Results tagged “death”

Wife of Christo, and artist herself, Jeanne-Claude has died at age 74. She co-created the 2005 "Gates" installation, that spanned 23 miles in Central Park, alongside her husband (the installation brought $254 million to the local economy here). Mayor Bloomberg spoke with Christo this morning to offer condolences on the behalf of the city, where Jeanne-Claude died last night of a brain aneurysm.

Yesterday afternoon it was reported that Ken Ober, best known as the host of MTV's Remote Control, died on Sunday at the age of 52. The cause of death hasn't been announced, but his agent has come out with some details, saying: "His body was discovered in his home. The last person to have spoken to him was on Saturday morning. No foul play is suspected, no suicide, it looks like natural causes, just no one knows the exact cause yet."

All afternoon rumors have been flying around the internet with news that Ken Ober has died. We weren't about to fall for another Zach Braff-esque death scare, but sadly it has now been confirmed that the former host of MTV's Remote Control died suddenly over the weekend.

Yesterday morning an amateur surfer died in the storm-fueled waves off the Rockaways. The NY Post reports that the 36-year-old male's leash became tangled to a jetty, where a wave had knocked him and his board — he then allegedly suffered a heart attack. Police say he was only a few feet off short when they found him at 9:25 a.m., and was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital. WCBS reports that surfers have been attracted to the waves Hurricane Ida is sending, but one said of the novice: "It wasn't the right day to practice for him."

The mystery is being lifted little-by-little around James Jackson, whose tombstone was recently unearthed in Washington Square Park. In under a week it was theorized that Jackson resided at 19 East George Street (the former name of Market Street), and was a watchman and grocer.

The NYC Transit bus driver who struck and killed 22-year-old Seth Kahn last week is probably regretting some previous Facebook status updates. Following the accident last Wednesday, it came out that Jeremy Philhower had been suspended previously for texting and updating his Facebook while on the job.

The man who was with Jerry Fuchs during his final moments in an elevator in Williamsburg says he hasn't been able to sleep since the incident on early Sunday morning. The Daily News talked to Stephen Alessi, who was going to the same party, but didn't know Fuchs personally. He told the paper, "I tried to reach out for him. I was too far and it happened so fast, in a split second."

Last Wednesday morning a 22-year-old Seth Kahn was struck and killed by a bus while crossing the street at West 53rd Street and 9th Avenue. Area residents noted that the intersection was dangerous, one being hit there just two months ago. Now the Daily News reports on the bus driver's history.

Early Sunday morning Brooklyn musician Jerry Fuchs died after falling down an elevator shaft at 338 Berry Street in Williamsburg. As we mentioned yesterday, Fuchs was attending a benefit party there thrown by the Uniform Project, and it was around 12:30 a.m. that the manual freight elevator in the converted loft building became stuck between the 4th and 5th floors. A friend jumped off to safety, but when Fuchs followed his clothing became stuck and he fell down the shaft.

At around 1:15 this morning a report came in over the newswire that a male had fallen down an elevator shaft at Broadway and Berry Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. A reader sent in photos shortly after, and the building the incident took place in is actually at 338 Berry, between South 4th and South 5th streets — a former noodle factory converted into various multi-use spaces, including residential lofts. The victim was at a party in the building being hosted by the Uniform Project. After the fall he was in serious condition, unconscious and unresponsive. We'll update when we get more details.

Yesterday morning a 22-year-old man was killed when an MTA bus struck him at the corner of West 53rd Street and 9th Avenue. He was rushed to Roosevelt hospital but was pronounced dead by 9:11 a.m.

The Jane Hotel can't seem to keep anyone happy! The neighbors have already led a crusade to get their club shut down, and now a recent paying customer at the hotel has quite a story about his stay there—which he tells on his blog, in a post titled I Smell Dead People.

Early this morning we received an email from an NYU student who was studying at Bobst Library. He told us that around 4:30 a.m. he heard a "huge boom" that ended up being a successful suicide attempt. He told us the "kid must have jumped from high judging from where he landed in the lobby. Couldn't tell his condition from what I saw. I was told by a cop on the scene that he didn't look good."

Get ready for another NY Post expose on the jaywalking epidemic. It's being reported that a 22-year-old Bronx man was killed after being hit by a city bus while "darting" across the street. The Daily News notes that Luis Rivera was "crossing midblock when he was crushed by a Bx21 bus heading north on Boston Road in Tremont at 10:30 p.m. Saturday." They add that the bus driver was not drunk and has a clean driving record, but that Rivera was jaywalking.

The Palm Beach medical examiner's office says that Jeffry Picower, who allegedly took in $7 billion from friend Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme, died by a drowning that was caused by a massive heart attack. ABC News reports, "[Dr. Michael] Bell told ABC News that the toxicology results will take ten weeks and if there is anything found that could have contributed to Picower's death he will amend the death certificate."

Michael Pigott, the NYPD lieutenant who gave the order to fire a Taser that resulted in the death of an emotionally disturbed man, took responsibility for his actions - to the very end.

     

If you've ever seen Warhol's Factory, it was likely in part through the lens of Nat Finkelstein, who documented much of that era and the characters who created it. The photographer died of pneumonia and emphysema on October 2nd at the age of 76, while at his home in Shandaken, New York. The NY Times notes that he was the house photographer at the Factory from 1964 to 1967, and "created spontaneous portraits not only of Factory regulars like Sedgwick and Gerard Malanga but also of the artists and celebrities who drifted in and out of the Warhol orbit."

Following his sudden death last month in his Lafayette Street apartment, the New York City Medical Examiner has finally determined why Adam Goldstein, aka DJ AM, died at the age of 36.

During his final days as he suffered from pneumonia and hep C, Jim Carroll had returned home to the same Inwood apartment where he was raised and detailed in his classic, Carroll went back to Inwood to save money and work on his first novel (which he finished!) in the apartment now decorated simply with a poetry event poster and a photo-triptych of Kurt Cobain. A friend of his tells the Times, “There’s a lot of the poetic there, of coming full circle."

The accident occurred at the corner of Greene Avenue and Washington Avenue in Fort Greene. The rapper Common's cousin, Ajile Turner, allegedly hit cyclist Julian C. Miller with his Kawasaki, and both were pronounced DOA at Brooklyn Hospital.

Will 2009 not end until it's taken all of our most beloved souls? Mary Travers, of folk group Peter, Paul & Mary, died at the age of 72 this past Wednesday. Travers was at Danbury Hospital in Connecticut when she succumbed to "side effects of treatment from a bone-marrow transplant after battling leukemia," according to her publicist. While she started out life in Louisville, Kentucky, she moved to Greenwich Village at the age of two (and later in life she moved to Redding, Connecticut).

Actor Patrick Swayze, who had been battling pancreatic cancer, died today in Los Angeles; he was 57. His family issued a statement, "Patrick Swayze passed away peacefully today with family at his side after facing the challenges of his illness for the last 20 months." Variety writes, "Trained as a dancer, the half-Apache actor started out in teen heartthrob roles and segued into romantic leads, while also appearing onstage and weathering injuries and accidents. Swayze was raised in Houston, Texas, and his mother was a choreographer and ballet school owner. He trained with the Harkness Ballet and Joffrey Ballet Schools in New York, starting his career dancing for Disney on Parade." Swayze appeared in a number of films, such as The Outsiders and Red Dawn, but his breakout role was in Dirty Dancing, and stole hearts when he co-starred with Demi Moore in the blockbuster paranormal romance Ghost. Earlier this year, Swayze admitted he was afraid of his illness to Barbara Walters and said, "I'd say five years is pretty wishful thinking. Two years seems likely if you're going to believe statistics. I want to last until they find a cure, which means I'd better get a fire under it." After the jump, the Saturday Night Live skit featuring Swayze with Hans & Franz.

The death toll of 2009 keeps growing; the New York Aquarium has just announced that their walrus Akituusaq has died after suffering complications from pneumonia. Their statement reads: "During the past few days, Akituusaq had been under special care by Wildlife Conservation Society veterinarians and received round-the-clock attention. Working tirelessly, WCS staff closely monitored his status and provided dedicated medical care. We are deeply saddened by the loss of our beloved walrus Akituusaq and are proud of the exemplary care that our entire staff provided during this critical time. We know Brooklyn was proud of Akituusaq and many loved him. This is a loss to the whole community." As you might recall, he only just celebrated his 2nd birthday; he was born in the aquarium on June 12th, 2007—and the WCS noted that "walrus births in aquariums are very rare with only 5 surviving to one year of age."

Back in May the New York dog who was believed to be the oldest living dog in the world, named Chanel, turned 21-years-old. She had a birthday celebration at the New York Dog Spa, and even stopped by the Today Show; and at a fundraiser at Tavern on the Green, her owner, Denice Shaughnessy said, "she looked up from her stroller and seemed to say, 'Is all this for me?'" But now sad news: Chanel has moved on to that big farm upstate. Newsday reports that the dog, who wore sunglasses for her cataracts and rode in a stroller, has died after living 147 full dog years. Shaughnessy tells them, "She just inhaled and took her last breath. [She] had been telling me it's time."

Yesterday around 4 p.m. word came in on the newswire that there was a "motorcycle down" on, or just before, the Williamsburg Bridge—towards the Manhattan side. Shortly after an update came in saying the accident was fatal. There aren't many details beyond those available yet, but eyewitnesses say the motorcycle was actually a Vespa, and it was hit (and totaled) by a black car. The Vespa driver is the one who died, and URB Magazine reports it was deejay Josh Link (friends are confirming on Twitter). Many witnessed the scene, which has been described as bloody, and one even posted their thoughts on Craigslist, noting that late last night there were burning candles where the crash happened. UPDATE: It has been confirmed that Josh Link was the victim in this sad accident, and services will be held on Long Island tomorrow.

The latest victim of the deadly '09 is guitar legend Les Paul. He was 94 and at a White Plains hospital where he succumbed to complications from pneumonia today. Even into his old age, and with arthritis, he was performing at the Iridium Jazz Club on Broadway. His biography is stacked with genius, but he's probably best known for pioneering the development of the solid-body electric guitar, which is, you know, the backbone of the rock and roll sound. CNN lists off his many accomplishments both behind the guitar and in the studio, and talks to Gibson's CEO Henry Juszkiewicz, who told them more about the man behind it all; "The world has lost a truly innovative and exceptional human being today. I cannot imagine life without Les Paul. He would walk into a room and put a smile on anyone's face. His musical charm was extraordinary and his techniques unmatched anywhere in the world." After the jump catch him playing the Iridium just two years ago (and here's a video from his younger years).

One of NYC's skateboarding legends, Andy Kessler, died yesterday in Montauk at the age of 49. Initial reports are stating that the cause of death was an allergic reaction to a hornet sting. In 2005, New York magazine profiled the skater and the Zoo York tribe he was a part of, just as the West Coast skaters were getting all the attention on the big screen.

Sure, Lonely Island may have made flip flops the height of summer fashion fun (they didn't) with their catchy lyric: "I got my swim trunks, and my flippie-floppies"—but whether you're on or off a boat, this staple is the latest subject of a slow news summer scaremonger report! The Daily News warns that many New Yorkers just love their flip floppy footwear, but make no mistake: THEY WILL KILL YOU. Are you wearing open toe shoes right now? Read on.

It's been over a week now since Dash Snow was confirmed dead from an overdose, and today the NY Times sheds some light on what exactly happened to the artist, who would have turned 28 on Monday, during his last hours.

With space at Brooklyn's historic Green-Wood Cemetery at a premium these days, the Times tracks down the one man perhaps most responsible for the few remaining plots as they begin to expire. 54-year-old Lithuanian immigrant Kestutis Demereckas (known as Kestas) is Green-Wood's sole groundskeeper-turned-engineer, who will know for certain when the last body can be buried there, saying that after he is gone there will be no room, even for "Mr. Obama." He has been finding room for new bodies where there appeared to be none for two decades and tells the paper, “Sometimes I work three or four days, only to find no room. Nobody thought, ‘Someday Kestas will come looking for graves.’ ” More than half of Green-Wood's bodies date back over a century; these days plots where bodies are generally stacked on top of one another can fetch up to $60,000 for a family of nine. Kestas is exactly the kind of icy yet welcoming figure you'd hope for at a graveyard—he openly shares tales of his wife's desire to be buried in his workplace when she had a fatal illness (she survived) and the time he came across "The Hill of Graves" to wonder, "‘Why are these lots so small?’ And I find out. Babies.”