Obituaries in the news

Francis Grevemberg

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Francis Grevemberg, a former state police superintendent who led a crackdown against illegal gambling in Louisiana in the 1950s, died Monday. He was 94.

Ronnie Jones, with Louisiana State Police, said Grevemberg died of respiratory problems that developed after his surgery last week for a broken hip. Grevemberg relocated from Louisiana to Conyers, Ga., following Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Grevemberg was credited with leading raids that resulted in troopers smashing around 7,000 slot machines when he served under then-Gov. Robert Kennon from 1952-1956.

___

Kenny MacLean

TORONTO (AP) — Kenny MacLean, the bassist for the 1980s band Platinum Blonde, has died. He was 52.

MacLean was found Monday in the bathroom of his downtown Toronto apartment with a toothbrush in his hand and the tap running, drummer and bandmate Chris Steffler said Tuesday.

Steffler said MacLean might have suffered a heart attack. Police said they have no information to suggest MacLean's death was drug-related.

The Scottish musician joined Platinum Blonde for their second album, 1985's "Alien Shores," freeing singer/bassist Mark Holmes to focus on lead vocals.

"Alien Shores" contained one of the band's biggest Canadian hits — "Crying Over You" — and their only U.S. hit, "Somebody Somewhere."

Steffler said Platinum Blonde was planning to get back together this week to rehearse for a reunion gig, the first such performance in two decades.

___

Louis Ormont

KEENE, N.H. (AP) — Dr. Louis Ormont, a professor of psychology and a pioneer in the field of group psychotherapy, has died. He was 90.

Ormont died Nov. 15 at Cheshire Medical Center in Keene, where he was recuperating from open heart surgery in July.

Ormont developed a practice of seeing people only in group treatment and went on to train hundreds of therapists.

In 1989, colleagues who had benefited from his work founded The Center for Group Studies in his honor, a freestanding educational institution in New York City dedicated to teaching group leadership skills to therapists and non-therapists alike.

Ormont wrote more than 30 articles and several books, including "The Group Therapy Experience" in 1992.

In 1974, Ormont was appointed clinical professor of psychology at Adelphi University's Gordon Derner Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies. He is also a founder of The Center for Modern Psychoanalytic Studies in New York and has taught at the Philadelphia School of Psychoanalysis and the Boston Graduate School for Psychoanalysis.

___

Gerald Schoenfeld

NEW YORK (AP) — Gerald Schoenfeld, the longtime head of the powerful Shubert Organization who helped bring numerous works to Broadway, including "A Chorus Line," "Cats" and "Amadeus," died Tuesday. He was 84.

Schoenfeld died of a heart attack at his Manhattan home, said Sam Rudy, a Shubert spokesman.

As chairman of Broadway's biggest landlord since 1972, Schoenfeld ushered many plays and musicals to the Broadway stage and beyond. The Shubert Organization owns or operates 17 Broadway theaters and one off-Broadway playhouse, as well as theaters in Boston, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.

Schoenfeld had never been to the theater before going to work for the law firm that handled business for the Shuberts — the quixotic, combative dynasty that controlled much of Broadway's real estate in the 20th century.

For more than 35 years, it was Schoenfeld's job as company chairman to fill the theaters, which range from the cozy, wood-paneled Booth to the splendidly opulent Winter Garden.

In 1972, Schoenfeld and another lawyer, Bernard B. Jacobs, assumed control of the tottering Shubert empire, taking over at a time when Broadway was in decline and more than a few Shubert houses sat empty.

Schoenfeld and Jacobs turned things around first with such hit productions as "Pippin" and "Equus" and then, in 1975, with "A Chorus Line."

"A Chorus Line" was followed by "Ain't Misbehavin'," "Evita," "Amadeus," "Dreamgirls," "Cats" and "Mamma Mia!"

In 2005, the Plymouth Theatre was renamed for Schoenfeld and the Royale rechristened for Jacobs. The theaters are affectionately known as the Jerry and the Bernie.

Back To Top

	Maldives' first president dies at 82	Associated Press	Sun Nov 23	0
	Broadway theater power Gerald Schoenfeld dies	Associated Press	Tue Nov 25	0
	Surgeon who did first US heart transplant dies	Associated Press	Wed Nov 19	0
	Betty James, who co-founded Slinky company, dies	Associated Press	Sat Nov 22	0
	Comedy writer Irving Brecher dies at 94	Associated Press	Wed Nov 19	1