Obituary
R.I.P. Black Rob, Bad Boy Records Rapper Dead at 51
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-17T23:05:48+00:00“>April 17, 2021 | 7:05pm ET Black Rob, the New York rapper who was closely associated with Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Bad Boy Records, has died at the age of 51. According to former associates of Black Rob (via TMZ), he passed away Saturday (April 17th) from kidney failure. In a video posted from the hospital earlier in the week, Black Rob revealed that he had been battling a number of health issues over the last several years, having suffered several strokes. A native of East Harlem, Black Rob first made waves via features on songs by The Notorious B.I.G., Faith Evans, and Total. He also appeared on Mase’s 1999 all-star collaboration, “24 Hrs. to Live”; tragically ano...
R.I.P. Felix Silla, Actor Who Played Cousin Itt on The Addams Family Dead at 84
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-17T01:39:45+00:00“>April 16, 2021 | 9:39pm ET Felix Silla, who famously portrayed Cousin Itt on the 1960s TV sitcom The Addams Family, died Friday (April 16th) at the age of 84 from pancreatic cancer. Silla was never actually seen on The Addams Family during its two-season run between 1964 and 1966. Rather, the 3’11” actor wore a full-body hairpiece, sunglasses, and a bowler hat. He was also unintelligible to the audience, as his rapid gibberish could only be understood by The Addams Family members themselves. Due to his small stature, Silla also landed roles in Return of the Jedi as an Ewok, in Spaceballs as a Dink, and in Buck Rogers in the 25th Century as t...
R.I.P. Joseph Siravo, Actor Who Played Tony Soprano’s Father, Dead at 64
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-12T12:43:51+00:00“>April 12, 2021 | 8:43am ET Joseph Siravo, who portrayed Tony Soprano’s father “Johnny Boy” Soprano on HBO’s The Sopranos, has died at the age of 64. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sirvano had been battling cancer. On The Sopranos, Siravo portrayed John “Johnny Boy” Soprano, the ruthless DiMeo crime family capo and father of James Gandolfini’s Tony Soprano. Siravo appeared in a total of five episodes, showing up in flashback scenes from Tony’s childhood or in dream sequences. Related Video Though the character’s on-screen presence was limited, Johnny Boy’s relationship with his son was a reoccurring theme throughout the show’s six-season run...
R.I.P. DMX, Legendary Rapper Dead at 50
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-09T16:14:18+00:00“>April 9, 2021 | 12:14pm ET Legendary New York rapper DMX has died following a drug overdose that led to a fatal heart attack. He was 50 years old. According to a statement released by the rapper’s family, DMX passed away Friday, April 9th. “We are deeply saddened to announce today that our loved one, DMX, birth name of Earl Simmons, passed away at 50-years-old at White Plains Hospital with his family by his side after being placed on life support for the past few days,” the rapper’s family said. “Earl was a warrior who fought till the very end. He loved his family with all of his heart and we cherish the times we spent with him. Earl’s music inspired countless ...
Howard Weitzman, Power Attorney Who Represented Michael Jackson Estate, Dies at 81
Weitzman, a partner at Kinsella Weitzman Iser Kump, was a perennial on Billboard’s Top Music Lawyers list, including the latest edition, which came out last week. The litigation heavyweight was cited most recently for his work with the Jackson estate, most notably for its dispute with HBO over the Leaving Neverland documentary and the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeal’s December ruling in favor of the estate that the case must by arbitrated. The lead attorney on more than 300 civil and criminal jury trials, according to the bio on his firm’s website, Weitzman represented some of the biggest names in sports and entertainment during various points in his career, including O.J. Simpson, Marlon Brando, Ozzy and Sharon Osborne, Magic Johnson and Arnold Schwarzenegger, as well as talent agencies ...
R.I.P. Walter Olkewicz, Twin Peaks Dead at 72
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-08T01:31:18+00:00“>April 7, 2021 | 9:31pm ET Character actor Walter Olkewicz, best known for his roles on Twin Peaks and Grace Under Fire, has died at the age of 72. Olkewicz passed away early Tuesday morning at his Reseda home in Los Angeles, as revealed by his son, screenwriter Zak Olkewicz, to The Hollywood Reporter. Over the past 20 years, he struggled with health issues and had a series of knee surgeries that caused infections, forcing him to take a leave from acting. In Twin Peaks, Olkewicz portrayed the Canadian bartender and croupier Jacques Renault during season one. He returned for Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, Twin Peaks: The Missing Pieces, and the 201...
R.I.P. Paul Ritter, Chernobyl and Harry Potter Actor Dead at 54
Paul Ritter, the English actor known for his roles in the HBO miniseries Chernobyl and films like Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince and Quantum of Solace, has died at the age of 54. According to a statement released by his agent, Ritter passed away Monday (April 5th) from complications related to a brain tumor. “Paul was an exceptionally talented actor playing an enormous variety of roles on stage and screen with extraordinary skill,” Ritter’s agent said in a statement. “He was fiercely intelligent, kind and very funny. We will miss him greatly.” In Chernobyl, Ritter portrayed Anatoly Dyatlov, the deputy chief engineer at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. The 2019 mini-series went on to win 10 Emmy Awards and two Golden Globes. On-screen, Ritter will be remembered for his role a...
R.I.P. “B.B.” Dickerson, War Co-Founder and Bassist Dead at 71
Morris “B.B.” Dickerson, co-founding member, co-vocalist, and bassist of War, has died at the age of 71. According to Billboard, Dickerson passed away Friday (April 2nd) following a long, undisclosed illness. War’s origins date back to the late 1960s, when Dickerson and several other future members of War served as the backing band for football player Deacon Jones. After record producer Jerry Goldstein caught the band in concert, he linked them up with former Animals singer Eric Burdon — and the rest was history. Burdon and War released their debut album, Eric Burdon Declares “War”, in April 1970. It peaked at No. 18 on US albums chart, due in large part to the hit single, “Spill the Wine”, which peaked at No. 3 on the singles chart. The group’s sophomore double album, The Black-Man’s...
R.I.P. Gloria Henry, Dennis the Menace’s TV Mom Dead at 98
Gloria Henry, the American actress who famously played Dennis the Menace’s mother on the widely popular CBS family sitcom, has died at the age of 98. News of her passing was confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter. Henry portrayed Alice Mitchell, mother of Denis Mitchell, on Dennis the Menace for four seasons between 1959 and 1963, staring opposite Jay North (Dennis), Herbert Anderson (Henry Mitchell), and Joseph Kearns (Dennis’ neighborhood nemesis, Mr. Wilson.) Tragically, the show’s run was cut short following the death of Kearns, who suffered a cerebral hemorrhage mid-way through season four. Even after the show’s cancelation in 1963, Dennis the Menace lived on in syndication for decades to come, with episodes often airing on networks like Nickelodeon and TV Land. The show&n...
Morris ‘B.B.’ Dickerson, Founding Member of War, Dies at 71
Morris “B.B.” Dickerson, a founding member of the band War, has died at the age of 71. B.B. Dickerson, bassist and vocalist for the funk rock band, passed away peacefully at a Long Beach, Calif., hospital on Friday (April 2) after a long, undisclosed illness, a representative confirms to Billboard. Dickerson, who was born in 1949 in Torrance, Calif., and got his start on the bass guitar at the age of 12, helped develop War’s signature sound co-writing and playing on tunes like “The Cisco Kid,” “Why Can’t We Be Friends,” “Low Rider,” “Summer” and more. You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It begins with giving you back power. Get to meet Beautifu...
R.I.P. Brian Rohan, “Dope Lawyer” for Grateful Dead and Ken Kesey Dead at 84
Brian Rohan, the San Francisco “dope lawyer” who represented celebrity clients like Grateful Dead and author Ken Kesey, has died at 84. He passed away at home in the Bay Area after a six-year-long battle with cancer, confirmed his daughter Kathleen Jolson. “My father grew up very straitlaced, and he was fascinated by what he saw in the Haight. He was looking for somebody to help, and he saw that nobody was there to protect the kids flocking to San Francisco,” Jolson told the San Francisco Chronicle. “He worked until the last day of his life, clutching his phone in one hand and his iPad in the other. He fought for his clients, he fought for his friends, and he fought for what he thought was right.” Born in Tacoma, Washington in 1936, Rohan spent his high school years rocking the debate team...
Power Trip and Obituary Honor Riley Gale With ‘Executioner’s Tax (Swing of the Axe)’ Performance
For the first time since lead singer Riley Gale died last year, the surviving members of Grammy-nominated Texas band Power Trip got together to pay musical tribute to their late frontman, joining John and Donald Tardy of metal behemoths Obituary for a studio performance of Power Trip’s “Executioner’s Tax (Swing of the Axe).” Power Trip’s surviving members — guitarists Nick Stewart and Blake Ibanez, drummer Chris Ulsh, and bassist Chris Whetzel — also affirmed their desire to carry on, Stewart telling the Los Angeles Times, “We do want to continue to play music together; we just are not sure what that looks like at this time.” > In the tribute to Gale, who died in August 2020 at the age of 34, the band held up a photo of Gale, saying “rest in peace, brother,” before l...
