Octopus of Odstock

G Zsa Zsa Gabor - b. 1917. Failing health for some time, and then suffered massive stroke in 2005. Now wheelchair bound, and hubby can't wait until she's dead. Ernest Gallo - b. 1909, wine man. Frail, but has been annoying DL by not dying when selected as a candidate. Terri Garr - actress, b. 1944. Has had MS for yrs & possibly the "Gene Wilder Curse" too... Estelle Getty - Golden Girl actress. Currently v. ill & in a home with Lewy Body dementia. B. 1923 Vo Nguyen Giap - b. 1912, legendary Vietnamese general. Still active, picked up an award about a month ago, but much frailer now. Vitali Ginzburg - Russian Physicist, b. 1916. Nobel winner & very famous scientist. Now a frail chap, and doesn't make many public appearances nowadays. Brian Glanville - football journalist, b. 1931. Now quite wizened, he smokes a lot & likes his wine. There's a general impression by BG & many others, he's already lived too long. Rev. Billy Graham - has been in failing health for some time, yet keeps on working. b. 1918, has suffered from Parkinson's disease for about 15 years, has had fluid on the brain, pneumonia, broken hips, and recently revealed that he is suffering from prostate cancer. V, v. frail, too. Dulcie Gray - UK actress, b. 1919, widow of Michael Denison. V. low profile now, but no ill-health that I know of. Leon Greenman - Auschwitz survivor, b. 1910. Now apparently very frail.

E Roger Ebert - film critic, b. 1942. Has suffered thyroid cancer in past. Recently underwent surgery to remove cancerous growth on salivary gland. Still hospitalised. Blake Edwards - US director, b. 1922. Noticeably frailer in recent yrs, sometimes seen in wheelchair. Ex-heavy drinker. Doug Ellis - b. 1924. Dad died early from H/A, Ellis has had prostate cancer & a heart bypass op, whilst assassination can't be ruled out... James Ellis - actor - b. 1931. In recent years, has suffered strokes & major heart problems, amongst other medical complaints. The Emir of Kuwait (Abdicated) - b. 1930. Wheelchair bound, and in such sick health, he had to abdicate. Since then, little's been heard of his condition. Vilma Espin - wife of Raul Castro, and according to some sources, very ill indeed. However it comes down to whether those sources are to be trusted. Joseph Estrada - Phillippine ex-President, possibly facing the death sentence. Currently still under house arrest. F Jerry Falwell - US preacher, whose controversy means a UK obit should be likely. Still recovering after a heart failure last year left him close to death. b. 1933 Louis Farrakhan - US religious leader, now possibly suffering from cancer. Whatever the truth is, he's not a well chap. W. Mark Felt - Deep Throat. Suffered a stoke in 2001 & health downhill ever since. Although suffering from dementia, he was recently described as "lucid" so maybe only in early stages. b. 1913 Doug Fieger - lead singer of The Knack. Has just had brain surgery for two tumours. I was going to suggest probs with UK obit but news of his illness was covered extensively in the UK this week. Eddie Fisher - singer/entertainer b. 1928. Dad of Princess Leia, shagged Liz Taylor & Debbie Reynolds. Now in ill-health & wheelchair bound. Joan Fontaine - b. 1917. Now a recluse. Believed to be frail, but in good health. Michael Foot - b. 1913. Iain's arch-nemesis. Health is clearly failing, is much more frail, and nearly blind. But not gone yet.... Betty Ford - b. 1918. Ex-1st lady, much discussed here. Has had breast cancer, and drink addiction. Gerald Ford - b. 1913. Increasingly frail ex-President of the US. Not ill at present, but probably wouldn't take much to kill him. John Forsythe - although remarried, he looks v. frail. Has had major heart problems & was a heavy drinker. Now also has colon cancer. b. 1918 Andy Fraser - another of MPFC's suggestions. This one might be better than most of the others, as he's got HIV & looks quite thin. Musician, should easily get UK obit. Annette Funicello - b. 1942. Currently suffering from MS. Allegedly in final stages of disease, but not confirmed.

D Basil D'Oliveira - legendary cricketer, b. 1931. Now in full-time medical care suffering from Parkinsons' Disease. Michael DeBakey - Doctor, b. 1908. Overcame aortic aneurysm earlier this year. His work on the heart will give him a UK obit Elizabeth Gladys Milvinia Dean - One of two living Titanic survivors. B. 1912 Lord Bill Deedes - b. 1913. Politician & journalist. Suffered a major stroke a few years back, but nowadays is still as active as he ever was. Jean Delannoy - French cinema legend, b. 1908. No news about health, but he's v. v. old John Demjanjuk - b. 1920. Accused of WW2 War Crimes. In failing health for some while. Leila Denmark - b.1898. Famous in the US, but UK obit is borderline. She was a paediatrician & a notable one at that. Phyllis Diller b. 1917, US Comic. Recently, has had major H/A & subsquently fitted with pacemaker. Fats Domino - grossly overweight singer. B. 1928, in failing health for some time Kirk Douglas - b. 1916. Suffered huge stroke which he's never really recovered from. Very frail in recent years. Roy Douglas - Brit composer, b. 1907. Should get broadsheet mention. Charlie Drake - b. 1925. Has been in failing health since a stroke 10 yrs ago & now in rest home. "Too ill" to have his photo taken recently. Janez Drnovsek President of Slovenia, b. 1950. Has cancer but is not having any treatment for it. That kind attitude did Barry Sheen no favours....... The Duke of Wellington - current one is the 8th, b. 1915. Aside from his famous title, he is a WW2 war hero. Now a very frail man. Renato Dulbecco - Italian scientist, b. 1914. Nobel Prize winner & fascist. Should get obit. Patricia Dunn - ex-Hewlett Packard boss, b. 1953. Has battled cancer for some years now.

C Frank Cady - actor b. 1915. Obit by no means certain. Frailer in recent years. Kitty Carlisle - actress/panellist. Should get a UK obit. Still partying away though, so might be here for some while Elliott Carter - composer, b. 1908. Now in retirement home. Jack Cardiff - legendary British Cinematographer, b. 1914. Frailer than before, but still keeps a high-profile. Fidel Castro - b. 1926. Two camps here - one says he's ill & has been for yrs. Another says there's nowt wrong with him. Could have Parkinsons, could have cancer, but could have nothing at all. However stress & smoking are factors to bear in mind. Recently hospitalised for internal bleeding, but apparently recovering, and not as some said, already dead. Jack Chick - reclusive artist & publisher. b. 1924. Diabetic, has had a h/a & pnuemonia in last year. Should get a UK obit, but not certain. Frederick Chiluba - ex President of Zambia. Has been very ill with a number of ailments in the last year, incl. a chronic heart condition. Jacques Chirac - used to be heavy smoker. Assassination attempts already. Had stroke in 2005, and certainly health is failing slowly. b. 1932 Sir Arthur C Clarke b. 1917. Wheelchair bound since 1988, health failing since then, especially in recent years. Ronald Coase - UK economist, b. 1910. No idea about health but he's British, so obit likely & ancient. George Cole - b. 1925. Much frailer in recent years, also a smoker & drinker. Robbie Coltrane - has been, and still is, grossly fat & loves all things the doctors say you shouldn't have... H/A waiting to happen Lansana Conte - President of Guinea, b. 1934. Assassination likely, but also in chronic ill-health. His choice of sticking it out, rather than retiring will surely hasten his deathday. Walter Cronkite - b. 1916. Has had heart problems, and is overweight. However, since finding love after his wife died last yr, he seems to have found a new lease of life. Tony Curtis - currently on the DL. b. 1925. Generally ok, but has had many a drink, smoke & drugs. Also has had skin cancer.

B Milton Babbitt - still active & appears well, but getting on. Born 1916 Joseph Barbera - b. 1911. Despite his age, he seems very well & active. But DL didn't choose him for no reasons... Lady Evelyn Barbirolli - Oboe player. Also known as Evelyn Rothwell. B. 1911. Was active in later life, but I think in a home now. Bob Barker - US game show host. Slight chance of no obit, but I expect he will get at least a BBC mention. B. 1923 - health problems in recent years, include 4 strokes & prostate surgery. But has come through okay each time & now retired. Stanley Beckford - Jamacian musician, has throat cancer Captain Beefheart - musician - suffering from MS, allegedly in final stages of disease. b. 1941 Jean-Paul Belmondo - b. 1933. Loved his cigs & drink. Had a stroke in 2001, has barely been seen since. Bruce Bennett - AKA Herman Brix. Actor & Olympic athlete, former Tarzan. Should get obit. 100 yrs old this year. Rabbi Philip Berg - Kabbalah guru. In extremely ill health & no longer in charge of the "religious organisation". Wheelchair bound, stroke & heart probs Ingmar Bergman - Mr Boring. Now 88, but health seems fine. Told you, boring. Ruth Bernhard - ancient (b. 1905), US photographer. Might get UK obit. Chuck Berry - again seems okay for his age (b. 1926), but has a history of extreme hard-living. Ronnie Biggs - Now 77, the ultimate death tease. I say he's faking, others say he's near death. Has had strokes galore etc but still ploughs on regardless Joey Bishop - b. 1918. Lived a high life, plenty of drinks & Cigs. Apparently healthy, but low profile these days. Harold John Blackham - ancient UK philosopher, writer. b. 1903. UK obit certain. George Blake - UK spy & traitor, scourge of the Daily Mail, hero of Russia. Now believed to be seriously ill. Ernest Borgnine - b. 1917. Appears to be super healthy at the moment, despite being overweight & enjoying tipples Abdelaziz Bouteflika - Algerian President. Allegedly suffering from stomach cancer, but extremely active, so maybe condition exagerrated? Or maybe just carving out a legacy? Ray Bradbury - b. 1920. Overweight, wheelchair bound, very ill chap, but he is a very strong willed man. Ian Brady - we can always hope suicide - also goes on frequent hunger strikes Art Buchwald - what can you say about this guy? Should be dead. I'm not even going to second guess how long he'll be around, but he DOES still have many major health probs. b. 1925. After deathbed fame, he'll get an obit that wasn't certain before. Earl Butz b. 1909. Agricultural Sec, so not certain he'll get a UK obit. Apparently, not in good health or body.

I've got a free day today, I'll do it myself in a separate thread now.

But CP, you have a political hotty all of your own already!! Yulia Tymoshenko of Ukraine Also worth keeping an eye on this Australian senator: I'm sure there are more sexy female politicians out there somewhere.

Happy Birthday, Phantom! Hope you have a great day. Six, being a baby is no excuse for not going out & getting Daddy a card. They have to learn to be independent & self-sufficient ASAP.

I don't believe Strong is even ill, let alone has a brain tumour? Maybe this recent link might clear it up? Strong supports cancer campaign in Mum's memory and she's currently touring and this interview says NOTHING about her illness. BBC interview with Gwyneth Strong Me thinks you've got false information. She was acting in a theatre nearby & in the paper she looked very healthy.

I agree whole-heartedly. I don't think I've ever seen such a magnificent usage, variety & imagination of swearing in one rant, here, or anywhere else. Laura, I salute you. I could only wish to swear like yourself. A bucketful of c**ts, I love it C**t bucket. No good? He is such a C**t he's like a bucket full of c**ts. Tired something better than just Iain is a C**t. He is a C**t but sort of a major C**t. So a bucket full of c**ts. Or a skip of c**ts. He is like a big C**t and I don't like his cunty ways. That's what I meant. Too cunty for my liking. Heavy into being cuntish

Wow! Is this thread still here? I thought it'd be deleted for gross stupidity TLC, just to show I can do research as well as posting pictures of mega babes: Colombian Politicans: PRESIDENTS (Post WW2) Alberto Lleras Camargo (b. 1906 - d. 1990) Mariano Ospina Pérez (b. 1891 - d. 1976) Laureano Gómez Castro (b. 1889 - d. 1965) Roberto Urdaneta Arbeláez(b. 1890 - d. 1972) Gustavo Rojas Pinilla (b. 1900 - d. 1975) Gabriel París Gordillo (b. 1910) Guillermo León Valencia (b. 1909 - d. 1971) Carlos Lleras Restrepo (b. 1908 - d. 1994) Misael Pastrana Borrero (b. 1923 - d. 1997) Alfonso López Michelsen (b. 1913) Julio César Turbay Ayala (b. 1916 - d. 2005) Belisario Betancur Cuartas (b. 1923) Virgilio Barco Vargas (b. 1921 - d. 1997) César Gaviria Trujillo (b. 1947) Ernesto Samper Pizano (b. 1950) Andrés Pastrana Arango (b. 1954) Álvaro Uribe Vélez (b. 1952) Hmm.. quite a long lived bunch. There's some more good DL or DDP candidates there - they'd get a broadsheet obit, I think. Likewise, the list of Foreign ministers seems to point to a average life. Only one has died before they were 60, and that was through natural causes. But at the lower level- mayors, councillors etc., I wouldn't be too confident in reaching 90 years of age....

Sorry, I should have put No, I quite agree with your listing. I just loved the way you started that thread & went "here he is - oh, he'll be here for a good few years to come yet though so consider him, but don't consider him" in your unique MPFC style. Maybe I should have chosen Iain's Jack Nicholson thread as an example..... Anyway, again, I rest.

Recently I read that Colombia is now the 2nd happiest place in the world to live BBC article despite the above shootings, drugs problems etc. Perhaps this is down to a few reasons:- one, surely has to be the new foreign minister of Colombia. Colombian males get this lady as their foreign minister: British males get this lady as their foreign minister: but it may just be, also, that there are NO Colombians on the Death List** ** Yes, I am aware that de Stefano represented Colombia, but so did Charlie Mitten and he was as Colombian as Clive Dunn......... I think, like in Godot's Belgian quest, that should change. There are plenty of candidates ripe for picking & it will be my aim for the rest of this year that at least one of them will be chosen for the DL next year: I present to you: Shakira, singer, aged 29. No ill-health as such, but you never know....... John Leguizamo, actor, aged 42. Health seems like Shakira's Alvaro Uribe, current President, aged 54. Numerous assassination attempts have been plotted or in some cases carried out... Gabriel Garcia Marquez, legendary novelist & Nobel Laureate, now 78. Suffering from lymphatic cancer. Manuel Marulanda or Pedro Marin, leader of the FARC rebel terrorist group, aged 78. Aside from the threat of assassination, he is reportedly terminally ill with cancer. Juan Pablo Montoya, racing driver. Known for his on-the-edge racing style. In F1, he's safe, but in NASCAR, fatalities are far more common. Think back to de Cesaris....... Colombian Footballers & Coaches past & present An appalling track record. Aside from the one mentioned, Andres Escobar was gunned down in 1994, Hernan Dario Gomez was shot in the leg in 2001, but still managed to coach Ecuador in the 2002 World Cup. Colombia have two dead players from the 1994 World Cup squad - that's one more than the entire French 1958 side. They don't tend to live long lives. With the news they want to host the 2014 World Cup, will drugs money/corruption/politics take a nasty turn? There's the evidence:- Guys, You owe to this lady & girls, to this man below to have a Colombian on the DL. Goodnight, DL'rs, I rest. I strongly deny any accusations that this thread was reignited due to the want to post pics of Colombian super babes and maybe can be used as a thread whenever a Colombian dies. Hell, this suggestion thread is no worse than the Alf Pearson thread and that's still up there..........

BHB, this'll be everywhere in a short while, but the BBC breaking news is reporting David O'Leary has quit as Aston Villa boss......

Nah, it was at the end of the (flat) road To be fair, I didn't even see proper sunshine for the first 20 years of my life.

A Mars A Day Helps You Sting like A Bee

I won't deny it isn't hot, but it comes down to what people are used to. For many people, this is the hottest they know. But me - well, I LAUGH, yes LAUGH at the forecasters warning me to "take care" in the sun. BWA HA HA HA you fools............. Ahem.. I've just had a look at me avatar & realised I am turning into General Gordon. You'd never catch him wearing shorts or, indeed, anything less than full regalia even in the stifling heat of the Sudan fighting the fuzzy-wuzzys. Also, if he was ever wearing white, somehow it never got dusty or sand over it. A true Briton abroad. Not that it did him much good when they lopped his head off, but at least he didn't spill blood on his sashette. I don't know about an 8th DL candidate, but I'd be amazed if the hot weather doesn't claim a number of the remaining WWI vets.

Is this supposed to be a heatwave? FFS, I used to live in North Africa, when it was 50 degrees celsius in the shade on a cloudy day!! Before moving back to England last winter, I'd lived in the Med for 6 years & today would be treated as a cooler, breezy day. So whilst Britain lazes & collapses, I've been walking round to work in a suit (no sashette, ie+, I'm afraid ) without feeling the heat and after work, been for a jog. As I did the latter, I saw lazy fat-arses sprawled everywhere, moaning about the heat. Go & live in Southern Tunisia for 6 months, then moan to me about heat Yours, a very unimpressed & not-at-all hot OOO. TLC, judging by your reference to writing to the lead singer of Echo & the Bunnymen, were you, by any chance, watching Comedy Connections - The Young Ones last night?

In other words, you're going to wait to see if someone will put him back on the Wikipedia Recent Deaths Page. If they do, you'll "confirm" it. If not, you'll forget all about it. Save yourself looking. I've checked everywhere - Notices in The Times, broadsheet obits, blogs etc. - there is nothing to say he is dead at all....

It's part explained in the Not Famous But... thread, BB. Also, you know what they say - "a change is as good as a rest"

If the witness saw the way I grope for my alcohol, I think he would change his mind about Mr. Foot's eyesight. Although I did read Foot is now near blind in one eye and poor eyesight in the other. But, then, so was Sir John Mills, and he was, what 97 when he died? MPFC, no. In fact, the same witness has already sent early birthday wishes to him, such is his confidence of making it.

Drum Roll, please......Some substantiated Michael Foot Health News!!!! From a search of Google Blogs: Recently I was dining with friends at The Gay Hussar. Michael Foot arrived in a group of four and sat on the banquette directly next to me. He was clearly in failing health, and by the way he had to grope for his wine and feel his way around the plate, I guess his eyesight had completely failed him. However, in the few exchanged pleasantries between restaurant neighbours, I found him to be charming, erudite and totally unassuming. (Posted July 2006)

Iain, in the last week, you've posted two non-deaths & a fake* death in the "Near Misses" Thread. Is it really asking too much for you to slow down & find a link to prove they've died? *Michael Anderson was another Wiki fake. He is still very much alive, as, for that matter, are the other two....

When TMIB said "close" with the NY City Dolls, I too, thought the Ramones and was going to suggest them, but when I did a Google Image Search, I couldn't find the said picture above, so now I'm not sure. It's starting to annoy me now, so I hope TMIB just tells us soon.

I feel sorry for the DDP guys, they're dropping like flies at the moment.. Mickey Spillane is dead, and is bound to get a UK obit. When he does, two teams score points, neither near the top of the leaderboard. In fact, I think it's "The Letter S Means Death" first hit.