Thoughts and Opinions on the 2021 Deathlist

[Bibliogryphon 9,647]

2 hours ago, drol said:

The 2020 list got universal acclaim here. And it was well deserved. This was panned and we shall see if the forum is right again.

There were a lot of grumbles about William Gates

[Gooseberry Crumble 5,361]

I'm glad the committee  kept Joanne Woodward as I really wasn't sure that they would and bringing back Pope Benedict I think will be shown to be a very wise move.

[roaming_comrade 471]

I understand why they took off Tom Smith, but they should've at least put Tom Smith's Dad on.

[Lafaucheuse 4,081]

Several things come to my mind : 

 

1) at first I was disappointed but looking at the list with less alcohol in my blood and with a bit of rest, I think this is not "that bad". I mean there are greats picks, some that could dropped dead tomorrow and some who could stick around for years. But I think it's a fair list. Not the best, obviously but I think we could be surprised by some picks (as we were when Gates Sr. or John Edrich proved to be successful picks). Only time will tell but I have great hopes. 

 

2) the thing that disappointed me at first, was the lack of originality and the fact that big names are missing. Gorbachev, Larry King, Dilip Kumar, Carlos Menem (where the fuck is he ???? he will be dead by the end of January imo), Jerry Lee Lewis, Noam Chomsky etc etc… for me it'll prove them wrong given that on those names, several could go by the end of the year. 

 

3) Their choice in keeping some names over others is questionnable. I mean where is Tom Smith and why in the hell they keep Dick Cheney or Shane McGowan over him ??

 

4) I'm not that disappointed that they didn't add names like James Whale, Tom Parker or Sarah Harding, as, for me, they are nobodies. they wouldn't even get a proper obit in France 

 

5) I'm dismayed at their choice of ranking in the list : why in the hell did they put Dick Van Dyke in the 3rd spot and Akihito so high over Rush Limbaugh, Dole, Philips, Doherty etc… It's a shiiiiitty choice I'm dismayed

 

here is my first thoughts on the list, I have mixed feelings but I hope it'll be successful, good luck to everyone here and of course, HAPPY NEW YEAR !

[frleon 138]

My thoughts:

 

1. Disappointed to see a full 25 returners. Why not mix it up a bit more!  There's a couple at least that are just old and could make space for someone more interesting. In the same spirit I fully agree on  drops like David Attenborough.

 

2. QE2 included, good. Could well survive another ten years but even in this case I'd feel the need to include her in at least three out of four years, unless given more information on her wellbeing than usual.

 

3. The list seems unusually UK-centric to me but it'll be a very subjective impression that's recurring every January. Just plenty of names I have no clue about – this isn't a complaint, it's just the way the DL operates, alright.

 

4. Great picks: Castro (no clue why he hasn't been on before!), Ono, Benedicto; Rosalynn and Jimmy; Rush Limbaugh and the Ayatollah; …

 

5. Very disappointed that it's just six under 80. I'd rather have a 12 hits of which there's a good mix between outright surprise and had-it-coming quick and hard; than 20 hits with most just long instances who've circled the drain forever. Couldn't the committee have looked for more terminally-ill youngsters!?

 

Not a terrible list, not a great one either – as far as I'm concerned currently. I did somewhat like the previous one from the start but it has aged very well over the year (and overall the complaints about the ancient average age of the entries has subsided quickly with the enema taking action). Let's see how this one will fare in appreciation!

[Toast 16,232]

9 hours ago, Joey Russ said:

Captain Tom Moore: Yes, he seems to be a national bore in the UK.

 

FTFY.

[ladyfiona 2,658]

11 hours ago, ebless said:

Rolf Harris yet again misses out on his DL debut, looks like he may survive another year then. 

 

Looks like we're in for another big total, I think we can manage around 18 this time. 

 

 

Next year I feel.

[Guest Bingo2000]

---

[msc 18,536]

The annual misinformed tealeaves....

 

Philip - Even older than last year, seemingly on his last legs for years but bounces back. 100 this summer - a last hurrah?

Betty White - Indefatigable old lady of US TV. If I had to bet I'd assume she could make her 100th in 2022 - she seemed, pre-lockdown, to still be in incredible health for her advanced age.

Dick van Dyke - Well, he's a legend so will be on the list till he dies but at this point I see nothing to make that more likely in 2021.

Bob Dole - How is he still alive? He's been old, frail and "not long left" since 2012! Last year he managed to look even frailer.

Akihito - He had a fall in 2020 but like many of the elderly on this list he had a quiet 2020 due to the covid.

Loretta Lynn - Gooseberry will be happy. Surprisingly high re-entry.  Had a stroke in 2017 and "health complications" since.

George Schultz - Very old US politician. I know nothing about his current health.

Rush Limbaugh - Arsehole. Stage IV, doomed. Talking up dying on recent shows. Gone by the Euros imo.

Murray Walker - Recently did an hour long audio interview. At 97. Still writes, wrote a tribute to a DL hit in 2020! Wish I had his marbles and strength if I make it to 97. Will take a lot to get rid of Murray imo.

Angela Lansbury - Legend, aging, seemed OK in her rare public appearances in 2020.

Bob Barker - Lowkey 2020 after spending much of 2019 having falls and hospital stays. Clearly in his sunset period.

Alan Greenspan - Boring pick for three straight years. Seen nothing to suggest he's in danger yet, and he still does TV.

Henry Kissinger - Still alive, still fat, still working for the Republicans. He isn't going anywhere, sadly.

June Brown - "Retired" from Eastenders last year, lets see if it lasts. Falling apart somewhat health wise - blind from macular degeneration, some smoking related health issues - hanging on in there but wont have too long left.

Jimmy Carter - Health has fallen apart, head injury, hospital stays, a sad croaking election message and recent pics suggest he might be confined to bed now. This is his year.

Leslie Philips - "Frail and on his last legs" a decade ago, Leslie is the indomitable force of British TV. Surely he can't have long left, I say for nth year in a row.

Jacques Delors - Apparently in bad health according to bilngual European posters.

Khamenei - The old rumour mill circling about the Ayatollah again, ten years since last time. I have my doubts.

David Crosby - Doctors gave his heart 2 years in 2019 so if you believe them, the stunning survival of CSNY entact wont last much longer.

Prunella Scales - Surprised they kept her. Her last TV appearance, she was utterly gone - didn't know her own family or who Princess Diana was! - but its so hard to tell with end stage dementia how long folk last. Could go tomorrow, coiuld be 2024.

Bouteflika - Health on decline since stroke in 2013, apparently had further issues last year.

Tony Bennett - Still working.

Rosallyn Carter - Last year it was said both her and Jimmy had "some health issues". Hers are less known but clearly exist.

Dick Cheney - Rubbish pick. The John Edrich of 2021. Ahem, hopefully...

Queen Libby II - Not as spritely as she once was (but this is by her standards, not mere mortals) but overall one of the very few folk in the word genuinely too big to miss.

Harry Belafonte - Looked a bit frail at his birthday last year.

Bob Newhart - Looking ghastly of late, worse than my grandfather on his deathbed. Lost a lot of weight. Something is up.

Jimmy Greaves - Hospital in 2020, "gravely ill" used in press, last minute MBE from the Queen. This is the annual back  on the list in the nick of time pick.

Barbara Walters - In declining health due to dementia, apparently.

Pope Benny - Well documented for his declining health throughout 2020. Great return, likely a big death of 2021.

Imelda Marcos - "Still alive?" folk said. Did you see her documentary? She's completely doolally. Could go in 2021, bit frail, but not in the top half of likely demises.

Yoko Ono - Handed over the Lennon estate to her son in 2020 and had to pull out of a few things on health grounds. The scuttlebutt is she had a severe stroke within the last few years, and her health is badly effected. Great pick.

Walter Mondale - I remember reports of him being frail in 2015 yet he is still here. Bad journalism or even more frail now? Time will tell!

Linda Nolan - Stage IV cancer has spread, her chemo to deal with it failed, she's going Bernie's way in 2021.

Joanne Woodward - End-stage dementia. Stunned she survived 2020. Will be shocked if she makes it through 2021.

Mel Brooks - On because Carl died? Legend, possibly on too early.

Willie Nelson - A rarity - a man covid likely increased the longevity of! By which I mean the enforced lockdown rest seems to have done wonders for Nelson. He's still on bored time though, I mean, he gave up weed for a bit on health grounds - that's the Willie Nelson equivalent of Stage IV cancer news!

Betty Boothroyd - Has had on going heart issues but seems too early for this legend.

Jean Marie le Pen - Old, a cunt, frail, not as frail as fake news suggested last year. A pick we can all root for.

Sidney Poitier - Again, old, frail, getting older.

Raul Castro - Coud outlive Fidel's longevity.

Burt Bacharach - Reviews of his 2019 performances noted he was incredibly frail and looked on his last legs. Inspired pick imo.

Leon Spinks - Advanced cancer, surprised he's still here. He wont be in a years time.

Frank Williams - Hospital in December for the F1 boss and OoO said he was doing very badly. F1 tips from Odstock can be taken to the bank.

Stanley Baxter - Aging, came out of the closet in 2020.

Bernard Cribbins - Looked hellish by his standards in recent TV appearance, and was showing worrying memory issues in his Chase appearnce about a year ago. Could be a solid pick but if it is, expect a lot of tears from the Brits on here. We all love Cribbins.

Vanessa Redgrave - Surprise returnee. Dont think she's that close.

Shane MacGowan - Miracle he's still around. On borrowed time but like Gazza it could be today or 5 years hence.

Shannen Doherty - She admitted she had terminal cancer in Feb 2020 when it was in her court documents from January, meaning she has had Stage IV again since at least 2019, which makes her a strong sleeper pick for this year. I think she'll go.

Captain Tom Moore - We all knew this one, and the worlds most TV'd 100 year old in 2020 showed notable decline as the year went on. The broohaha around him is ridiculous but the chap himself seems a decent, if overwhelmed, sort. Either way, I think 2021 will dispose of 2020's news, and that includes the Captain.

 

To sum up, I think the list has every opportunity of doing very well - ie 14 hits or better. However its missing several big picks - James Whale, Gorbachev, Jerry Lee Lewis to name 3 - which, with a bit of judicious editing, and some luck with the golden oldies, could have seen the Cmme absolutely smash the record to bits.

[Deathrace 1,176]

2 hours ago, Lafaucheuse said:

Several things come to my mind : 

 

1) at first I was disappointed but looking at the list with less alcohol in my blood and with a bit of rest, I think this is not "that bad". I mean there are greats picks, some that could dropped dead tomorrow and some who could stick around for years. But I think it's a fair list. Not the best, obviously but I think we could be surprised by some picks (as we were when Gates Sr. or John Edrich proved to be successful picks). Only time will tell but I have great hopes. 

 

2) the thing that disappointed me at first, was the lack of originality and the fact that big names are missing. Gorbachev, Larry King, Dilip Kumar, Carlos Menem (where the fuck is he ???? he will be dead by the end of January imo), Jerry Lee Lewis, Noam Chomsky etc etc… for me it'll prove them wrong given that on those names, several could go by the end of the year. 

 

3) Their choice in keeping some names over others is questionnable. I mean where is Tom Smith and why in the hell they keep Dick Cheney or Shane McGowan over him ??

 

4) I'm not that disappointed that they didn't add names like James Whale, Tom Parker or Sarah Harding, as, for me, they are nobodies. they wouldn't even get a proper obit in France 

 

5) I'm dismayed at their choice of ranking in the list : why in the hell did they put Dick Van Dyke in the 3rd spot and Akihito so high over Rush Limbaugh, Dole, Philips, Doherty etc… It's a shiiiiitty choice I'm dismayed

 

here is my first thoughts on the list, I have mixed feelings but I hope it'll be successful, good luck to everyone here and of course, HAPPY NEW YEAR !

Is Tom Smith any more famous than James Whale? Not convinced he is. 

[Joey Russ 7,263]

James Whale is the cancer name that stunned me the most that he didn’t make it on. From what I can gather he seems to be the UK’s Rush Limbaugh in a lot of ways. Harding and Parker not making it though doesn’t surprise me at all...

[TQR 14,457]

8 minutes ago, Joey Russ said:

James Whale is the cancer name that stunned me the most that he didn’t make it on. From what I can gather he seems to be the UK’s Rush Limbaugh in a lot of ways. Harding and Parker not making it though doesn’t surprise me at all...

Yeah, the fact that Whale’s not on the list but Limbaugh is absolutely fries my UK-centric brain, god save the Queen how’d you do.

[Imelda 626]

A very safe list based on age mainly - with some sacred cow inclusions of oldsters who are fit as a fiddle given their years (DvD etc). Betty Boothroyd is an especially odd choice. Bet-hedging, I suspect it'll be a record year because of the sheer average age. But kind of hollow should the record be broken.

 

The lack of young 'uns to make it a bit more spicy seems silly to me.

 

At least we're spared a reapperance of a Bill Gate's dad charcter/chancer this time, so that's the best news.

[dauphin 1]

 WHERE THE FUCK IS CARLOS MENEM ?!? IT'S JUST A QUESTION OF DAYS OR EVEN HOURS ...

[The Watcher 320]

Where are Norman Lloyd (105),  Eileen Whelan (109), June Spencer (101), Clarissa Eden (100), Phillippe de Gaulle (99), Glynis Johns (97), William Russell (96), Walter Fawkes {Trog} (96), Robert Fyffe (95), John Woodcock (94), Doreen Mantle (94), Leonard Fenton (94), Joan le Mesurier (89)?

[Imelda 626]

9 minutes ago, The Watcher said:

Where are Norman Lloyd (105),  Eileen Whelan (109), June Spencer (101), Clarissa Eden (100), Phillippe de Gaulle (99), Glynis Johns (97), William Russell (96), Walter Fawkes {Trog} (96), Robert Fyffe (95), John Woodcock (94), Doreen Mantle (94), Leonard Fenton (94), Joan le Mesurier (89)?

 

Sending in letters of complaint to the Committee as we speak. Unless they don't, in which case they are definitely ones to watch out for...

[Prophet 251]

22 minutes ago, The Watcher said:

Where are Norman Lloyd (105),  Eileen Whelan (109), June Spencer (101), Clarissa Eden (100), Phillippe de Gaulle (99), Glynis Johns (97), William Russell (96), Walter Fawkes {Trog} (96), Robert Fyffe (95), John Woodcock (94), Doreen Mantle (94), Leonard Fenton (94), Joan le Mesurier (89)?

They can't put any semi-famous nonagenarian on the list. But I agree that Norman Lloyd would be a big miss.

[Lafaucheuse 4,081]

3 hours ago, Deathrace said:

Is Tom Smith any more famous than James Whale? Not convinced he is. 

He is not. But he somehow makes it to the list anyway so now that he was on, why not play it safe and keep him on.

[TomTomTelekom 3,731]

Apparently I am one of the few here, but from my point of view the list is not so bad at all. Maybe some pros (+) and cons (-) from my first perspective:

 

+ A lot of big famous new names like Yoko Ono, Frank Williams, Castro or Walter Mondale.

+ It is the first time that I know everyone from the list or have heard before  ------> no obscure picks like Bill Gates Sr., Gord Downie,....

+ On the other hand the comitee have to go against people like James Whale, Turnbull, Parker (maybe they might be dead certs and good DDP-choices, but after all they dont seem to be deathlisty and famous enough. and thats fine for me. tbh I never heard of Whale or Turnbull outside this forum, but thats probably just because I`m not from UK.

 

- More than 80% of the list inlcudes celebs from only two countries, not really representative from a global perspective. I know and absolutely accept that this is primarily a UK focused list. But if I had a wish to the committee so shortly after christmas, it would be a little bit to open up to the rest of the world.

- The biggest surprise for me that Tom Smith was kicked off the list and some one like Shane McGowan is still on it. not really plausible to me, but who knows...?

 

Thats  all! Happy and healthy new year to all of you here in the forum!

[Yama 57]

33 minutes ago, TomTomTelekom said:

I never heard of Whale

Me neither and I'm from the UK. Same with Parker and Menem - never heard of either of them. I think that's the answer as to why they're not on the list.

 

Saying that, though, it does sound like Menem could have gone on in the same vein as Arap Moi did last year - another person no-one's heard of, but a guaranteed hit.

[Deathrace 1,176]

1 hour ago, Lafaucheuse said:

He is not. But he somehow makes it to the list anyway so now that he was on, why not play it safe and keep him on.

I was somewhat bemused as the same people claiming Whale wasn't famous enough were advocating Smith's selection 

[Deathrace 1,176]

Not at all convinced by the argument that Menem is less famous than Bouteflika either. 

[Toast 16,232]

13 minutes ago, Yama said:

51 minutes ago, TomTomTelekom said:

I never heard of Whale

Me neither and I'm from the UK.

 

He used to be on the TV a lot.  Had a late-night chat show in the late 80s and the early 90s on ITV. 

I never watched it, but was well aware of him.

[Miranda lass 105]

3 hours ago, The Watcher said:

Where are Norman Lloyd (105),  Eileen Whelan (109), June Spencer (101), Clarissa Eden (100), Phillippe de Gaulle (99), Glynis Johns (97), William Russell (96), Walter Fawkes {Trog} (96), Robert Fyffe (95), John Woodcock (94), Doreen Mantle (94), Leonard Fenton (94), Joan le Mesurier (89)?

Think June will be 102? Norman will be 107 (i met a guy who were 109 so i don't doubt him) yeahh am that annoying 1 who has to correct ppl 

[Alternative Deathlist 0]

Right for those of you who think you can do better than this lot. Come over to the Alternative Deathlist and show 'em you can. We'll be using a different approach to the Crowdsourced, so it's not the same as that before any chimes in with that wisecrack. Was going to do something similar last year but being banned from here fucked it over, all those who were invited to that and anyone else who thinks they can do better than the DL Committee are welcome to join me over on that site, details for how the actual list will be picked will be laid out in due course.  For 2021 I've used my shadowlist but from 2022 onwards I'd be aiming for a much more collaborative approach. 

 

https://alternativedeathlist.proboards.com/