DCS: dino bravo

Italian-born Adolfo Bresciano began his professional wrestling career in Canada the 1970s. Using the name “Dino Bravo,” he joined up with various organized wrestling alliances, becoming one of Canada’s most popular wrestlers. With his flamboyant manner, his bleached blond hair, his trademark fleur-de-lis gauntlets and his “pro-Canada” bravado, he was a fan favorite. He worked with the mighty WWF (now WWE) group as part of a tag-team with Dominic DeNucci. In the early 1980s, Dino was scheduled for a title match against the renowned Hulk Hogan. The match was to be held in Montreal, Dino’s adopted hometown. But the match was soon canceled, as promoters didn’t want hometown fans to cheer for Dino.

Dino retired from the ring in 1992 and began working with a notorious Canadian crime syndicate. Dino confided to several colleagues that he believed his days were numbered. He was allegedly involved in a risky and dangerous racket of cigarette smuggling. On March 10, 1993, Dino was found dead in his Quebec home. He was hit with at least 17 bullets and the surrounding walls were riddled with additional evidence of gunfire. Dino was 44 years old. His murder remains unsolved.

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DCS: philomena lynott

In post-World War II England, Philomena Lynott found work as a nurse in Manchester. She met and began dating Cecil Parris, a young man from British Guiana. Although their relationship didn’t last long, Philomena discovered she was pregnant after Parris was transferred to London. She moved into a group home for unmarried mothers with her son whom she had named Philip. Though not in the picture, Parris regularly sent a small amount of money to Philomena to help support Philip.

Philomena was subjected to criticism and prejudice from her housemates and other people because of Phillip’s mixed race. She decided to send the infant to live with her parents in Dublin. She only saw Phil sporadically and their relationship was cordial, but not much like mother and son.

In 1964, Philomena purchased the Clifton Grange Hotel in Whalley Range, Manchester with Dennis Keely, a man with whom she was in a new relationship. The hotel became well known as a welcome haven for touring musicians who could not find accommodations at larger, more conservative hotels. One of the bands that frequented the Clifton Grange Hotel was Thin Lizzy, whose lead singer was Phil Lynott. According to guests, Philomena acted like “everyone’s mother.” Brian Robertson, Thin Lizzy’s guitarist, asserted that Philomena insisted on washing his hair before performances.

Philomena and Dennis eventually moved into a house in Dublin — one that was purchased for them by Phil. She and Phil were rebuilding their relationship, but Philomena was unaware of Phil’s extensive and long-term drug abuse. He was discovered unconscious by his mother at his home in December 1985. She was with him when he passed away from sepsis a few weeks later.

After Phil’s death, Philomena fell into a depression, but, after being approached by a publisher to write her memoir, she turned the experience into a reexamination of her and her son’s life. She became active in an effort to erect a bronze statue of Phil Lynott in Dublin — which became a reality in 2005. She spoke out against Presidential candidate Mitt Romney using “The Boys are Back in Town” at his campaign rallies. She was a frequent guest at Thin Lizzy fan events right up until her death in 2019 at the age of 88.

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DCS: mojo nixon

Actress Winona Ryder has starred in a number of high-profile, iconic films over the course of her five-decade spanning career. She was won industry accolades, including a Golden Globe Award and two Academy Award nominations. With her breakout role in Lucas, her gothy take in Beetlejuice and her dark comedic turn in Heathers under her belt, Winona appeared alongside Dennis Quaid in the somewhat-underappreciated biopic Great Balls of Fire. Psychobilly madman Mojo Nixon was also cast in the picture, playing Jerry Lee Lewis’s drummer James Van Eaton. At the time (1989), Mojo was starting to gain momentum among the college-radio crowd with his unique brand of gritty, raunchy, garage rock-rockabilly hybrid. He asked Winona to appear in a short promotional video for the single from his current release Root Hog or Die. The song — “Debbie Gibson is Pregnant with My Two-Headed Love Child” — was Mojo’s loving ode to supermarket tabloids… four years before Weird Al Yankovic addressed the subject in his parody “Headline News.” In the video (shot in glorious black and white), Winona plays the title role in a wedding gown and later in the delivery room giving birth to a fur covered, two-headed Bigfoot spawn. Along the way, she wrestles in Jell-o with a “pseudo” Tiffany and shares a bed with Budweiser spokes-dog Spuds MacKenzie. She dances, smokes and gobbles a fried chicken sandwich. It’s a frenzied two minutes and eleven seconds and she appears to be having the time of her life.

The video, planned for broadcast on MTV, was rejected by the music network fearing backlash and possible legal action. Curiously, Mojo had been a spokesperson for the fledgling network. He was angered by the decision, and despite singing the song live on MTV’s “120 Minutes,” he severed ties with the network shortly after.

Winona Ryder — a veteran of iconic films like Dracula, Little Women, Edward Scissorhands, Girl Interrupted — spoke fondly of her appearance in the Mojo Nixon video. She even acknowledged that it was her favorite role of her career.

Mojo Nixon passed away suddenly on February 7, 2024 aboard the Norwegian Pearl cruise ship. He was a featured performer during the week-long Outlaw Country Cruise sponsored by Sirius XM radio. Mojo performed the evening prior to his death. He was 66 years old. If there is an afterlife, Mojo is in a place where there’s barbecue sauce in the waterslides and the only banks are made of Fender twin-reverb electric guitar amplifiers.

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inktober52: astronaut

On January 27, 1967, Gus Grissom was killed in a fire in a pre-launch test aboard Apollo 1 (then known as AS-204).  Grissom, along with fellow astronauts Roger Chaffee and Ed White, were working in the Command Module of the spacecraft. Grissom said: “”How are we going to get to the Moon if we can’t talk between two or three buildings?,” before speaking his last word, which was a shout of “Fire!”

The three astronauts died from asphyxiation.

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DCS: bobby womack

Singer/songwriter/musician Bobby Womack started off his career singing with his brothers as The Womack Brothers. They toured the country, accompanied by their mother and father on piano and guitar respectively.  The group caught the attention of singer Sam Cooke. Cooke became the band’s mentor and booked them on a national tour with The Staple Singers. Although led by Curtis Womack, Bobby would often sing alongside his brother, his raspy baritone making a unique contrast to Curtis’s smooth tenor.

In the early 1960’s, Cooke changed the group’s name to The Valentinos and produced and arranged their first hit “Looking for a Love.” The follow-up, “It’s All Over Now,” co-written by Bobby, was a hit as well and the group landed a supporting sport on the James Brown tour. “It’s All Over Now” was covered by The Rolling Stones while The Valentinos’ version was still climbing the R & B chart.

Then things got…. interesting.

In 1964, Sam Cooke was shot and killed at a southern California hotel. The music world was devastated, especially The Valentinos. However, just two months after Cooke’s death, Bobby began a romantic relationship with Barbara Cooke, Sam’s widow. Barbara was ten years Bobby’s senior. With Bobby wearing one of Sam’s suits, the couple attempted to get married, but their application was rejected by the Los Angeles courthouse because Bobby was under age. They returned on March 5, 1965 – one day after Bobby’s 21st birthday. They were granted a marriage license. The marriage ended in divorce after five years when Barbara discovered that Bobby was having an extra-marital affair… with Linda Cooke, his 17-year-old stepdaughter. An angered Barbara shot Bobby – the bullet merely grazing him – and Linda never spoke to her mother again.

In 1972, Bobby was gearing up to release Linda Cooke’s solo debut album, They co-wrote Bobby’s hit “Woman’s Gotta Have It.” Linda went on to marry Bobby’s younger brother Cecil. They teamed up and recorded as Womack & Womack.

Bobby worked and collaborated with such renowned and prestigious acts as Aretha Franklin, Sly and the Family Stone, Wilson Pickett, The Rolling Stones, Janis Joplin and many others. (Bobby was one of the last people to see Janis Joplin alive, visiting her at the Landmark Hotel on the afternoon of her death.) Into the 2000s, Bobby continued to work with a wide variety of artists including Steve Wonder, Snoop Dogg and Gorillaz.

He passed away at the age of 70, just one week after a live performance at the Bonnaroo Music Festival.

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DCS: blenda gay

In 1975, The Philadelphia Eagles signed 6 foot 5 inch, 254 pound defensive end Blenda Gay. He became a fixture on the team’s defensive line and played every regular season game for the next two seasons.

In December 1976, Roxanne Gay, Blenda’s wife, slit Blenda’s throat while he slept. Mrs. Gay explained to arresting Camden, New Jersey police officers that her actions were the culmination of years of physical abuse. She had called for police intervention over 20 times, each time claiming physical abuse at the hands of Blenda. She told neighbors that Blenda had a habit of “bouncing her off the walls” with each Eagles’ loss.  Ms. Magazine publisher and women’s rights advocate Gloria Steinem championed Roxanne’s cause and campaigned for funds for her criminal defense.

At trial, a panel of psychiatrists revealed that close study and a long series of interviews and analysis determined that Blenda had not abused his wife, as there was no evidence that beatings had occurred. Diagnosis further revealed that Roxanne was suffering from schizophrenia. She was confined to the Trenton Psychiatric Hospital in 1977. She was released from the facility in 1980 and all charges were dropped.

The Eagles played an annual game in Blenda Gay’s memory beginning in 1977.  The “annual” event ended two years later.

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