Hail and Farewell
Hail and Farewell
HAIL AND FAREWELL (PART I)
With apologies to Cousin Rendell, here is part one of our annual round-up of the Year in Info-Tainment as we remember those we lost.
Entertainers who crossed the way this year included Robert Redford, who dominated cinema for years with some genuinely genre-defining classic films including “Jeremiah Johnson,” “The Sting,” “The Way We Were,” “All the President’s Men,” “The Candidate,” “Three Days of the Condor,” “The Great Gatsby,” “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” and more. Diane Keaton was also a star for decades and, like Redford, appeared in iconic films such as “Annie Hall,” “Looking for Mr. Goodbar,” “Baby Boom,” “The Godfather,” “Sleeper,” “Father of the Bride,” and others. Brigette Bardot was the ultimate sex kitten in French films of the 1960s and her celebrity status endured beyond her retirement. Chris Rea will be remembered for his bluesy vocals and the often-heard hit “Fool If You Think It’s Over.” Lalo Schifrin composed for films and television but will be remembered into perpetuity for his intense 5/4 theme to “Mission: Impossible.”
Lou Cannon went from Washington Post reporter to presidential biographer with his books on Ronald Reagan. Christina Chambers, who once served as a sports reporter for WAKA-TV 8 in Montgomery, died in a shocking husband and wife murder-suicide in Birmingham. Gil Gerard did a lot, but will be remembered for Buck Rogers. Carl Carlton was the original performer of “Everlasting Love,” but we’ll be singing and playing “She’s a Bad Mama Jama” for a long time to come. Gordon Goodwin led the Big Phat Band and was responsible for a lot of modern jazz we hear everywhere. Ace Frehley was the Spaceman of KISS, and quite the guitarslinger though he sang precious few of the band’s hits. D’Angelowas the ultimate R&B artist in that he appealed to generations of listeners with his recordings across the years. Hulk Hogan may have been the most famous wrestler in history. Ruth Buzzi had enduring comedic appeal from her days on “Laugh-In” through more recent appearances in films and television. Lulu Roman was a gospel singer, but was best known for being a part of the cast of “Hee-Haw” from 1969 until 1992.
Steve Cropper was responsible for some of the greatest music ever recorded as a member of the house band at Stax Records, then as the guitarist for Booker T. & the M.G.’s and the Blues Brothers. He also wrote, or co-wrote, some of the biggest R&B hits in history: “In the Midnight Hour,” “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay,” and many more. If you were a fan of “General Hospital,” this was a tough year: Anthony Geary (Luke), Denise Alexander (Lesley), Tristan Rogers (Robert), Chris Robinson (Rick), and Leslie Charleson (Monica) all passed away in 2025. All of them played major roles on GH in the 1970s and beyond, but are perhaps best remembered for their early 1980s heyday when “General Hospital” was not only the top-rated program in daytime but the highest-rated program on television! Margaret DePriest was the head writer for those years, and was so successful at GH, she was hired by “Days of Our Lives,” where she wrote a lot of memorable stories in the 1980s. She also died this year. Eileen Fulton was the greatest star in soap opera history, as Lisa on “As the World Turns” from 1960 until 2010. She is, to date, the only soap opera character to be given her own prime-time spin-off series.
Rob Reiner’s death continues to send shockwaves through Hollywood. It is a tragic, sad ending to a life that contributed so much to the entertainment world. Son of legendary writer-director Carl Reiner, Rob first found fame as Mike (Meathead) Stivic on “All in the Family” in the 1970s before becoming a director of classic films in the 1980s and 1990s: “This is Spinal Tap,” “The Princess Bride,” “Stand By Me,” “When Harry Met Sally,” “Misery,” “A Few Good Men,” and more. He also was one of the executive producers of the “Seinfeld” television series. Raul Malo was the lead singer of the Latin-country band the Mavericks and kept the Roy Orbison style alive. Tom Stoppard was a legendary playwright (“Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead”) and screenwriter (“Empire of the Sun”), and was able to polish the scripts of others without taking credit (“Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith”). Reggae pioneer Jimmy Cliff passed away, but left dozens of classic recordings behind including the soundtrack to “The Harder They Come.” Jimmy Swaggart was more than just a cousin of Jerry Lee Lewis and Mickey Gilley; he led a televangelist empire from home base in Baton Rouge. Val Kilmer was a part of some of the most successful films in recent memory: “The Doors,” “Tombstone,” “Top Gun,” and more benefitted from his intensity. David Lynch was an iconoclastic filmmaker, whether it be “The Elephant Man,” “Blue Velvet,” or “Twin Peaks” – one could not look away.
Sally Kellerman and Loretta Swit both played Margaret ‘Hot Lips’ Houlihan: Kellerman in the “M*A*S*H” film, Swit in the TV show. Both passed away this year, having made their mark on the culture. Diane Ladd was the star of generation-defining films like “Chinatown” and “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore,” but was also known as the mother of actress Laura Dern. June Lockhart was a fixture on television for seven decades, from “Lassie” and “Lost in Space” to more recent work on “General Hospital” and “Grey’s Anatomy.” Rick Davies was the lower-voiced member of Supertramp and sang lead on hits like “Goodbye Stranger” and “Bloody Well Right.” Mark Volman of the Turtles had success in pop music (“Happy Together,” “She’d Rather Be With Me,” “You Showed Me,” et al), but enjoyed life as a music professor at Belmont University later in life. Bobby Whitlock was there when Eric Clapton and Duane Allman decided to make a record as Derek and the Dominos: “Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs” is one of the greatest albums in Clapton’s catalog but also rock and roll history. Jeannie Seely was a star of the Grand Ole Opry from the mid-1960s onward, her biggest hit being “Don’t Touch Me.” Tom Lehrer was known for his musical satires and parodies. David Johansen went from glam rock with the New York Dolls to a made-up character with Buster Poindexter.
Former Vice President Dick Cheney was a part of government most of his life, from the Ford administration through Bush 41 and Bush 43, and alternated between lightning rod for controversy for his handling of the Gulf War to hero of the “never Trump” movement in recent years. David Gergen was a presidential advisor for both Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton. Jane Goodall dedicated her life to the study of chimpanzees. John Lodge was the bassist of the Moody Blues; he had been in the band since 1966 and wrote or co-wrote some of their biggest (and best) songs. Bobby Hart, along with partner Tommy Boyce, wrote dozens of hits for the Monkees and had some hits of their own including “Out and About” and “I Wonder What She’s Doing Tonight.” Boyce & Hart also wrote one piece that has been heard every weekday for 60 years: the theme for “Days of our Lives.” Charlie Kirk was assassinated at an event on a college campus in Utah. He founded Turning Point when he was 18 and became a frequent staple on college campuses with his “Prove Me Wrong” series. Danielle Spencer played wisecracking Dee on “What’s Happening!!” in the 1970s, before attending Tuskegee University and becoming a veterinarian. Loni Anderson was married to Burt Reynolds and they became tabloid fodder in the 1980s, but she will always be remembered for playing the beautiful receptionist Jennifer on “WKRP in Cincinnati.” George Wendt was the go-to guy for one-liners as Norm on “Cheers.” Richard Chamberlain went from “Dr. Kildare” to king of the miniseries with “Sho-Gun” and “The Thorn Birds,” among others.
Chuck Mangione brought jazz – and fluegelhorn – to the mainstream in the ‘70s with his top 10 hit “Feels So Good.” He also starred in the animated TV series “King of the Hill.” Ozzy Osbourne also moved between recorded music and television, as the lead vocalist of Black Sabbath and as a solo performer before starring in “The Osbournes.” Malcolm-Jamal Warner was note-perfect as Theo Huxtable in the 1980s sitcom “The Cosby Show.” Alan Bergman was a composer’s composer and wrote hundreds of songs for performers across the decades, including a fruitful relationship with Barbra Streisand. Connie Francis had her greatest success in the early 1960s, but re-emerged in the 2020s as a TikTok star. Rick Derringer was the ultimate guitar hero, as a member of the McCoys and later on his own. Gene Hackman was one of the best actors of his generation: “The French Connection,” “Unforgiven,” “Superman,” “The Poseidon Adventure” – the list goes on.
Bobby Sherman was a good-looking teen idol as star of “Here Come the Brides,” but after guest-starring on “Emergency!” in the 1970s, decided to become an EMT – which is what he did with his life until his recent retirement. Jay North was “Dennis the Menace” but did other things, too. Peter Yarrow’s earnest tenor gave Peter, Paul, and Mary the folk credibility and gravitas they had for so many years. Mick Ralphs was the guitar man for Mott the Hoople as well as Bad Company, where his indelible riffs will live on in rock history forever. Roberta Flack was classically trained, but found success in the pop world. Garth Hudson was the quiet member of The Band, but they were what they were because of his musicianship: he could play every instrument and taught the other members of the group music theory. Brian Wilson was the man behind the curtain for all those incredible Beach Boys records that we all know and love. His passion for harmony has inspired many and will continue to do so. Sly Stone did more to influence the course of popular music than just about anyone else over the last 60 years or so; as a disc jockey, then record producer, then writer, then performer – he did it all, and did it well.
More to come next week.
