Today XXIX - R.I.P. Roger Zelazny, May 13, 1937 - June 14, 1995

Today would have been Roger Zelazny's 69th birthday. My favourite author and one of my heroes, Roger died far too early.

The author of The Chronicles of Amber and much, much more, Roger won the Hugo Award six times and the Nebula award three times

Other Birthdays:

• Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan, composer, May 13, 1842 – November 22, 1900


• Georges Braque, painter and sculptor, and one of the inventors of Cubism, May 13, 1882 – August 31, 1963


• Dame Daphne du Maurier DBE, novelist, May 13, 1907 – April 19, 1989


• Ian Ernest Gilmore Green, aka Gil Evans, jazz pianist, arranger, composer, and bandleader, May 13, 1912 – March 20,1988


• Joseph Louis Barrow, aka Joe Louis, nicknamed "The Brown Bomber," World Heavyweight Champion boxer, May 13, 1914 - April 12, 1981


• Bernice Frankel, aka Beatrice 'Bea' Arthur, Emmy Award-winning actress and comedienne, 1923


• Senta Berger, actress and producer, 1931


• Richard Steven Valenzuela, aka Ritchie Valens, rock and roll star, May 13, 1941 – February 3, 1959


• Stephen Reeder Donaldson, fantasy, science fiction and mystery novelist, 1947


• Peter Brian Gabriel, musician, 1950


• Stevland Morris, aka Stevie Wonder, American singer, songwriter, producer, musician, humanitarian and social activist, winner of 21 Grammy Awards, 1950


• Paul Thompson, drummer. He was the drummer for Roxy Music from 1971-1980, 1951


• Barry William Zito, pitcher, winner of the 2002 American League Cy Young Award, 1978


• Sunny Leone, model, 1981

RIP:

• Sholom Aleichem, popular humorist and author of Yiddish literature, including novels, short stories, and plays, March 2, 1859 – May 13, 1916. He did much to promote Yiddish writers, and was the first to pen children's literature in Yiddish. His work has been widely translated. The musical Fiddler on the Roof, was based on his stories about his character Tevye the Milkman


• Alfred "Tubby" Hall, jazz drummer, October 12,1895 - May 13, 1945


• James Robert 'Bob' Wills, country musician and songwriter, March 6, 1905 – May 13, 1975


• Chesney Henry "Chet" Baker, Jr., jazz trumpeter, December 23, 1929 – May 13, 1988


• George Bernard Dantzig, mathematician, November 8, 1914 – May 13, 2005. He introduced the simplex algorithm and is considered the "Father of linear programming"