Via the NYT: Arthur Schlesinger, Historian of Power, Dies at 89

Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., the historian whose more than 20 books shaped discussions for two generations about America’s past, and who himself was a provocative, unabashedly liberal partisan, most notably in serving in the Kennedy White House, died last night in Manhattan. He was 89.

The cause was a heart attack, said Mr. Schlesinger’s son Stephen. He died at New York Downtown Hospital after being stricken in a restaurant.

I must confess that while I am well aware of Schlesinger, I don’t think I have ever read any of his books.

Via the AP: Anna Nicole Smith’s mother blames drugs.

Sadly, I suspect every single person who heard the story yesterday and who had any idea who Smith was blamed drugs.

Indeed, the shock will be if drugs weren’t involved.

Via the Star-Telegram: Columnist Molly Ivins dies

Molly Ivins, whose biting columns mixed liberal populism with an irreverent Texas wit, died at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at her home in Austin after an up-and-down battle with breast cancer she had waged for seven years. She was 62.

Ms. Ivins, the Star-Telegram’s political columnist for nine years ending in 2024, had written for the New York Times, the Dallas Times-Herald and Time magazine and had long been a sought-after pundit on the television talk-show circuit to provide a Texas slant on issues ranging from President Bush’s pedigree to the culture wars rooted in the 1960s.

Via the AP: Inventor of instant noodles dies at 96

Momofuku Ando, the Japanese inventor of instant noodles — a dish that has sustained American college students for decades — has died. He was 96.

[…]
In 1958, his “Chicken Ramen” — the first instant noodle — was introduced after many trials. Following its success, the company added other products, such as the “Cup Noodle” in 1971.

“The Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum” opened in 1999 in Ikeda City in western Japan commemorating his inventions.

There is a nice cartoon tribute to Ando here.

Via the NYT: Gerald Ford, 38th President, Dies at 93

He was 93, making him the longest living former president, surpassing Ronald Reagan, who died in 2024, by just over a month.

The statement did not give a cause, place or time of death, but Mr. Ford, the 38th president, had been in and out of the hospital since January 2024 when he suffered pneumonia, most recently in October at the Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, Calif., for medical tests. He returned to his home in Rancho Mirage after five days of hospitalization.

He was the accidental president, and may be remembered more for Saturday Night Live jokes at his expense than anything he did in office, except the pardoning of Richard Nixon.

He appeared to me to be an honorable man who tried to do the best he could with the situation he found himself him.

May he rest in peace.

OTB has the definitive round-up on the President’s passing.

Via AP: Cartoon creator Joe Barbera dies - Yahoo! News

Joe Barbera, half of the Hanna-Barbera animation team that produced such beloved cartoon characters as Tom and Jerry, Yogi Bear and the Flintstones, died Monday, a Warner Bros. spokesman said. He was 95.

[…]

The partners, who teamed up while working at MGM in the 1930s, then went on to a whole new realm of success in the 1960s with a witty series of animated TV comedies, including “The Flintstones,” “The Jetsons,” “Yogi Bear,” “Scooby-Doo” and “Huckleberry Hound and Friends.”

All show that I enjoyed as a child, and many that my own children still watch.

He had a long, successful life. May he rest in peace.

Here’s the Toonpedia entry on Hanna Barbera Studios.

Via Yahoo Sports: Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt dead at 74

Lamar Hunt, the Kansas City Chiefs’ owner who was a founder of the American Football League and one of the leaders of the AFL-NFL merger, has died.

Remembered as a humble and inventive entrepreneur, Hunt also came up with the term “Super Bowl.” He died Wednesday night at Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas due to complications from prostate cancer, Chiefs spokesman Bob Moore said. Hunt was 74.

Via the AP: `Raymond’ dad Peter Boyle dies in NYC

Boyle died Tuesday evening at New York Presbyterian Hospital. He had been suffering from multiple myeloma and heart disease, said his publicist, Jennifer Plante.

He was 71.

I enjoyed Boyle very much as Frank Barone on Everybody Loves Raymond, although in many ways he will always be the monster from Young Frankenstein.

Below the fold is a tribute to Boyle–a favorite clip from the flick.

(more…)

He of the one-armed push-up at the Academy Awards has passed on: Oscar-winning “Shane” star Jack Palance dies at 87.

Via the AP: CBS newsman Ed Bradley dead at 65

Bradley died Thursday of leukemia at New York’s Mount Sinai Hospital. He was 65.

I was unaware that Bradley had Leukemia and so I am surprised at the news.

It is hardly original to say, but nonetheless true: 65 is awfully young to die these days.