Vinegar Tits

Great actor, and was on my shortlist for 2007. The fact that he's got quite a prominent mention on the BBC entertainment page gives me hope that a few more on my shortlist will get UK obits...

Pinter. I just get the feeling he might give us all a Christmas present.

I know she's had her problems in the past but how unwell and in what way is she ill at the moment? Vested interest as she's one of only three Royals I've ever seen in person - and yes, it was at Wimbledon before anyone asks.

Perhaps she wasn't faking it afterall... Gawd, another piece of my childhood gone

I thought they used a drum machine?

Ooh, now if you think Jane Tomlinson's a fraud, you should hear what's been said (and in the YTV buildings an' all) about Ms Hauxwell. Opinion is decidedly split about that one and make no mistake.

And quite rightly so. Liz Smith is a bit of a national treasure, and has been for years. Yes, she seemed very spritely on Paul O'Grady the other day so unless she gets a sudden complaint like a bout of pneumonia or a chill on her kidneys I can't see her popping off any time soon. A bit like Dame Thora Hird, I don't ever recall her being young - I know she was quite late on to acting but she's played batty old grannys for at least 20 years now, and both her roles in 2.4 Children and The Royle Family are so spot on it's like seeing my grandmother on the screen. I'm rather surprised both Wikipedia and IMDB list her birth year as 1921. I could have sworn it was more like 1924 or 1926 - perhaps that's what it 'used' to be... She apparently invented the binliner as well!

Has he *ever* played keyboards with the Dead? Even so much looked at a keyboard? If so, he's a goner

There's an update on her health (well, from April) on her website. Basically to sum it up it says she has good and bad days - on her good days she's quite lucid, on bad days she just sleeps. The quote that is of interest to us (and especially those of us foolish enough to have her as our joker...) is "There is nothing life threatening going on". Either way, age is not on her side and I agree it does seem to have gone a bit quiet of late. However, perhaps there simply isn't anything new to report. We'll only know if she makes a public appearance or when she dies how she's doing.

I've gone for George Melly, purely because they're not on my 2006 list and I have them pencilled in for 2007...

I always preferred Kate Jackson myself. Thank you for your warm salutations. I had an...interesting birthday, mainly involving lying on a surgical bed with lasers zapping my eyes and having plastic things inserted into my eyes by a South African bloke. A few days later, my eyesight is still resembling that of the late great Lennie Peters...

Looks in fine fettle judging by the documentaries about the Suez Crisis on TV at the moment but I suppose age is not on her side.

Thanks for the update on her wellbeing, even if it isn't very positive.

I think the only person I'd want to see at Leeds less than Dennis Wise is Paul Ince. That's it, Ken Bates is going on my DDP list for 2007. Purely wishful thinking of course...

Bit of an update - Little Jimmy Osmond was on Radio 2 this afternoon and said that Alan, who has MS, "really isn't too well" at the moment, and he didn't sound very positive at all. Do we have a Mormon version of ?

Just call me Mystic Meg (7th paragraph down), and no you can't have this week's lottery numbers.

I'm sure his mind is as sharp as ever but he looked decrepit, even more so than usual.

Sandy West died yesterday, that's another potential DDP selection gone. I wonder if she will get a UK obit. Oh balls, that's really sad. I'm a huge Runaways fan and I'm pretty gutted about the news, but it did seem inevitable. I reckon she will get a UK obit, The Runaways were too important a band for her not to.

I don't find the picture offensive: seen it loads of times as it gets posted on Popbitch at least a couple of times a month, and I remember Tardblog as the British media have picked up on it before (I seem to recall the author being on Radio Five's Up All Night a few years back). What I find laughable is that we're discussing taste and decency on a site where posters often wish people dead. Of course anyone with a mentally disabled relative is going to get upset, but then you can take offence at anything if it personally affects you. As for the pathetic term 'learning difficulties', I wish people would just say it as it is for covers far too wide a populus. You wouldn't believe the amount of people who have dealings with Social Services and whose actions are swept under the carpet and excused as 'oh, they have learning difficulties'. You're either mentally disabled or just plain thick. End of. Don't mind me - in a crappy mood due to the football. It's tough being a Leeds fan at the moment

I beat you to it, Vinegar Tits. John Locke died back in August In that case the search is screwed as I checked before posting Still don't know about it until today mind you...

While having a thorough read quick skim through this month's Mojo in Tesco, I found out that Spirit keyboardist John Locke has died of lymphoma At this rate Ed Cassidy's going to outlive them all! I'm to put on The Twelve Dreams Of Doctor Sardonicus on in late tribute. Great album.

Very sad news, millions will miss Dr Wally. Rather surprised he wasn't mentioned before on here - after all, it was known he was ill (the rumour is cancer by the way) and he'd been away from Wake Up To Wogan for quite a while so it was obviuos something was up. It'd be nice if the BBC showed an episode of Wogan's Web in tribute (the one where Pauly got a load of henna tattoos which then caused embarrassment at the golf club perhaps), but I doubt they will. Anyone want to take a bet that the first or last song on WUTW on Monday morning will be Eva Cassidy's version of 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow'?

It's saying something when even Yoko is more liked than Heather...

Definitely. Paul Hunter was just a snooker player, Jane's the new Queen of Hearts. Unlike so many of the rather mean-spirited people on here, I wish her all the best and hope she continues for a few more years yet - yes, terminal means terminal but it does not necessarily mean 'dead soon'. Fraud or not (and I really don't believe she is a fraud - there are easier ways of becoming famous. She could have streaked down The Headrow for instance or shot Christa Ackroyd live on air on Look North), she's done a lot of good in helping fight a disease that will touch the vast majority of us at some point in our lives. However, spread to her liver eh? *Definite* candidate for 2007 then. I used to know someone who, like Jane, started off with breast cancer. Once it spread to her liver she was buggered (not literally ) and died a few months later. If she is visibly and undeniably on her definitely, for sure, no kidding about this time, last legs come two months time she'll be a dead cert for a Damehood I suspect. She's more deserving than some (though I'd personally rather see 'Arise Dame Julie Walters' myself.) Can anyone name any famous bods who have survived it without a transplant? And, for those who died of liver cancer, I wonder what the average life expectancy between diagnosis and death was? When she does go, this site might as well go offline for a bit. No one's going to be able to get on it anyway. It's gonna crash more spectaculatly than all the news sites did on September 11th...

Apologies if posted already, but here's a recent photo of a certain Mr O'Sullivan (third on the right) looking rather healthy. Paunch and walking stick mind you...