Death Anniversary Thread

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Estelle Harris died on this day 2 years ago, aged 93.

- Harris got her start on TV working in commercials, but her screen career only began in 1976.

- Harris' breakout role was as George's mom Estelle Costanza on Seinfeld, first appearing in the 1992 episode "The Contest". She appeared in 26 more episodes:

- From there, Harris would primarily become a voice actress, and lent her voice to many Disney productions. On TV, these included Timon's mother in the Timon and Pumbaa show (she would be replaced by Julie Kavner in The Lion King 1 1/2), Mama Lipsky in Kim Possible, Dave's sword Lula in Dave the Barbarian, and Peg-Leg Peg in Jake and the Neverland Pirates. In movies, she was an elderly bear in Brother Bear, Audrey the chicken in Home on the Range, and most notably Mrs. Potato Head from Toy Story 2 to Toy Story 4:

She also played Muriel in the live-action Disney Channel show The Suite Life of Zack and Cody.

- Harris was also often typecast as old mother characters as well, specifically Oz's mom in Fanboy and Chum-Chum, Professor Farnsworth's mother Velma in an episode of Futurama, and Death's mother in Family Guy.

- Harris would appear on the DeathList once in 2022- the third death of the fourteen that year.

[Sinbabad 834]

On this day at this hour fifty years ago (1974), French President Georges Pompidou died in office due to illness.

 

He was the fourth (and last) president to die in office after Sadi Carnot (assassinated in 1894), Félix Faure (died of heart attack in the Elysée Palace after having sex with his mistress in 1899), and Paul Doumer (assassinated in 1932).

 

Upon his death an acting president was appointed for the second (and last) time, the first time being after the resignation of De Gaulle five years earlier in 1969.

And for the second time, Alain Poher (the Senate President) was acting president for two months.

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Pinky Lee died on this day 31 years ago, aged 85.

- Lee's real name was Pincus Leff, and he used his real name on vaudeville in the 1920s. He was primarily a tap dancer, but developed his trademark mannerisms in the late 1920s.

- Lee was primarily known for the way he dressed- he almost always wore a plaid suit and hat, as well as baggy trousers. He would often provide comedy routines on radio beginning in the 1940s.

- Lee got his big break on TV in 1950 with the variety show The Pinky Lee Show, but is better known for his children's entertainment show of the same name that began in 1954:

 This show was the lead-in for Howdy Doody, and has also been considered to have been the inspiration for Pee-wee's Playhouse over 30 years later.

- On one episode dated September 20, 1955, Lee would collapse live on camera due to a sudden illness, with the cameraman and director thinking it was part of the act (this wouldn't be the last time something like this happened- Tommy Cooper for example). Lee was permanently removed from the show after this blunder (which wasn't his fault), and the show ended in 1956. Rumors would persist that he died on screen from a heart attack (also Tommy Cooper), or that he went insane and was put in an asylum.

- Lee would have a comeback in 1957 as the host of The Gumby Show, where he would provide interstitials between the Gumby cartoons:

- Lee would retire from professional acting in 1979, and worked as an acting teacher. The last productions he worked on were local musical plays.

- Lee was the uncle of the famous Sherman Brothers composers- his wife Beatrice's sister Rosa was their mother.

[John "요한" Sulu 371]

On this day 34 years ago, American singer and pianist Sarah Vaughan passed away at the age of 66.

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Pope Formosus died on this day 1128 years ago, aged 80.

- Formosus was appointed as a cardinal in 864, and acted as the Catholic Church's diplomat to France.

- Formosus became pope in a unanimous vote following the death of Pope Stephen V in 891. Once again he greatly acted in foreign affairs, particularly France's succession crisis between king claimants Charles III and Odo, and dealing with Abbasid troops raiding the coasts of Lazio.

- Formosus was distrustful of king Guy of Spoleto, and would request duke Arnulf of Carinthia to oust him. Arnulf would arrive in Rome the following year and be crowned by Formosus- and this would lead to what Formosus is most famous for.

- After Formosus died in 896, Pope Stephen VI (who succeeded the very short-reigned Pope Boniface VI) would posthumously put Formosus on trial in January of 897; Stephen was a supporter of Guy's son Lambert. Formosus' body would be exhumed and put on a chair, where a deacon would "answer" for him:

This event has become known as the "Cadaver Synod". Formosus was found guilty and his body would be thrown into the Tiber River, but after it washed ashore, rumors spread that it was performing miracles. This led to a riot that led to Stephen's downfall, and Pope Theodore II would pardon Formosus later that year. Theodore's successor John IX would issue a decree that a corpse could not be put on trial, but Formosus' guilty verdict would be reinstated by Pope Sergius III (who was a judge in the original trial).

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Kurt Cobain died on this day 30 years ago, aged 27.

- As a child, Cobain's influences included The Beatles, ELO, and The Monkees- a surprising contrast to the grunge genre he ended up pioneering. When he grew older, he got into rock bands such as Queen, Led Zeppelin, and Black Sabbath. Cobain also obviously was a fan of David Bowie:

- Cobain's first band was formed in 1985 after he dropped out of high school- it was named "Fecal Matter".

- Nirvana would be formed in 1987, but it had several different names beforehand- these were "Skid Row", "Pen Cap Chew", "Bliss", and "Ted Ed Fred".

- Despite Nevermind topping Billboard's Hot 200 albums chart in January of 1992, it wouldn't be until April of that year that Cobain believed he made it as a band- with the release of Weird Al's "Smells Like Nirvana":

A young Tony Hawk is one of the extras in the music video- his son is married to Cobain's daughter.

- While not performing music, Cobain was often espousing his liberal activist views, particularly bringing up his support of gay rights and abortion often. He would receive a death threat once due to his opinion on the latter.

- Cobain had a drug abuse problem, and he particularly took marijuana, LSD, and especially heroin, the latter of which caused a near-fatal overdose in 1992.

- Cobain's suicide made him a member of the infamous "27 Club", and just before his death there had been rumors that Nirvana would break up, which it officially did following this.

- Cobain's hometown of Aberdeen, Washington has since adopted one of his band's song's titles as their motto:

 

[John "요한" Sulu 371]

On this day 2 years ago, Palestinian-born American actor Nehemiah Persoff, who starred in the films "Some Like It Hot" and "Yentl", passed away at the age of 102.

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On this day 1 year ago, American cinematographer Bill Butler, who did work on the films "Jaws" and "Grease", passes away at the age of 101.

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Mickey Rooney died on this day 10 years ago, aged 93.

- Rooney's real name was Joseph Yule- he was a nepo baby, as his dad Joe Yule was a vaudeville actor.

- Rooney was quick to become a child star, and in 1927 got the role of the titular character of the Mickey McGuire short films. During this time, he also briefly voiced Oswald the Lucky Rabbit (which had been taken from Walt Disney at the time).

- Rooney's friendship with Judy Garland was well-publicized, and their 1939 film Babes in Arms got him an Oscar nomination for Best Actor.

- Rooney served in World War II as an entertainer for troops, and earned several medals from the Army. By the time he returned, he was no longer a teenage heartthrob and caused his career to decline- but he would eventually make a comeback.

- Among Rooney's most famous roles were Mr. Yunioshi in Breakfast at Tiffany's (...a racially-charged character to say the least), Ding Bell in It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, Lampie in the 1977 version of Pete's Dragon, and Henry in The Black Stallion. Rooney was nominated for four Oscars (winning none but earning an honorary one) and five Emmys (winning one).

- Rooney would also delve into voice acting, most notably as adult Tod in The Fox and the Hound, Santa Claus in both of Rankin-Bass' Santa Claus is Comin' to Town and The Year Without a Santa Claus, and as himself in the season 7 Simpsons episode "Radioactive Man":

- Rooney appeared on the DeathList eight times between 1997 and 2014, and was the second death (of 10 that year) on the list when he died.

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Stan Freberg died on this day 9 years ago, aged 88.

- Freberg started out as a voice actor, with his first notable role being in Looney Tunes beginning in 1947. His most notable voices were Hubie and Bertie the mice, Chester the terrier, and Bugs Bunny adversary Pete Puma:

Freberg also lent his voice to Disney, and he voiced Mr. Busy the beaver in Lady and the Tramp and the titular character's sole line in Lambert the Sheepish Lion.

- Freberg was also a successful novelty artist in the 1950s, with his most notable song being 1953's chart-topping "Saint George and the Dragonet"- which combined the story with the radio show Dragnet:

Freberg would also add comedic effects to popular songs of the decade, such as mumbling The Chords' "Sh-Boom" (in the style of Marlon Brando), adding an echo effect to Elvis' "Heartbreak Hotel", and complaints during the production of Harry Belafonte's "Banana Boat Song".

- Freberg had another hit in 1958 with his Christmas song "Green Chri$tma$", a criticism of the commercialization of the holiday:

- In 1957, Freberg got his own radio show (The Stan Freberg Show), where he would often have political satire sketches. These included portraying the USA and USSR as casinos (named after Sodom and Gomorrah) in a Las Vegas expy where they are both destroyed by a hydrogen bomb (called a tourist attraction), and criticizing McCarthyism by replacing Little Red Riding Hood with Little Blue Riding Hood.

- In later years, Freberg got into the advertising business, starting his own agency and injecting comedy into his clients' commercials. He would also occasionally appear in them, such as for Encyclopedia Britannica (along with his son Donovan):

- Freberg's later acting career included characters in The Weird Al Show (Weird Al cited Freberg as a heavy influence on his works) and The Garfield Show. 

[John "요한" Sulu 371]

7 years ago from yesterday, Don Rickles passed away at the age of 90.

 

Photo Credit: John Mathew Smith & www.celebrity-photos.com per Creative Commons license

[John "요한" Sulu 371]

On this day 1 year ago, Romanian-born American lawyer Benjamin Ferencz, who was a prosecutor in the Nuremberg trials of Nazi war criminals, passed away at the age of 103.

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Rick May died on this day 4 years ago, aged 79.

- May was a theater and movie actor, having had minor roles in films such as American Graffiti and theatrical productions such as Fiddler on the Roof and Death of a Salesman.

- However, May was much more famous for his voice acting- particularly in video games. The first gaming role he did was for Star Fox 64 in 1997, voicing both the main antagonist Andross, and Fox's commander Peppy Hare:

- May's most famous role, however, was providing the voice lines for the Soldier in Team Fortress 2, and voiced him in a promotional video that added some character to the class:

(He also had a prominent role in the Meet the Spy video.)

Because of his role as the Soldier- and Team Fortress 2 being the only live service game he did- several in-game memorial services would be held for him: on the day of his death, players would stop fighting each other to mourn him, and a 21-gun salute event was held on the "2Fort" map. Valve would also add a Soldier statue to every map in a patch, where they remained for a month (except for the "Granary" map, where it remains permanently due to it being the setting for the above video):

These statues have reappeared in the game every April 8th.

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Pope Benedict VIII died on this day (exactly) 1000 years ago, aged 44.

- Benedict's birth name was Theophylact, and he was the son of the count of Tusculum (Gregory I).

- Benedict became pope in 1012 following the death of Pope Sergius IV. He would be contested by Antipope Gregory VI, forcing him to flee Rome before the forces of Henry II (the Holy Roman Emperor) intervened.

- During his pontificate, Italy's coast (and Sardinia) would be attacked by Moorish troops. At this time, Normans began to settle in northwestern Italy, and so Benedict would form an alliance with them, and they would assist in a battle against them on Sardinia in 1016.

- Benedict's church reforms included condemning simony in a 1022 synod, and wrestling influence in the church away from the Byzantines.

- Benedict died after a 12-year papacy, and was succeeded by Pope John XIX- who was his brother, Romanus. The two were also related to other popes- Benedict IX was their nephew, John XII was their uncle, John XI was their great-uncle, and Benedict VII was a first cousin once removed.

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Frederick I of Denmark died on this day 491 years ago, aged 61.

- A son of king Christian I, Frederick was not expected to take the Danish throne- his older brother, king John, had a male son.

- John died in 1513 and his son Christian II succeeded him- however, the Danish nobility supported Frederick more, and so they led a coup against Christian and successfully ousted him, allowing Frederick to take the throne. The peasantry still supported Christian and led revolts wanting his restoration to the throne, but Frederick went out of his way to suppress these.

- Frederick's reign was largely marked by the continuing spread of Lutheranism, and he encouraged both them and Catholics to coexist- going so far as to recommend that they share churches. Despite Frederick being a Catholic, he would defend Lutheran reformists accused of heresy, and would lead a propaganda campaign to try diminishing the power church officials held.

- Towards the end of his reign, his nephew Christian II tried to regain the crown in the Danish possession of Norway- and Frederick would capture him in 1531. Christian remained a prisoner until his death in 1559.

- Frederick died after 10 years on the throne, and was succeeded by his son Christian III.

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Harry Secombe died on this day 23 years ago, aged 79.

- During World War II, Secombe served in the British Army against Italy. While on campaign he would come up with comedy skits to entertain his fellow troops.

- After the war, Secombe would form a duo with his fellow soldier Spike Milligan. They would become popular radio comedians, before in 1951 the two of them were introduced to Peter Sellers. The three of them would soon get another radio show called Those Crazy People- soon to be renamed to The Goon Show. Secombe became more famous for his role as Neddie Seagoon.

- Secombe also had a successful singing career, with his 1967 rendition of "This is My Song" peaking at #2 on the UK charts:

His screen acting career was also a success, and he most notably appeared as Mr. Bumble in Oliver! in 1968.

- Late in his career, Secombe became a prominent face on religious television programs- his brother Fred was a priest, which likely influenced him to take this turn.

- Secombe had two strokes in 1997 and 1999, the latter of which caused him to retire. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1998, which was what ended up killing him. Secombe appeared once on the DeathList in 2001, and was the seventh death of the ten that year (his obit still reads sixth- the committee had not yet learned of Brother Theodore's demise at that point).

- When fellow Goon Spike Milligan died the following year, a recording of Secombe singing a hymn was played as a prank at his funeral; Milligan stated he hoped he outlived Secombe because he didn't want him to sing there.

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Joanna of Castile died on this day 469 years ago, aged 75.

- Joanna was a daughter of Queen Isabella I and King Ferdinand II, and was an older sister of Catherine of Aragon.

- Joanna married Philip of Austria in 1496, and the two were married for 10 years before Philip died. This partially led to her well known epithet "The Mad" due to the fact she would not part with his remains for years, going so far as to kiss his corpse nearly every day.

- Joanna would become the queen regent of Castile after her mother's death in 1504, as her father had lost his rule over it. She was an inept monarch, and famine and disease quickly spread to the point a regency council was initiated, with her father becoming her regent- Ferdinand was effectively the king of Castile at this point.

- Joanna would gain control of Aragon once Ferdinand died in 1516, though her Castilian claims remained under regency from high-ranking clergy members. Her son Charles would arrive to rule on her behalf, but nobles began to revolt against the ever-increasing Habsburg properties. It was known as the Revolt of the Comuneros, and Charles emerged victorious.

- Charles would effectively oust his mother immediately after the revolt by forcing her to remain confined inside her palace, where she remained for the last 35 years of her life- albeit she was still technically considered queen. Her condition deteriorated further during her captivity- it's believed she suffered from chronic depression, psychosis, and/or schizophrenia.

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Annie Jump Cannon died on this day 83 years ago, aged 77.

- Cannon became inspired to become an astronomer thanks to her mother, and also had an interest in photography.

- In 1894, Cannon was hired as a junior physics professor at her alma mater Wellesley College, and would manage to gain access to observatory telescopes at other colleges and universities. She would receive her master's degree in 1907.

- In 1896, Cannon was hired by fellow astronomer Edward Pickering to help catalog and categorize every star. In order to classify each one, she devised a new stellar classification system:

(a mnemonic commonly used to remember this classification system is "Oh, Be A Fine Girl, Kiss Me")

The IAU would adopt this system in 1922, and it remains in use to this day.

- Over her life, Cannon would classify over 300,000 stars, giving her the nickname "The Census Taker of the Sky". She would also be the first woman to receive an honorary doctorate from Oxford University.

[John "요한" Sulu 371]

On this day 2 years ago, French actor Michel Bouquet, who starred in the films "Toto the Hero" and "Renoir", passed away at the age of 96.

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On this day 1 year ago, English fashion designer Mary Quant passed away at the age of 93.

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Pope Sergius III died on this day 1113 years ago, aged 51.

- Sergius' father was named Benedictus, and he came from a noble Italian family- he has been speculated to be related to the counts of Tusculum (that family produced several Early Middle Ages popes).

- After the death of Pope Theodore II in 898, Sergius (then a bishop) attempted to have himself elected as pope, and was supported by his father and other nobles. He ended up getting into a tie with another person, and since emperor Lambert did not support him, he managed to install the rival- Pope John IX. John would excommunicate Sergius in one of his first papal decrees.

- Sergius would succeed the Antipope Christopher, who had taken the papacy by force and was himself deposed; Sergius was requested to accept the papacy by Rome's military commander, Theophylact.

- Sergius is known as one of the worst popes in history largely due to his behavior. He was a nepotist who elevated family members and his supporters to positions of power within the clergy, he would threaten and bribe clergy members to align them with his decisions, reportedly ordered the murders of his immediate predecessors Antipope Christopher and Pope Leo V through the use of his private army, and he allegedly fathered an illegitimate son while as pope- that alleged son eventually became Pope John XI.

- Sergius would die after a 7-year papacy, and he would be succeeded by Pope Anastasius III.

 

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Tommy Cooper died on this day 40 years ago, aged 63.

- Cooper served in Egypt during WWII. As a member of a group entertaining his fellow soldiers, Cooper would perform magic tricks combined with sketch comedy; in one sketch he forgot the pith helmet he was supposed to wear- and replaced it with his soon-to-be synonymous with him fez.

- Cooper's comedy act would primarily consist of him failing his magic tricks, which he noticed got more laughs than successful ones- though he would occasionally succeed to add surprise to his shows.

- Cooper quickly rose in popularity due to his appearances on TV, often on channels such as BBC and Thames Television. Cooper also had an acting career with roles in films that included The Cool Mikado, The Plank, and And the Same to You.

- Cooper also delved into music, having covered Vera Lynn's "We'll Meet Again" and having a bottom of the Top 40 single in 1961 with his black comedy single "Don't Jump Off the Roof Dad":

- Cooper had a history of alcoholism, which led to problems such as chronic back pain, bronchitis and blood circulation problems. He was also a heavy smoker who smoked up to 40 cigars a day. Cooper would have a heart attack on stage in 1977- but it wouldn't be the last time.

- Cooper's last performance was live on TV on the show Live from..., at that time broadcasting from Her Majesty's Theatre. For a sketch, Cooper would be given a cloak by his assistant, while the host Jimmy Tarbuck would give him props that would make him look like he pulled them out of hammerspace. Shortly after putting on the gown, Cooper would suffer a fatal heart attack that was seen by many across the UK who tuned in to the program.

Viewer discretion is highly advised: https://www.facebook.com/MyOLW/videos/comedian-tommy-cooper-died-on-stage-during-a-performance-in-london-in-1984-the-a/1479690115600512/

The audience believed Cooper crumpling to the ground to have been the intended punchline, and nothing was done to help. When the crew realized something was horribly wrong, they cut to commercial only for the episode to be continued as normal with the other comedians scheduled to perform on the episode. Cooper's death was not announced until the next morning.

 

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Emperor Otho died on this day 1955 years ago, aged 36.

- Otho's full name was Marcus Salvius Otho. Before he became emperor, he was appointed the governor of Lusitania (Portugal and western Spain) in 58 by emperor Nero- after Nero forced him to divorce his wife Poppaea so that he could marry her himself.

- Otho did not forgive Nero for separating him from his wife, and would ally himself with Galba in his rebellion against Nero in 68. Galba would soon become emperor, and Otho accompanied him on the way to Rome.

- Galba was hated by the Praetorian Guard, and they killed him in January of 69- and then proclaimed Otho as emperor. However, Otho's reign was entirely defined by fighting a rebellion led by Vitellius, and he committed suicide after a three-month reign in order to prevent a civil war; his forces had suffered a defeat in battle immediately beforehand. Vitellius became his successor.

- Otho was the second emperor in the Year of Four Emperors (Galba, Otho, Vitellius, Vespasian).

- In life, Otho was known for his lavishness and narcissism. He was known to gaze at himself in a mirror before entering battle, and would plaster dough on his face to make himself look more handsome.

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Deanna Durbin died on this day 11 years ago, aged 91.

- Durbin's first name was actually Edna. When she was 10, her parents would enroll her in a singing academy, and she would soon be singing at clubs and churches.

- In 1935, Durbin would be called to audition for the role of a young Ernestine Schumann-Heink. Her performance of the opera "Il Bacio" was so impressive that MGM would sign her to a contract. The following year, she made her film debut opposite Judy Garland in Every Sunday.

- Also in 1936, Durbin would audition to be the singing voice of Snow White in Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, but Walt Disney rejected her for sounding 'too old'- she was 15 at the time.

- Durbin would have a string of leading roles in the late '30s, such as Three Smart Girls, Mad About Music, That Certain Age, and First Love. In the 1940s, she would move from musical films to try establishing herself as a serious actress, particularly in comedy movies, but also in dramatic movies that included Christmas Holiday and Lady on a Train. By 1946, she was the second-highest paid US actress, behind Bette Davis.

- After her contract with Universal expired in 1948, and then moved to France where she married the director of the aforementioned Lady on a Train, Charles Henri David. The two would be married until Charles' death in 1999.

- Durbin was known for her reclusiveness, often denying 'where are they now' interviewers from interviewing her. She would grant a rare interview in 1983, referring to her stage name in the third person due to it being manufactured by Hollywood- at the time, she had gone back to calling herself by her birth name. She would remain in a private life for the rest of her life, with her death being announced about two weeks after it had actually happened.

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Erasmus Darwin died on this day 222 years ago, aged 70.

- Darwin started off as a doctor, and managed to be such a success that king George III invited him to become the Royal Physician- which he declined.

- Darwin was much more famous for his biology studies, with his first publications being translations of Carl Linnaeus works into English- Darwin would coin several plant names. In 1791, he would write The Botanic Garden, a compilation of two long poems that incorporated lurid vocabulary and anthropomorphizing the plants in the book to pique readers' interests in botany. 

- Darwin's most famous work is 1796's Zoonomia, which focused on the study of bacteria and viruses, wheree would categorize diseases into four different groups (irritation, sensation, volition and association). However, what was the lasting impact of the book was his ideas that supported the theory of evolution- namely a common ancestor to life, and inheritance of characteristics with each passing generation.

- Darwin was also an inventor- his inventions included a carriage designed to not tip over while riding, a machine that was used to produce sounds similar to human speech, and meteorological devices.

- Darwin's ideas in Zoonomia would later be further developed by his more famous grandson- none other than Charles Darwin.