Bring Out Your Dead! The celebrity death thread....

BUMMER.

author said:

Peter Brown age 80 from the Lawman Series.  Still remember John Russell tossing him a rifle in the opening scene.

I always watched this show with my family (boy they were big on westerns) and I remember as a child, not at all near the age where I would start thinking of "boys", and when I'd see Peter Brown my heart would flutter!

kibbegirl said:

And this lovely man (in my head) James Noble of "Benson" fame. 

I saw someone say that they loved him in "Benson" but had a hard time believing back then that his often absentminded character could be elected governor of a state. No trouble getting people to believe that now.

Ridski! It's goodnight from little Ronnie!

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-03-31/ronnie-corbett-dies-age-85/7290542

and it's good night from me and it's good night from him !

Sigh

http://youtu.be/lIaXSBSQ0W0

Saw that, joanne. Loved that damn show.

The world is definitely a sadder place at the end of this month.

Remember those classic Frost Report segments??? Him, and Cleese, and 'Mr Average'? My mum would nearly fall off her chair with those, even though she didn't get British humour as a general rule.

ridski said:

Saw that, joanne. Loved that damn show.

Same here.

Gato Barbieri. 

Andy Newman from Thunderclap Newman

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/apr/03/andy-thunderclap-newman-obituary

And when I read this notice, I was quite moved. What a life! A man who will surely be missed by his community, as well as his family.

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/apr/04/native-american-war-chief-joseph-medicine-crow-dies-aged-102

A Star Wars death. Aged 93 years, so a good age, but sad nonetheless.

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/apr/04/erik-bauersfeld-admiral-ackbar-its-a-trap-star-wars

Accidents or The F'n Reason - Thunderclap Newman (look it up)

but that's not the reason for his name:

"Andrew Laurence Newman was born on November 21 1942 in Hounslow, west London,  and taught himself the piano by watching his father, a gardener, play at home. At Bulstrode secondary school his classmates nicknamed him Thunderclap. “They thought the rather clumsy style I played on the piano was reminiscent of a lightning bolt,” he recalled." 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2016/04/04/andy-thunderclap-newman-pianist---obituary/

RIP Merle Haggard. 79 years old.

http://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/music/2016/04/06/merle-haggard-dead-at-age-79/81272486/

Seems to me they already had his obit ready (which I understand is not uncommon).

marylago said:


RIP Merle Haggard. 79 years old.

http://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/music/2016/04/06/merle-haggard-dead-at-age-79/81272486/

Seems to me they already had his obit ready (which I understand is not uncommon).

Yes, newspapers write them in advance. They often interview the subject ahead of time.

The_Soulful_Mr_T said:

marylago said:


RIP Merle Haggard. 79 years old.

http://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/music/2016/04/06/merle-haggard-dead-at-age-79/81272486/

Seems to me they already had his obit ready (which I understand is not uncommon).

Yes, newspapers write them in advance. They often interview the subject ahead of time.

I heard an interesting interview with an obit writer on the radio once (sometime a long time ago).  It was really fun hearing her perspective on how she tries to frame the approach to living people she wants to interview for their obit.  I don't remember specifics, but do remember that she said she tried to individualize the approach, depending on how comfortable she believed the person might/might not be to openly discussing his/her obit.

marylago said:


RIP Merle Haggard. 79 years old.

http://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/music/2016/04/06/merle-haggard-dead-at-age-79/81272486/

Seems to me they already had his obit ready (which I understand is not uncommon).

Here's an obit with three videos in it. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/07/arts/music/merle-haggard-country-musics-outlaw-hero-dies-at-79.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=photo-spot-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0

and my favorite Merle haggard song: 

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/07/arts/music/merle-haggard-country-musics-outlaw-hero-dies-at-79.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=photo-spot-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0

Glad to see I'm not the only MOLer saddened by Merle Haggard's death.

mjh said:

The_Soulful_Mr_T said:

marylago said:


RIP Merle Haggard. 79 years old.

http://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/music/2016/04/06/merle-haggard-dead-at-age-79/81272486/

Seems to me they already had his obit ready (which I understand is not uncommon).

Yes, newspapers write them in advance. They often interview the subject ahead of time.

I heard an interesting interview with an obit writer on the radio once (sometime a long time ago). It was really fun hearing her perspective on how she tries to frame the approach to living people she wants to interview for their obit. I don't remember specifics, but do remember that she said she tried to individualize the approach, depending on how comfortable she believed the person might/might not be to openly discussing his/her obit.

I can imagine that might be a little touchy...

David Bowie has his drummer:

http://ultimateclassicrock.com/dennis-davis-dies/

Fans of Blake's 7 will be sad to read: 

http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/apr/14/blakes-7s-gareth-thomas-dies-at-71

Anne Jackson, great actress and wife of Eli Wallach.

David Gest, ex-husband to Liza Minelli, died at age 62 in a London hotel.

joanne said:

Fans if Blake's 7 will be sad to read: 

http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/apr/14/blakes-7s-gareth-thomas-dies-at-71

Never heard of him, the show or anything he's done. Maybe in Australia they know who he was but this isn't Australia. Perhaps you've noticed.

joanne said:

Fans if Blake's 7 will be sad to read: 

http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/apr/14/blakes-7s-gareth-thomas-dies-at-71

Yeah, I was sad to hear about that this morning, although to be fair, even though it was still called Blake's 7 after he left, it was always really Paul Darrow's (Avon's) show and he passed in 2012. It's ironic when an actor leaves a series for fear of being typecast, and then that's the only thing he's ever really remembered for anyway. Apart from Children of the Stones from the early 70s which creeped the eff outta me as a kid and I still can't watch it.

The_Soulful_Mr_T said:

joanne said:

Fans if Blake's 7 will be sad to read: 

http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/apr/14/blakes-7s-gareth-thomas-dies-at-71

Never heard of him, the show or anything he's done. Maybe in Australia they know who he was but this isn't Australia. Perhaps you've noticed.

It's a cult UK show, very popular at the SciFi conventions, and everyone worldwide was always trying for a remake. Blake's 7 is the prototype for many modern SF series and films, often drawing their tributes in admiration. 

From Wikipedia: 

Blake's 7's legacy to future television and film space opera was the use of moral ambiguity and dysfunctional main characters to create tension, and of long-term story arcs to aid cohesiveness. These devices can be seen in Babylon 5, Lexx, Andromeda, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Farscape, Firefly and the reimagined Battlestar Galactica. These programmes contrast with the simple good-versus-evil dualism of Star Wars, or the 'feel-good' tone and unconnected episode structure of both early Star Trek and the series' main contemporary Doctor Who.[13] Blake's 7 also influenced Hyperdrive and Aeon Flux.[52] Television playwright Dennis Potter's final work Cold Lazarus was inspired by the show.[53]

Ridski, it's interesting that a commentator in that Guardian article mentioned Darrow being in a wheelchair, as if he's still alive. Wiki confirms he's still breathing.

You know what, you're right. Darrow is still alive, it was his wife who passed in 2012 and I read it wrong. Oops. My bad.

Doris Roberts. 90 years old. Best known for Everybody Loves Raymond, but she acted in any number of shows.

eta: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doris_Roberts

galileo said:

Anne Jackson, great actress and wife of Eli Wallach.

I hadn't heard that.  Dang!