| THIS IS A READ-ONLY ARCHIVE FROM THE SORABJI.COM MESSAGE BOARDS (1995-2016). |
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By Marcus Errico Barry White, whose baritone pipes provided the soundtrack for many a make-out session during the past four decades, died Friday morning in Los Angeles, according to his longtime manager, Ned Shankman. A publicist said White was 56, but most musical references list his birthdate as September 12, 1944, making him 58. White passed away around 9:30 a.m. at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. The deep-voiced funkmeister had been in ill health for years. Chronic high blood pressure resulted in kidney failure, and White was admitted to the hospital last September to await a transplant. While undergoing dialysis treatment in May, he suffered a stroke that impaired his speech and left him partially paralyzed. |
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god he was so young! what a loss. you know who else died recently? Uncle Jed, from the Beverly Hillbillies. |
TANGENI AMUPADHI NAMIBIA'S world-famous actor, Gcao Coma, who starred in 'The Gods Must Be Crazy', died in the Tsumkwe area last week. The cause of his death will be determined in the next few days after an autopsy is completed. The diminutive film star, also known as N!xau or G!kau, died on Wednesday while walking alone near his village. Coma was found lying in the path to his home with his bow, arrows, and a bag strapped across his shoulder, Police spokesman Warrant Officer Christopher Munyika said yesterday. Police confirmed his death, saying he was 59, although he had in the past said he was not sure of his age. He had suffered from TB (tuberculosis) for years. Munyika said his body was still at the mortuary waiting for a post-mortem to be performed. A speaker of Ju/'hoansi, one of several clicking-sound languages spoken in former Bushmanland, Coma catapulted from the sandswept remote areas of the Kalahari Desert to international stardom in the 1980s with his leading role in the film about primitive lifestyles colliding with modernity. In 'The Gods Must Be Crazy' the community chose Coma to get rid of a "cursed" alien object that "dropped from the sky" - a Coca-Cola bottle that was thrown from a plane flying over their area. The bottle caused unhappiness in the community with children fighting over it and hitting each other. So Coma had to walk to the end of the world and throw it away. The film became a worldwide hit and raked in US$66 million (N$495 million at today's rates) at the box office. At the time the film was the most successful foreign movie ever shown in the United States. When South African film director Jamie Uys discovered Coma, the Namibian had had little exposure to the outside world. He lived a hunter-gatherer life - one of the world's oldest cultures which had survived thousands of years unchanged in southern Africa. Coma had only seen three white people before he starred in the film. He went on to star in several sequels and to act in movies made in China, Hong Kong and Japan. His first pay-out disappeared quickly with many hangers-on taking advantage of the illiterate actor's ignorance of the cash economy. Some speculated that he left cash lying about at his rudimentary house to be blown away by wind or be eaten up by hyenas. Reports said a Rolex watch and radios he received in Japan during a promotional tour were left lying in the bush as he trekked with fellow nomadic tribesman, because he did not attach value to the material world. But he received a pay-out said to be N$150 000 in the late 1980s, which he used to build a brick house at Tsumkwe for N$80 000. He also bought a bakkie for N$15 000 and employed a chauffeur to drive him around. But Coma gave all that up to return to village life. More than a decade later, Coma complained of being short-changed by the film-makers. But Uys's company, Mimosa Films, always insisted they took care of his best interests. Coma tried stock farming, keeping no more than 20 cattle at a time to enable him to keep track of his wealth as his arithmetic was rudimentary. He sold some cattle and goats, and lost others to lions that roam that part of north-east Namibia. By 2000, Coma had a plot of land at Gamsa village where he planted maize, pumpkins and beans. Coma had several children from two marriages, but his wives had died. It is not clear whether he had another wife at the time of his death. He is also survived by grandchildren. |
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how long has hollywood been in existance? a little more than a 100 years? |
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have a long list of celebrities that die every day. |
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Carson Letterman Johnny Cash and even the really minor deaths make news, like that dude who played Beckys' boyfriend on Roseanne... |
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Love Unlimited Orchestra....Then he spoke to me and said "Hey Mike, I know you trippin...It's cool." Or the record that we played over and over where Barry said..."I'm taking my time when I slip your little panties off." Has anyone here seen Da Ali G show? I'm a huge fan. |
What have you been up to? I've been meaning to email you but been up to my eyeballs in work. I like your song on the Misery album - I didn't know it was you at first, you've really improved as a singer (plus I never expected you to belt out blues like some giant black lady in church). |
http://www.kcrw.org click on simulcast they are airing a tape of a show with Barry White, made about 3 years ago. its with the same cat who did the Radiohead interview last week. |
I have never seen him. All I have seen is photos. The music is probably a fraud too. I think this is all a conspiracy to sell more albums. |
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