creating the tilted game-board and dual-flipper system we’re all familiar with today. (Which, by the way, is a totally underrated form of entertainment.) When asked about his invention by the Chicago Tribune, in 2009, Kordek replied, “I was taught to be very conservative to hold down costs. There was no way I was going to put six flippers on a game when I could get away with two.” Kordek retired in 1999, and lost his wife in 2003. He’s survived by two sons, two daughters, two brothers, a sister, six grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. (image courtesy of flickr user jlstern) source
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