Death Anniversary Thread

[The Ashes Urn 1,358]

American television personality, philantropist and commercial spokesman Dennis James died on this day 25 years ago, aged 79.

 

[Handrejka 1,904]

It was 3rd June that Billie Joe McAllister jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge.

[Drewsky1211 4,763]

Wilhelm II, Kaiser of the German Empire, died on this day 81 years ago, aged 82.

Wilhelm ascended to the German throne in 1888 following the death of his father, Frederick III (after a 99-day reign). In the early years of his reign, he often feuded with Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, who resigned in 1890. Beginning in 1898, Germany was engaged in a naval arms race with the United Kingdom, with both countries expanding their fleets.

 

Following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand (whom he was friends with), Wilhelm supported Austria taking military action against Serbia. Russia soon declared war on Austria to defend Serbia- and in response, Wilhelm declared war on Russia, officially entering World War I. During the war, Germany notably invaded Belgium, Luxembourg, and France, sunk the civilian ship RMS Lusitania (killing over 1000 passengers), tried convincing Mexico to declare war on the US, and used mustard gas in one of the first instances of chemical warfare. In 1918, the German offensive collapsed, and a civilian revolution arose. Wilhelm abdicated on November 28, and fled to the Netherlands.

 

In the 1930s, Wilhelm viewed the rising Nazi Party as a stimulation of the restoration of the monarchy- however, Hitler absolutely hated Wilhelm, seeing him as being responsible for Germany's biggest defeat (funny how he would outdo Wilhelm in that regard). After former Chancellor Kurt von Schleicher and his wife were murdered during the Night of the Long Knives in 1934, Wilhelm officially condemned the party. Wilhelm was shocked by Kristallnacht, calling it a "gangsterism", and feeling "ashamed to be a German"- albeit he accused the Jews of being responsible for the hostilities.

 

Wilhelm died just weeks before Germany invaded the Soviet Union, and was interred at the manor he had spent his exile living at. German monarchists congregate at his mausoleum each year on the anniversary of his death.

[Hell 1,334]

American basketball coach and player John Wooden died on this day 12 years ago, aged 99.

 

 

American broadway, film, and television actor Jack Gilford died on this day 32 years ago, aged 81.

 

 

American politician who served as a senator from Indiana from 1897 to 1905 and the 26th vice president of the United States from 1905 to 1909 Charles W. Fairbanks died on this day 104 years ago, aged 66.

 

[The Ashes Urn 1,358]

American founder of Little League Baseball Carl Stotz died on this day 30 years ago, aged 82.

 

 

 

[Gooseberry Crumble 5,347]

On this day in 2013 american drummer  Joey  Covington died in a single vehicle car accident  aged 67.

He was the drummer  with pioneering  psychedelic rock band Jefferson Airplane and  subsequently  Jefferson Starship.

[Drewsky1211 4,763]

Ronald Reagan died on this day 18 years ago, aged 93.

Reagan's presidency had its ups and downs- yes, he ended the Cold War, but he also bungled the AIDS crisis.

 

Reagan had a plethora of health issues. In 1985, part of his large intestine was removed due to colorectal cancer, and he also developed skin cancer on his nose. It's no wonder why he was chosen to be included on the inaugural DeathList in 1987, in 26th spot- he would end up making 13 more appearances, and was labelled as an "Idiot" (to the chagrin of some American forumites, which resulted in '(Former)' being added).

 

In 1994, Reagan was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, with him showing cognitive decline since 1992. A 1989 head injury may be related to his ailment. In October 2001, at the age of 90, Reagan surpassed John Adams to become the longest-lived president of all time (Gerald Ford, George H. W. Bush, and Jimmy Carter have since surpassed his record).

 

Reagan died of pneumonia complicated by his Alzheimer's. As the 2004 election cycle was approaching, several candidates put their campaigns on pause, so as not to be disrespectful during the mourning period.

Below is Reagan's last publicly released photo, taken in February of 2000:

[Gooseberry Crumble 5,347]

On this day in 2012one of the most celebrated  and prominent american writers of the 20th century  Ray Bradbury died aged 91.

His most famous novel is almost certainly  Fahrenheit 451 which some suggest was prophetic and forewarning about the dangers of political correctness combined with using technology  or modern  methods to suppress  thoughts deemed unacceptable. 

Other novels include  The Martian Chronicles,  The Illustrated man , Something wicked this way  comes  and Zero Hour.

 

[time 8,630]

Its 23 years since the final dissipation of The Velvet Fog, singer, songwriter, actor, drummer, Mel Tormé. Forced to retire from performing in 1996 following a stroke, he died following another stroke, aged 73.

 

Widely-known as a singer, he also wrote or co-wrote over 250 songs, the most famous being The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire).

 

He also made ten guest appearances in US Sitcom Night Court, where resident Judge Harry Stone was fan (as was actor Harry Anderson).

 

He wrote a biography of Buddy Rich and owned a set of drums once owned by Gene Krupa.

 

 

 

 

[The Ashes Urn 1,358]

American journalist and author J. Anthony Lukas died on this day 25 years ago, aged 64.

 

[Hell 1,334]

American fashion designer and entrepreneur Kate Spade died on this day 4 years ago, aged 55.

 

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On this day in 2013  american actress and competitive swimmer  Esther Williams died aged 91. 

Esther was a big name star in MGM musicals during the golden age of Hollywood in the 1940s and 1950s  .

Esther was originally a competitive swimmer but unable to participate in the Olympics in 1940 due to the outbreak of world war two , Esther switched  to  joining  music dance and swimming touring show Billy Roses Aquacade  were she took the part left by Olympic gold medallist  Eleanor Holm who had left the show.

It was here that Esther caught the attention of MGM talent  scouts  after studio mogul Louis B Mayer  had decided MGM  needed a female sports star to compete with Fox studios figure skating star Sonja Henie,  who offered Esther her longterm contract in 1941.  Small roles started off her acting career starring alongside  Mickey Rooney in one of the  'Andy Hardy' series of films and screen hunk  Van Johnson  in 'A guy named Joe'.  Part of Esthers contract terms at her stipulation were  to be given a guest pass for the swimming pool at the Beverly Hills hotel to train as much as she desired and not to appear on camera for 9 months  whlie she took acting, singing,  dancing and diction lessons.   

Esther quicly became a pin up in her many photos in a bathing suitcase and became synomous with a movie genre known as aquamusicals.

Some of her most memorable films include  Duchess of  Idaho (1950) Bathing Beauty (1944) Million Dollar mermaid (1952) - the title of which became a bit of a nickname for Esther,  Thrill of a romance (1945) and Neptunes Daughter (1949). 

Esther retired from acting in the 1960s,  turning down the role in The Poseidon adventure that eventually  went to Shelley Winters  but made a good living from lending her name to a line of retro swimwear and accessories.  

Her autobiography later in life while a commercial success caused some backlash among her Hollywood peers for claiming that actor  Jeff Chandler was a cross dresser- something some of his friends like  Jane Russell angrily denied.

 

And secondly 

 

On this day in 1999 australian actress  Anne  Haddy died aged 68 from kidney related problems. 

 

She was best known  for  being an original cast member of australian  television soap Neighbours playing matriarch Helen Daniels.

She also started  in another aussie soap , Sons and Daughters,  as housemaid Rosie. 

Anne was also one of the first presenters of Australias version of Playschool.

[Drewsky1211 4,763]

Billy Preston died on this day 16 years ago, aged 59.

Preston was a child prodigy pianist, and by the time he was twelve, he had already performed with people such as Fats Domino, Mahalia Jackson, and Nat King Cole. He joined Little Richard's gospel band at the age of 16, and it is during a performance that he met and befriended the Beatles.

 

Preston would later be nicknamed as "The Fifth Beatle", having collaborated on their Let it Be album, most notably performing on the organ and piano on "Get Back". He would soon sign on the Beatles' record label, Apple Records, but left it in 1971 for Herb Alpert's A&M Records. 1973 was the peak of his solo career, with his song "Will It Go Round In Circles" staying on the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart for two weeks.

 

Preston would later return to Beatles-related content in 1978, by making an appearance in the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band movie. He appears at the end of the film singing the song he helped make, saving Peter Frampton's character from suicide as a deus ex machina, and returning everything back to normal (critics thought the plot was garbage, but the soundtrack was the best part of the film).

 

Preston's kidneys began to fail in the late '90s and early 2000s, and he received a kidney transplant in 2002. He managed to appear on the American Idol season 4 finale in March 2005. In November of that year, while at a drug rehabilitation center (he had been addicted to alcoholic beverages), he suffered from pericarditis (inflammation of the outer heart wall), which led to respiratory failure. He fell into a coma, was put on life support, and died six and a half months later.

[The Ashes Urn 1,358]

American actor Guinn "Big Boy" Williams died on this day 60 years ago, aged 63.

 

[Hell 1,334]

American lawyer and politician who served as the 64th United States Attorney General from January 1961 to September 1964 Robert F. Kennedy died on this day 54 years ago, aged 42.

 

 

American actress Anne Bancroft died on this day 17 years ago, aged 73.

 

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Its 43 years since Jack Haley only had a heart attack & died, aged 81. Best known as the Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz, he got the part after MGM's resident song & dance man Buddy Ebsen suffered a bad reaction to aluminium powder in the make up (Ebsen suffered breathing problems for the rest of his life as a result of the make up but still outlived all the principles').

He appeared in several RKO pictures in the 1940s but moved into real estate, making only occasional guest appearances until 1977. He was actively working until a week before his death, suffering a heart attack on 1st June, dying on the 6th.

[Handrejka 1,904]

It's 45 years since Lally Stott, who wrote Chirpy Chirpy Cheap Cheap was killed in a motorbike accident near where I grew up. He is buried in the church where I went to primary school.

[Drewsky1211 4,763]

Alan Turing died on this day 68 years ago, aged 41.

Turing was a mathematician, and as a fellow (appointed postgraduate) at King's College, he came up with the concept of a Turing machine- a machine that determined that some computations are impossible. He was awarded with a PhD in 1938.

 

During World War II, Turing worked as a decipherer of intercepted German messages at Bletchley Park, and managed to crack the Nazi's Enigma Machine code. After the war, Turing developed several of the UK's earliest computers, including the stored-program Automatic Computing Engine (ACE) in 1950.

(remember that this eventually led to the phone, laptop, or desktop computer that you're using to look at this now)

 

Despite his achievements, Turing was vilified during his lifetime due to one simple thing: his homosexuality. 39-year old Turing began having sexual relations with 19-year old Arnold Murray in 1952, and one of Murray's acquaintances robbed his home soon after. Turing reported this to the police and revealed his relationship, and both he and Murray were charged with "gross indecency". Turing pled guilty at his trial, and he was forced to take synthetic estrogen to lower his sex drive (this did cause impotence, but he also developed breasts). Turing was also fired from his position at the GCHQ, and was banned from entering the United States. In 1954, Turing committed suicide by eating an apple laced with cyanide.

 

In 2009, a petition was sent to the British government asking for a public apology of its treatment of Turing, and then-PM Gordon Brown obliged. Several petitions were then made for a posthumous pardon (which astrophysicist Stephen Hawking was in support of), and Queen Elizabeth II (who was listed as the plaintiff of Turing's trial as she was the monarch) officially pardoned him on Christmas Eve 2013, and gave a public apology in June of the following year. An amendment in the Policing and Crime Act of 2017 was nicknamed the "Alan Turing Law", which retroactively pardoned those convicted under homosexual acts. On what would've been his 109th birthday in 2021, Turing was placed on the reverse side of the 50-pound note.

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The actor most associated with playing the undead Count Dracula, Christopher Lee, died 7 years ago today, aged 93. Other iconic roles included Scaramanga in The Man With The Golden Gun and Lord Summerisle opposite Edward Woodward in The Wicker Man.

 

At the outbreak of the Second World War, he volunteered for the Finnish Army to fight the Soviets in the Winter War; he, and other volunteers never reached the front lines (lack of skiing ability not helping in this regard) but were deployed on guard duty. he subsequently joined the Home Guard, and later the Royal Air Force, seeing service in Europe and Africa. He also worked with the Central Registry of War Criminals and Security Suspects, tracking down and interrogating Nazis (he was fluent in French, German and Italian).

 

He was a decent singer too, singing everything from Opera to Heavy Metal. He was 92 when he released this:

 

[The Ashes Urn 1,358]

American poet, writer, critic and satirist Dorothy Parker died on this day 55 years ago, aged 73.

 

 

 

[Hell 1,334]

american actress Jean Harlow died on this day 85 years ago, aged 26.

 

[Gooseberry Crumble 5,347]

On this day in 1394  Anne of Bohemia  who later became  the first wife of  King Richard ll of England and thus  Queen Consort of England  , died aged 28 reportedly from the plague. 

Anne was the eldest daughter  of king Charles Vl of Bohemia  ,who was also the first King of Bohemia to become Holy Roman Emperor    He was at the time the most powerful  monarch in Europe, ruling over half of Europe by size and population. 

       Her marriage to King Richard ll came about as a result of the great western schism  that resulted in two rival popes  both claiming legitimacy and true authority.  A split in christendom that was largely driven by politics, personality and territorial considerations.  The marriage was encouraged and sanctioned by Pope Urban Vl in an attempt to create an alliance  that was stronger against the French and their choice for Pope  -Pope Clement. 

The marriage however was largely opposed by the English gently and politicians because no money or dowry  was offered  by Anne's father in exchange for the marriage whereas  some other possible brides  such as Caterina Visconti  daughter of the Lord of Milan  came with a huge dowry and financial benefits to England.  This was the marriage the establishment  favoured  but Anne as wife prevailed  despite England actually having to pay the Kingdom of Bohemia a dowry  because Annes brother King Wenceslaus  IV of Bohemia wrote a letter  to King Richard  expressing his belief they both had a moral  duty  to reunite  christendom. 

 There were few traditional  diplomatic  benefits to England as a result of the marriage  but English merchants were now permitted to trade freely with all of the Bohemian lands and the Holy roman empire. 

Criticism and opposition to the union persisted with one chronicler at the time citing the fact the ship she arrived in almost immediately crashed and smashed up after she disembarked  from it meant she was a bad omen.

Opinions softened in some quarters and among the population  as Anne developed a reputation for often trying to intervene  on the side of leniency for example during the peasants revolt when harsh action was deemed by many in parliament and the nobility. 

Subsequently  historians  have largely credited  Anbe with being a moderating influence on her husband  King Richard  given how  his behaviour deteriorated  after she died and he became more zealous,  ambitious without  clear plans and autocratic leading to him being despised and deposed from power.  The official records suggest he choose to step down but all other evidence points to him being forced out after overplaying his hand arrogantly. 

Because Anne's father governed from a part of Europe that was the centre of the new gothic style  it is attributed  to Anne that some gothic trends started to gain a foothold and influence in England. 

The marriage of 12 years produced no children and when Anne died in Sheen Manor in 1394  King Richard in his grief ordered the destruction and demolition  of the manor. 

 

[Drewsky1211 4,763]

Muhammad, the prophet of the Muslim faith, died on this day 1390 years ago, aged 62.

This is probably the best image I'm allowed to show. The reason why Muslims get angry at visual depictions of Muhammad is that they believe that they should be worshipping Allah (God) more, and worship of the prophet is shunned. The Quran, however, does not explicitly forbid pictures, but considering the extremist reactions to 21st-century depictions, I'm not taking any chances.

 

Anyways, here's the story of Islam: As an adult, Muhammad would isolate himself in a cave to pray for several days at a time. During one of these prayer sessions in 610, Muhammad was visited by the archangel Gabriel, who gave him a revelation. Muhammad then began to preach to his polytheistic peers that there is only one god, and complete devotion to Him was the right way of life. Muhammad began to attract followers/companions, but they were persecuted by the polytheists, and they fled from Mecca to Medina in 622, which is considered the beginning of the Islamic calendar. Muhammad gained more followers there, and amassed a holy army. In 629, they returned to Mecca with little resistance, and destroyed sculptures of the polytheistic deities in the Kaaba- the place of worship. During the annual Hajj, millions of devout Muslims circle this place as an act of devotion to Allah.

 

One specific "companion" of Muhammad I would like to bring light to was his pet cat. Her name was Muezza, and there is a story regarding her: one day, Muhammad was putting his prayer clothes on, only to find Muezza sleeping on his robe's sleeve. Rather than awakening her, Muhammad cut the sleeve off, leaving her undisturbed.

[Gooseberry Crumble 5,347]

On this day in 1969  american actor  Robert Taylor  died aged 57 from lung cancer. 

A very busy actor especially during the 1930s  pre war period  Taylor starred in films such as A Wicked woman (1934) , The Gorgeous Hussy  (1936) - alongside Joan Crawford,  Magnificent Obession (1935) with Irene Dunne  and The Crowd Roars (1938) with costars Mickey Rooney and Maureen  O'Sullivan. 

His first wife was legendary Hollywood actress  Barbara Stanwyck.

 

[Toast 16,157]

6 hours ago, Drewsky1211 said:

Muhammad, the prophet of the Muslim faith, died on this day 1390 years ago, aged 62.

This is probably the best image I'm allowed to show. The reason why Muslims get angry at visual depictions of Muhammad is that they believe that they should be worshipping Allah (God) more, and worship of the prophet is shunned. The Quran, however, does not explicitly forbid pictures, but considering the extremist reactions to 21st-century depictions, I'm not taking any chances.

 

Anyways, here's the story of Islam: As an adult, Muhammad would isolate himself in a cave to pray for several days at a time. During one of these prayer sessions in 610, Muhammad was visited by the archangel Gabriel, who gave him a revelation. Muhammad then began to preach to his polytheistic peers that there is only one god, and complete devotion to Him was the right way of life. Muhammad began to attract followers/companions, but they were persecuted by the polytheists, and they fled from Mecca to Medina in 622, which is considered the beginning of the Islamic calendar. Muhammad gained more followers there, and amassed a holy army. In 629, they returned to Mecca with little resistance, and destroyed sculptures of the polytheistic deities in the Kaaba- the place of worship. During the annual Hajj, millions of devout Muslims circle this place as an act of devotion to Allah.

 

One specific "companion" of Muhammad I would like to bring light to was his pet cat. Her name was Muezza, and there is a story regarding her: one day, Muhammad was putting his prayer clothes on, only to find Muezza sleeping on his robe's sleeve. Rather than awakening her, Muhammad cut the sleeve off, leaving her undisturbed.

 

Are we allowed to see a picture of the cat?