Celebrity Watch!: November 2017

[DeadCelebrityAlert] Jim Nabors, 87

Jim Nabors, who starred as Gomer Pyle on The Andy Griffith Show and on his own sitcom before retiring the wide-eyed, countrified character at the height of his popularity, has died. He was 87.

Nabors died at his home in Hawaii on Wednesday night, his longtime partner told Indiana's WTHR. A native of Alabama, Nabors also recorded more than two dozen albums with a rich, operatic baritone voice that surprised those who were used to hearing Nabors exclaim "Gawwwleee!" with a Southern twang on television.

For many years, Nabors sang "Back Home Again in Indiana" during the opening ceremonies for the Indianapolis 500.

In the early 1960s, Nabors was a regular performer at The Horn, a cabaret theater on Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica that showcased new talent, when he was spotted by Andy Griffith, who thought Nabors would be perfect to play a new character on his CBS sitcom. That would be Gomer, a dimwitted, affable mechanic at Wally's Filling Station in Mayberry and a cousin of Goober (George Lindsey).

Nabors was signed for just one episode, which aired midway through The Andy Griffith Show's third season in December 1962, but Gomer proved popular, and Nabors went on to appear on 23 installments of the series. One of his signature phrases sprang from a discussion in which Gomer extolled the sophistication of Don Knotts' Barney Fife: "Gawwwleee! He's even been out with some nurses."

Nabors' run on The Andy Griffith Show culminated with the fourth-season finale, in which Gomer joins the U.S. Marines (the episode also served as the pilot for the spinoff sitcom).

With Pvt. Pyle being hounded by tough but caring drill sergeant Vince Carter (Frank Sutton), Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. aired for five years (1964-69) on CBS and was a great success in the ratings — always in the top 10 and No. 2 in its final season — before the actor decided to pursue other activities, which included hosting his own variety show.

"It got down to what you think you want to be, an actor or an entertainer. I want to entertain," Nabors said in 1969, when he decided to hang up Pyle's fatigues. "I don't think I'm much of an actor. The only part I ever played was Gomer. I'm the most surprised person around that I'm successful anyway."

He then showcased his singing and comedic talents on The Jim Nabors Hour, which lasted two seasons and featured some of his Gomer Pyle co-stars.

The big-hearted Nabors never ventured far into movies, though he did perform opposite his pal Burt Reynolds in such fare as The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982), Stroker Ace (1983) and, as "Pvt. Homer Lyle," Cannonball Run II (1984).

James Thurston Nabors was born June 12, 1930, in Sylacauga, Ala., the son of a policeman. He sang in high school and acted in fraternity productions at the University of Alabama. After graduating with a degree in business administration, he moved to New York and worked as a typist and answered phones at the United Nations.

"With my thick accent, people would try out different languages on me, never suspecting I was speaking English," he joked.

Nabors returned to the South and worked as a film cutter for a TV station in Chattanooga, Tenn., then moved to Los Angeles — the climate was better suited for his asthma — and landed a similar job at NBC. At nights, he sang and spun tales as a Gomer-like character at The Horn.

Comedian Bill Dana saw him perform, and that led to Nabors becoming a regular on ABC's The New Steve Allen Show. All the while, he kept performing in Santa Monica.

Nabors also showed up as a beatnik in Take Her, She's Mine (1963), starring James Stewart and Sandra Dee; his voice was dubbed in the film.

In the 1970s, Nabors starred with Ruth Buzzi as time-traveling androids on the ABC series The Lost Saucer, produced by Sid and Marty Krofft, and hosted his own syndicated talk show.

He was back as Gomer for the 1986 NBC reunion movie Return to Mayberry.

Nabors admitted that he had trouble watching Pyle's opening credits when the series was playing in syndication because many of the Marines with whom he marched were killed in Vietnam. (The Pollyanna sitcom never addressed the war.)

He first demonstrated his singing ability to TV viewers in 1964 on CBS' The Danny Kaye Show, and on a Gomer Pyle episode that aired in November 1967, he sang "The Impossible Dream" from Man of la Mancha, which would become a concert staple for him. His 1980 album, The Heart-Touching Magic of Jim Nabors, went platinum.

Nabors sang "Back Home in Indiana" at the Indy 500 for the last time in 2014.

"I'll be honest with you, I didn't want to stay too long at the fair," he said. "Everyone has been so incredible to me so many years. The first time I was here was 1972, so I guess most people have grown up with me."

Nabors, who underwent a liver transplant in 1994, starred regularly at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Dome in The Jim Nabors Polynesian Extravaganza, which in the 1980s was one of the state's top showbiz attractions. He lived in Hawaii for more than 30 years and had homes in Honolulu and Maui, where he had a macadamia nut farm.

In January 2013, Nabors exchanged wedding vows with Stan Cadwallader, his partner of almost four decades, before a judge in a Seattle hotel room. Nabors met Cadwallader, a former firefighter in Honolulu, in 1975.

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[DeadCelebrityAlert] Rance Howard, actor and father of Ron Howard, dies at 89

Longtime film and television actor Rance Howard, father of director Ron Howard, has died at 89, according to a Saturday tweet from Ron Howard's verified account.

Actor Rance Howard and director Ron Howard arrive at the premiere of "Cinderella Man" (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

"Clint & I have been blessed to be Rance Howard's sons. Today he passed at 89. He stood especially tall 4 his ability to balance ambition w/great personal integrity. A depression-era farm boy, his passion for acting changed the course of our family history. We love & miss U Dad," Ron Howard tweeted.

Details of the death were not immediately available.

Rance Howard was born Harold Engle Beckenholdt on November 17, 1928, in Oklahoma, according to the Internet Movie Database.

He performed in a touring children's theater as a child and, as an adult, toured with Henry Fonda in the stage presentation of "Mister Roberts," according to the Turner Classic Movies archives.

He moved to New York and was cast with son Ron Howard in "The Journey," the TCM archives said. He soon found work in television and won roles in shows such as "Bat Masterson," "Gunsmoke" and "The Waltons." He had a regular role on "Gentle Ben," along with his younger son, Clint Howard.

Rance Howard had appeared in numerous films, starting with "Frontier Woman" in 1956 and ending with "Nebraska" in 2013. He appeared in six movies nominated for best-picture Oscars: "The Music Man," "Chinatown," "Apollo 13," "A Beautiful Mind," "Frost/Nixon" and "Nebraska," according to the IMDb.

"A Beautiful Mind," directed by Ron Howard, won the award in 2001. Rance Howard played a "white haired patient," IMDb said.

Russell Crowe, who had the lead role in "A Beautiful Mind," tweeted: "Hey @RealRonHoward my deepest condolences . He was a fine man indeed was Rance Howard . Fine man, fine actor. Being in his company was always a pleasure."

Ron Howard, who played Opie Taylor on the "Andy of Mayberry" television show as a child, went on to become a director. Along with "A Beautiful Mind," Ron Howard gave his father roles in many of his movies, such as "Splash," "Cocoon," "The Paper," "Apollo 13," "Frost/Nixon" and "Angels and Demons."

Rance Howard is survived by his two sons; granddaughters Bryce Dallas Howard and Paige Howard; and one great-grandchild. He was married to Jean Speegle Howard and Judy Howard, both of whom preceded him in death.

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[DeadCelebrityAlert] Rance Howard, 89

Rance Howard, father of director Ron Howard and actor Clint Howard, died on Saturday. He was 89.

Ron Howard took to Twitter to announce his father's passing Saturday afternoon. Details of the death were not immediately disclosed.

"Clint & I have been blessed to be Rance Howard's sons," he wrote. "He stood especially tall [for] his ability to balance ambition [with] great personal integrity. A depression-era farm boy, his passion for acting changed the course of our family history. We love & miss U Dad."

Rance Howard was born Harold Engle Beckenholdt on November 17, 1928, in Oklahoma, according to the Internet Movie Database.

He performed in a touring children's theater as a child and, as an adult, toured with Henry Fonda in the stage presentation of "Mister Roberts," according to the Turner Classic Movies archives.

The elder Howard appeared in more than a dozen films his son directed, including "Apollo 13," "A Beautiful Mind," "Splash," "Cocoon," "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," "Parenthood" and "Grand Theft Auto," which he co-wrote with his son.

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[DeadCelebrityAlert] Actor & Singer David Cassity, Partidge Family fame, dead at age 67.

David Cassidy, the singer and actor who rocketed to teen-idol status in the 1970s as the costar of the musical TV sitcom "The Partridge Family," died Tuesday, Nov. 21, after having been hospitalized several days earlier in Florida, where he lived, according to multiple news sources. He was 67.

Cassidy had announced earlier this year that he was battling dementia, which had previously afflicted his mother and grandfather.

David Bruce Cassidy was born April 12, 1950, to the musical theater actors Evelyn Ward and Jack Cassidy. His parents divorced while he was still a child, and his father married musical actress Shirley Jones, who would soon be a household name as the star of popular movies including "Oklahoma!" "Carousel," "The Music Man," and "Elmer Gantry."

David Cassidy followed his parents into show business more directly than most: Shortly after debuting on Broadway at the age of 19, he was cast to costar with his stepmother Jones in her new TV show, "The Partridge Family."

The series told the fictional story of a suburban California family who form a pop band together and become stars. While Jones brought her already-Oscar-winning star power to the show, the actors who portrayed her children subsequently went on to notable careers of their own – none more so than Cassidy, who was catapulted into stardom as the Partridge Family's lead singer. Though the Partridges were fictional, they released actual records: Their single "I Think I Love You" hit No. 1 on the Billboard charts in 1970, and their Christmas album was the No. 1 selling holiday record of 1971.

Cassidy released his first solo album, "Cherish," in 1972, and his concert tour was a string of massive, sold-out arena shows: Madison Square Garden, the Astrodome, Wembley Stadium. For a while, "Cassidymania" was a phenomena echoing the early days of the Beatles' fan madness – so much so that, in 1974, fans at a London show stampeded, injuring hundreds and resulting in the death of one.

Cassidy's pop career continued to flourish in the U.S. and U.K. through the 1970s and '80s, and he starred in several Broadway musical productions.

He toured throughout his life, finally announcing in February 2017 that he would be retiring from live performance this year. He revealed in a story for People magazine and in an appearance on "Dr. Phil" that he was suffering from dementia.

Cassidy was married three times, and is survived by a daughter, Katie, and a son, Beau.
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[DeadCelebrityAlert] David Cassidy dead: ‘Partridge Family’ star and ’70s teen heartthrob was 67

David Cassidy, the star of "The Partridge Family" who morphed into a wildly popular 1970s teen heartthrob, died Tuesday in a Florida hospital where he was hospitalized for organ failure, People reported. He was 67.

The singer was rushed to a Florida hospital earlier this week, a representative said.

Cassidy was said to have been in failing health for about two months, suffering kidney failure an need for a liver transplant. Earlier this year, Cassidy announced he was in the earliest stages of dementia after a public stumble sparked speculation he was abusing alcohol again.

Cassidy was best known for his role of Keith Partridge on the 1970s sitcom "The Partridge Family," which aired from 1970-1974 and continues in reruns on channels including WPIX sister network Antenna TV.

Cassidy was being treated at a Fort Lauderdale, Florida, area hospital, longtime publicist Jo-Ann Geffen told CNN on Saturday.

"He is conscious and surrounded by family and friends, nothing is imminent and we are taking it day by day," Geffen had said ten..

She did not say what caused the organ failure.

Cassidy, 67, told People magazine earlier this year he was battling dementia.

A '70s superstar

"The Partridge Family," a sitcom about a mother and five children who formed a rock 'n' roll band, gave Cassidy a national audience for his music. Cassidy, who played Keith Partridge on the show, captured the spirit of 1970s youth. The show was inspired by a real-life family rock group called The Cowsills.

His wispy voice and wholesome persona broke out from the small screen. At the time, his fan club reportedly was bigger than those of Elvis Presley and The Beatles.

The singer toured the world singing his hit songs, such as "I Think I Love You," filling concert halls with screaming teenage girls.

Health problems

Cassidy has spoken publicly in recent years about his struggles with alcohol. He was arrested for driving under the influence on three separate occasions during a four-year span between 2010 and 2014.

Cassidy, in an interview with CNN in 2014, said his trouble with alcohol was "very humbling and it's also humiliating."

He told People magazine earlier this year that he is battling dementia. He said dementia runs in his family, affecting both his grandfather and his mother.

"I was in denial, but a part of me always knew this was coming," he said to People, regarding the disease.

Cassidy was the stepson of actress and fellow "Partridge Family" star Shirley Jones. His father was actor Jack Cassidy, a star of TV, stage and screen who died in a fire in his West Hollywood apartment in December 1976, at age 49.

Reports of Cassidy's hospitalization prompted a flood of supportive comments on social media.

His half-brother Shaun Cassidy, also a former actor and singer and now a TV producer, tweeted Wednesday afternoon, "Thank you for all your love and good wishes for David. It means the world to all of us."

The Associated Press and CNN contributed to this report

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[DeadCelebrityAlert] David Cassidy, 67

David Cassidy, the teen idol who soared to fame as the embodiment of 1970s youth in his role on "The Partridge Family," has died. He was 67 years old.

Cassidy's family said in a statement Tuesday night that "David died surrounded by those he loved, with joy in his heart and free from the pain that had gripped him for so long."

The death came after a close family friend said on Nov. 18 that Cassidy had been hospitalized for organ failure and needed a liver transplant.

Cassidy played the wholesome Keith Partridge on "The Partridge Family," a sitcom about a widowed mother and five children who formed a bubblegum pop band. The popular show catapulted Cassidy to heartthrob status, and he toured the world to sing hits from it such as "I Think I Love You" before throngs of teen girls.

After serving as lead vocalist for multiple albums for the show, which aired for four seasons, Cassidy had a wildly successful breakout singing career on his own. His appearances garnered so much hysteria, media at the time referred to it as "Cassidymania."

Cassidy was born into the entertainment industry that made him a star.

His father was famed actor and singer Jack Cassidy, and his mother was actress Evelyn Ward.

After his parents split in 1956, the elder Cassidy married actress and singer Shirley Jones the same year.

Cassidy moved in with his father, Jones and his three half-brothers after getting his high school diploma in 1968. His father helped him launch his career as an actor and musician.

His early work included appearances on "Ironside," "Marcus Welby, M.D.," "Adam-12" and "Bonanza."

In 1970, Cassidy began playing the role of Keith Partridge on the musical sitcom "The Partridge Family." His stepmother, Jones, portrayed his mother, a widow with five children.

The popular ABC series ran for four years and also had a successful run in syndication.

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[DeadCelebrityAlert] Earle Hyman, Cosby Show's Grandpa Huxtable, Dies at 91

Earle Hyman, actor of screen and stage best known as Grandpa Huxtable on "The Cosby Show," died Friday at age 91.

For 40 episodes over the famed sitcom's eight-season run, Hyman appeared in a recurring role as Cliff Huxtable's father, Russell, who would often butt heads with his son in comedic fashion while serving as a voice of wisdom to his grandchildren. Once a famous jazz trombonist named "Slide" Huxtable, Russell and his wife, Anna (Clarice Taylor), were the centerpiece of two of the show's most famous episodes in seasons 2 and 3, when the Huxtables put together lip-synch and dance routines for them to celebrate their wedding anniversaries. Hyman's work on the episode earned him an Emmy nomination.

Outside of the Cosby Show, Hyman was known by 80s kids for his work on the popular animated show "Thundercats," playing the gruff, muscle-bound warrior Panthro. He also has a highly decorated career in theater that began on Broadway in 1944 with the play "Anna Lucasta," and is highlighted by his thousands of performances as the titular lead of Shakespeare's "Othello." His stage credits also include Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice" and in an all-black production of Samuel Beckett's "Waiting for Godot."

Hyman's death was first reported by Broadway Black.

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[DeadCelebrityAlert] Mel Tillis, 85

Country Music Hall of Famer, Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee and Grand Ole Opry member Mel Tillis died early Sunday morning at the Munroe Regional Medical Center in Ocala, Florida, according to his publicist Don Murry Grubbs.

Tillis had been ill for some time. In January 2016 he underwent surgery after a serious bout of diverticulitis. He battled sepsis and spent the better part of a month in the intensive care unit. According to Grubbs, he never fully recovered. The suspected cause of death is respiratory failure.

Daughter and country singer-songwriter Pam Tillis' Facebook page posted that her father's death was sudden and unexpected, and asked fans to post their memories on Mel Tillis' official Facebook page.

In high school, Tillis taught himself to play a guitar his older brother Richard bought, and soon he was getting invited to play at parties and events around his town. After a stint at the University of Florida, Tillis enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. He was stationed in Okinawa and served as a baker; he also sang on Armed Forces Radio with a band called The Westerners.

Upon leaving the Air Force in 1955, he returned to Florida and found work as a fireman on the Atlantic Coast Line railroad. When he wasn't working, he used his railroad pass to come to Nashville and visit publishers in town to pitch his songs (they'd tell him to go back home and work on his music).

Tillis earned his first charting country single in 1958 when he recorded "The Violet and a Rose" for Columbia. Fourteen years later, "I Ain't Never" became his first No. 1.

As a recording artist, Tillis was most successful in the 1970s, with two dozen Top 10 hits. Five of those were chart-toppers, including "Coca Cola Cowboy," which was featured in the Clint Eastwood film "Every Which Way But Loose." The Country Music Association named Tillis Entertainer of the Year in 1976. That year he also was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.

In addition to his music career, Tillis appeared regularly on television shows such as "Hee Haw" and "Hollywood Squares," was in multiple films, including "Smokey and the Bandit 2" and "Cannonball Run," and appeared in commercials for the fast-food chain Whataburger, which further enhanced his visibility.

If Tillis wasn't onstage (and he often was: during the peak of his career, he played up to 300 dates a year), chances are he could be found fishing, gardening or painting — he'd often donate the proceeds from the sales of his art to charity. He toured with his band The Statesiders, who were named after his 1966 single "Stateside," and regularly appeared on the Opry into his 80s. "It so happened that I found what I was good for," Tillis, discussing his music career, told The Tennessean in 1965. "I'm lucky. A lot of people go through life and never find out."

Tillis is survived by his longtime partner Kathy DeMonaco, his children, Pam, Carrie April, Cindy, Mel Jr. (nicknamed "Sonny"), Connie and Hannah; brother Richard; sister Linda Crosby; and six grandchildren and one great-grandson.

Funeral arrangements are unavailable at this time. Memorials will be held in Florida and Nashville.

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Re: [DeadCelebrityAlert] Malcom Young, AC/DC guitarist & co-founder, dead at age 64.

This is so sad.

On Saturday, November 18, 2017, 5:07:51 PM MST, Perry Claeys scaryperry66@yahoo.com [DeadCelebrityAlert] <DeadCelebrityAlert@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

Malcolm Young, the rhythm guitarist and guiding force behind the bawdy hard rock band AC/DC who helped create such head-banging anthems as "Highway to Hell," ''Hells Bells" and "Back in Black," has died. He was 64.

AC/DC announced the death Saturday on their official Facebook page and website Saturday. A representative for the band confirmed that the posts were true. The posts did not say when or where Young died, but said the performer had been suffering from dementia. He was diagnosed in 2014.

"It is with deepest sorrow that we inform you of the death of Malcolm Young, beloved husband, father, grandfather and brother. Malcolm had been suffering from Dementia for several years and passed away peacefully with his family by his bedside," one of the posts read.

The family put out a statement posted on the band's website calling Young a "visionary who inspired many."

While Young's younger brother, Angus, the group's school-uniform-wearing lead guitarist, was the public face of the band, Malcolm Young was its key writer and leader, the member the rest of the band watched for onstage changes and cutoffs.

AC/DC were remarkably consistent for over 40 years with its mix of driving hard rock, lusty lyrics and bluesy shuffles, selling over 200 million albums, surviving the loss of its first singer and creating one of the greatest rock records ever in "Back in Black," the world's second best-selling album behind Michael Jackson's "Thriller."

The Glasgow-born Young brothers - who moved to Sydney, Australia, with their parents, sister and five older brothers in 1963 - formed the band in 1973. They were inspired to choose the high-energy name AC/DC from the back of a sewing machine owned by their sister, Margaret.

Angus experimented with several different stage costumes at first - including a gorilla suit and a Zorro outfit - but the school uniform was a natural, since he was only 16 at the time.

The Youngs went through several drummers and bass guitarists, finally settling on Phil Rudd on drums in 1974 and Englishman Cliff Williams on bass three years later. Their original singer was fired after a few months when they discovered Bon Scott, who was originally hired as the band's driver.

By 1980, the band was on a roll, known for its high energy performances and predictably hard-charging songs. Their album "Highway To Hell" was certified gold in America and made it into the top 25 Billboard album charts, and the single "Touch Too Much" became their first UK Top 30 hit. But on Feb. 18, 1980, everything changed - Scott died of asphyxiation after choking on his own vomit after an all-night drinking binge.

The band decided to keep going and hired English vocalist Brian Johnson at the helm. The newly reconfigured group channeled their grief into songwriting and put out 1980's "Back In Black," with the songs "You Shook Me All Night Long," ''Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution" and "Hells Bells." The cover of the album was black, in honor of Scott's death.

The band continued with a studio or live album every few years , blending their huge guitar riffs with rebellious and often sophomoric lyrics - song titles include "Big Balls," ''Beating Around the Bush," ''Let Me Put My Love Into You" and "Stiff Upper Lip." AC/DC won only a single Grammy Award, for best hard rock performance in 2009 for "War Machine."

Rolling Stone said in 1980 that "the AC/DC sound is nothing more and nothing less than aggressively catchy song hooks brutalized by a revved-up boogie rhythm, Malcolm's jackhammer riffing, Angus' guitar histrionics and Johnson's bloodcurdling bawl."

In the book "The Youngs: The Brothers Who Built AC/DC" by Jesse Fink, Angus Young said the formula worked. "We've got the basic thing kids want," he said. "They want to rock and that's it. They want to be part of the band as a mass. When you hit a guitar chord, a lot of the kids in the audience are hitting it with you. They're so much into the band they're going through all the motions with you. If you can get the mass to react as a whole, then that's the ideal thing. That's what a lot of bands lack, and why the critics are wrong."

AC/DC's infectious, driving sound stretched further than rock arenas. The song "Shoot to Thrill" was heard in the film "The Avengers," ''Back in Black" made it into "The Muppets," ''Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" was played in "Bridesmaids" and their songs were included in the "Iron Man" franchise. On TV, the band's music was heard in everything from "Top Gear," the "Hawaii Five-0" reboot, "Glee," ''CSI: Miami" and "The Voice."

Though the band championed good-natured hell-raising, it had to weather suggestions in the 1980s that they were a threat to the moral fabric of society. There were rumors the band's name stood for Anti-Christ/Devil's Children and many were shocked when it was learned that serial murderer and rapist Richard Ramirez identified himself as a fan and left an AC/DC baseball cap behind at a crime scene.

In 2014, the band released "Rock or Bust," the first AC/DC album without Malcom Young. Even so, he is very present on the record since the 11 songs are credited to the Young brothers (Angus said he built the album from guitar hooks the two had accumulated over the years).

Around the album's release, Angus Young told The Associated Press that Malcolm was doing fine, but that he couldn't perform anymore.

"It was progressing further, but he knew he couldn't do it," Angus Young said of his older brother's dementia. "He had continued as long as he could, still writing. But he said to me, 'Keep it going.'"

The fate of the band was also put into doubt by the retirement of Williams, legal trouble for Rudd and Johnson's hearing loss, which forced him to leave. The band enlisted Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose to sing on tour in 2016.

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