Archive for the ‘Memoriam’ Category

allen_carr.jpgAllen Carr, who was considered as world’s best anti-smoking guru died of lung cancer yesterday. He was 72.

Carr helped convince millions of people to give up smoking. He claimed to have helped 10 million people to give up smoking, including leading figures such as the Virgin boss Sir Richard Branson, the actor Sir Anthony Hopkins and the footballer Gianluca Vialli.

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boyd_gerald.jpgGerald Boyd was the first black managing editor of The New York Times. He died earlier this week of lung cancer. Boyd was diagnosed with lung cancer in February and was keeping unwell for most of the year. However he kept his condition private from his friends and colleagues.

Boyd is credited for his ability to mobilize a reporting team and surround a story to capture every important fact. He was tough and demanding and had a huge heart. And while he left the paper under sad circumstances, he also left as a well-respected newsman.

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altman.jpgDirector Robert Altman, one of the most influential forces in American cinema, died of complications from cancer on Monday. He was 81.

A five-time Academy Award nominee and 2006 Lifetime Achievement Oscar recipient, Altman just recently directed A Prairie Home Companion — while at the same time battling the cancer that just took his life.

Altman worked while fighting cancer for last 18 months. No one expected he would die. His death was a surprise.
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belinda_emmett.jpgBelinda Emmett, wife of television personality Rove McManus, has died after a long battle with cancer.

Australia’s beautiful actress Belinda Emmett was surrounded by family and friends yesterday morning when she lost her eight-year battle with cancer at Sydney’s St Vincent’s Hospital.

“It is with great sadness we advise that Belinda Emmett’s battle with cancer has ended,” Emmett’s family said in a statement.

Emmett grew up on NSW’s Central Coast and got her acting break when she appeared on popular long-running soap Home and Away, playing Rebecca Fisher, between 1996 and 1999. Emmett was only 24 years old in 1998 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was considered Australia’s sweetheart and one of the most popular stars of Home and Away.

The Australian actress successfully underwent surgery to remove a malignant tumor, followed by six weeks of radiotherapy.

In 2001 the cancer returned and Belinda was diagnosed with bone metastasis. She spent the next five years seeking alternate therapies and using her celebrity to increase cancer awareness. She married Rove McManus, one of Australia’s most popular television personalities, in January of 2005.

Her last public appearance was on September 20 at Channel Seven’s 50 years of television celebration, where as always, and despite her obvious frailty, her smile lit the room. “Our deepest sympathy is extended to Belinda’s family who have supported her through this illness,” Seven Channel Network said in a statement.

Belinda Emmett had great acting ability and her warmth, her smile and her spirits will be truly remembered.


The award-winning newsman died Tuesday of liver cancer in Norwalk Hospital less than three weeks before his induction into the Radio Hall of Fame. Glenn retired in February after 35 years with CBS.It was Glenn who anchored the January 28th, 1986, launch of the doomed shuttle Challenger and delivered an anguished commentary as the spacecraft exploded shortly after lift off. “This flight, which was to have been such a bright chapter in the history of the manned space flight program, turned in the flash of an instant into a terrible, terrible tragedy.”

There are some things that happen in life where we can recall exactly where we were when it happened and heard of the tragedy. On the day the shuttle Challenger exploded I was in my tenth grade class watching it on television. The twentieth anniversary of the shuttle explosion brought back this memory and so did today when reading of Christopher Glenn’s death.

Christopher Glenn also was the distinctive voice to those who remember the Emmy-award winning “In the News.” The two and a half minute feature on one topic was broadcast every half hour during Saturday children’s programming on CBS. It debuted in September 1971 and ran for 5,000 episodes over thirteen seasons. He also was the anchor for CBS “World News Roundup” in 1999 after spending eleven years in a similar capacity for “The World Tonight.”

Glenn explained why he loved radio. “You don’t just sit there and stare at the pictures. You have to tell them the story and make them understand, and I think that that’s much more of a challenge for a journalist and makes it much more interesting in the long run.”

Christopher is survived by his wife, Dianne, two daughters and a sister.


Actor Edward Laurence Albert, Godson of Sir Laurence Olivier died on Friday of lung cancer, he was 55. Edward appeared in 126 films and also had TV roles to his credit.

Edward’s movie debut was in 1965’s The Fool Killer. Once he seriously decided to pursue acting he starred in a film called Butterflies are Free in 1972 with Goldie Hawn.

Edward’s wife actress Kate Woodville said that “His true passion lay with his family first. He devoted the last ten years of his life to caring for his ailing father, Eddie Albert. His neighbors, friends and family knew him as a fierce and dedicated environmentalist. He touched many lives, even saved a few. He will be remembered as a magnificent man, loving father and husband”.


bobmathias_olympian.jpgIn the year 1948, Bob Mathias, a 17 year old boy became the youngest male to win an Olympic gold medal. Bob was a two-time Olympic decathlon champion. He also became a four term Republican Congressman.

Bob Mathias died at the age of 75. His brother said that cancer was the cause of Bob’s death.

Peter Ueberroth, the chairman of the United States Olympic Committee stated that “Bob Mathias was one of those rare individuals with the ability to inspire a nation through his determination and perseverance. He was a champion in every aspect of life, and he embraced the values that make our country and the worldwide Olympic movement special”

He will be truly remembered.