Most Surprising DeathList Celebrity Omission

[The Daredevil 1,179]

Who has been the most surprising candidate to have never featured on the DL? 

 

Here, I am meaning mega famous celebrities who had multiple chances to be on because of their advanced age and/or illness. Not just someone like Gianluca Vialli who we knew was in grave danger only just before the 2023 DL was up.

 

For me, Joan Fontaine- she lived to be 96 and her sister is one of the DeathList’s all time favourite candidates (in fairness she lived to 104 though). However, Fontaine was not much if any bit less famous than de Havilland and really should have made a DL appearance at some point.

[ThereWillBeDeaths7 718]

One that springs to mind is Sir Ian Holm: he had big roles in Alien, Chariots of Fire and the Lord of the Rings movies (I was a fan of his portrayal of Bilbo Baggins since I first saw him in the role) and visibly had a health decline over his last years. You can't put every famous English actor over 85 on DL but Holm just felt like someone who could have been on the list.

[Summer in Transylvania 2,124]

I was genuinely shocked when I found out that Christopher Plummer had never appeared on the DeathList. While he wasn't necessarily ill, he was old enough and definitely famous enough to make the cut. 

[ladyfiona 2,545]

I remember suggesting the following people and they hadn't been added (unless my memory is lacking):

 

Ian Holm

Betty Boothroyd (was in the 2021 list)

Bernard Cribbins (was in the 2021 list)

 

[Perhaps 1,422]

The omission of Glynis Johns has always been a bit odd. 

[The Daredevil 1,179]

8 hours ago, Perhaps said:

The omission of Glynis Johns has always been a bit odd. 

Though she and Eva Marie Saint might make the 2024 DL and not be omissions after all.

 

 

Other glaring omissions

 

Monica Vitti: Had been battling Alzheimer’s for decades.

Van Johnson: Huge Hollywood name, lived to 92 back in 2008.

Nichelle Nichols: Had been battling dementia for year.

Louis Jourdan: Big Hollywood name, made it into 94th year.

Jean-Louis Trintignant: One of France’s biggest names, and was knowingly seriously ill from 2018.

Michel Piccoli: Lived to 95th year, one of France’s most well-known celebrities.

Eddie Albert: Lived to 99.

Frank Cady: Lived to 96, if Charles Lane made it on, Cady was similar fame wise.

Hal Holbrook: Was just days off 96, in some big Hollywood productions.

George Kennedy: The DL loves the Kennedy’s

Don Rickles: Just felt like a DeathListy sort of name.

Phyllis Diller: Lived to 95, very famous US comedian, always looked worthy of DL consideration.

 

[The Great Cornholio 874]

Although he has been on previous lists, I was surprised when the DL committee dropped Pope Benedict from the 2022 list (especially when they decided to keep on Prunella and not him)

[tracy 2,334]

I'll say Celeste Holm and Franco Zeffirelli, for some names not already mentioned. There was a mid-2011 NYT article about Holm that detailed her long health history (skin cancer, collapsed lung, memory loss, etc.) and given that she was already 94 then, it wasn't exactly surprising she didn't see 2013. Zeffirelli was very famous and lived well into his 90s, and he looked borderline dead for the last three years or so of his life, so they had plenty of opportunity to pick him and didn't. Oh well ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[Insane 348]

I hear that Peter Falk has Alzheimer’s and hasn’t been on the list. Why is that?

[Sir Creep 7,068]

In before the lock.

[Joey Russ 7,207]

Tbh, I don’t think any omission will ever top them dropping General Jaruzelski when he was very clearly on his way out

[Bibliogryphon 9,491]

Patrick Moore always struck me as a surprising omission in the year of his death and I am surprised Tom Baker has not made his debut yet

[prussianblue 988]

12 hours ago, The Daredevil said:

Other glaring omissions

 

Monica Vitti: Had been battling Alzheimer’s for decades.

 

George Kennedy: The DL loves the Kennedy’s

 

Some thoughts:

 

The fact Vitti lived on for so long made her highly likely to be a wasted pick in any given year. 

 

You do know that George Kennedy has nothing to do with the Kennedys?

 

Overall, you can't just stick every single nonagenarian celebrity in the world on the list until they die. There simply isn't space, and some turn out to be pretty durable.

[YorkshireBanker 168]

Geoffrey  Palmer

[The Daredevil 1,179]

2 hours ago, prussianblue said:

You do know that George Kennedy has nothing to do with the Kennedys?

Of course, but he’s still a Kennedy, if not one of the Kennedy’s. 

[Grim Up North 3,716]

Buzz Aldrin is 93 and never been on The Death List.

Clint Eastwood is 92 and never been on The Death List

 

Of course they are still alive so provided they make next year that's great work by the Committee. 

[Great Uncle Bulgaria 1,269]

15 hours ago, The Daredevil said:

Other glaring omissions

 

Monica Vitti: Had been battling Alzheimer’s for decades.

Van Johnson: Huge Hollywood name, lived to 92 back in 2008.

Nichelle Nichols: Had been battling dementia for year.

Louis Jourdan: Big Hollywood name, made it into 94th year.

Jean-Louis Trintignant: One of France’s biggest names, and was knowingly seriously ill from 2018.

Michel Piccoli: Lived to 95th year, one of France’s most well-known celebrities.

Eddie Albert: Lived to 99.

Frank Cady: Lived to 96, if Charles Lane made it on, Cady was similar fame wise.

Hal Holbrook: Was just days off 96, in some big Hollywood productions.

George Kennedy: The DL loves the Kennedy’s

Don Rickles: Just felt like a DeathListy sort of name.

Phyllis Diller: Lived to 95, very famous US comedian, always looked worthy of DL consideration.

 

Glaring? I've no idea who half of them (ones in bold)  are. Didn't know Trintignant either till I came on here...Nichols was the only one I would consider a household name, and that's probably only as Star Trek was family viewing as a kid.

[msc 18,375]

Historically I'm always surprised to re-learn that the list missed George Harrison (I thought he was known to be gravely ill before 2001?) and Princess Margaret. The latter of which was the topic of an argument between Cmme members on this very forum at one point long ago, as allegedly the Cmme meeting was adamant Margaret should be on the 2002 list, yet she didn't make it. Amusing.

 

I remember the d'oh drops (Ernest Borgnine, Jack Klugman, Captain Beefheart, Richard Attenborough) and the folk who would have been DL mainstays but died too young (Roger Moore, Adam West) more than folk who were never on the list tbh.

 

Though I'm still surprised Tony Benn missed out. Hugely famously, known to be ill for a year or two before he went, felt utterly DLy. Never picked. 

 

Howard Marks too, but then, some folk believed his "slow cancer down with all the weed" talk, despite some of us who believed in the power of free curly wurlys that never arrived Stage IV cancer.

 

 

 

[prussianblue 988]

3 hours ago, Great Uncle Bulgaria said:

Glaring? I've no idea who half of them (ones in bold)  are. Didn't know Trintignant either till I came on here...Nichols was the only one I would consider a household name, and that's probably only as Star Trek was family viewing as a kid.

 

George Kennedy was a character/supporting actor, but a very successful one. Oscar winner for Cool Hand Luke and appeared in lots of other notable films, including the Naked Gun and Airport series. Distinctive appearance too.

 

I know of Van Johnson because he's in The Caine Mutiny and a few other films I've seen. He's an excellent example of how Hollywood's attitude to looks has evolved, as he was a romantic lead despite being very plain looking, sort of doughy and ruddy-faced. Not even especially charismatic.

 

Albert and Rickles are names I recognise and dimly knew the significance of.

 

On the other hand, I've never heard of Michel Piccoli or Frank Cady until reading this thread.

[YoungWillz 20,890]

He's not dead yet but Michael York seems one who might have featured by now.

 

Moved to be near the Mayo Clinic last year - could easily go anytime.

[prussianblue 988]

1 minute ago, YoungWillz said:

He's not dead yet but Michael York seems one who might have featured by now.

 

Moved to be near the Mayo Clinic last year - could easily go anytime.

 

I get the impression Michael is lucky to have lived this long as well as he has appeared to have done. I know it's superficial, but seems such a shame that someone who had aged so well ended up with something so disfiguring.

[lilham 750]

On 05/04/2023 at 16:32, The Daredevil said:

Don Rickles: Just felt like a DeathListy sort of name.

Rickles was one of those guys who every time he was on tv (which was frequently, I'd assume he'd be in top 10 of late night guests), it was like, "he's still alive?" and he always seemed cranky about being alive.

[Sean 6,267]

Still shocked the dropped James Whale this year.Can't see him lasting until next year.

[Sean 6,267]

Christopher Hitchens always struck me as a glaring omission from the 2011 list.

 

As well as Sir Roger Scruton in 2020.

[Sean 6,267]

On 06/04/2023 at 09:56, YorkshireBanker said:

Geoffrey  Palmer

He was still active and appeared very good for his age until shortly before his death.