Tag Archives: obituaries

RIP, Larry Hagman

Posted on November 25, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Farewell, JR. J.R. Ewing was a business cheat, faithless husband and bottomless well of corruption. Yet with his sparkling grin, Larry Hagman masterfully created the charmingly loathsome oil baron — and coaxed forth a Texas-size gusher of ratings — on … Continue reading →

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RIP, Sen. Mario Gallegos

Posted on October 16, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Sad news. State Sen. Mario Gallegos, 62, a Democratic lawmaker whose 22-year career in the Texas Legislature was marked by courage, controversy and dogged commitment to issues of importance to the Hispanic community, died Tuesday afternoon at Methodist Hospital in … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Friday random ten: To the moon

Posted on August 31, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

In honor of Neil Armstrong, for whom Texas Liberal has a nice roundup of obituaries, here are ten songs about the moon: 1. Fly Me To The Moon – Trinity University Jazz Band 2. Yellow Moon – Neville Brothers 3. … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: Mustang Sally

Posted on August 18, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Song #54 on the Popdose Top 100 Covers list is “Mustang Sally”, originally by Mack Rice and covered by Wilson Pickett. Here’s the original: Yet another song I hadn’t realized was a cover and whose original was unknown to me. … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: Honky Tonk Angels and more

Posted on July 20, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Country music pioneer and superstar Kitty Wells passed away this week. She was the first woman to break through as a solo performer in country music, and the first to have a hit song written from a distinctly female perspective. … Continue reading →

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RIP, State Rep. Ken Legler

Posted on June 1, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Very sad news. State Rep. Ken Legler, R-Pasadena, passed away Friday, according to the Texas House speaker’s office. He was 54. The cause of death is believed to be a heart attack, according to his office. Legler was first elected … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: The best little random ten list in Texas

Posted on March 2, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

A moment of silence, please, for Edna Milton Chadwell, the last madam of the Chicken Ranch brothel in La Grange, Texas, who passed away this week at the age of 84. In her memory, I bring you this list: 1. … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: Gone too soon, again

Posted on September 23, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I heard “Rehab” on the radio the other day, and it got me thinking once again about musicians who left this planet way too soon. 1. Back To Black – Amy Winehouse (1983-2011) 2. Statesboro Blues – The Allman Brothers … Continue reading →

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RIP, Dr. Eugene Carinci

Posted on August 13, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Via my Trinity classmate Patrick Pringle, I just learned the sad news that Dr. Eugene Carinci, who was the band director at Trinity while we were there, has passed away. Dr. Carinci died at his home in Macon, Ga., on … Continue reading →

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RIP, Bubba Smith

Posted on August 3, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Football great and actor Bubba Smith has passed away. Bubba Smith, an outsize presence in the National Football League who went on to a prolific career in television and the movies, was found dead on Wednesday at his home in … Continue reading →

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RIP, Clarence Clemons

Posted on June 18, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Clarence Clemons, the longtime saxophonist in Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, has passed away. Clemons had suffered a massive stroke on June 12th. While initial signs had been hopeful after his hospitalization and two subsequent brain surgeries, he reportedly took … Continue reading →

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RIP, Bill Gallo

Posted on May 11, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The great sports cartoonist Bill Gallo has passed away at the age of 88. Bill Gallo, treasured cartoonist and columnist for the New York Daily News, passed away Tuesday at the age of 88 due to complications from pneumonia. Gallo, … Continue reading →

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Bin Laden killed in Pakistan

Posted on May 1, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

About damn time. Osama Bin Laden is dead, U.S. government officials confirm to TPM. Bin Laden was the founder and leader of the Al Qaeda terrorist network that perpetrated the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. His death comes nearly 10 … Continue reading →

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RIP, Joe Roach

Posted on April 18, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Former Houston City Council member Joe Roach has passed away at the age of 49. A Clear Lake-area Republican, Roach — a one-time chief prosecutor with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office — leaped onto the local political scene by … Continue reading →

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RIP, Blake Edwards

Posted on December 16, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The man who gave us the one true “Pink Panther” movies has passed away at the age of 88. One of Hollywood’s most successful specialists in comedy, Edwards was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1922 and started out as an … Continue reading →

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RIP, Carlos Guerra

Posted on December 6, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I join Greg and Stace in mourning the loss of former Express News columnist and blogger Carlos Guerra. Carlos Guerra, a former columnist at the San Antonio Express-News, was found dead Monday in Port Aransas, officials there said. Officers with … Continue reading →

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RIP, Leslie Nielsen

Posted on November 29, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

As Mel Brooks said when his friend Harvey Korman passed away, the world is a more serious place today. Leslie Nielsen, the actor best known for starring in such comedies as Airplane! and the Naked Gun film franchise, died Sunday … Continue reading →

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RIP, Rep. Edmund Kuempel

Posted on November 4, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

State Rep. Edmund Kuempel (R-Seguin) has passed away at the age of 67. Kuempel, a salesman with CMC Steel Texas in Seguin, is chairman of the House Licensing and Administrative Procedures Committee, the panel through which gambling legislation typically flows. … Continue reading →

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RIP, Mark Stevens

Posted on October 12, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Mark Stevens, one half of the Stevens and Pruett radio team, has passed away. Stevens spent 40 years in radio but enjoyed his greatest success in partnership with Pruett, first as Hudson and Harrigan at KILT (610 AM) beginning in … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Saturday video break: Happy birthday, John Lennon

Posted on October 9, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

He would have been 70 today. Feel old now? We all do shine on indeed.

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RIP, David Thompson

Posted on September 14, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

What a terrible shock. We loyal patrons of Murder by the Book, Houston’s go-to place for all things murder and mystery, are devastated to learn of David Thompson’s sudden passing yesterday. David, a Murder by the Book fixture for 21 … Continue reading →

Posted in Books | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Saturday video break: RIP, SRV

Posted on August 28, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Twenty years ago yesterday, August 27, 1990, the world lost Stevie Ray Vaughan in a helicopter crash. Here’s a double shot of Stevie to commemorate him and mourn his loss today. And of course, the greatest public service announcement of … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: Talk the talk

Posted on August 27, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

If you follow this blog for things other than random music, you know that I do a lot of candidate and officeholder interviews around election time. In honor of all that talking, here’s ten songs about talking: 1. Ain’t Talkin’ … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for August 22

Posted on August 22, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

School days, school days, dear old golden rule days… Help The Lunch Tray help hungry kids. Hurley! The AJGLU-3000 is humming along. This ain’t your daddy’s burger joint. Tales from the MLB draft deadline. I have a real hard time … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: Follow the bouncing ball

Posted on August 7, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

So Mitch Miller died this week at the age of 99. I’m not old enough to remember the “Sing Along With Mitch” TV show, but we did have a “Sing Along With Mitch” Christmas album when I was growing up, … Continue reading →

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RIP, Bob Sheppard

Posted on July 17, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Preceding George Steinbrenner in death was the legendary PA announcer Bob Sheppard, known as both the voice of Yankee Stadium and the Voice of God. If you watched the All Star Game on Tuesday night, you got to hear a … Continue reading →

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RIP, George Steinbrenner

Posted on July 16, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

It was kind of a rough week for the New York Yankees, as they lost two of their icons while I was on vacation. I’ll have something to say about Bob Sheppard, their legendary and longtime public address announcer, in … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

RIP, Sister Damian Kuhn

Posted on February 19, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

This is the sweetest story you’ll read all week. One spring season when the Astros were in a particularly bad slump, Sister Damian Kuhn made her way to owner Drayton McLane’s office, dressed in her traditional blue habit and veil. … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Goodbye, old friend

Posted on January 25, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

This morning, Tiffany and I took our dog, Harry, to the vet. He did not come home with us. We’d known this day was coming for awhile. Harry was 15 years old, and his health had declined in recent months. … Continue reading →

Posted in See, I do have a life! | Tagged , , | 32 Comments

RIP, Kelly Fero

Posted on January 4, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Sad news. Democratic political consultant Kelly Fero died this afternoon at his home in Austin. Details weren’t immediately available. Fero was best known as an Austin-based consultant to John Sharp, Tony Sanchez, the late Jim Mattox and many, many others. … Continue reading →

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RIP, Soupy Sales

Posted on October 25, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Soupy Sales, the world’s funniest pie-in-the-face man, has passed away at the age of 83. As the star of “The Soupy Sales Show,” he performed live on television for 13 years in Detroit, Los Angeles and New York before the … Continue reading →

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RIP, William Wayne Justice

Posted on October 14, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

One of the great protectors of civil rights has passed away. U.S. District Judge William Wayne Justice — beloved by some, loathed by others — changed Texas civil and inmate rights in ways few political figures have over the past … Continue reading →

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People and records, gone but not forgotten

Posted on September 21, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Now that you know about Derek Jeter and various all-time base hits records for different franchises, go read Steve Goldman’s tribute to Lou Gehrig and what it means to leave behind a legacy. Bring some tissues if you’re the crying … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Weekend link dump for August 16

Posted on August 16, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Holy crap, it’s almost football season already… The case against Apple, in five parts. And the case for, in one. Why Kevin Drum doesn’t fear government-run health care. Once again, a big part of the reason why politicians lie is … Continue reading →

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