Unlikely Parallels in a Year of Momentous Deaths

Yuriko — the single name taken by Yuriko Amemiya, a daughter of Japanese immigrants — earned renown as a leading dancer for the choreographer Martha Graham’s celebrated company and later, through her stage revivals, a keeper of the Graham flame. She died in March at 102. Her daughter, Susan Kikuchi, won renown of her own as a Graham dancer and revivalist. She died in November at 74.

Two members of the Mighty Diamonds, an influential reggae trio in the 1970s, died within three days of each other in Kingston, Jamaica. Tabby Diamond (born Donald Shaw), 66, was killed by gunfire in an apparent gang-related shooting. Bunny Diamond (Fitzroy Simpson), 70, died of an undisclosed illness in a hospital.

Dobie and Paulie Walnuts

Sitcom stars also left in near unison, as if according to their vintage. Millions of baby boomers grew up watching Tony Dow, the elder brother, Wally, on “Leave It to Beaver”; Tim Considine, the eldest brother, Mike, on “My Three Sons”; and Dwayne Hickman, the perpetually dejected protagonist of “The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis.” Millions more TV watchers, of a later era, would have equally fond memories of Estelle Harris as George Costanza’s high-strung mother on “Seinfeld” and Liz Sheridan as Jerry’s more even-keeled one. The two were separated in death by 13 days.

And a virtual crew of actors who became indelibly associated with mobster roles bowed out one after the other: Ray Liotta, remembered as Henry Hill in Martin Scorsese’s “Goodfellas”: James Caan, Sonny Corleone in “The Godfather”; Tony Sirico, Paulie Walnuts in “The Sopranos” (who died two days after Mr. Caan); and Paul Sorvino, Paulie Cicero in “Goodfellas.” (And let’s not forget Paul Herman, who seemed to show up wherever gangsters were filling a screen, whether it was “Goodfellas,” “The Sopranos” or Mr. Scorsese’s “The Irishman.”)

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/29/obituaries/2022-deaths.html