PASSINGS
Jack Reilly
Television producer
Jack Reilly, 84, a television producer best known for his work with “Good Morning America†and “Entertainment Tonight,†died May 27 in New York City. The cause of death was a heart attack, according to his son Chris.
Born Feb. 27, 1925, in Lowell, Mass., Reilly attended Emerson College in Boston, where he studied acting, but soon moved to New York to pursue his dream of being in the theater.
He toured with the national production of “Mr. Roberts†but gave up acting in 1953 after marrying and deciding to start a family.
Reilly found work at a television station in Omaha as an actor, director and handyman.
Several years later, he joined Westinghouse Broadcasting, and he eventually worked as program director and station manager at affiliates in Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. For a time, he was president of Group W Productions in Philadelphia.
In his late 40s, he turned to television production work, running the Mike Douglas and David Frost shows. In the late 1970s, he was hired as senior producer of “Good Morning America,†and he later worked as executive producer of “Entertainment Tonight†before returning to “Good Morning America†in the mid-1980s.
In the 1990s, Reilly was vice president and managing editor of business news for CNBC and created the shows “Squawk Box†and “Power Lunch.â€
George Belotti
Center for AFL’s first title winner
George Belotti, 74, who played on the American Football League’s first championship team after lettering for three seasons at USC, died Monday in Arcadia of complications from a stroke, according to USC Sports Information Director Tim Tessalone.
A native of Los Angeles, Belotti attended Oxnard High School and played left tackle for the Trojans from 1954 to 1956. He was chosen to play in the 1957 Hula Bowl after his senior season and was an eighth-round pick of the National Football League’s Green Bay Packers in the 1957 draft.
Belotti played center with the Houston Oilers in 1960 when they won the first AFL championship. In 1961, he played briefly for the Oilers, who repeated as AFL champions, and the San Diego Chargers.
Services for Belotti, a longtime resident of Covina, will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at St. Steven’s Serbian Orthodox Cathedral, 1621 W. Garvey Ave., Alhambra.
He is survived by his wife, Marie; two daughters; and a granddaughter.
-- times staff and wire reports [email protected]
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