Death Anniversary Thread

[Hell 1,328]

American actor Jack Klugman died on this day 11 years ago, aged 90. He began his career in 1950 and started television and film work with roles in 12 Angry Men (1957) and Cry Terror! (1958). During the 1960s, he guest-starred on numerous television series. Klugman won his first Primetime Emmy Award for his guest-starring role on The Defenders in 1964. He also made a total of four appearances on The Twilight Zone from 1960 to 1963. In 1965, Klugman replaced Walter Matthau as Oscar Madison in the Broadway play The Odd Couple. Five years later, he reprised that role in the television adaptation of The Odd Couple opposite Tony Randall. The series aired from 1970 to 1975. Klugman won his second and third Primetime Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award for his work on the series. From 1976 to 1983, he starred in the title role in Quincy, M.E., for which he earned four Primetime Emmy Award nominations.

 

[Drewsky1211 4,114]

George Michael died on this day 7 years ago, aged 53.

- Michael was the son of Greek Cypriot immigrants to England- his real name was "Georgios Panayiotou".

- Michael would meet Andrew Ridgeley while in school, and the two would perform as a musical act together, covering songs by other bands such as Queen.

- In 1981, the two of them formed Wham!, with Michael on lead vocals. They were an immediate breakout group, and they had many top-10 singles between 1981 and 1984- most notably "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go".

- - Michael went solo in 1984, releasing his biggest hit, "Careless Whisper", that year:

In 1985, Michael would perform in China- the first Western act to do so. He would continue to see success with songs such as "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)", "I Want Your Sex", and "Faith"- the latter being Billboard's number one single of 1988.

- In the early 2000s, Michael became a protest singer against the Iraq War, causing controversy when depicting Tony Blair as George W. Bush's pet poodle in the music video for "Shoot the Dog":

- Michael was outed as being gay in 1998- when he was arrested for "public lewdness". The officer who arrested him sued him for $10 million due to content in the music video for "Outside" showing male cops kissing each other, thinking he was being personally mocked. The case would be dismissed in 2003.

- Michael died from acute heart failure on Christmas Day in 2016. This was considered ironic because...

(It is now safe to listen to this song. Merry Christmas, and congrats to those who won Whamageddon this year.)

[The Ashes Urn 1,331]

American Democratic Party politician Nicholas Mavroules died on this day 20 years ago, aged 74.

 

[diego 1,855]

Pedro de Valdivia was born in Villanueva de la Serena, Badajoz and died in Tucapel, Chile 470 years ago at the age of 56, he was a Spanish soldier and conqueror, founded the city of Santiago. He faced a climate of constant hostility between the Spanish colonizers and the Araucanian Indians. However he was successful in founding new cities such as La Serena (1544), Concepción (1550), La Imperial (1551) and Valdivia (1552).
He was governor of the Kingdom of Chile from 1540 to 1547 and from 1549 to 1553.

Maurício Grabois was born in Salvador, and died in Xambioá, Tocantins, 50 years ago at the age of 61, he was a Brazilian politician, one of the founders of the Communist Party of Brazil (PCdoB) and one of its leaders from the creation of the party until his death in Guerrilha do Araguaia, on December 25, 1973. He was one of the main communist leaders in Brazil, along with Luís Carlos Prestes, Carlos Marighella and João Amazonas

İsmet İnönü was born in Izmir and died 50 years ago in Ankara, aged 89. He was the second president of the Republic of Turkey, and served as the country's prime minister several times; He has been known nationally as "Millî Şef" ("National Chief") since he was elected to the presidency in 1938

[Hell 1,328]

English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer Charlie Chaplin died on this day 46 years ago, aged 88. He rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is considered one of the film industry's most important figures. His career spanned more than 75 years, from childhood in the Victorian era until a year before his death in 1977, and encompassed both adulation and controversy. In 1919, Chaplin co-founded distribution company United Artists, which gave him complete control over his films. His first feature-length film was The Kid (1921), followed by A Woman of Paris (1923), The Gold Rush (1925), and The Circus (1928). He initially refused to move to sound films in the 1930s, instead producing City Lights (1931) and Modern Times (1936) without dialogue. His first sound film was The Great Dictator (1940), which satirised Adolf Hitler. The 1940s were marked with controversy for Chaplin, and his popularity declined rapidly. He was accused of communist sympathies, and some members of the press and public were scandalised by his involvement in a paternity suit and marriages to much younger women. An FBI investigation was opened, and Chaplin was forced to leave the U.S. and settle in Switzerland. He abandoned the Tramp in his later films, which include Monsieur Verdoux (1947), Limelight (1952), A King in New York (1957), and A Countess from Hong Kong (1967).

 

[Drewsky1211 4,114]

Gerald Ford died on this day 17 years ago, aged 93.

- Ford's birth name was "Leslie King"- he was renamed by his stepfather (also named Gerald Ford), although he legally did not change it until 1935.

- Before Ford became Nixon's VP, he was a Michigan congressman from 1949 to 1973- most notably being a part of the Warren Commission that investigated the JFK assassination, and being the House Minority Leader from 1965 until his resignation.

- Ford's presidency was best known for his pardon of Nixon, and then replacing nearly all his cabinet (excluding Henry Kissinger and Secretary of the Treasury William Simon), the Fall of Saigon occurring, and hosting his daughter Susan's prom at the White House in 1975:

- During his stay in the White House, Ford had several pets- three dogs (Liberty, Misty and Lucky) and a cat (Shan).

- Ford would replace Nelson Rockefeller on his 1976 presidential ticket with Bob Dole. They lost to Jimmy Carter in a ratio of 297-240 electoral votes (one elector voted for Ronald Reagan).

- Ford would end up having a lifelong friendship with Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter in his post-presidency. Ford was known for his liberal ideology, supporting the assault weapon ban of 1994, stating gay marriage needed to be considered equal to straight marriage, and disagreeing with the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

- Ford became the longest-living US president in November of 2006, having surpassed Ronald Reagan's age. This would be surpassed by George H. W. Bush in late 2017 (and also by Jimmy Carter in 2018).

- Ford debuted on the DeathList in 1997, making six appearances over the next nine years. He was the 13th and final hit of 2006.

[Sir Creep 7,018]

Dietrich Eckart, Nazi poet, died on Boxing Day exactly 100 years ago  (55).

 

[The Ashes Urn 1,331]

American actor and interior designer William Haines died on this day 50 years ago, aged 73.

 

[diego 1,855]

Rejane Goulart was born in Cachoeira do Sul and died 10 years ago in RIo de Janeiro, she was an actress and Brazilian beauty queen, Miss Brazil and runner-up in Miss Universe 1972

[Summer in Transylvania 1,629]

The acclaimed actress known for her role as Princess Leia in Star Wars, Carrie Fisher died on this day (27th December) 7 years ago, aged 60. 

 

[Hell 1,328]

Harry S. Truman died on this day 51 years ago, aged 88. He was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as a United States senator from Missouri from 1935 to 1945 and briefly as the 34th vice president in 1945 under Franklin D. Roosevelt. Assuming the presidency after Roosevelt's death, Truman implemented the Marshall Plan in the wake of World War II to rebuild the economy of Western Europe and established both the Truman Doctrine and NATO to contain the expansion of Soviet communism. He proposed numerous liberal domestic reforms, but few were enacted by the conservative coalition that dominated the Congress.

 

[John "요한" Sulu 372]

On this day 2 years ago, Greek president Karolos Papoulias, who served his term from 2005 to 2015, passed away at the age of 92.

 

Photo Credit: ΠΑΣΟΚ per Creative Commons license

[John "요한" Sulu 372]

On this day 2 years ago, South African archbishop, anti-apartheid activist, and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Desmond Tutu, passed away at the age of 90.

[John "요한" Sulu 372]

On this day 2 years ago, American naturalist E. O. Wilson, who was the pioneer of evolutionary biology, passed away at the age of 92.

 

Photo Credit: Jim Harrison per Creative Commons license

[Drewsky1211 4,114]

Gustave Eiffel died on this day 100 years ago, aged 91.

- Eiffel had studied both chemistry and engineering in his youth, and his first construction job came in 1857, for a railway bridge.

- He would continue to work in the train industry, overseeing the construction of steam engines used to help complete the Suez Canal, as well as several viaducts in his native France.

- One of Eiffel's first building commissions came in 1868 when the Peruvian government asked him to redesign the St. Mark's Cathedral after the original was destroyed in an earthquake.

- In 1881, Auguste Bartholdi contacted Eiffel to help with the construction of the Statue of Liberty- Eiffel was responsible for designing its internal structure:

- The Eiffel Tower was not his idea- one of his friends, Maurice Koechlin made the original sketch in 1884; Eiffel initially disliked the idea of building it until another architect, Stephen Sauvestre, added decorative supports to it. The building permit was signed in 1887, and it was the tallest man-made structure in the world between 1889 and 1930.

- Eiffel was also involved in designing the locks for France's preliminary idea of the Panama Canal; however the company went under in 1888, and would be accused of misappropriating funds. Eiffel was found guilty in 1893, but successfully appealed and avoided jail time.

- In later years, Eiffel studied meteorology and aerodynamics, constructing wind tunnels and weather stations.

- Eiffel died while listening to Beethoven's Fifth Symphony.

[diego 1,855]

Maria Francisca of Savoy, Queen of Portugal was born in Paris and died in Lisbon at the age of 37 340 years ago, she was Queen Consort of Portugal in two different periods, first from 1666 to 1668 as the wife of D. Afonso VI, and then from September to December 1683 as wife of D. Pedro II, brother of the previous one.

 

[The Ashes Urn 1,331]

American singer Walter Scott died on this day 40 years ago, aged 40.

 

[Hell 1,328]

American film director George Roy Hill died on this day 21 years ago, aged 81. He is most noted for directing Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) and The Sting (1973), both starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford. Hill is also known for directing The World of Henry Orient (1964), Hawaii (1966), Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967), Slaughterhouse-Five (1972), The Great Waldo Pepper (1975), Slap Shot (1977), A Little Romance (1979), The World According to Garp (1982) and his final film Funny Farm (1988). According to one obituary "few directors achieved such fame and success... even fewer enjoyed such eminence for such a short period of time."

 

[Drewsky1211 4,114]

Mary II of England died on this day 329 years ago, aged 32.

- Mary was the oldest daughter of King James II. When she was 15, she was betrothed to William III of Orange- her paternal first cousin.

- While Mary was in the Netherlands, her father would enact policies that greatly favored Catholics (over the Anglican majority), and Protestant elites convinced William to invade in 1688. James fled, and this was seen as abdication- Mary became queen not only because she was James' heir apparent, but William made her his co-ruler.

- William was occasionally busy in mainland Europe, leaving Mary in charge when he left England in 1690. She preferred not to get into politics, rather having a council of nine advisors to help her with royal decisions. She would issue royal decrees, which included the arrest of her uncle Henry Hyde for plotting to restore James to the throne, and enact laws in line with the Church of England.

- Mary died from smallpox in 1694, leaving William as the sole ruler until his death in 1702.

[The Ashes Urn 1,331]

American professional golfer Jimmy Demaret died on this day 40 years ago, aged 73.

 

[diego 1,855]

Pedro de Medici was born in Florence and died 520 years ago at the age of 32 in Garigliano, he was one of the lords of Florence from 1492 until the end of his days. He was raised with his younger brother, John, who would later become Pope Leo X, and his cousin, Julius, who would become Pope Clement VII.

Paul Hindemith was born in Hanau, Hesse and died in Frankfurt am Main 60 years ago at the age of 68. He won the Balzan Prize in 1962 and died the following year from acute pancreatitis.

Ilya Tsymbalar was born in Odessa, and died in the same city 10 years ago at the age of 44, played for Spartak Moscow, Lokomotiv Moscow and Anzhi Makhachkala among other teams, played for the Russian national team (he played in the 94 cup) and for the Ukrainian national team. Died as a result of a heart problem

[Hell 1,328]

American musician who co-founded the Beach Boys Dennis Wilson died on this day 40 years ago, aged 39. He is best remembered as their drummer and as the middle brother of bandmates Brian and Carl Wilson. Dennis was the only true surfer in the Beach Boys, and his personal life exemplified the "California Myth" that the band's early songs often celebrated. He was also known for his association with the Manson Family and for co-starring in the 1971 film Two-Lane Blacktop. Wilson served mainly on drums and baritone backing vocals for the Beach Boys. His playing can be heard on many of the group's hits, belying the popular misconception that he was always replaced on record by studio musicians. He originally had few lead vocals on the band's songs due to his limited baritone range, but his prominence as a singer-songwriter increased following their 1968 album Friends. His music is characterized for reflecting his "edginess" and "little of his happy charm". His original songs for the group included "Little Bird" (1968), "Forever" (1970) and "Cuddle Up" (1972). Friends and biographers have asserted that he was an uncredited writer on "You Are So Beautiful", a 1974 hit for Joe Cocker frequently performed by Wilson in concert.

 

[Drewsky1211 4,114]

Pierre Cardin died on this day 3 years ago, aged 98.

- Born in Italy, Cardin's family fled to France in 1924 to escape the Mussolini regime. His father wanted him to become an architect, and while he did study architecture, he primarily worked in fashion houses.

- Cardin was hired by Christian Dior in 1947, quickly designing the Bar jacket:

- In 1950, Cardin launched his own fashion house, and he would become a worldwide name when the Beatles revealed they wore his suits.

- Cardin would also design spacesuits for NASA in 1970:

- In later years, Cardin was known for creating bizarre fashion designs- see some of them below:

- Cardin made a total of six appearances on the DeathList, debuting in 2009 (and being that year's last survivor) and appearing on every list from 2017 onwards. He was the 20th death of 2020- so far the only list to reach that number of hits.

[The Ashes Urn 1,331]

American actress Violet MacMillan died on this day 70 years ago, aged 66.

 

[Hell 1,328]

Pelé died on this day a year ago, aged 82. 

 

 

— Pelé's real name is Edson Arantes do Nascimento

— Pelé began playing for Santos at the age of 15 and began playing for the Brazil national team at the age of 16.

— Pelé won three FIFA World Cups: 1958, 1962, and 1970, making him the only player to do so and the youngest player to win a World Cup.

— Pelé is regarded as one of the greatest players of all-time.

— Pelé has scored 1,279 goals in 1,363 matches.

— In 1975, Pelé began playing for the New York Cosmos.

— Pelé served as the 1st Minister of Sports from 1995 to 1998.

— In 2021, Pelé was diagnosed with colon cancer and died from it in December 2022.

— Pelé made an appearance on DeathList 2022 at spot No. 41.