Year: 2011

Phoebe Snow (born Phoebe Ann Laub; July 12, 1950 – April 26, 2011) was an American female singer, songwriter, and guitarist, best known for her 1975 hit "Poetry Man."

Phoebe Snow has performed with a numerous artists including Lou Rawls, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Dave Grusin, Avenue Blue with Jeff Golub, Garland Jeffreys, Jewel, Donald Fagen, Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Queen, Hiroshi Fujiwara, Jackson Browne, Dave Mason, Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt, Michael McDonald, Boz Scaggs, Cyndi Lauper, Roger Daltrey, Chaka Khan, CeCe Peniston, Take 6, Michael Bolton, Thelma Houston, Mavis Staples, Laurie Anderson, Tracy Nelson, and The Sisters of Glory (with whom she performed at the second Woodstock festival), among others.

Phoebe Snow Cause of Death
Snow suffered a brain hemorrhage on January 19, 2010 and slipped into a coma, enduring bouts of blood clots, pneumonia, and congestive heart failure. Snow died on April 26, 2011.  Phoebe Snow was 60 years old at the time of her death.

In 1997, she sang the Roseanne theme song a cappella during the closing moments of the final episode.

Phoebe Snow Poetry Man

Phoebe Snow – Roseanne Finale Ending song

Phoebe Snow’s Official Website

Elmer Lynn Hauldren (April 1, 1922 in Missouri – April 26, 2011) was a former advertising copywriter based out of Chicago who was best known for originating the television character The Empire Man, the spokesman for Empire Today. He resided in Evanston, Illinois.

Hauldren was working on the Empire Carpet account in 1977 and could not find an actor the company approved of for the role of The Empire Man in a commercial scheduled to be shot. Instead, then company owner Seymour Cohen asked Hauldren to play the role of The Empire Man himself.

Elmer Lynn Hauldren Cause of Death
Elmer Hauldren died at the age of 89.
A cause of death wasn’t given but the spokeswoman said he had been sick.

Empire Carpet Commercial 1986

 Empire Today 588.2300 animated carpet clip 

Empire Today Website

Poly Styrene was the stage name of Marianne Joan Elliott-Said (July 3, 1957 – April 25, 2011), a female British musician, song-writer and singer, most notably in the pioneering punk rock band X-Ray Spex.

Poly Styrene Cause of Death
Poly Styrene revealed that she had been treated for breast cancer, and that it had spread to her spine and lungs. She died on 25 April 2011.
Poly Styrene was 53 years old at the time of her death.

Poly Styrene’s Personal Website

Hazel Jane Dickens (June 1, 1935 – April 22, 2011) was a female American bluegrass singer, songwriter, double bassist and guitarist. She was the eighth child of an eleven-child mining family in West Virginia. Her music is characterized not only by her high, lonesome singing style, but also by her provocative pro-union, feminist songs.

Dickens was born in Mercer County, West Virginia. She met Mike Seeger, younger half-brother of Pete Seeger and founding member of the New Lost City Ramblers and became active in the Baltimore-Washington area bluegrass and folk music scene during the 1960s. During this time she also established a collaborative relationship with Mike Seeger’s wife, Alice Gerrard, and as "Hazel & Alice" recorded two albums for the Folkways label: Who’s That Knocking (And Other Bluegrass Country Music) (1965) and Won’t You Come & Sing for Me (1973). Dickens and Gerrard were bluegrass bandleaders at a time when the vast majority of bluegrass bands were led by men.

Hazel Dickens Cause of Death
Hazel Dickens died in Washington, DC, of complications from pneumonia.
Hazel Dickens was 75 years old at the time of her death

Hazel Dickens – A Few Old Memories 

TV on the Radio is an American art rock band formed in 2001 in Brooklyn, New York, whose music spans numerous diverse genres, from post-punk to electro and free jazz to soul music. The group has released several EPs including their debut Young Liars (2003), and four critically acclaimed studio albums: Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes (2004), Return to Cookie Mountain (2006), Dear Science (2008), and Nine Types of Light (2011).

On March 14, 2011, it was announced that the band’s bassist, Gerard Smith, was diagnosed with lung cancer. On April 20, 2011 the band issued a statement of the passing of Gerard Smith on their homepage:

"We are very sad to announce the death of our beloved friend and bandmate, Gerard Smith, following a courageous fight against lung cancer. Gerard passed away the morning of April 20th, 2011. We will miss him terribly."

All upcoming shows have been cancelled due to the loss of their band member Gerard Smith.

TV on the Radio Official Website

 TV on the Radio – Wolf Like Me on Letterman

Michael Sarrazin (May 22, 1940 – April 17, 2011) was a Canadian actor who found fame opposite Jane Fonda in They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? (1969)

Sarrazin also appeared in The Flim-Flam Man, Joshua Then and Now, and the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "The Quickening". He hosted an episode of Saturday Night Live, as well, on April 15, 1978.

For 14 years he was in a relationship with actress Jacqueline Bisset, whom he met in the 1968 film The Sweet Ride.

Michael Sarrazin Cause of death:
He died on April 17, 2011 after a brief battle with cancer, with his daughters Catherine and Michele at his side, according to a family spokesman.

 Eye of the Cat (1969) Michael Sarrazin UNCUT THEATRICAL VERSION

Michael Sarrazin is the male actor

How come you will post about some actress’ dog and a flip camera but not one mention of geraldine ferraro’s passing???

Sidney Lumet (June 25, 1924 – April 9, 2011) was an American film director, producer and screenwriter with over 50 films to his name, including 12 Angry Men (1957), Dog Day Afternoon (1975), Network (1976) and The Verdict (1982), all of which earned him Academy Award nominations for Best Director.

Sidney Lumet Cause of Death
Sidney Lumet died of lymphoma (form of Cancer)
Sidney Lumet was 86 years old at the time of his death

Robert Orrin Tucker (February 17, 1911 – April 9, 2011) was an American bandleader born in St. Louis, Missouri, whose theme song was Drifting and Dreaming. His biggest hit was Oh Johnny, Oh Johnny, Oh! (1939), sung by vocalist "Wee" Bonnie Baker.

Tucker and his orchestra remained active until the 1990s, when health problems forced him to retire. In 2003, Tucker was interviewed about his passion for music and his long career as a bandleader by the NAMM Oral History program. He died on April 9, 2011, aged 100.

Cause of death was not released (yet)

Orrin Tucker – You’re The One (1941)

The Highwaymen were a circa 1960 "collegiate folk" group, which originated at Wesleyan University and had a Billboard number-one hit in 1961 with "Michael" and another Top 20 hit in 1962 with "Cottonfields". "Michael" sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold record.

Gill Robbins spent three years with the group.

Gill Robbins is a father of Academy Award winning actor Tim Robbins.

Gill Robbins Cause of Death
Gill Robbins died on April 5, 2011 in of prostate cancer.
Gill Robbins was 80 years old at the time of his death.

Michael – The Highwaymen