Obituaries

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television executive (mostly with NBC) Herbert Schlosser

Herbert Samuel Schlosser[1] (April 21, 1926 – August 6, 2021) was an American television executive who was a president and CEO of NBC. Born in Atlantic City, New Jersey, he was a U.S. Navy veteran who went to Princeton University on the G.I. Bill and graduated from Yale Law School.[2]

Schlosser began his career as a corporate lawyer for the New York firm Phillips, Nizer, Benjamin, Krim & Ballon,[3] where he first started working on television projects. He joined the business affairs department of the NBC Television Network in 1960, personally negotiating the agreements that brought Johnny Carson from ABC to NBC to host The Tonight Show.[4] He became the president of the NBC Television Network in 1973,[5] and in 1974, he was named president of NBC. Three years later, he was also named NBC's C.E.O.[6] While at NBC, he helped champion the careers of Flip Wilson, Diahann Carroll,[7] and Redd Foxx,[8] among others.[9]

Schlosser played a key role in the creation of Saturday Night Live, authoring a February 1975 memo[10][11] that proposed a new variety show to replace weekend re-runs of Johnny Carson's Tonight Show.[12]

Schlosser's memo suggested that the show be called "Saturday Night", that it should air at 11:30, and that "if possible the show should be done live" and should seek to "get different hosts." "It would be a variety show," he wrote, "but it would have certain characteristics. It should be young and bright. It should have a distinctive look, a distinctive set and a distinctive sound … We should attempt to use the show to develop new television personalities." He said the show should be filmed in Studio 8H at 30 Rockefeller Plaza.[13]

Schlosser worked with NBC's then head of late-night entertainment, Dick Ebersol, who recruited Lorne Michaels to create Saturday Night Live, which premiered on October 11, 1975.[14]

In 1978, Schlosser became an executive vice president at RCA, NBC's parent,[15] and he later co-founded the television network A&E.[16]

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Markie Post

Marjorie Armstrong Post (November 4, 1950 – August 7, 2021)[1] was an American actress, known for her roles as bail bondswoman Terri Michaels in The Fall Guy on ABC from 1982 to 1985, as public defender Christine Sullivan on the NBC sitcom Night Court from 1984 to 1992, and as Georgie Anne Lahti Hartman on the CBS sitcom Hearts Afire from 1992 to 1995.

Post's early acting credits included a 1979 episode of Barnaby Jones and the pilot episode of Simon & Simon "Details at Eleven" in 1981, episode one of season two of The Greatest American Hero, two episodes of The A-Team as two different characters in the 1983 episode "The Only Church in Town" and the 1984 episode "Hot Styles," and The Love Boat. She appeared in the science fiction series Buck Rogers in the 25th Century and as Diane Chambers' best friend in the sitcom Cheers, before eventually becoming a regular on the ABC action drama The Fall Guy.[3] After The Fall Guy, she played Christine Sullivan on the 1980s television comedy series Night Court from the third season until the show's end.[4] She played Georgie Anne Lahti Hartman on the comedy series Hearts Afire, co-starring John Ritter.[5][6] Post also had regularly recurring guest star roles on The District and on Scrubs as the mother of Dr. Elliot Reid.[6]

Film credits include There's Something About Mary (1998), in which Post played Mary's mother.[7] She played a call girl and dominatrix in the 1988 TV movie Tricks of the Trade opposite Cindy Williams, and a singer in Glitz with Jimmy Smits, based on the novel by Elmore Leonard.[8] She also had a starring role in NBC's 1995 movie Visitors in the Night.[9] She appeared as reporter Christine Merriweather in the 2007 improvisational comedy film (released in 2017) Cook Off!. She appeared in the 30 Rock episode "The One with the Cast of Night Court" playing herself when she, Harry Anderson, and Charles Robinson staged a mock reunion of the Night Court cast.[10]

Post was the voice of June Darby on the computer animated robot superhero TV series Transformers: Prime. She appeared as recurring character Barbara 'Bunny' Fletcher in the first four seasons of Chicago P.D.[11]

Post died of cancer in Los Angeles on August 7, 2021, at age 70.[15] She had been diagnosed almost four years earlier.

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Jane Withers



Jane Withers (April 12, 1926 – August 7, 2021) was an American actress and children's radio show host. She became one of the most popular child stars in Hollywood in the 1930s and early 1940s, with her films ranking in the top ten list for box-office gross in 1937 and 1938.

She began her entertainment career at the age of three and, during the Golden Age of Radio, hosted her own children's radio program in her home city of Atlanta, Georgia. In 1932, she and her mother moved to Hollywood, where she appeared as an extra in many films until landing her breakthrough role as the spoiled, obnoxious Joy Smythe opposite Shirley Temple's angelic orphan Shirley Blake in the 1934 film Bright Eyes. She made 38 films before retiring at age 21 in 1947.[1] She returned to film and television as a character actor in the 1950s. From 1963 to 1974, she gained new popularity with her portrayal of the character Josephine the Plumber in a series of television commercials for Comet cleanser. In the 1990s and early 2000s, she did voice work for Disney animated films. She was interviewed in numerous documentary retrospectives of the Golden Age of Hollywood. She was also known for her philanthropy and her extensive doll collection.

Jane Withers was born on April 12, 1926, in Atlanta, Georgia, the only child of Walter Edward Withers and Lavinia Ruth (née Elble) Withers.[1][2] Ruth had had her own aspirations to be an actress nixed by her parents.[3] She determined before Jane was born that she would have one daughter who would go into show business, and chose the name Jane so that "even with a long last name like Withers, it would fit on a marquee".[4][5][6] Ruth taught Sunday school and Walter taught Bible classes in their local Presbyterian church.[4] The family recited blessings at mealtime and devoted themselves to charitable works, which stood with Jane her entire life.[7] Both in Atlanta and in Hollywood, the family would invite "six busloads of orphan children" to come to their home after church and Sunday school for lunch and afternoon entertainment.[8]


When Jane was two, Ruth enrolled her in a tap dancing school,[6] and also taught her to sing.[9] Jane launched her entertainment career at the age of three[4] after winning a local amateur contest called Dixie's Dainty Dewdrop.[10] She was cast on Aunt Sally's Kiddie Revue, a Saturday-morning children's program broadcast on WGST radio in Atlanta, in which she sang, danced, and did impersonations of notable film stars including W. C. Fields, ZaSu Pitts, Maurice Chevalier, Fanny Brice, Eddie Cantor, and Greta Garbo.[11][1] At age 3 ½ she had her own radio show called Dixie's Dainty Dewdrop, where she also interviewed celebrities who were visiting Atlanta.[10][5]

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Jane Withers, 1930s

After two years of success in radio, Ruth took Jane to Hollywood before her sixth birthday in 1932 to explore opportunities in film.[12] Walter remained in Atlanta, sending them $100 a month on which to live.[9] In Los Angeles, Jane performed on children's shows on KFWB radio,[12] did cartoon voice-overs, and also modeled.[13][4][1] She got her first film role as an extra when their neighbor invited her to come along for her daughter's interview for Handle with Care (1932). Withers stood to the side while the other children interviewed with director David Butler. The assistant director came over and asked her why she was not standing with the others. "Sir, I was not invited to the interview. I came with our friends", she replied. The assistant director told her that Butler had seen her and wanted her to interview as well. Handle with Care was Withers's first film appearance, though she and all the children were photographed with their backs to the camera.[14]


Withers subsequently appeared in many films as an uncredited extra, though occasionally she had a line of dialogue.[15] She stood out from the other girls at auditions because of her appearance: she had a Dutchboy bob and preferred tailored clothes to frilly dresses.[16] "Every interview I ever went on I was the only one with a tailored dress, with straight bangs and straight haircut, and no curls and no frills", she recalled.[16] Butler was the first to notice this about her. He told her, "You're different than any other kid that I've ever seen in Hollywood. You've got a special quality and someday you are going to be a famous little star".[14]


In 1934, Withers was working as an extra on It's a Gift when W. C. Fields selected her from a group of juvenile extras to do a pantomime hopscotch scene with him. Afterwards, he praised her timing and called over her mother to compliment her on Jane's talent and predict that she would go far.[17]


Withers's big break came after two years[18] when she landed a supporting role in the 1934 Shirley Temple film Bright Eyes, also directed by Butler.[4] On her interview, Butler asked her if she could imitate a machine gun, and she gave it a try.[4][19] She also charmed the casting director with her impersonations.[18] Her character, Joy Smythe, is spoiled and obnoxious, a perfect foil for Temple's sweet personality.[20][21] Withers was concerned that filmgoers would hate her for being so mean to Temple, but the film was a box-office hit.[16] Withers said that director Butler confided to her, "You stole the picture".[22]


After filming wrapped, Withers signed a seven-year contract with Fox Film Corporation.[16] Included in her contract was the right to choose the crew members who would work on her productions. Her crew, dubbed the "Withers Family", worked on all her subsequent films.[1][23][24]


After Withers signed her contract with Fox, her mother invested $10,000 into developing additional skills to improve her versatility as an actress, with the intention of spending $20,000 over an eight-year period.[25] This included "ice skating lessons, voice training, horsemanship, dancing, French, Spanish, and swimming lessons".[25]



I never had a [acting] lesson in my life. All you have to do is read and think and do. You read the script, think about it, make notes if you're not sure, try it different ways until it feels natural. I don't know any other way".

–Jane Withers, 2013[24]

Withers began filming her first starring vehicle, Ginger (1935), on her ninth birthday.[26] She received two baskets of flowers on the set that day—one from Fields, to whom she had written about her casting in Bright Eyes, and one from President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who had seen her impersonate him on a newsreel.[1][26] The same year, she appeared in a brief role in The Farmer Takes a Wife and then starred in This Is the Life. Her day of filming in The Farmer Takes a Wife coincided with Henry Fonda's screen debut, and noticing his nervousness, she encouraged him and offered a prayer for his success.[27]



Throughout the remainder of the 1930s, Withers appeared in three to five films per year.[28] In 1936, she starred in Paddy O'Day, Gentle Julia, Little Miss Nobody, and Pepper.[29] In 1937, she performed in comedies, dramas, and a Western with lead roles in The Holy Terror, Angel's Holiday, Wild and Woolly, Can This Be Dixie?, 45 Fathers, and Checkers.[30] In 1938, she filmed three comedies for Fox: Rascals, Keep Smiling, and Always in Trouble.[31] 1939 brought four more comedy roles: The Arizona Wildcat, Boy Friend, Chicken Wagon Family, and Pack Up Your Troubles.[31] Withers often received top billing even over established stars.[28]

Rita Hayworth and Withers in Paddy O'Day (1936)

Withers did not memorize her lines verbatim, but tried to think about them and draw out the "sense" from them; she often ad-libbed when she lost her way in a scene.[32] A natural mimic, she did impersonations of film celebrities both on and off the set.[19][33] Twentieth Century Fox studio head Darryl Zanuck reportedly forbade her from doing her Shirley Temple impersonation in public.[34]



Withers freely gave her input to screenwriters and directors. From a young age, she sat in on writers' conferences to suggest changes in dialogue that would be more appropriate for a child to say.[35] She also suggested the casting of other actors for her films, including Jackie Searl, whom she had met at auditions, and 16-year-old Rita Cansino (later renamed Rita Hayworth), whom she had observed dancing on an adjoining sound stage and recommended for a supporting role in Paddy O'Day.[36] At age 13, she took the initiative to make a film with Gene Autry by acting as a go-between between 20th Century Fox studio head Joseph M. Schenck and Republic Pictures head Herbert J. Yates.[37] Though neither studio was willing to loan their star player to the other, Withers suggested that Fox send three other contract players to Republic Pictures in exchange for Autry, who was paid $25,000 to co-star with Withers in Shooting High (1940).[37][38]



Withers was the only child star to complete a seven-year contract.[39] Studio contracts generally included a series of six-month option periods when the studio could terminate the agreement should the actor's films stop making money.[39] Since all but one of her films were low-budget B movies,[21][40] the studio held Withers to a lower standard than an A-movie actor whose films would cost the studio much more money.[39] Additionally, the lower rental fees for Withers's B movies allowed her films to be screened in many more small theaters, expanding Withers's popularity.[41] In 1937 and 1938, Withers's films made the top 10 list in box-office gross receipts.[21] In addition to her studio contract, Withers made personal appearance tours for which she received $5,000 a week.[32]

Glamor portrait, 1940s

In 1938–1939, Withers shed her childhood pudginess through healthy eating and stretching exercises, slimming down to 100 lb (45 kg) and a size-12 dress.[42] She had her first screen kiss in the 1939 film Boy Friend.[43] In 1940 she filmed Shooting High with co-star Gene Autry, and starred in the teen films High School, The Girl from Avenue A, and Youth Will Be Served.[31] But she and her fans grew dissatisfied with the juvenile roles being offered her as she matured.[1] Under the pseudonym Jerrie Walters, Withers wrote the screenplay for Small Town Deb (1941), in which she also starred.[1] Withers explained in a 2003 interview that "her own experiences of not being allowed by the studio to grow up were translated into the story of a teenage girl whose 'mother isn't allowing her to grow up, to be herself and to find herself'".[1] As payment for the script, Withers requested that the studio provide fifteen $1,500 scholarships for children to study music and acting, and two upright pianos, for her Sunday school groups.[44]

In 1941, Withers signed her second seven-year contract with 20th Century Fox. She was set to earn $2,750 a week in the first year of the contract and $3,000 per week in the second year.[45] Her other films this year for 20th Century Fox were comedies: Golden Hoofs and A Very Young Lady.[31] Her last films for Fox were the war drama Young America and the comedy film The Mad Martindales, both in 1942.[31] She also made Her First Beau (1941) for Columbia Pictures.[31][45]



In 1942, Withers signed a three-year, $225,000 contract with Republic Pictures.[46] Her Republic films were Johnny Doughboy (1942), My Best Gal and Faces in the Fog (both 1944), and Affairs of Geraldine (1946).[31] Her other films in the 1940s were The North Star (1943) for RKO Pictures and Danger Street (1947) for Paramount Pictures.[31]



She endeared herself to audiences with her seemingly limitless energy and impish charm.

—Leonard Maltin[1]

Withers and Shirley Temple were the two most popular child stars signed to 20th Century Fox in the 1930s.[47] In contrast to Temple's cute and charming characters, Withers was usually cast as a mischievous little girl or "a tomboy rascal", leading to her being described as "America's favorite problem child".[21][48] Zierold noted that Withers's characters are "often in trouble, or 'fixes', and prone to brawls".[21] Hollywood gossip columnist Louella Parsons described Withers as "a natural clown".[49] As a child, Withers's "stocky and sturdy" build and straight black hair also contrasted with Temple's "pudgy but delicate" figure and blonde ringlets.[21] Both Withers and Temple usually played orphans and had a transformative effect on those around them.[21] But while Temple was cared for by father figures, Withers was usually under the protection of uncles, both real and imaginary; according to Pamela Wojcik, author of Fantasies of Neglect: Imagining the Urban Child in American Film and Fiction, this introduced the narrative of queerness through alternative family structures.[50]

Withers's bratty screen persona continued into her teens. According to Farley Granger, Withers was "cast as the obnoxious, smart-aleck teen as opposed to Deanna Durbin's or Judy Garland's plucky and adorable adolescent".[51]

Parents and home life[edit]

Jane and her mother in April 1939

While Withers typically played a brat onscreen, off-screen she was said to be "one of Hollywood's most charming and well-behaved juveniles".[52] Her parents closely supervised her upbringing to make sure she did not grow up spoiled or entitled. In a 1942 newspaper article, Ruth described how she and her husband encouraged Jane to develop a generous personality and avoid the egoism and self-centeredness that a child star might accrue as the object of adoring fans and studio "sycophants".[53]



For example, as Withers began to receive gifts of dolls from fans to add to her collection, her parents insisted that for every two dolls she received, she give away one to a needy child. When she began to purchase dolls to build the collection further, her parents mandated that she should use her allowance money to buy duplicate dolls for less fortunate children.[53] Despite her significant earnings from film roles, the money was invested in trust funds and annuities and Withers had to use her allowance money to buy things she wanted for herself, which often meant saving up for weeks.[52][53] In 1938, her allowance was reported as $5 a week;[32][54] this was raised to $10 a week in 1941.[52]

Postcard view of the Withers's home, 1930–1945

During Withers's first 15 years in film, Ruth "handled all negotiations with producers, supervised publicity, [and] completely managed Jane's off-screen life".[3] However, Ruth was not a typical stage mother. She was usually present on the sound stage but did not watch Jane film her scenes; nor did she ever issue instructions or objections to studio personnel.[67][68][69] For his part, Walter Withers did not involve himself in the movie business at all, but worked as a representative for a California wholesale furniture company.[67]

Cover of 1940 paper doll book featuring Withers

Withers's parents licensed her name and image for numerous product lines.[1] As early as 1936, her name was affixed to a line of "Jane Withers Dresses" for girls;[70][71] girls' handbags and jewelry were also branded under her name.[72][73] She was the star of best-selling paper doll books issued by Whitman Publishing, Saalfield Publishing, and Dell in the late 1930s and 1940s,[74][75] which later became popular collectables.[76][77] She was also featured in several Big Little Books published by Whitman Publishing.[78] Numerous dolls were made in her likeness,[5] including four Madame Alexander dolls in 1937 ranging in height from 13.5–20 in (340–510 mm).[79][80]

In the 1940s, Withers was featured as the heroine of three mystery novels published by Whitman Publishing, which produced 16 authorized editions featuring notable film actresses of that era.[81] The books Jane Withers and the Hidden Room (1942) by Eleanor Packer and Jane Withers and the Phantom Violin (1943) by Roy J. Snell[81] "featured a character who looked like Jane Withers and was named Jane Withers but was not Jane Withers".[82] Jane Withers and the Swamp Wizard (1944) by Kathryn Heisenfelt[81] was said to "star some version of the real Jane Withers".[82] The books were reprinted by Literary Licensing in the 21st century.



In the early 1940s, Hollywood's child-star genre that had catapulted Withers to fame was on the decline.[1] Her popularity in comedy films also hindered her acceptance as a dramatic actress in films such as The North Star (1943).[1] Withers retired from film at age 21 in 1947, shortly after completing Danger Street and nine days before her marriage to William Moss, a Texas entrepreneur and film producer.[1][83] She had starred in 38 films.[1]

A month after Jane's twenty-first birthday, her mother Ruth appeared in a California Superior Court and listed her daughter's assets as $40,401.85 (equivalent to $470,000 in 2020). The judge turned the property over to Jane's control.[84] That same month, her parents turned over to her the deed to their home, valued at $250,000 (equivalent to $2,900,000 in 2020), and other real estate worth $75,000, plus annuities totaling $10,000, all purchased from Withers's earnings.[85]



Withers's father died the following year.[2][86] Ruth remarried to Louis D. Boonshaft, a physician.[87][88]

Return to the screen and television work[edit]

Press photo of Withers in [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_(1956_film)]Giant (1956)

In 1955, a year after her divorce, Withers returned to Los Angeles and enrolled in the University of Southern California film school with the intention of becoming a director.[1] She returned to the screen when George Stevens asked her to take a supporting role in his 1956 film Giant.[1][40] In 2005, Withers participated in a 50th-anniversary screening of the film for 700 attendees in Marfa, Texas, where location shooting had taken place.[5][89]

Her performance in Giant led to more work as a character actor in both film and television.[1] She appeared in television episodes of Pete and Gladys;[90] General Electric Theater;[91] The Alfred Hitchcock Hour; The Love Boat; and Murder, She Wrote.[1] Though she received "dozens of offers" to do television series as well as stage musicals such as Mame; Hello, Dolly!; and No, No, Nanette, Withers was financially comfortable and chose to spend most of her time raising her children.[10][92]

I put a lot of myself into Josephine. I felt that any lady who was going to become a plumber cared an awful lot about her fellow man because when you need a plumber you need help.

–Jane Withers, 1979[93]

In the mid-1960s, Withers gained new popularity as Josephine the Plumber, a character in a series of television commercials for Comet cleanser.[1][21] The commercials, featuring Withers dressed in white work overalls and in the proximity of a sink, had her touting Comet's stain-removing ability compared to other cleansers.[94] The one-minute spot, which ran from 1963 to 1974,[94] involved Withers in up to 30 storylines per year.[92][95]

Withers invested much of her own personality into the character of Josephine, making her friendly, caring, and helpful.[93] She also selected the type of work clothes a woman plumber would wear based on what she herself wore at home.[93] She took a course in plumbing to play her part realistically.[95] Her earnings from the long-running commercial helped her pay for a college education for all five of her children.[95]

Withers retired as Josephine after her mother Ruth was diagnosed with a brain tumor.[96] She cared for her mother for eight years until Ruth's death in 1983.[87][96] According to the Los Angeles Times, the character of Josephine was "one of the longest-running continuing characters in TV".[93] Before retiring, Withers filmed two installments of the commercial introducing a young girl who had learned everything she knew about plumbing from "my aunt Josephine".[96]

Stage work[edit]

In late 1944, Withers made her stage debut in the musical comedy Glad To See You directed by Busby Berkeley. The show, intended for Broadway, closed after seven weeks of tryouts in Philadelphia and Boston. Withers sang the Jule Styne-Sammy Cahn torch song "Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry" written for the play; this was soon after covered by Frank Sinatra and Kate Smith and became a jazz and pop standard.[97]

In 1971, Withers co-starred in the Broadway musical comedy Sure, Sure, Shirley which also brought Shirley Temple Black out of retirement. The performance, which featured a tap dancing sequence with 50 chorus dancers, was staged as an opening-night benefit for diabetics.[98]

Voice work[edit]

In the 1990s, Withers did voice acting for Disney animated films.[1][99] In 1995, she was asked to record several lines of dialogue in imitation of the vocal patterns of Mary Wickes, who had recorded the voice of Laverne the gargoyle in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) though had died during post-production.[100] Withers reprised the role in The Hunchback of Notre Dame II (2002).[101]

Withers has narrated audiobooks, including a reading of Why Not Try God? by Mary Pickford which was distributed through a Southern California religious organization.[102]

In the 1990s, she was interviewed on numerous television documentary retrospectives of the Golden Age of Hollywood. She herself was profiled in a 45-minute A&E Biography which aired in 2003.[103]

In 1990, Withers began experiencing symptoms of lupus. She suffered from the disease over a period of ten years, after which she went into remission.[104] She began experiencing vertigo in 2007.[43]
Other activities

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Tony Esposito, NHL Hall of Fame

Anthony James "Tony O" Esposito (April 23, 1943 – August 10, 2021) was a Canadian-American professional ice hockey goaltender, who played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL), 15 of those for the Chicago Black Hawks. He was one of the pioneers of the now popular butterfly style.[1] Tony was the younger brother of Phil Esposito, a centre. Both brothers had notable careers and are enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame.[2][3][4] Esposito's jersey number 35 was retired by the Blackhawks in 1988.

Esposito won the NHL's Vezina Trophy, then awarded to the goaltender(s) of the team which allowed the fewest goals in the regular season, three times, most notably in 1970, when in recorded the modern NHL record of 15 shutouts in a season. He was also awarded the Calder Trophy as the best rookie in the league that season. He was named to the league's First All-Star Team three times and to the Second All-Star Team two times, and served as one of Canada's two goaltenders in the 1972 Summit Series between Canada and the Soviet Union. In 2017, Esposito was named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history.[5]



For 1969–70, the Chicago Black Hawks claimed him from Montreal on waivers, known at the time as the "intra-league draft".[1] Esposito had a spectacular season with Chicago, posting a 2.17 GAA and setting a modern-day NHL record with fifteen shutouts, for which he won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the league's best rookie.[6] He also took the Vezina Trophy (then awarded to the goalies for the team which allowed the fewest goals during the regular seasons)[6][1] and was named to the First All-Star team at season's end. He also was runner-up for league MVP (Hart Memorial Trophy). It was during this record-setting season that he earned the nickname Tony 'O' for his shutout abilities.[6] In 1970–71, he again proved to be one of the league's top goalies and helped Chicago finish first in the NHL's West division. The Black Hawks made it to the Stanley Cup Final, but lost in seven games to Montreal. The following season he posted the lowest GAA of his career (1.77) and shared the Vezina with backup Gary Smith.[6] He was again selected to the NHL's First All-Star team.[11]


Esposito was named to Team Canada for the Summit Series of September 1972. He was the first goalie to earn a win against the Soviets, splitting Canada's goaltending duties with Montreal's Ken Dryden.[12] Esposito posted the lowest GAA of the three goalies (Esposito, Ken Dryden, and Vladislav Tretiak) who appeared in the series.[13] Tony's brother Phil had an exceptional series as well, leading both teams in goals and assists, and was the inspirational leader of the team.[14][15]
Despite the loss of Bobby Hull, Esposito and the Hawks led their division in 1972–73, but lost the Stanley Cup in six games to Montreal. Esposito was named to the NHL's Second All-Star team that year.[11] The next season, 1973–74, was another brilliant season with a sparkling 2.04 GAA and 10 shutouts.[11] Esposito won his third Vezina, sharing it with Philadelphia's Bernie Parent, and was again named a Second Team All-Star.[11]
The Black Hawks declined over the next few seasons although Esposito remained among the top netminders in the NHL. In 1979–80, Esposito enjoyed a fine season with six shutouts and made the First All-Star team for the third time.[11] In 1981, he became a naturalized American citizen and played for Team USA in the Canada Cup (he had previously represented Canada at the 1977 Ice Hockey World Championship tournament).[6][12] He played a few more seasons in Chicago, retiring after the 1983–84 season.[11]

Esposito is one of just eight goalies to win the Vezina catching the puck right-handed (that is, he was left-handed, using his dominant left hand for his stick and blocker).[6] The other seven are fellow Black Hawks' legend Charlie Gardiner (in 1932 and 1934), the New York Rangers' Davey Kerr (1940), ambidextrous Montreal goalie Bill Durnan (1944–1947, 1949 and 1950), the New York Rangers' Gilles Villemure (1971), Tom Barrasso of the Buffalo Sabres (1984), Edmonton Oilers' Grant Fuhr (1988) and José Théodore of the Montreal Canadiens in 2002.[16]
Esposito was the second NHL player to officially wear the number 35, after goaltender Fern Rivard wore 35 for the Minnesota North Stars in 1968-69, a common number now worn by many goaltenders. It was assigned to him during training camp prior to Chicago's 1969–70 season because the standard goalie numbers 1 and 30 were already assigned. After posting a shutout in his first exhibition game for the team, he chose to keep wearing the number. His number 35 was retired by the Blackhawks on November 20, 1988.

Esposito was noted as being superstitious, becoming upset by crossed hockey sticks and regularly lining up his hockey sticks in a particular way.[6]




Retirement

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Unlikely profession (librarian) for a hero... but here was one:

Alia Muhammad Baker (1952 – 13 August 2021) (also spelled "Baqer") was an Iraqi librarian, who was the chief librarian in the Al Basrah Central Library, Basra, Iraq. Baker saved an estimated 30,000 books from destruction during the Iraq War, including a biography of Muhammad from around 1300.[1]


Baker had worked at the library for 14 years.[2] As a child she was told the story of the burning of Baghdad's Nizamiyya library and was horrified.[3]
As war with the US and UK loomed, government officials denied her requests that the books be moved to safety. When government offices moved into the library and an anti-aircraft gun was placed on the roof, she started to smuggle books out of the library.[1]

With a Shi'ite population relatively unsupportive of the Hussein regime, Basra was one of the first targets in the 2003 invasion of Iraq beginning in November. Coalition forces met with more resistance than expected. Most of the invading American troops moved northwards, leaving Basra under a multi-week siege led by the British.[4][5] The city was soon suffering from a "humanitarian crisis" in which residents lacked both water and electricity.[6][7]
The invading forces (including the Royal Australian Air Force) used bombing and psychological warfare during the siege.[8] Eventually, a large column of Iraqi tanks was destroyed by RAF bombs and 300 prisoners were taken in a battle outside the city.[9][10][11] British troops occupied the city on 6 April.[12]
After the government employees vacated the building and the library furnishings were looted, Baker convinced Anis Muhammad, the owner of the restaurant Hamdan, to help.[13] Baker enlisted the help of locals to smuggle the remaining books over the library's seven foot wall and into the dining room of the restaurant next door. Before the library was destroyed, Baker had rescued 70% of the library's collection: 30,000 books, including English and Arabic books and a Spanish language Koran.[1][14]

Baker and her husband rented a truck and distributed the books among library employees, friends, and their own home after things settled down in Basra.[3] The library was rebuilt in 2004 and Baker was reinstated as chief librarian.[15]
The story of how Baker rescued the library books has inspired two children's books: Alia's Mission and Jeanette Winter's The Librarian of Basra (Harcourt 2005). Some of the money raised from sales has been donated to the library.[16]
Baker died on 13 August 2021, due to complications from COVID-19.[17]

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Nanci Griffith, age 68, left this world the morning of Friday, August 13, 2021. Originally from Port Arthur, TX, Ms. Griffith was one of a handful of singers whose style blended the country and folk genres. One of her early mentors was Bill Staines, and she covered his best known song “Roseville Fair”. She remained in relative obscurity until another country-folkie, Kathy Mattea, scored a hit with “Love at the Five and Dime” which undoubtedly became her best known composition. Besides recording many of her own compositions, she was also a great interpreter of the work of other writers. Among others she did a splendid version of Bob Dylan’s “Boots of Spanish Leather”. Cause of death unknown at time of obit. She will no doubt be missed by many in the fields of folk and country music.

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major advocate for LGBT rights

Paulette Goodman (died August 15, 2021) was the President of Parents, Friends and Family of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) from 1988 to 1992.[1] She led the campaign to get PFLAG ads displayed on DC Metro buses.

Paulette Goodman was born to a Jewish family and grew up in Nazi-occupied Paris.[2] Her family moved to the United States in 1949. In 1980, she moved to Silver Spring, Maryland. Her daughter came out in 1981, and Goodman helped found the Metro Washington DC-area chapter of PFLAG, PFLAG Metro DC in 1983. During her tenure, she counseled families of LGBT people, answered calls on the PFLAG helpline, and led the campaign to get PFLAG ads displayed on DC Metro buses.[3][4]


Goodman has appeared on radio, TV, and in print, and given talks and workshops at colleges, in faith communities, and other public forums. She lobbied in Annapolis and on Capitol Hill for LGBT equality, and helped start PFLAG chapters in Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia. In 1991 Goodman was honored by the Association of 
Gay and Lesbian Psychiatrists for PFLAG, and with the Public Service Award of the Greater New York Bar Association for Human Rights. She also served as the DC Pride Parade Grand Marshal in 1989.

In 1989, Goodman sent a series of letters to Barbara Bush asking for her support. The first lady replied personally, stating, "I firmly believe that we cannot tolerate discrimination against any individuals or groups in our country. Such treatment always brings with it pain and perpetuates intolerance." The reply, inadvertently passed on to the Associated Press, caused a political maelstrom and may have been the first gay-positive comments to come from the White House.[5][6]

In 2005 Goodman founded PFLAG Riderwood—a satellite support group under the umbrella of PFLAG Metro DC—a first-of-its-kind PFLAG group based in a retirement home at Riderwood Community. Since its founding, the group has actively inspired other support groups to start in retirement homes.[7]
In March 2013, she received recognition for her work with PFLAG from both Montgomery County, Maryland and Martin O'Malley, the Governor of Maryland.
She died of natural causes on August 15, 2021.[8]

Season 3, episode 9 of the podcast “Making Gay History” is about her.[9]

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Bill Freehan, long-time catcher for the Detroit Tigers


William Ashley Freehan (November 29, 1941 – August 19, 2021) was an American professional baseball player. He played his entire 15-year Major League Baseball career as a catcher with the Detroit Tigers. The premier catcher in the American League for several years from the 1960s into the early 1970s, he was named an All-Star in each of the 11 seasons in which he caught at least 75 games, and was the MVP runner-up for the champion Tigers in the 1968 World Series, handling a pitching staff which included World Series MVP Mickey Lolich and regular season MVP Denny McLain, who went on to become the first 30-game winner in the majors since 1934.

A five-time Gold Glove Award winner,[1] Freehan held the major league record for highest career fielding percentage (.9933) until 2002, and also the records for career putouts (9,941) and total chances (10,734) from 1975 until the late 1980s;[2] he ranked ninth in major league history in games caught (1,581) at the end of his career. His career totals of 200 home runs and 2,502 total bases placed him behind only Yogi Berra and Bill Dickey among AL catchers when he retired.



Freehan signed with his hometown Tigers in 1961 for a $100,000 bonus, which his father withheld until he graduated in 1966, and broke in briefly with 4 games at the end of the season before returning to the minors in 1962.[7] In 1963 he arrived in the majors to stay, working with former catcher Rick Ferrell on his defense and splitting catching duties with Gus Triandos, who was traded following the season. The 1964 campaign gave indications of what was to come; he batted .300 to finish sixth in the American League (AL), and added 18 home runs and 80 runs batted in.[8] He also led the AL by throwing out 53% of potential base stealers, earned the first of his ten consecutive All-Star selections, and placed seventh in the Most Valuable Player Award balloting.[9] In 1965 he led the AL in putouts for the first of six times, and received the first of his five consecutive Gold Gloves. In 1966 he again led the league in putouts, and also led in fielding percentage for the first of four times.[4]
1967 was his best season yet, as he batted .282 – ninth in the AL as averages hit an all-time low – with 20 home runs, and broke Elston Howard's 1964 AL single-season records with 950 putouts and 1,021 total chances. Freehan led the league in both intentional walks and times hit by pitch, and finished third in the MVP voting after Detroit finished one game behind the Boston Red Sox for the AL pennant.[10][11]

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Freehan wearing protective catcher's gear as a member of the [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detroit_Tigers]Detroit Tigers in 1966.

Freehan had an even better year in 1968 as he was considered the quiet leader of the 1968 World Series championship squad. In a year marked by dominant pitching, he posted career highs with 25 home runs and 84 RBI, fifth and sixth in the AL respectively.[12] Freehan broke his own records with 971 putouts and 1,050 total chances, marks which remained league records until Dan Wilson topped them with the 1997 Seattle Mariners. He was also hit by 24 pitches, the most in the AL since Kid Elberfeld in 1911. Despite playing in hitter-friendly Tiger Stadium, Freehan guided the Tigers' pitching staff to an earned run average of 2.71, third best in the league.[13] McLain won 31 games and Lolich won 17 as the Tigers ran away with the pennant. Because of his offensive and defensive contributions, he finished second to McLain in the MVP voting.[14] Freehan and Carl Yastrzemski were the only players to finish in the top ten of the voting in both 1967 and 1968, and only Yastrzemski reached base more often in 1968. He capped his season by recording the final out of the World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals, retiring Tim McCarver on a popup. He also made a pivotal play in Game 5, with the Cardinals leading the Series 3-1 and the game 3-2.[15] In the fifth inning, Lou Brock – whom Freehan had thrown out on an attempted steal in the third inning – doubled with one out and attempted to score on Julián Javier's single, however Freehan successfully blocked the plate with his foot, and held on to the ball even though Brock came in standing up in an attempt to knock the ball loose. Detroit won by scoring three runs in the seventh inning, and went on to take the last two games.[16]

Although Freehan's later seasons rarely approached the brilliance of those two campaigns, he continued to turn out All-Star years for the Tigers. His offensive numbers dipped in 1970, but he threw out 47% of potential base stealers (his highest mark since 1964) and had a .997 fielding percentage. In 1971 he rebounded with a .277 batting average and 21 home runs, three of those coming in one game against the Boston Red Sox in August. He hit .262 for the 1972 Eastern Division champions. He missed the first two games (both losses) of the 1972 American League Championship Series against the Oakland Athletics while recovering from a hairline fracture of his thumb, then doubled and homered in a 3-0 Game 3 win, in which Joe Coleman set a League Championship Series record with 14 strikeouts.[17] Freehan drove in the first of three runs in the tenth inning of Game 4 in a memorable 4-3 come-from-behind victory which tied the series;[18] he also drove in Detroit's only run in the 2-1 Game 5 loss.[19] In 1974, playing primarily at first base, he finished fifth in the American League in slugging average with a .479 mark.[20] He moved back behind the plate the following year to earn his 11th All-Star berth. Freehan ended his career in 1976, batting .270.[4]

In his 15-year career, Freehan played in 1,774 games with 1,591 hits in 6,073 at bats for a .262 batting average along with 241 doubles, 200 home runs, 758 RBI, and a .340 on-base percentage.[4] In addition to his home runs and total bases, his .412 slugging average and totals of 1,591 hits, 706 runs and 476 extra base hits all put him among the top five AL catchers to that time. His batting totals are particularly remarkable in light of the fact offense was at a low throughout the sport during his career, with a decided advantage toward pitchers. Freehan led all AL catchers in fielding percentage four times (1965, 1966, 1970, 1973).[21] He also ranked sixth in American League history with 114 times being hit by a pitch. Freehan caught more games than any other player in Tigers' team history.[22] In his book, The Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract, baseball historian Bill James ranked Freehan 12th all-time among major league catchers.[23]

Freehan held the major league record for highest career fielding percentage (.9933) until 2002, when Dan Wilson broke his record. In 1973 and 1974 he surpassed Yogi Berra to become the AL's all-time leader in putouts and total chances; he broke Johnny Roseboro's major league marks in 1975. Bob Boone broke his major league mark of 10,734 career total chances in 1987, and Gary Carter surpassed his putouts total of 9,941 in 1988;[24][25] Carlton Fisk broke his AL records in 1989 (total chances) and 1990 (putouts).[26] Freehan caught 114 shutouts during his career, ranking him 18th all-time among major league catchers.[27]

In 1969, Freehan penned "Behind the Mask", a diary-type recording of his thoughts and experiences as seen from the catcher's perspective.[28] He and pitcher Mickey Lolich started 324 games as a battery, more than any other duo since 1900.[29]

After retiring as a player, Freehan coached Tigers catcher Lance Parrish on the fine points of playing his position. In 1978, Freehan was one of seven members of the inaugural class of inductees to the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor.[5] He served as a color commentator for Seattle Mariners broadcasts from 1979 to 1980, and for Tigers broadcasts on PASS Sports television from 1984 to 1985.[30][31] He subsequently returned to the University of Michigan as head coach of the baseball team from 1989 to 1995.[3] He went back to the Tigers as a catching instructor in 2002, serving in that capacity for three seasons before retiring.[32]

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Tom T. Hall, legendary country songwriter passed away August 20, 2021 at age 85. Like Dylan and Kristofferson, he first gained fame as a writer before he did as a performer. He was the writer of the Jeannie C. Riley mega-hit “Harper Valley PTA”.  He then launched his own recording career specializing in story songs such as Old Dogs, Children and Watermelon Wine”, “The Year Clayton Delaney Died”, as well as the tongue-in-cheek comedic “Ode to a Half a Pound of Ground Round”. His sentimental ballad “I Love” also scored on the Billboard pop and easy listening charts. His wife Dixie, who passed in 2015, was a songwriter as well.

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We now have completed a trifecta of musical passings with the death of Don Everly, the last of the Everly Brothers along with the recent passings of Nanci Griffith and Tom T. Hall. Don was 85. Along with brother Phil who passed a while back, they strung up an impressive list of chart hits including “Wake Up Little Susie”, “Walk Right Back” and “Crying in the Rain”. They may well have been the original country-rock musical act. Another one of their huge hits, “Cathy’s Clown” was later covered by Reba McEntire with a slower tempo. “Walk Right Back” was also covered by country-pop chanteuse Anne Murray.

The duos popularity waned when the British Invasion plowed onto the scene in the mid-1960s. Still they managed a comeback hit with “Bowling Green” in 1967. The two brothers split up later in what was said to be a quite bitter rift. They did manage to reunite and tour again in the 1980s but never regained chart success.

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Don Everly, the remaining of the two Everly Brothers, a duo of millifluous fusion singers. Country? Folk? Rock-and-roll?

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Rod Gilbert, NHL Hall of Fame star

Rodrigue Gabriel Gilbert (July 1, 1941 – August 22, 2021) was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played his entire career for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played right wing on the GAG line (Goal-a-Game Line) with Vic Hadfield and Jean Ratelle. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1982, and was the first player in New York Rangers history to have his number retired. Gilbert worked for the New York Rangers organization after his playing career.

ilbert was born in Montreal on July 1, 1941.[1] He grew up a fan of the Montreal Canadiens.[2] He played three seasons for the Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters of the Ontario Hockey Association from 1957 to 1960.[3] In his final year with the team, Gilbert slipped on some garbage strewn on the ice and fell back into the boards, breaking a vertebra in his back and temporarily paralyzing him.[4][5] Corrective surgery went awry and led to hemorrhaging in his leg, and doctors feared amputation would be necessary, but Gilbert recovered.[6]



After finishing his junior career with the Guelph Royals, Gilbert joined the Rangers near the end of the 1960–61 NHL season. He soon became popular with the Rangers' fans, and he rose in prominence as an NHL star. However, it was not without pain. In 1965–66, his career was nearly derailed when he went through a second spinal fusion operation.[7] This surgery was performed by Dr. Kazuo Yanagisawa. Gilbert was out of action for half a season, but he bounced back in 1966–67 and scored 28 goals.[6] On February 24, 1968, he scored four goals in a game against the Montreal Canadiens. The Ratelle-Hadfield-Gilbert line, called the GAG line, proved formidable for years.[6] He played with Team Canada in the 1972 Summit Series against the Soviet Union. He won the Bill Masterton Trophy in 1976 for his perseverance over his back troubles.[8]

At the beginning of the 1977–78 NHL season, Gilbert and Rangers' General Manager John Ferguson got into a contract dispute.[6] He would retire after the season, his nineteenth in the NHL. His number 7 was retired by the Rangers on October 14, 1979, the first number to be retired by the team.[9]



After retiring from professional hockey, Gilbert opened his own restaurant 'Gilbert's' on Third Avenue near 75th street in Manhattan.[10] He subsequently worked for Fundamental Brokers on Wall Street, assiting the company in opening a branch in his hometown of Montreal. He went back to the Rangers organization in August 1989. There, he acted as director of special projects and community relations representative, as well as president of its alumni association.[10] From 2017 onwards, Gilbert made upwards of 30 appearances a year on behalf of the Garden of Dreams Foundation, an outreach program that works with children in the community.[2]



Gilbert married Judith Christy in 1991, in a ceremony conducted by New York mayor David Dinkins.[11] Together, they had four children: Chantal, Justin, Holly, and Brooke.[12] Gilbert was one of ten athletes who were featured in American artist Andy Warhol's 1979 Athlete Series of paintings, which featured prominent sports figures from the 1970s. Others in the series include O. J. Simpson, Chris Evert, and Pelé.[13]

Gilbert died on August 22, 2021, at the age of 80.[12][14]
Aw

[Eric the Green]

Charlie Watts, 2 June 1941 – 24 August 2021, the unassuming son of a truck driver who gained global fame as the drummer for the Rolling Stones, has died. He was 80.

''It is with immense sadness that we announce the death of our beloved Charlie Watts. He passed away peacefully in a London hospital earlier today surrounded by his family," his spokesperson said Tuesday in an emailed statement to CNN.

"Charlie was a cherished husband, father and grandfather and also as a member of The Rolling Stones one of the greatest drummers of his generation. We kindly request that the privacy of his family, band members and close friends is respected at this difficult time.''

The band had announced earlier this month that Watts would miss the band's upcoming North American leg of its "No Filter" tour after undergoing a medical procedure for an unknown condition.

Watts became part of the Stones' longtime foursome alongside Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood, anchoring the band's blues-rock sound from his drum kit for more than 50 years.

His first love was jazz

Always a reluctant rock and roll star -- his true love was jazz -- Watts was born in 1941, when Hitler's bombs were still falling over London. He grew up in the west London suburb of Wembley.

From a young age, Watts was passionate about drumming. He would "rap out tunes on the table with pieces of wood or a knife and fork" before his parents bought him a drum kit when he was 14, his mother said. He went on to study graphic design at the Harrow School of Art.

His first job was in advertising and, in his spare time, Watts wrote and published a children's book about jazz legend Charlie Parker called "Ode to a High Flying Bird." The preface read: "This story was compiled by one Charlie to a late and great Charlie."

https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/24/entertain...index.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Watts

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a thoroughly-nasty dictator

Hissène Habré (Arabic: حسين حبري Ḥusaīn Ḥabrī, Chadian Arabic: pronounced [hiˈsɛn ˈhabre]; French pronunciation: [isɛn abʁe]; 13 August 1942 – 24 August 2021),[1] also spelled Hissen Habré, was a Chadian politician and convicted war criminal who served as the 5th president of Chad from 1982 until he was deposed in 1990. He was brought to power with the support of France and the United States, who provided training, arms, and financing.[3] He died on 24 August 2021 after testing positive for COVID-19.[4][5]


In May 2016, he was found guilty by an international tribunal in Senegal of human-rights abuses, including rape, sexual slavery, and ordering the killing of 40,000 people, and sentenced to life in prison.[6] He was the first former head of state to be convicted for human rights abuses in the court of another nation.[7]

Much more at Wikipedia

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Eddie Asner (/ˈæznər/; November 15, 1929 – August 29, 2021), known generally as Ed Asner, was an American actor, voice artist, and a president of the Screen Actors Guild. He was perhaps best known for his role as Lou Grant during the 1970s and early 1980s, on both The Mary Tyler Moore Show and its spin-off series Lou Grant, making him one of the few television actors to portray the same character in both a comedy and a drama. He was the most honored male performer in the history of the Primetime Emmy Awards, having won seven – five for portraying Lou Grant (three as Supporting Actor in a Comedy Television Series and two as Lead Actor in a Dramatic Television Series). His other Emmys were for performances in two of the most significant television miniseries of the 1970s: Rich Man, Poor Man (1976), where he won for Outstanding Lead Actor for a Single Performance in a TV series, and Roots (1977), for which he won for Outstanding Single Performance by a Supporting Actor in a TV series.[2]


He played John Wayne's adversary Bart Jason in the 1966 Western El Dorado. He played Santa Claus in several films, notably in 2003's Elf.[3] In 2009, he starred as the voice of Carl Fredricksen in Pixar's animated film Up and made a guest appearance on CSI: NY in the episode "Yahrzeit". In early 2011, Asner returned to television as butcher Hank Greziak in Working Class, the first original sitcom on cable channel CMT. He starred in Michael, Tuesdays and Thursdays, on CBC Television and appeared in The Glades. In 2013, he guest starred as Mr. Finger in The Crazy Ones. Asner guest-starred as Guy Redmayne in the sixth season of The Good Wife. In 2020 he guest starred in an episode of Modern Family and had a recurring role as James Staghorne Sr. on Briarpatch.

Much more at Wikipedia.

[Tim Randal Walker]

Asner appeared in an episode of the X-Files-"How The Ghosts Stole Christmas". Airing Dec. 13 of '98, the sixth episode of the sixth season. This was the cheapest of the sixth season episodes. Featuring only four actors, including guest star Lily Tomlin, as well as David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson. There was only one set.

This was a stand alone episode, unrelated to any over arching story arc.

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Another loud-mouth anti-mask, anti-vaccine advocate dies of practicing what he preaches.

Marc Bernier, a prominent conservative radio host from Daytona Beach, Florida, who was an outspoken opponent of COVID vaccines and mask mandates, died Saturday after a nearly month-long battle with COVID-19. He was 65 years old.

“It’s with great sadness that WNDB and Southern Stone Communications announce the passing of Marc Bernier, who informed and entertained listeners on WNDB for over 30 years,” the station confirmed on Twitter. “We kindly ask that privacy is given to Marc’s family during this time of grief.”

It’s with great sadness that WNDB and Southern Stone Communications announce the passing of Marc Bernier, who informed and entertained listeners on WNDB for over 30 years. We kindly ask that privacy is given to Marc’s family during this time of grief. pic.twitter.com/vXQIAtVN9e

olusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood, a regular guest on Marc Bernier’s WNDB radio show, told The Daytona Beach News-Journal that he’s been “numb” since hearing the news. “To me, this is a death in the family,” he said.

Bernier, a native of Rhode Island, moved to the Daytona Beach area three decades ago and became a popular and outspoken voice for conservatism during his three-hour afternoon show at the Florida station — as well as a strident voice against vaccinations of all sorts.

On July 30, Bernier posted what would become his final tweet, in which he compared the U.S. government to Nazis in its push to get people vaccinated.

He was responding to a tweet from Nikki Fried, a Democrat set to run against Florida’s Ron DeSantis next year, who wrote:”The greatest generation had to defeat the Nazis to preserve our way of life, you’re only being asked to get a shot. So be a patriot. Turn off the TV and go get vaccinated.”

In response, Bernier quote-tweeted her post saying, “Should say, ‘Now the US Government is acting like Nazi’s. Get the shot!’”  

Should say, "Now the US Government is acting like Nazi's. Get the shot!" https://t.co/8WLpXVxGRm

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/marc...49503.html

[Eric the Green]

Eddie Asner (/ˈæznər/; November 15, 1929 – August 29, 2021)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Asner

Not only was I a big fan of the MTM show, but I also got tapes of Neal Donald Walsch's work "Conversations with God." I wonder who would have been better at coming off as "God" in that work.
https://www.amazon.com/Conversations-God...B002LL0OPW

I was just thinking about him yesterday. I will miss him while I am still here.

Other sources list him as Edward Asner

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Latif Nassif Jassim (Arabic: لطيف نصيف جاسم‎; 1941 – 30 August 2021) was an Iraqi politician and leader of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party.

Latif Nassif Jassim was born in 1941. He joined the Ba'ath party in 1957 and was arrested after the 18 November 1963 movement.[1][2]
He held ministerial positions from 1977 until 1996. He was appointed minister of agriculture and agrarian reform on 5 April 1977, minister of culture and media until 1991 and minister of labor and social affairs until 1996.[1]
His name was included in the list of Iraqis wanted by the United States at number 18, and he was 10 of Clubs on the most wanted Iraqis playing cards.[3][4][5]
Latif was arrested on 9 June 2003 and sentenced to life imprisonment in 2009 in the case of the murder of Mohammad al-Sadr.[6]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latif_Nassif_Jassim

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Michail "Mikis" Theodorakis (Greek: Μιχαήλ (Μίκης) Θεοδωράκης [ˈmicis θeoðoˈɾacis]; 29 July 1925 – 2 September 2021) was a Greek composer and lyricist who contributed to contemporary Greek music with over 1000 works.[1][2][3][4][5]


He scored for the films Zorba the Greek (1964), Z (1969), and Serpico (1973). He composed the "Mauthausen Trilogy", also known as "The Ballad of Mauthausen", which has been described as the "most beautiful musical work ever written about the Holocaust" and possibly his best work.[6] Up until his death, he was viewed as Greece's best-known living composer.[2][4][7] He was awarded the Lenin Peace Prize.[8]

Politically, he was associated with the left because of his long-standing ties to the Communist Party of Greece. He was an MP for the KKE from 1981 to 1990. Nevertheless, in 1989 he ran as an independent candidate within the centre-right New Democracy party, in order for the country to emerge from the political crisis that had been created due to the numerous scandals of the government of Andreas Papandreou,[9] and helped establish a large coalition between conservatives, socialists and leftists. In 1990 he was elected to the parliament (as in 1964 and 1981), became a government minister under Constantine Mitsotakis, and fought against drugs and terrorism and for culture, education and better relations between Greece and Turkey. He continued to speak out in favour of leftist causes, Greek–Turkish–Cypriot relations, and against the War in Iraq.[10][11] He was a key voice against the 1967–1974 Greek junta, which imprisoned him and banned his songs.[12]

More at Wikipedia.