notable deaths in may 2022
May 31, 2022
NOTABLE deaths
May 30, 2022
NOTABLE deaths
Jeff Gladney, 25
(December 12, 1996 – May 30, 2022)
American football player (Minnesota Vikings, TCU Horned Frogs).
Cause of death: traffic collision.
According to Dallas County Sheriff's Department detective R.Reyna, two persons died in an accident near downtown at approximately 2:30 a.m. The reason for the collision was being investigated, and the second fatality had yet to be identified, according to the investigator.
The Minnesota Vikings selected Jeff Gladney in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. During his debut season, he started 15 games and totaled 81 tackles, three passes defense, and one forced fumble. Gladney was dismissed by the Vikings after being charged with felony assault before the 2021 season. Gladney signed a two-year contract with the Cardinals this summer after being found not guilty in a domestic violence case.
Gladney joins the NFL in 2020 following a strong career at TCU, where he earned first-team All-Big 12 accolades in 2019 after earning second-team honors the year before. Gladney, a product of New Boston, Texas, a town not far northeast of Dallas, was one of the most wanted prospects at his position before the draft and spent his first season with the Vikings before signing with the Arizona Cardinals as part of their free agency haul this past March.
May 29, 2022
NOTABLE deaths
May 28, 2022
NOTABLE deaths
Bo Hopkins, 84
(February 2, 1938 – May 28, 2022)
American actor (The Wild Bunch, American Graffiti, The Ballad of Little Jo, Dynasty) died of complications from a heart attack.
Cause of death: complications from a heart attack.
Actor William Bo Hopkins, who starred in films such as American Graffiti and Midnight Express, died of complications from a heart attack on Saturday at the age of 80.
Hopkins' wife confirmed Hopkins died on Saturday morning in a California hospital from the effects of a heart attack he suffered on May 9, according to a Hollywood reporter. Hopkins has appeared in over a hundred notable television and film roles over the course of his nearly six-decade acting career.
Bo Hopkins (born William Mauldin "Bo" Hopkins) has appeared in over a hundred notable television and film roles over the course of his nearly six-decade acting career. In his career, he has won over 130 acting awards and is best known for his outstanding supporting roles. This versatile character actor, who could play both bad and good guys, was a favorite of both his fans and the directors with whom he collaborated.
Hopkins portrayed Joe Young, the leader of a gang that put pressure on Curt's character, played by Richard Dreyfuss, in George Lucas' film American Graffiti. The actor's most recent film appearance was in the 2020 film "Hillbilly Elegy," in which he co-starred with Glenn Close. Many colleagues in the film industry have paid tribute to Hopkin on social media in the wake of his death.
May 27, 2022
NOTABLE deaths
May 26, 2022
NOTABLE deaths
Ray Liotta, 67
(December 18, 1954 – May 26, 2022)
American actor (Goodfellas, Something Wild, Hannibal, Field of Dreams, A Rumor of Angels), Emmy winner (2005),
died in his sleep while shooting the film 'Dangerous Waters'
Cause of death: unknown.
Ray Liotta (born Raymond Allen Liotta), who appeared in Martin Scorsese's gangster classic Goodfellas as well as Cop Land and Field of Dreams, died at the age of 67. A cause of death was not immediately revealed, but a representative for the actor confirmed that Liotta died in his sleep while shooting the film Dangerous Waters in the Dominican Republic.
Liotta excelled in portraying tough-talking, no-nonsense characters generally engaged in the criminal underworld, or amusing variants of that persona in comedies, during the course of a four decade career.
After developing his talent on musicals and soap operas, Liotta made his big screen debut in Jonathan Demme's dark comedy Something Wild in 1986, playing Ray Sinclair, the violent ex-convict husband of Melanie Griffith's character (1986).
Liotta was shortly hired as the ghost of banned baseball star "Shoeless" Joe Jackson in the 1989 fantasy drama Field of Dreams, earning him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
The youthful, blue-eyed Liotta was also noteworthy as crooked detective Matt Wozniak in the NBC cop drama Shades of Blue, which he co-starred in with Jennifer Lopez from 2016 to 2018. He became a spokesman for Pfizer's Chantix marketing campaign in 2018. In the 2019 film 'Marriage Story', he played a divorce lawyer.
May 25, 2022
NOTABLE deaths
May 24, 2022
NOTABLE deaths
May 23, 2022
NOTABLE deaths
Joe Pignatano, 92
(August 4, 1929 – May 23, 2022)
American baseball player (Los Angeles Dodgers, Kansas City Athletics) and coach (New York Mets), World Series champion (1959, 1969).
Cause of death: complications from dementia.
Former Brooklyn Dodgers catcher, Mets coach Joe Pignatano (born Joe Pignatano (born Joseph Benjamin Pignatano) died at the age of 92. He was a former Brooklyn Dodgers catcher and Mets instructor.
Pignatano was the only remaining coach from the 1969 Mets, who stunned Baltimore and the baseball world by winning their first World Series. He was the bullpen coach until 1981. Pignatano, who played catcher for his native Brooklyn Dodgers and later became a veteran instructor, died on Monday at the age of 92. Pignatano died in a nursing facility in Naples, Florida, according to the New York Mets.
He was afflicted with dementia. Pignatano was the only remaining coach from the 1969 Mets, who made a spectacular run to the World Series under manager Gil Hodges and then stunned Baltimore and the baseball world with their first championship.
He stayed on as their bullpen coach until 1981. Pignatano was born and raised in Brooklyn. In 1948, he joined his hometown Dodgers and spent nearly seven full seasons in their farm system, interrupted by two years of military duty, before three brief trials with the 1957 big-league team. As a player, he was a part of the 1959 World Series champion Dodgers, and as a coach, he was a member of the 1969 World Series champion Mets.
May 22, 2022
NOTABLE deaths
May 21, 2022
NOTABLE deaths
May 20, 2022
NOTABLE deaths
Roger Angell, 101
(September 19, 1920 – May 20, 2022)
American sportswriter and author (Season Ticket: A Baseball Companion).
Cause of death: heart failure.
At the age of 101, Roger Angell, the famous New Yorker, writer, and editor, passed away. American writer well recognized for his sports writing, particularly baseball. He was a frequent writer for The New Yorker for many years and served as its top fiction editor.
He published several works of fiction, nonfiction, and criticism, as well as an annual Christmas poem for The New Yorker many years. Angell won the George Polk Award for Commentary in 1980, the Kenyon Review Award for Literary Achievement in 2005 alongside Umberto Eco, and the first PEN/ESPN Lifetime Achievement Award for Literary Sports Writing in 2011.
Roger Angell served on the Authors Guild's council as an ex-officio member for many years and was named a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2007. Angell was admitted into the Baseball Reliquary's Shrine of the Eternals in 2010, and the Baseball Writers' Association of America designated him the 2014 recipient of the J. G. Taylor Spink Award (2013).
May 19, 2022
NOTABLE deaths
May 18, 2022
NOTABLE deaths
May 17, 2022
NOTABLE deaths
Marnie Schulenburg, 37
(May 21, 1984 – May 17, 2022)
American actress best known for her role as Alison Stewart on 'As the World Turns'.
Cause of death: breast cancer.
Marnie Schulenburg, who starred in the soap operas "As the World Turns" and "One Life to Live," died at the age of 37 in New York from a breast cancer complication. Schulenburg's spouse, actor Zack Robidas, who starred in "Sorry for Your Loss" and "Succession," also verified the news on social media.
She initially appeared as Alison in a crossover episode of "As the World Turns" and "The Young and the Restless" in 2007. Schulenburg later joined the main cast of "As the World Turns," where he lasted over 300 episodes till the program was discontinued in 2010.
Schulenburg played Jo Sullivan in a short-lived revival of the ABC soap series "One Life to Live." She appeared in the meta soap opera "Tainted Dreams" from 2014 to 2017, which depicted the backstage turmoil of a soap opera cast.
She had regular and guest appearances in series including "Fringe," "Army Wives," "Blue Bloods," "Manhattan Love Story," "Elementary," "The Good Fight," and "Divorce" in addition to her soap roles. She also has a recurring part in the Showtime drama "City on the Hill," starring Kevin Bacon and Aldis Hodge, in the forthcoming third season.
May 16, 2022
NOTABLE deaths
May 15, 2022
NOTABLE deaths
Maggie Peterson, 81
(January 10, 1941 – May 15, 2022)
American actress and singer.
Cause of death: natural causes.
Maggie Peterson, best known for her role as Charlene Darling on "The Andy Griffith Show," died of natural causes at the age of 81. Her niece confirmed the sad news on social media, revealing that the actress died peacefully in her sleep. In 1963, Peterson had her breakthrough role as Charlene Darling on "The Andy Griffith Show," a CBS situation comedy television series. After starring in the comedy show until 1966, Maggie Peterson quickly became well-known. Peterson later joined 'The Ernie Mariani Trio' in the 1950s (later renamed Margaret Ann and the Ernie Mariani Trio).
The band toured for several years, stopping in places like Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe, and Reno, where Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack were frequently spotted in the audience while Peterson performed. 'Love American Style' (1969-1974), Green Acres (1965-1971), Gomer Pyle USMC (1964-1969), and The Odd Couple was among her other TV appearances (1970 -1975).
She played Edna, a cafe waitress, in an episode of Mayberry R.F.D., in the 1986 romantic comedy film 'Return to Mayberry,' as the innocent Rose Ellen in the 1969 Universal Pictures feature film 'The Love God?,' alongside Don Knotts, and in the 1968 Alan Rafkin comedy film 'Angel in My Pocket.' Peterson has also appeared in films such as "Casino" (1965) and Tim Burton's comic science fiction film "Mars Attacks!" (1996).
May 14, 2022
NOTABLE deaths
David West, 57
(September 1, 1964 – May 14, 2022)
American professional baseball pitcher (Minnesota Twins, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets).
Cause of death: brain cancer.
Former Philadelphia Phillies pitcher David West (born David Lee West) died at the age of 57 after a battle with brain cancer, according to the team. Since 2003, David Wes was the sixth former Phillies player to succumb to brain cancer.
West, a native of Memphis, Tennessee, was drafted in the fourth round of the 1983 MLB draft by the New York Mets. He pitched for the Mets for two seasons and Minnesota for four, winning the 1991 World Series with the Twins.
West had been battling brain cancer since he was a part of the National League championship squad in 1993. From 1993 through 1996, he played four seasons with the Phillies, appearing in 122 games. With the Phillies, West pitched largely out of the bullpen and had a 15-18 record and 3.50 ERA.
In the 1993 season, the left-hander had his greatest season, appearing in 76 games as a reliever (second-most in the National League) and compiling a career-best 2.92 ERA with three saves. During the 1993 World Series, David West had three appearances against the Toronto Blue Jays.
May 13, 2022
NOTABLE deaths
Lil Keed, 24
(March 16, 1998 – May 13, 2022)
American rapper (Long Live Mexico, Trapped on Cleveland 3) and songwriter.
Cause of death: unknown.
Rapper Lil Keed, whose true name was Raqhid Jevon Render and who was mentored by rapper, singer, and songwriter Young Thug (Jeffery Lamar Williams), died at the age of 24 on May 13, 2022, leaving behind his three-year-old daughter Naychur, according to his record company.
The reason for death has yet to be revealed. Lil Gotit, Keed's younger brother, was the fifth of seven children. After the loss of a close friend when he was 16, Lil Keed decided to pursue a rap career.
Lil Keed continued to emerge from Young Thug's shadow in 2019 with the release of his debut studio album, Long Live Mexico. Lil Keed was selected to the XXL Freshman Class of 2020 after releasing his second album, Trapped on Cleveland 3. Since then, he's worked on new tracks with Thug, Lil Yachty (Miles Parks McCollum), Gunna, O.T. Genasis (Odis Oliver Flores), and others.
May 12, 2022
NOTABLE deaths
Gino Cappelletti, 88
(March 26, 1934 – May 12, 2022)
Former Patriots wide receiver and kicker Gino “The Duke” Cappelletti.
Cause of death: unknown
Gino Cappelletti (born Gino Raymond Michael Cappelletti), a former AFL Most Valuable Player and founding member of the Boston Patriots who spent 50 years with the team as a player, coach, and commentator, has died in his Wellesley, Massachusetts home.
Cappelletti attended the University of Minnesota and was an All-Star with the Boston Patriots in the American Football League (AFL), winning the 1964 AFL Most Valuable Player Award. Gino is a member of the New England Patriots Hall of Fame and the All-Decades Team.
Before the AFL amalgamated with the NFL, he was a wide receiver, defensive back, and kicker who appeared in all ten seasons of the league. Cappelletti worked as a radio color commentator for the Patriots from 1972 to 1978, then returned to the booth from 1988 through 2012. "The Duke" and "Mr. Patriot" were among his nicknames.
May 11, 2022
NOTABLE deaths
May 10, 2022
NOTABLE deaths
Bob Lanier, 73
(September 10, 1948 – May 10, 2022)
American Hall of Fame basketball player (Detroit Pistons, Milwaukee Bucks) and coach (Golden State Warriors).
Cause of death: unknown.
Robert Jerry Lanier Jr., a former NBA center for the Detroit Pistons and Milwaukee Bucks as well as a coach for the Golden State Warriors, died at the age of 73 following a brief illness. According to the news, Lanier had bladder cancer, however it is unclear whether the ailment contributed to his death.
Lanier appeared in eight NBA All-Star Games during his 14-year NBA career, winning the Most Valuable Player award in the 1974 game. Despite a long history of knee ailments, he achieved great success. Both the Pistons and the Bucks retired his No. 16 jersey, while St. Bonaventure University, where he played college basketball, retired his No. 31 jersey.
In 1992, Robert Jerry Lanier Jr., was named to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He was an assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors after retiring from playing, and he briefly served as their interim head coach. He then became an NBA Cares Global Ambassador.
May 9, 2022
NOTABLE deaths
Adreian Payne, 31
(February 19, 1991 – May 9, 2022)
American professional basketball player and first-round NBA (Atlanta Hawks, Minnesota) Timberwolves, Juventas Utina.
Cause of death: shot and killed in Orlando, Florida.
As a senior, he averaged 15.6 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 4.0 blocks per game. He led Jefferson to a Division IV state championship with a 19-5 record as a senior.
As a senior, he averaged 15.6 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 4.0 blocks per game. He led Jefferson to a Division IV state title and a 19-5 record as a senior. He was chosen first-team All-Area by the Dayton Daily News, a daily newspaper published in Dayton, Ohio.
Payne was picked No. 15 overall by the Atlanta Hawks in the 2014 NBA Draft after finishing his four-year collegiate career. He only stayed with the team for one season before joining the Minnesota Timberwolves for three seasons, mostly in the G League. He appeared in five games with the Orlando Magic in 2017-18.
Lawrence Dority was arrested on a warrant for First Degree of Murder in connection with the killing of Payne by the Orange County Sheriff's Department. After being shot, Payne was taken to the hospital, where he was declared dead.
May 8, 2022
NOTABLE deaths
Dennis Waterman, 74
(24 February 1948 – 8 May 2022)
English actor (Minder, (The Sweeney, Fair Exchange, New Tricks) and singer.
Cause of death: unknown.
Dennis Waterman was best known for his tough-guy main parts in television shows such as "The Sweeney," "Minder," and "New Tricks" (produced by Nigel McCrery and Roy Mitchell), for which he sang the theme song.
Waterman's acting career extended six decades, beginning with parts in cinema and theater as a youngster and continuing through adult roles in film, television, and the West End. Dennis Waterman was known for a variety of roles, including the 1968 British "kitchen sink" drama film (Up the Junction), horror (Scars of Dracula) starring Dennis Waterman, Jenny Hanley, adventure (Colditz) starring Dennis Waterman, Jenny Hanley, American television sitcom series (Fair Exchange), comedy-drama (Minder), 1982 musical (Windy City), and Tom Clegg's sports (The World Cup: A Captain's Tale).
Dennis Waterman starred in 29 films, the most recent of which came out in early 2020. At the age of 74, he died in a Spanish hospital.
May 7, 2022
NOTABLE deaths
Mickey Gilley, 86
(March 9, 1936 – May 7, 2022)
American country singer ("You Don't Know Me'', "Fool For Your Love") and songwriter.
Cause of death: unknown.
He began singing straight-up country and western stuff in the 1970s, but in the 1980s, he shifted to a more pop-friendly style, which helped him gain more success on both the country and pop charts. "Room Full of Roses," written by Tim Spencer, "Don't the Girls All Get Prettier at Closing Time," written by Baker Knight, and the reworking of American singer-songwriter Ben E. King's soul smash "Stand by Me" are among his biggest songs.
Gilley has 42 top 40 country singles in the United States. He was a cousin of Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl McVoy, and American Pentecostal televangelist Jimmy Swaggart, all of whom were American singers, songwriters, and pianists. J. Wagner, the mayor of Pasadena, Texas, announced Gilley's death.
May 6, 2022
NOTABLE deaths
George Pérez, 67
(June 9, 1954 – May 6, 2022)
American comic book artist (The Avengers, Teen Titans)
and writer.
Cause of death: pancreatic cancer.
George Pérez principally worked as a penciler (focus on the initial pencil illustrations). Pérez rose to popularity in the 1970s as a penciler for Marvel Comics' The Avengers, and he returned to the franchise in the 1990s.
He created 'The New Teen Titans,' a fictitious superhero team that appeared in American comic books published by DC Comics in the 1980s. George Pérez penciled DC's 'Crisis on Infinite Earth' crossover narrative in 1985, then relaunched Wonder Woman as both writer and penciler for the revived series.
Meanwhile, George Pérez worked on various Marvel, DC, and other publishers' books far into the 2010s. He was noted for his ability to create complicated crowd situations in a detailed and realistic manner.
Pérez received the Inkwell Awards Stacey Aragon Special Recognition Award in 2022.
May 5, 2022
NOTABLE deaths
Du'Vonta Lampkin, 25
(January 7, 1997 – May 5, 2022)
American football defensive tackle (Massachusetts Pirates)
Cause of death: shot.
Lampkin was a high school football standout from Houston who attended the University of Oklahoma from 2015 to 2018. The 335-pound defensive tackle redshirted in 2015 and only appeared in five games as a redshirt freshman in 2016.
Lampkin attended the Baltimore Ravens rookie mini-camp after going undrafted in the 2018 NFL Draft but was not signed. He signed with the Tennessee Titans in July 2018.
In September of 2018, he was released. Lampkin has agreed to play with the Massachusetts Pirates in 2019. Lampkin made three appearances and had one tackle.
Lampkin has agreed to play with the Massachusetts Pirates in 2019. Lampkin made three appearances and had one tackle.
Lampkin was resting in an Airbnb accommodation on May 5, 2022, while awaiting the arrival of his new abode. When they couldn't contact him by phone, his pals tracked him down at 10 p.m. CT. His phone, bag, and wallet were all missing from the scene, according to police.
May 4, 2022
NOTABLE deaths
May 3, 2022
NOTABLE deaths
May 2, 2022
NOTABLE deaths
Kailia Posey,16
(April 19, 2006 – May 2, 2022)
American actress, beauty pageant and reality show contestant (Toddlers & Tiaras or Another Toddlers & Tiaras).
Cause of death: suicide.
Kailia Posey was the subject of the "Grinning Girl" internet meme after appearing on the fourth season of the reality show Toddlers & Tiaras.
'Toddlers & Tiaras,' which was broadcast on the TLC network from 2009 and 2013, featured the families of child beauty pageant participants. Posey continued to compete in pageants after her time on the show. She declared earlier this year that she will compete in Miss Washington Teen USA.
She won the Mega Grand Supreme pageant in 2020 and the Ultimate Dream Queen pageant in 2021, both for $2000 and $3000 in cash.
Posey was also well-known after her cheeky grin at the age of five became a popular social media meme. Posey was discovered dead in her automobile at a park in Blaine, Washington, on May 3, 2022. Her death was determined to be a suicide.
May 1, 2022
NOTABLE deaths
Jerry verDorn, 72
The Emmy-winning soap opera actor (Guiding Light and Clint Buchanan in ABC's 'One Life to Live'.)
Cause of death: cancer.
VerDorn is one of Guiding Light's longest-serving cast members, having first appeared in the role on March 19, 1979, and playing Ross for nearly 26 years.
In 1995 and 1996, he received Daytime Emmy Awards for Best Supporting Actor. VerDorn also played Ross in The Cradle Will Fall, a 1983 television movie based on a book that included numerous Guiding Light characters in supporting roles.
In 1982, he appeared in Carrie Todd's (played by Jane Elliot) flashbacks as Todd MacKenzie, Ross' soon-to-be first wife, during Carrie's murder trial of one of Ross' longtime nemeses, Diane Ballard (played by Sofia Landon Geier), who also featured in the flashbacks. He portrayed the comedic doppelganger character of Howie - "Hoss" - who was the polar opposite of Ross in the fall of 1994.
His final episode as Ross aired in October of 2005. Jerry verDorn passed away peacefully on May 1 after a lengthy battle with cancer.
