Margalit Fox's Blog, page 23

Ann McGovern, Author, Is Dead at 85; She Made ‘Stone Soup’ a School Staple

Ms. McGovern, who worked at Little Golden Books and Scholastic, broke into children’s literature by writing about Roy Rogers after overhearing an editor wishing someone would write one.

David Nobbs, Novelist and Creator of Reginald Perrin, Dies at 80

Mr. Nobbs, a British novelist and comedy writer, was best known for “The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin,” the dark BBC sitcom of the 1970s.

Douglas LeVien, New York Detective Who Infiltrated the Mafia, Dies at 68

An expert on organized crime, Detective LeVien was a 20-year veteran of the New York Police Department.

Cilla Black, Top Pop Star in Swinging Sixties Britain, Dies at 72

Ms. Black, who was closely associated with the Beatles, was considered a national treasure in Britain, a working-class girl who made good.

Cilla Black, Who Turned a Coat-Checking Job Into a Singing Career, Dies at 72

Ms. Black, who was closely associated with the Beatles, was long regarded as a national treasure in Britain, a working-class girl who made good.

Vincent Marotta Sr., a Creator of Mr. Coffee, Dies at 91

Vincent Marotta Sr., who once played both football and baseball professionally, created a coffee maker that knocked the percolator from its perch.

Aja Zanova, Top Czech Skater Who Defected to West, Dies at 84

Zanova was a world champion figure skater whose defection from Czechoslovakia as a teenager in 1950 made headlines around the world.

Vic Firth, Who Gave Drummers Their Sticks, Dies at 85

Mr. Firth spent more than 40 years as the principal tympanist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and a company with his name now turns out some 12 million drumsticks and mallets annually.

George Coe, Actor and Director of a Bergman Parody, Dies at 86

Mr. Coe was also a grown-up presence in the cast of “Saturday Night Live,” appearing in the very first episode.

Ingrid Sischy, Doyenne of Art and Fashion, Dies at 63

In a career spanning 40 years, she brought artists like Joseph Beuys and designers like Miuccia Prada to the pages of Artforum, Interview magazine, Vanity Fair and others.