He also adapted his best-known novel, “Where’s Poppa?,” into the script for a raw Carl Reiner comedy and directed the disco movie “Thank God It’s Friday.”
Category: Deaths (Obituaries)
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Michael Leva, Who Found Fashion Fame Early, Is Dead at 62
Known for sophisticated and wearable clothes, he was among a crop of young designers celebrated in the late 1980s. He went on to consult for fashion companies.
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Roger Whittaker, Balladeer With an International Following, Dies at 87
A Briton with a rich baritone, he charmed audiences, mostly in Europe and America, with sentimental songs, like his signature hit, “The Last Farewell.”
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Irish Grinstead of R&B Group 702 Dies at 43
The singer, who appeared on the hit track “Where My Girls At?,” took a “medical leave of absence” from the group late last year; a cause of death was not immediately available.
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Jules Melancon, Oyster Farmer Who Tried Something New, Dies at 65
In the wake of hurricanes and the BP oil spill, he revolutionized his industry by turning from wild catches to cage farming his precious bivalves.
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Charles Gayle, Saxophonist of Fire and Brimstone, Dies at 84
An intense and uncompromising player, he made music that one critic said was more about “motion and spirit” than tonal centers, rhythms and melodies.
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Bobby Schiffman, Guiding Force of the Apollo Theater, Dies at 94
Taking over for his father in 1961, he transformed a former vaudeville house in Harlem into a pre-eminent R&B showcase.
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Lisa Lyon, Bodybuilding Pioneer and Mapplethorpe Muse, Dies at 70
She won the first Women’s World Pro Bodybuilding Championship. But she saw herself as an artist and posed for Robert Mapplethorpe and other photographers.
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Larry Chance, Who Helped Keep Doo-Wop Alive for Decades, Dies at 82
His career began in 1957, when he and some friends from the Bronx formed the vocal group that would become the Earls. He recorded his last song 65 years later.
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Len Chandler, an Early Fixture of the Folk Revival, Dies at 88
A singer who performed alongside Bob Dylan, Joan Baez and Pete Seeger, he was known for his topical songs, some of which he wrote in minutes.
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Curtis Fowlkes, Avant-Jazz Pioneer of the 1980s, Dies at 73
A founder of the acclaimed Jazz Passengers, he was also a sought-after sideman who played trombone for both jazz and rock heavyweights.
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Richard Davis, Gifted Bassist Who Crossed Genres, Dies at 93
He was best known for his jazz work. But he was also heard on Van Morrison’s “Astral Weeks” and with orchestras conducted by Igor Stravinsky and Leonard Bernstein.