Profiles

1Sep

By Web TeamNo Comments

India, Profiles, Sad But True

Buddhadeb Guha, Writer

Eminent Bengali writer Buddhadeb Guha, author of many notable works such as `Madhukari' (Honey Gatherer) died of post-covid complications at a private hospital after a massive cardiac arrest. He was 85. According to reports, the writer, whose works of fiction reflected his closeness to nature and forests of eastern India, was suffering from post-Covid complications and had been hospitalised earlier this month after complaining of breathlessness and urinary infection, his family said. He had earlier suffered from Covid-19 in April and had been hospitalised for 33 days. Guha was predeceased by wife, eminent Rabindra Sangeet exponent Ritu Guha in 201, leaves behind two daughters. Born on June 29, 1936 in Kolkata, Guha had spent his childhood in Rangpur and Barisal districts of Ea...

30Aug

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Profiles, Sad But True, United States

Kenny Malone, Drummer

Drummer Kenny Malone, a prolific session player who played on hits for Dolly Parton, Merle Haggard and many others, has died. He was 83. Malone's friend and former bandmate Dave Pomeroy said he died Thursday after being diagnosed with COVID-19. The American drummer and percussionist from Denver, Colorado was known for inventing his own style of hand drumming. Since the 1970s, Malone was a prominent session musician in folk, country, and many other acoustic-based genres. His friend and former bandmate Dave Pomeroy said he died Thursday after being diagnosed with COVID-19, according to Billboard.com. Malone is credited on hundreds of records made in Nashville, including albums like Parton's 'Jolene', and Jennings' 'Dreaming My Dreams'. Among the other artists Malone played wi...

30Aug

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England, Profiles, Sad But True, United States

Marcus Birks, Musician

A Staffordshire musician who fell ill with Covid after rejecting the vaccine has now died, days after making a plea for others to not repeat his mistake. Marcus Birks, 40, from Leek in Staffordshire, died on Friday morning, his family confirmed. Birks, who was a musician in the group Cappella alongside his wife Lis Birks, had previously said that he had changed his mind about the Covid vaccine and was going to tell his family to get the jab after falling ill. Speaking to the BBC earlier in August from the intensive care unit at Royal Stoke University Hospital, he said: “If you haven’t been ill, you don’t think you’re going to get ill, so you listen to the [anti-vaccine] stuff. When you feel like you can’t get enough breath, it’s the scariest feeling in the world.” He had not h...

28Aug

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India, Profiles, Sad But True

Pt Subhankar Banerjee, Percussionist

Renowned percussionist Pt Subhankar Banerjee died after battling COVID-19 for two months at a private hospital in Kolkata, his family said on Thursday. He was 54. Banerjee who died on Wednesday is survived by his wife, son and daughter, they said. His son, promising percussionist Archik posted on Facebook “Lost”. Several classical musicians from Pt Tejendra Narayan Majumder, Pt Purbayan Chatterjee, Ustad Rashid Khan, Pt Bickram Ghosh are slated to attend Banerjee's last journey with COVID-19 protocols on Thursday from Sangeet Research Academy where his body was kept. Banerjee, who had done jugalbandi with all legendary classicists from Pt Ravi Shankar, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan to Pt Hariprasad Chaurasia, Pt Shiv Kumar Sharma had been admitted to the hospital on June 20 and was on ...

28Aug

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India, Profiles, Sad But True

Jacob Mar Barnabas, Bishop

Rev Dr Jacob Mar Barnabas, metropolitan of Gurgaon-Delhi diocese of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, passed away in Delhi on Thursday. He was 60. The metropolitan was under treatment for post-Covid illnesses for the past four months. Dr Jacob Mar Barnabas was born on December 3, 1960, to Geevarghese and Rachel of Aerath family at Ranni in Pathanamthitta. After his schooling, he joined the Order of the Imitation of Christ in 1975. He has ordained a priest on October 2, 1986. The new priest was given charge of religious formation for pre-novices. He then went to Academia Alfonsiana, Rome, for higher studies in Moral Theology. During his priestly ministry, he held various positions including Superior, Bethany Ashram, Pune, Rector, BVP, Pune, Professor and Head of the Department of P...

27Aug

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Profiles, Sad But True, United States

Eric Wagner, Singer

The American singer Eric Wagner, who was frontman with the doom metal bands The Skull and Trouble and a guest vocalist on Dave Grohl's Probot side project, has died. He was 62 and had been admitted to hospital in the US last week with Covid-19-related pneumonia. His passing was confirmed by his family and The Skull bandmates on social media. Wagner formed Illinois band Trouble in 1979 and they went on to release the seminal albums Psalm 9 (1984), The Skull (1985) and Trouble (1990). Having left the band in the late 1990s, he rejoined in 2000. Wagner left Trouble again in 2008 and went on to form The Skull. Their most recent album, The Endless Road Turns Dark, was released in 2018. When the Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl enlisted some of his favourite singers to perform on his 200...

25Aug

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Profiles, Sad But True, United States

Corporal Kevin Mooney, Police Officer

A police officer identified as Corporal Kevin Mooney with the Moraga Police Department has died of COVID-19 and related complications. Mooney was 58 years old. The news release did not state if he had been vaccinated or not. The type of complications he had were also not disclosed. Mooney joined the Moraga Police in 2013 and rose through the ranks to serve as the small department's detective, a position the department said in a release Sunday night he “excelled” in. The department also said Mooney earned a reputation as a fierce advocate for victims and relentless in his pursuit of criminals. Mooney served as a rangemaster, a field training officer, and as president of the Moraga Police Officers Association. He also founded the department's holiday toy drive, collecti...

Siddeeq Railoun, Executive Director Museum

25Aug

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Profiles, Sad But True, South Africa

Siddeeq Railoun, Executive Director Museum

Executive director of the District Six Museum Siddeeq Railoun died of complications of Covid-19. The museum said he was appointed in May after a challenging year in 2020. The statement said he brought his experience in organisational and business development to bear on growing the capacity of staff and building relationships with new partners and friends. “He was driven to connect us more closely to education and programme initiatives in other parts of the continent. He was always enthusiastic, jovial and was greatly inspired by the potential of the museum,” read the statement. The museum expressed sympathies and love to his immediate family. Chairperson of the museum board, Siraj Desai, said: “The District Six Museum board wishes to extend our condolences to the family of ...

24Aug

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Profiles, Sad But True, United States

Phil Valentine, Radio Host

A conservative talk radio host from Tennessee who had been a vaccine skeptic until he was hospitalised from COVID-19 has died. He was 61, reported news agency PTI. Nashville radio station SuperTalk 99.7 WTN confirmed Phil Valentine’s death in a tweet August 21. Valentine had been a skeptic of coronavirus vaccines. But after he tested positive for COVID-19, and prior to his hospitalisation, he told his listeners to consider, “If I get this COVID thing, do I have a chance of dying from it?” If so, he advised them to get vaccinated. He said he chose not to get vaccinated because he thought he probably wouldn’t die. After Valentine was moved into a critical care unit, Mark Valentine said his brother regretted that “he wasn’t a more vocal advocate of the vaccination.” “I know if he we...

24Aug

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Profiles, Sad But True, South Africa

Hissene Habre, Former Chad Strongman

Hissene Habre, the former strongman president of Chad and security ally of the West during the Cold War who was later jailed for war crimes, died on Tuesday in Senegal at the age of 79, Senegal's justice minister said. Habre contracted COVID-19 at a clinic in the capital Dakar where he was taken 10 days ago from jail for medical reasons, Justice Minister Malick Sall, told Reuters. When his condition worsened, he was taken to Principal Hospital, where he died. Habre's 1982-90 rule, which began with a coup, saw widespread killings by his infamous political police who rounded up suspects and held them in secret detention centres. In eight years, tens of thousands were raped, tortured and killed. After a landmark trial in Senegal, where he fled after being chased out of office by Sudan-...