Obituaries

John Tishman, 90, a builder whose company worked on the World Trade Center in New York, the Century City complex in Los Angeles, and Walt Disney's Epcot center in Florida, among other high-profile developments, died Saturday at his home in Bedford, N.Y. Family spokesman John Gallagher said Mr. Tishman died of respiratory failure.

Mr. Tishman joined his family's construction business in 1948 after serving in the Navy and working as a schoolteacher. He later oversaw the construction of some of the nation's largest buildings, including the World Trade Center's twin towers and the 1,100-foot John Hancock Center skyscraper in Chicago. - AP
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nolead ends Joe Alaskey, 63, an impressionist and Emmy award-winning voice actor who succeeded Mel Blanc as Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, died of cancer Wednesday in New York.

Over the course of his lifetime, he lent his voice to some of animation's greatest hits. He became one of the principal actors on the Looney Tunes after Blanc's death in 1989, voicing not only Bugs and Daffy, but virtually all the characters, including Sylvester the Cat and Tweety Bird. Mr. Alaskey also played Yosemite Sam in Who Framed Roger Rabbit, his first major film.

Mr. Alaskey was in his early 20s when he moved to New York City to pursue show business as a stand-up comedian. While doing shows on the side, he worked for an insurance company and apprenticed for a diamond cutter.

It was on stage, though, that he sharpened his impressions. He could manipulate his voice to adopt both high and low pitches, tenors young and old. He switched between characters without missing a beat, an entire comedy troupe in a single man.

In 1981, he got a call from Friz Freleng, the creator of Looney Tunes.

"This guy calls me on the phone . . . and says, 'It's Friz Freleng. I heard your act. We're looking for replacements. Mel Blanc is not going to live forever,' " Mr. Alaskey recounted to the website Splitsider.

There was no more cutting diamonds after that.

Mr. Alaskey also voiced various political personalities in the late 1980s puppet show D.C. Follies. He was on Rugrats as Grandpa Lou Pickles and Forrest Gump as Richard Nixon.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Mr. Alaskey is survived by a brother and nieces and nephews. - Washington Post