On this day in 1536, Princess of Wales as the wife of Prince Arthur, as the wife of King Henry VII, Queen of England from 1509 until 1533, Catherine of Aragon died at Kimbolton Castle at the age of 50. Born at the Archbishop’s Palace in Alcalá de Henares near Madrid, on the night of 16 December 1485. She was the youngest surviving child of King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile. Catherine was three years old when she was betrothed to Prince Arthur, heir apparent to the English throne. They married in 1501, and Arthur died five months later. In 1507, she held the position of ambassador for the Spanish Court in England, becoming the first female ambassador in European history. Catherine subsequently married Arthur’s younger brother, the recently succeeded Henry VIII, in 1509. For six months in 1513, she served as regent of England while Henry VIII was in France. During that time the English won the Battle of Flodden, an event in which Catherine played an important part. By 1525, Henry VIII was infatuated with his mistress, Anne Boleyn, and dissatisfied that his marriage to Catherine had produced no surviving sons, leaving their daughter, the future Mary I of England, as heiress presumptive at a time when there was no established precedent for a woman on the throne. He sought to have their marriage annulled, setting in motion a chain of events that led to England’s schism with the Catholic Church. When Pope Clement VII refused to annul the marriage, Henry defied him by assuming supremacy over religious matters. In 1533 their marriage was declared invalid and Henry married Anne on the judgement of clergy in England, without reference to the Pope. Catherine refused to accept Henry as Supreme Head of the Church of England and considered herself the King’s rightful wife and queen, attracting much popular sympathy. Despite this, she was acknowledged only as Dowager Princess of Wales by Henry.
The Final Footprint – Catherine was entombed in Peterborough Cathedral with the ceremony due to a Dowager Princess of Wales, not a queen. Henry did not attend the funeral and forbade Mary to attend. Catherine’s English subjects held her in high esteem, and her death set off tremendous mourning among the English people. The controversial book The Education of Christian Women by Juan Luis Vives, which claimed women have the right to an education, was commissioned by and dedicated to her. Such was Catherine’s impression on people that even her enemy, Thomas Cromwell, said of her, “If not for her sex, she could have defied all the heroes of History.”
On this day in 1899, Texas Ranger, Big Foot Wallace, died in Big Foot, Texas at the age of 82. Born William Alexander Anderson Wallace on 3 April 1817 in Lexington, Virginia. Wallace was a famous Texas Ranger who took part in many of the military conflicts of the Republic of Texas and the United States in the 1840s, including the Mexican-American War. Reportedly a descendant of Scottish hero William Wallace. Larry McMurtry included a fictionalized version of Wallace in his Lonesome Dove prequel, Dead Man’s Walk. In this book, Wallace is one of the Rangers who signs on with Augustus McCrae and Woodrow Call to go on the Texas Santa Fe Expedition. My Heroes have always been Cowboys.
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he Final Footprint – Wallace was originally interred in Devine, Texas, but the Texas legislature appropriated the necessary funds to have him disinterred and reinterred in a place of honor in the Texas State Cemetery, Austin, Texas. His grave is marked by a large granite marker inscribed with his name and birth and death dates and the following; HERE LIES HE WHO SPENT HIS MANHOOD DEFENDING THE HOMES OF TEXAS. BRAVE HONEST AND FAITHFUL. Other notable final footprints at Texas State Cemetery include; Stephen F. Austin, John B. Connally, Nellie Connally, J. Frank Dobie, Barbara Jordan, Tom Landry (cenotaph), James A. Michener (cenotaph), Ann Richards, Edwin “Bud” Shrake, and Walter Prescott Webb.
#RIP #OTD in 2015 actor (The Time Machine, Giant, One Hundred and One Dalmatians, The Birds, Darker than Amber, The Train Robbers, Inglourious Basterds), Rod Taylor died from a heart attack at his home in Beverly Hills, aged 81. Cremation
On this day in 2018, French yé-yé singer France Gall died from cancer at the American Hospital of Paris in Neuilly-sur-Seine, at the age of 70. Born Isabelle Geneviève Marie Anne Gall on 9 October 1947 in . In 1965, aged 17, she won the Eurovision Song Contest. Between 1973 and 1992, she collaborated with singer-songwriter Michel Berger.
Gall married Berger, on 22 June 1976. He died of a heart attack in 1992, at age 44.
As a farewell to her career, a documentary movie was shot in 2001, France Gall par France Gall and millions watched the documentary when it was broadcast on French television that year. Gall staged and appeared in the 2007 France 2 documentary, Tous pour la musique, marking the 15th anniversary of Berger’s death.
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Gall is entombed in Cimetière de Montmartre in the 18th arrondissement of Paris. Other notable final footprints at Montmartre include; Hector Berlioz, Dalida, Edgar Degas, Alexandre Dumas, fils, Marie Duplessis, Théophile Gautier, Gustave Moreau, Jeanne Moreau, Henri Murger, Jacques Offenbach, Stendhal, François Truffaut, Horace Vernet, and Alfred de Vigny.
On this day in 2020, musician, songwriter, author, drummer and primary lyricist of the rock band Rush, The Professor, Neil Peart died of glioblastoma in Santa Monica, California at the age of 67. Born Neil Ellwood Peart on September 12, 1952 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. His drumming was renowned for its technical proficiency and his live performances for their exacting nature and stamina.
Peart grew up in Port Dalhousie (now part of St. Catharines). During adolescence, he floated between regional bands in pursuit of a career as a full-time drummer. After a discouraging stint in England to concentrate on his music, Peart returned home, where he joined Rush, a Toronto band, in mid-1974, six years after its formation. They released nineteen studio albums, with ten exceeding a million copies sold in the United States. He drew his early inspiration from drummers Keith Moon, Ginger Baker, and John Bonham, players who were at the forefront of the British hard rock scene. As time passed, he began to emulate jazz and big band musicians Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich. In 1994, Peart became a friend and pupil of jazz instructor Freddie Gruber. It was during this time that Peart decided to revamp his playing style by incorporating jazz and swing components.
In addition to serving as Rush’s primary lyricist, Peart published several memoirs about his travels. His lyrics for Rush addressed universal themes and diverse subjects including science fiction, fantasy, and philosophy, as well as secular, humanitarian, and libertarian themes. Peart wrote a total of seven nonfiction books focused on his travels and personal stories.
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He had been diagnosed three and a half years earlier, and his illness was a closely guarded secret in Peart’s inner circle until his death. His family made the announcement on January 10.
From the official Rush website:
It is with broken hearts and the deepest sadness that we must share the terrible news that on Tuesday our friend, soul brother and band mate of over 45 years, Neil, has lost his incredibly brave three and a half year battle with brain cancer (Glioblastoma). We ask that friends, fans and media alike understandably respect the family’s need for privacy and peace at this extremely painful and difficult time. Those wishing to express their condolences can choose a cancer research group or charity of their choice and make a donation in Neil’s name.
Peart was cremated.
#RIP #OTD in 2021 film director (Coal Miner’s Daughter, Gorillas in the Mist, Nell, James Bond film The World Is Not Enough, Enigma, Amazing Grace, Gorky Park) Michael Apted died at his home in Los Angeles aged 79. Cremation
#RIP #OTD in 2021 professional baseball pitcher and Hall of Fame manager (2x World Series Champion with the Los Angeles Dodgers) Tommy Lasorda died from a heart attack in Fullerton, California, aged 93. Rose Hills Memorial Park in Whittier, California next to his son
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On this day in 1993, jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, Dizzy Gillespie died from pancreatic cancer in Englewood, New Jersey at the age of 75. Born John Birks Gillespie on 21 October 1917 in Cheraw, South Carolina. In my opinon Gillespie’s had an important influence on jazz and was one of the greatest jazz trumpeters of all time. Gillespie was a trumpet virtuoso and improviser and added layers of harmonic complexity previously unknown in jazz. His beret and horn-rimmed spectacles, his scat singing, his bent horn, pouched cheeks and his light-hearted personality were essential in popularizing bebop. In the 1940s Gillespie, together with Charlie Parker, became a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz. Gillespie was married to Lorraine Willis (1940 – 1993 his death). 
On this day in 1993, ballet and contemporary dancer and choreographer, Lord of the Dance, Rudolf Nureyev died from AIDS complications at the hospital Notre Dame du Perpétuel Secours in Levallois-Perret, at the age of 54. Born Rudolf Khametovich Nureyev on 17 March 1938 on a Trans-Siberian train near Irkutsk, Siberia, Soviet Union. He was director of the Paris Opera Ballet from 1983 to 1989 and its chief choreographer until October 1992. In my opinion, Nureyev is the greatest male ballet dancer of his generation.
On this day in 2006, singer, songwriter, actor, voice actor, and record producer Lou Rawls died from lung cancer at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 72. Born Louis Allen Rawls on December 1, 1933 in Rawls released more than 60 albums, sold more than 40 million records, and had numerous charting singles, most notably his song “You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine”. He worked as a film, television, and voice actor. He was also a three-time Grammy-winner, all for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance.
On this day in 1066, Anglo-Saxon king of England and saint, Edward the Confessor, died in London at the apporoximate age of 62. Born c. 1003 in Islip, Oxfordshire, England, the son of Æthelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy. Edward’s reign began in 1042 on the death of his half brother Harthacanut; the king of Denmark and England was the son of Cnut the Great and Emma of Normandy, Edward’s mother. His reign restored the rule of the House of Wessex after the period of Danish rule since Cnut had conquered England in 1016 but marked the continuing disintegration of royal power in England and the advancing power of the earls. Edward married Edith of Wessex but the union was childless. When Edward died in 1066 he had no son to take over the throne and conflict arose as three men claimed the throne of England. His nearest heir would have been his great nephew Edgar Ætheling who was 14 at the time. Edward made a deathbed bestowal of the crown on Harold Godwinson, the brother of Queen Edith. The Viking king, Harald III of Norway based a claim to the throne of England on an agreement supposedly made by Magnus and Harthacnut, which stated that if either died, the other would inherit the deceased’s throne and lands. When Harthacnut died, Magnus assumed the crown of Denmark, but did not press his claim on England, allowing Edward to take the throne. William, Duke of Normandy (William the Conqueror), whose great aunt Emma was Edward’s mother, claimed that Edward promised him the throne upon Edward’s death. The resulting conflict led to the Norman Conquest and the subsequent influence of Norman-French culture on England. Osbert de Clare, a monk of Westminster, represented Edward as a holy man, reported to have performed several miracles and to have healed people by his touch. Edward had a stone abbey built at Westminster Abbey which became the traditional place for English and British royalty coronations and burials. 
On this day in 1589, Italian noblewoman, as the wife of King Henry II, the Queen of France from 1547 until 1559, 
On this day in 1979, jazz double bassist, pianist, composer and bandleader, The Angry Man of Jazz, Charles Mingus died from ALS in Cuernavaca, Mexico, at the age of 56. Born Charles Mingus Jr. on April 22, 1922 on the US Army base in Nogales, Arizona. A major proponent of collective improvisation, in my opinion, he is one of the greatest jazz musicians and composers in history. His career spanned three decades.
On this day in 1998, singer-songwriter, producer, actor, and politician Sonny Bono died in a skiing accident at Heavenly Mountain Resort near South Lake Tahoe, California, at the age of 62. Born Salvatore Phillip Bono on February 16, 1935 in Detroit. He came to fame in partnership with his second wife Cher, as the popular singing duo Sonny & Cher. He was mayor of Palm Springs, California from 1988 to 1992, and the Republican congressman for California’s 44th district from 1995 until his death in 1998.
Bono married his first wife, Donna Rankin, on November 3, 1954. They divorced in 1962. In 1964, Bono married Cher. In 1975 they divorced. Bono then married Susie Coelho in 1983, but divorced her within a year in 1984. He wed Mary Whitaker in 1986.
On this day in 1960, author, journalist, and philosopher, Nobel Prize laureate, Albert Camus died at the age of 46, in a car accident near Sens, in Le Grand Fossard in the small town of Villeblevin. Born 7 November 1913 in Dréan (then known as Mondovi) in French Algeria to a Pied-Noir family. His views contributed to the rise of the philosophy known as absurdism. Camus wrote in his essay “The Rebel” that his whole life was devoted to opposing the philosophy of nihilism while still delving deeply into individual freedom. Although often cited as a proponent of existentialism, the philosophy with which Camus was associated during his own lifetime, he rejected this particular label. In an interview in 1945, Camus rejected any ideological associations: “No, I am not an existentialist. Sartre and I are always surprised to see our names linked…” Though Sartre later accepted the association to existentialism. In 1949, Camus founded the Group for International Liaisons within the Revolutionary Union Movement after his split with Garry Davis’s Citizens of the World movement. The formation of this group, according to Camus, was intended to “denounce two ideologies found in both the USSR and the USA” regarding their idolatry of technology. Camus was awarded the 1957 Nobel Prize for Literature “for his important literary production, which with clear-sighted earnestness illuminates the problems of the human conscience in our times”. 
On this day in 1965, Nobel Prize winning poet and playwright, T. S. Eliot, died from emphysema in London at the age of 76. Born Thomas Stearns Eliot on 26 September 1888 in St. Louis, Missouri. In my opinion, one of the most important English-language poets of the 20th century. The poem that made his name, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock is quite possibly a masterpiece of the modernist movement. Eliot’s other well known poems include; Gerontion (1920), The Waste Land (1922), The Hollow Men (1925), Ash Wednesday (1930), and Four Quartets (1945). He is also known for his seven plays, particularly Murder in the Cathedral (1935). The musical Cats, composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, is based on Eliot’s collection of whimsical poems, Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats. Eliot graduated from Harvard. Eliot married twice; Vivienne Haigh-Wood (1915 – 1947 her death) and Esmé Valerie Fletcher (1957 – 1965 his death). 
In 1967, on the second anniversary of his death, Eliot was commemorated by the placement of a large stone in the floor of Poets’ Corner in London’s Westminster Abbey. The stone, cut by designer Reynolds Stone, is inscribed with his life dates, his Order of Merit, and a quotation from his poem Little Gidding;
On this day in 1986, Irish singer and musician who is best known for being the founding member, principal songwriter, lead vocalist and bassist of the Irish rock band Thin Lizzy, Phil Lynott died of pneumonia and heart failure due to sepsis in Salisbury District Hospital’s intensive care unit, at the age of 36. Born Philip Parris Lynott on 20 August 1949 in Hallam Hospital (now Sandwell General Hospital) in West Bromwich (then in Staffordshire), England. Lynott married Caroline Crowther (1980 – 1986 his death). Of course my favorite Thin Lizzy song is 
On this day in 1967, the man who shot and killed Lee Harvey Oswald, Jack Ruby died of a pulmonary embolism, secondary to bronchogenic carcinoma (lung cancer), at the age of 55 at Parkland Hospital in Dallas, where Oswald had died and where President John F. Kennedy had been pronounced dead after his assassination. Exactly what Ruby’s motive was for killing Oswald is a matter of conjecture. Some view him as a key player in a conspiracy plot while others view him merely as a publicity-seeker. Born Jacob Leon Rubenstein on 25 March 1911 in Chicago.
On this day in 2009, U.S. Navy veteran, Texas Longhorn and actor, Pat Hingle, died at his home in Carolina Beach, North Carolina at the age of 84. Born Martin Patterson Hingle on 19 July 1924 in Miami, Florida. Hingle enlisted in the U.S. Navy in December 1941, dropping out of the University of Texas. He served on the destroyer USS Marshall during World War II. 
He returned to the University of Texas after the war and earned a degree in radio broadcasting. In my opinion, his finest performances were in two movies starring Clint Eastwood; Hang ’em High (1968) and Sudden Impact (1983). Hingle is also well know for his role as Commissioner Gordon in the Batman movies. He was married twice; Alyce Faye Dorsey (1947 – 1972 divorced) and Julia Wright (1979 – 2009 his death).
On this day in 1953, legendary singer-songwriter and American Icon, Luke the Drifter, Hank Williams, died in the back seat of a 1952 baby blue Cadillac convertible somewhere between Bristol, Virginia and Oak Hill, West Virginia, at the age of 29. Born Hiram King Williams on 17 September 1923 in Mount Olive, Alabama. Father of Hank Williams, Jr. and grandfather of Hank III. In my opinion, the greatest country music star of all time. His songs have been recorded by hundreds of other artists, many of whom have also had hits with the tunes, in a range including pop, gospel, blues and rock styles. My favorite Hank songs include; “Lovesick Blues”, “Long Gone Lonesome Blues”, “Why Don’t You Love Me”, “Moanin’ the Blues”, “Cold, Cold Heart”, “Hey Good Lookin'”, “Your Cheatin’ Heart”, “Take These Chains from My Heart”, “Move it on Over”, “Mind Your Own Business”, “Dear John”, “Crazy Heart”. Songs that pay tribute to Williams include; “The Ride” by David Allan Coe, “Hank Williams Said it Best” by Guy Clark, “The Night Hank Williams came to Town” by Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings, “Are You sure Hank Done it this Way” by Jennings, “The Conversation” by Hank, Jr. and Jennings, “The Great Hank” by Robert Earl Keen, “If You Don’t Like Hank Williams” by Kris Kristofferson, and “I Feel like Hank Williams Tonight” by Jerry Jeff Walker. His band was called the Driftin Cowboys. Williams married twice; Audrey Sheppard (1943 – 1952 divorce) and Billie Jean Jones Eshlimar (1952 – 1953 his death). I created a real country music station on slacker.com called All Three Hanks. 
Hank’s grave is a granite cowboy hat on a granite base inscribed with; LUKE THE DRIFTER, MEN WITH BROKEN HEARTS, I JUST TOLD MAMA GOODBY. Between the graves is a granite tablet with the following inscription: PLEASE DO NOT DESECRATE THIS SACRED SPOT. MANY THANKS HANK WILLIAMS, JR. A life size bronze statue has been erected adjacent to the Montgomery City Hall, the site of many of his concerts and his funeral.
On this day in 1997, singer, songwriter, Townes Van Zandt died from a heart attack at his home in Smyrna, Tennessee at the age of 52. Born John Townes Van Zandt on 7 March 1944 in Fort Worth, Texas. Many of his songs, including “If I Needed You” and “To Live Is to Fly”, are considered standards. Van Zandt had a devoted fanbase, but he never had a successful album or single. In 1983, six years after Emmylou Harris had first popularized it, Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard covered his song “Pancho and Lefty,” scoring a number one hit on the Billboard country music charts. Van Zandt was notorious for his drug addictions and alcoholism. Van Zandt married three times; Fran Petters (1965 – 1970 divorce), Cindy Morgan (1978 – 1983 divorce), and Jeanene Munsell (1983 – 1994). 
On this day in 1877 painter Gustave Courbet died in La Tour-de-Peilz, Switzerland, of liver disease aggravated by heavy drinking at the age of 58. Born Jean Désiré Gustave Courbet on 10 June 1819 in Ornans (department of Doubs), France. Courbet led the Realist movement in 19th-century French painting. Committed to painting only what he could see, he rejected academic convention and the Romanticism of the previous generation of visual artists. His independence set an example that was important to later artists, such as the Impressionists and the Cubists. Courbet occupies an important place in 19th-century French painting as an innovator and as an artist willing to make bold social statements through his work. Courbet’s paintings of the late 1840s and early 1850s brought him his first recognition. They challenged convention by depicting unidealized peasants and workers, often on a grand scale traditionally reserved for paintings of religious or historical subjects. Courbet’s subsequent paintings were mostly of a less overtly political character: landscapes, seascapes, hunting scenes, and nudes. He was imprisoned for six months in 1871 for his involvement with the Paris Commune, and lived in exile in Switzerland from 1873 until his death. 
Self-portrait, 1842
On this day in 1972, baseball player, United States Marine Corp Reserve, humanitarian, 15x All-Star, 2x World Series Champion, 12x Gold Glove Award winner, 4x NL batting champion, Hall of Famer, Pittsburgh Pirate, #21, Roberto Clemente died in a plane crash off the coast of Isla Verde, Puerto Rico, while in route to deliver aid to earthquake victims in Nicaragua, at the age of 38. Born Roberto Clemente Walker on 18 August 1934 in barrio San Antón, Carolina, Puerto Rico. Clemente was a right fielder who played 18 seasons for the Pirates from 1955 through 1972. He was a National League, Most Valuable Player once. In 1972, Clemente got his 3,000th major league hit. Clemente was involved in charity work in Puerto Rico and Latin American countries during the off seasons, often delivering baseball equipment and food to those in need. Clemente was inducted posthumously to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973, becoming the first Latin American to be enshrined. He was also one of only two Hall of Fame members for whom the mandatory five-year waiting period had been waived, the other being Lou Gehrig in 1939. Clemente is the first Latino player to win a World Series as a starter (1960), to receive a National League MVP Award (1966) (Zoilo Versalles won the AL MVP IN ’65,) and to receive a World Series MVP Award (1971).
On this day in 1985, singer-songwriter, musician, and actor, Ricky Nelson, died in De Kalb, Texas at the age of 45. Born Eric Hilliard Nelson on 8 May 1940 in Teaneck, New Jersey. Most probably remember him best as Ozzie and Harriet Nelson’s son and the show The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet or for his hit songs. I remember him best in his role as Colorado from the Howard Hawk‘s movie Rio Bravo starring John Wayne, Dean Martin and Walter Brennan. The day after Christmas 1985, Nelson and his band left for a three-stop tour of the Southern United States. Following shows in Orlando, Florida and Guntersville, Alabama, Nelson and band members boarded a vintage DC-3 in Guntersville and took off for a New Year’s Eve extravaganza in Dallas, Texas. The plane crashed northeast of Dallas in De Kalb. Seven were killed: Nelson and his fiancée, Helen Blair; bassist Patrick Woodward; drummer Rick Intveld; keyboardist Andy Chapin; guitarist Bobby Neal; and road manager/soundman Donald Clark Russell. Nelson was married once to Sharon Kristin Harmon (1963 – 1982 divorce). 
On this day in 1994, athlete, U. S. Army veteran, and actor Woody Strode died of lung cancer in Glendora, California, aged 80. Born Woodrow Wilson Woolwine Strode on July 25, 1914 in Los Angeles. He was a decathlete and football star who was one of the first African American players in the National Football League in the postwar era. After football, he went on to become a film actor, where he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Spartacus in 1960.
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On this day in 2015, singer, songwriter, actress, Natalie Cole died at the age of 65 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, due to congestive heart failure. Born Natalie Maria Cole on February 6, 1950 at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital in Los Angeles, the daughter of Nat King Cole and former Duke Ellington Orchestra singer Maria Hawkins Ellington, and raised in the affluent Hancock Park district of Los Angeles. She rose to musical success in the mid-1970s as an R&B artist with the hits “This Will Be”, “Inseparable” (1975), and “Our Love” (1977). Cole re-emerged as a pop artist with the 1987 album Everlasting and her cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “Pink Cadillac”. In the 1990s, she re-recorded standards by her father, resulting in her biggest success, Unforgettable… with Love, which sold over seven million copies and also won Cole seven Grammy Awards.
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On this day in 1979, composer of music and one of only two people to win an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, a Tony and a Pulitzer Prize, Richard Rodgers, died in New York City at the age of 77. Born Richard Charles Rodgers into a German Jewish family in Arverne, Queens, New York on 28 June 1902. He is best known for his songwriting partnerships with the lyricists Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein II. Rodgers composed music for more than 900 songs, for 43 Broadway musicals, films and television. My favorite Rodgers and Hart songs are; “Blue Moon”, “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World”, “My Funny Valentine”, “The Lady is a Tramp”, “Falling in Love with Love”, “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered”. My favorite Rodgers and Hammerstein songs are; “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'”, “People Will Say We’re in Love”, “If I Loved You”, “You’ll Never Walk Alone”, “It Might as Well Be Spring”, “Some Enchanted Evening”, “Getting to Know You”, “My Favorite Things”, “The Sound of Music”, “Climb Ev’ry Mountain. In 1930, Rodgers married Dorothy Belle Feiner. The other person with an EGOTP is Marvin Hamlisch.
On this day in 2004, clarinetist, composer, bandleader, actor, and writer Artie Shaw died in Thousand Oaks, California at the age of 94. Born Arthur Jacob Arshawsky on May 23, 1910 in New York City. In my opinion, one of jazz’s finest clarinetists, Shaw led one of the United States’ most popular big bands in the late 1930s through the early 1940s. Perhaps best known for his 1938 recording of Cole Porter’s “Begin the Beguine”. Before the release of “Beguine”, Shaw and his band had languished in obscurity for over two years. After its release, he became a major pop artist. The record eventually became one of the era’s defining recordings. Musically restless, Shaw was also an early proponent of what became known much later as Third Stream music, which blended elements of classical and jazz forms and traditions. His music influenced other musicians, such as John Barry in England, with the vamp of the James Bond Theme, possibly influenced by “Nightmare”, which also has a similar vamp to Kurt Weill’s “Lonely House”.
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Mass grave for the dead Lakota after the massacre
On this day in 1894, poet Christina Rossetti died in Torrington Square, Bloomsbury, London at the age of 64. Born Christina Georgina Rossetti at 38 Charlotte Street (now 105 Hallam Street), London to Gabriele Rossetti, a poet and a political exile from Vasto, Abruzzo, and Frances Polidori, the sister of Lord Byron‘s friend and physician, John William Polidori.
And on this day in 1926, poet and novelist 
The Final Footprint – Rilke was interred on 2 January 1927 in the Raron cemetery to the west of Visp. Rilke had chosen as his own epitaph this poem:
