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PEOPLE

Prunella Scales, Star Of “Fawlty Towers,” Is Dead At 93

In addition to her role in what many consider the greatest British sitcom in history, Scales’s 60-odd-year career ranged through TV series from Coronation Street to Great Canal Journeys and films from Hobson’s Choice to Howard’s End — not to mention Dotty the Demanding Shopper from a set of Tesco commercials. - The Independent (UK)

Drummer Jack DeJohnette, 83

Able to bring dynamic, highly musical playing to open-minded free jazz, R&B-leaning instrumental grooves and everything in between, DeJohnette is perhaps best known as the drummer in Miles Davis’s fusion period, contributing to albums such as Bitches Brew, Jack Johnson and On the Corner. - The Guardian

Alison Williams Is An Adult Now

“After Girls, she more or less abandoned romantic heroines, in part to show her range and also because Marnie (and through her, Williams) became a target for online outrage. A little space seemed healthy.” - The New York Times

June Lockhart, Beloved TV Mom, Has Died At 100

Lockhart played Timmy’s mom - and Lassie’s human, too, on Lassie; and then she starred in Lost in Space as well. Lockhart started her career onstage at the Metropolitan Opera at age 8 and acted in movies and streaming TV well into her 90s. - The New York Times

Benita Valente, Bel Canto Soprano Who Brought Joy To The Met For Decades, Has Died At 91

Valente “was acclaimed for the faultless technique and intelligence of her performances in operas, recitals and chamber music, but inexplicably failed to gain a wider following among classical music audiences.” - The New York Times

Francis Ford Coppola Is Reduced To Selling Off His Watch Collection

“The filmmaker announced he will auction off seven watches, ranging in value from $3,000 to $1 million, ...  in an effort to rebuild his wealth after investing $120 million into the 2024 box-office flop Megalopolis.” - San Francisco Chronicle (Yahoo!)

Sculptor Jackie Ferrara, A “Lumberyard Poet,” Is Dead At 95

“In an era when sculptors were turning out factory-fabricated objects with shiny metal surfaces, … (she) stacked lengths of wood into objects that resembled pyramids, stairways and towers, imbuing the sleek forms of Minimalism with an aura of ancient mystery.” - The New York Times

Architect Terry Farrell, Who Went From Strict Modernism To Exuberant Postmodernism, Has Died At 87

With then-business partner Nicholas Grimshaw, he rode Britain’s “high-tech Modernism” wave of the 1970s to prominence. But he tired of that movement’s austere aesthetic and went on to design landmarks of London’s postmodern architecture such as the headquarters of TV-am and the intelligence service MI6. - The New York Times

Afghanistan’s Most Beloved Singer — And What She And Her Family Have Gone Through

Naghma, despite the popularity she achieved early in her career, faced many difficulties in conservative Afghan culture even before the rule of the Taliban. In the 1990s, mujahideen rebels murdered her sister and she fled the country. She’s been a cultural treasure for the Afghan diaspora ever since. - The New York Times

The Passions Of Patricia Arquette

Loves: Baroque music, textiles “from all over the world,” real estate listings from across the world. Oh, and candy. "Am I not human?” - The New York Times

How Much Does Jeff Hiller’s Emmy Win Mean To Him?

First of all, it was a surprise - to HBO. “It was very clear that they had been having meetings for Phase 1, and I had not been included in those meetings 'cause nobody thought I was going to be nominated for an Emmy.” (See the full interview here.) - NPR

British Library Returns Oscar Wilde’s Library Card — 125 Years After His Death

On June 15, 1895, the Irish poet and playwright was excluded from the British Museum’s Reading Room, the precursor to the British Library. The museum revoked his access after Wilde’s trial and conviction for gross indecency, a Victorian-era crime used to punish men for relationships with other men. - The New York Times

NPR “Founding Mother” Susan Stamberg, 87

In 1972, as host of All Things Considered, she became the first female anchor of a nightly national newscast. She co-hosted the show for 14 years before becoming the founding host of Weekend Edition Sunday. And she inflicted her mother-in-law’s horrifying cranberry relish recipe on countless victims. - The Washington Post (MSN)

Soprano Roberta Alexander Dead At 76

Active as a concert singer as well as in opera, she was for some years a mainstay at the Met, Covent Garden, Salzburg, Glyndebourne, and especially the Netherlands Opera. She was known for Mozart, Verdi, and Puccini as well as a landmark portrayal of the title role in Janáček’s Jenůfa. - Moto Perpetuo

Tim Curry At 79, Looking Forward Even After His Stroke

The actor who brought so much manic energy to Dr. Frank-N-Furter (Rocky Horror), Wadsworth the butler (Clue), and Pennywise the clown (Stephen King’s It) talks about his career, his recovery, and his mother (on whom Curry based Dr. Frank-N-Furter’s exit from the refrigerator with the bloody axe). - The Guardian

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