Death Anniversary Thread

[John "요한" Sulu 429]

On this day 1 year ago, American philosopher Harry Frankfurt passed away at the age of 94.

 

Photo Credit: American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) per Creative Commons license

[Drewsky1211 4,817]

Billie Holiday died on this day 65 years ago, aged 44.

- Holiday often skipped school as a child, dropping out at the age of 11. She became inspired to make music after listening to the works of Louis Armstrong, and began performing at nightclubs as a teen.

- Holiday would go professional in 1933, having her debut single "Your Mother's Son-In-Law", which she recorded with Benny Goodman and his big band, become a hit. From there, she often collaborated with pianist Teddy Wilson, with her biggest song at the time being 1936's "I Cried For You":

Holiday also performed for the big bands of Count Basie and Artie Shaw.

- In 1939, Billie Holiday recorded her signature song, "Strange Fruit". This song instantly became an anti-lynching anthem, and was named by Time magazine as the greatest song of the 20th century in 1999:

- In the 1940s, Holiday had a string of pop hits, which included "Lover Man" (1943) and "Don't Explain" (1946). In 1946, she starred in her only film New Orleans- a film notorious for having scenes deleted to lessen her and Louis Armstrong's roles.

- Armstrong was arrested and convicted in 1947 for possession of narcotics, being released the following year; she notably recalled how excited her dog (named Mister) was to see her after said release.

- Holiday's autobiography Lady Sings the Blues was published in 1956, which was adapted into an Oscar-nominated film starring Diana Ross as Holiday in 1972.

- Holiday was diagnosed with cirrhosis in early 1959, and died from heart failure relating to said cirrhosis.

[Drewsky1211 4,817]

Jane Austen died on this day 207 years ago, aged 41.

- Austen began writing books as a teenager, with her first notable work being the satirical The History of England, written in 1791. The illustrations were drawn by her sister Cassandra, and Jane would admit to bias in the work as it was a parody of history books. You can read it in its entirety here.

- Austen would continue to make parodies of popular writing styles, particularly Gothic novels in 1798's Northanger Abbey.

- Austen would publish her most famous novels- 1811's Sense and Sensibility and 1813's Pride and Prejudice- anonymously, and therefore did not make much money off of them during her life. Within her lifetime, unauthorized French-language copies were also made in France.

- Austen died after an undisclosed long-term illness. Among the leading hypotheses are Addison's disease (an autoimmune disorder) and Hodgkin's lymphoma. Other historians suggest chronic tuberculosis, recurring typhus, or stomach cancer.

[Drewsky1211 4,817]

James Garner died on this day 10 years ago, aged 86.

- Garner's surname before taking his stage name was "Bumgarner"; he was of German ancestry on his dad's side. He served in the Korean War, where he received a Purple Heart (in one instance being wounded by friendly fire).

- After the war, Garner's friend Paul Gregory would encourage him to begin an acting career, and his first role was a nonspeaking part in a 1954 Broadway production of The Caine Mutiny. He soon went to TV and was considered for the titular role of Cheyenne (which ended up going to Clint Walker).

- Garner's first major role was as the titular Bret Maverick of the 1957 Western show Maverick. With this new fame, Garner got roles in films such as The Great Escape, 36 Hours, Marlowe and Support Your Local Sheriff. Perhaps Garner's most notable role was as Jim Rockford in The Rockford Files, which ran from 1974 to 1980- he was nominated for eight Emmys during its run.

- In his later career, Garner would occasionally voice act. These roles included God in the short-lived adult cartoon God, the Devil and Bob, the wizard Shazam in Superman/Shazam!: The Return of Black Adam, and most notably the main antagonist of the Disney film Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Lyle Rourke:

- Garner appeared on the DeathList twice, in 2010 and 2013.

[Drewsky1211 4,817]

Chester Bennington died on this day 7 years ago, aged 41.

- After a horrible childhood (look at the Wikipedia page for the disturbing details), Bennington would join his first band at 17 years old- Sean Dowdell and His Friends?. Bennington and Dowdell would then go on to form the band Grey Daze.

- Bennington would leave Grey Daze in 1998, and soon won an audition to join Linkin Park- then-called 'Xero'. He was considered the lead vocalist of the band (occasionally sharing it with Mike Shinoda), with "In the End" propelling them into stardom, and they would also see further success with their Meteora and Minutes to Midnight albums:

 

- Bennington would co-found the band Dead by Sunrise in 2005, initially naming it 'Snow White Tan'. In 2013, Bennington would replace Scott Weiland as the lead singer of Stone Temple Pilots.

- Bennington was very good friends with Soundgarden's Chris Cornell- and Bennington's suicide occurred on what would've been Cornell's birthday, two months after Cornell's own.

[Drewsky1211 4,817]

Long John Baldry died on this day 19 years ago, aged 64.

- Baldry's 'Long' nickname came from the fact he was 6'7" (2.01 meters) tall.

- Baldry would become a blues musician as a member of Alexis Korner's Blues Incorporated, and would take over the R&B All Stars band following the death of its frontman Cyril Davies. The latter group became known as the 'Hoochie Coochie Men', and later 'Steampacket', while he was the lead singer. Baldry would also form a band called Bluesology, which featured a certain Reginald Dwight as its keyboardist- who would take the latter half of his future name from Baldry's first name.

- Baldry recorded "Let the Heartaches Begin" in 1967, which topped the UK Singles Chart for two weeks in November of that year:

Baldry was also known for his song "Mexico", which became the British Olympic team's theme for the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City.

- Baldry would later move to Canada, where he would become a voice actor. By far his most notable role was as Dr. Robotnik in The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog:

- Baldry died following a long-term chest infection, and he was known for his nosocomephobia (the fear of hospitals).

[Drewsky1211 4,817]

Estelle Getty died on this day 16 years ago, aged 84.

- Getty's last name was actually 'Gettleman'. Her first experience with acting was when her father took her to see a vaudeville show, and from that day she desired to become an actress.

- Getty would get minor roles in theatrical productions, before her breakout hit came in 1982 as Mrs. Beckoff in the Broadway version of Torch Song Trilogy.

- Soon after, Getty would be cast as Sophia in The Golden Girls- she had to don makeup to make herself look much older; she was a year younger than co-stars Betty White and Bea Arthur (who portrayed Dorothy, her daughter), and Sophia was 80 years old in the show- Getty was only 63 when the show began in 1985.

- Among Getty's film roles were as Evelyn in 1985's Mask, Estelle in the first Stuart Little movie (in 1999), and more notably as the titular mother Tutti in the critically-panned 1992 film Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot:

Getty would win the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actress in 1993 for this role.

- Getty died 3 days before her 85th birthday due to Lewy body dementia. She was also known to have had a multitude of health issues (such as osteoporosis and possibly Parkinson's disease).

[John "요한" Sulu 429]

One year ago from yesterday, American pop singer Tony Bennett passed away at the age of 96.

 

Photo Credit: City of Boston Archives per Creative Commons license

[Drewsky1211 4,817]

Ulysses S. Grant died on this day 139 years ago, aged 63.

- Grant's full name was Hiram Ulysses Grant- he started going by his middle name in college because he believed the fact his initials spelt the word 'hug' would get him bullied. While some thought the 'S' stood for "Simpson" (his mother Hannah's maiden name), it is believed it actually stood for nothing at all (similar to future fellow US president Harry S. Truman).

- Before fighting in the Civil War, Grant was a veteran of the Mexican-American war, serving under Zachary Taylor. Grant was initially criticized for the high amount of casualties his unit suffered in the Battle of Shiloh, but it was the Vicksburg campaign that cut the Confederates from the Mississippi River that caused him to quickly rise through the ranks and become a hero. Ironically, Grant was squeamish at the sight of blood (and would also have meaty food served to him charred because of this). After the war's end, Grant and his wife Julia were invited by President Lincoln to accompany him to Ford's Theatre, but he (unknowingly luckily) declined because they wanted to return to their home in New Jersey.

- Grant ran for the Republican nomination for president in 1868 and was unanimously named the candidate at the convention, and would win the election 214-80 in the Electoral College (this was the first election African-American men were allowed to vote in).

- Grant was known for his support of civil rights (such as advocating the ratification of the Fifteenth Amendment protecting African-American voters, increased prosecution of KKK members, and his support of American Jews), but his cabinet has been regarded by historians as one of the most corrupt in American history (most notably the Whiskey Ring scandal of 1875).

- Grant was initially the Republican frontrunner for the 1880 election, but unexpectedly lost to James Garfield at the convention's 36th ballot.

- Grant was largely bankrupt during his last years, and his autobiography (published with the help of his friend Mark Twain) would not become a bestseller until after his death (Julia Grant, however, would see profits later on, until her death in 1902).

- Grant was a chronic smoker and would be diagnosed with throat cancer in October of 1884, dying after a nine month battle. Below is his last photo:

Grant's tomb became a staple of popular culture in the 1950s as Groucho Marx often asked contestants on You Bet Your Life "who is buried in Grant's Tomb?'- both Ulysses and Julia Grant are interred in aboveground sarcophagi.

[Drewsky1211 4,817]

Alex "Hurricane" Higgins died on this day 14 years ago, aged 61.

- Higgins joined a snooker league at his local YMCA in 1967, and from there would compete in amateur tournaments. He would go professional in 1971, and would win the 1972 World Snooker Championship- his first time competing in said competition, beating notable opponents such as John Spencer, John Pulman, and Rex Williams. At 23, he was the youngest winner (until Stephen Hendry won the 1990 tournament at the age of 21).

- Higgins would win a second World Snooker Champion title in 1982, and would win the Masters tournament in 1978 and 1981. At the 1990 World Championship, Higgins got drunk on vodka after losing and would insult other players, and punched an official, leading to him being banned for the 1991 Tournament.

- Outside of snooker, Higgins was known for recording a version of "Wild Thing" with The Troggs in 1992 (alongside his good friend, the actor Oliver Reed):

- Higgins was a severe smoker, reportedly smoking 80 cigarettes a day. He was diagnosed with mouth cancer in both 1994 and 1996, and throat cancer in 1998; the radiation therapy used to treat the throat cancer caused him to lose all his teeth. He would continue to abuse nicotine and alcohol until he died of malnutrition, weighing only 90 lbs (41 kg) at the time of his death. He had also become penniless due to his expensive treatment and addiction.

- Higgins appeared on the DeathList once, in 2002 at spot number 30 (his age was erroneously stated to be 54 instead of 53).

[John "요한" Sulu 429]

On this day 1 year ago, American actress Inga Swenson, who starred in the film "The Miracle Worker" and the TV series "Benson", passed away at the age of 90.

[Drewsky1211 4,817]

Pope Innocent VIII died on this day 532 years ago, aged 60.

- Innocent's name before ascending to the papacy was Giovanni Cybo. He was appointed as a bishop in 1467, and as a cardinal in 1473.

- After the death of Pope Sixtus IV in 1484, several cardinal electors convinced each other to vote for Innocent to prevent the election of cardinal Marco Barbo (probably due to the Papal States' political strain with Venice).

- Innocent spent his early papacy trying to assemble a Crusade against the Ottoman Empire, but failed to do so. Regardless, Ottoman sultan Bayezid II would pay Innocent to keep his brother Cem (claiming to be the true heir to the Ottoman throne) imprisoned- and Innocent would use this to his advantage by threatening to release him (which occurred in 1495, after Innocent's death).

- Innocent would issue a papal bull in 1484 condemning the practice of witchcraft, which was written to allow a German inquisitor (named Heinrich Kramer) to take witchcraft investigations into their own hands. Among the things Innocent wrote within the bull was that any cat owner could be identified as a witch, and that the cat was to be burned at the stake with its owner.

- Innocent was a slaveowner, having owned 100 Moorish slaves.

- Before ascending to the papacy, Innocent had at least seven bastard children (of which two were legitimized). His son Franceschetto married into the powerful Medici family.

- Innocent died after an 8-year papacy, and was succeeded by Pope Alexander VI.

[John "요한" Sulu 429]

On this day 1 year ago, American screenwriter Bo Goldman, who worked on the films One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Melvin and Howard passed away at the age of 90.

[John "요한" Sulu 429]

On this day 1 year ago, American football player Johnny Lujack passed away at the age of 98.

[Drewsky1211 4,817]

Winsor McCay died on this day 90 years ago, aged ~65.

- McCay's first name was Zenas, and he went by his middle name. His birth date is unknown, ranging from 1867 to 1871; one birth record says 1867, his gravestone says 1869, and he claimed to have been born in September of 1871.

- McCay would work on illustrating advertisements before becoming a comics artist. His first recurring strip was 1904's Mr. Goodenough (about a lazy rich man trying to become more active), with McCay seeing further success with Little Sammy Sneeze (the gag can easily be inferred by the title), which ran in papers from 1904 to 1907.

- McCay's comic strips soon turned to fantastical dream settings with 1904's Dream of the Rarebit Fiend (which was his longest-running comic, lasting until 1925), and in 1905 he created his most iconic comic series- Little Nemo in Slumberland:

Little Nemo was in instant smash-hit, with an extremely expensive stage musical debuting in 1907. McCay would follow this with a 1911 short film bringing the characters into animation (most of which was him displaying the process):

- In 1914, McCay made animation history when he made Gertie the Dinosaur, a vaudeville cartoon that was synced to McCay's commands:

Consisting of about 14 minutes of animation, Gertie was the first cartoon to use important animation techniques such as keyframes, tracing paper, and animation loops.

- McCay was also known for animating 1918's The Sinking of the Lusitania, one of the few propaganda cartoons to come out of World War I:

- McCay died of an embolism in his brain, and his son Bob McCay would end up later reviving the Little Nemo comic. Many of the animation industry's most innovative personalities viewed him as a direct inspiration to their work- such as the Fleischer brothers, Chuck Jones, and (of course) Walt Disney.

[Bibliogryphon 9,648]

3 hours ago, Drewsky1211 said:

Winsor McCay died on this day 90 years ago, aged ~65.

- McCay's first name was Zenas, and he went by his middle name. His birth date is unknown, ranging from 1867 to 1871; one birth record says 1867, his gravestone says 1869, and he claimed to have been born in September of 1871.

- McCay would work on illustrating advertisements before becoming a comics artist. His first recurring strip was 1904's Mr. Goodenough (about a lazy rich man trying to become more active), with McCay seeing further success with Little Sammy Sneeze (the gag can easily be inferred by the title), which ran in papers from 1904 to 1907.

- McCay's comic strips soon turned to fantastical dream settings with 1904's Dream of the Rarebit Fiend (which was his longest-running comic, lasting until 1925), and in 1905 he created his most iconic comic series- Little Nemo in Slumberland:

Little Nemo was in instant smash-hit, with an extremely expensive stage musical debuting in 1907. McCay would follow this with a 1911 short film bringing the characters into animation (most of which was him displaying the process):

- In 1914, McCay made animation history when he made Gertie the Dinosaur, a vaudeville cartoon that was synced to McCay's commands:

Consisting of about 14 minutes of animation, Gertie was the first cartoon to use important animation techniques such as keyframes, tracing paper, and animation loops.

- McCay was also known for animating 1918's The Sinking of the Lusitania, one of the few propaganda cartoons to come out of World War I:

- McCay died of an embolism in his brain, and his son Bob McCay would end up later reviving the Little Nemo comic. Many of the animation industry's most innovative personalities viewed him as a direct inspiration to their work- such as the Fleischer brothers, Chuck Jones, and (of course) Walt Disney.

 

 

[Drewsky1211 4,817]

Geoffrey Hughes died on this day 12 years ago, aged 68.

- Hughes got his start in acting on West End, performing in productions of The Wizard of Oz and Henry V.

- One of Hughes' earliest film roles was voicing Paul McCartney's animated counterpart in Yellow Submarine. Other films he was in included the Till Death Us Do Part movie, and Confessions of a Driving Instructor.

- Hughes began portraying Coronation Street's garbageman Eddie Yeats (picture used above) beginning in 1974, appearing in 511 episodes until 1987. He was also well-known for his roles as Onslow in Keeping Up Appearances, Twiggy in The Royle Family, and Vernon Scripps in Heartbeat.

- Hughes was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1996, and it went into remission- until it relapsed in 2010, and he died after a two-year battle with the disease. His diagnosis led to his only appearance on the DeathList in 2011 (spot 14).

 

[John "요한" Sulu 429]

On this day 3 years ago, Canadian-born American psychologist Albert Bandura, who originated social cognitive theory passed away at the age of 95.

 

Photo Credit: bandura@stanford.edu per Creative Commons license

[polar duck 891]

Israeli archaeologist Joseph Aviram died on this day 2 years ago, aged 106 (or 107).

Aviram worked with the Israel Exploration Society for nearly 80 years, organizing expeditions at Hazor and Masada.

[Drewsky1211 4,817]

Francis Crick died on this day 20 years ago, aged 88.

- Francis' grandfather Walter Crick was a naturalist who corresponded with Charles Darwin, which likely led to his early interest in science; by 12 years old he was conducting chemical experiments in his uncle's (also named Walter) shed.

- Crick was ahead of his class, and was given a scholarship to Mill Hill School at 14 years old. He attended University College London, where he received his PhD in science in 1939.

- Crick would study cellular cytoplasm before attempting to figure out the molecular structure of DNA. He began working with (still-living) James Watson, and would attempt to prove its helical structure using X-ray diffraction imagery- as well as corroborating the evidence with pictures made by Rosalind Franklin (who went uncredited for the discovery):

Crick and Watson would publish their model in 1953, and the pair would be awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1962.

- After completing his PhD thesis (about X-ray diffraction) in 1954, Crick would continue to work with Watson as they studied the molecular biology of viruses.

- Crick's solo experiments included determining the process of protein creation, and observing the molecular structure of collagen.

[Drewsky1211 4,817]

"Mama" Cass Elliot died on this day 50 years ago, aged 32.

- Elliot's real name was Ellen Cohen, and took her stage name in high school. She would drop out in order to pursue her dreams of becoming an entertainer.

- Elliot would act in productions of The Music Man before turning to music, and formed a band called The Triumvirate in 1963, which soon was renamed to 'The Big 3'. Elliot would then form The Mugwumps in 1964, which also included John Sebastian (who co-founded The Lovin' Spoonful after The Mugwumps broke up).

- Elliot and fellow Mugwumps member Denny Doherty would then join the band The New Journeymen, which was then renamed to The Mamas and the Papas- most notable for the songs "Monday, Monday" and "California Dreamin'":

Cass would soon become the standout vocalist of the group, and by 1968 she got top billing on their songs- with the band being referred to 'Mama Cass with the Mamas and the Papas' by this time:

The band would break up in 1971.

- Elliot made her solo debut in October 1968, but her first show became an infamous disaster when she developed a fever backstage and delivered a subpar performance. It is believed she had taken heroin shortly before the show started.

- In the 1970s, Elliot would often appear on talk shows and variety shows, notably guest hosting on Johnny Carson's The Tonight Show once. She was also a co-host of The Music Scene, and would voice an animated version of herself in an episode of The New Scooby-Doo Movies.

- Elliot died from a heart attack (likely due to her history of obesity), although it was once rumored she died from choking on a ham sandwich. She was residing in Harry Nilsson's apartment- where four years later, The Who's Keith Moon would die in the same bedroom as her also at 32 years old.

[Drewsky1211 4,817]

Paul Reubens died on this day a year ago, aged 70.

- Reubens' last name was actually 'Rubenfeld', and his father Milton was a notable fighter pilot for the US, UK and Israel.

- One of Reubens' first TV roles was on The Gong Show, where he and Charlotte McGinnis would have a recurring role as the comedy duo The Hilarious Betty and Eddie. Following this, he would join The Groundlings, where he met Phil Hartman, and the two of them quickly developed his Pee-wee Herman character.

- After auditioning for Saturday Night Live and losing the audition to Gilbert Gottfried, Reubens and Hartman would create The Pee-wee Herman Show at theatres, becoming a smash hit. Reubens would become a method actor who would often play as Pee-wee during interviews to make people think Pee-wee was a real person.

- Reubens starring in Pee-wee's Big Adventure in 1985, and then the TV series Pee-wee's Playhouse from 1986 to 1990, made him an A-list celebrity:

 

1988's Big Top Pee-wee, on the other hand, was considered a box-office bomb.

- Reubens was infamously arrested in 1991 for exposing himself at a pornographic theater, and as part of his sentence he had to star in this infamous anti-drug PSA:

Reubens was also a collector of erotica, and got into legal trouble when it was discovered he owned nude prints of teen models; Reubens defended himself in court by stating he was merely a connoisseur of smut and only saw them as works of art.

- Outside of Pee-wee, Reubens was also a prolific voice actor- most notably voicing characters in episodes of Chowder and Adventure Time, voicing Lock in The Nightmare Before Christmas, and (most bizarre of all) voicing Ivor in the video game Minecraft: Story Mode:

 

 - Reubens was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2017, keeping his battle hidden from the public until his final released message.

[Drewsky1211 4,817]

Bobby Robson died on this day 15 years ago, aged 76.

- The first football team Robson played for was Fulham, when he was 17 years old. He was also known for playing for West Bromwich Albion, and played on England's national team in the 1958 World Cup.

- Robson retired from playing in 1969 to become a team manager, most notably for Ipswich Town from 1969 to 1982, then for England's national team from 1982 to 1990, leading their strategy in the 1986 and 1990 World Cups- which ended in disaster thanks to Diego Maradona's "Hand of God" moment, and the team's failure to score a penalty goal in the semifinals against West Germany.

- Following the 1990 World Cup, Robson managed foreign teams in the Netherlands, Portugal- and FC Barcelona in Spain. He would return to the UK in 1999 to manage Newcastle United, before retiring in 2007.

- Robson had multiple cancer battles beginning in 1991, having had some form of it five times- most seriously, a brain tumor in 2006, and the lung cancer that would kill him being diagnosed in 2007.

- Robson appeared on the DeathList three times (1989, 2008 and 2009), and was the sixth death (of the twelve) that year.

[John "요한" Sulu 429]

On this day 2 years ago, Pat Carroll, who voiced Ursula in Disney's "The Little Mermaid" passed away at the age of 95.

[Drewsky1211 4,817]

Queen Anne died on this day 310 years ago, aged 49.

- Anne was the daughter of James II, and was raised separated from her sister Mary II. She was unable to attend Mary's wedding to William of Orange (the future William III) due to suffering from smallpox, though she would often accompany them following her recovery.

- Anne married her second cousin George of Denmark in 1683. She was pregnant 17 times- having 12 miscarriages and stillbirths, and none of her 5 children who survived birth survived childhood.

- Anne became queen of England upon William III's death in 1702, and was most famous for the Acts of Union in 1707 that unified Great Britain as a single country (with Ireland also under subjugation). Her reign was also known for the Tory and Whigs becoming the dominant two political parties in Parliament, and she was a patron of the arts (paying George Frederic Handel 200 pounds a year).

- Anne's health began failing in 1713 where she was unable to walk for months due to gout, and had a near-fatal fever in December of that year (deadpoolers back then probably would've put her at number 1 on their 1714 lists). She had a stroke in late July and died two days later; her death marked the end of the Stuart dynasty and the beginning of the Hanover dynasty with George I (who was chosen to prevent a Catholic from taking the throne).