NOTABLE DEATHS
Steve Albini, 61, the musician and well-regarded recording engineer behind work from Nirvana, the Pixies, The Breeders, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant among hundreds of others. Albini referred to Nirvana as “an unremarkable version of the Seattle sound,” but accepted the job to produce the band’s 1993 album, “In Utero.” Albini also famously refused to accept royalties from any of the records he produced. Other albums featuring Albini as recording engineer include the Pixies’ “Surfer Rosa,” The Stooges’ “The Weirdness,” Robbie Fulks’ “Country Love Songs” and Plant and Page’s “Walking Into Clarksdale.”
Susan Buckner, 72, who starred opposite Olivia Newton-John in the 1978 movie musical “Grease.” Buckner got her start in showbiz as a sketch performer on “The Dean Martin Show” in 1973. She made her silver-screen debut as a dancer in the 1976 musical comedy “The First Nudie Musical.” Following the success of “Grease,” Buckner made guest appearances on the TV series “B.J. and the Bear” and “The Love Boat” and had a 10-episode stint on “When the Whistle Blows,” according to the actress’s IMDb page. Buckner also starred in the Wes Craven-directed thriller “Deadly Blessing” in 1981 alongside Maren Jensen and Sharon Stone. Bernard Hill, 79, the actor best known for his memorable performances in
“Titanic” and the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. Hill portrayed Captain Edward Smith in James Cameron’s 1997 blockbuster “Titanic,” which won the Oscar for best picture and earned the actor a nomination, along with his co-stars, for outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture at the Screen Actors
Guild Awards. Hill also played King Théoden in 2002’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” and 2003’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.” Like “Titanic,” “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” won the Oscar for best picture (in 2004). Between “Return of the King” and “Titanic,” Hill is the only actor to have starred in two different movies that both won 11 Academy Awards, according to Screen Rant. James Simons, 86, a billionaire investor, mathematician and Cold War code-breaker who founded one of the world’s most prominent and profitable hedge funds. Sixty years ago Simons shifted course from teaching mathematics and working in U.S. intelligence to investing. His pioneering use of computer signals for trading decisions earned him the nickname “Quant King.” With a net worth estimated at $31 billion by Forbes, Simons also became a prominent philanthropist, giving away billions of dollars during his lifetime to support medical and science research, teaching and Democratic candidates.