Obituaries
Bob Rafelson, Director of ‘Five Easy Pieces’ and Co-Creator of ‘The Monkees,’ Dies at 89
Bob Rafelson, the writer, director, producer and maverick who set the tone for the swinging, psychedelic 1960s with The Monkees, then was a pioneer in one of the most influential eras in the history of independent film, has died. He was 89. Rafelson, who collaborated with Jack Nicholson on seven features, including the classics Easy […]
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Emmy-Winning Writer, Comedian Kevin Rooney, Who Worked With Jay Leno and Dennis Miller, Dies at 71
Emmy-winning writer and comedian Kevin Rooney died on July 9 at home in Los Angeles after a long battle with diabetes and end-stage renal failure, his wife Carole Raphaelle Davis and friend and former assistant Jay Mandyam tell The Hollywood Reporter. Rooney was 71. A stand-up veteran who worked with Jay Leno and mentored Judd […]
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William Richert, Writer-Director of ‘Winter Kills,’ Dies at 79
William Richert, the maverick writer-director behind the Jeff Bridges-starring conspiracy thriller Winter Kills and A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon, which gave River Phoenix his first leading role, has died. He was 79. Richert died Tuesday at his home in Portland, Oregon, his wife, Gretchen, told The Hollywood Reporter. She would not disclosed […]
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Bobbie Faye Ferguson, Actress and Mother of ‘Conners’ Star Jay R. Ferguson, Dies at 78
Bobbie Faye Ferguson, an actress and the mother of The Conners star Jay R. Ferguson, has died. She was 78. A resident of Sherman Oaks, Ferguson died June 25 of natural causes, it was announced Friday by her son’s reps at Industry Entertainment. Born on Oct. 10, 1943, in Memphis, Tennesse, Bobbie Faye was raised […]
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Shonka Dukureh, ‘Elvis’ Actress and Singer, Dies at 44
Shonka Dukureh, who played Big Mama Thornton in this year’s movie about Elvis Presley, was found dead Thursday in a bedroom at her home in Nashville, police said. She was 44. Nashville police said there were no signs of foul play. Autopsy results are pending from the medical examiner. Dukureh, a Fisk University graduate and […]
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Taurean Blacque, Det. Neal Washington on ‘Hill Street Blues,’ Dies at 82
Taurean Blacque, who portrayed the streetwise Det. Neal Washington on all seven seasons of the acclaimed NBC cop show Hill Street Blues, died Thursday in Atlanta following a brief illness, his family announced. He was 82. From 1989-90, Blacque played Henry Marshall opposite Vivica A. Fox and others as an original castmember on the NBC […]
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Tracy McGrath, Veteran Physical Production Executive, Dies at 65
Tracy McGrath, who served as a physical production executive for such companies as Buena Vista Pictures, Miramax, CBS Films, New Regency, Amazon and Apple Films, has died. She was 65. McGrath had lupus and died of other health complications two weekends ago in Los Angeles, an Apple executive said Thursday. A native of Hollywood, McGrath […]
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Rebecca Balding, Actress on ‘Soap’ and ‘Charmed,’ Dies at 73
Rebecca Balding, the energetic actress who appeared opposite Billy Crystal on Soap and portrayed Alyssa Milano’s newspaper boss on Charmed, has died. She was 73. Balding died Monday in Park City after a battle with ovarian cancer, her husband of 41 years, writer-director-producer James L. Conway, announced. Balding also starred in the horror films The […]
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Tanya Kersey, Hollywood Black Film Festival Founder, Dies at 61
Tanya Kersey, founder of the Hollywood Black Film Festival, has died. She was 61. Kersey died Monday of cardiac arrest at a hospital in Rancho Cucamonga, California, her daughter Monique told The Hollywood Reporter. She had faced a number of health issues over the years. Kersey launched the Hollywood Black Film Festival in 1998. The […]
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Mickey Rooney Jr., Musician, Actor and First Child of a Screen Legend, Dies at 77
Mickey Rooney Jr., an original Mouseketeer, musician and actor who was the first of screen legend Mickey Rooney‘s nine children, has died. He was 77. Rooney Jr. died Saturday at his home in Glendale, Arizona, his longtime companion Chrissie Brown told The Hollywood Reporter. The cause of death is unknown, she said. Rooney Jr. played […]
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Bobby East, Former NASCAR Driver, Dies at 37
Bobby East, a three-time United States Auto Club (USAC) national champion driver, has died after being stabbed this week at a Southern California gas station. He was 37. The Westminster Police Department issued a statement Saturday identifying Robert John East of San Dimas as the person stabbed in the chest at a 76 gas station […]
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Ivana Trump, First Wife of Former President, Dies at 73
Ivana Trump, a skier-turned-businesswoman who formed half of a publicity power couple in the 1980s as the first wife of former President Donald Trump and mother of his oldest children, has died in New York City, her family announced Thursday. She was 73. The former president posted on his social media app that she died […]
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