Dead Celebrity Alert

Jan Berry, a member of the duo Jan & Dean that had the 1960s surf-music hits Deadman’s Curve and Little Old Lady from Pasadena, has died. He was 62.

If Brian Wilson was the king of the California dream regime, Jan & Dean were the crown princes — and the jesters. Composer/producer/lead singer Jan Berry and partner Dean Torrence manufactured enticing, comically exaggerated myths of the West Coast surf-and-hot-rod lifestyle of the early ’60s.

Surf City, Drag City, Ride the Wild Surf, Sidewalk Surfin’ and Dead Man’s Curve form the soundtrack for the era with the Beach Boys’ indelible hits, while The Little Old Lady (From Pasadena) wittily mocked the macho hot-rod culture.

But beneath the blithe surface of the hits there was much more to Berry, who died Friday at 62 in Los Angeles after years of health problems stemming from a 1966 auto accident. His wife, Gertrude, said he suffered an apparent seizure at his Brentwood home; the cause of death was not disclosed. …

Taking a harshly objective tack, you could say that Berry never came back from Dead Man’s Curve. … Read full obituary

Oscar-winning British actor and playwright Peter Ustinov, one of the world’s most entertaining raconteurs and mimics, has died at the age of 82.

Author of more than a dozen books and even more theatrical works in a career spanning more than 60 years, Ustinov died of heart failure in a clinic near his home on the shores of Lake Geneva Sunday night, his family said.

The actor and humorist, who was also well known for charity work, had been in hospital since shortly after Christmas when he was taken ill on his return from a holiday in Thailand. …

Ustinov, who spoke more than half a dozen languages, won Oscars for his roles in the films “Spartacus” and “Topkapi.” … Read full obituary

NEW YORK — The body of actor-writer Spalding Gray was pulled from the East River over the weekend, two months after he walked out of his Manhattan apartment and disappeared. He was 62.

Gray, who laid bare his life and mingled performance art with comedy in acclaimed monologues like “Swimming to Cambodia” and “It’s a Slippery Slope,” was identified Monday through dental records and X-rays.

The cause of his death was still under investigation, said Ellen Borakove, a spokeswoman for the medical examiner. But Gray was known to have been deeply troubled and had attempted suicide before. … Read full obituary

CINCINNATI — Marge Schott, the tough-talking, chain-smoking former owner of the Cincinnati Reds who won a World Series and was repeatedly suspended for offensive remarks, died on March 2. She was 75.

Schott was hospitalized about three weeks ago for breathing difficulties and repeatedly needed treatment for lung problems in recent years. Christ Hospital spokeswoman Dona Buckler did not release a cause of death.

Schott kept a low profile after she sold controlling interest in the club in October 1999. She remained a limited partner in the team’s ownership group, but had no say in the team’s operations.

She loved to mingle with fans and gave generously to charitable causes, but got in trouble because she couldn’t watch her words. She reportedly used racial slurs to describe her players and repeatedly praised Hitler despite admonitions to keep quiet. …

Her outspokenness as the Reds owner became her legacy and her downfall. …

The Reds won the 1990 World Series, sweeping the Oakland A’s while Schott rubbed dog hair on manager Lou Piniella and his players for good luck.

Two years later, her use of racial slurs created a national controversy that overshadowed the club for nearly a decade. Baseball officials ordered her to watch her comments, but she continued to publicly praise Hitler — saying he was “good at the beginning” but then “went too far” — and make disparaging remarks about ethnic groups. …

In 1992, the turbulence began. She fired general manager Bob Quinn and drove Piniella away, then went through five managers in six years. …

They also started struggling at the gate as Schott’s offensive language made headlines. Attendance began falling after 1993, when she was suspended the first time for her remarks.

Facing another suspension, she gave up control of the team for the last time in 1996. … Read full obituary