Drewsky1211

Pepin of Herstal died on this day 1309 years ago, aged 79. - Pepin was named after his maternal grandfather (Pepin of Landen), and became the mayor of the palace of Austrasia- effectively king Theuderic III's greatest advisor- in 680. He would earn this title at the rest of Theuderic's palaces in Neustria and Burgundy in 687. - From there, Pepin had consolidated his power, and began calling himself the "Duke and Prince of the Franks". The established Merovingian dynasty had less power than Pepin had, making him the de facto ruler of the Frankish Empire. - Pepin would lead Frankish troops against those of the Alemanni, Franconians, and most notably the Frisians (a movie about the Frisian king Redbad was made in 2018 with Pepin as the film's antagonist), subjugating their lands into the Frankish Empire; this was largely done to come into control of water trade routes between the Rhine River and North Sea. - Pepin's bastard son was Battle of Tours victor Charles Martel- and in turn his great-grandson was Charlemagne. - A civil war began after Pepin's death due to his legitimate grandson Theudoald fighting against Charles Martel for succession.

Quentin Blake, illustrator of many Roald Dahl books, is 91.

12/15/2023 55 The Pogues ft. Kirsty MacColl — Fairytale Of New York 54 Greg Lake — I Believe In Father Christmas 51 Andy Williams — It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year +2 50 The Pretenders — 2000 Miles 49 Bing Crosby — White Christmas 48 The Ronettes — Sleigh Ride 46 Wizzard — I Wish it could be Christmas Every Day 39 Ray Conniff — Carol Of The Bells 39 Brenda Lee — Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree 36 Bobby Helms — Jingle Bell Rock  25 Jona Lewie — Stop the Cavalry -5 23 Wham! — Last Christmas +2 18 Kate Bush — December Will Be Magic Again -4 15 Nat King Cole — The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas To You) +2

12/15/2023 32 Percy Faith — Theme From ‘A Summer Place’ +4 24 Jimmy Dean — Big Bad John 22 Bobby Darin — Lazy River 22 Ricky Nelson — Hello Mary Lou / Travellin’ Man 22 The Allisons — Are You Sure 21 Duane Eddy & The Rebels — Because They’re Young 20 Cliff Richard & The Shadows — Fall In Love With You 20 Adam Faith — Someone Else’s Baby 20 Johnny Preston — Cradle Of Love 20 Billy Fury — Jealousy 20 John Leyton — Wild Wind 19 Duane Eddy & The Rebels — Pepe -1 18 Elvis Presley — A Mess Of Blues 18 Cliff Richard & The Shadows — Voice In The Wilderness 17 The Drifters — Save The Last Dance For Me 11 Connie Francis — Mama / Robot Man -3 0 Shirley Bassey — As Long As He Needs Me -2 Unfamiliar with all of these songs except the Summer Place Theme:

12/15/2023 18 The Cardigans — Lovefool -6 7 The Verve — Bitter Sweet Symphony +2 7 Deee-Lite — Groove Is In The Heart +2

Ottoman sultan Selim II died on this day 449 years ago, aged 50. - Selim was the fourth son of Suleiman the Magnificent- one of his older brothers died of smallpox, and two others were killed on order of their father for rebelling against him. When Selim acceded to the Ottoman throne in 1566, the empire was it its greatest territorial extent. - Selim was mostly known for participating in state affairs- he ended the Austrian Turkish War in 1568 (Austrian emperor Maximilian II agreed to pay Selim 30,000 ducats and cede control of Wallachia and Moldavia), and attempted to build a canal between the Volga and Don Rivers to prevent Russian expansion. - Selim was known to prefer staying in his palace, often having poets, musicians, and philosophers directly meet him there. He was also known for his generosity, donating food to the citizens of Constantinople during a famine in 1573. - Selim reportedly died from blunt force trauma after falling while drunk, after an eight-year reign. His son Murad III then became sultan.

Cindy Birdsong (of The Supremes) is 84.

12/14/2023 55 Greg Lake — I Believe In Father Christmas 55 The Pogues ft. Kirsty MacColl — Fairytale Of New York +1 43 Wizzard — I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday 43 Bing Crosby — White Christmas 42 Andy Williams — It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year 41 Ray Conniff — Carol Of The Bells 40 The Ronettes — Sleigh Ride 39 The Pretenders — 2000 Miles 39 Brenda Lee — Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree 38 Bobby Helms — Jingle Bell Rock 34 Jona Lewie — Stop The Cavalry -5 32 Wham! — Last Christmas +2 31 Kate Bush — December Will Be Magic Again -4 27 Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters — Mele Kalikimaka 25 Queen — Thank God it’s Christmas 18 Eartha Kitt — Santa Baby 13 Nat King Cole — The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas To You) +3

12/14/2023 26 The Verve — Bitter Sweet Symphony +2 16 The Cardigans — Lovefool -6 12 Deee-Lite — Groove Is In The Heart +2

Peter O'Toole died on this day 10 years ago, aged 81. - O'Toole began on stage before becoming a TV actor in 1954, with his first film role being Robin MacGregor in the 1960 film Kidnapped. - O'Toole exploded in popularity almost immediately once cast as the titular Lawrence of Arabia (arguably his most well-known role), having been cast after the movie's producer saw his acting in The Day They Robbed the Bank of England. He would be nominated for Best Actor for this at the 1963 Academy Awards. - O'Toole would be nominated for the same award seven more times over the next 42 years- after Lawrence of Arabia, he was nominated for his roles in Becket, The Lion in Winter, Goodbye, Mr. Chips, The Ruling Class, The Stunt Man, My Favorite Year, and Venus. He never won, but was awarded an Honorary Oscar in 2002. - O'Toole would occasionally voice act, starring in a series of animated Sherlock Holmes TV movies in the 1980s, the 1990 film The Nutcracker Prince, and most notably Anton Ego in Pixar's Ratatouille: - O'Toole was diagnosed with stomach cancer in the 1976, having a large portion of it and his pancreas removed- resulting in him being dependent on insulin for the rest of his life. The stomach cancer returned in 2012, causing him to retire from acting. O'Toole made only one appearance on the DeathList, in 2013- the 11th death (of 13) that year.

Dee Wallace is 75. Most notably played Elliott's mom in ET.

12/13/2023 60 Greg Lake — I Believe In Father Christmas 48 The Pogues ft. Kirsty MacColl — Fairytale Of New York 41 Andy Williams — It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year 40 The Ronettes — Sleigh Ride 36 Bing Crosby — White Christmas 36 Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters — Mele Kalikimaka 36 Wizzard — I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday 35 Jona Lewie — Stop The Cavalry 35 Ray Conniff — Carol Of The Bells 35 Bobby Helms — Jingle Bell Rock 34 The Pretenders — 2000 Miles 34 Wham! — Last Christmas +1 34 Brenda Lee — Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree +1 33 Queen — Thank God It’s Christmas 30 Kate Bush — December Will Be Magic Again -5 28 Saint Etienne — I Was Born On Christmas Day 23 Beach Boys — Little Saint Nick 22 Nat King Cole — The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas To You) +2 20 Burl Ives — Holly Jolly Christmas +2 19 Eartha Kitt — Santa Baby 19 Elton John — Step Into Christmas -4 16 Chuck Berry — Run Rudolph Run

12/13/2023 28 The Verve — Bitter Sweet Symphony 18 Deee-Lite — Groove Is In The Heart +2 18 The Cardigans — Lovefool +2 16 Supergrass — Alright / Time 14 Madonna — Beautiful Stranger -2 0 Kylie Minogue — Confide In Me -4

Henry IX, Duke of Bavaria died on this day 897 years ago, aged 51. - Henry was the son of Welf I of Bavaria, and would administer his lands south of the Alps. - Henry was a major political figure in early twelfth-century Europe- he was one of the leading nobles who got German king Henry V to meet with Pope Callixtus II to sign the Concordat of Worms in 1122 (ending the lay investiture dispute), and was instrumental in the election of Lothair III (the father of his daughter in-law) as Holy Roman Emperor in 1125. - Family played an important role in Henry's life; he gained an interest in genealogy after his relative Conrad of Constance was made a saint in 1123, and commissioned the Genealogia Welforum to show their relation. - On the topic, Henry's notable descendants include his grandsons Frederick I Barbarossa and Henry XII of Bavaria, his direct descendants of the Hanover dynasty (i.e. King George III and Queen Victoria)- and possibly you if you're of European descent and look that far back in your family tree. - Henry's wife Wulfhilde died a mere sixteen days after he did. Posthumously he was given the epithet "The Black".

DeathList Committee favorite Dick Van Dyke is 98.

12/12/2023 54 Greg Lake — I Believe In Father Christmas 46 The Pogues ft. Kirsty MacColl — Fairytale Of New York 38 Jona Lewie — Stop the Cavalry  37 The Pretenders — 2000 Miles 37 Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters — Mele Kalikimaka 36 Andy Williams — It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year 36 Bing Crosby — White Christmas 34 Wizzard — I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday 34 Kate Bush — December Will Be Magic Again 34 Saint Etienne — I Was Born On Christmas Day 34 The Ronettes — Sleigh Ride 33 Ray Conniff — Carol Of The Bells 33 Queen — Thank God It’s Christmas 32 Bobby Helms — Jingle Bell Rock 30 Wham! — Last Christmas +1 30 Brenda Lee — Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree +1 29 Burl Ives — Holly Jolly Christmas +2 23 Nat King Cole — The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas To You) +2 22 Eartha Kitt — Santa Baby  21 The Crystals — Santa Claus Is Coming To Town 21 Beach Boys — Little Saint Nick 20 Dean Martin — Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! 18 Gabriella Cilmi — Warm This Winter 17 Elton John — Step Into Christmas  15 Chuck Berry — Run Rudolph Run 13 The Darkness — Don’t Let The Bells End 4 Mike Oldfield — In Dulci Jubilo -9

12/12/2023 22 The Verve — Bitter Sweet Symphony +1 21 Pulp — Common People -3 21 Supergrass — Alright / Time -2 18 Madonna — Beautiful Stranger -1 17 The Cardigans — Lovefool +1 17 Deee-Lite — Groove is in the Heart +1 15 Kylie Minogue — Confide In Me 7 Blur — Song 2 +1

Norman Bridwell died on this day 9 years ago, aged 86. - Bridwell started off as a commercial artist, designing neckties and filmstrips. - Bridwell became an author to increase his income- and in 1963 wrote Clifford, The Big Red Dog, which became an instant hit: Clifford's owner Emily Elizabeth was named after Bridwell's own daughter. - From there, Bridwell continued writing Clifford books, writing a total of 80 of them (the final two being released posthumously). It was also adapted into a 2021 film and two TV shows- most notably the PBS series that ran from 2000 to 2003: (Birdwell Island is a subtle reference to Bridwell himself, and was based off of his home of Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts)

Dionne Warwick is 83.

(image taken from DeathList's own Encyclopedia Dramatica page)

12/11/2023 52 Greg Lake — I Believe In Father Christmas 44 The Pogues ft. Kirsty MacColl — Fairytale Of New York +1 39 Jona Lewie — Stop the Cavalry  39 Queen — Thank God It’s Christmas 39 Bing Crosby — White Christmas 38 The Pretenders — 2000 Miles 37 Andy Williams — It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year  35 Wham! — Last Christmas +1 34 Kate Bush — December Will Be Magic Again 33 Bobby Helms — Jingle Bell Rock +1 33 Beach Boys — Little Saint Nick 32 Ray Conniff — Carol Of The Bells 32 The Ronettes — Sleigh Ride  31 Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters — Mele Kalikimaka 31 Saint Etienne — I Was Born On Christmas Day 30 Gabriella Cilmi — Warm This Winter 28 Brenda Lee — Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree +1 28 Burl Ives — Holly Jolly Christmas +1 25.Eartha Kitt — Santa Baby  24 Nat King Cole — The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas To You) +1 24 Wizzard — I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday  24 The Darkness — Don’t Let The Bells End 22 Dean Martin — Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! 22 The Crystals — Santa Claus Is Coming To Town 20 Elton John — Step Into Christmas -2 16 Kay Starr — (Everybody’s Waitin’ For) The Man With The Bag -2 16 Mike Oldfield — In Dulci Jubilo -5 15 Chuck Berry — Run Rudolph Run 

12/11/2023 24 Pulp — Common People -2 21 The Verve — Bitter Sweet Symphony +1 20 The Cardigans — Lovefool 20 Supergrass — Alright / Time 19 Kylie Minogue — Confide In Me 19 Deee-Lite — Groove is in the Heart +2 19 Madonna — Beautiful Stranger -3 18 Blur — Song 2 +1 14 James — Sit Down -1

Alma Mahler Gropius Werfel died on this day 59 years ago, aged 85. - Born to a Jewish family in Vienna, Alma was the daughter of noted painter Emil Schindler. - Like her father, Alma would enter the field of arts, albeit in music instead of painting. She made several lieder: - Alma is more famous for her varied celebrity lovers- she dated figures such as Gustav Klimt, Oskar Kokoscha, and Alexander von Zemlinsky- but only married three people (think of her as the Elizabeth Taylor of early 20th century Europe). - The first one of her marriages was to Das Lied von der Erde composer Gustav Mahler in 1902, having two daughters with him. Their marriage was unhappy due to Gustav forbidding Alma from composing, and the two would seek therapy from Sigmund Freud. - While married to Mahler, Alma began an affair with Bauhaus leader Walter Gropius. Mahler died in 1911, and Alma married Gropius in 1915; he would be away fighting in World War I for most of their marriage, leaving Alma to seek other relations- with the man who soon became her third husband. - Alma divorced Gropius in 1920, and married The Song of Bernadette author Franz Werfel in 1929. The couple fled Austria to France in 1938, then fleeing again to the US in 1940. The two would remain there until their deaths- Franz in 1945, Alma in 1964. - Upon reading her obituary, Tom Lehrer made a waltz about her life:

"HEY YOU GUYS!" Rita Moreno is 92.

12/10/2023 44 Greg Lake — I Believe In Father Christmas 42 Gabriella Cilmi — Warm This Winter 40 Wham! — Last Christmas 40 The Pogues ft. Kirsty MacColl — Fairytale Of New York +1 37 Kate Bush — December Will Be Magic Again 37 The Ronettes — Sleigh Ride  36 Queen — Thank God It’s Christmas 36 Bing Crosby — White Christmas 36 The Pretenders — 2000 Miles 34 Andy Williams — It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year 33 Beach Boys — Little Saint Nick 33 Wizzard — I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday 32 Jona Lewie — Stop the Cavalry 32 Bobby Helms — Jingle Bell Rock +1 31 Ray Conniff — Carol Of The Bells 31 Eartha Kitt — Santa Baby 30 Burl Ives — Holly Jolly Christmas +1 29 Saint Etienne — I Was Born On Christmas Day 27 Brenda Lee — Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree +1 26 The Darkness — Don’t Let The Bells End  26 Nat King Cole — The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas To You) +1 25 Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters — Mele Kalikimaka +1 22 Dean Martin — Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! 22 Elton John — Step Into Christmas 21 The Crystals — Santa Claus Is Coming To Town 20 Mike Oldfield — In Dulci Jubilo -5 18 Gene Autry — Here Comes Santa Claus 18 Kay Starr — (Everybody’s Waitin’ For) The Man With The Bag 18 Chuck Berry — Run Rudolph Run 13 The Wombles — Wombling Merry Christmas -4 5 Perry Como — It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas I find it funny that the song we're trying to avoid is in the top three right now.