COREY WILLIAMS
Pervis Jackson, the man behind the deep, rolling bass voice in a string of 1970s R&B hits by The Spinners, has died after being diagnosed with brain and liver cancer. He was 70.
Jerry Wexler, 91: R&B music producer
HILLEL ITALIE
Legendary record producer Jerry Wexler, who helped shape R&B music with influential recordings of Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles and other greats, and later made key recordings with the likes of Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson, has died, says his co-author, David Ritz. He was 91.
Bernie Brillstein, 77: Agent and producer
Rob Salem
In the entertainment industry, there are the people who've got the talent and the people who can spot the talent. And then know how to sell it. Such a man was Bernie Brillstein, who died last week at the age of 77.
Isaac Hayes, 65: Pioneering musician
Isaac Hayes, the pioneering singer, songwriter and musician whose relentless "Theme From Shaft" won Academy and Grammy awards, died yesterday, the Shelby County Sheriff's Office said. He was 65.
Bernie Mac, 50: Actor, comic
FRAZIER MOORE
Bernie Mac blended style, authority and a touch of self-aware bluster to make audiences laugh as well as connect with him.
David Aaron Monson, 91: Synagogue founder
Noor Javed
He was known affectionately as the "people's rabbi." Rabbi David Aaron Monson, founder and rabbi emeritus of Beth Sholom Synagogue in Toronto, earned many accolades, titles, and praises throughout his extraordinary life.
Alexander Solzhenitsyn, 89: Dissident Soviet writer
Carol J. Williams
Nobel laureate Alexander Solzhenitsyn, the reclusive icon of the Russian intelligentsia and chronicler of Communist repression, died yesterday. He was 89.
William McClure Brown, 54: Painter and printmaker
John C. P. King
William McClure Brown, a prolific Canadian painter and printmaker better known in Europe, has died in Britain of congestive heart failure. He was 54.
Leif Pettersen, 57: CFL's ex-player and broadcaster
Dave Feschuk
When news spread yesterday that Leif Pettersen, the ex-player and broadcaster of CFL games, had died at age 57, friends and colleagues alike expressed head-shaking woe.
Estelle Getty, 84: Golden Girls actress
BOB THOMAS
Estelle Getty, the diminutive actor who spent 40 years struggling for success before landing a role of a lifetime in 1985 as the sarcastic octogenarian Sophia on TV's The Golden Girls , has died. She was 84.
Helen Gardiner's passion helped found museum
Martin Knelman
Helen Gardiner, one of Toronto's most beloved cultural philanthropists, died yesterday at her Caledon East farm, just four days after her 70th birthday.
Bobby Murcer, 62: Yankees star
Bobby Murcer, a five-time all-star outfielder who spent nearly four decades with the New York Yankees as a player, executive and announcer, has died. He was 62.
Michael DeBakey, 99: Heart surgery pioneer
Thomas H. Maugh II
Dr. Michael DeBakey, a medical pioneer in the field of heart surgery, who helped develop medical technology that saved millions, died Friday. He was 99.
Tony Snow, 53: White House press secretary
Peter Wallsten
Tony Snow, the conservative commentator who brought a flashy, talk-show style of repartee to the job of White House press secretary, died yesterday in a Washington hospital after a high-profile battle with colon cancer. He was 53.
Oliver Schroer, 52: Boundary-pushing violinist
GREG QUILL
Oliver Schroer was a late bloomer. But boy did he bloom. Over a 25-year career, the violin virtuoso produced or performed on more than 100 albums and wrote more than 1,000 pieces of music.
Kermit Love, 91: Muppet creator
Kermit Love, the costume designer who helped puppeteer Jim Henson create Big Bird and other “Sesame Street” characters, has died. He was 91.
George Carlin, 71: Counterculture comedian
KEITH ST. CLAIR
George Carlin, the frenzied performer whose routine "Seven Words You Can Never Say On Television" led to a key Supreme Court ruling on obscenity, has died.
Danielle Caterina, 16: A life cut short
Elvira Cordileone
Just a few weeks ago, Danielle Caterina asked doctors to put her on the waiting list for her second double-lung transplant and gave them permission to use a ventilator to keep her alive.
Cyd Charisse, 86: Danced with Astaire, Kelly
Bob Thomas
Cyd Charisse, the long-legged Texas beauty who danced with the Ballet Russe as a teenager and starred in MGM musicals with Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly, died Tuesday. She was 86.
Brian Budd, 56: Canadian soccer star
Garth Woolsey
Brian Budd was fond of relating how he'd made an impression on Pele, when the legendary Brazilian soccer great was playing for the New York Cosmos in the 1970s.
HILLEL ITALIE
Legendary record producer Jerry Wexler, who helped shape R&B music with influential recordings of Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles and other greats, and later made key recordings with the likes of Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson, has died, says his co-author, David Ritz. He was 91.
Bernie Brillstein, 77: Agent and producer
Rob Salem
In the entertainment industry, there are the people who've got the talent and the people who can spot the talent. And then know how to sell it. Such a man was Bernie Brillstein, who died last week at the age of 77.
Isaac Hayes, 65: Pioneering musician
Isaac Hayes, the pioneering singer, songwriter and musician whose relentless "Theme From Shaft" won Academy and Grammy awards, died yesterday, the Shelby County Sheriff's Office said. He was 65.
Bernie Mac, 50: Actor, comic
FRAZIER MOORE
Bernie Mac blended style, authority and a touch of self-aware bluster to make audiences laugh as well as connect with him.
David Aaron Monson, 91: Synagogue founder
Noor Javed
He was known affectionately as the "people's rabbi." Rabbi David Aaron Monson, founder and rabbi emeritus of Beth Sholom Synagogue in Toronto, earned many accolades, titles, and praises throughout his extraordinary life.
Alexander Solzhenitsyn, 89: Dissident Soviet writer
Carol J. Williams
Nobel laureate Alexander Solzhenitsyn, the reclusive icon of the Russian intelligentsia and chronicler of Communist repression, died yesterday. He was 89.
William McClure Brown, 54: Painter and printmaker
John C. P. King
William McClure Brown, a prolific Canadian painter and printmaker better known in Europe, has died in Britain of congestive heart failure. He was 54.
Leif Pettersen, 57: CFL's ex-player and broadcaster
Dave Feschuk
When news spread yesterday that Leif Pettersen, the ex-player and broadcaster of CFL games, had died at age 57, friends and colleagues alike expressed head-shaking woe.
Estelle Getty, 84: Golden Girls actress
BOB THOMAS
Estelle Getty, the diminutive actor who spent 40 years struggling for success before landing a role of a lifetime in 1985 as the sarcastic octogenarian Sophia on TV's The Golden Girls , has died. She was 84.
Helen Gardiner's passion helped found museum
Martin Knelman
Helen Gardiner, one of Toronto's most beloved cultural philanthropists, died yesterday at her Caledon East farm, just four days after her 70th birthday.
Bobby Murcer, 62: Yankees star
Bobby Murcer, a five-time all-star outfielder who spent nearly four decades with the New York Yankees as a player, executive and announcer, has died. He was 62.
Michael DeBakey, 99: Heart surgery pioneer
Thomas H. Maugh II
Dr. Michael DeBakey, a medical pioneer in the field of heart surgery, who helped develop medical technology that saved millions, died Friday. He was 99.
Tony Snow, 53: White House press secretary
Peter Wallsten
Tony Snow, the conservative commentator who brought a flashy, talk-show style of repartee to the job of White House press secretary, died yesterday in a Washington hospital after a high-profile battle with colon cancer. He was 53.
Oliver Schroer, 52: Boundary-pushing violinist
GREG QUILL
Oliver Schroer was a late bloomer. But boy did he bloom. Over a 25-year career, the violin virtuoso produced or performed on more than 100 albums and wrote more than 1,000 pieces of music.
Kermit Love, 91: Muppet creator
Kermit Love, the costume designer who helped puppeteer Jim Henson create Big Bird and other “Sesame Street” characters, has died. He was 91.
George Carlin, 71: Counterculture comedian
KEITH ST. CLAIR
George Carlin, the frenzied performer whose routine "Seven Words You Can Never Say On Television" led to a key Supreme Court ruling on obscenity, has died.
Danielle Caterina, 16: A life cut short
Elvira Cordileone
Just a few weeks ago, Danielle Caterina asked doctors to put her on the waiting list for her second double-lung transplant and gave them permission to use a ventilator to keep her alive.
Cyd Charisse, 86: Danced with Astaire, Kelly
Bob Thomas
Cyd Charisse, the long-legged Texas beauty who danced with the Ballet Russe as a teenager and starred in MGM musicals with Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly, died Tuesday. She was 86.
Brian Budd, 56: Canadian soccer star
Garth Woolsey
Brian Budd was fond of relating how he'd made an impression on Pele, when the legendary Brazilian soccer great was playing for the New York Cosmos in the 1970s.
