Summer in Transylvania

If this is still open to join: 1. Rosey Grier 2. Joanne Woodward 3. James Earl Jones 4. John Astin 5. Bill Cobbs 6. John Williams 7. Yu Miu-Lin 8. David Sutherland (19th January 2023. Hit #7) 9. Sonny Rollins 10. Peter Procter 11. Gladys West 12. Lando Buzzanca (18th December 2022. Hit #6) 13. Loretta Lynn (4th October 2022. Hit #5) 14. Barbara Knox 15. Donald P. Bellisario 16. Billy Dee Williams 17. Gene Hackman 18. Fred Roos 19. Mikhail Gorbachev (30th August 2022. Hit #2) 20. Norman Tebbit 21. Bas de Gaay Fortman 22. Alan Oppenheimer 23. Frank Drake (2nd September 2022. Hit #3) 24. Etienne Davignon 25. Dame Sian Phillips 26. Bill Russell (31st July 2022. Hit #1) 27. Bill Roache 28. Manmohan Singh 29. Douglas Hurd 30. Jean-Luc Godard (13th September 2022. Hit #4) Deceased in bold or bold red.

Link.

Is he still alive? He made news for being in solitary confinement for two years in spite of severe depression and other mental health issues and then suing the prison for it. He was diagnosed with Lung Cancer in 2008. There is a small chance he is still alive, but if anyone else would like to look into this I would be most grateful.

Note: This is directly and shamelessly copied from a comedy podcast I listened to back in January. Welcome one, welcome all. I am Stephen Buchanan. Due to COVID and the adjoining Pandemic, I am broadcasting from the bedroom I have lived all 29 years of my life in. If you had told me that I would kickstart my career in the same room that I broke my Xbox when I couldn't beat the boss level in one of my games in, well, I'd believe you, because that was last week. A few years ago, I managed to secure a luxury holiday in Vietnam. I bought it for £270 out of the back of a van. When I got there, all it was was a tour of the mosque across the road from my hotel. And the tour guide was the bloke that sold me the tickets in the first place. So I asked him what the deal was, dragging me to Vietnam under false pretences. He told me "If I had told you that this trip would have been a complete and utter waste of your money, would you have bought it?" I must admit, he had a point. He followed with: "Sometimes, in Vietnam, we tell you what you want to hear, even if it's not true." Maybe I could use that for my job in the Co-op. "If I told you that our products are a waste of your money, would you shop here? Sometimes, in the Co-op, we tell you what you want to hear, even if it's not true". Shortly after my holiday in Vietnam, my mum and I applied to house a refugee. Let's call him Dove. When he arrived, they kinda just handed him over and left. I didn't even have to sign for anything. They just left him on our front step and looked lively. I've had Amazon deliveries take more time. What if we hadn't been in? Would they leave him by the bins or summat? I don't know what it says about me as a person, but I would rather go searching through my bins than talk to one of my neighbours. Yes, Mrs. Hamish, I know Brexit means Brexit, can I have the parcel now? I live in Glasgow, which apparently is the city in the UK with the most yearly stabbings. However, we're also the most vegan-friendly city. So, in other words, we'll stab you, but we draw the line at drinking milk. I work at the Co-op. Well, the correct terminology would be that I used to work at the Co-op. There were some perks, free plastic bags - don't tell my boss - as well as a 33% funeral discount. Which cannot be used on friends or family. However, I was consistently fatigued, and would often turn up late as a result. "We've got to do summat about this, Stephen," my boss would say, to which I would respond: "Yeah? Like what? Take away my funeral discount? You can take away my free plastic bags while you're at it!" "What free plastic bags?" "Nothing, nothing." Anyway, I was working in the Co-op one day, when a Nazi walked in. At least I think he was a Nazi; he was a skinhead with Swastikas on his knuckles. Then I recognised him from school. We called him Toad because he looked like a toad. Then we found out that he could fight so we just called him Paul. He used to go about school, and tear folks' shirt pockets off, put them in his shirt pocket and say: "Your pocket in my pocket." Anyway I told my mum about him, because I'm a wee grass - even the teachers were saying "snitches get stitches, Buchanan" - and she said to me: "Remember, Stephen, in 10 years you will have a job and an income, and he will be in prison." Really, mum? The 10-year plan? You can't just phone the school or summat? Anyway, fast-forward to me meeting him again, and he sees this headline in the news about Vietnamese refugees, and burst into a massive, racist rant about them. Normally, I would be too scared to intervene, but this time I stepped in and told him that he couldn't say those kind of things, and that I have a refugee living with me. That turned him a whiter shade of pale, which I thought he'd like, but apparently not. He said to me: "But... but how do you know he's not one of them suicide bombers?" "Because he's alive?" "If I ever see you again, I'm gonna stab you." "Oh yeah? Come at me mate, I have a 33% funeral discount!" Dove has just turned 18. I reckon he could've gone into caring like my mum. One day, my mum came up to my room and said: "Stephen, it's Dove. He's brought home a bird." At first I thought: "So he's been taking advice from his Uncle Stephen, eh?" but then I found out it was a pigeon. I don't like pigeons. I stayed away from it as much as possible while it was healing a broken wing. Eventually, however, I was told: "Stephen, it's not actually a pigeon, it's a dove." All of a sudden my attitude towards it changed. Doves are okay. The Dove is the bird of peace, the bird of handwash. A few months later, it fully healed, and we put it back into its nest and bade it farewell. That was when Dove told me: "Stephen, that's not a dove, that's a pigeon." "But you told me it was a dove." "Aye but sometimes, in Vietnam, we tell you what you want to hear, even if it's not true." Dove says he would like to thank me for his getting a job. For, without me, there wouldn't be a job going at the Co-op.

I was wondering whether Stephen Slevin is still alive. In 2005, a 57-year-old Steven, with depression, decided that he would drive to anywhere, he just needed to get away in the hopes that he would feel better. Shortly into his road trip, he started drinking, and was arrested in New Mexico for DUI. He was placed in a padded cell and kept under observation for most, if not all, of the day. Sometime later, for unknown reasons, he was moved to solitary confinement, where he was kept, awaiting trial. For months, he remained in his cell, being allowed to write home and being an all-round nice person to the few humans he met, most, if not all, of the time guards. After a while, however, he started suffering from hallucinations and grew ever more anxious to find out when he was going to be freed. He would bang on the door, begging to be answered, and he never was. In 2006, he was temporarily released, now a depressed, decaying mess of a man, and taken to another location, where he could be treated and speak to a lawyer. Initially, it seems he had no recollection of his time in solitary confinement, but after some time the memories started to return and he begged his lawyer to ensure that he didn't return, but these attempts were futile. In 2007, his trial finally happened and charges were dismissed, most likely because the judge took pity on him. Around this time he sued the prison and walked away with millions. Around this time, he was diagnosed with Lung Cancer and has retreated into a more private life. It is highly unlikely that he is still alive, but if he is he could be a good submission for dead pools. He would be about 74 if still alive.

Just bought Rise of the School for Good and Evil, prequel to Soman Chainani's The School for Good and Evil Hexalogy and it is just as brilliant as the other six. Initially a retelling of the tale of Aladdin, another side that, until now, has yet to be explored, which turns into another story much more sinister, feeding off of the sparks conjured by the first part. A thrilling read. As with all prequels, the end is spoiled by the stories released beforehand, but it is still interesting to find out how such things came to be. Edit: Finished this a while ago. Brilliant, like the rest of Chainani's works. It has been set up to be followed by another prequel.

If entries are open now, which, from the rules, I gather that they are, I shall pick Guy Stern.

Sometime about Mid-2025 seems right.

I am terribly sorry but I have picked Abdoulaye Wade.

Some deaths that I hope shall not happen for many, many years yet: - Charlotte Jordan - Definitely one of, if not the, most talented actors on British, and I may dare as to go as far to say World (although, alas, she is not that well-known outside Britain) television. A wee 27 at the moment, here's to hoping she gets to (at least) 127. - Tim Vine - Brilliant comedian. An inspiration of mine. - George Lucas - Because Star Wars. Enough said. - Mark Hamill - See George Lucas. - The entire cast of sitcom Summer in Transylvania - I really hope I have not the need to explain this one. - Charles Garland - A very funny man. Met him once and he kept brilliant company. - Bernard Cribbins - When he goes, so does a somewhat substantial chunk of the childhoods/adolescences of most Britons born in the last 40/50 years. - Dame Penelope Keith - Margo Leadbetter. Audrey fforbes-Hamilton. Need I say more? - James Earl Jones - Come on, folks, he is Darth Vader's voice! - Sir David Jason - Currently rewatching Only Fools and Horses. Pure genius. - Nicholas Lyndhurst - See Sir David Jason. - Sir David Attenborough - A great man doing all he can for the good of the planet when so many others leave it to be tidied up by those that follow behind. - Ankush Khanna - What a great guy. What a bloody great guy. - Soman Chainani - The greatest author of all time. No arguments.

Last year there was nowt between 19th April 2021 and 17th September 2021: almost exactly 5 months. There is more information in the statistics thread in extracurricular if you are interested.

Siphandone is taken, so Wade again if my previous entry was not counted, which I doubt it was.

As mentioned elsewhere, Francisco Morally-Bankrupt dead. Obit in Spanish.

This means that state leaders born in 1921 are extinct, and Khamtai Siphandon(e) is the oldest living state leader. Just Manolic left until the game is complete. Knowing how my luck goes, I'll drop him from my shadowlist next year and he'll pass. @drol When the game finishes, what will happen? Will there be a second one, with the next top 30, or will that be that?

I'll take Siphandone, then.

This seems the most appropriate thread. May I bring to the attention of those reading the existence of actors Jon Rumney (IMDB) and Jules Walter (sometimes credited under Jules Walters) (IMDB). Of my shadowlist, these are the two most likely to die off my radar. If they do, please could it be reported on the forums so that I am aware. Thank you in advance.

Farewell, Mr. Litja.

An Onlus symptom... sounds deadly. I know a bloke who had Onlus, and he has never quite been the same since. Are you absolutely sure he will be okay?

Abdoulaye Wade if the offer still stands.

@ladyfiona I am terribly sorry but I have Bernard Cribbins.

Congratulations Grimgrass! I have just had the strangest sense of deja vu. 1922: Guy Stern / Janis Paige 1923: Vic Seixas / Doris Johnson 1924: Robert Solow / Evelyn Boyd Granville 1925: Ignacio Lopez Tarso / Simone Segouin 1926: Abdoulaye Wade / Abigail K. K. Kawananakoa 1927: Harry Whittington / Joan Morecambe 1928: Bernard Cribbins / Ethel Kennedy 1929: Jules Walter / Yang Yuehua 1930: John Astin / Katherine Jackson 1931: Edwin Meese / Marla Gibbs

A few suggestions: - Sir Michael A. Epstein - Meets the famousness criteria and 102 next year. - Norman Lear - Doubtlessly mentioned before. Needs no introduction. Thread here. - John Astin - Gomez Addams most famously. 93 next year. Thread here. - Alan Oppenheimer - 93 next year. Doubtful whether he meets the notability criteria, but I think that, after William H. Gates, he ought to. - Rosey Grier - RFK's bodyguard, American Football Player, Protestant Minister, occasional Actor, and the bloke that caught Sirhan Sirhan is 91 next year. - James Hong - Still incredibly active, so I do not expect him to go yet, but a rather Deathlisty name. 94 next year. Thread here. - Donald P. Bellisario - A name I am surprised I do not hear much about these 'ere parts. 88 next year. - David Sutherland - One of the creators of the modern Dennis the Menace ought to QO, and is 90 next year. Died 19th January 2023. - Gladys West - One of the early developers of the GPS. 93 next year. Never mentioned before on this forum according to a quick search. - Hazel McCallion - 102 next year. Mentioned on the Ideas and Possibilities for 2022 thread. Ought to meet the famousness criteria. - Bill Cobbs - The third nightguard in the Night at the Museum franchise, the other two being Dick Van Dyke and Mickey Rooney, both DL alumni, is 89 next year. - Frank Drake - Initiator of the SETI programme. 93 next year. Died 2nd September 2022. - Fred Roos - 89 next year. Apparently the man who introduced George Lucas to Harrison Ford. Also produced The Godfather II, which he won an Oscar for. - Lloyd Morrisett - One of the folks that created Sesame Street alongside Jim Henson and Joan Ganz Cooney. 94 next year. Died 15th January 2023. - Joan Ganz Cooney - See Lloyd Morrisett. - John Williams - The most prolific film composer of all time turns 91 next year. Bound to die as I have dropped him from the earliest draft of my Shadowlist. Thread here. - Billy Dee Williams - Seems a tad premature, but, evident these past two years, such folk have a habit of turning up on the main list. - Paul Ignatius - This one's notability in the UK is questionable, but his death ought to be rather well-reported in the USA when it happens. 103 next year. - Ashraf Ghani - Former Afghan President, as most should know following the August of 2021. Enemy of the Taliban, and has not had a whole stomach since the 1990s, as a result of cancer. - Joan Morecambe - Only as questionable as William H. Gates. 96 next year. - Bernard Donoughue - 89 next year and could succumb to chronic awful haircuts. - Bas de Gaay Fortman - 86 next year and looked rather rough in the recent documentary about Queen Beatrix. - Lando Buzzanca - In failing health in a nursing home, according to the Foreign Personalities thread. 88 next year. - Frank Field - Terminal Cancer. Frankly (geddit?) should have been on this year's list, and probably will not see The New Year. That said, few expected him to celebrate his 80th birthday, and that was last month (at the time of this edit into the original post). Thread here. - Terry Waite - One of those people that Summer Sr. thought died years ago. Everyone else on that list, bar Julian Glover, that I am aware of have died in the last two years. Thread here. - Siân Phillips - 90 next year. Still somewhat active, however. - Bela Lugosi - The son of Bela Lugosi. 85 next year. - Alvin Rakoff - The man that gave Sean Connery and Alan Rickman their first jobs is 96 next year and isn't looking that well. - Peter Falk - I hear he might have Alzheimer's. - Jon Rumney - 95 next year, still rather active. - Jules Walter - 94 next year and, as far as I know, the oldest living actor to have appeared in any of the Star Wars films. - Caroline Blakiston - Many Bothans died to bring you this suggestion. - Cy Town - Another one like Jules Walter. Both would almost definitely find a place on the List of the Lost. - Leonard Peltier - Vice Presidential nominee in 2020 for a lesser-known party. Withdrew from the election not because he is serving two life sentences for murder but for health reasons unknown. He has previously been the victim of beatings in prison. - Julian Glover - See Terry Waite. - Alan Kooi Simpson - Has looked ancient for years. I honestly thought he would be dead by now. 92 next year. - Daniel Ellsberg - The man that released the Pentagon Papers is still with us at 91. - Wilhelm Buesing - Another rather unfamous name, with low, but not nonexistent, chances of a QO. 102 next March. - Brian Murphy - 91 next year. The oldest living member of the main cast of Man About the House. Also said the famous line "During the war" when Buster Merryfield was still a banker. Thread here. - Brian Cooke - The surviving of the two creators of Man About the House is 86 next year. - Sir Colville Young - Governor-General of Belize for 27 years until his retirement in 2021. 90 in November. - Story Musgrave - The astronaut is 87 next August. Obitable? Yes. Obitable enough? Maybe. - William Turnbull - The Hong Kong sailor that I discovered after Bill Turnbull died. 90 next year. - Jane Fonda - Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. I think she will be on the list next year regardless of whether her death is imminent or not, she just seems like the kind of pick that the committee will go for as soon as news like this cancer diagnosis breaks, even if she stays on the list for a few years. Thread here. - Peter Cellier - 95 next year. - Melvyn Hayes - 87 next year. - Baroness Jane Campbell - 64 next year. Can't see her making it to 80, maybe 70. She may have a few more years left in her yet, though. - Robert C. Wise - Ancient American politician. 98 next May. - Bob Biard - The inventor of the Infared LED will Obit and is 92 next year. Died 23rd September 2022. Didn't Obit. - Amartya Sen - 90 next year and probably famous enough for the DL. - Richard M. Sherman - 95 next year. Probably the most Deathlisty name that has hardly been mentioned on this forum. - Ales Bialiatski - Byelorussian Nobel Laureate. Currently in prison for his work. Enemies of Putin/Lukashenko have a habit of "mysteriously" dying. - Luis Garavito - One of the most prolific serial killers of all time is eligible for parole in 2023, suffers from eye cancer, and needs blood transfusions regularly. 66 next year. - Norman Kember - A pacifist who went to Iraq to promote peace, and ended up being taken hostage. Born at somepoint in 1931. - Wole Soyinka - The first black recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature. 89 next year. - Amou Haji - The man dubbed 'dirtiest in the world' is 95 next year. Died 23rd October 2022. - Franco Migliacci - The writer of Volare is 93 next year. - J. Reginald Murphy - A journalist whose main claim to fame is being the victim of a kidnapping some 50 years ago. 90 at some point next year. - Charles Lagus - David Attenborough's cameraman for his original television show Zoo Quest. 95 next year. - Yasushi Akashi - The UN Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs from 1996 to 1998 is 92 next January. - W. Gifford-Jones - Born plain old Ken Walker in Croydon, he is a physician and author residing in Canada. 99 next February. - Lina Medina - Youngest mother ever, having given birth to a boy aged just 5 years, 7 months, and 21 days. 90 next year. - Masahiro Mori - The creator and coiner of the term "Uncanny Valley" is 96 next year. - Meredith Belbin - A British researcher that, in 1981, created the Belbin Team Inventory (other names include the BSPI and BTRI, which stand for Belbin Self-Perception Inventory and Belbin Team Role Inventory respectively). He is 97 next year. - Per Waestberg - The current oldest serving member of The Swedish Academy. 90 next year. - Marion Kozak - Ed Milliband's mother is 89 next year. - Gloria Dea - One of the last surviving centenarian stars of the Golden Age of Hollywood, as well as being the first magician to perform on the Las Vegas Strip, is 101 next year. - Levin H. Campbell - 96 next January. Currently a serving US Court of Appeals Judge, albeit inactive. - Shoichiro Toyoda - Former Chairman of the Toyota group. 98 in February. Died 14th February 2023. This list is still a work in progress. I shall update it when necessary.

Congratulations Grimgrass!

One redlink on Wikipedia as of yet. Even that I've only just seen. Edit: Of course there is a notable death now. Of course.

Boris has quit.