Death Anniversary Thread

[Sir Creep 7,069]

Composer Stephen Foster started de-composing160 years ago. (37).

In his short 37 years he became known as the a father of American music. He wrote more than 200 songs, including "Oh! Susanna", "Hard Times Come Again No More", "Camptown Races", "Old Folks at Home" ("Swanee River"), "My Old Kentucky Home", "Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair", and others.

 

[The Ashes Urn 1,353]

American character actor Joe Spinell died on this day 35 years ago, aged 52.

 

[Hell 1,334]

Wyatt Earp died on this day 95 years ago, aged 80. He was an American lawman and gambler in the American West, including Dodge City, Deadwood, and Tombstone. Earp was involved in the famous gunfight at the O.K. Corral, during which lawmen killed three outlaw Cochise County Cowboys. While Wyatt is often depicted as the key figure in the shootout, his brother Virgil was both Deputy U.S. Marshal and Tombstone City Marshal that day and had considerably more experience in law enforcement as a sheriff, constable, and marshal than did Wyatt. Virgil made the decision to enforce a city ordinance prohibiting carrying weapons in town and to disarm the Cowboys. Wyatt was only a temporary assistant marshal to his brother.

 

[Drewsky1211 4,721]

Frederik IX of Denmark died on this day 52 years ago, aged 72.

- Frederik was the son of king Christian X, and had 21 godparents. In his youth he had a passion for music and was an avid piano player.

- Frederik entered the Danish Navy, reaching the rank of rear admiral and gaining several tattoos during service:

- Frederik served as regent for his father from 1942 to 1943 after he fell from his horse- King Christian died in 1947, and Frederik became king. During his reign, the Faroe Islands became an autonomous region within the country, Denmark quickly developed its urban areas, and he changed the act of succession so his daughters could rule.

- After a 25-year reign, Frederik died from complications from a cardiac arrest. His daughter Margrethe II became queen- she is to abdicate today.

[The Ashes Urn 1,353]

American businessman Ray Kroc died on this day 40 years ago, aged 81.

 

 

[Hell 1,334]

Humphrey Bogart died on this day 67 years ago, aged 57. He was an American actor. His breakthrough came in High Sierra (1941), and he catapulted to stardom as the lead in The Maltese Falcon (1941), considered one of the first great noir films. Bogart's private detectives, Sam Spade (in The Maltese Falcon) and Philip Marlowe (in 1946's The Big Sleep), became the models for detectives in other noir films. In 1947, he played a War hero in another "noir" film, Dead Reckoning, tangled in a dangerous web of brutality and violence as he investigates his friend's murder, co-starring Lizabeth Scott. His first romantic lead role was a memorable one, pairing him with Ingrid Bergman in Casablanca (1942), which earned him his first nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor. Bogart's performances in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) and In a Lonely Place (1950) are now considered among his best, although they were not recognized as such when the films were released. He reprised those unsettled, unstable characters as a World War II naval-vessel commander in The Caine Mutiny (1954), which was a critical and commercial hit and earned him another Best Actor nomination. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of a cantankerous river steam launch skipper opposite Katharine Hepburn's missionary in the World War I African adventure The African Queen (1951). Other significant roles in his later years included The Barefoot Contessa (1954) with Ava Gardner and his on-screen competition with William Holden for Audrey Hepburn in Sabrina (1954).

 

[Drewsky1211 4,721]

Dolores O'Riordan died on this day 6 years ago, aged 46.

- O'Riordan sang and practiced instruments from a formative age- these ranged from the piano to the accordion to the bodhran drum.

- O'Riordan joined The Cranberry Saw Us in 1990, leaving her secondary education to pursue her career. The band changed its name after signing with Island Records, and their song "Linger" from their debut album Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We? peaked at no. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100.

- 1994 saw the release of No Need to Argue and her signature song, "Zombie":

- In 2001, O'Riordan performed solo for the Vatican's annual Christmas concert in front of Pope John Paul II- the only non-Christmas song she sang was her own "Analyse" from The Cranberries' then-most recent album Wake Up and Smell the Coffee. She would perform at the concert again in 2002, 2005, and 2006.

- O'Riordan was once arrested in 2014 for having a meltdown on a plane, where she headbutted a police officer and fractured the foot of a stewardess.

- O'Riordan accidentally drowned in her bathtub after drinking too much alcohol; it was once rumored that she had committed suicide by overdosing on fentanyl.

[The Ashes Urn 1,353]

American singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson died on this day 30 years ago, aged 52.

 

[Hell 1,334]

Ray Bolger died on this day 37 years ago, aged 83. He was an American actor, dancer, singer, vaudevillian, and stage performer (particularly musical theater) who started his movie career in the silent-film era. Bolger was a major Broadway performer in the 1930s and beyond. He is best known for his roles in The Wizard of Oz (1939) as the Scarecrow and in Walt Disney's holiday musical fantasy Babes in Toyland in 1961 as the villainous Barnaby. Bolger was the host of The Ray Bolger Show on TV from 1953 to 1955, originally titled Where's Raymond?

 

[John "요한" Sulu 419]

On this day 1 year ago, American psychologist Lloyd Morrisett, who was the co-founder of the Children's Television Workshop and co-created Sesame Street, passed away at the age of 93.

 

Photo Credit: Joi per Creative Commons license

[Drewsky1211 4,721]

Ross Bagdasarian died on this day 52 years ago, aged 52.

- Bagdasarian debuted on Broadway when he was 20, and would have minor roles in films that include Stalag 17 and Rear Window.

- Bagdasarian would turn to songwriting, and wrote "Come On-a My House" in 1951- this was written for Rosemary Clooney, and it topped each of Billboard's charts (and therefore the Hot 100's precursor, the Honor Roll of Hits) in August of that year. He wrote it based off of an Armenian folk song (as Bagdasarian was the son of Armenian immigrants).

- Bagdasarian would soon take the stage name "David Seville"; the surname came from the fact he was stationed in Seville in Spain during World War II. He would establish his career as a novelty artist by speeding up his voice, and recorded "Witch Doctor" in 1958- his first number one hit as a singer:

- Later in 1958, Bagdasarian had a second number one hit with "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late", which introduced the virtual band of Alvin and the Chipmunks:

(these were their original designs)

This act would spawn a multimillion-dollar franchise- Bagdasarian would be the producer of their 1961-1962 animated show. He would also name his vineyard "The Chipmunk Ranch".

- Bagdasarian died of a heart attack less than two weeks before his 53rd birthday. He willed his intellectual property to his family, and his son Ross Jr. and daughter-in-law Janice Karman are the current owners of Alvin and the Chipmunks.

[The Ashes Urn 1,353]

American composer and pianist Roy Bargy died on this day 50 years ago, aged 79.

 

[Death Impends 7,953]

10 hours ago, Drewsky1211 said:

- Later in 1958, Bagdasarian had a second number one hit with "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late", which introduced the virtual band of Alvin and the Chipmunks:

(these were their original designs)

This act would spawn a multimillion-dollar franchise- Bagdasarian would be the producer of their 1961-1962 animated show. He would also name his vineyard "The Chipmunk Ranch".

- Bagdasarian died of a heart attack less than two weeks before his 53rd birthday. He willed his intellectual property to his family, and his son Ross Jr. and daughter-in-law Janice Karman are the current owners of Alvin and the Chipmunks.

 

Fun fact - the Chipmunks franchise were dormant for years after Bagdasarian's death until a random DJ played "Call Me" sped up and joked that it was the Alvin and the Chipmunks version. This joke snowballed to the point that it ushered in a revival in Chipmunks popularity, including an album of Chipmunk-ified late 70s/early 80s hits, including an official Chipmunks "Call Me".

 

And then in the 2010s someone slowed the album to a crawl.

 

 

[Hell 1,334]

Phil Spector died on this day 3 years ago, aged 81. He was an American record producer and songwriter best known for his innovative recording practices and entrepreneurship in the 1960s and his two trials and conviction for murder in the 2000s. Spector developed the Wall of Sound, a production style that is characterized for its diffusion of tone colors and dense orchestral sound, which he described as a "Wagnerian" approach to rock and roll. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in pop music history and one of the most successful producers of the 1960s. In the early 1970s, Spector produced the Beatles' Let It Be and several solo records by John Lennon and George Harrison. By the mid-1970s, Spector had produced eighteen U.S. Top 10 singles, for various artists. His chart-toppers included the Righteous Brothers' "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'", the Beatles' "The Long and Winding Road,” and Harrison's "My Sweet Lord.” Spector helped establish the role of the studio as an instrument, the integration of pop art aesthetics into music (art pop), and the genres of art rock and dream pop. His honors include the 1973 Grammy Award for Album of the Year, for co-producing Harrison's Concert for Bangladesh, a 1989 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and a 1997 induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

 

[John "요한" Sulu 419]

On this day 1 year ago, Italian actress Gina Lollobrigida passed away at the age of 95.

[Drewsky1211 4,721]

Clyde Tombaugh died on this day 27 years ago, aged 90.

- Tombaugh's uncle Lee Tombaugh was an amateur astronomer, and sparked Clyde's interest in the matter.

- Tombaugh began building his own telescopes in 1926, and would be hired by the Lowell Observatory in Arizona in 1929 after he sent his sketches of Mars and Jupiter.

- Almost immediately after joining Lowell, Tombaugh began taking pictures of the night sky, and quickly found a moving object. On February 18, 1930, Tombaugh confirmed it was an object orbiting the Sun beyond Neptune- and was soon named Pluto:

- Tombaugh would search for more trans-Neptunian objects, but was unable to do so during his career- he would live to see more being discovered, however, with the first being Albion in 1992.

- Tombaugh would also discover 15 asteroids, naming them after family members- among them being "Patsy", "Nicky", "Ellenbeth", and "Brendalee".

- Tombaugh would be cremated, and nine years after his death, some of his ashes would be loaded onto the New Horizons space probe:

New Horizons would fly by his most famous discovery in 2015, and the heart-shaped region on its surface would be named "Tombaugh Regio" after him:

[Sir Creep 7,069]

Saint Sulpitius the Pious, the bishop of Bourges, died 1380 years ago (age unknown). He is the patron saint of people with pains, gout and skin condition. We therefore pray to St Sulpitius on this, his Feast Day, to rid us of the @TQR rash that infests Deathlist. Amen.

’so it is written, so it shall be done’

 

 

 

 

[TQR 14,382]

2 hours ago, Sir Creep said:

Saint Sulpitius the Pious, the bishop of Bourges, died 1380 years ago (age unknown). He is the patron saint of people with pains, gout and skin condition. We therefore pray to St Sulpitius on this, his Feast Day, to rid us of the @TQR rash that infests Deathlist. Amen.

’so it is written, so it shall be done’

 

Awww bless.

[The Ashes Urn 1,353]

American athlete and double Olympic champion Helen Stephens died on this day 30 years ago, aged 75.

 

[John "요한" Sulu 419]

On this day 1 year ago, French supercentenarian Lucile Randon who was the world's oldest validated person at that time, passed away at the age of 118, becoming the first validated person to ever pass away at this age on record.

[Drewsky1211 4,721]

John Tyler died on this day 162 years ago, aged 71.

- During his childhood, Tyler led a student rebellion against a teacher perceived to be cruel- his father commended him for it.

- Tyler was admitted to Virginia's bar at the age of 19 (the judge did not ask his age), following his father into practicing law. Two years later, he would be elected into the Virginia House of Delegates.

- Tyler would be elected to the US House of Representatives in 1816, retiring after serving two terms. He returned to the Virginia House of Delegates in 1823, and was elected governor of Virginia in 1825. As governor, Tyler was best known for delivering the funeral address of Thomas Jefferson, who died during his tenure.

- Tyler would then be elected to the US Senate in 1826, resigning in 1836 and again being re-elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 1838.

- William Henry Harrison would choose Tyler as his presidential running mate in 1840. During Harrison's month-long term, the two only met once, at a parade. Tyler was reportedly playing marbles with his children when he received news of Harrison's death.

- Tyler would quickly alienate himself from the Whig Party due to his pro-slavery stance, and would be kicked out by the party; he would be the first president to have impeachment proceedings planned, in 1842. At the end of his presidency, he held a ball at the White House- simply to deliver a pun that he couldn't be "The President Without a Party" (a nickname detractors gave him, alongside others such as "His Accidency").

- Tyler's presidency is best known for the annexation of Texas, which occurred on his last full day in office- March 3, 1845.

- Tyler would be the only president to join the Confederate government during the Civil War, being elected to their House of Representatives in 1861 (dying before he could take office). Because of this, he is the only US president whose death was not acknowledged by the US government. His last words were "I am going. Perhaps it is best."

- Tyler had fifteen children, the most of any US president. In order of birth, they were Mary, Robert, John, Letitia, Elizabeth, Anne, Alice, Tazewell, David, John Alexander, Julia, Lachlan, Lyon, Robert Fitzwalter, and Margaret. Lyon's son Harrison is still alive at the time of writing this (at 95 years old), making Tyler the earliest-serving US president with a living grandchild.

[The Ashes Urn 1,353]

British-American actor Sydney Greenstreet died on this day 70 years ago, aged 74.

 

[Hell 1,334]

David Crosby died on this day a year ago, aged 81. He was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He first found fame as a member of the Byrds, with whom he helped pioneer the genres of folk rock and psychedelia in the mid-1960s, and later as part of the supergroup Crosby, Stills & Nash, who helped popularize the California sound of the 1970s. In addition to his music, Crosby was known for his outspoken personality, politics, and personal troubles; he was sometimes depicted as emblematic of the counterculture of the 1960s.

 

[Toast 16,112]

1 hour ago, Hell said:

John Tyler died on this day 162 years ago, aged 71. He was the tenth president of the United States, serving from 1841 to 1845, after briefly holding office as the tenth vice president in 1841. He was elected vice president on the 1840 Whig ticket with President William Henry Harrison, succeeding to the presidency following Harrison's death 31 days after assuming office. Tyler was a stalwart supporter and advocate of states' rights, including regarding slavery, and he adopted nationalistic policies as president only when they did not infringe on the states' powers. His unexpected rise to the presidency posed a threat to the presidential ambitions of Henry Clay and other Whig politicians and left Tyler estranged from both of the nation's major political parties at the time.

 

 

[Drewsky1211 4,721]

Adriana Caselotti died on this day 27 years ago, aged 80.

- Caselotti had a brief stint as a chorus girl at MGM in 1935- afterwards, Disney noticed her talent, and asked her to be the voice of Snow White:

- Caselotti was paid $970 for the role, but her voice went uncredited and she had trouble finding voice work afterwards; Jack Benny asked her to come on his radio show but Walt Disney did not give him permission, stating it would spoil the illusion.

- Caselotti would have more film roles in extremely influential movies. The first was in The Wizard of Oz, where she provided the voice of Juliet's "Wherefore art thou, Romeo?" during "If I Only Had a Heart". The other was in It's a Wonderful Life as a singing bar patron.

- Her film career ended in 1946, and afterwards she appeared for Disney's promotional events for Snow White. In 1994, she would be named a Disney Legend.

- In 1991, Caselotti was brought back by Disney to record for a restored release of Snow White for its 55th anniversary- however, after completion, Disney decided to re-dub her lines with Mary Kay Bergman (later of South Park fame) instead. Caselotti was not notified of this by Disney.

- Caselotti was the last surviving voice actor of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.