BCAlum2000

This is likely the end of Ted Kennedy's career in politics. I'd imagine that he will try to continue serving in the Senate, but I don't think it's prudent for him. I wish him the best.

Actor John Phillip Law has just died at the age of 70. http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-...0,4156367.story Great B-movie actor. I enjoyed him in Diabolik and Barbarella. He never earned much respect, but he tried hard and was reliable in numerous B-movies and cult classics.

There's been a lot of teasing around this year. A lot of celebrities who went missing or were hospitalized this year turned out to be doing OK. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh was hospitalized earlier this year. It was "BREAKING NEWS" over in CNN; CNN seemed to hint that he was gonna die soon; being 86 and all, I thought he was gonna die, but he turned out to be a-OK. Margaret Thatcher also was hospitalized. She's doing fine now. Everybody was hyping up the "inevitable" death of famous Mexican musician Emilio, but he appears to be on track for full recovery. Seems like no one famous wants to die. They all tease us with their hospitalizations and their disappearances, but they all end up not just okay, but doing rather well. It's kinda ticking me off. This year, seems to be more celebrity near deaths than actual deaths themselves. Let's put it this way, the only celebrity who has died lately since Charlton Heston that I have actually heard of was Deborah Palfrey, aka DC Madam. (I never really experimented with LSD so I had no clue who Albert Hoffman was.)

Yeah, it's pathetic that they're actually trying to keep Ariel Sharon alive. I think it's a serious waste of resources. Let the man die, please.

Call it an intuition, but I still think that legendary aviator/adventurer Steve Fossett is actually alive... IT seems to be a growing trend for celebrities to go missing and tease us by presuming to be dead, only to turn up alive and well! Waris Dirie and Orlando Brown were both missing, but found alive and well. Steve fossett I think is probably laughing at all this. Knowing that he's a survivalist, he supposedly could survive for months "out there" in the wilderness. Seriously, I think he IS alive, but doesn't want to be found (for whatever reason).

C'mon Billy Graham, don't ya want to be with God now?!?!?

I'm hoping that either Billy Graham or Fidel Castro will bite the dust very soon. Hopefully Death can reclaim one of these two (and strongly preferably, both).

Actor Orlando Brown (That's So Raven) was found alive after being missing for a day. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...8042303232.html Damn it! Thought he'd be found dead of suicide or OD. This year, it seems that a ton of celebritues whom I thought would die or be found dead ended up alive and well. The East Timor President I thought was gonna die, but miraculously survived an assassination attempt. Singer Emilio is still alive even though everybody was saying he wouldn't survive the bus crash. Supermodel Waris Dirie was found alive after being missing for three days...(I was almost certain that she'd be found dead) Next thing we know, Steve Fossett and that balloon priest dude will be found alive...

Singer and songwriter Paul Davis (best known for his popular love ballad "I Go Crazy") dead at 60. http://www.sunherald.com/306/story/508743.html

I am hoping that God will grant that and that Billy Graham will join his friend Jerry Falwell very soon...

I remember you said you had a Master's Degree. I'm sure that if you and your friends had not been so busy preparing your theses, you would have recognized those names in a minute! Honestly, I didn't recognize those names. And frankly, most people of my generation didn't recognize them either. Heath Ledger's death was much more significant to my generation (his death was comparable to that of John Lennon's 1980 or James Dean in 1955); but alas, I admit to having some degree of tunnelvision. Suharto was definitely a significant figure, especially in international politics. Edmund Hillary? A recognized national icon in New Zealand but, didn't really have much clout elsewhere... Of course, for all I know, most of you guys probably don't care about Heath Ledger or think he's rather insignificant in the grand scheme of themes (and that's fine with me). Well...as of now, I think we can all agree that Charlton Heston's death trumps everybody's elses in 2008. He was definitely a figure of significance: unlike Suharto and Edmund Hillary, Heston was well known across all generations; both young people and old alike recognized his name and face. He left a lasting impact on Hollywood and politics.

As damning an indictment of the modern age that I can think of. Now where did I misplace those Werther's Originals... I meant to say "Maybe", not "Many." But my point about Edmund Hillary and the apathy of his death among Americans still stands...

I think two lists are needed. 1. The most significant person to die in each year (in which case, for example, Nixon might win 1994). And then 2. the most significant death of that year, in which case John Smith might win 1994. Nixon's actual death was not significant but as a person he was. So in 2008, so far, arguably Hillary or Suharto for category 1 and in category 2, maybe too early to say? And if Hillary is so prominent, why not Norgay, his companion. He deserves equal honour. For 2008, I would agree with Suharto for category 1, and definitely Heath Ledger for category 2. Surprised that you didn't really think of Heath Ledger. His death sent shockwaves across America, particularly with the under 30 crowd. I remember when Heath Ledger died, all my friends (admittedly all either teens or in their twenties) who either sending or receiving text messages about his death; all we thought about was Heath Ledger. I don't think there's been a famous death that has impacted young people in years (though Benazir Bhutto also stunned many of us). When Suharto or Edmund Hillary died, everybody in America asked, "Who?" Honestly, I didn't know who the hell Edmund Hillary was--and neither did most people in America (though after researching him, I realize that he's probably the most famous icon in New Zealand). Suharto was definitely more well known because of his status, but his death wasn't exactly shocking (probably because most who heard of him knew and expected him to die). Of course, I'm only saying this from the American point of view (yes, I'm a damn proud Yankee). But internationally, Suharto appears to be more significant though Heath Ledger's death had a much more significant impact in America. Imagine being 1980 when John Lennon died; or 1977 when Elvis died. Heath Ledger was that well known and beloved. Many British don't care about Heath Ledger much in the same way as most Americans don't care about Edmund Hillary?

Most significant individuals who died too young (under 55 years old) each year since 1990 1990: Jim Henson, Stevie Ray Vaughan 1991: Freddie Mercury 1992: -- 1993: River Phoenix, Brandon Lee 1994: John Candy, Kurt Cobain 1995: Jerry Garcia, Selena 1996: Tupac Shakur 1997: Princess Diana, John Denver, Gianni Versace, Chris Farley, Notorious BIG, Michael Hutchence 1998: Phil Hartman 1999: John F. Kennedy, Jr., Dana Plato, Gene Siskel 2000: Jim Varney 2001: Aaliyah, Dale Earnhardt 2002: Jam Master Jay, Darryl Kile, Ted Demme, Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes 2003: John Ritter, Elliott Smith, Jonathan Brandis, Curt Hennig, Crash Holly 2004: Christopher Reeve, Theo Van Gogh, Robert Pastorelli 2005: Luther Vandross, Eddie Guerrero 2006: Steve Irwin, Kirby Puckett, Cory Lidle 2007: Benazir Bhutto, Anna Nicole Smith, Sean Taylor, Chris Benoit 2008: Heath Ledger, Brad Renfro

Good list. Here are my revisions: 1992: Marlene Dietrich 1995: Yitzhak Rabin 1999: John F. Kennedy, Jr. 2000: Charles M. Schultz 2001: Dale Earnhardt 2007: Benazir Bhutto 2008: Heath Ledger

This may sound cruel, but it's really Heston's time to go. I like him a lot as an actor, and I wish his family the best, but this isn't something worth prolonging. Let him die in peace.

Anthony Minghella is of British (Scottish) and Italian descent, although yes, he is more Italian than British. But he is known as British nonetheless and was highly accomplished celebrity who hailed from the UK (like Clarke and Scofield).

Famous celebrities seem to die in threes... And the common thread between all three celebrities? They're of British ancestry. RIP Paul Scofield, Arthur C. Clarke, and Anthony Minghella. Scofield was an excellent actor, one of the best in his craft.

That would be me, my friend. Never heard of John Hewer, but today, just found out that Academy Award winning director Anthony Minghella (The English Patient, Cold Mountain) just died so I will acknowledge that his death was certainly noteworthy. Died fairly young too (age 54). I didn't like The English Patient, but I thought that The Talented Mr. Ripley was superb. Edited: yes, it should've been John Hewer. Really sorry about the mistake.

It's been very slow in terms of celebrities who have died lately. The last famous celebrity to have died (who I have actually heard of) is Roy Scheider (RIP). But that was back in February 10. Since then, there really hasn't been a famous celebrity who has died lately. Yeah, there were quasi-famous celebrities like Jeff Healey and Gary Gygax, but they're not exactly household names. Is February and March usually a slow time for famous people to die? I'm waiting for Fidel Castro to die. It's been boring out there in the news so we need someone like Castro to die to make the news more interesting again. thank god for the Eliot Spitzer scandal or the news these days would be realllllllly boooring (I'm getting bored of election coverage already). There needs to be a famous celebrity death to make the news more exciting.

Okay, here's the spiel. I'm going through a rough period right now. I just lost my job. The boss commended me for my great performance and said that I've been a valuable contributor, but said that the company's had financial problems and they had to let me go b/c there's not enough in the budget to sustain extra help. He told me to pack my bags up and clean my desk by 11 am on the SAME DAY. I asked for a one month reprieve, but he told me to get out by 12 PM (he did grant me an extra hour). It f$%^ing sucks for me right now and I'm feeling low. I cheered for eliot Spitzer's downfall and I'm cheering for this country to fall into depression so they know what I'm going through right now. I sent my resumes to literally dozens of employers. I have a Master's degree, have sufficient work and computer experience, but nobody even wants to look at my resume. So yeah, I'm miserable at the moment. Thank you very much. Maybe that's why I'm looking forward to seeing another famous celebrity die or to witness the downfall of somebody famous like Spitzer. Schauenfreude is all I'm feeling right now. So, BC, you're cheering for the whole country to fall into a depression because you are currently out of work? I guess we know who's the most important person in the world then don't we? Did you ever consider that beyond the fact that it's one of the most pitiful statements of self-indulgence I've ever heard, that the country being in a depression will make it much harder for you to get a job? Something to think about my friend. Well, forgive me for sounding self-indulgent, but if you know what I'm going through, you'd be a lot more sympathetic and understanding of my plight. The economy is going to hell right now. I have a Bachelors and Masters degrees in business finance, worked in various financial services jobs, have strong computer skills, and I'm out of work (along with many others). How do you think I f&&king feel? I'm not some podunk high school dropout; I am a college educated white collar worker and finding a job is hard for me right now. When I was laid off, the boss assured me that it had nothing to do with my performance. In fact, him and various supervisors have given me the highest remarks and told me what a great worker and contributor I've been. But then, out of the blue, last week, the boss gave me some commendation and then said that due to the financial situation of the company, I was being laid off and told to get out of my office by 11 AM, the SAME DAY he told me I was laid off. Yes, I'm just a bit bitter and have been for awhile. I hope you understand the trauma I'm going through. I'm in the most miserable mood and I figure this is probably the only site I can find where I can express my frustrations, given the morbid subject matter of this site.

What's the point of keeping Ariel Sharon alive? He really can't do anything to help the people of Israel. Frankly, he's about as good in condition as Terri Schiavo. Why are they prolonging this? Let Ariel Sharon die in peace.

if the rumors and reports are true that Patrick Swayze is still smoking cigarettes, how could he? Maybe b/c the doctors told him that he has more than 5 weeks to live, swayze started lighting it up? I'm disappointed in him. He's one celeb I don't want to see die. He's likable in my opinion. And I'm still depressed, but I'm rooting for him.

Hopefully Fidel Castro. It's his time for him to go. I would also think Charlton Heston is likely to go. But in the end, it'll probably be some celebrity you least expect (much like Heath Ledger unexpected died in January).

Okay, here's the spiel. I'm going through a rough period right now. I just lost my job. The boss commended me for my great performance and said that I've been a valuable contributor, but said that the company's had financial problems and they had to let me go b/c there's not enough in the budget to sustain extra help. He told me to pack my bags up and clean my desk by 11 am on the SAME DAY. I asked for a one month reprieve, but he told me to get out by 12 PM (he did grant me an extra hour). It f$%^ing sucks for me right now and I'm feeling low. I cheered for eliot Spitzer's downfall and I'm cheering for this country to fall into depression so they know what I'm going through right now. I sent my resumes to literally dozens of employers. I have a Master's degree, have sufficient work and computer experience, but nobody even wants to look at my resume. So yeah, I'm miserable at the moment. Thank you very much. Maybe that's why I'm looking forward to seeing another famous celebrity die or to witness the downfall of somebody famous like Spitzer. Schauenfreude is all I'm feeling right now.