Robin Williams was funny, manic, inspired, hysterical and troubled. Rather than put himself and his family through the potential turmoil that awaited upon his diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease, Lewy Body Dementia, increasing paranoia and continued depression, he took his own life.
Robin Williams committed suicide on August 11, 2014 at the age of 63. (My 53rd birthday.)
“Paging Mr. Herman! Mr. Herman, you have a telephone call at the front desk!”
Paul Reubens
1952 – 2023
Sinead O’Connor was a true example of how fame is not everything. She was world renowned. She was recognized and praised for her singing ability. She was given awards for her talent.
But, she appeared not to be satisfied.
She led a troubled life, filled with questions. She was brave and she was misunderstood.
I was not a fan, but there was no denying her impact. She was a trailblazer. An advocate. A critic. A rebel. A warrior. A survivor. A truth teller.
Sinead passed away on July 26, 2023 at the age of 56… just 18 months after her son took his own life.
Mary Treen. You know her. She was that actress who was in that TV show. You know the one.
In 1930, 23-year old Mary made her motion picture debut in a Vitaphone comedy short called Surprise. She went on to land bit parts in numerous movies, often playing a nurse or a maid or a secretary or the goofy friend of the star — often uncredited and often for comic relief. Mary can be spotted, mugging for the camera, alongside Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Phil Silvers and The Bowery Boys. She famously supported Ginger Rogers in her Oscar-winning performance in 1940’s Kitty Foyle. She also costarred with James Stewart as “Tilly,” the secretary, in the holiday classic It’s A Wonderful Life.
Starting in the late 1950s, Mary took the leap to television and her career blossomed. She took guest roles in a number of television series, capitalizing on her “nurse/maid/secretary” character. Mary joined the ranks of fellow character actresses like Mary Wickes, Elvia Allman, Maudie Prickett and Irene Tedrow (all contemporaries with whom Mary is often confused). Mary appeared in the premiere episode of The Andy Griffith Show as the Taylor’s departing housekeeper (soon to be replaced by Frances Bavier as “Aunt Bee”) only to show up nine episodes later as a different character. She had a 67-episode run as the wisecracking “Hilda,” maid to star Joey Bishop on The Joey Bishop Show. Later, she would pop up on Hazel, Here’s Lucy, Bonanza, Gomer Pyle USMC, Green Acres and many others. She is remembered for playing Alice’s stone-faced replacement on a fourth season episode of The Brady Bunch. Her career took her into the 80s, with guest roles in The Dukes of Hazzard and The Fall Guy.
Mary retired from show business in 1983 and passed away at the age of 82 six years later.
The singing Seegar Sisters were gaining popularity, prompting their father Frank to open a hardware store to support their budding career. Miriam was the breakout star of the group and soon found herself heading to Hollywood to try her hand at the motion picture industry.
Miriam made her film debut in 1928’s The Price of Divorce, as “The Other Woman” in an adulterous affair. The film, however, was not released until 1930, when it was adapted for sound and retitled Such is the Law. Over the next six years, Miriam starred in 16 movies in a variety of genres, including mysteries and Westerns. She called it a career in 1933, leaving the spotlight to raise a family.
In the early 1950s, Miriam obtained ASID certification and was soon an in-demand interior decorator. In 2000, she was interviewed for a documentary called I Used to Be in Pictures, in which she spoke glowingly about her brief acting career. She began appearing at film festivals and fan conventions, meeting and mingling with those few who remembered her fleeting stardom.
After a trans-Atlantic cruise, Miriam passed away in 2011 at the age of 103.
