Obituaries

Carlos Suarez de Jesus, 1960–2022

Restaurant Reviewer Passes Away

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Joey Martorano of Cafe Martorano Remembered as a "Gentle Soul"

By Laine Doss
Jun 6, 2019

Cafe Martorano has become one of Fort Lauderdale's most iconic and beloved restaurants. But though its old-school menu of Italian classics such as chicken cacciatore and parpardelle with sausage are delicious, regulars flock to the restaurant for the people behind the food: Steve Martorano, the tattooed, larger-than-life owner; and his son Joey, who together worked the line, guest-DJ'ed, and generated warmth and excitement at the small storefront eatery that made a national name for itself.
South Florida Beer Community Mourns the Passing of Brewer Mike White

By David Minsky
Feb 26, 2019

Mike White, a passionate South Florida brewer whose beer won a gold medal for LauderAle Brewery at the Great American Beer Festival in 2017, passed away on February 23 in Georgia. He was 31 years old. Born in Hollywood, White grew up in Dalton, Georgia, which is known as the...
Burt Reynolds Was a South Florida Movie Machine

By David Rolland
Sep 7, 2018

When Burt Reynolds passed away yesterday, much was made of his Florida connections. The star of classics such as Deliverance and Boogie Nights graduated from Palm Beach High School and played football at Florida State University. With the star power to be crowned box office champ every year from 1978 to 1982...
Burt Reynolds, Dead at 82, Had Deep Ties to South Florida

By Celia Almeida
Sep 6, 2018

He was known for his iconic film roles in Deliverance and Boogie Nights, as well as that unmistakable '70s porn stache. Burt Reynolds' agent announced today that the iconic film star and onetime Hollywood sex symbol died of a heart attack earlier today in Jupiter.
Hundreds Mourn XXXTentacion at Candlelight Vigil

By Tarpley Hitt
Jun 20, 2018

Around sundown Tuesday, the 3600 block of North Dixie Highway in Deerfield Beach was lined with cars. Police blocked off a section of NE 37th Street just outside Riva Motorsports, where the controversial SoundCloud rapper XXXTentacion, born Jahseh Dwayne Onfroy, had been gunned down the previous day. Fans streamed in by the hundreds, holding white candles, balloons, and chalk to decorate the spot where he died.
Russ Rector, Animal Activist and Pioneer of the Anti-Captivity Movement, Dies at 69

By Jonathan Kendall
Jan 10, 2018

Former dolphin trainer Russ Rector, who pioneered the anti-captivity movement, passed away Sunday.
Miss Cleo, Famed Fortuneteller, Dead at 53 Years Old

By Chuck Strouse and Jess Swanson
Jul 26, 2016

Miss Cleo, the inimitable self-proclaimed television psychic, has died. TMZ reported this morning that Youree Harris, who became popular on the Psychic Readers Network, was in hospice care in Palm Beach County after suffering from cancer. She was 53 years old. Profiled by New Times in 2002, she was a...
Surfer Blood Guitarist Thomas Fekete Has Died

By Deirdra Funcheon
May 31, 2016

Thomas Fekete, the guitarist of West Palm Beach-based band Surfer Blood, has died. His wife Jessica announced the death on a GoFundMe page that had been set up to help with costs related to his treatment for cancer. Jessica wrote: Our sweet Thomas passed on last night, peacefully in his...
Prince, Iconic Musician, Dies at 57 Years Old

By Ryan Pfeffer
Apr 21, 2016

Prince, the iconic musician who broke boundaries and blazed trails in R&B, rock, funk, has died at the age of 57. He was found in his home in Chanhassen, Minnesota The cause of death is unclear at this time, but last week Prince was hospitalized with what his representatives, said was...
Sir George Martin's Ten Greatest Recordings of All Time

By Lee Zimmerman
Mar 11, 2016

The late Sir George Martin, who died this past Tuesday at age 90, is best known for steering the Beatles’ music throughout the course of the group’s prolific recording career. If that had been all he accomplished in his more than 60 years of active involvement in the music industry,...
Ten Underrated David Bowie Songs From His Early Career

By Lee Zimmerman
Jan 11, 2016

David Bowie always epitomized what it means to be a true musical chameleon. Some artists evolve. Bowie transformed. From his beginnings in the late-‘60s as a fair-haired folkie to his drag queen persona, on to his iconic role as Ziggy Stardust and the androgynous guise he adopted early on, through...
Jason Budjinski, AKA Billy Boloby, Dies at Age 38

By Deirdra Funcheon
Jun 16, 2015

As further proof that life is deeply unfair, one of the greatest dancers and perhaps the most fascinating frontman of all time — a man who might have experienced riches and worldwide fame, but who instead gave the gift of his presence to a select lucky few like a secret...
Joe Cocker Dead at Age 70

By Lee Zimmerman
Dec 22, 2014

In the latest blow to a music world already shaken by the sudden deaths of some indelible icons, the passing of Joe Cocker today caps a difficult year of unexpected losses. Cocker, age 70, died today of cancer at his home. Cocker provided rock with one of its most passionate...
Bobby Keys and Ian McLagan: Two Days, Two Greats Gone

By Lee Zimmerman
Dec 4, 2014

Today, lovers of rock and roll all across the globe are engulfed in grief at the loss of two legends. Bobby Keys, the man whose brilliant sax solo ignited the classic "Brown Sugar" and so many other iconic anthems, passed away from cirrhosis on Tuesday. Then, as if fate were...
RIP, Jeff Tucci, South Florida Punk Rock Guitar God

By Abel Folgar
Dec 1, 2014

Jessica Kross I cleaned some sprouts off some red potatoes, and they sat in the sink, wet and glistening like pomegranate seeds. It was a fleeting thought, them looking that way. A thought I found amusing and privately poetic. I had recently heard that Jeff Tucci had passed. I didn't...
RIP, Sweet Chariots Singer and Guitarist Thomas Warren

By David Von Bader
Dec 1, 2014

Thomas Warren, guitarist and lead singer of the Sweet Chariots, arguably South Florida's best (and undoubtedly its hardest-working) rockabilly band, has passed away. Warren was on his way home from a gig when he was involved in a car accident, Friday, November 28, around 12:45 a.m. in Indian River County...
Mike Nichols, Director of The Birdcage and The Graduate Dies at 83

By David Rolland
Nov 21, 2014

This was a brutal year for fans of the 1996 box office smash The Birdcage. There will be no Dumb and Dumber, twenty-year-later sequel for the movie that showcased South Beach as a whimsical American Riviera. This August, the film's star Robin Williams passed away and just yesterday, its director...
Counting Down: a Tribute to Casey Kasem

By David Rolland
Jun 19, 2014

Before the option of typing the name of any song into Google, the surest way to hear the hits of the day was on Sunday mornings. You would simply turn the radio station to American Top 40 and Casey Kasem would count the best tunes down from numbers 40 to...
RIP, Crazy Fingers' Corey Dwyer: Joined the Righteous Jam in the Sky

By Abel Folgar
May 14, 2014

Crazy Fingers officially got its start at Ultimate Farms on Halloween of 1990. Founded by the rhythm section of drummer Peter Lavezzoli and bassist Bubba Newton, it wouldn't be until 1993 that the band would find its strongest and longest lineup with the addition of guitarist Rich Friedman and multi-instrumentalist...
GWAR Frontman Dave Brockie, the Great Oderus Urungus, Found Dead

By Liz Tracy
Mar 24, 2014

We just read the very sad news today that the great Oderus Urungus has left this scummy planet for good. Dave Brockie was found dead in his Richmond, VA home, according to TMZ...

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Obituaries

Carlos Suarez de Jesus, 1960–2022

Restaurant Reviewer Passes Away

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