Dead Celebrity Alert

Coley Wallace, who once knocked out Rocky Marciano and played Joe Louis in two movies has died, his attorney said. He was 77.

Wallace died in a Manhattan hospital Sunday of heart failure, his attorney and friend Raymond Sussman said Sunday.

Wallace had a six-year career as a pro, in which he carried a 20-7-0 record, but his most memorable moment came as an amateur in 1948, when he defeated Marciano in the New York Golden Gloves tournament. …

But Wallace is best known for twice portraying Joe Louis on film, once in “The Joe Louis Story” in 1953 and again in Martin Scorsese’s “Raging Bull” in 1980. … Read full obituary

Longtime Boston political columnist David Nyhan died while shoveling snow in front of his home in Brookline yesterday, friends said.

Family friend William B. Ketter, executive editor of The Eagle-Tribune, where Nyhan was writing twice weekly, said the 64-year-old complained of chest pain while clearing snow.His wife, Olivia, drove Nyhan to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. … Read full obituary

Johnny Carson, the “Tonight Show” TV host who served America a smooth nightcap of celebrity banter, droll comedy and heartland charm for 30 years, has died. He was 79.

“Mr. Carson passed away peacefully early Sunday morning,” his nephew, Jeff Sotzing, told The Associated Press. “He was surrounded by his family, whose loss will be immeasurable. There will be no memorial service.”

Sotzing would not give further details, including the time of death, the location or the cause of death.

The boyish-looking Nebraska native with the disarming grin, who survived every attempt to topple him from his late-night talk show throne, was a star who managed never to distance himself from his audience.

His wealth, the adoration of his guests — particularly the many young comics whose careers he launched — the wry tales of multiple divorces: Carson’s air of modesty made it all serve to enhance his bedtime intimacy with viewers.

“Heeeeere’s Johnny …” was the booming announcement from sidekick Ed McMahon that ushered Carson out to the stage. Then the formula: the topical monologue, the guests, the broadly played skits such as “Carnac the Magnificent.” … Read full obituary

NEW YORK - She played the icy first wife of Orson Welles in “Citizen Kane” and a mysterious housekeeper on “Peyton Place,” but one role seemed to resonate the most with Ruth Warrick — that of Phoebe Tyler Wallingford, an inveterate busybody on “All My Children.” …

Warrick, who was honored last May with a Daytime Emmy Award for lifetime achievement, died at her New York home Saturday of complications from pneumonia, ABC-TV said Monday. She was 88.

In “All My Children,” which debuted in 1970, Warrick played the grande dame of the fictitious affluent town of Pine Valley. She portrayed the meddlesome and over-the-top personality so believably that her fans often had trouble distinguishing between the stylish actress and her equally sophisticated character. …

Besides her acting, Warrick had a strong commitment to the arts in education. She taught at Julia Richman High School in New York as part of former President Carter’s City in Schools program and was a dropout prevention consultant for the Department of Labor under former President Kennedy and for former President Johnson’s Job Training Corps.

Warrick, who married five times, is survived by three children, a grandson and six great-grandchildren. … Read full obituary

MUNICH, Germany (AFP) — German investigators opened a murder hunt after fashion designer Rudolph Moshammer, who created clothes for celebrities such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, was found dead at his home here.

“Everything indicates that he was murdered,” said Munich prosecutor Peter Boie. “He had neck injuries.”

An autopsy later showed that a telephone cable found around his head had been the murder weapon.

The prosecutor said there was no apparent motive for the attack, but said police were conducting investigations in Munich’s gay scene, and in his circle of friends.

Munich-based Moshammer was a well-known figure on the German celebrity circuit known for his extravagant hairstyle and flamboyant dress. He was always accompanied by his Yorkshire terrier, Daisy. … Read full story

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s “The Terminator” stunt double, Frank Orsatti, has died of acute respiratory failure, aged 62.

Orsatti also doubled for Burt Reynolds during the height of his career and co-ordinated stunts for “Al Pacino’s Serpico.”

The tough guy was the son of baseball star Ernest Orsatti, and was prevented from chasing his own baseball dreams by a serious injury. … Read full obituary

MIAMI (AP) — Richard Hirschfeld, a colorful confidant of boxing champ Muhammad Ali who spent most of the last eight years as a fugitive from the federal government, killed himself Tuesday in jail.

Hirschfeld, 57, died the same day authorities told his attorney that final arrangements had been made to move him to Norfolk, Va., for trial. He had been on the lam for more than eight years until he was arrested in October in a closet at a lavish riverfront home in Fort Lauderdale. …

Hirschfeld accompanied Ali to the Middle East in 1985 in a highly publicized attempt to gain the release of American hostages in Iran. They later had a falling out…

Hirschfeld was convicted of tax evasion and securities fraud charges in 1991, and was wanted on federal conspiracy charges when he was captured last year. He faced up to 70 years in prison. … Read full story

MIAMI, Jan. 2 — Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman elected to Congress and a candidate for the presidency in 1972, died Saturday in Florida, friends said. She was 80.

“She was our Moses that opened the Red Sea for us,” Robert E. Williams, president of the NAACP in Flagler County, told the Associated Press late Sunday. …

Chisholm was elected to the House from Brooklyn in 1968 and was an outspoken advocate for women and minorities during her seven terms. She was a riveting speaker who often criticized Congress as being too clubby and unresponsive.

“My greatest political asset, which professional politicians fear, is my mouth, out of which come all kinds of things one shouldn’t always discuss for reasons of political expediency,” she once said.

Chisholm became a congresswoman the same year Richard M. Nixon was elected to the White House and served until two years into Ronald Reagan’s tenure as president. She was a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus in 1969. … Read full obituary