Jim Wilkes
Bill Harper was one of the good guys.
Bill Harper was one of the good guys.
David Hayne, 87: Professor given Order of Canada
Dale Anne Freed
David Hayne could have been a spy.
Ting Wan Mark, 107: Dedicated to volunteer work
Shabnam Janet Janani
A grandmother who continued to raise funds in a United Way walkathon even after she turned 100 died at age 107 last Thursday.
Musical legend Miriam Makeba dies
CELEAN JACOBSON
Miriam Makeba, the South African singer who wooed the world with her sultry voice but was banned from her own country for more than 30 years under apartheid, died after a concert in Italy. She was 76.
Garry Morden, 56: Mississauga fire chief
Mississauga Fire Chief Garry Morden died yesterday after a long battle with cancer.
Jeanette Heller, 97: Was Radio City Rockette
Shabnam Janet Janani
Jeanette Heller, who grew up in Paris, Ont., with dreams of being a dancer, high-kicked her way into becoming the oldest living Radio City Rockette.
Pte. Leo Major, 87: Decorated hero
Jessica Murphy
Family and friends of Leo Major describe him as a humble man who wore his battle scars with grace.
Joshua B. Jeyaretnam, 82: Singapore's pro-democracy activist
DANIEL DALE
As Singaporeans got richer under the rule of the People’s Action Party, Joshua B. Jeyaretnam got poorer opposing it.
Georgi Kitov, 65: Archaeologist brought Thrace to life
Douglas Martin
Georgi Kitov, a Bulgarian archaeologist whose discoveries helped illuminate the culture of ancient Thrace, but whose methods – especially using bulldozers and backhoes – appalled his more meticulous colleagues, has died in Starosel, Bulgaria.
Peter Kastner, 64: Actor recalled for role as rebel
Martin Knelman
Peter Kastner – who will always be remembered as the juvenile delinquent rebelling against his upper-middle-class Canadian parents in the 1965 surprise hit Nobody Waved Goodbye – died suddenly Thursday night while driving his car in downtown Toronto.
CFL legend Ron Lancaster dies
Allan Ryan
A hard year for the CFL's tight-knit little family got harder still yesterday with word that The Little General, Ron Lancaster, was gone.
Frank Mundus, 82: Legendary U.S. shark hunter
Dennis Hevesi
Frank Mundus, the hulking Long Island shark fisherman who was widely considered the inspiration for Captain Quint, the steely-eyed, grimly obsessed shark hunter in Jaws, died on Sept. 10 in Honolulu. He was 82.
Legendary Stratford director dies at 64
Richard Ouzounian
"We have heard the chimes at midnight."
Man who lifted college colour barrier
Alicia A. Caldwell
The glow from Don Haskins' greatest triumph was mostly a memory when Disney decided to take another look.
Killer Kowalski, 81: American professional wrestler
Daniel Dale
He was a non-drinking religious vegetarian who listened to classical music, took portrait photographs, and did charity work with disabled children. His name: Killer Kowalski.
Don LaFontaine, 68; Voice of movie trailers
Raquel Maria Dillon
Don LaFontaine, the man who popularized the catchphrase "In a world where ..." and lent his voice to thousands of movie trailers, has died. He was 68.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Jim McKay, 86: Broadcaster was 'absolute titan'
David Bauder
Jim McKay elegantly covered competitions from badminton to barrel jumping. Yet he may best be remembered for that day at the Munich Olympics when he broke the news with three simple words.
Harvey Korman, 81: Carol Burnett sidekick
Bob Thomas
Harvey Korman, the tall, versatile comedian who won four Emmys for his outrageously funny contributions to The Carol Burnett Show and played a hilarious conniving politician in Blazing Saddles, died yesterday. He was 81.
Dick Martin, 86: 'Laugh-in' comedian
Bob Thomas
Dick Martin, half of the TV comedy team "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In" which made stars out of Goldie Hawn and Lily Tomlin has died. He was 86.
Hamilton Jordan, 63: Carter White House aide
Walter Putnam
In planning Jimmy Carter's climb to the White House, Hamilton Jordan pushed a strategy still popular with lesser-known candidates today: start campaigning years in advance and target early voting states in order to build support from upsets.
Huntington Hartford, 97: Heir frittered away fortune
Daniel Lewis
Huntington Hartford, who inherited a fortune from the A&P grocery business and lost most of it chasing his dreams as an entrepreneur, arts patron and man of leisure, died yesterday at his home in Lyford Cay in the Bahamas. He was 97.
Jimmy McManus, 65: Was Star's 'Mr. Retail'
Deena K. Y. Hussein
Long-time friends and colleagues of James "Jimmy" McManus, who died of a heart attack Friday just months after retiring from the Star , describe him as a bright light of advertising.
Paul King, 72: Colourful writer
Tracy Huffman
He had John Wayne's swagger, John Huston's drawl and Humphrey Bogart's toughness.
Albert Hofmann, 102: Father of LSD
FRANK JORDANS
Albert Hofmann, the father of the mind-altering drug LSD whose medical discovery inspired – and arguably corrupted – millions in the 1960s hippie generation, has died. He was 102.
Charlton Heston, 84: Legendary actor
Bob Thomas
Charlton Heston, who won the 1959 best actor Oscar as the chariot-racing "Ben-Hur" and portrayed Moses, Michelangelo, El Cid and other heroic figures in movie epics of the '50s and '60s, has died. He was 84.
'Dizzy' Dean Murray, 71: Motorsport entrepreneur
Norris McDonald
"Dizzy" Dean Murray, newspaper publisher, speedway announcer, founder and promoter of custom car shows and all-around character and good guy, died suddenly at his home in Kleinburg on Tuesday. He was 71.
Anthony Minghella, 54: Oscar-winning director
Peter Howell
Anthony Minghella's sudden death at the age of 54 could have been the stuff of one of his deeply passionate film and stage creations.
Donald C. MacDonald, 94: Former NDP leader
Robert Benzie
Donald C. MacDonald, who led the Ontario NDP and its predecessor the CCF for a generation, has died. He was 94.
Barry Morse, 89: Canadian actor-director
Pat Hewitt
British-Canadian actor-director Barry Morse, best known as the police detective in hot pursuit of David Janssen's Dr. Richard Kimble in the TV series The Fugitive, has died in England at the age of 89.
Gordon B. Hinckley, 97: Mormon church president
JENNIFER DOBNER
Utah's leaders and believers mourned the death of Gordon B. Hinckley, the humble head of the Mormon church who added millions of new members and labored long to burnish the faith's image as a world religion.
Heath Ledger, 28: 'Brokeback Mountain' star
Richard Ouzounian
Heath Ledger, the Australian-born film star best known for his Oscar-nominated role in "Brokeback Mountain," was found dead yesterday in a Manhattan apartment. He was 28.
Richard Knerr, 82: Wham-O co-founder
Richard Knerr, co-founder of the toy company that popularized the Hula Hoop, Frisbee and other fads that became classics, has died. He was 82.
Brad Henderson, 54: Star executive
John Goddard
Brad Henderson, who worked his way from newsroom messenger boy to a top Star executive and "Mr. Fix-it," has died of cancer at 54.
Dennis Morgan, 63: Wheels founder
Isabel Teotonio
Retired Toronto Star editor Dennis Morgan was a lot of things, but above all else, he was a car nut.
John Harkness, 53: Film critic
Geoff Pevere
Toronto has lost one of its most dedicated, cogent and experienced film writers with the sudden death yesterday of Now magazine's senior film writer, John Harkness.
Norval Morrisseau, 75: Famed native painter
Peter Goddard
Norval Morrisseau, the great Anishinabe painter once called "the Picasso of the north," died yesterday at Toronto General Hospital at age 75 after a long and feisty battle with Parkinson's disease.
Elizabeth Hardwick, 91: Author, critic
Elizabeth Hardwick, a Kentucky-born author and critic whose incisive prose and steady spirit helped her fulfil her dream of becoming a "New York Intellectual," has died at age 91.
Evel Knievel, 69: Motorcycle daredevil
Rick Westhead
Evel Knievel, the motorcycle daredevil who died yesterday after a lifetime spent jumping over cars, double-decker buses and live sharks, made his mark on Toronto.
Norm Hacking, 57: Singer-songwriter, poet
GREG QUILL
Toronto songwriter, poet and children's book author Norm Hacking, a familiar figure in the Canadian roots music community for the past 35 years, died Sunday night in his Toronto home from an apparent heart attack. He was 57.
Antonio Lamer, 74: Supreme Court chief justice
Tonda MacCharles
Antonio Lamer retired nearly eight years ago as Canada's 16th chief justice saying he wanted to step down before the "sacred fire" of his passion for law burned out.
Ying L.K. Hope, 84: Head-tax apology his crowning triumph
Paola Loriggio
Ying L.K. Hope wasn't the type to sit around and complain – he wanted to make change happen.
Ira Levin, 78: Rosemary's Baby author
Best-selling writer Ira Levin, whose genre-hopping novels such as the horror classic Rosemary's Baby and the Nazi thriller The Boys From Brazil provided meaty movie roles for Mia Farrow and Laurence Olivier, has died of a heart attack, his agent said Tuesday. He was 78.
Norman Mailer, 84: American literary giant
Philip Marchand
How sad to see death trump the voice of Norman Mailer, who thought he could alter the course of history not just with his prodigious literary talents but with the sheer force of his personality.
Deborah Kerr, 86: Oscar-nominated actress
Scottish-born actress Deborah Kerr, best known for acting alongside Burt Lancaster in the 1953 film From Here to Eternity, has died aged 86, her agent said today.
Lois Maxwell, 80: James Bond's Moneypenny
Jim Bawden
When she left Toronto in 1943, she was just plain Lois Hooker, off to join the Canadian army. When she finally returned to her native Toronto 19 years later, she was Lois Maxwell, film star of James Bond movies, deserving a City Hall reception from mayor William Dennison.
Marcel Marceau, 84: French mime
Richard Ouzounian
You never forget the moment you see true greatness, experience the real thing and step into the presence of the unique.
Michael Jackson, 65: Writer known as 'beer hunter'
THOMAS WAGNER
Michael Jackson, a leading world beer critic who praised the brews of Belgium and acknowledged he would never be as famous as "that Michael Jackson," has died. He was 65.
Nora Muirhead, 54: Queen of Kensington
Catherine Dunphy
Nora Clare Muirhead was the Queen of Kensington, the demimonde of artists, musicians and hard drinkers who gathered at Jenny's Place or Lola's Cafe and bought rounds when their government cheques came in.
Leona Helmsley, 87: 'Queen of mean' hotelier
RICHARD PYLE
Leona Helmsley, the hotelier who went to prison as a tax cheat and was reviled as the "queen of mean," died Monday at age 87.
Irene Kirkaldy, 90: Paved way for Rosa Parks
Irene Morgan Kirkaldy, a black woman whose refusal to give up her bus seat to white passengers led to a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision more than a decade before Rosa Parks gained recognition for doing the same, has died at 90.
Tammy Faye Messner, 65: TV evangelist
STEVE HARTSOE
Tammy Faye Messner, who as Tammy Faye Bakker helped her husband, Jim, build a multimillion-dollar evangelism empire and then saw it collapse in disgrace, has died. She was 65.
Ed Mirvish, 92: Toronto's greatest bargain
Richard Ouzounian
He may have begun by showing us where to find a bargain, but he wound up giving us much that was priceless.
British AI expert, geneticist die in car crash
D'Arcy Doran
British artificial intelligence expert Donald Michie and his former wife, leading geneticist Dame Anne McLaren, have died in a car crash, their son said.
William Hutt, 87: Renowned stage actor
Richard Ouzounian
William Hutt, generally regarded as the finest Canadian classical actor of our time, died this morning of leukemia in the Stratford General Hospital at the age of 87.
J.B. Handelsman, 85: New Yorker cartoonist
KAREN MATTHEWS
J.B. Handelsman, who applied his dry wit to subjects ranging from politics to popular culture while creating nearly 1,000 New Yorker magazine cartoons, has died of lung cancer.
Joyce Mino, 79: Insatiable curiosity and zest
Catherine Dunphy
A few hours after his mother died on April 16, Graham Mino sat in the living room in her small east-end home and looked around. There was a painting of a naked woman, a 1.5-metre paper elephant fertility goddess from India, an iron dancing figure from Africa, treasures from travels to five continents.
Terry Koumoudouros, 67: Strip club owner
DANIEL DALE
House of Lancaster operator launched a successful Charter of Rights challenge to overturn the Toronto bylaw that prevented exotic dancers from performing naked.
Marquise Hill, 24: NFL player
New England Patriots defensive end Marquise Hill spent much of his free time and his NFL paycheque helping loved ones in New Orleans rebuild in the hurricane-damaged city where he grew up.
Feisty Gramma had many fans
Catherine Dunphy
The blog – and it is extraordinary – started a year ago January when Joanne Clemente told a friend another funny story about her grandmother. It was about the time Gramma filched popcorn from the bag of the woman in front of her in the movie line. That's it, the friend said, time to start writing down all these great stories.
Yolanda King, 51: Civil rights leader's daughter
ERRIN HAINES
Yolanda King, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s eldest child who pursued her father's dream of racial harmony through drama and motivational speaking, collapsed and died after making a speech. She was 51.
Theodore H. Maiman, 79: Builder of first laser
John Johnson Jr.
When Theodore H. Maiman unveiled the world's first working laser 47 years ago, U.S. headline writers went into paroxysms of hyperbole.
John K. Lattimer, 92: Medical expert
Dennis Hevesi
John K. Lattimer, a prominent urologist and ballistics expert who was the first non-government medical specialist allowed to examine the evidence in U.S. president John F. Kennedy's assassination, died Thursday at a hospice near his New Jersey home.
Fenian Murray, 84: Machinist found his artistic bent
John Goddard
After a near-death experience a few years ago, Fenian Murray compulsively started carving foot-high sculptures of Christ on the cross.
Don Montgomery, 75: Major player in minor hockey
John Spears
Don Montgomery was president of the Scarborough Hockey Association for 40 years – but it's a safe bet most of the boys and girls who played the game didn't know who he was.
David Halberstam, 73: Journalist and author
LISA LEFF
David Halberstam, a journalist from New York who produced a steady stream of well-regarded books on topics as diverse as the Vietnam war, the civil rights movement and sports, died as he lived: On his way to an interview.
June Johnson, 59: Civil rights activist
Civil rights activist June E. Johnson, who as a teenager was beaten by white officials in a 1963 confrontation that led to federal charges, has died. She was 59.
Don Ho, 76: Hawaii's breezy crooner
Nate Chine
Don Ho, an entertainer who defined popular perceptions of Hawaiian music, died Saturday in Honolulu. He was 76.
Allan Maloney, 80: Cross-dressing showman
Christian Cotroneo
Emcee at backroom strip shows sang and danced his way into the heart of Toronto's gay community.
Israel Halperin, 96: Crusading spirit
Catherine Dunphy
Israel Halperin had a beautiful mind, one of the finest of his generation. It flourished in the field of pure mathematics, the only discipline in the world in which something is either right or it is not.
Sol Le Witt, 78: Art pioneer
Sol LeWitt, a humble artist known for dynamic wall paintings and a founder of minimal and conceptual art styles, died Sunday in New York, according to published reports.
Johnny Hart, 76: B.C. cartoonist
MARY ESCH
Cartoonist Johnny Hart, whose award-winning B.C. comic strip appeared in more than 1,300 newspapers worldwide, died at his home on Saturday. He was 76.
Stephen Mistaken Chief, 84: Fought for veterans' benefits
A World War II veteran who fought for equal benefits for aboriginal soldiers has died in hospital in southern Alberta.
Tom Moore, 88: Former ABC president
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. – Tom Moore, who in the 1960s helped the fledgling ABC Television Network become a competitive rival of CBS and NBC, has died. He was 88.
Bernd Freytag von Loringhoven, 93: Wrote of Hitler's last days
David Rising
BERLIN–Baron Bernd Freytag von Loringhoven, a witness to Adolf Hitler's final days who described the last throes of a despairing Nazi leadership trapped in a Berlin bunker, has died, his publisher said Monday. He was 93.
Mark Harrison, 82: Respected veteran newsman
Jen Gerson
A newspaperman of the old school, Mark Harrison was known for his wooden pipe, his towering integrity, and for going home to his family at the end of the night instead of getting drunk with the other journalists at the Press Club.
Ernie Ladd, 68: Football player turned wrestler
Frank Litsky
Ernie Ladd, a massive defensive tackle turned wrestler who was the only man elected to the American Football League Hall of Fame and the World Wrestling Entertainment Hall of Fame, died Saturday at his home in Franklin, La. He was 68.
Joseph Metcalf, 79: Led invasion of Grenada
DENNIS HEVESI
Vice Adm. Joseph Metcalf III, who in October 1983 was given less than two days to plan and start the controversial invasion of the Caribbean island of Grenada after U.S. President Ronald Reagan issued orders to overturn a Marxist coup, died on March 2 at his home in Washington. He was 79.
Winthrop Jordan, 75: Exposed roots of U.S. racial views
Winthrop Jordan, the historian whose investigation of early attitudes on race among American settlers from Europe shed light on the roots of 20th-century racial inequality, died Feb. 23 at his home in Oxford, Miss. He was 75, and suffered from the neuromuscular disorder known as Lou Gehrig's disease.
Betty Hutton, 86: Energized 1950s musicals
Betty Hutton, the actress and singer who brought a brassy vitality to Hollywood musicals such as Annie Get Your Gun , has died in Palm Springs, Calif., at age 86.
Kinko's co-founder saw `big picture'
Valerie Nelson
Bradley Krause, who helped expand a single Kinko's printing shop near a University of California into a business empire, has died of cancer in Long Island, N.Y., at the age of 58.
She fought for women's rights
Angela E.V. King, a Jamaican diplomat who became a leading advocate for women's equality and the first special adviser to the UN secretary-general on women's advancement, has died. King died from complications of breast cancer at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center on Feb. 4 , her former husband Wilton James said. She was 68.
Barbara McNair, 72: Actor's beauty shaped career
Jocelyn Y. Stewart
Barbara McNair, a versatile performer who starred opposite Sidney Poitier and Rock Hudson, and who was the first black woman to host a musical variety show, has died.
Frankie Laine, 93: Singer did jazz, pop and blues
Claudia Luther
Frankie Laine, the singer with the booming voice who hit it big with such songs as "That Lucky Old Sun,'' "Mule Train,'' "Cool Water,'' "I Believe,'' "Granada" and "Moonlight Gambler," died yesterday at Mercy Hospital in San Diego. He was 93.
Howard Hunt, 88: Watergate conspirator
Tim Reynolds
E. Howard Hunt, who helped organize the Watergate break-in, leading to the greatest scandal in American political history and the downfall of Richard Nixon's presidency, died yesterday. He was 88.
Lindalee Tracey, 49: Documentarian
Catherine Dunphy
Lindalee Tracey, a teenage stripper turned award-winning journalist, never held anything back, least of all about herself.
Patricia Kennedy Lawford, 82: JFK's sister
Mark Pratt
BOSTON — Patricia Kennedy Lawford, a sister of President John F. Kennedy who forged a marriage between politics and Hollywood with her wedding to actor Peter Lawford, has died in her New York home, a spokeswoman for her brother said. She was 82.
Bruce Hughes, 59: Marathoner gave his best
Catherine Dunphy
A legend among his friends and family, Bruce Hughes was the bachelor always up for a beer or a party. For years at the Boston Marathon, and here in Toronto, he was the runner in the white bowler hat, the one who crossed the finish line usually under three hours despite — or he might say because of — the fact he'd been drinking till all hours the night before. Catherine Dunphy writes about his life.
Bruno Kirby, 57: Character actor
Jeremiah Marquez
Bruno Kirby, a veteran character actor known for playing the best friend in two of Billy Crystal's biggest comedies When Harry Met Sally and City Slickers, has died. He was 57.
Ken Morrish, 87: Dedicated politician
Phinjo Gombu
Longtime politician Ken Morrish, 87, died Sunday, July 30, at his home. Phinjo Gombu writes about a man whose first and last love always was local politics.
Tony LaMantia, 69: Canadian retail pioneer
Steve Rennie
If you were in an Eaton's store in 1992, you probably recall being inundated with maple leafs and other Canadiana urging you to "Buy Canadian." Tony LaMantia was the man behind that.
Edward Kamski, 59: AIDS pioneer
Catherine Dunphy
Edward Kamski's former patients want to gather together to celebrate him because he was a doctor who took in AIDS patients, hundreds of them, at a time when few other doctors in town would, writes Catherine Dunphy.
Victor Hum, 47: Lawyer went `the extra step'
Thulasi Srikanthan
Victor Hum was the kind of older brother who shielded his siblings from racial taunts, telling them to run away while he took the kicks and punches from neighbourhood bullies.
Manickam Kumaravel, 83: Pillar unified a community
Catherine Dunphy
Long before there were community halls, churches or even offices where Sri Lankans living in Toronto could get together, there was the home of Lali and Manickam Kumaravel. Catherine Dunphy reports.
Timothy Murray, 10: Touched many lives
Catherine Dunphy
Timothy Richard Murray couldn't use any of his limbs. He never walked nor talked, nor even sat upright on his own. He could barely see. But don't ever think the 10-year-old didn't have had much of a life, writes Catherine Dunphy.
Smiling Al Harris, 84: Guitar man
Catherine Dunphy
When Al Harris was 14, the school principal at Weston C.I. called his parents in for a meeting. He was concerned: their son was interested only in music. He shouldn't have been, because music became Mr. Harris's life.
Jack McArthur, 79: Star editor, columnist
Kenneth Kidd
When Jack McArthur was writing his business column at the Star there wasn't a better portrait of sheer concentration amid chaos, writes Kenneth Kidd.
Jane Jacobs, 89: Wrote the book on cities
Warren Gerard
Jane Jacobs was an urban fable. She was a writer, intellectual, analyst, ethicist and moral thinker, activist, self-made economist and a fearless critic of inflexible authority.
Pat Marsden, 69: Colourful broadcaster
Former sports broadcaster and radio host Pat Marsden died April 27 of lung cancer. He was 69.
Elinor Melville, 65: Friends were family
Catherine Dunphy
She died as she lived, surrounded by friends. And when Elinor Melville died at 65 of cancer in March in the palliative care unit at Toronto Grace Hospital, she had no known relatives, writes Catherine Dunphy.
Tom Hodgson, 81: Passion for art, life
Catherine Dunphy
Dale Anne Freed
David Hayne could have been a spy.
Ting Wan Mark, 107: Dedicated to volunteer work
Shabnam Janet Janani
A grandmother who continued to raise funds in a United Way walkathon even after she turned 100 died at age 107 last Thursday.
Musical legend Miriam Makeba dies
CELEAN JACOBSON
Miriam Makeba, the South African singer who wooed the world with her sultry voice but was banned from her own country for more than 30 years under apartheid, died after a concert in Italy. She was 76.
Garry Morden, 56: Mississauga fire chief
Mississauga Fire Chief Garry Morden died yesterday after a long battle with cancer.
Jeanette Heller, 97: Was Radio City Rockette
Shabnam Janet Janani
Jeanette Heller, who grew up in Paris, Ont., with dreams of being a dancer, high-kicked her way into becoming the oldest living Radio City Rockette.
Pte. Leo Major, 87: Decorated hero
Jessica Murphy
Family and friends of Leo Major describe him as a humble man who wore his battle scars with grace.
Joshua B. Jeyaretnam, 82: Singapore's pro-democracy activist
DANIEL DALE
As Singaporeans got richer under the rule of the People’s Action Party, Joshua B. Jeyaretnam got poorer opposing it.
Georgi Kitov, 65: Archaeologist brought Thrace to life
Douglas Martin
Georgi Kitov, a Bulgarian archaeologist whose discoveries helped illuminate the culture of ancient Thrace, but whose methods – especially using bulldozers and backhoes – appalled his more meticulous colleagues, has died in Starosel, Bulgaria.
Peter Kastner, 64: Actor recalled for role as rebel
Martin Knelman
Peter Kastner – who will always be remembered as the juvenile delinquent rebelling against his upper-middle-class Canadian parents in the 1965 surprise hit Nobody Waved Goodbye – died suddenly Thursday night while driving his car in downtown Toronto.
CFL legend Ron Lancaster dies
Allan Ryan
A hard year for the CFL's tight-knit little family got harder still yesterday with word that The Little General, Ron Lancaster, was gone.
Frank Mundus, 82: Legendary U.S. shark hunter
Dennis Hevesi
Frank Mundus, the hulking Long Island shark fisherman who was widely considered the inspiration for Captain Quint, the steely-eyed, grimly obsessed shark hunter in Jaws, died on Sept. 10 in Honolulu. He was 82.
Legendary Stratford director dies at 64
Richard Ouzounian
"We have heard the chimes at midnight."
Man who lifted college colour barrier
Alicia A. Caldwell
The glow from Don Haskins' greatest triumph was mostly a memory when Disney decided to take another look.
Killer Kowalski, 81: American professional wrestler
Daniel Dale
He was a non-drinking religious vegetarian who listened to classical music, took portrait photographs, and did charity work with disabled children. His name: Killer Kowalski.
Don LaFontaine, 68; Voice of movie trailers
Raquel Maria Dillon
Don LaFontaine, the man who popularized the catchphrase "In a world where ..." and lent his voice to thousands of movie trailers, has died. He was 68.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Jim McKay, 86: Broadcaster was 'absolute titan'
David Bauder
Jim McKay elegantly covered competitions from badminton to barrel jumping. Yet he may best be remembered for that day at the Munich Olympics when he broke the news with three simple words.
Harvey Korman, 81: Carol Burnett sidekick
Bob Thomas
Harvey Korman, the tall, versatile comedian who won four Emmys for his outrageously funny contributions to The Carol Burnett Show and played a hilarious conniving politician in Blazing Saddles, died yesterday. He was 81.
Dick Martin, 86: 'Laugh-in' comedian
Bob Thomas
Dick Martin, half of the TV comedy team "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In" which made stars out of Goldie Hawn and Lily Tomlin has died. He was 86.
Hamilton Jordan, 63: Carter White House aide
Walter Putnam
In planning Jimmy Carter's climb to the White House, Hamilton Jordan pushed a strategy still popular with lesser-known candidates today: start campaigning years in advance and target early voting states in order to build support from upsets.
Huntington Hartford, 97: Heir frittered away fortune
Daniel Lewis
Huntington Hartford, who inherited a fortune from the A&P grocery business and lost most of it chasing his dreams as an entrepreneur, arts patron and man of leisure, died yesterday at his home in Lyford Cay in the Bahamas. He was 97.
Jimmy McManus, 65: Was Star's 'Mr. Retail'
Deena K. Y. Hussein
Long-time friends and colleagues of James "Jimmy" McManus, who died of a heart attack Friday just months after retiring from the Star , describe him as a bright light of advertising.
Paul King, 72: Colourful writer
Tracy Huffman
He had John Wayne's swagger, John Huston's drawl and Humphrey Bogart's toughness.
Albert Hofmann, 102: Father of LSD
FRANK JORDANS
Albert Hofmann, the father of the mind-altering drug LSD whose medical discovery inspired – and arguably corrupted – millions in the 1960s hippie generation, has died. He was 102.
Charlton Heston, 84: Legendary actor
Bob Thomas
Charlton Heston, who won the 1959 best actor Oscar as the chariot-racing "Ben-Hur" and portrayed Moses, Michelangelo, El Cid and other heroic figures in movie epics of the '50s and '60s, has died. He was 84.
'Dizzy' Dean Murray, 71: Motorsport entrepreneur
Norris McDonald
"Dizzy" Dean Murray, newspaper publisher, speedway announcer, founder and promoter of custom car shows and all-around character and good guy, died suddenly at his home in Kleinburg on Tuesday. He was 71.
Anthony Minghella, 54: Oscar-winning director
Peter Howell
Anthony Minghella's sudden death at the age of 54 could have been the stuff of one of his deeply passionate film and stage creations.
Donald C. MacDonald, 94: Former NDP leader
Robert Benzie
Donald C. MacDonald, who led the Ontario NDP and its predecessor the CCF for a generation, has died. He was 94.
Barry Morse, 89: Canadian actor-director
Pat Hewitt
British-Canadian actor-director Barry Morse, best known as the police detective in hot pursuit of David Janssen's Dr. Richard Kimble in the TV series The Fugitive, has died in England at the age of 89.
Gordon B. Hinckley, 97: Mormon church president
JENNIFER DOBNER
Utah's leaders and believers mourned the death of Gordon B. Hinckley, the humble head of the Mormon church who added millions of new members and labored long to burnish the faith's image as a world religion.
Heath Ledger, 28: 'Brokeback Mountain' star
Richard Ouzounian
Heath Ledger, the Australian-born film star best known for his Oscar-nominated role in "Brokeback Mountain," was found dead yesterday in a Manhattan apartment. He was 28.
Richard Knerr, 82: Wham-O co-founder
Richard Knerr, co-founder of the toy company that popularized the Hula Hoop, Frisbee and other fads that became classics, has died. He was 82.
Brad Henderson, 54: Star executive
John Goddard
Brad Henderson, who worked his way from newsroom messenger boy to a top Star executive and "Mr. Fix-it," has died of cancer at 54.
Dennis Morgan, 63: Wheels founder
Isabel Teotonio
Retired Toronto Star editor Dennis Morgan was a lot of things, but above all else, he was a car nut.
John Harkness, 53: Film critic
Geoff Pevere
Toronto has lost one of its most dedicated, cogent and experienced film writers with the sudden death yesterday of Now magazine's senior film writer, John Harkness.
Norval Morrisseau, 75: Famed native painter
Peter Goddard
Norval Morrisseau, the great Anishinabe painter once called "the Picasso of the north," died yesterday at Toronto General Hospital at age 75 after a long and feisty battle with Parkinson's disease.
Elizabeth Hardwick, 91: Author, critic
Elizabeth Hardwick, a Kentucky-born author and critic whose incisive prose and steady spirit helped her fulfil her dream of becoming a "New York Intellectual," has died at age 91.
Evel Knievel, 69: Motorcycle daredevil
Rick Westhead
Evel Knievel, the motorcycle daredevil who died yesterday after a lifetime spent jumping over cars, double-decker buses and live sharks, made his mark on Toronto.
Norm Hacking, 57: Singer-songwriter, poet
GREG QUILL
Toronto songwriter, poet and children's book author Norm Hacking, a familiar figure in the Canadian roots music community for the past 35 years, died Sunday night in his Toronto home from an apparent heart attack. He was 57.
Antonio Lamer, 74: Supreme Court chief justice
Tonda MacCharles
Antonio Lamer retired nearly eight years ago as Canada's 16th chief justice saying he wanted to step down before the "sacred fire" of his passion for law burned out.
Ying L.K. Hope, 84: Head-tax apology his crowning triumph
Paola Loriggio
Ying L.K. Hope wasn't the type to sit around and complain – he wanted to make change happen.
Ira Levin, 78: Rosemary's Baby author
Best-selling writer Ira Levin, whose genre-hopping novels such as the horror classic Rosemary's Baby and the Nazi thriller The Boys From Brazil provided meaty movie roles for Mia Farrow and Laurence Olivier, has died of a heart attack, his agent said Tuesday. He was 78.
Norman Mailer, 84: American literary giant
Philip Marchand
How sad to see death trump the voice of Norman Mailer, who thought he could alter the course of history not just with his prodigious literary talents but with the sheer force of his personality.
Deborah Kerr, 86: Oscar-nominated actress
Scottish-born actress Deborah Kerr, best known for acting alongside Burt Lancaster in the 1953 film From Here to Eternity, has died aged 86, her agent said today.
Lois Maxwell, 80: James Bond's Moneypenny
Jim Bawden
When she left Toronto in 1943, she was just plain Lois Hooker, off to join the Canadian army. When she finally returned to her native Toronto 19 years later, she was Lois Maxwell, film star of James Bond movies, deserving a City Hall reception from mayor William Dennison.
Marcel Marceau, 84: French mime
Richard Ouzounian
You never forget the moment you see true greatness, experience the real thing and step into the presence of the unique.
Michael Jackson, 65: Writer known as 'beer hunter'
THOMAS WAGNER
Michael Jackson, a leading world beer critic who praised the brews of Belgium and acknowledged he would never be as famous as "that Michael Jackson," has died. He was 65.
Nora Muirhead, 54: Queen of Kensington
Catherine Dunphy
Nora Clare Muirhead was the Queen of Kensington, the demimonde of artists, musicians and hard drinkers who gathered at Jenny's Place or Lola's Cafe and bought rounds when their government cheques came in.
Leona Helmsley, 87: 'Queen of mean' hotelier
RICHARD PYLE
Leona Helmsley, the hotelier who went to prison as a tax cheat and was reviled as the "queen of mean," died Monday at age 87.
Irene Kirkaldy, 90: Paved way for Rosa Parks
Irene Morgan Kirkaldy, a black woman whose refusal to give up her bus seat to white passengers led to a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision more than a decade before Rosa Parks gained recognition for doing the same, has died at 90.
Tammy Faye Messner, 65: TV evangelist
STEVE HARTSOE
Tammy Faye Messner, who as Tammy Faye Bakker helped her husband, Jim, build a multimillion-dollar evangelism empire and then saw it collapse in disgrace, has died. She was 65.
Ed Mirvish, 92: Toronto's greatest bargain
Richard Ouzounian
He may have begun by showing us where to find a bargain, but he wound up giving us much that was priceless.
British AI expert, geneticist die in car crash
D'Arcy Doran
British artificial intelligence expert Donald Michie and his former wife, leading geneticist Dame Anne McLaren, have died in a car crash, their son said.
William Hutt, 87: Renowned stage actor
Richard Ouzounian
William Hutt, generally regarded as the finest Canadian classical actor of our time, died this morning of leukemia in the Stratford General Hospital at the age of 87.
J.B. Handelsman, 85: New Yorker cartoonist
KAREN MATTHEWS
J.B. Handelsman, who applied his dry wit to subjects ranging from politics to popular culture while creating nearly 1,000 New Yorker magazine cartoons, has died of lung cancer.
Joyce Mino, 79: Insatiable curiosity and zest
Catherine Dunphy
A few hours after his mother died on April 16, Graham Mino sat in the living room in her small east-end home and looked around. There was a painting of a naked woman, a 1.5-metre paper elephant fertility goddess from India, an iron dancing figure from Africa, treasures from travels to five continents.
Terry Koumoudouros, 67: Strip club owner
DANIEL DALE
House of Lancaster operator launched a successful Charter of Rights challenge to overturn the Toronto bylaw that prevented exotic dancers from performing naked.
Marquise Hill, 24: NFL player
New England Patriots defensive end Marquise Hill spent much of his free time and his NFL paycheque helping loved ones in New Orleans rebuild in the hurricane-damaged city where he grew up.
Feisty Gramma had many fans
Catherine Dunphy
The blog – and it is extraordinary – started a year ago January when Joanne Clemente told a friend another funny story about her grandmother. It was about the time Gramma filched popcorn from the bag of the woman in front of her in the movie line. That's it, the friend said, time to start writing down all these great stories.
Yolanda King, 51: Civil rights leader's daughter
ERRIN HAINES
Yolanda King, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s eldest child who pursued her father's dream of racial harmony through drama and motivational speaking, collapsed and died after making a speech. She was 51.
Theodore H. Maiman, 79: Builder of first laser
John Johnson Jr.
When Theodore H. Maiman unveiled the world's first working laser 47 years ago, U.S. headline writers went into paroxysms of hyperbole.
John K. Lattimer, 92: Medical expert
Dennis Hevesi
John K. Lattimer, a prominent urologist and ballistics expert who was the first non-government medical specialist allowed to examine the evidence in U.S. president John F. Kennedy's assassination, died Thursday at a hospice near his New Jersey home.
Fenian Murray, 84: Machinist found his artistic bent
John Goddard
After a near-death experience a few years ago, Fenian Murray compulsively started carving foot-high sculptures of Christ on the cross.
Don Montgomery, 75: Major player in minor hockey
John Spears
Don Montgomery was president of the Scarborough Hockey Association for 40 years – but it's a safe bet most of the boys and girls who played the game didn't know who he was.
David Halberstam, 73: Journalist and author
LISA LEFF
David Halberstam, a journalist from New York who produced a steady stream of well-regarded books on topics as diverse as the Vietnam war, the civil rights movement and sports, died as he lived: On his way to an interview.
June Johnson, 59: Civil rights activist
Civil rights activist June E. Johnson, who as a teenager was beaten by white officials in a 1963 confrontation that led to federal charges, has died. She was 59.
Don Ho, 76: Hawaii's breezy crooner
Nate Chine
Don Ho, an entertainer who defined popular perceptions of Hawaiian music, died Saturday in Honolulu. He was 76.
Allan Maloney, 80: Cross-dressing showman
Christian Cotroneo
Emcee at backroom strip shows sang and danced his way into the heart of Toronto's gay community.
Israel Halperin, 96: Crusading spirit
Catherine Dunphy
Israel Halperin had a beautiful mind, one of the finest of his generation. It flourished in the field of pure mathematics, the only discipline in the world in which something is either right or it is not.
Sol Le Witt, 78: Art pioneer
Sol LeWitt, a humble artist known for dynamic wall paintings and a founder of minimal and conceptual art styles, died Sunday in New York, according to published reports.
Johnny Hart, 76: B.C. cartoonist
MARY ESCH
Cartoonist Johnny Hart, whose award-winning B.C. comic strip appeared in more than 1,300 newspapers worldwide, died at his home on Saturday. He was 76.
Stephen Mistaken Chief, 84: Fought for veterans' benefits
A World War II veteran who fought for equal benefits for aboriginal soldiers has died in hospital in southern Alberta.
Tom Moore, 88: Former ABC president
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. – Tom Moore, who in the 1960s helped the fledgling ABC Television Network become a competitive rival of CBS and NBC, has died. He was 88.
Bernd Freytag von Loringhoven, 93: Wrote of Hitler's last days
David Rising
BERLIN–Baron Bernd Freytag von Loringhoven, a witness to Adolf Hitler's final days who described the last throes of a despairing Nazi leadership trapped in a Berlin bunker, has died, his publisher said Monday. He was 93.
Mark Harrison, 82: Respected veteran newsman
Jen Gerson
A newspaperman of the old school, Mark Harrison was known for his wooden pipe, his towering integrity, and for going home to his family at the end of the night instead of getting drunk with the other journalists at the Press Club.
Ernie Ladd, 68: Football player turned wrestler
Frank Litsky
Ernie Ladd, a massive defensive tackle turned wrestler who was the only man elected to the American Football League Hall of Fame and the World Wrestling Entertainment Hall of Fame, died Saturday at his home in Franklin, La. He was 68.
Joseph Metcalf, 79: Led invasion of Grenada
DENNIS HEVESI
Vice Adm. Joseph Metcalf III, who in October 1983 was given less than two days to plan and start the controversial invasion of the Caribbean island of Grenada after U.S. President Ronald Reagan issued orders to overturn a Marxist coup, died on March 2 at his home in Washington. He was 79.
Winthrop Jordan, 75: Exposed roots of U.S. racial views
Winthrop Jordan, the historian whose investigation of early attitudes on race among American settlers from Europe shed light on the roots of 20th-century racial inequality, died Feb. 23 at his home in Oxford, Miss. He was 75, and suffered from the neuromuscular disorder known as Lou Gehrig's disease.
Betty Hutton, 86: Energized 1950s musicals
Betty Hutton, the actress and singer who brought a brassy vitality to Hollywood musicals such as Annie Get Your Gun , has died in Palm Springs, Calif., at age 86.
Kinko's co-founder saw `big picture'
Valerie Nelson
Bradley Krause, who helped expand a single Kinko's printing shop near a University of California into a business empire, has died of cancer in Long Island, N.Y., at the age of 58.
She fought for women's rights
Angela E.V. King, a Jamaican diplomat who became a leading advocate for women's equality and the first special adviser to the UN secretary-general on women's advancement, has died. King died from complications of breast cancer at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center on Feb. 4 , her former husband Wilton James said. She was 68.
Barbara McNair, 72: Actor's beauty shaped career
Jocelyn Y. Stewart
Barbara McNair, a versatile performer who starred opposite Sidney Poitier and Rock Hudson, and who was the first black woman to host a musical variety show, has died.
Frankie Laine, 93: Singer did jazz, pop and blues
Claudia Luther
Frankie Laine, the singer with the booming voice who hit it big with such songs as "That Lucky Old Sun,'' "Mule Train,'' "Cool Water,'' "I Believe,'' "Granada" and "Moonlight Gambler," died yesterday at Mercy Hospital in San Diego. He was 93.
Howard Hunt, 88: Watergate conspirator
Tim Reynolds
E. Howard Hunt, who helped organize the Watergate break-in, leading to the greatest scandal in American political history and the downfall of Richard Nixon's presidency, died yesterday. He was 88.
Lindalee Tracey, 49: Documentarian
Catherine Dunphy
Lindalee Tracey, a teenage stripper turned award-winning journalist, never held anything back, least of all about herself.
Patricia Kennedy Lawford, 82: JFK's sister
Mark Pratt
BOSTON — Patricia Kennedy Lawford, a sister of President John F. Kennedy who forged a marriage between politics and Hollywood with her wedding to actor Peter Lawford, has died in her New York home, a spokeswoman for her brother said. She was 82.
Bruce Hughes, 59: Marathoner gave his best
Catherine Dunphy
A legend among his friends and family, Bruce Hughes was the bachelor always up for a beer or a party. For years at the Boston Marathon, and here in Toronto, he was the runner in the white bowler hat, the one who crossed the finish line usually under three hours despite — or he might say because of — the fact he'd been drinking till all hours the night before. Catherine Dunphy writes about his life.
Bruno Kirby, 57: Character actor
Jeremiah Marquez
Bruno Kirby, a veteran character actor known for playing the best friend in two of Billy Crystal's biggest comedies When Harry Met Sally and City Slickers, has died. He was 57.
Ken Morrish, 87: Dedicated politician
Phinjo Gombu
Longtime politician Ken Morrish, 87, died Sunday, July 30, at his home. Phinjo Gombu writes about a man whose first and last love always was local politics.
Tony LaMantia, 69: Canadian retail pioneer
Steve Rennie
If you were in an Eaton's store in 1992, you probably recall being inundated with maple leafs and other Canadiana urging you to "Buy Canadian." Tony LaMantia was the man behind that.
Edward Kamski, 59: AIDS pioneer
Catherine Dunphy
Edward Kamski's former patients want to gather together to celebrate him because he was a doctor who took in AIDS patients, hundreds of them, at a time when few other doctors in town would, writes Catherine Dunphy.
Victor Hum, 47: Lawyer went `the extra step'
Thulasi Srikanthan
Victor Hum was the kind of older brother who shielded his siblings from racial taunts, telling them to run away while he took the kicks and punches from neighbourhood bullies.
Manickam Kumaravel, 83: Pillar unified a community
Catherine Dunphy
Long before there were community halls, churches or even offices where Sri Lankans living in Toronto could get together, there was the home of Lali and Manickam Kumaravel. Catherine Dunphy reports.
Timothy Murray, 10: Touched many lives
Catherine Dunphy
Timothy Richard Murray couldn't use any of his limbs. He never walked nor talked, nor even sat upright on his own. He could barely see. But don't ever think the 10-year-old didn't have had much of a life, writes Catherine Dunphy.
Smiling Al Harris, 84: Guitar man
Catherine Dunphy
When Al Harris was 14, the school principal at Weston C.I. called his parents in for a meeting. He was concerned: their son was interested only in music. He shouldn't have been, because music became Mr. Harris's life.
Jack McArthur, 79: Star editor, columnist
Kenneth Kidd
When Jack McArthur was writing his business column at the Star there wasn't a better portrait of sheer concentration amid chaos, writes Kenneth Kidd.
Jane Jacobs, 89: Wrote the book on cities
Warren Gerard
Jane Jacobs was an urban fable. She was a writer, intellectual, analyst, ethicist and moral thinker, activist, self-made economist and a fearless critic of inflexible authority.
Pat Marsden, 69: Colourful broadcaster
Former sports broadcaster and radio host Pat Marsden died April 27 of lung cancer. He was 69.
Elinor Melville, 65: Friends were family
Catherine Dunphy
She died as she lived, surrounded by friends. And when Elinor Melville died at 65 of cancer in March in the palliative care unit at Toronto Grace Hospital, she had no known relatives, writes Catherine Dunphy.
Tom Hodgson, 81: Passion for art, life
Catherine Dunphy