More from Mike Barnes
Adrian Bailey, Hard-Luck Broadway Musical Performer, Dies at 67
Adrian Bailey, the singer, actor and dancer whose long career in Broadway musicals ended when he fell through a trap door and suffered serious injuries before a production of The Little Mermaid, has died. He was 67. Bailey died Sunday at a rehabilitation facility in New York on the day before his birthday, his brother […]
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Clifford Bell, Cabaret Impresario, Director and Producer, Dies at 67
Clifford Bell, the cabaret impresario, director and producer affectionately known as “Lawrence of Cabarabia,” died Sunday of natural causes at CHA Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center, publicist Steve Moyer announced. He was 67. “Clifford Bell was a force of nature!” Moyer said in a statement. “He lived and breathed music every day of his life to […]
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Kathryn Crosby, ‘7th Voyage of Sinbad’ Actress and Wife of Bing Crosby, Dies at 90
Kathryn Crosby, who starred in such films as Operation Mad Ball, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad and Anatomy of a Murder before she curtailed her acting career as the wife of Hollywood legend Bing Crosby, has died. She was 90. Crosby died Friday night surrounded by her family at her home in Hillsborough, California, a […]
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David Handelman, Writer on Four Aaron Sorkin TV Series, Dies at 63
David Handelman, a print journalist turned TV writer who worked on the Aaron Sorkin series Sports Night, The West Wing, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip and The Newsroom, has died. He was 63. Handelman died Aug. 15 at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York from complications of Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia, a rare blood cancer, producer […]
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Franca Bettoia, Italian Actress in ‘The Last Man on Earth,’ Dies at 88
Franca Bettoia, the Italian actress who starred opposite Vincent Price in the 1964 cult sci-fi film The Last Man on Earth, has died in Rome, her family told the Italian news agency Adnkronos. She was 88. Bettoia was married to Italian actor Ugo Tognazzi — he starred in the 1978 movie La Cage aux Folles […]
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Chad McQueen, ‘Karate Kid’ Actor and Son of Film Star Steve McQueen, Dies at 63
Chad McQueen, who followed his father, Steve McQueen, into acting and auto racing and portrayed the bully Dutch in the first two Karate Kid movies, has died. He was 63. McQueen died Wednesday of organ failure at his ranch in Palm Desert, his friend of 40 years, Arthur Barens, told The Hollywood Reporter. He had […]
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James Earl Jones, Authoritative Actor and Voice of Darth Vader, Dies at 93
James Earl Jones, a commanding presence onscreen who nonetheless gained greater fame off-camera as the sonorous voice of Star Wars villain Darth Vader and Mufasa, the benevolent leader in The Lion King, died Monday. He was 93. Jones, who burst into national prominence in 1970 with his powerful Oscar-nominated performance as America’s first Black heavyweight […]
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Screamin’ Scott Simon, Longtime Sha Na Na Performer, Dies at 75
Screamin’ Scott Simon, who spent 52 years as the pianist of the energetic rock ’n’ roll and doo-wop group Sha Na Na, died Thursday in Ojai after a long battle with sinus cancer, his daughter Nina Simon announced. He was 75. A member of Sha Na Na from 1970 until they quit touring in 2022, […]
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Frank Griffin, Steve Martin’s Makeup Man on ‘Roxanne’ and Much More, Dies at 95
Frank Griffin, who nosed out another makeup artist to work with Steve Martin on Roxanne, just one of the 20 movies they did together, has died. He was 95. Griffin died Wednesday of cancer at his home in Studio City, his daughter Roxane Griffin, a veteran Hollywood hairstylist (Avatar, Transparent, 80 for Brady), told The […]
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Norman Spencer, David Lean Collaborator and ‘Vanishing Point’ Producer, Dies at 110
Norman Spencer, the British producer, production manager and screenwriter who worked alongside famed director David Lean on films including Blithe Spirit, Great Expectations, The Bridge on the River Kwai and Lawrence of Arabia, has died. He was 110. Spencer died Aug. 16 in Wimbledon three days after his birthday, the European Supercentenarian Organisation announced. Apart […]
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James Darren, ‘Gidget’ Surfer and Cop on ‘T.J. Hooker,’ Dies at 88
James Darren, the former teen idol and pop singer who played the dreamy surfer Moondoggie in three Gidget movies before starring on television on The Time Tunnel and T.J. Hooker, died Monday. He was 88. Darren died in his sleep at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, his son Jim Moret, a correspondent for Inside Edition, told The Hollywood […]
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Betty A. Bridges, Actress and Mother of Todd Bridges, Dies at 83
Betty A. Bridges, an actress and the mother of Diff’rent Strokes star Todd Bridges who appeared on her son’s sitcom, Hill Street Blues, Ally McBeal and many other shows, has died. She was 83. Bridges died Wednesday in hospice care at Todd’s home in Phoenix, publicist Elizabeth Much announced. During her four-decade career, Betty Alice […]
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