Death Anniversary Thread

[Sir Creep 7,070]

Thomas d'Urfey, an English writer and composer with 32 plays and 500 songs to his credit, died exactly 300 years ago (69 or 70).

 

[Hell 1,334]

American judge and television personality Joseph Wapner died on this day 6 years ago, aged 97.

 

[Gooseberry Crumble 5,347]

 

 

On this day 20 years ago in 2003, Belgian Motor sports racing  driver  Christian Goethals , who raced in the 1950s,  died aged 74.

[Drewsky1211 4,767]

William F. Buckley Jr. died on this day 15 years ago, aged 82.

- In his youth, Buckley was a harpsichordist. One of his favorite musicians was Johann Sebastian Bach.

- From 1947 to 1951, Buckley was a Spanish professor at Yale, his alma mater.

- Among Buckley's first political writings was a defense of McCarthyism, which was co-authored with his brother-in-law L Brent Bozell Jr.

- After founding the National Review in 1955, Buckley sought out ex-Communists to be his editors.

- Buckley became the host of PBS' Firing Line in 1966. He would remain in that position for the show's entire run, which lasted until 1999.

- Buckley was the Conservative Party of New York State's nominee for the mayor of NYC in 1965. He received 13.4% of the vote- 341,226 votes total.

- Buckley was a racist in his youth, supporting apartheid and believing that African-Americans were inherently stupider than Whites. His views changed following the 1963 Birmingham church bombing, after which he would advocate for Blacks' right to vote and criticizing George Wallace. In later years, he became an admirer of Martin Luther King.

- Despite his improved views on race, he was a homophobe, calling the AIDS pandemic "the special curse of the homosexual".

- Buckley wrote a series of spy novels in the 1970s.

- Buckley's older brother is James L. Buckley, who has been the oldest living US Senator since 2019 (and is soon to turn 100).

- Buckley died from a heart attack, likely complicated by his diabetes and emphysema.

- One of the Genie from Aladdin's impressions was of him:

[time 8,641]

Its 32 years since the death of Artie Mitchell, of the Mitchell Brothers (not those Mitchell brothers), noted pornographers of San Francisco and environs.

The brothers opened San Francisco's O'Farrell Theatre in 1969, (appropriately enough for an 'adult' cinema) facing immediate opposition from neighbours and the authorities - a situation they would find themselves in repeatedly over the years (they faced over 200 prosecutions on obscenity charges, each being imprisoned over 180 times). As film-makers their most famous work was Behind The Green Door, which cost $60,000 to make and grossed over $25million. (The sequel, made in 1985, was less successful, and has been called one of the worst porn pictures ever made. It was the world's first 'safe sex' film, with the male actors wearing condoms).

 

By 1991, Artie was drinking heavily and friends and associates implored Jim to 'do something'. Jim visited Artie with a rifle, intending, he said, to scare him. Artie was hit 3 times, out of 7 shots fired, one hitting him in the right eye, killing him. He was 45. Jim was sentenced to 6 years (serving 3) for manslaughter.

[Gooseberry Crumble 5,347]

 

 

Eight years ago today in 2015 ,American actor  Leonard Nimoy otherwise known as the one and only Dr Spock in Star Trek, died aged 83.

[Bibliogryphon 9,597]

Just now, Gooseberry Crumble said:

 

 

Eight years ago today in 2015 ,American actor  Leonard Nimoy otherwise known as the one and only Dr Spock in Star Trek, died aged 83.

 

He did not write the book on child care!

[Hell 1,334]

American television host, author, producer, and Presbyterian minister Fred Rogers died on this day 20 years ago, aged 74.

 

 

French fashion designer and businessman Louis Vuitton died on this day 131 years ago, aged 70.

 

[Sir Creep 7,070]

William Everett, co-creator of Daredevil with Stan Lee, became a Zombie 50 years ago (55).

 

[Drewsky1211 4,767]

Freeman Dyson died on this day 3 years ago, aged 96.

- Dyson was the son of noted musician Sir George Dyson.

- Dyson's most well-known ideas include creating organisms to meet human needs (for example, GMOs), the Dyson sphere- in which an advanced civilization builds a solar power-retrieving shell around its home star to maximize energy output, and the Astrochicken- a self-replicating robot that would make for more efficient space exploration.

- Dyson accepted a Templeton Prize in 2000, and was criticized by Richard Dawkins for making it seem like religion was being endorsed by a world-renowned physicist.

- Dyson believed that increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increased biological growth and the amount of forests, and that planting one trillion trees would balance its effects.

- Half-Life protagonist Gordon Freeman was named after him.

[Gooseberry Crumble 5,347]

 

 

On this day 30 years ago  in 1993, Canadian American actress ,singer and dancer, Ruby Keeler died aged 83.

She was paired onscreen in a number of  early musicals with Dick Powell. 

Her filmography includes 42nd Street (1933) which was very much an ensemble cast which included Ginger Rogers,  Bebe Daniels and George Brent,  Flirtation walk, Sweetheart of the campus, Dames (1934) and Golddiggers of 1933.

She was famously married to singer ,actor and comedian  Al Jolson.

She retired from showbusiness in the 1940s but made a much publicised return to Broadway in the early 1970s. 

 

 

[time 8,641]

Our Fathers, who art in heaven...

Dermot Morgan, as Father Ted, 25 years ago, aged 45                           Frank Kelly, as Father Jack, 7 years ago, aged 77.

 

 

 

 

[Hell 1,334]

American actress, guitarist, singer, and songwriter Mary Stuart died on this day 21 years ago, aged 75.

 

[Drewsky1211 4,767]

Jackie Coogan died on this day 39 years ago, aged 69.

- Coogan's first major role was starring opposite Charlie Chaplin in the 1921 film The Kid, when he was six years old.

- Coogan participated in the lynching of the murderers of Brooke Hart in 1933, holding the rope used. Hart was a friend of his from university.

- Coogan would later sue his mother and stepfather for wasting his earnings, and in 1939, California passed the California Child Actor's Bill (otherwise called the Coogan Bill) to ensure that a portion of child actors' earnings would be saved for when they reached adulthood.

- Coogan was sent to India during World War II, assisting the Chindits in the Burma campaign.

- Coogan's career peaked in its adulthood when he was cast as Uncle Fester in The Addams Family. Outside of the show, he guest-starred as the character in an episode of The New Scooby-Doo Movies:

- Coogan's grandson is actor Keith Coogan, who is best known as the voice of young Tod in The Fox and the Hound. Keith changed his last name after his grandfather's death (Jackie was his maternal grandfather).

- Addams Family co-star John Astin delivered a eulogy at Coogan's funeral, which he requested to be open to the public.

[John "요한" Sulu 423]

On this day 1 year ago, American actor Conrad Janis, who is known for starring in the TV sitcom "Mork & Mindy", passed away at the age of 94.  He was also a jazz trombonist.

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On this day 13 years ago in 2010, British television presenter Kristian Digby died aged 32 in his London home.

The coroner and police were satisfied that there was no third party involved in his death and that it was death by misadventure. 

There was much media talk of his death being caused by an auto erotic sex game gone tragically wrong. 

 

He presented shows such as  Buy it, Sell it, Bank it?, House swap and To buy or not to buy?, related to property buying and sprucing up your homes interiors. 

[One shot Paddy 1,206]

16 minutes ago, Gooseberry Crumble said:

 

 

 

On this day 13 years ago in 2010, British television presenter Kristian Digby died aged 32 in his London home.

The coroner and police were satisfied that there was no third party involved in his death and that it was death by misadventure. 

There was much media talk of his death being caused by an auto erotic sex game gone tragically wrong. 

 

He presented shows such as  Buy it, Sell it, Bank it?, House swap and To buy or not to buy?, related to property buying and sprucing up your homes interiors. 

Wow, I really didn't think it was that long ago, I would have said 5 or 6 years, fuck sake I'm getting old 

[The Unknown Man 587]

Actress Bonnie Franklin, best remembered for starring in One Day at a Time, died on this day 10 years ago, aged 69.

[Hell 1,334]

English actor and singer Jack Wild died on this day 17 years ago, aged 53.

 

[Sly Ronnie 893]

William "Dixie" Dean who once scored 60 league goals in a season for Everton, died of a heart attack whilst attending the Merseyside Derby today in 1980 aged 73.

 

[wannamaker 1,415]

American porn actor and internet legend Billy Herrington died on this day 5 years ago, aged 48.

 

 

Billy was known as "Aniki" in the Japanese side of the internet, and was so famous that he visited several conventions in Japan to meet his fans, got 3 action figures made of his likeness and got added to twitch as an emote.

 

He became a meme when a clip one of his porn movies was published on the japanese site "Nico Nico Douga" (the japanese equivalent of Youtube), and was used as a bait-and-switch type of video, similar to the rickroll.

 

People started doing remixes and mashups of the videos, using the sounds from the movies and pitch-shifting them to various songs, a lot of them use some misheard lines that the japanese users thought the actors said, and they created extensive lore about the many actors featured in the films (I'm not kidding).

 

In 2022 a petition to replace the monument of Catherine the Great in Ukraine, with one of Herrington's likeness, recieved enough votes that president Volodymyr Zelenskyy had to consider it as an option.

 

People to this day are still making videos using his various film appearences, including collaborations between various users that feature original medleys and complex visuals with songs used in popular remixes.

 

 

[Drewsky1211 4,767]

Randolph Scott died on this day 36 years ago, aged 89.

- Scott served in the army in World War I, achieving the rank of second lieutenant. He attempted to join the Marines during World War II, but was rejected due to a chronic back injury- he would still appear in the 1942 war film To The Shores of Tripoli.

- Before Scott became an actor, he wanted to become a football player.

- In the 1950s, Scott planned to make the move to television by proposing the show Randolph Scott's Theater of the West, of which he would be the host. The pilot did not sell.

- Scott was close friends with Fred Astaire, and the two would often attend baseball games together.

- Scott's face is the model for the Las Vegas Raiders logo.

- Scott died from cardiopulmonary disease- potentially a "stupid omission" for the inaugural 1987 list.

[justonecornetto 960]

Tommy Gemmell the Celtic left back and one of the Lisbon Lions died this day 6 years ago at the age of 73. A tall attacking left back who scored some great goals including the first one when Celtic beat Inter Milan 2-1 to win the European Cup in 1967 

[time 8,641]

Its 30 years since the death of Hans Hilfiker, aged 91.

 

He was a Swiss engineer and designer, most famous for his design of the Swiss Railway clock for Swiss Federal Railways, (SBB). The original 1944 design had no second hand (as  timetables don't list times to the second) but one was added in 1953, in the style of the baton used by despatchers to signal a train to depart.

 

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On this  day 24 years ago in 1999, Legendary British singer Dusty Springfield died from cancer aged 59.

 

 

 

Also on this day 32 years ago in 1991, French Musician, singer songwriter, actor and filmmaker Serge Gainsbourg died from a heart attack aged 62.

He is regarded as one of the most important and significant figures in French pop.

Among his songwriting was Poupee de cire, poupee de son, which went onto win the 1965 Eurovision song contest for Luxembourg song by France Gall.

He was a notoriously heavy smoker.