MSNBC website has a list of celebrities who have died this year. In case we missed someone.


TIS


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40574724/displaymode/1247/?beginSlide=1

Here's breaking news that you won't find on the net (yet).....

Comedian Steve Landesburg (famous on tv's "Barney Miller") died today at age 65.

three actors from airplane! gone in one year

He's on there now.
Steve Landesburg

Albom broke down crying on the air yesterday over this.
Pastor Covington

She was HUGE, especially in Detroit. The article is incorrect. She was not the first white act signed to Motown. That would have been Rare Earth or some other group but she was the one who made the most impact.

LOS ANGELES -- Teena Marie, who made history as Motown’s first white act but developed a lasting legacy with her silky soul pipes and with hits like "Lovergirl," "Square Biz," and "Fire and Desire" with mentor Rick James, has died. She was 54.

The confirmation came from a publicist, Jasmine Vega, who worked with Teena Marie on her last album. Her manager, Mike Gardner, also confirmed her death to CNN.

Teena Marie, known as the Ivory Queen of Soul, was certainly not the first white act to sing soul music, but she was arguably among the most gifted and respected, and was thoroughly embraced by the black audience.

She was first signed to the legendary Motown label back in 1979 at age 19, working with James, with whom she would have long, turbulent but musically magical relationship.

The cover of her album, "Wild and Peaceful," did not feature her image, with Motown apparently fearing backlash by audiences if they found out the songstress with the dynamic voice was white.

But Marie notched her first hit, "I’m A Sucker for Your Love," and was on her way to becoming one of R&B’s most revered queens. During her tenure with Motown, the singer-songwriter and musician produced passionate love songs and funk jam songs like "Need Your Lovin'," "Behind the Groove" and "Ooh La La La."

Marie had a daughter and had toured in recent years after overcoming an addiction to prescription drugs.

Teena Marie

I read this last night and was quite stunned. I certainly remember her from years ago. Very talented. This morning Internet news reports said details were still sketchy at best, but it appears she died in her sleep unexpectedly.

Speaking of deaths, I only just discovered (via the IMDb death listings) that former "adult film" leading man John Leslie died last month at age 65. Apparently, no one here knew about it or mentioned it. (And you know who you are. )

Now I really feel old.

Signor V.

Are we gonna do this for 2011?

Hey I didn't get credit for Elizabeth Edwards!

Maybe she was born again.

So, without having to go back and check, do we know who won (so far) this year? I just know it wasn't me. Btw, what's the grand prize????


TIS

I think SC is winning. I was till recently.

Agathe von Trapp dies

You know, I didn't think I knew who Teena Marie was, but the name sure rang a bell. I You-Tubed "Lover Girl" and now I know. Although, I don't "think" I know any of her other music.

TIS

Rosie the Riveter passes away
Geraldine Hoff Doyle, 'Rosie the Riveter,' dies at 86.
Her face became the symbol of women's empowerment, and her death is the end of an era.

Geraldine Hoff Doyle of Lansing, the woman behind an iconic image of a bandanna-clad, muscle-flexing Rosie the Riveter during WWII, has died, according to her family.

Doyle was 86 upon her death, a lifetime older than the 17-year-old factory worker who was captured in a United Press International photo in a metal-pressing plant near Ann Arbor...

It seems logical to look back at some of the year's notable deaths. Here's a short look at some:

I didn't know that Jaime Escalante died. He was an inspirational educator.

She was huge in New York, too, Lilo. I can't believe I missed this. I just got back from Florida this morning. I'm sure it had to be mentioned in the Palm Beach Post or the Miami Herald, but I sure didn't see it. I can't believe she was 54 years old. Still way too young, but to me she'll always be "Lady T," in her early 20s, singing "Square Biz," so I really never would have guessed that she was 54. I guess we're all getting older . Anyway, HUGE loss for R&B.

Footnote: I saw her sing "Square Biz" live at a nightclub called Fudgie's up in Scarsdale back in 1981 or 1982. Given the nature of this site, I might as well add that the place was REALLY mobbed up.

Yup. You couldn't turn on the radio without hearing Square Biz. Sounds like they don't know why she died. Just one of those things..


Days after soul singer Teena Marie suddenly died, answers about her death remain in short supply.

According to The Associated Press, investigators said an autopsy turned up no signs of trauma or a discernible cause of death. Los Angeles County Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter said Marie's cause of death may be determined by toxicology tests, the results of which would be available in around six weeks. No illegal drugs were found in a search of the singer's Pasadena home earlier this week, and the AP reports that police said Marie appeared to have died from natural causes.

Marie was found unresponsive in her home Sunday after she settled in for an afternoon nap. TMZ reported that Marie might have suffered a grand mal seizure while she slept, which may have contributed to her death. The songstress' publicist has also said Marie experienced a grand mal seizure a month ago, from which she was still recovering, and had since reportedly insisted on having someone nearby when she was sleeping.

According to Essence, Marie had suffered an additional seizure en route to the hospital after she sustained an attack last month. She was unable to secure an appointment with a neurologist for another three weeks and was prescribed medication in the interim. However, her publicist, Lynn Jeter, said the medication "made her suicidal," so Marie reduced the dosage...

MTV Article in Full