arghton

Undergoes hip replacement surgery. Apparently he had a fall earlier this month.

Luis de Alba hospitalised again with heart problems. Edit: They're saying that the "prognosis is reserved, but there is hope for recovery" and that he suffers from an unspecified lung disease. One of the articles says that some years ago he made a bet with 7 other comedians on who'll be the last one alive, each depositing 2500$ on a bank account once one of them dies. The others were Alberto Rojas (1944-2016), Pedro Weber (1933-2016), Alfonso Zayas (1941-2021), Benito Castro (1946-2023), Rafael Inclán (1941-) and Alejandro Suárez (1941-)

Crowdsource Form Guide 4: Violeta Chamorro The perennial immortal, former Nicaraguan President and two-time Crowdsourced-ee (pictured laughing at deadpoolers with Juan Carlos I) has a health history of spinal infections, osteoporosis, injuries, brain tumors and a massive stroke. Now 95, bedbound and in incredibly delicate health for some years with advanced dementia, surely 2025 will be the year she finally dies?

Michael Cole being reported dead at 84.

I googled al-Attar earlier. There's lots of resentment against her currently, but I don't think she's made any public appearances in a while. Might be ill? al-Sharaa has said that the regime change is welcome. There's some talk on Arab facebook and twitter about the possibility of former VP Shibli al-Aysami still being alive. Extremely unlikely, he was kidnapped in 2011 and would be 99 now. However I wouldn't be suprised if others kidnapped turned out alive - Austin Tice reportedly is. Edit: Funny. Didn't notice there's a report of al-Julani's death on page 3.

Latest hit was Ken Helcher, 2016 (initial year), 10 Dec. The only updates I can find since the game started are that Manouchehr Bakhtiari had a heart attack around a week ago and Álvaro Noboa was in "increasingly delicate condition" yesterday.

I don't have a wide knowledge on this subject but there seems to be many very different rebel groups, out of which al-Julani's one is the most powerful currently. Quite a mess if you read about those. (Some) Main players seem to be: Abu Mohammad al-Julani - Emir of Tahrir al-Sham. Radicalized at 17 or 18 and joined Al-Qaeda, rose through ranks and was imprisoned by US forces in Iraq in the late 2000s. After being freed, had some tension with Al-Qaeda's leadership. Established Al-Nusra Front (originally the Al-Qaeda branch in Syria - two birds with one stone as the Al-Qaeda leadership got him away from Iraq) through an agreement with ISIS caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Eventually started having disagreements with al-Baghdadi that ended in armed clashes during which he was supported by Al-Qaeda head al-Zawahiri. After the forming of Tahrir al-Sham in 2017 he also went against Al-Qaeda to get Western support. He has ruled parts of Idlib with an iron first for a few years, crushing dissidents. Now he has pledged to support minority groups and help rebuild the country, but will that happen? Probably not. His largest problem is allegedly the infighting in Tahrir al-Sham. Hadi al-Bahra - Second main opposition figure, head of Syrian National Army, Syrian Interim Government, Syrian National Revolutionary Coalition and a billion smaller groups working under these. Strongly supported by Turkey. Called for an 18 month transition period yesterday. Seems to have very strong ties with al-Julani. Mohammed al-Bashir - A nobody two weeks ago, named transitional Prime Minister today. Said to be the man behind economic prosper in al-Julani's Idlib. Engineer, former department head at a gas plant. Abdurrahman Mustafa - Syrian Turkmen politician and Prime Minister of the umbrella opposition group Syrian Interim Government. Risen in power since 2014 and has been supported by multiple countries. A bit invisible the last days. Seems less a major leader and more a right-hand man of al-Bahra. Abu Jaber Shaykh - Shura council head of al-Julani's Tahrir al-Sham. Has resigned or been kicked out of some previous groups. Used to be a critic of al-Julani's former group. Salem Turki al-Antri - Head of the US, UK and France-supported, US-trained Revolutionary Commando Army. Former officer in Assad's army. Also allegedly a former member of ISIS. Mazloum Abdi - Head of the Kurdish US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces. Doesn't really seem on friendly terms with anyone but has called for dialogue. Sheikh Osama al-Rifai - Grand Mufti of Syria. Has given multiple speeches in the last week - first he warned against harming civilians, today he has warned against sedition and has called for the people to cooperate. He has previously been very anti-West, god knows what his actual motives now are but I doubt he supports democracy.

Vytautas Landsbergis was in ICU last week and says he has been suffering from heart failure for a long time.

Not the only former dictator or dictator wannabe there. Viktor Yanukovych, Askar Akayev and Kurmanbek Bakiyev are living there too as far as I know. Maybe others. Hopefully Syria will become an atleast somewhat democratic country and not an extremist shithole as Afghanistan. I personally don't trust al-Julani or Sheikh Osama al-Rifai who also seems to potentially hold a lot of power here.

Mohammad Ghazi Al-Jalali, the Prime Minister, still in the country and willing to negotiate with anyone. A rebel leader has apparently already said Al-Jalali will supervise state institutions until they are handed over. On Assad, this says (as partially mentioned earlier in the thread): A Syrian Air plane took off from Damascus airport around the time the capital was reported to have been taken by rebels, according to data from the Flightradar website. The aircraft initially flew towards Syria's coastal region, a stronghold of Assad's Alawite sect, but then made an abrupt U-turn and flew in the opposite direction for a few minutes before disappearing off the map.

Rumors that Syrian Generals aren't acting on the orders of Assad anymore.

Deathrace Form Guide #16 Murat Bissenbin Bissenbin (or Bisembin, or Bisenbin) a tall and fit 52-year-old Kazakh actor known for his roles in local action films has been suffering from cancer for around six months. Although he's said he'll win the fight, it's apparently inoperable and advanced pancan and he looks incredibly thin in many images and videos from the last two months. However, he is quite obscure and an English language obituary from any source isn't guaranteed. Approach with caution.

Orville Turnquest again please

It'll be interesting to see what'll happen with all the Axis of Resistance leaders who've resided in Syria. Jamil Mezher, Nayef Hawatmeh, Ziyad al-Nakhalah and others. Will they manage to evacuate to Iran, have they already, what will happen to them if caught?

Some good examples of people having unrealistic expectations: • Greg Norman will live to 110 with his golf orgasms. • Loretta Matheis, some minor name sketch artist claimed she'll retire at 100 and live to 110 when she was 83 in 2017. Still alive? God knows. • Dalai Lama/Tenzin Gyatso, determined to make 110 in 2023. Aren't you eternal? Anyways, that was a downgrade from 2019, when he said he'll live to 113. • Juan Ponce Enrile hopes to reach 110. For a drol immortal he has a suprisingly realistic approach on mortality. • Gladys D'Souza, an Indian woman from Mangaluru, claimed she'll live to 110 at 100. She died a year later. • Ketut Liyer, Bali medicine man claimed many times that he would live to 110. Anyways, that didn't happen as he died back in 2016 at around 102. • Wilbur Glenn Voliva - Was sure he'd live to 120 due to his diet of buttermilk and brazilian nuts. Died at 72. • Berlusconi playfully boasted about living to 120 in 2011... • Prajedes Morales from Albuquerque claims he'll live to 130. • Aleksandr Bogomolets - Stalin's longevity guru. He claimed his serum would've helped people to live to 140+, but he died at 65. • Aussie woman Margharita Vitanza, 105, said she'll live to 150 back in 2016. Died a bit before her 106th. • Keith Richards has also claimed he'll make it to 150, back in 2007. He does now have a better chance to get there than that Aussie woman.

I might participate this year. Despite having lurked for six or seven years I haven't before...gone close to, but I've either been a lazy bastard or haven't remembered

From today's Finnish Independence Day reception... Professor Esko Antola (77) looks very frail: Archiater Risto Pelkonen (93) decrepit as usual: Mathematician Arto Salomaa (90) looks extremely frail: Former Archbishop John Vikström (93) and minister/political gray eminence Jaakko Iloniemi (92) were also there but didn't look particularly frail. Bishop Eero Huovinen (80) looked frail, but apparently only due to osteoporosis. Notable absences included: Former first ladies Tellervo Koivisto (95) and Eeva Ahtisaari (88). I think it's been years since Koivisto last attended. Former President Tarja Halonen (80) who's on a trip to the Saudis Current President's father, IIHF Hall of Famer and former Director of NHL Central Scouting Göran Stubb (89) I also didn't spot former Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen (83) there. He has a long history of health problems with around seven heart surgeries and attended last year.

Alexander Mitta suffering from gangrene due to advanced cancer and poor blood circulation and might undergo amputation of a foot/leg. Anyways, does not sound that serious: He is at the Botkin Hospital for examination, he feels more or less well.

Reminding of this again. Yoko was horribly frail, wheelchairbound with a blanket in her last public appearance at a women's march back in January 2019. Of course Sean still occasionally insists that she is in perfect health, but Sean Lennon is a liar and a nutjob. The Yoko Ono twitter, FB and instagram accounts say in the description that they are "administered by Yoko's office, Studio One", there's probably a team crafting those posts. If you browse her twitter, especially John's death day post and the birthday posts for Ringo, Sean, Paul and others are usually copies from the previous year. LBD average life expectancy is 5-7 years, she's on year 8. It would in no way suprise me if she's hooked up to machines in some horrible state and being kept alive by family.

Seem quite ill: Carter - We all know at this point. DVD - Said to be rapidly declining in September (but has made appearances since). Possibly suffers from some condition you usually have at nearly 99. Pete Murray - Looked horrible with purpleish arms and bandages on hands many years ago. Now doing better, somehow? Alan Greenspan - No appearances in more than a year. Seems to have had a hard decline, but that was some time ago. Pope Francis - Recurring pneumonia, rumored cancer, tons of health problems. Feels indestructible. Cleo Laine - Has looked horrible for years. Sandy Gall - Looked unrecognizable in 2021. Last appearance anywhere in 2022, AFAIK. Noam Chomsky - Massive stroke last summer. Paralyzed and probably tubefed. Robert Wagner - COPD and 94. Would be an amazing pick in normal circumstances. Dennis Skinner - Cancer survivor, major heart problems, falls and allegedly dementia. Nigel Starmer-Smith - Years with end-stage dementia of the bruce willis type. James Whale - Cancer for ages, 15 tumors, on the last type of chemo available. Stanley Baxter - In a care home for years, probably suffering from dementia. Joanne Woodward - Alzheimer's for sixteen years. Clint Eastwood - Decrepit and has been said to suffer from heart problems. Vanessa Redgrave - Emphysema and heart attack etc. One of those people who DLees seem to have expected to die within 6 months back a few years ago. Gene Hackman - Severe heart problems since 1990, frail as fuck as drol mentioned above. Jean-Marie Le Pen - Heart attack, pulmonary oedema in the past and stroke. Heart failure sufferer. Denis Law - Mixed dementia for years. Hans Blix - Spent weeks in ICU with tick-borne encephalitis some years ago. Frail, housebound, still ill but still relatively active. Tom Brokaw - Multiple myeloma for years, severe infections, 24/7 care, ultrafrail. Linda Nolan - Cancer with metastases everywhere. Dying for 7 years now. Norman Tebbit - Heart problems, in a motorized wheelchair, ghoulish. Willie Nelson - Emphysema for ages, nearly died from covid around two years ago. Esther Rantzen - Terminal lung cancer. Roberta Flack - ALS at eighty fucking seven. There's a post on facebook on someone visiting her back in the summer and it sounded like she didn't have much time left and might've not been lucid anymore. Prunella Scales - Dementia for more than a decade. I fully believe the end could be near now that Timothy is dead. Brigitte Bardot - Severe heart and respiratory problems. Imelda Marcos - Heart problems, diabetes, ministrokes etc. ICU hospitalisation earlier this year. Ted Turner - Must've be past the average life expectancy of LBD by now. Buzz Aldrin - On oxygen in his most recent appearance and looks fucking horrible. Sonny Rollins - Pulmonary fibrosis for fucking ages and has outlived all expectancies by now. Sly Stone - COPD and other serious health problems. Tom Baker - Looks ghoulish, in and out of hospital earlier. Seems more stable now, but I don't think many would be suprised if he died sometime soon. Don't seem to be doing that bad: Mel Brooks - 98. Health-wise not much to say. Patricia Routledge - Doing great for 95. Desmond Morris - Looked pretty great in January. As great as you can at 96. Julie Walters - Seems to be doing fine now. Louis Farrakhan - Doing quite fine, somehow. Barenboim - Doesn't seem to be dying that urgently. 5-year survival for vasculitis seems still quite high. Dick Cheney - Has a near-Jayapatakaian health history, but very stable for 10 years now. Robert Duvall - Yawn. Not much health history. Josef Fritzl - I don't fucking believe he actually has dementia. Raul Castro - Suffering from pancreatic dementia since 1910 and/or already died fifty years ago if you believe dissidents, but still well enough to regularly attend events. Joe Bugner - Dementia but in relatively good physical condition atleast last year. The list is most definitely not "full of random healthy nonagenarians" as some have claimed. Misses and the bitching about them are inevitable for 2025 but it will a pretty good year.

Perennial target of royal gossip in the Nordics for her alleged bad relations with the other members of the Swedish royal family. She'd looked like Keith Richards for the last 15 years from a lifetime of smoking and sun exposure. I would've expected Princess Christina to have gone before her. Christina is 81 and has been suffering from chronic leukemia for years among other ailments. Birgitta seems to have already gotten obits in a lot of places (daily mail, express), so Christina might make a good pick for 2025. Edit: Also, Princess Désirée (86) has been very ill for some time with meningitis and other ailments according to an interview with the late Birgitta.

Taisto interviewed ahead of his 100th birthday (behind paywall). He looks decrepit but I thought he'd been too ill for interviews for years now. Former Finnish Minister of Internal Affairs and former head of Alko, Heikki Koski, died today at 84.

Are there really no other First Ladies born 1927-1929 left than Yeping, Koivisto and Marcos?

Dulce, Mexican singer and actress hospitalised with pneumothorax, pulmonary edema and possible lung cancer. Underwent treatment for kidney cancer earlier this year. She's said to be in delicate condition but she or her family are confident she will fully recover.

As we're waiting for one of this year's picks to die, I can't find a list of surviving AVALDP / Advent Avalanche / Advent game survivors here. I've already done a list of survivors for MMMDP, so here's one for AVALDP: 2016: Chris Rea Queen Sirikit MC Ren Donald J. Trump Eileen Derbyshire 2017: Ami Brown 2018: Anna Thornton Naka Drotské Anne Baker MBE Stanley Baxter Donald J. Trump 2019: Ron Boswell Willie Nelson 2020: James Whale Mairead Philpott Yoko Ono 2021: Liza Minnelli Khaleda Zia Jean Marsh Sidney Cooke Kat Bjelland Jimmy Carter Phyllis Dalton Rowshan Ershad Bernadette Chirac Gavin Robertson 2022: Steve "Mongo" McMichael Nigel Starmer-Smith Roberta Flack Norman Tebbit MC Ren James Whale Bernadette Chirac Badal Chowdhury Jimmy Carter Jean-Marie Le Pen 2023: Jimmy Carter Dick Van Dyke Noam Chomsky Yoko Ono V. S. Achuthanandan John Hemingway Steve Wells Steve "Mongo" McMichael Jay-Jay Solari Pope Francis Nigel Starmer-Smith Joanne Woodward About the less famous ones: Winners of 2018 and 2019: Bradley was an Ohioan (WBNS) Chief Meteorologist with leukemia. Karl Kiefer was a local US football coach who'd been in hospice following a heart attack Other picks with less info online: Peter Overton (2017) was a Kent footballer whose clubs included Tonbridge and Maidstone. Tanya Gendle (2018) was an Australian personal trainer and I can't find if she ever got any media attention when she died. Patti Goyette (2019) was an US owner of "La Crosse Olive Oil Company" and had cancer. Another who didn't get any real media attention when she died. Badal Chowdhury (2022) I assume is the Indian communist politician of Tripura.