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Estelle Harris died on this day 2 years ago, aged 93. - Harris got her start on TV working in commercials, but her screen career only began in 1976. - Harris' breakout role was as George's mom Estelle Costanza on Seinfeld, first appearing in the 1992 episode "The Contest". She appeared in 26 more episodes: - From there, Harris would primarily become a voice actress, and lent her voice to many Disney productions. On TV, these included Timon's mother in the Timon and Pumbaa show (she would be replaced by Julie Kavner in The Lion King 1 1/2), Mama Lipsky in Kim Possible, Dave's sword Lula in Dave the Barbarian, and Peg-Leg Peg in Jake and the Neverland Pirates. In movies, she was an elderly bear in Brother Bear, Audrey the chicken in Home on the Range, and most notably Mrs. Potato Head from Toy Story 2 to Toy Story 4: She also played Muriel in the live-action Disney Channel show The Suite Life of Zack and Cody. - Harris was also often typecast as old mother characters as well, specifically Oz's mom in Fanboy and Chum-Chum, Professor Farnsworth's mother Velma in an episode of Futurama, and Death's mother in Family Guy. - Harris would appear on the DeathList once in 2022- the third death of the fourteen that year.

Dr. Demento is 83.

4/1/2024 40 Gwen Stefani ft. Akon — The Sweet Escape 33 Manic Street Preachers — Your Love Alone Is Not Enough 31 Rihanna — SOS 31 Corinne Bailey Rae — Put Your Records On 30 Kate Nash — Foundations 30 Mark Ronson ft. Amy Winehouse — Valerie 29 The Killers — When You Were Young 27 Plain White T’s — Hey There Delilah 26 Embrace — Nature’s Law 25 Christina Aguilera — Ain’t No Other Man 24 The White Stripes — Icky Thump 24 Mark Ronson ft. Daniel Merriweather — Stop Me 24 Fall Out Boy — This Ain’t A Scene, It’s An Arms Race 24 Arctic Monkeys — Brianstorm 24 Ida Corr vs. Fedde Le Grand — Let Me Think About It 23 Mary J. Blige & U2 — One 22 Booty Luv — Boogie 2Nite 21 Infernal — From Paris To Berlin 20 U2 & Green Day — The Saints Are Coming 20 Avril Lavigne — Girlfriend 20 Mutya Buena — Real Girl 20 Maroon 5 — Makes Me Wonder 18 Red Hot Chili Peppers — Dani California 18 T2 ft. Jodie Aysha — Heartbroken 17 Cascada — Everytime We Touch 10 Bodyrox ft. Luciana — Yeah Yeah -6 9 Chamillionaire ft. Krayzie Bone — Ridin’ +4

Scott Joplin died on this day 107 years ago, aged 48. - Joplin was the son of a recently emancipated father and free-born mother. Joplin began playing the piano when he was 7, and after receiving professional lessons, would form his first band (a quartet) in 1884. - Due to segregation, Joplin mostly found band work at brothels, most notably at one near the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago. - Joplin's early compositions were marches, most notably 1896's "Great Crush Collision March" commemorating a staged train crash (whose debris ended up killing two spectators): - By the late 1890s, ragtime music had become a national phenomenon, and Joplin would become one of the most prolific composers of this time. One of his most famous songs was the Maple Leaf Rag, composed in 1898, and Joplin reportedly became the first musician to sell one million copies of an instrumental song: This song became the model for many rags to come afterwards, and Joplin is known as the "King of Ragtime" as such. - Joplin would have another mega-hit with "The Entertainer" in 1902, used as the theme for The Sting 71 years later: - In 1911, Joplin would make the opera Treemonisha. It was never staged within his lifetime, with the first stage performance being done in 1972- and it would posthumously earn Joplin a Pulitzer Prize in 1976. - In his later years, Joplin suffered from chronic syphilis. This would end up killing him as it developed into neurosyphilis.

Susan Boyle is 63.

Barbara Rush dead at 97.

3/31/2024 35 Gwen Stefani ft. Akon — The Sweet Escape 33 Mark Ronson ft. Amy Winehouse — Valerie 30 Manic Street Preachers — Your Love Alone Is Not Enough 30 Corinne Bailey Rae — Put Your Records On 29 Kate Nash — Foundations 27 Plain White T’s — Hey There Delilah 26 Maroon 5 — Makes Me Wonder 26 Rihanna — SOS +1 25 The Killers — When You Were Young 25 Cascada — Everytime We Touch +1 24 Fall Out Boy — This Ain’t A Scene, It’s An Arms Race 23 Infernal — From Paris To Berlin 23 Mary J. Blige & U2 — One 23 The White Stripes — Icky Thump 23 Mark Ronson ft. Daniel Merriweather — Stop Me 23 Christina Aguilera — Ain’t No Other Man 22 Embrace — Nature’s Law 22 Booty Luv — Boogie 2Nite 21 T2 ft. Jodie Aysha — Heartbroken 21 Ida Corr vs. Fedde Le Grand — Let Me Think About It 21 Arctic Monkeys — Brianstorm 20 U2 & Green Day — The Saints Are Coming 20 Avril Lavigne — Girlfriend 20 Mutya Buena — Real Girl 19 Red Hot Chili Peppers — Dani California 19 Just Jack — Starz In Their Eyes 18 Chamillionaire ft. Krayzie Bone — Ridin’ +2 15 Take That — Rule The World -3 15 Bodyrox ft. Luciana — Yeah Yeah -3

Francis I of France died on this day 477 years ago, aged 52. - Francis was the son of the count of Angouleme, and was not expected to take the throne at birth. However, his third cousin Charles VIII died in 1498, and his successor, (Francis' cousin first removed) Louis XII only had daughters. Louis would marry his daughter Claude to Francis. - Francis became king in 1515 at the age of 20. Francis was a patron of the arts, and particularly sponsored Leonardo da Vinci while he lived in France- Francis also reportedly was at da Vinci's bedside when he died in 1519. He also enjoyed literature, especially poetry, writing poems of his own. - Among Francis' foreign policy were the Italian Wars (which had begun the year he was born), forming a fierce rivalry with Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. He would be captured in battle in 1525, and held as a POW in Spain for a year before being released. Francis would form a new alliance in 1536 with the Ottoman Empire- the first diplomatic alliance between a Christian and Muslim country in history. - Francis' reign would also see him send Jacques Cartier to what is now Canada in 1534, with the first attempt at a colony set up there in 1541 (and abandoned in 1543). - The Protestant Revolution also began during Francis' reign, and he initially supported the movement (as it caused some of the German nobility to turn against Charles V). However, he would condemn it when he viewed messages against the Catholic mass as a plot against him, and he would codify persecution against French Protestants. - Francis died after 32 years on the throne, and was succeeded by his son Henry II.

Herb Alpert is 89.

3/30/2024 31 Gwen Stefani ft. Akon — The Sweet Escape 31 Manic Street Preachers — Your Love Alone Is Not Enough 30 Mark Ronson ft. Amy Winehouse — Valerie 29 Corinne Bailey Rae — Put Your Records On 28 Kate Nash — Foundations 27 Plain White T’s — Hey There Delilah 25 The Killers — When You Were Young 24 Fall Out Boy — This Ain’t A Scene, It’s An Arms Race 24 Arctic Monkeys — Brianstorm 24 Ida Corr vs. Fedde Le Grand — Let Me Think About It 24 Maroon 5 — Makes Me Wonder +1 23 The White Stripes — Icky Thump 23 Mark Ronson ft. Daniel Merriweather — Stop Me 23 Christina Aguilera — Ain’t No Other Man 23 Cascada — Everytime We Touch +1 22 Embrace — Nature’s Law 22 Take That — Rule The World 21 Infernal — From Paris To Berlin 21 T2 ft. Jodie Aysha — Heartbroken 21 Booty Luv — Boogie 2Nite 21 Mary J. Blige & U2 — One 21 Rihanna — SOS +1 20 U2 & Green Day — The Saints Are Coming 20 Avril Lavigne — Girlfriend 20 Mutya Buena — Real Girl 20 Bodyrox ft. Luciana — Yeah Yeah 19 Rihanna — Unfaithful 19 Red Hot Chili Peppers — Dani California 18 Chamillionaire ft. Krayzie Bone — Ridin’ +1 17 Just Jack — Starz In Their Eyes -1 11 Justin Timberlake — My Love 11 LL Cool J ft. Jennifer Lopez — Control Myself 9 50 Cent, Justin Timberlake & Timbaland — Ayo Technology 0 Eric Prydz ft. Floyd — Proper Education -5

Mark Russell died on this day a year ago, aged 90. - Russell's real name was Joseph Ruslander- the "Mark" came from his middle name, Marcus. - Russell would often perform at the Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC, and his big break came following Watergate in 1973- reporters sent to cover the scandal saw him perform, and he soon got TV coverage. - Russell's first comedy special aired on PBS in 1975. He would often poke fun at incumbent politicians, both Republican and Democrat- admitting his favorite punching bags were Ronald Reagan and the Clintons. Russell would also make an annual appearance on Meet the Press each September between 1991 and 2008. - Russell's material primarily consisted of parodies of existing songs, adding his own topical and political lyrics over them. One notable example included "Chattanooga Choo-Choo" talking about the execution of Nicolae Ceausescu in 1989, and his musical style is often compared to that of Tom Lehrer's (Russell effectively filled in the void in political satire music that Lehrer had left behind when he retired). - Russell was notably parodied in the season 3 Simpsons episode "Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington", where his songs annoy Bart: - Russell would initially retire in 2010, before returning to music in 2013 and finally retiring in 2016:

John Astin is 94.

3/29/2024 27 Kate Nash — Foundations 27 Manic Street Preachers — Your Love Alone Is Not Enough 27 Gwen Stefani ft. Akon — The Sweet Escape 27 Mark Ronson ft. Amy Winehouse — Valerie 26 Chamillionaire ft. Krayzie Bone — Ridin’ +1 26 Plain White T’s — Hey There Delilah 25 Cascada — Everytime We Touch 24 Fall Out Boy — This Ain’t A Scene, It’s An Arms Race 24 Arctic Monkeys — Brianstorm 23 Maroon 5 — Makes Me Wonder +1 22 Mary J. Blige & U2 — One 22 Ida Corr vs. Fedde Le Grand — Let Me Think About It 22 The White Stripes — Icky Thump 22 Mark Ronson ft. Daniel Merriweather — Stop Me 22 Christina Aguilera — Ain’t No Other Man 22 Corinne Bailey Rae — Put Your Records On 21 Embrace — Nature’s Law 21 Infernal — From Paris To Berlin 21 T2 ft. Jodie Aysha — Heartbroken 21 Booty Luv — Boogie 2Nite  21 Bodyrox ft. Luciana — Yeah Yeah 20 U2 & Green Day — The Saints Are Coming 20 Avril Lavigne — Girlfriend 20 Mutya Buena — Real Girl 20 Take That — Rule The World 20 Rihanna — SOS +1 19 The Killers — When You Were Young 18 Just Jack — Starz In Their Eyes -3 18 Red Hot Chili Peppers — Dani California 17 Eric Prydz ft. Floyd — Proper Education 17 50 Cent, Justin Timberlake & Timbaland — Ayo Technology 17 LL Cool J ft. Jennifer Lopez — Control Myself 17 Justin Timberlake — My Love 16 Fergie — Big Girls Don’t Cry +1 13 Rihanna — Unfaithful 10 Chris Brown ft. Juelz Santana — Run It 5 Shayne Ward — No U Hang Up / If That’s OK With You -3

Johnnie Cochran died on this day 19 years ago, aged 67. - Cochran was inspired to enter law due to being inspired by Thurgood Marshall, specifically his win in Brown v. Board of Education. He would be admitted to the bar in 1963, and the first celebrity he represented in court was Lenny Bruce (in an obscenity case). - Cochran would gain fame for his specialty in representing plaintiffs in police brutality cases, and he would become the district attorney of Los Angeles in 1978. He would return to private practice in 1983, and in 1993 would be Michael Jackson's lawyer in his child molestation trial. - Cochran's most famous client was OJ Simpson in his 1995 murder trial, which Cochran managed to get him acquitted of- partially thanks to his "if the glove doesn't fit, you must acquit" line: This incident itself would soon earn the legal term "Chewbacca defense" 3 years later when South Park parodied him in the episode "Chef Aid": On the topic of animation, Cochran would lend his voice to the "Henny Penny" episode of HBO's Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child as Foxy Woxy (this episode has MANY guest voices that might surprise you). - Cochran's final trial before his retirement in 2002 was defending (the now relevant) P. Diddy in a stolen weapons trial. - Cochran was diagnosed with a brain tumor in late 2003, and died after a 15-month battle. Simpson and Jackson would attend his funeral.

John Major is 81... and so is Eric Idle.

3/28/2024 23 Gwen Stefani ft. Akon — The Sweet Escape +1 22 Eric Prydz ft. Floyd — Proper Education 22 Fergie — Big Girls Don’t Cry 22 Rihanna — SOS 22 Red Hot Chili Peppers — Dani California 22 Plain White T’s — Hey There Delilah +1 21 The Killers — When You Were Young 21 Manic Street Preachers — Your Love Alone Is Not Enough 21 Infernal — From Paris To Berlin 21 Corinne Bailey Rae — Put Your Records On 21 Arctic Monkeys — Brianstorm 21 The White Stripes — Icky Thump 21 Mary J. Blige & U2 — One 21 Maroon 5 — Makes Me Wonder 21 Ida Corr vs. Fedde Le Grand — Let Me Think About It 21 Cascada — Everytime We Touch +1 21 Chamillionaire ft. Krayzie Bone — Ridin’ +1 20 Embrace — Nature’s Law  20 LL Cool J ft. Jennifer Lopez — Control Myself 20 Rihanna — Unfaithful 20 Christina Aguilera — Ain’t No Other Man 20 U2 & Green Day — The Saints Are Coming 20 Justin Timberlake — My Love 20 Booty Luv — Boogie 2Nite 20 Just Jack — Starz In Their Eyes 20 Fall Out Boy — This Ain’t A Scene, It’s An Arms Race 20 Avril Lavigne — Girlfriend 20 Mark Ronson ft. Daniel Merriweather — Stop Me 20 Mutya Buena — Real Girl 20 Kate Nash — Foundations 20 50 Cent, Justin Timberlake & Timbaland — Ayo Technology 20 Shayne Ward — No U Hang Up / If That’s OK With You 20 Mark Ronson ft. Amy Winehouse — Valerie 20 Take That — Rule The World 20 T2 ft. Jodie Aysha — Heartbroken 18 Shayne Ward — No Promises 18 Chris Brown ft. Juelz Santana — Run It 18 Bodyrox ft. Luciana — Yeah Yeah 14 The Pussycat Dolls ft. Will.I.Am — Beep 8 Cliff Richard — 21st Century Christmas / Move It -6 8 Lee Mead — Any Dream Will Do

Ivan the Terrible died on this day 440 years ago, aged 53. - Ivan was the son of Vasili III of Russia, and became the grand prince when he was 3 years old, following the death of his father. His mother would act as regent until she died five years later, and from there high-ranking nobles became the regents. - Ivan would officially be crowned when he was 16, and took the "tsar" title- the first Russian monarch to do so. "Tsar" is derived from "caesar", and Ivan claimed that his distant ancestor Rurik was a direct descendant of a fabricated brother of Emperor Augustus (named Prus). - Ivan's early reign is marked by the Great Fire of 1547, a series of government reforms, and the construction of St. Basil's Cathedral in 1561. - Ivan issued a letter of abdication in 1564 due to his suspicion of the nobility. When the nobles were unable to form a government, they begged him to return, and he accepted on the basis that he was given absolute power. This led to the creation of the Oprichniki- his bodyguards comprised of nobles loyal to him, also known as his "secret police" due to the powers and duties bestowed upon them. - Ivan's "terrible" moniker is due to violent outbursts that he often had- and it is also believed he had undiagnosed psychopathy: as a child, he would butcher living birds he caught, and throw cats and dogs out of windows. This is also applicable due to the Novgorod Massacre of 1570 (that killed about 3,000 people), and the fact he killed his son Ivan following a verbal dispute. - Ivan famously died from a stroke while in the middle of a chess match: He was succeeded by his son Feodor I, who was the last ruler of Russia of the Rurikid dynasty.

Reba McEntire is 69.

3/27/2024 67 Gorillaz — Feel Good Inc. +4 40 Razorlight — Somewhere Else 31 Kelis — Trick Me 24 Manic Street Preachers — The Love Of Richard Nixon 14 Kylie Minogue — I Believe In You -3 14 Coldplay — Speed Of Sound 12 Manic Street Preachers — Empty Souls -3

Ian Dury died on this day 24 years ago, aged 57. - Dury was a victim of polio at a young age, leading to the paralysis of the left side of his body. Despite his disability, he became an art teacher and newspaper advertisement illustrator. - Dury decided to form his own band in 1971, which became Kilburn and the High Roads- this band's music became a major influence on future punk and new wave bands such as The Sex Pistols, The Clash, and Madness: - Kilburn and the High Roads disbanded in 1975, and Dury would sign on to Stiff Records. His debut single "Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll" was critically acclaimed, but did not sell well and was banned from radio broadcast on the BBC due to its lyrics. - Shortly after, Dury would form the band Ian Dury and the Blockheads, and had top-ten singles with "Reasons to Be Cheerful, Part 3" and What a Waste", and their song "Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick" peaked at number 1 on the UK charts in January of 1979: The group disbanded in 1982, but had multiple reunions (and the band is still active to this day as simply "The Blockheads"). - Dury would also have roles in several movies, which included Judge Dredd, The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover, and The Crow: City of Angels. - Dury would be diagnosed with colon cancer in 1996, which had metastasized to his liver. He would perform up until a month until his death. Incidentally, Bob Geldof mistakenly announced his death on radio in 1998 due to a fake alert from a prank caller. - Dury would appear on the DeathList twice (1999 and 2000), and was 2000's fifth hit, at spot number 14.

Michael York is 82. ...52 years and counting.

3/26/2024 63 Gorillaz — Feel Good Inc. +4 40 Razorlight — Somewhere Else 27 Manic Street Preachers — The Love Of Richard Nixon 24 Kelis — Trick Me 23 Coldplay — Speed Of Sound 21 Manic Street Preachers — Empty Souls 18 Kelis — Milkshake 15 Kylie Minogue — I Believe In You -2 7 The Libertines — Can’t Stand Me Now -4

Sancho I of Portugal died on this day 813 years ago, aged 56. - Sancho was the son of king Afonso I. His birth name was "Martin", having been born on Saint Martin's feast day. - Sancho's father knighted him when he was 16, and would marry him off to Dulce, the sister of king Alfonso II of Aragon, in order for Portugal to be recognized as independent (it did so in 1139, but Castile and Leon were both trying to re-annex it). - Sancho became king in 1185 when his father died, and just a few years later would participate in the Third Crusade against the neighboring Almohad Caliphate. - Sancho's epithet "the Populator" comes both from the fact one of his reign's focal points was the construction of many cities throughout Portugal- and that he also had 11 legitimate children (with 8 living to adulthood) and at least nine bastards. - Sancho was also fond of literature, and wrote his own poems. He would also personally use his own money to send some Portuguese students to universities across Europe. - Sancho died after a 25-year reign, and would be succeeded as king by his son Afonso II.

Diana Ross is 80.