Obituary
Marilyn Bergman, Oscar-Winning Lyricist, Dies at 93
Lyricist Marilyn Bergman, who teamed with her husband, Alan Bergman, to win three Academy Awards as one of the most revered writing tandems in the annals of movie music history, has died. She was 93. Bergman, whose work includes such classics as “The Windmills of Your Mind,” “Nice ’n’ Easy,” “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers” and “The Way We Were,” died peacefully early Saturday morning (Jan. 8) in her Los Angeles home, according to family rep Ken Sunshine. The cause of death was respiratory failure (non-COVID related). Her husband, 96, survives her. Explore See latest videos, charts and news They won Academy Awards for the best original songs “The Way We Were” (shared with Marvin Hamlisch) from the 1973 Barbra Streisand film of that name and “Windmills of Your Mind” (shared with Michel Legrand)...
R.I.P. Calvin Simon, Parliament-Funkadelic Vocalist Dead at 79
Calvin Simon, the former vocalist of George Clinton’s pioneering funk collective Parliament–Funkadelic, has died. He was 79. “Rest in peace to my P-Funk brother Mr. Calvin Simon,” Clinton wrote in a post to Facebook. “Fly on Calvin!” “We lost another original member of Parliament/Funkadelic,” bassist Bootsy Collins wrote on Twitter, describing Simon as “a friend, bandmate & a cool classic guy.” Advertisement Related Video Calvin Eugene Simon was born on May 22nd, 1942, in Beckley, West Virginia, where he grew up singing in his local church choir. After relocating to New Jersey, Simon hit it off with Clinton, eventually joining a doo-wop group called The Parliaments in the late 1950s. He sang on many of the band’s early hits like “I Can Feel the Ice Melting,” “Heart Trouble,” and “I Wan...
R.I.P. Peter Bogdanovich, Acclaimed Film Director of The Last Picture Show Dead at 82
Peter Bogdanovich, the Oscar-nominated director of films like The Last Picture Show; What’s Up, Doc?; and Noises Off, has died at the age of 82. The sad news was confirmed by the Hollywood giant’s daughter, who told The Hollywood Reporter that her father passed away from natural causes in the early morning of January 6th. Bogdanovich was born on July 30th, 1939. After graduating from New York City’s Collegiate School in 1957, he began studying acting at the famed Stella Adler Conservatory and got his career start as a film programmer at the Museum of Modern Art, exposing patrons to his love of the works of Orson Welles, Howard Hawks, John Ford, as well as writing as a film critic for Esquire. Advertisement Related Video He married his first wife Polly Platt in 1962 and soon moved to Los An...
Joyce Ostin, Daughter-in-Law of Music Exec Mo Ostin, Dies at 64
Joyce Ostin, a photographer and daughter-in-law of legendary music executive Mo Ostin, died Dec. 29 at her Pacific Palisades home after a battle with cancer, her family announced. She was 64. Ostin spent her first years raising her three daughters while battling breast cancer, and in 2001, she published Hollywood Moms, a best-selling coffee-table book with a foreword by Carrie Fisher that featured photographs of Goldie Hawn and daughter Kate Hudson; Dyan Cannon and daughter Jennifer Grant; Jennifer Lopez and her mom, Guadalupe; and Rosie O’Donnell and her daughter, Chelsea. In 2007 came Hollywood Dads, with an introduction by Paul Reiser and photos of Robin Williams, Michael J. Fox, Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg, Bruce Willis and other fathers with their kids. Explore See latest videos, char...
R.I.P. Ted Gardner, Lollapalooza Co-Founder Dead at 74
Ted Gardner, the longtime music manager who co-founded Lollapalooza with Jane’s Addiction frontman Perry Farrell, passed away on December 28th following a long illness. News of Gardner’s death was shared by Anton Newcombe of The Brian Jonestown Massacre, who had been managed by Gardner since 2004. “I’m sad to report Ted Gardner, Our manager passed away today surrounded by his loving family,” Newcombe wrote in a Tweet. “We will miss a great manager, mentor & friend. Our condolences to all his family & friends.” A native of Australia, Gardner initially worked on the management team of Men at Work and accompanied them on their first US tour opening for Fleetwood Mac. He eventually relocated to America in the early 1980s and served as a tour or production manager for acts like Frank Za...
Jay Weaver, Bassist for Big Daddy Weave, Dies at 42 from COVID-19
Jay Weaver, the bass player and a vocalist for Big Daddy Weave, has died from complications of COVID-19. He was 42. His brother, Mike Weaver, frontman of veteran Christian band, announced the sad news on Sunday (Jan. 2) through social media. “My brother Jay went to be with Jesus just a couple hours ago,” Mike Weaver said in the emotional video clip on Instagram, adding that Jay died from “complications with COVID-19 on top of everything else that he already had going on.” He continued, “You’ve seen him walk the uphill battle and you guys helped carry him through so much. The Lord used him in such a mighty way out on the road for so many years. Anybody who’s come in contact with him knows how real his faith in Jesus was. Even though COVID took his last breath, Jesus was right there to catch...
Stephen J. Lawrence, ‘Sesame Street’ Composer, Dies at 82
Stephen J. Lawrence, a Daytime-Emmy-winning composer for Sesame Street, has died. He was 82. Lawrence died on Dec. 30 at Clara Maas Medical Center in Belleville, N.J., his wife Cantor Cathy Lawrence confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter. A cause of death was not provided. Born on Sept. 5, 1939, Lawrence served as a composer, music director, arranger and conductor on the longtime children’s television series Sesame Street for more than 30 years. He composed over 300 songs and scores for the program, including “Fuzzy and Blue (and Orange),” co-written with David Axelrod. He received three Daytime Emmy awards for outstanding achievement in music direction and composition for his work on the show. With an interest in children’s education, Lawrence also collaborated with The Jim He...
R.I.P. Betty White, Television Icon Dead at 99
Betty White, the actress and comedian who pioneered the television revolution and worked in the industry for nine decades, has died at the age of 99. TMZ reports that White passed away at her home on Friday morning — just weeks shy of her 100th birthday. “Even though Betty was about to be 100, I thought she would live forever,” her agent and close friend Jeff Witjas told PEOPLE in a statement. “I will miss her terribly and so will the animal world that she loved so much. I don’t think Betty ever feared passing because she always wanted to be with her most beloved husband Allen Ludden. She believed she would be with him again.” Advertisement Related Video Betty Marion White Ludden was born on January 17th, 1922 in Oak Park, Illinois. Her family moved to Los Angeles soon after, and she began...
Denis O’Dell, Beatles Film Producer, Dies at 98
Denis O’Dell, a British film producer and director who worked with The Beatles on the movie A Hard Day’s Night and other productions, has died at his home in Spain, his son said Friday (Dec. 31). He was 98. Arran O’Dell told The Associated Press that his father died overnight at his house in Almería, in southeast Spain. He said the family planned a local private service and a memorial service at a later date in the United Kingdom. Explore See latest videos, charts and news Denis O’Dell was an associate producer of A Hard Day’s Night, the Fab Four’s first film, and How I Won the War, in which John Lennon appeared as a supporting actor. He produced the 1967 Beatles film Magical Mystery Tour, as well as The Magic Christian, which featured Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr. O’Dell’s memoir of his ...
Betty White, Golden Girl of TV Comedy, Dies at 99
Betty White, the quick-witted comedienne whose ribald humor as showcased on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Golden Girls and Hot in Cleveland made her America’s ageless darling, has died. She was 99. The beloved five-time Emmy Award winner and animal advocate, whose career reached another level after she became an octogenarian, died at home on Friday (Dec. 31), her agent told People magazine. White joined the cast of The Mary Tyler Moore Show for the CBS sitcom’s fourth season in 1973 as Sue Ann Nivens, the blunt, man-lusting star of the WJM-TV show The Happy Homemaker, and she won two straight Emmys for outstanding continuing performance by a supporting actress in a comedy series. On NBC’s The Golden Girls, which aired for seven seasons, White played the simple-minded Minnesotan Rose Nylun...
Remembering Norm Macdonald, Michael K. Williams and More Celebrities Who Died in 2021: Photo Gallery
The end of any year is good cause for us to look back at those we lost, and in the world of entertainment, there was a lot of heartbreak, as valuable and important voices went silent. The list of those who passed away in 2021 includes beloved TV stars like Michael K. Williams, Willie Garson, and Ed Asner, the respected directors of Lethal Weapon and Big Little Lies, and great writers such as Larry McMurtry and Joan Didion. Below, see their photos along with the many other artists whose contributions to film and television will not be forgotten anytime soon. (You can also see a gallery of musicians we lost in 2021 here.) Advertisement <img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1035003" data-attachment-id="1035003" data-permalink="https://consequence.net/2020/05/ro...
Remembering DMX, Charlie Watts and More Musicians Who Died in 2021: Photo Gallery
As 2021 comes to a close, Consequence is taking a look back at some of the notable names in music we lost throughout the year. Two years into a devastating pandemic, the music community and beyond mourned losses of visionaries like SOPHIE, pillars of hip-hop DMX and Biz Markie, iconic musicians like Charlie Watts and essential creators like Stephen Sondheim. These artists, songwriters, and producers helped shape the music landscape we see today, and the effects of their work will be felt heading into 2022 and far beyond. Advertisement Below, see photos of artists who passed away in 2021. <img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1178310" data-attachment-id="1178310" data-permalink="https://consequence.net/?attachment_id=1178310" data-orig-file="https:/...
