Death Anniversary Thread

[The Ashes Urn 1,344]

American field athlete Bud Houser died on this day 30 years ago, aged 93.

 

[Drewsky1211 4,590]

Gene Autry died on this day 26 years ago, aged 91.

- Autry's actual first name was Orvon. His first job was as a telegraph operator, but was fired due to playing his guitar too much during work hours.

- Autry would develop a persona as a singing cowboy and made his radio debut in 1928, soon getting signed to a Columbia Records the following year. His breakout song was 1932's "That Silver Haired Daddy of Mine":

 

He would often appear in movies from the 1930s and the 1950s (mostly Westerns), often used as a vehicle for him to sing on-screen (effectively early music videos). He would also do his own equestrian stunts while riding his own horse, named Champion.

- Autry is probably best remembered for his Christmas music- he was the one who first sang Christmas staples "Here Comes Santa Claus" (which he co-wrote), "Frosty the Snowman", and "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer".

- Autry was also the founder of the Los Angeles Angels baseball team, and was given the honorary jersey number of 26 (the team's roster was of 25 people, and Autry's support made him the '26th man'). The number would be retired by the team in 1982.

[The Ashes Urn 1,344]

German novelist Heinz G. Konsalik died on this day 25 years ago, aged 78.

 

 

 

[Drewsky1211 4,590]

Gaius Cassius Longinus died on this day 2066 years ago, aged 44.

- Little is known of Cassius' early life until he became a leading general in the Roman-Parthian War, with one particular ambush he led against Parthian troops in 51 BCE being seen as a massive success.

- In 49 BCE, Cassius would be elected the tribune of the plebs (leader of the Concilium Plebis branch of Rome's government), and would support Pompey over Julius Caesar during one of the empire's many civil wars. He became a naval officer in Pompey's army, and after his final defeat, Cassius would attempt to flee to Pontus only for Caesar to intercept him and force him to surrender- only to enlist him in his own army.

- Cassius was considered the Roman senator who brought forth the idea of assassinating Caesar, and also considered assassinating Mark Antony as well (which Brutus talked him out of).

- Following Caesar's assassination, Cassius would flee to Syria and amass his own army- but would eventually be killed in battle by the forces of Mark Antony, apparently being decapitated.

[The Ashes Urn 1,344]

American actress and author Janet Leigh died on this day 20 years ago, aged 77.

 

 

 

[Drewsky1211 4,590]

Graham Chapman died on this day 35 years ago, aged 48.

- Chapman went to Cambridge to study medicine, and it is there he joined the Cambridge Footlights comedy group and met John Cleese. The two of them would soon become writers for BBC variety shows.

- Chapman (and Cleese) would have their first major television appearance in 1967's At Last the 1948 Show, with Chapman notably portraying The Minister Who Falls to Pieces.

- After working with Cleese and four other people on The Frost Report, Chapman would co-found something completely different:

 

Chapman was notably the titular role in both Monty Python and The Holy Grail and Life of Brian:

- After developing the show Out of the Trees (with Douglas Adams) only for it to be cancelled after one episode (it aired at the same time as Match of the Day, which drew viewers away), Chapman would turn back to film and write (and star in) The Odd Job (1978) and Yellowbeard (1983).

- Chapman died after a year-long fight with metastatic tonsil cancer. His Monty Python co-stars would not attend his private funeral (to respect his privacy), and would hold their own public memorial service filled with Pythonesque humor.

[The Ashes Urn 1,344]

American jazz arranger Bill Challis died on this day 30 years ago, aged 90.

 

[John "요한" Sulu 407]

On this day 2 years ago, American country singer and songwriter Loretta Lynn passed away at the age of 90.

[John "요한" Sulu 407]

On this day 3 years ago, American tennis place Budge Patty passed away at the age of 97.

 

Photo Credit: Dutch National Archives, The Hague, Fotocollectie Algemeen Nederlands Persbureau (ANeFo), 1945-1989

[John "요한" Sulu 407]

On this day 3 years ago, American baseball player, coach, and manager Eddie Robinson, passed away at the age of 100.

[Drewsky1211 4,590]

Andrea de Cesaris died on this day 10 years ago, aged 55.

- De Cesaris was picked to join Formula One by Alfa Romeo in 1980, before being signed to McLaren in 1981 (due to his own endorsement of Marlboro cigarettes, with Marlboro being the team's main sponsor).

- De Cesaris would return to Alfa Romeo in 1982- largely due to how often he crashed his car (which happened regardless of the racing team he was signed to). Because of his frequent crashes, he earned the nickname "De Crasheris". An infamous crash occurred while he was in second place at the Long Beach Grand Prix (behind Niki Lauda), where his car had a brake failure when he forgot to shift gears.

- De Cesaris joined Ligier in 1984, where he was fired the following year after totaling his car in the Austrian Grand Prix. His infamy as a notoriously reckless driver continued over the next decade, with him not scoring a single point in several F1 seasons, before he retired following the 1994 European Grand Prix.

- De Cesaris died the way he lived- after colliding with a highway guardrail on his motorcycle. He was put on the inaugural 1987 DeathList (his only appearance).

[The Ashes Urn 1,344]

American center fielder and manager in Negro league baseball Oscar Charleston died on this day 70 years ago, aged 57.

 

[Drewsky1211 4,590]

Charles II of France died on this day 1147 years ago, aged 54.

- The son of Louis I (the Pious), Charles would ally with his older brother Louis II of Germany against their other brother Lothair I, who would accept defeat and give Charles control of western Francia (modern France) in 843.

- Charles would unsuccessfully try to invade Brittany, and his unpopularity led to dissatisfied nobles to invite the aforementioned Louis to come oust him; the clergy refused to crown Louis and he ended up leaving.

- Charles became Holy Roman Emperor after the death of his nephew Louis II (not to be confused with his German uncle) in 875. His brother would once again attempt to invade his controlled territory in response; Charles tried to lead a counter-invasion the following year but was repelled by Louis' successor Louis III (the elder Louis died earlier that year).

- Charles became ill and died while on the way to assist Pope John VIII in dealing with the Aghlabid Caliphate to the south (Charles was known for his diplomacy with Muslims, even being gifted pet camels by emir Muhammad I of Cordoba), but he fell ill and died trying to go home- coincidentally on the eighth death anniversary of his first wife Ermentrude. He would be succeeded as king of France by his son Louis the Stammerer, and as Holy Roman Emperor by his nephew Charles the Fat.

- Charles' epithet is "the Bald"- yet contemporary sources claim he had a full head of hair his full life.