/ Stars that died in 2023

Thursday, May 31, 2012

Scotty Robertson, American basketball coach (New Orleans Jazz, Chicago Bulls, Detroit Pistons), died from cancer at 81.

Robert Scott Robertson, III , known as Scotty Robertson, was an American basketball coach of four NBA teams. He was the first coach for the New Orleans Jazz (now the Utah Jazz), and he later coached the Chicago Bulls and the Detroit Pistons. He also has a stint as assistant coach for the Indiana Pacers, San Antonio Spurs, Phoenix Suns, and the Miami Heat.[1]

(February 1, 1930 – August 18, 2011)


Robertson was born in  Fort Smith in western Arkansas. As a sixth grader, he moved to Shreveport, Louisiana, where he played basketball and baseball for C.E. Byrd High School, from which he graduated in 1947. He attended the University of Texas at Austin but graduated in 1951 from Louisiana Tech University. He obtained a master's degree from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.[1] After his graduation from Louisiana Tech, he played baseball in the Chicago White Sox organization before returning to basketball as a coach.[2]
Robertson coached at Byrd High School for eight years, having accomplished a 163-91 record. He then coached at Louisiana Tech from 1964 to 1974. There he amassed a 165-86 record and during the early 1970s led the Bulldogs to a No. 1 ranking in the national college division. The Bulldogs procured three championships in the former Gulf States Conference under Robertson's tutelage and also entered two National Collegiate Athletic Association tournaments.[1]
Robertson was nominated to eight athletic halls of fame and was a Louisiana Tech "Alumnus of the Year" for the university school of education. He was a member of the Louisiana Tech Letterman Club and the Byrd High School Super Stars. Robertson was also a classic car collector.[1]
At the time of his death of lung cancer at the age of eighty-one, Robertson was residing in Ruston, the location of Louisiana Tech, with his wife the former Betty Lou Lancaster, a member of a prominent family originally from Tensas Parish in eastern Louisiana.[3] He was survived by his daughters, Libby Robertson Power (husband Robert) of Frisco, Texas, Claudia Robertson Fowler (husband Royal) of Franklin, Tennessee, and Vicki Robertson Page of Ruston. He had ten grandchildren.[1]
Services were held on August 21, 2011, at the Trinity United Methodist Church in Ruston. Interment followed at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Ruston.[1]
His obituary describes him, accordingly: "Despite compiling significant accolades in his professional career, no list does justice in describing a man that touched so many, angered so few and was respected and revered by all. Knowing the man was the only true description of his greatness. For those who knew him, he will never be forgotten. His love will carry on forever."[1]

 

 

To see more of who died in 2011 click here

Herb Pfuhl, American politician, longest-serving Mayor of Johnstown, Pennsylvania (1971–1977, 1982–1993), died when he was 83.

Herbert "Herb" Pfuhl Jr. was an American politician and teacher. Pfuhl was the longest serving Mayor of Johnstown, Pennsylvania in the municaplity's history, serving six terms as head of the city from 1971 to 1977 and again from 1982 to his retirement in 1993  died when he was 83.Pfuhl faced major challenges during his two decade long career as the elected chief of Johnstown, including population decline, the 1977 Johnstown flood and the collapse of the steel industry, which included one of the city's biggest employers, Bethlehem Steel. However, Pfuhl has been credited with having revitalized downtown Johnstown's business district and successfully lobbying for millions in aid from the U.S. federal government for economic development.

(April 25, 1928 – August 18, 2011)

Early life

Pfuhl was born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, in 1928 to German immigrant parents who had moved to the United States during the 1920s.[5] Pfuhl's father, Herbert L. Pfuhl, moved to Johnstown from Berlin, Germany.[5] His mother, Anna Schweitzer, moved to Johnstown from a rural region of Germany when she was 16 years old.[5] She worked as a maid for a Johnstown family, the Suppes.[5] Anna Schweitzer was also a relative of Albert Schweitzer, a prominent physician and theologian.[5] Both became students at Johnstown High School, where they learned English. The couple met while both were attending the Zion Lutheran Church and soon married.[5]
Pfuhl remained a resident of Johnstown for his entire life, eventually settling in the Roxbury neighborhood of the city.[5] He grew up in a home with coal stoves heating the room.[5] Pfuhl enlisted in United States Navy during World War II.[6][4] He graduated from Johnstown High School in 1946.[6][4] He then earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Pittsburgh.[6] Pfuhl was a Presbyterian.[7] He worked in public education before entering politics. He was a teacher and coach in the Ferndale Area School District in Cambria County, Pennsylvania.[4] Pfuhl also served in the Pennsylvania National Guard.[4]

Mayor of Johnstown

Pfuhl would serve six terms as Mayor of Johnstown, the longest tenure of any chief executive in city history.[4] He helped guide Johnstown's transition from a commission government to a local government consisting of a strong mayor and city council.[4] He helped move Johnstown to its present system of governing based on a city manager.[4]
Pfuhl ran for Mayor of Johnstown during six mayoral elections, winning five of the six campaigns.[1] He was elected as a Republican, despite Johnstown's reputation as a stronghold of the Democratic Party.[1] Pfuhl was elected to his first term as mayor in the 1971 election.[3]
Pfuhl was mayor of Johnstown during the July 1977 flood, which devastated the city and the local economy.[8] The flood heavily damaged the facities of Bethlehem Steel, which was Johnstown's major employer at the time, with 12,000 employees in during pre-flood 1977.[8] Bethlehem Steel lost more than $50 million dollars in the flood, resulting in 4,000 layoffs.[8]
Pfuhl accused Bethlehem Steel of using the flood as an excuse to pull some of its investments from the area.[8] The business district was heavily flooded, closing both of the city's department stores, Penn Traffic and Grosser Bros.[8] Pennsylvania Gov. Milton Shapp gave Pfuhl a hand-written letter after the flood, authorizing Pfuhl to wave the usual regulations and solicitation process for the clean-up. [9]
Pfuhl lost his re-election bid in 1977 to Democrat Charles "Kutch" Tomljanovic, largely due to the aftermath of the 1977 Johnstown flood, which proved one of the biggest challenges of his political career.[3][10]
Pfuhl remained out of office for just one term before being re-elected as mayor in the 1981 election and re-took the mayor's office in 1982.[3] In October 1986, Pfuhl appointed Linda Weaver as Johnstown's police chief.[11] The appointment made Weaver the first female police chief in Pennsylvania.[11] She retired on March 5, 1993.[11]
Pfuhl announced his retirement in February 1993, when he announced that he would not seek re-election in the November 1993 mayoral election.[4] In his announcement, Pfuhl told the audience, "I love my family, I love my city, I love this job. And I really feel I’ve been pretty good at it."[4]
Pfuhl died at Memorial Medical Center in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, on August 19, 2011, aged 83.[1][6] He was survived by his wife of 64 years, the former Phyllis I. Meyer, and five children.[4] He was buried at Grandview Cemetery at the mausoleum in Southmont, Pennsylvania.[7]

 

 

To see more of who died in 2011 click here

Paul Lockyer, Australian journalist,died from a helicopter crash age 61.

Paul James Lockyer  was an Australian television journalist for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and the Nine Network who was known for his reporting on rural and regional Australia. Lockyer and two colleagues died in a helicopter accident while on assignment filming a story about Lake Eyre, South Australia.[3]

(27 April 1950 – 18 August 2011)

Early years and background

Lockyer was the younger of two sons of Nona and Norman Lockyer. He was born and grew up on a farm near Corrigin, about 250 kilometres (160 mi) east of Perth, Western Australia. He later boarded at Aquinas College in Perth where he played hockey.[4][5][6]

Career

In 1969 at age 19, Lockyer became a cadet journalist with the Perth office of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), before moving to Sydney and then Canberra in the mid-1970s.[7][8] In 1979 Lockyer became an ABC correspondent in Port Moresby and then Jakarta before a three year posting in Bangkok. It was during this period that he reported on events following the Vietnam War and the Khmer Rouge killing fields.[4] He was posted to Washington, D.C. where as ABC correspondent during the Reagan administration he covered Central and North America. Lockyer later returned to Asia, taking up a posting in ABC's Singapore office and reporting on the trial and subsequent execution of Kevin Barlow and Brian Chambers on drug trafficking charges. Lockyer was nominated for a Gold Walkley award for his coverage of the trial and execution.[citation needed]
In 1988 he joined the Nine Network in Sydney.[4][9] Lockyer's reporting on a drought in eastern Australia in 1994 for A Current Affair was credited for inspiring the Farmhand Appeal.[10] He worked across a range of programs for the network including Sunday, Midday, and the Wide World of Sports.
After returning to the ABC in 1999,[9] Lockyer won a Logie Award for Most Outstanding News Reporter in 2001 for his daily coverage of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.[11] He later led ABC TV News coverage of the 2004 Athens Olympics and reported on the 2008 Beijing Olympics for the 7.30 Report.[12] In 2005, Lockyer was the presenter for the ABC television news in Western Australia.[5]
However, it was his coverage of rural stories that he was most passionate about.[citation needed] Lockyer's was the first news team to report from Grantham in the Lockyer Valley in the aftermath of the 2010–2011 Queensland floods; for the first 24 hours he was the only reporter on the ground in Grantham.[13] Lockyer also provided in depth coverage of the impact of Cyclone Yasi.[4] Lockyer was awarded the Centenary Medal in 2003 for his coverage of rural issues, particularly the extensive drought and he was twice awarded the NSW Farmers' Association Mackellar Media prize for coverage of rural issues.[12] Lockyer reported the 2006 rescue of two miners from Tasmania's Beaconsfield gold mine.[12]
Lockyer's final story was an interview with Bob Lasseter, who is searching for Lasseter's Reef. Bob Lasseter is the son of Harold Lasseter, the man who claimed to have originally found the gold deposit. The story was broadcast on 7.30, on 29 August 2011.[14]

Death

On 18 August 2011, Lockyer and two fellow ABC employees, pilot Gary Ticehurst and cameraman John Bean, died in a helicopter crash on the eastern shore of Lake Eyre in South Australia. The trio were on assignment filming a story about the lake.[15][16] The aircraft was an AĆ©rospatiale Industries AS355F2 helicopter owned by the ABC. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is conducting an investigation into the fatal accident.[17] A preliminary report released in mid September 2011 did not include the cause of the crash.[18][19][20] The accident was the first fatal accident involving a twin-engine helicopter in Australia since 1986.[21]
Addressing Parliament, the Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, spoke of Lockyer's coverage of important events, his famous inland reports and his reporting of the 2010–2011 Queensland floods. She spoke of the dangers journalists were exposed to, saying "[They] took these risks and told these stories. They were true professionals and true gentlemen of the Australian media."[22]

To see more of who died in 2011 click here

Johnson, Indian film music composer, died from cardiac arrest he was 58.


Johnson was an Indian film score composer and music director who has given music to some of the most important motion pictures of Malayalam cinema, including those for Koodevide, Namukku Parkkan Munthiri Thoppukal, Oru Minnaminunginte Nurunguvettam, Vadakkunokkiyantram, Perumthachan, Amaram, Njan Gandharvan, Ponthan Mada, and Bhoothakkannadi. He was noted for his lyrical and expressive melodies together with simple but rich tonal compositions of thematic music. Johnson is a recipient of National Film Awards twice and Kerala State Film Awards five times.
He started his career as an assistant to G. Devarajan in 1970s,[1] and debuted as an independent composer in late seventies with Aaravam.[2] He was a recurrent collaborator for directors Padmarajan, Bharathan, Sathyan Anthikkad, T. V. Chandran, Kamal, Lohithadas, Balachandra Menon and Mohan.[2] He has composed music for more than 300 Malayalam films, the most by any composer except for Devarajan.[2] He died in Chennai on August 18, 2011 due to a heart attack.[3]

(26 March 1953 – 18 August 2011)

Early life

Johnson was born in a musically affluent Christian family in Nellikkunnu, Thrissur, Kerala, on 26 March 1953. His father was a bank employee. Johnson was a singer in the choir of Nellikkunnu St. Sebastian's Church. He obtained training in guitar and harmonium from his colleagues during this early periods itself. He used to sing in youth festivals and musical shows and joined the orchestra team of some local troupes and played harmonium in many concerts. He also used to sing in the female voice in ganamelas(a stage show where film songs are sung by local or professional artists).[4]
In 1968, Johnson and his friends formed a club named Voice of Thrissur. Johnson was the main instrumentalist in the club where he played wide varieties of instruments - guitar, harmonium, flute, drums and violin.[4]
Within a few years, the club became one of the most sought after musical troups in Kerala, and had more than fifty members. This club used to give accompaniment music to playback singers Jayachandran and Madhuri in their musical shows. It was Jayachandran who introduced Johnson to G. Devarajan, one of the most prolific composers of South Indian cinema then. Devarajan literally adopted Johnson and brought him to Chennai in 1974. Johnson bought an accordion, during this period, from R. K. Shekhar (A. R. Rahman's father), and began assisting Devarajan in filmscoring and composing. [4]

Film scoring and soundtracks

Johnson began his independent career by composing the film scores of Bharathan's Aaravam (1978), Thakara (1980) and Chamaram (1980). He composed his first soundtracks for the film Inaye Thedi, debut film of director turned still photographer Antony Eastman and actress Silk Smitha. It was Devarajan himself, who suggested Johnson to the director. Then came Bharathan's Parvathi and Balachandra Menon's Premageethangal. Premageethangal was a notable success with four of its songs - "Swapnam Verumoru Swapnam", "Nee Nirayoo Jeevanil", "Muthum Mudipponnum" and "Kalakalamozhi" attaining cult status.
He came to prominence through his collaboration with Malayalam author and director Padmarajan. Koodevide was their first venture, which had one of the most famous songs of Johnson "Aadivaa Kaatte", a pathbreaking song in Malayalam music history. It was one of the first songs in Malayalam to have a grant orchestral score and the song was born out of Padmarajan's need for a western song for his innovative film. Song composition took place in Woodland's Hotel, Chennai. Another notable feature of this song was the lyrics by O. N. V. Kurup, who for the first time wrote lyrics for a pre-composed song.[4] Johnson worked for 17 films with Padmarajan, including his last film Njan Gandharvan. This productive collaboration saw the detailed screenplay and cinematography of Padmarajan become a fertile ground for expressive musical narration and thematic scores for Johnson. This is seen in some of the greatest motion pictures of Malayalam cinema, like Namukku Parkkan Munthiri Thoppukal (1986), Oru Minnaminunginte Nurunguvettam (1987), Nombarathipoovu (1987) and Perumthachan (1990). Another notable collaboration of Johnson was with director Sathyan Anthikkad, with whom he associated in almost 25 films. He was able to provide some of his most popular songs with Anthikkad and this combo is widely accepted to be one of the greatest director-composer collaborations in Malayalam cinema. Acclaimed Malayalam director Bharathan also collabrated with him in multiple films including Parvathy, Palangal, Ormakkayi, Kattathe Kilikkoodu, Ente Upasana, Oru Minnaminunginte Nurunguvettam, Ozhivukalam, Malootty, Chamayam and Churam. His major other collaborations with directors include Mohan (Oru Katha Oru Nunakkatha, Sakshyam, Pakshe and Angane Oru Avadhikkalathu), Sibi Malayil (Kireedam, Chenkol, Dasaratham and Nee Varuvolam), Sreenivasan (Vadakkunokkiyantram and Chinthavishtayaya Shyamala), Lohithadas (Bhoothakkannadi and Arayannangalude Veedu), Kamal (Peruvannapurathe Visheshangal, Shubhayathra, Ee Puzhayum Kadannu and Paavam Paavam Rajakumaran), and Balachandra Menon (Shesham Kazhchayil, Premageethangal, Kilukilukkam and Kelkatha Shabdam).
He is also noted for his collaboration with the Malayalam lyricist Kaithapram Damodaran Namboothiri. Their association began in 1989 with Sathyan Anthikkad's social satire Varavelpu. Most of Jonhnson's notable works came in late eighties and early nineties. In 1991, he scored a record number of 31 films, including 29 with Kaithapram.[4] Johnson won National awards for two consecutive years. He won his first National Award in 1994 for the motion picture Ponthan Mada (1993). The next year he got his second award for Sukrutham. Both the awards were for the background score in films.
After an extremely successful career of more than a decade, Johnson took a sabattical from film scoring by the end of nineties. The quality and quantity of his works began perishing during this time. By the beginning of 2000s, he didn't sign any new projects that even his most noted collaborator Sathyan Anthikkad had to find a new composer. In 2004, he sang the song "Theekuruvi" from Kangalal Kaidhu Sei, which was composed by A. R. Rahman. Perhaps it is the only song recorded by him for any composer. He returned strongly to the field with Photographer in 2006, which fetched him numerous awards.[5]

Non-cinematic outputs

Johnson has released four non-film albums. His first album Sneha Deepika was released in 1989 on Tharangini audios. It had nine Christian devotional songs - "Aathma Swaroopa", "Unni Yesu Pirannu", "Manninum Poovinum", "Thumbapoo Polulla", "Bhoomikku Pulakam", "Manassakumengil", "Kulir Choodum", "Arthungal Innoru" and "Vidarnna Punchiri". The featured artists were K. J. Yesudas, K. S. Chithra and Sujatha.[6] His second album Onathappan, a collaboration with M. G. Radhakrishnan and Berny-Ignatius, consisted of nine festival songs. The track "Mundon Paadam" was composed by Johnson, sung by M. G. Sreekumar and had lyrics penned by Bichu Thirumala.[7] His third album Nannipoorvam Johnson, consisted of twelve tracks - "Chandanakkavilinnu", "Panineeru Peyyum", "Vasundhare", "Virunnu Vanna", "Prapanjam Sundaram", "Enthe Nee Varathe", "Nilasandhyayil", "Veruthe Onnu", "Ponnazhikkuttu", "Pranayappirave", "Kalindhi", and an introductory speech by Sreenivasan. In 2009, he released his second Christian devotional album entitled Parishudhan. It had eleven tracks - "Vazhiyum Sathyavum Nee Thanne (Vijay Yesudas), "Mullukal Kuthi" (Chithra), "Ariyathe Polum" (G. Venugopal), "Neethimanayavane" (Sujatha), "Traditional song" (Louis), "Mazhayum Veyilum" (Rimi Tomy), "Oru Viral Sparshathal (Sudheep), "Loka Palaka" (Chithra), Neethanthamam (Vijay Yesudas), and "Kannukalil Theliyum" (Manjari).

Music style and impact

His skilful integration of textual rhythm of the lyrics together with rich tonal arrangement, redefined songwriting in Malayalam cinema, since the late 1980s. In his film scores, Johnson combines native South Indian melodic patterns with the harmonic structure of European classical music and this has attained an expressive form of narration through film score.[8] He composed for about 300 films. Though he has obtained no formal training in classical music, he was able to incorporate the beauty of Carnatic ragas in his songs. Most of his songs were composed on Kalyani raga.
Johnson's favourite male singer was K. J. Yesudas, who has recorded many songs for him, while S. Janaki and K. S. Chithra were his favourite female singers. Chithra had some of her most noted songs with Johnson.[9]
Johnson is fondly called Johnson Master (Johnson Mashu) by Malayalee audiences. He is affectionately described as the "John Williams of Malayalam cinema", after the Hollywood composer John Williams.[8]

Awards

Johnson won the National Film Award for Best Background Score for the films Ponthan Mada (1994) and Sukrutham (1995).[10] Johnson is the only composer to receive this rarely given award twice. He was the first Malayalee music composer to receive an award in music category and is also the only Malayalee music director who received two national awards in music category. Actually his first national award for Ponthan Mada, not only for background score but also for Best Music Composer. This film has one song Adimarunge ayyayya  lyrics by O. N. V. Kurup and sung by K. S. Chithra and chorus composed by Johnson. This is a folk song. National film award committee noted that he brilliantly conceive western folk tunes into this song. So award given for best music direction and background score of this film. He has received three Kerala State Film Award for Best Music Director, for the films Ormakkayi (1982), Vadakkunokkiyantram and Mazhavil Kavadi (1989), and Angane Oru Avadhikkalathu (1999). He was awarded the Kerala State Film Award for Best Background Music for the films Sadayam (1992) and Sallapam (1996). He has thus received five Kerala State Film Awards in music category, an achievement he shares with Devarajan. He has received the Kerala Film Critics Awards four times, the most recent in 2008 for Gulmohar. In 2007, he won the Mathruboomi Award for Best Music Director for Photographer (2006).[11] He won the Mullasserry Raju Music Award for the song "Enthe Kannanu Karuppu Niram", also from the same film. In addition, he has received numerous other awards and nominations including Devarajan Master Memorial Award and Raveendran Master Memorial Award.[12]

Death

Johnson, popularly known as 'Johnson Master' died in Chennai on 18 August 2011 at the age of 58, due to a heart attack. The Government of Kerala gave all official honours for his funeral which was held in his hometown, Thrissur. He is survived by his wife - Rani Johnson, daughter - Shan Johnson and son - Renn Johnson. On 25 February 2012, Renn Johnson, an engineer by profession, worked at Connectivity Data Systems LLC died in a motor bike accident at Chennai.[13]

Partial discography

Original scores and soundtracks

Year Album Year Album
1980 Cheriyachante Kroorakrithyangal 1981 Premageethangal
Oridathoru Phayalwan
Inaye Thedi
Raktham
Chaatta
Parvathi
1982 Football
Sooryan
Ithiri Neram Othiri Karyam
Kelkatha Shabdam
Palangal
Kilukilukkam
Swarna Gopuram
Ithu Njangalude Kadha
Ormakkayi
Thuranna Jail
1983 Koodevide
Shesham Kaazhchayil
Kolakomban
Onnu Chirikkoo
Kattathe Kilikkoodu
Naseema
Thamburu
Thavalam
Ivide Thudangunnu
1984 Parannu Parannu Parannu
Sandarbham
Ente Upasana
Swanthamevide Bandhamevide
1985 Akkacheede Kunjivava
Nerariyum Nerathu
Oru Kudakkeezhil
Makan Ente Makan
Kadha Ithu Vare
Mounanombaram
Upaharam
Sannaham
Jwalanam
Oduvil Kittiya Vartha
Aa Neram Alpa Dooram
Ozhivukalam
1986 Namukku Parkkan Munthiri Thoppukal
Oru Katha Oru Nunnakkatha
Neram Pularumpol
Akalangalil
Kariyila Kattu Pole
Ice Cream
Malamukalile Daivam
Ente Entethumathram
Thidambu
1987 Oru Minnaminunginte Nurunguvettam
Sruthi
Athinumappuram
Ithente Needhi
Arinjo Ariyatheyo
Onnam Manam Poomanam
Archana Pookkal
Kathirippinte Thudakkam
1988 Aparan
Unnikrishnante Adyathe Christmas
Ponmuttayidunna Tharavu
Isabella
1989 Peruvannapurathe Visheshangal
Varavelpu
Varnatheru
Radham
Nerunnu Nanmakal
Lal Americayil
Kireedam
Artham
Dasaratham
Vadakkunokkiyantram
Mazhavilkavadi
Pradeshika Varthakal
Pandu Pandoru Desathu
1990 Nanma Niranjavan Sreenivasan
Malootty
Paavakkoothu
Varthamanakaalam
Muppathi Randam Naal
Shubhayathra
Sunday 7 PM
Sandram
Dr. Pasupathy
Kalikkalam
Gajakesariyogam
Rajavazhcha
Kouthuka Vaarthakal
Ee Kanni Koodi
Cheriya Lokavum Valiya Manushyarum
Niyamam Endu Cheyyum
Orukkam
Thalayanamanthram
Pavam Pavam Rajakumaran
Kaattukuthira
Sasneham
Mridula
Mukham
Ananthanum Appukkuttanum Anayundu
Khalasi
1991 Kakka Thollayiram
Sundari Kakka
Nettipattam
Beli
Chanchaattam
Perunthachan
Kankettu
Ezhunnaallathu
Mimics Parade
Athiradhan
Arangu
Kanal Kaattu
Innathe Program
Karpoora Deepam
Aanaval Mothiram
Sandhesam
Apoorvam Chilar
Ennum Nanmakal
Njaan Gandharvan
Nagarathil Samsaaravishayam
Venal Kinavukal
Cheppukilukkana Changaathi
Nayam Vyakthamakkunnu
1992 My Dear Muthachan
Thalasthanam
Kunukkkitta Kozhi
Mahanagaram
Kasargode Khadarbhai
Snehasaagaram
Oottyppattanam
Aadharam
Maanthrika Cheppu
Ezharapponnana
Savidham
Kudumba Sametham
Neelakkurukkan
Sadayam
Poochaikkaru Manikettum
Aayaram Gayaram
Ambathu Lakshavum Maruthi Carum
1993 Addheham Enna Iddheham
Golanthara Vartha
Samooham
Ghoshayaathra
Ente Sreekuttiku
Maanavam
Samaagamam
Chenkol
Agneyam
O' Faby
Meleparambil Aanveedu
Chamayam
Naaraayam
Thalamura
Paamaram
1994 [[CID Unnikrishnan B.A.
B.Ed.]]
Rajadhaani
Pakshe
Ponthan Mada
The City
Kudumba Visesham
Sandanagopaalam
Manathe Vellitheru
Bhagyavan
Chakoram
Pingami
Malappuram Haji Mahanaaya Joji
Kunjikkili
Leader
1995 Ezharakuttam
Saadaram
Ormakal Undaayirikkanam
Kaattile Thadi Thevarude Aana
Mangalam Veettil Manaseswari Gupta
Sunny Scooter
Sakshyam
Thovala Pookkal
1996 Ee Puzhayum Kadannu
Kanchanam
Thooval Kottaram
Udhyanapalakan
Sallapam
Aayiram Naavulla Ananthan
Kalyana Sougandhikam
1997 Irattakuttikalude Achan
Killikurisiyile Kudumbhamela
Adivaaram
Bhoothakannadi
Manthra Mothiram
Kudamaattam
Sankeerthanam Pole
Guru Sishyan
Oral Mathram
Itha Oru Snehagadha
Churam
Maanasam
Nee Varuvolam
Snehasindhooram
Rishyasringan
Athyunnathangalil Koodaram Panithavar
Vachalam
Sammanam
1998 Aayushmaanbhava
Manjukaalavum Kazhinju
Vismayam
Chinthavishtayaya Shyamala
Ormacheppu
Kusrithikuruppu
Thirakalkkappuram
Mangamma
1999 Angane Oru Avadikkalathu
Veendum Chila Veettukaryangal
2000 Swayamvara Pandhal
Susanna
Ee Mazha Thenmazha
Oru Cheru Punchiri
2001 Narendran Makan Jayakanthan Vaka
Uthaman
The Gift of God
Police Academy
2002 Yathrakarude Sradhakku
Danny
Stop Violence
Suvarna Mohangal
2003 Paadam Onnu: Oru Vilapam
2006 Kisan
Photographer
2007 AKG
2008 Gulmohar 2009 Vellathooval
2010 Nirakazhcha 2011 Nadakame Ulakam
Anandhan Pillai Adhava Arjunan Pillai
Navagatharkku Swagatham
Bharyamar Adharikkapedunnu
Khilafath

Original scores

The following lists out the films in which Johnson composed the background score but not songs.
  • Aakaashakottayile Sulthaan
  • Aalorungi Arangorungi
  • Aaraante Mulla Kochumulla
  • Aaravam
  • Aaryan
  • Arabikkadal
  • Abhimanyu
  • Adimachangala
  • Agnisharam
  • Ambada Njaane
  • Amaram
  • Amrutham
  • Arayannangalude Veedu
  • Avidatheppole Ivideyum
  • Bharatham
  • Chamaram
  • Chithram
  • Chakravalam Chuvannappol
  • Chithrathoonukal
  • Dhanam
  • Dheem Tharikidathom
  • Ee Kaikalil
  • Ekantham
  • English Medium
  • Ente Hridayathinte Udama
  • Ente Kaanakkuyil
  • Ithum Oru Jeevitham
  • Iniyum Kurukshethram
  • Kaanaakkinaavu
  • Kaarunyam
  • Kaaryam Nissaaram
  • Puzha
  • Paadamudra
  • Parinayam

Non-film albums

  • Rajavu ezhunallunnu - Christian devotional album .Audio by manorama music (2011)
  • Parishudhan (2009)
  • Nannipoorvam Johnson
  • Onathappan
  • Sneha Deepika (1989)

Notable songs

In an interview with Malayala Manorama, Johnson listed the following 13 songs as his favourite songs.[4]

 

 

To see more of who died in 2011 click here

Simon De Jong, Canadian politician, MP for Regina East (1979–1988) and Regina—Qu'Appelle (1988–1997), died from leukemia age 69.

Simon Leendert De Jong was a Canadian parliamentarian.[1][2]

(April 29, 1942 – August 18, 2011) 

He was first elected to the Canadian House of Commons in the 1979 federal election as an New Democratic Party (NDP) Member of Parliament (MP) from Saskatchewan. He would spend five terms and 18 years in the House of Commons.
Simon De Jong was born in Surabaya, Indonesia, spending the first three years of his life, with his mother Dirkje and older brother Hielke in a concentration camp. Of 3,000 women and children who were incarcerated by the Japanese during the occupation of Java, only a third survived. Simon's father, a Dutch mariner, was also a prisoner-of-war. The family were reunited after the war and returned to the Netherlands. They came to Canada in 1951, and Simon spent his formative years in Regina.
Despite being an immigrant and non-English speaker and stutterer, De Jong trained himself in public speaking, at which he became a provincial champion. In 1964, he become head of the student union at the University of Regina, where he wrote a constitution that empowered students and sparked campus unrest.
After graduating, De Jong turned to painting, receiving international notice as a visual artist. However, through a series of sessions with LSD researcher, Dr. Duncan Blewett, De Jong became fascinated with the possibilities for societal change represented by the burgeoning youth counter-culture of the late 1960s. In 1969 he left Regina for Vancouver, where he went to work for The Greater Vancouver Youth Communications Center Society, better known as Cool Aid. At Cool Aid, De Jong, Ray Chouinard and other street workers organized alternative health, work, housing and cultural programs that influenced the future of the city. One of De Jong's colleagues in those days was Mike Harcourt, who would later become the Premier of the Province of British Columbia.
De Jong returned to Regina in 1975. He ran as the NDP candidate for federal parliament in 1979. His victory surprised everyone including De jong himself. He would go on to serve five terms, retiring undefeated in 1997. As a parliamentarian, he exposed the spraying of the toxic defoliant Agent Orange by the U.S. military in the Canadian Province of New Brunswick. He was the first Member of Parliament to raise concerns about global warming. He spoke for disarmament at the United Nations; and he introduced a motion to send condolences to Yoko Ono when John Lennon was killed, which the artist gratefully acknowledged when De Jong died in 2011.
In 1989, De Jong was a dark-horse candidate to succeed Ed Broadbent as the leader Canada's New Democratic Party. He finished a respectable fourth in the leadership convention. However, a controversy overshadowed his candidacy. De Jong had agreed to be suited with a microphone in order to assist with a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) documentary on the convention, but forgot he was wearing it and inadvertently allowed back-room negotiations with fellow candidate Dave Barrett to be recorded.[3] The CBC documentary used the tape as the dramatic centre-point of its convention coverage, giving it a sinister spin, as a "secret deal" cut amid "shady" back-room politics. De Jong always denied the CBC's interpretation, insisting no deal was reached. Barrett remained silent about it. The documentarians re-enforced their characterization by mistranslating a second conversation thus gathered, a discussion in Dutch between De Jong and his mother, one of his advisors. The surrounding controversy hurt De Jong but was short-lived. However the scandal had lasting repercussions for De Jong within the party and contributed to his decision to retire some years later.
De Jong remained an MP until 1997 when he decided not to run for re-election in that year's federal election, stepping aside in favour of Lorne Nystrom whose seat had been abolished.
After retiring from parliament, De Jong spent time in the United States, Asia and Brazil, where he became involved with the Daime church and its powerful psychedelic sacrament, ayahuasca. De Jong became increasingly philosophical, joining the mystical insights of the Daime religion to concerns about climate change and the necessity for humankind to raise its consciousness. "The more aware we become, the better we become," he said.
De Jong once said of his colleague and friend Duncan Blewett, "He saw light and love and hope where others would see only darkness." This characterized De Jong himself. When he died of leukemia on August 18, 2011, he was mourned by people of all political stripes and beliefs, including former BC Premier Harcourt and Bob Rae, leader of the Liberal Party of Canada.

 

 

To see more of who died in 2011 click here

Samir Chanda, Indian art film director, died from cardiac arrest at 51.

Samir Chanda was an Indian art director and production designer across Indian cinema, including Hindi, Bengali, Malayalam and Tamil, most known for his work in films like Yodha (1992), Dil Se.. (1998), Guru (2007), Omkara (2006), Rang De Basanti (2006), and Raavan (2010) Samir Chanda, Indian art film director, died from cardiac arrest at 51.
He also directed a Bengali film, Ek Nadir Galpo (Tale of A River) (2008) starring Mithun Chakraborty. It was Indian entries for the Asian, African and Latin American Competition segment of the 38th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), in Goa[3] He was awarded the National Film Award for Best Art Direction four times, including Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero (2005) directed by Shyam Benegal.





(1957 – August 18, 2011) 

Career

A trained painter from Government College of Art & Craft, Kolkata, he moved to Mumbai and started his career as an assistant to noted art director Nitish Roy working in films like, Mandi (1983) by Shyam Benegal, Mrinal Sen. Subsequently started handling films independently as art director and production designer, with Subhash Ghai's Ram Lakhan (1989). Over the years he worked with directors like Shyam Benegal,Sangeeth Sivan, Vishal Bhardwaj, Rakesh Omprakash Mehra, Gautam Ghosh, Mani Ratnam.[1][4]
He died in Mumbai on August 18, 2011, at the age of 53. Reportedly, he suffered a drug reaction to a painkiller he had taken for a toothache earlier that day, and suffered a heart attack. He was rushed a hospital in Malad, Mumbai, where he died within an hour.[1][5]

Filmography

Year Title Note
1989 Ram Lakhan
1992 Yodha (Malayalam)
1993 Rudaali
1993 Gandharvam (Malayalam)
1995 Nirnayam (Malayalam)
1996 Is Raat Ki Subah Nahin
1998 Dil Se..

Daya (Malayalam) Kerala State Film Award for Best Art Director
2001 Aalavandhan (Tamil)

Zubeidaa

Aks
2005 Kisna: The Warrior Poet
2006 Krrish

Omkara Filmfare Award for Best Art Direction

Kantatar (Bengali)

Faltu (Bengali)

Galli Galli Sim Sim (TV series) Hindi adaptation of Sesame Street
2007 Guru Filmfare Award for Best Art Direction

Blood Brothers (short film)
2008 Ghajini

Welcome to Sajjanpur
2009 Kaalbela Director: Goutam Ghosh

Kaminey

Well Done Abba!
2010 Raavan
2011 7 Khoon Maaf

 

 

To see more of who died in 2011 click here

Ellen Holly best known for her groundbreaking role as Carla Gray on the daytime television series One Life to Live died she was 92

Ellen Holly Ellen Holly.   DISNEY GENERAL ENTERTAINMENT CONTENT VIA GETTY Ellen Holly, born on October 31, 1930, in New York City, passed aw...