In Passing
Atkinson, N.H.
Brad Delp, Boston singer
Brad Delp, the lead singer for the rock band Boston, was found dead Friday. He was 55.
Police responded to a call for help at 1:20 p.m. and found Delp dead in his home in southern New Hampshire. Lt. William Baldwin said the death was “untimely” but that there was no indication of foul play.
Delp was alone at the time of his death, Baldwin said.
The cause of his death remained under investigation by police and the New Hampshire Medical Examiner’s office. Police said an incident report would not be available until Monday.
Delp sang on Boston’s 1976 hits “More than a Feeling” and “Long Time.” He also sang on Boston’s most recent album, “Corporate America,” released in 2002.
Washington
Joseph Metcalf, U.S. admiral
Joseph Metcalf III, the Navy vice admiral who led the U.S. invasion of the Caribbean nation of Grenada in 1983, which produced lasting lessons for military preparation and media relations, died March 2 at his home in Washington after a series of strokes. He was 79 and also had a progressive neurological disorder.
Metcalf was given the assignment to lead the invasion only 39 hours before it was to take place on Oct. 25, 1983. Six days earlier, a Marxist faction had seized control of Grenada’s government.
The United States and several Caribbean nations feared that Grenada could take a sudden turn toward violent revolution, fueled by the presence of several hundred Cuban advisers. About 650 Americans attended medical school in Grenada at the time, and there was concern for their safety.
Metcalf, who was commander of the Atlantic 2nd Fleet, led an invasion force of about 6,000 troops from all four branches of the military in the attack, code-named Operation Urgent Fury.
Supplemented by about 300 troops from several Caribbean countries, U.S. forces took control of the 133-square-mile island nation within three days and captured the leader of the rebellion, Deputy Prime Minister Bernard Coard, who remains in prison. In the sporadic fighting, 19 Americans and at least 45 Grenadans were killed. All of the American medical students were unharmed.
Los Angeles
Andy Sidaris, TV innovator
Andy Sidaris, the television sports pioneer who finished his career surrounded by scantily-clad B-movie beauties, has died. He was 76.
Sidaris died Wednesday of throat cancer, according to his wife, Arlene.
Known for his ebullient personality and creative approach to televised sports, Sidaris directed the first “Wide World of Sports” for ABC, a job he continued for the next 25 years.
Sidaris pioneered what he called the “honey shot,” close-ups of cheerleaders and pretty girls in the stands at sporting events. He won an Emmy award in 1969 for directing the Summer Olympics.
Sidaris branched out to dramatic television in the 1970s, directing episodes of “Kojak” and “The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries.” Then he expanded into film, specializing in action flicks featuring gun-toting Playboy Playmates.