Death Anniversary Thread

[Drewsky1211 4,734]

Jerry Nelson died on this day 11 years ago, aged 78.

- Nelson began acting in the world of puppetry in 1965, and soon found himself associated with Jim Henson. One of his first roles came as Big Bird's then-imaginary friend Mr. Snuffleupagus on Sesame Street, which he portrayed from 1971 to 1978.

- Also on Sesame Street, Nelson was known for his role as Count von Count, whom he portrayed for one... two... (3-39) forty (Ah ah ah!) years.

- On The Muppet Show, Nelson was best known for being the guy behind Kermit's nephew Robin, Camilla the Chicken, and Floyd Pepper (of Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem). Nelson would appear as (not limited to) these characters from films ranging from 1979's The Muppet Movie to 2002's It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie.

- Nelson was also well known for his role as the main character, Gobo, in Fraggle Rock.

- The only non-Jim Henson property Nelson contributed to was a 2001 episode of Cartoon Network's Sheep in the Big City, as the voice of the character General Public.

- Nelson retired from puppeteering in 2004, but continued to voice the characters he operated at the time. In his later years, he suffered from COPD, emphysema, and prostate cancer, and was on an oxygen tank from 2006 onwards. His final role was a cameo appearance in the 2011 Muppets movie as the voice of the telethon announcer.

[The Ashes Urn 1,355]

American film actor Charles Scorsese died on this day 30 years ago, aged 80.

 

[Hell 1,334]

British-born American songwriter, composer, arranger, pianist, and orchestra leader David Rose died on this day 33 years ago, aged 80. His best known compositions were "The Stripper", "Holiday for Strings", and "Calypso Melody". He also wrote music for many television series, including It's a Great Life, The Tony Martin Show, Little House on the Prairie, Highway to Heaven, Bonanza, Leave It to Beaver, and Highway Patrol, some under the pseudonym Ray Llewellyn. Rose's work as a composer for television programs earned him four Emmys. In addition, he was musical director for The Red Skelton Show during its 21-year run on the CBS and NBC networks. He was a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, the national fraternity for men in music.

 

[Drewsky1211 4,734]

Louis Prima died on this day 45 years ago, aged 67.

- Prima's mother loved music, and tried to train each of her kids to play an instrument. Louis started off with the violin.

- Prima was signed to a label in 1934, and would relocate from city to city throughout the next few years.

- In 1939, Eleanor Roosevelt attended a show of his in Washington DC, and he was invited to perform at FDR's birthday celebration that year.

- Prima was not drafted into WWII, due to an injured knee.

- Besides his musical career, Prima was also well-known for voicing King Louie in The Jungle Book. Disney had originally cast Louis Armstrong for the role, but due to concerns from civil rights groups about a Black man portraying an ape, Prima was cast instead:

- Prima was diagnosed with brain cancer in 1975, and would fall into a coma following surgery. He never woke up, and died after three years of being in a comatose state.

[The Ashes Urn 1,355]

American chemical engineer and actor Jack Somack died on this day 40 years ago, aged 64.

 

[diego 1,982]

Magnus III of Norway died 920 years ago, aged 30, also known as Great the Barefoot or Great, son of Olaf was King of Norway from 1093 until his death. His reign was marked by aggressive military campaigns and conquests, particularly in the Norse-dominated parts of the British Isles, where he extended his rule to the Kingdom of the Isles and Dublin.

Eileen Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland was born in Chelsea 80 years ago aged 51, was an English noblewoman. She was Marchioness of Stafford and Duchess of Sutherland by her marriage to George Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, 5th Duke of Sutherland

[Hell 1,334]

English actor, filmmaker and entrepreneur Richard Attenborough died on this day 9 years ago, aged 90. He is best remembered for his film roles in Brighton Rock (1948), I'm All Right Jack (1959), The Great Escape (1963), The Sand Pebbles (1966), Doctor Dolittle (1967), 10 Rillington Place (1971), Jurassic Park (1993), and Miracle on 34th Street (1994). In 1952, he appeared on the West End stage, originating the role of Detective Sergeant Trotter in Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap which has since become the world's longest-running play.

 

[Drewsky1211 4,734]

John McCain died on this day 5 years ago, aged 81.

- McCain was born in Panama and got US citizenship at 11 months old- due to the fact he was part of a military family. Both his father and grandfather were four-star Navy admirals, and the younger McCain graduated from the Naval Academy in 1958.

- In 1965, McCain was a contestant on Jeopardy! (then in its first few seasons), and was a one-day champion.

- McCain was well-known for his service in the Vietnam War, where he was taken as a POW in 1967. He would be released from captivity in 1973, and injuries given to him by his captors left him unable to lift his arms above his head.

- McCain would retire from the Navy in 1981, and would be elected to the US House of Representatives the following year. In 1986, he would be elected to the US Senate, succeeding the retiring Barry Goldwater.

- McCain would run for president in 2000, and placed second overall in the Republican primaries, behind George W. Bush (McCain received 244 delegates compared to Bush's 1,496).

- McCain would run again in 2008, and received the nomination. He chose Sarah Palin as his running mate- though he retrospectively regretted his choice, and said that he should've picked Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman instead.

- McCain was known for his disagreements with Donald Trump during his election campaign and presidency, and often criticized party-line voting that has become much more polarized and prevalent today.

- In July of 2017, McCain was diagnosed with brain cancer- and he made his debut (and only appearance) on the DeathList in 2018 (spot no. 8). He died after a thirteen-month battle, and was survived (among other family members) by his then-106-year old mother (who lived to be 108).

[Sinbabad 1,116]

10 hours ago, Hell said:

English actor, filmmaker and entrepreneur Richard Attenborough died on this day 9 years ago, aged 90

He spared no expense !

[The Ashes Urn 1,355]

Founding owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers Art Rooney died on this day 35 years ago, aged 87.

 

[diego 1,982]

Graciano was born in Sirmium (present-day Sremska Mitrovica, Serbia), in the then Roman province of Pannonia 1640 years ago, he was a Western Roman Emperor from 375 to 383. a Scythian warrior, Gratian aroused the contempt and resentment of the Roman troops. A Hispanic general related to Theodosius called Magnus Clemente Maximus, count of Britannia (comes britanniorum), taking advantage of his victories in Britannia against the Picts, invaded Gaul with a large army. Gratian, who expected to face him in Paris, was betrayed by his troops after five days of skirmishes and was forced to flee. However, it was hit at Lugduno (now Lyon); there he was handed over by the governor of the city to Andragatius, one of Maximus' generals, and murdered
 

Gylmar dos Santos Neves was born in Santos and died 10 years ago, he was a Brazilian footballer who played as a goalkeeper, twice world champion for the Brazilian national team. Widely considered the greatest Brazilian goalkeeper, and one of the greatest in all history, he was voted as one of the 20 greatest goalkeepers of the 20th century by the IFFHS. He is the only one in his position to win more than one World Cup.
He played for legendary teams like Corinthians in the 50's, Santos in the 60's
Competed in the cups of 58,62 and 66

Died in São Paulo at the age of 83

 

[lilham 752]

Singer and actress Aaliyah Haughton (January 16, 1979 - August 25, 2001) died at age 22 in a plane crash after filming a music video in the Bahamas. The pilot was not licensed to fly that model of plane, had alcohol and cocaine in his system, and they overloaded equipment onto the plane.

 

 

[Hell 1,334]

American astronaut and aeronical engineer Neil Armstrong died on this day 11 years ago, aged 82. He became a midshipman in 1949 and a naval aviator the following year. Armstrong joined the NASA Astronaut Corps in the second group, which was selected in 1962. He made the first spaceflight as command pilot of Gemini 8 in March 1966, becoming NASA's first civilian astronaut to fly in space. During training for Armstrong's second and last spaceflight as commander of Apollo 11, he had to eject from the Lunar Landing Research Vehicle moments before a crash. On July 20, 1969, Armstrong and Apollo 11 Lunar Module pilot Buzz Aldrin became the first people to land on the moon, and the next day they spent two and a half hours outside the Lunar Module Eagle spacecraft while Michael Collins remained in lunar orbit in the Apollo Command Module Columbia. When Armstrong first stepped onto the lunar surface, famously said: That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind".

 

[Drewsky1211 4,734]

Antonie van Leeuwenhoek died on this day 300 years ago, aged 90.

- Van Leeuwenhoek was the owner of a cloth shop, and wanted to see the quality of the threads he was using better, so he took up lenscrafting as a skill. He would end up producing some of the earliest microscopes, which looked like this:

- Van Leeuwenhoek would soon discover microscopic organisms, which he called "animalcules". Among his discoveries included protozoans in 1674, sperm cells in 1677 (don't ask how he obtained it), and bacteria in 1682.

- Besides animal organisms, Van Leeuwenhoek also used his microscope to study plants, such as ash trees and coffee beans.

- Van Leeuwenhoek had a rare disease that affected the movement of his abdomen; about 50 people have been known to have had "Van Leeuwenhoek's disease".

[diego 1,982]

Marques Rebelo, a native of Rio de Janeiro, was born and died in the city, his death occurred 50 years ago at the age of 65, he was a Brazilian short story writer and novelist who joined the literary tradition started by Manuel Antônio de Almeida and continued by Machado de Assis and Lima Barreto, he occupied chair 9 of the Brazilian Academy of Letters

[The Ashes Urn 1,355]

American actor Mike Kellin died on this day 40 years ago, aged 61.

 

[Hell 1,334]

American actor Ted Knight died on this day 37 years ago, aged 62. Knight spent most of th 1950s and 1960s creating commercial voice-overs and playing minor television and movie roles. He was well known for playing the comedic roles of Ted Baxter in The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Henry Rush in Too Close for Comfort, and Judge Elihu Emails in Caddyshack. His role as the vain and untalented WJam newscaster Ted Baxter on The Mary Tyler Moore Show brought Knight widespread recognition and his greatest success. He received six Emmy Award nominations for the role, winning the Emmy for "Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in Comedy" in 1973 and 1976. A few months after the end of the Mary Tyler Moore Show in 1977, Knight was diagnosed with colon cancer for which he received treatment. In 1985, the cancer returned and spread to his bladder and gastrointestinal tract.

 

[Drewsky1211 4,734]

Ernest Lawrence died on this day 65 years ago, aged 57.

- Lawrence received his master's degree in physics in 1923- for his thesis, he built a machine that spun an object inside a confined magnetic field.

- Lawrence would then receive his PhD in 1925, writing about the photoelectric effect in potassium vapor. He would continue researching said effect in the coming years.

- In 1928, he was hired as an associate professor at the University of California- he became a full-time one in 1930. Here, he became the first person to isolate the nitrogen-13 and carbon-14 isotopes.

- Lawrence would also invent the cyclotron between 1929 and 1930, and patented it in 1932. For revolutionizing the particle accelerator, Lawrence would be awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1939.

- During World War II, Lawrence worked on the Manhattan Project- he was already friends with J. Robert Oppenheimer, and had even named his son Robert after him. His role was converting one of his cyclotrons into a mass spectrometer in order to separate uranium-235 isotopes from regular uranium-238 ones, and this spectrometer became known as the "calutron".

- Following the war, Lawrence became an advocate for nuclear proliferation, advocating for the creation of the hydrogen bomb following the first Soviet nuclear test in 1949.

- Lawrence suffered from ulcerative colitis, and had to have a large amount of his colon removed- he also had atherosclerosis, and died from it while still recovering.

- In 1961, a new element was discovered and named after him- it's called lawrencium:

[The Ashes Urn 1,355]

American sociologist, socialist, historian and Pan-Africanist civil rights activist W. E. B. Du Bois died on this day 60 years ago, aged 95.

 

[Hell 1,334]

American statesman, politician, academic, and jurist Charles Evan Hughes died on this day 75 years ago, aged 86. He served as the 11th chief justice of the United States from 1930 to 1941. A member of the Republican Party, he previously was the 36th governor of New York (1907–1910), an associate justice of the Supreme Court (1910–1916), and 44th U.S. secretary of state (1921–1925). As the Republican nominee in the 1916 presidential election, he lost narrowly to Woodrow Wilson. Had Hughes won, he would have become the only former Supreme Court justice to be elected president.

 

[Drewsky1211 4,734]

Empress Koken of Japan died on this day 1253 years ago, aged 52.

- Koken was the daughter of Emperor Shomu, and her birth name was Abe (pronounced ah-bay, not ayb).

- In 749, her father abdicated, and she became empress. Her mother and her cousin greatly influenced Japan's government during her reign.

- In 757, a conspiracy to depose Koken was uncovered- regardless, she abdicated the following year in favor of her cousin, who became Emperor Junnin.

- Afterwards, Koken became a nun at a Buddhist monastery, where she became close friends with a monk named Dokyo- some suggest they had romantic feelings for each other (despite celibacy being a tenet).

- Junnin's mother ended up deposing him in 764, and Koken regained the throne. She did not keep her previous name, but now called herself Empress Shotoku (most historians refer to her as her first regnal name). She was able to consolidate the government, and got Dokyo appointed as her Grand Minister by 766. Dokyo would end up trying to become co-emperor in 770, but his plans were met with resistance from the aristocracy.

- Koken died (presumably of smallpox) after a five-year second reign (her first one lasted nine years), and was succeeded by her cousin Emperor Konin due to having no immediate heir.

[One shot Paddy 1,206]

45 years since the death of actor, novelist, playwright and screenwriter Robert Shaw aged just 51. Oscar nominated for best supporting actor in a man for all seasons he is possibly best remembered for playing Quint in Jaws.

 

 

[The Ashes Urn 1,355]

American film, musical, theater and television actress Jan Clayton died on this day 40 years ago, aged 66.

 

[Hell 1,334]

American film director, screenwriter and actor John Huston died on this day 36 years ago, aged 81. He wrote the screenplays for most of the 37 feature films he directed, many of which are today considered classics, including The Maltese Falcon (1941), The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948), The Asphalt Jungle (1950), The African Queen (1951), The Misfits (1961), Fat City (1972), The Man Who Would Be King (1975) and Prizzi's Honor (1985). During his 46-year career, Huston received 15 Academy Award nominations, winning twice. He also directed both his father, Walter Huston, and daughter, Anjelica Huston, to Oscar wins.

 

[Drewsky1211 4,734]

King Eystein I of Norway died on this day 900 years ago, aged 35.

- Eystein was the son of Magnus III- his mother is unknown, but was mentioned that she was born into the lower class. Upon his father's death in 1103, Eystein became co-ruler with his brothers Olaf and Sigurd.

- In 1107, Sigurd went on a crusade to Jerusalem, leaving Eystein (and to a lesser extent Olaf) to take care of the kingdom. Eystein is sometimes referred to as "The Peace King" due to staying in Norway.

- Eystein was also known for his construction of fishing ports along the coast, for cod became an important Norwegian export at the time (particularly to England).

- Legends regarding Eystein included him and Sigurd trying to outdo each other's accomplishments, as well as him being the psychologist to his depressed friend.

- Eystein died in 1123 following a feast (either indicating food poisoning or a digestive illness), leaving Sigurd to rule alone- Olaf had died in 1115.

- This bust of Eystein in the picture above is the oldest known surviving portrait of a Norwegian monarch, dating to around 1135.