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Home , Allee Willis, Arte Johnson, Billy Drago, Carol Lynley, Charmed, Cimarron Strip

FINAL SALUTE Each year we note the passing of influential creators, performers, and institutions.

These passings occurred between SoonerCon 28 and the original date for SoonerCon 29.

American actress and singer passed away May 11, 2019. Her best-known acting role was as undercover cop Julie Barnes on , 1968-1973. She won a new generation of fans when she ran the Double R Diner as Jennings, in .

Doris Day was a big-band singer, TV and film actress, and talk-show host. She won several awards for comedy and popularity. She was also an activist for animal welfare, lending her star power to several organizations bearing her name. She died May 13, 2019.

Domestic cat Tardar Sauce was better known as the meme she unwittingly founded: Grumpy Cat. Dwarfism contributed to her scowling face, which graced ads for Friskies and General Mills Honey Nut Cheerios. The frowning feline cashed in her lives on May 14, 2019.

The career of the inspired began in 1962 and lasted through TV, movies, voice-overs, and video games. Among his noted appearances were the goofy Dorf; four years on McHale ‘s Navy; eleven years on The Show; several solo TV shows; and as Barnacle Boy, 1999-2012, on SpongeBob SquarePants. Conway took his final bow on May 14, 2019.

Born in China, I.M. Pei moved to America in 1935 and in 1948 became a professional architect. He designed the John F. Kennedy Library, which took until 1979 to complete. In 1962 he was selected by OKC’s Urban Renewal Authority to redesign our downtown. Some of his ideas were panned—the Century Center was largely empty until 2015—but other features, such as the Myriad (now Cox) Convention Center and Myriad Gardens, still anchor OKC’s center. Pei died on May 16, 2019.

American physicist Murray Gell-Mann died May 24, 2019. His research into quantum theory and complex systems brought new angles on deep reality. He helped develop the quark model, called “the eightfold way” in reference to Buddhism. Among many honors, he won the 1969 Nobel Prize in physics.

Dark glasses and a Panama hat marked singer-guitarist Leon Redbone, along with his love for blues and jazz. His performances enlivened SNL, , and A Prairie Home Companion, as well as his themes for Harry and the Hendersons, Mr. Belvedere, and Elf. he died on May 30, 2019.

American musician helped start the -rock genre as a member of . He struggled with several bouts of obsession ands mental illness. A 1990 fund-raising tribute album was populated by Z.Z. Top, R.E.M., T. Bone Burnett, and a dozen other well-wishers. Erickson transcended May 31, 2019.

Artist Keith Birdsong died June 4, 2019. Born in Muskogee, he was a noted sf artist, providing cover art for more than 30 novels. His photorealistic paintings of Trek and subjects appeared in offerings for the Hamilton Collection and the Bradford Exchange. He provided art for 13 US Postal Service stamps. Keith was our Artist GOH for SoonerCon 2007.

Songwriter and musician Dr. John passed on June 6, 2019. He released 30 albums and won six Grammys. His biggest hits were 1973’s “Right Place, Wrong Time” and “Such a Night.”

Italian producer and director Franco Zeffirelli died June 15, 2019. He designed many operatic productions which gained fame. Among his most famous films were 1967’s (with Taylor and Burton); the 1977 TV Jesus of Nazareth; and the 1968 and , winner of two Oscars and notable at the time for featuring teenagers in the title roles.

TV writer Peter Allan Fields died on June 19, 2019. In his 40-plus-year career, he wrote multiple episodes for The Man from U.N.C.L.E., The F.B.I., McCloud, and The Six Million Dollar Man. He was writer or co-writer for 13 episodes of TNG and DS9, as well as being a producer and co-producer for the latter show.

Musician, producer, and songwriter Dave Bartholomew died June 23, 2019, at age 100. He wrote or co-wrote several songs that became hits for Fats Domino, including “I hear You Knockin’,” “Blue Monday,” “Ain’t That a Shame,” and “My Ding-a-Ling.” He was in the and in 1991 was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Billy Drago made a career out of looking like a villain. His splashiest role was in 1987’s The Untouchables but he was from recurring roles on Brisco County Jr, , and one-offs for Supernatural, the X-Files, and Friday the 13th: The Series (and many more). He cashed out on June 24, 2019.

Actor Max Wright appeared in plays at the Lincoln Center and on Broadway, and as a regular cast member for WKRP in Cincinnati, AfterMASH, Buffalo Bill, and Misfits of Science. But his greatest fame was as the exasperated “father” to an Alien Life Form for TV’s ALF, 1986-1990. Wright was thankful when the series ended his role as right-hand man to a puppet, and appeared in several films afterwards. Wright passed away June 26, 2019.

Before he was murdered (fictionally) in the 2009 film adaptation of Watchmen, Lee Iacocca engineered the 1979 government bailout of Chrysler. He shepherded the development of the minivan in the early 1980s. In his 30 years at Ford, he championed the Escort and the infamous exploding Pinto. His biggest impact may have been spearheading the Ford Mustang onto the market. The real Iacocca died on July 2, 2019.

After not making it in the publishing world, made many guest appearances on TV before hitching his U-boat to Rowan & Martin ‘s Laugh-In, where he served from 1968 to 1973 in a plethora of silly roles, most notably dirty old man Tyrone F. Horneigh and the German WWII soldier Wolfgang, to whom everything was “verrrrry interresting!” Johnson also voiced several cartoons and appeared as Renfield in 1979’s . Also in his resume are about 80 audiobooks. Johnson died July 3, 2019.

Born as a comic book in 1952, MAD became a magazine in 1955, partly to escape the dastardly clutches of the Comics Code Authority, and survived for nearly 60 years as the last child of EC Comics. The heartthrob of wiseasses of all ages, MAD featured the work of such genii as Harvey Kurtzman, Don Martin, Al Feldstein, Mort Drucker, and Wally Wood. The institution’s decline began when MAD began carrying ads in 2001. The death of Alfred E Neuman’s favorite mag was announced on July 4, 2019—no new material would appear in any subsequent issues.

Character actor Eddie Jones passed away July 6, 2019. He appeared on and off Broadway; on TV in the 1991 , in 45 episodes in the 2000-2002 The invisible Man, and many others; as a voice actor for Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex; and in film. His biggest genre role was ’s adoptive dad , 1993-1997, in more than 80 episodes of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.

The demise of Volkswagen’s iconic Beetle body style was announced on July 9, 2019. On this side of the pond, the Beetle symbolized economy and quirkiness; its shape still embodies Flower Power. Although retooled a couple of times—most recently in 2012, to catch Millennial tastes—the Beetle fell before the rise of the SUV, its antithesis.

Rip Torn died July 9, 2019. He was perhaps most famous for appearing in Men in Black, (the latter bringing Cable ACE and ), , and Will & Grace. He played Richard Nixon, US Grant, and scads of roles in between, including videogames and animation.

Already a star in his native Netherlands, actor ’s strong features and resolute bearing caught our attention in genre films like Blade Runner, Ladyhawke, Begins, and . Hauer also supported conservation efforts and established an AIDS- awareness organization. He passed July 19, 2019.

Chris Kraft was NASA’s first Director of Flight Operations and head of the Johnson Space Center, which was renamed in his honor in 2011. He helped institute the protocols by which America led the world to the moon. Kraft was featured on a cover of TIME and was called into Mission Control to help save Apollo 13. The Earthbound space pioneer died on July 22, 2019.

Harold , director and producer, was associated with many of the last century’s biggest Broadway musicals (and some flops). Chief among his blockbuster productions were West Side Story, Cabaret, A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd, and Phantom of the Opera. Winner of a record 21 , Prince died on July 31, 2019.

Writer and Princeton professor Toni Morrison died August 5, 2019. As an editor at Random House, she helped bring Black literature into the mainstream. Her Beloved trilogy earned her a Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993. In later years she won a Grammy for a children’s spoken-word album.

Director-screenwriter was most known for his acting roles. He started in Roger Corman films before riding a counterculture wave with 1969’s Easy Rider, for which he was also nominated for an Oscar for screenwriting. He easily mixed with rock legends like the Byrds and . His comment about a bad acid trip, “Now I know what it’s like to be dead,” inspired Lennon’s “She Said She Said,” which appeared on Revolver. Fonda achieved an Oscar in 1997 as Best Actor, and was free with his sometimes controversial political opinions. He died on August 16, 2019.

Richard Williams, the animator who won two bringing Roger Rabbit to life, passed on August 16, 2019. He began with commercial work and provided many animated credits sequences for films. For Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), he designed characters (including Jessica Rabbit) as well as supervising the integration of live action with animation.

Terrance Dicks died August 29, 2019. He wrote for TV (Moonbase 3 and Space: 1999), as well as books for young and old. His 1968-1974 tenure as script editor for Dr. Who solidified the nearly godlike aspects of the TARDIS, introduced the term “regeneration,” and invented the multi-Doctor concept. Dick wrote novelizations of Who episodes and kids’ book series on the Baker Street Irregulars, T.R. Bear, and others.

Actress is best known for her role as Morgenstern from 1970 to 1978 on The Show and her own spinoff from it, Rhoda. She won three Emmys. Her career began on Broadway as a dancer and chorus girl, and she brought her moves to TV in 2013 for Dancing with the Stars. Harper died August 30, 2019.

American actress Carol Lynley, who died on September 3, 2019, brought a waiflike quality to her work, starting her career as a child model before graduating to TV commercials (Pepsodent and Clairol). She appeared in films like The Poseidon Adventure and Bunny Lake Is Missing, and was notable on TV for , , The Man from U.N.C.L.E., and for putting with Carl Kolchak in the original TV movie The Night Stalker.

Born in Muscogee and a graduate of Langston University, Thelma Parks spent more than 50 years of her life serving the children and community of OKC. She taught at all levels of public schools and served on the OKC Board of Education, presiding over a bond issue which air-conditioned and repaired many schools. A new elementary school was named in her honor. Parks died September 11, 2019.

American soprano Jessye Norman passed away September 30, 2019. She earned five Grammys over a wide career on the opera-recital stage and recording studios. She also released albums of spirituals, pop, and music, and performed at the Olympics and presidential inaugurations for Reagan and Clinton.

In 1962 became the first black woman to win a Tony, part of a vital career on stage, TV, and film. Also Oscar-nominated, Carroll’s biggest impact was her starring role 1998-1971 on NBC’s Julia, as a black single mother who was an individual, not a stereotype. She released about a dozen albums and was inducted into the in 2011. Carroll passed on October 4, 2019.

Sometimes called the first superstar rock drummer, Ginger Baker played in Blind Faith, his own Air Force, and most notably Cream, which similarly has been called “the first supergroup.” Baker died October 6, 2019.

Russian cosmonaut Alexei Leonov passed away October 11, 2019. He made space history when he became the first human to conduct a spacewalk, during the Voskhod 2 mission, on March 18, 1965. In 1975 he commanded Soyuz 19, the Russian half of the first US-Soviet joint space mission.

Lynne Rostochil loved Oklahoma City, inspired by the work of an architect grandfather. She advocated for preservation of historic buildings and published Oklahoma City’s Mid- Century Modern Architecture in 2017. She served on various boards and was honored by the Oklahoma City Council’s naming November 5 as “Lynne Rostochil Historic Preservation Day.” She died of cancer on November 7, 2019.

Snowboarding pioneer Jake Carpenter hoped to become a competitive snow skier at university when a car accident intervened. In the he began tinkering with a toy snowboard, helping found an industry and a cultural phenomenon which entered the Winter Olympics in 1998. Carpenter died November 20, 2019.

Michael Jason Allred, also known as Ivar or Smeg, passed away on November 18th, 2019. Active in the Norman and greater Oklahoma City metro-area fan scene for most of his adult life, Mike was a lover of tabletop RPGs, , and comics. Mike had a soft spot for Red Dwarf, Doctor Who, and the Green Lantern. He is survived by and loved ones who miss him terribly.

Gahan Wilson, the Dark Lord of Cartoons, hit his final release date November 21, 2019. Inspired by MAD magazine and pulp horror, his sardonic screeds found homes in Playboy, The New Yorker, and others—most notably the 1972-1986 National Lampoon run of Nuts, his knowing and sympathetic depiction of the fears and joys of childhood. In 2005 he was given a World Award for lifetime achievement.

Through her talent and creativity, Dorothy Fontana went from being Gene Roddenberry’s secretary to becoming the first woman to write for Star Trek, later becoming story editor too. She had a hand in the one-fifth of TOS episodes written by women, such as “Journey to Babel” and “The Enterprise Incident.” She co-wrote the STTNG pilot after being story editor and associate producer on the Animated Series. She also wrote novels, episodes for B5 and DS9, and was a consultant for Marc Cushman and Mark Alfred on the These Are the Voyages series of books on Star Trek history. Fontana died December 2, 2019.

Rene Auberjonois passed on December 8, 2019. His showbiz career began on the stage, but grew to encompass singing, Broadway, film, and TV. He played Father Mulcahy in M*A*S*H (1970); an assassin in Star Trek VI; and many more. His most notable TV roles were on Legal (2004-2008); as Clayton Runnymede Endicott III on Benson (1980-1986), and as the tormented shapeshifter Odo on STDS9 (1993-1999). He had more than 100 voice-over appearances as characters ranging from Pepé Le Pew to Kangent for the Pirates of Dark Water.

From 1969 until 2018, author, cartoonist, and puppeteer Carroll Spinney led a not-so- secret life as two beloved characters, Oscar the Grouch and Big Bird. After a stint in the USAF he entered show business and appeared in Boston’s local Bozo the Clown show. After meeting Jim Henson in 1962, he moved into Sesame Street at its debut. Spinney wrote or co-wrote children’s books involving the characters and voiced them for videogames. Spinney passed on December 8, 2019.

Artist and songwriter Allee Willis won two Grammys and an Emmy nomination. She wrote or co-wrote the hits “Neutron Dance,” “,” “Can’t Let Go,” and the theme song for TV ‘s Friends, which she joked was “the whitest song I ever wrote.” She also co- wrote the musical . She died December 24, 2019.

Radio broadcaster Don Imus typified the term “shock jock,” delighting in stirring up things through his interviews, skits, and commentary on topics of the day. Imus in the Morning shocked and titillated, through various venues, from 1968 to 2007, when he was fired from CBS and MSNBC over comments about a women’s sports team. Imus soon returned to his soapbox until 2018, when he retired. He died on December 24, 2019.

American composer and lyricist passed December 26, 2019. He composed the scores for Hello, Dolly!, Mame, and La Cage aux Folles. He won two Tony Awards and a pair of Grammys.

Neil Innes was brave Sir Robin ‘s minstrel in and the Holy Grail. He was Ron Nasty for The Rutles, and in fact wrote the Beatlesque songs for that band, whose legend will last a lunchtime. As a member of the The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, he appeared in the Beatles film Magical Mystery Tour performing a song he co-wrote, “Death Cab for Cutie.” Innes passed on December 29, 2019.

Conceptual artist Syd Mead died December 30, 2019. His work appeared in Blade Runner; Star Trek: The Motion Picture; Aliens; Tron; Johnny Mnemonic; and others. He designed the AT-AT for George Lucas. His designs won several awards.

Musician and actor Jack Sheldon appeared on several dozen releases as bandleader or solo trumpeter. He was music director for The Show. He did voice-overs for Disney and PSAs, and 16 episodes of Schoolhouse Rock! (most notably singing “Conjunction Junction”). Other appearances include , STTNG, Project U.F.O., Dragnet 1967, and The Girl with Something Extra. He starred in 1966’s Run Buddy Run. Sheldon died December 27, 2019.

The always irreverent Buck Henry died on January 8, 2020. Most visible through his appearances and hosting during the early years of , Henry also created Captain Nice and Quark for TV. Screenwriting credits include and Catch-22. His crown of glory remains his co-creation (with ) of Get Smart.

Writer and editor Mike Resnick passed away January 9, 2020. He published over 50 novels and edited over three dozen anthologies. His most recent series was the Dreamscape trilogy, the third book awaiting release. Resnick won a Nebula Award and five Hugos over his career. Other interests were dogs and horseracing.

Christopher Tolkien’s name will always be linked with his father’s work. Tolkien the younger drew the maps for the Lord of the Rings books and, after the death of J.R.R. in 1973, devoted himself to editing and presenting the legendarium of Middle-Earth. First was 1977’s The Silmarillion, followed by Unfinished Tales and 12 volumes of the History of Middle-Earth. His 2008 lawsuit with New Line Cinema over unpaid royalties for Peter Jackson’s film adaptations was settled a year later, and Tolkien endorsed Jackson’s Hobbit films. He died on January 15, 2020.

Terry Jones was a writer of children’s books and medieval history. He also directed several films and appeared in dozens of TV programs beginning in the 1960s. But the biggest notch on his belt was his role as co-creator, writer, and general about-mucker for Monty Python’s Flying Circus and its later incarnations. One of the films he directed, Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life, won a Cannes Film festival Award, in 1983. In that film, his character Mr. Creosote proved you can have too much of a good thing. Among other achievements were co-creating and co-writing the series . He departed this plane on January 21, 2020.

Character actor passed January 22, 2020. He was Harvey, husband of ’s Mary Beth Lacey, 1982-1988 on CBS’s Cagney & Lacey. He played multiple roles on ABC’s Dark Shadows 1966-1971, most notably as poor schlub and vampire sidekick Willie Loomis, a role he reprised for Big Finish Production’s audio dramas in the 21st Century.

Fred Silverman was a producer and TV exec, eventually working at all three networks. At CBS in 1971 he instituted the “rural purge,” canceling successful shows like Green Acres and Hee Haw because they weren’t “urban” enough. He lived up to his nickname “The Man with the Golden Gut” by bringing to the small screen properties like , , Charlie’s Angels, and The Facts of Life—and a dog he named after a scat passage, Scooby Doo. He forced CBS, NBC, and ABC to stop “wiping” old shows on videotape, enabling their preservation. He left first-run status January 30, 2020.

It took Death 103 years to pin Kirk Douglas, finally succeeding on February 5, 2020. Douglas appeared in noir (Detective Story), melodrama (The Bad and the Beautiful), fantasy (20,000 Leagues Under the Sea), sf (Saturn 3), and Westerns (Lonely Are the Brave). He was an icon, whether as romantic leading man or tough guy. After many nominations and other awards, he received an honorary Oscar in 1996. By the way, he—was—SPARTACUS!

Staple of TV game shows, and theatre, actor Orson Bean also appeared on The Twilight Zone, Ally McBeal, , and over 100 other roles. He voiced Bilbo Baggins for Rankin-Bass’s The Hobbit and The Return of the King. He even voiced and sang the title role for the original 1966 album You ‘re a Good Man, Charlie Brown. Bean passed away February 7, 2020.

Ultimate TV macho symbol is best known for his 1965-69 role as secret agent Jim West. On The Wild, Wild West, Conrad often performed his own stunts. He lampooned his tough image in the late 1970s when he dared the viewer to knock an Eveready battery from his shoulder. He headlined the 1976-1978 series Baa Baa Black Sheep and appeared in over 70 roles in TV and film. He died on February 8, 2020.

Larry Tesler worked for Xerox, Apple, Yahoo!, and Amazon. His field was machine- human interface. He originated the term “user-friendly,” and promoted “modeless editing” by inventing user shortcuts like find-and-replace, cut, and copy-paste. He invented the term “browser” as a bridge for parsing code. Tesler passed February 16, 2020.

Nicknamed “The Screaming Yellow Zonker” by Isaac Asimov, Elyse Rosenstein (née Pine) died February 20, 2020. She was one of the organizers of the first media con, Star Trek Lives!, in January 1972 in . Only 500 fans were expected, but over 3000 showed up to see Trek cast and crew, as well as Asimov and others. In the early 1970s she and husband Steve ran Nova Enterprises, selling media products and fanzines. Rosenstein was also a science teacher and a member of the New York Academy of Sciences.

Mathematician Katherine Johnson began her career in 1953 for Langley Aeronautical Lab and transitioned to NASA. She was one of the immeasurably valuable human “computers” who essayed trajectories, emergency procedures, and other procedures by manual calculation. Her work helped establish the space shuttle, and she even worked on a Mars project. Her life figured prominently in the book Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Who Helped Win the Space Race and its subsequent film version. Johnson ascended from Earth on February 24, 2020.

Clive Cussler was a big deal in bestseller lists for . He wrote thrillers, many starring the rough, tough Dirk Pitt. In life he was an “adventurer” and underwater explorer. His National Underwater and Marine Agency discovered or explored more than 50 wrecks and underwater sites. Cussler died February 24, 2020.

Japanese videogame developer Kazuhisa Hashimoto was most famous for a notorious cheat, the Konami Code. Originally a sneaky way to gain extra lives, it’s become an Easter Egg all sorts of places. Hashimoto passed away ↑ ↑ ↓ ↓ ← → ← → B A February 25, 2020.

Character actor Gene Dynarski appeared in dozens of roles, including two separate characters in TOS and one on TNG. Other shows included Batman, The Monkees, The A-Team, and CHiPs. Dynarski died on February 27, 2020.

American mathematician and physicist Freeman Dyson died February 28, 2020. he helped design the TRIGA nuclear reactor and theorized all sort of concepts familiar today, including the term “green technology.” He boosted the idea of space colonies, and conceived the Dyson sphere—by which an advanced race could enclosed its sun and capture all its energy for consumption. Gordon Eklund’s 1978 Star Trek novel The Starless World introduced the idea to the pop-culture world.

Over his 70-year acting career, Max von Sydow appeared in over 150 films and TV series. He was a multiple nominee for Oscars, Emmys, and Golden Globes. Among his more notable films were Three Days of the Condor, Dreamscape, The Greatest Story Ever Told, Voyage of the Damned, Conan the Barbarian, and What Dreams May Come. His most iconic role was Antonius Block, the knight who beat Death at chess (thanks to bird droppings), in Bergman’s 1957 The Seventh Seal. Death won the rematch on March 8, 2020.

Earnest American actor appeared in films and TV beginning in 1940. He starred in one of the few 90-minute TV westerns, , 1967-1968. Some of his genre appearances are City Beneath the Sea, , , and Demonoid. He died March 16, 2020.

American square-jawed actor auditioned for (and lost) the role of ABC’s Batman. He was a cast member 1967-1974 for Carol Burnett, and in 1973 he was Playgirl’s first semi-nude centerfold. He prevailed as Wonder Woman’s Steve Trevor in 59 episodes, 1976- 1979. He died on March 17, 2020.

Astronaut Al Worden was commanded the Endeavour, the Apollo 15 command module in July 1971. His trip to the moon was nearly overshadowed by the crew’s unauthorized compact with a stamp dealer to profit by taking about 400 postal covers with them. On their return none ever flew again, and Worden retired from the Air Force and NASA in 1975. He worked in the private sector and published several books, including a 2011 autobiography. Al Worden made his final ascent March 18, 2020.

Kenny Rogers, who died on March 20, 2020, was credited with over 100 hit singles, most recently a Number 1, “Buy Me a Rose,” in 2000. Early on he sang with the New Christy Minstrels and the First Edition. He made a second career in acting, most famously as “the Gambler” in a half-dozen TV movies. Rogers won several Grammys, American Music Awards, and others.

Oklahoma native Joe Diffie won a Grammy and charted five Country Number Ones. He died on March 29, 2020.

Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki passed on March 29, 2020. He’s known to genre fans for the use of his classical works in the 2017 Showtime Twin Peaks, The Shining, and The Exorcist. His work also won Grammys and an Emmy.

Most popular in the 1970s, singer Bill Withers won three Grammys for songs like “Lovely Day,” “Ain’t No Sunshine,” and the now-ubiquitous “Lean on Me.” He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015. He died on March 30, 2020.

American actress and voice-over artist Julie Bennett died on March 31, 2020, from complications to COVID-19. She was heard and/or seen on The Bullwinkle Show, Get Smart, Adam-12, and most recently, 1995-1998 as the voice of Aunt May for the animated Spider-Man.

Jazz pianist Ellis Marsalis died April 1, 2020, from pneumonia related to COVID-19. He taught at several Louisiana universities and recorded 20 albums as leader, appearing as a sideman on several dozen more. His sons, Wynton and Branford, likewise became successful jazzmen.

Glamorous British actress Honor Blackman died April 5, 2020. She played Hera, queen of the gods, in 1963’s Jason and the Argonauts, and Pussy Galore in 1964’s Goldfinger. Perhaps most notably, she co-starred in two seasons (1962-1964) of The Avengers as the leather- wearing, judo-wielding Dr Cathy Gale. Blackman scored a surprise novelty hit with the 1964 record “Kinky Boots,” which was re-issued in 1990.

TV producer Thomas L. Miller developed several impactful . They include Full House; Happy Days; The Odd Couple; Love, American Style; Family Matters; and TV and theatrical films. He died April 5, 2020.

Actor James Drury was a crewmember on the starship C-57D in Forbidden Planet, but he is best known as the unnamed title character of NBC’s 90-minute The Virginian, 1962-1971. He guest-starred on many genre shows, including Walker Texas Ranger and The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. The taciturn Drury passed on April 6, 2020.

John Prine ‘s songs included protest or commentary, but always with characteristic humor and insight. He was praised by artists from Roger Waters and Johnny Cash to . Prine released about two dozen albums; two of his three Grammys were for albums labeled “folk.” He passed April 7, 2020, from COVID-19.

Actor Danny Goldman’s voice is heard in over 200 episodes of The Smurfs as Brainy, reprising the role for Robot Chicken. His wheedling characterizations are crystallized in Young Frankenstein, when as a young med student he questioned the pronunciation of “Fronken- STEEN.” Other appearances include Wholly Moses, Linda Lovelace for President, and the film M*A*S*H. He was also a TV-commercial casting director for thirty years. Goldman passed on April 12, 2020.

An accomplished actor on stage, film, and TV, Brian Dennehy won two Tonys and a Golden Globe. Among his most recognized appearances were in Cocoon, Never Cry Wolf, and most recently, SundanceTV’s Hap and Leonard series. Familiar from over 180 roles, Dennehy died on April 15, 2020.

Jerry Finkel died April 16, 2020, after a 40-year career for the WWE. His participation in company “storylines” boosted his notoriety, and feuds with wrestlers and management drove audiences to the programs. In 2009 “the Fink” was entered into the WWE Hall of Fame.

Animal boss Roy Horn died on May 8, 2020, from COVID-19 complications. From 1990-2003, his act Siegfried and Roy was the most-attended show in Las Vegas. That ended with a savage tiger attack onstage. Roy and Siegfried put on a final show for ABC’s 20/20 in 2009.

Scandalizing proper folk everywhere, Little Richard Penniman broke many racial and musical rules with his 1955 smash “Tutti Fruiti,” the first of over two dozen Billboard hits. He was in the first class inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. Performers acknowledging his influence include Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, , Bruno Mars, Patti Smith, James Brown, and nearly everyone else. The “architect of rock and roll” laid down his pompadour on May 9, 2020.

Singer-songwriter Betty Wright, born Bessie Norris, had her biggest hit with her number- one “Clean-Up Woman” in 1971. She recorded over a dozen solo albums and appeared as a studio background singer on half a hundred or more releases for Stevie Wonder, Gloria Estefan, , and many more. She was also famous for her use of whistle register. Wright passed away May 10, 2020.

Comedian and actor died on May 11, 2020. He was half of for six decades, most notably in multiple appearances on . He experienced a resurgent acting career in 21 episodes of Fish Hooks, as Frank Costanza in 26 episodes, and as the sarcastic Arthur Spooner in more than 200 episodes of , 1998-2007. His son has also had some success.

Oklahoma pop-music writer and performer Moon Martin is most famous for his song “Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor),” a 1979 smash for Robert Palmer. Martin died on May 11, 2020.

The pop-culture influence of Phyllis George only began with her 1971 Miss America crown. She made guest appearances on The Tonight Show, The 10,000 Dollar Pyramid, and The Muppets (for example), and hosted shows like People and two Miss America broadcasts, but she broke career ground in 1975 as one of network TV’s first female sportscaster- commentators. She appeared on CBS’s The NFL Today from 1975 to 1983. She also wrote or co-wrote five books. George passed May 14, 2020.

Actor Ken Raymond did not grow up to become Alice Cooper, nor porn star John Holmes—despite urban legends. Raymond was notable as the irritating, ingratiating Eddie Haskell, 1957-1963. He reprised the role in several sequels. In between, he served 1970-1988 in the LAPD, surviving being shot five times in 1980. Raymond died May 18, 2020.

An actor for all fandoms, Richard Herd passed away on May 26, 2020. He was John, the evil commander of the lizard baddies, in V and V: The Final Battle. He played Tom ’s father in the pilot of ST: Voyager, and again in ST: Renegades. In thirty-plus episodes 1982-84, he bossed TJ Hooker around. Overall, Herd had over 150 notches on his acting belt. From Knight Rider and The Powers of Matthew Starr to The Greatest American Hero and The A- Team, Herd deserves our salute.