msc

Uh, well then replace AA Gill with Piers Sellers, though I don't think that he's a typical Death List pick. Deathlist 2009 cmme - I'd say yes. Deathlist 2016 - doubt it. Anyhow, with 5 lists in, a forum favourite takes top spot. 2nd current held by a DDP favourite for 2017, providing they hang on till January 1st, and 3rd is... well, I had to Google her! Apparently she has nearly 70 references on this forum too, yet I'd never heard of her. Actress, apparently.

He took a while, given how long he's been off the Lords for.

Sods law always kicks in. One I was involved in a few years back waited till the 31st, to try and avoid this happening. It went online, I went to check this forum, and what was the first new post I saw? "The Duke of Wellington has died". Typical!

I always thought it grimly ironic that Randall died young and Hopkirk is still around. When Mike Pratt was dying of lung cancer, he wrote to all his friends, imploring them to give up ciggies, and Colin Baker claims that's what made him give them up.

Oh I know, Biblio, and it does help that you didn't pick AA Gill!

Seriously ill, but not a heart attack and not in a coma, apparently.

Ah, good old Express. Not a phrase I think I've ever used before, but I had wondered her exact age.

That's a shame, I'm sure it would have been a unique hit.

The fates giveth, the fates taketh away. Actually, as I said nearly a year ago exactly: And you know what? Bernard Hepton is still alive.

*sounds of people crossing AA Gill off their provisional teams*

I don't reveal prior to deadline to avoid prejudicing future lists, but I'll let you know who on January 1st if you remind me. I had to google the "aging soap star" myself.

I did an early tally of the first three lists, and there's 141 people on them! Top person so far actually has 95 points, and is a CD2016 top 30er with known health issues. So, you know, someone expected to qualify easily, and looking like it so far. They are followed by a soap star and a Hollywood star who will probably make the list, and an aging soap star which I'd be surprised to see finish in the top 50, but you never know.

Did we ever find out who CrazyDaysandNight's blind gossip "Hollywood A-lister dying of cancer" from a few years back turned out to be?

Ah yes, the Ian Farmer gamble could have changed DDP history if it had come off. Well, and if OoO and DDT hadn't both picked him, thus depriving both of the potential unique. Although, just looking this up there, I realise OoO didn't have Bernie Nolan, and finished 9 points behind Spade - ouch!

Great I've got tickets to see the Sabs in January and the mate who bought them is the kiss of death for musicians - he's also the guy who bought tickets for Jacko and Lemmy before both of them died! Iommi has another cancer scare.

A quick glance suggests about 68 points, and it's so random, you could name 300 people here and not get it right. Please don't. The "obvious picks" haven't made much traction as of yet.

Three week warning, incidentally. Well, 22 days, 4 hours and 27 minutes to be exact. We've got 4 lists in so far, and a quick glance suggests around 100 names already. As opposed to last year where Zsa Zsa and Jimmy C dominated the early entries.

Going into a 30 plus year strop because he'd alienated most of the executives in Hollywood, mostly! He was that one of that group of directors who seemed to take over film in the 70s, all pals (Speilberg, Coppola, Lucas, Scorcese, etc), only to for 1980 to happen. Obviously the rest all weathered their own storms (drugs, flop movies, etc) but Cimino's sort of the Pete Best of the lot. So, to answer your question - dunno. I'd have assumed so, though!

And in fairness, I can't mind who makes what tips when. Charon's one comes to mind as the guy just snuffed it.

My view NOT A MISS (as people can’t generally see into the future) David Bowie Alan Rickman Terry Wogan Antonin Scalia Emerson, Lake or the rest of the music alumni Ronnie Corbett Michael Cimino All of whom would have made the list if they'd been public about their health, imo. (Well, apart from the obvious heart attack and suicide in there) NOT A MISS (as not really Deathlisty) Pat Harrington Jr and other old American actors George Gaynes Douglas Slocombe Rob Ford Gordie Howe Goran Hadzic Peter Esterhazy and so on... ARGUABLE Umberto Eco (but writers rarely appear on the Deathlist, as I’ve bemoaned before) George Martin Peter Maxwell Davies Johan Cruyff (though most people on here thought he’d be OK) Howard Marks (though again, many people on here thought he was on for 2017) Gene Wilder Arnold Palmer Shimon Peres Robert Vaughan Peter Vaughan John Glenn Could have been Deathlisty names, but weren't. It happens. AN ACTUAL BONAFIDE MISS Harper Lee (Dropped from the 2015 list)

Former BBC journalist/producer Denis Frost reported to have died aged 91. He also ghost-wrote a bunch of thriller novels based on Alistair MacLean in the 1980s.

Does seem there was a trend lately for folk having the experimental pancreatic cancer treatment, only for the disease to come back and see them off. Vera Caslavska and Steve LaTourette being two which come to mind who thought they were on the mend, only to become DDP hits. Does make one follow the "recovery" of Geoff Fox all the more closer, and, dare I say it, makes you wonder how long Wilko's going to be around for.

So, to recap, Laurence Payne lasted about 4 months back in 2009. Gene Wilder lasted a few weeks (though the post was a few months old when I saw it), and while John Glenn lasted a year or two, even he fell victim to the "no longer able to respond to fan mail" warning signal. This suggests those struggling for a few names on their DDPs could do worse than look towards Jeanne Mockford - a guaranteed obit due to her work on Up Pompeii, plus being in episodes of Little Britain. 91 next year.

Well, she'll be on 20-30 teams now! Does anyone know her last name? Is it the same one? Google it yourself! (Yes) It'd have taken them two seconds to look it up! Even googling Joey's post brought it up on the first page.

I've got an idea for a theme team too (actually, it might not count as a theme team, it's more a team with a theme than a theme team, per say..) which doesn't appear to have been done before. I'll not mention on what though, for reasons which will become clear after the deadline!