Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on May 26th, 2020

The Doobie Brothers have rescheduled their special 50th anniversary 2020 North American reunion tour for the summer of 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Kicking off on July 21, 2021 in West Palm Beach, Fla., the tour will mark the first time founding members Tom Johnston, Pat Simmons, John McFee and later member Michael McDonald have toured together in nearly a quarter century. Originally a 53-date tour, seven dates from the 2020 schedule (Mount Pleasant, MI, Sioux City, IA, Boise, ID, Albuquerque, NM, Little Rock, AR, Bossier City, LA, and Memphis, TN) were forced to be canceled "due to scheduling conflicts," according to a statement from the band. The statement, which said the tour was being rescheduled "with the health and safety of The Doobie Brothers' fans, crew and local employees in mind," also encourages fans to hold on to their tickets, which will be valid for new dates although refunds are being offered. - Billboard, 5/26/20...... Queen guitarist Brian May posted a video to Instagram on May 24 detailing the "saga" of events leading up to his recent "near death" heart attack, including a recent gardening accident that injured his buttock muscle. May says he was experiencing excruciating pain following the gardening incident, which he initially blamed on shredding his gluteus maximus. But an MRI of his lower spine revealed that May actually had a compressed sciatic nerve. During the process of treating his pain and torn muscle, May discovered that he had a "small heart attack." "I thought I was a very healthy guy. But I turned out to have three arteries that were congested and in danger of blocking the supply of blood to my heart," the 72-year-old musician said in the clip. May added that three stents were successfully put in after his doctor drove him to the hospital. "I walked out with a heart that's very strong now. I was very near death because of this," he noted, also recommending those in their "autumn years... get their heart checked from time to time." - Billboard, 5/25/20...... A Facebook page devoted to late rock & roll legend Little Richard has announced that a statue in his honor is expected to be installed outside his childhood home in Macon, Ga. The Little Richard House Resource Center Facebook page announced the tribute during a live Zoom meeting, which is being funded by Friends of the Little Richard House and the Community Foundation of Central Georgia. "Little Richard's contribution to music as a whole, to all the genres of music, was monumental and very instrumental in a lot of people's careers," said Friends of the Little Richard House board member Antonio Williams. Georgia State Rep. James Beverly said the fund will also be used to support organizations that provide music education to low to moderate-income students across Bibb County and Middle Georgia. The goal is to have the statue erected by Dec. 5, which would have been Little Richard's 88th birthday, and Macon Mayor Robert Reichert will proclaim that date as "Little Richard Penniman Day." Little Richard, also known as Richard Wayne Penniman, died of complications from bone cancer on May 9 in Nashville at the age of 87. Meanwhile, Little Richard's music has entered multiple Billboard song and album charts following his death. His catalog earned 7.1 million on-demand U.S. streams in the tracking week running May 8-14, a leap of 879%, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data. Additionally, downloads of his music jumped 2,271% to 14,000 sales, and his album catalog moved 4,000 in album sales, up 3,885%. - AP/Billboard, 5/26/20...... In a new interview with CNBC, ABBA's Bjorn Ulvaeus revealed that the Swedish supergroup will be releasing new music sometime later in 2020. Asked when fans could expect some new music, the producer-songwriter replied: "I think sometime this year. Yes, I think so." A new song titled "I Still Have Faith In You' was due to premiere on the BBC in December 2018, then followed up with the release of another new song, "Don't Shut Me Down," but so far neither has surfaced. It is unclear as to whether the new music Ulvaeus has mentioned includes these songs. In February, his bandmate Benny Andersson also said the quartet were hoping to release some new music in 2020, "I'm guessing after the summer." Ulvaeus also said that the "feeling between us was extraordinary" when he entered the studio with the band after 35 years. "It took half a minute and somehow we were back in time like we had been there yesterday as well. It was so strange," he said. - New Musical Express, 5/23/20...... In an interview with the Associated Press, the Who's Roger Daltrey said he worries that the coronavirus pandemic will have a devastating effect on a special group of people in need -- teens with cancer. "(The pandemic is) devastating for them because every treatment that they have for cancer compromises their immune system," said Daltrey, who along with bandmate Pete Townshend started the Teen Cancer America foundation in 2012 to deal with the specific needs of teenage cancer patients. TCA has funded specialized hospital wings and services for teens and their families, but with venues closed and touring postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the organization faces a potential shortfall in donations heading into June, which is National Cancer Survivors Month. "We pay for that space in the hospital. We equip it. We maintain it. And we provide specialist nursing. That's what we do," Daltrey says of TCA. "And you have to remember that a lot of these youngsters who get cancer don't live near a big city. They might be miles out in the sticks. So we are starting outreach programs where we send specialized nursing, setting up web links so that they can link patients up," he added. Asked about streaming possibly making up the loss of revenue from live performances, Daltrey says "there's no money" in streaming. "Ask any musician, man. The only ones making money are the streaming companies. You can have a billion streams and you'll get paid $5,000. Oh, man. It's cruel. It's crucifying. I don't know whether it would work for us, though. I mean, that music's very different," he said. The 76-year-old musician added that he has been "singing for myself just to keep my voice up" during the Who's downtime. "I don't want to go back and be half as good as I was last year. I want to be as good as I was last year because the Who was better than ever last year... But I'm going to continue. I don't know what else I would do, man," he said. - AP, 5/22/20...... Paul McCartney posted a series of Twitter posts on May 21 paying tribute to Beatles photographer Astrid Kirchherr, who died earlier in May at age 81 of as yet undisclosed causes. "Very sad news this week about Astrid Kirchherr," McCartney began. "Astrid was a dear friend from my Hamburg days with The Beatles. Another friend, Klaus Voormann, told me she had passed away and this brought back memories of our days in the clubs in Hamburg. She had a great sense of humour and later went on to marry Stuart (Sutcliffe) our bass player. I have so many fond memories of our time together in the club or her home or a trip to the nearby seaside resort, Lubeck. So sad for all of us who were her friends to lose such a lovely lady from our lives. I will miss her but will always remember her and her cheeky grin with great fondness. God bless you Astrid, see ya love!," McCartney added in his posts. Kirchherr, who was known for taking the first ever photo of the then-quintet in her native Hamburg, Germany in the early 1960s and helping to shape their trend-setting style before they shot to international superstardom, passed away on May 13, days before turning 82. - Music-News.com, 5/22/20...... Foreigner premiered a new performance of their 1984 power ballad "I Want To Know What Love Is" on YouTube on May 22 to celebrate the release of Netflix's new rom-com The Lovebirds. In the clip, Foreigner performs the song via Zoom, after being inspired by its use in the Michael Showalter-directed film's trailer. "I want to know what the lovebirds are doin' on Netflix. Check it out," current Foreigner frontman Kelly Hansen quips before launching into the track's first verse. "I want to know what love is/ I want you to show me/ I want to feel what love is/ I know you can show me," the band mates sing on the chorus, interspersed with clips from the movie. Starring Kumail Nanjiani and Issa Rae, The Lovebirds tells the story of a couple's magical first date, which takes a hilariously dark left turn after they accidentally witness a murder and get framed for the crime. Originally slated to premiere at South By Southwest this spring, the film's theatrical release was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, and is instead available on Netflix starting May 22. - Billboard, 5/22/20...... Cher celebrated her 74th birthday on May 20 with a socially distanced surprise party outside. Cher revealed details of her big day as she responded to a fan who tweeted her a picture of the chocolate cake she had made for the star's birthday. In her usual capital letters, Cher replied on Twitter that she'd been thrown a surprise party by her nearest and dearest, explaining: "We were outside, masks, gloves and social distancing. Hardest part, social distancing, not easy! Being outside helped." Cher added that there were 10 people present for the celebration, and concluded: "There was cake. Hope we did it right. It's not easy. A million things you're used to doing that you can't do." Cher also tweeted her gratitude to her legion of Twitter followers who inundated her with birthday messages. Calling her followers "the best", Cher added: "I can't believe I'm 'so' old and 'still crazy after all these years'. I can't find words to thank you for all you've (done) for me." - Music-News.com, 5/21/20...... A UK postman and rabid KISS fan on the Isle Of Sheppey who has been dressing up as KISS frontman Gene Simmons on his delivery rounds to boost morale during the coronavirus lockdown has drawn attention from Simmons himself. "Gary Underdown is keeping spirits up in the UK by delivering the mail as The Demon Gene Simmons during quarantine, KISS posted on their Twitter feed. "We love it!" Simmons simply responded, "Wow." According to a local paper, Underdown has dressed up as Simmons for at least four shifts. He told the paper: "I have been a KISS fan since I came out of the womb, revealing that he first donned Simmons'makeup around a month ago and "got a good reaction." "You get a few who are like, "Oh my God, that's fantastic,' and some people have been asking for a picture and I thought I would try and get everyone's mood up. Everyone's a bit down in the dumps with what's going on -- it just lifted them up again," he says. However Underdown says he nixed the idea of also wearing the band's iconic heavy footwear while on shift. "I couldn't walk 10 miles in the Destroyer boots -- but I have got a pair." - New Musical Express, 5/23/20...... Neil Young has shared a special performance of the title track from Homegrown, his long-unreleased 1975 album, during the fifth episode of his Fireside Sessions series from his Telluride, Col., home. Singing to an audience that included a handful of chickens and a mallard, the latest instalment of the 74-year-old's live-streamed series featured renditions of "Tumbleweed," "Harvest," "Old Man" and 1969's "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere." The set ends with a performance of "War of Man" from Harvest Moon. Homegrown will drop on June 19 on all formats via Reprise Records. - NME, 5/21/20..... Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood says beating lung cancer was like being given a "get out of jail free card" in his new documentary, Somebody Up There Likes Me. Wood previously revealed he was diagnosed with the illness in 2017 after smoking "25 to 30 cigarettes a day at least for 50-odd years" and had prepared to say goodbye to his loved ones before he underwent five hours of surgery to remove cancer from one of his lungs. He announced that he was cancer-free in 2018 ."I got away with having it cut out of one lung, the cancer," he revealed in a preview for his first feature-length documentary, which can be viewed on YouTube. "Luckily it had just stayed there," he continued. "They said, "We got rid of that and while we there we got rid of the emphysema on the top lobe of your lung.' I went, "Oh great', and they went, 'Your lungs now are like you'd never smoked' and I went, 'How is that for a get out of jail free card?' Somebody up there likes me, somebody down here likes me too," Wood added. Sharing news of the documentary on Twitter, Wood wrote: "UK friends! My first feature length documentary, Somebody Up There Likes Me, by Mike Figgis is hitting your TV screens on Saturday 6th June at 9pm on Sky Arts." - NME, 5/21/20..... Former The Sex Pistols member John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten) will host a virtual party and Q&A session on Facebook on the morning of June 7 at 5 AM EST/2 AM PST to celebrate the initial release of a documentary on his later band Public Image Ltd. (PiL), The Public Image is Rotten. Lydon, PiL manager Rambo Stevens and the film's director, Tabbert Fiiller, will ask questions from fans about the film. The Public Image Is Rotten launches on Vimeo and is available now in English and with Spanish subtitles. Until now, theatrical viewing has been the only opportunity to see the film. - Music-News.com, 5/23/20.

ABBA's 1974 hit "Waterloo" has been crowned the UK's favourite Eurovision song of all-time after British TV viewers participated in a public vote on Eurovision performances from previous years on May 16. The one-off BBC special gave viewers the chance to vote on a shortlist compiled by experts and celebrity super fans, including Rylan Clark-Neal, Scott Mills, Ken Bruce, Adele Roberts and Mel Giedroyc, as well as former UK acts SuRie and Nicki French. "Waterloo" beat off competition from Bucks Fizz, Conchita and Gina G to claim the top spot this year. "Of course it's ABBA," said said host Graham Norton, as he announced the winner, "it was always going to be." ABBA famously won the Eurovision song contest with "Waterloo" back in 1974, which helped propel the Swedish pop quartet to international stardom. The 2020 Eurovision Song Contest was cancelled in March amid the coronavirus pandemic. - New Musical Express, 5/17/20...... In April, organizers of a "Hungry Heart Club Night" in the UK raised over £32,000 for charity after spinning a virtual 24-hour DJ set of Bruce Springsteen songs. Now Hannah Summers and Jon Beck have announced details of their latest Springsteen DJ event which will raise money for Mental Health Awareness Week, after The Boss himself previously opened up on his own battles with depression -- with fans encouraged to submit their requests in advance. "To help support conversations about mental health, this Saturday we will be bringing you a Hungry Heart requests special. As @springsteen is someone who has spoken openly about his own mental health (and given how his music has helped us manage ours!), we wanted to do our bit in raising awareness," the duo wrote on Instagram. Fans who wish to take part in the latest Hungry Heart Club Night can log on to the Hungry Heart Events website from 8:00 PM London time on Apr. 23. Meanwhile, Springsteen and the American Celtic punk band Dropkick Murphys have announced a live-streamed concert at Boston's Fenway Park on May 29 at 6:00 PM EDT. The "Straight Outta Fenway" concert, which takes place at an empty stadium, will feature a full set from Dropkick Murphys, while Springsteen will join remotely for a guest appearance. Together they will present a "double play," performing one song by each artist. The livestream is hosted by Boston tech company Pega, and will raise funds for three charities: Habitat For Humanity, Feeding America and The Boston Resiliency Fund. Springsteen headlined the first-ever headline rock gig at Fenway in 2003, while the Dropkick Murphys played a headline gig there in 2011. - New Musical Express, 5/18/20...... In more Springsteen news, the New Jersey rocker took over his SiriusXM channel, E Street Radio, on May 20 to pay tribute to late rock & roll pioneer Little Richard during his latest guest DJ session, which has been shared on YouTube. "And that is the purest rock 'n' roll voice of all time," Springsteen said of the Richard, who died May 9 at the age of 87. "He was one of the founding fathers of rock 'n' roll, and its preeminent vocal genius." Springsteen also spinned some of his favorite tracks by the likes of Glen Campbell, Tom Petty, Dion and more. Fans and SiriusXM subscribers can tune into all four editions of Springsteen's guest DJ segment, "Bruce Springsteen -- From His Home, To Yours...," until May 25 as part of E Street Radio's Memorial Day celebration. The broadcast kicks off on May 20 at 5 p.m. ET on SiriusXM channel 20, and runs at varying times throughout the fourth weekend of May. Meanwhile, it has been announced that Little Richard will be buried at the historically black Alabama college Oakwood University on May 20, the same college of which Little Richard is an alumnus. The service will be private and officiated by Richard's close friend Pastor Bill Minson. - Billboard/AP, 5/20/20...... Lionel Richie is remaking the 1985 charity single "We Are the World" with former American Idol contestants in place of the original's all-star line-up. In March, Richie suggested a third remake could be released to benefit coronavirus relief efforts. It was previously remade in 2010 following a catastrophic earthquake in Haiti. Co-written by Richie and Michael Jackson, the original "We Are the World" aided the non-profit USA For Africa charity which aims to "help ease the pain of poverty in Africa and the United States." The latest version of "We Are The World" will feature Richie and his fellow American Idol judges Katy Perry and Luke Bryan. They will be joined by former winners and contestants of the US talent show including Jordin Sparks, Lauren Alaina, Scotty McCreery, Fantasia, and more. The top 11 finalists from the current series also feature and the group performed the track for the first time on the May 17. - NME, 5/16/20...... Seventies popsters America have announced they'll be celebrating their 50th anniversary in 2019 by releasing a deluxe 8-disc career retrospective called Half Century on Aug. 21. The set kicks off with an unreleased version of "Children," which can be streamed on YouTube, from their classic 1972 eponymous debut LP. America's Dewey Bunnell says it's one of the first songs he ever wrote, and part of a 1970 session in London for famed British song publisher Dick James. "I started 'Children' and 'Riverside' around the same time," Bunnell says. "('Children') was the song that really locked into my brain how good our vocal harmonies were at that point. We really worked on those, and I give full credit to [his America bandmate] Gerry (Beckley) as a great arranger. The song itself had a little bit of that era, that '60s 'come on children, get your heads together,' but what stands out is really our (vocal) blend and how unique that was." Half Century also boasts a cornucopia of unreleased studio and live recordings, including demos, alternate mixes, rehearsals, interviews and video footage from a variety of sources ranging from 1970-89, along with one new track, aptly titled "Remembering." Other projects celebrating the group's golden anniversary include 2019's Live at the Palladium, and in the works is an authorized America biography by Jude Warne, with a foreword by Billy Bob Thornton. America's live shows have been suspended for the moment due to the coronavirus pandemic, while Beckley recently spent a couple of weeks quarantined in Australia, where his wife is from. Beckley says that he thinks with "the right guidance there could easily be another one or two America projects in the future," including the duo's first new music since their 2007 set Here & Now. - Billboard, 5/20/20...... '70s acts KISS and Devo are among the artists who have made branded COVID-19 PPE merchandise available to fans. KISS fans can keep their tongues nicely tucked in with decorative KISS everyday face maks featuring the legendary shock rockers. All the profits benefit Live Nation Entertainment's Global Relief Fund For Live Music Crews, and can be purchased at the KISS online shop. Devo has also launched their own unique PPE line, including an Energy Dome face shield that's attached to the members' idiosyncratic Energy Dome red hats and emblazoned with the rock band's logo. "Graphically bold design in aggressive, primary red it became the most iconic symbol of the band's multi-media mission to spread the idea of Devolution," according to the band's website. Devo's face shields can be bought at Impactmerch.com. - Billboard, 5/20/20...... Joan Jett, Blue Oyster Cult, Pat Benatar, Kurtis Blow, The Vanilla Fudge, Dream Theater and Gary U.S. Bonds are among the artists slated to perform on an upcoming New York TV special supporting Long Island's "Health Care Heroes." Presented by the Long Island Music Hall of Fame, the event is set for broadcast on May 31 on News 12 Plus (Channel 61) and FIOS Channel 530. Each artist is contributing a performance, with most performed exclusively for the broadcast. - Billboard, 5/19/20...... Marianne Faithfull is thanking healthcare workers in the UK who aided her recovery from COVID-19, as well as her fans for offering their support. "I would like to say to all the people who cared for me and thought of me, who sent me love, people I know, people I have never met, thank you for helping me to get better," Faithfull posted on Facebook to her followers on May 20, along with an image of herself."I want to thank the doctors and nurses who were so good and basically saved my life! Thank you all again for all your care, love, thoughts, prayers and wishes. All my love, Marianne." The "As Tears Go By" singer, 73, was hospitalised back in March after developing symptoms of the coronavirus. In April, she was discharged after 22 days and returned to her London home. - New Musical Express, 5/20/20...... Elvis Presley's Graceland tourist attraction announced on May 17 that it will reopen on May 21 after it was forced to shut down its tours and exhibits due to the coronavirus outbreak. The popular Memphis tourist attraction says it has adjusted its tours, and restaurant and retail operations since it closed in March, with temperature checks for guests and employees to be implemented and hand sanitizing stations being installed. Presley's former home-turned-museum will also be reduced to 25% capacity, requiring employees and encouraging visitors to wear face masks, and limiting restaurant capacities to 50%. "We are helping Memphis and Tennessee to get back to some sense of normality," said Joel Weinshanker, managing partner of Graceland Holdings, in a statement. Graceland annually attracts about 500,000 visitors, including many international travelers. - AP, 5/17/20...... Former Pink Floyd principal Roger Waters shared his thoughts about the coronavirus situation on his Twitter feed on May 17. "Social distancing is a necessary evil in Covid world. Watching 'Mother' reminds me just how irreplaceable the joy of being in a band is," posted Waters, who accompanied the post with a clip of a socially distanced performance of Pink Floyd's "Mother" off the band's 1979 double album, The Wall.The black-and-white video kicks off with the 76-year-old musician sitting alone in a studio and playing his guitar. As he plays, members of his touring band appear in clips from their own homes and studios to perform. Meanwhile, Rogers has slammed his former Pink Floyd bandmate David Gilmour for "banning" him from the group's website and social media accounts. In a video posted to social media on May 18, Waters initially thanked fans for their reaction to his new version "Mother," but then began his attack on Gilmour. "[It] does bring up the question of why is this video not available on a website that calls itself the Pink Floyd website? The answer to that is because nothing from me is on the website. I am banned by David Gilmour from the website. About a year ago, I convened a sort of Camp David for the surviving members of Pink Floyd at a hotel at the airport in London, where I proposed all kinds of measures to get past this awful impasse that we have and predicament that we find ourselves in. It bore no fruit, I'm sorry to say." Waters continued: "I suggested that because whoever the 30 million of you are who subscribe to the web page, that you do that because of the body of work that the five of us created. That's Syd (Barrett), me, Rick (Wright), Nick (Mason) and David, over a number of years. And in consequence, it seems to me that it would be fair and correct if we should have equal access to you all and share our projects." Aiming his criticism at Gilmour, Waters said: "David thinks he owns it. I think he thinks that because I left the band in 1985, that he owns Pink Floyd, that he is Pink Floyd, that I'm irrelevant and I should just keep my mouth shut. We're all welcome to our opinions... This is wrong. We should rise up. Or, just change the name of the band to Spinal Tap, and then everything will be hunky dory." Waters famously left Pink Floyd in the '80s and sued the remaining three members for continuing to use the name without him. He lost the case. Waters, Gilmour and Nick Mason last reunited as Pink Floyd to play Bob Geldof's Live 8 benefit concert in 2005. - Billboard/New Musical Express, 5/19/20...... An unreleased demo tape of "Angel in Disguise," Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr's only jointly written duet, sold for $9,900 at auction in the U.K. on May 19. The track was recorded for Starr's 1992 solo album Time Takes Time but did not make the cut -- with a cassette containing two versions of the song selling to an unnamed bidder after a sale at Omega Auctions in Cheshire, England. The tape is currently owned by former Radio Luxembourg DJ Tony Prince, and sold at less than half its top price estimate of $20,000. It features McCartney on vocals on one track and another with Starr singing. "Angel in Disguise" is thought to be the only song "co-written exclusively" by the duo without any other musician's involvement. - WENN/Canoe.com, 5/19/20...... The annual "birthday bash" for late The Ramones frontman Joey Ramone is returning in 2020, but this time swapping out a real-live concert for a digital livestream due to public gathering restrictions put in place from the coronavirus pandemic. Set for May 20, this year's concert includes performances from CJ Ramone, Richie Ramone, Sex Pistols bassist Glen Matlock and Blondie's Clem Burke, among others. All up, more than 25 artists will be performing. The concert is free to watch from Ramone's Facebook page, but audience members will be encouraged to donate to the Joey Ramone Foundation for Lymphoma Research. Joey Ramone passed away on Apr. 15, 2001 from lymphoma, one month before his 50th birthday. - NME, 5/18/20...... In an interview with BBC Radio 2 on May 17, Rod Stewart has discussed the prospect of a movie about his life and career, following the success of recent Freddie Mercury and Elton John biopics Bohemian Rhapsody and Rocketman. The 74-year-old musician said he would be "flattered" if a similar film was to be made about his own career, and said he thought actor Rhys Ifans (Notting Hill, Harry Potter) would be a good choice to play him. "Rhys would be a very good idea. [But] he has got to do something with his barnet (Cockney rhyming slang for hair), Stewart said. Ifans, who previously dated Stewart's daughter Kimberley, also has musical experience of his own as a founding member of Welsh band Super Furry Animals. Stewart also said he'd like his fourteen year old son Alastair to play his younger self, as he believes they have a "remarkable similarity" in their looks. "If it does not happen it does not matter but I would be flattered if it did," Rod mused. "But I tell you what, the Freddie Mercury one was so good. It was rock and roll. It would be hard to get something better than that but I would give it a shot," he added. - NME, 5/17/20...... Guitarist Jorge Santana, the younger brother of Carlos Santana and whose guitar riffs on the band Malo's 1972 hit "Suavecito" transformed the song into a Chicano anthem, died on May 14 of natural causes. He was 68. "We take time to celebrate the magnificent spirit of our beloved brother, Jorge," Carlos Santana wrote on his Facebook page on May 15. "He transitioned unto the realm of light that cast no shadow the eyes of my heart clearly see him right in between our glorious and magnificent mother Josefina and our father Jose," Carlos added. Born in Jalisco, Mexico, Jorge Santana began playing guitar following his brother's footsteps. He joined a San Francisco-based band that would later become Malo, which means "bad" in Spanish. According to band legend, the group got its name after the mother of its lead signer told them, "todos ustedes son malos," translating into English, "all of you are bad." Their 1972 hit "Suavecito," a tune released during the apex of the Chicano Movement, became a staple for Mexican American cookouts, weddings and quinceaneras for generations throughout the American Southwest. - AP, 5/18/20...... Veteran comedic actor Fred Willard, who rose to fame in the late '70s with appearances on parody sitcoms like Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, Fernwood 2 Night America 2-Night, and others like it throughout the 1980s, died on May 15 at the age of 86. In the '90s, Mr. Willard started appearing on a bunch of hit comedy shows on air at the time, including Sister, Sister, Roseanne, Access America and The Simpsons, among others. He later went on to star on The Weird Al Show, Maybe It's Me and a number of mockumentaries -- including The History of White People in America, This Is Spinal Tap, Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, For Your Consideration, and Mascots. He is also known for his role as Ron Burgundy's news director in the Anchorman films. Mr. Willard was married to his wife Mary from 1968 to 2018, when she passed away. He is survived by his daughter, Hope. - TMZ.com, 5/16/20...... Pioneering female NFL sportscaster and Miss America-winner Phyllis George died on May 15 at a Lexington, Ky. hospital after a long fight with a blood disorder she'd had since she was in her 30s. She was 70. George became a female sportscasting pioneer on CBS's The NFL Today in the 1970s, and was the 50th contestant to be named Miss America in 1971. She is the mother of CNN White House correspondent Pamela Brown and a son, entrepreneur Lincoln Brown. - DailyMailUK.com, 5/16/20...... Ken Osmond, best known as the sneaky troublemaker on the 1957-63 TV sitcom Leave It To Beaver, died on May 17, his manager has confirmed. He was 76. Osmond's Haskell character was a troublemaking friend of Wally Cleaver (Tony Dow), Beaver's (Jerry Mathers) older brother. His impact on pop culture can be measured by the fact that, for those of us of a certain age, if someone is described as an "Eddie Haskell"-type, we know exactly what is meant. Osmond revisited his most famous role frequently over the years in the many subsequent iterations of the show, most notably Still the Beaver, which ran from 1983-1989. He also guested on such series as Happy Days, Lassie, Petticoat Junction and The Munsters. After his acting career ended, he went on to become an LAPD Cop and reportedly took five bullets in the line of duty, reportedly growing a mustache to be less-recognizable on the job. "He was an incredibly kind and wonderful father," his son, Eric, said in a statement. "He had his family gathered around him when he passed. He was loved and will be very missed." - Deadline.com, 5/18/20...... Annie Glenn, wife of astronaut and former U.S. Sen. John Glenn, died at a nursing home of COVID-19 complications near family in St. Paul, Minn., on May 19. She was 100 years old. Annie, as everyone knew her, lived in the shadow of her husband's fame, but emerged in midlife to become an inspiration for people with disabilities around the world by overcoming the chronic stuttering that afflicted and limited her during the years her husband was becoming a household name. In 1983, Annie Glenn received the first national award of the American Speech and Hearing Association for her meritorious service to those with communicative disorders. In 1987, the National Association for Hearing and Speech Action awarded the first annual Annie Glenn Award for achieving distinction despite a communication disorder. In 2009, the Ohio State University awarded her an honorary Doctorate of Public Service to recognize her work on behalf of children and others. John Glenn died in 2016 at age 95 and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. At the time of his death, the two had been married 73 years, after being high school sweethearts. - USAToday.com, 5/19/20.