Jazz guitarist Dennis Sandole, 87, died Saturday at his home in Philadelphia. Besides being a mentor to John Coltrane, Sandole played with some of the fabled Big Bands (Tommy Dorsey's) and with some fabled singers (Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday) . . . Mary Francis, 76, the wife of mystery writer Dick Francis, died in her husband's arms on Sept. 30 at the couple's home in the Cayman Islands, reports The New York Times. She had served as her husband's researcher and editor, and by his own admission, his inspiration.