Departed during 2021

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Re: Departed during 2021

#341 Post by PHXPhlyer » Sat Nov 27, 2021 1:51 am

Stephen Sondheim, master of musical theater, dead at 91

https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/26/entertai ... index.html

(CNN)Stephen Sondheim, the renowned composer of "Into the Woods," "Sweeney Todd," "Gypsy," "Sunday in the Park with George" and other essential works of musical theater, died early Friday morning, according to Aaron Meier at DKC O&M, the producers of Sondheim's current production "Company." He was 91.

Sondheim died suddenly, the New York Times reported, citing his lawyer and friend F. Richard Pappas. Sondheim had just celebrated Thanksgiving with a dinner and friends the day before, Pappas told the Times.
As lyricist, songwriter, conceptual artist and creative force, Sondheim was perhaps without par in the modern American theater. His works encompassed astonishing range: the updated "Romeo and Juliet" romance of "West Side Story" (for which he wrote the lyrics), the travails of a modern group of friends and lovers in "Company," even the woes of presidential murderers (and attempted murderers) in "Assassins."
Over the course of his career, he won an Oscar, a Pulitzer, eight Grammy Awards, eight Tony Awards, a Kennedy Center honor and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The Stephen Sondheim Theater in Manhattan's Theater District is named for him.
His song lyrics, in particular, were the gold standard of the theater art, whether defiant ("Rose's Turn"), sad ("Send in the Clowns"), ominous ("Children Will Listen") or simply clever ("Ah, but Underneath").
They were sometimes tricky -- filled with clever rhymes and challenging meters, perhaps natural for a man who once described himself as "a mathematician by nature." But they rarely failed to get to the heart of a character.
"What's funny about Steve's songs is you think, 'Oh, this is about something,' and then you start working on it, and you go, 'No, it's about SOMETHING,'" actress Bernadette Peters, one of Sondheim's leading interpreters, told ABC News in 2010. "It goes even deeper than you imagined."

Sondheim was particularly good at expressing romantic longing and loss. Songs such as "Send in the Clowns" (from "A Little Night Music"), "Losing My Mind" (from "Follies") and "Somewhere" (from "West Side Story") are heartbreaking in their emotion.
"For many theater lovers, there are musicals, then there are Sondheim musicals," wrote Garry Nunn in the Guardian. "The latter is a category of its own because with Sondheim, every single word, every rhyme has been labored over to the point that it's mellifluous and articulate (if a little garrulous)."
Indeed, though his work was sometimes criticized as glib, Sondheim said the joy of the theater was touching audiences.
"I'm interested in the theater because I'm interested in communication with audiences," he told NPR's "Fresh Air" in 2010. "Otherwise, I would be in concert music. I'd be in another kind of profession. I love the theater as much as music, and the whole idea of getting across to an audience and making them laugh, making them cry -- just making them feel -- is paramount to me."
Beginnings
Stephen Joshua Sondheim was born March 22, 1930, in New York, the son of a well-off dress manufacturer and his wife, a designer. His parents divorced when Sondheim was an adolescent, and he moved to Bucks County, Pennsylvania, outside Philadelphia.
Thanks to the tutelage of a friend's father -- lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II of the famed theatrical team Rodgers and Hammerstein -- Sondheim, already a musical prodigy, received a master class in play writing.
"He taught me how to structure a song, what a character was, what a scene was; he taught me how to tell a story, how not to tell a story, how to make stage directions practical," Sondheim told the Paris Review in 1997. "I soaked it all up, and I still practice the principles he taught me that afternoon."

Sondheim attended Williams College in Massachusetts, where he won a fellowship for his music that allowed him to continue study. After a short stint in Los Angeles -- where he wrote scripts for the TV show "Topper," thanks to a lead from Hammerstein -- he returned to New York and embarked on a career in the theater.
His first success, at age 27, was as lyricist to "West Side Story," with music by Leonard Bernstein. The musical's famous songs include "America," "Tonight," "I Feel Pretty" and "Somewhere." Though Sondheim later called the lyrics "embarrassing," the show was a massive hit, running for almost 1,000 performances.
Next came 1959's "Gypsy," the story of Gypsy Rose Lee and her mother, Rose, for which Sondheim worked with composer Jule Styne, and 1962's "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," for which Sondheim wrote both music and lyrics.
A long dry spell followed, finally snapped in 1970 with "Company," which ran for more than a year and took home a Tony for best musical. It also marked the beginning of Sondheim's 11-year collaboration with producer-director Hal Prince, which included such hits as "Follies" (1971), "A Little Night Music" (1973) and "Sweeney Todd" (1979).
"A Little Night Music" produced what is perhaps Sondheim's best-known song, "Send in the Clowns."
A bold body of work
As Sondheim matured, no idea seemed too far-fetched for his pen and intellect.
"Company" and "Follies" were notable for their almost plotless presentations; "Pacific Overtures" (1976), about the 19th-century American entry into Japan, was performed kabuki-style. "Sweeney Todd" was a romp about a murderous barber who has his victims made into meat pies.

In the '80s and '90s, he wrote a musical about French pointillist painter Georges Seurat, "Sunday in the Park with George" (1984), which won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. "Into the Woods" (1987), probably his most-performed work, was a recasting of Grimm's fairy tales. "Assassins" (1990) was an unlikely tale about presidential assassins past and present.
His last new work was 2008's "Road Show," about a pair of social-climbing brothers. It never made it to Broadway.
Though his early works, such as "West Side Story" and "Gypsy," were made into movies, his post-1970 work generally resisted the transition.
PBS and Showtime filmed "Sunday in the Park" for television, a version later released with Sondheim's commentary. "Sweeney Todd" was made into a 2007 Tim Burton movie starring Johnny Depp, and "Into the Woods," with a cast including Meryl Streep and future late-night host James Corden, was filmed in 2014.
A new adaptation of "West Side Story" is due out next month from director Steven Spielberg.
Sondheim earned his Oscar for a song he wrote for 1990's "Dick Tracy," "Sooner or Later." A New Yorker to his core, he didn't attend the ceremony.
The theater, however, was another matter. A 2010 review for his 80th birthday, "Sondheim on Sondheim," earned rapturous reviews and a reconsideration of his long career. The composer, a reticent man when not waxing rhapsodically about his Clement Wood rhyming dictionary or praising his collaborators, was typically modest about the reaction.
A virtual concert celebrating Sondheim's 90th birthday and body of work was organized last year amid the global pandemic. The concert, which raised money for Artists Striving to End Poverty, featured appearances and performances from Broadway heavyweights like Lin-Manuel Miranda, Audra McDonald and Patti LuPone.
"It's been a little too much in the public spotlight," he told "Fresh Air's" Terry Gross. "But the outpouring of enthusiasm and affection has been worth it. It's terrific to know that people like your stuff."
Tributes
Some of the many people who've performed Sondheim's work or been moved by it flooded social media with tributes following news of his death.
"Thank the Lord that Sondheim lived to be 91 years old so he had the time to write such wonderful music and GREAT lyrics!" Barbra Streisand wrote. "May he Rest In Peace."
"Perhaps not since April 23rd of 1616 has theater lost such a revolutionary voice," actor Josh Gad wrote. "Thank you Mr. Sondheim for your Demon Barber, some Night Music, a Sunday in the Park, Company, fun at a Forum, a trip Into the Woods and telling us a West Side Story. RIP."
Actor Aaron Tviet said: "Thank you for everything Mr Sondheim. Speechless. We are so lucky to have what you've given the world."

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Re: Departed during 2021

#342 Post by G-CPTN » Sun Nov 28, 2021 3:05 pm


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Re: Departed during 2021

#343 Post by Wodrick » Sun Nov 28, 2021 3:25 pm

Very sad, one of the greats. RIP.
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Re: Departed during 2021

#344 Post by tango15 » Sun Nov 28, 2021 3:30 pm

Wodrick wrote:
Sun Nov 28, 2021 3:25 pm
Very sad, one of the greats. RIP.
+1

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RIP Sir Anthony Sher

#345 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Fri Dec 03, 2021 3:54 pm

South African born actor (a Capetonian), Sir Anthony Sher has died! RIP

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antony_Sher
Sir Antony Sher has died of cancer aged 72.

The double Olivier Award-winning actor, best known for his work performing Shakespeare, was diagnosed with the terminal illness in September.

His husband Gregory Doran, the artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, had taken a leave of absence to care for him.

On Friday (3 December), the RSC confirmed the death of Sher, who was the long-running company’s associate artist.

Acting artistic director Catherine Mallyon said: “We are deeply saddened by this news and our thoughts and sincere condolences are with Greg, and with Antony’s family and their friends at this devastating time.
https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-ente ... 69238.html

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Re: Departed during 2021

#346 Post by PHXPhlyer » Sat Dec 04, 2021 7:32 pm

Army Col. Edward Shames, the last remaining member of World War II's 'Band of Brothers,' dies at 99

https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/04/politics ... index.html

(CNN)Col. Edward Shames, the last surviving officer of the historic World War II parachute infantry regiment of the US Army known as Easy Company, died Friday at the age of 99.

Shames "passed away peacefully at home," said the obituary posted by the Hollomon-Brown Funeral Home & Crematory.
During World War II, Shames "was a member of the renowned Easy Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division now known globally as the 'Band of Brothers,'" according to the obituary. The story of Easy Company was later immortalized in the HBO miniseries "Band of Brothers," based on The New York Times bestseller by Stephen E. Ambrose. (CNN and HBO are part of WarnerMedia.)
Shames "was involved in some of the most important battles of the war. He made his first combat jump into Normandy on D-Day as part of Operation Overload," according to the obituary. Shames "gained a reputation as a stubborn and very outspoken soldier who demanded the highest of standards from himself and his fellow soldiers," it said.
"In Germany, he was the first member of the 101st to enter Dachau concentration camp, just days after its liberation," said the obituary.
When Germany surrendered, Shames "and his men of Easy Company entered Hitler's Eagle's Nest where" Shames "managed to acquire a few bottles of cognac, a label indicating they were 'for the Fuhrer's use only,' said the obituary. "Later, he would use the cognac to toast his oldest son's Bar Mitzvah," according to the obituary.
After the war, Shames worked as an expert on Middle East affairs with the National Security Agency. He later served in the US Army Reserve Division and retired as a colonel.
CNN has reached out to the US Army for comment.
Shames "was preceded in death by his devoted and beloved wife, Ida," said his obituary. "They had a beautiful and loving marriage for 73 years. They traveled the world together making lifelong friends."
A graveside service will be held at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Norfolk, Virginia, on Sunday morning, according to the funeral home.

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Re: Departed during 2021

#347 Post by llondel » Sun Dec 05, 2021 6:25 pm

Bob Dole, former US Senator and Presidential candidate appears to have died in his sleep.

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Re: Departed during 2021

#348 Post by Wodrick » Fri Dec 10, 2021 6:44 pm

Mike Nesmith 79.



RIP
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Re: Departed during 2021

#349 Post by PHXPhlyer » Fri Dec 10, 2021 6:45 pm

Micky the only one left?

Monkees singer-songwriter Michael Nesmith dies at 78


https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/mi ... 8-rcna8395

Monkees singer and guitarist Michael Nesmith, whose band exploded in popularity in the 1960s, has died, his manager said Friday.

"It is with deep sadness that I mark the passing of Michael Nesmith. We shared many travels and projects together over the course of 30 years, which culminated in a Monkees farewell tour that wrapped up only a few weeks ago," Andrew Sandoval said on Twitter.

The Monkees grew in popularity after the four-person group was in a TV show about rock and roll.

The band's hits included "Daydream Believer" and "Vallerie."

The group split in 1971. In 2012, after band member Davy Jones passed away, the three surviving members of the group reunited.

Although other members of the group had participated in reunion tours, Nesmith had not up until that point.

Nesmith said back then of the reunion: "I never really left. It is a part of my youth that is always active in my thought and part of my overall work as an artist. It stays in a special place. But like things in the past it fades in and out in relevance to activities that are current. Getting together with old friends and acquaintances can be very stimulating and fun and even inspiring to me. We did some good work together and I am always interested in the right time and the right place to reconnect and play."
With Nesmith's death Micky Dolenz is now the only surviving member of the pop band.

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Re: Departed during 2021

#350 Post by Karearea » Fri Dec 10, 2021 7:04 pm

Oh dear.
Such fun and good times epitomised in their show.
Mike Nesmith was a talented singer, composer and musician.
Thank you for the music; rest in peace.

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Re: Departed during 2021

#351 Post by PHXPhlyer » Fri Dec 10, 2021 7:12 pm

This was the first song that I though about when I saw that he had died.
He was definitely the best musician of the band.

Two fun facts about The Monkees:
Stephen Stills auditioned for the "Band" when the shows producers were putting it together and was turned down.
David Bowie nee Jones changed his name because Davy Jones was the better known singer at the time.

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Re: Departed during 2021

#352 Post by PHXPhlyer » Fri Dec 10, 2021 7:21 pm

Another MN obit.

Michael Nesmith, Monkees singer and guitarist, dead at 78

By Sandra Gonzalez and Chloe Melas, CNN

Updated 2:17 PM ET, Fri December 10, 2021

(CNN)Michael Nesmith, a singer and guitarist for the hit group the Monkees, died Friday.

He was 78.
Micky Dolenz, Nesmith's bandmate, confirmed the news to CNN.
"I've lost a dear friend and partner," Dolenz said. "I'm so grateful that we could spend the last couple of months together doing what we loved best -- singing, laughing, and doing shtick. I'll miss it all so much. Especially the shtick. Rest in peace, Nez."
"With Infinite Love we announce that Michael Nesmith has passed away this morning in his home, surrounded by family, peacefully and of natural causes," a statement on behalf of his family and obtained by Rolling Stone read. "We ask that you respect our privacy at this time and we thank you for the love and light that all of you have shown him and us."
The Houston, Texas native eventually moved to Los Angeles after a short stint in the Air Force. Before becoming a household name, he had success as a song writer, with songs like "Mary, Mary," which was recorded by the Paul Butterfield Blues Band and "Different Drum," which was recorded by Linda Ronstadt.
He landed a role on the TV series "The Monkees" in 1965. The series aired from 1966 to 1968. He went on to have a solo career and has been considered one of the pioneers of country rock.
In 1981 he won a Grammy Award for video of the year.
He continued to tour with the Monkees throughout his career, while also touring solo.
Nesmith was married three times and is survived by four children.

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Re: Departed during 2021

#353 Post by PHXPhlyer » Fri Dec 10, 2021 7:53 pm

Al Unser Sr., four-time winner of Indianapolis 500, dies at 82

https://www.espn.com/racing/story/_/id/ ... 00-dies-82

Al Unser Sr., four-time winner of Indianapolis 500, dies at 82
3:58 AM MT

Al Unser Sr., a four-time winner of the Indianapolis 500 and three-time champion in what is now the IndyCar Series, died Thursday. Unser, who had been diagnosed with cancer 17 years ago, was 82.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway said early Friday that Unser died at his home in Chama, New Mexico, with his wife, Susan, by his side.

In addition to his four Indianapolis 500 wins, his son, Al Unser Jr., won the race twice, making them the only father and son to win the race. Al Sr.'s brother, Bobby, won the 500 three times, making them the only brothers to do so.

"My heart is so saddened. My father passed away last night," Al Unser Jr. tweeted. "He was a Great man and even a Greater Father. Rest In Peace Dad!"


Al Unser Sr. retired with 39 wins and season championships in 1970, 1983 and 1985.

"Al Unser Sr. was one of the smartest drivers I've ever raced against," Mario Andretti said on ESPN's SportsCentury series. "And I often said I wish I could've had some of his patience. I know it would have worked for me many time."

Unser began racing in 1957 and competed in his first Indy 500 in 1965. He dominated in his first Indy win in 1970 by starting from the pole and leading all but 10 of the 200 laps, beating runner-up Mark Donohue by 32 seconds. He won again the next year in the distinctive "Johnny Lightning Special" fielded by Parnelli Jones and finished second to Donohue in 1972.

He earned his third Indy win in 1978. The fourth, in 1987, was, by far, the most surprising as he entered the month of May without a ride for the race.

Unser had been dropped by team owner Roger Penske after four seasons in favor of Danny Ongais, but Ongais suffered a concussion in a practice crash and wasn't able to compete. Penske turned back to Unser, giving him a backup car that began the month as a show car on display in a hotel in Reading, Pennsylvania, where the team was based.

With his victory in 1987, Unser, then 47, became the oldest winner in Indy 500 history. He also joined A.J. Foyt as the only four-time winners of the race, a group that now includes Rick Mears and 2021 race winner Helio Castroneves.

"I will always remember Big Al welcoming me to the speedway," Castroneves told The Associated Press on Friday. "He and Johnny Rutherford were the two helping me with my rookie orientation. He will be missed."

Penske said in a statement that Unser was "a true racing legend and a champion on and off the track."

"Al was the quiet leader of the Unser family, a tremendous competitor and one of the greatest drivers to ever race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway," Penske said. "We were honored to help Al earn a place in history with his fourth Indy victory ... and he will always be a big part of our team. Our thoughts are with the Unser family as they mourn the loss of a man that was beloved across the racing world and beyond."


Unser made 27 starts in the Indy 500, third most in history, and qualified once on the pole and five times on the front row. The Unser family combined for 73 career starts in the Indy 500 -- a number bettered only by the 76 starts by the Andretti family. The Unser participation spans Al (27 races), Bobby (19) and Al Jr. (19), as well as Johnny (5), Robby (2) and Jerry (1).

Al Unser Sr. retired in 1994 and remains the career lap leader for the Indianapolis 500 with 644, leading over half the laps in three of his Indy 500 victories. The closest active driver is Scott Dixon with 570 laps led.

"In the 112 years of racing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Al Unser's career stands out among the others," IMS president J. Douglas Boles said in a statement. "His four Indianapolis 500 wins and most laps led in the '500' (644) solidify him as one of the greatest of all time. Al achieved his successes competing against many of the best our sport has ever seen, which makes his accomplishments even more impressive. In addition, his quiet and humble approach outside of the car, combined with his fierce competitive spirit and fearless talent behind the wheel, made Al a fan favorite. He will be remembered as one of the best to ever race at Indianapolis, and we will all miss his smile, sense of humor and his warm, approachable personality. Our thoughts and prayers are with Susan Unser, the entire Unser family and all Al's friends and fans."

Unser also ran five NASCAR races in his career, finishing fourth in the 1968 Daytona 500 and earning three top-10 finishes in NASCAR. He also won three times in the International Race of Champions, an all-star series that pitted the top drivers from various disciplines against one another.


Al Unser Sr. is part of a prestigious club of four-time Indianapolis 500 winners along with A.J. Foyt, Rick Mears and Helio Castroneves. James Drake/Sports Illustrated/Getty Images
The youngest of four racing brothers, Unser was born in in Albuquerque in 1939 to a family of hard-core racers. His father, Jerry, and two uncles, Louis and Joe, were also drivers. Beginning in 1926, the family began competing in the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, an annual road race held in Colorado.

In 1958, Al's oldest brother, Jerry, became the first Unser to qualify for the Indianapolis 500; he was killed in a crash during practice the next year.

Al Unser Sr. was inducted into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame in 1986 and the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1998. His collection of trophies and cars is housed at the Unser Racing Museum in Albuquerque.

Unser is survived by wife Susan and son Al Jr. He was preceded in death by daughters Mary and Deborah. His brother Bobby died in May at age 87, and nephew Bobby Unser Jr. died in June at 65.

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Re: Departed during 2021

#354 Post by FD2 » Wed Dec 15, 2021 10:08 am


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Re: Departed during 2021

#355 Post by Undried Plum » Wed Dec 15, 2021 12:03 pm


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Re: Departed during 2021

#356 Post by 4mastacker » Wed Dec 15, 2021 9:46 pm

RIP Jethro. A genuinely very funny man who didn't have to resort to offensive language to get a laugh - are you reading this Frankie Boyle?
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Slim, at last!

#357 Post by Undried Plum » Thu Dec 16, 2021 3:45 pm


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Re: Departed during 2021

#358 Post by Undried Plum » Thu Dec 16, 2021 5:02 pm


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Re: Departed during 2021

#359 Post by FD2 » Thu Dec 16, 2021 7:12 pm

Jethro, deadpan West Country comedian who was favoured by Des O’Connor though his jokes were defiantly old-fashioned – obituary

Jethro could work an audience in a manner redolent of northern comics at working-men’s clubs and he was also popular in Australia
By Telegraph Obituaries 16 December 2021 • 2:17pm


Geoffrey Rowe, who has died aged 73, was a Cornish stand-up comedian known as Jethro, with an act so blue that he subverted the conventions of mainstream comedy with his old-school “observational” style and politically incorrect humour.

Starting out as an amateur pub entertainer in Cornwall in the 1970s, Jethro found national fame on television spinning off-colour stories during guest appearances with Des O’Connor and Jim Davidson. Even when the bad language was cleaned up for television, his routine – riffing on fat women, incongruous sex, bodily parts and functions, not to mention black and gay people – eventually cast him beyond the pale for family viewing.

“I’ve had two unhappy marriages,” ran a typical opening line. “My first wife died and this bugger won’t.” For Jethro, wives were a recurring theme, as in the following gag – told on Des O’Connor’s show, in deadpan style with a pronounced West Country twang, with the host apparently helpless with laughter:

“… She’s on the plane now.

“Where’s she going?

“She isn’t going anywhere. She’s takin’ inch off the bottom of the kitchen door.”

Not that Jethro confined himself to the domestic hearth: “I went to the doctor’s and she said, ‘Jethro, you’ve got to stop masturbating’; and I said, ‘Why?’ and she said, ‘I’m trying to examine you’. ”

Yet despite the casual misogyny, blasphemy, sexism, racism and homophobia, his live-performance videos and audiobooks continued to sell in their thousands. A master of precision timing, the rotund Jethro could work an (overwhelmingly older) audience in a manner redolent of northern comics at working-men’s clubs. Perhaps against expectations, his humour seemed to travel, even as far as Australia, where he enjoyed a sizeable following.

In character, Rowe would draw on his rural background to present himself as a yokel or at best a bearded West Country farmer directly out of central casting. Indeed much of his humour was of the farmyard variety, with gags about flatulent beasts of the field, rutting and tupping, interleaved in the course of his stage performances with sonorous renditions of country and western standards, accompanying himself on guitar.

Inevitably, even his core audience in the South West divided between ardent admirers and those who deplored what they considered the negative image of the Cornishman that Jethro perpetuated. One Anglican vicar was so distressed to find the unboundaried comedian had agreed to stand as a godparent at a baptism in his church that he refused to officiate.

A running gag in Jethro’s live set concerned his imaginary friend Denzil Penberthy from Camborne. His stories about Denzil reached their apotheosis in “Train Don’t Stop Camborne Wednesdays”, perhaps his single best-known routine.

The son of a farm manager, Geoffrey McIntyre Rowe was born on March 8 1948 at the village of St Buryan, Cornwall. His father conducted the local male voice choir and his mother played the chapel organ. When he was seven, an accident involving a cartload of mangels left him with one leg shorter than the other and a lifelong limp. On leaving Cape Cornwall School in St Just, he was apprenticed as a carpenter and went to work as a timber man, erecting props in the Levant tin mine.

At the age of 18, Rowe joined an operatic society in St Just as a bass-baritone. In the 1970s he played rugby at prop forward for Penzance and Newlyn, known as the Cornish Pirates, and became an accomplished clay-pigeon shooter.

In the evenings he sang traditional songs in Cornish pubs. “One night I ran out of voice,” he recalled. “I couldn’t sing any more, so I just told a joke instead… funnily, it went down a storm.”

Taking the name Jethro – a corruption of Geoff (or Jeff) Rowe as well as a nod to a character in the American 1960s television sitcom The Beverly Hillbillies – he launched himself as an amateur stand-up in the 1980s. He was spotted on local television by Des O’Connor’s agent John Miles and booked for his first nationwide TV appearance on the Des O’Connor Tonight show in 1990, followed by a return booking for the Christmas Eve show later that year.

As Jethro, he appeared regularly on Jim Davidson’s Generation Game, on two occasions showing contestants how to make a Cornish pasty. A series of multiple out-takes, excised when he and Davidson dissolved into uncontrollable laughter, also featured on “blooper” compilations.

Reckoned wittier than other near-the-knuckle comics like Roy “Chubby” Brown, he was widely admired in the entertainment business. Dawn French considered him “supremely gifted”, and the comedian Richard Herring, while astonished at much of Jethro’s material, conceded that “his stuff isn’t as horrible as that of some of his contemporaries. Which is a bit of a negative positive.”

He hosted two television specials under the title The Jethro Junction on HTV in 1995 and in November 2001 appeared on the Royal Variety Performance in the presence of the Queen, screened on ITV.

In 1993 Jethro released his first video A Portion of Jethro which sold 150,000 copies in two months. A further nine video titles followed, with DVD sales of more than four million. Although latterly rarely seen on television, at his peak Jethro sold more than 250,000 theatre seats a year at venues across the country. To help audiences deal with his Cornish accent, he would pretend to be drunk, slowing and slurring his delivery.

Rowe was an accomplished horse breeder, and a seven times winner at the Horse of the Year Show. His string of horses included the brood mare Flying Iris, a sister to Best Mate, and Celtic Swing’s stallion offspring, Rocamadour. He also worked for charity, and in 1995 walked from Land’s End to his home on the Cornwall-Devon border, raising £20,000 for a new cancer scanner.

Having retired last year, he was reportedly fully jabbed, but died in hospital after contracting Covid-19. In a tribute on Facebook, Great Western Railway announced that “the train does indeed now stop at Camborne on a Wednesday … Except for today as we are running a rail replacement service due to improvement works.”

Rowe is survived by his long-term partner Jennie and his two sons.

Geoffrey Rowe (Jethro), born March 8 1948, died December 14 2021

ribrash

Re: Departed during 2021

#360 Post by ribrash » Thu Dec 16, 2021 7:34 pm

Each to their own I suppose,but I found him as funny as woodworm in a cripples crutch.

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