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Patricia Morison, the original ‘Kiss Me, Kate’ star, dies at 103

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Patricia Morison, the original ‘Kiss Me, Kate’ star, dies at 103

Patricia Morison, who starred on Broadway in ‘Kiss Me Kate’ and opposite Yul Brynner in “The King and I,’ and appeared in films alongside Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn, has died. She was 103.

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Mark Kennedy and Andrew Dalton, The Associated Press Published 6:23 p.m. CT May 20, 2018
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LOS ANGELES — Patricia Morison, who originated the role of an overemotional diva in the Broadway musical Kiss Me, Kate, starred on stage opposite Yul Brynner in The King and I and appeared in films alongside Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn, died Sunday at age 103.

Morison died of natural causes at her home in Los Angeles, publicist Harlan Boll said.

With her long auburn hair and fiery blue-gray eyes, Morison radiated a sophisticated sex appeal.

She had “the most sensual mouth of any lady in the movies,” Gregory William Mank wrote in his book Women in Horror Films, 1940s.

Broadway actress Merle Dandridge posted a picture of herself with Morison on Sunday and tweeted out a tribute.

“Rest, Beautiful Patricia Morison,” Dandridge said. “It was an honor to follow in your footsteps.”

Rest, Beautiful #PatriciaMorison. It was an honor to follow in your footsteps. pic.twitter.com/snkLWYGamP

— Merle Dandridge (@MerleDandridge) May 20, 2018

Morison’s career got off to a rocky start. At 18 she was cast in the 1933 Broadway comedy Growing Pains, which lasted 29 performances. “I was so bad in it, they fired me in rehearsals,” Morison told the Los Angeles Times in 2015. “I cried so hard they gave me a walk-on.”

Her second Broadway role five years later was only marginally better — The Two Bouquets with Alfred Drake lasted 55 performances — but Hollywood noticed and Paramount signed her. (The New York Times praised her “willowy elegance.”) Morison made her film debut in 1939’s Persons in Hiding, but she often found her options in the studio system frustrating.

She appeared as Empress Eugenie in 1943’s The Song of Bernadette, opposite John Garfield in the 1943 thriller The Fallen Sparrow and in the 1945 Tracy-Hepburn romantic comedy Without Love.

She was often cast as the femme fatale or villain, including the mastermind in 1946’s Dressed to Kill, sparring with Sherlock Holmes, played by Basil Rathbone. Her other films included Danger Woman and Tarzan and the Huntress.

Morison’s death was first reported Sunday by The Hollywood Reporter.

Born in New York, she was the daughter of playwright and actor William R. Morison and Salina Morison. She studied acting and movement with Martha Graham. In 1935, she understudied Helen Hayes in Victoria Regina on Broadway.

After Paramount replaced her in several films, Morison left the studio and joined Al Jolson on a USO tour of Britain to entertain troops in 1942. She returned to get a part in one of her most-remembered films — Hitler’s Madman. She also played opposite Lon Chaney Jr. in Calling Dr. Death in 1943 and Victor Mature in Kiss of Death.

To appear in Kiss Me, Kate, Morison needed to get out of a commitment to appear in what was a new line of work for actors in 1947 — a TV series. She had been cast as a psychiatrist who helps a detective solve cases. The producer shot all of her 13 segments on the show in a quick two-week period.

Kiss Me, Kate, in which she was reunited with Drake, turned out to be Cole Porter’s biggest musical success and gave Morison the opportunity to play the temperamental Lili Vanessi and sing such songs as Wunderbar and So in Love.

She told The Associated Press in 1988 that she went to Porter’s home to audition for him but picked a Rodgers and Hammerstein song to sing. “I thought it was safer,” she explained. She went on perform the role for almost 1,500 performances on Broadway and in London. The New York Times called her “an agile and humorous actress who is not afraid of slapstick and who can sing enchantingly.”

In 1954, Morison appeared on Broadway as a replacement Anna Leonowens with Brynner in The King and I and joined him on tour. She took over the role in 1952 shortly after Gertrude Lawrence died while performing the lead character. “She was marvelous,” Brynner said. “I could do anything with her.”

One story she told frequently was knocking on Brynner’s stage door and opening it to find Brynner sitting naked, in a Buddha-style position, waiting to get his skin stained with a special juice to look like the King of Siam.

In 2000, she was struck by a car and the right side of her body was badly hurt.

Morison, who never married, lived in a Los Angeles apartment with a piano upon which there were signed photographs of Porter and Oscar Hammerstein II.

Passages 2018: Those we’ve lost through the year

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Tom Wolfe, author of “The Right Stuff” , seen here in his New York apartment in 2012. Wolfe died at a New York City hospital. He was 88. Additional details were not immediately available.  Todd Plitt, USA TODAY

Actress Margot Kidder poses for a portrait in 1985 in Los Angeles, Calif. Kidder, who starred as Lois Lane in the “Superman” film franchise of the late 1970s and early 1980s, has died. Franzen-Davis Funeral Home in Livingston, Montana posted a notice on its website saying Kidder died Sunday, May 13, 2918, at her home there. She was 69.  Harry Langdon, Getty Images

Charles Neville died on April 26 at age 79 after fighting pancreatic cancer. His career dated to the 1950s when he performed with B.B. King and other musical greats. But the saxophonist was best known for performing with siblings Aaron, Art and Cyril as the Grammy-winning Neville Brothers band.  Jonathan D. Woods, The (Nashville) Tennessean

Bob Dorough, musician and composer, 94, died April 23, 2018 of natural causes at his home in Mount Bethel, Dorough wrote for Schoolhouse Rock and wrote all of the music and lyrics for the Multiplication Rock math series and two of the best-known Grammar Rock numbers, Conjunction Junction and Lolly, Lolly Lolly, Get Your Adverbs Here.  HERITAGE IMAGES VIA GETTY IMAGES

Actor Verne Troyer who became famous from the “Austin Powers” movie franchise has died. A statement provided by Troyer’s representatives that was also posted to his Instagram and Facebook accounts says the 49-year-old actor died Saturday, April 21, 2018. No cause or place of death was given, but the statement discusses depression and suicide, and Troyer had publicly discussed struggling with alcohol addiction. He lived in Los Angeles.  Dan Steinberg, AP

In this Nov. 21,1987, file photo, Ohio State football coach Earle Bruce is carried by his players after the Buckeyes beat Michigan 23-20 in Ann Arbor, Mich. Bruce died in Columbus, Ohio at the age of 87, according to a statement released by his daughters through Ohio State on Friday. He’d been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.   Robert Kozloff, AP

In this June 14, 1958, file photo, Vel Phillips get a kiss from her husband, Dale, in LaCrosse, Wis., after it was announced she had been elected as National Democratic Committeewoman from Wisconsin. Vel Phillips, a civil rights pioneer who helped lead open housing marches in Milwaukee in the 1960s and was the first black person elected to statewide office in Wisconsin, died Tuesday, April 17, 2018, in hospice care. She was 94.   Gene Herrick, AP

In this Nov. 30, 2000, file photo, former pro wrestler Bruno Sammartino, 65, poses with a painting of him in his pro wrestling prime weighing 275 pounds in 1965 at age 35, in his Pittsburgh home. Bruno Sammartino, professional wrestling’s “Living Legend” and one of its longest-reigning champions, has died. Sammartino was 82. Family friend and former wrestling announcer Christoper Crusie said Sammartino died Wednesday morning, April 18, 2018, and had been hospitalized for two months.   Gene J. Puskar, AP

Swedish musician, DJ, remixer and record producer Avicii performs at the Summerburst music festival at Ullevi stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden on May 30, 2015. According to media reports on 20 April 2018, it was confirmed that Avicii died in Muscat, Oman. He was 28.  Bjorn Larsson Rosvall, TT News Agency via EPA-EFE

Former first lady Barbara Pierce Bush died at her Houston home April 17, after a long struggle with congestive heart failure and pulmonary disease. The down-to-earth matriarch, who could trace her ancestry to the Mayflower and saw both her husband and son win the White House, was 92.  ROBERT DEUTSCH/USA TODAY

NPR newscaster Carl Kasell, best known for his work on NPR’s “Morning Edition” and “Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me” in a career spanning decades, has died of complications from Alzheimer’s disease in Potomac, Md. He was 84.  Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images

Harry Anderson poses after a press conference in New York in 1988. Authorities said the actor, best known for playing unorthodox, baby-faced Judge Harry Stone on the NBC comedy “Night Court,” was found dead in his Asheville, N.C. He was 65.  Richard Drew, AP

In this Feb. 11, 2012, file photo, R. Lee Ermey gets a surprise hug from 4-year-old Bryant Teat, who ran up to Ermey and hugged him after Ermey signed an autograph in Hoover, Ala. Ermey, a former marine who made a career in Hollywood playing hard-nosed military men like Gunnery Sgt. Hartman in Stanley Kubrick’s “Full Metal Jacket,” has died. His longtime manager Bill Rogin says he died Sunday morning, April 15, 2018, from pneumonia-related complications. He was 74.  Joe Songer, AL.com via AP

Former NBA great Hal Greer poses for a portrait during the NBA at 50 shoot circa 1996 in San Antonio, Texas. Greer, a Hall of Fame guard and the 76ers’ career leading scorer, has died. The Sixers said Greer died Saturday night, April 14, 2018, in Arizona after a brief illness. He was 81.  Greg Foster, NBAE/Getty Images

In this Dec. 8, 2007, file photo, Czech-born filmmaker Milos Forman, Jury President of the seventh Marrakesh Film Festival, poses during a photo call on the second day of the Marrakesh 7th International Film Festival in Marrakesh. Forman, whose American movies “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” and “Amadeus” won a deluge of Academy Awards, including best director Oscars, died Saturday, April 14, 2018.  Abdeljalil Bounhar, AP

This March 15, 1999 file photo shows the sibling group The Staples Singers, from left, Pervis, Cleotha, Pops, Mavis, and Yvonne at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in New York. Yvonne Staples, whose voice and business acumen powered the success of her family’s Staples Singers gospel group, has died at age 80. The Chicago funeral home Leak and Sons says that she died Tuesday, April 10, 2018 at home in Chicago.   Albert Ferreira, AP

Daedra Charles of the Los Angeles Sparks in action during a game against the Utah Starzz at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, Calif. on July 11, 1997. Daedra Charles-Furlow, known as Daedra Charles when she played for Tennessee from 1988-91, a women’s basketball Hall of Famer who played on Tennessee’s 1989 and 1991 national championship teams, has died. She was 49.  Harry How, Getty Images

Actor Chuck McCann attends Madame Tussauds Hollywood grand opening party for the all new MARVEL 4D Theater Experience on July 10, 2014 in Hollywood, Calif. Actor and comedian McCann, who recorded the famous line “I’m cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs!” has died. He was 83. His publicist Edward Lozzi says McCann died Sunday, April 9. 2018, of congestive heart failure in a Los Angeles hospital.  Ben Horton, Getty Images

In this Feb. 12, 2015 photo, Japanese animated film director Isao Takahata speaks about his latest film “The Tale of The Princess Kaguya” with its poster during an interview at his office, Studio Ghibli, in suburban Tokyo. Takahata, co-founder of the prestigious Japanese animator Studio Ghibli that stuck to a hand-drawn “manga” look in the face of digital filmmaking, has died. He was 82. Takahata, who directed “Grave of the Fireflies,” a tragic tale about wartime childhood, died Thursday, April 5, 2018, of lung cancer at a Tokyo hospital, according to a studio statement.  Shizuo Kambayashi, AP

In this Feb. 16, 2011 file photo then-Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii, speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. Former U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka, the humble and gracious statesman who served in Washington with aloha for more than three and a half decades, died April 5, 2018, at the age of 93, sources tell the Star-Advertiser. He had been hospitalized with an illness.   Alex Brandon, AP

This 2006 photo provided by the USC Schwarzenegger Institute shows former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Education Secretary Bonnie Reiss in the Ronald Reagan Cabinet Room in Sacramento, Calif. On April 3, 2018, officials said Reiss, a regent for the University of California who was one of Gov. Schwarzenegger’s top advisers, died on Monday after battling cancer. She was 62.   John Decker, California State Archive via AP

In a March 6, 2016, file photo, civil rights activist Rev. F.D. Reese rides across the Edmund Pettus Bridge ahead of marchers on the 51st anniversary of the voting rights demonstration that came to be known as “Bloody Sunday,” in Selma, Ala. Civil rights icon Frederick D. Reese has died. His family confirmed his death on April 5, 2018. He was 88 years old.   Mickey Welsh, Montgomery Advertiser via AP

Steven Bochco, the creator behind gritty, acclaimed legal series such as Hill Street Blues, Law and NYPD Blue, has died at 74, photographed here in his Calif. office, Aug. 17, 2016.  CHRIS PIZZELLO/AP

Winnie Mandela, the controversial wife of South African human rights icon and president Nelson Mandela, has died, according to several news outlets. She was 81. In this Sept. 26, 2016 photo she acknowledges a crowd to celebrate her 80th birthday in Johannesburg South Africa.  MARCO LONGARI/ AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Rusty Staub, pinch hitting for the New York Mets, watches his sixth inning hit to right field against the Chicago Cubs at Shea Stadium on May 1, 1984, New York.The Mets beat the Cubs 8-1 to take first place in the National League Eastern Division. Staub, who became a huge hit with baseball fans in two countries during an All-Star career that spanned 23 major league seasons, died Thursday, March 29, 2018, in Florida. He was 73.  Ron Frehm, AP

Linda Smith, the former Linda Brown, stands in front of the Sumner School in Topeka, Kan., on May 8, 1964. The refusal of the public school to admit Brown in 1951, then age 9, because she is black led to the Brown v. Board of Education court case. In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court overruled the “separate but equal” clause and mandated that schools nationwide must be desegregated. Brown, the Kansas girl at the center of the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down racial segregation in schools, has died at age 76. Peaceful Rest Funeral Chapel of Topeka confirmed that Linda Brown died Sunday, March 25, 2018.  AP

In this Jan. 7, 1992, file photo, President George H. Bush, left, listens to Toys R Us Chairman Charles Lazarus, right, as he visits the toy chain’s second store to open in Japan. Lazarus, the World War II veteran who founded Toy R Us, has died at age 94. Toy R Us confirmed Lazarus’ death in a statement Thursday, March 22, 2018.   AP

This Nov. 9, 2008, file photo shows H. Wayne Huizenga at Dolphin Stadium in Miami. Huizenga, a college dropout who built a business empire that included Blockbuster Entertainment, AutoNation and three professional sports franchises, has died. Valerie Hinkell, a longtime assistant to Huizenga, said Friday that he died Thursday night, March 22, 2018, at his South Florida home. He was 80.   Wilfredo Lee, AP

Tom Benson, who owned the NFL’s New Orleans Saints and the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans, died at 90 on March 15.  Derick E. Hingle, USA TODAY Sports

In this July 21, 1999 file photo Professor Stephen Hawking smiles during a news conference at the University of Potsdam, near Berlin, Germany. Hawking, whose brilliant mind ranged across time and space though his body was paralyzed by disease, has died, a family spokesman said on March 14, 2018.  Markus Schreiber, AP

In this file photo taken on July 03, 1995 French fashion designer Hubert de Givenchy poses at the office of his fashion house in Paris. French fashion designer Hubert de Givenchy died aged 91 it was announced on March 12, 2018.  Gerard Fouet, AFP/Getty Images

Orioles pitcher Sammy Stewart, right, uses an umbrella to keep dry as teammate Bill Swaggerty pours a beverage during their victory celebration after defeating the Milwaukee Brewers to win the AL East title. Stewart helped lead the Orioles to the 1983 World Series title. He died at 63.  Tom Lynn, AP

In this May 6, 1954, file photo, British athlete Roger Bannister breaks the tape to become the first man ever to break the four minute barrier in the mile at Iffly Field in Oxford, England. Bannister, the first runner to break the 4-minute barrier in the mile, has died. He was 88. Bannister’s family said in a statement that he died peacefully on March 3, 2018, in Oxford “surrounded by his family who were as loved by him, as he was loved by them.”  AP

In this file photo taken on May 9, 2016, actor David Ogden Stiers attends a special screening and panel discussion of “Beauty and the Beast” to celebrate the animated film’s 25th anniversary at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Beverly Hills, California. Stiers, who played Major Charles Emerson Winchester III in the TV series M*A*S*H, died on March 3, 2018, of bladder cancer, Mitchell K. Stubbs, Stiers’ agent, confirmed on Twitter. Stiers was 75.  Robyn Beck, AFP/Getty Images

Actress Sridevi Kapoor attends the “English Vinglish” premiere during the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival at Roy Thomson Hall on Sept. 14, 2012 in Toronto, Canada. Sridevi, Bollywood’s leading lady of the 1980s and ‘90s who redefined stardom for actresses in India, has died at age 54. The actress, known by one name, was described as the first female superstar in India’s male-dominated film industry. Her brother-in-law Sanjay Kapoor speaking to the Indian Express online confirmed she died on Feb. 24, 2018, in Dubai due to cardiac arrest.  Jag Gundu, Getty Images

In this Dec. 10, 1955 file photo, actress Nanette Fabray poses as she leaves Mt. Sinai hospital in New York. Fabray, the vivacious, award-winning star of the stage, film and television, has died at age 97. Fabray’s son, Dr. Jamie MacDougall, tells The Associated Press his mother died on Feb. 22, 2018, at her home in Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.  AP

America’s most acclaimed and beloved evangelist, Rev. Billy Graham, on the porch of his mountaintop cabin in Montreat, NC. on May 12, 2005. Spokesman Mark DeMoss says Billy Graham, who long suffered from cancer, pneumonia and other ailments, died at his home in North Carolina on Feb. 21, 2018. He was 99.  Robert Deutsch, USA TODAY

Prince Consort Henrik of Denmark presents his new collection of poems ‘Roue-Libre’ (Freewheel) at the Royal Yacht in Copenhagen, Denmark on June 16, 2010. Prince Henrik of Denmark has died at the age of 83. In 2017, he was diagnosed with dementia and was recently hospitalized after falling ill in Egypt. He returned to Denmark for a stay in the Rigshospitale in Copenhagen, and during a series of examinations a benign tumor was discovered on his left lung. His condition worsened and, according to media reports, he passed away in his sleep at Fredensborg Palace on the evening of Feb. 13, 2018. Prince Henrik is survived by his wife, two sons and eight grandchildren.   Keld Navntoft, Scanpix Denmark via EPA-EFE

In this Aug. 15, 1968, file photo, comedian Marty Allen, fuzzy-haired member of the comedy team of Allen & Rossi, has his hair styled by barber Sol Goldstein in Hollywood, Calif. Allen’s spokeswoman Candi Cazau says he died on Feb. 12, 2018, of complications from pneumonia. His wife and performing partner Karon Kate Blackwell was by his side. He was 95.  Wally Fong, AP

Archie “Art” Van Elslander, the founder of Art Van Furniture and a major Detroit-area philanthropist who is credited with saving the city’s annual Thanksgiving parade, died on Feb. 12, 2018, his family said. He was 87.  Susan Tusa, Detroit Free Press, via AP

Daryle Singletary, who sang songs like “I Let Her Lie” and “Too Much Fun,” died on Feb. 12, 2018, at his home in Lebanon, Tenn. He was 46. The cause of death was pending.  Frank Micelotta, Invision/AP

In this Feb. 3, 1997 file photo, singer Vic Damone poses after becoming a member of Lafayette High School’s midyear graduating class, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. Damone died on Feb. 11, 2018, at a Miami Beach hospital from complications of a respiratory illness. He was 89.  Ed Bailey, AP

Award-winning musician and film composer Johann Johannsson has died died on Feb. 9, 2018, in Berlin, according to his manager, Tim Husom.  Jordan Strauss, Invision/AP

Actor John Gavin died on Feb. 9, 2017, according to manager Budd Burton Moss, who represents Gavin’s wife, actress Constance Towers. He was 86.  Giuseppe Anastasi, AP

Former congressman Joe Knollenberg, R-Mich., who served suburban Detroit’s Oakland County for 16 years, has died. He was 84. State Sen. Marty Knollenberg said his father died on Feb. 6, of complications from Alzheimer’s disease. He died at a memory care facility in Troy, where had lived for 2 and a half years.  Carlos Osorio, AP

Actor Mickey Jones, seen here as Rodney “Hot Rod” Dunham in a scene from “Justified,” died on Feb. 7, 2018 of the effects of a long illness. Jones, 76, a native of Houston, worked steadily in TV and film since the 1970s. His illness was not disclosed.  Prashant Gupta, FX, via AP

Pakistani human rights activist Asma Jehangir died of a heart attack in the eastern city of Lahore on Feb. 11, 2018. She was 66.  K.M. Chaudary, AP

Reg E. Cathey, winner of the award for guest actor in a drama for “House of Cards,” poses in the press room during the 2015 Creative Arts Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 12, 2015 in Los Angeles, Calif.  Jason Kempin, Getty Images

John Mahoney, who played dad to Kelsey Grammer and David Hyde Pierce on the long-running sitcom ‘Frasier,’ died Jan. 4 in Chicago after a brief hospitalization.  REED SAXON, AP

Dennis Edwards of The Temptations performs during NMAAM 2016 Black Music Honors on Aug. 18, 2016 in Nashville, Tenn. Edwards, a former member of the famed Motown group has died. He was 74. Rosiland Triche Roberts, his longtime booking agent, says Edwards died on Feb. 1, 2018 in Chicago after a long illness  Terry Wyatt, Getty Images for National Museum of African American Music

In this March 14, 2012 file photo, Fidel Castro Diaz-Balart, son of then Cuban leader Fidel Castro, speaks with an unidentified woman during the presentation of his father’s book “Nuestro Deber es Luchar,” or “Our Duty is to Fight,” in Havana, Cuba. According to Cuban state media on Feb. 1, 2018, Diaz-Balart has killed himself.   Franklin Reyes, AP

In this 1974 file photo, Cleveland Indians baseball player Oscar Gamble poses. Gamble, an outfielder who hit 200 home runs over 17 major league seasons, died on Jan. 31, 2018, of a rare tumor of the jaw. He was 68.   AP

In this Oct. 3, 2014, file photo, Jon Huntsman, Sr. speaks to reporters during a press conference, in Salt Lake City. Utah billionaire and philanthropist Jon Huntsman Sr. has died. Huntsman’s assistant Pam Bailey confirmed he died on Feb. 2, 2018, in Salt Lake City. He was 80. Bailey declined to name a cause of death.  Rick Bowmer, AP

In this March 13, 2015 file photo, Mark Salling arrives at the 32nd annual Paleyfest “Glee” in Los Angeles. Salling, one of the stars of the Fox musical comedy ‘Glee’ died, on Jan. 30, 2018. He was 35. Salling’s lawyer, Michael J. Proctor did not release the cause of death.  Richard Shotwell, Invision/AP

Ingvar Kamprad, founder of Swedish multinational furniture retailer IKEA, taken in Agunnaryd, Sweden on Dec. 10, 2005 . IKEA confirmed that Kamprad has died at age of 91.  Hans Runesson /TT, TT News Agency via EPA-EFE

In this Nov. 6, 1996 file photo, Dennis Peron, leader of the campaign for Proposition 215 and founder of the Cannabis Buyers Club, right, smokes a marijuana cigarette next to Jack Herer, of Los Angeles, in San Francisco. Peron, an activist who was among the first people to argue for the benefits of marijuana for AIDS patients and helped legalize medical pot in California, died Saturday, Jan. 27, 2018, at 72. Peron was a driving force behind a San Francisco ordinance allowing medical marijuana – a move that later aided the 1996 passage of Proposition 215 that legalized medical use in the entire state.  Andy Kuno, AP

In this Aug. 16, 2010 file photo, Mort Walker, the artist and author of the Beetle Bailey comic strip, stands in his studio in Stamford, Conn. On Jan. 27, 2018, a family member said the comic strip artist has died. He was 94.   Craig Ruttle, AP

In this May 30, 1980 file photo, presidential hopeful Sen. Edward Kennedy, left, responds with a laugh after a greeting by Rabbi Isaiah Zeldin before Kennedy spoke to the congregation at the Stephen Wise Temple, in Los Angeles. Zeldin, who founded a synagogue in Los Angeles more than 50 years ago that became one of the largest Reform congregations in the country, has died at 97. The Stephen Wise Temple announced on its website that Zeldin died Friday night, Jan. 26, 2018, at his home in Palm Desert, Calif.  Reed Saxon, AP

In this Sept. 11, 1977 file photo, Louis Gossett Jr., kisses co-star Olivia Cole, as she holds one of the nine Emmys awarded to the cast and crew of the TV drama “Roots,” at the Academy of Television, Arts and Sciences awards show in Los Angeles. A funeral association official says that Cole died of a heart attack on Jan. 19, 2018, at her home in San Miguel de Allende, a city in central Mexico. She was 75.  AP

This September 1955 file photo provided by the Roland Giduz Photographic Collection/The Wilson Library at UNC Chapel Hill, shows from left, LeRoy Frasier, John Lewis Brandon and Ralph Frasier on the steps of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, N.C. Brandon, who along with brothers Ralph and LeRoy Frasier was among the first African-American undergraduate students to successfully challenge racial segregation at North Carolina’s flagship public university, died of complications from cancer on Jan. 23, 2018. He was 80.  Roland Giduz Photographic Collection/The Wilson Library at UNC Chapel Hill via AP

In this undated photo provided by the Warren Miller Co., Warren Miller is shown posing for a photo with a film camera. Miller, the prolific outdoor filmmaker who for decades made homages to the skiing life that he narrated with his own humorous style, died on Jan. 24, 2018, at his home on Orcas Island, Wash., his family said. He was 93. A World War II veteran, ski racer, surfer and sailor, Miller produced more than 500 films on a variety of outdoor activities. However it was his ski films for which he was most known.   Warren Miller Co. via AP

British singer Mark E. Smith, of the band The Fall performs at the Primavera Sound 2010 music festival in Barcelona, Spain on May 27, 2010. Mark E Smith, lead singer for the post-punk band, the Fall, has died at the age of 60.  Marta Perez, EPA-EFE

Ursula Le Guin American author of novels, children’s books, is seen in a Sept. 9, 2001 photo at home in Portland, Ore. Le Guin, the award-winning science fiction and fantasy writer who explored feminist themes and was best known for her Earthsea books, died peacefully Jan. 22, 2018, in Portland, Oregon, according to a brief family statement posted to her verified Twitter account. She was 88.  Benjamin Brink, The Oregonian via AP

In this 2001 photo, Nicanor Parra poses for a portrait during a commemoration in honor of Chilean poet Vicente Huidobro, in Cartagena, Chile. Parra, a Chilean physicist, mathematician and self-described “anti-poet” whose eccentric writings won him a leading place in Latin American literature, died Jan. 23, 2018. He was 103.   Alvaro Hoppe, AP

In this July 30, 1981 photo, John Coleman, weather channel founder, right, and Frank Batten, publisher of the Norfolk, Va., Virginian-Pilot and Ledger-Star, and chairman and chief executive of Landmark Communications, Inc., are seen during a news conference in New York. John Coleman, the founder of The Weather Channel and longtime KUSI weatherman, died Saturday night, Jan. 20, 2018, at home in Las Vegas, said his wife Linda Coleman. He was 83.   Marty Lederhandler, AP

In this March 24, 2011 file French Chef Paul Bocuse poses outside his famed Michelin three-star restaurant L’Auberge du Pont de Collonges in Collonges-au-Mont-d’or, central France. French interior minister announced Jan.20, 2018 that Paul Bocuse, a master of French cuisine, has died at 91.   Laurent Cipriani, AP

In an April 29, 2006 file photo, Hugh Masekela performs during the 2006 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in New Orleans. A family statement issued on Twitter Jan. 23, 2018, says South African jazz musician and anti-apartheid activist Hugh Masekela, 78, passed away in Johannesburg after a lengthy battle against prostate cancer.   Jeff Christensen, AP

In this Feb. 9, 2011, file photo, The Foundation for AIDS Research, or amfAR, Founding Chairman Dr. Mathilde Krim attends amfAR’s annual New York Gala at Cipriani Wall Street in New York. Krim, a prominent AIDS researcher who galvanized worldwide support in the early fight against the deadly disease, died Jan. 15, 2018. She was 91.  Evan Agostini, AP

In a Sept. 25, 1963 photo, The Rev. Martin Luther King,Jr., left, VP Joseph E. Lowery, and Wyatt Tee Walker, right, executive director of the SCLC meet at First African Baptist Church, for the SCLC convention in Richmond, Va. The Rev. Wyatt Tee Walker, who helped assemble the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous “Letter From Birmingham Jail” from notes the incarcerated King wrote on paper scraps and newspaper margins, died Jan. 23, 2018, in Chester, Va., said his daughter Patrice Walker Powell. He was either 88 or 89. Family records showed different years of birth, said Powell, who confirmed his death.   Carl Lynn, Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP

This March 27, 1957, file photo shows Best supporting Oscar winners Dorothy Malone and Anthony Quinn posing at the Academy Awards in Hollywood, Calif. Malone, who won hearts of 1960s television viewers as the long-suffering mother in the nighttime soap “Peyton Place,” has died. Her daughter Mimi Vanderstraaten says Malone died Jan. 19, 2018, from natural causes in her hometown of Dallas. She was 93.   AP

In this June 10, 2014 file photo, Edwin Hawkins appears at the Apollo Theater Spring Gala and 80th Anniversary Celebration in New York. Hawkins, the gospel star best known for the crossover hit ‘Oh Happy Day,’ died Jan. 15, 2018, at his home in Pleasanton, Calif., at age 74. He had been suffering from pancreatic cancer.  Brad Barket, Invision/AP

This Feb. 4, 1979 file photo shows CIA Director Stansfield Turner. Stansfield A. Turner, who as CIA director under President Jimmy Carter oversaw reforms at the agency in the wake of the scandal uncovered by the Church Committee, has died. He was 94. Turner’s secretary, Pat Moynihan, confirmed to the Washington Post that Turner died on Jan. 18, 2018 at his home in Seattle but Moynihan did not disclose the cause.  AP

JoJo White of the Boston Celtics poses for a portrait in 1974 at the Boston Garden in Boston, Mass. Basketball Hall of Famer Jo Jo White, a two-time NBA champion with the Boston Celtics and an Olympic gold medalist, has died. He was 71. The Celtics announced his death Jan. 16, 2018.  Dick Raphael, NBAE/Getty Images

In this Jan. 27, 2008 file photo, Cranberries lead singer Dolores O’Riordan performs during the European Border Breakers awards, or EBBA awards, in Cannes, southern France. O’Riordan, lead singer of Irish band The Cranberries died on Jan. 15, 2018. She was 46.  Bruno Bebert, AP

In this Jan. 25, 2014, file photo, Keith Jackson arrives at 66th Annual DGA Awards Dinner at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles. Jackson, the down-home voice of college football during more than five decades as a broadcaster, died on Jan. 12, 2018. He was 89.  Richard Shotwell, Invision/AP

This undated photo released by Disney, shows Disney Mouseketeer Doreen Tracey. Tracey, a former child star who played one of the original cute-as-a-button Mouseketeers on “The Mickey Mouse Club” in the 1950s, died from pneumonia on Jan. 10, 2018, at a hospital in Thousand Oaks, Calif., following a two-year battle with cancer, according to Disney publicist Howard Green. She was 74.  Disney via AP

In this Jan. 7, 2005, file photo, Edgar Ray Killen sits in court in Philadelphia, Miss. Killen, a former Ku Klux Klan leader who was convicted in the 1964 “Mississippi Burning” slayings of three civil rights workers, died in prison at the age of 92, the state’s corrections department announced on Jan. 12, 2018.  Rogelio V. Solis, AP

Ray Thomas from The Moody Blues performs live on stage at Madison Square Garden in New York on Nov. 27, 1978. Thomas, one of the founding members of the Moody Blues, died suddenly on Jan. 4, 2018. He was 76.  Richard E. Aaron, Redferns via Getty

In this Aug. 25, 1992 file photo, Jerry Van Dyke, left, and his brother, Dick, laugh during a party in Los Angeles. Manager said Jan. 6, 2018, that Jerry Van Dyke, ‘Coach’ star and younger brother of comedian Dick Van Dyke, has died in Arkansas at 86. Manager, John Castonia, said Van Dyke died Friday at his ranch in Hot Spring County. His wife, Shirley Ann Jones, was by his side.   Chris Martinez, AP

In this Dec.18,1984, file photo, United Motor Manufacturing Co. President Tatsuro Toyoda gets in the drivers seat of the newly unveiled sporty 4-door subcompact “Nova” in the new Fremont, Calif., United Motor Manufacturing Co. plantjointly jowned by General Motors and Toyota. Toyoda, a former president of Toyota Motor Corp., who led its climb to rank among the world’s top automakers, and the son of the Japanese automaker’s founder, has died. He was 88.  Paul Sakuma, AP

This undated photo made available by NASA shows astronaut John Young. NASA says the astronaut, who walked on the moon and later commanded the first space shuttle flight, died on Jan. 5, 2018. He was 87.   NASA via AP

In this April 4, 2015, file photo, President Thomas S. Monson, of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, waves to the audience during the opening session of the Mormon church conference in Salt Lake City. Monson, the 16th president of the Mormon church, died after nine years in office. He was 90.   Rick Bowmer, AP

In this Jan. 25, 2014, file photo, Rick Hall attends The 56th Annual GRAMMY Awards – Special Merit Awards Ceremony in Los Angeles. Hall, an Alabama record producer who recorded some of the biggest musical acts of the 1960s and `70s and helped develop the fabled “Muscle Shoals sound,” died Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2018, following a fight with cancer, his longtime friend Judy Hood said. He was 85.  Todd Williamson, Invision/AP

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