Major Causes of Death: Accidental | Cancer | Drug | Heart Attack | Heart Failure | Lung | Natural Causes | Suicide

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Reg Presley, Troggs singer, 'Wild Thing', dies 71

Reg Presley (born Reginald Maurice Ball; June 12, 1941 – February 4, 2013) was an English singer-songwriter. He was best known as the lead singer with prominent 1960s rock and roll band The Troggs, whose best known hit was "Wild Thing", though their only UK number one single was the follow-up "With a Girl Like You". He was born at 17 Belle Vue Road, Andover, Hampshire.

His most famous composition is "Love Is All Around". Wet Wet Wet's 1994 cover stayed at No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart for fifteen weeks. Presley used his royalties from that cover to fund his research into crop circles and outlined his findings in a book, Wild Things They Don't Tell Us, published in October 2002.

Reg Presley appears as a character in Steve Erickson's novel These Dreams of You (2012).

Reg Presley cause of death

Reg Presley died from cancer and a succession of recent strokes.  Reg Presley was 71 years old at tht time of his death.

In December 2011 Presley was hospitalized in Winchester, Hampshire, with what was suspected to be a stroke. He was also suffering from pneumonia and fluid around the heart. Presley had suffered a major stroke about a year before. His wife said he first began to feel bad while performing in Germany on December 3, 2011, and had got progressively worse.

The Troggs - Wild Thing

Troggs - "Love Is All Around"

Pauline Phillips, 'Dear Abby' advice columnist, dies 94

Walk of Fame

Pauline Phillips (aka. Abigail Van Buren) (July 4, 1918 - January 16, 2013) was an American advice columnist and radio show host who began the "Dear Abby" column in 1956.

Pauline Phillips cause of death

Pauline Phillips died January 16, 2013 of natural causes after years of battling Alzheimer's Disease. Pauline Phillips was 94 years old at the time of her death

Patti Page, Singer, 'Tennessee Waltz', dies 85

Hollywood Walk of FameGrammy Winner

Clara Ann Fowler (November 8, 1927 - January 1, 2013), known by her professional name Patti Page, was an American singer, one of the best-known female artists in traditional pop music. She was the best-selling female artist of the 1950s, and sold over 100 million records. Her nickname was The Singin' Rage (a phrase commonly followed by "Miss Patti Page").

In 1950, she had her first million-selling single "With My Eyes Wide Open, I'm Dreaming", and would eventually have 14 additional million-selling singles between 1950 and 1965.

Page's signature song, "Tennessee Waltz", recorded in 1950, was one of the biggest-selling singles of the 20th century, and is also one of the two official state songs of Tennessee. "Tennessee Waltz" spent 13 weeks atop the Billboard magazine's Best-Sellers List in 1950. Page had three additional No. 1 hit singles between 1950 and 1953, with "All My Love (Bolero)", "I Went to Your Wedding", and "(How Much Is That) Doggie in the Window".

She also recorded "Mockin' Bird Hill," "Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte," and "Allegheny Moon." She teamed with George Jones on "You Never Looked That Good When You Were Mine."

  • Patti Page won her Grammy Award in 1999.
  • Patti Page was inducted to the Hollywood Walk of Fame on February 8, 1960

Patti Page cause of death

Patti Page's cause of death was not published. Patti Page was 85 years old at the time of her death

The Tennessee Waltz - singer Patti Page 1950

Ms. Melodie, Rap pioneer, KRS-One's ex-wife, dies 43

Ramona Parker (1969 – July 17, 2012), known as Ms. Melodie, was an emcee married to KRS-One in July 1987, and was associated with his group Boogie Down Productions (BDP) until the couple's divorce in 1992. She was raised in the Flatbush section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn.

Her first release was the 1988 12-inch single "Hype According to Ms. Melodie", which, like most of her records, was produced by KRS-One. While they began recording her debut album, Ms. Melodie and the rest of BDP appeared in the Keenen Ivory Wayans film I'm Gonna Git You Sucka. Her only album, Diva, would be released the following year by Jive/RCA Records and was largely produced by KRS-One, with contributions from Sam Sever and the Awesome 2's DJ Teddy Tedd. The single "Wake Up, Wake Up" reached the Top 20 of Billboard's Hot Rap Singles chart; the music video to its follow-up single "Live on Stage" was a hit on video stations. She is the older sister of former BDP member Harmony.

Ms. Melodie Cause of death
According to news reports, she died on July 17, 2012. The cause of death is unknown.
Ms. Melodie was 43 years old at the time of her death.

Ms. Melodie - Communication 1989

David Peaston, R&B Singer, Apollo star, dies 54

David Peaston (1957 – February 1, 2012) was an American R&B/gospel singer who in 1990 won a Soul Train Music Award for Best R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist. He is mostly known for the singles, "Two Wrongs (Don't Make it Right)" and "Can I?", the latter of which was originally recorded by Eddie Kendricks.

In the late 1980s, Peaston, a former schoolteacher, won several competitions on the Showtime at the Apollo television show, winning over the audience with a powerful rendition of "God Bless the Child."

David Peaston cause of death
David Peaston died from complications of diabetes on February 1, 2012 in St. Louis, Missouri.
David Peaston  was 54 years old at the time of his death.

David Peaston - 2 Wrongs

Jeret Peterson, Olympic medalist, commits suicide 29

Jeret "Speedy" Peterson (December 12, 1981 – July 25, 2011) was an American World Cup aerial skier from Boise, Idaho, skiing out of Bogus Basin. A three-time Olympian, he won the silver medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Jeret Peterson cause of death
On July 25, 2011, Peterson was found dead in Lambs Canyon, Utah. The cause of death was determined to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Three days previously, Peterson had been arrested for driving while intoxicated. In Italy, he was still reeling from the suicide of a friend named Trevor Fernald, who had committed suicide and been found by Peterson only months before. Peterson also had problems with alcohol and depression and admitted he had his own thoughts of suicide, all stemming from a childhood in which he was sexually abused and lost his 5-year-old sister to a drunk driver.

Speedy Peterson with The Hurricane at Deer Valley

Dan Peek, a founder of soft-rock band America, dies 60


America (band) - Best new Artist

 
Dan Peek on Left

Dan Peek (November 1, 1950 – July 24, 2011) was a member of the rock band, America, from 1970 to 1977, together with Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell. He contributed lead and backing vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards, and harmonica to their recordings during his tenure in the band. As a member of America, Peek contributed with four Top 100 singles: "Don't Cross The River" (#35), his most successful single "Lonely People" hit (#5), "Woman Tonight" (#44), and "Today's the Day" (#23). "Lonely People" and "Today's the Day" also hit number 1 on the Billboard AC charts. Although he did not write them, "Ventura Highway", "Sister Golden Hair", "Tin Man (song)", and "A Horse with No Name" are also collaborations of Peek's.

Dan Peek Cause of Death
Dan Peek died of undisclosed causes on July 24, 2011
Dan Peek was 60 years old at the time of his death

CBN American folk rock band America Dan Peek

Joe Willie 'Pinetop' Perkins, Blues legend, dies 97

Joseph William Perkins (July 7, 1913 – March 21, 2011), better known by the stage name Pinetop Perkins, was an American Blues musician, specializing in piano music. He played with some of the most influential blues and rock and roll performers in American history, and received numerous honors during his lifetime including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and induction into the Blues Hall of Fame.

Along with David "Honeyboy" Edwards, he was one of the last two original Mississippi Delta blues musicians, and also to have a personal knowledge of and friendship with Robert Johnson.

At age 97, he won a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album for Joined at the Hip, an album he recorded with Willie "Big Eyes" Smith. Perkins thus became the oldest-ever Grammy winner, edging out comedian George Burns who had won in the spoken word category 16 years earlier.

Pinetop Perkins Cause of Death

Pinetop Perkins died on 21 March 2011 at his home in Austin, Texas.
Pinetop Perkins was 97 years old at the time of his death.

Pinetop Perkins, Harvelle's Santa Monica

 Pinetop Perkins - Official Website

 

Johnny Preston, Texas Singer. "Running Bear", Dies 71

Johnny Preston (August 18, 1939 – March 4, 2011) was an American pop music singer, who was best known for his international number one hit in 1960, "Running Bear".

J. P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson offered Preston the chance to record a teenage tragedy song he had written, "Running Bear", which they did in Houston, Texas in 1958. The "Indian" sounds on the record were performed by Richardson and George Jones. The record was released after The Big Bopper's death in the same plane crash that killed Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens. It entered the U.S. Hot 100 in October 1959, reaching number one in January 1960 and remaining there for three weeks. It was a transatlantic chart-topper, reaching #1 in the United Kingdom in March 1960.The sales of the record exceeded one million copies, earning Preston his first gold disc.

Preston quickly followed up with another hit called "Cradle of Love," (Billboard #7, UK # 2) and made several other records during the early 1960s that met with modest success.

Preston's pioneering contribution to the genre was recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. He also performed at Dick Clark's American Bandstand Theater in Branson, Missouri. In 2009, Preston performed at the Lamar State College, in his hometown.

Death of Johnny Preston
Johnny Preston had coronary artery bypass surgery in 2010. He died of heart failure in Beaumont, Texas on Friday, 4 March 2011, after years of heart related illnesses.
Johnny Preston was 71 years old at the time of his death.

Johnny Preston - Cradle Of Love  - RUNNING BEAR

Johnny Preston - Cradle Of Love

Pete Postlethwaite, Oscar-nominated, 'Inception' actor dies 64

Peter William "Pete" Postlethwaite, OBE (February 7, 1946 – January 2, 2011) was an English stage, film and television actor.

After minor television appearances including in The Professionals, Postlethwaite's first success came with the film Distant Voices, Still Lives in 1988. He played a mysterious lawyer "Kobayashi" in The Usual Suspects, and he appeared in Alien 3, In the Name of the Father, Amistad, Brassed Off, The Shipping News, The Constant Gardener, Inception, and in Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet.

Death of Pete Postlethwaite
Postlethwaite died in the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital on 2 January 2011 after a battle with cancer.  Pete Postlethwaite was 64 at the time of his death.

Postlethwaite was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1990, and had one testicle removed.

Pete Postlethwaite talks about The Age of Stupid on BBC Breakfast

Neva Patterson, Actress in 'Affair to Remember', Dies 90

Neva Louise Patterson (February 10, 1920 – December 14, 2010) was an American character actress.

Her first feature movie was the 1953 film Taxi; other film credits include The Buddy Holly Story, All of Me, and as Cary Grant's fiancee in An Affair to Remember.

Her television credits included Nichols, The Governor & J.J., and as Eleanor Dupres in V, which she reprised in V: The Final Battle. She made guest appearances on The Defenders, Ironside, Barnaby Jones, The Dukes of Hazzard, and St. Elsewhere.

Patterson died from complications from a broken hip at age 90.

 

Tony Peluso, Carpenters' Guitar Player (Goodbye To Love) - Dies 60

Tony Peluso (March 28, 1950 – June 5, 2010) was an American guitarist and record producer. He was lead guitarist for pop duo Carpenters from 1972 to 1983

Peluso is probably best known for his disc jockey impersonation that links the medley of oldies tracks on side 2 of the Carpenters album Now & Then, and his fuzz guitar solo on their song "Goodbye to Love".

The Carpenters
1972 - Please view video below

After Carpenters
Following the death of Karen Carpenter in 1983, Peluso moved on to record producing. He worked for the next decade at Motown Records where he recorded artists such as Smokey Robinson, The Temptations, the Four Tops and Michael Jackson.

Peluso went on to produce and/or engineer for artists such as Kenny Loggins, Seals and Crofts, Apollonia Kotero, Player, Animotion, Stephanie Mills, The Fixx, Dave Koz and Boyz II Men.

In 1992, Peluso began working with Gustavo Santaolalla. They pioneered the Rock en Español genre. Peluso worked with Latin pop musicians such as Ricky Martin, Molotov and Cafe Tacuba. In 2005, Santaolalla and Peluso produced the soundtrack to Brokeback Mountain.

Death of Tony Peluso
Tony Peluso died from heart disease.
Tony Peluso was 60 years old at the time of his death.

 the carpenters - goodbye to love [history]

Fess Parker, 'Davy Crockett' Star dies 85

Fess Elisha Parker, Jr.
Born: August 16, 1924 Fort Worth, Texas, United States
Died: March 18, 2010 (aged 85) California, United States

Fess Elisha Parker, Jr. was an American film and television actor best known for his 1950s portrayals of Davy Crockett for Walt Disney and of Daniel Boone in the late 1960s. He was also known as a wine maker and resort owner-operator.

Death of Fess Parker
Fess Parker died of complications from old age.
Fess Parker was 85 years old at the time of his death.

Davy Crockett - "Old Betsy" - Song performed by Fess Parker and Buddy Ebsen (Disneyland Opening Day)
 

Fess Parker's Filmography continues next page

Fess Parker Filmography

    * Harvey (1950)
    * No Room for the Groom (1952)
    * Untamed Frontier (1952)
    * Springfield Rifle (1952)
    * Take Me to Town (1953)
    * The Kid from Left Field (1953)
    * Island in the Sky (1953)
    * Thunder Over the Plains (1953)
    * Dragonfly Squadron (1954)
    * Them! (1954)
    * The Bounty Hunter (1954)
    * Battle Cry (1955)
    * Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier (1955)
    * The Great Locomotive Chase (1956)
    * Davy Crockett and the River Pirates (1956)
    * Westward Ho, The Wagons! (1956)
    * Old Yeller (1957)
    * The Light in the Forest (1958)
    * The Hangman (1959)
    * Alias Jesse James (1959)
    * The Jayhawkers! (1959)
    * Hell Is for Heroes (1962)
    * Smoky (1966)
    * Daniel Boone: Frontier Trail Rider (1966)

Television

    * City Detective, (1 episode, 1955)
    * Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1962-1963)
    * Daniel Boone (lead cast member from 1964-1970, with Ed Ames, Patricia Blair, Darby Hinton, and Veronica Cartwright)
    * Climb an Angry Mountain (1972)
    * The Fess Parker Show (1974) (unsold pilot)

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

Kim Peek - 'Rain Man' inspiration dies 58

Kim Peek (11 November 1951 – 19 December 2009) was an American prodigious savant known as a megasavant. He had a photographic or eidetic memory, but also social developmental disabilities, possibly resulting from congenital brain abnormalities. He was the inspiration for the character of Raymond Babbitt, played by Dustin Hoffman, in the movie Rain Man. He was not autistic and likely had FG syndrome.

Kim Peek was born with macrocephaly, damage to the cerebellum, and, perhaps most important, agenesis of the corpus callosum, a condition in which the bundle of nerves that connects the two hemispheres of the brain is missing; in Peek's case, secondary connectors such as the anterior commissure were also missing. There is speculation that his neurons made other connections in the absence of a corpus callosum, which results in an increased memory capacity.

Death of Kim Peek
Peek died on 19 December 2009, of a heart attack. He is survived by his father.  He was 58 years old at the time of his death

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