Capitol Hill Blue Forums Misc. Topics History Roundtable The Passing Parade: Obituaries: 2017

We have been informed by close friends of the death of Gervase de Peyer, the foremost British clarinet player of his time. Gervase was 90.

A founder of the Melos Ensemble, with whom he recorded extensively, Gervase was principal clarinet of the London Symphony Orchestra from 1956 to 1973. He was also a founder of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and an influential teacher.

Chavo Guerrero Jr. announced today that his father, Chavo Guerrero Sr. -- or Chavo Classic as he was known as in WWE while accompanying his son to the ring -- died from liver cancer on February 11. He was 68.

"As believer in Christ Jesus, he is now in Paradise. Today is a Sad day in the Guerrero Family," wrote Guerrero Jr. in an Instagram post.

Guerrero Sr. had been diagnosed with liver cancer in early January.

Al Jarreau, Grammy-winning jazz singer, dead at 76. Al Jarreau, the jazz-pop musician best known for the hits "Breakin' Away," "We're in This Love Together" and the theme song to the popular 1980's TV show, "Moonlighting," died Sunday, according to posts on his verified social media accounts. He was 76.

Hall of Fame wrestler George “The Animal” Steele has died, according WWE.

Steele, real name Jim Myers, had been battling health problems for years, including kidney failure. He had been moved into hospice care shortly before his death.

Portraying a green-tongued, bald-headed wildman, Steele was known for “eating” turnbuckles -- ripping them open with his teeth and throwing the shredded padding at opponents. He enjoyed his greatest fame near the end of his three-decade career as part of the 1980s WWE (then WWF) roster that included stars like Andre the Giant, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, Hulk Hogan and “Macho Man” Randy Savage.

The date January 18, 1971 and Ivan Koloff will forever be connected. That was the day that "The Russian Bear" did the unthinkable, defeating Bruno Sammartino for the WWWF World title. Sure, he only held the belt for another three weeks before dropping it to Pedro Morales, but it made Koloff, who died today at age 74, into a big name star...

What a strange world this is. Koloff's victory over Sammartino in the middle of the ring in Madison Square Garden, scoring the greatest wrestling upset of the era and ending Sammartino's nearly eight-year reign as WWWF world champion was game-changing. "Dead silence came down," said manager Captain Lou Albano, who was in Koloff's corner that night. "They couldn't believe it." ...

Richard Schickel, the longtime film critic for Time magazine who also wrote 37 books, mostly on film, and directed a number of documentaries on film subjects, died on Saturday in Los Angeles of complications from a series of strokes, his family told the Los Angeles Times. He was 84.

“He was one of the fathers of American film criticism,” his daughter, writer Erika Schickel, told the Times. “He had a singular voice. When he wrote or spoke, he had an old-fashioned way of turning a phrase. He was blunt and succinct both on the page and in life.”

He wrote and/or directed more than 30 documentaries, mostly for television.

Minnesota Orchestra Conductor Laureate Stanislaw Skrowaczewski has died. He was 93.

Skrowaczewski came to Minnesota decades ago to lead what was then the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra, and he never left. He changed the face of classical music in Minnesota, and remained a towering presence in the classical music world until the end.

Popular Fox News contributor Alan Colmes passed away at the age of 66 on Thursday.

The news of Colmes' death was reported by Sean Hannity, who called the popular broadcaster 'one of the nicest, kindest, and most generous people' in a pre-taped breaking news segment that aired on Fox News.

Colmes and Hannity worked together for over 20 years, with both men joining Fox News back in 1996 when they launched their show Hannity & Colmes, which ran for 13 years on the network.

That program focused on conservative Hannity and liberal Colmes giving their takes on the news of the day.

Colmes is survived by his wife of 13 years Dr. Jocelyn Elise Crowley, who released a statement on Thursday asking for privacy during this time and revealing that her husband died after a brief illness.