Final Chapters for Oct. 22, 2017: Gord Downie, Roy Dotrice

Gord Downie was lead singer and songwriter of rock band The Tragically Hip and one of Canada’s most revered rock stars. He died Oct. 17 in Toronto. He had announced last year that he had terminal brain cancer. He was 53. Downie and The Tragically Hip released their first self-titled EP in 1987 and their breakthrough debut full-length album, “Up to Here,” was released in 1989. Since then they have released 14 studio albums, two live albums, one EP and 54 singles. Nine of their albums have reached No. 1 in Canada.

Roy Dotrice was a veteran British actor who was known for his role as Leopold Mozart in the Oscar-winning film “Amadeus.” He died Oct. 16 at his home in London. He was 94. Dotrice is remembered for his role in the CBS TV series “Beauty and the Beast” and won a BAFTA best TV actor award in 1969 for his role in “Misleading Cases.” He received a Tony Award in 2000 for his role in the Broadway revival of “A Moon for the Misbegotten.” He gained many new fans later in his career as narrator for audiobook editions of George R.R. Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire” series of novels, which helped inspire the TV fantasy “Game of Thrones.”

Harriette Thompson was a classical pianist and cancer survivor who started to run marathons when she was 76 and ran the fastest time in a marathon for a woman over 90. She died Oct. 16 in Charlotte, N.C. She was 94. Thompson was 91 when she ran the 2014 San Diego marathon in 7 hours, 7 minutes and 42 seconds — faster by nearly two hours than the previous U.S. record for a woman of at least 90. A year later, when her time in the San Diego race was 7:24:36, she became the oldest woman known to have finished a marathon. In all, her running at the San Diego marathon raised more than $100,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Mychael Knight was a Georgia fashion designer who was a finalist on the popular TV competition show “Project Runway.” He died Oct. 17 outside Atlanta. An official cause of death was not released, but Knight had extensively shared his five-year struggles with irritable bowel syndrome. He was 39. Knight appeared on Season 3 of “Project Runway,” which aired on Bravo, in 2006 and finished fourth. He returned for “Project Runway All-Stars,” finishing eighth on the show that now airs on the Lifetime network. In 2007, he introduced his label, Mychael Knight, on BET’s “Rip the Runway” and he designed a line of custom tees for the Starbucks Corp.

Richard Wilbur was a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and translator who became the national poet laureate. He died Oct. 14 in Belmont, Mass. He was 96. Wilbur, the U.S. poet laureate in 1987-88, was often cited as an heir to Robert Frost and other New England writers. He received Pulitzer Prizes for “Things of This World,” released in 1956, and for “New and Collected Poems,” which came out in 1989. His expertise in French literature brought him to Broadway as a lyricist for Leonard Bernstein’s production of Voltaire’s “Candide,” which premiered in 1956.

William J. Lombardy was one of the most talented and promising chess players of his generation but he all but gave up the game at the height of his career to become a priest. He died Oct. 13 in Martinez, Calif. He was 79. Lombardy was the first American to win the World Junior Chess Championship — doing so with a perfect score, a feat that has never been duplicated. He led the United States to victory over the Soviet Union in the 1960 World Student Team Championship. It was the only time the United States ever finished ahead of the Soviet Union in any team competition. He was later named a grandmaster, the World Chess Federation’s highest title. Lombardy eventually left the priesthood, his son said, because he had lost faith in the Catholic Church.

Danielle Darrieux was a prolific French actress whose movie and theater career spanned eight decades. She died Oct. 17 at her home in Bois-le-Roi, France, south of Paris. She was 100. Darrieux made her screen debut with a supporting role in 1931’s “Le Bal.” She quickly became a favorite of French directors, appearing in films by heavyweights Claude Chabrol, Jacques Demy and Andre Techine.

Arthur Cinader was the founder of J. Crew, the clothing retailer that rose to prominence marketing a classic preppy chic to upper-middle-income consumers. He died Oct. 11 in Santa Fe, N.M., from complications of a fall, his family said. He was 90. Cinader decided to start J. Crew in the early 1980s while running the Popular Merchandise Co., a business founded by his father that used a catalog to sell affordable clothing and home furnishings directly to consumers. J. Crew’s first catalog appeared in 1983 and the company began opening its own retail stores in the last 1980s. In 1997, the Cinaders sold 88 percent of the company for roughly a half-billion dollars to the private equity firm Texas Pacific Group.

Daniel Webb was a former relief pitcher who spent parts of four seasons with the Chicago White Sox. He died Oct. 14 in an ATV accident in Humphreys County, Tenn. about 70 miles west of Nashville. He was 28. Webb was 7-5 with a 4.50 ERA in 94 games for the White Sox during 2013-16. He pitched one inning in 2016, then had Tommy John surgery in June of that year. He was released by the White Sox after the season and had not pitched professionally during his recovery.

Howard Carroll was a lead guitarist for the influential and Grammy Award-winning gospel group the Dixie Hummingbirds. He died Oct. 17 in Philadelphia. He was 92. Carroll and the group performed on Paul Simon’s “Loves Me Like a Rock” in 1973 and won a Grammy for their own version. The group, which started in 1928, had an influence that extended well beyond gospel circles to artists including James Brown and Stevie Wonder.

John Dunsworth was a Canadian actor best known for his role as an alcoholic trailer park supervisor in the Netflix comedy series “Trailer Park Boys.” His daughter announced his death on Twitter on Oct. 16, saying in a statement that her father died “peacefully after a short and unexpected illness.” He was 71. Dunsworth played Mr. Lahey on “Trailer Park Boys,” which developed a cult following during its initial run on Canada’s Showcase from 2001 to 2007 before being revived by Netflix in 2014. He also had a recurring role as Dave Teagues for several seasons on the SyFy and Showcase series “Haven.”

Helen J. DeVos was a philanthropist from western Michigan known for her support of children’s health, Christian education and the arts. She died Wednesday in the community of Ada Township, Mich., of complications from a stroke following a recent diagnosis of myeloid leukemia, her family said. She was 90. DeVos volunteered her time and leadership — as well the support of the Richard and Helen DeVos Foundation — to an array of causes. Her husband, Rich DeVos, co-founded the direct-sales company Amway and owns the NBA’s Orlando Magic.

This story was originally published October 21, 2017 at 7:24 PM with the headline "Final Chapters for Oct. 22, 2017: Gord Downie, Roy Dotrice."