Free Republic

Col. Bernard F. Fisher, who received the first Medal of Honor awarded to an aviator during the Vietnam War for a daring rescue of another pilot in the face of enemy fire on an airstrip, died on Aug. 16 in Boise, Idaho. He was 87. His son Bradford confirmed the death. Colonel Fisher held the rank of major on March 10, 1966, when, despite the warnings of fellow pilots and radio controllers, he landed on an embattled airstrip where another flier had crashed, taxied under heavy fire to find him, and got his comrade and himself out alive.

Andrew H. Madoff, who reported to authorities that his father and longtime Wall Street colleague, Bernard L. Madoff, had masterminded perhaps the largest Ponzi scheme in history, a multi-billion-dollar crime that Andrew described as a “father-son betrayal of biblical proportions,” died Sept. 3 at a hospital in New York City. He was 48. His lawyer, Martin Flumenbaum, told the Associated Press that the cause was mantle cell lymphoma. Mr. Madoff was diagnosed in 2003 with lymphoma and suffered a relapse a decade later. Mr. Madoff was the only surviving child of “Bernie” Madoff, a once-revered financier who is now serving...

Glenn Cornick, the original bassist for Jethro Tull, passed away August 29 at his home in Hilo, Hawaii. He was 67. Billboard reports that Cornick died of congestive heart failure and had been receiving hospice care recently. Cornick was a founding member of Jethro Tull, appearing on their first three albums before departing the group in 1970.

A former US navy sailor who led a spy ring for the Soviet Union has died in a prison medical centre at the age of 77. Retired Navy Warrant Officer John Walker Jr was sentenced to life in prison in 1985 for passing codes and other sensitive data to the USSR. He had recruited his son, his brother and friend to continue spying after he retired. All were convicted.

NASA astronaut Steven Nagel, who flew four space shuttle missions, died Thursday (Aug. 21). He was 67. Nagel joined the astronaut corps in 1978 with NASA's first group of trainees selected for the space shuttle program.

<p>The actor's son, Michael Attenborough told the BBC that his father died Sunday. He had been in poor health for some time.</p> <p>Prime Minister David Cameron issued a statement calling Attenborough "one of the greats of cinema."</p> <p>"His acting in 'Brighton Rock' was brilliant, his directing of 'Gandhi' was stunning," Cameron said.</p>

Richard Attenborough, who was honored for his helming and production of the 1982 Oscar best picture “Gandhi” but was best known to American audiences for his role in Steven Spielberg’s “Jurassic Park” and its first sequel as park creator John Hammond, died on Sunday, his son tells BBC News. He was 90.

The former U.S. senator from Vermont who in 2001 tipped control of the Senate when he quit the Republican Party to become an independent has died. James Jeffords was 80. Jeffords had announced in 2005 that he would not seek a fourth term, citing his and his wife's health problems. His wife, Liz, died in 2007. Jeffords served more than 30 years in Washington. He won election to the House in 1974 as a Republican. He was the only Republican in the House to vote against President Ronald Reagan's tax cuts in 1981. A decade late, upset with President George...

Longtime NBC announcer Don Pardo, best known as the often-heard, rarely-seen constant during 38 seasons of constant change at "Saturday Night Live," died late Monday. He was 96.

Former Vermont U.S. Sen. James Jeffords, who in 2001 tipped control of the Senate when he quit the Republican Party to become an independent, died Monday. He was 80.

MONTPELIER, Vt. - Former Vermont U.S. Sen. James Jeffords, who in 2001 tipped control of the Senate when he quit the Republican Party to become an independent, died Monday. He was 80. Jeffords died in Washington, said Diane Derby, a former aide to Jeffords. He had been in declining health, she said. Jeffords had announced in 2005 that he would not seek a fourth term, citing his and his wife's health problems.

She looked so terrific and strong for such a long time that it was easy to imagine Lauren Bacall might just hang around forever. And who wouldn’t want her to, for the pleasure of hearing her firing off smart, unvarnished remarks about old Hollywood in that husky voice? But the end came at last on Tuesday, when the 89-year-old actress died from a stroke at her home, according to a report on TMZ.

Ed Nelson, a star of the 1960s primetime soap “Peyton Place” and an actor with almost 200 credits, mostly in television, died on Saturday in Greensboro, N.C. He was 85. Nelson had most recently appeared in the 2003 courtroom thriller “Runaway Jury,” starring Gene Hackman. He had a more significant role as General Sherman in the 1998 Jackie Chan vehicle “Who Am I.” On “Peyton Place,” he played Dr. Michael Rossi during the entire five-year run of the series — 436 episodes. He returned in 1985 for reunion telepic “Peyton Place: The Next Generation.” But Nelson was already a TV...

"With deep sorrow, yet with great gratitude for her amazing life, we confirm the passing of Lauren Bacall," the estate said on a verified Twitter account. Bacall was married to Humphrey Bogart from the mid-1940s until his death in 1957. They had two children.

Arlene Martel, who Star Trek fans will remember for playing Spock's Vulcan bride, T'Pring in "Amok Time," died on Tuesday, August 12, 2014. She was 78.

Ed Nelson, a prolific actor who became a familiar face to American television audiences over 40 years, notably as a star of the prime-time soap opera "Peyton Place," died on Saturday in Greensboro, N.C. He was 85. Asta Hansen, a daughter-in-law, confirmed the death. Handsome at six feet tall, Mr. Nelson had a prominent role on "Peyton Place" as Michael Rossi, a New York doctor who sets up practice in the fictional town of the show’s title and is quickly caught up in its romantic intrigues. The show, which ran from 1964 to 1969 on ABC, was widely regarded as...

NEW YORK — The question from a fan in a Sirius XM interview last year was innocent — what do you think you’d be doing if you didn’t become a comedian? — and within seconds Robin Williams was impersonating physicist Stephen Hawking getting a lap dance at a strip club.

Oscar-winning actor and comedian Robin Williams has died at age 63, according to police in Marin County, Calif. The full statement is below. On August 11, 2014, at approximately 11:55 a.m, Marin County Communications received a 9-1-1 telephone call reporting a male adult had been located unconscious and not breathing inside his residence in unincorporated Tiburon, CA. The Sheriff’s Office, as well as the Tiburon Fire Department and Southern Marin Fire Protection District were dispatched to the incident with emergency personnel arriving on scene at 12:00 pm. The male subject, pronounced deceased at 12:02 pm has been identified as Robin...

President Barack Obama and Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel paid tribute to actor and comedian Robin Williams Monday. Williams, 63, was found dead in his northern California home Monday and officials said it appeared to be a suicide. Obama said in a statement issued Monday night that Williams "arrived in our lives as an alien — but he ended up touching every element of the human spirit," referring to Williams' late 1970s role in the TV show "Mork and Mindy." The president was on vacation on Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts.

Menachem Golan, the colorful, free-spending Israeli-born producer and director whose Cannon Films yielded hundreds of productions starring the likes of Sylvester Stallone and Chuck Norris before going bust, died Friday in Israel, according to Haaretz. He was 85. Golan, whose first name is sometimes spelled Menahem, was famous for his overblown pronouncements and business plans, and partnered for many years with his cousin, Yoram Globus. The duo started their U.S. career making fast-paced action exploitation titles starring the likes of Norris and Charles Bronson. Then, in the '80s, Golan and Globus headed the ill-fated public company Cannon Entertainment, which began...