After years of waiting tables at Peter Luger in Brooklyn, he opened Wolfgang’s Steakhouse in Manhattan, the first of 35 restaurants around the world.
Category: Deaths (Obituaries)
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Marianne Faithfull, Chanteuse of Survival, Is Dead at 78
A fresh-voiced pop star and Mick Jagger’s muse in the 1960s, she went on to experience more than her share of hard times before emerging triumphant.
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Barry Michael Cooper, ‘New Jack City’ Screenwriter, Dies at 66
After chronicling the crack boom of the 1980s as an investigative reporter, he had a high-profile but brief second career in Hollywood.
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Pableaux Johnson, the Heart of New Orleans Hospitality, Dies at 59
As a photographer, cook and writer, he united communities through shared meals, vivid storytelling and a deep love of the city’s traditions.
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Jay Mazur, Zealous Advocate for Garment Workers, Dies at 92
A blunt-speaking, Bronx-born labor leader, he successfully pushed to legalize undocumented union members but fought a losing battle against globalization.
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Mike Hynson, Surfing Star of ‘The Endless Summer,’ Dies at 82
The hit 1966 surfing documentary immortalized the maverick California wave rider as an archetype of the footloose rebel surfer.
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Bertrand Blier, Acclaimed Director of Sexually Blunt Films, Dies at 85
A much-decorated French filmmaker, he divided audiences and critics with explorations, often darkly comic but brutal, of misogyny and the male sexual imagination.
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Charles Phan, Whose Slanted Door Elevated Vietnamese Food, Dies at 62
The restaurant, which opened in San Francisco in 1995, married local ingredients with the food he grew up on and buoyed other chefs from immigrant families.
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Bimla Bissell, Vital Aide to Four U.S. Ambassadors to India, Dies at 92
Her house was a hub for generations of heads of state, diplomats, journalists and artists, who relied on her for her political acumen and were buoyed by her friendship.
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David Schneiderman, Village Voice Editor and Publisher, Dies at 77
Named editor in chief of the venerable alternative weekly in 1978, he was not welcomed with open arms. But his commitment to strong journalism won people over.
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Melba Montgomery, Country Singer Known for Her Duets, Dies at 86
Her high harmonies put an emotional charge into her work with George Jones and others. She also had solo hits, including “No Charge,” a country No. 1.
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Jean Jennings, Who Wrote With Verve About Cars, Dies at 70
A cabdriver and mechanic before becoming a journalist, she brought personality and adventure to a once-staid genre. She once won a demolition derby and motorcycled across China.