Celebrity deaths of 2007

Leo (July 23 — Aug. 22)

Although there are those who would say that being bossy is your natural forte, it is nonetheless a fact that when it comes to organizational abilities and leadership skills, not many do it better than you. So go ahead and take control today.

Pisces (Feb. 20 — March 20)

If we keep looking at an issue, especially if we are perfectionists, we start to lose patience. Well, as they say, a watched pot never boils. Try not to fiddle about with a situation that is better left alone.

TheStar.com - entertainment - Celebrity deaths of 2007

BORIS SPREMO, CM/TORONTO STAR

Ed Mirvish in front of Royal Alexandra Theatre on Aug. 23, 1977. Mirvish bought the theatre in 1963.

'OBITUARIES' FOR SOME OTHERS GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

Rheostatics, The

1980-2007. Passed into self-imposed retirement March 30, after a farewell performance at Massey Hall. One of Canada's pioneering indie-rock acts, the teenaged Rheos emerged from a couple of basements in the lakeside hinterland of Etobicoke to play their first show at the long-gone nightspot the Edge in 1980. From those humble beginnings hatched a success story that would see the quartet – Dave Bidini, Martin Tielli, Tim Vesely, Dave Clark (and his later replacements on the drums, Don Kerr and longtime collaborator Michael Philip Wojewoda) – become synonymous with pop Canadiana through such endeavours as a mythic prog-rock cover of "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald," composing a soundtrack for the Group of Seven's paintings and scoring the film adaptation of Paul Quarrington's Whale Music. Alas, not even the 1994 radio hit "Claire" and an arena tour with the Tragically Hip in 1996 could attract the larger audience the Rheostatics deserved, who were consistently alienated by being just a bit too strange. Survived by 13 terrific albums from Greatest Hits to 2067, Vesely's solo project, the Violet Archers, ongoing collaborations between Bidini (now a respected author) and Tielli and many mourning past members of the Green Sprouts Music Club.

Ben Rayner

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Recordman, Sam The: 1961-2007

A victim of the music industry's digital-era nosedive and growing competition from "big box" retailers, the first and most famous Sam the Record Man location quietly went dark for good on Saturday, June 30.

The chain's late founder, Sam Sniderman, had been selling records from his brother's radio shop since 1937 when he moved to Yonge St. in 1961, eventually building the business into a nationwide chain of 130 stores.

A Mecca for hometown music lovers and a required stop for any record collector passing through, the flagship Sam's and the two enormous, neon-lit LPs on its sign became defining pieces of Toronto's urban iconography – enough so that the building and the signage were granted heritage status by the city after public outcry in June over the possibility that the famous, spinning discs were going up for auction. Survived by rivals HMV, Sunrise Records and not much else now that Music World has followed A&A, Records on Wheels, Tower and numerous other chains into oblivion. Mourned by record shoppers who have nothing to do on Boxing Day.

Ben Rayner

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Season, Television (the second half)

Rest in Peace, the latter half of the 2007-08 American network TV season.

Slipped away quietly Nov. 5, of unnatural causes. No memorial service planned since mourners refuse to cross the picket lines. Survived by residual cable programming, hours of news and information, game shows, "reality," reruns and American Idol. But mostly American Idol. In lieu of flowers, the most significant contribution you could possibly make is to finally give Canadian programming a chance (that is, except for Canadian Idol).

Rob Salem

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Passing of Ed Mirvish, William Hutt, Richard Bradshaw, June Callwood and others leaves big void

December 31, 2007

JANUARY

Charmion King, 81. Stage actress and wife of actor Gordon Pinsent. Jan. 6.

Pete Kleinow, 72. Ace steel guitar player with the Flying Burrito Brothers. Jan. 6.

Yvonne De Carlo, 84. Canadian actress who played Moses' wife in The Ten Commandments but achieved her greatest popularity on TV's The Munsters. Jan. 8.

Iwao Takamoto, 81. Artist who created Scooby-Doo. Jan. 8.

Carlo Ponti, 94. Plucked Sophia Loren from obscurity, married her and made her a huge star. Jan. 9.

Alice Coltrane, 69. Jazz performer and composer and wife of the late saxophone legend John Coltrane. Jan. 12.

Michael Brecker, 57. Versatile, influential tenor saxophonist who won 11 Grammys. Jan. 13.

Percy Saltzman, 91. CBC's first meteorologist was the first face to appear on Canadian English-language TV. Jan. 15.

Ron Carey, 71. Actor best known for his work as a cocky, height-challenged policeman on the 1970s TV comedy Barney Miller. Jan. 16.

Pookie Hudson, 72. Lead singer for doo-wop group the Spaniels (``Goodnight, Sweetheart, Goodnight.'') Jan. 16.

Denny Doherty, 66. From the folk-rock group the Mamas and the Papas; known for their smash hits "California Dreamin" and "Monday, Monday." Jan. 19.

Danny Finegood, 52. Prankster known for creative alterations of the Hollywood sign (Hollyweed, Ollywood, etc.). Jan. 22.

John Majhor, 53. Broadcaster, a staple of Toronto radio and TV during the 1970s and '80s. Jan. 23.

Tige Andrews, 86. Emmy-nominated actor; the captain in charge of ``The Mod Squad." Jan. 27.

Sidney Sheldon, 89. Best-selling American author, playwright and producer. Jan. 30

Molly Ivins, 62. Best-selling author, columnist and sharp-witted liberal. Jan. 31.

FEBRUARY

Joe Hunter, 79. Motown's first bandleader; Grammy winner with the Funk Brothers. Feb. 2.

Barbara McNair, 72. Pioneering black singer-actress; had her own TV variety show. Feb. 4.

Frankie Laine, 93. Many hits included the theme from the TV show Rawhide. Feb. 6.

Anna Nicole Smith, 39. Model and Playboy Playmate. Feb. 8.

Jim Paulson, 67. Oakville broadcaster, voice of the Molson Indy and Mosport racetrack. Feb. 13.

Ryan Larkin, 63. National Film Board animator, subject of Oscar-winning short Ryan. Feb. 14.

Robert Adler, 93. Co-inventor of the TV remote, the 1956 Zenith Space Command. Feb. 15.

Celia Franca, 85. Founder of the National Ballet of Canada. Feb. 19

Lothar-Guenther Buchheim, 89. German author; wrote autobiographical novel Das Boot. Feb. 22.

MARCH

Doris Anderson, 85. Editor of Chatelaine magazine, Toronto Star journalist and women's rights advocate. March 2.

Brad Delp, 55. Lead singer for the band Boston. March 9.

Betty Hutton, 86. Best known for the title role in the movie musical Annie Get Your Gun. March 11.

Charles Harrelson, 69. Actor Woody Harrelson's father, sentenced to life for killing a federal judge. March 15.

Barbara Ann Tyler, 69. Former executive director of the McMichael Canadian Art Collection. March 19.

Calvert DeForest, 85. Gained cult status as the oddball Larry "Bud" Melman on David Letterman's late-night television shows. March 19.

Rita Joe, 75. Known as the poet laureate of the Mi'kmaq nation. Mar. 19.

APRIL

Bob Clark, 67. Film director best known for A Christmas Story and teen sex farce Porky's. April 4.

Stan Daniels, 72. Toronto-born producer and writer who worked on Taxi and The Mary Tyler Moore Show. April 6.

Kristine Bogyo, 60. Toronto cellist and founder of Mooredale Concerts. April 6.

Johnny Hart, 76. Cartoonist whose B.C. showed the humorous side of the Stone Age. April 7.

Harry Rasky, 78. Prominent Canadian filmmaker who co-founded the news documentary department at the CBC. April 10.

Kurt Vonnegut, 84. Satirical novelist who wrote works such as Slaughterhouse-Five and Cat's Cradle. April 11.

Roscoe Lee Browne, 81. Emmy-winning actor. April 11.

June Callwood, 82. Writer and social activist for children and women's issues. April 14.

Don Ho, 76. Entertainer who defined popular perceptions of Hawaiian music. April 14.

David Halberstam, 73. Journalist whose acclaimed books included towering study of Vietnam War, poignant portrait of aging baseball stars. April 23.

Bobby ``Boris'' Pickett, 69. One-hit wonder whose ``Monster Mash'' topped the charts in 1962. April 25.

Kitty Carlisle Hart, 96. American singer and actor whose credits stretched from Broadway musicals to a Marx Brothers movie and stints on TV game shows. April 25.

Jack Valenti, 85. White House aide went from politics to show business as head of the powerful Motion Picture Association of America. April 26.

Mstislav Rostropovich, 80. Cellist, conductor and outspoken champion of artistic freedom in Russia. April 28.

Zola Taylor, 69. Singer with the Platters (``The Great Pretender''). April 30.

Tom Poston, 85. Comic who played clueless everyman on such U.S. TV shows as Newhart and Mork and Mindy. April 31.

MAY

Isabella Blow, 48. Editor whose outrageous outfits made her a beloved character in the British fashion industry. May 7.

Bobby Ash, a.k.a. Uncle Bobby, 82. Canadian children's television performer. May 20.

Charles Nelson Reilly, 76. Tony Award winner who later became known for his ribald appearances on The Tonight Show and various game shows. May 25.

Mark Harris, 84. Wrote four well-received baseball novels, including Bang the Drum Slowly, which became the basis of a 1973 movie. May 30.

JUNE

Peter Simpson, 64. Stalwart of the Canadian film industry who produced 35 feature films, including Prom Night. June 5.

Oskar Morawetz, 90. Czech-born musician, one of Canada's most successful contemporary/classical composers. June 13.

Richard Bell, 61. Toronto pianist, composer and producer played with Janis Joplin, Bob Dylan and The Band. June 15.

Thomas Iain Smith, 27. Edmonton-born singer for London indie band Chow Chow. June 24.

Joel Siegel, 63. Movie critic for Good Morning America. June 29.

JULY

Beverly Sills, 78. Opera diva with a dazzling voice, bubbly personality. July 2.

Boots Randolph, 80. His spirited saxophone made "Yakety Sax" a hit. July 3.

Signe McMichael, 86. Co-founder of the McMichael Canadian Art Collection. July 4.

Ed Mirvish, 92. Toronto showman who created the most successful theatrical empire in Canadian history and Honest Ed's discount department store. July 11.

Bluma Appel, 87. Toronto philanthropist and advocate of the arts. July 15.

Tammy Faye Messner, 65. Helped then-husband Jim Bakker build an evangelism empire. July 20.

Ingmar Bergman, 89. Swedish director renowned as one of the greatest artists in cinema. July 30.

Tom Snyder, 71. Talk-show host whose smoke-filled interviews were a staple of late-night television. July 30.

Michelangelo Antonioni, 94. Italian director and symbol of art-house cinema with movies such as Blow-Up and L'Avventura. July 31.

AUGUST

Jacob Adams, 40. Mississauga-raised actor and screenwriter found dead in the Los Angeles home of actor Ving Rhames. Aug. 3.

Lee Hazlewood, 78. Singer, songwriter; produced Nancy Sinatra's ``These Boots are Made for Walkin'." Aug. 4.

Merv Griffin, 82. Big band-era crooner turned impresario who parlayed his Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune game shows into a multimillion-dollar empire. Aug. 12.

Richard Bradshaw, 63. General director for the Canadian Opera Company who presided over the opening of the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. Aug. 15.

Max Roach, 83. Jazz drummer whose rhythmic innovations defined bebop. Aug. 16.

Keith Knight, 51. Canadian actor best known for his role as counsellor-in-training Larry Finkelstein in Meatballs. Aug. 22.

Doug Riley, 62. Composer, arranger and pianist often referred to as "Doctor Music" served as the musical director of the Famous People Players. Aug. 27.

Hilly Kristal, 75. His Manhattan club CBGB was birthplace of punk rock. Aug. 28.

SEPTEMBER

Bruce Swerdfager, 79. Actor and theatrical manager was a Stratford Festival original. Sept. 4.

Madeleine L'Engle, 88. Author of children's classic A Wrinkle in Time. Sept. 6.

Luciano Pavarotti, 71. Vibrant high C's and ebullient showmanship made him one of the world's most-beloved tenors. Sept. 9.

Jane Wyman, 90. Actor who won an Oscar for Johnny Belinda in 1948, starred on the 1980s television series Falcon Crest and was the first wife of U.S. president Ronald Reagan. Sept. 10.

Joe Zawinul, 75. Austrian jazz keyboardist; one of the creators of jazz-rock fusion with Weather Report (``Birdland''). Sept 11.

Brett Somers, 83. Gravel-voiced wiseacre to naughty Charles Nelson Reilly on TV's Match Game. Sept. 15.

Robert Jordan, 58. Author of Wheel of Time novels. Sept. 16.

Marcel Marceau, 84. Revived the art of mime. Sept. 22.

Ken Danby, 67. Ontario painter known for his iconic hockey painting At The Crease. Sept 23.

Curtis Bailey, 64. Toronto community radio host known for his encyclopedic knowledge of jazz. Sept. 26.

Lois Maxwell, 80. Canadian-born actor best known for her role as the lovelorn secretary Miss Moneypenny in 14 James Bond films. Sept. 29.

OCTOBER

Richard O'Brien, 59. Co-founder of Toronto's BamBoo nightclub. Oct. 14.

Teresa Brewer, 76. Singer who topped the charts in the 1950s with such hits as "Till I Waltz Again with You." Oct. 16.

Deborah Kerr, 86. Scottish-born actor best known for the 1953 film From Here to Eternity. Oct. 17.

Joey Bishop, 89. Stone-faced comic who found success in nightclubs, television and movies and Frank Sinatra's Rat Pack. Oct. 17

Milton Blake, 63. Host of Music Triangle on Toronto radio station CKLN. Oct. 18.

Peg Bracken, 89. Wrote hugely popular I Hate to Cook Book. Oct. 20.

David Adams, 79. Ballet dancer and founding member of the National Ballet of Canada. Oct. 24.

Patricia Crane, 72. Actor who played Col. Klink's sexy blonde secretary Hilda on Hogan's Heroes and married the show's star, Bob Crane. Oct. 14.

David Adams, 79. National Ballet of Canada's first male lead. Oct. 24.

Porter Wagoner, 80. Singer known for a string of country hits in the '60s, appearances at the Grand Ole Opry and for launching the career of Dolly Parton. Oct. 28.

Robert Goulet, 73. Canadian-raised baritone whose Broadway debut in Camelot launched an award-winning stage and recording career. Oct. 30.

NOVEMBER

John Francis Oscar Arpin, 70. Recording artist, composer and music director for TVO's Polka Dot Door. Nov.8.

Norman Mailer, 84. Prolific and controversial Pulitzer Prize-winning American author. Nov. 10.

Donda West, 58. Mother of singer Kanye West, after undergoing cosmetic surgery. Nov. 11.

James Barber, 84. Author and TV chef who appeared on CBC-TV for 10 years as The Urban Peasant. Nov. 11.

Ira Levin, 78. Best-selling novelist (Rosemary's Baby, The Boys From Brazil) Nov. 12.

Dick Wilson, 91. Canadian-raised actor and pitchman Mr. Whipple who begged customers, "Please, don't squeeze the Charmin." Nov. 19.

Paul Brodie, 73. Classical saxophonist was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1994. Nov. 19.

Kevin DuBrow, 52. Singer for Quiet Riot. Nov. 25.

Norm Hacking, 57. Toronto roots singer/songwriter and author. Nov. 25.

Jane Rule, 76. B.C.-based writer best known for her Desert of the Heart. Nov. 27.

Evel Knievel, 69. American motorcycle daredevil who became an international icon in the 1970s. Nov. 30.

DECEMBER

Norval Morrisseau, 75. Anishnaabe artist, who often signed his canvases Miskwaabik Animiki or Copper Thunderbird. Dec. 4.

Pimp C, 33. Played key role in the rise of Southern hip hop. Dec. 4.

Ike Turner, 76. Rock innovator who teamed with wife Tina Turner (and denied abusing her). Dec. 12.

Dan Fogelberg, 56. Singer/songwriter helped define soft-rock. Dec. 16.

Don Chevrier, 69. Longtime, versatile sports broadcaster; Toronto Blue Jays first play-by-play announcer. Dec. 17.

John Harkness, 53. Now magazine's senior film writer. Dec. 19.

Helen McNamara, 88. Longtime jazz writer for the Toronto Telegram. Dec. 23.

Oscar Peterson, 82. World-renowned Montreal-born piano great, who lived in Mississauga for the latter part of his 50-year career. Dec. 23.

Two names that have caused me confusion in the past Sydney Sheldon versus Sheldon Leonard.

Sheldon Leonard as Nick the Bartender in Its A Wonderful Life

Sheldon Leonard (February 22, 1907 – January 10, 1997), born Sheldon Leonard Bershad in New York City, was a pioneering American film and television producer, director, writer, and actor.
As an actor, Leonard specialized in playing supporting characters, especially gangsters or "heavies", in films such as It's a Wonderful Life (1946)