11/05/81: Bob Marley dies

On Monday 11 May 1981 musician and songwriter Bob Marley (b. Robert Nesta Marley, 1945) died at the Cedars of Lebanon Hospital in Miami, USA. He was 36 years old.

Marley had been receiving treatment for cancer in a clinic in Germany since September 1980, but had decided to return home to Jamaica as the treatment had been without success after eight months. The plane taking him back was forced to land in Miami for hospital treatment as his condition drastically worsened.

Marley is now considered one of the most influential musicians of all time and is credited with popularizing reggae music worldwide, and for serving as a symbol of Jamaican culture and identity.

05/05/81: BobbySands dies

On Tuesday 5 may 1981 Bobby Sands died in Maze Prison hospital after 66 days on hunger strike. He was 27.

See also: the guardian.com: From the archive, 6 May 1981: Bobby Sands joins long line of hunger strikers

01/01/1981: Wood and Walters TV series pilot

As a tribute to Victoria Wood who passed away today, we are making a special post dedicated to her TV series Wood and Walters whose pilot show "Wood and Walters: Two Creatures Great and Small" was broadcast by Granada Television in the UK on the first day of 1981.

text adapted from wikipedia:

After turning down the female role in the satirical sketch show Not The Nine O'Clock News in 1979, Wood was offered a sketch show of her own. She agreed only on the understanding that Julie Walters received equal billing. Wood had in fact only ever written one sketch three years earlier before being given her own show. She fell back on songs, which she felt was her strength, and the pilot for Wood and Walters contained four in 30 minutes. The sketches concerned themselves with Marriage Guidance Council, keep fit classes, DIY and gossip.
Wood hated the finished result, so was very surprised that the show was nominated for a BAFTA for Best Light Entertainment Programme alongside The Two Ronnies, The Kenny Everett Video Show and The Stanley Baxter Series (which won).

A complete series of  Wood and Walters was broadcast from 1 January 1982.

Victoria Wood, comedienne. 1953-2016

23/3/81: Mike Hailwood dies in a road accident

On Monday 23 March 1981, British motor-cycle racer Mike Hailwood died following a road traffic accident in Warwickshire, England.

Born Stanley Michael Bailey Hailwood in 1940, he was also known as "Mike The Bike" because of his natural riding ability on bikes with a range of engine capacities. Later in his career he went on to compete in Formula One and other classes of car racing, becoming one of the few men to compete at Grand Prix level in both motorcycle and car racing.

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The fatal accident had occurred two days earlier when Hailwood was driving with his two young children Micehlle and David. Michelle died instantly, and of the three only David survived. At his funeral Hailwood's pall bearers included James Hunt, John Surtees and Giacomo Agostini.

source: independent.co.uk

11/2/81: Fusaye Ichikawa dies

Japanese feminist and politician Fusaye Ichikawa (市川 房枝 , b. 1893) died on 11 February 1981.

She became involved with women's rights movements in Tokyo in the 1910's and in 1920 co-founded the New Women's Association (新婦人協会) together with pioneering Japanese feminist Hiratsuka Raicho.

As late as 1974, at the age of 81, Ishikawa ran in Japanese elections and earned a fourth term in the Diet. She was re-elected to the House of Councillors in 1980, with the highest number of votes from the national constituency.

Source: fembio.org, wikipedia

23/1/81: Samuel Barber dies

On Friday 23 September, American composer Samuel Barber (b. 1910) died in his New York apartment. He had twice won the Pulitzer Prize and his Adagio for Strings has become one of the most popular works in the orchestral canon.

The New York Times described him as "a calm, reticent man whose white hair and handsome head lent him in his later years the look of a Roman senator".

Source: New York Times archive