James Mitchell from ‘All My Children’ dies 89

James Mitchell (February 29, 1920 – January 22, 2010) was an American actor and dancer. Although he is best-known to television audiences as Palmer Cortlandt on the soap opera All My Children (1979 – 2009), theatre and dance historians remember him as one of Agnes de Mille’s leading dancers. Mitchell’s skill at combining dance and acting was considered something of a novelty; in 1959, the critic Olga Maynard singled him out as “an important example of the new dancer-actor-singer in American ballet”, pointing to his interpretive abilities and “masculine” technique

Personal life
Mitchell’s longtime partner was the Oscar award-winning costume designer Albert Wolsky

Death of James Mitchell
James Mitchell died on January 22, 2010, in Los Angeles, a matter of weeks before what would have been his 90th birthday. His death came after suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease complicated by pneumonia.

Jean Simmons, Actress, Hollywood Legend, dies 80

Best Musical/Comedy Actress, Guys and Dolls (1956)Outstanding Supporting Actress - Series/Special, The Thorn Birds (1983)

Jean Merilyn Simmons, OBE (January 31, 1929 – January 22, 2010) was an English actress who appeared predominantly in motion pictures, beginning with British-made films during and after World War II, followed mainly by Hollywood films from 1950.

In 1953, she starred alongside Spencer Tracy in The Actress, a film that was one of her personal favourites. Among the many films she appeared in during this period were The Robe (1953), The Egyptian (1954), Guys and Dolls (1955), The Big Country (1958), Elmer Gantry (1960), (directed by her second husband, Richard Brooks), Spartacus (1960), and The Happy Ending (1969), again directed by Brooks and for which she received her second Oscar nomination.

She had two daughters, Tracy Granger (born 1956) and Kate Brooks, one by each marriage – their names bear witness to Simmons’ friendship with Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn.

Breast Cancer
Jean Simmons was a breast cancer survivor (treated some years ago)

Death of Jean Simmons
Jean Simmons died of lung cancer in Santa Monica, California.
Jean Simmons was 80 years old at the time of her death

Marlon Brando & Jean Simmons – Guys and Dolls – I’ll Know

Jean Simmons’ filmography continues on next page

Jean Simmon Filmography

* Sports Day (1944)
* Give us the Moon (1944)
* Mr. Emmanuel (1944)
* Kiss the Bride Goodbye (1945)
* Meet Sexton Blake (1945)
* The Way to the Stars (1945)
* Caesar and Cleopatra (1945)
* Great Expectations (1946)
* The Woman in the Hall (1947)
* Uncle Silas (1947)
* Black Narcissus (1947)
* Hungry Hill (1947)
* Hamlet (1948)
* The Blue Lagoon (1949)
* Adam and Evelyne (1949)
* So Long at the Fair (1950)
* Cage of Gold (1950)
* Trio (1950)
* The Clouded Yellow (1951)
* Angel Face (1952)
* Androcles and the Lion (1952)
* Young Bess (1953)
* Affair with a Stranger (1953)
* The Robe (1953)
* The Actress (1953)
* She Couldn’t Say No (1954) (AKA Beautiful but Dangerous )
* Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954)
* The Egyptian (1954)
* A Bullet Is Waiting (1954)
* Désirée (1954)
* Footsteps in the Fog (1955)
* Guys and Dolls (1955)
* Hilda Crane (1956)
* This Could Be the Night (1957)
* Until They Sail (1957)
* The Big Country (1958)

* Home Before Dark (1958)
* This Earth Is Mine (1959)
* Elmer Gantry (1960)
* Spartacus (1960)
* The Grass Is Greener (1960)
* All the Way Home (1963)
* Life at the Top (1965)
* Mister Buddwing (1966)
* Divorce American Style (1967)
* Rough Night in Jericho (film) (1967)
* Heidi (1968)
* The Happy Ending (1969)
* Say Hello to Yesterday (1971)
* Mr. Sycamore (1975)
* The Dain Curse (TV) (1978)
* Dominique (1978)
* Beggarman, Thief (TV) (1979)
* A Small Killing ((TV, 1981)
* The Thorn Birds (TV, 1983)
* December Flower (TV, 1984)
* Midas Valley (TV, 1985)
* Yellow Pages (1985)
* North and South (1985)
* North and South Book II (1986)
* Perry Mason: The Case of the Long Lost Love (1987)
* The Dawning (1988)
* Great Expectations (1989)
* Star Trek: The Next Generation (1991)
* Dark Shadows (1991) Elizabeth Collins Stoddard / Naomi Collins
* They Do It with Mirrors (1991)
* How to Make an American Quilt (1995)
* Daisies in December (TV) (1995)
* Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001) (voice)
* Jean Simmons: Rose of England (2004) (documentary)
* Howl’s Moving Castle (Hauru no ugoku shiro) (2004) (voice)
* Through the Moebius Strip (2005)
* Shadows in the Sun (2008)

Carl Smith, Country Music Hall of Famer, Grand Ole Opry, dies 82

Carl Smith (March 15, 1927 – January 16, 2010) was an American country music singer. Known as "Mister Country," Smith was the husband of June Carter (later June Carter Cash) and Goldie Hill, the drinking companion of Johnny Cash, and the father of Carlene Carter. He was one of country’s most successful male artists during the 1950s, with 30 Top 10 hits. His success continued well into the 1970s, when he had a charting single every year except one. He is a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame.

In 1952, Smith married June Carter (who later became the wife of Johnny Cash), the daughter of Maybelle Carter of the Carter Family. In 1955 the couple had a daughter, Rebecca Smith, who later became known as Carlene Carter, a country singer in her own right.

During the rest of the 1950s, Smith made regular appearances on Billboard’s country charts, racking up many hits, including 30 in the Top 10. His biggest hits include "Loose Talk", "Wicked Lies", "Hey Joe!" and "You Are the One". He only had five number one hits in his career; "Loose Talk" was his last, in 1955.

In 1957, Smith and June Carter divorced. That same year, he married country music singer Goldie Hill, best known for the number one hit "I Let the Stars Get In My Eyes".

Death of Carl Smith
Carl smith died of natural causes
Carl smith was 82 years old at the time of his death

 Carl Smith – Loose Talk

Bobby Charles (worked with Fats Domino, Bill Haley…) dies 71

Bobby Charles (born Robert Charles Guidry, February 21, 1938 – January 14, 2010) was an American singer and songwriter.

Charles helped to pioneer the south Louisiana musical genre known as swamp pop. His compositions include the hits "See You Later, Alligator," which he initially recorded himself as "Later Alligator", but which is best known from the cover version by Bill Haley & His Comets; and "Walking to New Orleans", written for Fats Domino.

"(I Don’t Know Why I Love You) But I Do" was a 1950s classic that Charles composed which Clarence "Frogman" Henry had a major hit with and which was on the soundtrack to the 1994 blockbuster Forrest Gump. His composition "Why Are People Like That?" was on the soundtrack to the 1998 movie Home Fries.

In September 2007, The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame honored Charles for his contributions to Louisiana music with an induction.

Death of Bobby Charles
Charles collapsed in his home near Abbeville and died January 14, 2010.

Bobby Charles – No Use Knockin

Teddy Pendergrass, Soul Singer, dies 59

Teddy Pendergrass (March 26, 1950 — January 13, 2010) was an American R&B/soul singer and songwriter. Also known by the nicknames Teddy P, TP, or Teddy Bear, Pendergrass first rose to fame as lead singer of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes in the 1970s before embarking on a successful solo career at the end of the decade.

Death of Teddy Pendergrass
Teddy Pendergrass died at Bryn Mawr Hospital at age 59, from complications following surgery for colon cancer.

Pendergrass was Paralyzed from the waist down since 1982
On March 18, 1982, in the Germantown section of Philadelphia on Lincoln Drive, Pendergrass was involved in an automobile accident. The brakes failed on his 1981 Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit, causing the car to hit a guard rail, cross into the opposite traffic lane, and hit two trees. Pendergrass and his passenger, Tenika Watson, a transsexual nightclub performer with whom Pendergrass was casually acquainted, were trapped in the wreckage for 45 minutes. While Watson walked away from the accident with minor injuries, Pendergrass suffered a spinal cord injury leaving him paralyzed from the waist down

Teddy Pandergrass – close the door (live)

Teddy Pandergrass discography continues next page

Discography

Albums

    * 1977: Teddy Pendergrass (Philadelphia International) – US Pop #17, US R&B #5
    * 1978: Life Is a Song Worth Singing (Philadelphia International) – US Pop #11, US R&B #1
    * 1979: Teddy (Philadelphia International) – US Pop #5, US R&B #1
    * 1979: Live! Coast to Coast (Philadelphia International) – US Pop #33, US R&B #5
    * 1980: TP (Philadelphia International) – US Pop #14, US R&B #3
    * 1981: It’s Time for Love (Philadelphia International) – US Pop #19, US R&B #6
    * 1982: This One’s for You (Philadelphia International) – US Pop #59, US R&B #6
    * 1983: Heaven Only Knows (Philadelphia International) – US Pop #123, US R&B #9
    * 1984: Love Language (Asylum) – US Pop #38, US R&B #4
    * 1985: Greatest Hits (Philadelphia International) – US R&B #65
    * 1985: Workin’ It Back (Asylum) – US Pop #96, US R&B #6
    * 1988: Joy (Elektra) – US Pop #54, US R&B #2
    * 1991: Truly Blessed (Elektra) – US Pop #49, US R&B #4
    * 1993: A Little More Magic (Elektra) – US Pop #92, US R&B #13
    * 1997: You and I (Surefire) – US Pop #137, US R&B #24
    * 1998: The Best of Teddy Pendergrass (The Right Stuff)
    * 1998: This Christmas I’d Rather Have Love (Surefire/Wind-Up) – US R&B #83
    * 2001: Greatest Slow Jams (The Right Stuff) – US R&B #98
    * 2002: From Teddy with Love (Razor & Tie) – US R&B #63
    * 2004: Love Songs Collection (The Right Stuff) – US R&B #70

Singles

    * 1977: "I Don’t Love You Anymore" – US Pop #41, US R&B #5
    * 1977: "The Whole Town’s Laughing At Me" – US R&B #16
    * 1978: "Close the Door" – US Pop #25, US R&B #1
    * 1978: "Only You" – US R&B #22
    * 1979: "Turn Off the Lights" – US Pop #48, US R&B #2
    * 1979: "Come Go With Me" – US R&B #14
    * 1980: "Shout and Scream" – US R&B #21
    * 1980: "It’s You I Love" – US R&B #44
    * 1980: "Can’t We Try" – US Pop #52, US R&B #3
    * 1980: "Love T.K.O." – US Pop #44, US R&B #2
    * 1981: "Two Hearts" (with Stephanie Mills) – US Pop #40, US R&B #3
    * 1981: "I Can’t Live Without Your Love" – US R&B #10
    * 1982: "You’re My Latest, My Greatest Inspiration" – US Pop #43, US R&B #4
    * 1982: "The Gift of Life" / "Nine Times Out of Ten" – US R&B #31
    * 1982: "I Can’t Win for Losing" – US R&B #32
    * 1983: "I Want My Baby Back" – US R&B #61
    * 1984: "Hold Me" (with Whitney Houston) – US Pop #46, US R&B #5
    * 1984: "You’re My Choice Tonight (Choose Me)" – US R&B #15
    * 1985: "Never Felt Like Dancin’" – US R&B #21
    * 1986: "Love 4/2" – US R&B #6
    * 1986: "Let Me Be Closer" – US R&B #67
    * 1988: "Joy" – US Pop #71, US R&B #1
    * 1988: "2 A.M." – US R&B #3
    * 1988: "Love Is the Power" – US R&B #57
    * 1990: "Glad to Be Alive" (with Lisa Fischer) – US R&B #31
    * 1991: "Make It with You" – US R&B #23
    * 1991: "It Should’ve Been You" – US R&B #1
    * 1991: "I Find Everything in You" – US R&B #31
    * 1993: "Voodoo" – US R&B #25
    * 1994: "Believe in Love" – US R&B #14
    * 1994: "I’m Always Thinking About You" – US R&B #90
    * 1997: "Don’t Keep Wastin’ My Time" – US Pop #90, US R&B #39
    * 1997: "Give It to Me" – US R&B #57

Gumby Creator Art Clokey dies in sleep 89

Arthur C. Clokey (October 12, 1921 – January 8, 2010) was a pioneer in the popularization of stop motion clay animation.

He is best known for his animated television character Gumby. Since 1955, Gumby has been a familiar presence on television, appearing in several series—and even in a 1995 feature film, Gumby: The Movie. Clokey’s second most famous production is the duo of Davey and Goliath, funded by the Lutheran Church.

Death of Art Clokey
Arthur died peacefully in his sleep the morning of January 8, 2010; at his home in Los Osos, CA. Art Clokey was 89 years old at the time of his death

Gumby – Scrooge Loose

Casey Johnson, Johnson & Johnson heiress, dies 30

Casey Johnson (September 24, 1979 – January 4, 2010) was an American socialite. She was also one of the great-great-granddaughters of Robert Wood Johnson I, co-founder of Johnson & Johnson.

Death of Casey Johnson
On January 4, 2010, Johnson was found dead in her Los Angeles home. The cause of death is yet to be determined (pending coroner’s toxicology report), however authorities reported "no evidence of foul play" and that she might have been dead a few days. Tequila said Johnson had not answered her phone since December 29, 2009. Tequila later posted to her Twitter that Johnson was not dead, but in a coma. Later she backtracked stating that Johnson was, in fact, dead

At the age of 14, Johnson co-wrote a book with her father entitled Managing Your Child’s Diets. She has appeared as herself on the television shows The Fabulous Life of… and E! True Hollywood Story. In addition she was a popular Hollywood socialite known for making outrageous headlines.

Johnson openly declared her sexuality as a lesbian.

2009 top 10 famous deaths in Hollywood

This is my top 10 famous celebrity deaths in Hollywood – 2009

I came up with the list by considering three factors: 1) How much I like them personally, 2) How much they contributed to entertainment industry, 3) Shock value. 

So, you are likely to disagree with me.  But it’s OK.  Feel free to share your opinion.

  1. Michael Jackson 50
  2. Jennifer Jones 90
  3. Patrick Swayze 57
  4. Farrah Fawcett 62
  5. Ed McMahon 86
  6. Karl Malden 97
  7. Billy Mays 50
  8. David Carradine 72
  9. Ted Kennedy 77
  10. Al Martino 82
– Hollywood deaths 2009 –