Funeral Service Times August 2017 October 2018 | Page 42

42 OBITUARIES Obituaries Paying tribute to a few of the people to have recently passed away LINDSAY KEMP Aged 80, 25 August 2018 K emp was a dancer, actor, meme artist, choreographer and mentor to both David Bowie and Kate Bush. He was probably best known for his 1974 production of Lady of the Flowers in which he played the lead role of Devine, the play received a number of hostile reviews due to its references to homosexuality, however it was later considered groundbreaking for its time. Kemp’s work saw him choreograph Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust tour as well as perform in the video for 1972 single John I’m Only Dancing. Later on in his career Lindsay would work with Kate Bush in her film The Line, the Cross & the Curve with Bush writing the song Moving in tribute to him. JOHN MCCAIN Aged 81, 25 August 2018 M reynolds was an American actor famous for iconic roles in films such as Smokey and the Bandit, Deliverance and The Cannonball Run. Reynolds, renowned for his suave style and handlebar moustache, was once asked to play James Bond however he turned down the role saying “an American can’t play James Bond, it just can’t be done”. The film Smokey and the Bandit would set the tone for his career as he pioneered the car chase movie making it his most profitable genre. Following his death he was credited with raising the profile of the American state of Georgia where he shot a number of his most successful films. cCain was best known as a US senator along with running for the Republican party in both the 2000 and 2008 US presidential elections. He earned a reputation as a maverick for his refusal to tow the party line on a number of occasions, he even regularly used to describe himself. Before moving into politics McCain was a US war hero during the Vietnam war. He was made a prisoner of war after his plane was shot down, however refused to repatriated until every man who had been captured before him had been released. His refusal to be repatriated led to regular beatings and torture. CONWAY SAVAGE STEFÁN KARL STEFÁNSSON Aged 58, 2 September 2018 Aged 43, 21 August 2018 S S BURT REYNOLDS Aged 82, 6 September 2018 R avage was a musician known for his time as a member of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, from 1990 to 2015 featuring on ten albums. A statement posted on Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds website read: “A member of Bad Seeds for nearly 30 years, Conway was the anarchic thread that ran through the band’s live performances. He was much loved by everyone, band members and fans alike. Irascible, funny, terrifying, sentimental, warm- hearted, gentle, acerbic, honest, genuine - he was all of these things and quite literally ‘had the gift of a golden voice’ high and sweet and drenched in soul. On a drunken night, at four in the morning, in a hotel bar in Cologne, Conway sat at the piano and sang Streets of Laredo to us, in his sweet, melancholy style and stopped the world for a moment. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house. Goodbye Conway, there isn’t a dry eye in the house.” OCTOBER 2018 tefán Karl Stefánsson was well known for playing antagonist Robbie Rotten in children’s TV series LazyTown. Despite being an an English language show for the first few seasons of LazyTown, Stefánsson didn’t speak any of the language but he quickly learned. Stefánsson’s character Rotten was known for his preference to stay inside and sleep as opposed to going outside and participating in sport with the series’ heroes. Shortly before his death Stefánsson was awarded the Icelandic Order of the Falcon honour. www.funeralservicetimes.co.uk