Telegram - Serving Metropolitan Detroit Since 1944

Each New Year it seems only appropriate to remember the noteworthy lives lost the previous year. At the Telegram, we look back at these exceptional lives and recall the contributions they made.

On January 1 2023, the music world lost the talents of Fred White at the age of 67. White, drummer with the R&B group Earth, Wind, and Fire, lent his talents to such remarkable hits as "Boogie Wonderland," "Shining Star," and "September." He was born in Chicago and began playing the drums at age nine, eventually joining brother Maurice's band as a teenager and bringing Earth, Wind, and Fire recognition and acclaim.

On January 28, singer and songwriter Barrett Strong passed away at the age of 81. He was regarded as one of Motown's founding artists and songwriters. Strong sang lead on Motown's breakthrough single "Money (That's What I Want)" and later collaborated with writers on such hits as "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" and "Papa Was a Rolling Stone."

On February 8, composer, pianist, and songwriter Burt Bacharach passed away at the age of 94. He is widely considered one of the most influential figures of 20th century popular music. With longtime collaborator Hal David, Bacharach wrote songs which propelled singer Dione Warwick to stardom, including "Walk on By" and "I'll Never Fall In Love Again." He also wrote hit songs for dozens of musical acts and singers including the Carpenters, Tom Jones, Herb Alpert, and the 5th Dimension. Bacharach was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1972.

In late February it was announced that longtime Detroit sportscaster and sports director for WXYZ TV Don Shane had passed away following a slow decline in health. He retired from Channel 7 in 2012, having spent 23 years as sports broadcaster there. Shane earned numerous awards for his reporting including 23 Michigan Emmy Awards, the National Academy of Arts and Sciences Silver Circle Award, as well as awards from the Michigan Association of Broadcasters and the Associated Press. Shane was 70.

On May 18, one of professional football's first superstars, Jim Brown passed away at the age of 87. Brown played for the Cleveland Browns from 1957 through 1965. Following an acclaimed football career, Brown took his talents to Hollywood, where he found acting work and appeared in films including "Rio Conchos," "The Dirty Dozen," and "Ice Station Zebra," along with numerous television appearances through the 1980s and 90s. Brown was also one of the most prominent African American athletes to engage in civil rights activism. He late founded the Black Economic Union to benefit small minority-owned businesses and in 1988 founded Amer-I-Can to benefit disadvantaged inner city youths and ex-convicts.

On August 25, television personality Bob Barker passed away at age 99. While his career began in radio in the 1950s, Barker spent more than a half century on television starting in 1956 when he hosted "Truth or Consequences." In 1972 he began hosting "The Price is Right" and retired from the show in 2007. Barker was also a longtime animal rights activist, urging viewers at the end of each show to spay and neuter their pets to prevent unwanted animals. In 1995 he founded a charity to provide such services for pet owners, the DJ&T Foundation, named after his wife and her mother. In 2013, Barker donated $1 million to move three captive elephants from the Toronto Zoo to a sanctuary in California.

Motown singer and songwriter Barrett Strong passed away at the age of 81.

On October 24, actor Richard Roundtree passed away at the age of 81 following a bout with pancreatic cancer. Born in New Rochelle, New York, Roundtree began his acting career in 1967 when he joined the Negro Ensemble Company, a New York City-based theater company and workshop. His first theatrical role was playing boxer Jack Johnson in the company's production of "The Great White Hope." He later found widespread popularity and acclaim in his iconic role portraying private detective John Shaft in the action movie "Shaft" in 1971 and its sequels in subsequent years. He reprised the role in a short-lived television series of the same name on CBS. Roundtree also appeared in the mini-series "Roots" and over the years appeared in numerous television shows including "Desperate Housewives," "The Closer," and "Family Reunion."

On December 6, actress Ellen Holly passed away at the age of 92. Holly was the first African American woman to play a lead role on daytime television, breaking barriers on the daytime series "One Life to Live." She played the role of Carla Grey-Hall on the series from 1968 to 1980 and again from 1983 to 1985. Holly began her acting career in the 1950s, appearing in numerous Broadway productions and stage roles before finding success on television. Having never married, Holly retired from acting in 1993 and became a librarian in White Plains, New York.