Octopus of Odstock

God, OOO, you must be important for Reuters to be wiring you! Sorry, I rather DID give that impression didn't I? Basically, I just put "Laker" into "google news" search to see if anything came up & lo & behold it did.

Just as I was off to sleep, it's come through, from Reuters. Source: Laker dead

Well, I've seen this on Wikipedia too, but only Wikipedia - no other news reports yet. (23.30pm GMT). Mind, I said the same about Heinrich Harrer, so by the time I've finished me other jobs tonight, I'll check again.

Here's the BBC announcement. A few teams had him in the DDP, but none of the front runners. Yes, it's interesting. I selected him in my first year, 2004, in the DDP as I knew he was very ill then. Yet, strangely I didn't choose him in 2006. As it happened, he was in my reserve team, the team I would've put out if I had two entries. I don't count him as a big a miss as say Rugova, as I still feel my DDP team I selected is stronger - if anything, it reaffirms my decision to place him as a high reserve was a good one. Despite knowing he was very ill & hence it is no surprise, I am saddened. His teams always tried to play good football.

Ruth Eastwood, Clint's mother, who a few years ago was present at the Academy Awards with him, died Saturday, aged 97.Link

Latest update - looks like June or July will be the newsworthy date. I just can't believe sometimes how news agencies let some of these stories slide after all the bombastic hoo-ha. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-02/...ent_4143837.htm By the way, on the same note, Tariq Aziz has been refused asuylm to Croatia, especially as they believe his "close to death" is very much like Mr. Biggs' supposed deathbed - ie non-existent!

Jean Byron - maybe more for "not famous but..." thread, perhaps? Anyway, she has died aged 80. Might be known Stateside

.

BBC Obit They say 82, apparently his son said he was 82 in one of these reports... Still I don't suppose it really matters...

No gloating this time, I'm afraid Iain. Who is your next prediction?

Yes, but there's already a thread here about her. Can the admins do their thing please?

sheesh, for most of 2005, he was on my 2006 DDP 20. Then I read that he was active, so I moved him out of the top 20 into my reserve spot. Then I figure out he's 82 not 95. Then the bugger goes and dies! I feel robbed! Nonetheless, I'm sorry to see him go. And I'm sticking with 83. I suppose even if it's not cleared up now, come late March/April, I'll have a look on the SSDI & see what his real age was. He may suprise us yet post-death.

Well, "Leader" is a bit much. He was head of Geneva's council. I really don't think a youngish, obscure Swiss councillor is really a "near miss" but hey...

Well, I'm a James Stewart fan, so the ones I enjoy are perhaps those when Stewart & Widmark collaborated. He has appeared in a number of flops - ie National Lampoon Goes To The Movies but good ones that he is in or star of: Kiss of Death (Oscar Nominated) Judgement at Nuremberg Night And The City The Bedford Incident Yellow Sky The Street With No Name The Jimmy ones are not his best but How The West Was Won is probably the best of them - Cheyenne Autumn is a bit too long , Two Rode Together is alright but hasn't aged well, I don't think. I quite liked Madigan & I personally thought Death of a Gunfighter was excellent, but generally, some regard it as hit & miss. His IMDb entry is quite extensive but he's largely retired now. In some cases, it seems "retired" doesn't mean "death imminent"

don't know if he's famous enough but: Ray Barreto is not in a good way. That fellow Torres died last year with barely a mention, which is why some of these musicians can go either way. Or is he more well-known generally? I've never heard of him, maybe some here have...

Last time I checked, Gretna wasn't in the south east of England. So no, not me. I know full well where Gretna is. I have no idea where you live (should I have known you lived in S-E England or not??). It's just I seem to recall you talking a lot about Gretna FC in one of the Dicky O threads & not realising who or what was going on with the page, thought when I initially viewed it, that GretnaGod was you as you were the one who profiled the page on here, so I thought "ah, Dr. H has done some editing as well." Then someone said GretnaGod was anti-death list. Which confused me as you were the one who championed the page & would hardly champion a page you condemmed. I'm still confused, not least as I can't find Gretna in the search pages any more, but apologies if I caused offence as that wasn't the intention.

I agree with you, disagree with Tempus (as an excellent choice). Widmark is on my "DDP list" (to clarify - this is about 200 people of fame, to be high up is top 40, so being on the list itself isn't much in a sense) but he's way down it - bout 150, I think. Still visits premieres, no health concerns recently, he was always quite a strong, fit man so I have no doubt that helps now, I think that despite his age, he is quite good for probably two or three years yet, maybe more, who knows? One of my favourite living actors, by the way, not least as he's one of the last survivors of what I and many others term "The Golden Age."

The point being made, I think is that Al Lewis is only (only in a sense compared to his thought age), 82 not 96!!! I thought I'd check this somewhere with backup, so I went to the 1930 census - looked for Albert Meister which is his real name Meister was born in upstate New York, near the Canadian border, Source - and if Lewis himself says all this, I'm inclined to believe him, he said he came to Brooklyn 1924. There IS an Albert Meister b. 1910, living in Queens, NY - but Mr Lewis says he never did & there is no-one around the 1923 mark either. So, I went back to 1920. Same young Mr Meister, born 1910, Brooklyn NY. Obviously no 1923, as this was 3 years before his other birthdate. Just when you think 1923 might be a wash-out... Albert Meister b.1910.. d.2002 - same guy as above. and below: No, he was born on 23 April 1923. This has been documented on his birth certificate and college application. These documents were shown on an episode of "A&E Biography" in 2000. I know, he claims to have been in the circus in the 1920s and in the merchant marine in the 1930s, but he wasn't really. He lied about his age to get the part of Grandpa, and he's been lying about it ever since So, one has to hazard a guess, that despite all this misleading info, he is 83 in April, not 96. In which case, he comes rapidly down my DDP list. A one-legged man aged 83 & one aged 96 make a lot of difference in O of O's DDP world.

Henry Allingham is Amazing! The man, who is 109, is going round the country to meet the other 10 survivors of the First World War! As far as I know, they have not ruled out flying to Australia to meet the 3 who live there, though I can't see it happening. British World War survivors, only Lawton has died recently - it's Italy's turn to take a toll - the total's still around 80 worldwide.

so does Bernie Clifton!...... Jim & Audrey Callaghan as an example of quick Long? Brooke Astor. All her husbands dead since 1959.. what's that now, 47 years now?

Course she is. In fact, arguably, worldwide, maybe more so. I think it's Iain being a teaser again so that you see Ludovic Kennedy dead & not the Mrs. Fine dancer, good actress, decent journalist.

Latest

Is he ill? Er, I don't know. I just have a funny feeling he will. Yes. Very ill. Came very close to putting him on my DDP list. From 2001: Former Manchester City coach Malcolm Allison is in hospital suffering from alcoholism, according to his son. Allison, 73, was taken to hospital after breaking his collarbone in a fall near his warden-controlled home at Hale, Cheshire. Son Mark said: "He is very ill but he's accepted for the first time he is an alcoholic. "Now he hopes the doctors can arrange for him to be admitted to a clinic." "He still has a lot to offer soccer but he does suffer from loneliness," Mark Allison told the Manchester Evening News. Since then, I understand he's detoriated.

Oh.. I'm confused. I thought GretnaGod was Dr. Hackenslash as he's from Gretna

Two more successes liven up proceedings; Henry McGee & Coretta Scott King. However the top of the scoreboard remains unchanged. Looking forward to the pictures going up soon. Also noticed Miura failed to get the obit officially & that last year's champion Fallen Sparrow has only 19 runners as one had already died. Go Fish has a very strong line up, it must be said. As for me, I'm still convinced my team is a strong one, but the excellent start made by others puts a few doubts in mind. But then, there are 11 months to go. If all 19 go in December, it still counts, doesn't it?