Penelope Keith obit

Penelope Keith Dies: BAFTA-Winning ‘The Good Life’ Actress Was 86

 

She was not on the list.

Dame Penelope Keith, the BAFTA-winning British actress best known for the BBC comedy The Good Life, has died. She was 86.

In a statement sent to British media, Keith’s family said: “We are deeply saddened to announce that Dame Penelope Keith died peacefully whilst living with cancer at her home in Surrey where she had lived for more than 50 years.

“The family is grateful for the care and support she received throughout her treatments, and ask that their privacy be respected at this time.”

Keith was born in 1940 under her real name, Penelope Anne Constance Hatfield. She joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1963 and secured her first major screen credit in The Army Game, the ITV comedy that aired between 1957 and 1961.

Keith progressed to roles in Carry on Doctor, The Avengers, and Private Lives before she was cast in The Good Life in 1975.

The Good Life is woven into the fabric of British comedy and featured Keith as Margo Leadbetter, a straight-laced neighbour to Richard Briers and Felicity Kendal’s Tom and Barbara Good, who escape the rat race to live a self-sufficient lifestyle in suburbia.

Keith won her first BAFTA for The Good Life in 1977. A year later, she doubled her tally of bronze masks, winning for her work in The Norman Conquests: Living Together, a television play written by Alan Ayckbourn.

She was also BAFTA-nominated for To the Manor Born, the BBC comedy. One of her final screen credits was Death Comes to Pemberley, the 2013 limited series based on PD James’s homage to Pride and Prejudice, co-starring Matthew Rhys.

Early in her career she worked in repertory in Manchester and while there obtained occasional television roles. When offered scripts she can usually tell within 5 pages if it is suitable for her. When it came to 'To the Manor Born' which was intended for a radio series, she considered it one of the best scripts that she'd read and asked to show it to BBC television light entertainment head John Howard Davis and the rest is history.

She made her name in the theatre in Alan Ayckbourn's The Norman Conquests before which she had played mostly everything including a season at Stratford. She was spotted in 'Conquests' and offered a role in the tv series The Good Life. Her 1st tv break had been in 'Kate' with Phyllis Calvert.

Penelope Keith was educated at a convent school in Bedford then spent 2 years at a drama school before going to a reportary theatre at Chesterfield in Derbyshire for 6 months. She's best known for the television series The Good Life and To the Manor Born. She has produced a production of Hayfever.

Actress

Matthew Rhys and Anna Maxwell Martin in Death Comes to Pemberley (2013)

Death Comes to Pemberley

7.1

TV Mini Series

Lady Catherine de Bourgh

2013

1 episode

 

Tinga Tinga Tales (2010)

Tinga Tinga Tales

7.6

TV Series

Queen Bee (voice)

2011

1 episode

 

Peter Bowles and Penelope Keith in To the Manor Born (1979)

To the Manor Born

7.4

TV Series

Audrey fforbes-HamiltonAudrey DeVere

1979–2007

22 episodes

 

Kate Harbour and Rob Rackstraw in The Secret Show (2006)

The Secret Show

7.0

TV Series

Nana Poo-Poo (voice)

2006

1 episode

 

June Brown and Penelope Keith in Margery and Gladys (2003)

Margery and Gladys

6.9

TV Movie

Margery Heywood

2003

 

A Garden is Lovesome Thing

Video

(voice)

2001

 

Pui Fan Lee, John Simmit, Nikky Smedley, and Dave Thompson in Teletubbies (1997)

Teletubbies

3.9

TV Series

The BearDancing Bear (voice)

1997–1998

2 episodes

 

Peter O'Toole, Joanna Lumley, and Emily Mortimer in Coming Home (1998)

Coming Home

6.8

TV Mini Series

Aunt Louise

1998

1 episode

 

Next of Kin (1995)

Next of Kin

8.1

TV Series

Maggie

1995–1997

22 episodes

 

Flight of the Amazon Queen (1995)

Flight of the Amazon Queen

7.9

Video Game

Temple Guardian (voice)

1995

 

Penelope Keith in Law and Disorder (1994)

Law and Disorder

7.8

TV Series

Phillippa Troy

1994

6 episodes

 

La Treizième voiture (1993)

La Treizième voiture

4.5

TV Movie

Aunt Tanya

1993

 

Beauty and the Beast (1992)

Beauty and the Beast

3.8

Video

Madame Bonbec (voice)

1992

 

Tales of the Tooth Fairies (1992)

Tales of the Tooth Fairies

7.4

TV Series

(voice: English version)

1992

 

Aladdin (1992)

Aladdin

2.7

Video

Madam Dim Sum (voice)

1992

 

No Job for a Lady (1990)

No Job for a Lady

7.2

TV Series

Jean Price

1990–1992

18 episodes

 

Woof! (1989)

Woof!

7.1

TV Series

Miss Robson

1989–1992

2 episodes

 

Santa and the Tooth Fairies (1991)

Santa and the Tooth Fairies

7.1

TV Movie

(voice: English version)

1991

 

Executive Stress (1986)

Executive Stress

7.3

TV Series

Caroline Fielding

1986–1988

19 episodes

 

Tickle on the Tum (1984)

Tickle on the Tum

6.2

TV Series

Dora the Driver

1984–1987

8 episodes

 

Moving (1985)

Moving

TV Series

Sarah Gladwyn

1985

6 episodes

 

Hay Fever (1984)

Hay Fever

7.6

TV Movie

Judith Bliss

1984

 

Jackanory (1965)

Jackanory

7.2

TV Series

Storyteller

1975–1984

11 episodes

 

Waters of the Moon (1983)

Waters of the Moon

7.9

TV Movie

Helen Lancaster

1983

 

Sweet Sixteen (1983)

Sweet Sixteen

7.0

TV Series

Helen WalkerHelen Morgan

1983

6 episodes

 

Spider's Web (1982)

Spider's Web

7.3

TV Movie

Clarissa Hailsham-Brown

1982

 

BBC Play of the Month (1965)

BBC Play of the Month

7.0

TV Series

Maria Wislack

1982

1 episode

 

Priest of Love (1981)

Priest of Love

6.0

The Honourable Dorothy Brett

1981

 

Donkeys' Years (1980)

Donkeys' Years

5.3

TV Movie

Lady Driver

1980

 

Penelope Keith, Eric Morecambe, and Ernie Wise in Morecambe and Wise at the BBC (1979)

Morecambe and Wise at the BBC

7.7

TV Series

Various

1979

1 episode

 

Much Ado About Nothing (1978)

Much Ado About Nothing

7.0

TV Movie

Beatrice

1978

 

The Hound of the Baskervilles (1978)

The Hound of the Baskervilles

4.5

Massage Receptionist

1978

 

Richard Briers and Felicity Kendal in The Good Life (1975)

The Good Life

8.0

TV Series

Margo Leadbetter

1975–1978

30 episodes

 

Richard Briers, Tom Conti, and Penelope Keith in The Norman Conquests (1977)

The Norman Conquests

8.7

TV Mini Series

Sarah

1977

3 episodes

 

Lynda Bellingham in Cottage to Let (1977)

Cottage to Let

TV Series

Peggy Rodway

1977

1 episode

 

Mr & Mrs Edgehill (1985)

Private Lives

7.6

TV Movie

Amanda Prynne

1976

 

Seven Nights in Japan (1976)

Seven Nights in Japan

5.7

Mrs. Hollander (voice)

1976

 

Two's Company (1975)

Two's Company

7.8

TV Series

Mrs. Philips

1975

1 episode

 

Parker Pens: Finishing School

5.5

Video

1975

 

Turandot (1974)

Turandot

Short

Turandot (voice, voice: English version)

1974

 

Susan Hampshire, Philip Latham, Donal McCann, Barbara Murray, and Bryan Pringle in The Pallisers (1974)

The Pallisers

8.3

TV Mini Series

Mrs. Hittaway

1974

2 episodes

 

Larry Dann, Marianne Faithfull, Vivian MacKerrell, Murray Melvin, and Barbara Shelley in Ghost Story (1974)

Ghost Story

4.9

Rennie

1974

 

Penny Gold (1973)

Penny Gold

5.4

Miss. Hartridge

1973

 

Phyllis Calvert and Jack Hedley in Kate (1970)

Kate

8.3

TV Series

Wenda Padbury

1970–1972

33 episodes

 

Julie Ege in Rentadick (1972)

Rentadick

3.8

Reporter

1972

 

Take a Girl Like You (1970)

Take a Girl Like You

5.6

Tory Lady

1970

 

Marty Feldman in Every Home Should Have One (1970)

Every Home Should Have One

5.0

Lotte

1970

 

Grounds for Suspicion (1969)

Grounds for Suspicion

Short

Jo

1969

 

Gerald Harper in Hadleigh (1969)

Hadleigh

7.1

TV Series

Angela Frampton

1969

1 episode

 

Reginald Barratt, Richard Beckinsale, Freddie Fletcher, Bernard Hepton, Arthur Lowe, Brian Miller, Ron Moody, Jack Rosenthal, Liz Smith, and Paula Wilcox in ITV Playhouse (1967)

ITV Playhouse

7.2

TV Series

Housekeeper

1969

1 episode

 

A Touch of Love (1969)

A Touch of Love

6.3

Nurse (uncredited)

1969

 

The Avengers (1961)

The Avengers

8.3

TV Series

Audrey LongBrideNanny Brown

1965–1969

3 episodes

 

John Bennett in Market in Honey Lane (1967)

Market in Honey Lane

6.1

TV Series

Frankie

1969

2 episodes

 

Robert Mitchum, Elizabeth Taylor, and Mia Farrow in Secret Ceremony (1968)

Secret Ceremony

6.3

Hotel Assistant (uncredited)

1968

 

Comedy Playhouse (1961)

Comedy Playhouse

7.0

TV Series

Daisy

1968

1 episode

 

Barbara Windsor in Wild, Wild Women (1968)

Wild, Wild Women

TV Series

Daisy

1968

1 episode

 

Jim Dale, Anita Harris, Frankie Howerd, Hattie Jacques, Sidney James, Valerie Van Ost, Jennifer White, Kenneth Williams, and Barbara Windsor in Carry on Doctor (1967)

Carry on Doctor

6.5

Plain Nurse (uncredited)

1967

 

ITV Play of the Week (1955)

ITV Play of the Week

6.7

TV Series

Betty Brogan

1967

1 episode

 

Emergency-Ward 10 (1957)

Emergency-Ward 10

6.4

TV Series

Iris BedfordMiss Willy Williams

1966–1967

5 episodes

 

William Lucas and Neil McCallum in Vendetta (1966)

Vendetta

7.5

TV Series

W.P.C. Ritchie

1966

2 episodes

 

Sam Kydd, David Munro, and Judy Robinson in Orlando (1965)

Orlando

6.5

TV Series

Waitress

1966

1 episode

 

Love Story (1963)

Love Story

7.0

TV Series

HelenThe waitress

1965–1966

2 episodes

 

The Liars

8.5

TV Series

Lady Winnie

1966

1 episode

 

Pamela Brown and Barry Warren in Six Shades of Black (1965)

Six Shades of Black

TV Series

Lady Pandora Brewster

1965

1 episode

 

Derek Godfrey and Roddy McMillan in Front Page Story (1965)

Front Page Story

TV Series

Morgue Girl

1965

1 episode

 

Jack Warner in Dixon of Dock Green (1955)

Dixon of Dock Green

6.9

TV Series

Miss Nash

1965

1 episode

 

Call Oxbridge 2000

TV Series

Eileen

1962

1 episode

 

Alfie Bass, Bill Fraser, and William Hartnell in The Army Game (1957)

The Army Game

7.4

TV Series

1957–1961

 

Director

A Garden is Lovesome Thing

Video

Director

2001

 

Soundtrack

Peter Bowles and Penelope Keith in To the Manor Born (1979)

To the Manor Born

7.4

TV Series

performer: "Cheek to Cheek"

1979

1 episode

 

The Morecambe & Wise Show (1968)

The Morecambe & Wise Show

8.1

TV Series

performer: "Darn It, Baby, That's Love"

1977

1 episode

 

Richard Briers and Felicity Kendal in The Good Life (1975)

The Good Life

8.0

TV Series

performer: "My Favourite Things", "The Sound of Music"performer: "Do Re Mi"

1976

2 episodes

 

Self

Saving Country Houses with Penelope Keith

TV Series

Self - Presenter

2026

 

Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh (2020)

Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh

6.5

TV Series

Self

2023–2024

3 episodes

 

Peter Bowles and Penelope Keith in To the Manor Born: Britain's Best Loved Comedy (2024)

To the Manor Born: Britain's Best Loved Comedy

7.1

TV Special

SelfSelf - Various Characters

2024

 

Martin Scorsese, David Harewood, Zoë Wanamaker, David Olusoga, and Gemma Arterton in Remembers... (2022)

Remembers...

7.4

TV Series

Self

2024

1 episode

 

The Good Life: 50 Years of Laughter

7.6

TV Movie

SelfSelf - Various Characters (as Dame Penelope Keith)

2023

 

When 70s TV Goes Horribly Wrong

5.2

TV Special

Self - Narrator (voice)

2023

 

Agathaland: The Making of Agatha Raisin (2023)

Agathaland: The Making of Agatha Raisin

TV Special

Self - Narrator

2023

 

Elizabeth: Her Passions and Pastimes (2022)

Elizabeth: Her Passions and Pastimes

6.8

TV Movie

Self - Sandringham WI Guest Speaker (as Dame Penelope Keith)

2022

 

Britain's Most Expensive Home: Building for a Billionaire (2020)

Britain's Most Expensive Home: Building for a Billionaire

4.8

TV Movie

Self - Narrator (voice)

2020

 

Penelope Keith in Penelope Keith's Village of the Year (2018)

Penelope Keith's Village of the Year

9.2

TV Series

Self - Host

2018

 

Penelope Keith in Penelope Keith's Coastal Villages (2017)

Penelope Keith's Coastal Villages

8.7

TV Series

Self - Presenter

2017–2018

3 episodes

 

Penelope Keith in Penelope Keith's Hidden Villages (2014)

Penelope Keith's Hidden Villages

8.5

TV Series

Self - Presenter

2014–2016

12 episodes

 

Penelope Keith in Penelope Keith at Her Majesty's Service (2016)

Penelope Keith at Her Majesty's Service

8.5

TV Mini Series

Self - Host

2016

 

BBC: The Secret Files

TV Mini Series

Self - Presenter

2015–2016

2 episodes

 

The Secret Files (2015)

The Secret Files

7.2

TV Movie

Self

2015

 

5 NewsTalk Live (2013)

5 NewsTalk Live

TV Series

Self (as Dame Penelope Keith)

2014

1 episode

 

Morecambe & Wise: The Whole Story (2013)

Morecambe & Wise: The Whole Story

7.4

TV Series

Self - 'The Morecambe & Wise Christmas Show', 1972

2013

1 episode

 

Cat Deeley, Alison Hammond, Dermot O'Leary, and Ben Shephard in This Morning (1988)

This Morning

4.3

TV Series

Self

2013

1 episode

 

Richard Briers: A Tribute

TV Movie

Self

2013

 

Goodbye Television Centre (2013)

Goodbye Television Centre

6.6

TV Movie

Self

2013

 

Tales of Television Centre (2012)

Tales of Television Centre

8.5

TV Movie

Self - Actress

2012

 

John Howard Davies: A Life in Comedy

TV Short

Self - Presenter

2012

 

Penelope Keith and Paul Martin in The Manor Reborn (2011)

The Manor Reborn

7.5

TV Series

Self - Presenter

2011

4 episodes

 

The One Show (2006)

The One Show

3.6

TV Series

Self

2011

1 episode

 

Jo Brand and Alan Yentob in Imagine (2003)

Imagine

7.6

TV Series

Self - Interviewee

2011

1 episode

 

Behind the Britcoms: From Script to Screen

TV Movie

Self - Actress

2011

 

Eric & Ernie: Behind the Scenes (2011)

Eric & Ernie: Behind the Scenes

TV Movie

Self (as Penelope Keith CBE)

2011

 

All About 'The Good Life' (2010)

All About 'The Good Life'

7.1

TV Movie

SelfSelf - Margo Leadbetter

2010

 

The Comedy Christmas

TV Movie

Self

2007

 

Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg (2005)

Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg

6.3

TV Series

Self

2007

1 episode

 

The National Trust: Garden Treasures

TV Mini Series

Self - Narrator

2007

 

Lifeline (1986)

Lifeline

TV Series

Self - Presenter

1989–2006

4 episodes

 

Comedy Connections (2003)

Comedy Connections

7.5

TV Series

Self

2003–2006

2 episodes

 

The Funny Blokes of British Comedy (2005)

The Funny Blokes of British Comedy

7.3

TV Movie

Self

2005

 

Call My Bluff (1996)

Call My Bluff

6.0

TV Series

Self

1996–2005

7 episodes

 

The Unseen Eric Morecambe

6.3

TV Movie

Self

2005

 

The Funny Ladies of British Comedy

7.3

TV Movie

Self - Host

2004

 

Breakfast (2000)

Breakfast

5.2

TV Series

Self

2004

1 episode

 

Britain's Best Sitcom (2004)

Britain's Best Sitcom

7.2

TV Series

Self

2004

3 episodes

 

Masters and Servants

TV Series

Self - Narrator (voice)

2003

1 episode

 

The Royals and Their Pets

TV Series

Self - Narrator

2003

 

The Sitcom Story

5.2

TV Series

Self

2003

1 episode

 

Designing the Decades

TV Series

Self - Narrator

2003

4 episodes

 

A Week in the West End

TV Series

Self

2002

1 episode

 

80 Years: A Royal Celebration

TV Movie

Self

2001

 

Songs of Praise (1961)

Songs of Praise

4.3

TV Series

Self - Presenter

2001

1 episode

 

Funny Turns (1999)

Funny Turns

6.3

TV Series

Self

2000–2001

3 episodes

 

Laughter in the House: The Story of British Sitcom (1999)

Laughter in the House: The Story of British Sitcom

7.2

TV Mini Series

SelfSelf - Margo Leadbetter

1999

1 episode

 

Going for a Song (1995)

Going for a Song

TV Series

Self - Team Captain

1997–1998

3 episodes

 

Auntie: The Inside Story of the BBC (1997)

Auntie: The Inside Story of the BBC

6.2

TV Mini Series

Self

1997

1 episode

 

Auntie's All-Time Greats

8.3

TV Special

Self (uncredited)

1996

 

Northern Eye

TV Series

Self

1995

1 episode

 

One Foot in the Past

7.5

TV Series

Self - Reporter

1995

1 episode

 

Eamonn Andrews in This Is Your Life (1955)

This Is Your Life

6.4

TV Series

Self - Filmed Tribute

1972–1994

5 episodes

 

Pebble Mill at One (1972)

Pebble Mill at One

6.2

TV Series

Self

1994

1 episode

 

The Travel Show (1982)

The Travel Show

6.9

TV Series

Self - Reporter

1993

1 episode

 

Noel Edmonds in Telly Addicts (1985)

Telly Addicts

6.2

TV Series

Self

1993

1 episode

 

Aspel & Company (1984)

Aspel & Company

6.8

TV Series

Self

1991

1 episode

 

The Write Stuff

TV Series

Self

1989

1 episode

 

A Night of Comic Relief 2

8.0

TV Special

Self

1989

 

Terry Wogan in Wogan (1982)

Wogan

6.2

TV Series

Self

1985–1988

2 episodes

 

What's My Line? (1984)

What's My Line?

5.0

TV Series

Self - Host

1988

25 episodes

 

Celia Imrie and Rik Mayall in Comic Relief (1988)

Comic Relief

6.8

TV Special

Self

1988

 

The Royal Variety Show

TV Special

Self

1986

 

The Paul Daniels Magic Show (1979)

The Paul Daniels Magic Show

7.3

TV Series

Self

1985

1 episode

 

Keith Chegwin, John Craven, Sarah Greene, Mike Read, and David Icke in Saturday SuperStore (1982)

Saturday SuperStore

6.6

TV Series

Self

1983

1 episode

 

Michael Parkinson in Parkinson in Australia (1979)

Parkinson in Australia

6.3

TV Series

Self

1982

1 episode

 

Royal Variety Performance (1980)

Royal Variety Performance

TV Special

Self

1980

 

The Variety Club Awards for 1979

TV Special

Self

1980

 

Call My Bluff (1965)

Call My Bluff

7.1

TV Series

Self

1976–1980

6 episodes

 

The 70s Stop Here!

TV Movie

Self - Presenter

1979

 

The British Academy Awards

TV Special

Self - Presenter

1979

 

The Brian Connell Interview

TV Series

Self

1978

1 episode

 

Keith Chegwin, John Craven, Noel Edmonds, and Maggie Philbin in Multi-Coloured Swap Shop (1976)

Multi-Coloured Swap Shop

6.9

TV Series

Self

1978

1 episode

 

The Morecambe & Wise Show (1968)

The Morecambe & Wise Show

8.1

TV Series

SelfSelf - Roxanne

1977

1 episode

 

Michael Aspel in Ask Aspel (1970)

Ask Aspel

6.2

TV Series

Self

1977

1 episode

 

Night of 100 Stars

TV Special

Self

1977

 

The British Academy Awards

TV Special

Self - Winner & Nominee

1977

 

Andrew Faulds in Open Door (1973)

Open Door

TV Series

Self

1977

1 episode

 

The Variety Club Awards for 1976

TV Special

Self - Show Business Personality

1977

 

It's Childsplay

TV Series

Self

1976

1 episode

 

Archive Footage

Grace Dent in What We Were Watching (2018)

What We Were Watching

6.6

TV Series

Judith BlissAudrey fforbes-HamiltonSelf (archive footage, uncredited, archive footage, uncredited, archive footage, uncredited)

2019–2024

2 episodes

 

Annette Crosbie and Richard Wilson in One Foot in the Grave: 30 Years of Laughs (2023)

One Foot in the Grave: 30 Years of Laughs

6.8

TV Movie

Self - Margo LeadbetterSelf - Audrey fforbes-Hamilton (archive footage, uncredited)

2023

 

Penelope Keith in Penelope Keith: From Margo to the Manor Born (2022)

Penelope Keith: From Margo to the Manor Born

7.0

TV Special

Self (archive footage)

2022

 

Peta Credlin in Credlin (2017)

Credlin

2.4

TV Series

Self (archive footage, uncredited)

2022

1 episode

 

Britain's Best Loved Sitcoms (2015)

Britain's Best Loved Sitcoms

5.0

TV Series

Self - Comedy Role (archive footage, uncredited)

2015

1 episode

 

Eddie Braben, Paul Merton, Eric Morecambe, and Ernie Wise in Morecambe and Wise: The Show What Paul Merton Did (2009)

Morecambe and Wise: The Show What Paul Merton Did

TV Movie

Self (archive footage, uncredited)

2009

 

The Greatest Christmas Comedy Moments

TV Movie

Self - Various Roles (archive footage, uncredited)

2008

 

The Story of Jackanory

TV Movie

Self - 'Jackanory' Storyteller (archive footage)

2007

 

Greatest TV Comedy Moments (2005)

Greatest TV Comedy Moments

5.4

TV Movie

Self - Margo Leadbetter (archive footage, uncredited)

2005

 

Bruce Forsyth's Comedy Heroes

TV Movie

Self - Margo Leadbetter (archive footage)

2005

 

Life Beyond the Box: Margo (2003)

Life Beyond the Box: Margo

TV Movie

Margo Leadbetter (archive footage)

2003

 

The Greatest (1998)

The Greatest

6.4

TV Series

Self - Margo Leadbetter (archive footage, uncredited)

2001

1 episode

 

Jon Anderson, Bill Bruford, Tony Kaye, Chris Squire, Peter Banks, and Yes in Top Ten (1995)

Top Ten

6.0

TV Series

Self - Audrey fforbes-Hamilton (archive footage)

2000

1 episode

 

The 100 Greatest TV Ads (2000)

The 100 Greatest TV Ads

7.0

TV Special

Self - Teacher (archive footage)

2000

 

Monkey Business (1993)

Monkey Business

7.6

Video

Self - PG Tips Chimp (archive sound, voice)

1993

 

Television's Greatest Hits

TV Series

Self - Audrey fforbes-Hamilton (archive footage)

1992

1 episode

 

Mignon Dunn obit

Obituary: Legendary Mezzo-Soprano Mignon Dunn Dies at 98

 She was not on the list.

American mezzo-soprano Mignon Dunn has died at the age of 98.

Dunn was born on June 17, 1928 in Memphis, Tennessee and grew up in Tyronza, Arkansas.

Dunn went on to study with Karin Branzell and Beverley Peck Johnson and made her professional debut, in the title role of Bizet’s opera “Carmen,” on Sept. 8, 1955, at the New Orleans Opera. That would lead her to the Lyric Opera Chicago and the New York City Opera followed by the Metropolitan Opera where she debut in 1958 and performed over 650 times in such works as “Boris Godunov,” “Elektra,” “Luisa Miller,” “Il trovatore,” “Salome,” “Jenufa,” “Lohengrin,” “Arabella,” “Die Walküre,” “La Gioconda,” and “Parsifal,” among others. Her final performance with the company was in 1994 as Klytämnestra in “Elektra.”

Among her signature roles were Amneris in “Aida,” Azucena in “Il trovatore,” Eboli in “Don Carlo,” both Laura and La Cieca in “La Gioconda,” the Princess in “Adriana Lecouvreur,” and Santuzza in “Cavalleria rusticana.” She also sang a lot of French roles including Dalila in “Samson et Dalila,” Giulietta in “The Tales of Hoffmann,” and Dulcinée in “Don Quichotte.” She performed the role of Carmen over 400 times in four different languages.

The mezzo also sang around the world at the Teatro alla Scala, Wiener Staatsoper, Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, San Francisco Opera, New York City Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Opera Company of Boston, New Orleans Opera Miami Opera, Royal Opera, Covent Garden, Paris Opéra, Bolshoi Theatre, Deutsche Oper Berlin and Arena di Verona, among many others.

Dunn was also a well-respected vocal teacher who taught at the University Texas at Austin, University of Illinois, Northwestern University, and Brooklyn College. She was also on the voice faculty at Manhattan School of Music from 1985 until her retirement in December 2023.

For her work in opera she received an Honorary Degree from Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee, the President’s Medal for Distinguished Faculty Service from Manhattan School of Music, the Sherrill Milnes Voice Award in 2014 for her “outstanding contribution in teaching and mentoring the next generation of opera singers and the VERA Award from The Voice Foundation.

The mezzo left a number of recordings including “Rigoletto” with Beverly Sills and another recording from the Metropolitan Opera. There is also a recording of “La Gioconda” and “La Forza del Destino,” among many others.

Joe Doering obit

Joe Doering Passes Away At The Age Of 44

 He was not on the list.

Joe Doering has sadly passed away at the age of 44.

Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling first announced the news, publishing the following statement:

“At 9:13 a.m. today, June 26, our brother Joe Doering passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family.

“Though his time on this earth lasted only 44 years, Joe packed a thousand years’ worth of living into every one of them.

“Joe is survived by his beloved wife, Lindsay, his family, and leaves behind countless friends and devoted fans around the world who will forever remember his strength, courage, and spirit.

“Rest in peace, Joe. You will never be forgotten.”

On August 30, 2022, it was announced Joe Doering would be stepping away from wrestling as his brain cancer had returned and he would need to undergo surgery. In December 2025, it was revealed that he was battling a third brain tumor. Doering has spent nearly ten years fighting brain cancer.

Doering made his debut in 2004 and competed for TNA Wrestling, AJPW, NJPW, and various independent promotions.

Fightful sends condolences to the family, friends, and fans of Doering.

Norbert Likulia Bolongo obit

Obituary: Former Congolese Prime Minister Norbert Likulia Bolongo dies in Paris

 He was not on the list.

The former Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo, General Norbert Likulia Bolongo, has died in Paris, France.

A prominent figure in Congolese political and military life, he held several high-ranking positions within the state during his career. Norbert Likulia Bolongo led the Government of National Salvation from April 11 to May 1997, a particularly turbulent period in the country's history.

His government had been put in place about a month before the AFDL - Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo - took power, marking the end of Marshal Mobutu Sese Seko's regime.

Throughout his career, General Likulia Bolongo held numerous positions within Congolese institutions. He notably served as Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense, Minister of Land Affairs, Minister of State Portfolio, and Director General of State Security.

His death marks the passing of a major figure in the political history of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The circumstances of his death have not yet been made public.

 

Gail Bowen obit

Renowned Sask. author Gail Bowen dies at 83

Author of 25 Joanne Kilbourn novels will have final book published posthumously

 She was not on the list.

Gail Bowen, one of Saskatchewan's most prolific authors, has died at the age of 83 after a long battle with cancer.

Originally born in Toronto, she moved to Regina and became an English professor at the First Nations University of Canada. Bowen is best known for her long-running mystery and crime novel series centered around a character named Joanne Kilbourn.

Kelley Jo Burke says she knew Bowen personally for more than 25 years as a neighbour, friend, and later professionally, producing several of her pieces for radio.

"She adored her husband, she loved her children, she loved her grandchildren. She was an incredibly active, loving partner and mother, and that was her world," Burke said.

Beyond that, most people knew Bowen because of the world she created in her novels, which were set in Saskatchewan, Burke said.

"She was Canada's national treasure and one of the most successful mystery writers in the country … She traveled around the country promoting her books and was the most rigorous, relentless writer that you have ever seen.

"Gail's work ethic was unbelievable. She got up at 5, she did yoga, she did rewrites, then she had breakfast, and she did it every day."

Burke described Bowen's works as cozy mystery novels that are also about being a woman who is a mother, a lover, a friend and involved in the lives of children. Writing them was about making that kind of person important, she said.

Bowen's son, Nathaniel Bowen, took to social media to talk about his mother.

"Mom was all about family. She lived for us and she literally was the epicenter of what is now a very large family of very colorful people," he wrote.

Anthony Bidulka, a fellow crime novelist and friend of Bowen's, said her works inspired him to become an author.

"She became my mentor, she became my friend and she became my colleague," Bidulka said.

They were on stage together in October, talking about her newest work, he recalled.

"You know she's a master at storytelling and writing, but more than that, when you read a Gail Bowen book, you know who she is. You know what's important to her," he said.

"She was someone who's a champion of equality for all, and justice. She was a supporter of diversity. She was someone who really cared deeply about her community, about her city, about her province, about her country. Probably above all, though, she was someone who cared deeply about family."

Bowen had her last interview with CBC's Saskatchewan Weekend with Shauna Powers in November, when she discussed her last novel. According to her son, the book is finished and going through edits.

I mean, it's been over 35 years and some of the readers say to me, you know, 'They're like friends to me,'" Bowen said.

"I think I could write another one now because I'm so excited about it, but I mean, I did say it was [the last]. The other thing too is you have to accept the fact that we are all human and that means that we don't live forever."

The final Joanne Kilbourn novel, Homecoming, will be published posthumously.

"It does end with Joanne's very strong feelings about extended family, that you bring people into your life, you don't exclude them," Bowen said.

"If there was a message there, that would be it because we do, I think, only connect. We do need each other."

Doug Goldstein obit

Doug Goldstein Dies: Longtime Guns N’ Roses Manager Who Saw The Band Through Success And Chaos Was 65

 

He was not on the list.

Doug Goldstein, the former longtime manager of Guns N’ Roses, who saw the hard rock group through the heights of commercial success and chaotic periods of rock ‘n’ roll excess, has died. He was 65.

His death was announced by Brandon Weissler, host of the Guns N’ Roses-focused podcast Appetite for Distortion but he didn’t provide a cause or date. Weissler had worked with Goldstein some years back on the manager’s since-abandoned memoir.

“Many of you know that a few years ago, Doug and I were working on his autobiography together,” Weissler writes on Faceback. “Once others tried to get their hands on the project, it didn’t end well. At the time, I felt betrayed. I was wrong. What I used to think was a waste of time writing a book that never happened, I now cherish the hours of conversation with Doug.

“Doug was ALWAYS kind and supportive of me,” Weissler continues. “He made me feel good about myself, ALWAYS. I took a rejection from a publisher too hard, and it wasn’t Doug’s fault. We did reconcile, but our friendship was never sadly the same.”

Goldstein’s relationship with the band featuring singer Axl Rose and guitarist Slash began around the time the group was promoting its debut album, 1987’s Appetite for Destruction. Goldstein first worked as tour manager and, later, as co-manager with Alan Niven. In an account of the era, the magazine and website Ultimate Classic Rock writes: “Goldstein’s job was, by all accounts, a thankless one. He entered the GN’R orbit while the band was hard at work promoting Appetite for Destruction — first as a tour manager, and later as co-manager alongside Niven. Prior to Guns N’ Roses, he’d worked security for the likes of Van Halen, Heart, Black Sabbath and other acts, according to Mick Wall’s 2016 Guns N’ Roses biography Last of the Giants.

“Immediately,” the magazine’s account continues, “Goldstein was tasked not only with keeping Guns N’ Roses functioning on the road, but keeping the band members alive. Associates of the band credited him with being social and amenable — a so-called ‘good cop’ to Niven’s hard-nosed, business-oriented ‘bad cop.’ But Goldstein could drop the hammer when needed. In Last of the Giants, he recalled an early anecdote involving Slash that helped him curb the band’s own appetite for destruction, at least partially.”

“Finally Slash breaks a [hotel] TV,” Goldstein recalled in the book. “So he calls me.” Goldstein approached the hotel’s reception desk to discuss the matter. “The guys say okay, and that the set cost $350. I go, ‘No way.’ And Slash is waiting for me to bring it down, right? I go, ‘Not a chance. That is not a $350 TV. That’s a $700 TV.’ Slash is like, ‘What?’ I go, ‘Slash, shut up. I do this for a living and I know a $700 TV when I see one.’ The guy is like, ‘No, really. Just give me $350.’ I go, ‘Shut up! I do this for a living.’ I go, ‘Slash, I’m gonna have to take $700 out of your money.’ So now it’s not even a band deal, I’m taking it out of his personal income. He was f*cking livid! But I’ll tell you what. Nobody broke shit after that.”

Goldstein, Weissler told Ultimate Classic Rock, “was a friendly ear, a supportive voice and a sensitive man. You don’t survive 17 years with Axl Rose by accident. In many ways, he saved Axl’s life.”

Last of the Giants details Goldstein’s presence at the infamous 1991 St. Louis concert riot and other “near-disasters” throughout the 1991 Use Your Illusion tour, including the increase substance abuse of Slash and bassist Duff McKagan.

“Whenever I talk about it, I allude to the bunker mentality in wartime,” Goldstein is quoted as saying in the book. “You know, three guys in a bunker and shots are being fired over their heads and they’re bunkered down for a week at a time. By the end of that week there’s so much PTSD that takes place and you’ve gotten so much closer because of it.”

The hard-rocking Appetite for Destruction was a stone-cold smash, albeit an initially slow-burning one. Featuring such classic tracks as “Welcome to the Jungle,” “Paradise City” and the No. 1 pop single “Sweet Child o’ Mine,” the album topped the Billboard 200 in August 1988 — more than a year after its release. It has sold more than 18 million copies in the U.S. alone and is among the 20 top-selling LPs of all time.

The Los Angeles-based group followed it up with the slapped-together G N’ R Lies in 1988 before releasing a pair of studio albums — Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II on the same day in September 1991 and embarking on an extended world tour. The band’s next album, 1993’s The Spaghetti Incident?, would be its last for 15 years.

Along with many Appetite for Destruction cuts, the group’s best-known songs also include “November Rain,” “Civil War,” “Patience,” “You Could Be Mine” from the film Terminator 2: Judgment Day and covers of Wings’ “Live and Let Die” and Bob Dylan’s “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door.”

Goldstein remained with the band through the late-’90s/early 2000s recording of the album Chinese Democracy, often weathering accusations of favoritism toward one band member or another. By the time that album was released in 2008, Goldstein had been retired from the music business for five years.

By 2012, Goldstein was living in Hawaii and working in real estate, contributing to a local website-blog under as “Your Rock-N-Roll Realtor.” In one blog entry, he wrote of attending the Freddie Mercury tribute concert at Wembley Stadium and meeting Elton John, Mick Jagger and Cat Stevens.

“I had quite a day,” Goldstein wrote, meeting Mick Jagger, seeing Cat Stevens, and watching my band play in front of 120,000 people. I loved my job and got to travel all over the world. Thank you to Axl Rose, Slash, Duff, and the rest of the members for allowing me the opportunity to handle your business affairs.”

Goldstein is survived by two sons, Jake and Eli. Information on other survivors was not immediately available.

Luis De La Rosa obit

Mexican Animator Luis De La Rosa Dies In Annecy Accident

 He was not on the list.

Rising Mexican animator Luis de la Rosa, who took credits on works such as Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and My Little Pony: The Movie, has died in an accident while attending the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France

Local newspaper Le Dauphine Libéré reported on Friday that a young man in his 30s was struck by a train on Wednesday, June 24, when he strayed close to train tracks running alongside a ring-road on the outskirts of Annecy.

The newspaper said emergency services were called by the conductor of the local Leman Express service at around 8 p.m. local time but had been unable to save the man’s life. The newspaper added that the victim had been wearing a festival accreditation.

It later emerged on social media posts and animation specialized blog sites that the victim was 34-year-old animator Luis de la Rosa, who is also credited as Luis de la Rosa Obregón.

The Annecy International Animation Film Festival confirmed the “tragic” death to Deadline and said Artistic Director Marcel Jean would give his condolences at the closing ceremony on Saturday.

According to an Instagram post, de la Rosa was attending Annecy’s MIFA market with his original project Ash Raider World.

Born and raised in Mexico, de la Rosa was based in Vancouver where he graduated with honors from Vancouver Film School.

According to his LinkedIn account, he had worked for numerous animation and games studios following his graduation in 2015, including Titmouse Inc., Petty Karma and Deluxe Animation.

“I was told animation wasn’t a viable career, but an existential crisis during college led me to drop out and pursue my true passion. Every success in animation is a testament to that choice,” he wrote in the intro to the account.

“Now, I focus on action projects, always pushing my skills further. Each step reminds me of how far I’ve come and how worth it it was to follow my dream.”

As news of de la Rosa’s death trickled into the festival, Annecy attendees who had crossed paths with the animator this year posted messages of shock and sadness on the social networks.

David Clayton-Thomas obit

David Clayton-Thomas Dies: Hit-Making Blood, Sweat & Tears Singer Was 84

 

He was not on the list.

David Clayton-Thomas, the Canadian singer whose gruff, soulful vocals for Blood, Sweat & Tears was an integral part of the band’s late 1960s success with such songs as And When I Die, You’ve Made Me So Very Happy and Spinning Wheel, died yesterday, June 24, at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto. He was 84.

His death was announced by his publicist, Eric Alper, to the CBC. No cause was stated but Alper noted that Clayton-Thomas died peacefully.

One of the most recognizable and distinctive vocalists of the classic rock era, Clayton-Thomas left an indelible mark on the musical landscape of the 1960s and ’70s. Much like the group Chicago, Clayton-Thomas’ American, horn-infused band Blood, Sweat and Tears combined elements rock, jazz, R&B and Big Band, taking the combination of sounds to the upper reaches of the record charts.

Born David Henry Thomsett in Kingston, England, on September 13, 1941, he and his family – including his father Fred, a Canadian serviceman who Clayton-Thomas later revealed to have been violently abusive – soon moved to the Willowdale section of Toronto.

Clayton-Thomas was already making waves in the local Toronto music scene when, in 1968, he joined the New York-based Blood, Sweat & Tears – sometimes known as BS&T – and quickly caught the attention of Columbia Records label boss Clive Davis (who died earlier this week). In his 1975 memoir Clive: Inside the Record Business, Davis wrote about Clayton-Thomas, “He was staggering — a powerfully built singer who exuded enormous earthy confidence. He jumped right out at you.”

The group’s second album, self-titled and the first with Clayton-Thomas, proved a phenomenal success upon its release in ’68. It spawned three hit singles (Laura Nyro’s “And When I Die”, the Motown-esque “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy” and Clayton-Thomas’ own “Spinning Wheel”) and won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1970.

The album also included the band’s popular rendition of the Billie Holiday standard “God Bless The Child.”

Following a stellar performance at the Woodstock festival in August of ’69 – the performance was recorded but not included in the original documentary film due to a disagreement with the band’s manager – the group released Blood, Sweat & Tears 3 in June 1970. Topping the album charts, the record included two hit singles: Carole King’s “Hi-De-Ho” and Clayton-Thomas’ “Lucretia MacEvil.”

Also in ’70, BS&T produced soundtrack music for The Owl and the Pussycat, the comedy starring Barbra Streisand and George Segal. The following year, the album BS&T 4 was released, this one containing the Clayton-Thomas-penned “Go Down Gamblin.'” Though selling enough to earn a Gold record, BS&T 4 did not enjoy the success or sales of the previous releases, and Clayton-Thomas left the group in 1972 for a solo career.

Possibly contributing to Clayton-Thomas’ decision to leave the band – although this is disputed by some – was the group’s decision to participate in a 1970 goodwill tour sponsored by the US State Department, a move unpopular with the band’s anti-war fan base. A 2023 documentary What the Hell Happened to Blood, Sweat & Tears? claimed that the band had been pressured by the State Department to participate in exchange for receiving a green card for Canadian Clayton-Thomas, who as a teenager had been arrested several times for petty crimes and spent time in reformatory.

After leaving BS&T, Clayton-Thomas issued his first, self-titled solo album in 1972, followed by a steady string of solo work throughout the decade. He occasionally reunited with BS&T for one-off projects, and, as a solo artist, continued recording and touring well into the 21st Century, sometimes with his own 10-piece band. He reportedly left New York, where he had long lived, to return to Toronto in 2004.

His most recent album release was 2019’s Say Somethin’, on the Antoinette label.

Although complete information on survivors was not immediately available, CBC notes they include daughters Ashleigh Clayton-Thomas and Christine Graham.

Alpert told the Canadian news organization that a memorial concert celebrating Clayton-Thomas’ career will be announced, with proceeds going to Peacebuilders Canada, a non-profit organization that helps young Canadians navigate the justice systems and integrate into society.

Ann Blyth obit

Ann Blyth Dead: Oscar-Nominated ‘Mildred Pierce’ Actress Was 98

 

She was not on the list.

Ann Blyth, the actress of Hollywood’s Golden Age whose breakout came in 1945’s Mildred Pierce, has died. She was 98.

The Academy Award nominee “died peacefully of natural causes” on Wednesday, according to KABC’s George Pennacchio, who noted her passing comes two months before her 99th birthday.

Born Aug. 16, 1927 in Mount Kisko, New York, Blyth began performing on children’s radio shows at age 6, before landing her first Broadway role in Lillian Hellman’s Watch on the Rhine in 1941. While touring with the show in Los Angeles, she landed a contract with Universal Studios.

Making her onscreen debut in the 1944 teen musical Chip Off the Old Block, Blyth gave her breakout performance in Mildred Pierce (1945) as Veda Pierce, the scheming daughter of Joan Crawford’s titular character. The role earned 16-year-old Blyth an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

Blyth went on to appear in such films as Killer McCoy (1947), Brute Force (1947), Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid (1948), Our Very Own (1950) and The Great Caruso (1951), as well as episodes of Wagon Train, The Twilight Zone, Quincy M.E. and Murder She Wrote.

On stage, she starred in shows like The King and I, The Sound of Music and Show Boat.

Blyth is survived by her five children, whom she shared with late husband Dr. James McNulty, as well as 10 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

 

Filmography

Film

Year     Title     Role     Notes

1944    Chip Off the Old Block          Glory Marlow III       

The Merry Monahans Sheila DeRoyce         

Babes on Swing Street            Carol Curtis    

Bowery to Broadway  Bessie Jo Kirby          

1945    Mildred Pierce Veda Pierce Forrester  Nominated - Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress

1946    Swell Guy       Marian Tyler  

1947    Brute Force     Ruth   

Killer McCoy  Sheila Carrson

1948    A Woman's Vengeance            Doris Mead     Alternative title: The Gioconda Smile

Another Part of the Forest       Regina Hubbard         

Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid            Lenore the Mermaid   

1949    Red Canyon    Lucy Bostel    

Top o' the Morning      Conn McNaughton    

Once More, My Darling         Marita Connell           

Free for All      Ann Abbott    

1950    Our Very Own Gail Macaulay

1951    Katie Did It     Katherine Standish     

The Great Caruso        Dorothy Park Benjamin         

Thunder on the Hill     Valerie Carns   Alternative title: Bonaventure

I'll Never Forget You  Helen Pettigrew / Martha Forsyth       Alternative titles: The House in the Square (USA)

Man of Two Worlds

The Golden Horde      Princess Shalimar        Alternative title: The Golden Horde of Genghis Khan

1952    The World in His Arms           Countess Marina Selanova    

Sally and Saint Anne  Sally O'Moyne           

One Minute to Zero    Mrs. Landa Day         

1953    All the Brothers Were Valiant Priscilla "Pris" Holt    

1954    Rose Marie      Rose Marie Lemaitre  

The Student Prince      Kathie Ruder  

1955    The King's Thief         Lady Mary     

Kismet Marsinah        

1957    Slander            Connie Martin

The Buster Keaton Story        Gloria Brent   

The Helen Morgan Story        Helen Morgan Alternative titles are Both Ends of the Candle and

Why Was I Born?

Vocals dubbed by Gogi Grant

Television

Year     Title     Role     Notes

1954    Lux Video Theatre      Angela Episode: "A Place in the Sun"

1958–1963      The Christophers                     2 episodes

1959    The DuPont Show with June Allyson Martha Episode: "Suspected"

1959–1963      Wagon Train    Nancy Winters / Eve Newhope / Clementine Jones / Martha Barham / Jenny / Phoebe Tannen            5 episodes

1960    The Citadel      Christine          Television movie

1962    The Dick Powell Show           Lizzie Hogan  Episode: "Savage Sunday"

1963    Saints and Sinners       Edith Berlitz    Episode: "The Year Joan Crawford Won the Oscar"

1964    The Twilight Zone      Pamela Morris / Constance Taylor     Episode: "Queen of the Nile"

1964–1965      Burke's Law    Deidre DeMara

Valerie 2 episodes

1965    Kraft Suspense Theatre           Lady Mei         Episode: "Jungle of Fear"

1969    The Name of the Game           Kay Martin      Episode: "Swingers Only"

1975    Switch Miriam Estabrook       Episode: "Mistresses, Murder and Millions"

1979–1983      Quincy, M.E.   Velma Whitehead

Dorothy Blake 2 episodes

1985    Murder, She Wrote      Francesca Lodge         Episode: "Reflections of the Mind" (final appearance)

Radio appearances

Year     Program           Episode/source

1948    Lux Radio Theatre      A Woman's Vengeance

1952    Family Theater            The Presentation

1952    Lux Radio Theatre      Top o' the Morning

1953    Family Theater            The Finding in the Temple