Along with David and Jerry Zucker, he revolutionized film comedy with a style of straight-faced, fast-paced parody.
Category: Deaths (Obituaries)
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Andy Paley, Whose Imprint Was All Over Pop Music, Dies at 73
Musician, singer, songwriter, producer and more, he collaborated with Madonna and a raft of other artists and helped resuscitate the career of the Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson.
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Overlooked No More: Margaret Getchell, Visionary Force at Macy’s
As the store’s first female executive, she helped turn it into what it is today, paving the way for other women to hold senior positions in retail.
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Charles Dumont, Who Wrote Enduring Melodies for Édith Piaf, Dies at 95
His dozens of songs included “Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien,” a powerful anthem of redemptive love that became one of Piaf’s signature songs.
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Alice Brock, Restaurant Owner Made Famous by a Song, Dies at 83
Arlo Guthrie’s antiwar staple “Alice’s Restaurant” was inspired by a Thanksgiving Day visit to her diner in western Massachusetts.
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Mike Shatzkin, Colorful Publishing Industry Guru, Dies at 77
His blog, The Shatzkin Files, was an essential read for industry insiders. His observations about the changes digital publishing would bring were prophetic.
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Harold W. Sims Jr., Whose Museum Honored the House Cat, Dies at 89
He displayed some 10,000 cat-themed artifacts at the American Museum of the House Cat in North Carolina, which welcomed several thousand people a year.
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Peter Sinfield, Lyricist for King Crimson, Dies at 80
His swirls of poetic imagery helped define progressive rock in the 1970s. He later turned his focus to pop acts like Celine Dion.
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Vic Flick, Guitarist Who Plucked the James Bond Theme, Dies at 87
He also recorded music for the Beatles’ film “A Hard Day’s Night” and contributed to several hit songs as a session musician.
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Reg Murphy, Newspaper Editor Whose Kidnapping Riveted the U.S., Dies at 90
He made his mark on newspapers in Atlanta, San Francisco and Baltimore, but may be best known for having been abducted in Atlanta in 1974.
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Arthur Frommer, 95, Dies; His Guidebooks Opened Travel to the Masses
After publishing “Europe on 5 Dollars a Day” in 1957, he went on to build an empire of guidebooks, package tours, hotels and other services.
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Clifton R. Wharton Jr., Who Broke Racial Barriers, Is Dead at 98
He was the first African American to become president of a large white university, C.E.O. of a major corporation and deputy secretary of state.