RIP Peter Sova, Ronald “Khalis” Bell of Kool and the Gang, and Diana Rigg
Here are the combined remembrances of three talented entertainers we lost in the last 24 hours:
Cinematographer Peter Sova has died at 75. He did some great work with director Barry Levinson, who was a frequent collaborator of his on several films including Diner and Good Morning, Vietnam among others. Other films include the underrated Donnie Brasco. He also did photography and camera operation on several Erroll Morris docs too.
The link above is the obit from Hollywood Reporter.
Ronald “Khalis” Bell 1951-2020
Kool and the Gang co-founder, singer and saxophonist Ronald Bell has died at 68. I never got heavy into them, but I got to give them credit, they have been a group since 1964 with loads of funky hits: “Hollywood Swinging”, “Celebration”, “Get Down on It”, and “Joanna” just to name a few!. I discovered them around 1984 when their Emergency album was released. So many of their hits off that album were on MTV, V66 and Solid Gold, i.e. “Misled”, “Fresh”, and “Cherish”. A third grade play I acted in was a production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and there was a dance sequence set to Kool and the Gang’s “Emergency”, which was popular at the time. In the 80s and 90s, countless rap and hip hop artists sampled their music. Chances are you’ve heard some of their songs sampled and didn’t even know it was them. In Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, the opening credits kick off with a bang to Dick Dale’s “Miserlou” and then before the opening credits end, the radio station switches and it goes right into Kool and the Gang’s 1973 hit “Jungle Boogie”. Later in the film Jules Winfield (played by Samuel L. Jackson) says “Hey, that’s Kool and the Gang”!
The link above is the obit from Rolling Stone.
Actress Diana Rigg has died at 82. She was big in theater, film and TV. From 1965-68, she appeared as Emma Peel on TV’s The Avengers. “Mrs. Peel, we’re needed” became a part of the lexincon! She was also a Bond Girl in the James Bond movie On Her Majesty's Secret Service. I also need to give her credit for The Great Muppet Caper. She was also a host for many year of WGBH’s Masterpiece.
The link above is the obit from Indiewire.
