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So it's serious enough to leave her health compromised, likely she'll survive 2005. Unlikely she'll live a long and healthy life from here on in and she's never appeared on the DL proper before now. 24 months of healthy life starting on Jan 1st 2006 might be a big ask for her now.

He never laid a finger on me. If you got that close Teddy you could still make a few quid letting the press in on the details.

Ear protectors! Hellfire, don't get anywhere near close enough to be hit or bit. The man lost it years ago. In fact, if we're gonna have a serious Tyson debate I think we should save time by agreeing he'll never die of old age. The debate is whether he'll top himself or get involved in a ruck that leads to someone killing him.

A definite for next year if she doesn't go too soon I'd say. She's in a different league to the widow of the honourable Elijah Muhammad. Coretta King was hands on with a lot of human rights work and played a prominent role well after her husband's death. She was a force behind the scenes when he was alive. Definitely in the Hilary Clinton, Cherie Booth mould of partner. In fact it would be a bit of an insult to write her off just because of who she was married to.

Uki, if you're into collecting Tyson fights the best thing to do is find out where he's staying and hang around. The man is so volatile some full-on action seems to kick off wherever he is these days and the ringside seats are free.

Re the politicos there may be something in this early Labour deaths theory. The amazing thing is how many Tories live to ripe old ages when corpulence seems like the body shape of choice. Ted Heath's health can't have been helped by his heart having to pump the blood round thousands of miles of extra capillaries whilst the blob that is Nicholas Soames continues to roam until this day, older and twice the size of Robin Cook.

Don't knock the profile raising aspect of the whole thing. I mean, it's got the massed ranks of DL'ers posting on here. I'm sure there's loads of quadraplegic would-be sailors logging on here who'd just love to buy an expensive ocean going boat.

Re Dennis Thatcher: Is his first wife still alive?

She's seeing action on this site....she can't be OK.

Since Elvis - beyond question as the most successful entertainer in history, unless you're one of those cynics who sees Jesus and other religious visionaries as mere entertainers - didn't win we must accept this as proof that he lives.

He spoke very highly of you Tempus.

Hell, we've got the makings of a hit TV show here. We gather all the UK WW1 vets and Titanic survivors in Brinsworth House, show an hour of highlights every night and put it on 24 on some subscription channel for the real saddos. This show could run for a year or two at least. We could think up some tasks, like swimming in cold water, dodging explosions on muddy ground etc etc. A winner, surely.

Writers man, some of them go on and on living. He's way younger than Studs Terkel, Edward Upward and JD Salinger.

She shouldn't have to slither out through age and infirmity. It'd be kinder and more fitting if some well placed sniper....... I'll get me coat.

Underneath it all she's still one hard ambitious bitch. If I was those deadly microbes I'd be running for safety out of that hospital.

I was playing host to my mate's 14 year old today and helping her with with her history project - on Elvis - whilst her dad fixed my computer. Takes all the excitement out of it when a teacher has asked her to 'Asses the Cultural Impact' of the great man.

Fluff is there because he has bad arthritis and asthma. He got into trouble days after arrival for playing his music too loud - rebel that he is. One of his favourite tricks as an asthmatic is/was to have a blast on his inhaler to get his lungs working well and then light up a fag to get the full benefit. If he's really as rock 'n' roll as he'd like us to think his shelf-life is already expired. Not arf!

Hein, not totally sure on yer maths there. There are Titanic survivors born in - I think - 1911. The youngest combatent from WW1 - assuming he was 15 at the end of the war - would be born around 1903. Anyone who actually fought in that war has to be over 100. Statistically, I agree, the war vets superficially look a better bet. However, the Titanic survivors are the well-heeled sprogs of wealth who - that one night apart - have led probably easier lives than most of the war vets.

Tempus, you should send him a card saying: You're 102..Joe Stalin and Hell await!!!

I think single handed sailing is a bit lonely, she should give a lift to Jane Tomlinson.

Bet the new album is a blues collection. Opening line of the first song: 'Well, I woke up this morning and I thought to myself, this beats being on a ventilator'

Easy going as I am the only people that really hack me off are those who survive two years on the DL and die sometime in the next twelve months.

How could anyone forget the Mortmere Stories or A Renegade in Springtime? If he doesn't make the 2006 list we could at least wish him well when he turns 102 next month.

If it's just over 212 world wide centurians against the three ninety something Titanic Survivors I reckon that's about fair. I'd say the last one breathing will be a war vet.

Aye, but Ray Gosling isn't 93. He's also something of a drama queen under all the journalistic pretence, his documentaries tend to feature him and his emotions centrally, even when he's investigating teddy boys or out of the way places. He once did a documentary on a Cumbrian town called Maryport! I can see how the harder and more commercial world of 21st century television has marginalised him. His style and politics haven't really moved on from the mid-seventies. By contast Studs has a self-depreciation that is really strong. He has been widely quoted as saying he never saw a petition he didn't like! 93 or not, I think he'd be a long shot next year. A bit like Les Paul, his work is his life.