Best known for movies like “Romancing the Stone,” he also made a mark as a producer, a real estate developer and the butt of a Generation X-friendly television gag.
Category: Deaths (Obituaries)
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John Koerner, Bluesman Who Inspired a Young Bob Dylan, Dies at 85
A spindly guitarist nicknamed Spider, Mr. Koerner was Mr. Dylan’s first friend in the scruffy world of Minneapolis bohemia where he learned about folk music.
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Fred Roos, Casting Director and Coppola Collaborator, Dies at 89
Widely considered to have the best eye for talent in Hollywood, he shared the best-picture Oscar with Francis Ford Coppola for “The Godfather Part II.”
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Morgan Spurlock, Documentarian Known for ‘Super Size Me,’ Dies at 53
His 2004 film, which was nominated for an Oscar, followed Mr. Spurlock as he ate nothing but McDonald’s for a month.
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Shirley Conran, Author Best Known for the Steamy ‘Lace,’ Dies at 91
A divorced single mother, she started out to write a sex guide for schoolgirls and ended up with a tale of female autonomy that became a best-selling novel.
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Frank Shrontz, 92, Dies; Led Boeing in the Last of Its Golden Years
Known for his leadership and his commitment to company culture, he left as chief executive in 1996, opening the door to a corporate makeover.
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C. Gordon Bell, Creator of a Personal Computer Prototype, Dies at 89
It cost $18,000 when it was introduced in 1965, but it bridged the world between room-size mainframes and the modern desktop.
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David Redden, Who Brought Ingenuity to the Auction Block, Dies at 75
He brought a P.T. Barnum-like showmanship to Sotheby’s, where he sold items like Babe Ruth’s bat and a research rover that had been left behind on the moon.
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Ivan F. Boesky, Rogue Trader in 1980s Wall Street Scandal, Dies at 87
An inspiration for the Gordon Gekko character in the movie “Wall Street,” he made a fortune from insider trading before his downfall brought a crashing end to a decade of greed.
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James Greenfield, Globe-Trotting Reporter and Times Editor, Dies at 99
He wrote about world affairs for Time magazine and worked at the State Department before becoming a senior editor at The New York Times in 1967.
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Bruce Nordstrom, Who Helped Lead His Family’s Retail Empire, Dies at 90
Though he was the company’s president, he opted for joint leadership with family members as they turned a string of shoe stores into an international fashion brand.
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Phil Wiggins, Virtuoso of the Blues Harmonica, Dies at 69
First as half of the duo Cephas and Wiggins and later on his own, he was one of the best-known musicians playing the style known as the Piedmont blues.