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Eydie Gorme, the lively singer with a remarkable range who performed a decades-long act with her husband, Steve Lawrence, that made them the sweethearts of mid-20th-century American pop music, died on Saturday in Las Vegas. She was 84. ... Ms. Gorme and Mr. Lawrence had a sophisticated stage presence and vibrant voices, but they stood out for two other reasons. As rock ’n’ roll conquered pop music, they refused to join in. Instead, they stood resolutely with the standards, performing the songs of Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, the Gershwins and Rodgers and Hammerstein. ... “Eydie has been my partner onstage...

George Duke, famous jazz musician, died Monday from chronic lymphocytic leukemia, according to his label Concord Music Group, which confirmed his death. The pianist was an icon to many but also a humble man of humble beginnings. George Duke lost his battle with cancer on Monday. There is no word yet on how long Duke had battled with his condition, but what is known is that he will be missed. Duke’s son, Rashid, thanked his father’s fans in a statement Tuesday. “The outpouring of love and support that we have received from my father’s friends, fans and the entire music...

WASHINGTON (AP) — John Palmer, a veteran reporter for NBC News who covered wars and Washington over a career that spanned 40 years, died Saturday after a brief illness at a Washington hospital.

J.J. Cale has died from a heart attack at the age of 74. The death of the legendary Grammy Award winning singer songwriter was announced on his Facebook page today. “We’ve lost a great artist and a great person tonight. JJ Cale passed away at 8:00 pm on Friday July 26 at Scripps Hospital in La Jolla, CA. He had suffered a heart attack. There are no immediate plans for services. His history is well documented at JJCale.com , http://www.rosebudus.com/cale/ and in the documentary, To Tulsa And Back. Donations are not needed but he was a great lover of animals...

Douglas Engelbart, whose invention of the mouse transformed the way people interact with computers, has died. Engelbart died Tuesday night at his home in Atherton, California, SRI International -- the research institute where he once worked -- said in a statement. He was 88. "Doug's legacy is immense — anyone in the world who uses a mouse or enjoys the productive benefits of a personal computer is indebted to him," Curtis R. Carlson, SRI's president and CEO, said in a written statement. Decades ago, Engelbart came up with the idea we now know as a mouse. His first prototype, which...

We'll remember him!

Swimming champion turned movie star Esther Williams has died

Ed Shaughnessy, the drummer who was seen nearly every night for close to three decades as a member of Doc Severinsen’s band on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, died May 24 in Calabasas, Calif. The cause was a heart attack. Shaughnessy was 84.

Allan Arbus, who played psychiatrist Maj. Sidney Freedman on "M*A*S*H," died Friday at home in Los Angeles, his daughter Amy confirmed to The New York Times. He was 95. Abrus, who had served as a military photography in the Army and ran a fashion photography business before becoming an actor, was so convincing in his role as Maj. Freedman, that co-star Alan Alda often found himself opening up to Arbus. Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2013/04/23/mash-allan-arbus-dead-at-95/#ixzz2RJSqWJIN

Jonathan Winters, the cherub-faced comedian whose breakneck improvisations and misfit characters inspired the likes of Robin Williams and Jim Carrey, has died. He was 87. The Ohio native died Thursday evening at his Montecito, Calif., home of natural causes, said Joe Petro III, a longtime family friend. Petro said Winters died surrounded by family and friends. Winters was a pioneer of improvisational standup comedy, with an exceptional gift for mimicry, a grab bag of eccentric personalities and a bottomless reservoir of creative energy. Facial contortions, sound effects, tall tales — all could be used in a matter of seconds to...

Annette Funicello, the most popular Mouseketeer on “The Mickey Mouse Club,” who matured to a successful career in records and ’60s beach party movies but struggled with illness in middle age and after, died Monday, The Walt Disney Co. said. She was 70. She died peacefully at Mercy Southwest Hospital in Bakersfield, Calif., of complications from multiple sclerosis, the company said. Funicello stunned fans and friends in 1992 with the announcement about her ailment. Yet she was cheerful and upbeat, grappling with the disease with a courage that contrasted with her lightweight teen image of old. The pretty, dark-haired Funicello...

Ex-Prime Minister Baroness Thatcher diesBreaking news Former Prime Minister Baroness Thatcher has died at 87 following a stroke, her spokesman has said. Lord Bell said: "It is with great sadness that Mark and Carol Thatcher announced that their mother Baroness Thatcher died peacefully following a stroke this morning." Baroness Thatcher was Conservative prime minister from 1979 to 1990. She was the first woman to hold the post. Her family is expected to make a further statement later.

CHICAGO (AP) — Roger Ebert, the most famous and most popular film reviewer of his time who also became the first journalist to win a Pulitzer Prize for movie criticism, and on his long-running TV program, wielded the nation's most influential thumb, died Thursday. He was 70. Ebert, who had been a film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times since 1967, died early Thursday afternoon at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, his office said. He had announced on his blog Wednesday that he was undergoing radiation treatment after a recurrence of cancer.

Ralph Sherman Parr Jr., one of the most decorated military pilots in U.S. history, has died, joining the ranks of other legendary aviators who shaped today's Air Force. Parr, a double ace in the Korean War, had undergone treatment for cancer in recent weeks at an assisted living facility in New Braunfels, where he died Friday at 88. Parr was among the last survivors of an era of gutsy, instinctive flying before remotely piloted aircraft and technology changed the way wars are fought in the air. Bob Laymon, a friend and military historian, said Parr “inspired and motivated combat aviators...

British astronomer and broadcaster Sir Patrick Moore has died, aged 89, his friends and colleagues have said. He "passed away peacefully at 12:25 this afternoon" at his home in Selsey, West Sussex, they said in a statement. Sir Patrick presented the BBC programme The Sky At Night for over 50 years, making him the longest-running host of the same television show ever. He wrote dozens of books on astronomy and his research was used by the US and the Russians in their space programmes. Described by one of his close friends as "fearlessly eccentric", Sir Patrick was notable for his...

(CNN) - Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill's 84-year-old mother, Betty Anne Ward McCaskill, died on Monday, the senator from Missouri said in a statement on Monday. "For some time, mom's health has not been good, and our family takes comfort that she is now at rest," McCaskill wrote. "People all over the state have asked about her, and their prayers and concern have been greatly appreciated."

According to the AP ex Sen Arlen Specter has died.

'Actor Michael Clarke Duncan, who rose to prominence playing a death row inmate in the acclaimed film The Green Mile, has died at the age of 54. Duncan suffered a heart attack in July and died at a hospital in Los Angeles after failing to recover. A former bodyguard, the 6ft 4in (1.93m) Duncan was an imposing figure who played a wide variety of screen roles. He was nominated for an Oscar in 1999 for The Green Mile, but also played action roles and voiced animated parts. His versatility saw him team up with Bruce Willis to save the Earth...

Clarke died Monday morning at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, where he was being treated for a heart attack, said his fiancee, Reverend Omarosa Manigault, in a statement released by publicist Joy Fehily.

LOS ANGELES — “Green Mile” actor Michael Clarke Duncan dead at 54, his fiancée says.