obituaries
NJ Sen. Frank Lautenberg, LGBT ally, 89
Democratic U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg from New Jersey died Monday at age 89 from complications of viral pneumonia. He was the oldest member and last World War II veteran in the Senate. He had anno...
Jun 06, 2013 | 0 0 comments | 27 27 recommendations | email to a friend
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Eddie Coogan, former New Hope bartender, 55
Eddie Coogan, a former bartender at a number of venues in New Hope, died May 11. The cause of death was unknown by presstime. Coogan was born Feb. 6, 1958, in Valley Forge. He grew up in Virginia a...
May 23, 2013 | 0 0 comments | 14 14 recommendations | email to a friend
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Shawn O’Shea, artistic director, 42
Shawn O’Shea, producing artistic director and founder of Writing Man Production, died May 9 after a long battle with HIV/AIDS. He was 42. O’Shea, an Upper Darby native, lived in both San Francisco ...
May 23, 2013 | 0 0 comments | 15 15 recommendations | email to a friend
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June H Weiss, PFLAG mom and LGBT advocate, 83
June H. Weiss, a longtime member of the Eastern Pennsylvania chapter of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, died May 3 of cancer. She was 83. Weiss was born July 17, 1929 in Fleetw...
May 23, 2013 | 0 0 comments | 26 26 recommendations | email to a friend
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Obituary: Kenny Kerr, iconic drag performer, 60
Kenny Kerr was more than just a Las Vegas drag performer — he was a pioneer within the LGBT community, whose roots were grounded not far from Philadelphia. Kerr died April 28 at age 60. The cause o...
May 09, 2013 | 0 0 comments | 11 11 recommendations | email to a friend
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Hugh Rosen, HIV/AIDS activist and professor
Hugh Rosen, a former Philadelphia-area professor and HIV/AIDS activist, died April 15 of prostate cancer. He was 82. Rosen, a Philadelphia native, was instrumental in many HIV/AIDS-oriented initia...
Apr 25, 2013 | 0 0 comments | 13 13 recommendations | email to a friend
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Obituary: John Lippert, former Gayborhood bartender
by Angela Thomas
Apr 11, 2013 | 0 0 comments | 15 15 recommendations | email to a friend
John “Millie” Lippert, a former bartender at a number of Gayborhood establishments, died April 3 of cancer. He was in his 50s. Libbert, a Harrisburg native, moved to Philadelphia several decades ag...
Obituary: William W. Weissman, publishing consultant, 93
by Angela Thomas
Mar 28, 2013 | 0 0 comments | 14 14 recommendations | email to a friend
William W. Weissman, a former publishing consultant, died April 2, 2012 of pneumonia. He was 93. Weissman, who was born March 16, 1919, was a native of the Germantown section of Philadelphia. Weiss...
Obituary: Raymond Hill, 27, Penn research coordinator
by Jen Colletta
Feb 14, 2013 | 0 0 comments | 11 11 recommendations | email to a friend
Raymond Hill, a University of Pennsylvania clinical research coordinator, died suddenly Jan. 9 in San Francisco. He was 27. The cause is still under investigation, pending toxicology reports. Hil...
Obituary: Paula Bickel, 59, school bus driver
by Angela Thomas
Feb 14, 2013 | 0 0 comments | 14 14 recommendations | email to a friend
School bus driver and Gayborhood resident Paula Bickel died Dec. 6 from pancreatic cancer. She was 59. Bickel, who was born May 2, 1953, lived in the Gayborhood for the past 20 years. She was born...
T. Desiree Hines, organist and trans activist, 33
by Jen Colletta
Jan 31, 2013 | 0 0 comments | 18 18 recommendations | email to a friend
T. Desiree Hines, a former Philadelphian and renowned organist who pioneered the way for transgender inclusion in the classical-music world, died Jan. 19 after a battle with cancer. She was 33. Hi...
Sally Star, performer and LGBT ally, 90
by Jen Colletta
Jan 31, 2013 | 0 0 comments | 13 13 recommendations | email to a friend
Local TV icon and ardent LGBT supporter Sally Starr died Jan. 27, two days after her 90th birthday. Starr hosted “Popeye Theater” from 1950 through the ’70s on WFIL, the predecessor to WPVI, solid...