In Memoriam
Total 1709 Posts
Chet Lemon played sixteen seasons in Major League Baseball, beginning with the Chicago White Sox in 1975, where he played for six years. He was then traded to the Detroit Tigers, where he played the rest of his career from 1982 to 1990.
Ruth Buzzi was best known for her performances on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In from 1968 to 1973, for which she won a Golden Globe Award and received five Emmy nominations, but she did a tonne of voiceover, television guest star and Sesame Street work.
Jill Sobule was the singer-songwriter best known for the 1995 single "I Kissed a Girl", and "Supermodel" from the Clueless soundtrack.
Mike Peters was the frontman for The Alarm.
Claude Morrison was a founding member of The Nylons who sang tenor from 1978–2017.
Pope Francis was the first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church.
Wink Martindale was the game show host best known for having hosted Gambit from 1972 to 1976 (and again from 1980 to 1981), Tic-Tac-Dough from 1978 to 1985, High Rollers from 1987 to 1988, and Debt from 1996 to 1998. He was also a disc jockey whose rendition of the
Gerry McNamara was the Toronto Maple Leafs scout who in Sweden, where he was initially sent to investigate Inge Hammarström, scouted Börje Salming. He's go on to become General Manager of the Leafs in the 1980s.
Marc Nathan was the music industry veteran who helped discover Kon Kan and Meryn Cadell, and he introduced the Barenaked Ladies to Seymour Stein at Sire. And that's just his Cancon contributions.
Greg Millen played 14 seasons between the pipes in the National Hockey League for six teams: the Pittsburgh Penguins, Hartford Whalers, St. Louis Blues, Quebec Nordiques, Chicago Blackhawks, and Detroit Red Wings. Over his NHL career, Millen appeared in more than 600 regular-season games. His broadcasting career includes roles as
Jay North was the child actor who gained fame as Dennis Mitchell on ]Dennis the Menace.
Val Kilmer was the actor who found fame after appearances in comedy films Top Secret! and Real Genius, and later in the military action film Top Gun and the fantasy film Willow. Kilmer gained acclaim for his portrayal of Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone's The Doors.
Mark "Trees" Laforest played 103 games in the NHL with the Detroit Red Wings, Philadelphia Flyers, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Ottawa Senators between 1985 and 1994.
Richard Chamberlain was the actor best known for his role in the 1960s medical drama Dr Kildare and leading role in Shogun and The Thorn Birds.
Kevan Staples was the multi-instrumentalist that formed Rough Trade with Carole Pope.
George Foreman was a two-time heavyweight champion boxing legend who fought Muhammad Ali in 1974 during the legendary "Rumble in the Jungle" in Zaire.
Jesse Colin Young was the frontman and co-founder of the seminal Sixties group the Youngbloods, best known for their 1969 hi, "Get Together."
Oliver Miller, a member of the inaugural Toronto Raptors team, appeared in 493 games over nine NBA seasons. I loved The Big O, and asked Acie Earl about him when I chatted him up on Toronto Mike'd in 2023.
Roy Ayers was the vibraphonist, composer and jazz-funk pioneer behind "Everybody Loves the Sunshine" who was sampled in many a hip-hop jam.
David Johansen was the frontman for the New York Dolls who had a hit with his cover of "Hot Hot Hot" in the guise of Buster Poindexter.
Gene Hackman won the best actor Oscar for his role as Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle in William Friedkin's 1971 thriller The French Connection, and another for best supporting actor for playing Little Bill Daggett in Clint Eastwood's Western film Unforgiven in 1992. His other Oscar-nominated roles included 1967's Bonnie and Clyde
Michelle Trachtenberg was the actress best known for her roles in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Gossip Girl.
Roberta Flack was the 1970s R&B vocalist known for "Killing Me Softly" and "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face."
Mike Lange served as the Pittsburgh Penguin's lead play-by-play announcer for the Penguins' radio and television network, never missing a broadcast from 1976-2006.
In New Toronto, there's a mural celebrating greats from Lakeshore Village. One image is of Jerome Drayton, a long distance running who lived in Mimico. Drayton was once ranked as the top marathoner in the world and his Canadian record of 2:10:09 stood for 43 years. He's also
