Two Other Losses

Writer Dominick Dunne and pop songwriter Ellie Greenwich also died this week.

Dunne was a successful Hollywood producer until he smashed his career in the 1970s with booze and drugs. After cleaning up he reinvented himself as a novelist and journalist who specialized in covering trials of the rich and famous (e.g., O.J. Simpson, Roxanne Pulitzer, Claus von Bulow) for Vanity Fair magazine. In addition, he hosted a popular true crime show on the tru.tv cable channel.

Greenwich's primary songwriting collaborator was then hubbie Jeff Barry, although she had notable success working with Phil Spector (among others), and also played a key role in launching the career of Neil Diamond.

In her later years she worked with Blondie, Cyndi Lauper and Nona Hendrix. Among her best known hits are Be My Baby, Chapel of Love, River Deep Mountain High, Leader of the Pack, and Doo Ron Ron.