|
SONGSPEAKno soup for you |
| { | } | { | } |
Archives!
TAG: dead
-
last exit
Actor Corey Haim found dead in L.A. home
Songspeak is sad to learn that actor Corey Haim, famous for his roles in popular 80s movies, The Lost Boys and License To Drive, has died of an apparent drug overdose. More recently, Haim and his frequent co-star and friend, Corey Feldman starred in an A&E reality series called The Two Coreys. Anyone who has watched the show knows that Corey Haim has struggled with drug addiction and alcohol throughout his adult life, while Corey Feldman has had his own issues as well. Needless to say, the two have had a tumultuous friendship.Originally from Canada, Corey Haim was living in Los Angeles, California.
Tags: A&E, child actor, corey feldman, corey haim, dead, drug, drugs, L.A., license to drive, los angeles, lost boys, overdose, the two coreys
1 comment
-
last exit
Gidget, the Taco Bell chihuahua, has died
Taco Bell’s chihuahua Gidget, the one made famous by the Yo Quiero Taco Bell commercials, has died at the age of 15.Farewell, Gidget. You introduced the chalupa and the gordita to me, and promoted that 90’s Godzilla movie that I wound up seeing. I will never forget you.
I’ll be pouring a little baja blast Mountain Dew on the curb in your memory.
Via AdFreak.
Tags: baja blast, chalupa, chihuahua, commercials, dead, died, gidget, godzilla, gordita, mountain dew, taco bell, taco bell dog, yo quiero
comment?
-
last exit
Holy shit, Michael Jackson died
Michael Jackson, perhaps the biggest pop icon of our time, died suddenly yesterday in Los Angeles. The King Of Pop’s career and personal life took odd and controversial twists and turns in later years, but albums like Thriller absolutely defined our generation. He was a truly electrifying performer.
Tags: cardiac arrest, dead, died, heart attack, king of pop, los angeles, michael jackson, sudden death, thriller
2 comments
-
last exit
Multi-instrumentalist for Wilco, Jay Bennett, dies
Multi-instrumentalist, Jay Bennett, best remembered as the noise loving keyboard, piano, moog, melotron, guitar, banjo etc. loving contributor to Wilco’s (arguably best) albums died in his sleep this past Saturday, May 23rd, 2009. Famously chronicled in the documentary, I Am Trying To Break Your Heart in which Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy actually fires him, Jay Bennett appeared on Wilco’s albums from A.M through Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.Since leaving Wilco, Bennett kept recording. His most recent release, Whatever Happened I Apologize is available as a free download from Rock Proper.
Jay Bennett’s recent health problems were pretty sad, especially since he apparently couldn’t afford health insurance, and didn’t have the means to pay for his much needed surgery. His financial burdens allegedly prompted his recent lawsuit against Wilco, for not receiving royalties for his appearance in I Am Trying To Break Your Heart.
Edited excerpt from Jay Bennett’s myspace blog dated April 24th:
I’ve been close to bedridden since I last “saw” y’all. After burying my proverbial head in the proverbial sand since last summer, I finally decided it was time I “face the music,” and find out what was causing the severe pain and immobility in my right leg. I have had a torn A.C.L. in that knee for many years (caused by a “daring,” well, uh, really just ill-planned, and poorly executed, stage jump at Seventh Street Entry in Minneapolis, with Titanic Love Affair), and suspected that time had most likely further worn down, or even torn loose some more cartilage, most likely causing premature arthritis. So, after much prompting from friends and loved ones (“Jay that limp is NOT getting any better”), bright and early one Monday morning I decided to simply open up the Yellow Pages, and find the first Orthopedic Medicine Clinic with an immediate opening and find out what a large part of me did not want to find out. I braced myself for a diagnosis of additional minor knee surgery to remove some “floating” cartilage, and told myself that maybe all I needed was a cortisone shot or two, or something like that…but, something deep down inside was telling me this could well be something bigger and badder (or else why would I have “run” from it for so long). I DID NOT brace myself for THE diagnosis of the need for a complete hip replacement (ball and socket, if you will). I just about fainted when I saw the X-Rays of that hip….holy &%$#*, what a mess I had made. The doctor sized me up at 5′9″ (well actually, now a bit shorter than that on one side) and concluded that most likely I was not a basketball player, yet recognized the damage as that typically caused by repetitive high impact sports activity. Well, I knew in a heartbeat that could mean only one thing…. and, yes, you guessed it—-a decade plus of multiple nightly stage jumps and various other rock and roll theatrics had finally taken a toll that I could no longer merely “deal with,” or ignore, even if I were to change my evil ways (baby). As I dizzily drove home (a drive I can barely remember), I alternately rode waves of the power derived from finally having the knowledge I had both craved and avoided, and of the fear of an uncertain future.
Well, it turns out that these types of injuries don’t really heal themselves, as I naively told myself might just magically happen, if I rested that leg, used a cane for a while, and lost a bit of weight. So, major surgery it was to be…the only glitch, I am among our nations under-insured (my previous injury to that leg was listed as a pre-existing condition, and any injury that could be linked to the same root cause, I was told would not be covered). Some time passed as I contemplated my next “move,”—-how to come up with the money to pay for the surgery “out of pocket,” and as I brainstormed, my hip finally decided to lock up, and the pain got worse. So I began the arduous, or more accurately, extremely time consuming and endlessly frustrating, process of finding a surgeon and hospital that would perhaps “cut me a deal,” be willing to bargain/barter a bit, or at least allow me to make installment payments. As it turns out, this is possible, but also difficult to arrange, if you can not come up with a sizable down payment as a show good faith, etc. I have been saving as much money as possible ever since I made this new commitment to my health, my future, and my quality of life, and have sold off some vintage recording gear, whose monetary collectors value now far outweighs it’s functional value.
I still don’t know exactly when my surgery will be, but I have learned a good deal about the procedure, and that has helped to make me MUCH less fearful. The double dose of anxiety caused by the pain, and the quite natural fear of the invasive surgery itself, really had me in its grip for a while, but now it only comes in waves. Once I am able to get a down payment of sorts together and actually have the surgery performed, I have been told that I then have only about six to eight weeks of physical therapy before I should be operating at approximately 80% capacity—-these types of joint replacements have come light years in the past five years or so. The way I look at it, I’m functioning WAY below 80% right now, so what do I have to lose? Except a limp, some pain, some anxiety, and some weight. In many ways, I’m really looking forward to it, and wish I could go in tomorrow.
Full text after the jump… (more…)
Tags: a.c.l., dead, died in his sleep, health insurance, hip replacement, i am trying to break your heart, jay bennett, jay walter bennett, rock proper, stage diving, surgery, whatever happened i apologize, wilco, yankee hotel foxtrot
comment?
-
last exit
A permanent lapse of Richard Wright from Pink Floyd
Keyboard player and founding member of Pink Floyd, Richard Wright, died today in Britain after struggling with cancer. He met fellow band members Roger Waters and Nick Mason white attending Regent Street Polytechnic (now The University of Westminster) in 1965 and played on every album except The Final Cut.Though dominated by Roger Waters and later, David Gilmour, Wright had a heavy influence on the band’s sound and wrote songs as well. Some of his more recognized compositions, like “Us And Them” from Dark Side of the Moon as well as his early keyboard and synthesizer work introduced the rich synth sound to other bands in the 60s and 70s.
From the New York Times
A Pink Floyd spokesman says founding member Richard Wright has died. He was 65. Wright died Monday, September 15, 2008 after a battle with cancer at his home in Britain. His family did not want to give more details about his death… He wrote “The Great Gig In The Sky” and “Us And Them” from Pink Floyd’s 1973 “The Dark Side Of The Moon.” He left the group in the early 1980s to form his own band but rejoined Pink Floyd for their 1987 album “A Momentary Lapse of Reason.
Tags: 60s music, 70s music, 80s music, a momentary lapse of reason, dark side of the moon, david gilmour, dead, death, died, nick mason, pink floyd, regent street polytechnic, richard wright, roger waters, sigma 6, synth, sythesizer, the final cut, the great gig in the sky, the university of westminster, the wall
comment?
-
last exit
Snowman… You got yer ears on, good buddy?
Jerry Reed, the Eastbound and Down scene-stealer in Smokey and the Bandit, also starring Burt Reynolds and Sally Field, died this past Sunday, August 31st, in Nashville, TN. He was 71.Besides his films, Reed was an accomplished guitarist with a successful music career, winning a Grammy in 1972 for best male country vocal performance for his song, When You’re Hot, You’re Hot.
He also, of course, wrote the theme song to Smokey and the Bandit, Eastbound And Down. Here it is in this great scene/montage from the movie:
R.I.P., Snowman.
Tags: burt reynolds, cb, dead, death, died, dies, ears on, eastbound and down, good buddy, grammy, guitar, guitarist, jerry reed, radio, sally field, smokey and the bandit, snowman, when you're hot you're hot
comment?
-
last exit
In a world… without Don LaFontaine’s movie voice
A voiceover master, Don LaFontaine recorded countless movie trailers, commericals, programs, files and other presentations. He was arguably the most successful voice actor of all time. Monday, September 1st, 2008, LaFontaine died at the age of 68 following complications from a collapsed lung.
Here’s a good retrospective on his career.
From LaFontaine’s website:
Over the past 25 years, LaFontaine cemented his position as the “King of Voice-overs.” Aside from his continuing work in the trailer industry, he has also been the voice of NBC, CBS, ABC, Fox and UPN, in addition to TNT, TBS and the Cartoon Network. By conservative estimates, he has voiced hundreds of thousands of television and radio spots, including commercials for Chevrolet, Pontiac, Ford, Budweiser, McDonalds, Coke, and many other corporate sponsors. At last count, he has worked on nearly 5000 films, including appearances as the in-show announcer for the Screen Actors Guild and Academy Awards. Based on contracts signed, he has the distinction of being perhaps the single busiest actor in the history of SAG.
Due to the sheer number of trailers he recorded, Don LaFontaine became known for his “In a world….” phrase. He poked fun of his cliche phrase at various events, and of course, in this great Geico commercial.
Tags: collapsed lung, commercials, dead, dies, don lafontaine, geico, in a world, movie trailer, movie voice, previews, sag, screen actors guild, the voice, totally underwater, voice actor, voice of the movies, voiceover, voiceover king, voiceover master
4 comments
-
last exit
LeRoi Moore, sax player for Dave Matthews Band, dies
Saxophonist and founding member of Dave Matthews Band, Leroi Moore, died yesterday, August 19th, 2008 in Los Angeles.In June, Moore severely injured himself in an ATV accident in Charlottesville, Virginia. Jeff Coffin, took his place for the remainder of the DMB tour. In July, Moore was re-hospitalized for “complications related to the accident”.
From the Dave Matthews Band official website:
We are deeply saddened that LeRoi Moore, saxophonist and founding member of Dave Matthews Band, died unexpectedly Tuesday afternoon, August 19, 2008, at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in Los Angeles from sudden complications stemming from his June ATV accident on his farm near Charlottesville, Virginia. LeRoi had recently returned to his Los Angeles home to begin an intensive physical rehabilitation program.
Read the obit at L.A. Times. Our thoughts go out to all the DMB fans, the band, as well as Moore’s family and friends.
Tags: accident, atv, charlottesville, crash, dave matthews band, dead, death, dies, dmb, leroi moore, los angeles, sax player, saxophone, saxophonist
1 comment
-
last exit
Shut yo mouth! I’m just talkin’ about Issac Hayes
The news hit Songspeak early today that Issac Hayes is dead at age 65. He was found collapsed near a treadmill in his Memphis, Tennessee home by his wife, young son, and cousin after they returned home from the grocery store.
Hayes was most famous for 1971’s “Theme From Shaft” for the movie, Shaft, but was also part of John Singleton’s 2000 version of Shaft, starring Samuel L. Jackson and also Bernie Mac, who also died suddenly recently.
Shaft was originally released in 1971. Here’s the 2000 version of Theme From Shaft, with clips of the movie:
We are saddened to learn of the passing of Issac Hayes, who also brilliantly provided the voice for Chef on South Park for many seasons. He provided much wisdom to the children of South Park before leaving the show after Matt Stone and Trey Parker’s episode poking fun at Scientology.One of our favorite Chef song is probably Chocolate Salty Balls. Classic.
Tags: 00s movies, 70s movies, age 65, bernie mac, chef, chocolate salty balls, dead, issac hayes, john singleton, samuel l. jackson, shaft, south park, sudden death, theme from shaft, treadmill
comment?
Recent Comments