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Regulars
Author Of The Warriors, Cult Film Adapted To Hit Video Game, Dies At 88
Sol Yurick, the writer whose 1965 novel “The Warriors” was adapted into a film 14 years later — which then became one of the best adapted works ever in video gaming — died this weekend. He was 88.
Digital Pioneer Behind Sony Computer Entertainment Dies At 81
Norio Ohga, the former chairman of Sony who, in 1993, established Sony Computer Entertainment and paved the way for the PlayStation, died Saturday morning in Tokyo. He was 81.
Dragon Quest VI Arrives Too Late For Gaming Grandmother
Pioneering Games Developer Killed In Hit-and-Run
Brigitte Burdine, a casting director with credits spanning World of Warcraft, Killzone 2 and Mortal Kombat, was killed early this morning in a hit-and-run accident as she was walking home from a late-night date with her boyfriend. She was 48.
Well known and admired for her work in an industry dominated by male co-workers and consumers, Burdine’s games development work spanned more than a decade. Her IMDB profile lists the upcoming Mortal Kombat reboot as her most current project. She had worked on PS3 exclusives such as ModNation Racers, Infamous, Killzone 2 and the SOCOM series before that.
Police said Burdine was struck at the corner of Culver Boulevard and Pershing Drive at 1:45 a.m. as she was walking home from the Shack, a hamburger stand in Marina Del Ray. Police assume she’d been out on a date. The suspect vehicle is said to be a dark sedan, and should have front-end damage from the impact. Burdine was taken to a hospital but soon pronounced dead from her injuries.
Los Angeles police have appealed to the public for anyone who saw the accident, or has knowledge of it, to contact investigators.
Brigitte Burdine, Top Video Game Director, Killed By Hit-And-Run Driver In Marina Del Rey [LA Weekly, thank you Hugo C. Image from Facebook via L.A. Weekly.]
Gary Coleman Dies
Gary Coleman, best known for his role as Arnold in the 1970s-1980s sitcom Diff’rent Strokes died today of injuries he suffered in a fall at his Utah home. Coleman, who also appeared in 2003′s Postal 2, was 42.
Guru, Rapper Who Portrayed Grand Theft Auto III’s 8-Ball, Dies At 43
Keith Elam, a hip-hop artist who performed under the name Guru, died Monday after ending a long battle with cancer. Elam voiced 8-Ball, the demolitions artist with whom the protagonist escapes at the very beginning of Grand Theft Auto III.
Cop Who Made Video Games Dies At 83
In the mid-1990s Daryl Gates was like the John Madden of law enforcement. His name appeared above PC games made by Sierra. Better known as the Los Angeles police chief during the Rodney King crisis, Gates died Friday at 83.
Dr. Ed Roberts, ‘Father Of The PC’, Dies At 68
In 1975, Popular Electronics featured on its January cover a computer kit built for home enthusiasts, touted to cost at least $US1,000 than anything else out there. It was the Altair 8800. Its creator, Dr. Ed Roberts, died Thursday.
Roberts’ creation is widely credited with kicking off the microcomputing boom of the latter quarter of the 20th century, and he is considered The Father of the PC. His computer kit sold thousands in its first month of availability, and so excited two young men that they hatched a scheme to write a programming language for it, called BASIC. Their names were Paul Allen and Bill Gates.
Thursday, the Microsoft cofounders were among many industry giants paying their respects to Roberts.
“Ed was willing to take a chance on us – two young guys interested in computers long before they were commonplace – and we have always been grateful to him,” the two said in a joint statement. “The day our first untested software worked on his Altair was the start of a lot of great things. We will always have many fond memories of working with Ed.”
Roberts later had a falling out with Allen and Gates when the company created by the two, then called Micro-Soft, began selling versions of BASIC to Altair’s competitors. Roberts’ son said the three later patched up their differences, and Roberts remained an influence in both Allen and Gates’ lives.
Roberts later got his medical degree, becoming an internist. His son said Roberts remained interested in modern technology, and up until his death was asking about the Apple iPad. “He was interested to see one,” said David Roberts.
Dr. Henry Edward Roberts was a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, a 1968 graduate of Oklahoma State University, and a 1986 graduate of Mercer University’s medical school. He died in a hospital Thursday after an extended battle against pneumonia. He is survived by his wife, mother, daughter, six sons – and millions of personal computing users and enthusiasts the world over.
Dr. Henry Edward Roberts, Developer of Early PC that Inspired Microsoft, Dies in Ga. at Age 68 [Los Angeles Times via Gizmodo]
Actor Who Portrayed Half-Life 2′s Villain Is Dead At 79
Robert Culp, known to some as the voice of Dr Wallace Breen of Half-Life 2, to others as FBI Agent Bill Maxwell on The Greatest American Hero, died today in Los Angeles. He was 79.
