Note: The contents of this blog are for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice or substitute for professional care. For medical emergencies, dial 911!
You may not have heard of 75-year-old KTLA news anchor Hal Fishman unless you live in California, but his is an alarming story, and one that's all-too-familiar to some of us. Fishman, who had been a new anchor for 50 years, died last Tuesday of cancer, less than a week after he was diagnosed with it. Fishman saw his doctor last week after collapsing in his home, and it was discovered that he had colon cancer that had spread to his liver. Unfortunately, his family didn't have much time to say goodbye and he passed away at home at 3am on Tuesday.
We often think of Cancer as being a slow disease that gives us lots of time to take in the diagnosis, and lots of time to say goodbye if need be. Fishman's story is much like the story of my dad's death -- he was diagnosed on Thursday and passed away the following Wednesday. Cancer can move faster than the blink of an eye, so it's a good reminder to enjoy every day with your loved ones.
Lee Hazlewood, well known for his famous song, "These Boots were Made For Walkin'" has died. Hazlewood was 78 and died of kidney cancer.
Hazlewood was best known for his anthem of independence that Nancy Sinatra made so famous. It is a theme song for many women everywhere who have needed to strap on a pair of boots and do some walking. Hazlewood and Sinatra collaborated on a number of other projects, but none that received the notoriety of the Walkin' song.
The songwriter was diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2005. He passed away quietly at his home over the weekend.
Tommy Makem, legendary Irish singer, has died of lung cancer at the age of 74, according to the AP via CNN.
Makem was born in Ireland and came to America to work as an actor. He ended up joining the Clancy Brothers and rising to international fame. He sang songs and told stories of Ireland all around the world, with the help of his banjo and tinwhistle.
One of Makem's most famous songs is "Four Green Fields", about a woman whose sons died trying to stop strangers from taking their fields. The song is interpreted by many experts to be a parable, with the "four fields" representing the four provinces of Ireland, Ulster, Munster, Leinster and Connacht, and the woman representing Ireland herself.
From the CNN article, The President of Ireland, Mary McAleese said of Makem after his death, "Always the consummate musician, he was also a superb ambassador for the country, and one of whom we will always be proud."
Also, according to his son Conor, Makem was able to visit Ireland last month. He received an honorary degree and also returned to his hometown in Armagh for one last time.
"He had very much wanted to get over there," said his son Conor. "I think he knew it might have been his last time over."
Most of us know someone who has or had cancer -- a relative, a friend, a neighbour. Some of us know people who have or had cancer and we don't even know it. And then there are people we don't know but who we know of, people whose stories we know even though we've never met them. This blog lists 10 famous people who've battled cancer and I'll admit that some of these I didn't know. Here they are:
Bob Marley: The iconic musician died as a result of melanoma
Kylie Minogue: This starlet was diagnosed with breast cancer a few years ago but it's in remission now.
Delta Goodrem: This Aussie popstar was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Disease when she was 18 and is since in remission
Tom Synder, host of NBC's The Tomorrow Show passed away on Sunday from leukemia. Synder told the world on his webpage in 2005 that he had been diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
The Tomorrow show aired in 1972 after The Tonight show with Johnny Carson. In 1995 he returned to late night TV starring in The Late Late show with Tom Synder.
His longtime producer and friend Mike Horowicz said "He was a great guy and very talented".
June passed away in April, she was 82. She was one of Canada's most celebrated authors and social advocates. She helped the homeless, dealt with issues of racism and injustice. She did much volunteer work.
In 2004, June was diagnosed with inoperable cancer and refused to undergo treatments.
I came across a last interview with her that I thought was very moving. She talks about her life, her marriage, and the fact that her cancer is terminal.
Patricia reported earlier this week that movie critic Joel Siegel had died of colon cancer at the age of 63. Unlike almost everyone in North America, I'm not that into movies and though I had heard Siegel's name, I didn't really know much about him. But I wish I did, after watching this video on Siegel's life, his fight with cancer and his undying support for a cause he so firmly believed in; Cancer awareness.
After Siegel's first wife died of brain cancer at a young age, the critic began to talk publicly about cancer, and it's with tragic irony that he passed away from the disease that worked so hard to fight. Siegel's final days were marked with deep regret that he didn't get screened for cancer sooner, as his doctors told him that if he had been tested a mere 3 years earlier, he would have had a much better chance at seeing his young son grow up.
Cancer's lost a brave and powerful spokesperson, and I hope his message and memory lives on for a long time.
Advertising executive and author Lois Wyse died Friday at her Manhattan home of stomach cancer. She was 80.
Perhaps best known for her famous slogan, With a name like Smucker's, it has to be good, Wyse -- who founded Wyse Advertising with her first husband Marc and went on to win the J.M. Smucker Company account -- was also the brains behind this name: Bed, Bath & Beyond. The small retail chain began as Bed and Bath. Wyse thought it would fare better with a more complete name.
Wyse was a powerful woman in business. Her company was chosen to create the first television advertising campaign for New Woman magazine. She was was the first woman on the board of the Consolidated Natural Gas Company and the Higbee Company, and she was a founding member of both the Committee of 200, a group of women with executive jobs, and of Catalyst, a women's research organization.
I wrote on June 29 about the serious health condition of Opera singer Beverly Sills. At the time, Sills -- sick with cancer -- was in a Manhattan hospital, gravely ill, with her daughter by her side. I didn't name her cancer because I didn't know of her specific condition. Now, as I've just learned of her death, I know more about her illness.
Sills, described in this news story as "the Brooklyn-born opera diva who was a global icon of can-do American culture with her dazzling voice, bubbly personality and management moxie in the arts world," died on Monday of inoperable lung cancer at the age of 78. She died at her Manhattan home with her family and doctor by her side. She was a non-smoker.
Edward Yang, best director winner at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival, died Friday at his Beverly Hills home from complications of colon cancer. He had been battling the disease for seven years but kept his condition private. He was 59.
Yang, an American citizen born in Shanghai, first made a career for himself as a computer engineer. On his 30th birthday, he decided to change directions. He became a filmmaker.
Known for his realistic movie portrayals of modern Taiwan, Yang favored stories set in the Taiwanese capital, Taipei. He is responsible for the 1991 film A Brighter Summer Day. First-time actor Chang Chen worked on this film and then went on to star in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, the Ang Lee kung fu hit.
After learning at the age of 57 that he had cancer and had only a 70% chance of even seeing his first child's birth, he wrote a book for his son to tell him all that he wanted him to know, just in case he wasn't around to tell these things to him in person.
"Lessons for Dylan" is the story of Siegels's life. It tells of his first wife Jane who died of brain cancer after only six years of marriage, his travels, his work in civil rights and his career in broadcasting. He also wrote of his deep pride in his Jewish heritage.
From David Estin, President of ABC News, "Joel was an important part of ABC News and we will miss him. He was a brilliant reviewer and a great reporter. But much more, he was our dear friend and colleague. Our thoughts and prayers are with Joel's family."
Liz Claiborne, fashion designer for working women climbing corporate ladders, died Tuesday at the New York Presbyterian Hospital after battling cancer for many years. She was 78.
Said Bill McComb, CEO of Claiborne's company since November: "In losing Liz Claiborne, we have not only lost the founder of our company, but an inspirational woman who revolutionized the fashion industry 30 years ago. Her commitment to style and design is ever present in our thinking and the way we work. We will remember Liz for her vision, her entrepreneurial spirit and her enduring compassion and generosity."
Claiborne, with husband Art Ostenberg and partners Leonard Boxer and Jerome Chazen, launched her label in 1976 after working for years as an unknown dress designer. Her brand featured ensemble sportswear with price tags below that of other designers and revolutionized the department store industry. Once compartmentalized, with pants in one department and skirts in another, Claiborne's coordinated clothing inspired the merging of once-separate departments.
Keyboardist and songwriter Richard Bell, one-time member of Janis Joplin's band, died one June 15 of multiple myeloma in a Toronto hospital. He was 61.
Bell, who began playing with Joplin's Full Tilt Boogie Band in 1970, was diagnosed with cancer one year ago. He received intensive treatment and made a comeback, despite his poor prognosis. This past spring, however, his cancer returned.
Bell is also known for his musical work with artists such as Bob Dylan, Judy Collins, Joe Walsh, Paul Butterfield, The Cowboy Junkies, Bruce Cockburn, and Bonnie Raitt. His most recent gig was with the Toronto jazz and blue group Pork Bellies Futures.
He is survived by his mother, his sister, and his nieces and nephews.
High-profile television and newspaper gosspip columnist Claudia Cohen, most recently a regular correspondent covering entertainment for the syndicated talk show Live With Regis and Kelly, died Friday of ovarian cancer. She was 56.
Known for her aggressive pursuit of celebrity news and her public divorce from billionaire businessman Ronald O. Perelman, Cohen first hit the spotlight in the late 1970s as a reporter and editor for Page Six of The New York Post. She went on to write a gossip column titled I, Claudia for The Daily News of New York, report for Live with Regis and Kathie Lee, and dish celebrity dirt for ABC's The Morning Show.
Cohen is survived by her parents, a brother, and a daughter.
Ed Friendly, television producer and thoroughbred horse owner, helped create the hits Little House on the Prairie and Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In has died from cancer.
The show Laugh-In, that he co-created, won several Emmys. Ed served as an infantry captain in World War II. His jobs included advertising, radio and later television director, director of sales for ABC, contract producer at CBS and he eventually became NBC's vice president of special programs. Looks like he had all the major networks covered!
Friendly is survived by his second wife, a daughter, son, and three grandchildren.
You may not have heard of 75-year-old KTLA news anchor Hal Fishman unless you live in California, but his is an alarming story, and one that's all-too-familiar to some of us. Fishman, who had been a new anchor for 50 years, died last Tuesday of cancer, less than a week after he was diagnosed with it. Fishman saw his doctor last week after collapsing in his home, and it was discovered that he had colon cancer that had spread to his liver. Unfortunately, his family didn't have much time to say goodbye and he passed away at home at 3am on Tuesday.
Lee Hazlewood, well known for his famous song, "These Boots were Made For Walkin'" has died. Hazlewood was 78 and died of
Tommy Makem, legendary Irish singer, has died of lung cancer at the age of 74, according to the 
Most of us know someone who has or had cancer -- a relative, a friend, a neighbour. Some of us know people who have or had cancer and we don't even know it. And then there are people we don't know but who we know of, people whose stories we know even though we've never met them. 
Tom Synder, host of NBC's The Tomorrow Show passed away on Sunday from leukemia. Synder told the world on his webpage in 2005 that he had been diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
June passed away in April, she was 82. She was one of Canada's most celebrated authors and social advocates. She helped the homeless, dealt with issues of racism and injustice. She did much volunteer work.
Patricia reported earlier this week that movie critic Joel Siegel had died of colon cancer at the age of 63. Unlike almost everyone in North America, I'm not that into movies and though I had heard Siegel's name, I didn't really know much about him. But I wish I did, after watching 
Advertising executive and author Lois Wyse died Friday at her Manhattan home of stomach cancer. She was 80.
I wrote on June 29 about the 
Edward Yang, best director winner at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival, died Friday at his Beverly Hills home from complications of colon cancer. He had been battling the disease for seven years but kept his condition private. He was 59.
ABC movie critic, Joel Siegel, has died of colon cancer today at the age of 63.
Liz Claiborne, fashion designer for working women climbing corporate ladders, died Tuesday at the New York Presbyterian Hospital after battling cancer for many years. She was 78.
Keyboardist and songwriter Richard Bell, one-time member of Janis Joplin's band, died one June 15 of multiple myeloma in a Toronto hospital. He was 61.
High-profile television and newspaper gosspip columnist Claudia Cohen, most recently a regular correspondent covering entertainment for the syndicated talk show Live With Regis and Kelly, died Friday of ovarian cancer. She was 56.
Ed Friendly, television producer and thoroughbred horse owner, helped create the hits Little House on the Prairie and Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In has died from cancer.
