In memoriam

Frederick Marx, or Fred, founder of the Detroit PR firm Marx Layne died of a heart attack over the weekend. He was 67.

Marx started his own firm in 1987 after 20 years on the internal side, to service clients in automotive, retail and professional services. He opened shop when his then employer Dayton Hudson--now operating as Target--moved its headquarters to Minneapolis.

In one article about Marx's passing, Sheldon Toll, a retired partner of Marx Layne client Honigman Miller LLP described him as the unofficial mayor of metro Detroit.

Marx's firm was recently sued for using Twitter to squat, impersonate and defame a newer, rival firm founded by a former employee.

Frank Liberman had quite a run in the PR business. The well known Hollywood publicist has passed away at 92, after a career that spanned more than 60 years.

Liberman represented Bob Hope for 41 years. Additional clients have included Henry Fonda, Nat "King" Cole, Tony Bennett, Jack Paar, Harry Belafonte, Steve Allen, Charles Bronson, Nick Nolte and William Shatner. The Hollywood Reporter has more.

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Jody Powell, White House Press Secretary for President Jimmy Carter, has passed away of a heart attack. He was 65 years old. President Carter once said, "Jody Powell knows me better than anyone else except my wife."

Powell served during some rough times for the Carter administration, notably the Iranian hostage crisis. He was Chairman of Powell Tate, a strategic communications and public affairs agency in Washington, D.C., up until his death. The agency is a part of Weber Shandwick.

Senator Edward Kennedy died last night at the age of 77 due to brain cancer. Details and reactions can be found in the Washington Post.

Family, friends, colleagues and rivals have all issued statements, some simple, some with issues folded in, such as Nancy Reagan's mention of stem cell research. Others include John Kerry, Chris Dodd, Sarah Palin, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Nancy Pelosi, Mike Bloomberg and more.

President Obama is scheduled to speak live about Kennedy's passing any moment. Refresh TVNewser today for details on how the networks are handling the news.

For the readers of this blog, beyond the hundreds of bills he authored, Kennedy was known as an empathetic campaigner and communicator, and a fiery orator.

Check out his clips from his 1980 "Dream shall never die" speech:

And from his DNC speech delivered exactly one year ago today:

Retired Tampa PR executive Bill Gray, or by byline G. William Gray, died on Sunday according to an obit in the Tampa Tribune.

Hill & Knowlton [a division of WPP (NASDAQ: WPPGY)] entered the Florida market by acquiring Gray's Gray & Associates in 1982. He retired five years later, spending his time writing commentary and book reviews for the Trib, as well as a novel.

Gray recruited Harry Costello from the business desk of the Tribune, who is quoted in the obit, and is currently GM of the Tampa office. He will deliver the eulogy today.

Another Trib alum Ed Roberts recalls Gray's diplomatic demeanor in an anecdote about a client meeting with the editorial board:

"There was a disagreement between some of us and things started getting a little bit edgy," Roberts said. "And Bill Gray was just sitting there and when everybody shut up, he came out and said something that was just so reasonable. I thought that not only do I think that this company may have a point, but I want to get to know this Bill Gray better."

"He would have made a great secretary of state," Roberts said.

Costello told us that since then, H&K's operation in Florida has expanded to Tallahassee and Miami to serve both local, state and broader accounts.

Della Smith, head of lifestyle, fashion, and travel boutique agency Della*Smith & Associates died on Sunday peacefully due to a serious illness according to her business partner Lisa Torch.

Prior to opening her own firm in 1988, Smith held PR positions at Picturesque Fashions and ad agency Ross Associates. She established herself in travel PR after a 5-year stint as features editor of Caribbean World magazine in the 1990s.