I’m not a theater guy, so I wasn’t familiar with the phrase “The Designated Mourner,” which I have been seeing a lot lately. I just saw it used as a headline for a political article at the New York Review Of Books, but which was most famously the title of a play by Wallace Shawn, a writer who’s probably better known these days as a character actor. (“Inconceivable!”) Without getting too heavy about it, “The Designated Mourner” is a title I can relate to, in my personal life — for some reason I’ve survived [all sorts of insane stuff I probably should not have survived; stay tuned for my inevitable memoir] while burying so many people near and dear to me, particularly over the last decade. For me it’s somehow easier to show emotion when it comes to the loss of people like these who (for the most part) I’ve never met. For some reason I struggle to show people my affection while they’re here, while they’re close. This post isn’t and shouldn’t be about me, but I say all of the above in the hopes of connecting with any who can relate. Sometimes the only way to carry the weight of loss is to hold it in and soldier forth. And so even here at Daily Grindhouse, I’m the Designated Mourner. I started doing this tribute post at the end of every year, because otherwise it wouldn’t get done — it’s a ton of work, believe it or not! — but mostly, because it’s important.

 

It’s important to remember people. It’s important to remember their contributions. It’s important to appreciate what they gave us. It’s also important to take inspiration from their example. Get out there and create. Get out there and make your mark. Not everyone will make the planet rattle, very few get the worldwide remembrances they deserve, but every life has value, no matter how famous, no matter how anonymous.

 

Daily Grindhouse exists to recognize creativity that might otherwise get overlooked. It’s our hope that this tribute includes the kind of names that might get cut for time in the award-show montages. As always, if you’re looking for a face we somehow missed, please let us know immediately and we will happily add them. The idea here is inclusion. The goal here is admiration. For the full effect, hit ‘play’ on that video link above, a song from one of the talents remembered below, and give a moment to think about the human beings here who gave a little of themselves and in so doing, with no exaggeration at all, became part of our souls.

 

 

JULIE ADAMS

American Icon

 

 

 

JAVIER AGUIRRE

Spanish Film Director

 

 

DANNY AIELLO

Legendary Character Actor

 

GERRY ALANGUILAN

Filipino Comic-Book Artist

 

CHELO ALONSO

Cuban Actress (RUN MAN RUN)

 

 

BIBI ANDERSSON

Swedish Film Legend

 

RENÉ AUBERJONOIS

American Actor

 

CLAUDINE AUGER

French Actress

 

GINGER BAKER

Drummer

 

FÁBIO BARRETO

Brazilian Filmmaker

 

MARÍA BAXA

Italian-Genre-Film Star

 

 

MAURICE BÉNICHOU

French Actor

 

PAUL BENJAMIN

American Actor (FRIDAY FOSTER)

 

DAVID BERMAN

Musician

 

 

SUSAN BERNARD

Actress & Model

 

VERNA BLOOM

American Actress (HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER)

 

 

CHUY BRAVO

Mexican-American TV Star

 

 

JOHN BRILEY

Screenwriter

 

 

TONY BRITTON

English Actor

 

ALISTAIR BROWNING

New Zealand Actor

 

 

BILL BUCKNER

First-Baseman & Left-Fielder

 

 

JOHN CARL BUECHLER

Effects Legend

 

KING KONG BUNDY

Pro Wrestler

 

 

 

CARMINE CARIDI

Actor

 

 

DIAHANN CARROLL

American Actress, Singer, Model, and Activist

 

SEYMOUR CASSEL

Screen Legend

 

 

MAMA CAX

Model

 

 

PALOMA CELA

Spanish Actress & Model

 

CAROL CHANNING

American Comedian

 

 

CHENG SIHAN

Chinese Actor

 

 

LARRY COHEN

Writer, Producer, Director, and Legend

 

ERNIE COLÓN

Puerto Rican Comic-Book Artist

 

TIM CONWAY

American Comedian

 

 

HOWARD CRUSE

American Comics Artist & Pioneer

 

 

DICK DALE

Surf-Rock Legend

 

 

PAUL DARROW

English actor

 

 

RAM DASS

Spiritual Teacher & Author

 

 

 

DORIS DAY

American Actress, Singer, and Animal Welfare Activist

 

 

 

STANLEY DONEN

American Film Director & Choreographer

 

 

BILLY DRAGO

American Character Actor 

 

 

 

BOB EINSTEIN

American Comedian

ROKY ERICKSON

American Singer-Songwriter

ROBERT EVANS

Producer

JESSIE LAWRENCE FERGUSON

American Actor (PRINCE OF DARKNESS)

ALBERT FINNEY

English Acting Legend

KEITH FLINT

Prodigy Frontman

 

 

 

PETER FONDA

Hollywood Legend & Counter-Culture Icon

 

 

D. C. FONTANA

TV Writer

 

 

ROBERT FORSTER

American Working Actor & Genre Icon

 

DAVID FOSTER

Movie Producer (THE THING)

 

 

 

JAMES FRAWLEY

American Director (THE MUPPET MOVIE)

 

 

 

ROBERT FREEMAN

English Photographer

 

 

 

ERNEST J. GAINES

American Author 

 

 

EDDIE GARCIA

Filipino Actor & Director

LEONARD GOLDBERG

TV Producer (Charlie’s Angels)

SID HAIG

Armenian-American Legend Of Genre Film

 

 

VALERIE HARPER
American TV Actress

 

 

SUSAN HARRISON

American Actress

 

 

 

RUTGER HAUER

Dutch Actor, Writer, Environmentalist, and Legend Of Genre Film

 

 

 

KATHERINE HELMOND

American Film, Theater, & TV Actress

 

 

 

JERRY HERMAN

American Composer & Lyricist

 

 

 

AZUCENA HERNÁNDEZ

Spanish Actress

 

 

 

JAMES D. HUDNALL

Comic-Book Writer

 

 

NIPSEY HUSSLE

Los Angeles Hip-Hop Star

 

 

 

 

VOJTECH JASNÝ

Czech Film Director

 

 

JESSICA JAYMES

Adult Film Star

 

 

 

 

LARRY “FLASH” JENKINS

American Actor

 

 

DR. JOHN

Legendary New Orleans Singer & Songwriter

 

 

DANIEL JOHNSTON

American Singer-Songwriter & Visual Artist

 

 

 

EDDIE JONES

American Actor

 

 

 

 

ANNA KARINA

Legend of the French New-Wave

 

 

BARRIE KEEFE

Screenwriter (THE LONG GOOD FRIDAY)

 

 

YILDIZ KENTER

Turkish Actress & UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador

 

 

 

KAZUO KOIKE

Japanese Writer & Creator of Manga

 

 

 

PAUL KOSLO

Canadian Character Actor

 

MACHIKO KYU

Japanese Actress (RASHOMON)

 

 

 

MARIE LAFORÊT

French Singer & Actress

 

 

RINGO LAM

Hong Kong Film Director

 

 

 

BATTON LASH

American Cartoonist

 

 

MAURY LAWS

American TV & Film Composer

 

 

RON LEIBMAN

American Actor

 

 

 

MICHEL LEGRAND

French Composer

 

 

 

 

 

VIRGINIA LEITH

American Film Actress (THE BRAIN THAT WOULDN’T DIE)

 

 

PEGGY LIPTON

TV Icon

 

WILLIAM LUCE

Playwright

 

 

TOM LYLE

American Comic-Book Artist

 

 

CAROL LYNLEY 

American Actress (BUNNY LAKE IS MISSING)

 

 

SUE LYON

American Actress

 

 

BILL MACY

American TV Actor

 

 

J. MAHENDRAN

Indian Film Director

 

 

ARTHUR MARKS

Writer, Producer, and Director (FRIDAY FOSTER)

 

DAVE MARSHALL

Outfielder

 

 

 

MARDIK MARTIN

Screenwriter

 

 

ASHLEY MASSARO

American Professional Wrestler

 

 

PETER MAYHEW

British Actor & Sci-Fi Icon

 

 

SEAN McCANN

Canadian Actor

 

 

VONDA N. McINTYRE

American Science-Fiction Author

 

 

BRONCO McLOUGHLIN

Irish Stuntman

 

SYD MEAD

American Concept Artist

 

JONAS MEKAS

Lithuanian-Born Filmmaker

 

 

 

LEE MENDELSON

TV Producer (Peanuts)

 

DICK MILLER

That Guy

 

 

CRAZY MOHAN

Indian Comedian & Playwright

 

 

EDDIE MONEY

American Rock Star

 

LOUISA MORITZ

Cuban-American Actress (ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST)

 

 

TONI MORRISON

American Author

 

 

MOU TUN-FEI

Chinese Filmmaker (MEN BEHIND THE SUN)

 

 

JOHN LLEWELLYN MOXEY

British Director (THE CITY OF THE DEAD)

 

 

 

SYLVIA MILES

American Actress

 

 

 

 

 

KEN NORDINE

American Recording Artist

 

 

TERRY O’NEILL

British Photographer

 

 

RIC OCASEK
Rock Star

 

“MEAN” GENE OKERLUND

TV Host & Announcer

 

 

VAUGHAN OLIVER

British Graphic Designer

 

 

LAWRENCE G. PAULL

Production Designer

 

 

I.M. PEI
Architect

 

PENG XIAOLIAN

Chinese Filmmaker

 

 

D.A. PENNEBAKER

Documentary Filmmaker

 

 

 

MARIA PEREGO

Italian Animator & Creator Of Topo Gigio

 

 

LUKE PERRY

American Actor

 

 

JOE PILATO

Cult Legend

 

 

SUZAN PITT

American Painter & Film Animator

 

MICHAEL J. POLLARD

American Actor

 

ANDRÉ PREVIN

German-American Pianist & Film Composer

 

 

 

HAL PRINCE

Theater Director & Producer

 

 

CHRIS RECCARDI

Animator

 

 

 

ALVIN SARGENT

Screenwriter

 

 

BILL SCHELLY

Comics Journalist

 

 

EDITH SCOB

French Film Actress (EYES WITHOUT A FACE)

 

ELIZABETH SELLARS

Scottish Film Actress

 

 

NARCISO “CHICHO” IBÁÑEZ SERRADOR

Spanish Film Director

 

 

JACK SHELDON

American Jazz Trumpeter, Actor, Just A Bill

 

 

JOHN SINGLETON

Filmmaker, Trailblazer

 

 

SHAWN SMITH

American Singer

 

 

 

CAROLL SPINNEY

American Puppeteer & Voice Actor

 

TOM SPURGEON

Comics Journalist

 

 

JOAN STALEY

American Actress & Model

 

 

WILLIAM STEPHENSON

New York Comedian

 

MEL STOTTLEMYRE

New York Baseball Legend

 

 

TADAO TAKASHIMA

Japanese Actor & Jazz Musician

 

 

CHARLES ELMER “RIP” TAYLOR JR.

American TV Personality

 

JOSÉ TERRÓN

Spanish Actor (THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY)

 

 

SCOTT TIMBERG

American Journalist

 

RIP TORN

American Actor & Legend

 

NICK TOSCHES

American Journalist, Novelist, Biographer, and Poet

 

PIERO TOSI

Italian Costume Director (THE LEOPARD)

 

 

 

 

TATSUO UMEMIYA

Japanese Actor

 

AGNÈS VARDA

Belgian-Born Filmmaking Icon

 

VINNY VELLA

American Actor

 

 

 

JAN-MICHAEL VINCENT

American Actor

 

 

CLEMENT von FRANCKENSTEIN

English Actor

 

 

ROBERT WALKER Jr.

American Actor

 

 

SCOTT WALKER

Singer-Songwriter, Composer & Record Producer

 

 

MARTIN WEST

American Actor (ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13)

 

 

 

 

GAHAN WILSON

American Cartoonist

 

JOHN WITHERSPOON

Comedian

 

 

WILLIAM D. WITTLIFF

Writer

 

 

GENE WOLFE

Author

 

 

Lonny “PHASE 2” Wood

Graffiti Artist

 

 

 

MORGAN WOODWARD

American Actor

 

 

MAX WRIGHT

TV Actor

 

 

Juice WRLD

Chicago Hip-Hop Star

 

 

 

S. PIERRE YAMEOGO

Burkinabé Filmmaker

 

FRANCO ZEFFIRELLI

Italian Filmmaker

 

 

Our condolences to the friends and families of these talented people, with love.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Tags: Julie Adams, Tributes