Musical Artist - Wilder, Gene

Wilder as Frederick Frankenstein
in the movie Young Frankenstein

Gene Wilder was an American actor, director, and writer who is probably best known for his performance in the role of Willy Wonka in the 1971 movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. After a bit part in Bonnie and Clyde, Wilder's career really got going when he appeared in the Mel Brook's comedy The Producers, for which he earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. This was the start of a fruitful era of collaboration between Brooks and Wilder that saw the pair work together to create the classic comedies Young Frankenstein and Blazing Saddles. Wilder also worked with Richard Pryor to create four movies, including Silver Streak and Stir Crazy.

In addition to being a magnificent comedic actor, Wilder was a director and screenwriter. He directed several of the movies he appeared in, including The Woman in Red, The World's Greatest Lover, and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother. He also wrote many of the movies he appeared in, most notably Young Frankenstein. He also wrote his own memoir in 2005 and three novels.

I first saw Wilder in the movie The Little Prince, where he played the role of the Fox. Despite having a very talented cast that included Bob Fosse, Richard Kiley, Donna McKechnie, and, of course, Wilder, the movie is kind of a mess, and was nearly incomprehensible to when I saw it at the age of six. I do remember Wilder's performance though, and in a way, I think that's a metaphor for Wilder's life. No matter what project he was in, be it good or bad, he stood out, not just because of his radiant talent, but because his warmth, gentleness, and fundamental goodness shone through. I have seen Wilder in bad movies, but I never saw Wilder turn in a bad performance.

Wilder was married four times, the third time to fellow actor and comedian Gilda Radner, who died in 1989, just five short years into their marriage. He was married to his fourth wife, Karen Boyer, for twenty-five years from 1991 until his death in 2016.

Musical Monday Selections:

08/29/16: Pure Imagination

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Musical Artist - Rogers, Kenny

Rogers in his appearance on

the Muppet Show in 1979

Kenny Rogers is an American singer, actor, and restaurateur, best known for his string of solo hits in the late 1970s and early 1980s. His career began in the 1950s, with the minor solo hit That Crazy Feeling, followed by stints with The Bobby Doyle Three and the New Christy Minstrels. Rogers had his first sustained success with the band The First Edition which turned out hits such as Just Dropped In (to See What Condition My Condition Was In) and Ruby Don't Take Your Love to Town.

After First Edition broke up in 1976, Rogers launched a solo career and soon began turning out hit after hit, becoming a mainstay of country radio and enjoying significant crossover success on soft rock stations. He had several dozen top 40 hits, and a number of chart toppers including Lucille, Islands in the Stream (as a duet with Dolly Parton), Coward of the County, Every Time Two Fools Collide (as a duet with Dottie West), and Lady.

In addition to his singing career, Rogers had a decent career as an actor. He starred in the movie Six-Pack, playing a race car driver who stumbles into being a father figure for a half dozen kids, and also in several movies that were inspired by his songs including The Gambler and Coward of the County. In 1991, he started the fast-food chicken restaurant chain Kenny Roger's Roasters.

Rogers has won three Grammy Awards, five Country Music Association Awards, seven Academy of Country Music Awards, thirteen American Music Awards, and has been inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Rogers has a website named Kenny Rogers. He can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.

Musical Monday Selections:

05/28/18: Coward of the County
12/14/20: Islands in the Stream (with Dolly Parton)
12/31/18: Lady

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Musical Artist - Petty, Tom

Tom Petty was an American musician who was a fixture in popular music from his first top forty hit breakdown in 1977, until his death in 2017. Along the way, Petty, with his band the Heartbreakers, turned out hit after hit including I Need to Know, Refugee, Don't Come Around Here No More, You Got Lucky, Free Fallin', Running Down a Dream, learning to Fly, Into the Great Wide Open, Mary Jane's Last Dance, and numerous others. Petty was also well-known for his collaborations, including the songs Insider and Stop Draggin' My Heart Around with Stevie Nicks, and his work with the supergroup the Traveling Wilburys, which also included Roy Orbison, George Harrison, Bob Dylan, and Jeff Lynne. Petty and the Heartbreakers also performed with Johnny Cash on Cash's Grammy winning album Unchained.

In addition to his music career, Petty had a handful of small parts as an actor. His first appearance on film was in the movie FM, but his most memorable role was a small part in the movie The Postman. Petty also had a recurring part playing himself on the Gary Shandling Show and also appeared on Gary Shandling's other show The Larry Sanders Show. Petty was also famous for his staunch defense of the rights of artists, and was involved in several legal disputes with recording labels, including one in which he refused to have his contract transferred without his consent, and another in which he objected to a proposed increase in the price of the album Hard Promises.

Petty died on October 2, 2017 of an accidental prescription drug overdose. After his death, his family revealed that he had been suffering from a number of maladies including emphysema and a hip fracture and that his overdose was likely the result of trying to alleviate the nigh unbearable pain that resulted from them. Petty left behind a forty year musical legacy and an indelible mark on the world of pop music.

Petty has a website named Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and can also be found on Twitter.

Musical Monday Selections:

10/09/17: Learning to Fly

10/16/17: Southern Accents

01/29/18: You Got Lucky

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Musical Artist - Newton-John, Olivia

Newton-John in Xanadu

Olivia Newton-John is an Australian singer, songwriter, and actress best known for the string of hit singles she performed in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Born in Cambridge, England, Newton-John's family emigrated to Australia when she was six. She returned to England as a teenager after she won a singing competition that included a trip to Great Britain as the prize. As part of the same prize, Newton-John recorded her first single at the age of eighteen, a song titled Till You Say You'll Be Mine, which was a commercial flop.

After the failure of Till You Say You'll Be Mine, Newton-John didn't record another single until 1971 when she released her debut album All Things Must Pass which resulted in considerable chart and commercial success. She followed this up with Let Me Be There in 1973, and on the strength of this album won the Grammy Award for Best Country Female and the Academy of Country Music award for most promising female vocalist.

After a brief detour to represent the U.K. in the Eurovision song contest (in which she placed fourth in the same year that ABBA won with Waterloo), Newton-John released the album If You Love Me, Let Me Know in 1974, which contained the single I Honestly Love You. This album garnered Newton-John two more country-oriented Grammy Awards and resulted in her being named the Country Music Association's Female Vocalist of the Year.

Newton-John continued her chart success with the album Have You Never Been Mellow, but stumbled a bit with her next offering Making a Good Thing Better. Her career seemed to be stalled from 1976 to 1978 when she appeared in the film adaptation of Grease alongside John Travolta and produced the hit singles Hopelessly Devoted to You and Summer Nights.

Her career revived by her appearance in Grease, Newton-John scored success with her album Totally Hot, which produced a few more hit singles for her. She then appeared in the movie Xanadu, which was both a commercial failure and a terrible movie, but which featured a top notch soundtrack, including the songs Xanadu, Magic, and Suddenly. She reached her highest level of success with her next album Physical, with the single Physical becoming the top hit of the 1980s.

Newton-John continued to have substantial success through 1982, when she released her Greatest Hits, Volume 2 album, but after that her career kind of petered out. She released more albums, but none have had the same success as her earlier efforts or produced much in the way of notable hit singles. She collaborated with John Travolta on another movie project, but the resulting product was not well-received. Newton-John has appeared in several television shows in small parts, or as herself, as well as in the lead role for the made-for-television movies A Mother for Christmas and A Christmas Romance.

Over the course of her career, Newton-John has won ten American Music Awards, four Grammy Awards, and four People's Choice Awards. She has had five number one hits on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, and three number one hits on the U.K. Charts. She also had ten other top ten singles on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.

Olivia Newton-John has a website named The Official Olivia Newton-John Website. She can also be found on Facebook, Twitter, and the Internet Movie Database.

Musical Monday Selections:

10/08/18: Magic
09/16/19: Physical
09/24/18: Xanadu with the Electric Light Orchestra

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Musical Artist - Monty Python

Cleese, Gilliam, Jones, Chapman, Palin, and Idle

Monty Python was a British comedy team first formed in 1969 consisting of Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin. The group's initial project was the BBC production Monty Python's Flying Circus, which ran from 1969 through 1974, the group eventually released five films - And Now for Something Completely Different, Monty Python's Holy Grail, Monty Python's Life of Brian, Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl, and Monty Python's The Meaning of Life - nineteen albums, more than twenty books, nine computer games, and the Broadway musical Spamalot.

The reason for their success is pretty clear: Monty Python was a brilliant comedy team that injected an almost insane surrealistic humor into the mainstream of popular culture. To a certain extent, Monty Python's success has diminished their original performances a bit because so many other later comics have been influenced by, and imitated them, so what was fresh and innovative when Python first did it has become a commonly used and sometimes tired trope now. From a particular perspective, they are essentially victims of their own pervasive influence. That said, their work remains absolutely magnificent, and no one can deny the massive impact the team had on comedy.

Monty Python has an official website named, naturally enough, Monty Python's Official Website, and can also be found on Twitter and YouTube.

Musical Monday Selections:

01/08/17: The Lumberjack Song

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Musical Artist - Midler, Bette

Bette Midler is an American singer, actress, and comedian best known for her roles in The Rose, Ruthless People, and Hocus Pocus, and her hit songs Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, From a Distance, and Wind Beneath My Wings. She first came to prominence in the 1970s singing in the Continental Baths with her accompanist Barry Manilow, with the fan base she developed there leading to a recording career that has produced fourteen studio albums and several hit singles. In addition to the songs mentioned above, she also scored hits with The Rose,

Midler worked almost exclusively as a recording artist and stage performer in the 1970s until she was cast as the eponymous lead in the movie The Rose in 1979. Since then, she has starred in multiple movies including Beaches, Big Business, Down and Out in Beverly Hills, The First Wives Club, For the Boys, Gypsy, Hocus Pocus, Outrageous Fortune, Ruthless People, and The Stepford Wives, In more recent years, she starred in a Broadway revival of Hello Dolly.

Over the course of her career, Midler has won three Grammy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, two Emmy Awards, and two Tony Awards. She has also been nominated for the Academy Award twice, but has never won, which is the only thing that is preventing her from joining the exclusive EGOT club.

Midler has a website named Bette Midler. She can also be found on Facebook, Twitter, and IMDb.

Musical Monday Selections:

09/10/18: The Rose

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Musical Artist - Jackson, Michael

Michael Jackson was one of the most commercially successful singers and entertainers of all time. He got his start performing with his brothers as part of the Jackson 5, singing lead vocals on several of the band's hits including I Want You Back, ABC, and I'll Be There. Michael left the band in 1971 and embarked on a solo career achieving and fair amount of success in the 1970s with hits such as Got to Be There and Ben.

In 1975, Jackson left Motown to sign with Epic Records, and turned out the Off the Wall album in 1979, scoring chart-topping hits such as Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough and Rock With You. This presaged Jackson's dominance of the music scene in the 1980s as he was transformed over the decade from pop singer to pop icon.

In 1982, Jackson released the Thriller album, which included the hit singles Beat It, Billie Jean, and Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'. Powered by these hits, Thriller became the best selling album of all time and launched Jackson's career to stratospheric heights. He followed up on Thriller's success with the album Bad, which included hit singles such as Bad, Man in the Mirror, and Dirty Diana. His later albums also produced chart success with songs such as Black and White.

Jackson became such a pop cultural fixture that his personal foibles were transformed into fodder for the tabloids, a phenomenon that Jackson seems to have tacitly encouraged. Anecdotes about his personal proclivities, both real and fabricated, became front page stories, earning him the nickname "Whacko Jacko". He bought a chimpanzee and reportedly became overly attached to it. He built an amusement park on his property. He supposedly slept in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber and reportedly wanted to but the bones of Joseph Merrick (also known as the "Elephant Man"), although those claims were denied by Jackson. Rumors abounded about his supposed plastic surgeries and skin bleaching treatments (the reality is that Jackson suffered from vitiligo, which caused his skin to lighten).

Later in his life, all of the tabloid rumors seem to have caught up with him, and a substantial backlash formed against him, culminating in child abuse allegations and a very public criminal trial (in which he was acquitted), While almost every popular icon eventually finds themselves facing a hostile crowd, the intensity of the shift in public opinion with respect to Jackson was pretty stunning. I have a theory on that which encompasses both his prodigious success and his fall from grace. I don't mean to disparage Jackson's music: He turned out a huge selection of incredibly successful pop hits in his career, but his music simply wasn't so much better than his contemporaries as to warrant his outsize success.

The key element is that Jackson first came to prominence as a child, and as he grew up, he retained a childlike public persona. I remember when he was in the middle of the massive popularity following the release of Thriller, stories about Jackson often emphasized his commitment to his religious faith and his consequent asexuality - I distinctly recall one article in which he pointedly rejected a proposition from a young man with an admonishment that homosexuality was condemned in the Bible, and when the young man opined that it would be different if he was an attractive young woman, Jackson said that would be against Biblical teaching as well. The net result is that Jackson was a "safe" black man, utterly unthreatening to white audiences. The fact that a skinny little boy grew up to be a skinny, mildly effeminate and publicly asexual man was a selling point for him. Midwestern white teenagers could listen to him on the record player in their parents' basement and no one would bat an eye.

But this meant that when that public persona slipped, there was a huge backlash against him. I believe that this is because of the feeling of betrayal that came from realizing that the "safe" black man may not have actually been safe. No one seems bothered by the fact that guys like Prince, Marvin Gaye, or Barry White were overtly sexual, but that is because they never projected an image of being "safe". They were always sexual, they were always dangerous. Conversely, a lot of people seem to be very upset by the fact that it turned out that Bill Cosby was a sexual predator, not just because he is a sexual predator (which is appalling enough by itself), but also because he was more or less "America's black father figure". White America is always looking for "safe" black men to latch on to, and anyone who can fit that profile can do very well, but woe betide any "safe" black man who shows feet of clay. I don't think it is an accident that many of Jackson's public image problems coincided with the release of Bad and his attempt to project a more adult persona.

In addition to his music career, Jackson appeared as an actor in a few films, such as The Wiz in 1978, Free to Be You and Me in 1974, and Captain EO in 1986. He also appeared in numerous music videos and television commercials, most notably for Pepsi. Jackson was neither a prolific actor, nor a particularly talented one, but he was enthusiastic.

Over the course of his career, Jackson was honored with thirteen Grammy Awards and twenty-six American Music Awards. As a solo artist, he scored thirteen number one hit singles on the Billboard Hot 100. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice (once as a member of the Jackson 5 and once as a solo artist), as well as the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Dance Hall of Fame, and the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame.

Jackson died in 2009 of a drug overdose. His death was ruled a homicide and his personal physician was convicted of involuntary manslaughter.

Jackson has an official web page named Michael Jackson. He also has an official Twitter page, Facebook page, and imdb page. He also has a YouTube channel.

Musical Monday Selections:

08/10/20: Beat It
07/27/20: Billie Jean
06/03/19: One Day in Your Life
04/30/18: Rock With You
01/11/21: Say Say Say (with Paul McCartney)

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Musical Artist - Henson, Jim

Jim Henson was an American puppeteer, actor, director, writer, and filmmaker best known for creating the Muppets. He was also one of the greatest creative geniuses of the twentieth century. After graduating from the University of Maryland, Henson founded Muppets, Inc. in 1958 and set about making puppets for use in commercials and talk show appearances. He created the character Rolf the Dog, who made regular appearances on the Jimmy Dean Show, and used the character Kermit the Frog, who had been created previously for the local television show Sam and Friends, in a series of advertisements. In these early years, Henson was a regular on the talk show circuit, appearing on shows such as the Jack Paar Program, the Steve Allen Show, and the Ed Sullivan Show.

Henson rose to prominence when he and the Muppets became affiliated with the children's show Sesame Street, an affiliation that would continue for the rest of Henson's life and beyond. In addition to Kermit the Frog, Henson created and performed numerous characters on the show including Ernie, Guy Smiley, Captain Vegetable, the King, and several others. Henson also appeared in stop motion live-action sequences, and did a memorable voice-over for a series of counting videos he produced that always culminated with a baker triumphantly presenting a collection of confections before tripping and falling to the ground.

In the mid-1970s, Henson tried to appeal to a more adult audience by doing sketches for the new comedy show Saturday Night Live, but this never really worked out. Instead, Henson created The Muppet Show and later an adaptation of Russell Hoban's Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas, both of which proved quite successful (which is mildly ironic, given how difficult it was for Henson to market The Muppet Show to skeptical television executives). The success of these projects led to the development of the feature film The Muppet Movie, which was followed by The Great Muppet Caper, The Muppets Take Manhattan, The Dark Crystal, and Labyrinth. For The Muppet Show (and later projects), Henson created and performed several new characters, such as Waldorf, Dr. Teeth, and the Swedish Chef.

Never satisfied to rest on his laurels, Henson developed yet another television show - Fraggle Rock, as well as the Storyteller series using Muppet-like technology to help retell folk tales and stories from Greek mythology. Henson's Muppets inspired a whole collection of Muppet-like work beyond his own projects, including Frank Oz's turn as Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back and subsequent Star Wars movies, and the entirety of the Farscape television show.

Henson clearly loved music, and song featured heavily in his work. He sang the iconic Its Not Easy Being Green as Kermit in 1970, and when The Muppet Movie was released, the song The Rainbow Connection reached the Top 40 charts. He directed the original production of the song C Is for Cookie. He turned Emmet otter's Jug Band Christmas into a musical, and featured musical numbers in The Muppet Show and every subsequent Muppet-related movie.

On May 16, 1990, Jim Henson died of toxic shock syndrome stemming from an untreated viral infection. The infection apparently went untreated because Henson, a notorious workaholic, didn't bother to get medical attention on the grounds that he had too much to do and couldn't afford to take the time. And as a result, he died when he was only 53.

I have said this before, but it bears reiterating: I am almost exactly the right age for Henson's work to have had a huge influence on me. I was a child when he was doing his pioneering work on Sesame Street, and was exactly the right age to be sucked in by The Muppet Show and The Muppet Movie. When The Dark Crystal hit the theatres, I was a preteen and primed for that kind of fantasy tale. And so on. If you can find clips from it, Henson's memorial service featuring many of the people whose lives he influenced is beautiful, tear-jerking, and for me, almost rage-inducing. Henson's most productive period of creativity only lasted a little over twenty years. Had he not died so very young, he could have created so much more. Most of his closest collaborators outlived him by decades: Frank Oz and Dave Goelz are still alive. Jerry Nelson died in 2012. If Henson had gotten medical attention early enough, he might not have died in 1990, and I think it is likely we would have had at least another twenty years of his genius.

Musical Monday Selections:

10/02/17: The Rainbow Connection

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Musical Artist - Freeman, Morgan

Morgan Freeman is an American actor with an impressive resume, but who I will always remember due to his most important role as a cast member of the Electric Company. Freeman has appeared in dozens of movies including Invictus, Driving Miss Daisy, Street Smart, Million Dollar Baby, The Dark Knight, Glory, and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, in many cases turning in a performance that was the highlight of the movie. Freeman won an Academy Award for his performance in Million Dollar Baby, and has been nominated four other times.

For all of that, Freeman's most important work was his first notable role in which he was a member of the cast of the children's educational show Electric Company. Portraying an array of characters that included Easy Reader, Mel Mounds, and Dracula, Freeman taught children the fundamentals of reading, but more importantly, he gave children a very public and easily accessible example of a black man who valued education and intellectual pursuits, or at least intellectual pursuits as understood by the members of the show's target age group. I can't speak to how this presentation would have affected minority children, but for me, Freeman's portrayal normalized the idea that a black man could be a teacher, a reader, and a cool guy all at the same time. I can't think of anything that any actor could do that is more important than shaping how young minds view the world, and Freeman did that in the 1970s when he appeared on PBS as Easy Reader on the Electric Company.

Freeman can be found on Facebook.

Musical Monday Selections:

10/26/15: Vincent the Vegetable Vampire

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Musical Artist - Daniels, William

Daniels as John Adams in 1776

William Daniels is an American actor with dozens of stage and screen credits, most notably including John Adams in 1776, George Feeny in Boy Meets World and Girl Meets World, and Dr. Mark Craig in St. Elsewhere. Daniels' stage career started in 1940s when he appeared as part of his family's variety act, and before long he moved on to roles on Broadway. He had roles in numerous Broadway plays, including 1776, A Thousand Clowns, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, and A Little Night Music.

Daniels also had a notable career as a movie actor, appearing in The Graduate and the movie adaptation of 1776, as well as several other films. Eventually, Daniels moved to television, appearing as a regular cast member on St. Elsewhere (for which he won two Emmy Awards), Boy Meets World, Captain Nice, and Knight Rider and as a guest star on shows such as Soap, Quincy, M.E., The Rockford Files, The Incredible Hulk, Galactica 1980, Star Trek: Voyager, and Grey's Anatomy.

Daniels has been married to fellow Emmy Award-winning actor Bonnie Bartlett since 1951. In 1986, the pair became the first married couple to win Emmy Awards on the same night since Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne did it in 1965.

Daniels has a website named William Daniels, the Actor. He can also be found on Twitter.

Musical Monday Selections:

07/04/16: The Egg (with Howard Da Silva and Ken Howard)

07/03/17: The Lees of Old Virginia (with Ron Holgate and Howard Da Silva)

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Musical Artist - Day, Doris

Doris Day is an American actress and singer best known for her roles in romantic comedies such as Pillow Talk and Move Over Darling and her World War II era recording of the song Sentimental Journey. Born Doris Kappelhoff in Cincinnati , Ohio, Day's first show-business inclination was to be a professional dancer, but an injury resulting from an auto accident derailed that plan. Instead, Day turned to singing and by 1939 had begun singing for Barney Rapp's band before moving on to work with other band leaders such as Jimmy James, Bob Crosby, and Les Brown. Day soon became one of the most successful female vocalists of the era, turning out numerous hits over the next several years including I Got the Sun in the Mornin', It's Magic, Love Somebody, My Dreams Are Getting Better All the Time, Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be), Someone Like You, 'Tain't Me, Till The End of Time, You Won't Be Satisfied (Until You Break My Heart), and The Whole World is Singing My Song. Day's singing career was recognized in 2009 with a Grammy Lifetime achievement Award, and three of her recordings have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

In addition to being a successful singer, Day had an extensive career as a screen actress, appearing in more than forty movies over a twenty year career. Through much of her career, Day was known for appearing in romantic comedies, often starring opposite Rock Hudson or James Garner, a list of films that includes Lover Come Back, Please Don't Eat the Daisies, Send Me No Flowers, That Touch of Mink, and The Thrill of It All. In addition to those bedroom comedies, Day had notable roles in movies such as Calamity Jane, The Glass Bottom Boat, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Midnight Lace, and With Six You Get Eggroll. Over the course of her acting career, Day was ranked first in the box office four times, was nominated for an Academy Award once, and won six Golden Globe Awards as well as ten Laurel Awards.

After her film career petered out in the late 1960s, Day headlined The Doris Day Show for five years, and then largely retired from acting, although she did briefly host a daytime talk show titled Doris Day's Best Friends in the mid-1980s.

Day has a website named Doris Day. She can also be found in the Internet Movie Database

Musical Monday Selections:

08/14/17: Roly Poly Baby with Perry Blackwell

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Author - Fisher, Carrie

Birth: October 21, 1956.

Death: December 27, 2016.

Comments: Carrie Fisher was an American actress and author best known for her role as Princess Leia in the movie Star Wars and its sequels. The daughter of Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher, Carrie was born Hollywood royalty, with all of the benefits and drawbacks that ensue from that status. She got her first break acting opposite Warren Beatty in the movie Shampoo, and then took the role that defined the rest of her life: Princess Leia. She played Leia in Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, The Return of the Jedi, and The Force Awakens, and essentially became a nerd icon as a result. Though she was a skilled actor, and made notable appearances several in other productions, including The Blues Brothers, Hannah and Her Sisters, and When Harry Met Sally, she is, and probably always will be, remembered as the Princess from Alderaan who became the leader of a Rebellion that toppled an Empire.

Fisher has other talents besides acting, most notably writing. She wrote four novels, and also published four nonfiction books. She was also a scriptwriter, with a handful of screenplays and stage plays to her credit. She was also in demand in Hollywood as a script doctor, and was called in more than once to fix a screenplay that needed work.

Throughout her life, Fisher battled mental illness, which led to her abusing drugs in a kind of vicious feedback cycle. Among the many causes she supported - from LGBT activism to animal rights advocacy - the one that seems to have been most personal was when she spoke out about mental illness and drug addiction, using her own experiences in an effort to remove some of the social stigma of both and encourage treatment for those suffering from them. In December of 2016, Fisher suffered a heart attack while on a flight from London to Los Angeles, and died four days later. Amid speculation that drug use had contributed to her death, her daughter Billie Lourd said, "My mom battled drug addiction and mental illness her entire life. She ultimately died of it." Lourd went on, saying, "She talked about the shame that torments people and their families confronted by these diseases. I know my Mom, she’d want her death to encourage people to be open about their struggles. Seek help, fight for government funding for mental health programs. Shame and those social stigmas are the enemies of progress to solutions and ultimately a cure." After that, there is nothing more one can say.

There is a website dedicated to Fisher named simply Carrie Fisher Fisher's beloved dog Gary is on Twitter. Sort of. Dogs can't type. But he has an account.



My reviews of Carrie Fisher's books:
The Princess Diarist

Other books by Carrie Fisher that I have read but not reviewed:
None

Short fiction by Carrie Fisher appearing in works that I have reviewed:

None

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Author - Benson, Amber

Birth: January 8, 1977.

Death: Still alive and writing fantasy fiction.

Comments: Amber Benson is an American actor, director, and author best known for playing the role of Tara Maclay on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She has co-written with Christopher Golden on numerous projects, including a handful of episodes of Buffy and the Ghosts of Albion series. Benson is also the author of the Witches of Echo Park series.

Benson has a blog titled Amber Benson's Official Blog, although it has not been updated since 2013. She can also be found on Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr.

My reviews of Amber Benson's books:
None

Other books by Amber Benson that I have read but not reviewed:
None

Short fiction by Amber Benson appearing in works that I have reviewed:

Antiparallelogram found in 21^st Century Dead: A Zombie Anthology

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