Broome began his career working for DC Comics editor Julias Schwartz during the Golden Age of Comics in the 1940s. Broome wrote numerous comics during that period, including Justice Society Of America stories for "All-Star Comics."
In the Silver Age (1950s/1960s) he wrote Captain Comet, The Atomic Knights, and Detective Chimp, but his biggest contribution during this time was the revamping of 1940s characters The Flash and Green Latntern for the 1950s. For many fans, these two characters define the Silver Age of Comics with lots of fast action, and pseudo-science fiction adventure.
Dirk Bogarde
LONDON (AP) -- Sir Dirk Bogarde, the British actor who starred in more than 70 films and captured the hearts of many women in the 1950s, died of a heart attack Saturday, May 8th. He was 78.
The British film star, who achieved his greatest fame in ``Death in Venice,'' suffered a stroke in 1996 and had been under 24-hour nursing care since last May.
He returned to England from military service in World War II and joined a small theater group. Soon, he landed roles in the lighthearted ``Doctor in the House'' series, and by the 1950s had become a matinee idol.
Screaming audiences mobbed him at public appearances. The attention soon led to bigger roles in movies such as ``A Tale of Two Cities,'' in which he played Sidney Carton, and other films such as ``Darling'' and ``The Servant.''
During the 1960s, Bogarde sought a quieter life and retreated to a 15th century farmhouse in France. He began a second career, producing several novels and a series of autobiographical works, including ``For The Time Being.''
After being diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease in 1986, he reluctantly returned to England, where he became an enthusiastic supporter of voluntary euthanasia.
The actor was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1992.
Dana Plato
MOORE, Okla. (AP) -- Actress Dana Plato, who like her fellow ``Diff'rent Strokes'' child co-stars had seen legal troubles since the show was canceled, died Saturday, May 8th, of a drug overdose.
Ms. Plato, 34, apparently took the painkiller Loritab along with Valium on Saturday while visiting the home of her fiance's parents. Police said the death appeared accidental and they did not suspect suicide.
Ms. Plato played Kimberly Drummond on the NBC sitcom that ran from 1978 to 1984.
She was arrested in 1991 for robbing a Las Vegas video store, and was placed on five years' probation. In 1992 she was given an additional five years' probation for forging prescriptions for Valium.
``If I hadn't gotten caught, it could have been the worst thing that happened to me because I could have died of a drug overdose,'' she told reporters in 1992.
Ms. Plato and her fiance, Robert Menchaca, had stopped at his parents' home in Moore for Mother's Day. Ms. Plato and Menchaca, 28, were en route to Los Angeles after she appeared on the Howard Stern's radio program in New York as part of an effort to jump-start her career.
Police said Ms. Plato went to take a nap Saturday afternoon. After Menchaca realized that evening there was a problem, his mother, a nurse, and his brother tried unsuccessfully to revive her with cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
Ms. Plato's recent career had included mainly low-budget films such as 1992's ``Bikini Beach Race'' and the 1997 film ``Different Strokes: A Story of Jack and Jill ... and Jill,'' a direct-to-video softcore tale about a sexual threesome.
Shirley Dinsdale Layburn
NEW YORK (AP) -- Shirley Dinsdale Layburn, a ventriloquist who won an Emmy Award in 1949, the first year the awards were presented, died Sunday, May 9th, of cancer. She was 72.
Mrs. Layburn received her Emmy for Most Outstanding Television Personality.
Her show appeared on Paramount Studio's KTLA in Los Angeles and featured her and her puppet ``Judy Splinters.''
She later had her own children's show on KNBH-NBC, followed by several other shows on ABC in New York and Chicago.
She later quit her television career and from 1973 to 1985 was the head of the Respiratory Therapy Department of John T. Mather Memorial Hospital in Port Jefferson, N.Y.
Mrs. Layburn, who was born in San Francisco, began her ventriloquism career at age 14 with her radio show, ``Judy in Wonderland.''
She later moved to Hollywood, where she and her puppet had appearances on radio shows along personalities such as Rudy Vallee, Eddie Cantor and Bob Burns.
Mrs. Layburn made her television debut in 1947 announcing shows and giving children birthday greetings on KTLA. Her appearances led to the weekly children's show, ``The Judy Splinters Show.''
Maurice Scott
CLIFTON, N.J. (AP) -- Maurice Scott, a trumpeter and band leader whose namesake orchestra headlined concert halls for a half-century, died Saturday, May 8th. He was 86.
The Maurice Scott Orchestra played in New York hotels and other landmark venues in the region. For 20 years, Scott's band entertained summer visitors at the Nemerson Resort in the Catskills. For another 15 years, the orchestra's home was the Metropolitan Hotel in Asbury Park.
The band's run lasted for more than 50 years, with Scott fronting the group and contributing trumpet and vocals.
Scott, whose real name was Maurice Anzaldi, also played with Tommy Dorsey, Jackie Gleason and Sammy Davis, Jr.
Shel Silverstein
KEY WEST, Fla. (AP) -- Shel Silverstein, the author of such acclaimed children's books as ``A Light in the Attic'' and ``Where the Sidewalk Ends,'' was found dead Monday morning, May 10th, of a heart attack. He was 66.
Silverstein's books, which he illustrated with his own humorous images, are packed with colorful characters like walruses with braces and camels in brassieres.
Silverstein is best known for his children's poetry. His work includes ``The Giving Tree'' (1964), ``Falling Up'' (1996) ``Where the Sidewalk Ends'' (1974) ``A Light in the Attic'' (1981), ``The Missing Piece Meets the Big O'' (1981) and ``The Missing Piece'' (1976).
He won numerous awards for his work including the Michigan Young Readers Award for ``Where the Sidewalk Ends.''
Before turning to children's poetry, Silverstein wrote verse for adults only. His career began as a writer and cartoonist for Playboy magazine in 1952.
Silverstein also was a celebrated lyricist, publishing numerous songs including Johnny Cash's ``A Boy named Sue'' and Loretta Lynn's ``One's on the Way.'' He also wrote the folk songs ``Unicorn'' and ``25 Minutes to Go.''
Survivors include son.