Free Republic

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tom T. Hall, the singer-songwriter who composed “Harper Valley P.T.A.” and sang about life’s simple joys as country music’s consummate blue collar bard, has died. He was 85.His son, Dean Hall, confirmed the musician's death on Friday at his home in Franklin, Tennessee. Hall, known as “The Storyteller” for his unadorned yet incisive lyrics, composed hundreds of songs.Along with such contemporaries as Kris Kristofferson, John Hartford and Mickey Newbury, Hall helped usher in a literary era of country music in the early ’70s, with songs that were political, like “Watergate Blues” and “The Monkey That Became President,”...

Chuck Close, a Photorealist painter who earned acclaim for his incisive portraits and more recently faced criticism after multiple women accused him of sexual harassment, has died at 81. Pace Gallery, which represents him, said on Thursday that he had died after a congestive heart failure resulting from a long illness. “I am saddened by the loss of one of my dearest friends and greatest artists of our time,” said Pace chairman Arne Glimcher. “His contributions are inextricable from the achievements of 20th- and 21st-century art.” Close’s large-scale painting of his artist colleagues, celebrities, politicians, and others in his orbit...

Jane Withers, an actress known as a foil for Shirley Temple as a child actress, as a star of the movie classic "Giant," and as larger-than-life Josephine the Plumber on a long-running series of TV spots, has died at 95.

Actress Markie Post, known for her roles in "Night Court" and "The Fall Guy" among many others, has died at 70, according to multiple reports. Post died after a battle with cancer, her manager confirmed to multiple outlets Saturday night. Post first began appearing in TV roles in 1979, guest starring on shows such as "Cheers," "The Love Boat," and "The A-Team," before landing her role on "The Fall Guy," and, later, as Christine Sullivan on "Night Court." Other roles included a lead in "Hearts Afire" opposite John Ritter in the 1990s and more recently in "The Kids are Alright."...

Jackie Mason, the sometimes-controversial standup comedian who unapologetically embraced Jewish themes and political incorrectness, achieving a national profile through a series of successful one-man shows on Broadway without substantial work in film or television, died Saturday in Manhattan. He was 93. The New York Times said his death was confirmed by his friend Raoul Felder. Mason was one of the last of the Borscht Belt comedians, and he married that sensibility to strong views on racial and ethnic politics. He also recurred on “The Simpsons” as the voice of Rabbi Hyman Krustofsky, the father of Krusty the Clown, winning his...

Robby Steinhardt, a founding member, violinist and vocalist for Kansas, has died at age 71 following a brief illness, according to a statement released by his family. "Robert Eugene Steinhardt was well recognized as a founding member and original violinist and vocalist for the rock band Kansas," reads the statement. "His violin and vocals on 'Dust in the Wind,' 'Point of No Return' and 'Carry on Wayward Son' have etched Robby a solid place in rock history."

Kurt Westergaard and I were successive winners of the Danish Free Press Society's Sappho Award. I was very flattered to find myself in his company, but couldn't honestly say I deserved to be. Kurt was one of the bravest men of our time - not because he was inclined to bravery, but simply because, when it was required, he met the challenge and never backed down. Sixteen years ago Flemming Rose of the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten decided to conduct a thought experiment in public after an author casually revealed that he couldn't find any Danish artist willing to illustrate his...

Biz Markie, the rapper best known for his 1989 hit “Just a Friend” died Friday evening after a battle with diabetes complications. The 57-year-old artist died at a Baltimore hospital, and held his wife’s hand as he took his last breath, according to his manager. “It is with profound sadness that we announce, this evening, with his wife Tara by his side, Hip Hop pioneer Biz Markie peacefully passed away,” Jenni Izumi said in a statement to The Post.

<p>Rumsfeld was a true American patriot but also the archetype of disaster in the republic in the modern era, an outstanding tactician and an overmatched strategist.</p><p>It is one of the irritating defects of genius that, particularly when surrounded by crushing mediocrity, the audacity of having ideas becomes a source of recurring controversy. To have the most ideas means you have the most good ideas, but also the most bad ideas. I have had the great fortune to know and meet more than a handful of figures in my life who truly qualify as men of genius, and one of them was certainly Donald Rumsfeld, who passed away yesterday at the ripe age of 88.</p>

David Cutler Lewis, who served as the keyboardist for Ambrosia in the ‘70s and ‘80s, has died following a battle with brain cancer. Born and raised in Seattle, Lewis began performing at just five years old. The multi-instrumentalist tried his hand at French horn and trumpet, but piano was always his primary calling. At 19 he moved to California and enrolled at the California Institute of the Arts where he studied modern, classical and jazz piano. Lewis’ first appearance on an Ambrosia album came in 1978 on Life Beyond L.A.. The LP featured one of the band's biggest radio hits,...

Eric Carle, the beloved children’s author and illustrator whose classic “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” and other works gave millions of kids some of their earliest and most cherished literary memories, has died at age 91. Carle's family says he died Sunday at his summer studio in Northampton, Massachusetts, with family members at his side. The family's announcement was issued by Penguin Young Readers. “Heaven just got more colorful,” Peter H. Reynolds, author and illustrator of “The Dot,” wrote in tribute on Twitter. Carle, he said, “made his mark, splashing bravely and inspiring those around him to do the same.”

Roger Hawkins, one of the most influential, accomplished and danceable drummers in American music history, has died. Hawkins was 75. Hawkins was a member of Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, the studio musicians better known as The Swampers, thanks to being immortalized in the lyrics to Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Southern-rock anthem “Sweet Home Alabama.” The Muscle Shoals Music Foundation confirmed Hawkins’ death to AL.com. In recent years, Hawkins suffered from myriad health problems, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and died after an extended illness. “We are going to miss his funny memes and texts and calls to us at the studio,”...

Charles Grodin, the comic, scene-stealing actor of such films as The Heartbreak Kid, Midnight Run and Beethoven who later established himself as a curmudgeonly talk show guest without rival, died today at his home in Wilton, Conn. He was 86. His son, Nicholas, told The New York Times that the cause of death was bone marrow cancer. A spokesperson said Grodin died peacefully at his home. Born Charles Sidney Grodin in Pittsburgh, Grodin, who studied under Lee Strasberg, made his big-screen debut in the small role as the duped obstetrician who turns Mia Farrow’s Rosemary over to a coven of...

Mistress Velvet championed many causes as an activist, including Black and transgender liberation, sex workers' rights and anti-sexual violence. They died May 8. CHICAGO — Music, tears and laughter filled the halls of First Lutheran Church of the Trinity in Bridgeport on Saturday, where loved ones of well-known dominatrix Mistress Velvet shared stories celebrating the trailblazing activist’s life. Visitors created artwork and lit candles in Velvet’s memory, and the church was decorated with altars covered in flowers, photos and knickknacks from the iconic dominatrix’s apartment. Friends sang and danced to a playlist of Velvet’s favorite music — a mix heavy...

Pervis Staples, a founding member of the Staple Singers, has died. According to a statement from a family spokesperson, he died suddenly in his home in Dolton, Ill, on May 6. He was 85 years old. Staples was born in Drew, Miss., in 1935, the second of five children. The family soon relocated to Chicago, Ill., where patriarch Roebuck "Pops" Staples worked in a steel mill. In order to keep his kids occupied while their mother worked the night shift at a downtown hotel, Pops had them sit around in a circle and sing. This is the seed of what...

Actor Norman Lloyd has died at the age of 106. Lloyd's son, Michael Lloyd, said his father died Tuesday at his home in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles. Lloyd was known for playing Mr. Nolan in "Dead Poet's Society" and was nominated for two Emmy awards for producing the TV series "The Name of the Game" in 1970 and the made-for-television movie "Steambath" in 1974. His acting days date clear back to Orson Welles’ Mercury Theatre troupe and was part of its very first production: a Broadway adaptation of "Julius Caesar" originally by William Shakespeare.

Lloyd Price, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer behind the groundbreaking 1950s pop/R&B hits “Personality” and “Stagger Lee,” has died. He was 88. Although media outlets reported that Price died on May 6, his wife Jackie states he passed away on May 3. In a statement she sent to Billboard, Jackie wrote: “I am so touched by the outpouring of love and tribute for the passing of my husband Lloyd Price, who passed peacefully on May 3, 2021 at Schaffer Extended Care in Westchester County, NY. Lloyd’s music crossed many boundaries and carried him to all corners of the...

ST. LOUIS – Billie Hayes who played Witchiepoo on H.R. Pufnstuf has died at the age of 96. Hayes was born in DuQuoin, Illinois. H.R. Pufnstuf was a children’s television show produced by Sid and Marty Krofft. The official Sid and Marty Krofft Twitter account tweeted the news on Monday, May 3. “Margaret Hamilton (Wizard of Oz) once told us that Billie Hayes was “one of the best witches ever” We couldn’t agree more. Rest in Peace dear friend,” the official Sid and Marty Krofft Twitter account said. H.R. Pufnstuf ran for one season from 1969 to 1970.

Olympia Dukakis, Hollywood’s favorite late bloomer who won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in “Moonstruck” — has died at the age of 89. Dukakis, a cousin of former Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis, died Saturday at her home in New York City. Her brother, Apollo Dukakis, wrote on Facebook, “After many months of failing health she is finally at peace and with her [husband] Louis.” In addition to her scene-stealing turn as Cher’s sardonic Brooklyn mom in 1987’s “Moonstruck,” Dukakis was known for her roles in “Steel Magnolias,” “Look Who’s Talking” and “Mr. Holland’s Opus” among many other films.

Rusty Young, a cofounder of Poco and the band's only constant member since its formation in 1968, has died. He was 75. An official statement released by his record company notes that Young died yesterday of a heart attack at his home in Davisville, Mo. Young was born Norman Russell Young on Feb. 23, 1946, in Long Beach, Calif., but was raised in Denver. He began playing lap steel when he was young and performed in various country and psych-rock bands during his teenage years. By 1967, Young had relocated to Los Angeles, where he befriended Richie Furay, a member...