Tag Archives: obituaries

November 16, 1947: Alvira Earp, Widow of Frontier Lawman Virgil Earp

Posted on November 16, 2025 by lmharnisch

November 16, 1947: Alvira Earp, widow of Virgil Earp and sister-in-law of U.S. Marshal Wyatt Earp, dies in Los Angeles at the age of 98. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Obituaries | Tagged 1947, Clanton gang, Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, obituaries, Virgil Earp, Wyatt Earp | Comments Off

October 23, 1947: Hollywood Fashion Designer, Partner Die Within Hours; Family Sues Over Estate of Men With ‘Strange Attachment’

Posted on October 23, 2025 by lmharnisch

October 23, 1947: Robert and Joseph were close — even in death. They shared a home filled with antiques, their bank accounts and were beneficiaries of each other’s wills. In fact, the families sued over their estates, charging that they were too close and had a “strange attachment.” Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Fashion, Film, Hollywood, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Obituaries | Tagged 1947, fashion, film, hollywood, LGBTQ, obituaries, taboos | Comments Off

Col. John Bryson, 1819 – 1907 | Ex-Mayor Was Millionaire L.A. Developer

Posted on October 11, 2025 by lmharnisch

October 11, 1907: John Bryson, self-made millionaire and developer of the Bryson Block, dies. He had separated from his wife and was almost constantly in the company of his longtime nurse, Gladys Lamberton. He was hurriedly buried in a secret ceremony at Rosedale Cemetery. Continue reading →

Posted in 1819, 1907, City Hall, Obituaries | Tagged 1819, 1907, Architecture, Bryson Block, obituaries | Comments Off

October 2, 1947: On Skid Row, Homeless Children Mourn Their Beloved Sister Ollie

Posted on October 2, 2025 by lmharnisch

October 2, 1947: Sister Ollie (though she was famous under another name) died happy, according to her mother, Sister Sibbie, the superintendent at Sunshine Mission, 558 S. Wall St., a shelter for homeless women and children on skid row. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Film, Hollywood, Obituaries | Tagged #Silent Films, film, hollywood, homelessness, obituaries, Olive Borden | Comments Off

September 13, 1942: Retired Police Lt. George H. Williams, Badge 1, Dies at 84

Posted on September 13, 2025 by lmharnisch

September 13, 1942: Retired Lt. George H. Williams,who held LAPD retirement Badge 1, dies at the age of 84. He retired in 1912 after serving with the department for 23 years and was in charge of the detail that brought bodies out of the Times Building after the 1910 bombing. Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, Obituaries, World War II | Tagged film, hollywood, lapd, movies, obituaries | Comments Off

September 6, 1953: Barbara Graham Sobs During Son’s Visit to Jail

Posted on September 6, 2025 by lmharnisch

September 6, 1953: Barbara Graham, on trial in the Mabel Monahan killing, sobs “almost hysterically” as she holds her 18-month-old son, Tommy, during a visit at the Hall of Justice, The Times says. He was in the custody of his grandmother Anne Webb. Continue reading →

Posted in Art & Artists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Downtown, Film, Hill Street, Obituaries | Tagged #death penalty, 1953, Barbara Graham, comics, film, hollywood, obituaries | 1 Comment

Aug. 7, 1947: Marriage of Elizabeth Sheedy to Timothy Doheny a Highlight of Social Season

Posted on August 7, 2025 by lmharnisch

August 7, 1947: The marriage of Elizabeth Sheedy to Timothy Michael Doheny is a highlight of the social season. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Obituaries | Tagged #weddings, 1947, Elizabeth Sheedy, obituaries, Timothy Doheny | Comments Off

Aug. 2, 1907: Dr. Lucy Hall-Brown Dies

Posted on August 2, 2025 by lmharnisch

August 2, 1907: A brief look at the life of Dr. Lucy Hall-Brown, a prominent woman physician. Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Education, Medicine, Obituaries, Streetcars | Tagged 1907, medicine, obituaries | Comments Off

End of Watch: Joseph Wambaugh, 1937-2025

Posted on February 28, 2025 by lmharnisch

Remembering author Joseph Wambaugh (1937-2025) with a 2013 video interview for the L.A. Times and articles about the Onion Field, the 1963 kidnapping of two LAPD officers in which one was killed and the other survived. Continue reading →

Posted in books, Books and Authors, Film, LAPD, Obituaries | Tagged Books and Authors, film, lapd, obituaries | 1 Comment

Remembering Newsman Tony Valdez | 1945-2023

Posted on May 11, 2023 by lmharnisch

We’re remembering veteran Fox 11 newsman Tony Valdez, who died last week at 78. Tony loved Los Angeles and he loved Los Angeles history; for Tony, the city was a profession and an avocation. When he wasn’t reporting on Los … Continue reading →

Posted in broadcasting, Obituaries, Photography, Television | Tagged broadcasting, KTTV, Latinos, obituaries, photography, Television | 2 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Betty White, America’s Sweetheart

Posted on January 3, 2022 by lmharnisch

On December 31, beloved television actress Betty White passed away at the age of 99. For more than 80 years, she charmed audiences with her quick wit, sly smile, genuine warmth, and wicked sense of humor. White’s expert comic timing … Continue reading →

Posted in Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Obituaries, Television | Tagged 2021, Betty White, hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, obituaries, Television | Comments Off

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights — Constantin Bakaleinikoff

Posted on March 1, 2021 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2011. Most people today probably haven’t heard of motion picture musical conductor Constantin Bakaleinikoff, but he was instrumental in setting up theatre orchestras around Los Angeles in the 1920s, before he became music … Continue reading →

More Galleries | Tagged Architecture, film, hollywood, Mary Mallory, obituaries | 2 Comments

Black Dahlia: Donald H. Wolfe; ‘Black Dahlia Files’ Fraudster | 1931 – 2015

Posted on March 6, 2020 by lmharnisch

I’m five years late on this item, but for the record: Donald H. Wolfe, the fraudster who wrote “The Black Dahlia Files,” died in February 2015.

Posted in 1947, 2006, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Uncategorized | Tagged 1947, 2015, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, Donald H. Wolfe, Janice Knowlton, John Gilmore, obituaries | Comments Off

Ed Fuentes: We Lose a Member of the Brain Trust

Posted on February 8, 2019 by lmharnisch

Dear friends and members of the Brain Trust. We lost a charter member with the death of Ed Fuentes, who apparently suffered a fatal heart attack, according to Facebook. Ed was the subject of my first column at The Times … Continue reading →

Posted in 2012, 2019, Art & Artists, Brain Trust, Obituaries | Tagged #Ed Fuentes, 2012, 2019, art and artists, Brain Trust, obituaries | 2 Comments

Jan. 22, 1959: ‘Our Gang’ Star Carl ‘Alfalfa’ Switzer Dies in Fight Over $50

Posted on January 22, 2019 by lmharnisch

Jan. 22, 1959: Carl ‘Alfalfa’ Switzer is shot to death in a fight with Moses Samuel Stiltz. According to police, Switzer borrowed a dog belonging to Stiltz, then lost the dog. Switzer paid $50 for the return of Stiltz’s dog. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1959, Baseball, Crime and Courts, Dodgers, Film, Hollywood, Keith Thursby, LAPD, Obituaries | Tagged #Chavez Ravine, 1959, Baseball, Carl Alfalfa Switzer, Dodgers, film, hollywood, Keith Thursby, obituaries | Comments Off

Jan. 21, 1959: Cecil B. De Mille Dies at 77

Posted on January 21, 2019 by lmharnisch

Jan. 21, 1959: The Mirror brings out an extra when Cecil B. De Mille died of a heart attack at the age of 77.. The post originally appeared on latimes.com in 2009 and is available via Archive.org.

Posted in 1959, Film, Hollywood, Obituaries | Tagged 1959, Cecil B. De Mille, film, hollywood, obituaries | 1 Comment

Voices: Recalling Times Sports Columnist Ned Cronin

Posted on January 13, 2019 by lmharnisch

Keith Thursby writes: Ned Cronin was a columnist at The Times until his death in 1958 and his work has been featured often in the Daily Mirror. His son, Jerry, recently discovered the blog and we started an e-mail conversation. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1958, 1959, Keith Thursby, Obituaries, Sports | Tagged 1958, 1959, Keith Thursby, Ned Cronin, obituaries, sports | Comments Off

Jan. 2, 1958: Photographer Edward Weston Dies

Posted on January 2, 2019 by lmharnisch

Here’s a blog post I wrote for the Daily Mirror blog in 2008, when it was hosted by the Los Angeles Times. Edward Weston, one of the great photographers of the 20th century, received a one-paragraph obituary in the Los … Continue reading →

Posted in 1958, Obituaries, Photography | Tagged 1958, 2008, Edward Weston, obituaries, photography | 2 Comments

Dec. 20, 1947: Pulp Author Rob Eden Dies | Author of ‘Short Skirts: A Story of Modern Youth’

Posted on December 20, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project.. And at the age of 55, after dozens of novels and countless short stories, he died. Not that you’ve heard of him or any of his … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Books and Authors, Obituaries | Tagged 1947, Books and Authors, obituaries, pulp novels, Rob Eden | 2 Comments

Nov. 16, 1947: Alvira Earp, Widow of Frontier Lawman Virgil Earp

Posted on November 16, 2018 by lmharnisch