NOTABLE DEATHS
Ole Anderson, 81, a professional wrestler whose tough, no-nonsense style led him to become a founding member of the famed collective known as The Four Horsemen WWE described Anderson’s approach in the ring as hardnosed and his demeanor as gruff. Anderson earned that reputation early in his career as a tag-team master, paired with partners billed as relatives, including Arn Anderson. They gained notoriety as the tag team known as The Minnesota Wrecking Crew. The pair later teamed up in the 1980s with Ric Flair and Tully Blanchard to form The Four Horsemen.
Iris Apfel, 102, a textile expert, interior designer and fashion celebrity known for her eccentric style. Apfel was famous for her irreverent, eye-catching outfits, mixing haute couture and oversized costume jewelry. A classic Apfel look would, for instance, pair a feather boa with strands of chunky beads, bangles and a jacket decorated with Native American beadwork. With her big, round, black-rimmed glasses, bright red lipstick and short white hair, she stood out at every fashion show she attended. Her style was the subject of museum exhibits and a documentary film, “Iris,” directed by Albert Maysles. “I’m not pretty, and I’ll never be pretty, but it doesn’t matter,” she once said. “I have something much better. I have style.” Juana Bacallao, 98, a Cuban singer and cabaret diva who had continued to perform until recently. Bacallao was known for her husky voice, risqué personality and being unpredictable. She performed at the famed Tropicana club in the 1940s and ’ 50s and sang alongside artists like Nat King Cole. Born Neri Amelia Martínez Salazar, she was sent to a Catholic boarding school after becoming orphaned at 6 years old. Bacallao was discovered as a teenager while singing as she cleaned homes. José DeLeón, 63, a major league pitcher for 13 seasons who led the National League in strikeouts for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1989. he team said DeLeón had health issues without giving further information. DeLeón was 86-119 with a 3.76 ERA in 264 starts and 151 relief appearances for Pittsburgh (1983-86), the Chicago White Sox (1986-87, 199395), St. Louis (1988-92), Philadelphia (1992-93) and Montreal (1995). The right-hander struck out 1,594 in 1,8971⁄ innings.
Estella Leopold, 97, the last remaining child of famed conservationist and author Aldo Leopold. Estella Leopold was a researcher and scientist who dedicated her life to the land ethic philosophy of her famous father. Estella Leopold specialized in the study of pollen, known as palynology, especially in the fossilized form. She formed the Aldo Leopold Foundation along with her sister and three brothers in 1982. Richard Lewis, 76, an acclaimed comedian known for exploring his neuroses in frantic, stream-of-consciousness diatribes while dressed in all-black, leading to his nickname “The Prince of Pain.” A regular performer in clubs and on late-night TV for decades, Lewis also played Marty Gold, the romantic colead opposite Jamie Lee Curtis, in the ABC series “Anything But Love” and the reliably neurotic Prince John in “Mel Brooks’ Robin Hood: Men In Tights.” He reintroduced himself to a new generation opposite Larry David in HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” Comedy Central named Lewis one of the top 50 stand-up comedians of all time and he earned a berth in GQ magazine’s list of the “20th Century’s Most Influential Humorists.”
Brian Mulroney, 84, a former prime minister of Canada who forged closer ties with the United States through a sweeping free trade agreement. Leader of the Progressive Conservative party from 1983 to 1993, Mulroney served almost a decade as Canada’s 18th prime minister after he was first elected in 1984 upon snagging the largest majority in Canadian history with 211 of 282 seats. The win would mark Canada’s first Conservative majority government in 26 years. His government was reelected in 1988. But in the wake of scandals and widespread unhappiness about the country’s depressed economy, he left with the lowest approval rating in Canadian history.
Jacob Rothschild, 87, a financier and philanthropist from Britain’s renowned Rothschild banking dynasty. Rothschild began his career in the family bank, NM Rothschild & Sons, in 1963, before he broke away to start businesses and charitable organizations. His family described him as a “towering presence,” “a passionate supporter of charitable causes in Israel and Jewish culture” and a “keen environmentalist.” The Rothschild family has an estimated fortune of about $1 billion, according to last year’s Sunday Times Rich List. It reportedly gives away millions of pounds to Jewish causes, education and art. In the cultural sector, Rothschild was chairman of the board of trustees at London’s National Gallery and chair of the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair was among political and cultural leaders who paid tribute to Rothschild.
Nikolai Ryzhkov, 94, a former Soviet Prime Minister who presided over botched efforts to shore up the crumbling national economy in the final years of the Soviet Union. Ryzhkov worked during his six-year tenure to implement Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev’s liberal reforms that lifted rigid centralized controls and encouraged private initiative. But the reforms failed to adapt to the quickly changing economic and political environment and set the stage for the 1991 Soviet collapse. Tep Vong, 93, the senior monk who headed Cambodia’s Buddhist community and was vital for its rejuvenation in the wake of the Khmer Rouge genocide in the late 1970s. He was granted the title of the Great Supreme Patriarch in 2006, making him the religious chief of both the Mahanikay and Dhammayut orders of Theravada Buddhism in Cambodia. About 97% of Cambodia’s 17 million people are Buddhists. Tep Vong was key to the restoration of Buddhism in Cambodia after the communist
Khmer Rouge during its 1975-79 rule tried to eradicate all organized religion. Its radical policies are blamed for the deaths of as many as 1.7 million people.