Van Johnson, 92, one of the last surviving matinee idols of Hollywood's Golden Age, died Friday in Nyack, N.Y. Johnson got his big break in "A Guy Named Joe" (1943), playing a young fighter pilot who acquires an older pilot (Spencer Tracy) as his guardian angel. He earned praise in his roles in "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo" and "The Caine Mutiny," which starred Humphrey Bogart. By 1945, Johnson was second behind Bing Crosby on the list of the Top 10 box-office stars chosen yearly by the nation's theater owners.
Bettie Page, 85, a 1950s pinup model who helped set the stage for the 1960s sexual revolution, died Thursday at a Los Angeles hospital after suffering a heart attack nine days ago. She attracted national attention with magazine photographs of her sensuous figure in bikinis and see-through lingerie that were quickly tacked up on walls across the country.
Ron Carey, 72, a former Teamsters president, died Thursday at New York Hospital Medical Center, his son Daniel said. Carey had lung cancer.
Carey first joined the Teamsters in 1956 while working as a driver for United Parcel Service. When he took the helm in 1992, Carey cut his own salary, eliminated perks such as private jets and removed dozens of local leaders tainted by mob influence. But in 1997 he was forced out of office and banned because of a financial scandal. He was acquitted on federal charges in 2001.
"Carey organized a grassroots campaign and had a loyal following in Minnesota because he always put the members first," said Rick Sather, a Teamster truck driver at the Star Tribune, who co-chaired Carey's 1991 and 1996 election campaigns in Minnesota. He said Carey carried the state both times.
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