Archive: December 2008
Listen to Hubbard's 'Red Clay'
Freddie Hubbard, an influential Grammy-winning trumpet player, died Dec. 29. Read more of Hubbard's obituary here. Hubbard had a series of popular albums in the 1970s, including "Red Clay." Listen to this 10 minute YouTube clip of the 1970 jazz classic....
By Washington Post Editors | December 31, 2008; 8:53 AM ET | Comments (1)
VIDEO: WWII Pilot Shares Personal Account of War
World War II fighter pilot Quentin C. Aanenson, who died of cancer Dec. 28, fought an incredibly dangerous war. Ninety of the 125 pilots in his 366th Fighter Group died. Of the 20 pilots who had trained with him, 15 were dead or missing and two wounded within the first...
By Mike McPhate | December 30, 2008; 1:00 PM ET | Comments (0)
Notable deaths of 2008
We're not doing a notable deaths of the Washington area in 2008 (I was the only one here interested in doing it, and to do it properly it should be a communal effort). So readers will be missing some significant local people, but the LA Times has a nice retrospective...
By Patricia Sullivan | December 29, 2008; 11:19 AM ET | Comments (0)
Harold and Eartha
It's hard to conceive of two cultural figures more opposite than the two who appear on today's obituary pages: Harold Pinter and Eartha Kitt. Pinter, of course, was the playwright of undefined terror and gloom, a Nobel Prize-winning writer who used his Nobel acceptance speech in 2005 to denounce the...
By Matt Schudel | December 26, 2008; 1:05 PM ET | Comments (0)
Swooning Santa
Eartha Kitt, a singer, dancer and actress died on Dec. 25 from colon cancer. For a full obituary, read today's story and appreciation. Kitt scored a series of sultry-voiced hits, including "Santa Baby." Compare this black-and-white YouTube video of the Christmas tune with a 2006 video below to see why...
By Washington Post Editors | December 26, 2008; 8:54 AM ET | Comments (0)
The Voice of Nixon
The death of Mark Felt, aka Deep Throat, last week, took me to a website that has both audio and transcribed recordings from Richard M. Nixon's presidential office. No matter how often I've read these words, hearing the actual voices of H.R. Haldeman and Nixon still chills. "We know what's...
By Patricia Sullivan | December 22, 2008; 11:39 AM ET | Comments (0)
Baugh of the Movies
The football great Sammy Baugh has died. His enormous skill on the gridiron and his all-American good looks made him a national name while playing with the Washington Redskins starting in the late 1930s. Hollywood saw potential and cast the Texas native in a cheapie Western serial at the start...
By Adam Bernstein | December 18, 2008; 11:53 AM ET | Comments (1)
Remembering Sammy Baugh
Chat with obit writer Joe Holley at noon Eastern. Slingin' Sammy Baugh, 94, a record-setting passer, punter and defensive back who led the Washington Redskins to two NFL championships in 16 seasons with the team and whose wide-open style of play helped usher professional football into the modern era, died...
By Patricia Sullivan | December 18, 2008; 10:52 AM ET | Comments (0)
Adam Walsh Murder Case Solved
A serial killer who died more than a decade ago is the culprit who abducted and killed a 6-year-old boy in 1981, police in Florida said Tuesday. The boy, Adam Walsh, became the rallying cry for a movement that demanded authorities get serious about missing and exploited children. It's hard...
By Patricia Sullivan | December 16, 2008; 4:25 PM ET | Comments (0)
Diehard Fans
"They're gonna drive me to an early grave!" sports fanatics have been known to lament, shaking their heads over their favorite team's ineptitude. (No, this is not a blog about the Redskins). Now, whether early or late, baseball fans have an opportunity to take a little bit of their...
By Joe Holley | December 15, 2008; 11:52 AM ET | Comments (0)
Van Johnson, Lucille Ball and Bobby-Soxers
Hollywood idol Van Johnson, known for his wholesome good looks and roles in "The Caine Mutiny" and other movies, died today at 92. We've got a full obituary live on the site now. If you'd like to see him in action, there are some options on YouTube. There's one dancing...
By Washington Post Editors | December 12, 2008; 2:51 PM ET | Comments (2)
'After All, I Don't Believe God Disapproves of Nudity'
Legendary pinup model Bettie Page died yesterday in Los Angeles. A televised interview with Page conducted by Tim Estiloz has been posted on YouTube....
By Washington Post Editors | December 12, 2008; 12:48 PM ET | Comments (0)
Actor Robert Prosky Dies
Robert Prosky, 77, a supporting actor with hundreds of film, TV and stage credits, and whose roles included an avuncular sergeant on the NBC police drama "Hill Street Blues" and a desperate real estate salesman in David Mamet's play "Glengarry Glen Ross," died Dec. 8 at Washington Hospital Center....
By Patricia Sullivan | December 9, 2008; 3:38 PM ET | Comments (5)
'The Soundtrack for the Civil Rights Movement'
Odetta, 77, known for her singing during the 1950s and 1960s -- and for her role in the civil rights movement -- died yesterday in New York. The Post has an obituary online that details her life and times. Video of her performing some of her better-known songs is available...
By Washington Post Editors | December 3, 2008; 5:00 PM ET | Comments (1)
One Nation Under God
A couple of days ago, I wrote an obituary of George M. Docherty, the former pastor of the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington. Rev. Docherty was a Scotsman who came to Washington in 1950 to become the minister at what is still known as "Lincoln's church" -- since...
By Matt Schudel | December 2, 2008; 5:58 PM ET | Comments (2)
