Wilson Pickett was best known for the fiery hits Mustang Sally and In the Midnight Hour. Defined by his raspy voice and passionate delivery, he got his start singing gospel music in church. After moving to Detroit as a teen he joined the group the Falcons but went solo a year later, and would soon find his greatest success.
Pickett later suffered some tough times. In 1991 he was arrested for allegedly yelling death threats while driving a car over the mayor’s front lawn in Englewood, New Jersey.
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— Associated Press
Joan Root
1936-2006, film-maker
Joan and Alan Root made some of the most adventurous wildlife documentary films, involving many hair-raising encounters in the East Africa bush. As Alan put it: “Before we were married she wore a monocle and so did I. Together we made quite a spectacle.”
Joan had a bitter taste of what married life might be like on her honeymoon night. The couple were camped in eastern Kenya, listening to the roar of lions, but the romance disappeared rapidly when Joan was bitten by a scorpion.
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Between films, Alan decided to set a ballooning record by flying over the 19,340ft Mount Kilimanjaro. The couple made a gentle descent and landed in Tanzania, then in hostile relations with neighbouring Kenya. Their celebrations were muted when they were arrested as “astronaut spies”.
— The Daily Telegraph