DevonDeathTrip

Actor Michael Douglas is to undergo chemotherapy, after a tumour was found in his throat..

Here's my team. I'm not expecting great things this year, I didn't research very well this time and there might be a couple of duds. I think I've still got the most hits (and points?) overall on the DDP and I want to try and hold on to that record for as long as possible. Theo Burrell Bernadette Chirac Graham Caveney Derek Draper Mohammed Deif Charlie Bird Kathy Brown Jason Smith James Whale Frank Field Esther Rantzen Craig Maxwell Frank Caprio Jimmy Carter Rob Burrow Michael Tilson-Thomas Jonnie Irwin Francoise Hardy Pat Dodson Dave Myers

Without going into sordid detail, I'll always remember what I was doing at exactly the same time Nelson Mandela was released from prison

Buzz Aldrin to float off into the sweet hereafter, any day now.

I think Rolf Harris was dead and buried a couple of weeks before anything was announced.

Here's my squad Cornelius Horan June Spencer Lesley Saweard Joss Naylor Brian Barczyk Dave Myers Aston Barrett Dennis Skinner Helene Ahrweiler Princess Bajrakitiyabha Sub Esther Rantzen Patricia Green

I'd just like to wish everyone festive greetings. Unfortunately, I've been experiencing a health battle of my own over the last few months, which has meant - with the best will in the world - that I didn't feel like spending much time on DeathList. It is nothing malignant, or terminal and I am recovering well. I feel very lucky and grateful for what I have. Anyway, I have decided at the last minute that I will be entering a DDP team, so look forward to spending most of the day trawling the site for candidates and I also look forward to being more active here in 2024

Hearing Benjamin Zephaniah has died of a brain tumour.

Ahmet Ertegün, the 83 year old founder and Chief Executive of Atlantic Records, is in a coma. He slipped and fell at Bill Clinton's 60th birthday party.

I always thought Dean Sullivan was a very good actor and he did a pretty good job of portraying descents into heroin addiction and madness.

Doris Lessing, one of our greatest treasures, died ten years ago today.

Peter Tork from The Monkees has been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer.

I've been on a bit of a travel literature binge recently. Two tomes were written by noted authors, now both octogenarians, who have never been mentioned on this forum before, so I thought I'd put their names - and the books I read - out there. Colin Thubron (84) The Amur River William Least Heat-Moon (84) Blue Highways My money would be on Thubron to go first, largely based on his evocative account of being thrown from a horse in the Mongolian hinterlands. An experience which he struggled to recover from.

Aide to the head of Ukraine’s armed forces Hennadiy Chastyakov, 39, killed by a grenade he was given for his birthday. Accidents happen. Getting into this thread is much harder to achieve though. Scrabble deficit is 40:39.

John Sitton. There's a blast from the past. Perhaps we could all start our day with one of his inspiring team talks.

'Health update' from David Jason. Moving well, but not saying anything.

I was watching Billy Crystal pretending to be Mohammad Ali in 1976 on the Dean Martin show. I'm not good with TV people, but wondered if anyone else could identify the other participants on the show and, more importantly, confirm my suspicion that Crystal might be the last one left alive? (I did recognise Ali!)

Hedkandi dance label vocalist Kathy Brown suffering from stage 4 cancer. Edit - better link here. Breast cancer which has spread to the brain

As well as playing Catherine in Twin Peaks, she also, quite brilliantly, played Mr Tojamura as well.

The Israeli leadership are openly talking about Gaza's Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar as their prime target. I guess he'll be playing hide and seek for a while.

I think he should be locked up, just for the goatee if nothing else. Agree that he looks about as vulnerable as a lorry load of gravel.

I always stay until the end. Like to get my money's worth!

Yes, it was a young, inexperienced team and 5 or 6 nil might have been a fairer result. Things got very ragged in the last ten minutes.

Just back, slightly stunned, after watching Exeter City manage to lose 0-9 at home to Reading. Feeling honoured to have witnessed the worst home defeat in 119 years.

Not sailing, but intrepid maritime voyager Reza Baluchi may be worth keeping an eye on. He's currently in the custody of US Coastguards, who, with little empathy for his pioneering spirit, took issue with him setting off in a self-constructed 'hamster-wheel' - in the midst of a hurricane - with the intention of 'running' to London. He was seventy miles out to sea and there was quite an emotional stand off. He is persistent, having being arrested in similar circumstances in 2021 and rescued in 2014 and 2016. No doubt he will try again one day and who knows what he might achieve if he can just give those unsportsmanlike Coastguards the slip.