Troy Smith Sr, the founder of SONIC’s fast food empire, has died. Troy Smith Sr’s funeral was held today.

Smith founded SONIC as Top Hat Root Beer Stand in Shawnee in 1953. Today it’s one of the nation’s most successful chains, with 3600 Drive Ins in 42 states. Smith is survived by two children and his wife of seven decades.

Smith was 87.

SONIC says the following about the company in a press release this week:

“SONIC, America’s Drive-In (NASDAQ/NM: SONC) started as a hamburger and root beer stand in 1953 in Shawnee, Okla., called Top Hat Drive-In, and then changed its name to SONIC in 1959. The first drive-in to adopt the SONIC name is still serving customers in Stillwater, Okla. As the nation’s largest chain of drive-in restaurants, SONIC has more than 3,500 drive-ins coast to coast. More than a million customers eat at SONIC every day; and, with more drink combinations than any other quick-service restaurant – more than 168,000 – SONIC is Your Ultimate Drink Stop®.

“Through a new program, Limeades for Learning, SONIC donated more than half a million dollars to public school classrooms in local communities across the country. Visit www.limeadesforlearning.com to learn more about SONIC’s commitment to education.”

Troy Smith will be greatly missed.

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Drummer Chuck Biscuits of Social Distortion, Black Flag, and Danzig is dead at age 44. Chuck Biscuits (Charles Montgomery) died earlier this week.

Biscuits is Ken Dimwit Montgomery’s brother of D.O.A. An obituary for Biscuits written by James Greene Jr reads as follows:

Biscuits was best known for his work with Black Flag and Danzig but also lent his talents to Run DMC, Social Distortion and the Circle Jerks.

Reports say Biscuits had a prolonged battle with throat cancer. Biscuits appeared on D.O.A. albums from 1978 to 1982 with Black Flag on The Complete 1982 Demos Plus More.

Funeral arrangements have not been announced. Send your love.

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Collin Wilcox (Collin Wilcox Paxton) from the 1962 To Kill a Mockingbird has died. Collin Wilcox appeared in the 1962 film as the child Mayella Violet Ewell.

Her cross examination as a child by Atticus Finch (Gregory Peck) was a classic. Even moreso, Mockingbird was just her first major film.

Other credits for Collin Wilcox included The Twilight Zone, Playhouse 90, The Waltons, and Columbo. Paxton was 74 and passed from brain cancer in Highlands, North Carolina. In the 1990s, her credits included Carriers, The Crying Game, Amercian Gothic, and Christy. Her latest reported credit was A Touch of Fate in 2003.

Funeral arrangements have not been announced. Send your love. Collin will be greatly missed.

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Vic Mizzy, the composer of the Addams Family theme song, has died. Vic Mizzy is dead at age 93. Mizzy also did the “Green Acres” title song.

Other Mizzy hits include “The Whole World is Singing my Song” and “With a Hey and a Hi and Ho Ho Ho”.

Cause of death is unknown. Vic Mizzy had died in his Bel Air home Saturday. Mizzy had previously told press he didn’t mind if his most famous credit was finger snaps on Addams Family - “[those] two snaps got me a mansion in Bel Air.”

Funeral arrangements have not been announced. Vic Mizzy will be greatly missed.

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In real life, Al Martino’s Volare and Spanish Eyes were classics. But on screen, Johnny Fontane, “The” Godfather’s pride and joy, was legendary. Al Martino is dead, as broke last night on LALATE,

Today Martino is remembered for incredible songs like Cant Help Fallin Love, Heart in My Heart, and the incredible Volare.

But in 1972, Al Martino’s Johnny Fontane came to life with Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando), the Sinatra styled actor / singer. Martino would sing the title track “Love Theme to the Godfather”.

Funeral arrangements have not been announced. Al Martino will be greatly missed. He was 82 years old.

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News of Al Martino’s death tonight, Martino (”Volare”) best known as Johnny Fontane in The Godfather. Al Martino has died at age 82.

Al Martino’s Johnny Fontane was the grandson of Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando). Fontane was the Frank Sinatra-esq character whose bio included both singer and actor. Martino also sang “Love Theme from the Godfather”, the 1972 title song for the movie.

Martino’s hits included Spanish Eyes, Cant Help Falling in Love, Heart in My Heart, and of course Volare.

Cause of death is unknown. Funeral arrangements have not been announced.

Al Martino will be greatly missed.

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A report Friday says Mr. Magic of the former Rap Attack radio show, John Rivas, is dead. Mr. Magic of Rap Attack has reportedly died. Rivas from 1983 to 1989 brought hip hop to the air with the popular WBLS-FM’s Rap Attack radio show.

Says the report:

“[Rivas] was featured as a DJ for one of the in-game radio stations of the 2002 video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, exposing him to a new audience. Magic’s WBLS radio show can also be heard during a scene in “Notorious,” the story of B.I.G.’s life. When not lending his voice to those projects, Magic worked as a hip-hop producer and released a series of greatest hits from Rap Attack.

Cause of death is unknown at time of press. Funeral arrangements have not been announced. Mr. Magic will be greatly missed. Send your love.

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