NEWSMAKERS

NEWSMAKERS

Rock Hall announces presenters, guests

CLEVELAND

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has revealed special guests for the 30th annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction Ceremony on April 18 at Cleveland’s Public Hall. They include: Paul McCartney inducting Ringo Starr; Stevie Wonder inducting Bill Withers; Patti Smith inducting Lou Reed; Peter Wolf inducting the Paul Butterfield Blues Band; Fall Out Boy inducting Green Day; John Mayer inducting Stevie Ray Vaughan; and Steve Cropper inducting the “5” Royales.

Performers include Beck, Dave Grohl, Joe Walsh, Tom Morello, John Legend, Jimmie Vaughan and others.

Tickets to the ceremony are sold out, but a limited number of VIP packages are still available by calling 216-515-1232 or emailing development@rockhall.org. The show will debut May 30 on HBO.

TV’s Gene Gene the Dancing Machine dies

PASADENA, Calif.

Eugene Patton, the stagehand who became “Gene Gene the Dancing Machine” on television’s “The Gong Show” in the late 1970s, has died.

Patton died in Pasadena, Calif., on March 9 of complications from diabetes, his son Sidney Patton said Wednesday.

A veteran stagehand, Patton worked on shows such as “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In,” “The Flip Wilson Show” and “The Richard Pryor Show.” He moved onstage for a shuffling dance to Count Basie’s “Jumpin’ at the Woodside” on “The Gong Show,” the absurdist talent show hosted by Chuck Barris.

Associated Press