Born. To Melanie, 25, baby-voiced folk-schmalz singer whose most appropriate musical question was What Have They Done to My Song, Ma?, and her manager-husband Peter Schekeryk, 31: their first child, a girl; near Neptune, N.J. Name: Leilah.

Divorced. Lou Rawls, 39, onetime gospel choirboy whose charcoal-blue ballads, particularly Love Is a Hurtin' Thing, were among the first soul songs to hit the top of the pop charts in the '60s; by Lana Jean Rawls, 31; after twelve years of marriage and two children; in Los Angeles.

Divorced. Sean Connery, 43, the Scottish actor who was typecast as Superspy James Bond in Dr. No, Thunderball and four other 007 epics; and Diane Cilento, 40, novelist and actress who played the randy wench Molly Seagrim in Tom Jones; after eleven years of marriage and one child; in London.

Died. Paul Hartman, 69, ballroom buffoon with a thousand expressions whose double-jointed dance routines with his wife Grace tickled American nightclub and theater audiences in the '30s and '40s; of a heart attack; in Los Angeles. Best known for his Broadway antics in Angel in the Wings (1948), Hartman appeared frequently on television and made numerous films, among them Inherit the Wind (1960) and Luv (1967). He had recently begun preparing for a major supporting role in a movie of Nathanael West's The Day of the Locust.

Died. Paavo Nurmi, 76, Finland's legendary long-distance runner who won seven individual gold medals in three Olympiads (during the 1920s), of heart disease; in Helsinki. As a poor youngster, Nurmi worked in a foundry and ran 50 miles a week to develop his stamina. With long, flowing strides, "the Flying Finn" streaked through his decade, setting 28 world marks and dominating every distance race from 1,500 meters to the 26-mile marathon. Disqualified from the 1932 Olympics for "professionalism," he returned bitterly to Finland and made a fortune in the construction business.

Died. Sidney Blackmer, 78, durable character actor who impersonated Teddy Roosevelt in no fewer than ten plays and movies; of cancer; in New York. From his film debut as an extra in a 1915 Perils of Pauline episode, Blackmer went on to gain fame as a '20s and '30s matinee idol. But his best performances came after his youth began to fade: he won a Tony in 1950 for his portrayal of Doc, the alcoholic husband, in William Inge's Come Back, Little Sheba, and most recently was the satanic warlock in the film Rosemary's Baby.

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