RIP, Marie Gianini (November 6, 2009) The Avon Sisters

Marie Gianini
1924(?) – November 6, 2009

Marie Gianini was part of the comedy, dance and vocal duo, the Avon Sisters, who spent many years performing through the Midwest and entertaining troops with the USO.  Forming the duo with her sister, Theresa Frisby, perhaps her biggest thrill came when President Franklin Roosevelt called her to thank them for their hard work.  Marie Gianini was 85 when she passed away at a care center on November 6, 2009.

RIP, Patrick Swayze (September 14, 2009)

Patrick Swayze
August 18, 1952 – September 14, 2009

Although best remembered as a handsome leading man in many popular films throughout the ’80s and ’90s, Patrick Swayze left his mark on popular music as well.  Besides starring in such music-centric films as Dirty Dancing and Ghost, Swayze achieved success as a song and dance man on stage, starring in such musicals as Guys and Dolls, Goodtime Charley and Chicago.  Thanks to his role in Ghost, Swayze earned a place in the hip-hop cultural via the lyric “I’m Swayze” as in “I’m Ghost,” or “I’m gone.”  In 1987, Swayze earned a Golden Globe nomination for a song he co-wrote and recorded for the Dirty Dancing soundtrack, “She’s Like The Wind.”   Diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in January of 2008, Patrick Swayze succumbed to the disease on September 14, 2009.  He was 57.

On This Date (July 15, 1990) Trouble T Roy / Heavy D

Trouble T Roy (Born Troy Dixon)
October 19, 1967 – July 15, 1990

Trouble T Roy was a hip-hop dancer best known for his work with Heavy D & the Boyz for three years during the late ’80s.  While on tour with the group in July of 1990, Trouble T Roy accidentally fell from a theater balcony while horsing around with other members of the group.  He died at an area hospital from his head injuries.  He was just 22.

On This Date (April 10, 2008) Auntie Nona Beamer / Hawaiian Musician & Educator

Wynona “Auntie Nona”  Beamer
August 15, 1923 – April 10, 2008

Besides being an authority on all that is Hawaii, Nona Beamer was a much respected musician, songwriter, author and hula teacher. Born in Honolulu, Beamer temporarily moved to the mainland while attending college in Colorado and New York. When she settled back in Hawaii, Beamer worked mostly as a teacher of Hawaiian culture or “Hawaiiana,” a term she is credited for coining. She also taught hula for over thirty years in a studio she took over from her mother. In later years, she co-founded the Aloha Music Camp with her son, Keola Beamer, a Grammy nominated slack-key guitarist. Although in her 80s, Beamer continued to perform with her musically talented family up until a few months before she passed away in her sleep at the age or 84.