Lou Koller obit

Sick Of It All frontman Lou Koller has died, aged 59

"Lou had the power to raise everyone’s spirits at our shows with a smile and a sarcastic comment, and he won people over wherever we played," said his bandmates in tribute

 He was not on the list.

Sick Of It All frontman Lou Koller has died, following a long fight against oesophageal cancer.

His bandmates made the announcement on Instagram, saying, "It’s with unbelievable sadness that we announce to our worldwide hardcore family the passing of our brother Lou Koller. The level of loss that we feel at this time is overwhelming.

"This year would have marked Sick of it All’s 40th anniversary as a band, and Lou’s camaraderie, commitment and enthusiasm were always steadfast throughout the years. We have lost a beloved friend and an iconic frontman. Lou had the power to raise everyone’s spirits at our shows with a smile and a sarcastic comment, and he won people over wherever we played, from every culture and every corner of the world.

"At this time of intense grief, we must again acknowledge the great help and support offered by everyone who donated to Lou’s medical fund. You all helped Lou feel very special and very loved as he battled away these last two years. His battle is over now and he can finally rest. Hopefully he can somehow still see and feel the beautiful, positive mark he left on the world."

Lou had originally reported in May last year that his initial treatment had been successful, before it returned last September.

Kerrang! sends deepest condolences to Lou's family, bandmates and friends.

Asteryth Sloane obit

In tribute: Asteryth Sloane

We are deeply saddened to hear the news that composer and RNCM alum Asteryth Sloane has died at the age of 26.

 

She was not on the list.

Asteryth completed both a Bachelor of Music in Composition, graduating with First Class honours, and a Master’s degree in Composition and Musicology, graduating with Distinction, at the RNCM, studying with Professor Emily Howard. In 2025, they were awarded RNCM Associate Membership in recognition of their outstanding achievements in the music profession.

Their unique compositional methods and creativity led to a number of accolades, including winning the Cambridge Young Composer of the Year Competition in 2016, the senior category of the BBC Proms Inspire Young Composers’ Competition in 2018 for their piece Elegy for Aylan, and a commission from the Royal Philharmonic Society to mark Classic FM’s 25th birthday celebrations.

Performed by ensembles including VOCES8, Paraorchestra, and the BBC Singers, Asteryth’s music is known for its responses to the beauty and fragility of the living Earth, as well as themes of identity and spirituality. Their musicological work explores the power of listening to bring us into more intimate and ethical relationships with sound, as well as the rights of sound and sound sources.

More recently, Asteryth trained as a therapist, focusing on interpersonal and healing contexts.

We send our sincere condolences to Asteryth’s family and friends.

Bill McGlaughlin obit

Bill McGlaughlin, beloved 'Exploring Music' radio host, dies at 82

 He was not on the list.

The composer, conductor, educator and radio host Bill McGlaughlin has died. He was 82.

McGlaughlin hosted "Exploring Music," a syndicated classical music radio program that aired nationwide, including on Classical IPR. He had recently stepped down as host.

In a post on her Facebook page, jazz musician Karrin Allyson wrote, "It is with deep sorrow that I announce the passing of my beloved partner, Bill McGlaughlin. In this season of grief, I am grateful for your kindness, your prayers, and the privacy to honor a life deeply loved and forever remembered."

McGlaughlin had recently announced his departure from "Exploring Music" after 22 years. Produced and distributed by WFMT in Chicago, "Exploring Music" was widely regarded as the heir apparent to "Adventures in Good Music" with Karl Haas.

McGlaughlin also hosted "Saint Paul Sunday" from 1980 to 2007, which during its run was the most widely syndicated classical music radio program in the United States.

Earlier in his career, McGlaughlin was a well-established conductor and served as the music director at organizations including the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra and the Kansas City Symphony.

The final episodes with McGlaughlin as host are currently scheduled to air the week of August 17, 2026 with the theme "Curse of the Ninth! Ninth Symphonies." The show continues beyond that date with new host Peter van de Graaff.

"Exploring Music" airs weeknights at 7 p.m. on Classical IPR.

Jordan Devey obit

Former New England Patriots Super Bowl Champion Passes Away at 38

 

He was not on the list.

Former New England Patriots offensive lineman Jordan Devey, a member of the franchise’s Super Bowl XLIX championship team, passed away on Thursday at age 38.

Devey’s wife, Linsey Hodgkiss Devey, announced his death in an emotional Facebook post Friday, a date that would have marked the couple’s 15th wedding anniversary.

She remembered the life they built together, including the arrival of their four children, and the memories, struggles and triumphs that filled their years together.

A GoFundMe established for the Devey family states that he died by suicide. The fundraiser was organized to help his wife and children with medical costs and other financial burdens following his death.

Devey’s Wife Remembers ‘Our Hero’

“Today would have been our 15th year anniversary,” Linsey wrote. “You were our hero and our hearts ache in your absence. We love you. We miss you.”

She also recalled Devey’s final words to her: “We’ll talk soon.”

Linsey wrote that their children inherited his eyes, freckles and compassion.

She included photographs from their wedding and a hospital room before asking those able to help to support the family’s fundraiser.

The fundraiser described Devey as a devoted husband and father whose influence stretched throughout Eagle, Idaho.

He volunteered with his children’s teams and worked with athletes at Eagle High School, where players viewed him as a mentor, role model and friend.

He also served members of his church and regularly offered counsel and support to people around him.

Devey remained close to football after his professional career ended, coaching young athletes and sharing the knowledge he gathered across seven NFL seasons.

His work in Idaho gave another generation of players access to someone who had climbed from a junior college walk-on opportunity to a Super Bowl-winning organization.

Devey Took Unlikely Path to Super Bowl Ring

Devey’s path to the NFL began well after many future professional players establish themselves.

Knee problems kept him from playing high school football, and he instead pursued baseball and music.

He played the tuba and considered a future teaching music before serving a two-year church mission in Costa Rica.

After returning home, Devey walked on at Snow College and later transferred to Memphis.

He started all 24 games during his two seasons with the Tigers, played every offensive snap during that stretch and earned second-team All-Conference USA honors in 2012.

Devey went undrafted in 2013 and initially signed with the Baltimore Ravens. After his release, he joined the Patriots’ practice squad and earned a place on the active roster the following year.

He appeared in seven regular-season games and started four during New England’s 2014 championship season.

Although inactive for Super Bowl XLIX, Devey received a championship ring when the Patriots completed their title run.

The championship win culminated an ascension that began without high school football and ended with a place in Patriots history.

New England traded Devey to the San Francisco 49ers in August 2015.

He later spent time with the Kansas City Chiefs, the Raiders and the Buffalo Bills, appearing in 44 regular-season games with 21 starts across his career.

Personal information

Born    January 11, 1988

American Fork, Utah, U.S.

Died    July 23, 2026 (aged 38)

Listed height   6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)

Listed weight  320 lb (145 kg)

Career information

High school     American Fork

College           

Snow College (2009–2011)

Memphis (2011–2013)

NFL draft        2013: undrafted

Career history

Baltimore Ravens (2013)*

New England Patriots (2013–2014)

San Francisco 49ers (2015)

Kansas City Chiefs (2016–2018)

Oakland / Las Vegas Raiders (2019)

Buffalo Bills (2020)

* Offseason or practice squad member only

Awards and highlights

Super Bowl champion (XLIX)

Second-team All-C-USA (2012)

Mitch Byrd obit

Mitch Byrd, Guy Gardner Artist, Passes Away

 

He was not on the list.

Mitch Byrd, longtime comic book artist probably best known for his run on Guy Gardner: Warrior with writer Beau Smith and inker Dan Davis, has passed away at 63, following a recent illness.

Byrd's big break into comics came with the independent series, Cat and Mouse, about a pair of vigilante heroes in Louisiana, with writer Roland Mann and inker Steven Butler (the first issue had a cover by the great Paul Gulacy, so I'm using a later issue with cover art by Byrd), that was first published by EFGraphics, and then at Aircel Comics (when it was a Malibu Comics imprint. Mann maintained the rights to the characters, and has revived them in recent years at his Silverline Comics)...

Byrd did other work for Malibu, but soon did what is likely his most famous run, his stint on Guy Gardner: Warrior. Byrd first did some various DC projects, like some Darkstars fill-in issues, and he co-created the Bloodlines character, Nightblade, in Green Lantern Annual #2...

Byrd's tenure on Guy Gardner: Warrior was a strange one. He joined the book with writer Chuck Dixon, who was challenged to come up with a superhero name for Guy Gardner other than, you know, Guy Gardner (this was back when Guy Gardner was using Sinestro's yellow power ring after leaving the Green Lantern Corps).

However, Emerald Twilight then came about, and Guy lost his ring. Beau Smith became the new writer on the book, and paired with Smith and inker Dan Davis, the book was fascinating, in that Smith and Byrd both clearly wanted to tell classic action adventure stories, which they DID...

But they were also forced to give Guy Gardner superpowers, and thus he was revealed to be part-alien, and he had morphing powers, where he could create weapons out of his body...

This was all during the Zero Hour crossover event, so the title got a lot of attention (Guy played a major role in the crossover). Still, Smith, Byrd and Davis managed to keep the book fantastic outside that strange conceit, and they maintained that basic action style that they had established earlier on. Byrd's dynamic yet grounded art style was a major factor in this working so well.

After Byrd left the book, he did work for Marvel, Chaos Comics, Valiant Comics, and Dark Horse, including a Predator one-shot set in Louisiana called Predator: Strange Roux (with writer Brian McDonald)....

The late 1990s saw the comic book industry go through a major bust period, and suddenly many excellent comic book artists who would normally be drawing regular titles for Marvel and DC suddenly had no gigs, and Byrd was one of those artists who had to turn to other avenues to pursue his art career, doing work for gaming companies and even some design work for HBO. He, of course, still did plenty of independent comic book work, as well.

He was always active on the convention circuit, especially Pensacon. Byrd was really what you would call an "artist's artist," as while his mainstream comic book work was mostly centered in the 1990s, his work was so well-regarded that he released MULTIPLE art books over the years. Anyone who knew Byrd's work was impressed by his art.

Byrd was particularly known for how much he loved to draw dinosaurs, and back in 2013, Bobby Hickey crowdfunded a sketchbook called Mitch Byrd: Women, Dinosaurs Sketchbook vol. 1

Byrd recently contributed a piece of art for the local Mississippi horror anthology, Mississipi Macabre, alongside his fellow Mississippi artist (and longtime friend), the great Steven Butler.

Butler and Byrd would often be found sketching at the Biloxi, MS comic book store, Three Alarm Comics.

CBR offers our condolences to Mitch Byrd's friends and family.

Chuck Russell obit

Chuck Russell Dies: Director Of ‘The Mask’ & ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors’ Was 74

 He was not on the list.

Charles Russell, the director of such 1980s and ’90s films and cult favorites as A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, The Mask, The Blob and Eraser, died at his San Diego-area home Wednesday, July 22. He was 74.

His death has been reported by TMZ, and was confirmed by Deadline’s sister site Variety. Russell was pronounced dead after the local fire department responded to his home on a reported medical emergency and an unconscious man. The cause of death has not been disclosed.

Russell, who was also a screenwriter and producer, made his feature film directing debut in 1987 with A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, the third (and at that point most successful) installment of the Freddy Krueger horror franchise. Written by Wes Craven, Bruce Wagner, Frank Darabont and Russell, Dream Warriors starred Robert Englund in his continuing role as Freddy, along with Craig Wasson, Patricia Arquette, Laurence Fishburn and others.

Produced by New Line Cinema, Dream Warriors grossed $44.8 million domestically, by far the most successful of the Elm Street films to that point.

With that success on his resume, Russell went on to write and director the 1988 remake of the classic 1958 horror film The Blob, a box office disappointment and critical failure.

The director rebounded, and then some, with 1994’s The Mask, a superhero comedy starring a green-faced Jim Carrey, then riding high from In Living Color and Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. The film was a massive box office success, and scored an Oscar nomination for the visual effects created by George Lucas’ Industrial Light and Magic.

Next for Russell came the hit 1996 action film Eraser starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, followed by the commercially disappointing horror film Bless The Child starring Kim Bassinger and Jimmy Smits.

Another success followed soon enough, with The Scorpion King arriving in 2002 and launching the acting career of WWE star Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

Following an eight-year hiatus, Russell emerged to direct an episode of TV’s The Fringe before taking on what would be a widely panned John Travolta vengeance vehicle I Am Wrath in 2016. Neither Junglee, an Hindi-language action film from 2019 nor Paradise City starring Travolta and Bruce Willis in 2022 matched the success of Russell’s peak years, nor did his 2024 remake of ’80s cult classic Witchboard.

In addition to writing and directing, Russell was a producer on such films as Hell Night and Girls Just Want To Have Fun, among others.

According to TMZ, Russell is survived by wife Ania and children Logan, Riley and Carlyn, and sister Anne Jacob.

 

Director

White House Demon

Director

Pre-production

 

Hyperia

Director

Pre-production

 

b

director

Pre-production

 

Charlie Tahan, Madison Iseman, and Aaron Dominguez in Witchboard (2024)

Witchboard

5.1

directed by

2024

 

John Travolta and Bruce Willis in Paradise City (2022)

Paradise City

3.7

Director

2022

 

Vidyut Jammwal in Junglee (2019)

Junglee

5.6

Director

2019

 

John Travolta in I Am Wrath (2016)

I Am Wrath

5.4

directed by

2016

 

Anna Torv in Fringe (2008)

Fringe

8.4

TV Series

Director

2010

1 episode

 

Michael Clarke Duncan, Kelly Hu, Steven Brand, and Dwayne Johnson in The Scorpion King (2002)

The Scorpion King

5.5

Director

2002

 

Bless the Child (2000)

Bless the Child

5.1

Director

2000

 

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Vanessa Williams in Eraser (1996)

Eraser

6.2

directed by (as Charles Russell)

1996

 

Jim Carrey in The Mask (1994)

Jim Carrey: Cuban Pete

7.7

Music Video

Director

1994

 

Jim Carrey in The Mask (1994)

The Mask

7.0

Director (as Charles Russell)

1994

 

The Blob (1988)

The Blob

6.7

directed by

1988

 

A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)

A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors

6.7

Director

1987

 

Producer

b

executive producer

Pre-production

 

Charlie Tahan, Madison Iseman, and Aaron Dominguez in Witchboard (2024)

Witchboard

5.1

produced by

2024

 

Tom Cruise in Collateral (2004)

Collateral

7.5

executive producer

2004

 

Patrick Muldoon, Amelia Heinle, and Russell Means in Black Cat Run (1998)

Black Cat Run

5.7

TV Movie

executive producer (as Charles Russell)

1998

 

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Vanessa Williams in Eraser (1996)

Eraser

6.2

executive producer (as Charles Russell)

1996

 

Jim Carrey in The Mask (1994)

The Mask

7.0

executive producer (as Charles Russell)

1994

 

Back to School (1986)

Back to School

6.7

produced by

1986

 

Helen Hunt, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Lee Montgomery in Girls Just Want to Have Fun (1985)

Girls Just Want to Have Fun

6.0

produced by

1985

 

Lorenzo Lamas and Michelle Nicastro in Body Rock (1984)

Body Rock

3.8

associate producer

1984

 

Dennis Quaid, Kate Capshaw, Christopher Plummer, Cory 'Bumper' Yothers, Larry Cedar, Redmond Gleeson, Peter Jason, David Patrick Kelly, and Chris Mulkey in Dreamscape (1984)

Dreamscape

6.3

associate producer

1984

 

Morgan Fairchild in The Seduction (1982)

The Seduction

5.1

executive producer

1982

 

Linda Blair in Hell Night (1981)

Hell Night

5.6

executive producer

1981

 

The Hearse (1980)

The Hearse

4.9

line producer (as Charles Russell)

1980

 

Kristine DeBell and Jason Williams in Cheerleaders' Wild Weekend (1979)

Cheerleaders' Wild Weekend

4.7

producer

1979

 

Writer

The Birthright

created by (2018)

Pre-productionTV Series

 

Charlie Tahan, Madison Iseman, and Aaron Dominguez in Witchboard (2024)

Witchboard

5.1

screenplay by

2024

 

John Travolta and Bruce Willis in Paradise City (2022)

Paradise City

3.7

written by

2022

 

Vidyut Jammwal in Junglee (2019)

Junglee

5.6

Writer

2019

 

The Blob (1988)

The Blob

6.7

screenplay

1988

 

A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)

A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors

6.7

screenplay

1987

 

Dennis Quaid, Kate Capshaw, Christopher Plummer, Cory 'Bumper' Yothers, Larry Cedar, Redmond Gleeson, Peter Jason, David Patrick Kelly, and Chris Mulkey in Dreamscape (1984)

Dreamscape

6.3

screenplay

1984

 

Production Management

Back to School (1986)

Back to School

6.7

production manager

1986

 

John Lansing, Stacey Pickren, and Joey Travolta in Sunnyside (1979)

Sunnyside

5.2

production manager

1979

 

Mike Mazurki in Incredible Rocky Mountain Race (1977)

Incredible Rocky Mountain Race

7.0

TV Movie

unit manager

1977

 

Steve Forrest and Ned Romero in Last of the Mohicans (1977)

Last of the Mohicans

6.1

TV Movie

unit manager

1977

 

Melanie Griffith, Robert Carradine, Desi Arnaz Jr., and Anne Lockhart in Joyride (1977)

Joyride

5.7

unit production manager

1977

 

Lynda Carter and Marjoe Gortner in Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw (1976)

Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw

5.4

production supervisor

1976

 

Second Unit or Assistant Director

Lisa Hartman and Chris Lemmon in Just Tell Me You Love Me (1978)

Just Tell Me You Love Me

6.1

assistant director

1978

 

Supervan (1977)

Supervan

3.9

first assistant directorsecond unit director

1977

 

Larry Gelman, Candice Rialson, and Rip Taylor in Chatterbox! (1977)

Chatterbox!

5.1

second assistant director

1977

 

Lynda Carter and Marjoe Gortner in Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw (1976)

Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw

5.4

second assistant director (uncredited)

1976

 

Actor

The Blob (1988)

The Blob

6.7

Theater Patron (uncredited)

1988

 

Lynda Carter and Marjoe Gortner in Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw (1976)

Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw

5.4

Deputy

1976

 

Shot (1973)

Shot

5.6

Wilson (as Charles Russell)

1973

 

Production Department

Cannonball! (1976)

Cannonball!

5.5

production assistant: second unit

1976

 

Thanks

I Killed The Strawberry Jam - Chuck Russell on Shooting The Blob (2019)

I Killed The Strawberry Jam - Chuck Russell on Shooting The Blob

Short

thanks

2019

 

It Fell From the Sky! Chuck Russell on the Road to The Blob (2019)

It Fell From the Sky! Chuck Russell on the Road to The Blob

Short

thanks

2019

 

Farhan Akhtar, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Zaira Wasim, and Rohit Saraf in The Sky Is Pink (2019)

The Sky Is Pink

7.6

special thanks

2019

 

Directing the Blob: Interview with Chuck Russell

Short

special thanks

2016

 

George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino in Horror Talk Movie Reviews (2013)

Horror Talk Movie Reviews

4.8

TV Series

very special thanks

2014

1 episode

 

Jim Carrey and Laurie Holden in The Majestic (2001)

The Majestic

6.9

special thanks

2001

 

Point of Seduction: Body Chemistry III (1994)

Point of Seduction: Body Chemistry III

3.9

Video

special thanks

1994

 

Self

The Thing Expanded (2026)

The Thing Expanded

8.6

Self - Interviewee

2026

 

Talks from the Crypt (2021)

Talks from the Crypt

Podcast Series

Self - Guest

2025

1 episode

 

Casser la baraque

Self

2021

 

I Killed The Strawberry Jam - Chuck Russell on Shooting The Blob (2019)

I Killed The Strawberry Jam - Chuck Russell on Shooting The Blob

Short

Self

2019

 

It Fell From the Sky! Chuck Russell on the Road to The Blob (2019)

It Fell From the Sky! Chuck Russell on the Road to The Blob

Short

Self

2019

 

Post Mortem with Mick Garris (2017)

Post Mortem with Mick Garris

7.8

Podcast Series

Self

2018

1 episode

 

Wolfman's Got Nards (2018)

Wolfman's Got Nards

7.2

Self

2018

 

Directing the Blob: Interview with Chuck Russell

Short

Self

2016

 

Fear Himself: The Life and Crimes of Freddy Krueger

6.9

Video

Self

2012

 

FEARnet's Movies with More Brains (2011)

FEARnet's Movies with More Brains

3.6

TV Special

Self

2011

 

Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy (2010)

Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy

8.5

Video

Self - Director & Co-Screenplay

2010

 

The House That Freddy Built (2006)

The House That Freddy Built

7.2

Video

Self

2006

 

Cartoon Logic (2005)

Cartoon Logic

6.9

Video

Self

2005

 

Introducing Cameron Diaz (2005)

Introducing Cameron Diaz

6.2

Video

Self

2005

 

Return to Edge City (2005)

Return to Edge City

5.9

Video

Self

2005

 

Biography (1987)

Biography

7.7

TV Series

Self

2004

1 episode

 

Ancient World Production Design: 'the Scorpion King' (2002)

Ancient World Production Design: 'the Scorpion King'

7.4

Video

Self

2002

 

Costume Design: 'the Scorpion King' (2002)

Costume Design: 'the Scorpion King'

7.6

Video

Self

2002

 

Preparing the Fight: 'the Scorpion King' (2002)

Preparing the Fight: 'the Scorpion King'

7.2

Video

Self

2002

 

Special Effects: 'the Scorpion King' (2002)

Special Effects: 'the Scorpion King'

6.7

Video

Self

2002

 

'The Scorpion King': A Warrior's Journey

5.8

Video

Self

2002

 

The Fiery Swords Scene: 'the Scorpion King' (2002)

The Fiery Swords Scene: 'the Scorpion King'

8.0

Video

Self

2002

 

The Rock and Michael Clarke Duncan: 'the Scorpion King'

7.3

Video

Self

2002

 

Working with Animals: 'the Scorpion King' (2002)

Working with Animals: 'the Scorpion King'

6.7

Video

Self

2002

 

Headliners & Legends with Matt Lauer (1998)

Headliners & Legends with Matt Lauer

4.5

TV Series

Self

1998–2008

1 episode

 

HBO First Look (1992)

HBO First Look

6.3

TV Series

Self

1996

1 episode

 

Space Ghost Coast to Coast (1993)

Space Ghost Coast to Coast

7.9

TV Series

Self

1995

1 episode

 

Cybermania '94: Ultimate Gamers Awards (1994)

Cybermania '94: Ultimate Gamers Awards

6.3

TV Special

Self (as Charles Russell)

1994

 

Slash & Burn: The Freddy Krueger Story (1991)

Slash & Burn: The Freddy Krueger Story

8.0

TV Movie

Self

1991

 

The Media Show (1987)

The Media Show

4.8

TV Series

Self

1989

1 episode

 

Archive Footage

Minty Comedic Arts (2015)

Minty Comedic Arts

8.6

TV Series

Self (archive footage)

2024

1 episode

 

Bad Music Video Theatre (2020)

Bad Music Video Theatre

6.8

TV Series

Self (archive footage)

2021

2 episodes

 

Space Ghost Coast to Coast (1993)

Space Ghost Coast to Coast

7.9

TV Series

Self (archive footage)

1995

1 episode

 

Oliver Jones obit

Canadian jazz icon Oliver Jones dies after long illness

In a statement shared by Oliver Jones' family and Justin Time Records, they paid tribute to the award-winning Canadian musician

 He was not on the list.

Oliver Jones, the celebrated Montreal jazz pianist, organist, composer and arranger, has died at the age of 91 following a long illness.

In a statement shared on Instagram by Jones' family and Justin Time Records, they paid tribute to the award-winning Canadian musician.

“An exceptional musician, a gentle soul and a friend who touched so many lives, his kindness and immense talent left a lasting mark on so many people and generations, and his memory will continue to inspire us,” the statement read.

“He will be profoundly missed. We kindly ask that his family’s privacy be respected as they grieve this tremendous loss. Merci/Thank you.”

Born in Montreal, Quebec on 11 September 1934, Jones grew up in the city's Little Burgundy neighbourhood and began playing the piano at the age of five.

Over a career spanning decades, he became one of Canada's most respected jazz musicians.

He was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2003 and received the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award in 2005, Canada's highest honour in the performing arts.

Jones was also appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada, honoured by the Ordre national du Quebec, and received multiple Juno Awards, Félix Awards, and the Oscar Peterson Award at the Montreal International Jazz Festival.

Anne Russell obit

Anne Russell, Actress in ‘Hello, Dolly!’ and ‘Mame,’ Dies at 103

She also appeared on the stage with Bernadette Peters and Liza Minnelli.

 She was not on the list.

Anne Russell, one of the first actresses to star as composer-lyricist Jerry Herman’s musical comedy queens in both Hello, Dolly! and Mame, died Tuesday at the Actors Fund Home in Englewood, New Jersey, her friend Ted Seifman announced. She was 103.

After serving as an understudy in a City Center revival of Pal Joey in 1963, Russell made her Broadway debut in 1965 in Kander & Ebb’s Flora, the Red Menace, directed by George Abbott and starring Liza Minnelli (who was making her Broadway debut, too).

She began her Hello, Dolly! career that year when she auditioned for Gower Champion and became the standby for Mary Martin, joining the show in Cleveland. She toured for more than two years with the production, standing by for Betty Grable and Ginger Rogers as well, as it played across the country and in Tokyo, Vietnam and South Korea.

Her Mame years kicked off with a national tour in 1965, followed by summer engagements, bus & truck tours and stops in Las Vegas, playhouses and dinner theaters.

Born on March 22, 1923, in Raleigh, North Carolina, Russell began in show business singing with local bands.

She moved to New York and became the featured vocalist for the Les Brown and Jerry Wald orchestras while also developing a nightclub act that included comic impressions. Ed Sullivan gave her a rave in his newspaper column, and she would appear twice on his CBS variety program.

Russell hired composer-musical director Peter Howard to help with her act, and he helped get her the part of Electra in a 1961 national tour of Gypsy, produced by David Merrick. (Bernadette Peters, then 13, was in the cast at the time.) She later played Tessie Tura in other Gypsy productions.

While with Hello, Dolly! in the Far East, she organized a group of fellow performers called The Rice Paddy Seven to perform at military bases and hospitals. They eventually took it to the Riviera in Las Vegas for 14 shows a week.

Meanwhile, she coached Dorothy Lamour and Martha Raye in their portrayals of Dolly Levi and also played the matchmaker in various summer theaters and companies.

In 1989, Russell toured with Debbie Reynolds in John Bowab’s stage production of The Unsinkable Molly Brown, then worked with her longtime friend alongside Shirley MacLaine, Joan Collins and Elizabeth Taylor in the 2001 ABC telefilm These Old Broads, co-written by Carrie Fisher.

She also toured with The Boy Friend, Forty Carats, Never Too Late and Oklahoma!; appeared in productions of Carnival, Shine, A Very Warm May and Anything Goes; did lots of voiceover work for radio and TV commercials; and served as a TV spokesperson for products ranging from beds, bread and banks.

A 74-year resident of Manhattan’s Upper West Side, Russell learned to skydive at age 88 and zip-lined for the first time at 90. As a member of the Edwin Forrest Society, she made provisions to donate a portion of her estate to the Entertainment Community Fund, formerly known as The Actors Fund.

Donations in her memory can be made to the Actors Fund Home.

Actress

Elizabeth Taylor, Shirley MacLaine, Joan Collins, and Debbie Reynolds in These Old Broads (2001)

These Old Broads

5.8

TV Movie

Fan

2001

 

Kevin Kline in In & Out (1997)

In & Out

6.4

Aunt Marge

1997

 

Car 54, Where Are You? (1961)

Car 54, Where Are You?

7.7

TV Series

Alice

1963

1 episode

 

The Phil Silvers Show (1955)

The Phil Silvers Show

8.4

TV Series

Malcolm's Mother

1958

1 episode

Mary Kate Golding obit

‘Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’ Set Designer Mary Kate Golding Fatally Stabbed In Apparent Murder-Suicide

 

She was not on the list.

Mary Kate Golding, a 34-year-old New York City set decorator whose credits include The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Goosebumps and the 2025 Netflix docuseries Gone Girls: The Long Island Serial Killer, died Tuesday at her Queens residence in what police say was a possible murder-suicide.

Golding’s husband, Joseph Azzaretto, 33, was later found dead in a nearby park. Law enforcement sources have told The New York Post and other outlets that the man found unresponsive in Astoria Park apparently died by hanging.

Golding was pronounced dead shortly after midnight on Tuesday, July 21, at her home, with a fatal stab wound to the back. Azzaretto’s body was discovered in the park shortly after 6:30 a.m. that day. The couple’s 11-month-old son was found unharmed at their Astoria, Queens, home.

According to Golding’s Facebook page, she was a 2015 graduate of New York University and previously attended high school in Pennsylvania. She launched her TV career in 2017 as an art department production assistant on the film The Big Sick and an art department production assistant on the ABC series Time After Time. The following year she was an art department coordinator for Netflix’s sketch comedy series The Who Was? Show.

Golding was a set decorator coordinator for Amazon’s The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel in 2018, and over the next several years held similar positions on such TV projects as Hawkeye, Marry Me, Mr. & Mrs. Smith and Goosebumps. She was the set decorator for three episodes of Gone Girls: The Long Island Serial Killer, and, according to her IMDb page, was an assistant set decorator on Sean Durkin’s upcoming feature film Deep Cuts starring Drew Starkey.

Azzaretto’s brother Nicholas Azzaretto pleaded guilty in 2021 to involuntary manslaughter after fatally shooting his father at their Monroe County, Pennsylvania, home. News accounts from the time indicate that the elder Azzaretto was threatening his wife – his sons’ mother – with violence when he was killed. The 20-year-old Nicholas Azzaretto was sentenced to 10 years of probation.

Brian Doerksen obit

Brian Doerksen dies after battle with Stage 4 cancer

 

He was not on the list.

Canadian Christian worship artist Brian Doerksen has died peacefully at his family home on Tuesday morning.

His family shared the news on social media saying, "On July 21, at 6:45 a.m., our Beloved Brian passed away peacefully in his sleep at his family home, surrounded by those who loved him most."

The news comes after his family asked for prayers after he was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer.

"Till the very end, Brian continued to love those around him, encouraging them in who they are, and shared incredible gratitude to those in the medical field who tried their best to help him. He was a beacon of light even in his final moments to his close family and friends, and loved well right to the end," the social post said.

The family thanks everyone who lifted Brian up in prayer. "Thank you to the entire community around the world that prayed, gave, and sent incredible messages of love."

Doerksen was a member at a local Mennonite Brethren church in British Columbia and graduated from the Mennonite Educational Institute in 1983. In his early twenties, he joined the staff of the Langley Vineyard Christian Fellowship and spent several years there as the worship pastor in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

For many years Doerksen was part of the Vineyard Churches as well as Vineyard Music Group. In that context he was extremely influential in the area of contemporary Christian worship music. He was a featured worship leader on many Vineyard worship CDs and also taught extensively on worship leading and songwriting. Doerksen's worship recordings are known for their high production values and quality songwriting.

Notable songs written by Doerksen include: "Refiner's Fire" (1990), "Light the Fire Again" (1994), "Come Now is the Time to Worship" (1998), "Faithful One" (2002), "Hope of the Nations" (2003), and "Today (As For Me and My House)" (2008). Some of these songs have been covered by a number of artists including the Oslo Gospel Choir and Phillips, Craig & Dean.

Doerksen later produced worship music through Integrity's Hosanna Music, including his albums You Shine (2002), Today (2004), Live in Europe (2005), Holy God (2006) and It's Time (2008).

He received a Gospel Music Association Dove Award in 2003, only the second Canadian to be so honoured. He also won a string of Covenant Awards during his career including four in 2005, among them: Artist of the Year, Praise And Worship Album of the Year and Praise And Worship Song of the Year. Three more Covenant Awards followed in 2006, and a further six in 2007. In 2008 he won a Juno Award for the album Holy God.

Doerksen collaborated on a musical titled Prodigal God with playwright and worship pastor Christopher Greco. The production had its debut performance in February 2010 in Vancouver, before going on tour.

Doerksen served as one of two co-pastors along with Dean Richmond, Janine Richmond, Irv Esau, and Karin Esau at an interdenominational church they started on Mother's Day 2006, called The Bridge in Abbotsford. This church met in Matsqui Village. Doerksen was a teaching and worship arts pastor and oversaw the church's growing team of worship leaders.

He led Prairie Bible Institute's School of Worship Arts starting in September 2014.

Charles Gaines obit

 Remembering Charles Gaines

He was not on the list.

AMFF was deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Charles Gaines, the recipient of the 2026 Heritage Award and a true fly fishing luminary who had a remarkable impact on the world around him and those he came in contact with. Our hearts go out to his family and the angling community at large, who lost an icon today. See more photos, videos, and speeches from the Heritage Award Event back in April and Charles’ official obituary below.

Charles Latham Gaines III died of natural causes on July 21, 2026, after a short illness. He was born January 6, 1942, in Jacksonville, Florida to Margaret Shook Gaines of Birmingham, Alabama, and Charles Latham Gaines Jr. The family soon moved to Birmingham, and Charles attended Mountain Brook Grammar School, Indian Springs School, and Birmingham University School. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree, cum laude, from Birmingham Southern College, and a Master of Fine Arts degree, also cum laude, from the University of Iowa’s Creative Writing Workshop. While at Birmingham Southern, he met the love of his life, Patricia Ellisor, and they were married in 1963.

Pursuing his career as a writer and hers as a painter and sculptor, Charles and Patricia lived in Georgia, Ireland, Iowa, Wisconsin, New Hampshire, and Nova Scotia, as well as Alabama. Since 2003, they divided the year between homes in Monastery, Nova Scotia and Argo, Alabama.

During a long and varied writing career, Charles published 25 books, among them the novels, Stay Hungry, a finalist for the National Book Award, Dangler, Survival Games, and the forthcoming The Passions of Saint Francis; the non-fiction New York Times and international bestseller, Pumping Iron; and the memoir, A Family Place. The book Pumping Iron and a later film of the same title written and narrated by Charles, are widely credited for having introduced both bodybuilding and Arnold Schwarzenegger to the general public.  He also wrote the scripts for two produced feature films, two award-winning feature-documentaries, and a 2-hour PBS adaptation of Edith Wharton’s “Summer,” as well as numerous segments for ABC’s  “American Sportsman,” a show for which he also directed and produced. For his television writing he was the recipient of two Emmys, and two Cine Golden Eagle Awards.

Over more than 60 years of magazine writing, Charles published articles and stories in Harpers, GEO, Sports Illustrated, Town & Country, Architectural Digest, Audubon, Forbes Life, Esquire, Men’s Journal, Playboy, Garden & Gun, Field and Stream, Sports Afield, Southern Living, among many other periodicals, and was a Contributing Editor to a number of those magazines.

A lifelong sportsman and outdoors adventurer, he was at various times during his life a dedicated wing-shooter and bird-dog trainer, a rock and ice climber, a ski instructor and winter mountaineer, a canoeist and small boat sailor, a certified diver, a (bad) bull rider, bungee-jumper, and skydiver. He was also, with Hayes Noel and Bob Gurnsey, co-inventor of the game of Paintball, co-founder of the first Paintball company, a recipient of the Paintball Lifetime Achievement Award, and an inductee into the Paintball Hall of Fame.

His favorite outdoors activity was fly-fishing, which he was fortunate enough to practice all over the world, in over 25 countries and on five continents, and his two collections of essays on the sport, The Next Valley Over and Waters Far and Near are considered to be among the best American books of that genre. He was a founding member of the US Fly Fishing Team and fished as a member of that team in World Championship Fly Fishing Competitions in New Zealand and Tasmania.

He was a Lifetime Board Member of the US Fly Fishing Team, and a US Director and National Council member of the Atlantic Salmon Federation. He was named a Distinguished Alumnus by both The Altamont School (formerly Birmingham University School) and Birmingham Southern College, and he taught periodically as an Associate Professor in the Graduate Creative Writing Program at Spalding University in Louisville, KY. In 2018 he was inducted into the Alabama Writers Hall of Fame and was the 2020 recipient of the Truman Capote Prize for lifetime achievement in non-fiction. In 2026 he was awarded the prestigious Heritage Award by the Museum of American Fly Fishing for lifetime contribution to that sport and to fishery conservation. Click here for more photos, videos, and speeches from the evening.

Charles is survived by his beloved wife of more than 60 years, Patricia Ellisor Gaines; his three children, Latham, Greta, and Shelby Gaines; five grandchildren: Cassidy and Ryder Haje, and Lucy Bo, Belle, and Rose Gaines; and by his sister, Hansell Burke and her boys, Monte, Justin, and Chris.

GAINES, Charles (Charles Latham Gaines III)

 

Born: 1/6/1942, Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.A.

 

Died: 7/21/2026, Trussville, Alabama, U.S.A.

 

 

Writer

Stripper (1985)

Stripper

5.7

Writer

1985

 

Pumping Iron II: The Women (1985)

Pumping Iron II: The Women

6.0

bookscreenplay

1985

 

Great Performances (1971)

Great Performances

7.9

TV Series

adaptation

1981

1 episode

 

Arnold Schwarzenegger in Pumping Iron (1977)

Pumping Iron

7.3

book "Pumping Iron"

1977

 

Jeff Bridges and Sally Field in Stay Hungry (1976)

Stay Hungry

5.6

screenplaynovel

1976

 

Actor

Max Julien and Vonetta McGee in Thomasine & Bushrod (1974)

Thomasine & Bushrod

6.0

Bank Customer

1974

 

Peter Falk, John Cassavetes, and Ben Gazzara in Husbands (1970)

Husbands

7.0

(as Chas. Gaines)

1970

 

Additional Crew

Arnold Schwarzenegger in Pumping Iron (1977)

Pumping Iron

7.3

consultant

1977

 

James Woolsey obit

James Woolsey, CIA director under Bill Clinton, dies at 84

His tenure was upended by the arrest of Aldrich Ames, a CIA traitor. In recent years, he suffered from “Havana syndrome,” his wife said. 

He was not on the list.

R. James Woolsey Jr., a Rhodes Scholar and lawyer who led the CIA and the rest of America’s intelligence community for two troubled years during the Clinton administration, as the nation’s spy services struggled to adapt to the post-Cold War era, died Tuesday at his home in Washington. He was 84.

The cause was a stroke, said his wife, Conchita Sarnoff Woolsey. She added that Mr. Woolsey had been in declining health in recent years as a result of “Havana syndrome,” the mysterious ailment that hundreds of American spies and diplomats have reported experiencing around the world.

The malady’s symptoms, which the government refers to as anomalous health incidents, include dizziness, memory problems and other neurological impairments. Mr. Woolsey began experiencing the condition following an incident in Washington in 2017 and in Istanbul the following year, according to his wife.

“We have traveled the world trying to find a cure and a treatment,” she said, “which sadly we never found.”

As the director of Central Intelligence in 1993 and 1994, Mr. Woolsey spent much of his time fighting to shore up morale and protect the nation’s intelligence agencies from sharp budget and staffing cutbacks, as Congress sought a so-called “peace dividend” following the collapse of the Soviet Union.

His tenure was upended by the FBI’s arrest in 1994 of Aldrich H. Ames, a senior CIA counterintelligence official who had spied for nine years for Moscow in what was then the worst known security breach in agency history.

Members of the House and Senate intelligence committees were openly critical when Mr. Woolsey declined to dismiss or demote anyone at the CIA, and instead reprimanded 11 current and former agency officials. Rather than focusing on individuals at fault, he highlighted a pattern of widespread inattention, citing a “systemic failure” in the agency’s inability to catch Ames, who was blamed for the deaths of at least 10 intelligence agents.

Mr. Woolsey sought to transform the agency’s culture. He was known among some staff as “the vacuum cleaner,” The Washington Post reported at the time, and told senior aides he always wanted to know more than anyone else in the room. He typically began his day reading classified cables at home at 4:30 a.m., and then arrived at CIA headquarters by 7:30 for meetings and briefings.

But he could be argumentative, even abrasive, and his relations with the White House became so strained that by the time he resigned after 23 months on the job, he complained that he could not get an appointment with the president.

White House aides said that Clinton had lost faith in his ability to overhaul CIA operations and reshape its priorities.

Still, the president praised Mr. Woolsey in a statement at the time, calling him “a staunch advocate of maintaining an intelligence capability that is second to none.”

Robert James Woolsey Jr., an only child, was born in Tulsa on Sept. 21, 1941. His father, a lawyer, was drafted into the Army and fought in the Battle of the Bulge during World War II. His mother was a homemaker.

Mr. Woolsey attended Stanford University, graduating with high honors and membership in Phi Beta Kappa in 1963. He was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to study at the University of Oxford in England, and then attended Yale Law School, where he was managing editor of the law review and was awarded his degree in 1968.

Mr. Woolsey served in the Army and came to Washington in the early 1970s, as a military aide to arms control negotiator Paul Nitze. He later served as general counsel to the Senate Armed Services Committee under Sen. John C. Stennis (D-Mississippi).

A so-called “defense Democrat,” Mr. Woolsey was undersecretary of the Navy from 1977 to 1979, during the Carter administration. He later found positions under two Republican presidents, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, as a part-time, delegate-at-large to strategic arms talks and as chief negotiator of a European arms treaty.

When not in government, he worked for the Washington law firm Shea & Gardner, where he sometimes represented defense contractors and companies whose interests required that he register with the Justice Department as a foreign lobbyist.

A trim man with a bald head and thin glasses, Mr. Woolsey was little known to the public when Clinton, soon after taking office in January 1993, named him to lead an intelligence community still trying to find its footing more than a year after the Cold War had ended.

From the start, he was put on the defensive, forced to justify the need for a strong CIA in a post-Soviet world.

“Yes, we have slain a large dragon,” he said at his Senate confirmation hearings. “But we live now in a jungle filled with a bewildering variety of poisonous snakes.” He said the CIA should focus on terrorist groups and arms proliferation, as well as adversaries such as Iran and North Korea.

Mr. Woolsey was initially seen as a politically savvy expert on national affairs. In his first year, he held more than 150 meetings with members of Congress, mostly to discuss his shrinking budget.

He told the Los Angeles Times in 1994 that despite his efforts, the number of spy satellites had been “substantially reduced,” the civilian staff had been cut by one-fourth, and the military workforce had been cut by one third.

“There’s a lot of slimming down that’s taking place,” he said.

Mr. Woolsey angered one group of senators when he sternly lectured them, pointer in hand, and demanded they not only reverse the cuts but add to his budget. He clashed repeatedly with Sen. Dennis DeConcini (D-Arizona), who chaired the Intelligence Committee and, after Ames was arrested, charged that Mr. Woolsey acted more like a civil liberties lawyer than the head of a covert agency that had failed to keep its secrets.

Congress also was unhappy with Mr. Woolsey’s opposition to the creation of a congressionally mandated presidential commission to look at the CIA’s future role, and to Congress’s efforts to resolve a CIA and FBI turf battle over responsibilities for counterintelligence.

After leaving the CIA, Mr. Woolsey served on corporate boards and foundations and remained active in national security circles, including as a partner at Booz Allen Hamilton. He served as a senior adviser on Donald Trump’s transition team before resigning in January 2017, reportedly amid frustrations over the incoming president’s views on national security.

To the surprise of some of his former colleagues, he also published a 2021 book, “Operation Dragon: Inside the Kremlin’s Secret War on America,” in which he and co-author Ion Mihai Pacepa, a top Cold War defector from Romania, claimed that the assassination of President John F. Kennedy was rooted in a KGB plot sponsored by no less than Nikita Khrushchev, the Soviet leader.

Mr. Woolsey’s marriage to Suzanne Haley, a former official of the National Academy of Sciences, ended in divorce. Mr. Woolsey was later married to Nancye Miller, a lobbyist, until her death in 2019. The following year, he married Conchita Sarnoff, an advocate for victims of trafficking, who had written a book about Jeffrey Epstein after covering his crimes in a series of articles for the Daily Beast.

In addition to his wife, survivors include three sons from his first marriage, Robert, Daniel and Benjamin Woolsey; two stepchildren, Cristina and Nicholas Sarnoff; and 10 grandchildren.

Mr. Woolsey had a wry sense of humor. Long after he left the CIA, he happily reminded interviewers about the pilot who stole a small airplane and crash landed on the South Lawn of the White House. The pilot was killed, but Mr. Woolsey found a punch line.

“Remember the guy who in 1994 crashed his plane onto the White House lawn?” he told an interviewer in 2002. “That was me trying to get an appointment to see President Clinton.”