In Memoriam
Total 1710 Posts
Igor Korolev was 41. He played 12 NHL seasons with the St. Louis Blues, Winnipeg Jets/Phoenix Coyotes, Toronto Maple Leafs and the Chicago Blackhawks. His tenure with the Leafs lasted four seasons and 297 games, resulting in 161 points.
Alexander Karpovtsev was 41. He played for the New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Chicago Blackhawks, New York Islanders, and Florida Panthers. His 125 games with the Leafs in 1998-1999 and 1999-2000 resulted in 44 points.
Brad McCrimmon was 52. He played defence for Boston, Philadelphia, Calgary, Detroit, Hartford and Phoenix from 1979-80 to 1996-97, collecting 81 goals, 322 assists and 1,416 penalty minutes in 1,222 NHL games.
Pavol Demitra was 36. In eight seasons with the St. Louis Blues from 1996 to 2004, Demitra had 204 goals and 493 points in 494 games. He also played in the NHL for Los Angeles, Minnesota and Vancouver.
Bob Laine was 72. He was a radio broadcasting legend at CHUM known as "The Voice" whose signature opening was "Good morning world, this is Bob-O. Good morning Bob-O, this is world."
Wade Belak was 35. He racked up 1,263 regular-season penalty minutes during a 15 season NHL career. Six of those 15 seasons were with the Toronto Maple Leafs where we enjoyed his sense of humour and friendly demeanor. Here's Wade Belak vs Cam Janssen from a 2-1 victory over
Aloysius Cardinal Ambrozic was 81. He was a Roman Catholic cardinal and Archbishop of Toronto since 1990.
Mike Flanagan was 59. He was a pitcher who recorded a 167-143 lifetime record with the Baltimore Orioles and our Toronto Blue Jays from 1975 to 1992. Here's something I wrote about Mike Flanagan a few years back: Mike Flanagan was a decent pitcher for the Jays from 1987-1990, but
Nick Ashford was 70. He was one-half of the successful Motown singer-songwriter duo of Ashford and Simpson, who recorded such hits as "Don't Cost You Nothing," "It Seems to Hang On," "Found A Cure" and "Solid."
Jack Layton was 61. He was the New Democratic Party leader who led his party to Official Opposition status in this year’s federal election.
Jani Lane was 47. He was the lead singer for Warrant, best known for the hits "Heaven" and "Cherry Pie". Here's Jani Lane talking about Cherry Pie, the song he wished he never wrote.
Bubba Smith was 66. He was a defensive star in the NFL and played Moses Hightower, the soft-spoken officer in the "Police Academy" series.
Hideki Irabu was 42. He was the New York Yankees pitcher labelled "The Nolan Ryan of Japan" who went 34-35 with a 5.15 ERA in three seasons.
Amy Winehouse was 27. She was a singer-songwriter, known for her powerful contralto vocals and her eclectic mix of various musical genres including R&B, soul, and jazz. You likely knew her big hit "Rehab" from her second studio album, Back to Black. This one really ticks me off.
Elwy Yost was 86. He was the long-time host of Saturday Night at the Movies and Magic Shadows on TVOntario. As a very young boy I remember watching Elwy on TVOntario as he introduced classic films I was far too young to appreciate. I fondly recalled Elwy in this space
Sherwood Schwartz was 95. He was the creator of such iconic shows as The Brady Bunch and Gilligan’s Island, not to mention the ninth owner in the history of the Toronto Argonauts.
Betty Ford was 92. She was the widow of late US President Gerald Ford and a co-founder of an eponymous addiction center in California.
Dick Williams was 82. He led the Oakland A’s to two of their three 1970s World Series championships and led the 1967 Red Sox and 1984 Padres to pennants.
Nick Charles was 64. He was CNN's first sports anchor and served in that role for nearly two decades. I spent many a night watching Nick Charles and Fred Hickman on "Sports Tonight."
Peter Falk was 83. He marshaled actorly tics, prop room appurtenances and his own physical idiosyncrasies to personify Columbo, one of the most famous and beloved fictional detectives in television history.
Clarence Clemons was 69. He was a saxophonist with the E Street Band and a vital ingredient of Bruce Springsteen's sound and an invaluable onstage foil to "the Boss".
Betty Fox was 71. She was Terry Fox's mom and she nurtured his legacy into one of international action and inspiration in the fight against cancer. Every year I raise funds here and run in the Terry Fox Run. This year, I won't just be running for Terry, I'll be
Carl Gardner was 83. He was the original lead singer of the R&B group the Coasters, best known for the 1950s hits "Yakety Yak," "Searchin'," "Poison Ivy" and "Young Blood."
Jack Kevorkian was 83. He was a former pathologist, dubbed as “Dr. Death” in the 1990’s for his “right-todie” campaign, who assisted in more than 130 physician-assisted suicides.
Gil Scott-Heron was 62. He was the poet, musician, and author known primarily for his work as a spoken word performer in the 1970s and 80s, and for his collaborative soul works with musician Brian Jackson. He was the man behind such seminal pieces of music as “Home Is Where
