Sad to hear about the loss of Phil Everly. We have such fond memories of The Everly Brothers dreamy harmonies and sweet rockabilly songs that were perfect for swing dancing or romantic slow dancing. All about teen romance. And those pompadours! And they had more hits than we realized. Click below for a taste of their early music.
While everyone seems focused on the death of Peter O’Toole, we lament the loss of American actress Joan Fontaine at the admirable age of 96. We loved her in Hitchcock’s “Rebecca” and “Suspicion” and her rivalry with her older sister Olivia de Havilland never ended. The Oscar winning beauty must have been quite a handful in her private life. She was not on a speaking terms with most of her family and many of her leading men found her “difficult.” In 1939 she appeared in “The Women” and went on to make 13 successful movies in the 1940’s – her heyday. Joan’s sister Olivia is 97 and living in Paris. Joan may have clashed with people, but she was always a dog lover – when she died she had four canine companions.
Cars and driving (in Fast and Furious) made Paul Walker a star and also took his life away this afternoon at the age of 40. The handsome model turned actor was killed when the Porsche he was riding in with a friend slammed into a post or tree and exploded in flames. Sadly, Paul had recently re-established his relationship with his fifteen year old daughter Meadow. Meadow grew up with her mother, Paul’s former girlfriend, in Hawaii, and moved to California to be closer to her dad. Paul had expressed his delight in growing closer to his daughter. (He’s pictured above modeling in Sao Paolo.)
Photo Credit: Pacific Coast News
His “Walk on the Wild Side” is the song that plays every time our phone rings – that’s how much we like hearing it. Back in the Andy Warhol days, we thought Lou’s band “The Velvet Underground” sounded like a bunch of guys banging pots and pans, but we likes some of his later work. Lou died today in New York at the age of 71. No cause of death was given, but he had a liver transplant six months ago. (Above, Lou with Patti Smith)
We never cared much for boxing until we saw Ken Norton in Mandingo. It was one of the sexiest movies of the 70’s, but not one of the best – it was rather tawdry, but a mental picture we will never forget. Ken Norton as the powerful slave who was seduced by his master’s wife was unforgettable in his movie debut. He was dangerously handsome. He died yesterday at age 70, and will be remembered as a threat to Muhammad Ali in more ways than one.
This vintage photo of Steve McQueen throwing his arms around John Wayne was probably taken before paparazzi even existed. So celebrities weren’t as afraid to look foolish because usually there was no one around the document the situation. Judging by the liquor bottles these two were high as kites and it’s a funny moment. Any of you got a caption for this?
(Click HERE to see more oldies but goodies)
The late Eydie Gorme and her husband Steve Lawrence guested on just about every TV variety show in the 1960’s when they weren’t appearing in Las Vegas. Their “easy listening” cocktail music like “Blame it on the Bossa Nova” delighted parents who hated rock n roll. They were pals with Sinatra, and Eydie died at the age of 84 in Las Vegas this weekend.
Video via: The WOW Report
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We always felt a tiny connection with actor Dennis Farina because he spent 18 years (‘67 to ‘85) as a Chicago cop and we grew up there. (Don’t know if he was one of those cops who expected bribes, but many of them did in those days – and they all seemed to be big and have deep voices, unlike Los Angeles cops.) Dennis started out as a police consultant for director Michael Mann and got into acting. He always retained his thick Chicago accent and played gangsters and police officers with equal gusto in numerous movies and TV series. His death from a blood clot was sudden and hopefully painless, but we will miss him. (Above in Law & Order with Michael Imperioli)
Glee’s Cory Monteith was probably the last person we’d expect to die of a heroin/alcohol overdose. He had that sweet boyish face and not a bad reputation, in spite of rehab visits. His drug buddies were apparently all in Vancouver. You can’t judge a book by its cover. How his girlfriend of several years, Lea Michele handled his secret addictions is a mystery. Another mystery is how quickly Canadian doctors were able to get the autopsy results- just a few days. When an American celebrity dies it takes at least a month to find out the cause.
The loss of James Gandolfini at the age of 51 is truly an American tragedy. Many fans cherished the hope that The Sopranos would return in a movie. Unfortunately, James was stuggling with alcohol again. His self destructive last meal at 7 PM on the night he died was at the Boscolo Exedra Roma hotel restaurant, according to the NY Post. He dined with his 13 year old son Michael and managed to down two pina coladas, 4 shots of rum, and two beers with the meal. Gandolfini consumed two orders of deep fried prawns covered in mayonnaise chili sauce, and a large portion of foie gras. Michael had his own meal and two virgin coladas. Three hours later James Gandolfini was discovered in cardiac arrest. So sad.