Notable Passings

...Big band singer Lucy Ann Polk, who sang with Tommy Dorsey, Les Brown, and other bands, passed away in Glendale, California, last October. She was 83.

A biography of Polk, who was one of my dad's favorite singers, can be found here. She came from a very talented musical family. Her brother Gordon was also a film and TV actor.

Here's a fun video of Polk performing with her older siblings in a '40s "soundie":



...Baseball Hall of Fame catcher Gary Carter has died of a brain tumor at the age of 57. Carter was an Orange County native who played for the Expos, Mets, and Giants, and near the end of his career he spent the 1991 season with my favorite team, the Dodgers. He was a tough competitor who by all accounts was a classy gentleman off the field, always willing to make time for fans. Gone too soon.

...Oscar-nominated songwriter Dory Previn has died at the age of 86. Previn's first husband and sometime collaborator was Andre Previn.

...It was touching to note that among Whitney Houston's eulogists today was Kevin Costner, her costar in THE BODYGUARD back in 1992.