LWCZ

Charles "Chuck" Doswell, prolific storm-chaser and meteorologist, reportedly dead at 79.

Amy Lau, interior designer and co-founder of the Design Miami fair, reportedly dead at 58.

I'll risk it with (Reverend) Jesse Jackson.

IIHF Hall of Famer Hans Dobida dead at 95.

Fitness and bull riding TikToker Chris O'Donnell, who went under the username Creeohdee (841K followers on TikTok), reportedly dead at 31.

This one is a bit more obscure and, say, perhaps a little less reliable but... Soul blues singer and some-time Bobby Womack and Sly Stone collaborator "Mighty" Joe Hicks seems to have actually passed in 1992! Today I came across "Life And Death In G & A" by Abaco Dream, for which Hicks reportedly provided vocals and I was wondering whether he's still around, as there is little to no information about him out there, other than that he "hailed from" (not that he was born in) San Francisco. As there were basically no records available on a Joe/Joseph Hicks from San Fran on FamilySearch History Search, I took to Facebook to see whether someone could have written anything about Hicks' whereabouts. After a while, I came across three FB profiles which are supposedly of Hicks' children (as they were all putting younger photos of him in their posts wishing their dad a heavenly birthday, along with actual older photos of Hicks from presumably late 80s and early 90s). The thing is that Hicks seems to have aged a lot in those years when compared with the 1973 Midnight Special show I linked to the word "Mighty" (although I'd argue that he's still recognisable in those photos-mainly for his eyes and teeth-, albeit after going basically bald and gaining a lot of weight). Moreover, one of the children also published a photo of his gravesite, but this is where it gets a little bit interesting. Seems like "Mighty" Joe Hicks was in fact born Horace J./H. Hicks (some records have J. in them, some have H., and some have zilch for his middle name) in 1926 (making him circa 47 at the time of the recording of the Midnight Special show, which is still kinda believable, although the later years must've been rough on Hicks). Moreover, when I searched for Horace Hicks through FamilySearch I found three main records, which would suggest that it's him. Firstly, there is a military draft registration card for a Horace Hicks born October 1926 in Texas, but living in Richmond, CA. Secondly, there is an entry from a residence database suggesting that Hicks resided in Los Angeles in 1981 and in Oakland in 1983. Given that Hicks recorded his album in Hollywood, he probably would have lived in Los Angeles at some point. Lastly, there is an entry in California's Death Index for the same Horace Hicks born in October 1926, who passed away in December 1992 in San Francisco, sending us back to the "hailed from San Francisco" bit from the beginning of the post, and who was later buried in Santa Nella. Although the information on him seems to be coming from all around California and seems to be rather strange, I still believe it's him. Additionally, the back cover for his 1973 album also has also a "special thanks" section, which includes names of his wife and children (f.e. one of his daughters nicknamed "Muppi", which is basically confirmed by Hicks' daughter in a reply to Hicks' supposed cousin Ernestine's message on a FB post).

25th January

I was working on my master's thesis while I came across Fred Darian, who had two minor hits that reached Billboard's Hot 100 in 1961 (and also worked on a few movies in the 50s and 60s). I noticed he was born in 1927 and wondered whether he's still around, but it looks like he "kinda" died off the radar in 2022 (which was confirmed by audio engineer Steve Hoffman on his FB page).

Healthwise, I'd vote for Clinton or Biden (with Biden probably dying first of the two). Nevertheless, I went for Trump (due to the not-so-miniscule possibility of him dying of either natural or unnatural causes).

Fojtík passed away last September, but it was only revealed today.

If he makes it to 2026, Reverend Jesse Jackson is imho a good shout. Jackson has been suffering from Parkinson's for over 7 years, is wheelchair bound (not even to mention his overall frail state), and I'm starting to think there are more underlying issues he's having, as this IG video (second slide) of his speech from around New Year's Eve and the video of Reverend Al Sharpton meeting him for a Christmas dinner could suggest.

The rest of the text: "...and Barbara—and a devoted grandmother to her seven grandchildren. She loved to write Bible songs and teach them to her grandchildren when they were small. In subsequent years Anita continued to write and sing about God's love whenever and wherever she could. (Her story can be found in more depth at the Anita Bryant Ministries International website.) Anita was preceded in death by her husband, Charlie; her parents, Lenora and Warren; her stepfather, George; her sister, Sandra; and her half brother, Sonny. She left behind her four children, two stepdaughters, and seven grandchildren and their spouses, who will cherish her legacy of faith and love. Anita also left behind a beloved extended family—as well as her church family, friends, and neighbors—who gave of themselves to her in many ways. May Anita's memory and her faith in eternal life through Christ comfort all who embraced her."

Robert Martin, multi-instrumentalist who collaborated with Frank Zappa throughout the 80s on his tours, has had a fundraiser set up for after an emergency surgery for an intestinal hernia. The fundraiser also mentions that this happened after Martin lost his last family member and a place to live in California.

His brother announced through his Twitter page that he passed away on Wednesday, so a 2025 death. EDIT Now that I think of it I should've posted this in the DDP25 thread, sorry!