Death Anniversary Thread

[One shot Paddy 1,211]

Donald Nelson "The Black Panther" died 12 years ago today aged 75.

[The Ashes Urn 1,361]

American musician Michael Clarke died on this day 30 years ago, aged 47.

 

[Hell 1,334]

Italian film actor Marcello Mastroianni died on this day 27 years ago, aged 72. He is regarded as one of his country's most iconic male performers of the 20th century. He played leading roles for many of Italy's top directors in a career spanning 147 films between 1939 and 1997, and garnered many international honours including 2 BAFTA Awards, 2 Best Actor awards at the Venice and Cannes film festivals, 2 Golden Globes, and 3 Academy Award nominations. Born in the province of Frosinone and raised in Turin and Rome, Mastroianni made his film debut in 1939 at the age of 14, but did not seriously pursue acting until the 1950s, when he made his critical and commercial breakthrough in the caper comedy Big Deal on Madonna Street (1959). He became an international celebrity through his collaborations with director Federico Fellini, first as a disillusioned tabloid columnist in La Dolce Vita (1960), then as a creatively-stifled filmmaker in 8½ (1963). Excelling in both dramatic and comedic roles, he formed a notable on-screen duo with actress and sex symbol Sophia Loren, co-starring with her in eight films between 1954 and 1994.

 

[Drewsky1211 4,833]

Alois Alzheimer died on this day 108 years ago, aged 51.

- Alzheimer graduated from the University of Wurzburg in 1887 with a doctorate in Medicine, and soon became a worker at Frankfurt's insane asylum.

- Alzheimer would grow close to Emil Krapelin, another doctor researching patients' disorders, and the two would form a partnership to investigate their causes.

- In 1901, Alzheimer recorded the symptoms of a patient named Auguste Deter- a 51 year old woman suffering from short term memory loss. After Deter died in 1906, Alzheimer autopsied her brain and found anomalies within it- things such as neurofibrillary tangles and amyloid plaques. He had discovered a disease that would be named after him- dementia Alzheimer's disease.

- Alzheimer would not succumb to his own discovery- rather it was heart failure that did him in.

[Drewsky1211 4,833]

Roy O. Disney died on this day 52 years ago, aged 78.

- Roy was Walt's older brother, and before joining his studio when it was founded in 1923, worked as a bank clerk and served in the Navy during World War I.

- Roy was primarily the one who ran the business aspects of the Walt Disney Corporation. He became its first CEO in 1929, albeit he was only officially given the title in 1966 upon Walt's death.

- While Roy was not very active in the movie department, he was instrumental during the construction of Walt Disney World- he oversaw its building plans, emphasized Epcot's significance to the park, and managed to get the Reedy Creek Improvement Act passed to circumvent state land use laws (repealed in 2022).

- The park would open in October of 1971- but Roy died just two months later due to a stroke.

[The Ashes Urn 1,361]

American stage and television actor John Vivyan died on this day 40 years ago, aged 68.

 

[Hell 1,334]

American astronomer and science communicator Carl Sagan died on this day 27 years ago, aged 62. His best known scientific contribution is his research on the possibility of extraterrestrial life, including experimental demonstration of the production of amino acids from basic chemicals by radiation. He assembled the first physical messages sent into space, the Pioneer plaque and the Voyager Golden Record, which were universal messages that could potentially be understood by any extraterrestrial intelligence that might find them. He argued in favor of the hypothesis, which has since been accepted, that the high surface temperatures of Venus are the result of the greenhouse effect. Initially an assistant professor at Harvard, Sagan later moved to Cornell, where he spent most of his career. He published more than 600 scientific papers and articles and was author, co-author or editor of more than 20 books. He wrote many popular science books, such as The Dragons of Eden, Broca's Brain, Pale Blue Dot and The Demon-Haunted World. He also co-wrote and narrated the award-winning 1980 television series Cosmos: A Personal Voyage, which became the most widely watched series in the history of American public television: Cosmos has been seen by at least 500 million people in 60 countries. A book, also called Cosmos, was published to accompany the series. Sagan also wrote a science-fiction novel, published in 1985, called Contact, which became the basis for a 1997 film of the same name. His papers, comprising 595,000 items, are archived in the Library of Congress.

 

[diego 2,012]

Luis Carrero Blanco (69 years),was born in Santoña and died 50 years ago in Madrid. He held several positions in the Francoist government; he was murdered in an ETA attack when he was president of the government of Spain during the final stage of that dictatorship

Bobby Darin died 50 years ago was born in East Harlem, New York and died 50 years ago at the age of 37. He was nominated for an Oscar and won a Grammy. He passed away after heart surgery. There is a film telling his story, it's called "A Life Without Limits".

Reginaldo Rossi was born in Recife and died in the same city 10 years ago at the age of 70, he was a Brazilian singer and composer, known as the "King of Brega

 

[Drewsky1211 4,833]

John Seymour died on this day 487 years ago, aged 62.

- Seymour was born into the English aristocracy, and was a descendant of king Edward III.

- Seymour would be knighted by king Henry VII in 1497 due to his service in the Cornish Rebellion, and also fought in the Battle of the Spurs against France in 1513.

- Seymour was also a diplomat, serving as Henry VIII's aide when he met with king Francis I of France.

- Seymour was the father to ten children- these included Edward (the first Duke of Somerset and regent to his nephew Edward VI), Thomas (who wed Henry VIII's widow Catherine Parr), and most notably Jane, Henry VIII's third (and favorite) wife.

- Seymour died in 1536; due to her duties as queen consort, Jane could not attend his funeral. His body would be reinterred in 1590 after the church he was buried at being "ruined", according to a plaque on the wall above his tomb:

[The Ashes Urn 1,361]

English professional cricketer Jack Hobbs died on this day 60 years ago, aged 81.

 

[YoungWillz 21,267]

35 years today since Pan Am Flight 103 was bombed out of the sky over Lockerbie.

 

Remembering all the souls lost that day.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan_Am_Flight_103

[diego 2,012]

Francisco Xavier de Meneses died 280 years ago, in Lisbon, where he was born, he was the 4th Count of Ericeira. He succeeded his father at the tender age of 14 and became so well informed of the interests of the kingdom that he protected not only the establishments founded by his father regarding Arts and Commerce.

 

Father Himalaia was born in Santiago de Cendufe, Arcos de Valdevez and died 80 years ago in Viana do Castelo, he was a Catholic priest, scientist and inventor, pioneer of the use of solar energy and introduced interest in renewable energy in Portugal

Rod Cameron was born in Calgary, Alberta, and died in Gainesville, Georgia 40 years ago. He was a Canadian actor who had a career in North American cinema, much loved by western fans.

John Eisenhower was born in Denver, and died 10 years ago in Trappe, Maryland, he was an American diplomat, historian and military, son of the 34th President of the United States of America, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John Eisenhower became the 45th ambassador of the United States United in Belgium, between May 14, 1969 and September 28, 1971

[Hell 1,334]

American general George S. Patton died on this day 78 years ago, aged 60. He was a general in the United States Army who commanded the Seventh United States Army in the Mediterranean Theater of World War II, and the Third United States Army in France and Germany after the Allied invasion of Normandy in June 1944. Patton led U.S. troops into the Mediterranean theater with an invasion of Casablanca during Operation Torch in 1942, and soon established himself as an effective commander by rapidly rehabilitating the demoralized II Corps. He commanded the U.S. Seventh Army during the Allied invasion of Sicily, where he was the first Allied commander to reach Messina. There he was embroiled in controversy after he slapped two shell-shocked soldiers, and was temporarily removed from battlefield command. He was assigned a key role in Operation Fortitude, the Allies' military deception campaign for Operation Overlord. At the start of the Western Allied invasion of France, Patton was given command of the Third Army, which conducted a highly successful rapid armored drive across France. Under his decisive leadership, the Third Army took the lead in relieving beleaguered American troops at Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge, after which his forces drove deep into Nazi Germany by the end of the war.

 

[Drewsky1211 4,833]

Beatrix Potter died on this day 80 years ago, aged 77.

- Potter went by her middle name- her first name was Helen.

- Potter took an interest to natural science- she collected fossils, studied insects, and made detailed illustrations of fungi.

- The Tale of Peter Rabbit, her most famous book, was also her first children's book- published in 1902. She patented her character for a mass-produced plushie the following year- making Peter Rabbit the oldest licensed character:

- Potter's children's books are sometimes referred to as "The 23 Tales" (the amount of them)- the most notable ones besides Peter Rabbit were Squirrel Nutkin (1903), Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle (1905), Tom Kitten (1907), Jemima Puddle-Duck (1908), Mr. Tod (1912) and Pigling Bland (1913). Many of these books were within a shared literary universe- some characters from one book would appear in later stories.

- In later years, Potter was a sheep breeder, particularly of the Herdwick breed. She was also a conservationist.

 

[John "요한" Sulu 430]

On this day 2 years ago, Irish poet and translator Thomas Kinsella, who was known for his work on "Butcher's Dozen" and "The Táin", passed away at the age of 93.

 

Photo Credit: kellywritershouse per Creative Commons license

[The Ashes Urn 1,361]

American actor Don DeFore died on this day 30 years ago, aged 80.

 

[Hell 1,334]

English singer Joe Cocker died on this day 9 years ago, aged 70. He was known for his gritty, bluesy voice and dynamic stage performances that featured expressive body movements. Most of his best known singles, such as "Feelin' Alright?" and "Unchain My Heart", were recordings of songs written by other song writers, though he composed a number of songs for most of his albums as well, often in conjunction with songwriting partner Chris Stainton. His first album featured a recording of the Beatles' "With a Little Help from My Friends", which brought him to near-instant stardom. The song reached number one in the UK in 1968, became a staple of his many live shows (Woodstock and the Isle of Wight in 1969, the Party at the Palace in 2002) and was also known as the theme song for the late 1980s American TV series The Wonder Years. He continued his success with his second album, which included a second Beatles song: "She Came In Through the Bathroom Window". A hastily thrown together 1970 US tour led to the live double-album Mad Dogs & Englishmen, which featured an all-star band organized by Leon Russell. His 1974 recording of "You Are So Beautiful" reached number five in the US, and became his signature song. Cocker's best selling song was the US number one "Up Where We Belong", a duet with Jennifer Warnes that earned a 1983 Grammy Award. He released a total of 22 studio albums over a 43-year recording career.

 

[Drewsky1211 4,833]

Mikhail Kalashnikov died on this day 10 years ago, aged 94.

- The son of peasants, Kalashnikov was drafted into the Soviet army in 1938. He had a fascination with machinery- particularly weapons- and after being hospitalized after getting shot during the Battle of Bryansk in 1941, he overheard his fellow patients gripe about how ineffective their guns were.

- Kalashnikov drew up an idea for a new SMG, and would soon be out of combat and put in the Soviet firearm development program. This submachine gun became known as the "Mikhtim" (taken from his first and middle names- Mikhail Timofeyvich).

- Kalashnikov's most famous and influential invention was the Avtomat Kalashnikova model 1947- better known by its acronym, the AK-47. This assault rifle would become standard issue for Soviet soldiers in 1949. Over 100 million of these rifles have been produced since- about 50 million being bootlegs. The AK-47 has caused Kalashnikov to be called the "world's deadliest inventor" due to the fact that many developing nations used the gun in their armed conflicts, leading to the deaths of hundreds of thousands worldwide.

- Other guns Kalashnikov invented included the AKM assault rifle in 1959, and the RPK LMG and PK machine gun in 1961.

- Kalashnikov died after a month-long hospitalization for peptic ulcer disease. He appeared only once on the DeathList, in 2013- at spot no. 3 (and the 13th and final death of the year).

 

[diego 2,012]

Gerard Kuiper was born in Harenkarspel and died in Mexico City 50 years ago, was a Dutch astronomer, author and teacher. It is named after the Kuiper belt. Kuiper is considered the father of modern planetary science. He discovered two natural satellites of planets in the Solar System, namely the Miranda satellite of Uranus and the Nereid satellite of Neptune. Additionally, he discovered carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of Mars and the existence of a methane-looped atmosphere above Saturn's satellite Titan in 1944. Kuiper also pioneered airborne infrared observation using a Convair 990 aircraft in the 1940s. 1960. Died at age 68 of a heart attack

 

[The Ashes Urn 1,361]

American scriptwriter, screenwriter, casting agent and actress Irna Phillips died on this day 50 years ago, aged 72.

 

[Summer in Transylvania 2,223]

English actor most famous for his portrayal of Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi Sebastian Shaw died on this day in 1994, aged 89.

 

[Hell 1,334]

Japanese politician, military leader and convicted war criminal Hideki Tojo died on this day 75 years ago, aged 63. He served as prime minister of Japan and president of the Imperial Rule Assistance Association from 1941 to 1944 during World War II. He assumed several more positions including chief of staff of the Imperial Army before ultimately being removed from power in July 1944. During his years in power, his leadership was marked by extreme state-perpetrated violence in the name of Japanese ultranationalism, much of which he was personally involved in. On the eve of the Second World War's expansion into Asia and the Pacific, Tojo was an outspoken advocate for a preemptive attack on the United States and its European allies. Upon being appointed prime minister on 17 October 1941, he oversaw the Empire of Japan's decision to go to war as well as its ensuing conquest of much of Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands. During the course of the war, Tojo presided over numerous war crimes, including the massacre and starvation of civilians and prisoners of war, as part of the wider Asian Holocaust.

 

[Drewsky1211 4,833]

Harold Pinter died on this day 15 years ago, aged 78.

- Pinter wrote his first play in 1957, called The Room (which was not adapted by Tommy Wiseau). He followed this up the following year with The Birthday Party.

- His breakout came in 1960, when he wrote both The Caretaker and A Night Out, and in 1964 he wrote The Homecoming, for which he received four Tony Awards.

- Pinter's career as a playwright has been often compared to a three-act structure. First were the "comedy of menace" plays from 1957 to 1968, the "memory play" saga from 1968 to 1982, and the "political plays" from 1982 to 2000.

- Pinter would also act in several TV and theatrical films, which included Rogue Male, Mansfield Park, and The Tailor of Panama.

- In 2005, Pinter would be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature because of the political themes of his later plays, which led to a mixed reaction from the public.

- Pinter would be diagnosed with throat cancer in 2001, and would later be diagnosed with liver cancer as well. He debuted on the DeathList in 2006, staying on until his death (the 14th and final hit of 2008).

[diego 2,012]

John Dunstable was born in Dunstable, Bedfordshire and died in London 570 years ago, was one of the first great English musicians and composers (15th century), who probably wrote the first instrumental accompaniment for church music

 

 

 

[The Ashes Urn 1,361]

American anthropologist Ralph Linton died on this day 70 years ago, aged 60.