obituaries

He Came To America Looking For Stardom — And Found It As A Waldorf-Astoria Bellhop

4:10pm August 03, 2021

by Rosemary Misdary

Jimmy Elidrissi left his native Morocco and came to America with the dream of being a film actor, instead becoming the star of the Waldorf-Astoria as the bellhop for 51 years. He died at 74.

Music & Culture

Remembering Charles Connor, The Longtime Drummer For Little Richard

6:38am August 03, 2021

Seminal rock 'n' roll drummer Charles Connor died on Saturday, according to his daughter. He was 86. Connor played with Little Richard, Sam Cooke, James Brown and many others.

Remembering Ruth Pearl, Mother Of Slain Journalist Daniel Pearl

4:53pm August 02, 2021

Daniel Pearl was reporting on terrorism when he was kidnapped and beheaded in Pakistan. His mother, Ruth Pearl, spent years turning her grief into something positive. She died July 20 at age 85.

Saginaw Grant, a prolific Native American character actor and hereditary chief of the Sac & Fox Nation of Oklahoma, has died. He was 85.

Arts

Actor Saginaw Grant, Known For 'Lone Ranger' And 'Breaking Bad,' Dies At 85

9:41am August 02, 2021

by The Associated Press

Grant, who was hereditary chief of the Sac & Fox Nation of Oklahoma, played roles in dozens of movies and TV shows, including "The Lone Ranger," "The World's Fastest Indian" and "Breaking Bad."

Remembering An Inventor Who Sold Dreams In The Form Of Pocket Fishing Poles

4:34pm July 30, 2021

Ron Popeil, American inventor and beloved infomercial salesman died on Wednesday at 86. From Mr. Microphone to the Veg-O-Matic, Popeil's infomercials introduced us to problems we didn't know we had.

Listen Back To A 1993 Interview With The Late Civil Rights Pioneer Bob Moses

2:02pm July 30, 2021

by Terry Gross

In the 1960s, Moses led efforts to organize and register Black residents to vote in Mississippi and brought national attention to the state's entrenched white supremacy. Moses died Sunday at age 86.

Queue Listen Now

Johnny Ventura, seen here at the Latin Grammys in 2013, died at the age of 81 on Wednesday.

Music & Culture

Dominican Merengue Star Johnny Ventura Dies At 81

7:57pm July 29, 2021

by Felix Contreras

The musician rose to fame in the 1960s and '70s, bringing global attention to his hip-shaking style of music.

Pioneering TV Pitchman Ron Popeil Dies At Age 86

5:58am July 29, 2021

Generations of viewers know Ron Popeil for pushing the Veg-O-Matic and the Pocket Fisherman — to name a few. He popularized phrases like, "But wait - there's more," and "Now how much would you pay?"

Dusty Hill of ZZ Top, performing in Austin, Tex. in 2019. Hill has died at age 72.

ZZ Top Bassist Dusty Hill Dead At Age 72

4:09pm July 28, 2021

by Anastasia Tsioulcas

One-third of the Texas blues-rock mainstay ZZ Top has died. Dusty Hill, the band's bassist and one of its vocalists, was 72 years old, and according to his bandmates died at his home in Houston.

Joey Jordison, the founding drummer of the band Slipknot, has died at age 46. Jordison's family says he died peacefully in his sleep Monday, July 26, 2021.

Music & Culture

Joey Jordison, A Founding Member Of The Band Slipknot, Has Died At Age 46

3:11pm July 28, 2021

by The Associated Press

Jordison drummed for the influential metal band in its most popular period and helped write many of its best-known songs.