Passages

[Gregory]

Legendary reggae drummer Sly Dunbar, one half of Sly & Robbie with the late Robbie Shakespeare.

Also today the founding Parliament-Funkadelic bassist Billy Bass Nelson, 74

[dwk]

Sal Buscema

[Orlac]

Grandmaster Ji Han-Jae - https://cityonfire.com/ji-han-jae-marti ... way-at-89/

This month is 25 years since I became a kung fu cinema fan thanks to Game of Death...but the version I saw back then was missing Ji's scene (and Dan Inosanto's as well). Channel 4 in the UK screened a Cantonese version of the film, likely intended for Singapore, that was accidentally missing Ji's fight with Bruce Lee (in the Hong Kong version, it was moved from the end of the film to the middle) and then Channel 4 removed the fight between Bruce Lee and Inosanto due to the nunchaku!

[Gregory]

Bryan Loren, cowriter with Michael Jackson, of "Do the Bartman" has died at 59. That was hardly all he was known for, so here's a link to the main Wiki

[hearthesilence]

Also today the founding Parliament-Funkadelic bassist Billy Bass Nelson, 74

Although Billy is in very poor health, he has not yet passed away. Both his daughter as well as his sister have confirmed on social media that he is still alive, hence the update in that link.

[Gregory]

Also today the founding Parliament-Funkadelic bassist Billy Bass Nelson, 74

Although Billy is in very poor health, he has not yet passed away. Both his daughter as well as his sister have confirmed on social media that he is still alive, hence the update in that link.

Thanks for the update. Since that was technically a false alarm, I'll mention another musician who passed on the same day as Sly Dunbar, the pianist Richie Beirach. Always underrated, he was known for a long association with Dave Liebman, and I found that he brought a creative harmonic approach to his music.

[hearthesilence]

Also today the founding Parliament-Funkadelic bassist Billy Bass Nelson, 74

Although Billy is in very poor health, he has not yet passed away. Both his daughter as well as his sister have confirmed on social media that he is still alive, hence the update in that link.

Sadly confirmed, he has now passed.

[FrauBlucher]

Grady Demond Wilson... played Lamont in Sandord and Son

[Mr Sausage]

Catherine O'Hara discussion moved here.

[andyli]

Yōichi Higashi (Third Base, Village of Dreams, etc.) passed away on 21st Jan. Kazuhiko Hasegawa (The Man Who Stole the Sun, The Youth Killer, etc.) today. Both made some great films from the late seventies in Japan.

[hearthesilence]

From her social media account (she was very active online):

Christa Lang Fuller 1943-2026

She will be dearly missed and always remembered.

Thank you all for your support. She loved every one of you!

[The Elegant Dandy Fop]

When I was on Facebook over a decade ago, we'd message each other occasionally and she'd often comment on my posts. She seemed like a tremendously sweet woman who cared deeply about her husband and his legacy. She'll be deeply missed.

[fdm]

Chuck Negron

[hearthesilence]

Dave Gold of Gold Star Studios at 98 years old. Per an obituary on social media:

Dave was a genius with electronics, but he did his work quietly, behind the scenes, always with humility and an enormous heart. When I finally got to know him, I discovered he was one of the kindest people you could ever meet...

Gold Star Studios was an independent recording studio in Hollywood, California, founded in October 1950 by engineers David Gold and Stan Ross at 6252 Santa Monica Boulevard. It became a pivotal hub for innovative rock, pop, and rhythm-and-blues recordings until its closure in 1984, shortly before the building was destroyed by fire in March of that year.

In its early years, Gold Star Studios distinguished itself through custom-built recording equipment and echo chambers designed by founder Dave Gold. These innovations produced a warm, emotional sound that set the studio apart from the more clinical commercial facilities of the time.
Gold Star reached its peak during the 1960s, hosting some of the most influential producers and artists in popular music. Phil Spector developed his revolutionary Wall of Sound there, layering dense arrangements of instruments and vocals for iconic recordings by the Ronettes (“Be My Baby”), the Crystals (“Da Doo Ron Ron”), and the Righteous Brothers (“You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’”).

Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys also worked extensively at Gold Star, most notably on the groundbreaking 1966 album Pet Sounds. The studio’s echo chambers and inventive engineering enabled Wilson to pioneer techniques such as phasing and automatic double-tracking, reshaping the possibilities of studio production.

Other legendary artists recorded at Gold Star as well, including Ritchie Valens (“Donna”), Eddie Cochran (“Summertime Blues”), Sonny & Cher, Jimi Hendrix, Neil Young, and the Turtles. The studio also became closely associated with ABC-TV’s influential 1960s rock show Shindig!, further cementing its cultural impact. Many recordings made there have since been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

Although the original site was later redeveloped into a strip mall, Gold Star Studios’ legacy endures. Its innovations helped establish the recording studio itself as an instrument, a concept that continues to shape modern music production.

The next time you hear of of those songs on the radio or in a movie, think about Dave who helped create that sound...

[beamish14]

When I was on Facebook over a decade ago, we'd message each other occasionally and she'd often comment on my posts. She seemed like a tremendously sweet woman who cared deeply about her husband and his legacy. She'll be deeply missed.

I remember seeing her at the Aero during their Curtis Hanson tribute screening of L.A. Confidential. She seemed absolutely lovely

[hearthesilence]

Fred Smith, bassist of Television (and Blondie in an earlier incarnation) per social media.

[Gregory]

Hana Brejchová, star of Loves of a Blonde, back in April. (The linked obituary is in Czech — I couldn’t find one in English.)

And now her sister, Jana Brejchová, who appeared in The Fabulous Baron Munchausen and over 70 other films

Very sad news about Fred Smith. RIP

[captveg]

Sonny Jurgensen, Philadelphia/Washington Hall of Fame QB, 91

[Lemmy Caution]

A legend. Overshadowed by Bart Starr & Unitas, Jorgensen was a prolific gunner in a smashmouth ground game era. Well before my time. Sort of the Dan Fouts of his day. Crazy that Sonny played defense his first two years at Duke, became a receiver and dabbled at QB. I didn't know that. Wild. Too bad he couldn't watch one last Super Bowl before taking an eternal knee.

[MichaelB]

Legendary Czech actress Jana Brejchová, who's probably best known in the West for her appearances in Karel Zeman's The Fabulous Baron Munchausen, Evald Schorm's Return of the Prodigal Son and Everyday Courage, Václav Vorlíček's deranged You Are a Widow, Sir!—and much else besides.

She was also Miloš Forman's first wife, and was markedly more successful than he was throughout their brief marriage—although he stayed in touch with Brejchová after their divorce and indeed cast Brejchová's younger sister Hana in the title role of A Blonde in Love. And there's a nifty in-joke in Forman's debut Black Peter in which a song played during the lengthy dance sequence namechecks his ex-wife, an indication of just how much she'd already become embedded in Czech popular culture.

[Jean-Luc Garbo]

Fred Smith, bassist of Television (and Blondie in an earlier incarnation) per social media.

Never knew he worked with Holly Beth Vincent either.

[CSM126]

Brad Arnold, lead singer of 3 Doors Down.

[hearthesilence]

Fred Smith, bassist of Television (and Blondie in an earlier incarnation) per social media.

Never knew he worked with Holly Beth Vincent either.

Appreciation from Ty Burr.

[therewillbeblus]

James Van Der Beek

[beamish14]

James Van Der Beek

Was really wonderful in the underrated gem Angus (1995) and as “himself” in Don’t Trust the Bitch in Apt. 23. Had so much to give, but Hollywood never really maximized his potential. I remember the very badly received, John Milius co-written Texas Rangers seemed to curb his feature film potential