Colorado-born Randy VanWarmer moved to England with his family just after the sudden death of his father. The musical Randy, a teenager at the time, wrote several songs. He was signed by Albert Grossman’s Bearsville Records. In 1978, Randy released his debut album Warmer. The disc spawned the hit single Just When I Needed You Most, which hit Number 1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary Chart and Number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. Albert Grossman, inexplicably, would not allow Randy to make television appearances or tour the United States.

Randy’s follow-up albums were much darker in tone and most failed to chart but gained popularity in overseas markets like Japan and Australia. Randy resented being pigeonholed and labeled as a sappy balladeer. He turned his attention to writing for other singers, landing hits with his songs performed and recorded by Charley Pride, The Oak Ridge Boys and Alabama.

In 2004, Randy recorded a tribute album to Americana songwriter Stephen Foster. He began recording the album, on which he played all of the instruments, just after a diagnosis of leukemia. Randy passed away just after it was completed and the album was released posthumously. He was 48 years old.

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I met Lynne Marie Stewart at a collector show in Gaithersburg, Maryland, along with her best friend, actress Cindy Williams. I have been going to collector shows and autograph conventions for many, many years, back when I used to collect autographed photos of some of my favorite celebrities who featured prominently in films and TV shows from my youth. I met a lot of celebrities over the years and had mostly positive encounters. (There were some less-than-great ones. Ron Palillo and Christopher Lloyd come to mind, as well as a cringe-worthy exchange I witnessed between a fan and actor Kier Dullea.) But Lynne and Cindy were absolute darlings! My brief conversation with them, before requesting an autographed photo, was like talking to old friends. After telling them that I was a fan of their screen work, the topic veered off to a discussion of the striking black, somewhat gothy, jacket that my (then teenage) son was wearing. The two ladies were just adorable as they gushed and fussed over my son, who at this point was a combination of proud and embarrassed.

Lynne, of course, was best known as the lovely “Miss Yvonne,” undeniably “Most Beautiful Woman in Puppetland” on the Saturday morning lampoon Pee-Wee’s Playhouse. She was a long-time associate of the late Paul Reubens (Pee-Wee Herman) and appeared in a number of his productions… in roles other than the celebrated “Miss Yvonne.” Lynne was featured in the film American Graffiti, several episodes of M*A*S*H, several episodes of Laverne & Shirley and a recurring role on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia as Charlie’s mother. Lynne even provided the voice of “Shirley” in the  animated Mork & Mindy/Laverne & Shirley/Fonz Hour in its single season in 1982. She reprised her most famous character in 2010 when the Pee-Wee Herman Show returned to the stage — this time on Broadway.

A long time participant in the Make-A-Wish Foundation with Paul Reubens, Lynne tended to her friend in the final days of his life. She passed away in February 2025 at the age of 78.

She was a sweet lady.

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David Johansen, the front man of the seminal glam-punk band The New York Dolls, passed away in February 2025 after a five year battle with cancer, exacerbated by a fall in late 2024 in which he broke his back in two places.

Despite his raucous, exuberant, over-the-top stage persona, David was — by all accounts, — a sweet, humble and caring man. Several friends of mine have shared personal encounters with David — each one a testament to his kindness. I only met David once, very briefly. In 2006, my then-teenage son was working as an intern at a local Philadelphia radio station. This station presents an annual summer music festival and, in 2006, the reformed New York Dolls were scheduled to perform. My son’s assignment was to escort the bands from the “green room” to the stage. He led the late Sylvain Sylvain and David Johansen right past me as I leaned over from the audience side of a metal barricade. I called out my son’s name. He looked up and pointed me out, saying to David: “That’s my dad.” David halted in his tracks to pose for a quick (and memorable) photo with my son before continuing the journey to the stage.

During the band’s performance, the outdoor venue lost power. While the tech crew scrambled to restore electricity, David sat down at the edge of the stage — his long and lanky legs swinging carefree — and sang sans microphone to the delight of the crowd.

David and The Dolls created a genre of music without even knowing they were doing so. They just did what they did, never setting out to be the inspiration for future bands.

And David….. David was a good guy.

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In 1959, three Detroit musicians formed a singing group called “The Blenders…” with little success. The next year, popular singer Jackie Wilson suggested the trio become a quartet with the addition of Jackie’s cousin Hubert Johnson. Hubert was accepted and the group changed their name to The Contours. Soon after, music impresario Berry Gordy signed the group to his fledgling Motown label. They recorded and release the single “Do You Love Me?” The song hit Number Three on the Billboard charts. Over the next few years, The Contours enjoyed more success as well as several more charting songs.

In 1964, The Contours left Motown and their popularity declined until they were just another forgotten singing group.

In the 80s, Hubert Johnson suffered from poor physical health as well as mental health issues. He began receiving treatment for depression. In 1981, Hubert was found dead in his Detroit home. He had ingested rat poison and shot himself in the head. He was 40.

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As a young man in New Orleans, Sam Theard began performing in the circus, as well as theaters and nightclubs. In 1929, accompanied by noted blues musicians Tampa Red and Cow Cow Davenport, Sam wrote and recorded “Ill Be Glad When You’re Dead, You Rascal You” under the whimsical moniker “Lovin’ Sam from Down in ‘Bam.” The song was a hit and was recorded by a number of other jazz and swing bands.

He continued to write songs, sing and record through the 30s and 40s. A number of his compositions were covered by various artist for Louis Jordan to The Grateful Dead. In the 50s, Sam wrote a song called “Rock Around The Clock” — not the Bill Haley hit, but Sam’s song did inspire that one.

Using the name “Spo-Dee-O-Dee” that he picked up on the vaudeville circuit, Sam began taking acting jobs, including guest roles on Sanford and Son and Little House on the Prairie. In 1977, with the popularity of such African-American-focused shows like The Jeffersons and Good Times, ABC approached producer Garry Marshall to develop a series to appeal specifically to African-American audiences. Marshall cast Sam (credited as “Spo-Dee-O-Dee”) in a pilot called “Walkin’ Walter.” The show centered on Sam’s character as a free-spirted ex-vaudevillian freeloading  off of his ex-sister-in-law and her two children. The show never made it past the pilot stage.

Sam passed away in 1982 at the age of 78. His final film — a cameo in the dreadful sequel The Sting II — was released posthumously.

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