He helped popularize “I Am a Man” as a demand for respect during the 1968 strike by Black sanitation workers in Memphis.
Category: Deaths (Obituaries)
-
Maggie Smith, Grande Dame of Stage and Screen, Dies at 89
She earned an extraordinary array of awards, from Oscars to Emmys to Tonys, but could still go almost everywhere unrecognized. Then came “Downton Abbey.”
-
Nick Gravenites, Mainstay of the San Francisco Rock Scene, Dies at 85
A blues devotee from Chicago, he tasted fame in the late 1960s with the Electric Flag, a band that made its debut at Monterey but proved short-lived.
-
Lloyd Macklowe, Leading Purveyor of Art Nouveau, Is Dead at 90
He and his wife began buying pieces to furnish their apartment. They wound up with a museum-quality collection and a pre-eminent retail business.
-
Caterina Valente, Singer Who Was a Star on Two Continents, Dies at 93
Born in Paris to Italian parents and raised in Germany, she had her own show on television in the 1950s and was later a small-screen mainstay in the U.S.
-
Benny Golson, Saxophonist and Composer of Jazz Standards, Dies at 95
After forming a lauded band and writing tunes like “I Remember Clifford,” “Whisper Not” and “Killer Joe,” he had a second career composing and arranging music for television.
-
Kathryn Crosby, Actress and Bing Crosby’s Widow, Dies at 90
She was a Texas-born starlet when she married the beloved crooner, but put aside her career at his urging.
-
Billy Edd Wheeler, Songwriter Who Celebrated Rural Life, Dies at 91
His plain-spoken songs were recorded by Elvis Presley, Kenny Rogers and many others. The duo of Johnny Cash and June Carter made his “Jackson” a huge country hit.
-
Lucine Amara, 99, Dies; Familiar Soprano at the Met Saw Bias There
She sang with the Metropolitan Opera for decades, often on short notice, including after lodging a successful age discrimination complaint against the company.
-
JD Souther, Who Wrote Hits for the Eagles, Dies at 78
A central figure in the Southern California rock scene of the 1970s, he later had a regular role on the TV show “Nashville.”
-
Valarie D’Elia, Travel Reporter on TV and Radio, Dies at 64
She steered vacationers and business travelers to choice destinations, talked about the best deals, and offered up savvy tips on how to avoid vexation.
-
Harrison J. Goldin, 88, New York City Comptroller in Fiscal Crisis, Is Dead
He weathered the storm as the city’s chief financial officer for 16 years and jousted with Mayor Koch in a public feud and a losing primary bid to replace him.