MadMac 98 Posted February 3, 2021 Just for fun, how many can you think of offhand? I can think of a few from wrestling alone: Stan Lane of Midnight Express fame started getting calls enquiring about his welfare, including one from his 90 year old Mother. Samuel P. Ticer of Memphis had told his wife that he wrestled as Stan Lane, so she included that in his obituary which was duly published by the Memphis Commercial-Appeal. Mr. Ticer never wrestled as Stan Lane, Samuel P. Ticer or indeed, by any other name..... The agent of singer Ray Stevens (not his real name) started getting sackloads of condolence cards in 1996. Evidently, those folks (I heard about seven thousand cards ultimately arrived) had heard of the passing of “Crippler” Ray Stevens (his real name), put two and two together and got Pi r squared. WWF announced the passing on its website of Thomas Spear, known professionally as Corporal Kirchner. They took it down the next day after a call from his mother indicating that the Corporal was alive and well. In any event, Thomas Spear isn’t even his real name, and nobody knew of anyone by that name ever having been involved in wrestling anywhere. Exiting the squared circle, didn’t the Beeb come close to interrupting programmes to announce the demise of HM Queen more than once? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sir Creep 7,011 Posted February 3, 2021 Admins. Please.... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DevonDeathTrip 2,288 Posted February 3, 2021 @MadMac I'm pretty sure we already have a thread for this sort of thing and, I am therefore locking this one. Edit - Or I will lock this one when I find the right thread 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
maryportfuncity 9,989 Posted February 3, 2021 Hmm... Just searched Dave Swarbrick on DL forums and couldn't find a "risen" thread. Significant since Swarbrick would have been in it because he famously read his own obituaries when another Dave Swarbrick died and a few papers unleashed the pre-prepared obit for the Fairport Convention fiddler. Maybe this thread will rise from the almost-dead! 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MadMac 98 Posted February 4, 2021 On 02/02/2021 at 23:14, DevonDeathTrip said: @MadMac I'm pretty sure we already have a thread for this sort of thing and, I am therefore locking this one. Edit - Or I will lock this one when I find the right thread I did have a scout around and nothing was jumping out at me, although if it did, it would do so in a zombie-like fashion..... 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
maryportfuncity 9,989 Posted February 4, 2021 48 minutes ago, MadMac said: I did have a scout around and nothing was jumping out at me, although if it did, it would do so in a zombie-like fashion..... Aye, so a prediction here... The thread will survive because it doesn't duplicate something existent. Action hereabouts will be sporadic at best because the number of those reported dead who subsequently re-emerge is very low. I seem to recall Hughie Greene outing himself as alive when (I think) Coronation Street had some reference to his death in a script. But not sure too many others other than a few unfortunates on Wikipedia who have their pages hacked, are wrongly reported dead. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
msc 17,716 Posted February 4, 2021 Doctor Who fandom produced two (not counting Andre here) in the 80s/90s. Kevin Stoney was announced as having died in the 1980s in Who fanzines. This was a similar misunderstanding to Clive Dunn on the DL - Stoney made his career playing older roles so the fans with magazines assumed he was a lot older than he was. Stoney responded to rumours by showing up at a major convention to prove he was still alive, and went on to live into his late 80s. The other one was Peter Pratt, Gilbert and Sullivan stage actor who also played The Master in The Deadly Assassin. Doctor Who Magazine printed a premature obituary of Pratt in late 1994, only for the next issue to have a letter from Pratt himself stating he was alive and well! Life being full of sods law, Peter Pratt went and died of a heart attack weeks later! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Old Crem 3,164 Posted February 4, 2021 6 hours ago, maryportfuncity said: Aye, so a prediction here... The thread will survive because it doesn't duplicate something existent. Action hereabouts will be sporadic at best because the number of those reported dead who subsequently re-emerge is very low. I seem to recall Hughie Greene outing himself as alive when (I think) Coronation Street had some reference to his death in a script. But not sure too many others other than a few unfortunates on Wikipedia who have their pages hacked, are wrongly reported dead. On the subject of Corrie. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-326864/Corrie-apologises-grave-Withers-blunder.html Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Octopus of Odstock 1,850 Posted February 5, 2021 There was the Guy Edwards Autosport fiasco a few years back. Guy is still alive. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
time 7,939 Posted February 5, 2021 There was that Mark Twain feller, John Stonehouse, the MP feller, who reappeared in Oz, John Darwin, the canoe feller who reappeared in Panama, Reggie Perrin, sorry, carried away. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Octopus of Odstock 1,850 Posted February 5, 2021 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_premature_obituaries. Some great stories behind some of them. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
msc 17,716 Posted February 5, 2021 19 minutes ago, Octopus of Odstock said: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_premature_obituaries. Some great stories behind some of them. Been a few years since one of us brought up the Marcus Garvey incident... Quote Finally, spare a thought for Jamaican-born political campaigner and black nationalist Marcus Garvey. He suffered a stroke in January 1940 at the age of 52, but seemed to have recovered by May, when a copy of the Chicago Defender arrived at his house in Hammersmith. "Marcus Garvey Dies in London," screamed the banner headline, and underneath was an obit which said Garvey had died "broke, alone and unpopular". "He was faced with clippings of his obituary and pictures of himself with deep black borders," said his secretary. "He collapsed in his chair, and could hardly be understood after that." Garvey had had a second stroke and promptly died. Obits editors beware: premature send-offs can kill. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
One shot Paddy 1,140 Posted February 6, 2021 Not anyone famous but I used to know a man who had his own obit from the local paper for over 50 years! He was tail gunner in Lancasters and got shot down twice over France, first time he was back flying less than 2 weeks. The second time he hooked up with the Maquis and helped to get other airmen back to safety in the run-up to D-day (after the war he was decorated for this by the French). He was declared dead, had a memorial service, obituary in the paper ect. A few weeks after he walked into the kitchen at home and his Mother nearly had a heart attack as the letter to say he was alive only arrived the next day. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Spade_Cooley 9,018 Posted February 6, 2021 As stated before, there's a long and dishonourable tradition of obituaries appearing in the press for non-existent members of "Our Gang" or the "Little Rascals", due to people claiming they were child stars and their families believing the story without question. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DevonDeathTrip 2,288 Posted March 19, 2021 Indonesian police officer, presumed dead since the 2004 tsunami, found languishing in psychiatric ward. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
arghton 6,114 Posted March 19, 2021 How many premature obituaries have we gotten during these few months (ones that are still alive)? Atleast: Mustafa Ben Halim (born 1921) Died later 2021 Kenneth Kaunda (born 1924) Died later 2021 Emmanuel Milingo (born 1930) Baghdad Bob/Comical Ali (born 1940) Peter Lorimer (born 1946) Died later 2021 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
arghton 6,114 Posted March 22, 2022 On 19/03/2021 at 13:38, arghton said: Baghdad Bob/Comical Ali (born 1940) Seems like someone has apparently (again) killed Baghdad Bob on Wikipedia because of those fake reports of his death from a year ago. Annoying, for a split second I thought he would actually be dead this time. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
arghton 6,114 Posted May 4, 2022 On 23/03/2022 at 00:54, arghton said: Seems like someone has apparently (again) killed Baghdad Bob on Wikipedia because of those fake reports of his death from a year ago. Annoying, for a split second I thought he would actually be dead this time. Comical Ali/Baghdad Bob dead again according to multiple Twitter, facebook accounts and Channel 24 Saudi. However it has already been denied by state-affiliated (Iran) media as well as Baath politicians Seems like he has more than nine lives. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
arghton 6,114 Posted June 3, 2022 Comical Ali/Baghdad Bob again rumored dead on Zuckerbook and Muskter, one of the facebook posts even got over 73 thousand reactions: https://www.facebook.com/103445328252263/photos/460164272580365/ However, once again... https://palsawa.com/post/344595/حقيقة-وفاة-محمد-سعيد-الصحاف-وزير-الإعلام-العراقي-في-عهد-صدام-حسين "The news of the death of Muhammad Saeed Al-Sahhaf is completely false, as he is still in good health, despite his advanced age, and is practicing his normal life in Dubai, United Arab Emirates" 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
