Lee Thomas, 86

(Feb. 5, 1936 – Aug. 31, 2022)
American baseball player and executive.
Cause of death: unknown.

Lee Thomas, an American baseball player (Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Angels) and executive (Philadelphia Phillies), died at the age of 86 at his home in St. Louis, according to the Phillies. There was no information provided concerning the cause.

From December 2011 through the end of the 2018 season, he was the Baltimore Orioles' special assistant to the executive vice president.

Thomas was born in Peoria, Illinois, and moved with his family to St. Louis, Missouri, when he was a toddler. He graduated from St. Louis' Beaumont High School. Lou Maguolo, a scout for the New York Yankees, signed Thomas immediately after he graduated from high school in 1954.

Despite posting impressive offensive numbers in minor league baseball, Thomas was unable to crack the Yankees' starting lineup. In 1961, he batted twice for the Yankees and had one hit. Thomas, a former All-Star who played both outfield and first base, blasted 106 home runs in 1,027 games.

He was an American League All-Star in 1962, batting.290 with 26 home runs and 104 RBIs. He had time with the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Angels, Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves, Chicago Cubs, and Houston Astros over the course of eight seasons. He began his front-office career with the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1970s before joining the Philadelphia Phillies in 1988.

Thomas also worked as a special assistant to the general manager for the Red Sox for six seasons. He then worked as a scout for the Milwaukee Brewers until 2006, and then as a special assistant for the Baltimore Orioles from 2011 to 2018.

Thomas was Philadelphia's general manager from 1988 to 1997, and he spent the early part of his career collecting players that helped lead the Phillies to an unlikely World Series victory. Thomas acquired John Kruk, Terry Mulholland, Curt Schilling, Lenny Dykstra, Milt Thompson, Danny Jackson, and other players from the squad that lost the World Series to the Toronto Blue Jays in 1993.

In Game 6, Joe Carter hit the game-winning home run off Mitch Williams to claim the title.

Steve White, 48
(October 25, 1973 – August 30, 2022)

Former NFL player and sports columnist.
Cause of death: unknown.

Steve White, a defensive lineman in the NFL for seven seasons after playing football at the University of Tennessee, passed away on Tuesday. He was 48. From 1996 to 2002, White was a player for the New York Jets and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

He announced in April that he will shortly be going into the Moffitt Cancer Center for a bone marrow transplant after eight years of fighting chronic lymphocytic leukemia. White was a Vol from 1992 to 1995.

White, a 1996 sixth-round choice by the Philadelphia Eagles, participated in 94 NFL games and had 119 tackles and 11.5 sacks in his career.

Steve White recorded seven tackles, two sacks, and one forced fumble in a 1999 NFC Divisional playoff victory over Washington. White recorded two sacks against the Washington Redskins, totaling 20 yards, which helped the Buccaneers defeat the Redskins 14-13. For his efforts, he was named Defensive Player of the Week.

In 2002, his NFL career came to an end. After spending his last professional season with the New York Jets, White announced his retirement in 2002.

At the University of South Florida, White also served as Jim Leavitt's assistant coach for one season.

Luke Bell, 32
(Jan. 27, 1990 – found dead; Aug. 30, 2022)

American country music singer, and composer.
Cause of death: unknown.

Luke Bell, a singer-songwriter, passed away at the age of 32, according to Bell's close friend, musician Matt Kinman. The reason for death has not yet been disclosed in full.

On August 20, the missing country music star was originally reported in Arizona. Bell was with Kinman when he vanished. According to the blog, the musician was found on Monday "not far from where he disappeared, and in a manner, we all imagined he would be when we first got the news." Bell struggled greatly with bipolar disorder, Kinman told the media outlet.

Bell's mental health appeared to have improved as a result of medicine and therapy years after she almost completely disappeared from the public eye.

Luke's mental state, however, lately deteriorated when he was in the West. He fled as Matt Kinman went to buy something to eat while they were in Tucson, according to the site. Bell, a native of Wyoming, made waves with his first album Don't Mind if I Do in the country music industry in 2014.

He was reared in Cody, Wyoming, but his music took him to Tennessee, Texas, and Louisiana for a while. His 2014 album "Don't Mind If I Do," which he published on Bandcamp, was created in Nashville, Tennessee. Luke Bell and Thirty Tigers agreed to a recording agreement in 2016. He released his self-titled album later that year to rave reviews.

He spoke about blocking out the hoopla surrounding his apparently inevitable climb to fame while promoting the album. Bell's career stagnated despite being praised for his work as mental health difficulties surfaced.

The proposed tour never materialized. He didn't play often, but in 2018 he made a comeback after winning Best Honky Tonk Male at the Ameripolitan Awards in Memphis, Tennessee. "Jealous Guy," Bell's most recent single, was published in 2021.

Mikhail Gorbachev, 91

(2 March 1931 – 30 August 2022) 
Russian politician, recipient of the Nobel Prize, and

chairman (1988–1990) and president (1990–1991)

of the Soviet Union (1990).
Cause of death: unknown.

The final leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev passed away tonight after a prolonged and serious illness, according to the Moscow Central Clinical Hospital.

Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev was born in the Ukrainian town of Privolnoye. After moving to Moscow in September 1950, Gorbachev earned his law degree from Moscow University in 1955. He advanced politically in the Stavropol Region, where he held the positions of the first secretary of the regional party committee in 1970 and member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) Central Committee in 1971.

As a protégé of party theorist Mihail Suslov and KGB chief Yuri Andropov, he moved to Moscow in 1978 and advanced quickly. In 1985, he was chosen to serve as the CPSU Central Committee's general secretary.

He started a program to quickly modernize the state's administration and economy. His 'glasnost' (freedom of speech) policy encouraged nationalists who started to push for independence in the Baltic republics of Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and elsewhere while also enabling previously unthinkable criticism of party and state.

Many Russians never forgave Gorbachev for the unrest his reforms brought about because they believed that the subsequent decline in living standards was an unjustifiable price to pay for democracy.

After receiving disappointing results in 1987, he launched more radical reforms to increase press freedom, free culture from political restraints, and restructure the economic and political system by introducing market mechanisms and elements of electoral competition.

He focused foreign policy on easing hostilities between the superpowers and putting an end to the Cold War.

He and US President Ronald Reagan agreed to destroy intermediate-range nuclear missile stocks in a document they signed in December 1987, and he oversaw the Soviet army's withdrawal from Afghanistan in the years 1988–1989.

His policies promoted reform movements in the Eastern Bloc nations. He consented to the Soviet army's departure from Poland, the German Democratic Republic, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia once non-communist governments had been installed in those nations.

He consented to the unification of Germany in the summer of 1990. Without violence, the Cold War came to an end. In order to increase his authority, he was elected President of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR in October 1988. This position received extensive executive authority as a result of constitutional amendments.

He was chosen to serve as the USSR's first president in March 1990. His reform agenda helped to democratize and decentralize Soviet society and the state, but it was unable to stop the escalating political and economic crisis.

He lost his political clout after the unsuccessful conservative takeover in August 1991, when he was placed under house arrest for three days. Gorbachev established the Commonwealth of Independent States on December 25, 1992, following the decision of the constituent republics to do so rather than the USSR.

He left his position as president of the USSR in 1991, which led to the dissolution of that nation. He was honored with the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990 for his contribution to world peace.

Robert LuPone, 76

(July 29, 1946 – August 27, 2022)
American actor (Jesus Christ Superstar, The Sopranos, A Chorus Line) and artistic director - MCC Theater co-founder.
Cause of death: pancreatic cancer.

Robert LuPone, who as an actor received a Tony nomination for his performance in "A Chorus Line" and later assisted in directing the significant off-Broadway theater group MCC Theatre for over four decades, passed away from pancreatic cancer at the age of 76.

Before the family's relocation to Northport, LuPone, the actor Patti LuPone's older brother, was born in Brooklyn in 1946. When he was in sixth grade at Ocean Avenue Elementary School and saw his sister perform in a hula skirt at a PTA dance recital, he developed a lifetime passion for theater. Robert LuPone's mother advised him to take classes when he expressed his desire to dance.

After starting with after-school tap dancing courses, LuPone, at 15, joined the Martha Graham Studio, where he spent three years studying and receiving instruction from Graham. Robert LuPone's mother advised him to take classes when he expressed his desire to dance.

After starting with after-school tap dance courses, he entered the Martha Graham Studio at age 15 and studied there for three years, receiving instruction from Graham herself. He attended Adelphi University in Garden City for two semesters before leaving when he was admitted to The Juilliard School in Manhattan, where he earned a bachelor's degree in fine arts in dance in 1968.

His breakthrough came in 1975 when he was cast in "A Chorus Line" as Zach, the exacting director vetting dancers. Al, one of the auditioners, was originally cast as LuPone, but when Zach's replacement left, LuPone went to director Michael Bennett and stated, "I can do that. I'm a good Zach. Since the critics concurred, LuPone was nominated for a Tony Award.

After suffering many dance-related injuries over the following ten years, LuPone decided to enter The Actors Studio to polish his acting chops. He quit the acting class when a fellow student advised him to "create your theater" if he didn't like the studio's method.

As a result, Robert LuPone and co-artistic director Bernie Telsey established Manhattan Class Company, currently known as MCC Theater, in 1986. MCC has created several pieces, including "Reasons to Be Pretty," "Wit," "The Snow Geese," and "Hand to God."

Despite his connection with MCC, LuPone continued to pursue acting, landing parts in "A View From the Bridge," "True West," and "A Thousand Clowns" on Broadway. In addition, Robert LuPone was a well-known face on television, having appeared in shows including "The Sopranos," "Sex and the City," "Guiding Light," and "All My Children," for which he was nominated for a Daytime Emmy.

Joey DeFrancesco, 51

(April 10, 1971 – August 25, 2022)
American jazz musician.
Cause of death: unknown.

A multi-instrumentalist who also plays piano, synthesizer, trumpet, saxophone, and other instruments, Joey DeFrancesco who was the reigning king of the jazz organ died at the age of 51.

DeFrancesco, who was born in Springfield, Pennsylvania, attended the Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts and began his career there until relocating to Arizona several years after becoming a well-known jazz organist.

Since his father, John DeFrancesco, has been playing jazz organ since the 1950s, Joey DeFrancesco was born with a musical disposition. When he was a teenager, he dazzled his audience.

But he developed his career performing on a vintage B3. Along the way, he helped jazz bring the organ back into style. In jazz circles, the Hammond B3 organ rose to popularity in the 1950s, led by Jimmy Smith, whose multiple hit records were released on the Blue Note label. However, the Hammond Company ceased production of the instrument in 1975, and the popularity of organ trios in jazz clubs declined.

At the age of 16, DeFrancesco signed a record deal with Columbia Records. At the age of 17, he embarked on a five-week European tour with Miles Davis. For Jimmy, Wes, and Oliver, McBride's Grammy-winning 2020 album, included an organ from DeFrancesco. Joey DeFrancesco had more than 30 records as a leader and was a four-time Grammy Award candidate.

DeFrancesco was a nine-time winner of the Down Beat Critics Poll (organ) and has won the Down Beat Readers Poll each year since 2005, in addition to receiving Grammy nominations in 2004, 2010, and 2020. He also received several JazzTimes Awards. The first inductee into the Hammond Hall of Fame was DeFrancesco.

Joe E. Tata, 85

(September 13, 1936 – August 24, 2022)
American actor (Beverly Hills, 90210). 
Cause of death: Alzheimer's disease.

His daughter Kelly Tata also announced his death in a message on a GoFundMe campaign she set up to assist cover the expense of his care. He was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2018, she stated.

Joseph Evan Tata was born in the Bronx on September 13, 1936. His father was a vaudevillian known as John Lucas and Rosey the Singing Barber at times. Mr. Tata's first television appearance was in 1960, in an episode of the detective series "Peter Gunn." He went on to have a successful career as a character actor, appearing in dozens of series.

Joe E. Tata specialized in science fiction, lending his voice to various robots on "Lost in Space" and portraying an extraterrestrial on "The Outer Limits." In the Adam West-starring "Batman" series from the 1960s, he also portrayed a number of henchmen. He frequently featured in police and detective programs in the 1960s and 1970s, such as "Police Story" and "The Rockford Files," and he played three separate roles in three "Mission: Impossible" episodes.

From 1990 through 2000, Joe E. Tata portrayed Nat on "Beverly Hills, 90210" for ten seasons. In 2008, he returned to the character for the CW spin-off series "90210."

Although it had a slow start when it debuted on the Fox network in 1990, the show went on to become a smash and a sensation in pop culture. It was well recognized for fusing serious subjects like racism and adolescent pregnancy with love themes.

Len Dawson, 87

(June 20, 1935 – August 24, 2022)
American Hall of Fame football player (Pittsburgh Steelers, Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs) and broadcaster.
Cause of death: prostate cancer.

Len Dawson, a quarterback in the Hall of Fame who played 19 seasons and led the Kansas City Chiefs to a shocking victory over the dominant Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IV in 1970, passed away at the University of Kansas Medical Center.

A Hall of Fame quarterback who guided the Kansas City Chiefs to their first Super Bowl victory, he also made football accessible to millions of viewers of the renowned HBO program "Inside the NFL." He was known for his relentless accuracy in picking apart defenses. The death was revealed in a statement from the family. Mr. Dawson, whose prostate cancer had been identified.

Dawson established several team records, which just now are starting to be surpassed by Mahomes, and was the MVP of the Chiefs' 23-7 triumph over the Minnesota Vikings in the 1970 Super Bowl. He was given the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2012 after being inducted into Canton as a player in 1987.

The slick Purdue standout lost out on starting roles at Pittsburgh and Cleveland and joined the fledgling AFL team, then based in Dallas, almost immediately. Dawson came to represent the Chiefs. Hank Stram, a former assistant with the Boilermakers, and Dawson met up there, and the two of them worked to overhaul the franchise.

When franchise founder Lamar Hunt relocated the team to Kansas City and changed its name to the Chiefs the following season, the head coach and quarterback won the league title in 1962, their first season together.

They went on to win two more AFL championships, one in 1969 when Dawson came back from an injury to help the team defeat the Vikings at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, and one in 1966 when they lost to the Green Bay Packers in the inaugural Super Bowl.

The ninth of James and Annie Dawson's 11 children, Dawson was born on June 20, 1935, in the Alliance, Ohio, industrial community. He also played defense and kicked, and as a sophomore in 1954, he spearheaded an upset over Notre Dame while simultaneously leading the NCAA in passing efficiency.

Despite playing at a time when ground-and-pound football was more popular, Dawson had thrown for more than 3,000 yards by the end of his college career. Despite being selected by the Steelers in the first round of the 1957 draft, Dawson spent his rookie season sitting on the bench behind Earl Morrall and failed to unseat Bobby Layne for the starting position the following year.

Ultimately, the Steelers sent him to the Browns, where Dawson was unable to unseat Milt Plum and was fired.

He spent several years working on local TV, and from 1977 to 1982, he provided game commentary for NBC. However, he is arguably most recognized for his innovative work on HBO's "Inside the NFL" from 1977 to 2001, which helped the league gain millions more followers.

Additionally, Dawson worked for the Chiefs' radio broadcast crew for more than three decades.

Jerry Allison, 82

(August 31, 1939 – August 22, 2022)
American Hall of Fame drummer (The Crickets)

and songwriter ("That'll Be the Day", "Peggy Sue").
Cause of death: unknown.

At the age of 82, Jerry Allison, the drummer for Buddy Holly's band The Crickets, passed away. A message posted on Buddy Holly's official Facebook page acknowledged his passing.

From the time the Crickets were founded in 1957 until their last concert in 2016, drummer Jerry Allison was the sole remaining original member.

Jerry Ivan Allison began playing the drums in the school band when he was ten years old. He was born in Hillsboro, Texas, in 1939. A few years later, during a school assembly, Buddy Holly sang the country song Too Old To Cut The Mustard, which was his first experience with the musician.

The two met in high school and grew close over their shared love of Little Richard and Fats Domino. Soon after, they created their own duet, playing around Lubbock, Texas, with Allison on drums and Holly on guitar and vocals.

They practiced in Allison's bedroom and penned That'll Be The Day there. The song, which was simply credited to The Crickets (because Holly was still officially a Decca artist at the time), reached number one on both Billboard's popular music list and the UK's official singles chart.

It was eventually awarded gold certification for its more than one million US sales. The song had a significant impact on Paul McCartney and John Lennon as well. They covered That'll Be The Day for their first recording as The Quarrymen.

Legend has it that they eventually decided on The Beatles as their band name as a nod to The Crickets. Holly and the Crickets enjoyed a phenomenal run of success following That'll Be The Day, recording another seven top 40 songs in 18 months, before Holly's tragic death in an aircraft crash at the age of 22.

One of them was Peggy Sue, who had been called Cindy Lou before Allison stepped in. In an effort to make a reference to his ex-girlfriend Peggy Sue Gerron after their brief breakup, he begged Holly to modify the title. Another former Buddy Holly sideman, Waylon Jennings, joined the band on tour in the late 1970s.

The Crickets have recorded records more recently, working with musicians including Nanci Griffith, Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney,  and others who acknowledge their importance in early rock & roll.

As a Crickets member, Allison was admitted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2007. A special committee elected him into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2012 as a member of the Crickets to make up for leaving out Buddy Holly and the Crickets from his initial induction in 1986.

Tom Weiskopf, 79

(November 9, 1942 – August 21, 2022)
American professional golfer, golf course architect, 
and former CBS, ABC Sports ESPN golf analyst
Cause of death: pancreatic cancer.

Tom Weiskopf, a former PGA Tour golfer, died at the age of 79 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Watson, an eight-time Major champion, sent his condolences to Weiskopf's family after hearing of his death.

Weiskopf was born in the Ohio town of Massillon. He went to Benedictine High School in Cleveland and then to Ohio State University, where he played golf.

Tom Weiskopf started professionally in 1964 and won 16 Tour titles between 1968 and 1982. He was most renowned, though, for his remarkable Majors record. Weiskopf only won one Major, 1973 Open at Royal Troon, when he finished three strokes ahead of Neil Coles and Johnny Miller, but he had 20 other top ten finishes, including five as runner-up.

Weiskopf was a member of the US Ryder Cup teams in 1973 and 1975. He qualified for the 1977 squad as well but chose to forego the tournament in order to pursue big-game hunting. Such a feat was no minor achievement in an era that produced some of the game's all-time greats, including Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, and Tom Watson.

Weiskopf was noted for his remarkable ball-striking skill, as well as one of the most graceful swings in the game. However, while his game was appreciated, he was also notorious for his fury, earning him the moniker The Towering Inferno.

Weiskopf joined the Senior PGA Tour in 1993, where he had additional success, including a victory in the 1995 US Senior Open.

Weiskopf has also served as a golf analyst for CBS Sports, covering the Masters from 1981 to 1985 and again from 1985 to 1995. He began contributing to ABC Sports and ESPN's coverage of The Open Championship in 2008.

Ioane King, 49

(1973 – August 20, 2022)
New Zealand actor; Spartacus (2010) and

Spartacus: Gods of the Arena (2011).
Cause of death: adenocarcinoma cancer.

A Spartacus actor who revealed he had cancer in January has passed away at the age of 49. After receiving an adenocarcinoma cancer diagnosis, Ioane "John" King's pancreatic and other organs were immediately affected. To delay the progression of the illness, King began chemotherapy in March.

In the Starz series Spartacus, a New Zealand actor portrayed the gladiator Rhaskos. The family had already launched an internet fundraising campaign, claiming that John and his wife Christelle had received the cancer diagnosis six weeks after buying their own house. King's demise comes after that of Spartacus co-star Andy Whitfield, who received a non-Hodgkin lymphoma diagnosis in 2010 and passed away at the age of 39 18 months later.

He started as an extra for the series. But after making an impression on the filmmakers, his position was increased and he was given a speaking role. Spartacus actor Manu Bennett, who portrayed Crixus, paid homage today.

John battled cancer for a long time, but he did it honorably and with a persistent will to win. John was a hired extra on Spartacus, but thanks to his strong presence and always upbeat demeanor with the actors and crew, he was given the speaking part of Rhaskos. The Kiwi actor held jobs as a personal trainer in addition to playing.

Tekla Juniewicz, 116

(June 10, 1906 – August 19, 2022)
The second oldest living person (2022), the oldest person in Poland (2017–2022).
Cause of death: natural causes.

Tekla Juniewicz, Poland's oldest person and the second-oldest person in the world whose age has been verified by the Gerontology Research Group (GRG), passed away peacefully at the age of 116.

Tekla Juniewicz was born on June 10, 1906, in the Austria-Hungarian settlement of Krupsko, which is now part of modern-day Ukraine. Poland was not yet included on a globe map, and the use of airplanes for transportation was still unusual and only just taking off.

She recalls the division of Poland among three nearby nations at the time—Russia, Austria, and Prussia. When Poland regained freedom in 1918, Ms. Juniewicz was 12 years old.

Ms. Tekla Juniewicz became the oldest living Polish woman with the death of Jadwiga Szubartowicz in 2017. She became the world's second oldest person in April of this year, following the death of Kane Tanaka of Japan.

Tekla Juniewicz was visited at her home by Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki a week before her birthday. "As ever full of pleasure and enthusiasm," the PM subsequently tweeted. "May you live another hundred years!"

Tekla Juniewicz is the grandmother of five grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, and four great-great-grandchildren.

Iga, her youngest great-granddaughter, was born on Ms. Juniewicz's 115th birthday a year ago. Juniewicz became the last remaining validated person born in 1906 when Yoshi Otsunari died on 26 January 2022, and the second-oldest living validated person in the world after Kane Tanaka died on 19 April 2022.

Luke Knox, 22

(19 September 1999 – 17 August 2022) 

Florida International football player.
Cause of death: unknown.

Luke Knox, a linebacker for Florida International who played in 23 games for Mississippi before switching to the Panthers and was the brother of Buffalo Bills tight end Dawson Knox, passed away, the school reported.

The cause of death has not yet been released by the school, but Capt. Delish Moss of the FIU Police Department said campus authorities were alerted by one of Knox's colleagues at around 8:40 p.m. on Wednesday that Knox was not breathing.

To University Towers, a primarily upper-class student apartment complex on the Modesto A. Maidique Campus off Southwest Eighth Street, FIU police officers showed up at Knox's dorm.

Before the county's fire rescue team came over, they started performing CPR. Knox was taken to HCA Florida Kendall Hospital by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, where he passed away. The Miami-Dade Police Department took over as the principal investigator when he passed away.

Despite not currently suspecting any wrongdoing, police are awaiting the autopsy findings from the Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner. Luke Knox, a Brentwood, Tennessee native, played largely on special teams for Ole Miss during his four seasons there and registered 11 tackles.

In the off-season, Luke Knox moved from Ole Miss to FIU. He started two games for the Rebels as a redshirt freshman in 2019 and received extensive playing time. In total, he made 10 tackles that season. Knox switched to tight end during spring training ahead of the 2021 season after appearing in three games in 2020. During the season, he was eventually moved back to linebacker, where he finished with 11 tackles in seven games while also recovering a fumble.

"Kal" David Raskin, 79

(June 15, 1943 – August 16, 2022)
American blues guitarist and singer.
Cause of death: unknown.

Kal David, the legendary blues guitarist, composer, and vocalist, died at the age of 79, according to his family.

"Kal" David Raskin rose to prominence as the voice of Sonny Eclipse, the lounge singer at Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe in the Magic Kingdom. David's extraordinary abilities bring to life the funny Astro-Organist act.

Sonny debuted on stage at Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe in 1995, performing throughout the day. Aside from his work with Disney, David's CV is a master lesson in blues playing, and he was inducted into the National Blues Hall of Fame in 1998.

He was a guest performer at Berklee College of Music, and the exceptional musician has played alongside industry legends such as the famous BB King, John Lennon, and Stevie Wonder.

David Raskin, born in Chicago, Illinois, began adopting the stage name "Kal David" in his late teens as the leader of his neighborhood band, Kal David and the Exceptions, which was established in 1962. David left the West Coast for the East in the early 1970s, when Cotton joined the band Poco as its lead guitarist, and moved to Woodstock, a small-town/rural New York location near the previous year's legendary Festival.

David performed lead guitar for John Mayall on an album that was released a decade later in the early 1980s. David and Bono relocated to Palm Springs, California, in the early 1990s to establish another band, Kal David and the Real Deal.

Kal David and Lauri Bono were honored with a Golden Palm Star on the Walk of Stars in 2004.

Duggie Brown, 82

(7 August 1940 – 16 August 2022)
English comedian and actor (Coronation Street).
Cause of death: natural causes.

Duggie Brown, who portrayed Ted Spear in the ITV soap, died at the age of 82, according to his family and longtime manager.

Brown rose to prominence in Ken Loach's 1969 picture Kes, based on Barry Hines' novel, and went on to become one of the most well-known comedians of his period. After a brilliant career in comedy, the iconic actor Duggie Brown (born Barry Dudley) played Ted Spear in the ITV serial earlier this year.

He is the brother of actress and singer Lynne Perrie, who portrayed Ivy Tilsley on Corrie for 23 years from 1971 to 1994. Lynne died of a stroke in 2006, at the age of 74.

In the late 1990s, he featured in the ITV soap as George Freeman, proprietor of The Hour Glass bar, and in 2004, he portrayed Bernie Cooper, husband of Rita's (Barbara Knox) friend, Rula Romanoff. Away from Coronation Street, Duggie had a tremendously successful career as a comedian and appeared in a range of prominent TV series.

Duggie joined the ensemble of The Glamour Girls in the early 1980s, and he played Ray Piper in Channel 4's Brookside in 1994. Duggie is well known for his comedic routines, which he has done on a variety of entertainment shows, including The Good Old Days.

Brown, along with Ted Rogers and Chris Emmett, was one of the original co-hosts of the game show 3-2-1. He was a frequent team leader on Barry Cryer's news game show Cryer's Crackers from 1994 to 1996. Brown also appeared in an episode of The Bill, a police drama.

He appeared as a football referee in the episode "Police Powers" from Series 6 Episode 47, which aired on June 12, 1990. He starred as Dog Man in BBC One’s Still Open All Hours from 2015 to 2016.

Frederick Buechner, 96

(July 11, 1926 – August 15, 2022)
American novelist, theologian (Secrets in the Dark) 
and Presbyterian pastor.
Cause of death: natural causes.

According to his family, American writer, novelist, poet, autobiographer, essayist, preacher, and Presbyterian pastor Buechner died peacefully in his sleep at the age of 96.

His work spans several genres (39 published volumes), including fiction, memoirs, essays, and sermons, and his career extended over six decades. Buechner's novels have been translated into several languages and published all over the world.

Carl Frederick Buechner was born on July 11, 1926, in New York City, and traveled frequently with his family while his father sought work, eventually settling in Bermuda after his father committed suicide when he was 10 years old.

World War II halted his studies at Princeton University, but he graduated with a bachelor's degree in English in 1948. With the release of his debut novel, "A Long Day's Dying," in 1950, he immediately rose to prominence.

Frederick Buechner published 39 books, many of them well-received fictional forays into the adventures of conmen, lovers, historical or biblical figures, and regular people who take on self-imposed superhuman challenges and descend to only-too-human skulduggery, all in the name of God, drawing on his literary and theological credentials over 60 years.

Godric, his tenth book, was a Pulitzer Prize nominee in 1981 and is a first-person account of a 12th-century English holy man who atones for the grave sin of pride. His 1971 book "Lion Country," about a pedophilic ex-con who serves the faithful as a false pastor in a bogus church, was a nominee for the National Book Award in 1972.

Pete Carril, 92

(July 10, 1930 – August 15, 2022)
American college basketball coach

(Princeton, Sacramento Kings).
Cause of death: complications from a stroke.

Pete Carril, the innovative creator of the Princeton Offense and legendary Princeton men's basketball coach, passed peacefully on Monday morning at the Penn Hospital in Philadelphia. The cause was complications from a stroke.

Carril worked as a public information officer in the U.S. Army after the Korean War before becoming a coach. Carril began playing high school basketball at Easton Area High School and subsequently Reading Senior High School in Easton, Pennsylvania, after his stint in the military.

Following a year at Lehigh, Carril was appointed the men's basketball coach at Princeton in 1967. He stayed with the Tigers for 29 years, collecting a 514-261 record (.663), 13 regular-season Ivy League championships, and the 1975 NIT Championship.

Pete Carril retired as Princeton's coach in 1996 and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1997. Carril worked as an assistant coach with the Sacramento Kings for ten years after graduating from Princeton, retiring in 2006.

Carril would subsequently return to the Kings as an assistant coach for one season in 2007 before retiring for good. His overall collegiate coaching record was 525-273, including one season at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

Following his retirement from Princeton, he was inducted into both the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1997.

Denise Dowse, 64

(Feb. 21, 1958 – August 13, 2022)
American actress (Beverly Hills, 90210, The Guardian).
Cause of death: complications of meningitis.

In an Instagram post, her sister announced the passing of actress Denise Dowse. She was 64. The "Beverly Hills, 90210" actress was admitted to the hospital on Sunday and has been fighting acute meningitis for the past week in a coma.

Due to the coma not having been "medically caused," doctors did not specify when or if she would awaken. A week or so later, she passed away.

Dowse began appearing on television and film in the 1980s. She is well-known for playing Dr. Rhonda Pine, a therapist, in the current film "Insecure." She appeared in 24 episodes of the Fox sitcom "Beverly Hills, 90210" as vice principal Yvonne Teasley in a recurring role.

Dowse, who was born on February 21, 1958, in Honolulu, Hawaii, attended Norfolk State University before embarking on her cinematic acting career. Her first credit was a one-episode performance in the sitcom "Almost There!" in 1989. Officer Shirley in the Nickelodeon animated series Rocket Power for the last three seasons from 2000 to 2004, replacing CCH Pounder, who voiced the latter in the first season.

In Taylor Hackford's autobiographical drama film Ray, she played Marlene, Jamie Foxx's character's manager during the late 1940s. In the 2020 thriller Fatale, which also starred Hilary Swank, Michael Ealy, and Mike Colter, she played Valeria. The planned drama film Remember Me: The Mahalia Jackson Story was slated to be directed by Dowse.

Robyn Griggs, 49

(April 30, 1973 – August 13, 2022)
American actress (One Life to Live, Another World) 
Cause of death: cervical cancer.

One Life to Live and Another World Actress Robyn Griggs passed away at age 49. The actress lost her fight with cancer.

Pennsylvania is where the actress was born and reared. She made her acting debut at age 3 in a staging of A Doll House by Henrik Ibsen. After taking singing lessons, she was cast as Molly in the Broadway version of Annie. When she was just 13 years old, she later performed the show's lead role in off-Broadway productions.

She portrayed Stephanie Hobart on OLTL from 1991 to 1992. Then, from 1993 to 1995, she portrayed Maggie Cory on AW.

Griggs stated on Hard Copy that she was sacked from Another World in 1995 because of her relationship with John Wayne Bobbitt, whom she said was only a friend, while producers claimed they were moving the character in a different direction.

Griggs joined RCA Records after leaving Bay City. She took a break from acting to spend time with her family. Griggs made a comeback in 2001, appearing in the horror films Abattoir, Ghost Tour, and Minds of Terror.

Following Demon Hunters were Aberration Boulevard, Severe Injuries, Dead Clowns, The Absence of Light, and Dead Planet.

Griggs appeared as Crazy Scream Queen in Joey Hollywood's Movie Night 2 in 2015.

Robyn Griggs took part in a Soap Hub Fireside Chat a little over a year ago when she discussed her profession and was open about her ongoing struggle with stage 4 Endocervical Adenocarcinoma, which was diagnosed following a routine pap test.

Togo Palazzi, 90

(August 8, 1932 – August 12, 2022) 
American basketball player (Boston Celtics, Syracuse Nationals) and coach (Holy Cross Crusaders).
Cause of death: natural causes.

Togo Palazzi, a champion of the 1954 National Invitational Tournament for Holy Cross who played for the Boston Celtics and then served as a coach and clinician to train and inspire young people, passed away on Friday.

On Monday, Palazzi celebrated his 90th birthday. A 6'4" forward/guard born and raised in Union City, New Jersey, Palazzi played at Union Hill High School, where he was recognized as one of the top prep basketball players nationwide.

He played at the College of the Holy Cross in the 1950s and was captain of the Crusaders team that won the 1954 NIT Championship and was named MVP of the tournament.

Palazzi was selected by the Boston Celtics with the fifth pick in the 1954 NBA Draft. He played six seasons in the NBA as a member of the Celtics and Syracuse Nationals and averaged 7.4 points per game in his career.

He was a part of the first Celtics championship squad of 1956-57. Togo Palazzi coached the Holy Cross women's team from 1980 to 1985, going 103-28 as a coach; he coached them to an NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament appearance in his final year, the first-ever appearance by the women's team.

Anne Heche, 53

(May 25, 1969 – August 12, 2022)
American actress  ('Psycho', 'Donnie Brasco' , 'Cedar Rapids').
Cause of death: injuries sustained in a traffic accident.

Today, the actress Anne Heche was declared dead. A week after colliding with a Los Angeles home in her car, she was removed from life support. Her friend Nancy Davis posted a message on Instagram announcing her passing, and her family confirmed it to The Guardian.

After the terrible accident on August 5, the actress was taken to the Grossman Burn Center at West Hills Hospital in the north of Los Angeles. She is brain dead, and the only reason she is being kept alive by machines is so that doctors can remove her organs for donation, according to a representative of her family who confirmed this yesterday.

"We want to thank everyone for their good thoughts and prayers for Anne's recovery, as well as the committed staff and great nurses who cared for Anne at West Hills Hospital's Grossman Burn Center," the message added.

After a vehicle accident, Anne Heche went into a coma. She had severe lung damage that necessitated artificial breathing, and her burns necessitated surgical surgery. Police in Los Angeles believes Heche was under the influence of alcohol when she smashed her blue Mini Cooper into a house, triggering a major fire. She was quickly discovered to be in critical condition, and her family revealed yesterday that only machines were keeping her alive.

Anne Heche was born on May 25, 1969, and began her acting career in the 1980s. She rose to prominence in the soap opera Another World (1987-1991) as twins Vicky Hudson and Marley Love, for which she received an Emmy Award and two Soap Opera Digest Awards.

In the late 1990s, she began to appear in more serious films, such as the crime drama Donnie Brasco (1997), the films Volcano (1997), I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997), the action comedy Six Days, Seven Nights (1998), and the dramatic thriller Return to Paradise (1998). (1998).

After receiving a Saturn Award nomination for her performance as Marion Crane in Gus Van Sant's remake of the horror film Psycho (1998), Heche went on to star in a number of well-received independent films, including the drama Birth (2004), the sex-comedy Spread (2009), Cedar Rapids (2011), Rampart (2011), and the dark comedy Catfight (2012). (2016).

She received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for her role in the television film Gracie's Choice, as well as a Tony Award nomination for her work on Broadway, most notably Twentieth Century.

Michael Badnarik, 68

(August 1, 1954 – August 11, 2022) 
American software engineer, former candidate for President of the United States (2004 ), and radio talk show anchor.
Cause of death: heart failure.

Michael Badnarik, a software engineer, political activist, and radio talk show host, died of heart failure in his sleep. In politics, he was the Libertarian Party's presidential candidate in the 2004 elections.

He finished fourth in the contest, trailing independent Ralph Nader and the two major party candidates, George W. Bush and John Kerry. In the November 2, 2004 election, Badnarik got 397,265 votes countrywide, garnering 0.3 percent of the popular vote and placed fourth, 68,385 votes behind Ralph Nader but 12,834 votes better than the party's 2000 election performance. Badnarik spent most of early 2005 traveling the country and making talks.

He also taught a class on the United States Constitution, developing his lesson plan based on his campaign experiences. In the 2006 congressional elections, Badnarik ran as a Libertarian Party candidate for Texas's 10th congressional district seat near Austin.

He was unable to triumph once again. He finished third out of three candidates, garnering 7,603 votes for 4.3% of the vote. Badnarik argues that the United States Constitution does not include a provision for a federal income tax, and he has raised the tax protester claim that the Sixteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was never lawfully adopted.

One of his fundamental comments on income taxes is that the United States came to be the most powerful nation in the Universe without the imposition of such a tax and that it began to weaken when the government began to engage in the economy and the lives of individuals.

From early 2007 through October 2008, Badnarik hosted a discussion radio show on the We the People radio network called "Lighting the Fires of Liberty." In October 2008, he began anchoring the same-titled discussion radio show on the Genesis Communications Network. His final show aired in March of 2009.

On the morning of December 21, 2009, Badnarik had a heart attack. They tried CPR on him three times without success. His heart was restarted on the fourth try, although with unpredictable behavior.

Gene LeBell, 89 

(October 9, 1932 – August 9, 2022) 
American martial artist and stunt performer.
Cause of death: natural causes.

The death of Gene Leball (born Ivan Gene LeBell), who was famous for his judo, jujitsu, and grappling talents, has sparked sadness in the mixed martial arts world.

He was a pioneer in combat sports and is largely credited with popularizing grappling as a combat sports discipline. Lebell was a well-liked character in the martial arts community, and his impact extended to judo, mixed martial arts, professional wrestling, and his work as a stuntman in Hollywood.

He has coached a wide range of athletes, but in recent years he has garnered prominence for his backing of former UFC women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey.

LeBell, a forefather of modern mixed martial arts, is mainly credited with popularizing grappling among professional fighters. In addition to writing 12 novels, LeBell worked on over 1,000 films and television programs.

In 2000, he was promoted to 9th Dan in both jujitsu and taijutsu by the United States Ju-Jitsu Federation (USJJF). The World Martial Arts Masters Association promoted LeBell to 10th degree on August 7, 2004, and the USJJF promoted him to 9th dan in Traditional Judo in February 2005.

Cliff Booth (played by Brad Pitt) in Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was patterned by LeBell.

While working as the stunt supervisor for Steven Seagal's film Out for Justice, Seagal revealed that his aikido training had made him "immune" to being choked unconscious. It has been claimed that LeBell became aware of the assertion and given Seagal the opportunity to verify it. LeBell is reported to have wrapped his arms around Seagal's neck and choked him unconscious after Seagal yelled "go," with Seagal losing control of his bowels.

LeBell was caught, accused, and tried for the murder of private investigator Robert Duke Hall in July 1976. He was cleared of murder but found guilty as an accomplice for driving the convicted killer, pornographer Jack Ginsburgs, to and from the murder site. The California Courts of Appeal eventually rejected LeBell's conviction for the accessory.

Dame Olivia Newton-John, 73

(26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022)
British-Australian singer, actress and environmental and animal rights activist.
Cause of death: breast cancer.

Olivia Newton-John, 73, died of cancer at her home in Santa Ynez Valley, California. Newton-John, an actress and musician, attained commercial success as a country singer, selling millions of records worldwide.

Her appearance as Sandy, a high school girl, in the film Grease, however, catapulted her to international recognition. The musical was the greatest box-office blockbuster of 1978, giving Newton-John three massive hit songs, including You're The One That I Want and Summer Nights, both of which she sang with co-star John Travolta. Newton-breast John's cancer has returned and spread to her lower back, it was revealed in May 2017. Her back troubles had been labeled as sciatica at first.

Newton-John later stated that this was her third struggle with breast cancer since she suffered a recurrence in 2013 in addition to her first diagnosis in 1992. The disease had spread to her bones and advanced to stage IV at the time of the 2017 recurrence. Newton-John was in a lot of discomforts due to the metastatic bone lesions and had mentioned using cannabis oil to help her. Her daughter Chloe operates a cannabis farm in Oregon, and she was an advocate for the use of medicinal cannabis. Newton-John was one of the world's most recognized celebrities in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

She captured audiences' hearts in the 1978 classic "Grease" and ruled the charts with songs like the 1981 hit "Physical," which, according to Billboard, was the No. 1 single of that decade. Throughout a career spanning five decades, she is credited with selling more than 100 million recordings. Newton-John has, however, made a name for herself as a supporter of breast cancer survivors since her initial diagnosis in 1992.

Newton-John was born in Cambridge, England, in 1948 to Irene, whose own father, scientist Max Born, would get the Nobel Prize six years later, and Brin, a World War II hero with British military intelligence and a professor of German literature.

But it was clear from a young age that she was not meant to carry on the family academic tradition. When Newton-John was five years old, the family relocated to Melbourne after her father accepted a position at an Australian institution. A few years later, she took first place in a talent competition on "Sing, Sing, Sing," one of the most watched television programs in the nation. She had an all-girl band by the time she was 15 and subsequently joined forces with her friend Pat Carroll to form the musical duo, Pat & Olivia.

At least one positive result of the performance was the 1984 marriage of her co-star Matt Lattanzi.Chloe Rose, the couple's daughter, was born in 1986. They divorced in 1995, after 11 years of marriage. Newton-John appeared to abandon Hollywood after the 1983 fantasy romance "Two of a Kind" re-united her on-screen with Travolta, but it lacked the enchantment of their previous collaboration. In November 1981, she had her biggest success with "Physical." According to a Billboard rating, it was the decade's largest hit for the whole industry, and it topped the Billboard Hot 100 for ten weeks in a row.

After the terrible death of her closest friend's daughter from a rare pediatric type of cancer in 1991, Newton-John became a champion for cancer research. But it became an even more personal cause when she was diagnosed with breast cancer for the first time a year later.

Roger E. Mosley, 83 

(December 18, 1938 – August 7, 2022)
American actor (Magnum, P.I., Leadbelly, Terminal Island).
Cause of death: traffic collision.

Roger E Mosley, the star of Magnum PI, died at the age of 83 after being injured in a car accident, according to his daughter.

Roger E Mosley was most known for his depiction of helicopter pilot TC Calvin on Tom Selleck's Magnum PI, but he also worked with famous Hollywood actors including John Wayne, James Earl Jones, and Burt Reynolds, and even fought Mohammed Ali. She had posted about her father's vehicle accident in Lynwood, California, a few days before, informing her followers that he was in critical condition and had been "paralyzed from the shoulders down."

Roger E. Mosley, who appeared in 158 of the 162 episodes of Magnum PI that were broadcast from 1980 to 1988, later admitted to Irish journalist Jim Conlan that he had initially rejected the show because he preferred working in the film industry to television roles, but that his agent had persuaded him to do the pilot anyway because "a show with Tom Selleck always fails."

Additionally, Mosley appeared in guest roles on several television programs, including Night Court, Kung Fu, Starsky & Hutch, Kojak, The Rockford Files, Baretta, and Sanford and Son. He participated in Roots: The Next Generations as well. As Goldie's belligerent brother in the 1973 movie The Mack, Mosley had a notable appearance.

Other blaxploitation films in which Roger E. Mosley appeared were Hit Man (1972), Sweet Jesus, Preacherman (1973), Darktown Strutters (1975), and The River Niger (1976). (1976). Other films in which Mosley has appeared include McQ (1974), The Greatest (1977, as Sonny Liston), Semi-Tough (1977), Heart Condition (1990), and Pentathlon (1994). (1994).

He also appeared as Coach Ricketts in the television series Hangin' with Mr. Cooper (1992-1993) with comedian/actor Mark Curry and in the film A Thin Line Between Love and Hate (1996) starring Martin Lawrence, Lynn Whitfield, and Bobby Brown.

Archie Battersbee, 12

(2010 – August 6, 2022)
Archie Battersbee, a British boy, died when life support was turned off at the end of a long court fight between his parents and physicians.
Cause of death: removal of life support.

Dance informed reporters that Archie died at 12:15 p.m. local time at Royal London Hospital, just hours after doctors had terminated the mechanical breathing that had kept him alive. She added that she was "very proud to be his mom."

Dance stated that the hospital had stated that there were no other choices and that life support will be removed on Saturday morning. The 12-year-old had been in a coma since his mother discovered him unresponsive in April.

According to Britain's PA news agency, he was kept alive by a mix of medical measures, including a ventilator and medication treatments.

According to PA, the family recently petitioned the High Court, Court of Appeal, and European Court of Human Rights to have him transferred to a hospice to die.

Clu Gulager, 93

(November 16, 1928 – August 5, 2022)
American television and film actor and director (The Return of the Living Dead, The Tall Man, The Last Picture Show).
Cause of death: natural causes.

In 1928, in Oklahoma, William Martin Gulager was given the name Clu. Being Cherokee, he was given the moniker Clu, which was derived from the local bird species.

He finally got a scholarship to study in Paris after serving in the US Marine Corps until 1948. He was taken under the wing of French actor Jean Louis Barrault while in the city.

After spending a year abroad, he began his career in the late 1950s, appearing in a few episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents and TV shows like The Untouchables (1959). He rose to fame in 1960 because of his portrayal of Billy the Kid on the NBC western series The Tall Man.

In Don Siegel's The Killers (1964), Gulager played a villain for the first time alongside Lee Marvin and Ronald Reagan. He then had supporting roles in the racing drama Winning (1969) with Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, Peter Bogdanovich's drama The Last Picture Show (1971), and McQ (1976) with John Wayne (1974).

Gulager had multiple appearances in horror movies throughout the 1980s, including The Initiation (1984) and the zombie comedy The Return of the Living Dead (1985). He acted in the 2005 horror movie Feast and its follow-ups.

His final acting roles were in Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019) and the indie film Tangerine, both of which came out in 2015.

At the 1969 Cannes Film Festival, Gulager directed the short film A Day with the Boys, which was up for the Palme d'Or for the best short film.

Neil "Soapy" Castles, 87

(October 1, 1934 – August 4, 2022)
American NASCAR Grand National  driver and stuntman in Hollywood.
Cause of death: natural causes.

Castles, a native of Charlotte, North Carolina, got his start in racing through a soapbox derby, earning him the moniker "Soapy," and he began his career at the age of 17 by assisting in the preparation of a vehicle that Buddy Shuman would race in 1951 Southern 500.

Castles would go on to enjoy a lengthy Cup career, starting 498 games overall from 1957 to 1976. Castles never finished first in a race; his highest performance was second on four occasions. Nevertheless, he placed in the top five in points in 1969 and 1970 and was credited with 51 top-five finishes.

The Grand National East Series, a second-tier division created to accommodate tracks that had been removed from the Cup Series schedule due to contraction brought on by the entry of Winston as the series title sponsor, was where Castles achieved his greatest success in NASCAR, winning the championship in 1972. Castles gained fame as a stunt driver in addition to his racing exploits, primarily for racing-related films filmed in the 1960s and 1970s.

Speedway with Elvis Presley, Greased Lightning with Richard Pryor, and Six Pack with Kenny Rogers were among the movies Castles worked on. Castles has had a number of acting credits in films including The Night of the Cat (1973) and Challenge (1974), as well as several credits in the transportation industry as a picture car coordinator or driver, most recently in Homeland (2011) and The Hunger Games (2012).

Jack Deloplaine, 68

(April 21, 1954 – August 3, 2022)
American football player (Pittsburgh Steelers, Washington Redskins, Chicago Bears)
Cause of death: unknown.

Former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jack Deloplaine, who acquired the moniker "Hydroplane" for his ability to sprint in wet circumstances and won two Super Bowls with the club, died at the age of 68.

Deloplaine was the first player from Salem College (West Virginia), now known as Salem International University, to be picked by the Steelers in the sixth round (182nd overall) in 1976. During his collegiate career, he carried for 4,033 yards and scored 48 touchdowns. In 1975, he led the NAIA in scoring with 22 touchdowns in 11 games.

Deloplaine was a player for the Steelers under coach Chuck Noll from 1976 to 1978. During that time, the team won two championships, Super Bowl XIII (35-31 victory over the Dallas Cowboys) and Super Bowl XIV (31-19 victory over the Los Angeles Rams), but Deloplaine failed to register a stat in either contest.

On November 7, 1976, Deloplaine had his greatest professional performance, running six times for 64 yards and his only two career touchdowns in a 45-0 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. In a 30-27 loss against the New England Patriots on September 26, 1976, Deloplaine also returned kicks and punts for the Steelers, accumulating 205 total return yards.

Deloplaine participated in 40 games throughout his career and gained 165 yards on 37 rushes. Before ending his playing career following the 1979 season, Deloplaine also played for the Chicago Bears and the previous Washington Redskins.

Vin Scully, 94

(November 29, 1927 – August 2, 2022)
American Hall of Fame sportscaster (Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers).
Cause of death: natural causes.

The Los Angeles Dodgers announced on Tuesday that legendary announcer Vin Scully, who served as the team's voice for more than 60 years, has passed away at the age of 94.

Stan Kasten, President, and CEO of the Dodgers issued a statement that said, "We have lost an icon. "Vin Scully, the voice of the Dodgers, was among the best in all of the sports. As a broadcaster and a humanitarian, he was a giant of a man "said Kasten.

The crew said that the adored radio and TV host, Vincent Edward Scully, who was born in New York on November 29, 1927, passed away at his home in Hidden Hills, Los Angeles County.

His five children, 21 grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren survive him. Among his numerous distinctions, Scully won the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the National Baseball Hall of Fame's Ford C. Frick Award, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Scully's employment with the Dodgers was the longest of any broadcaster with a single club in professional sports history, and he was only two years behind Tommy Lasorda in terms of total years involved with the Dodgers organization.

He retired as the team's play-by-play commentator in 2016 at the age of 88, capping up a record-breaking career. [During his final season as a broadcaster, Scully announced the majority of Dodgers home games (as well as select road games) on SportsNet LA television and KLAC radio.

Robert E. Simanek, 92

(26 April 1930 – 1 August 2022)
Former American marine, Medal of Honor recipient (1953).
Cause of death: natural causes.

Robert E. Simanek, who received the Medal of Honor for rescuing his fellow Marines from serious injury or death during the Korean War by falling on a live grenade thrown by Chinese Communist soldiers, died on Monday in West Bloomfield, Mich.

He was 92 years old and one of the last three living Korean War veterans to win the medal, the military's highest decoration for heroism. Ann Simanek Clark, his daughter, verified his death in a hospital.

Private Simanek was patrolling with his unit in August 1952 in Outpost Irene, just north of Seoul, when it was ambushed by enemy forces who opened fire with mortars and small guns. His battalion suffered a high number of casualties.

Then a couple of grenades dropped in a ditch where he was hiding. He kicked one grenade away but didn't have time to throw the second. So he tripped over it. The force from the grenade entered his right hip and lower leg, while the other Marines in the trench escaped unharmed. The Marines came into a trap while they were climbing a hill.

Private Simanek and the other Marines had been apprehended. He was trained as both a radio operator and a rifleman, so he radioed a nearby tank and directed its fire at the German bunker, which was partially disguised by the topography.

After the bomb exploded, he crawled out from the trench on his hands and knees until a rescue team discovered him and removed him onboard a chopper. In October 1953, President Dwight D. Eisenhower awarded him the Medal of Honor.

Private Simanek was recognized for "his audacious initiative and remarkable personal heroism in the face of near certain death."