Angelo Dundee, Legendary Former Trainer For Muhammed Ali, R. I. P.

Angelo Dundee, the legendary boxing trainer who helped Muhammed Ali become the first fighter to win the World's Heavyweight title three times, passed away at his Tampa, Florida apartment on Wednesday night at age 90.

Mr. Dundee, who recently attended the celebration for Mr. Ali's 70th birthday, also trained Sugar Ray Leonard in many of his biggest bouts.

Don Cornelius, Creator and Long-Time Original Host of "Soul Train," R.I.P

Don Cornelius, the creator and long-time original host of the long-running syndicated television musical-variety series Soul Train, passed away from an apparently self-afflicted gunshot wound at age 75.


Mr. Cornelius' remains were found on Wednesday morning at his Sherman Oaks, California home.


Soul Train, over the course of its' 35-year run, would go on to become the longest-running first-run syndicated series in television history.



Don hosted the show from the beginning in 1971 until he stepped down in 1993.  The series ceased production in 2006.

No More Excuse Notes To Mr. Kotter From Epstein's Mother (Rest In Peace, Juan)

Robert Hagyes, the actor best remembered for his portrayal of the Puerto Rican-Jewish Sweathog Juan Luis Pedro Phillipo de Huevos Epstein on the 1970s television sitcom series Welcome Back Kotter, passed away on Thursday at an Edison, New Jersey hospital after having suffered a heart attack at age 60.

Joe Paterno, Winningest Coach In Major College Football History, R. I. P.

Joe Paterno, the legendary former head football coach at Penn State, the all-time winningest head coach in major college football history, passed away on Sunday at a State College, Pennsylvania hospital at age 85.


Coach Paterno had been in the hospital since January 13 for what his family had called "minor complications" from treatment of lung cancer, with which he was diagnosed with back in November, just days after he was ousted as the Nittany Lions' head coach in the wake of the sexual abuse scandal that involved former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky.


During his 46 seasons as Penn State head coach, "JoePa" won a Football Bowl Subdivision-recored 409 games and two national championships.


Before becoming the Nittany Lions' head coach, he had served as an assistant at the school from 1950, following his graduation from Brown University (where he was quarterback and defensive back) until he became the head coach in 1966.


More than 250 of the players that JoePa coached eventually went to the National Football League.

Etta James, Groundbreaking R&B Singer, R. I. P.

Etta James, a Grammy Award-winning singer whose forceful renditions of "At Last," I'd Rather Go Blind," "Tell Mama," and "Something's Got A Hold On Me" made her a widely admired interpreter of love and pain and one of the first rhythm-and-blues singers to gain mainstream popularity, passed away on Friday at a Riverside, California hospital at age 73.


Miss James had been diagnosed with dementia and leukemia.


For followers of mid-1950s R&B music, here's Etta's 1955 recording of "The Wallflower,"  which was her answer to Hank Ballard and the Midnighters' "Work With Me Annie."  Etta's record scored very well on the R&B charts, only to see Georgia Gibbs come up with a cover recording that wound up a big hit on the pop charts.  Etta's record became known as either "Roll With Me, Henry" or "Dance With Me Henry," the latter was the name of Georgia's cover.

Johnny Otis, Rhythm and Blues Pioneer, R. I. P.

Johnny Otis, a pioneering rhythm-and-blues singer, songwriter, drummer, bandleader and disc jockey best remembered for his 1958 hit, "Willie and the Hand Jive," passed away on Tuesday in the Los Angeles area at the age of 90.


Here's a Capitol 45RPM record of Johnny's 1958 hit.

Bowling Great Don Carter, R. I. P.

Bowling great Don Carter, who was voted Bowler of the Year six times, was instrumental in the formation in 1958 of the Professional Bowlers Association, and became a charter member of the PBA Hall of Fame in 1975, passed away on Thursday night at his Miami home. 

He was recently hospitalized with pneumonia complicated by emphysema.

Harry Morgan, R. I. P.

Harry Morgan, the veteran actor who appeared in over 100 movies and who co-starred in such television series as December Bride, Pete and Gladys, Dragnet (the 1967-70 version), and M*A*S*H*, passed away on Wednesday at his Los Angeles home at age 96.



His son, who confirmed Mr. Morgan's passing, said that his father had been treated recently for pneumonia.


Harry's best remembered role was that of Colonel Sherman T. Potter, commanding officer of the 4077 Mobile Army Surgical Hospital during the Korean War on M*A*S*H* from 1975 until the series ended in 1983.

Larry Munson, Longtime Voice of the Georgia Bulldogs, R. I. P.

Larry Munson, the retired long-time radio voice of Georgia Bulldogs college football, best remembered for his distinctive, unapologetic, and gravelly delivery, passed away at Athens, Georgia on Sunday night after complications from pneumonia at age 89.

Mr. Munson worked radio broadcasts for the Southeastern Conference school from 1966 until 2008.

Here's Larry's most famous, or infamous, call, that of quarterback Buck Belue's 93-yard game-winning touchdown pass to Lindsay Scott as the Bulldogs defeated the Florida Gators 27-21 in the 1980 edition of "The World's Biggest Cocktail Party" at Jacksonville, Florida's old Gator Bowl Staium.

The Bulldogs went on to win the national championship that year.

Smokin' Joe Frazier, Former Heavyweight Champion, R. I. P.

Smokin' Joe Frazier, the former heavyweight champion who fought Muhammad Ali three times, passed away on Monday in Philadelphia following a brief battle with liver cancer at age 67.


Mr. Frazier, who won the heavyweight title in 1968, became the first boxer to knock down and defeat Mr. Ali at New York's Madison Square Garden in 1971.  In the last fight between the twosome in Manilla in 1975, Smokin' Joe (who had lost the title to George Foreman two years earlier) gave Muhammad (who won back the title by defeating Mr. Foreman in 1974 in Zaire)all he could handle, going 14 rounds, never giving an inch, but had to be held back by trainer Eddie Futch because he was unable to see.


Rest in peace, Joe.

Andy Rooney, Lovable Grouch Of "60 Minutes," Signs Off For Good

Andy Rooney, the long-time CBS News commentator best remembered for his weekly essays on the CBS News magazine series 60 Minutes, passed away on Friday in New York City at age 92, roughly a month following his final appearance on Minutes.  


Mr. Rooney's essays were a feature on the Sunday night newsmagazine for 33 years.

Pete Rugolo, R. I. P.

Pete Rugolo, the jazz composer and arranger best remembered in some quarters for composing the theme song from the classic 1963-67 television series The Fugitive, passed away from age-related causes at a nursing facility in Sherman Oaks, California on Sunday at age 95.

Roger Williams, Pianist, R. I. P.

Roger Williams, the pianist best remembered for his 1955 hit "Autumn Leaves," passed away on Saturday at his Los Angeles home a week following his 87th birthday of complications from pancreatic cancer.

Al Davis, Controversial Owner Of Oakland Raiders, R. I. P.

Al Davis, the controversial owner of the Oakland Raiders, passed away on Saturday at age 82.


Mr. Davis, who had been an assistant on Sid Gilman's staff with the San Diego Chargers, became the head coach and general manager of the Raiders in 1963.  Prior to his arrival, the Raiders won nine games in 42 starts in three seasons.


When he arrived, Al changed the personality of the franchise inside and out, changing the team colors from black and gold to silver and black and replacing the rounded numerals on the jerseys with squared blocked numerals.  The nondescript black helmets were replaced with silver ones with the Raiders' distinctive logo on each side.


In Al's first year, the Raiders finished second in the American Football League's Western Division at 10-4.  He was named the AFL Coach of the Year.


In 1966, he briefly served as AFL commissioner, helping in overseeing the merger with the rival National Football League before stepping down and becoming part owner of the Raiders.


In 1976, he became the Raiders' principal owner.


In 1982, Al made the controversial decision to move the club to Los Angeles.  In 1995, the Raiders returned to Oakland.


During Al's years with the Raiders, the team made five Super Bowl appearances, winning three of them (Super Bowls XI, XV, and XVIII).


Al Davis was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1992.

Sylvia Robinson, Female Half Of R&B Duo Best Remembered For "Love Is Strange," Record Producer, R. I. P.

Sylvia Robinson, a singer, songwriter, and record producer best remembered by aficionados of early rock 'n' roll music as the female half of the rhythm and blues duo Mickey and Sylvia, who had a big hit in 1957, "Love Is Strange," passed away on Thursday at the New Jersey Institute of Neuroscience at Edison from congestive heart failure at age 75.


Born Sylvia Vanderpool in New York City, she and singer-guitarist Mickey Baker had a series of successful R & B recordings, with the big success being "Love Is Strange," which climbed to #1 on the R & B charts and crossed over into the pop charts as well.


The duo broke up in 1962 when Mr. Baker (who's still with us today; he'll be 86 years old in October) moved to Paris.


Rest in peace, Sylvia.

Bucs' Hall of Famer Lee Roy Selmon, R. I. P.

Hall of Fame defensive end Lee Roy Selmon passed away on Sunday, two days after having suffered a massive stroke at the age of 56.


Mr. Selmon was the first collegiate player ever selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, chosen with the first overall selection of the 1976 National Football League draft, this following an outstanding career at Oklahoma.


In Lee Roy's nine NFL seasons, all with the Buccaneers, he had 78 1/2 sacks and was selected to six consecutive Pro Bowls.  He retired following the 1984 season.

Jerry Lieber, Half Of Legendary R 'N' R Songwriting Team, R. I. P.

Jerry Lieber, who was the lyricist of one of the all-time legendary rock and roll songwriting teams, passed away on Monday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles from cardiopulmonary failure at age 78.


Together with Mike Stoller, Mr. Lieber wrote such songs as "Hound Dog" (originally a rhythm and blues hit for Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton, better remembered as one of Elvis Presley's best remembered recordings), "Jailhouse Rock" (another of Mr. Presley's greatest hits and the title song of the best movie Elvis ever appeared in), "Searchin'," "Yakety Yak," "Charlie Brown" (all recorded by the Coasters), "There Goes My Baby" (the Drifters), and "Stand By Me" (Ben E. King).


Jerry and Mike were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1985 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame two years later.

Well, I Guess He Had To Travel On

Country and Western singer and musician Billy Grammer, best remembered for his 1958 hit, "Gotta Travel On," passed away on Wednesday morning at a hospital in his native  Benton, Illinois at age 85 following a long illnets.

Football Great Turned Actor Bubba Smith, R. I. P.

Charles "Bubba" Smith, an outstanding defensive tackle who played his college football at Michigan State before embarking on a great NFL career with the Baltimore Colts, Oakland Raiders, and Houston Oilers, before becoming a commercial spokesman for Miller Lite Beer, then playing the role of officer Moses Hightower in six Police Academy movies, was found on Wednesday having assumed room temperature at his Baldwin Hills, California home at age 66. 

Bubba played five years with the Baltimore Colts, playing in two Super Bowls (the upset loss to the New York Jets in SB III and their victory over the Dallas Cowboys two years later).  He played two years each with the Oakland Raiders and Houston Oilers before a knee injury ended his career in 1976.

His brother Toby, who played at Southern California and in the NFL, later became Bubba's agent.  He passed away at age 50 in 1999.

Here's Bubba, appearing in a 1977 commercial for Miller Lite, extolling the virtues of the product, as well as the easy-opening can.



Ironically, he did not drink, and a number of years later, walked away from his lucrative contract, out of concern that the commercials may have encouraged alcohol overconsumption.

"Zorba The Greek" Director Michael Cacoyannis, R. I. P.

Cypriot-born director Michael Cacoyannis, best remembered for having piloted the 1964 classic motion picture "Zorba the Greek," which starred Anthony Quinn in the title role, passed away on Monday in an Athens hospital from complications stemming from a heart attack at age 89.