Hollywood Memoir

Ryan Dunn (June 11, 1977 – June 20, 2011) was an American reality television personality and daredevil best known for being a member of The Jackass Crew, MTV’s Viva La Bam, and Homewrecker. A member of the CKY Crew, Dunn played the main character in Bam Margera’s film Haggard, which was based on a failed relationship Ryan had experienced.

Ryan Dunn Cause of Death
On June 20, 2011 at approximately 3:30 am EDT, Dunn died in a car crash in West Goshen Township, Pennsylvania. He posted a photo of him drinking with friends hours beforehand. At the time of the accident, Dunn was believed to have been traveling over 110 mph (180 km/h). An unidentified occupant of the vehicle was also found dead at the scene. WKST-FM reported that both of the bodies had suffered severe burns, and the emergency medical technicians experienced difficulty in identifying the vehicle’s occupants; Dunn was reportedly identified by his tattoos and facial hair.

 Jackass Ryan Dunn with (more) facial hair

Clarence Anicholas Clemons, Jr. (January 11, 1942 – June 18, 2011), also known as The Big Man, was an American musician and actor. From 1972 until his death, he was a prominent member of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, playing the saxophone. He released several solo albums and in 1985 had a hit single with "You’re a Friend of Mine", a duet with Jackson Browne. As a guest musician he also featured on Aretha Franklin’s classic "Freeway of Love" and on Twisted Sister’s "Be Chrool to Your Scuel" as well as performing in concert with The Grateful Dead and Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band. As an actor Clemons featured in several films, including New York, New York and Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure. He also made cameo appearances in several TV series, including Diff’rent Strokes, Nash Bridges, The Simpsons and The Wire. Together with his television writer friend Don Reo he published his autobiography, Big Man: Real Life & Tall Tales, in 2009.

Clarence Clemons Cause of Death
Clarence Clemons suffered a stroke on June 12, 2011. He underwent two surgeries after which he was in serious, but stable condition. According to Rolling Stone Magazine, he had been showing signs of recovery. However, Clemons died from complications caused by the stroke on June 18.
Clarence Clemons was 69 years old at time of his death.

Bruce Springsteen – Santa Claus is coming to town – Paris 07
Clarence Clemon on Sax, also sings "You better be good for goodness sake"

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band – Jungleland

Wild Man Fischer (November 6, 1944 – June 15, 2011) was an American songwriter in the outsider genre. He was notable for being responsible for Rhino Records’ first release, Go To Rhino Records (1975). Described by Allmusic as "certified paranoid schizophrenic and acid casualty", Fischer’s highly unusual style had developed a cult following.

Wild Man Fischer Cause of Death
Fischer died in Los Angeles, on June 15, 2011 after heart problems.

Larry "Wild Man" Fischer, early 1980’s

Bob Banner (August 15, 1921 – June 15, 2011) is an Emmy-winning American producer, writer and director.

During The Golden Age of Television, Bob was one of the prime movers of variety programming. The Dinah Shore Chevy Show, which he produced and directed, garnered a myriad of awards including three Emmys, two Christopher Awards and two Peabodys.

In 1958, he formed Bob Banner Associates. BBA’s first production was “The Garry Moore Show” with regulars Durward Kirby, Carol Burnett, and Marion Lorne. The program ran for 218 episodes and won several Emmy Awards, including one for Carol.

Special “Julie and Carol at Carnegie Hall,” starring Julie Andrews and Carol Burnett which garnered three Emmys and the International Golden Rose Award.

Bob Banner Cause of Death
Bob Banner died of Parkinson’s disease at the Motion Picture & Television Fund retirement community in  Woodland Hills, California.
Bob Banner was 89 years old at the time of his death.

Carl Gardner (born Carl Edward Gardner; April 29, 1928 – June 12, 2011), was an American singer, best known as the foremost member and founder of The Coasters.

Gardner was born in Tyler Texas. He formed the group with Bobby Nunn in 1955, after leaving The Robins, at the behest of the songwriting/producing team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. Gardner’s son, Carl Jr., officially joined The Coasters in late 2005, after Gardner semi-retired, although Carl Jr. had been touring with them since at least 1998.

Carl Gardner Cause of Death
Carl Gardner, Sr. died on June 12, 2011, after suffering with Congestive Heart Failure and Vascular Dementia. (Source: Coasters Website.) His son Carl, Jr., having taken over as lead singer of The Coasters, carries on with the group. Carl Gardner was 83 years old at the time of his death.

The Coasters – Poison Ivy.   Lead Singer: Carl Gardner

Laura Ellen Ziskin (March 3, 1950 – June 12, 2011) was an American film producer. In 1990, she was the sole executive producer of the hit comedy Pretty Woman. Ziskin became the first woman to produce the Academy Awards telecast alone, producing the 74th Academy Awards in 2002 and the 79th Academy Awards in 2007.

Ziskin’s biggest success to date came with the hit comedy Pretty Woman in 1990, starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere, which Ziskin executive produced for Touchstone Pictures.

Laura Ziskin returned to the big screen with the highly anticipated feature version of Spider-Man. The film was released on May 3, 2002 to good reviews from critics, went on to break box office records, and became the highest grossing film of 2002. The success of the film led to two sequels, Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man 3. In 2002, Ziskin was also awarded the Crystal Award by Women in Film for her efforts at expanding the role of women in the entertainment industry.

Laura Ziskin Cause of Death
Ziskin died of breast cancer at her home in Santa Monica, California on June 12, 2011, aged 61.

Leonard B. Stern (December 23, 1923 – June 7, 2011) born in New York City NY, was one of the creators, with Roger Price, of the word game Mad Libs.

Leonard Stern was a successful television writer who wrote for such now classic series such as Get Smart, The Honeymooners, the Phil Silvers Show, The Steve Allen Show and Steve Allen’s Tonight Show. He also was a writer for the 1952 Danny Thomas and Peggy Lee version of The Jazz Singer and several Abbott and Costello films, among others. In the 1970s, he produced and directed the TV series McMillan and Wife, which starred Rock Hudson.

Leonard Stern cause of death
On June 7, 2011, Stern died of heart failure at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Stern is survived by his wife of 55 years, actress Gloria Stroock, as well as a son, Michael Stern, a daughter, Kate Stern, two grandchildren, and a great-granddaughter. Funeral services were scheduled Friday at Mt. Sinai.

James King Arness (May 26, 1923 – June 3, 2011) was an American actor, best known for portraying Marshal Matt Dillon on Gunsmoke for 20 years. His brother was actor Peter Graves. Arness has the distinction of having played the role of Marshal Matt Dillon in five separate decades: 1955 to 1975 in the weekly series, then in Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge (1987) and four more made-for-TV Gunsmoke movies in the 1990s. In Europe Arness reached cult status for his role as Zeb Macahan in the western series How the West Was Won.

James Arness was in two Sci-Fi Classics – The original THING as the monster, and as the FBI man in THEM.

Arness has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1751 Vine Street. In 1981

James Arness Cause of Death
James Arness died of natural causes at his Brentwood home in Los Angeles, California on June 3, 2011.  James Arness was 88 years old a the time of his death

Gunsmoke “The Killer”, James Arness is Sheriff Dillon

Andrew Maurice Gold (August 2, 1951  – June 3, 2011) was an American singer, musician and songwriter. His work includes the Top 10 single "Lonely Boy" (1977), as well as the singles "Thank You for Being a Friend" (1978), and "Never Let Her Slip Away" (1978).

"Thank You for Being a Friend" was a theme song for "The Golden Girls"

Andrew Gold was a prolific multi-instrumentalist as artist, producer, film composer, session musician, actor, painter, and singer.

Andrew Gold was born in Burbank, California, and later joined a family business. His mother is singer Marni Nixon (who provided the singing voice for numerous actresses, notably Natalie Wood in West Side Story, Deborah Kerr in The King and I, and Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady); his father was Ernest Gold, the Academy Award-winning composer for the movie Exodus. He has two younger sisters. Gold began writing songs at the age of 13.

Andrew Gold Cause of Death
Gold died on June 3, 2011, Andrew died in his sleep at age 59 from Heart Attack. He leaves behind his wife, Leslie Kogan; daughters Emily, Victoria and Olivia and his mother, Marni Nixon.

Andrew Gold – Lonely Boy 

Andrew Gold – Thank you for being a friend

Andrew Gold – Official Website

Jacob "Jack" Kevorkian (May 26, 1928 – June 3, 2011) was an Armenian-American pathologist, right-to-die activist, painter, composer, and instrumentalist. He is best known for publicly championing a terminal patient’s right to die via physician-assisted suicide; he claimed to have assisted at least 130 patients to that end. He famously said that "dying is not a crime".

Between 1990 and 1998, Kevorkian assisted in the deaths of 130 terminally ill people.

Beginning in 1999 Kevorkian served eight years of a 10-to-25-year prison sentence for second-degree murder. He was released on parole on June 1, 2007, on condition that he would not offer suicide advice to any other person.

An oil painter and a jazz musician, Kevorkian marketed limited quantities of his visual and musical artwork to the public.

Jack Kevorkian Cause of Death
Jack Kevorkian was hospitalized for pneumonia and a kidney-related ailment.  He died when a blood clot broke from his leg and became lodged in his heart.

Jack Kevorkian : Dr. Death – "I Am Honest And Is There A God ?"

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