Paul Cotton, the ex-guitarist 

 for American country rockers 

 Poco and composer who 

 created one of Poco's biggest 

 songs, "Heart Of The Night," 

 died suddenly at the age of 78. 

(Feb. 26, 1943 – August 1, 2021)

Paul Cotton, ex-guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter for American country rockers Poco and Illinois Speed Press, died unexpectedly at the age of 78, according to his family. Cotton's death comes less than four months after the loss of Poco guitarist Rusty Young, who died in April at the age of 75.

Born in Alabama in 1943 and reared on Chicago's south side, he began playing guitar at the age of 13 and went on to perform in a variety of bands in the late 1950s and 1960s. Illinois Speed Press, the most well-known of these bands, blended elements of R&B, rock, and country on two Columbia Records albums: 1969's The Illinois Speed Press and 1970's Duet.

He later joined Poco, making his debut on the band's third album, From the Inside, released in 1971. Cotton became one of the group's major composers, authoring songs like "Heart of the Night," a Top 20 single from 1978's Legend, in addition to singing and playing lead guitar. He was also instrumental in the band's flexibility.

Poco's singles included Heart of the Night, which peaked at #20 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1978. Cotton remained a member of the band. Cotton claimed to have composed the song in 20 minutes, motivated by his "love and passion for New Orleans." Cotton departed Poco in 1987, but returned four years later in 1991, staying with the band until 2010.

Cotton relocated to Key West, Florida, in 2005, just after Hurricane Wilma (the most powerful tropical cyclone ever recorded) wreaked havoc on the region. He met his future wife there, and while he wasn't concentrating on his music, he went fishing and sailing. He was an active member of the Key West community, performing at a variety of benefit performances.

Cotton has had a solo career, releasing four studio albums in all, the most recent of which was released in 2014.

Cotton was inducted into the Colorado Music Hall of Fame in 2015 as a member of Poco, and he performed at the ceremony alongside several of his former band members.

Cause of death: unknown.

 Dave Severance, the 102 

 -year-old American Marine 

 Corps colonel whose troops 

 planted the famous flag on 

 Iwo Jima, died. 

(Feb. 4, 1919 – August 2, 2021)

Dave Elliott Severance, a retired US Marine colonel whose troops famously planted an American flag on Iwo Jima during WWII, died at the age of 102 at his home in La Jolla, according to his family. Severance received a Silver Star for his service at Iwo Jima.

There were two flag-raising ceremonies that February morning in 1945, the second of which was captured in one of warfare's most iconic photographs.

Severance worked quietly for years to clear up who did what and why back then. He was interested in the flag narrative because it related to the heroism and sacrifice he saw every day for more than a month during the fight, which was one of the deadliest of the war, he told the Union-Tribune in a 2012 interview.

His company was part of the tenth wave of roughly 70,000 Marines who would eventually invade the island, a key slab of a dormant volcano some 660 miles south of Tokyo. 20,000 Japanese were waiting for them in reinforced caverns and tunnels, prepared to die rather than surrender.

Severance's 240-man, six-officer company (Company E, 2nd Battalion, 28th Regiment, 5th Division) was on the front lines for 33 of the battle's 36 days. Approximately 75% of the company was murdered or injured. Severance first saw combat on Bougainville in December 1943, when his patrol team thwarted a Japanese ambush.

He was promoted to captain and deployed to Iwo Jima after being sent back to San Diego and then Hawaii for more training. On the fifth day of battle, on Feb. 23, 1945, roughly 40 members of Severance's company were dispatched up Mount Suribachi, the island's highest peak, with orders to plant the flag. Americans on the island celebrated when it was raised. Offshore, ships sounded their horns and sirens.

It has also been a cause of contention, with numerous people claiming to have played a role in raising the flag over the years. Rosenthal, who died in 2006, was plagued for the remainder of his life by suspicions that he manufactured the photo.

For many years, the official Marine account was that the original flag was replaced because the battalion commander, Lt. Col. Chandler Johnson, desired a larger one that more soldiers could view. That's not what Severance recalled. He became a pilot after WWII and performed combat flights during the Korean War, receiving the Distinguished Flying Cross. He was promoted to colonel in 1962 and retired six years later.

The Marines would keep the original flag, and the Navy secretary would get the replacement, which would fly above Mount Suribachi for the duration of the war. Both flags are presently on display at the Marine Corps National Museum in Quantico, Virginia.

Severance has a signed copy of the Rosenthal photograph at his house in La Jolla. He also had a poster autographed by Clint Eastwood, the director of the 2006 film "Flags of Our Fathers," depicting the battle of Iwo Jima. Severance, played by Neal McDonough in the film, was a consultant on the project.

Cause of death: natural causes.

 June Daugherty, who guided 

 the Huskies to seven NCAA 

 Tournament appearances, 

 died in Boise, Idaho, at the 

 age of 64. 

(Aug. 11, 1956 – August 2, 2021)

June Daugherty, the former Washington and Washington State women's basketball coach who guided the Huskies to seven NCAA Tournament appearances has passed away. She was 64 years old. Daugherty died Monday at her home in Boise, Idaho, according to Washington State.

Daugherty experienced heart problems, for which she took a medical leave of absence during her last season at Washington State in 2017-18.

Daugherty (formerly June Brewer), a native of Columbus, Ohio, was a four-year starter at Ohio State from 1974 to 1978. She was admitted into the Ohio State Hall of Fame in 2001 after helping the Buckeyes win the Big Ten titles in 1977 and 1978.

She began her coaching career as an assistant at Kent State in 1983, after playing professionally for four years in Europe. She was an assistant coach at Stanford from 1985 to 1989 under Tara VanDerveer, whom she had played against in college while VanDerveer was at Indiana.

For over three decades, Daugherty has been a basketball mainstay in the Northwest, serving as head coach at Boise State (1989-96), Washington (1996-2007), and Washington State (2007-18). She traveled to the NCAA Tournament eight times and had a 443-441 record.

The Cougars went 130-217 overall and 56-141 in league play during Daugherty's 11 years at Washington State. Daugherty went 17-17 in 2013-14, ending a string of 17 straight losing seasons, and 17-15 the following year, her first winning season. Under Daugherty, the Cougars made three trips to the tournament, reaching the semifinal round of the WNIT in 2016-17. Under Daugherty, though, the Cougars failed to make the NCAA Tournament.

Mike Daugherty, Daugherty's husband, was a former associate head coach with the Washington State Cougars (Mike was the assistant head coach at both UW and Boise State throughout his wife's coaching career at both schools). Doc and Breanne are their twin children.

Cause of death: heart trouble.

 American musician and 

 DJ Kelli Hand (K-HAND): 

 The First Lady of Detroit 

 Techno has died at the 

 age of 56. 

(1965 – August 3, 2021)

Kelli Maria Hand is no longer alive. Various media outlets and social media posts have reported on this. Kelli Hand, better known by her stage name K-HAND, was a key figure in the development of Detroit techno. The cause of death has yet to be determined. She has been a key figure in the house and techno scenes as K-HAND since the 1990s. So far, nothing is known about the causes of death.

Kelli Hand rose to prominence in the 1990s with a rhythm-driven, percussive sound that was more influenced by New York and the Chicago house than the first generation of Detroit techno. In Detroit, she frequently referred to the Underground Resistance. Think About It, her first maxi, was produced with the assistance of Jeff Mills, Mike Banks, Mike Clarke, and Rob Hood.

Hand founded her first label, UK House Records, in 1990, which she later renamed Acacia. Their debut album was released on Studio! K7 in 1995, followed by albums on Ausfahrt, Distance, and Tresor. In the same year, Tresor introduced them to Europe for the first time. She performed in 15 different German cities during a tour.

Kelli Hand was named the "First Lady of Detroit" in 2017, honoring one of the city's most influential figures in the house and techno scene. K-HAND already had a two-decade-long musical career under his belt at the time of his appointment. Hand founded the Acacia Records label in 1990, named after a Detroit street, and five years later released her debut album, "On A Journey."

Hand devotes himself to the whole spectrum of house and techno on their record, which includes seven studio albums and many EPs. Nina Kraviz's label released her most recent tune, "007," in 2017.

She's also contributed a track to the forthcoming Tresor 30 collection, and she's started reproducing many of her classic EPs and making the Acacia catalog available on Bandcamp in recent years.

The news of Kelli Hill's death spread throughout the night from Monday to Tuesday, and the scene is now mourning the loss of one of the pioneers of house and techno music. We bid K-HAND, the "First Lady of Detroit," farewell.

Cause of death: unknown.

 J.R. Richard, a Houston 

 Astros legend whose 

 career was cut short by 

 a stroke in 1980, died at 

 the age of 71 from a 

 COVID-19 infection. 

(March 7, 1950 – Aug. 4, 2021) 

J.R. Richard, a two-time National League strikeout champion with the Houston Astros whose career was cut short by a stroke in 1980, died from COVID-19 infection at the age of 71, according to the team and his family. From early 1971 to 1980, Richard was a member of the Houston Astros in Major League Baseball.

Richard went 107-71 with a 3.15 ERA and 1,493 strikeouts in 10 seasons with the Astros, including 313 in 1979, which remained the team's single-season record until Gerrit Cole broke it in 2019. He is still tied for second in club history in lifetime ERA, third in strikeouts (behind Nolan Ryan and Roy Oswalt), and fifth in wins and shutouts (19).

With an excellent fast delivery, a fastball that often reached 100 mph, and a virtually unhittable breaking ball, the 6-foot-8 Richard scared batters. In his major league debut on Sept. 5, 1971, he struck out 15 hitters in a complete-game win over the Giants after being picked with the second overall choice in the 1969 draft by the Astros.

From 1971 through 1980, he pitched for Houston and threw 76 complete games. In 1976, Richard set a career-high with 20 victories, the first of four straight seasons with at least 18 victories. When he led the league with 303 strikeouts in 1978, he became the first Astros pitcher to strike out 300 hitters in a season.

He went 18-13 with a 3.2 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 29213 innings over 38 starts the next year, leading the National League with a 2.71 ERA and struck 313 batters to once again lead the league. In 1980, Richard had a fantastic season, going 10-4 with a 1.96 ERA in the first half of the season and starting for the National League in the All-Star Game.

Richard was playing catch during warmup exercises inside the Astrodome less than a month after starting the All-Star Game when he suffered a stroke, ending his career at the age of 30. Richard tried to return to the majors but was never able to do it and was released by the Astros in 1984.

After his career ended, Richard hit a rough patch. He became impoverished after a succession of poor investments, failed enterprises, and a divorce, and he was temporarily homeless in the mid-1990s. In his later years, he worked as a preacher after getting his life back on track.

Cause of death: COVID-19.

 Richard Trumka, the 

 powerful AFL-CIO labor 

 federation's leader 

 (since 2009) and former 

 leader of the United Mine 

 Workers, died at the age of 72. 

(July 24, 1949 – Aug. 5, 2021)

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, the head of the country's most powerful labor organization and a close ally of the Biden White House, died of a heart attack while on a family camping trip. He was 72 years old. The cause of death was not immediately disclosed.

In 1995, he was appointed secretary-treasurer of the AFL-CIO, the union organization's second-highest post. And, rather than the more quiet president of the union at the time, John Sweeney, he was frequently the union's harsh, outspoken voice.

Trumka, who had been president of the AFL-CIO since 2009, was renowned for his fiery speech and scathing criticism of corporate America. The president of the country's largest union was a strong backer of Democratic candidates and a critic of Republicans.

His assaults on Republicans might show both his wit and his passion. When Scott Walker, the governor of Wisconsin, lost his reelection campaign in 2018, Trumka issued a one-sentence statement that simply stated, "Scott Walker was a national embarrassment."

Trumka, on the other hand, might be a critic of Democrats and their policies if he believes they are harmful to workers. He was a vocal and long-time opponent of NAFTA, the Clinton administration's trade deal with Canada and Mexico. He also applauded President Donald Trump's successor the United States Canada Mexico Agreement (USCMA).

Trumka grew up in Nemacolin, Pennsylvania, southeast of Pittsburg, as the son of a coal miner. As a teenager, he went to work in the mines himself. He did, however, attend college and law school, and after graduating from law school in 1974, he worked as a staff attorney for the United Mine Workers of America's Washington office.

At the age of 33, he became UMWA's youngest president, and for the following 13 years, he led the union on a series of strikes. Trumka led a victorious nine-month strike against the Pittston Coal Company as President of the UMWA in 1989, which became a symbol of the labor movement's opposition against business cuts and retrenchment.

He also assisted in the organization of the United States Shell Boycott, which chastised the multinational Royal Dutch Shell Group for its ongoing commercial involvement in South Africa. Trumka earned the Letelier-Moffitt Human Rights Award in 1990 for their actions.

Cause of death: heart attack.

 Herbert Schlosser, former 

 president and CEO of NBC 

 and a driving force behind 

 the American live television 

 variety shows 'S.N.L.' and 

 'Laugh-In,' died 

 at the age of 95. 

(April 21, 1926 – Aug. 6, 2021)

Herbert Schlosser (born Herbert Samuel Schlosser), a driving force behind "Saturday Night Live" and "Laugh-In," who also helped recruit Johnny Carson and managed a slew of popular shows, died at the age of 95 at his Manhattan home, according to his family.

Herbert Samuel Schlosser was born in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on April 21, 1926. His father, Abraham Schlosser, was a furniture business owner, while his mother, Anna (Olesker) Schlosser, was a stay-at-home mom. After serving in the Navy in the United States, he went to Princeton University to study public and international affairs, graduating in 1949. He graduated from Yale Law School two years later.

Schlosser began his legal career as a business lawyer at Phillips, Nizer, Benjamin, Krim & Ballon in New York. Schlosser began his legal career at a Wall Street company, but the insurance job bore him, so he went to Phillips, Nizer, Benjamin, Krim & Ballon, a Manhattan firm with numerous film and television clients, as a corporate lawyer.

With that background, he was hired as general counsel of California National Productions, NBC's film, merchandise, and syndication division, in 1957. He eventually rose through the ranks of the company to become its chief operating officer before joining NBC's corporate affairs department in 1960.

Schlosser was designated NBC's vice president for West Coast programming in 1966, located in Burbank, California.

Over the course of six years, he was engaged with the development of a number of shows, including several involving Black actors, such as Flip Wilson's variety show and "Julia," a sitcom starring Diahann Carroll as a single mother with a son. He also appointed the department's first female and African-American vice president.

Schlosser, a lawyer, had worked in NBC's business affairs department, where he negotiated programming arrangements for events such as the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo and talent deals such as those with comedian Bob Hope, whose specials were a staple of the network's prime-time schedule.

In early 1974, when he was president of NBC, he faced a late-night dilemma: Carson no longer wanted the network to air repeats of "Tonight" on weekends.

But, in order to please Carson, the network's most significant star, the dilemma arose: what would NBC show at 11:30 p.m. on Saturday nights?

In early 1975, Schlosser drafted a document outlining the basics of an original program that would be broadcast from NBC's Rockefeller Center headquarters.; 1.would be shown live, or at the very least taped on the same day, to keep it current. 2. would be "young and vibrant," with a "distinctive look, a distinct set, and a distinct sound"; 3. would "aim to establish new television personalities."

Cause of death: natural causes.

 Trevor Moore, actor, author,

 comedian, and co-founder of 

 'The Whitest Kids U Know,' 

 died at the age of only 

 41 years. 

(April 4, 1980 – August 6, 2021)

Trevor Moore, an American actor (Miss March), writer, and comedian (The Whitest Kids U' Know), died at the age of 41, according to his family. Moore was killed in an accident on Friday evening (August 6, 2021).

His management confirmed his death while also stating his wife, Aimee Carlson, and the family. So far, nothing is known about the accident's specifics. He leaves a son in addition to his wife. His loved ones are devastated, according to the message. Millions of people had heard of him as a comedian and writer, but he was the "center of our entire world" for his family.

One is unsure how things should "go on without him." It was a "tragic and unexpected loss" that had to be dealt with first.

Moore was born on April 4, 1980, in Montclair, New Jersey, and began drawing humorous comics while still in elementary school.

He wrote and produced a sketch comedy show for a local TV station when he was 19 years old. After moving to New York in 1999, he interned at "Saturday Night Live" with Lorne Michaels and co-founded "The Whitest Kids U Know."

Moore went on to establish the well-known comedy ensemble "The Whitest Kids U'Know," with whom he won several accolades. He was one of the original members of the New York City-based comedy trio the Whitest Kids U' Know (WKUK), along with Sam Brown and Zach Cregger, of which they had their sketch comedy series on IFC for five seasons.

In 2009, his debut feature film script was converted into a film, "Miss March," in which he directed and performed one of the major parts. He was most recently seen in the series "Breaking In" in a permanent role. Moore began presenting "The Trevor Moore Show" on Comedy Central in 2019, in addition to "The Whitest Kids U Know."

Moore also developed and directed the Disney XD comedy television series "Walk the Prank" and co-created ( with Adam Small) and executive produced the interactive Disney Channel comedy "Just Roll with It."

Cause of death: accident in his yard. 
No details about the accident has been published.

 Mike DePalmer Jr., a former 

 American pro tennis player 

 and coach who worked with 

 a number of ATP/WTA Tour 

 legends at the Nick Bollettieri 

 Academy and was a touring 

 coach for legendary German 

 Boris Becker for 6 years, died 

 of pancreatic cancer 

 at the age of 59. 

(Oct. 17, 1961 – August 7, 2021)

Mike DePalmer Jr., a former American pro tennis player and coach who worked at IMG Academy (previously Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy) with a number of future stars of the ATP/WTA Tour and was tour coach with Boris Becker for six years, died at the age of 59. Logan, his son, reported his father's death due to stage 4 cancer.

He was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer earlier this year, which has spread to his stomach and liver. In the early 1970s, DePalmer and his sister, former Top 100 pro-Michelle, visited Nick Bollettieri's junior camps in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, and Bollettieri became fast friends with their father, Mike DePalmer Sr., resulting in the formation of the DePalmer-Bollettieri Tennis Academy.

Jimmy Arias, the former world number five, lived with the DePalmer family for a while and the two were longstanding hitting partners and friends. At the University of Tennessee, where his father, Mike Sr., was the head tennis coach from 1980 to 1994, DePalmer Jr. was rated No. 5 in the US Under-18 Rankings in 1979-80, represented the Davis Cup junior squad, and twice made All American (1981 and 1982).

For the Flights, the 6'1 “DePalmer Jr. had a 68-14 singles record and a 46-12 doubles record. In 1981, he won 27 straight No. 1 singles matches, and in 1982, DePalmer Jrwon thirty doubles victories with Paul Annacone.

DePalmer reached his single tour-level singles final at Ancona, Italy, shortly after becoming pro in mid- 1982, losing to Anders Jarryd, and then won his biggest match against famous Jimmy Connors in the first round of the 1985 Queen's Club Championships ( also known as the cinch Championships for sponsorship reasons) at the Queen's Club.

DePalmer's greatest success, though, came as a doubles competitor, primarily in cooperation with Gary Donnelly, scoring 3-5 in the team final. They reached the semi-finals of the 1985 US Open (lost to Flach / Seguso) and the 1986 Nitto ATP Finals (lost to Edberg / Jarryd) in New York. Between 1984 and 1989, DePalmer won six doubles titles in twelve finals.

While playing retired, Mike DePalmer Jr. worked as a top director at IMG Academy and preparatory boarding school in Bradenton with Australian Mark Philippoussis, French Mary Pierce, Russian-American Anna Kournikova, German Tommy Haas, and Belarusian Max Mirnyi.  And it was in this role that he accompanied Nick Bollettieri throughout the world.

Between 1994 and 1999, DePalmer was Becker's full-time coach, and he helped him win the German championship at the 1996 Australian Open.

Cause of death: pancreatic cancer.

 Brad Allan, an Australian 

 martial artist who was 

 Jackie Chan's favorite 

 protege and the best action 

 performer of his generation, 

 died at the age of 48. 

(14 Feb. 1973 – 7 August 2021)

Stunt Coordinator for Shang-Chi and Marvel's Legend of the Ten Rings Brad Allan (born Bradley James Allan), died at the age of 48, according to his family. At the time of filing this report, the cause of Allan's death had not been revealed.

Brad Allan worked as a Jackie Chan Stunt Team member in the Hong Kong film industry before choreographing action scenes in Hollywood.

As a ten-year-old child, he began training in boxing and karate. From the age of 15, he trained Wushu and gymnastics for two years under Beijing Wushu Team members and kung fu stars Liang Chang-xing and Tang Lai-Wei, both of whom are countrymen of famed actor Jet Li. Karate, Aikido, Hapkido, Taekwondo, Wing Chun, Boxing, and Kickboxing are some of the other martial disciplines he has studied.

Later, he studied Mandarin at the Shanghai Institute of Sport in the Yangpu District of Shanghai, China. Brad's first film role was in the unauthorized sequel film Drunken Master III, directed by Lau Kar-Leung, in early 1993, following which he returned to Melbourne. Allan temporarily joined the New Generation Stunts stunt squad in Australia.

In late 1997, he competed for Australia in the 4th World Wushu Championships in Rome (organized by the International Wushu Federation (IWUF)). Allan learned that Chan was filming the action picture "Mr. Nice Guy" (directed by Sammo Hung) in Melbourne in early 1998 and that he knew several of the Australian crew.

Cho Wing, the action director, encouraged Allan to show his martial arts skills. Allan had a cameo in the film and was cast in Chan's next action-comedy, 'Who Am I?' (1998), in which he played a double part for South African actor Ron Smoorenburg and French–Japanese actress Michelle Ferre.

As a result, Allan was invited to join Chan's stunt squad, "Sing ga ban," as the team's first non-Asian member.

He worked his way up through the stunt squad, eventually becoming the team leader.

In the 2000s, Allan obtained action choreography/direction positions in big Hollywood films such as Guillermo del Toro's American superhero picture 'The Chronicles of Riddick' and 'Hellboy II: The Golden Army', in addition to being a part of Chan's stunt squad.

Cause of death: unknown.

 Markie Post, the star of 

 Night Court, The Fall Guy, 

 and Hearts Afire, died of 

 cancer at the age of 70. 

(Nov. 4, 1950 – August 7, 2021)

Markie Post, the star of Night Court and Hearts Afire, died at the age of 70 after a four-year battle with cancer, according to her longtime agent Ellen Lubin Sanitsky. Her death comes just over a month after that of her Night Court co-star Charles Robinson.

Post was born in Palo Alto, California, in 1950, and began her television career as an associate producer on the game show Double Dare, hosted by the late Alex Trebek. As her career progressed through the 1970s, she remained on television but shifted from game shows to acting, appearing as a guest star on several iconic series of the time.

Post made her television debut in the television film Frankie and Annette: The Second Time Around. Following that, Post appeared in several series, ranging from the comedy Semi-Tough to the crime drama The Gangster Chronicles, Fantasy Island, and The Love Boat.

Post played Terri Michaels in the action-adventure series The Fall Guy, which aired from 1982 to 1985, alongside Lee Majors, Heather Thomas, and Douglas Barr. She then played Christine Sullivan in the comedy series Night Court and had recurring parts in Hearts Afire and Odd Man Out.

Post starred as Cameron Diaz's mother in Peter and Bobby Farrelly's There's Something About Mary in early 1998. Post's most recent credits include Matt Olmstead's Chicago P.D., Lisa Cholodenko's The Kids Are Alright TV series, and American computer-animated television series Transformers Prime, in which she played June Darby.

She continues to appear in films and television shows over the years, including the 2007 comedy Cook-Off! and There's Something About Mary. Post has appeared in guest spots on successful programs such as Scrubs, where she played the mother of Sarah Chalke's character, and 30 Rock, where she played herself.

Post also worked as a card dealer on NBC's Card Sharks and as an assistant producer on CBS's Double Dare. Post appeared on many game shows, including American television panel game show 'The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour', The New weekly nighttime $25,000 Pyramid, Michael Strahan's 'The $100,000 Pyramid', and TV game shows 'Super Password', as a celebrity participant.

Following her cancer diagnosis, Post continued to pursue acting jobs, making cameos on programs like Santa Clarita Diet. In terms of her personal life, she married her college lover Stephen Knox for a brief period in the early 1970s.

The star of Night Court is survived by her children; actress and writer Kate Armstrong Ross and Daisy Schoenborn, as well as her husband, director, actor, and writer Michael Alan Ross ( The Trouble with Normal,  Andy Richter Controls the Universe).

Cause of death: cancer.

 Legendary Florida State 

 coach and One Of College 

 Football's Winningest 

 Coaches Ever, Bobby Bowden 

 died at the age of 91 . 

(Nov. 8, 1929 – August 8, 2021)

Bobby Bowden, an American Hall of Fame college football coach who led Florida State to two national championships and won more than 350 games (second all-time in Division I victories), has died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 91, according to the school and his son Terry.

Bowden was diagnosed with a life-threatening illness in July. He didn't say what ailment he was suffering from at the time, but his son Terry later informed reporters it was pancreatic cancer. Bowden also suffered from a "severe" case of COVID-19 in 2020, which struck only days after he returned home to Tallahassee following an extended hospital stay for a leg infection.

Bowden racked up 377 victories throughout his four decades as a major college coach, from his alma school, Samford, to West Virginia, and ultimately, Florida State, where he finished 315-98-4. During his 34 seasons as coach, the Seminoles were a powerhouse, capturing 12 Atlantic Coast Conference championships and national crowns in 1993 and 1999. Only Joe Paterno of Penn State is credited with more victories as a top college football coach. Bowden's victory total is the fourth-highest in college football history across all divisions.

Bowden announced his retirement following Florida State's 28th consecutive postseason participation in the Gator Bowl, a victory that earned him his 33rd consecutive winning season. However, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) stripped Florida State of victories in ten sports a month after he left due to an academic cheating scandal involving 61 players in 2006 and 2007.

Bowden grew up in Birmingham, Alabama, and began his coaching career at Howard College, which is now Samford University. He proceeded to West Virginia University, where he became head coach in 1969, after spells at South Georgia College and as an assistant at Florida State. He guided West Virginia University to five winning seasons before assuming the head coaching job at Florida State.

His freshman year at Florida State was a struggle, with more defeats than victories. He recounted the game against Oklahoma, who had recently won a national title and eighteen straight games when he was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame in 2012.

Bowden won the national championship in 1993 with Heisman Trophy and Davey O'Brien Award-winning quarterback Charlie Ward and again in 1999 with his second Heisman winner, quarterback Christopher Jon Weinke, and All-American receiver Peter L. Warrick.

The Seminoles had a chance for even more glory, but they lost national title games to Florida, Tennessee, and Oklahoma, and they nearly missed the championship game in numerous other seasons due to defeats to archrival Miami.

Cause of death: pancreatic cancer.

 William Davis, Ontario's most 

 beloved former premier, 

 died at the age of 92 in Davis 

 Brampton, Ontario, Canada. 

(July 30, 1929 – August 8, 2021)

William Davis (born William Grenville Davis), the former premier of Ontario and a member of the Ontario legislature, died on Sunday morning in Brampton at the age of 92, according to a statement released by his family.

The pipe-chomping Tory giant, known as Ontario's "education premier," served as the province's 18th premiere from 1971 to 1985, succeeding the late John Robarts and managing the province's last 14 years of the Progressive Conservatives' 42-year reign.

During the early 1980s economic crisis, his administration halted construction of the Spadina Expressway through Toronto, controlled rent rises, decreased the drinking age from 21 to 18, curtailed salary increases for wider public workers, and started a large infrastructure program.

Before becoming Premier, William Davis was elected to the Ontario legislature in 1959 and served as education and universities ministers. Davis' rise to prominence appeared to be preordained. He was appointed as Ontario's new education minister at the age of 33, one of the most significant posts in government.

That same year, his beloved wife Helen died of cancer after a protracted illness, leaving four children left. A year later, he married his second wife Kathleen, with whom he had one daughter. His power grab, which resulted in his standing down at the pinnacle of his popularity, essentially ended his party's 42-year reign over the province.

Davis won four elections, with two minority administrations sandwiched between two majorities, however, his impact went far beyond Ontario's boundaries. He was a significant figure in Pierre Trudeau's fight to repatriate the constitution, which came back to haunt Davis when he was appointed leader of the federal Conservatives.

William Grenville Davis, a Brampton native, had a lifetime interest in politics when he was 15 when he attended a federal Conservative annual conference. The standout high-school quarterback was playing football with future cabinet ministers Roy McMurtry and Thomas Wells by the time he enrolled at Osgoode Hall Law School at York University and the University of Toronto. In 1985, Bill Davis stepped down from electoral politics.

Cause of death: natural causes.

 Olivia Podmore, a 24-year 

 -old New Zealand Olympic 

 cyclist, died suddenly at her 

 Cambridge, NZ property. 

(24 May 1997 – 9 Aug. 2021)

Olivia Podmore, a 24-year-old New Zealand Olympic cyclist, died in Cambridge, New Zealand. Her death followed a post in which she shared a message on one of her social media sites about the difficulties of her high-level sport (which has since been taken down).

Olivia, who did not compete in the Tokyo Olympics, described the difficulties of competing at the top level in her post.

"Sport is a great outlet for so many people," Podmore wrote. "It's a battle, it's a fight, but it's so joyful." Her untimely death stunned the cycling community throughout the world, particularly several members of the New Zealand cycling squad in Tokyo following the Olympics.

Police responded to sudden death at a Cambridge residence early this evening, according to a police spokesperson. On behalf of the coroner, police are conducting investigations into the deceased.

Podmore, who hails from Canterbury, began riding BMX at the age of eight until her mother purchased her a road bike when she was twelve. In 2011, she won her first national age title. She competed in the women's team sprint event for New Zealand at the 2016 Rio Olympics, as well as the UCI Track Cycling World Championships.

Podmore is described on the Cycling New Zealand website as "an athletic and driven rider with previous interests in a number of sports" who is part of a group of women sprinters "blazing the path for women sprinters." At the Junior World Championships in Astana in 2015, Podmore took silver in the team sprint and bronze in the time trial.

She also won the keirin title in New Zealand in 2017. ( Track cyclists race for victory after a speed-controlled start behind a motorized or non-powered pacemaker in motor-paced cycle racing). She was not part of the New Zealand squad that traveled to Tokyo, but she served New Zealand with honor and pride at both the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and the 2016 UCI Track Cycling World Championships and the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games. 

Olivia Podmore was an important component of the squad, and her death will be felt by the all New Zealand sporting community.

Cause of death: unknown.

 Veteran hip-hop and R&B 

 producer (Bad Boy Records) 

 Carl E. "Chucky" Thompson 

 died of COVID-19 

 at the age of 53. 

(April 3, 1970 – Aug. 9, 2021)

Chucky Thompson ( born Carl E. Thompson), veteran hip-hop and R&B producer, died of COVID-19, according to his pal, Jay-engineer Z's Young Guru. Despite wearing face masks according to CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) recommendations, Thompson contracted  Covid-19. Following the news of his passing, fans and coworkers flocked to social media to express their condolences.

Throughout the 1990s, Chucky was a member of Bad Boy Entertainment's "Hitmen" team of in-house producers and worked on material for singers including The Notorious B.I.G. and Faith Evans with Bad Boy mogul Sean Combs. He was one of the group's original members, with Easy Moe Bee and Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie.

The Washington D.C. native, before joining Bad Boy, began his career playing congas with Go-Go music icon Chuck Brown and The Soul Searchers. Thompson rose to prominence as a member of Bad Boy's in-house production team, The Hitmen.

Thompson's extensive producing accomplishments include Mary J. Blige's "You Bring Me Joy" a song from Rapture (Anita Baker album) and The Notorious B.I.G.'s "Big Poppa",  the second single from his first studio album Ready to Die. Chucky also produced Nas' smash single Thinking of You" from Usher's self-titled debut in early 1994. 

Thompson's last project was the Sean Combs (also known by the stage names Puff Daddy) album Vol 1. 'Welcome to the age of love'. Chucky Thompson is also known for his work on the soundtracks of  Nimród Antal's heist action thriller film 'Armored' (1996) and Famous (2009).

He also appeared in three episodes of the American reality television series 'The real housewives of the Potomac' this and over the past year.  Chucky Thompson was recently featured in Mary J. Blige's "My Life" documentary and produced tracks on Diddy's upcoming album Off The Grid Volume 1, which is set to drop by the end of September this year. He also revealed that he is working on the release of a reality show titled "Chucky Thompson Presents DC Go-go."

Cause of death: Covid-19.

 American actor Alex Cord, 

 best known for his portrayal 

 of Archangel, in the military 

 drama television series 

 Airwolf, has died at the age 

 of 88 in Valley View, Texas. 

(May 3, 1933 – Aug. 9, 2021)

Alex Cord, the strong former rodeo performer who played Michael Coldsmith Briggs III (code name Archangel) on the CBS action military drama television series Airwolf in the 1980s, has died at his home in Valley View, Texas, according to his longtime agent Linda McAlister.

On the big screen, Alex Cord, the onetime rodeo rider, starred in Richard Quine's Synanon (1965), a  drama film directed by Richard Quine that was set in a rehab facility; played Ringo Kid, alongside Chuck Connors and Stella Stevens and John Wayne’s role in a 1966 color remake of Stagecoach directed by Gordon Douglas; and worked alongside Kirk Douglas in The Technicolor crime film Brotherhood (1968) and with Britt Ekland and Patrick O'Neal in crime film Stiletto (1969) directed by Bernard L. Kowalski.

Late in his life, Cord continued his competitive rodeo spirit with charity work and benefits for the Ben Johnson Pro-Celebrity Rodeos at Equestrian Center in Burbank, California. He was also the author of several novels including Science Fiction “Days of the Harbinger” (2013).

For 3seasons from 1984-86, he starred as the eyepatch-wearing Archangel on 55 episodes of Donald P. Bellisario's Airwolf, which starred Jan-Michael Vincent as Stringfellow Hawke,  the chief test pilot of a high-tech, CIA-created Bell 222 helicopter. 

Alex Cord was born Alexander Viespi Jr. on May 3, 1933, in New York. He was diagnosed with polio at the age of 12 and was transferred to live on a ranch in Wyoming. He became a rodeo rider, but his career was cut short when he spent eight months in the hospital with a burst spleen after a cow landed on him.

Alex Cord followed an acting career after being inspired by Laurence Olivier and was admitted into the Shakespeare Academy in Stratford, Connecticut, before working on the stage in London. He made his television debut in 1961, appearing in episodes of the NBC Western television series 'Laramie,' the medical drama series 'Ben Casey,' and the Western television series 'Frontier Circus.'

On the 1983 NBC crime thriller 'Cassie and Co.,' he co-starred with Angie Dickinson and John Ireland. Cord has three marriages and three divorces. Joanna Pettet, an English actress, was his second wife (The Best House in London, Welcome to Arrow Beach). They were the parents of three children. Damien, a son, died in 1995 of a heroin overdose at the age of only 26.

Cause of ddeath: unknown.

 Legendary motorsports 

 announcer Bob Jenkins, 

 (ESPN, ABC, NBC Sports), a 

 former on-air fixture in Indy 

 500 and NASCAR, died of 

 brain cancer at the age of 73. 

(Sept. 4, 1947 – August 9, 2021)

Legendary racing announcer Bob Jenkins, a former radio voice of the Indianapolis 500 whose career spanned more than 50 Years on the Indianapolis MSRadio Network, died of brain cancer at the age of 73, his family and Indianapolis Motor Speedway announced.

Jenkins said in January that he had been diagnosed with brain cancer and that he would be reducing his activities at the raceway while undergoing radiation and chemotherapy treatment. Jenkins, a native of Liberty, Indiana, resigned from announcing at the end of the 2012 IndyCar season to care for his wife, Pam, who had been diagnosed with brain cancer. Jenkins had survived colon cancer in the 1980s.

Jenkins continues to work at Indianapolis as a contributor to the public address system after retiring from television at the end of the 2012 IndyCar season. Jenkins was inducted into the IMS Hall of Fame in 2019 and earned the Robin Miller Award in May for his contributions to the profession. Jenkins began working in radio after graduating from Indiana University, first as a news reporter in Fort Wayne and Valparaiso, then as a producer for WIRE in Indianapolis, covering rural news.

Jenkins joined The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network in 1979 and immediately rose to prominence because of his booming baritone voice and laid-back demeanor. Jenkins has also called races for American Broadcasting Company (ABC), cable sports channel  ESPN, NBC sports television channel, and its predecessor Versus, as well as IndyCar (IndyCar Series), National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR), and Formula One (F1).

Jenkins was one of the original workers at ESPN when the network launched in 1979, and he was a key player in ESPN's racing coverage for more than two decades, hosting "NASCAR on ESPN".

Because auto racing commentator Leigh Diffey was unavailable that weekend, he returned to NBCSN for a brief cameo during the Indy 500 Carb Day coverage. His voice may also be heard in video games and films like sports action drama film 'Days of Thunder' and 'Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby'.

Cause of death: brain cancer.

 Blackhawks legend, 

 Canadian-American Hall of 

 Fame ice hockey goaltender 

 Tony Esposito, died of 

 pancreatic cancer at the 

 age of 78. 

(April 23, 1943 – Aug. 10, 2021)

According to a statement from the Chicago Blackhawks, Tony Esposito (born Anthony James "Tony O" Esposito), a Canadian-American Hall of Fame NHL goaltender (Chicago Blackhawks, Montreal Canadiens), died at the age of 78 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. From 1968 to 1984, Esposito played 16 seasons in the NHL as a goaltender.

Tony Esposito was from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, which is just over the St. Mary's River from Michigan's Upper Peninsula, and was a member of Michigan Tech's NCAA championship team in 1965. Phil, his older brother, was a Hall of Fame center who played in the NHL for 18 seasons. During the 1968-69 season, Esposito made his Montreal debut, appearing in 13 games.

Tony was subsequently left unprotected by the Canadiens, who were short on goalies, and was picked up by the Blackhawks in an intraleague draft for $25,000, a gamble that paid off immediately for a team coming off a last-place finish in its division. After a rookie season with the Stanley Cup-winning Montreal Canadiens in 1968-69, Esposito joined the Chicago Blackhawks, where he spent the next 15 seasons.

From his debut in Chicago in the late 1960s through his successful playing career and decades as a franchise legend. Between 1970 and 1974, Esposito was a six-time NHL All-Star, including five consecutive seasons. He was voted the NHL's outstanding rookie in 1970 and won the Vezina Trophy three times as the league's best goalkeeper in 1970, 1972, and 1974.

In 1988, Tony was elected into Hockey Hall of Fame. With 418 victories and 74 shutouts, Esposito holds the record for most wins and shutouts in Chicago's history. His total record of 423-306-151 puts him 10th all-time in the league. In 2017, he was included in the NHL's "100 Greatest Players" list.

Esposito also worked as the general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins and as the top scout for the Tampa Bay Lightning, where his brother recruited him.

In November 1988, the Blackhawks retired Esposito's No. 35, and in March 2008, they honored him once more. In a pregame ceremony, he was appointed a club ambassador with franchise legends and former teammates Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita, and Denis Savard, as well as his brother.

Cause of death: pancreatic cancer.

 Göran Zachrisson, one of 

 the world's most     

 knowledgeable and respected 

 Golf journalists died of cancer 

 at the age of 83. 

(14 May 1938 – 11 Aug. 2021)

Göran Zachrisson died in Stockholm after a brief battle with cancer, according to his family. In Sweden, he is known as "Mr. Golf," and he is one of the world's most knowledgeable and renowned golf journalists.

For more than half a century, he was the guy who charmed millions of TV viewers with his distinctive manner of commenting. He worked for commercial networks after nearly three decades at National Television, primarily as a golf pundit. He sat for hours at the microphone in Viasat broadcasts even after he became 80. Göran Zachrisson was regarded as one of the most experienced and well-respected golf journalists in the world.

He was known as Mr. Golf in Sweden. He was a huge fan of the game and understood everything there was to know about it.

It was a favor to listen to Göran. Mr. Zachrisson was the editor in charge of the magazine Svensk Golf from early 1964 until early 1967. Mr. Zachrisson has been a commentator for The Open Championship, the oldest golf event in the world, and many other golf tournaments on television since the mid-1960s.

He was employed by satellite and pay television company Viasat in 1991 and has been a golf commentator on various channels including Viasat Sport, which is a brand name for many sports channels. Mr. Zachrisson has contributed to a number of golf publications, including Svensk Golf, GS Magazine, and Golf Digest, all of which were published by Discovery, Inc. Later in life, he worked as a commentator for a number of sailing competitions.

Mr. Zachrisson was a member of 'The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews,' one of the world's oldest golf clubs, situated in St Andrews, Scotland. Mr. Zachrisson interviewed famed Swedish professional soccer star Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the Swedish team's captain, in early 2012. Millions of people saw the interview, named Zlatan Exklusivt (Zlatan Exclusive),  on Swedish television and on YouTube.

Cause of death: cancer.

 English actress Una Stubbs, 

 who starred in Worzel 

 Gummidge, EastEnders, 

 Sherlock and Summer 

 Holiday, died from natural 

 causes at home in Edinburgh aged 84. 

(1 May 1937 – 12 Aug. 2021) 

Una Stubbs, an English actress, television personality, and dancer who appeared in Sherlock, EastEnders, and Summer Holiday, died peacefully at her home in Edinburgh, surrounded by her family. She was 84.

The actress, who was born in Hertfordshire in 1937, had a long career in cinema, television, and theater that spanned more than five decades, including a part as Mrs. Hudson in Benedict Cumberbatch's BBC series Sherlock.

She was the "cover girl" for Dairy Box chocolates manufactured by Rowntree, a British confectionery company located in York, England, in the late 1950s. When she described a visit to the Rowntree's factory, Stubbs referred to herself as the "Rowntrees Chocolate Girl." In the late 1970s, she played Aunt Sally in Worzel Gummidge, and in the late 1990s, she played Miss Bat in The Worst Witch.

She was a team captain on the weekly game show Give Us A Clue for numerous years in the 1980s. Una Stubbs had a successful television career that includes roles in Cliff Richard's musical film 'Summer Holiday' (1963) and Rita Rawlins in the BBC comedy 'Till Death Us Do Part' alongside Warren Mitchell, Dandy Nichols, and Carmel McSharryand In 'Sickness and in Health'. 

Aunt Sally in the British television fantasy series 'Worzel Gummidge' and Miss Bat in the British-Canadian ITV television series 'The Worst Witch' are two more well-known television appearances. In the British criminal television series based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes detective, she played Mrs. Hudson, Sherlock Holmes' landlady, with Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman, and Rupert Graves.

Stubbs was in the initial cast of Simon Stephens' play "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" at the Royal National Theatre in London in 2021. Stubbs was a talented amateur painter who had her art shown at the Royal Academy in London, in addition to her career as an actor.

She and prominent English television and radio broadcaster Richard Bacon co-hosted The Big Painting Challenge on BBC One (British free-to-air television network) in 2015.

Una Stubbs was married to actor Peter Gilmore (known for his portrayal of Captain James Onedin) from early 1958 until 1969, with whom she adopted her son Jason, and then married British actor and comedian Nicky Henson in 1969. They splitting up in 1975. The famous couple had 2 sons (both of whom are composers).

Cause of death: natural causes.

 Nanci Griffith, Grammy 

 -winning Folk and Country 

 singer-songwriter   

 ("Love at the Five and Dime", 

 "Outbound Plane") died at the 

 age of 68. 

(July 6, 1953 – Aug. 13, 2021)

Nanci Griffith (Nanci Caroline Griffith), Grammy-winning Folk and Country singer-songwriter best known for songs such as "Love at the Five and Dime" (1986 album Little Love Affairs) and "Outbound Plane" (1988 album Little Love Affairs), died at the age of 68 in Nashville, according to her management company. There was no information about the cause of death.

Nanci Caroline Griffith was born on July 6, 1953, in Seguin, Texas, and reared in Austin. She began her performance career as a teenager, performing at clubs and festivals throughout Texas. She studied education at the University of Texas in Austin and began her career as a teacher before deciding to pursue music full-time in 1977. She married fellow singer Eric Taylor around the same time, and the couple divorced in 1982.

After receiving a song prize at the Kerrville Folk Festival in 1978, Griffith published her debut album, There's a Light Beyond These Woods, which featured a live performance in Austin. Before signing with Philo and getting national distribution for her albums Once in a Very Blue Moon and The Last of the True Believer, she released a second album, Poet in My Window, in 1982 on a regional label.

Griffith signed with MCA in early 1987, during the musically fertile age of country music known as the "great credibility panic" by Steve Earle, and recorded numerous albums. Lone Star State of Mind and Little Love Affairs, both produced by Tony Brown, showcased her abilities as a writer as well as an interpreter of others' work.

“Lone Star State of Mind,” “Trouble in the Fields,” “Cold Hearts/Closed Minds,” and “I Knew Love,” which peaked at Number 37 in 1988, were among her best-charting country radio singles during this period. Griffith was also the first artist to record Julie Gold's "From a Distance," which Bette Midler subsequently popularized with a hit single in 1990.

Despite the fact that Griffith never had a huge radio hit with her own recordings, her songs were frequently covered by others with greater success. Kathy Mattea had a country success with "Love at the Five and Dime" from The Last of the True Believers in 1986. Similarly, Suzy Bogg's version of Griffith's song "Outbound Plane," which he co-wrote with Tom Russell for Little Love Affairs, became a Top 10 success.

Griffith's performance of the song was a hit in Ireland, and it helped her gain fans among musicians such as Mary Black, who praised her work and recorded a cover of "Once in a Very Blue Moon."

Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton, and Maura O'Connell are among the musicians who have covered Griffith's tunes. Griffith's 1989 album Storms, produced by Glyn Johns, marked a move to a more pop-oriented approach, which she followed with her final MCA album, Late Night Grande Hotel, in 1991.

Griffith moved to Elektra Records for a while, releasing the covers collection Other Voices, Other Rooms in 1993, with guests including Emmylou Harris, Guy Clark, Iris DeMent, and John Prine, who performed on her rendition of “Speed of the Sound of Loneliness” and appeared in accompanying film. Other Voices was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best

Contemporary Folk Album in 1994, and it produced a sequel, Other Voices II, in 1998.

Cause of death: unknown.

 James Hormel, the first 

 openly gay US ambassador, 

 as well as a philanthropist 

 and LGBT activist, died 

 at the age of 88. 

(Jan. 1, 1933 – August 13, 2021)

James Hormel (James Catherwood Hormel)  San Francisco philanthropist, LGBT activist and diplomat, former ambassador to Luxembourg, died In San Francisco at the age of 88 his family and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced.

Hormel made history when he was named ambassador to Luxembourg by former President Bill Clinton in 1999. Hormel was initially selected for the job of Luxembourg ambassador by Clinton in 1997, but he was not approved due to a difficult confirmation procedure at the time.

Hormel's candidacy was moved to the full US Senate that year, but a vote was prevented by conservative Republicans who were vociferous in their opposition to Hormel's homosexual rights activism. He held the position until 2001. 

He was also known for his charity and support for the LGBTQ community, in addition to his diplomatic work. Hormel was an alternative delegate on the United States delegation to the 51st United Nations General Assembly and a member of the United States Delegation to the 51st United Nations Human Rights Commission, both of which met in 1995.

Hormel was an heir to the Hormel Foods Corporation, which produced "Dinty Moore,"'Spam and Skippy," and "Jennie-O." Hormel was born in Austin, Minnesota. Hormel was founded by his grandpa, George Albert Hormel. Hormel was a businessman who served as Chairman of Equidex, Inc., a San Francisco-based corporation that oversees his and his family's assets and charitable activities.

Prior to becoming ambassador, Hormel served on two different US delegations to the United Nations, was the dean of students at the University of Chicago Law School, where he got his law degree and was a co-founder of the Human Rights Campaign. Geordie Hormel, Hormel's late brother, was a musician and the founder of the Village Recording Studio in Los Angeles.

Hormel gave to many charities, including HIV/AIDS service groups and a breast cancer group, and helped to establish the Gay and Lesbian Center at the San Francisco Public Library.
Hormel and his husband, Michael Peter Nguyen Araque, lived in San Francisco. Hormel is the father of five children from a previous marriage to psychologist Alice Turner.

Cause of death: unknown.

 Piera Degli Esposti, the 

 great Italian film and 

 theater actress, died of 

 heart failure at the age of 83.

(12 March 1938 – 14 Aug. 2021)

Piera Degli Esposti, a famous italian actress with a strong personality and an exasperated sensitivity, died of hearth failure at the age of 83. The actress had been ill for some time and had been hospitalized at the Santo Spirito Della Roma Capitale since June 1st due to lung complications.

Piera Degli Esposti, who was born in Bologna in 1983, has worked with all of the best directors, writers, and performers during her lengthy career, from Italian film director, poet, writer, and intellectual Pier Paolo Pasolini to film director and screenwriter Giuseppe Tornatore, to Lina Wertmuller (known for her films Seven Beauties) and the film directors Taviani brothers.

Piera Degli Esposti pours herself into acting after being rejected by the Academy of Art and Drama, making her debut alongside Antonio Calenda, Gigi Proietti, and Nando Gazzolo at the Teatro dei 101, where she performs a masculine character in “Ten Minutes in Buffalo” (1968).

Piera Degli Esposti, the Teatro Stabile dell'Aquila's first actress, performing in "The Daughter of Iorio" (1971) and Samuel Barber's "Antonio and Cleopatra" (1974). From 1966 until 2020, Esposti appeared in almost 70 films and television programs.

She received the Accademia del Cinema Italiano David di Donatello Award for Best Supporting Actress in early 2009 for her part as Mrs. Enea in Paolo Sorrentino's biographical drama film 'Il Divo' (2008).

In 1980, he co-wrote the book "Storia di Piera" with the writer Dacia Maraini (whose work focuses on women's issues), which was based on true events from his childhood and adapted into a film in 1983 directed by Marco Ferreri, an Italian film director, screenwriter, and actor with whom he had a long association.

She also stars alongside Irene Ferri, Francesca Inaudi, Emilio Solfrizzi, Nicole Murgia, and others in the musical series "Tutti Pazzi per Amore" on television. Piera Degli Esposti has two films in theaters this year: “The children of her life,” directed by renowned Italian director Peter Marcias, and “The kisses were never given,” directed by Italian film director and screenwriter Piera Degli Esposti.

In recent years, he has appeared in several films, including Lamberto Sanfelice's drama "Cloro" (2015), Laura Morante's "Assolo" (2016), which stars Laura Morante, Piera Degli Esposti, and Gigio Alberti, and Alessandro Aronadio's "Orecchie" (2016), which stars Daniele Parisi, Silvia D'Amico, and Rocco Papaleo.

“I santi giorni” (2017) starring Bruno Todeschini, Alessia Barela, and Marc Barbé, “My Italy” (2017) directed by Bruno Colella, and “Favola” (2017) starring Giovanni Allocca and Edoardo Bennato Piera Degli Esposti was awarded the Flaiano Theater Award for his career in 2019.

Cause of death: heart failure.

  ‘The greatest striker,’ 

 world champion (1974): 

 Gerhard "Gerd" Müller, 

 legendary German soccer 

 forward and one of the 

 greatest soccer players of 

 all time, died at the age of 75. 

(Nov. 1945 – 15 August 2021)

Black envelops German and international soccer - Gerd Mueller ( Gerhard "Gerd" Müller), the best scorer in the history of Bayern Munich and the German Bundesliga, and one of the greatest soccer players of all time died on Sunday morning at the age of 76 after a six-year battle with Alzheimer's disease, the Bavarian soccer club announced on its website.

The renowned Bayern striker, as well as the German national team, with whom he set several goals-scoring records, many of which are still relevant today. He scored 566 goals for the Bavarian club in 607, and he was even more lethal for his country. In 1972 and 1974, he won European and World crowns with a total of 68 goals in just 62 games.

Gerd Müller has won the Bundesliga top scorer award seven times, and his total of 365 goals remains unmatched by any other player in the tournament. Robert Lewandowski's 40-goal performance in a single German championship season was only surpassed last season. Also, Lionel Messi did not break Müller's record for the most goals in a calendar year until 2012.

Gerd shook the net 85 times in 1972, and this Argentine six times 40 years later. Müller began his career with TSV Nördlingen, where he averaged almost a goal per game in Germany's lower leagues before joining Bayern Munich in 1964 when the team was in the second tier. Thirty-three league goals in his debut season helped the team return to the Bundesliga, and Bayern was German champions four years later - a champion title they won four times in 5 years.

More spectacular was their three-year run of European Cup victories, from 1974 to 1976, during which Müller scored 18 goals, including three in two finals. Muller was the Bundesliga's top scorer seven times during his 15 years with Bayern, was named German soccer player of the Year twice, and won the Ballon d'Or once, in 1970.

He departed in 1979 to join the North American Soccer League, where he played three seasons with the Fort Lauderdale Strikers before returning to Bayern as a coach, following in the footsteps of Pelé and George Best.  "Gerd" Müller was awarded European soccer player of the Year in 1970 after a successful career at FC Bayern Munich and 10 goals at the 1970 FIFA World Cup in Mexico. Müller is the FIFA World Cup's third-highest scorer, after Ronaldo and Miroslav Klose.

"Bomber der Nation" and "kleines dickes Müller" ("little, thin Müller") were among Müller's nicknames. The length of his records and accomplishments, to which we must add four German championship championships and three Champions Cup celebrations, speak for themselves. Müller was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2015, and he fought it until the end.

Cause of death: Alzheimer's disease.

 Joe Walton, Offensive 

 Innovator who coached 

 the New York Jets for 

 seven seasons (1983-1989), 

 died at the age of 85. 

(Dec. 15, 1935 – Aug. 15, 2021)

Joe Walton (born Joseph Frank Walton), a former American football player (Washington Redskins, New York Giants) and the offensive architect and innovator of the New York Jets' quartet of playoff teams (1983-1989) as well as the longtime head coach of many of the franchise's great players from that era, died at the age of 85, according to his family.

Walton was drafted by Washington in the second round of the 1957 draft after a great collegiate career at the University of Pittsburgh. He was born in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania (the same town as Jets Hall of Fame quarterback Joseph William Namath better known as Joe Namath). 

Walton played seven seasons in the NFL with the Washington Redskins and the New York Giants, catching 178 receptions for 2,628 yards and 28 touchdowns. Following retiring from playing after the 1963 season, he became a scout with the Giants two years later. Walton was moved to wide receivers coach in 1969 and stayed there for five years before heading to Washington to coach the running backs.

In early 1978, he became the offensive coordinator for the Washington Redskins, and in 1981, he took the same position with the New York Jets. He took over as head coach of the Jets in 1983, replacing Walt Michaels, and enjoyed one of the more successful coaching runs in the franchise's history, with two playoff appearances, but he was sacked after a 4-12 season in 1989.

In early 1990, Walton was hired as the offensive coordinator (second level of command structure) for the Pittsburgh Steelers by legendary Chuck Noll, one of the best head coaches of all time.( the seventh-oldest franchise in the NFL). He served for 2 years until Chuck Noll retired after the 1991 season. Walton's NFL protégés include Richard Edward Kotite, Leon H. "Bud" Carson,  quarterback Fran Tarkenton, quarterback Norm Snead, and Kenneth John O'Brien Jr. 

In middle 1993, Joe Walton was named the head coach of the newly formed Robert Morris University football team in Moon Township, Pennsylvania. Walton remained in this position until the conclusion of the 2013 season. After posting thirteen wins as an independent his first 2 years at the helm, he led the Colonials into Northeast Conference in 1996 by winning the first of 5 consecutive conference championships.

In 2005, Robert Morris University opened the new home to the RMU Colonials -  Joe Walton Stadium a 3,000-seat multi-purpose stadium in Moon Township, Pennsylvania.

Cause of death: unknown.

 Sean Lock, an English 

 comedian, and actor who 

 starred in '15 Storeys High' 

 and '8 Out of 10 Cats', died 

 of cancer at the age of 58. 

(22 April 1963 – 16 Aug. 2021)

Sean Lock (58), an English comedian, died after a long fight with cancer, according to his agent. Lock was nominated for the Perrier comedy award in 2000 for his show 'No Flatley, I am the Lord of the Dance,' which was praised for its carefully produced bizarre content and inventive observational humor.

The frequently deadpan absurdist, whose timing was once characterized as "second only to the Greenwich Meridian" by one writer, traveled widely throughout the United Kingdom. 'Lockipedia', which was also available on DVD, was one of his stage presentations, in which he improvised on a variety of themes given by his audience: in what he termed as a game of "audience battleships," he would call out a seat number and urge the individual to say hello.

Lock, who was born in Woking, Surrey, dropped out of school in the early 1980s to work on construction projects. He eventually acquired skin cancer, which he attributed to excessive sun exposure. After a time of travel, which he continued to enjoy, he decided to pursue a career in comedy.

In 1993, Lock had one of his first professional television performances, co-starring with Rob Newman and David Baddiel on their sketch comedy television show 'Newman and Baddiel in Pieces'.

Lock had his own program on BBC Radio 4, 15 Minutes of Misery, which he later extended into 15 Storeys High, and script-edited the 1998 BBC Two series Is 'It Bill Bailey?' Lock also had his own show on BBC Radio 4, 15 Minutes of Misery, which he subsequently expanded into 15 Storeys High. The sitcom followed a gloomy lifeguard named Vince (played by Lock) and his housemate Errol (played by Benedict Wong) in a south London tower block.

Lock joined 8 Out of 10 Cats in 2005 as a regular team captain, a position he kept for 18 seasons. He presented the Channel 4 series TV Heaven, Telly Hell between 2006 and 2007, in which he asked celebrities to discuss their favorite TV successes and disasters.

Have I Got News for You, QI, and They Think It's All Over was among the panel programs on which Lock featured. At the British Comedy Awards in 2000, he received the prize for best standup. He rose to prominence on television during a long stint as a team captain on Jimmy Carr's Channel 4 comic panel program 8 Out of 10 Cats and its spin-off, 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, as well as writing and starring in the popular BBC sitcom set in a tower block. '15 Storeys High'. 

Cause of death: cancer.

 Japan's martial arts star 

 Shinichi "Sonny" Chiba, 

 the actor from 'Kill Bill' and 

 'The Fast and the Furious,' 

 died of Covid complications 

 at the age of 82. 

(22 Jan. 1939 – 19 August 2021)

Shinichi "Sonny" Chiba, the martial arts veteran who appeared in Kill Bill and The Fast and the Furious, died of Covid-19 complications in a hospital in Kimitsu, Japan, according to his family and longtime manager, Keya Morgan. He contracted the virus at the end of July and was admitted to the hospital two weeks later after his pneumonia worsened. Sonny Chiba was not immunized.

Chiba was a Japanese movie star, most known to Western audiences for his portrayal as the swordsmith in Quentin Tarantino's martial arts film 'Kill Bill'. He had a 50 Years on-screen career that includes the 1970s Street Fighter trilogy and 2006's  Justin Lin's 'The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift' alongside Lucas Black and Bow Wow.

Chiba excelled in karate throughout his martial arts studies in the 1960s. In his late teens, he was a genuine contender for a spot on the Japanese Olympic squad until he was disabled by a back ailment. Following in Bruce Lee's footsteps. Chiba initially established a name for himself in television and cinema after joining Toei Studios in 1959, when he adopted the stage name, Shinichi Chiba.

After that, he got parts in Japanese films and TV shows, including with the famous Toei studio. Takuma Tsurugi, the vicious martial arts mercenary, and anti-hero in Street Fighter earned a reputation for himself outside of Japan. In 1970, he founded Japan Action Club, currently known as Japan Action Enterprise, with the goal of raising the level of martial arts techniques and sequences utilized in both large-screen and small-screen production.

Before breaking out globally in 1974's "The Street Fighter," produced by Toei Company Ltd., the actor and martial arts icon had a number of major Japanese film and TV appearances. In his sixties, the famous actor returned to work as a one of the world's best martial arts sequence choreographer. Chiba was still working in feature films and starring in his own series in Japan at the turn of the twenty-first century.

Chiba has appeared in over 130 films for Toei Studios, a Japanese film and television production company, and has received several acting honors in Japan. Tarantino was inspired by the crossover-hit film series as a young man, and over three decades later, he cast him as Hattori Hanzo in Kill Bill 1 (2003).

The popular character was a famous samurai-turned-sushi chef who came out of retirement to forge a sword for the Bride, played by Uma Thurman. He reprised the role in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill: Vol 2  (2004). Chiba also appeared in Kinji Fukasaku's 2003 dystopian action film Battle Royale II: Requiem, a sequel to the 2000 film 'Battle Royale' as well as Justin Lin's installment of the Fast and Furious series of action films.

Cause of death: complications from COVID-19.

 Country Music Hall of 

 Fame artist Tom T. Hall 

 ("Harper Valley PTA") died 

 at his home in Franklin at 

 age of 85. 

(May 25, 1936 – Aug. 20, 2021)

According to his son, country music singer-songwriter, Tom T. Hall ("The Storyteller") died at the age of 85 at his home in Franklin, Tennessee. He is best known for writing the Billboard Country and Pop number-one hit "Harper Valley P.T.A." in 1968, which was made famous by American country music and gospel singer Jeannie C. Riley, as well as other songs such as;

"A Week in a Country Jail,"(1969) "I Love," from the album 'For the People in the Last Hard Town' (1973)  "The Year That Clayton Delaney Died," from the album, 'In Search of a Song' (1971) and "I Like Beer." the lead single from the album, 'I Wrote a Song About It' (1975).

Thomas T. Hall, born on May 25, 1936, in Olive Hill, Kentucky, began playing music at an early age and played in a bluegrass band, the Kentucky Travelers, as a youngster. He joined the Army in 1957 and was stationed in Germany at the time when he occasionally played on the Armed Services Radio Network.

Following his return to civilian life, Hall worked as a radio DJ in Virginia when a publisher heard his song "D.J. for a Day" and recommended it to Jimmy C. Newman, who took it to the Top Ten. Johnnie Wright's rendition of "Hello Vietnam" was Hall's first No. 1 hit in 1965.

In early 1979, the multi-talented Hall published The Storyteller's Nashville, followed by The Laughing Man of Woodmont Cove in 1982, The Acts of Life in 1986, and Spring Hill, Tennessee in 1990. In the 1976 book How I Write Songs, Why You Can, he provided some of his suggestions for budding songwriters.

Hall took over as presenter of the weekly half-hour syndicated variety country music television series 'Pop! Goes the Country' in early 1980, succeeding television personality and country music disc jockey Ralph Emery. He also wrote the theme song for Fishin' with Orlando Wilson, former sportsman, and television personality.

He worked as a commercial spokesman for General Motors Company's Chevrolet Division in the mid-to-late 1970s. In 1986, Hall mainly stopped composing new material, and in 1994, he stopped performing. His final public performance, which was also his first in several years, was in early 2011.

In February 2008, Tom T. Hall was finally inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, Tennessee.

Cause of death: unknown.

 Phil Valentine, Nashville 

 Conservative Radio Host, 

 writer and Vaccine Skeptic, 

 died of COVID-19 at the age 

 of 61. Valentine was 

 hospitalized in the middle of 

 July after testing positive for 

 Covid-19. 

(Sept. 9, 1959 – Aug. 21, 2021)

Philip Carr Valentine, a Nashville-based conservative radio talk show host, a big Vaccine Skeptic who had questioned whether it was necessary for all people in the United States to get Covid-19 vaccines, died of COVID-19 in Nashville at the age of 61, Tennessee, his employer announced on Social media. 

Valentine's death comes about a month after he revealed he had been diagnosed with Covid-19. Valentine has previously dismissed the necessity of receiving a Covid-19 vaccination on his show, claiming in December that his chances of dying from the virus were "probably far less than one percent."

Valentine's message altered in late July when his family reported that he was hospitalized in "extremely critical condition" with "Covid Pneumonia and the associated side effects."

While Phil has never been an "anti-vaxxer," he regrets not being more strongly "Pro-Vaccine," and looks forward to being able to more vigorously promote that stance, his brother Mark Valentine said last month.

Valentine was the author of three novels and a community organizer who worked to prevent the passage of a proposed Tennessee state income tax. His book, 'The Conservative's Handbook,' is a reworking of 'Right from the Heart,' and both volumes' forewords were written by Sean Hannity, an American talk show presenter, and conservative political pundit.

In 2012, Valentine began filming his documentary, 'An Inconsistent Truth,' directed by Shayne Edwards, as a reply to Davis Guggenheim's concert/documentary film about former US Vice President Al Gore's campaign, 'An Inconvenient Truth.'

Valentine was frequently ranked among the "Heavy Hundred" of Talkers Magazine as one of the 100 most influential talk show hosts in America, as well as one of the 100 most influential talk show hosts of all time. He was placed No. 32 on the Heavy Hundred list in 2015.

Cause of death: COVID-19.

 Don Everly, American Half 

 of Country Rock Duo 

 'The Everly Brothers', and 

 songwriter ("When Will I Be 

 Loved") who released 21 

 studio albums with his 

 brother Phil  died at home in 

 Nashville at the age of 84. 

(Feb. 1, 1937 – Aug. 21, 2021)

Isaac Donald "Don" Everly, half of the country-influenced rock-and-roll duo 'The Everly Brothers,' passed away at home in Nashville, Tennessee, according to his longtime family spokesperson. There was no mention of a cause of death.

Everly was born in Kentucky in 1937 and grew up in a musical household with his brother Phillip "Phil" Everly (January 19, 1939 - January 3, 2014). In the mid-1950s, the duo began creating and recording music, releasing their self-titled album in 1957 before signing with Warner Bros. Records three years later.

Brothers went on to have hits like "Bye Bye Love," written by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, "All I Have to Do Is Dream," and "Problems," which spent nearly four months on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The Everly Brothers, an American country-influenced rock and roll band, published 21 studio albums, as well as several live and compilation albums, and Don recorded several solo albums, including 'Sunset Towers' in 1974 and 'Brother Jukebox' in 1977.

In 1986, the band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame alongside 20th-century musical greats; Buddy Holly, the king of rock and roll Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry, while Everly was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame in early 2019. Phil died of lung illness two weeks before his 75th birthday in January 2014. “Cathy's Clown,” which spent five weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in 1960, and “Bird Dog” are among the Everly Brothers' other hits.

The song was selected to the Library of Congress's National Recording Registry in 2013 because of its ongoing effect on popular music. The brothers' influence may be seen in the work of Los Angeles rock band 'the Byrds,' Gram Parsons, singer, songwriter, guitarist, and pianist Emmylou Harris, and legendary rock band 'the Eagles.'

Don Everly, who was divorced three times, is survived by his wife of 24 years, Adela Everly, his son musician and singer-songwriter Edan (52), and daughters Erin (55), the former model who was briefly married to Guns N' Roses singer Axl Rose, Venetia, and actress and model Stacy.

Cause of death: unknown.

 Nick Davatzes, the cable 

 television pioneer who 

 founded the American 

 multinational broadcasting 

 company A&E Network and 

 the pay television network 

 History Channel, died 

 at the age of 79. 

(March 14, 1942 – Aug. 21, 2021)

Nickolas "Nick" Davatzes (79), the longtime CEO of the American multinational broadcasting company A+E Networks who steered and oversaw the launch of the A&E Network and the pay television network History Channel, died at his home in Wilton, Connecticut, according to the company and his family.

Davatzes became CEO of A&E Networks in 1983, shortly after the business was created by the merging of two embryonic cable channels, Entertainment Network (owned by RCA and the Rockefeller family) and ARTS Network (owned by Hearst and ABC). Nick thought that media could not just brighten people's lives but also to inform and enhance communities.

Nick Davatzes leaves a lasting legacy of education and humanities support. Nick was the essence of the company and remains at the core of all that is A+E Networks. Today, A+E Networks is a 50-50 joint venture between the Walt Disney Company and Hearst Corporation. 

Davatzes was the driving force behind the creation of the company's flagship A&E Network (an acronym for Arts and Entertainment) in 1984 and History Channel in 1995 (History formally abandoned the “Channel” designation in 2008). He remained CEO of the parent business until 2005 when he was succeeded by Abbe Raven, a protégé who started as a secretary at the corporation.

Davatzes was honored in the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame in November of 1999. Davatzes worked for education and public affairs projects in the cable sector throughout his career. George W. Bush honored him with the National Humanities Medal in 2006.

Davatzes was a Marine Corps veteran who served from 1964 to 1965. He was the son of Greek immigrants who grew up in New York City. Throughout his lengthy career in the media, he has received several awards from military and associated organizations, as well as civic and professional honors.

The Marine Corps Historical Foundation Heritage Award (established in 1979), the US Navy Memorial Foundation's "Lone Sailor" Award (which honoring those who have served or are currently serving in the Marine Corps), induction into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame (the premiere annual industry award), the Cable CTPAA, the National Cable Television Association's Vanguard Award for Programming,

Induction into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame (the premier annual industry award), the Cable CTPAA, the National Cable Television Association's Vanguard Award for Programming, the Marine Corps Historical Foundation Heritage Award (established in 1979), the US Navy Memorial Foundation's "Lone Sailor" Award (honoring those who have served or are currently serving in the Marine Corps), induction into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame (the premier annual industry award), induction into the Broadcasting Cable Hall of Fame (the premiere annual industry award), and the Chevalier des Arts et Lettres medal bestowed by the French government in 1989 were among Davatze's other honors.

Cause of death: unknown.

 Jeanne Robertson, 

 a well-known humorist 

 and motivational speaker, 

 athlete, teacher, writer, 

 YouTube personality, and 

 former Miss North Carolina 

 (1963), died suddenly at 

 the age of 77. 

(Sept. 21, 1943 – Aug. 21, 2021)

According to her professional social media page, Jeanne Flinn Swanner Robertson, a well-known humorist and motivational speaker, former athlete, teacher, writer, YouTube personality, and former Miss North Carolina, died unexpectedly at the age of 77. According to the social media post, she was suffering from a severe illness unrelated to the Coronavirus.

In 1963, when she was Jeanne Swanner, Robertson was named Miss North Carolina. Following her reign as Miss North Carolina, Robertson used the scholarship money to pay for her college education at Auburn University ( (AU or Auburn), where she majored in Physical Education, joined Alpha Gamma Delta (also known as Alpha Gam) in Syracuse, New York, and played basketball. She graduated in 1967.

She was admitted as an alumni member of Auburn University's Omicron Delta Kappa Circle (commonly known as The Circle or ODK) in 1990. She published four books, including "Don't Bungee Jump Naked and Other Important Stuff," and served as president of the National Speakers Association, which provided professional development to tens of thousands of speakers.

Robertson was voted North Carolinian of the Year by the North Carolina Press Association in 2001, the state's highest civilian accolade. Jerry, her late husband and former captain of the Duke University men's basketball team in Durham, North Carolina, died two months ago.

In 2008, Robertson spoke at the White House for National Volunteer Week to promote and thank the more than 1,300 volunteers who offer their time to work at the president's official house and office. As a comedian and speaker, Robertson has gained national popularity.

Her anecdotes have been featured on satellite radio comedy channels such as XM Radio's Laugh USA, Sirius XM Holdings' Sirius Jeff Foxworthy's Radio's Blue Collar Comedy, and its Jeanne Robertson Family Comedy Channel, as well as Laugh Break.

Cause of death: severe illness.

 Micki Grant, a Grammy 

 Award -winning playwright 

 and lyricist (Your  Arms Too 

 Short to Box with God ) 

 singer, composer, librettist, 

 and actress  (Another World, 

 'All My Children') died at the 

 age of 80. 

(June 30, 1941 – Aug. 22, 2021)

Micki Grant, a Grammy Award-winning dramatist, lyricist, vocalist, composer, librettist, and the first African-American contract performer on a daytime serial 'Another World,' died at the age of 80, according to her family. 

Micki Grant (born Minnie Perkins) was born to Gussie and Oscar Perkins in Chicago, Illinois. Her father was a self-taught musician and skilled barber, while her mother worked for Stanley Products. At her primary school, she began studying music with double-bass lessons. Grant began taking piano lessons when he was eight years old, and the following year he began acting studies with Susan Porché.

When Grant came to Los Angeles, California, after high school, her cousin, dancer, dance instructor, and film actor Jeni Le Gon took her under her wing. Micki Grant became the first woman to win a Grammy Award for the score of a Broadway musical with the long-running 'Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope,' a musical revue originally presented in 1971 in which she also featured.

Micki Grant was also nominated for Tony Awards for her work on the book, music, and lyrics. Another Grammy nomination for the score of 'Your Arms Too Short to Box with God,' a Broadway musical based on the Biblical Book of Matthew (co-written with multi-talented gospel composer and vocalist Alex Bradford), as well as another Tony nomination for the score of Working.

Two Off-Broadway musicals, 'Step Into My World' at Manhattan's Amas Repertory Theatre (formerly known as the Rosetta LeNoire Theatre Academy) and 'Looking Back' at New Federal Theatre, have honored Grant's creative body of work (created in the US during the Great Depression to provide resources for theatre).

Grant made her Broadway debut as the ingenue in Langston Hughes' gospel drama with the song 'Tambourines to Glory,' which opened on Broadway in 1963. She has also acted in smaller theatres around the country.

In the late 1990s, she received the Helen Hayes Award for her outstanding professional performance as Sadie Delany on a two-year national tour of the play 'Having Our Say' (directed by Emily Mann), which took her to over sixty cities across the United States and to "The City of Gold," Johannesburg, South Africa. In addition, Mr. Grant starred in the CBS Films Inc. film of the same name.

She was the first African-American contract player on a daytime serial, portraying attorney Peggy Nolan on NBC's television soap opera 'Another World' for seven years (1966-1973), and has since had recurring roles on the television mystery crime drama series 'Edge of Night't' and the radio and television soap opera 'Guiding Light.', the second longest-running drama in television in American history, as well as guesting on ABC' television soap opera 'All My Children'.

Cause of death: unknown.

 Eric Wagner (Trouble, The  

 Skull), an American Doom 

 metal singer legend, died of 

 COVID-19 at the age of 62, 

 according to the band and 

 his son Luke. 

(April 24, 1959 – Aug. 22, 2021)

Eric Wagner, a doom metal singer best known for his work with 'Trouble,' an Aurora, Illinois-based doom metal band, and 'The Skull,' a doom metal band founded by three former members of Trouble, died of COVID-19 at the age of 62, according to his son, Luke Wagner. Wagner had to go to the hospital with pneumonia after his condition worsened, the band had announced a week before.

'The Skull' had just finished a three-week US tour with 'The Obsessed'. While the rest of The Skull tested negative, bassist Brian White of The Obsessed said he was sick but symptom-free. He has been inoculated against the virus earlier. Scott "Wino" Weinrich of the Obsessed recently canceled a performance at a festival in Las Vegas, California because he didn't like the mask requirements.

From 1981 until 1997, and again from 2000 to 2008, Eric Wagner was the lead man of 'Trouble,' one of the most significant bands in the Doom Metal genre. He formed the band 'The Skull' in 2012 with ex-Trouble bassist Ron Holzner after splitting from Trouble for the second time. He was also a member of the psychedelic rock band 'Blackfinger.' He appeared on a song from Dave Grohl's all-star project 'Probot' in 2004 and later played live with him.

'The Skull' released their sophomore album, 'The Endless Road Turns Dark,' in late 2018 on Tee Pee Records, a New York-based indie rock music company. Former Cathedral drummer Brian Dixon may be heard on the album, having joined the band after the departure of original drummer Jeff Olson.

'Trouble' were one of doom metal's most influential bands, with their doomy vibes, deadly twin lead guitar, amazing guitar tone, and Eric's simultaneously strong and sorrowful vocals, sometimes with a dark, religious lyrical slant. Even outside of that environment, though, they had a huge influence.

It is said that a young Metallica, one of the founding "big four" bands of thrash metal ran, onstage to copy the settings on their amps at a gig in the early days, while singer and songwriter David Eric Grohl, a Nirvana drummer and Foo Fighters rhythm guitarist pay tribute to his hero by inviting him to appear on his Probot album, the heaviest album of 2004 singing on the song "My Tortured Soul," which was released by Southern Lord Records in early 2004.

Cause of death: COVID-19.

 Brian Travers, the founder, 

 and saxophonist of the 

 British reggae group UB40, 

 one of the world's most 

 successful bands, died of 

 cancer at the age of 62 at 

 Birmingham's Queen 

 Elizabeth Hospital. 

(Feb. 7, 1959 – 23 August 2021)

Legendary British musician Brian David Travers, a founding member of UB40, actor, and Soundtrack, Director, died in Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital with his family by his side after a lengthy fight with cancer, his wife Lesley confirmed. He was 62 years old. The UB40 saxophonist was rushed to Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital, where he was told he has a tumor in the back of his skull that will require surgery to remove.

Travers was diagnosed with cancer just after his 60th birthday in February 2019 and had a double tumor removed from his frontal cortex at the same time his bandmates were embarking on UB40's 40th-anniversary tour, which he had been practicing for. The saxophonist for the reggae band UB40 has spent over 35 years recording and performing, selling over 110 million CDs across the world.

They have more than fifty top 40 hits in the UK and are considered one of the most successful bands in the country. UB40 has received 4 Grammy nominations for Best Reggae Album, as well as a Brit Award nomination for Best British Group in 1984.

Travers founded the band in 1978 with friends from several Birmingham high schools, naming it after a form used by individuals seeking unemployment benefits at the time. In 1979, UB40 played their debut show at the Hare & Hounds bar in Kings Heath and quickly established themselves as one of the country's most popular bands.

Brian attended Moseley School of Art in Birmingham. He came to Moseley after twenty years in rural Worcestershire, where he paints ‘abstract' canvases and ceramic objet d'art.

Bridging the gap between three generations with disparate skills is never easy, but UB40 founder member Brian Travers did exactly that two years ago. Brian Travers hurried his 85-year-old father into a recording studio for an impromptu duet on a Charlie Chaplin classic. For posterity's sake, the three generations then recorded their definitive rendition of the song together.

Travers' final appearance with the band was in late 2019 at the Arena Birmingham. The band's lineup stayed unchanged for over 3 decades until Ali Campbell quit the band in early 2008. In The middle of this year, UB40 frontman Duncan Campbell announced his retirement from music owing to bad health, and he was replaced as the band's lead singer by Kioko guitarist Matt Doyle.

Cause of death: brain cancer.

 Jimmy Hayes, a Dorchester 

 native who won an NCAA 

 hockey championship at 

 Boston College and spent 2 

 of his 7 NHL seasons with the 

 Boston Bruins, was 

 discovered dead at the age of 

 31 at his Milton, 

 Massachusetts home. 

(Nov. 21, 1989 – Aug. 23, 2021) 

Jimmy Hayes (born James Ryan Hayes), a former American ice hockey player who played for the Boston Bruins, Florida Panthers, and Chicago Blackhawks, was found dead at his Milton, Massachusetts home at the age of 31. Local police do not believe the death is suspicious, but no cause of death has been officially reported.

Hayes grew up in Dorchester and attended the Noble and Greenough School in Dedham before attending Boston College for three years. Hayes was a member of the United States National U-17 Team at the 2005 Four Nations Tournament in Russia, which included the United States, Canada, Finland, and Russia.

Hayes was then named to the 2006 United States U-17 Select Team and competed in the U-18 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, an annual international under-18 ice hockey tournament hosted in the Czech Republic by the ice hockey federations of Canada, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia.

The Ohio Junior Blue Jackets of the East Division picked him first overall in the 2006 United States Hockey League (USHL) Futures Draft. Hayes was a member of the USA Hockey National Squad Development Program (NTDPunder-18 )'s team in Plymouth, Michigan, in 2006–07. At the 2007 IIHF World U18 Championships in Rauma and Tampere, Finland, he was a part of the silver-medal-winning Team USA.

With the Eagles, he won an NCAA Championship as a sophomore in 2010. Hayes was selected in the second round of the 2008 NHL Draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs but was dealt to the Chicago Blackhawks in June 2010 for the 43rd overall pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft (Canadian professional ice hockey player Bradley Ross).

Hayes appeared in 43 games during his two-plus seasons in Chicago before being traded to the Florida Panthers in 2013 along with Dylan Olsen for Canadians Kris Versteeg and Philippe Lefebvre.

With the Panthers the next season, he had his first complete season in the NHL, scoring a career-high 19 goals.

Hayes was traded to his hometown Bruins in 2015 in exchange for right-winger Reilly Smith as a restricted free agent, and he signed a three-year extension a few days later (for $2.3 million per year).

Hayes' last professional game was in 2019. Since mid-2020, he has co-hosted a podcast called "Missin Curfew" with fellow former NHL players; defenceman Shane O'Brien and left-winger Scottie Upshall. On the show, Jimmy was known as "Broadway." Their most recent live performance was two weeks ago.

Cause of death: unknown.

 Charlie Watts, one of  

 the greatest rock   

 drummers of all time,  

 died in London at the age  

 of 80, just weeks after   

 undergoing emergency  

 heart surgery. He was a   

 legendary drummer for the  

 rock band Rolling Stones   

 for more than 50 years.  

(2 June 1941 – 24 Aug. 2021)

Charlie Watts (born Charles Robert Watts), the Rolling Stones drummer who helped the band become one of the greatest in rock 'n' roll history, has died at the age of 80, according to his longtime agent. The cause of his death has not yet been confirmed.

Watts died only weeks after undergoing emergency heart surgery. He had to cancel his American tour rehearsals and have surgery in a London hospital, the details of which were never revealed. Even though everything went smoothly and doctors expected that he would recover fully, he did not accompany the band members on tour and died a few weeks later.

This is the first time the legendary musician has skipped a tour since 1963. His health difficulties did not break him at first since he maintained a pleasant demeanor in recent weeks, and the media reported that he was joking, saying that the timing was not ideal for the first time in his life.

He was usually careful, methodical, and not prone to delays, he was implying. By the way, the 'No filter tour' was supposed to take place last year but was canceled because of the epidemic. Instead, it will begin in September.

Watts received his first drum from his parents in 1955 (he practice drumming while listening to jazz albums). Watts went to Harrow Art School (now the Harrow University of Westminster campus) after graduating from high school, where he stayed until 1960. He worked as a graphic designer for the advertising agency Charlie Daniels Studios after graduating from art school, occasionally playing drums with local bands in cafés and bars.

From 1958 to 1959, he and Green collaborated on music as members of the Jo Jones All-Stars, a Middlesex jazz ensemble. He began playing drums in London rhythm and blues clubs, where he met Brian Jones, Mick Jagger, and Keith Richards.

He was originally schooled as a graphic artist. In January 1963, he joined the Rolling Stones, their newly formed band, as a drummer and designer of their discographic covers and stages.

Apart from Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, Watts is the only member of the Rolling Stones who has appeared on all of the band's studio albums. His drumming technique is mostly influenced by jazz. He's on the road with his band, the Charlie Watts Quintet, and recently performed with the Charlie Watts Tentet at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in London.

Watts was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 2006, and Vanity Fair named him to the International Hall of Fame with the best-dressed papers that same year. Watts is dubbed "the best drummer of rock" by famous music critic Robert Christgau. Rolling Stone placed him 12th on their list of the "100 Greatest Drummers of All Time" in 2016.

Cause of death: unknown.

 Robin Miller, a well -known, 

 influential, and beloved 

 American  motorsports 

 journalist (Indianapolis Star, 

 ESPN, Speed Channel, 

 NBCSN), died of cancer 

 at the age of 71. 

(Oct. 27, 1949 – Aug. 25, 2021)

Robin L. Miller, a lifetime motorsports enthusiast who rose to become one of the sport's most well-known and prominent media figures while writing for The Indianapolis Star for over 30 years, died of cancer in Indianapolis at the age of 71, according to his family. Miller was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame two weeks before his death.

Miller, a native of Southport, Indiana, rose to fame as a sports writer for the Indianapolis Star, parlaying his passion for a variety of sports into more than five decades of communication that characterized his life.

Miller began his career as a writer and journalist covering the Indianapolis 500 and the INDYCAR SERIES, before moving on to ESPN, SPEED, and most recently NBC as a television personality. He worked as a pit crew member for Indy cars and raced in the USAC midget series in the 1970s before becoming a writer. Over the years, he also worked at all of Indianapolis' TV affiliates for extended periods of time.

In 1972, Miller raced a Formula Ford, and in 1974, he purchased a midget vehicle from auto racing star Gary Bettenhausen. From 1975 through 1983, he raced in USAC (United States Auto Club) midgets. In 1980, Miller qualified fifth out of 93 cars for the annual "Hut 100" at the Terre Haute Action Track, a half-mile dirt track in Vigo County, Indiana.

Miller began his journalism career in 1968 at The Star, and he never stopped writing about motor racing. His stories and essays appeared in publications such as Autoweek, Car and Driver, Sports Illustrated, and RACER, among others, and he presented shows on Indianapolis radio stations for years as a great storyteller.

Miller was dismissed from the Star in January 2001. The company's e-mail policy as well as the ethical policy were cited as reasons for his release. He allegedly wrote abusive e-mails to readers, emailed pornographic material to coworkers, and defamed local community leaders in his e-mails.

While ostensibly working as a neutral journalist, he created promotional material for CART. He's also published some really poor articles about motorsport safety. From 2001 through 2004, Miller worked as a racing writer/reporter for ESPN (Entertainment and Sports Programming Network).

He appeared on shows including 'RPM 2Night,' a nightly news program, and 'SportsCentury,' a biographical television show.

During that time, he also freelanced for the official website of the Champ Car World Series (CCWS). He was dismissed from Champ Car in March 2007 after writing a negative piece that was seen as unfair criticism. The series finally came to an end and was absorbed into the IndyCar Series (currently known as the NTT IndyCar Series).

Miller became a journalist and Indy Car "insider" for Speed, a sports-oriented cable and satellite television network, in 2004. He became a frequent contributor to SpeedTV.com, SPEED Center, a motorsports news program, and 'WindTunnel with Dave Despain,' a live viewer call-in show specifically for auto racing fans.

He held the job until 2013 when Speed moved to Fox Sports 1. He also worked as a writer for the American motorsports publication 'Racer.' Miller has broken numerous major stories on IndyCar racing and the Indy 500, including the merging of the IndyCar Series and the Champ Car World Series (CCWS) in 2008. 
 
Cause of death: cancer.

 Kenny Malone, a legendary 

 drummer, and percussionist 

 who played on records by 

 Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, 

 Ray Charles, Kenny Rogers, 

 Dobie Gray, and others, died 

 of COVID-19 at the age of 83. 

(Aug. 4, 1938 – Aug. 26, 2021)

Kenny Malone, a renowned drummer, and percussionist from Denver noted for his distinctive hand drumming method, died of COVID-19 at the age of 83, according to his longtime friend Dave Pomeroy. Kenny Malone, noted in particular for his hand-drumming method, has been credited on hundreds of tracks and some of the biggest hit records in country music created in Nashville, including albums such as;

 'Dreaming My Dreams'  the twenty-second studio album by American country music artist Waylon Jennings, recorded in July 1974), 'Night Things', the sixth studio album by country music artist Ronnie Milsap, recorded in 1975, Parton's “Jolene," produced by Bob Ferguson and recorded at RCA Studio in May 1973, Wanda Jackson' (one of the first popular female rockabilly singer) 'I’ll Still Love You' and 'Amy Grant', the eponymous debut studio album by Christian singer Amy Grant, released in early 1977 among others.

In the 1970s, Malone, a Denver native, enrolled in the Navy and served 14 years as a musician in the US Navy Band, as well as working with legendary Nashville singer, songwriter, and record and film producer “Cowboy” Jack Clement. Since he was five years old, he has been swept away by music. He moved to Nashville in 1970 and began working with renowned Nashville producer "Cowboy" Jack Clement, quickly becoming one of the city's most in-demand drummers and percussionists.

Kenny Malone worked on records by Moe Bandy, Bobby Bare, Johnny Paycheck, Garth Brooks, Johnny Cash, New Grass Revival, Floyd Cramer, Emmylou Harris, Béla Fleck, George Jones, Barbara Mandrell, Charley Pride, Kenny Rogers, Dottie West, Donna Fargo, Don Williams, David Allen Coe, John Hartford, and The Whites, according to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. 

Kenny Malone extended the vocabulary of Tennessee drumming and was always an inventor, inventing his own distinctive style of hand drumming, frequently blending sticks and brushes with hand percussion to produce a unique sound and feel that allowed plenty of space for other instruments and voices.

Cause of death: COVID-19.

 Marcus Birks, English 

 Eurodance musician (the 

 band Cappella - biggest hit 

 "U Got 2 Let the Music") and 

 a former staunch opponent 

 of Coronavirus vaccine, died 

 of COVID-19 at the age of 40 

 at Royal Stoke University 

 Hospital. 

(Nov. 1980 – 27 August 2021)

Marcus Birks, English Eurodance musician best known as the rapper of the popular 1990s band Cappella, died of COVID-19 at the Royal Stoke University Hospital (previously the University Hospital of North Staffordshire) at the age of 40, his family confirmed on social media.

After suffering from serious coronary heart disease, Birks recently made headlines. Birks had not had the coronary vaccine and had rejected it before becoming unwell. However, his attitude against immunizations shifted as a result of his sickness. Birks had to be admitted to a hospital's intensive care unit for treatment.

A day prior, a close friend of Birks gave a public update, claiming that he was in a coma. Birks' opinions about the disease and immunizations were established through social media and conspiracy theories. Birks said, "I was really indifferent to it and simply ignored it altogether." "The first thing I'm going to tell everyone in my family and everybody I see is to get the vaccine," he said. “He started feeling really unwell,” his mother, who is 62, added. He spent a week at home recovering from the wedding. His condition deteriorated after that.

A British Eurodance musician said he ate healthily and exercised many times a day while on tour with his wife Lis, who is currently pregnant (according to the public media). He believed that it was up to each individual to decide whether or not to receive the vaccine. He is a health nut who goes to the gym on a regular basis. He is quite healthy. He isn't fond of taking paracetamol. Marcus Birks stated his symptoms began with a flu-like feeling and progressed to the point where he was brought to the hospital with respiratory problems. He said that it had come as a surprise because he was rarely sick.

Cappella is Italian Eurodance music group founded in 1987 by Gianfranco Bortolotti, an Italian techno music producer, and manager. Music group 'Cappella' went through several lineup changes since it was founded back in 1987, but it was definitely most successful and gained an international reputation in the early 1990s when Kelly Overett and Rodney Bishop, two top singers and performers were in charge.

"U Got 2 Let the Music," released in 1993 as the fourth single from their second studio album, "U Got 2 Know," reached No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart (now known as Official Singles Chart) in 1993. The original Italian techno music producer and manager Gianfranco Bortolotti and new members, a married couple: Lis Birks as a vocalist and Marcus Birks as a rapper, reformed 'Cappella' in early 2013. The couple used to go under the stage name 'The Cameleonz.'

Cause of death: COVID-19.

 English soccer player 

 Sam Oji, a former FC 

 Arsenal youth prospect 

 and FC Birmingham City 

 star, died at the age of 35 

 after a battle with illness. 

(9 Oct. 1985 – 28 August 2021)

Sam Oji (born Samuel Udoka Oji), an English soccer player who began his career with F.C. Arsenal and then played for F.C. Birmingham City, F.C. Tamworth, Limerick, Leyton Orient, and other clubs, died at the age of 35 after an illness, according to his current club Highgate United and his family.

On Friday evening, the club responded to rumors of Oji's death by stating that their captain and club legend was still fighting for his life before announcing his tragic death on Saturday morning.

Oji was most recently employed as an assistant manager with Midland League Premier Division side Highgate United, situated in the Shirley area of Solihull ( founded in 2014 by the merger of the former Midland Alliance and Midland Combination). "Infectious grin, cheerful demeanor, always polite and obliging," stated Vinny O'Connor, a former Irish soccer player who worked with Oji at Galway United F.C.

London-born Oji began his professional career with Birmingham City in 2004, after growing up in the Arsenal youth. He played with the Blues for 4 years, with loan periods in between. He made his single first-team appearance for Birmingham in February 2006, coming on as a late substitute in an FA Cup fourth-round replay against Reading.

He joined Bristol Rovers on a month's loan a year later, which was then extended to two months. He had a trial with Southend United in the summer of 2007, then signed with Leyton Orient on a month's loan, which was then extended to three months. Oji has played for Limerick FC, an association soccer club based in Limerick, Ireland, Galway FC, an Irish association football club based in Galway, as well as Tamworth Football Club, Worcester City FC, and Hednesford Town Football Club in non-league football.

He transferred to Hednesford Town in the Northern Premier League Premier Division. He made 41 appearances for Highgate United of the Midland League Premier Division during the season, 38 of which were in league play, before moving to Hednesford Town of the Northern Premier League Premier Division in July 2018. In the middle of  2018, Oji joined Midland League Premier Division side Highgate United.

Cause of death: unknown.

 Former Child actor 

 Matthew Mindler, who 

 co-starred with Paul Rudd 

 and Elizabeth Banks in the 

 2011 comedy-drama film 

 'Our Idiot Brother,' was 

 discovered dead in Manor 

 Township near the 

 Pennsylvania college 

 campus. He was only 

 19 years old. 

(2002 – 28 August 2021)

body discovered on this date.

Matthew Mindler, a former child actor best known for his appearance opposite Paul Rudd in Jesse Peretz's comedy-drama 'Our Idiot' Brother in 2011, has died at the young age of 19. Local police authorities said that his body was discovered on August 28, 2021, in Manor Township, near the Pennsylvania college campus. The Lancaster County Forensic Center will look into Miner's death to find out more details.

Mindler, a 19-year-old freshman, was last seen on campus on Tuesday night, according to Millersville University police. After failing to return to his dorm room and skipping classes the next night, he was reported missing. Mindler went missing when he failed to show up for school on Wednesday and did not return calls from his family. 

On Tuesday, evening, he was spotted walking from the western part residence hall to the nearby Driver's parking lot, according to local police. Since late last week, local law enforcement agencies and university police have been looking for the 19-year-old, with requests for help on social media.

Mindler was discovered near the Pennsylvania college campus in Manor Township before being sent to the Lancaster County Forensic Center in Spring Valley Rd Lancaster, for additional examination by the coroner in order to determine the cause of death. Both local law enforcement agencies and university police had been searching for the 19-year-old since late last week, with calls for assistance in locating his whereabouts shared to social media.

'Our Idiot' Brother,' directed by Jesse Peretz, garnered mainly favorable reviews, with critics complimenting the plot and performances of Rudd and Mindler, but criticizing the inconsistent script written by Evgenia Peretz and David Schisgall. 

Mindler has eight film and television acting credits, including an episode of the television soap opera 'As the World Turns' and the short film 'Frequency,' directed by his elder brother, cinematographer, and visual effects artist Derek Mindler.

Mindler's most recent role was in Jason Winer's 2016 TV film 'Chad: An American Boy,' in which he co-starred with Nasim Pedrad, Paul Chahidi, and Makenna James.

Cause of death: unknown.

 Lee ‘Scratch' Perry, 

 a Grammy Award-winning 

 record producer and singer 

 who was a pioneer in the 

 development of dub music, 

 an electronic music genre 

 that grew out of reggae in 

 the 1970s, died at the age 

 of 85 after battling illness. 

(28 March 1936 – 29 Aug. 2021)

Grammy Award-winning record producer and legendary singer Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry (born Rainford Hugh Perry), a music pioneer in the 1970s development of dub music, a genre of electronic music that grew out of reggae, and who worked with and produced for a wide variety of artists, including legendary Jamaican singer and songwriter Bob Marley, died at the age of 85 at the Noel Holmes Hospital in Western Jamaica after battling illness. No cause of death has yet been given.

He worked with and produced for a wide variety of artists, including 'Bob Marley and the Wailers' a Jamaican reggae band led by Bob Marley, reggae singer Junior Murvin (best known for the single "Police and Thieves"), the Congos ( best known for their Heart of the Congos album), Max Romeo ( best known for 1968 "Wet Dream'', English dub record producer Adrian Sherwood, American hip hop group from New York City 'the Beastie Boys',  German vocalist Ari Up (English post-punk band The Slits), English rock band 'the Clash',  electronic music group 'the Orb', and many others.

In addition to beat-making strategies, the Kendal, Hanover native invented recording garden implements for beats. Perry got his nickname from his first single, "The Chicken Scratch," which he released in the early 1960s. To get different sounds, he would bury microphones under trees, blow ganja smoke over tapes, and even reverse the tapes. In July 1998, Lee "Scratch" Perry gained a wider global audience as the singer on the track "Dr. Lee, Ph.D." from the Beastie Boys' fifth studio album. Heavy Rain, a 12-track compilation released in December 2019, debuted at number one on the Billboard Reggae Albums Charts.

In his six-decade career as a musician, the collection was his first number one album, and it also established him as the oldest artist to reach the top of the charts. He had resided in Switzerland for several years before returning to Jamaica in January 2021, claiming that he needed the island's sunshine and that Switzerland had become "too chilly" and that the "energy was not right."

The Grammy Award winner, who is widely recognized as one of the most influential creative, artistic, and musical personalities of the second half of the twentieth century, is adored throughout Europe, where he was frequently booked for tours.

The I Am A Mad Man also singer received a Reggae Grammy award in 2002 for the album Jamaican E.T. and was nominated for four more times: in 2014 for Back on the Controls; in 2010 for Revelation; Repentance in 2008; and in 2007 for The End Of An American Dream.

Several design houses have approached him in his golden years to display their wares, including Italian fashion label Gucci, for whom he modeled last year. He also appeared as a model in Adidas Originals' DON'T ASSUME campaign in May 2019 and collaborated with Supreme on two t-shirt designs including his written phrase and unique artwork in 2010.

Lee "Scratch" Perry was also awarded a Jamaican national honor, the Order of Distinction at the rank of Officer, the sixth in the order of precedence of the Orders of Societies of Honour, which is bestowed on citizens of Jamaica who have rendered outstanding and significant services to the country, or distinguished citizens of another country.

Cause of death: unknown.

 Eddie "Ed" Asner, 

 a legendary Hollywood 

 actor and former president 

 of the Screen Actors Guild, 

 who portrayed Lou Grant 

 on The Mary Tyler Moore 

 Show and subsequently his 

 own spin-off, died quietly 

 at the age of 91 in LA, 

 surrounded by his 

 loved ones. 

(Nov. 15, 1929 – August 29, 2021)

Eddie "Ed" Asner, the most honored male performer in Primetime Emmy Awards history (seven-time Emmy winner) and former president of the Screen Actors Guild, died quietly and surrounded by family in Los Angeles at the age of 91, according to his family.

Asner was a talented actor who rose to prominence in the 1970s and 1980s, particularly for his role as Lou Grant and the series of the same name. He portrayed a tough journalist with a kind heart in that film. Asner also received the majority of his Emmy television wins and Golden Globes for his life's work.

In real life, Asner, who was born in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1929, came close to becoming a newscaster. He went to the University of Chicago to study journalism until a lecturer advised him there was little money to be earned in the field.

In a college production of TS Eliot's Murder in the Cathedral, he made his acting debut as the martyred Thomas Becket. Before getting conscripted in 1951, he dropped out of school and worked as a cab driver and other occupations. In France, he was a member of the army signal corps.

When he returned to Chicago, he performed at the Playwrights Theatre Club and the Second City, a renowned satirical company that has launched the careers of hundreds of famous comedians. He then joined the long-running The Threepenny Opera in New York and starred alongside Jack Lemmon in Face of a Hero.

Asner's Hollywood career lasted decades, and he was a well-known figure in television, film, and even animation. He made history both behind and in front of the camera in several ways. Asner was a liberal politician who served as President of the Screen Actors Guild from 1981 to 1985. During the tenure of the former Chairman of the US Actors Union, Asner opposed the United States' engagement in Central America under the presidency of Ronald Reagan. Lou Grant's third SAG term was canceled, and he did not run for re-election in 1985.

Asner remained politically engaged for the remainder of his life, publishing The Grouchy Historian: An Old-Time Lefty Defends Our Constitution Against Right-Wing Hypocrites and Nutjobs in 2017. Asner played far into his 90s throughout his illustrious career. Later in his career, Asner voiced the lead character, Carl Fredricksen, in Pixar's 2009 computer-animated comedy-drama adventure film 'High.'

He also received Emmy Awards for his performances in David Greene's miniseries 'Rich Man, Poor Man,' which aired on ABC in one- or two-hour episodes from 1975 to 1976, and 'Roots,' which was based on Alex Haley's 1976 novel Roots (1976-77).

He had almost 300 credits and worked well into his 70s and 80s. In 2003, he portrayed Santa Claus in Jon Favreau's Christmas comedy picture 'Elf,' directed by Will Ferrell. Today, his Twitter avatar was Carl Fredricksen, a cartoon figure wearing a hospital mask. In 2019, he co-starred in the Netflix series "Dead to Me" with Christina Applegate.

Cause of death: natural causes.

 Ron Bushy, the iconic 

 drummer of the American 

 psychedelic rock band 

 Iron Butterfly (best known 

 for the song "In-A-Gadda- 

 Da-Vida"), died of 

 esophageal cancer at the 

 age of 79 at UCLA Medical 

 Center in Los Angeles. 

(Dec. 23, 1941 – Aug. 29, 2021)

Ron Bushy died peacefully at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, according to his wife Nancy. Born in Washington, D.C. in 1941, he didn't start playing the drums until he was in college in San Diego. Bushy majored in biology and psychology before becoming a marine biologist. He got sidetracked into music part-time, renting a drum kit and learning to play drums to Booker T. & the MG's "Green Onions." Bushy joined the psychedelic rock band Iron Butterfly in early 1966.

The Los Angeles-based band was part of the community of classic rock groups that developed from the Laurel Canyon music scene at the time (which began when Frank Zappa relocated to the corner of Lookout Mountain). Bushy's renowned drum solo in 1968 hit In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida (derived from "In the Garden of Eden"), penned by band founder and lead vocalist Doug Ingle, is unquestionably his most famous contribution.

A heavily modified version of the song became a radio success, propelling the album to #4 on the Billboard 200 and making it one of the year's best-selling albums. The song is notable for being 17 minutes lengthy, and Ron takes the lead on the drums for around four minutes of it. Before the band decided to take a sabbatical, the drummer assisted the band in recording their following three albums (1970'Metamorphosis, 1975'Scorching Beauty, and Sun and Steel).

They continued to perform together until the 1980s, before breaking up again and reuniting again. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Iron Butterfly went through a lot of lineup changes, with Ron remaining the lone constant, keeping the band going through album sessions and tours.

During his musical career, he was also a member of the bands Magic (1977–1978) and Gold (1978–1980). Due to health issues, Ron Bushy withdrew from performing in the mid-2010s. In the years after his retirement, he did make the occasional guest appearance with the current line-up of the band.

Ron Bushy, the only member of the In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida lineup to appear on every 'Iron Butterfly studio' album, is the band's third member to pass away, following guitarist Erik Brann (also known as Erik Braunn) and bass guitarist Lee Dorman in 2003 and 2012, respectively, leaving band founder and lead vocalist Doug Ingle as the only surviving member of that lineup.

Cause of death: esophageal cancer.

 Lee Williams, a veteran 

 gospel singer with a 

 career spanning over 5 

 decades and the founder, 

 and leader of the American 

 quartet gospel group Lee 

 Williams & the Spiritual 

 QC's, died at the age of 75 

 in Tupelo, Mississippi. 

(1946 – 30 August 2021)

Lee Williams, a veteran gospel singer, died at the age of 75 in Tupelo, Mississippi, according to his family and The Spiritual QC's social media posts. Williams is survived by his wife Annie, with whom he had recently celebrated fifty years of marriage. While many fans are inquiring about Lee Williams' cause of death, no official comment has been released at this time.

His family and The Spiritual QC's have likewise kept quiet about the circumstances surrounding his demise. Some speculate that he died as a result of his Alzheimer's disease fight, which prompted the singer to declare his retirement from music in 2018.

Lee Williams began his gospel singing career at the age of eight.  Around 1970, the band began recording. Lee Williams is the lead singer, Patrick Hollis is a background singer, Leonard Shumpert is the second lead vocalist, Al Hollis is the guitarist and background vocalist, Tommie Harris is the new full-time bassist, and showgirl Patrick Hollis is a background singer. Lee Williams & Spiritual QC went from being a part-time gospel group to have the year's best album. Designer Discs in Memphis, Tennessee released the band's debut album, a set of 45 rpm records.

Willie Reagan and Lee Williams, who were predominantly bassists for the band at the time, used to direct the singles. After Ligons departed the organization, Williams took over as leader, and the name was altered to incorporate the group's previous name. In 1996, he recorded his first national album at MCG Records, a gospel record label in Georgia.

His debut album, “Jesus Is Alive And Well,” features the track “He Learned to Lean.” His second album, "Love Will Go All the Way," was published in 1998 and featured some of the songs from his first album, as well as tracks from his third album, "Good Time," which was released in 2000.

In November, the album debuted at number 10 on the Billboard Gospel Albums list. The band won Tradition Quartet of the Year at the Excellence Gospel Music Awards the next year and was nominated for Best Gospel Album at the Soul Train Music Awards. In 2009, they released a few more compilation CDs, including "My Brother's Keeper" and "The Collection."

They released their seventh studio album, "Fall On Me," in 2009. They allowed Roger McKinney, a member of the previous two albums, to provide background vocals on one song called "Another Chance."

They released another compilation CD named "Through The Years" in 2010. At the Greater Travelers Rest Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, they published their seventh real album, "Living On The Lord's Side," in 2011, which included songs from Jesus Is Alive And Well.

Cause of death: unknown 
(Probably Alzheimer's disease,but not yet officially confirmed.)