2025-2026 Final Salutes, Part the Fourth

“Mr OETA” Bob Allen (April 8, 2026) was a lifelong advocate of public TV in Oklahoma.  He’s the genius behind the TV syndication of The Lawrence Welk Show. 

TV creator Sid Krofft (April 10, 2026), together which his brother Marty, created such strange joys as HR Pufnstuf, Land of the Lost, and The Banana Spilts.

Underground artist Frank Stack (April 12, 2026) published under the name Foolbert Sturgeon so as to not upset the neighbors.  His 1964 The Adventures of Jesus is considered the first “underground comic.” 

Irish singer and harpist Moya Brennan (April 13, 2026) began as part of her family band Clannad.  She won and Emmy and a Grammy and contributed to the soundtracks of Titanic and King Arthur.

Actress Joy Harmon (April 14, 2026) was a regular on TV’s Tell It to Groucho and appeared in Cool Hand Luke.  Her biggest genre role (ha-ha) was in the 1965 film Village of the Giants.

Songwriter-singer Dave Mason (April 19, 2026) was a founding member of Traffic, and wrote such popular songs as “Feelin’ Alright” and “Only You Know and I Know.”

Actor Patrick Muldoon (April 19, 2026) is known for roles in Starship Troopers, Days of Our Lives, Melrose Place, and saved by the Bell.

Alan Osmond (April 20, 2026) was credited as the leader of his family singing group, the Osmonds, because of his role as eldest sibling.

Oscar-winning production designer Dean Tavoularis (April 22, 2026) was represented by work in Bulworth and the Godfather Trilogy.

Comics editor and writer Gerry Conway (April 26, 2026) co-created the Punisher, Firestorm, Killer Croc, and Power Girl.  He wrote 1976’s Superman vs. the Amazing Spider-Man, the first DC-Marvel crossover.  He also wrote and/or produced on such TV series as Jake and the Fatman, Diagnosis: Murder, Matlock, and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys.

Singer Nedra Talley (April 26, 2026) was the last surviving member of the girl group the Ronettes.

American physicist Peter L.P. Dillon (April 30, 2026) invented single-chip video cameras and the sensors which allowed color encoding in video images in small devices such as camcorders and doorbell cameras.

Media mogul Ted Turner (May 6, 2026) pushed professional wrestling, the United Nations, and began by taking over the Turner Advertising Company after his father’s suicide.  He got into radio and then TV, airing third-run or older shows.  Beginning in 1976 he used satellite transmission to found a broadcast empire which spread to cable television.  Turner founded the Goodwill games, the Cable News Network, and Turner Classic Movies, among many other endeavors which shaped the current landscape.

British actor and director Michael Pennington (May 7, 2026) founded the English Shakespeare Company in 1986.  He appeared on TV and radio as Professor Moriarty and played Moff Jerjerrod in Return of the Jedi.

Donald Gibb (May 12, 2026) was best known as Fred “Ogre” Palowski in several Revenge of the Nerds films.

            Singer-songwriter Clarence Carter (May 13, 2026) was most known for “Back Door Santa,” “Slip Away,” and “Patches.”

Actor Tom Kane (May 18, 2026) worked a lot in video games and animation. He voiced Yoda in the Clone Wars film and series; Professor Utonium for The Powerpuff Girls; and many other Star Wars or superhero games.

Jazz guitarist Joe Negri (May 30, 2026) appeared on a half-dozen albums, but is most known widely as Handyman Negri on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.

These people and things impacted the pop-culture REALM, and thus the whole world.  Thanks for reflecting on some of those who went before.

2025-2026 Final Salutes, Part the Third

 

Oklahoma journalist George Tomek (January 1, 2026) served in Vietnam before landing in OKC, serving for years as anchor and news director at KFOR.

Actor Sidney Kibrick (January 2, 2026) was most famous for appearing as “Woim” in over two dozen Our Gang shorts, 1933-39.

Facing the end of government funding, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting was dissolved by its board of directors on January 5, 2026.

Actor TK Carter (January 9, 2026) was known for appearances in The Thing (1982), Space Jam, and TV’s Punky Brewster.  He also voiced a character on Jem.

Composer Ted Nichols (January 9, 2026) stirred the imaginations (and funny bones) of millions of TV viewers with his music for Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, Josie and the Pussycats, Shazzan, Space Ghost, Jonny Quest, and many others.

Humbug artist, plagiarist, and charlatan Erich von Däniken (January 10, 2026) treated facts like toilet paper, but his writings on the “possibilities” of ancient alien contact or technology stimulated the hopes and imaginations of millions to use real science to investigate mysteries of the past and present.

Musician Bob Weir (January 10, 2026) was a co-founder of the Grateful Dead, shaping pop (and acid) music history for generations of Deadheads and other fans.

Satirist Scott Adams (January 13, 2026) earned worldwide fame for his strip Dilbert.  He also wrote on other topics and won a lot of flack for his outspoken views on politics and current events.

Claudette Colvin (January 13, 2026) struck a blow for freedom when she was arrested, at age 15, for not yielding her bus seat to a white, in Montgomery, AL.

Playwright-animator Roger Allers (January 17, 2026) worked on such Disney successes as Beauty and the Beast and The Litle Mermaid, and was most known as co-director of The Lion King.

Mathematician Gladys West (January 17, 2026) began working for the Navy in the 1950s as a computer programmer and analyst of satellite data.  He research reached to Pluto’s orbit and was foundational to the development of GPS.

Country-music singer and platter spinner Billy Parker (January 19, 2026) charted 20 singles with Billboard and was named Disc Jockey of the Year several times in the late 1970s.  On Tulsa’s KVOO, his overnight show reached from Canada to Mexico.

American writer Jean Rabe (January 19, 2026) collaborated with Martin H Greenberg and Andre Norton and wrote a mystery series starring Piper Blackwell.  Her biggest genre splash, however, must be from her work creating accessories and novels in the worlds of Dungeons & Dragons.

Fashion designer Valentino (January 19, 2026) was a big influence beginning in the 1960s, known for pushing retro designs into haute couture.

Comics artist Sal Buscema (January 24, 2026) worked primarily for Marvel, including ten years on the Hulk and eight for Spider-Man.

Dr William Foege (January 24, 2026) was the tenth director of the CDC. As a result of his international research and advocation for vaccination, smallpox was declared officially eradicated from the Earth in 1979.

Lowell Fillmore “Sly” Dunbar (January 26, 2026) was a Jamaican drummer and two-time Grammy winner, best known as part of the duo Sly and Robbie.

Shirley Raines (January 27, 2026) helped change the lives of many by founding the non-profit Beauty 2 the Streetz, which provides hygiene, beauty products, and other items to folks living on LA streets.

Actress-comedienne Catherine O’Hara (January 30, 2026) stomped into our hearts beginning with Canada’s SCTV, and charmed and/or astounded us in films including Beetlejuice, Home Alone, Dick Tracy, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Frankenweenie, and a TV show called Schitt’s Creek.

Singer-songwriter Chuck Negron II (February 2, 2026) was lead vocalist and a founding member of Three Dog Night.  After overcoming a long heroin addiction, he launched a solo career with at least six albums and an autobiography, Three Dog Nightmare.

First a Navy aerial photographer and then a pitcher for the LA Dodgers, LaMonte McLemore (February 3, 2026) made his biggest pop-culture impact as a founding member of the Fifth Dimension singing group.

Tulsa-area guitarist Tommy Crook (February 4, 2026) played with folks like Merle Haggard and Leon Russell.  He was known for replacing his two lowest guitar strings with bass strings, to get a combo sound from one instrument.

The discontinuation of all Minute Maid frozen juices was announced February 5, 2026.

Longtime Soonercon friend THE James K Burk (February 7, 2026) was a programming participant in 11 Soonercons though 2018 and a writer of fantasy, as well as a gunslinger at Wichita’s Joyland Amusement Park.  We’ll always miss him and his fancy duds.

Nicknamed “Grandfather of the Internet,” Dave Farber (February 7, 2026) worked for Bell and several universities.  He helped develop the  ESS-1 switching system and SNOBOL programming languages.  His concept of DCS (distributed computer system) was the basis for networking, modularization, and multitasking across computers.  His students developed SMTP and IANA.

Meredith Kimani (February 8, 2026) was active in the Oklahoma film scene as a set medic and locations manager, as well as an advocate for those with disabilities and special needs.

Actor Bud Cort (February 11, 2026) was known for roles in Harold and Maude, Brewster McCloud, and M*A*S*H.  he also voiced Toyman across the DC Animated Universe.

Actor James Van Der Beek (February 11, 2026) was most famous for his role as Dawson Leery in TV’s Dawson’s Creek.

Paul Brainerd (February 15, 2026) was a businessman and programmer.  He co-founded Aldus in 1984 and helped bring the revolutionary PageMaker to market.  He invented the term “desktop publishing.”

Actor Robert Duvall (February 15, 2026) was known for roles in To Kill a Mockingbird, True Grit, THX-1138, Apocalypse Now, The Godfather, and scads more.

Animator Jane Baer (February 16, 2026) worked on several notable films including The Black Cauldron and Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

Jesse Jackson (February 17, 2026) was a fierce advocate for all rights for all people.  He ran for president a couple of times and founded the organizations which became the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition.

Actor Eric Dane (February 19, 2026) appeared in X-Men the Last Stand, Grey’s Anatomy, and Charmed, among others.

Willie Colón (February 21, 2026) was a trombonist, singer, and writer in the salsa scene.  He was also active in NYC and other political realms.

Horror/sf writer Dan Simmons (February 21, 2026) was responsible for several notable series and standalones, winning the World Fantasy Award in 1985.  Early work appeared in the 1970s Twilight Zone magazine; series include Hyperion Cantos; Ilium/Olympos; and Joe Kurtz.

Robert Carradine (February 23, 2026) appeared on TV in his brother Keith’s series Kung Fu and films like Coming Home and Wavelength, reaching a big audience in the Revenge of the Nerds series.

James “Bo” Gritz (February 27, 2026) was a US Army officer who got involved in politics in the ‘80s and ‘90s.  His exploits contributed to the fictional characters Rambo, Kurtz in Coppola’s Apocalypse Now, and Hannibal Smith of The A-Team.

Singer-songwriter Neil Sedaka (February 27, 2026) produced 500+ songs for himself and other artist, including “Breaking Up Is Hard to Do,” “Laughter in the Rain,” and “Love will Keep Us Together.”

            Actress Jennifer Runyon (March 6, 2026) was known for appearing on Charles in Charge and Ghostbusters.

“Country Joe” McDonald (March 7, 2026) co-founded the psych-folk-rock group which bore his name.

Psychiatrist Judith Rapoport (March 7, 2026) was a big advocate for those enduring childhood-related behavioral and mental disorders, including her 1989 book The Boy Who Couldn't Stop Washing.

            USAF officer and later aide to President Nixon Alexander Butterfield (March 9, 2026) oversaw the installation of tape-recording equipment in the White House.  He really affected history when, during the Watergate hearings, on July 13, 1973 he revealed the taping system’s existence to the public.

Tommy DeCarlo (March 9, 2026) was lead singer for Boston, 2007-2026.

            Writer-editor Lee Martindale (March 10, 2026) produced several anthologies for Yard Dog Press, received the Kevin O’Donnell Jr. Service to SFWA Award in 2019, and appeared at five Soonercons 1995-2007.

Welsh musician Phil Campbell (March 13, 2026) was most known as guitarist for Motörhead, 1984-2015.

American writer and biologist Paul Ehrlich (March 13, 2026) had a big bee under his saddle concerning population growth, leading to a sensationalist 1968 book, The Population Bomb, which promised that “the battle to feed all of humanity is over. In the 1970s hundreds of millions of people will starve to death in spite of any crash programs embarked upon now.”  Feel hungry?

Len Deighton (March 15, 2026) wrote cookbooks and history works, but is most famous for a few dozen spy novels which were also adapted for TV and film, including books featuring Bernard Sampson and Harry Palmer.

Comics writer-artist Sam Kieth (March 15, 2026) was co-creator of the Sandman and creator of Zero Girl and the Maxx.  He wrote several miniseries for DC featuring Lobo and Batman, and the graphic novel Arkham Asylum: Madness.

TV host and actress Kiki Shepard (March 16, 2026) was co-host of the syndicated Showtime at the Apollo from 1987 to 2002.

Chuck Norris (March 19, 2026) worked as a martial-arts instructor for Hollywood before launching his own action career, including films like Lone Wolf McQuade, Code of Silence, and Firewalker.  In 1993 he began nine seasons of Walker, Texas Ranger.  Rumor has it that Norris didn’t die ... he just roundhouse-kicked his way into another dimension.

Actor-artist Nicholas Brendon (March 20, 2026) is most known for roles as Xander Harris in Buffy, the Vampire Slayer and Kevin Lynch in Criminal Minds.

Actress Valerie Perrine (March 23, 2026) appeared in Lenny and Slaughterhouse-Five, but is most remembered as Luthor squeeze Miss Tessmacher in Superman: The Movie and Superman II.

Dash Crofts (March 25, 2026) achieved fame as half of the musical duo Seals & Crofts, with hits in the 1970s like “Summer Breeze” and “Diamond Girl.”

Actor James Tolkan (March 26, 2026) was a familiar face from appearances in several Back to the Future films, Dick Tracy, and Masters of the Universe.

Author Thomas Tessier (March 26, 2026) was known for poetry and novels of horror fiction like The Nightwalker and Finishing Touches.

Sugar the Surfing Dog (March 30, 2026) became the first canine inducted into the Surfer’s Hall of Fame.  Dying at age 16, she was a five-time surfing world champion.

These people and things impacted the pop-culture REALM, and thus the whole world.  Thanks for reflecting on some of those who went before.

2025-2026 Final Salutes, Part the Second

Actor Graham Greene (September 1, 2025) had a five-decade career in theatre, television, and film.  Movies include Die Hard with a Vengeance, The Green Mile, and Dances with Wolves.

Giorgio Armani (September 4, 2025) was a big name in fashion. He also worked in clothing design in film, including John Travolta in American Gigolo.

Musician Mark Volman (September 5, 2025) was a founding member of the Turtles and later joined the Mothers of Invention.

Keyboardist-songwriter Rick Davies (September 6, 2025) was a founder of Supertramp and responsible for such songs as “Bloody Well Right” and “Goodbye Stranger.”

Polly Holliday (September 9, 2025) began showbiz giving piano lessons and acting onstage.  She appeared in many films and TV, mast famously as Flo on TV’s Alice.  Kiss my grits!

Bobby Hart (September 10, 2025), with Sidney Boyce, wrote lots of songs for 1960s acts including Chubby Checker and Paul Revere and the Raiders.  Their biggest splash came from providing songs for the Monkees such as the Monkees theme and “Last Train to Clarksville.”

Actress Pat Crowley (September 14, 2025) sang and danced on variety shows in the Sixties and had roles on several soaps.  She was also the “innocent” recruited by Napoleon Solo for the 1964 pilot of The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

Oscar and Golden Globe winner (among others) Robert Redford (September 16, 2025) was a Hollywood golden boy who leveraged his stardom to get into directing.  He founded the Sundance Film Festival, several production companies, and supported independent film.

Astrophysicist and Nobel laureate George Smoot (September 18, 2025) was instrumental in developing the COBE (Cosmic Background Explorer), which detected signs of the birth of the universe.

Sultry Claudia Cardinale (September 23, 2025) appeared in 175 films, from Spaghetti Westerns and comedy (The Pink Panther) to art films for Fellini.

George Hardy (September 24, 2025) was the last surviving Tuskegee airman.  He grew up in Philly and served in the USAF 1943-71, piloting missions over Germany in WWII and later Korea.

AOL’s dial-up service was officially discontinued September 30, 2025.  Its sound of beeps, screeches, and echoing tones continue to generate horror and/or nostalgia for millions.

Dame Jane Goodall (October 1, 2025) studied primates, especially chimps, and inspired many youngsters to investigate science and sociology.  Established in 1977, her Institute supports research in Tanzania and elsewhere.

Sir John Gurdon (October 7, 2025) was at the bottom in biology class in school, but progressed to things like the first cloning of a frog (1958), early mRNA work, and a 2012 Nobel Prize regarding ways to regress adult cells to the nifty, pluripotent stem-cell state.

Guitarist-singer-songwriter John Lodge (October 10, 2025) joined the Moody Blues in 1966 and helped define their sound with songs like “I’m Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band)” and “Isn’t Life Strange.”

Actress Diane Keaton (October 11, 2025) began her career on Broadway in the original production of Hair.  Overall she earned many awards including two Golden Globes and an Oscar.  Among her films are Looking for Mr Goodbar, Reds, the Godfather series, and The First Wives Club.

Writer-producer-singer D’Angelo (October 14, 2025) was considered one of the greatest R&B artists, and one of the founders of the neo-soul movement, winning four Grammys along the way.

“Space Ace” Paul Frehley (October 16, 2025) was original guitarist for KISS and was known for using guitars with built-in lights, smoke, or flame emitters.

Barbara Gips  (October 16, 2025) wrote effective marketing taglines for several successful films from the 1970s to the 1990s, including Kramer vs Kramer, Desperately Seeking Susan, and Fatal Attraction.  Her most notable (and chilling) poster line was for 1979’s Alien: “In space no one can hear you scream.”

Actress June Lockhart (October 23, 2025) appeared in great films like Meet Me in St Louis, Sergeant York, and starred in the low-rent She-Wolf of London.  However, she holds hearts forever for her TV work as Ruth Martin in 200 episodes of Lassie, and as Maureen Robinson, the matriarch of Lost in Space.

Andrew John Stofan (October 26, 2025) was an American aviation engineer.  He developed expertise in the field of sloshing.  He helped design the American space station Freedom, and the Voyager space-exploration craft.

Actress Prunella Scales (October 27, 2025) was best known as the energetic, longsuffering mistress of Fawlty Towers, Sybil Fawlty.

Burt Meyer (October 30, 2025) was an American inventor.  He created or participated in the design of such classic toys as Lite-Brite, Toss Across, Mouse Trap, and Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots.

Cinematographer Adam Greenberg (October 31, 2025) worked on the first two Terminator films, Three Men and a Baby, Alien Nation, Snakes on a Plane, and First Knight, among dozens of others.

American businessman Duane Roberts (November 1, 2025) ran a butcher business in the 1950s which provided hamburger patties to restaurants, including the first McDonald’s.  Around 1956, at the prompting of an employee, he invented the frozen burrito.

Screenwriter-director Ralph Senensky (November 1, 2025) worked on many classic series including Mission: Impossible, Ironside, The Wild Wild West, The Twilight Zone, and six-and-a-half episodes of Star Trek.

Actress Diane Ladd (November 3, 2025) appeared in many films, notably Chinatown, Primary Colors, and Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. 

The last US penny was minted on November 12, 2025.

Writer and advocate Alice Wong (November 14, 2025) authored a memoir and edited several works as an activist for access and awareness for the disabled.  In 2015 she was the first person to visit the White House via telepresence robot.

Producer-writer Stephen Downing (November 20, 2025) was involved in such series as Knight Rider, TJ Hooker, Robocop the Series, Kojak, and MacGyver.

Cherokee playwright Vicki Mooney (November 20, 2025) was known for such works as Armadillo Chili and the Broken Heart Land Trilogy.  Her monologue about the OKC bombing, “Sparrow,” provided a Native Oklahoman perspective.

Actor John Eimen (November 21, 2025) was most known for his childhood TV appearances in such shows as Leave It to Beaver and The Twilight Zone.

German actor Udo Kier (November 23, 2025) appeared in over 200 films on both sides of the Atlantic.  Two momentous roles were in Paul Morrissey films, Flesh for Frankenstein (1973) and Blood for Dracula (1974), titled Andy Warhol’s Frankenstein and Andy Warhol’s Dracula for American release.  Other appearances include Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Grindhouse, and 2000’s Shadow of the Vampire.

Jamaican singer Jimmy Cliff (November 24, 2025) won two Grammys and entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010.  He had several local hits before moving to the UK where his career grew.  He helped popularize reggae and ska worldwide.

Singer-writer Leslie Fish (November 29, 2025) didn’t invent filk, but she popularized it across fandom.  She released the first commercial filk album in 1976; her song “Banned from Argo” appeared on her second release, achieving an unholy life of its own across the decades. Her fan fiction included some of the earliest Kirk/Spock slash tales.

Playwright-screenwriter Tom Stoppard (November 29, 2025) wrote the screenplays for films like Shakespeare in Love and Brazil; his most famous play is Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead.

English author Madeleine Sophie Wickham (December 10, 2025) wrote dozens of books, and is best known for her Shopaholic series under the pen name Sophie Kinsella.

Bob Burns (December 12, 2025) fulfilled the dreams of monster kids by amassing a collections of thousands of movie props, including costumes from movie serials, a model from the original King Kong, and one of the largest collections of stuff from the Alien franchise.  He appeared in Invasion of the Saucer Men and 2005’s King Kong, and recorded ten or more audio commentaries for monster or sci-fi flicks.

Character actor Peter Greene (December 12, 2025) appeared in several films, but is most remembered for playing bad guys in The Mask and Pulp Fiction.

Actor Anthony Geary (December 14, 2025) had a role in Weird Al’s 1989 UHF, but his place in pop culture (along with eight Emmys) is anchored by his role as half of the Luke-and-Laura combo on General Hospital, 1979-2017.

Michele Singer Reiner (December 14, 2025) was a photographer for magazines like Fortune.  After meeting Rob Reiner, they became activists for many progressive causes including marriage rights and the wrongly imprisoned.

Actor and filmmaker Rob Reiner (December 14, 2025) entered US households as Mike Stivic on All in the Family in 1971.  He later directed such pop-culture basics as This Is Spinal Tap, Misery, When Harry Met Sally, The American President, Stand by Me, and The Princess Bride.

Actor Gil Gerard (December 16, 2025) appeared in hundreds of commercials and several TV guest stints in the 1970s before landing the sci-fi role of a lifetime as Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979-81).

Vince Zampella (December 21, 2025) was a video-game designer, working on such titles as Titanfall, Star Wars Jedi, and Call of Duty.

Brigette Bardot (December 29, 2025) used her forum as a model and actress to take a decades-long stand as an animal-rights activist, including turning vegetarian and posing with seal pups on an ice floe.

John Mulrooney (December 29, 2025) was a comedian, radio host, actor, and TV host. 

Most of MTV’s music-only channels worldwide went dark December 31, 2025.

Artist Harvey Pratt (December 31, 2025) worked for forty-some years in law enforcement, beginning in Midwest City.  His forensic art aided in hundreds of investigations.  His 12-foot sculpture Warriors’ Circle of Honor is the centerpiece of the National Native American Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC.  He included cryptozoology in his interests, creating Bigfoot sketches from witness descriptions and otherwise aiding researchers.

These people and things impacted the pop-culture REALM, and thus the whole world.  Thanks for reflecting on some of those who went before. 

Soonercon 33 Final Salutes

 

Actor Spencer Milligan (died April 18, 2024) is fondly remembered as father Rick Marshall in the 1974-75 Land of the Lost.      

            Actress Jeannette Charles (June 2, 2024) is famous for one role over and over, due to her great resemblance to England’s Queen Elizabeth II.  She turned down an offered Playboy centerfold out of respect for the monarchy.  Among her appearances as a queen were SNL in 1977; Queen Kong; The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash; National Lampoon’s European Vacation; The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!; and Austin Powers in Goldmember.

            MaryAnn Harris (June 3, 2024) was an artist and musician, as well as editor and promoter for husband Charles de Lint.  Both attended SoonerCon 10 in 1994.

Astronaut William Anders (June 7, 2024) circled the Moon on Apollo 8, when he read from Genesis and took the now iconic “Earthrise” photo.  He later was a US ambassador to Norway and served the National Space Council, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and the Atomic Energy Commission.

Astrophysicist Ed Stone (June 9, 2024) was a director for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and was spokesman for the Voyager projects.

Basketballer Jerry West (June 12, 2024) played for the LA Lakers for over a decade.  Among his nicknames was “Mr Logo,” because his silhouette was used for the famous NBA logo.

            Actor Benji Gregory (June 13, 2024) appeared in many shows including The Twilight Zone, The A-Team, and Amazing Stories.  He’s most famous as Brian Tanner of ALF.

            The “Say Hey Kid,” Willie Mays (June 18, 2024), was an All-Star baseball player 24 times, making some of the most iconic plays in memory, including an over-the-shoulder catch in the 1954 World Series.

Some of the most impactful pop-culture roles played by Donald Sutherland (June 20, 2024) were in Space Cowboys, The Dirty Dozen, Animal House, the Hunger Games franchise, Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978), and the film M*A*S*H.

Surfing legend and actor Tamayo Perry (June 23, 2024) appeared in Hawai’i Five-O and Pirates of the Caribbean: on Stranger Tides.

Actor Bill Cobbs (June 25, 2024) was seen in Oz the Great and Powerful, Night at the Museum, and The Brother from Another Planet.

Martin Mull (June 27, 2024) musicked and arted, but was most knownded for appearing in Fernwood 2 Night, Roseanne, America 2-Night, and Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman.

Screenwriter-director Robert Towne (July 1, 2024) got his start writing for Roger Corman, and later became known for films like the first two Mission: Impossible films, Shampoo, The Last Detail, and the masterpiece Chinatown.

Canadian talent-scout-producer-agent Mary Martin (July 4, 2024) helped elevate the careers of Bob Dylan, Clint Black, Rosanne Cash, Leonard Chen, Van Morrison, and others.

Jon Landau (July 5, 2024) produced and co-produced several genre films including Avatar, Titanic (Oscar winner), Dick Tracy, Solaris, and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.

Among the many genre films featuring Shelley Duvall (July 11, 2024) are Nashville, Time Bandits, Popeye, and The Shining.  She also hosted the kid-friendly series Bedtime Stories, Tale Tales & Legends, and Faerie Tale Theatre.

Karola Westheimer, aka Dr Ruth (July 12, 2024) was a celeb who didn’t mind being made fun of as she advocated for awareness and openness in sex and other human relationships.

Actress Shannen Doherty (July 13, 2024) appeared in Little House on the Prairie and in Heathers, and voiced in The Secret of Nimh, but her biggest splashes were in Beverly Hills 90210 and a later role in Charmed.

 

Actor James B Sikking (July 13, 2024) was famous as the dad of Doogie Houser, MD and had long runs on Hill Street Blues and General Hospital, but he’ll always be cordially despised as the officious Captain Styles of the starship Excelsior in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock.

Fitness guru Richard Simmons (July 13, 2024) made “Sweatin’ to the Oldies” a mocked term.  He played up his chirpy stereotype to maintain publicity for his projects and continued push for health and exercise.

Comedian-actor Bob Newhart (July 18, 2024) had at least four self-named TV shows and appeared in films (including voice work in The Rescuers), after beginning in standup. His somewhat subdued, put-upon aura resonated in a world increasingly keyed to the concept that success comes through conformity. By the end of his career, he’d shown that you gotta watch out for the quiet ones too.

Abdul Kareem “Duke” Fakir (July 22, 2024) was a co-founder of the Four Tops and its last surviving original member.  A few hits include “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch),”  “Reach Out I’ll Be There,” and “It’s the Same Old Song.”

British singer-guitarist-songwriter John Mayall (July 22, 2024) played with acts like Manfred Mann and Eric Clapton. He was sometimes called “the godfather of the British blues.”

Known for cookies, Wally “Famous” Amos (August 13, 2024) was also an agent who signed Simon & Garfunkel, Diana Ross, and others. He borrowed from such acquaintances as Marvin Gaye and Helen Reddy to open his first cookie store in 1975.

Rocker Greg Kihn (August 13, 2024) and his bands were known for songs like “The Breakup Song” and “Jeopardy,” but Kihn was also a Stoker-nominated author of stories and novels.

Entertainer Peter Marshall (August 15, 2024) hosted The Hollywood Squares 1966-81. He was earlier a radio actor and later parlayed his game-show characterization in mysteries and for PBS.

TV writer-producer-host Phil Donahue (August 18, 2024) did his best to merge compassion with outrage, to stir both controversy and insight.

            After being signed and then and injuring out of the AFL, John Amos (August 21, 2024) turned to acting, in such properties as The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Roots, The West Wing, and Good Times.

            Poet, gamer, and OKC-area fan Jonathan Keepers (August 26, 2024) was active in the Historical Miniature Gaming Society. He was a founding member of Darkmoore and the Players Guild of Central Oklahoma, and was Gaming Chair for SoonerCon 1 in 1986.

James Darren (September 2, 2024) had a career ranging from teen crooner (“Goodbye Cruel World”) and heartthrob (Gidget) to TV (The Time Tunnel, TJ Hooker, DS9).

            University of Oklahoma professor Stewart Ryan (September 7, 2024) taught there for 35 years, but had a famous alter ego. As the flamboyant Dr Indestructo, Ryan performed over 500 science shows in the region.  A couple of those appearances were at SoonerCon 1 in 1986 and SoonerCon 3 in 1987.  “Physics can be phun!”

Actor James Earl Jones (September 9, 2024) won three Tony Awards, a Golden Globe, a Grammy, and an Oscar. He lent his gravitas to such pop-culture staples as Dr Strangelove, the Star Wars realm, The Lion King, Sesame Street, Roots, and The Simpsons. “This … is … CNN. And Obi-Wan lied.”

            Actor Chad McQueen (September 11, 2024), son of Steve McQueen, was a race-car driver, at age 12 winning his class at the World Mini Grand Prix. His most famous film role was as Dutch in the Karate Kid movies.

            Musician and singer Tito Jackson (September 15, 2024) performed solo and with his brothers in the Jackson 5.  He had recently moved to Claremore, OK.

            Singer-songwriter J.D. Souther (September 17, 2024) wrote and co-wrote hits for the Eagles, Linda Ronstadt, and others, including “Best of My Love” and “Heartache Tonight.”

            Actor John Ashton (September 26, 2024) was best known as John Taggart in the first two Beverly Hills Cop films.

British actress and later Dame Maggie Smith (September 27, 2024) won two Oscars, four Emmys, and many other accolades. Among her genre appearances are Clash of the Titans, Hook, and as Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter films. Also in a TV show called Downton Abbey.

Kris Kristofferson (September 28, 2024) was a pioneer of music’s “outlaw country” movement. Among his songs made hits by others are “For the Good Times,” “Help Me Make It Through the Night,” and “Me and Bobby McGee.” As an actor he appeared in 1975’s A Star Is Born and the Blade films.

Actor Ron Ely (September 29, 2024) fielded dozens of roles, but is widely known for playing the title characters in the 1975 film Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze and the 1967-68 series Tarzan.

Performer Ken Page (September 30, 2024) appeared on Broadway in such vehicles as The Wiz and Cats. He voiced video games. For some, his greatest legacy is his role as Oogie Boogie in The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Actor John Lassell (October 4, 2024) is remembered mainly for his role as Dr. Peter Guthrie in 25 episodes of ABC’s Dark Shadows.

            Computer scientist Ward Christensen (October 11, 2024) helped shape the world by building a cassette-based OS, inventing the XMODEM file-transfer protocol, and co-founding the first online BBS.

Bassist Phil Lesh (October 24, 2024)  helped found the Grateful Dead, and was notable for his six-string bass-guitar stylings.

TV writer-producer Jeri Taylor (October 24, 2024) wrote for several series before discovering her legacy with Star Trek: TNG and Voyager, as well as three Trek novels.

Actress Teri Garr (October 29, 2024) was the ditzy blonde everyone wanted to help out (and perhaps steal a roll in the hay). She claimed Star Trek’s “Assignment: Earth” was her first big speaking role. She appeared all over the place, notably in Oh God, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and Young Frankenstein.

Artist Greg Hildebrandt (October 31, 2024) and his twin brother Tim (d 2006) created their own world of fantasy and sci-fi with their illos for several Lord of the Rings calendars, The Sword of Shannara, Magic: The Gathering, and Harry Potter. Perhaps their most recognizable work is the 1977 poster for Star Wars.

Musician-composer Quincy Jones (November 3, 2024) won 28 Grammys among other awards. Beginning with jazz, he worked in many branches of music. Among his film scores are In Cold Blood, They Call Me Mister Tibbs!, The Wiz, and The Color Purple.

            Voice actor Elwood Hughes Edwards Jr. (November 5, 2024) worked in radio and TV, but is most known because his voice was used by AOL to announce “You’ve got mail.”

            Guitarist Vic Flick (November 15, 2024) was a studio musician on many platters, but entered pop-culture immortality when he played the guitar riff for Monty Norman’s “James Bond Theme.”

            Restaurateur-writer Alice Brock (November 21, 2024) became famous through Arlo Guthrie’s 1967 song “Alice’s Restaurant.”

Smooth-talking game-show host Chuck Woolery (November 23, 2024) is known for stints on Love Connection, Wheel of Fortune, and the kids’ series New Zoo Revue.

Writer Barbara Taylor Bradford (November 24, 2024) is known for dozens of popular novels and several book series, usually involving inexperienced women triumphing over challenges through inner strength and resolve.

Actor Earl Holliman (November 25, 2024) appeared in many Westerns and other TV series including Twilight Zone, Murder She Wrote, and a co-starring role on Police Woman.

Filmmaker Jim Abrahams (November 26, 2024) is known for writing or directing such modern comedy hits as the Hot Shots! series, the Naked Gun series, and Airplane!

Actor Thom Christopher (December 5, 2024) played lots of soap-opera roles, mostly villainous. But he also played half-man, half-avian Hawk on TV’s Buck Rogers in the 25^th Century.

            Engineer and computer scientist Donald Bitzer (December 10, 2024) was the father of PLATO, the first system that combined touchscreens and graphics. He was co-inventor of the flat plasma display screen, in 1964.

Actor Michael Cole (December 10, 2024) is mostly known for his role as an undercover cop on ABC’s The Mod Squad.

            Singer Anita Bryant (December 16, 2024), Miss Oklahoma 1958, earned a lot of notoriety in the 1970s with her vigorous anti-gay proclamations.

Record producer Richard Perry (December 24, 2024) is known for shepherding such acts as Carly Simon, Ringo Starr, Barbra Streisand, Ray Charles, Rod Stewart, and Harry Nilsson.

TV writer-director-producer Britt Allcroft (December 25, 2024) helped create or develop Shining Time Station and Thomas the Tank Engine, among other projects.

Olivia Hussey (December 27, 2024) voiced several Star Wars videogames and performed on stage. She played Norman Bates’ mom in Psycho IV. But she won hearts worldwide as Juliet in Zeffirelli’s 1968 Romeo and Juliet.

The influence of Jimmy Carter (December 29, 2024) went far beyond his one term as US president. He served in diplomatic roles and spent decades serving “the least of these” through the Carter Center, teaching Sunday school, and building homes with habitat for Humanity.

Actress-singer Linda Lavin (December 29, 2024) co-starred in TV’s Rhoda and had her own sitcom, Alice (1976-85), among many other roles of note. She had a supporting role in the Broadway musical It’s a Bird It’s a Plane It’s Superman!

Singer-songwriter Peter Yarrow (January 7, 2025) found fame as one of Peter, Paul & Mary. He co-wrote such notable songs as “Torn Between Two Lovers,” “Day Is Done,” and “Puff the Magic Dragon.”

Singer Sam Moore (January 10, 2025) was half of Sam & Dave, with whom he had many hits, including “Hold On, I’m Comin’” and “Soul Man.”

Director Jeannot Szwarc (January 14, 2025) helmed all kinds of films, including such genre offerings as Santa Claus: The Movie, Somewhere in Time, and Supergirl.

Sports broadcaster Bob Eucker (January 16, 2025) was called “Mr. Baseball” by Johnny Carson. He appeared in a few TV and film roles, and hosted several sports-blooper shows.

Filmmaker David Lynch (January 16, 2025) wrote and directed so far outside the box that you couldn’t afford the postage. Among his most stunning or mind-bending works are Twin Peaks, Eraserhead, Blue Velvet, Mulholland Drive, and 1984’s Dune.

Writer-cartoonist Jules Feiffer (January 17, 2025) won a Pulitzer Prize, an Oscar for an animated short, and produced dozens of books, including the fine 1965 The Great Comic Book Heroes.  His play Little Murders became a 1971 film.

OK disc jockey Dale Wehba (January 17, 2025) began his career with a phone interview with Elvis at the star’s German army station, by claiming to be president of RCA Records. He spun platters at several stations, including WKY and KOMA in OKC, and is credited as “the man who introduced rock ‘n’ roll to Oklahoma City.”

Actress-singer Marianne Faithfull (January 30, 2025) had her biggest hit with the 1964 “As Tears Go By.”

Actor Tony Roberts (February 7, 2025) appeared in many TV and film roles, including six films for Woody Allen. He also appeared in many stage roles on and off Broadway.

Brent Douglas (February 8, 2025) was a voice on Tulsa’s KMOD for a quarter century, usually with partner Phil Stone. Douglas is most notorious as the voice of prank caller Roy D. Mercer.

Writer of “comedy dramas” Tom Robbins (February 9, 2025) is known for Jitterbug Perfume and Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, among others.

Gene Hackman (February 18, 2025) won two Oscars and appeared in many TV and film roles, including the blind hermit in Young Frankenstein. But to genre fans he’ll always shine as the greatest criminal mind of our time, Lex Luthor, in three Christopher Reeve Superman movies.

Secret Service agent Clint Hill (February 21, 2025) became known for running into the line of fire and onto the back of JFK’s car on November 22, 1963. He wrote several books about his White House experiences.

Actress Lynne Marie Stewart (February 21, 2025) was also known as Miss Yvonne, “the Most Beautiful Woman in Puppet Land,” on The Pee-wee Herman Show and Pee-wee’s Playhouse. She also appeared in film (American Graffiti) and TV (M*A*S*H).

Balladeer Roberta Flack (February 24, 2025) charmed listeners with a smooth, suggestive alto. She gained a lot of radio play with “Where Is the Love,” “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” and “Killing Me Softly with His Song.”

Actress Michelle Trachtenberg (February 26, 2025) began in showbiz at age three. She appeared in several projects for Nickelodeon before starring in the 1996 Harriet the Spy. From 2000-2003 she appeared as Dawn Summers in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Writer Joseph Wambaugh (February 28, 2025) was best known for his books about cop life, both fictional and nonfictional.

Singer-songwriter Joey Molland (March 1, 2025) is best known as a member of Badfinger. He also played on albums by John Lennon and George Harrison.

            Voice actor George Lowe (March 2, 2025) appeared on several videogames and series, but is most famous as the voice of Space Ghost 1994-2008 on Space Ghost Coast to Coast.

Among the most recognizable work of auto customizer Gene Winfield (March 4, 2025) are the Galileo full-sized shuttle for Star Trek TOS, the Piranha used on The Man from U.N.C.L.E., and the spinners (25 of them) in 1982’s Blade Runner.

            Tulsa-born actress Pamela Bach (March 5, 2025) appeared in Baywatch, TJ Hooker, Superboy, and soap operas.

Bruce Glover (March 12, 2025) played assassin Mr. Wint in Diamonds Are Forever and appeared in Chinatown and many other roles. He was also the father of Crispin Glover.

John Frederick Peck (March 15, 2025), known as The Mad Peck, was an American underground cartoonist, rock-poster artist, and disc jockey. He manipulated clip art, drew comix, and was a big influence on countercultural art in the Sixties and Seventies. For a while he had a strip running in Creem.

Fan Laura Ferguson (March 20, 2025), widow of OKC police officer and fellow fan Mike, attended several Soonercons, sometimes in Trek regalia. IRL she served others for over fifty years as an LPN.

Boxer, businessman, and born-again Christian George Foreman (March 21, 2025) won a gold medal at the 1968 Olympics. He was twice heavyweight champion, and in 1994 introduced the George Foreman Grill.

Actor Richard Chamberlain (March 29, 2025) became a heartthrob as the star of the 1961-66 series Dr. Kildare. He later earned the sobriquet “King of the Miniseries” after appearing in Shōgun, Centennial, and The Thorn Birds. He swashbuckled as Aramis in three films based on the Three Musketeers, and voiced Highfather in the direct-to-video film Justice League: Gods and Monsters.

Herman Meinders (March 30, 2025) of Oklahoma City founded American Floral Services, a network for delivery worldwide. He supported OKC and Oklahoma City University, where he funded the school of business named for him. He donated his Diamond H Ranch to the Boy Scouts’ Last Frontier Council.

Actress Patty Maloney (March 31, 2025) appeared on Voyager, but is also noted as Lumpy in the Star Wars Holiday Special, Honk on Far Out Space Nuts, and Tina the robot on Buck Rogers in the 25^th Century.

Betty Webb (March 31, 2025) was one of the WWII code breakers who helped crack Germany’s Enigma cipher, and was awarded an MBE in 2015.

Method actor Val Kilmer (April 1, 2025) began his career on stage, but moved into film and became “the most unsung leading man of his generation,” according to Roger Ebert. Films included Tombstone, The Doors, The Prince of Egypt (as Moses and God), Top Gun, and Batman Forever.

Jay North (April 6, 2025) did voice acting for The Banana Splits Adventure Hour and The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show, and guest-starred on many shows including The Lone Ranger and The Man from U.N.C.L.E., but he’ll be forever first remembered as Dennis the Menace in the 1959-63 CBS series.

English actress-writer Jean Marsh (April 13, 2025) appeared in properties ranging from The Twilight Zone and Return to Oz to Willow and three different roles on Doctor Who. She won an acting Emmy for Upstairs, Downstairs, which she also co-created.

            Radio DJ, TV producer, and game-show host Wink Martindale (April 15, 2025) began his media career as host of Dance Party in Memphis, where his buddy Elvis Presley performed. He hosted several shows, most famously Tic-Tac-Dough from 1977 to 1985.

            Ed Smylie of  NASA (April 21, 2025) may have had his finest hour when his ideas helped save the Apollo 13 crew by kludging an air-recycling system with cardboard, plastic bags, and duct tape.

Lulu Roman (April 23, 2025) started her career for Jack Ruby as “the World’s Biggest Go-Go Dancer.” She sang and did comedy, most notably in a brief stint on Hee Haw.

            Comedienne Ruth Buzzi (May 1, 2025) was a cast member on several TV shows before becoming the only featured player to appear on every episode of Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In, 1986-73. Among her hundreds of other appearances were voice roles including Nose Marie in Hanna-Barbera’s Pound Puppies and as Mama Bear in the Berenstain Bears series.

            Comic-book artist Jackson Guice (May 1, 2025) worked on headline titles like The Flash and Birds of Prey and many other titles. In the 1990s he was in on DC’s Death of Superman storyline and contributed to Superman: The Wedding Album.

Big tough actor Joe Don Baker (May 7, 2025) hit with a splash as Sheriff Buford Pusser in 1973’s Walking Tall.  He also appeared in The Natural, Cape Fear, and in differing roles in the Bond films GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, and The Living Daylights.

            Screenwriter-director Robert Benton (May 11, 2025) won Oscars for his work on Places in the Heart and Kramer vs. Kramer. He also directed 1998’s Twilight and contributed to the writing of Superman: The Movie.

Composer-lyricist Charles Strouse (May 15, 2025) worked on the musicals It’s a Bird It’s a Plane It’s Superman, Annie, Applause, and Bye Bye Birdie. He co-wrote the title song for TV’s All in the Family, “Those Were the Days.”

Songwriter Roger Nichols (May 17, 2025) co-wrote several hits, including “Rainy Days and Mondays,” “Out in the Country” for Three Dog Night, and “We’ve Only Just Begun,” a song which began life as a bank-commercial jingle.

George Wendt (May 20, 2025) is best known as Norm on Cheers, but he played varying roles in other enterprises like the films Airplane II and Dreamscape, and TV ventures including Sabrina the Teenage Witch, The Simpsons, and The New Twilight Zone.

Writer of comics, videogames, novels, TV, and film Peter David (May 24, 2025)  worked on The Incredible Hulk and Star Trek for Marvel; Supergirl and Aquaman for DC; and a slew of other inventive, character-driven projects.

Guitarist-songwriter Rick Derringer (May 26, 2025) started out with the McCoys’ “Hang on Sloopy,” worked with Edgar Winter and Steely Dan, and had a hit of his own with 1973’s “Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo.”

            Actor Ed Gale (May 27, 2025) debuted as the title character of 1986’s Howard the Duck. He also appeared in O Brother, Where Art Thou? and Spaceballs. He’s best known as the physical performer of Chucky in Child’s Play, Child’s Play 2, and Bride of Chucky.

Actress Loretta Swit (May 30, 2025) appeared in many plays and guested on many series, but is overwhelmingly remembered as Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan 1972-83 in M*A*S*H.

These people and things impacted the pop-culture realm, and thus the whole world.  Thanks for reflecting on some of the folks who went before.
 

FINAL SALUTES! 2023-2034

 

            American songwriter Cynthia Weil (died June 1, 2023), with husband Barry Mann, wrote dozens of hits for scores of performers beginning in the 1960s. Notable songs include “Uptown,” “Blame It on the Bossa Nova,” “On Broadway,” “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’,” “We Gotta Get Outta This Place,” “Rock and Roll Lullaby,” and Hanson’s “I Will Come to You.”

Comic-book writer and artist Ian McGinty (June 8, 2023) worked on Invader Zim and Adventure Time, among others.

            Actor Treat Williams (June 12, 2023) began his career with roles in Hair and 1941, and appeared in dozens of film and TV roles, including recurring roles on White Collar, Blue Bloods, and Chicago Fire, as well as starring in the WB’s Everwood 2002-2006.

Author Cormac McCarthy (June 13, 2023) wrote unflinching drama and violence into his Western and other novels (two are Blood Meridian and The Road), depicting gritty, realistic conflict and characters.

            John Romita Sr (June 12, 2023) began as a ghost artist for the pre-Marvel Timely Comics group, moved to DC 1958-65, and drew Daredevil before moving in as main artist for The Amazing Spider-Man. At Marvel he co-created Luke Cage, Mary Jane Watson, the Kingpin, and Wolverine.

            British actress-activist Glenda Jackson (June 15, 2023) won two Oscars, three Emmys, and a Tony. She starred as several English Queens as well as in lighter fare like A Touch of Class and House Calls.

            “Mr Ragtime,” Max Morath (June 19, 2023) was also a playwright, composer, and actor. He heralded the Ragtime Revival of the 1970s by emphasizing both its carefree sound and its deeper, serious history as a genre of truly American music.

            Actor Alan Arkin (June 29, 2023) began his career in the Second City troupe before debuting on Broadway in 1963, immediately garnering a Tony Award. He appeared on TV and in Such films as Catch-22, The Seven-per-Cent Solution, The Last Unicorn, and Edward Scissorhands.

            Writer-director-producer Manny Coto (July 9, 2023) wrote for Tales from the Crypt, The Outer Limits, and ST:Enterprise, and Dexter.

            Hacker-turned-security consultant Kevin Mitnick (July 16, 2023) began his life of crime at age 16, accessing supposedly secure networks, using cloning cellphone data and other tricks to evade the FBI for several years. Upon his 2000 release he became a white hat.

            Singer Tony Bennett (July 21, 2023) crooned for decades, winning 20 Grammys and two Emmys, besides the swoons of millions of teenagers in the 1950s. Among his hits were “Stranger in Paradise,” “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” and “Fly Me to the Moon.”

            Cofounding Eagles member, bassist, and vocalist Randy Meisner (July 26, 2023) also played in Poco and for Rick Nelson. Among several Eagles songs, he wrote and sang lead on “Try and Love Again.”

            Irish activist-singer-songwriter Sinéad O’Connor (July 26, 2023) won awards from the Grammys and MTV, and used her acclaim to direct attention to causes like women’s rights, child abuse, and others. On SNL she shocked folks by tearing up a picture of the Pope in protest  against abuse by the clergy. In 2018 she converted to Islam.

            Paul Reubens (July 30, 2023) failed at his SNL audition but succeeded as Pee Wee Herman, first in a 1981 stage show, then in two films and his 1986-90 TV show Pee Wee’s Playhouse. He guested on other shows and appeared in films like The Blues Brothers, Batman Returns, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

            Actor Mark Margolis (August 3, 2023) appeared all over in shows including Law & Order, Oz, Quantum Leap, and STTNG, but is most noted as Hector Salamanca in Breaking Bad.

            Dutch software engineer Bram Moolenaar (August 3, 2023) developed A-A-P and the text-editing program Vim.

            William Friedkin (August 7, 2023), director-producer-writer on films like Sorcerer, To Live and Die in LA, and The French Connection, tormented the psyches of millions with his 1973 The Exorcist.

            Songwriter-guitarist Robbie Robertson (August 9, 2023) played for Bob Dylan and helped lead the Band for decades. He’s credited, with the Band, with creating the Americana Music style.

            Standup comic Johnny Hardwick (August 8, 2023) later was not only the voice of Dale Gribble on King of the Hill, but also was a writer and producer for the show.

            Jerry Moss (August 16, 2023) was a cofounder (with Herb Alpert) of A&M Records.

            Balltze (August 18, 2023), one of the Ironic Doges, was best known for wanting to has a “Cheemsburger.”

            Inventor of the PDF John Warnock (August 19, 2023) cofounded Adobe Systems in 1982 with Charles Gesche, producing PostScript and Illustrator, among others.

            Animal-rights activist Bob Barker August 26, 2023) gained fame hosting game shows like Truth or Consequences (1965-75) and The Price Is Right (1972-2007). He won 19 Emmys.

            Actress Gayle Hunnicutt (August 31, 2023) was notable in several genre roles, from The Beverly Hillbillies and 1980’s The Martian Chronicles to 1983’s Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E.  In the first episode of Jeremy Brett’s The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, she played Irene Adler.

            Singer Gary Wright (September 4, 2023) appeared in Annie on Broadway as a child, then played in Spooky Tooth and on George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass.  His greatest pop impact came from his 1976 hits “Love Is Alive” and “Dream Weaver.”

            Stop-motion animator Pete Kozachik (September 12, 2023) brought magical life to non-life for film, including Howard the Duck, Star Trek IV, The Corpse Bride, and The Nightmare Before Christmas.

            David McCallum (September 25, 2023), the other Man from U.N.C.L.E., broke teen hearts as Illya Kuryakin, and established the outsider-as-cool pattern which Spock’s character exploited.  Other roles included Julius Caesar and Judas Iscariot.  From 2003-2023 he won hearts anew as Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard on NCIS.

            Actor Sir Michael John Gambon (September 27, 2023) started his career at the Royal National Theatre with Laurence Olivier in 1963 and appeared in Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow and Sleepy Hollow, but is endeared to sf lovers everywhere for his stepping into the role of Albus Dumbledore for Harry Potter films, 2004-11.

            Actor Burt Young (October 8, 2023) reached wide audiences as Paulie, Rocky Balboa’s brother-in-law. He also appeared in Once Upon a Time in America, Chinatown, and The Adventures of Pluto Nash.

            Comics writer-artist Keith Giffen (October 9, 2023) created Ambush Bug, co-created Lobo, and left his mark on Legion of Super-Heroes, Justice League International, and many more. He also worked for Marvel and others, and for a time storyboarded for Ed, Edd ‘n’ Eddy and The Real Ghostbusters.

            Phyllis Coates (October 11, 2023) was the original TV Lois Lane and appeared in lots of other roles, often in Westerns and other adventure formats. Genre movies included The Incredible Petrified World and I Was a Teenage Frankenstein.

            Actress, infomercial maestro,  and writer Suzanne Somers (October 15, 2023) is well known for roles on Step by Step and Three’s Company. She tantalized a generation of 1970s teenagers as the mysterious “blonde in the T-Bird” of American Graffiti.

            Singer-songwriter and born Tulsan Dwight Twilley (October 18, 2023) recorded twenty-plus albums; his biggest his was 1975’s “I’m on Fire,” which reached #16.

            Rebecca Jackson (October 21, 2023) was a civilian engineer at Tinker AFB, beginning in the mid-1980s. She loved and rescued cats, serving on the board of Pets and People in Yukon. She was also a big-hearted fan of sf, particularly BritTV, and served many video and other roles for Soonercon and ThunderCon. She was a longtime member of Serendipity. 

            Arts advocate Betty Price (October23, 2023) was executive director of the Oklahoma Arts Council 1983-2007. She taught school and gave piano lessons before becoming secretary to an OK senator and providing advice on art-related matters. She also served with OKC’s First Americans Museum.

            Actor Richard Roundtree (October 24, 2023) was an American actor, noted as being “the first black action hero.” He had roles in Roots and Desperate Housewives, but will always demand respect and awe as private dick John Shaft in five films.

            Robert W. Irwin (October 25, 2023) was an American installation artist who explored perception and the conditional in art.

            Actor Richard Moll (October 26, 2023) was famous as Bull Shannon on Night Court 1984-92, as well as voicing Harvey Dent/Two-Face for Batman: The Animated Series and Batman: The New Adventures.

            Actor Matthew Perry (October 28, 2023) made many appearances in TV and film, but was well known as Chandler Bing on Friends, 1994-2004.

            Artist and educator Trey Aven (November 5, 2023) helped the Peace Corp in Ukraine and served in Europe and the Middle East in advisory and dean at several institutions. In the Seventies and Eighties he worked in the Paseo and helped found the district. His biggest pop-culture splash was as the designer for the logo of KATT-FM, “Rock One Hundred, the Katt.”

            Hasher, IT genius, ex-California girl, and Soonercon friend Cyndi Hagood (November 20, 2023) supported her family and communities with every breath, and we’ll miss her.

            Gamer and friend Tim Kellogg (November 22, 2023) loved books, sci-fi, and tabletop gaming action. IRL he worked dispatch for EMSA, impacting lives another way.

            The singing career of Jean Knight (November 22, 2023) spanned the Sixties to the Nineties, and she will always be associated with her biggest hit, the 1971 Number Two “Mr. Big Stuff.”

            Marty Krofft (November 25, 2023) began showbiz as a puppeteer with brother Sid. He produced variety shows featuring the Osmonds and Barbara Mandrell. The Kroffts made a niche in kids programming with TV shows Land of the Lost, Electra Woman and Dyna Girl, The Banana Splits Adventure Hour, and the ever-trippy H.R. Pufnstuf.

            Actress Frances Sternhagen (November 27, 2023)stepped out on Broadway and in film, but she’s most known for roles in Sex and the City, E.R., and as Esther Clavin in Cheers.

TV writer-producer Norman Lear (December 5, 2023) won six Emmys among other awards. Among his historic shows were Sanford and Son, Maude, The Jeffersons, One Day at a Time, and All in the Family. A big part of their TV success was their being videotaped live with an audience that was sometimes as shocked as the home viewer.

Actor Andre Braugher (December 11, 2023) was an Emmy winner best known for two cop roles: Ray Holt on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Frank Pembleton on Homicide: Life on the Street.

English actor Richard Franklin (December 24, 2023) was primarily a stage presence, but he ticks the box for Whovians as Captain Mike Yates of Unit, the United Nations Intelligence Taskforce.

Yo-Yo Man, political activist, and guitarist Tom Smothers (December 26, 2023) plated a goofy schtick with his brother Dick. Their variety TV show was canceled by a nervous CBS for monologues and skits referencing hot-button issues of the day. That’s Tom playing with John Lennon in the 1969 “Give Peace a Chance.”

Actor, singer, and choreographer Maurice Hines (December 29, 2023) danced with brother Gregory before going solo. He appeared on Broadway and directed music videos. He had a lead role in the 1984 film The Cotton Club.

Shecky Greene (December 31, 2023) toured the showbiz standup circuit, opening the MGM Grand in 1975 with Dean Martin, and appearing on TV in shows like The Love Boat, Combat, and The Fall Guy.

Tulsa TV second fiddle Jim Millaway (December 23, 2023) was a coconspirator on the 1970s cult show Doctor Mazeppa Pompazoidi’s Uncanny Film Festival and Camp Meeting. Besides costarring character Sherman Oakes, Millaway also ran for governor wearing a ski mask, as Mister Mystery. Campaign slogan? “White space increases readership!”

Actress Cindy Morgan (December 30, 2023) appeared in many TV shows and films beginning in the Eighties, when she appeared in 15 episodes of Falcon Crest and American Gigolo, Caddyshack, and Tron.

Swiss computer whiz Niklaus Wirth (January 1, 2024) among other things, was chief designer for several computer languages, including ALGOL W and PASCAL.

Actor-singer David Soul (January 4, 2024)  appeared in such TV shows as Here Come the Brides and Starsky and Hutch. He had a Number One hit with 1976’s “Don’t Give Up on Us,” and starred in the creepy 1979 TV miniseries Salem’s Lot, along with being one of the natives of Gamma Trianguli VI in TOS “The Apple.”

Writer-producer Tracy Tormé (January 4, 2024) worked on lots of projects including the UFO-abduction film Fire in the Sky, the first two seasons of STTNG, and co-creating the series Sliders.

Jennell Jaquays (January 10, 2024) began playing Dungeons and Dragons in 1975 and went on to design games and provide art. She worked on several DnD modules, created the early fanzine The Dungeoneer, and worked on several conversions from arcade to console, including Donkey Kong and Pac-Man.

Actress Joyce Randolph (January 13, 2024) is most famous as Trixie Morton in Jackie Gleason’s Honeymooners sketches, both on his show and the standalone series.

            Sf writer Howard Waldrop (January 14, 2024) gave back by teaching and working in writers workshops. His most famous story, “The Ugly Chickens” (1980), won World Fantasy and Nebula Awards. His “Thirty Minutes Over Broadway!” kicked off the first Wild Cards book.

Composer, musical parodist, and auditory genius Peter Schickele (January 16, 2024) arranged two Christmas albums for Joan Baez, composed the score for the 1972 Silent Running, and invented several musical instruments, viz: left-handed sewer flute, the tromboon, dill piccolo, and the lasso d’amore. He discovered and perpetrated the music of PDQ Bach, the last and least of Johann’s twenty-odd children (and also the oddest). For years his eclectic music show Schickele Mix aired on Edmond’s KUCO.

            NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter flew its final flight above the dusty surface of Mars January 18, 2024. It was expected to last for about five missions, about a month,  after its April 2021 deployment. But it soldiered through an amazing 72 missions over nearly three years. BTW, it bears a swatch of material from the wing of the original Wright Flyer.

Actor Gary Graham (January 22, 2024) appeared in lots of films, but his biggest genre impact was seen in his several roles in Trek series (like Soval on ST: Enterprise) and his portrayal of Dan Sikes in the Alien Nation series and follow-up TV movies.

            KC-area fan William “Bear” Reed (January 22, 2024) was found at many cons. His day jobs included security and software, but he shared much of his life with other fans in areas like costuming and gaming and fund-raising.

            Songwriter-singer Melanie Safka (January 23, 2024) had several hits in the Seventies, including “Brand New Key” and “What Have They Done to My Song Ma.” Her most impactful song was her 1970 “Lay Down (Candles in the Rain),” inspired by her experience performing at Woodstock.

            Born in Lawton, author N. Scott Momaday ( January 24, 2024) was a poet, novelist, and story writer, winning the Pulitzer for House Made of Dawn. In 2007 he was named the Oklahoma Centennial Poet Laureate.

            Singer-dancer-actress Chita Rivera  (January 30, 2024) appeared on Broadway in such shows as West Side Story, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Chicago, and Bye Bye Birdie. Among other honors she won two Tonys.

            Director-actor and pro-football player Carl Weathers (February 1, 2024) won the role of Apollo Creed by criticizing Sylvester Stallone’s acting. He appeared in lots of dramatic and comedy roles. He starred in the syndicated series Street Justice and provided a voice for the game Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction.

            Modern country-music legend Toby Keith (February 5, 2024) was born in Clinton, OK and memorialized by a street in Moore. His first single “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” hit Number One and started an avalanche. His post-9/11 song “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)” stirred controversy. His foundation aims to help kids and their families as they confront cancer treatment.

            Little-known but of great impact was the life of Patrick Hanks (February 1, 2024). He edited the Collins English Dictionary and the 2017 Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland, which informs us that many names began as insults: “Shakespeare is probably an obscene name, originally for a masturbator.” Hanks also worked at the Linguistics Research Department of AT&T’s Bell Labs.

            Programmer John Walker (February 2, 2024) co-founded the company AutoDesk, helped create AutoCAD, and wrote ANIMAL, which self-replicated on UNIVACs and is considered one of the world’s first computer viruses.

            Japanese conductor Seiji Ozawa (February 6, 2024) directed several important orchestras, made many significant recordings, and premiered works by Ligeti and Messiaen.

            Sf writer Steve Miller (February 20, 2024) co-created the Liaden Universe with his wife Sharon Lee. He published dozens of short stories and novels.

            Comics artist Ramona Fradon (February 24, 2024) began work in the Silver Age and continued.  She drew the newspaper strip Brenda Starr, Girl Reporter for 15 years. She also co-created Aqualad and Metamorpho for DC.

            Actor Kenneth Mitchell (February 24, 2024) appeared in such genre titles as Jericho and ST: Discovery on TV, and as Joseph Danvers in Captain Marvel.

            Stand-up comedian and writer Richard Lewis (February 27, 2024) was known for dark, neurotic stylings. He semi-played himself on Curb Your Enthusiasm, starred in the sitcom Anything but Love, and played Prince John in Robin Hood: Men in Tights.

            Manga artist and character designer Akira Toriyama (March 1, 2024) is best known as the creator of Dragon Ball.

            Singer-schmoozer Steve Lawrence (March 7, 2024) often performed with wife Eydie Gormé. He guest-starred in dozens of TV shows, starred on Broadway, and played Agent Maury Sline in The Blues Brothers and Blues Brothers 2000.

            Okie flyboy Thomas Stafford (March 18, 2024) commanded Apollo 10 in 1969 and the first US-Soviet space mission in 1975. He flew over 100 types of fixed-wing aircraft. Weatherford’s Stafford Air & Space Museum was founded in his honor in 1983. He helped develop the B-2 stealth bomber.

            Actor M. Emmet Walsh (March 19, 2024) appeared in TV and film 200+ times. Some of his genre roles were in Blade Runner, Critters, The Iron Giant, Escape from the Planet of the Apes, and Harry and the Hendersons. He was Barry Allen’s cop father in the 1990 The Flash series.

            Hugo Award-winner and educator Vernor Vinge (March 20, 2024) was one of the first writers to propose cyberspace and popularize the idea of a technological singularity.

            French author-illustrator Laurent de Brunhoff (March 22, 2024) continued the Babar series begun by his father, publishing nearly 50 books in the series.

            Actor Louis Gossett Jr. (March 29, 2024) appeared on Broadway and in films, won an Emmy for his appearance in Roots and an Academy for An Officer and a Gentleman. Some genre work was in Jaws 3D, Bram Stoker’s Legend of the Mummy, in 22 episodes of The Powers of Matthew Star—and as the Drac “Jerry” in Enemy Mine.

            Actress Barbara Baldavin (March 31, 2024) later became a casting assistant and director for dynasty, Matt Houston, and Trapper John, MD. She’s most familiar to genre fans for three appearances on TOS.

            Writer and comedian Joe Flaherty (April 1, 2024) was a man of many small roles in films like Innerspace, 1941, and Happy Gilmore, but his biggest squeeze on pop-culture hearts was his 1976-84 run on SCTV, where among other characterizations, he created the gloriously pathetic Count Floyd.

            Theoretical physicist Peter Higgs (April 8, 2024) won a Nobel Prize for positing lots of things like a field, mechanism, and boson, which were named in his honor. As an atheist he was amused by the popular conception of the Higgs boson as “the God particle.” In 2012, work at the Large Hadron Collider seemed to confirm its existence.

            Broadcaster Carole Arnold (April 12, 2024) was an OKC radio fixture on KTOK and KOMA. She was hosting a talk show on the morning of the 1995 bombing and fielded questions and comments heroically on that dreadful day.

            Musician Dickey Betts (April 18, 2024) co-founded and appeared in several iterations of the Allman Brothers Band, during which he composed the classic “Ramblin’ Man,” and pioneered with Duane the twin-guitar harmony which characterized the band.

            Oklahoman Charlie Dry (April 27, 2024) was a test astronaut for NASA, which means that he wore the gear and walked the walk before the flyboys.

            Master stunter Jeannie Epper (May 5, 2024) was called “the greatest stuntwoman who’s ever lived” by Entertainment Weekly. Some of her film projects included Romancing the Stone and Minority Report. On TV she doubled for Lindsay Wagner on The Bionic Woman, for Kate Jackson on Charlie’s Angels, and for Lynda Carter on Wonder Woman.

            British actor Bernard Hill (May 5, 2024) had decades of TV and film roles, most notably as Captain Smith in Titanic and as Théoden in the Lord of the Rings films.

            Director-producer Roger Corman (May 9, 2024) earned his crown as “the King of Cult” by smashing into the B-movie and drive-in circuit with dozens of titles of dubious merit but smashing impact, including X: The Man with X-Ray Eyes, It Conquered the World, The Trip, Little Shop of Horrors, and eight Poe-inspired horrors. He mentored many directors who rose to greater fame like Coppola, Howard, Bogdanovich, Dante, and Cameron, and co-founded New World Pictures.

            JediOKC founder Rick Young (May 11, 2024) was a stalwart of Oklahoma fandom, raising funds and sharing his enthusiasm. He was a longtime Soonercon pillar, supporting our community through his directness and all-inclusive joie de vivre.

            Actor Dabney Coleman (May 16, 2024) made a career of playing slick and creepy characters audiences loved to boo. Some big appearances were in The Towering Inferno, 9 to 5, The Muppets Take Manhattan, Buffalo Bill and Boardwalk Empire, and dozens more.

            Beginning his career as an electrician, Gordon Bell (May 17, 2024) began teaching computer-design classes in 1957 (yes, 1957), and later wrote the first speech-analysis software at MIT, and helped develop the first UARTs, the later-named modem. He helped reduce computer size to the personal level. The New York Times wrote, “A virtuoso at computer architecture, he built the first time-sharing computer.”

            Organist-vocalist Doug Ingle (May 24, 2024) was primary composer for his 1960s-70s band Iron Butterfly, including the legendary seventeen-minute “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida.”

            With his brother Robert, Disney songwriter Richard Sherman (May 25, 2024) was responsible for more motion picture musical song scores than any other songwriting team in film history. Some of those films include Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Snoopy Come Home, Bedknobs and Broomsticks and Charlotte’s Web.

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These people and things impacted the pop-culture REALM, and thus the whole world.  Thanks for reflecting on some of the folks who went before.