TV ( Charles in Charge ) and movie ( Ghostbusters ) actress Jennifer Runyon , 65, died on March 6 after a long illness. The daughter of disc jockey Jim Runyon and actress Jane Roberts, Runyon played Sally Frame for two years on Another World , and was Scott Baio’s girlfriend Gwendolyn in the first season of Charles in Charge . She had small or supporting roles in Ghostbusters, Quantum Leap, The Fall Guy, The Falcon and the Snowman, Magnum PI, Who’s the Boss?, Dear John, 18 Ag

Eccentric country/folk singer/songwriter Joseph Allen "Country Joe" McDonald , 84, died on March 7. McDonald was lead singer and co-founder of the 1960s Country Joe and the Fish, whose biggest hit was the (just as pertinent today--"Vietnam" and "Iran" even rhyme) anti-war ballad “I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-to-Die” (1967), which I will have stuck in my head the rest of the day. Named after Joseph Stalin (!) by his lefty parents, McDonald was a Berkeley dropout, an anti-war demonst

Actor Corey Parker , 60, died of cancer on March 5. The son of actress Rocky Parker, he attended the High School of Performing Arts, and performed with Chicago's Steppenwolf Theater Company, Joe Papp’s Public Theater, and the Mark Taper Theater in Los Angeles. He appeared on the big and small screens (usually in small or supporting roles) in Friday the 13 th : A New Beginning, 9-1/2 weeks, Biloxi Blues, How I Got Into College, Liz: The Elizabeth Taylor Story  (as Eddie Fisher

A whole quill of writers has keeled over dead! Bob Rosenfarb , 74, died on March 3. He wrote and/or produced such TV shows as Who’s The Boss?, Step by Step, St. Elsewhere, Cagney & Lacey,  and The Golden Girls . “Those who knew him will remember his wit, his warmth and the unmistakable twinkle in his eye when he shared a story or told an outrageous joke,” his family wrote. Gary Dontzig , 79, died on Feb. 23; his credits include the Dan Quayle episode of Murphy Brown , as well

Sporty retailer Eddie Bauer  will close all of its North American stores by April 30, after filing for bankruptcy failed to tempt any buyers. Founded in Seattle, Bauer sold sportswear (including its famed quilted down jackets), expanding to everything from eyeglasses to cars to home furnishings; its mail-order catalogs became tempting “wish books” worldwide (I am a Vermont Country Store girl, myself). During WWII, the United States Army Air Corps commissioned Eddie Bauer to d

Screenwriter and actor Stephen Hibbert  died of a heart attack on March 2. He was either 65 or 68, depending on what sources one believes. The British-born Hibbert wrote for The Groundlings comedy troupe, Late Night with David Letterman, Animaniacs, Darkwing Duck, Mad TV , and Boy Meets World ; he also wrote It’s Pat for his then-wife, national treasure Julia Sweeney. Hibbert played small roles in Pulp Fiction, Newhart, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, Just Shoot Me!,

Actress Maria O’Brien , 75, died on Feb. 24. The daughter of Edmond O’Brien and Olga San Juan, she appeared in such films and TV shows as Protocol , Smile , The Incredible Shrinking Woman ,  The Love Boat , How the West Was Won , CHiPs , Magnum, P.I. , L.A. Law , Matlock , Murder, She Wrote , and Suddenly Susan ; she also had costarring roles in The Life and Times of Eddie Roberts and Ave 43. O’Brien also worked as an acting coach (for 22 years on Days of Our Lives). Her bro

Model turned actress Annabel Schofield , 62, died of cancer on Feb. 28. The Welsh-born Schofield became a top fashion model in the ‘80s, walking the runways, posing for ads and doing the occasional commercial. She turned to acting, appearing in such non-classic films as Bloodtide, Dragonard, Solor Crisis, Midnight Blue , and A Man is Mostly Water ; her biggest role was in a dozen episodes of Dallas . In later years, she worked a commercial producer. Schofield also wrote the a

Pre-Beatle Len Garry , 84, died on March 2. The singer and bass guitarist joined The Quarrymen in 1956; the rock/skiffle/ska band consisted of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Eric Griffiths, Pete Shotton, Colin Hanton, and Rod Davis. They played at The Cavern in Liverpool, but Garry had to leave the group in 1958 after developing tubercular meningitis. He never recorded with them, and was long-gone from the group by the time George Harrison joined them (Ringo Starr didn’t join u

Australian stage, screen, and TV actress Lorraine Bayly , 89, died on Feb. 28. Bayly was probably best remembered as the host of the kiddie show Play School  (from 1966-78), but she was also very active in other ventures. She costarred on TV in The Sullivans  and Carson’s Law , and was also seen in The Rovers, Homicide, The Man from Snowy Rover, 1915, Neighbours, Pizza , and Locks of Love , among other films and TV shows. As a child, she did a ventriloquist act and played cla

Singer/songerwriter Neil Sedaka , 86, died on Feb. 27. The balladeer wrote (and usually performed) such hits as "Oh! Carol,” "Calendar Girl,” "Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen,” "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do,” "Laughter in the Rain,” "Stupid Cupid,” and "Love Will Keep Us Together,” among many others. Sedaka was classically trained, but by the late 1950s had discovered pop music: “It’s hard to deny the influence Chopin, Debussy, Beethoven and Prokofiev have had on my writing,” he sa

Actor Bobby J. Brown , 62, died in a barn fire in Maryland on Feb. 26. Born in Washington, D.C., Brown started his career as a boxer, winning five Golden Glove Championships. He moved to New York and attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Brown is best known for playing Officer Bobby Brown in 12 episodes of The Wire , and costarring in the 2022 mini-series We Own This City . He also was seen in such TV shows and movies as Law & Order, Homicide: Life on the Street, Th

British comedy writer Rob Grant , 70, died on Feb. 25. Along with his writing partner Doug Naylor, he wrote the sci-fi comedy series Red Dwarf ; he also wrote for radio and TV ( Spitting Image, The 10 Percenters, Carrott’s Lib, Cannon and Ball, Three of a Kind, Dark Ages, The Strangerers ). Grant also wrote several novels, and did stand-up comedy. “It was like our wildest dream come true,” Grant said of his most popular project, Red Dwarf . “It had taken so long from writing

Broadway star Sondra Lee , 97, died on Feb. 23. From 1947 through 1970, Lee appeared in such shows as High Button Shoes, Peter Pan (as Tiger Lily to Mary Martin’s Peter), Hotel Paradiso, Jerome Robbins’ Ballet USA  (she worked often with Robbins), Sunday in New York , and Hello, Dolly!  (as Minnie Fay, to a raft of Dollies). The tiny (under 5 feet) blonde singer and dancer also appeared on TV in Peter Pan  and Hansel and Gretel , and danced on Ed Sullivan’s show and in La Dol

Character actor John Wheeler , 95, died on Feb. 6. Wheeler appeared on Broadway in The Happiest Girl in the World, Kean, Cafe Crown, I Had a Ball , and Sweet Charity , and in various regional productions around the country. From the 1950s through 2005, he was seen in countless TV one-off appearances ( Star Trek, Green Acres, Mannix, Love American Style, The Brady Bunch, The Odd Couple, Rhoda, Dallas, The Golden Girls ) and the occasional film ( Tell Them Willie Boy is here, S

Actress Lauren Chapin (“Kitten” on Father Knows Best ) died on Feb. 24. She was 80. The L.A. native (sister of actors Billy and Michael Chapin) had already appeared in a handful of films and TV shows before being cast, at age nine, as youngest daughter Kathy “Kitten” Anderson on the popular sitcom Father Knows Best  (1954-60). Post- Father , Chapin only appeared in a handful of shows (some of them Father reunions), most recently on School Bus Diaries (2016-17). Chapin late

Delightfully off-kilter singer Joseph Montanez, who performed as Sir Monti Rock III , died on Feb. 23. He was 86. Born in the Bronx, Rock became famous through appearances on Johnny Carson’s and Merv Griffin’s shows in the 1960s, his get-up-and-dance rock and disco numbers including “The Tennessee Waltz,” "Get Dancin’,” and "I Wanna Dance Wit' Choo” becoming minor hits. Rock also acted, turning up in small roles in Saturday Night Fever, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,

Australian drag performer Kristopher Elliot  (“Maxi Shield”), 51, died of cancer on Feb. 21. Elliot performed at the 2000 Olympic Games closing ceremony, the Gay Games in 2002, RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under, and at RuPaul's DragCon UK. He also campaigned against domestic violence. “I’m a silly old queen,” Elliot told the Star Observer . “I’m not skinny, I wanted to represent plus-sized old girls and just show everyone that just because you get over forty doesn’t mean you’re d

Actor Robert Carradine , 71, died by suicide on Feb. 23. He was 71. The son of John Carradine and brother of Keith and David, Robert played more comic roles than most in his family: he was Lewis Skolnick in the Revenge of the Nerds  films and dad Sam on TV’s Lizzie McGuire . Robert made his film debut in 1972’s in The Cowboys  (he also appeared in the TV series) and went on to play gradually bigger roles in Go Ask Alice, Mean Streets, Cannonball, Orca, Coming Home, The Long R

Salsa superstar Willie Colón , 75, died in his native New York on Feb. 21. He was 75.  The composer, singer, musician (trumpet and trombone), and producer had his first hit album at 17, and has been recording (some 40 albums) and touring ever since. His jazz, rock, and salsa-infused music reflected both his Puerto Rican parents, and the New York music scene of the past 60 years. Colón also took a fling at acting ( Miami Vice, It Could Happen to You, The Last Fight, The Cosby