RIP thread

[steve40]

.r.i.p. jon lord keyboard player from deep purple

[exfarmer]

English rocker Jon Lord, who founded Deep Purple and co-wrote their most famous song, Smoke On The Water, has died aged 71.

The Leicester-born keyboard player, who had pancreatic cancer, died in London today.

A statement on his website said he had passed "from Darkness to Light".

The statement said Lord was "surrounded by his loving family" when he died.

Last year, Lord told fans he was "fighting cancer and will therefore be taking a break from performing while getting the treatment and cure".

In a message on his website dated August 9, 2011, he added: "I shall of course be continuing to write music - in my world it just has to be part of the therapy - and I fully expect to be back in good shape next year."

Lord started playing the piano in his family home and took classical music lessons before turning to jazz and rock 'n' roll.

He moved to London at 19 to go to drama school, but was soon playing piano in pubs and bars and in 1964 joined cult blues band the Artwoods - formed by Ronnie Wood's brother Art.

The band were critical favourites but never translated that into commercial success and split up.

Lord then went on tour with manufactured psychedelic pop combo The Flowerpot Men, who had scored a hit with Let's Go To San Francisco, before joining Deep Purple in 1968.

[Oswald]

Veteran newsreader Sir Alastair Burnet, best known for fronting ITV's News At Ten, has died aged 84.



In a statement, his family said he died at a nursing home in London, where he was being cared for after suffering several strokes.

The broadcaster presented his last news bulletin in August 1991, after retiring at the age of 63.

Close friend Andrew Neil called him "one of the greatest journalists of his generation".

"He will also always be recalled by family, friends and colleagues for his unparalleled professionalism, humour and gentlemanly kindness, especially to journalists starting out on their careers," fellow jourrnalist Neil said in tribute.

"Joy it was to be in his company and he was an inspiration to many who followed in his footsteps - the broadcasters' broadcaster."

Sir Alastair also had a distinguished career as a print journalist, editing publications such as The Economist and The Daily Express.

He joined ITN in 1963 as its political editor, before switching to newsreading four years later.

Although remembered for his ITV work during the early and later stages of his career, he spent a short period at the BBC working on Panorama and fronted two general election programmes in 1974.

ITV News presenter Alistair Stewart said "Professionally, I owe Alastair everything. He was my friend and mentor - he was everything I ever aspired to be.

"Intellectually a giant and yet the kindest and most generous of men; he had an encyclopaedic knowledge of politics and yet a passionate and detailed grasp of the ins and outs of soccer."

John Hardie, chief executive of ITN, paid tribute to the broadcaster: "ITN stands on the shoulders of giants, none greater than Sir Alastair Burnet.

"He defined newscasting for a generation and his influence is still clearly evident today. He set the bar to a standard that has never been surpassed, and perhaps not even equalled.

"Sir Alastair will be sorely missed by many here at ITN, but his legacy lives on."

Helen Boaden, director of BBC News, praised his "energy and drive" as unique.

"He was one of the great voices of television journalism and we at the BBC always admired his authority and presence," she added.

[Greenman]

Rather shocking this, beautiful Welsh actress Angharad Rees, who once starred in historical series POLDARK has died of pancreatic cancer aged 63. Full story and pic here.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18940018

[astbury04]

RIP Angharad

BBC report

[0162baldeagle]

RIP Angharad


Sad loss - condolences to her family

[themidlander]

Stage and screen actor Simon Ward's death just reported on the BBC

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-18947130

Turning into a sad day for the English theatre

[taffy2]

I've just had a phone call about this, totally gutting. It won't mean much outside of the world of Rugby (unfortunately) but Dr Jack Matthews has died:-



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Matthews



Tributes have been paid to the former Wales and Lions rugby international Dr Jack Matthews, who has died at the age of 92.

Huw Davies, a family friend, called him an "amazing all-round package".

The player - who was widely known as Dr Jack - was made an OBE in 2001, played 17 times for Wales and skippered the side against France in Paris in 1951.

He was part of a legendary Welsh midfield partnership alongside Bleddyn Williams.


Dr Jack Matthews partnered Bleddyn Williams at centre for Wales
The former Newport and Cardiff star was also a doctor on the 1980 Lions tour of South Africa.

Mr Davies, the coach at the Cardiff Medicals' Rugby Club, said: "He was a formidable presence right up until his late 80s, he was such a strong man, such a strong personality," he said.

"We were obviously very proud to have Dr Jack as one of our own."

Mr Davies said the club was very fortunate that Dr Matthews and his team-mate Bleddyn Williams often attended club functions.

"They were a great double act," he said.

"It was inspirational, really, for the modern students to sit in the company of two of our really, truly great players."

“Sadly, won't see their like again. Not only was Jack revered in Wales, but in world rugby” Dennis Gethin, WRU President.


Sports journalist Peter Jackson told BBC Wales: "Jack was an avid newspaper reader and would ring up and we would have discussions about the match that had just taken place.

'Wonderful education'
"It was a wonderful education for me and I got to know him fairly well."

Mr Jackson said it was fascinating to discover that he fought world heavyweight boxing champion Rocky Marciano - "the greatest slugger in the history of boxing".

"I stumbled across this when I went to see him to do some research for a book. I knew that he was involved in boxing - he had been a medical adviser for the Welsh area for the British Board of Boxing Control," he said.

Marciano was stationed with the US Army in RAF St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan, in March 1943.

Dr Matthews was there, too, as a member of Royal Army Medical Corp and the pair fought three rounds.

"I said, 'What happened?' And he said, well, there were no knock-downs and I was still there at the end of three rounds and he said in those days it was boxing for the fun of it and if you were both there standing on your feet it was given as a draw," Mr Jackson said.

Dr Matthews later told Mr Jackson if he had known who Marciano was to become, he would have been "slightly more apprehensive".


The president of the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU), Dennis Gethin, said Matthews was "an absolutely fabulous character".

"It was a privilege and honour to have known him so well," he said.

"And to be in his company, and Bleddyn Williams, talking about old times".

[jerquer]

Sally Ride, the first American woman to fly in space, died Monday after a 17-month battle with pancreatic cancer, her company said. She was 61.

"Sally lived her life to the fullest, with boundless energy, curiosity, intelligence, passion, commitment and love. Her integrity was absolute; her spirit was immeasurable; her approach to life was fearless," read a statement on the website of Sally Ride Science, a company she started to help teach students -- particularly young women and girls -- about science, math and technology.

Ride flew into orbit aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger in 1983 to become America's first woman in space. She took a second trip aboard the same shuttle one year later.

The first woman in space was Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova, who orbited the Earth 48 times in 1963.

"As the first American woman to travel into space, Sally was a national hero and a powerful role model," President Barack Obama said soon after news of her death broke. "She inspired generations of young girls to reach for the stars and later fought tirelessly to help them get there by advocating for a greater focus on science and math in our schools. Sally's life showed us that there are no limits to what we can achieve, and I have no doubt that her legacy will endure for years to come."

A Los Angeles native, Ride attended Stanford University, where she earned four degrees, including a doctorate in physics, according to NASA. She joined the agency as part of the class of 1978, the first to include women. Ride responded to an ad in the Stanford student newspaper and was selected from some 8,000 applicants.

She was assigned to a third flight, but that was scratched after the Challenger exploded shortly after lift-off in 1986, claiming the lives of seven crew members on board. Ride helped investigate that accident and later that of Space Shuttle Columbia, becoming the only person to serve on the commissions investigating both accidents. In 2003, the Columbia disintegrated during re-entry into the atmosphere, killing all seven crew members.

She served as a special assistant to the NASA administrator for long-range and strategic planning and was the first director of NASA's Office of Exploration, according to her company.

After leaving the agency, Ride joined the faculty at the University of California, San Diego, where she was a professor of physics and director of the California Space Institute. She was also the author of several books.
During a 2008 interview with CNN, Ride recalled what it felt like to look back on Earth, saying the view gave her a new perspective.

"You can't get it just standing on the ground, with your feet firmly planted on Earth. You can only get it from space, and it's just remarkable how beautiful our planet is and how fragile it looks," she said.

Ride is survived by her partner of 27 years, Tam O'Shaughnessy, her mother, her sister and other family members.

"Sally Ride broke barriers with grace and professionalism -- and literally changed the face of America's space program," said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. "The nation has lost one of its finest leaders, teachers and explorers. Our thoughts and prayers are with Sally's family and the many she inspired. She will be missed, but her star will always shine brightly."

[Sirch]

I grew up watching her fly into space. She was a great ambassador for NASA, women and mankind in general. RIP.