Final Flight

Arthur Hailey, the novelist who produced such best sellers as Airport and Hotel, has died at the age of 84. Hailey’s ability to create realistic characters and exhaustive research to establish scenes, as well his simplistic, formulaic approach, made these novels naturals for the big screen. After dropping out of high school, he talked his way into a stint as a pilot in the RAF during WWII, which apparently fostered the hatred for flying displayed in Airport (and the myriad movie sequels), Test Pilot, and Flight into Danger, the teleplay that established him as a full-time writer. Flight Into Danger was filmed as the comically overdone dramatic film Zero Hour 1957, then was used as the backdrop for the comic brilliance of Airplane! in 1980, a turn of events that did not suit Hailey.

Kokonomo

Terry Melcher, a surf song stylist and one of the worst landlords in history, died at the age of 62. The son of Doris Day, Melcher had a hit as a member of the Rip Chords with Hey Little Cobra, and later performed on the Beach Boys hit album Pet Sounds. As a producer, he turned the little-known folk rock band The Byrds into stars with his work on Mr. Tambourine Man and Turn, Turn, Turn. He also worked with Paul Revere and the Raiders, Gram Parsons, the Mamas and the Papas and Ry Cooder, but he shot down an aspiring talent to disastrous results. Charles Manson had sought a record contract but was denied. Police later speculated that the Manson family murders of Sharon Tate and her guests at the house she had rented from Melcher were revenge killings gone wrong. Melcher produced his own house of horrors with his participation in the Beach Boys comeback Kokomo in the 1980s.

Ol’ Dead Bastard

Or
O.D.B. Young Again
Russell Tyrone Jones, better known by his Wu-Tang epithet O.D.B., collapsed and died in a recording studio at the age of 35. A founding member of the Clan, Jones went solo in 1995, earning a gold record. In addition to his rap sheets, O.D.B. had a lengthy rap sheet, with arrests for making terrorist threats, illegal possession of body armor and drug possession. He also made headlines when, after losing a Grammy to Puff Daddy, he stormed the stage and stole the microphone from Shawn Colvin and complained about having spent a lot of money on his clothes because he expected to win.

Gone in a Flash

Harry Lampert, the creator of the superhero Flash for DC Comics, died of a cerebral hemorrhage at the age of 88. Lampert conned an atomic age-obsessed America into believing that fumes from heavy water experiments could turn college student Jay Garrick into the fastest man alive. Lampert’s reward: $150 and getting fired after just 2 issues.

O-Bye-O

Comedian and voice actor Dayton Allen has died at the age of 85. A recurring performer on The Steve Allen Show, Allen was best known as the voice of Deputy Dawg, Phineas T. Bluster, Fearless Fly, Cleo the Giraffe and Heckle and Jeckle.

Buzz Kill

No deus ex machine this time for serial star Ed Kemmer, who died from complications of a stroke at the age of 84. Kemmer was best known as Commander Buzz Corry, defender of the 30th century in the 1950s sci-fi serial Space Patrol. Taking to the stars in his Terra V spacecraft with his scantily clad ward Cadet Happy, Corry spent 5 seasons defeating some of cosmos’ most nefarious villains. Keen-eyed watchers might also remember Kemmer as the flight engineer on William Shatner’s flight of fancy in the Twilight Zone classic Nightmare at 20,000 feet.

Keeled Over

Howard Keel, one-time musical star of stage and screen and later step-patriarch of the Ewing clan on Dallas, has died of colon cancer at the age of 85. The baritone romanced his way through such musicals as “Kiss Me Kate” and “Annie Get Your Gun.” He also was the groom for one of the Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, played the sneaky Indian in The War Wagon, and wrestled with the killer beanstalks in the sci-fi classic The Day of the Triffids. He revived his career in the 1980s as Clayton Farlow, a refinery owner whose ranch, the Southern Cross, provided safe haven to Sue Ellen Ewing against J.R. after her romance with Clayton’s son Dusty foundered when Dusty was paralyzed in a riding accident. (Course, Dusty was only partially paralyzed and later tried to romance Sue Ellen again.) After the creepy May-December romance between Clayton and Sue Ellen fizzled, Clayton befriended and eventually married Sue Ellen’s mother-in-law Eleanor Southworth Ewing, aka Miss Ellie, setting up the expected familial power struggles. Keel provided a strong, decent presence to counter the conniving of J.R. Sadly, Keel died hours before getting to watch the greatest reunion of all time: Dallas Reunion: The Return to Southfork.

Sheikh it Off

Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahayan, who showed there is an alternative approach to living in the Middle East other than killing Americans and Israelis as president and founding father of the United Arab Emirates, one of the richest countries in the world, has died in his late eighties. Prior to deposing his brother to take over the emirate, he had served as a local governor and led drilling crews that found untapped oil reserves. Sheikh Zayed used this money to build schools, roads and hospitals, and the UAE is unique in the Arab world for allowing more equality between the sexes, with women serving in the military and law enforcement, and 99% of the girls in the country attend school.