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Sorry for your loss Phil. I had an acquaintance (I never called him friend) like that. Dead from alcohol poisoning at 52. Sadly, too often an occurrence. Larger than life, so life is short. Take care Phil.

Very sorry Phil, and nice tribute - can tell you were a good friend. Take it easy man.

Another family of.. Serge Aurier's brother dead.

Several debatable. One definite who may have become a future DLer but died before the forum's creation was MT Graves, who won the DDP posthumously in 2000.

Wilko Johnson celebrates another birthday he didn't think he'd see, reaching 73.

Actor Ray Collins died on this day 55 years ago, aged 75.

I'm officially old. Brooklyn Beckham has announced his engagement and I can remember a time before his dad had even met Victoria.

The mistery was solved for Arthur Conan Doyle on this day 90 years ago, aged 71.

Shafi was once again in a critical condition last month and plans of succession were made. Anyway he was somehow discharged. Can't wait for another good riddance...

Hu Qili, the last living Politburo Standing Committee member during Tienanmen, who notoriously cried for the protests and was the only one, along with Zhao Ziyang, to vote against the martial law, is 90 and was gravely ill two years ago. A modern hero.

I think Eric Carle of the Very Hungry Caterpillar fame who has just turned 91 would be a good name for next year's list if he's still alive by then

Rota Onorio, Bill Graham and Gunther Schwagermann are almost certainly deceased. They’re just missing dates of death on Wiki.

Rolf Harris was the worst ventriloquist ever, he used to put his hand up my arse but tell me NOT to say anything.

Also last night, my wonderful aunt. 94 but if you spoke to her on the phone you would have thought she was fifty years younger. Last of her generation and fount of all family knowledge. I know it's a good innings but still .... some people you just want to be immortal.

Thank you everyone, for these posts and for the PMs. Truly appreciated

She fell unconscious yesterday, admitted to hospital, now regained consciousness and stable, but sounds like she may already be into her last few days.

Much respect regards the above. Plymouth's gay scene is mourning one of ours today- Claire Banks- someone who I've known for some 14 years passed away at 1115am this morning from cancer. I make no excuse to admit that I openly cried when my partner rang me at work, and I had to gently return to the restroom from being on beat (thankfully I was with a female colleague). Claire is the first of our group to pass over. When I say group, I mean about 10 of us who started "Monday club", who would go out and drink and to hell with the results- I think I lost more Tuesdays thanks to Claire with hangovers!! I'll include my message from her facebook page. Claire "Banksy" Banks, what can I say? We've laughed, we've cried, we've laughed tons more! We've mocked, been mocked, bitched, sank more alcohol than should have been humanly possible. And you fought, by god did you fight. We'll miss you my darling- god speed to the local in the sky. Where the Fosters is cold and music is loud. Lots of love Claire Bear, Phil and Darren xxxxxxx Just a sense of shock around tonight.

We found out on Friday that my sister's brain tumour is now inoperable, and she has a couple of months left at best. Nothing much else to say.

I got a text message from my best mate yesterday saying his sister had died. Darned shocker that, just 42 years old and being on Christmas day too. We were not that close these last twenty five or so years, but we did a whole load of growing up together. RIP Sue

Not a family member or even a close friend but a valued colleague and a really lovely guy who didn't deserve the years of suffering from more kinds of cancer than I knew there were. Frank.

I'm sorry, Cap'n.

Oh it must be awful to say goodbye to a good friend so soon

It is with great sadness that I must pass along news of the death of one of my houseplants, Robert. I'd inherited him from a friend who moved to another country, but after three years of faithful watering and nurturing in the sunlight, he photosynthesised for the last time over the weekend. His death will not be in vain, for from his mulchy remains new life shall surely spring.

I've found the reverse (so far). I seem to be surrounded by death this last year. One of my boyfriends' best mates was shot dead very publically last summer. My cat fell unexpectedly ill between Xmas and New Year, and died 10 minutes into New Years (we took the call from the vet with Auld Lang Syne still being played on the telly). And now I am about to go and visit my father who was diagnosed with liver cancer back in January. He had some chemo but the quackage tell him that the tumour is getting bigger, so they are taking him off the chemo as he is 74 and too frail to take it. So I am flying home to NZ this Sunday to spend time with him before he dies - I have no idea when that will be, no idea when I will return to my family in London. I started lurking on DL somewhere in the middle of all that lot: it seems to me that the contemplation of other people's potential demises is a helpful diversionary tactic from feeling one's own grief too deeply. So I reckon this will be one of the several places I will take refuge from the onslaught of waiting to see how my dad gets on (or not). I like Deathlist: I like its irreverence; the academicness (is that a word? it should be!) of the amazing research you lot of mad geeks actually DO into your unseemly passion; the acceptance that hijacking of threads into random other subjects will make no difference to the end product; and the attention to detail ... even the "heckling" of the Guests. Ah life/death/taxes/everything in between