Tommy Lasorda, American Hall of Fame baseball manager, dies 93

Thomas Charles Lasorda (September 22, 1927 – January 7, 2021) was an American professional baseball pitcher and manager. He managed the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1976 through 1996. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame as a manager in 1997.

Lasorda played in MLB for the Dodgers in 1954 and 1955 and for the Kansas City Athletics in 1956. He coached for the Dodgers from 1973 through 1976 before taking over as manager. Lasorda won two World Series championships as manager of the Dodgers and was named the Manager of the Year of the National League (NL) twice. His uniform number 2 was retired by the Dodgers.

Tommy Lasorda Cause of Death

On June 3, 2012, at age 84, Lasorda was hospitalized in New York City after suffering a heart attack. The heart attack was not considered to be overly serious. On November 8, 2020, Lasorda was hospitalized for heart problems and was reported to be “in serious condition” in intensive care. The Dodgers didn’t make the announcement public about his hospitalization until a week later. On December 1, 2020, Lasorda was taken out of the intensive care unit as his condition continued to improve. After being released from the hospital on January 5, 2021, he entered sudden cardiac arrest at his home two days later and was rushed back to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead that night. He was 93. Numerous buildings in Los Angeles were illuminated in blue in tribute to Lasorda, including City Hall, Staples Center, and the Banc of California Stadium; at Dodger Stadium, flags were flown at half-staff.

Leslie West, Singer, Guitarist, ‘Mississippi Queen,’ dies 75

Leslie West (born Leslie Weinstein; October 22, 1945 – December 23, 2020)[2] was an American rock guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. He was best known as a founding member and co-lead vocalist of the hard rock band Mountain.

West went into cardiac arrest on Monday, December 21, 2020, and was rushed to a hospital in nearby Palm Coast where he never regained consciousness. Leslie West died on Wednesday, December 23, 2020. He was 75.

Leslie West – Mississippi Queen – Dennis Miller Show

Conchata Ferrell, Two and a Half Men’s Berta, Dies 77

Conchata Galen Ferrell (March 28, 1943 – October 12, 2020) was an American actress. Although she was a regular castmember of five TV sitcom series, she was best known for playing Berta the housekeeper for all twelve seasons of the sitcom Two and a Half Men. For her performance as Berta, she received two Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (in 2005 and 2007). These came in addition to an earlier nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her performance in L.A. Law (1992).

Ferrell was best known for portraying Berta the Housekeeper in the CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men, appearing in a total of 212 episodes from 2003 to 2015. She had received two nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2005 and 2007.

Ferrell died on October 12, 2020, as a result of complications following cardiac arrest. She was 77 years old.

The Best of Berta (Compilation) | Two and a Half Men | TV Land

In 1992, she received her first Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her recurring role as Attorney Susan Bloom on the sixth season of L.A. Law.

Ferrell’s supporting roles in films include performances in Deadly Hero, Network, Edward Scissorhands, Erin Brockovich, Crime and Punishment in Suburbia, Mr. Deeds and K-PAX as well as a small part in True Romance. Her other television credits include Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Hot L Baltimore, Teen Angel, Matlock, B. J. and the Bear, Good Times, Hearts Afire, Townies, Night Court, The Love Boat and Push, Nevada. She played Mrs. Werner in the episode of Quincy, M.E. titled “Into the Murdering Mind” (1982). She has also made memorable appearances portraying blunt, authoritative judges (The “Jagged Sledge” episode of Sledge Hammer! in 1987, and on “The One With Joey’s Porsche” episode of Friends in 1999).

Fred Willard, comedian, actor, dies 86

Frederick Charles Willard (September 18, 1933 – May 15, 2020) was an American actor, comedian and writer. He was best known for his roles in the Rob Reiner mockumentary film This Is Spinal Tap; the Christopher Guest mockumentaries Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, For Your Consideration, and Mascots; and the Anchorman films.

Willard died on May 15, 2020, at 86, of cardiac arrest at his home, according to his daughter Hope Mulbarger and his representative.

Waiting for Guffman- Willard on Right (male)

Brian Dennehy, Tony Award-Winning Actor, Dies 81

golden globe

Brian Manion Dennehy (July 9, 1938 – April 15, 2020) was an American actor of stage, television, and film. Dennehy won two Tony Awards, an Olivier Award, and a Golden Globe, and received six Primetime Emmy Award nominations. He had roles in over 180 films and in many television and stage productions. His film roles included Gorky Park (1983), Silverado (1985), Cocoon (1985), F/X (1986), Presumed Innocent (1990), Romeo + Juliet (1996), and Knight of Cups (2015). Dennehy won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film for his role as Willy Loman in the television film Death of a Salesman (2000).

Dennehy died on April 15, 2020, of cardiac arrest due to sepsis at his home in New Haven, Connecticut. He is survived by Arnott and his five children.

Rambo: First Blood – Dennehy as sheriff

Robert Conrad, TV Star of ‘Wild Wild West,’ Dies 84

Robert Conrad (born Conrad Robert Falk; March 1, 1935 – February 8, 2020) was an American film and television actor, singer, and stuntman. He is best known for his role in the 1965–1969 television series The Wild Wild West, playing the sophisticated Secret Service agent James T. West. He portrayed World War II ace Pappy Boyington in the television series Baa Baa Black Sheep (later syndicated as Black Sheep Squadron). In addition to acting, he was a singer, and recorded several pop/rock songs in the late 1950s and early 1960s as Bob Conrad. He hosted a weekly two-hour national radio show (The PM Show with Robert Conrad) on CRN Digital Talk Radio beginning in 2008.

Car accident

On March 31, 2003, while on Highway 4 in California’s Sierra Nevada foothills near his Alpine County home, Conrad drove his Jaguar over the center median and slammed head-on into a Subaru driven by 26-year-old Kevin Burnett. Both men suffered serious injuries. Tried on felony charges, Conrad pleaded no contest, and he was convicted of drunk driving.

He was sentenced to six months of house confinement, alcohol counseling, and five years’ probation. A civil suit filed by Kevin Burnett against Conrad was settled the following year for an undisclosed amount. In 2005, Burnett died at age 28 from perforated ulcers, which his family attributed to his difficult recovery from the crash. Conrad himself suffered severe nerve injuries from the crash, which left his right side partially paralyzed.

Robert Conrad cause of death

Conrad died of heart failure in Malibu, California, on February 8, 2020, at age 84.

Robert Conrad Tribute – Wild Wild West

Stanley Donen, director of ‘singing in the rain’ and more, dies 94

Stanley Donen (April 13, 1924 – February 21, 2019) was an American film director and choreographer whose most celebrated works are On the Town (1949) and Singin’ in the Rain (1952), both of which starred Gene Kelly who co-directed. His other films include Royal Wedding (1951), Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954), Funny Face (1957), Indiscreet (1958), and Charade (1963). He began his career in the chorus line on Broadway for director George Abbott, where he befriended Kelly. From 1943, he was in Hollywood and worked as a choreographer before beginning to collaborate with Kelly. After On the Town, Donen worked as a contract director for MGM under producer Arthur Freed producing critically well-received box-office hits. Donen and Kelly co-directed the musical Singin’ in the Rain, released in April 1952, which has appeared on lists of the best films ever made. Donen’s relationship with Kelly deteriorated during their final collaboration, It’s Always Fair Weather (1955). He then broke his contract with MGM to become an independent producer in 1957. He continued making films throughout the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, often financial successes that gained positive attention. His film output became less frequent in the early 1980s and he briefly returned to the stage as a director in the 1990s and again in 2002.

On February 21, 2019, Donen died at age 94 from heart failure in New York City. In addition to May, he is survived by two sons and a sister.

Singing In The Rain (Gene Kelly)