Hollywood Memoir

Memorable characters: Good Ol’ Boys from Blues Brothers, Murdock from Rambo II

Charles L. Napier (April 12, 1936 – October 5, 2011) was an American actor, known for his portrayals of square-jawed tough guys and military types.

Charles Napier served in the U.S. Army with the 11th Airborne Division before becoming an actor.

Napier was a regular in Jonathan Demme-directed movies, including The Silence of the Lambs and Philadelphia. Some of Napier’s memorable roles include Murdock, the intelligence officer commanding Rambo in Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985) and Tucker McElroy, lead singer and driver of the Winnebago for “The Good Ol’ Boys” in The Blues Brothers (1980).

Charles Napier cause of death
Charles Napier was found collapsed at home, and was taken off life support the next day.  Exact cause of death is not specified as of October 6, 2011.
Charles Napier was 75 years old at the time of his death

Must watch video
Feature Film Actor Charles Napier featured on Shelby Headline News

Steven Paul “Steve” Jobs (February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011) was an American entrepreneur and inventor. He was co-founder, chairman, and former chief executive officer of Apple Inc. Jobs also previously served as chief executive of Pixar Animation Studios; he became a member of the board of directors of The Walt Disney Company in 2006, following the acquisition of Pixar by Disney. He was credited in Toy Story (1995) as an executive producer.

On August 24, 2011, Jobs announced his resignation from his role as Apple’s CEO. In his letter of resignation, Jobs strongly recommended that the Apple executive succession plan be followed and Tim Cook be named as his successor. Per his request, Jobs was appointed chairman of Apple’s board of directors.

Steve Jobs cause of death
Steve Jobs died of pancreatic cancer.
Steve Jobs was 56 years old at the time of his death.

Forbes Editors On Great Steve Jobs Moments

Donald “Don” D. Lapre (born May 19, 1964 – October 2, 2011) was an American TV pitchman. Lapre was a high school dropout, who became a multi-level marketing salesman and infomercial huckster. His work involved such products as “The Greatest Vitamin in the World” and the “Making Money Package”, and he was criticized as selling questionable business plans that often did not work for his clients. In June 2011, Lapre was charged with 41 counts of conspiracy, mail fraud, wire fraud and promotional money laundering related to his internet businesses and he was arrested on June 24, 2011 for failing to appear in court to face these charges.

Don Lapre Cause of Death
While in jail, Lapre committed suicide on the morning of October 2, 2011.

Don Lapre Sells Tiny Classified Ads

Timeline:
Consumer watchdog organizations such as Quackwatch had accused Lapre of peddling get-rich-quick schemes. Web sites such as the Ripoff Report had numerous consumer complaints about Lapre and his products and business practices. Lapre had been quoted as saying, “…I really don’t give a rat’s ass about what people think about me.”

According to a June 15, 2011, Associated Press article, Lapre was indicted by a federal grand jury in Phoenix, AZ on June 8, 2011 on accusations of running a nationwide scheme to sell worthless Internet businesses. Federal prosecutors have accused Lapre of bilking over 220,000 victims out of nearly $52 million. He has been charged with 41 counts of conspiracy, mail fraud, wire fraud, promotional money laundering, and transactional money laundering.

On June 22, 2011, a Federal judge issued a bench warrant for Lapre after he failed to show up for his arraignment on 41 counts of fraud.

On June 27, 2011, Don Lapre was arrested at a Lifetime Fitness location in Tempe, AZ, with serious self inflicted knife wounds to his groin, and had reportedly lived in the Lifetime Fitness location for 2 days.

Sylvia Robinson (March 6, 1936 – September 29, 2011) was a singer, musician, music producer, and record label executive, most notably known for her work as founder/CEO of the seminal hip hop label Sugar Hill Records. She is credited as the driving force behind two landmark singles in the genre. The first was “Rapper’s Delight” by the Sugarhill Gang, which was the first rap song to be released by a hip hop act. The second was “The Message” by Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five.

Sylvia Robinson cause of death
Sylvia Robinson died of congestive heart failure.
Sylvia Robinson was 75 years old at the time of her death.

Pillow Talk – Sylvia Robinson

The Sugar Hill Gang – Rapper’s Delight

The Ethiopians were a ska, rocksteady, and reggae vocal group, founded by Leonard Dillon ( December 9, 1942, Port Antonio, Jamaica – September 28, 2011), Stephen Taylor and Aston Morris.

Leonard Dillon cause of death.
Leonard Dillon died of lung and prostate cancer on 28 September at his daughter’s home in Kingston, Jamaica.  Leonard Dillon was 68 years old at the time of his death.

Reggae hit the Town – The Ethiopians

Johnnie Robert Wright, Jr. (May 13, 1914 – September 27, 2011), known professionally as Johnnie Wright, was an American country music singer-songwriter who spent much of his career working with Jack Anglin as the popular duo Johnnie & Jack, and was also the husband of Kitty Wells.

In 1937, he married Kitty Wells.

In 1952, Johnnie & Jack’s “Poison Love” took them to the Grand Ole Opry, where the duo, along with Wells, were invited to join and where they remained for 15 years.

In 1964, he and his Tennessee Mountain Boys had a Top 25 hit with “Walkin’, Talkin’, Cryin’, Barely Beatin’ Broken Heart.” The following year, he had success with “Hello Vietnam”, a No. 1 hit. In 1968, he and Wells recorded an autobiographical duet, “We’ll Stick Together”, and continued playing live shows together through the early 1980s.

Johnnie Wright cause of death
Johnnie Wright passed away of natural causes at his home in Madison, TN on September 27, 2011.  Johnnie Wright was 97 years old at the time of his death.

Johnnie Wright – Is Love Worth All The Heartaches?

Johnny Wright – Hello Vietnam (Full Metal Jacket)

Jessy Dixon (March 12, 1938 – September 26, 2011) was an American gospel singer, songwriter, and pianist, with success among audiences across racial lines. He has three Gold albums and seven Grammy nominations.

Jessy Dixon cause of death
Jessy Dixon died affter long illness
Jessy Dixon was 73 years old at the time of his death

Operator by Jessy Dixon

Vesta Williams (December 1, 1957 – September 22, 2011) was an American R&B singer. Originally credited by her full name, she was sometimes simply billed as Vesta from the 1990s onwards. Although Williams never had any albums certified gold nor any Top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, she scored six Top 10 hits on the US Billboard R&B chart from the mid 1980s to the early 1990s. Williams was known for the hits, “Once Bitten, Twice Shy”, “Sweet Sweet Love”, “Congratulations” and “Special”

Vesta Williams cause of death
Vesta Williams was found dead in a hotel room in El Segundo, California, on September 22, 2011.  An autopsy was scheduled to determine the cause of death.
Vesta Williams was 53 years old at the time of her death

Congratulations – Vesta Williams

Dolores Hope (May 27, 1909 – September 19, 2011) was an American singer, philanthropist and wife of actor/comedian Bob Hope.

Dolores Hope cause of deaths
Dolores Hope died of natural causes on September 19, 2011
Dolores Hope was 102 year old at the time of her death.

SILVER BELLS – Bob and Dolores Hope 1978 special

Willie “Big Eyes” Smith (January 19, 1936 – September 16, 2011) was a Grammy Award-winning American electric blues vocalist, harmonica player, and multi-award winning drummer. He was best known for several stints with the Muddy Waters band beginning in the early 1960s.

On February 13, 2011, he won a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album for Joined at the Hip, an album he recorded with Pinetop Perkins.

In 1961 Smith became a regular member of Muddy Water’s band, which then consisted of George “Mojo” Buford, Luther Tucker, Pat Hare, and Otis Spann. By the mid ’60s he’d left the band for more steady work as a cab driver. In the late ’60s he rejoined Muddy’s band and remained a permanent member until 1980.

Willie “Big Eyes” Smith Cause of death
Willie Smith died following a stroke on September 16, 2011.
Willie Smith was 75 years old at the time of his death.

Willie “Big Eyes” Smith Harmonica