October 20, 2007 FRANCE – Ministry’s bassist Paul Raven was found dead today in a private home in a small French village on the Swiss border. Initial reports indicate Raven’s passing was due to a heart attack. Raven (known also for his work with Killing Joke, Prong) was in Geneva working with French recording artists Treponem Pal on their new release, with Marco Neves, Ted Parsons (Prong) and members of The Young Gods.
Continue reading Ministry Bassist Paul Raven Dies of Heart Attack in Geneva
Pioneering Be-Bop Jazz drummer Max Roach passed away on Wednesday, August 16th, 2007. He was 83.
Wilson Hosting his Granada TV Show, So It Goes in 1976
Tony Wilson, known in the music industry for his many hats worn including that of Owner of the legendary Factory Records, radio presenter, TV show host, nightclub manager, journalist for the UK’s Granada television and the BBC passed away yesterday of a heart attack on August 10th, 2007. He was 57 years old. While he was far from a household name in the States, Wilson was immortalized in the brilliant 2002 film, 24 Hour Party People – the fascinating story of the “Manchester Sound,” the ill-fated Hacienda club and, of course, the rise and fall of Factory Records itself – in which he was portrayed by the immensely talented actor/comedian Steve Coogan.
Steve Coogan as Tony Wilson, with actress Shirley Henderson, in 24 Hour Party People
A few years ago, I met Tony Wilson briefly after hearing him speak on a music conference panel, and I told him how much I loved 24 Hour Party People. One of my favorite lines in the movie comes right at the very beginning when Coogan, as Wilson, introduces the film by saying that the story we are about to see is “a cautionary tale not unlike what happened to Icarus when he flew too close to the sun. If you know what that means, great; if not, it doesn’t matter.” I asked Wilson if he had really said that and he said no, that Steve Coogan had just made it up, but he did offer that it came close to sounding like something he would have said. Anyway, Tony Wilson was a cool guy and he signed a bunch of great bands like Joy Division and The Happy Mondays, so he will be missed.
‘This Boy’ is Sixty-Seven Years Old Today!
July 7, 2007 is supposed to be the luckiest day this year, so what a great day to have a birthday! Not only was Beatles‘ drummer Ringo Starr born on this date in 1940, but today is also the anniversary of birth for skater Michelle Kwan, classical composer Gustav Mahler and comic Jim Gaffigan. Have a lucky Birthday all you fierce Cancer people out there!
Farewell, Funny Man (a href=”http://sportschump.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/charles-nelson-reilly-meh.jpg”>Image Source
Comic Actor Charles Nelson Reilly Dies at 76
Frequent Game Show Guest Was a Tony Award Winner
The New York Times
Charles Nelson Reilly, who acted and directed on Broadway but came to be best known for his campy television appearances on talk shows and “Match Game,” died on Friday (May 27th, 2007) in Los Angeles. He was 76 and lived in Beverly Hills, Calif.
The cause was complications of pneumonia, said his partner, Patrick Hughes, who is his only immediate survivor. Mr. Reilly had been ill for more than a year, he said.
Long before moving west to become what he somewhat ruefully described as a “game show fixture,” Mr. Reilly was an actor and an acting teacher in New York City. In 1962, he won a Tony Award for his portrayal of Bud Frump in the original Broadway production of “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.”
Continue reading RIP Charles Nelson Reilly
