Death Anniversary Thread

[Drewsky1211 4,757]

PD James died on this day 9 years ago, aged 94.

- The "PD" in her name stood for "Phyllis Dorothy". She took her pen surname from her mother, Dorothy. Before she became a writer, James worked for a hospital board.

- James' first novel, Cover Her Face, was released in 1962 and began the Adam Dalgleish series of detective fiction. Fourteen books were written up to 2008, and these would be adapted into TV movies and radio dramatizations.

- Besides Adam Dalgleish, James created the character of Cordelia Gray. While she only had two novels, these also received several adaptations- among the most interesting was Gray's appearance in the Detective Conan manga (this was part of an anthology issue).

- James would take elements from her life and insert them into her books (Adam's name came from the father of an English teacher she knew, and her workplace of the NHS was a location in one of her novels).

- James also wrote The Children of Men in 1992- set in a dystopian 2021 where England has become massively infertile. This would be adapted into a feature-length movie in 2006 that was nominated for three Oscars.

- James would be made a baroness in 1991, and was a Tory in the House of Lords- shortly before her death, she became a vocal opponent of Scottish independence.

- James debuted on the DeathList in 2012 and stayed on until her death two years later. She was the ninth death (of the ten) of 2014.

[Summer in Transylvania 2,190]

Film and television director Irvin Kershner, most famous for his work on The Empire Strikes Back, Never Say Never Again, and RoboCop 2, died on this day 13 years ago, aged 87.

 

Above: Kershner (far left), with Gary Kurtz (1940-2018), George Lucas (1944-), and Lawrence Kasdan (1949-).

[diego 1,992]

Isabel de Parma was born in Madrid and died in Vienna 260 years ago, she was the first wife of Archduke Joseph of Austria, future Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II. She was the daughter of Philip, Duke of Parma and Luisa Isabel of France. She became known for her lesbian relationship with her sister-in-law Maria Cristina, Duchess of Teschen

Eugene O'Neill was born in New York and died in Boston 70 years ago,at the age of 65. He received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1936 and the Pulitzer Prize several times.

Teotônio Vilela was born in Viçosa, Alagoas and died in Maceió 40 years ago at the age of 66. Within two decades he was state deputy, vice-governor and senator for the state of Alagoas, re-elected for the latter in the following election

Nílton Santos was born in Rio de Janeiro and died in the same city 10 years ago (88 years), he was a Brazilian footballer who in 2000 was elected by FIFA as the best left-back of all time, he was part of the Brazilian national team squad in the 1950 world championships. , 1954, 1958 and 1962, having been twice champion in the last two, He was called "The Encyclopedia" because of his knowledge about football and because he was complete as a player, he was the pioneer in risking attacks from the side of the field. clubs played at Botafogo RJ

[The Ashes Urn 1,358]

American actor John Carradine died on this day 35 years ago, aged 82.

 

[Hell 1,334]

American professional football player Sean Taylor died on this day 16 years ago, aged 24. He was a free safety for the Washington Redskins of the NFL. He was selected fifth overall in the 2004 NFL Draft by the Redskins, where he played four seasons. He played college football for the Miami Hurricanes. Taylor was a member of their 2001 BCS National Championship team, and he won the Jack Tatum Trophy. With the Redskins, he gained a reputation as a hard-hitting player and was nicknamed "Meast" from the expression "half man, half beast." He made one Pro Bowl appearance in 2006. During the 2007 season, Taylor was shot by intruders at his Miami area home and died the next day.

 

[Drewsky1211 4,757]

Danny Wells died on this day 10 years ago, aged 72.

- Wells' birth name was "Jack Westelman".

- Wells' acting career began in 1972, by appearing in two episodes of Love, American Style. He would appear in episodes of Columbo and Sanford and Son before having a recurring role as Charlie, the bartender in The Jeffersons.

- Wells is best remembered for his role as Luigi in The Super Mario Bros. Super Show, portraying the character in both the show's animated and live-action segments:

He would not reprise voicing Luigi for the subsequent The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World cartoons, and was recast with Tony Rosato.

- Besides voicing Luigi, Wells provided many voice roles to animated shows- these included Egon's uncle Cyrus in The Real Ghostbusters, Gus the alligator in Willa's Wild Life, King Hugo III in Potatoes and Dragons, and the "Poop or Scoop" host in the educational game show Crashbox:

Wells also provided voice work to three video games- none of them were in the Mario franchise, but he did voice Arthur Partridge in Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory.

- Wells' death from cancer ironically occurred the year Nintendo had its "Year of Luigi" celebrating the character's 30-year anniversary.

[The Ashes Urn 1,358]

American television and film actor Christopher George died on this day 40 years ago, aged 52.

 

[John "요한" Sulu 420]

On this day 2 years ago, Spanish visionary Justo Gallego Martínez, who created the Mejorada del Campo cathedral, passes away at the age of 96.

[Drewsky1211 4,757]

Yasuhiro Nakasone died on this day 4 years ago, aged 101.

- Nakasone served in Japan's Navy during World War II, organizing a comfort woman brothel in 1942.

- After Japan's loss, Nakasone adopted nationalist views and ran for a seat in Japan's newly-formed House of Representatives. He would be elected in 1947 as a member of the Liberal Democratic Party (ironically conservative in political leaning).

- During his time in the House, Nakasone wrote a letter criticizing Douglas MacArthur for the postwar American occupation of Japan (MacArthur immediately threw the letter away), blamed Emperor Hirohito for Japan's loss, and was the one who got money granted to begin Japan's nuclear power research.

- Nakasone would serve in several ministerial positions- he was the minister of Science (1959), Transport (1967), International Trade and Industry (1972), and Administration (1981).

- Nakasone became PM in 1982 after Zenko Suzuki stepped down as the LDP's president. He would emulate his contemporary (and friend) Ronald Reagan by warming Japan's relationship with the Soviet Union, privatized the railroad and phone industries, and promoted a nationalist ideology. His party made him resign in 1987 when he attempted to introduce a value-added tax.

- Nakasone was implicated in the Recruit insider trading scandal in 1988, but remained in the House until 2004- having served there for 57 years.

- Nakasone was the second Japanese PM to live beyond the age of 100 (the first was Naruhiko Higashikuni, who turned 100 in 1987).

[The Ashes Urn 1,358]

American professional wrestler Moondog Spot died on this day 20 years ago, aged 51.

 

[Hell 1,334]

American actress Natalie Wood died on this day 42 years ago, aged 43. Wood started acting at age four and was given a co-starring role at age 8 in Miracle on 34th Street (1947). As a teenager, she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Rebel Without a Cause (1955), followed by a role in John Ford's The Searchers (1956). Wood starred in the musical films West Side Story (1961) and Gypsy (1962) and received nominations for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performances in Splendor in the Grass (1961) and Love with the Proper Stranger (1963). Her career continued with films such as Sex and the Single Girl (1964), The Great Race (1965), Inside Daisy Clover (1965), and Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969).

 

[diego 1,992]

Marie of Anjou was born in Angers and died 560 years ago in Poitou at the age of 59, she was queen consort of France as wife of Charles VII of France,

Claudio Monteverdi was born in Cremona and died 380 years ago in Venice at the age of 76, he was an Italian composer, conductor, singer and gambitist

 

 

[John "요한" Sulu 420]

On this day 2 years ago, American actress Arlene Dahl, who starred in the movies "Three Little Words" and "Journey to the Center of the Earth", passed away at the age of 96.

[John "요한" Sulu 420]

On this day 1 year ago, American Korean War Medal of Honor recipient Hiroshi H. Miyamura passed away at the age of 97.

[Drewsky1211 4,757]

George H. W. Bush died on this day 5 years ago, aged 94.

- Named after his maternal grandfather George Herbert Walker, Bush also got his "Poppy" nickname from him- Walker was called "Pop".

- Bush served as a naval aviator during World War II, and was once shot down by Japanese forces in 1944- he ejected and was rescued by a nearby American submarine, but some other aviators would be captured, executed, and had their livers cannibalized by the Japanese. Consider the infamous moment he threw up on Japanese PM Kiichi Miyazawa in 1992 as him avenging his comrades.

- George married Barbara in 1945, and the two were married for 73 years. They had the longest marriage of a US presidential couple until being surpassed by the Carters in 2019.

- Bush was known for his lifelong hatred of broccoli, banning it from being served on Air Force One, and once referred to Barbara as "a total totalitarian" when she tried to add broccoli to his diet. He personally preferred food such as pork rinds, ice cream, and nachos.

- Bush was also known for his dislike of the Simpson family, comparing them unfavorably to the Waltons. This led to the 1996 episode "Two Bad Neighbors":

- Among Bush's post-presidency activities included skydiving on his 85th and 90th birthdays in 2009 and 2014, and being the coin flip participant at Super Bowl LI.

- Bush's last public appearance was him voting in the 2018 midterm elections, and could be seen with his service dog Sully:

- Bush was diagnosed with vascular Parkinsonism in 2012, but it was not until 2017 that his health declined significantly. He was hospitalized with sepsis the day after Barbara's funeral, and would return to the hospital the next month due to low blood pressure. His last days were well-documented, with his Secretary of State and lifelong friend James Baker stating his last meal was of three boiled eggs, some yogurt, and juice.

- Bush appeared on every DeathList from his debut in 2013 until his death. He was the 12th (and last) death of 2018.

[The Ashes Urn 1,358]

American country music singer David Houston died on this day 30 years ago, aged 57.

 

[polar duck 874]

12 hours ago, Drewsky1211 said:

George H. W. Bush died on this day 5 years ago, aged 94.

- Named after his maternal grandfather George Herbert Walker

  

Speaking of Walkers, Paul Walker died on this day 10 years ago, aged 40.

[diego 1,992]

António Jesus Correia was born in Oeiras and died 20 years ago,at the age 79, he was a Portuguese hockey player who was world champion for his national team as a player and later as a coach.He was a football player too

João Araújo was born in Rio de Janeiro and died there 10 years ago at the age of 78. He was responsible for founding the record label Som Livre. Father of singer and composer Cazuza, he was responsible for the emergence of several renowned artists in the Brazilian popular music scene, such as Xuxa, Ronnie Von, Djavan, Emílio Santiago, Rita Lee, Gilberto Gil, Guilherme Arantes, Novos Baianos, Lulu Santos, Nara Leão, his wife Lucinha Araújo and his son Cazuza.

[Hell 1,334]

American actor, singer, and comedian Jim Nabors died on this day 6 years ago, aged 87. He is widely known for his signature character Gomer Pyle. Nabors also became a popular guest on variety shows that showcased his rich baritone singing voice in the 1960s and 1970s. He was the featured guest on every season premiere of The Carol Burnett Show and he had two specials of his own in 1969 and 1974. He signed a recording contract with Columbia Records in 1965 and subsequently recorded numerous albums and singles, most of them containing romantic ballads. He recorded for Ranwood Records during the late 1970s. Nabors was also known for singing "Back Home Again in Indiana" before the start of the Indianapolis 500, held annually on the Memorial Day weekend. He sang the unofficial Indiana anthem almost every year from 1972 to 2014, except for occasional absences due to illness or scheduling conflicts.

 

 

[Drewsky1211 4,757]

Henry I of England died on this day 888 years ago, aged 67.

- Henry was the youngest son of William the Conquerer, and his only one born after the Battle of Hastings. After his father's death, he joined his older brother Robert in Normandy as a part of his royal court- Robert made him a count in 1088 and gave him a large swath of land.

- His brother William invaded Normandy in 1091, and the three brothers fought each other until the First Crusade began in 1095, when Robert joined.

- Henry inherited England from William upon his mysterious death in 1100, and began his reign by filling church positions with his supporters.

- Robert would try to seize England in 1101, but failed. Henry himself would then invade Normandy in 1105, merely trying to leech power away from his brother.

- Henry's son William died when a ship he was on sunk, creating a succession crisis. He never solved this problem in the 15 years until his death, causing England to be contested between his daughter Matilda and nephew Stephen (Stephen ended up becoming king).

- Henry allegedly died due to eating too many lampreys at a royal feast- this may have been due to failing to washing them before eating, leading to a possible listeria infection.

[diego 1,992]

Charlotte of Savoy died in Amboise 540 years ago at the age of 42, she was queen consort of France as the second wife of Louis XI of France.

Isabel Clara Eugênia of Spain was born in Segovia and died 390 years ago in Brussels, she was Infanta of Spain and Archduchess of Austria

David Ben-Gurion was born in Płońsk, Poland and died in Ramat Gan, Israel 50 years ago at the age of 87, he served as Israel's first head of government.Ben-Gurion was a leader of the Socialist Zionism movement and one of the founders of Mapai , a social democratic Zionist labor party, which was in power in Israel throughout the first two decades of the state's existence.

 

[The Ashes Urn 1,358]

Russian-British mathematician Leon Mirsky died on this day 40 years ago, aged 64.

 

[Drewsky1211 4,757]

Marty Feldman died on this day 41 years ago, aged 48.

- Feldman's bulging eyes were the result of Graves' ophthalmopathy, complicated by vehicle accidents, thyroid disease, and botched reconstructive surgery.

- Feldman initially wanted to be a jazz musician, but decided to become a comedian by the time he was 20. Among his first gigs was as part of a comedy troupe called "Morris, Marty and Mitch".

- Feldman would then write for TV comedy shows (often working with Barry Took), which included Bootsie and Snudge and Round the Horne.

- Feldman reached new heights of fame by starring in the 1967 show At Last the 1948 Show (which he starred alongside Pythons John Cleese and Graham Chapman, and Goodie Tim Brooke-Taylor), notably creating the Four Yorkshiremen sketch that Cleese and Chapman would co-opt into Monty Python's Flying Circus.

- In the 1970s, Feldman would venture into acting in feature films, most notably in Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein as Igor:

Feldman would improvise most of his lines for the movie.

- Feldman also went back to music in the late 1960s with a short recording career, and he would implement musical sketches in his 1974 series of TV specials Marty Back Together Again- which were covers of Tom Lehrer songs:

- Feldman's final TV appearance was in a 1981 episode of The Muppet Show, notably comparing his eyes with Cookie Monster's:

- Feldman smoked five packs of cigarettes a day, which were detrimental to his health. He died from a heart attack while filming Yellowbeard, and the film was dedicated to his memory.

[John "요한" Sulu 420]

On this day 12 years ago, American ukelelist Bill Tapia passes away at the age of 103.

[The Ashes Urn 1,358]

Canadian-American actress and singer Fifi D'Orsay died on this day 40 years ago, aged 79.