Death

Some sad news to report this morning: Richard Griffiths, who co-starred in the 'Harry Potter' films as Vernon Dursley, has died following heart surgery in London. He was 65.

If you've seen any of the 23 James Bond movies, you're familiar with British trumpet player Derek Watkins. The session player also sat in with Eric Clapton, the Beatles, Elton John and more during a nearly 50-year career. Watkins died on Friday (March 22) after a two year battle with cancer.

Augusta native and philanthropist Elsie Viles passed away this weekend. She was 98. I never met Mrs. Viles, but I was thinking about her this weekend while I was at the Viles Arboretum in Augusta. I did not know at that time of her passing.

Jerry Buss, real estate magnate and longtime owner of the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers, died Monday of an undisclosed form of cancer, his spokesman Bob Steiner said. Buss, 80, was a patient at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. His health had declined rapidly in recent weeks.

Singer Mindy McCready has been found dead at the age of 37 in an apparent suicide. The onetime country star's body was found in Heber Springs, Ark.

Rick Huxley, bassist for British Invasion legends the Dave Clark Five, has passed away. The BBC reports that Huxley, age 72, had been a heavy smoker and had long battled emphysema.

Reg Presley, lead singer for the Troggs, has passed away after losing a battle with lung cancer. Presely, 71, died at home today (Feb. 4) in Andover, England.

Andre Cassagnes, the man responsible for inventing the venerable Etch A Sketch, a toy that inspired countless children ever since it was introduced in 1960, has died at age 86 in France.

Former New York City Mayor Ed Koch died early Friday morning at the age of 88 after spending the last several months in and out of hospitals.

Caleb Moore, the snowmobiler who crashed during the Winter X Games last week, died Thursday at the age of 25.

The body of a man found dead January 11th  in Waterville has been identified. Turns out, the man, 58 year old Richard Lawson, was a fugitive who had been on the run for almost nine years! He died from a heart attack so his death is not considered suspicious.

One of the great baseball players of all time #6, Stan ‘Stan the Man’ Musial, died on Saturday at the age of 92. He was not only one of the greats but a great baseball name.

The massive achievement that is HBO's 'The Wire' is such that even supporting players left a lasting impression on pop culture. Robert Chew, who played Prop Joe, had one of the juiciest roles (in a show chocked full of them) as a pragmatic drug lord known for his negotiating skills. Sadly, Chew passed away last night at the age of 52.

Pauline Phillips, better known to millions of people as the woman who created the 'Dear Abby' column, has died. She was 94.

Like his co-star Gary Coleman before him, Conrad Bain, one of TV's most beloved icons, has sadly passed on. The long-time star of legendary TV sitcom 'Diff'rent Strokes' is reported to have died this week of unknown causes at the age of 89. No details of Bain's death have been released to the public as of yet.

Television personality Jimmy O'Neill, whose inimitable style helped make the music variety show 'Shindig!' a hit for ABC in the mid-'60s, has passed away at the age of 72 following a struggle with heart problems and diabetes. The Beatles, Rolling Stones and the Who were among the acts that appeared on 'Shindig!'