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Stanley Frank "Stan" Musial - born Stanisław Franciszek Musiał; November 21, 1920 – January 19, 2013) was an American professional baseball player who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals (1941–1963)
Nicknamed "Stan the Man", Musial was a record 24-time All-Star selection (tied with Willie Mays), and is widely considered to be one of the greatest hitters in baseball history. He compiled 3,630 hits (ranking fourth all-time and most in a career spent with only one team). With 1,815 hits at home and 1,815 on the road, he also is considered to be the most consistent hitter of his era. He also compiled 475 home runs during his career, was named the National League's (NL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) three times, and won three World Series championship titles. Musial was a first-ballot inductee to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969.

Musial died at age 92 of natural causes on January 19, 2013 at his home in Ladue, Missouri, on the same day as fellow MLB Hall of Famer Earl Weaver. Musial was surrounded by his family as he died peacefully. Cardinals owner Bill DeWitt Jr. released the following statement:

"We have lost the most beloved member of the Cardinals family. Stan Musial was the greatest player in Cardinals history and one of the best players in the history of baseball. The entire Cardinals organization extends its sincere condolences to Stan's family, including his children Richard, Gerry, Janet and Jean, as well as his eleven grandchildren and twelve great grandchildren. We join fans everywhere in mourning the loss of our dear friend and reflect on how fortunate we all are to have known 'Stan the Man'."

Upon hearing the news of his death, fans gathered and began an impromptu memorial by his statue outside Busch Stadium; the Cardinals issued a release saying the memorial would be left in place for some time. In a laudatory obituary, the New York Times quoted famed New York manager Leo Durocher: "There is only one way to pitch to Musial — under the plate."

Missouri Governor Jay Nixon commented,: "Stan Musial was a great American hero who - with the utmost humility - inspired us all to aim high and dream big. The world is emptier today without him, but far better to have known him. The legacy of 'baseball's perfect warrior' will endure and inspire generations to come."

Saint Louis Mayor Francis G. Slay tweeted from his page on the city's website,: "Sad as we are, we are fortunate to have had Stan in STL for so long, and are also glad that Stan and Lil are together again."

"Major League Baseball has lost one of its true legends in Stan Musial, a Hall of Famer in every sense and a man who led a great American life," Commissioner Bud Selig said. "He was the heart and soul of the historic St. Louis Cardinals franchise for generations, and he served his country during World War II. A recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011, Stan's life embodies baseball's unparalleled history and why this game is the national pastime

Leroy "Sugarfoot" Bonner, frontman and founder of legendary funk group Ohio Players, passed away on Saturday, January 26 at the age of 69, according to a post on his Facebook page. No other details are available, but an official family announcement says he passed away quietly in his hometown of Trotwood-Dayton, Ohio.

The statement continues, "Humble yet charismatic, soft spoken and of few words, the weight of his thoughts, lyrics, and music has influenced countless other artists, songs, and trends. He will be missed but not forgotten as his legacy and music lives on. More details and an official historical perspective of his career will soon be forthcoming."

The Ohio Players stormed the 1970s with a hard-swinging sound that combined heavy funk grooves, radio-dominating pop hooks, punchy horns, and sensual album cover art that often became more talked-about than their music (for example, the cover of 1975's No. 2 charting Honey was the source of one of rock history's most enduring urban legends). Formed in the early 1960s from the ashes of Dayton R&B group the Ohio Untouchables, the Ohio Players became intergral in funk's domination of the following decade. Their ubiquitous hits "Fire" and "Love Rollercoaster" topped the Hot 100, and three others ("Funky Worm," "Sweet Sticky Thing," "Who'd She Coo?") topped the R&B charts as well.

Though Bonner was touring a version of the Players up until his death, you will hear their contemporary legacy most loudly in bands like the Red Hot Chili Peppers (who covered "Love Rollercoaster"), disco revisionists Escort (who evoke them on their recent self-titled LP), and in more than 200 rap songs that sample them. In the hip-hop world, nothing has been more indelible than 1973's "Funky Worm." After appearing in songs on N.W.A.'s landmark 1988 album Straight Outta Compton, sampling, interpoliting, and evoking "Funky Worm"'s swirling, buzzing Moogs became the sound of an entire generation of West Coast hip-hop producers. The tradition is still alive today, as you can even hear a funky worm replay in the coda of Kendrick Lamar's recent "m.A.A.d. city."

Barney Bush (birth name Bernard Bush; September 30, 2000 – February 1, 2013) was a Scottish Terrier owned by former U.S. President George W. Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush. Barney had his own official web page which redirected to an extension of the White House website. Barney was born in New Jersey and he was often referred to as the "First Dog."

Barney's mother, Coors, is owned by former Environmental Protection Agency Director and former New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman. The dog's father is known as Kelly. Miss Beazley, the Bushes' other Scottish terrier, is Barney's niece through his half-brother, Clinton.

Interests

Barney is said to enjoy playing with volleyballs and golf balls, and enjoyed observing games of horseshoes. There are various web sites across the Internet devoted to Barney. Most notably, he was the main star of the White House's annual Christmas videos during the Bush administration.

Barney was featured in several films that go by the name of Barneycam and are made by the White House Staff, and star both Barney himself and Miss Beazley, the other presidential canine. These movies can be found on the George W. Bush archived White House web site.

Media attention
Laura, George and Barney at TSTC Waco Airport Bob Woodward quotes Bush about BarneyBarney was evoked in a famous Bush quote cited by Bob Woodward about the Iraq War in State of Denial: Bush at War, Part III (ISBN 0743272234) and repeated during a 60 Minutes interview:

"Late last year he had key Republicans up to the White House to talk about the war. And said, 'I will not withdraw even if Laura and Barney are the only ones supporting me.' Barney is his dog," Woodward says. "My work on this leads to lots of people who spend hours, days with the president."

Criticism by Karl Rove and Vladimir Putin

White House official Karl Rove remarked shortly after his resignation that Barney was "a lump." Barney has also been criticized by Russian President Vladimir Putin who feels a world leader should own large robust dogs, not smaller breeds such as the Scottish Terrier. At a later date, when Putin introduced Bush to Koni, his black labrador, Putin is reported to have remarked that Koni is "(b)igger, tougher, stronger, faster, meaner, than Barney."

Satires
On November 27, 2006, Barney was featured in an article in satirical newspaper The Onion titled "Troop Morale Boosted By Surprise Visit From First Dog". The article described a fictitious visit by Barney to troops in Iraq.

On December 14, 2006, The Daily Show satirized Barney's Holiday Extravaganza. Barney was, at one point, satirized in "The Bugle".

On January 23, 2007, Scottie Tails posted a satire video of a Wheaten-colored terrier named Kenzie asking Barney to contact her about a date.

Bites
On November 6, 2008, Barney bit Reuters news reporter Jon Decker's finger. Barney had bitten Boston Celtics public relations director Heather Walker on the wrist on September 19, 2008 breaking the skin and drawing blood, but the incident was not reported until after the November 6 bite. Laura Bush's spokesperson joked afterwards that "I think it was his way of saying he was done with the paparazzi."

Death
Barney died after a battle with lymphoma.

On February 1, 2013, President Bush posted this to his Facebook page, Statement by President George W. Bush on the passing of Barney Bush:

Laura and I are sad to announce that our Scottish Terrier, Barney, has passed away. The little fellow had been suffering from lymphoma and after twelve and a half years of life, his body could not fight off the illness.

Barney and I enjoyed the outdoors. He loved to accompany me when I fished for bass at the ranch. He was a fierce armadillo hunter. At Camp David, his favorite activity was chasing golf balls on the chipping green.

Barney guarded the South Lawn entrance of the White House as if he were a Secret Service agent. He wandered the halls of the West Wing looking for treats from his many friends. He starred in Barney Cam and gave the American people Christmas tours of the White House. Barney greeted Queens, Heads of State, and Prime Ministers. He was always polite and never jumped in their laps. Barney was by my side during our eight years in the White House. He never discussed politics and was always a faithful friend. Laura and I will miss our pal.

Barney is survived by the Bushes’ other Scottish Terrier, Miss Beazley.

Filmography
Barney in A Red, White, and Blue Christmas.Barney has starred in eleven government film productions. His latest, Barney Cam VII: A Red, White and Blue Christmas, is a 2008 Christmas video featuring George W. Bush and members of his immediate family, and many American Olympians. In it, he dreams of winning several honors for the United States before being woken up by President Bush, who needs Barney's help in preparing for Christmas.

Barney's feature videos:

Barney Cam VII: A Red, White and Blue Christmas (200
Barney Cam VI: Holiday in the National Parks (2007)
My Barney Valentine (2007)
Barney's Holiday Extravaganza (2006)
A Very Beazley Christmas (2005)
Barney and Miss Beazley's Spring Garden Tour (2005)
Barney has found Miss Beazley (2005)
Where in the White House is Miss Beazley? (2004)
Barney Reloaded (2003)
Barney and Spot's Winter Wonderland (2003)
Barney Cam (2002)

Storage Wars castmember Mark Balelo
Storage Wars castmember Mark Balelo committed suicide Monday, TMZ reported. His age is unknown.

Balelo, who also was jokingly called "Rico Suave" on the show for the snazzy attire he wore to auctions, was reportedly found in his car, which had been left running at his auction house in Simi Valley, Calif., after dying from carbon monoxide poisoning.

TMZ reported that Balelo was arrested Saturday for a drug-related offense. After his release from jail, a distraught Balelo called his fiancée and told her that he might hurt himself. After the two spoke at his office for a couple hours, he took a nap and, upon waking, seemed better. His fiancée left Sunday night.

The next morning, one of his employees found him dead in his car. An autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday.

According to IMDb.com, Balelo appeared on several episodes of A&E's Storage Wars over the past few seasons. On the show, he often angered other bidders by showing up with large amounts of money and easily outbidding all his rivals.

MINDY McCREADY

Malinda Gayle "Mindy" McCready (November 30, 1975 – February 17, 2013) was an American country music singer. Active from 1995 until her death in 2013, she recorded a total of five studio albums. Her debut album, 1996's Ten Thousand Angels, was released on BNA Records and was certified 2× Platinum by the RIAA, while 1997's If I Don't Stay the Night was certified Gold. 1999's I'm Not So Tough, her final album for BNA, was less successful, and she left the label. A self-titled fourth album followed in 2002 on Capitol Records.

Overall, McCready's four studio albums accounted for twelve singles on the Billboard country singles charts. This figure includes the Number One hit "Guys Do It All the Time", as well as the Top Ten hits "Ten Thousand Angels" and "A Girl's Gotta Do (What a Girl's Gotta Do)". Although she had not charted a single since 2002, McCready received significant media coverage regarding her personal life. McCready's fifth studio album, I'm Still Here, was released in March 2010 on Iconic Records and is available on Amazon and iTunes.

In August 2004, McCready was arrested in Tennessee for using a fake prescription to buy the painkiller OxyContin. Although she initially denied the charge, she pleaded guilty and was fined $4,000, sentenced to three years probation, and ordered to perform 200 hours of community service

In May 2005, she was stopped by Nashville police for speeding, then arrested and charged with driving under the influence and driving with a suspended license

A jury later found her not guilty on the charges of DUI, but guilty of driving with a suspended license

That July, she was charged in Arizona with identity theft, unlawful use of transportation, unlawful imprisonment, and hindering prosecution

An arrest warrant was issued for her the following month for violation of her probation when she left Tennessee without her probation officer's permission. She was also charged with not reporting to her probation officer during the month of July

She was finally arrested in Florida and returned to Tennessee. She faced a hearing later that year on charges of violating her probation on a drug charge by failing to check in with her probation officer and leaving the state without permission to go to Florida.

In July 2007, McCready was arrested in Ft. Myers, Florida. She was charged with battery and resisting arrest for an apparent scuffle with her mother

The following week, she was taken into custody at the Nashville International Airport for violating probation

In September, McCready was sentenced to a year in jail for violating probation. In addition to the jail time, she was ordered to serve two more years of probation and perform 200 additional hours of community service. She was released from jail in December.

In June 2008, McCready was arrested in Tennessee for violating the terms of her probation set in September 2007

Sentenced to 60 days in jail, McCready turned herself in on September 30, 2008

After serving half of her sentence, she was released early for good behavior on October 31, 2008

On February 17, 2013, neighbors called the Sheriff's Office of Cleburne County, Arkansas, reporting gunshots. McCready was found dead on her front porch, the same place where David Wilson, her former boyfriend and the father of her younger son, had killed himself one month prior. Her death was from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. She also fatally shot the pet dog that had belonged to Wilson. Her two children remain in foster care and were not home at the time of her death

VAN CLIBURN

Harvey Lavan "Van" Cliburn, Jr., ( July 12, 1934 – February 27, 2013) was an American pianist who achieved worldwide recognition in 1958 at the age of 23, when he won the first quadrennial International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow at the height of the Cold War.

His mother, an accomplished pianist who had studied under a student of Franz Liszt, discovered him playing at age three and mimicking one of her students. She began his own lessons. He developed a rich, round tone and a singing voice-like phrasing, having been taught from the start to sing each piece.

Van Cliburn toured domestically and overseas. He played for royalty, heads of state, and every U.S. president from Dwight D. Eisenhower to Barack Obama.[3] His recording of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 was the first record by a classical artist to sell more than 1 million copies.

On August 27, 2012, Cliburn's publicist announced that the pianist had advanced bone cancer. He underwent treatment and was "resting comfortably at home" in Fort Worth, where he received around-the-clock care. Cliburn died on February 27, 2013, at the age of seventy-eight.

Alvin Lee (born Graham Alvin Barnes, 19 December 1944 – 6 March 2013) was an English rock guitarist and singer. He was best known as the lead guitarist and singer with blues-rock band Ten Years After.

He began playing guitar at the age of 13, and with Leo Lyons formed the core of the band Ten Years After in 1960. Lee began to play professionally in 1962, in a band named the Jaybirds, who enjoyed popularity in their native England, but moved on to seek a wider fan-base. They began that year to perform in the Star-Club in Hamburg, Germany, following closely behind The Beatles.

There, with Alvin Lee assuming the permanent role of lead vocalist in addition to that of lead guitarist, they began to build a following. It was not until the band moved to London in 1966 and changed its name, first to Jaybird, dropping 'The' and 's' to make it sound more contemporary; then to Blues Yard (for one gig at the Marquee Club); and finally to Ten Years After, that international success beckoned.

Ten Years After had success, releasing ten albums together, but by 1973, Lee was feeling limited by the band's style. Moving to Columbia Records had resulted in a radio hit song, "I'd Love To Change the World", but Lee preferred blues-rock to the pop to which the label steered them.

He left Ten Years After after their second Columbia LP. With American Christian rock singer Mylon LeFevre and George Harrison, Steve Winwood, Ronnie Wood and Mick Fleetwood, he recorded and released On the Road to Freedom, an acclaimed album that was at the forefront of country rock. Also in 1973 he sat in on the Jerry Lee Lewis double album The Session recorded in London featuring many other guest stars including Albert Lee, Peter Frampton and Rory Gallagher.

A year later, in response to a dare, Lee formed Alvin Lee & Company to play a show at the Rainbow in London and released it as a double live album, In Flight. Various members of the band continued on with Lee for his next two albums, Pump Iron! and Let It Rock. In late 1975, he played guitar for a couple of tracks on Bo Diddley's The 20th Anniversary of Rock 'n' Roll all-star album. He finished out the 1970s with Ten Years Later who also released two albums, Rocket Fuel (1978) and Ride On (1979), and toured extensively throughout Europe and the United States.

The 1980s brought another change in Lee's direction, with two albums that were collaborations with Rare Bird's Steve Gould, and a tour with the former John Mayall and Rolling Stones' guitarist Mick Taylor joining his band.

Lee's overall musical output includes more than twenty albums, including 1985's Detroit Diesel, and the back to back 1990s collections of Zoom and Nineteen Ninety-Four (U.S. title I Hear You Rockin' ). Guest artists on both albums included George Harrison.

In Tennessee, recorded with Scotty Moore and D. J. Fontana, was released in 2004. Lee's most recent album, Still on the Road to Freedom, was released in September 2012.

Lee died on 6 March 2013 in Spain According to his website, he died from "unforeseen complications following a routine surgical procedure"

Harry Reems- born Herbert Streicher-(August 27, 1947 – March 19, 2013) was the stage name of one of the most active and popular pornographic actors of the 1970s and star of the 1972 cult classic, Deep Throat. Reems's appearance in Deep Throat led to his arrest by FBI agents in New York City in July 1974, and indictment in Memphis, Tennessee in June 1975 on federal charges of conspiracy to distribute obscenity across state lines. He was convicted in April 1976 with 11 other individuals and four corporations. His conviction was overturned on appeal in April 1977, because his activities in making the film occurred before a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on obscenity in 1973 (Miller v. California), and Reems was granted a new trial. The charges against Reems were dropped in August. Reems's defense claimed that he was the first American actor to be prosecuted by the federal government merely for appearing in a film, and he received considerable support from established Hollywood and New York celebrities during his trial. His successful appeal was handled by attorney Alan Dershowitz.

Reems was cast in the musical film Grease as Coach Calhoun, the Rydell High track coach (before making pornographic films, he had done legitimate theater). However, for fear that his notoriety would cause the film's box office in the South to be jeopardized, Sid Caesar was cast for the role instead.

Reems died on March 19, 2013 at the veterans' hospital in Salt Lake City from pancreatic cancer. He was 65. Besides his wife Jeanne, Reems is survived by his brother. He had no children

Philip "Phil" Ramone (January 5, 1934) – March 30, 2013) was a South African–born American recording engineer, record producer, violinist, and composer, who, in 1958, co-founded A & R Recording, Inc., a recording studio at 112 West 48th Street, New York — above what then was Manny's Music. The success of that studio grew into several studios and a record producing company. He was described by Billboard as "legendary", and the BBC as a "CD pioneer"

In 1959, Ramone established an independent recording studio A & R Recording (the initials were derived from the last initials of Ramone and his then-business partner Jack Arnold). Later the partnership which owned the studio consisted of Brooks Arthur owning half while Ramone, Don Frey, and Arthur Downs Ward owned the other half.

In the studio he quickly gained a reputation as a gppd sound engineer and music producer, in particular for his use of innovative technology. Among those whose music he has produced are Clay Aiken, Burt Bacharach, The Band, Bono, Laura Branigan, Ray Charles, Karen Carpenter, Chicago, Peter Cincotti, Natalie Cole, Bob Dylan, Sheena Easton, Melissa Errico, Gloria Estefan, Aretha Franklin, Billy Joel, Elton John, Quincy Jones, Patricia Kaas, B. B. King, Julian Lennon, Shelby Lynne, Madonna, Barry Manilow, Richard Marx, Paul McCartney, George Michael, Liza Minnelli, Anne Murray, Olivia Newton-John, Sinéad O'Connor, Fito Páez, Luciano Pavarotti, Peter Paul and Mary, Andre Previn, Diane Schuur, Carly Simon, Paul Simon, Frank Sinatra, Rod Stewart, James Taylor, The Guess Who, Dionne Warwick and Stevie Wonder. He is also credited with recording Marilyn Monroe's intoxicated version of "Happy Birthday to You" to President John F. Kennedy.

Ramone died on March 30, 2013, in a Manhattan hospital after being admitted for surgery. His death was caused by a brain aneurysm.

Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, LG, OM, PC, FRS (née Roberts, 13 October 1925 – 8 April 2013) was a British Conservative Party politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and the Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She was the longest-serving British Prime Minister of the 20th century and is the only woman to have held the office. A Soviet journalist called her the "Iron Lady", a nickname that became associated with her uncompromising politics and leadership style. As Prime Minister, she implemented policies that have come to be known as Thatcherism.

In the 1950 and 1951 general elections, she was the Conservative candidate for the safe Labour seat of Dartford, where she attracted media attention as the youngest and the only female candidate. She lost both times to Norman Dodds, but reduced the Labour majority by 6,000, and then a further 1,000. (By an odd coincidence, Edward Heath was elected for the first time in the neighbouring constituency in 1950). During the campaigns, she was supported by her parents and by Denis Thatcher, whom she married in December 1951. Denis funded his wife's studies for the bar; she qualified as a barrister in 1953 and specialised in taxation. That same year her twins, Carol and Mark, were born


Thatcher was not a candidate in the 1955 general election as it came fairly soon after the birth of her children. Later that year, she was narrowly defeated when she sought selection as the candidate for the Orpington by-election, 1955.

In October 1961 Thatcher was promoted to the front bench as Parliamentary Undersecretary at the Ministry of Pensions and National Insurance in Harold Macmillan's administration

n 1967, she was selected by the United States Embassy in London to take part in the International Visitor Leadership Program (then called the Foreign Leader Program), a professional exchange programme that gave her the opportunity to spend about six weeks visiting various US cities and political figures as well as institutions such as the International Monetary Fund

The Conservative party under Edward Heath won the 1970 general election, and Thatcher was subsequently appointed Secretary of State for Education and Science. During her first months in office she attracted public attention as a result of the administration's attempts to cut spending. She gave priority to academic needs in schools and imposed public expenditure cuts on the state education system, resulting in the abolition of free milk for schoolchildren aged seven to eleven. She held that few children would suffer if schools were charged for milk, but she agreed to provide younger children with a third of a pint daily, for nutritional purposes. Her decision provoked a storm of protest from the Labour party and the press, leading to the moniker "Margaret Thatcher, Milk Snatcher".

Thatcher became Prime Minister on 4 May 1979.

As Prime Minister, Thatcher met weekly with Queen Elizabeth II to discuss government business, and their relationship came under close scrutiny. In July 1986, The Sunday Times reported claims attributed to the Queen's advisers of a "rift" between Buckingham Palace and Downing Street "over a wide range of domestic and international issues". The Palace issued an official denial, heading off speculation about a possible constitutional crisis. After Thatcher's retirement a senior Palace source again dismissed as "nonsense" the "stereotyped idea" that she had not got along with the Queen, or that they had fallen out over Thatcherite policies. Thatcher later wrote: "I always found the Queen's attitude towards the work of the Government absolutely correct ... stories of clashes between 'two powerful women' were just too good not to make up

Thatcher took office in the penultimate decade of the Cold War and became closely aligned with the policies of United States President Ronald Reagan, based on their shared distrust of Communism, although she strongly opposed Reagan's October 1983 invasion of Grenada. Reagan had assured Thatcher that an invasion was not contemplated, and thereafter Thatcher felt she could never fully trust Reagan again. During her first year as Prime Minister she supported NATO's decision to deploy US nuclear cruise and Pershing missiles in Western Europe and permitted the US to station more than 160 cruise missiles at RAF Greenham Common, starting on 14 November 1983 and triggering mass protests by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.She bought the Trident nuclear missile submarine system from the US to replace Polaris, tripling the UK's nuclear forces at an eventual cost of more than £12 billion (at 1996–97 prices). Thatcher's preference for defence ties with the US was demonstrated in the Westland affair of January 1986, when she acted with colleagues to allow the struggling helicopter manufacturer Westland to refuse a takeover offer from the Italian firm Agusta in favour of the management's preferred option, a link with Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation. The UK Defence Secretary, Michael Heseltine, who had supported the Agusta deal, resigned in protest

On 1 November 1990 Geoffrey Howe, the last remaining member of Thatcher's original 1979 cabinet, resigned from his position as Deputy Prime Minister over her refusal to agree to a timetable for Britain to join the European Exchange Rate Mechanism

His resignation was fatal to Thatcher's premiership.

The next day, Michael Heseltine mounted a challenge for the leadership of the Conservative Party

Although Thatcher won the first ballot, Heseltine attracted sufficient support (152 votes) to force a second ballot. Thatcher initially stated that she intended to "fight on and fight to win" the second ballot, but consultation with her Cabinet persuaded her to withdraw. After seeing the Queen, calling other world leaders, and making one final Commons speech, she left Downing Street in tears. She regarded her ousting as a betrayal

Thatcher was replaced as Prime Minister and party leader by her Chancellor John Major, who oversaw an upturn in Conservative support in the 17 months leading up to the 1992 general election and led the Conservatives to their fourth successive victory on 9 April 1992

She retired from the House at the 1992 election, aged 66, saying that leaving the Commons would allow her more freedom to speak her mind

After leaving the House of Commons, Thatcher became the first former Prime Minister to set up a foundation; it closed down in 2005 because of financial difficulties. She wrote two volumes of memoirs, The Downing Street Years (1993) and The Path to Power (1995)..

Thatcher suffered several small strokes in 2002 and was advised by her doctors not to engage in any more public speaking. On 23 March she announced that on the advice of her doctors she would cancel all planned speaking engagements and accept no more.

Husband's death


Sir Denis Thatcher died of pancreatic cancer on 26 June 2003 and was cremated on 3 July. She had paid tribute to him in The Downing Street Years, writing "Being Prime Minister is a lonely job. In a sense, it ought to be: you cannot lead from the crowd. But with Denis there I was never alone. What a man. What a husband. What a friend."

Thatcher died on 8 April 2013 at The Ritz Hotel in London after suffering a stroke.She had been staying at a suite in The Ritz Hotel since Christmas after having difficulty with stairs at her Chester Square home. She had suffered from poor health for several years