Death Anniversary Thread

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American singer and songwriter Bobby Russell died on this day 30 years ago, aged 52.

 

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On this day five years ago in 2017, american jazz and gospel singer and  actress Della  Reese died aged 86.

In her later career she was known for  playing the role of Tess in strongly religious themed tv drama  Touched by an angel which ran from 1994-2003. Her character Tess was a  compassionate but straight talking 'angelic supervisor' who often choose and  assigned other  people who she felt were best suited to guide particular people with problems or in danger of going wayward ,back on to the right path. 

 

Initially Della expected the role to be a one off or at least short lived- and it nearly played out that way with the shows shaky state and poor ratings seeing it cancelled after 11 episodes.  A strong letter writing  campaign by the public however lead to its return  and a growing popular success. 

 

 

 

 Dellas showbiz career which began as a singer , achieved its breakthrough in 1959 with her version of  the song Don't you know? previously sang in 1952 by  Sammy Kaye.

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Allan Sherman died on this day 49 years ago, aged 48.

Sherman was born as Allan Copelon, taking his mother's maiden name when his parents divorced. Sherman would go into the television business, and came up with a show concept called "I Know a Secret"- this soon became I've Got a Secret, and he was made the show's producer.

 

Sherman is best known for his parody music, taking the melodies of classic songs and writing his own lyrics over them. These include "Crazy Downtown", parodying Petula Clark's "Downtown", with the lyrics describing parents getting increasingly worried as their children don't come home from a trip to the city, "Automation", a topical satire on automation in the workplace set to the tune of the waltz "Fascination" (similar to the works of his contemporary Tom Lehrer), and his most famous song- "Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah", about a boy writing to his parents about his terrible experience at summer camp, but is relieved when he sees the other kids playing outside.

Set to the tune of "Dance of the Hours", the song won a Grammy for Best Comedy Performance in 1964, and would be adapted into a board game (seen here).

It would later be played frequently on The Dr. Demento Show, and Weird Al Yankovic cites Sherman as one of his inspirations.

 

Sherman also acted, mostly in Westerns, but is best remembered as the voice of the Cat in the Hat in the 1971 TV special.

 

Sherman suffered from obesity, which led to diabetes and lung disease- he died of respiratory failure shortly before his 49th birthday.

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American journalist Catherine Mackin died on this day 40 years ago, aged 43.

 

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On this day 16 years ago in 2006 , acclaimed american film director Robert Altman died aged 81.

His impressive filmography includes Gosford Park (2001), Mash (1970), Cookies Fortune (1999), The long goodbye (1973), The Player  (1992) , Brewster  McCloud (1970) and California Split (1974).

 

Altman was nominated for numerous Oscars but it was the honorary  one that he was awarded. 

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Ian Smith, former Prime Minister of Rhodesia until it was renamed Zimbabwe, died on this day 15 years ago, aged 88.

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On this day in 1998 american bodybuilder, weightlifter and Mr Universe 1948  John Grimek died aged 88.

 

He also was Mr America in 1940 and 1941 and was succeeded in his 1948 Mr Universe title by none other than Steve Reeves. He represented America at the 1936 Olympics in weightlifting and finished 9th.

 

Grimeks nickname throughout much of his bodybuilding career was  "The monarch of muscledom" and " The Glow".

 

A son of Slovakian immigrants he finished his career in bodybuilding professionally unbeaten.

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Bill Bixby died on this day 29 years ago, aged 59.

Bixby would star as incidental characters in shows such as The Twilight Zone and The Andy Griffith Show, before co-starring in My Favorite Martian in 1963, as Tim O'Hara, who takes in the titular alien. After the show ended in 1968, he turned down the role of Marlo Thomas' boyfriend in That Girl to star in The Courtship of Eddie's Father, playing the title widowed father, in which his child son tries to set him up with dates because he wants a new mother.

 

It wasn't until 1977 that Bixby starred in perhaps his biggest role- Dr. David Banner in The Incredible Hulk- where he transforms into a green Lou Ferrigno when tense or angry.

 

Bixby was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1991. He made his diagnosis public in 1993- I believe noticeable deterioration in 1992 was what caused the committee to put him on the 1993 DeathList at spot number 14. Bixby was the fifth and final death of 1993.

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American writer C. M. Eddy Jr. died on this day 55 years ago, aged 71.

 

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On this day in 1999 british raconteur and performer Quentin Crisp died aged 90.

 Notably effeminate , his most famous work is  the film The Naked Civil servant which starred John Hurt. 

Prior to his somewhat fame and life in the public eye, Quentin  worked for decades as a naked still life artists model hence the choice of name for the above film about his life. 

Openly  gay ,the british military declined to let him sign up to help during world war two, exempting him against his wishes on the 'medical grounds ' of sexual perversion.

 

He was not likes by many gay rights activists such as Peter Tatchell after comments Quentin made about aids in the 1980s.

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Aldous Huxley died on this day 59 years ago, aged 69.

Born into a prominent British family, Huxley was an author best known for his 1932 novel Brave New World. Set in the year 2540, the book describes a dystopian future where people are set into an intelligence-based caste system, with "savages" exiled, and the protagonist Bernard discovers the "brave new world" after visiting a "Savage Reservation". This has been compared to George Orwell's book Nineteen Eighty-Four.

 

Huxley would move to the United States in 1937, and would become a screenwriter on films such as Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre.

 

In 1953, Huxley experimented with the hallucinogen mescaline, and wrote The Doors of Perception writing about his experiences. He would later become an advisor to Timothy Leary, but distanced himself from him when Leary started promoting the drugs in public.

 

Huxley was diagnosed with laryngeal cancer in 1960, and the last thing he did was make his wife inject him with LSD on his deathbed. Certainly no other deaths on the day of November 22, 1963 could've overshadowed his...

 

*cough*                                                     *cough*

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On this day 70 years ago in 1952 New Zealand  boxer and Olympic gold medallist  Ted Morgan died aged 46 from lung cancer .A non smoker , his cancer was suspected to have likely been caused by fumes he inhaled whilst working as a plumber. 

 

He won a gold in welterweight boxing at the 1928 Olympics in Amsterdam. 

Impressively he won his gold medal despite having a dislocated knuckle in his left hand throughout the tournament. 

 

He was the first athlete from New Zealand to win a gold medal. 

 

 

 

On this day 42 years ago in 1980,  american stage and screen  actress, singer and sex symbol  Mae West died aged 87.

She was known for her lighthearted risqué jokes , comments and double entendre. Her  husky delivery  of sexually themed witty comments,  especially on stage, were legendary but shocking and taboo to many at the time.

 

Her film credits include  I'm no angel (1933), My little chickadee (1940), She done him wrong (1933) and Myra Breckinridge(1970) - were she famously had a strong personality clash with her costar  Raquel Welch that resulted in Welch throwing shade at Mae West in interviews  for decade after Mae had died.

 

Mae often indulged in witty one liners trying to convey a wish of a kind and one of her enduring sayings/quotes is " when I'm good I'm very good but when  I'm bad I'm better!"

 

 

 

 

 

On this day 15 years ago in 2007  british bodybuilder and actor Reg Park died aged 79.

 

The Yorkshireman won the Mr Britain bodybuilding contest  in 1949 and went on to win the Mr Universe title three times-1951, 1958 and 1965.

 

His physique was in demand in the movies for a time. He starred in 5 movies, playing Hercules 4 times.

 

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Its fifteen years since the death of original Doctor Who producer Verity Lambert, aged 71, five days before her 72nd birthday, of cancer.

 

 

In addition to Doctor Who, she also produced many other programmes, including The Naked Civil Servant (see above), and the less than successful Eldorado.

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American actress Adele Jergens died on this day 20 years ago, aged 84.

 

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On this day 15 years ago in 2007 ,William Tallon- a steward and member of the Queen Mothers staff at Clarence House, died aged 72. Better known as Billy Tallon or by his nickname  backstairs Billy. 

Born in County Durham his family moved to Coundon in Coventry when he was one after falling on hard economic times in the North east.

After leaving school  Billy  had just begun his  training  as a jeweller in Leamington Spa.  But on the first day of his apprenticeship  he received a letter from the controller of the Household (ancient Royal administrative position) containing a traval warrant to Buckingham Palace and a form to be completed. Five years of writing to the royal household for work had paid of for this ardent and admiring royalist. 

His first job in the royal household  was junior assistant at Easter Court in Windsor aged just 15 in 1951.

  Later he was moved to Buckingham Palace to work  Infact he was supposed to join the young Queen Elizabeth ll  on her commonwealth tour in 1953/1954 but instead had to fulfil his national service obligations with the RAF. 

After Billy completed national service  he asked the Queen Mother if he could come and work for her at  her household in Clarence house. She agreed and he remained working for her until her death in 2002. 

In 1978 he was promoted to steward and page of the backstairs. He was on duty from early in the morning until the Queen Mother went to bed.Billy  is thought to have been the only member of the Queen Mother's servants  who could enter her private rooms without knocking first. 

 

Openly gay in his social circle (as were a number of the Queen Mothers staff) , Billys partner of over 30 years was Reginald Wilcox,  a footman  at Buckingham Palace who subsequently  was a valet  in Paris  for the Duke of Windsor  between 1957-1959. before joining the Queen Mothers household  in 1960 were he met Billy his future partner.  As an aside  I have little doubt that the Queen Mother pumped Reginald Wilcox for juicy gossip and inside information on the Windsors!

Wilcox  served the Queen Mother her morning tea on her 100th birthday.  On that very same  evening  Tallon learnt that his partner  Reginald  was dying.  A week later he died aged 66 leaving  Billy devastated. He arranged  what is described as a 'magnificent funeral ' for his late partner. 

 

 

 

 

 

It is reported that after Reginalds death and also feeling sidelined as the Queen Mother increasingly turned  to younger members of her staff for personal and nursing care, that Billy sank into a depression. Roughly 18, 19 months later he was again to be left heartbroken when the Queen Mother died in 2002. 

He left Clarence House where he had lived for years at its  lodge house and moved to a ground floor flat with a garden in  Kennington South East London. 

He was found dead on this day there in 2007 as a result of liver failure. 

His funeral took place  at the Queens Chapel at St James Palace.  Actors and Billy's friends Derek  Jacobi and Patricia Routledge gave readings at the serwhich was attended by an eclectic mix of royal family members and showbiz friends-Princess Margaret's daughter  Lady Sarah Chatto, the then Earl of Snowdon . Phyllis Law, Roy Strong, Keith

Barron  and none other than EastEnders actress June Brown  and Paul O'Grady. 

 

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Mary Whitehouse died on this day 21 years ago, aged 91.

Whitehouse was a conservative leader who crusaded against certain things on television with her group, the Clean Up TV Campaign- specifically, things on the BBC. Among the things she complained about on the channel are as follows:

- Footage of the liberation of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp because it was footage of war ("bound to shock and offend")

- Swearing on shows such as Till Death Us Do Part (the show later mocked Whitehouse by burning a book she wrote in one episode)

- Licentious dancing on The Benny Hill Show and sex jokes on The Dave Allen Show

- Dennis Potter's Son of Man (claimed it was blasphemous)

- Alice Cooper's "Schools Out" on Top of the Pops (she successfully campaigned to have it denied- Cooper would send Whitehouse flowers stating the publicity helped it top the UK Singles Chart)

- Violence and peril on Doctor Who (particularly The Brain of Morbius and The Seeds of Doom respectfully)

 

Whitehouse made four appearances on the DeathList between 1990 and 2001, and died of "terminal whinging" according to the committee.

 

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American radio, film and television actress Marie Wilson died on this day 50 years ago, aged 56.

 

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It's 21 years since the death of US singer O.C. Smith.

After serving in the US Air Force, where he entered talent shows, he became a jazz singer after discharge, in order to pay the bills. He signed a recording contract with Cadence records but success eluded him. He became vocalist for Count Basie in 1961, until 1965, also recording with other labels, but the hit record never arrived.

 

In 1968, Columbia were about to release him from his contract when chart success finally arrived, with his recording of Son of Hickory Holler's Tramp entering the charts, peaking at number 40 in the Billboard chart, but reaching number 2 in the UK (kept off the top spot by The Equals Baby come Back).

 

Further success came in the US with his recording of Little Green Apples, one of three versions to be released, and the most successful, reaching number 2 (US Billboard Hot 100), earning a Grammy for writer Bobby Russell (see above). He continued to record, but never repeated the success of Hickory... in the UK or Apples in the US. (His only other UK chart  entry was Together in 1975).

 

He died at the aged of 69, from a heart attack.

 

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^  That song always seemed to be on the radio when I was a kid.  It went completely over my head of course.

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Freddie Mercury died on this day 31 years ago, aged 45.

Mercury is a person who needs no introduction, so I'm going to discuss his battle with AIDS. He was diagnosed with the disease in 1987, although symptoms may have been present as early as 1982. Mercury kept his illness hidden due to the homophobic stigma associated with the disease at the time, only disclosing it to his bandmates and close ones, who denied any accusations. By the release of The Miracle, the media began to notice Mercury's gaunt appearance, particularly in music videos such as the one for "Scandal":

 

By 1990, rumors about Mercury's health were persistent. Mercury's final album released during his lifetime, Innuendo, was released in 1991, and featured two songs that have been considered Freddie's swan song- "These Are The Days Of Our Lives" and "The Show Must Go On". While the latter's music video recycled footage from old ones, the former was the final original music video made for the band during Mercury's lifetime. He appeared with a lot of makeup applied to hide scars and further deterioration.

 

Mercury released a statement confirming his illness on November 23, 1991, and died one day later from pneumonia associated with the disease. Mercury's final recordings with Queen were released on the 1995 album Made in Heaven, and the band formally disbanded in 1997 following the release of their tribute "No One But You (Only The Good Die Young)" (which also led to John Deacon's seclusion).

 

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It's 27 years since the death of Scottish DJ Stuart Henry.

He was initially an actor, appearing in TV staples such as Dr. Finlay's Casebook and Z Cars, but turned to DJing with the launch of pirate radio station Radio Scotland, following which he became one of the original Radio One DJs, and also presented Top of the Pops.

 

He suffered with multiple sclerosis, which eventually affected his speech; the BBC, believing his slurring to be caused by alcohol, dispensed with his services in 1974, after which he moved to Radio Luxembourg. As his speech worsened, he was joined in presenting by his wife Ollie (pictured above) and the show became known as The Stu and Ollie Show. He remained at Luxembourg for 12 years, before his illness forced him to retire. 

 

He died 8 years later, aged 53.

 

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American composer, jazz pianist and music teacher Hall Overton died on this day 50 years ago, aged 52.

 

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On this day 17 years ago in 2005, american actor and comedian Pat Morita , died aged  73.

His biggest and best known roles were playing Matsuo   in US sitcom Happy Days, the Karate master Mr Miyagi  in the successful Karate Kid series of films and Captain Sam Pak in hit sitcom M.A.S.H .

Pat Morita battled alcoholism all his adult life and died of kidney failure after suffering a urinary tract and gallbladder infection. 

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Cuban dictator Fidel Castro died on this day 6 years ago, aged 90.

Castro survived 638 assassination attempts by the CIA while he was in power (1959 to 2006- the last attempt was reportedly in 2001). Some highlights include the following:

- poisoning a box of his cigars with botulinum toxin, another rigged with explosives

- scuba diving related: hiding explosives in a seashell they painted- another was putting a fungus in his diving suit

- a female contract killer who seduced him (she couldn't do it, and they later had sex)

- a pen with a lethal injection within it

- poisoned ice cream/milkshake

 

Castro stepped down due to surgery for major intestinal bleeding, handing power to his younger brother Raul (who served until 2018). Castro would end up dying of natural causes.

Castro also made a total of 13 DeathList appearances between 1994 and 2016, and was the ninth hit that year.

 

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American lawyer and politician Harold Washington died on this day 35 years ago, aged 65.