Death Anniversary Thread

[Hell 1,329]

Nelson Rockefeller died on this day 45 years ago, aged 70. He was an American businessman and politician who served as the 41st vice president of the United States from 1974 to 1977 under President Gerald Ford. A member of the Republican Party and the wealthy Rockefeller family, he previously served as the 49th governor of New York from 1959 to 1973. Rockefeller also served as assistant secretary of State for American Republic Affairs for Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman (1944–1945) as well as under secretary of Health, Education and Welfare (HEW) under Dwight D. Eisenhower from 1953 to 1954. A son of John D. Rockefeller Jr. and Abby Aldrich Rockefeller as well as a grandson of Standard Oil co-founder John D. Rockefeller, he was a noted art collector and served as administrator of Rockefeller Center in Manhattan, New York City. After unsuccessfully seeking the Republican presidential nomination in 1960, 1964, and 1968, he was appointed vice president of the United States under President Gerald Ford, who was appointed Vice President by President Richard Nixon after the resignation of Spiro Agnew, and who ascended to the presidency following Nixon's August 1974 resignation. Rockefeller was the second vice president appointed to the position under the 25th Amendment, following Ford himself. Rockefeller did not seek a full term on the 1976 Republican ticket with Ford. He retired from politics in 1977.

 

[The Ashes Urn 1,333]

American professional golfer Fred Haas died on this day 20 years ago, aged 88.

 

[Drewsky1211 4,255]

JD Salinger died on this day 14 years ago, aged 91.

- When he was young, Salinger dated Oona O'Neill- they broke up once Oona started seeing Charlie Chaplin.

- Salinger began writing short stories for The New Yorker in 1941. One of these was titled "Slight Rebellion off Madison", about a teenager named Holden Caulfield. This went unpublished for five years due to Holden being described as having 'pre-war jitters', and Pearl Harbor occurring the month it was supposed to be published.

- Salinger was drafted into World War II, and fought in both D-Day and the Battle of the Bulge. During this time, he met Ernest Hemingway (then a war correspondent in Paris), and the two authors became friends.

- In 1948, Salinger published "A Perfect Day for Bananafish", the first of his short stories of the Glass family. He would write a total of eight of these stories for The New Yorker up until 1965.

- Caulfield's magnum opus was 1951's The Catcher in the Rye, starring his previous Holden Caulfield character- this soon became an icon of 1950s teenage rebellion counterculture:

kill John Lennon and/or Ronald Reagan

- Salinger retired in 1965 after the Glass family story "Hapworth 16, 1924", and became known for his reclusiveness over the following decades. Virtually all pictures of him taken during his later years were candid shots:

- Salinger debuted on the DeathList in 2006, and made a total of four appearances (every year after except 2009). He was the first hit of the 2010 list.

[The Ashes Urn 1,333]

Cherokee-American character actor Claude Akins died on this day 30 years ago, aged 67.

 

[Hell 1,329]

John Updike died on this day 15 years ago, aged 76. He was an American novelist, poet, short-story writer, art critic, and literary critic. One of only four writers to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction more than once (the others being Booth Tarkington, William Faulkner, and Colson Whitehead), Updike published more than twenty novels, more than a dozen short-story collections, as well as poetry, art and literary criticism and children's books during his career. Hundreds of his stories, reviews, and poems appeared in The New Yorker starting in 1954. He also wrote regularly for The New York Review of Books. His most famous work is his "Rabbit" series (the novels Rabbit, Run; Rabbit Redux; Rabbit Is Rich; Rabbit at Rest; and the novella Rabbit Remembered), which chronicles the life of the middle-class everyman Harry "Rabbit" Angstrom over the course of several decades, from young adulthood to death. Both Rabbit Is Rich (1981) and Rabbit at Rest (1990) were awarded the Pulitzer Prize.

 

[Drewsky1211 4,255]

Enery Henry VIII died on this day 477 years ago, aged 55.

- Henry was originally the Duke of York, becoming heir apparent when his older brother Arthur died in 1502. He would marry Arthur's widow Catherine of Aragon seven years later, when he came of age.

- Henry became king when he was 17, and during his early reign, claimed descent from King Arthur and Roman emperor Constantine the Great (the first is untrue due to being a fictional character, but the latter is indeed possible).

- While Henry was on his quest for a male heir, he had five miscarried or stillborn sons- but before he had Edward VI, he had an affair with a woman named Elizabeth Blount and had a son named Henry (whom he acknowledged despite illegitimate).

- Henry was known for his voracious appetite, having extravagant feasts with his court that led to him ballooning to about 400 pounds (180kg) by the time he died- he needed help in order to walk.

- He was also known for his love of jousting, which began the decline of his health- he was knocked off of his horse in a January 1536 match and a wound from the fall led to a chronic leg infection. Those who verbally speculated about his health would have their ears cut off, or executed by burning (a dangerous time for deadpoolers).

- Among the treatments used for Henry's 11-year infection included drinking grounded pearls and sawdust, and smearing a mix of lead, silver, ground coral, and 'dragon's blood' (resin imported from a kind of tree from the Middle East) onto the wound.

- Henry's obesity led to the pulmonary embolism that ended up killing him, and his death was kept a secret for two days. The abdomen of his corpse reportedly burst during his funeral.

[Hell 1,329]

Jerry Siegel died on this day 28 years ago, aged 81. He was an American comic book writer. He is the co-creator of Superman, in collaboration with his friend Joe Shuster, published by DC Comics. They also created Doctor Occult, who was later featured in The Books of Magic. Siegel and Shuster were inducted into the comic book industry's Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 1992 and the Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1993. With Bernard Baily, Siegel also co-created the long-running DC character The Spectre. Siegel created ten of the earliest members of the Legion of Super-Heroes, one of DC's most popular team books, which is set in the 30th Century.

 

[The Ashes Urn 1,333]

American actor Hal Smith died on this day 30 years ago, aged 77.

 

[Drewsky1211 4,255]

Jimmy Durante died on this day 44 years ago, aged 86.

- Durante dropped out of school during 7th grade to become a pianist, under the stage name "Ragtime Jimmy". He joined the Original New Orleans Jazz Band (as the only member not from New Orleans), and became the leader of the group in 1920- it was renamed to "Jimmy Durante's Jazz Band".

- Durante's career during the '30s was varied. He made his Broadway debut in 1930's The New Yorkers, and in 1934 wrote the song "Inka Dinka Doo" for the movie Palooka; he employed this as his own theme song when on radio. He began to star in short movies, but MGM ended their contract due to him not living to their standards of a leading actor (instead better as the comic relief).

- Regardless, he starred in many other movies in the coming decades, including The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942), Ziegfield Follies (1945), and It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963).

- Durante's final acting role is probably the one most people recognize him for today- the narrator in the 1969 Christmas classic Frosty the Snowman, complete with his cartoon likeness:

- Durante was also known for his signature large nose, which he nicknamed his "schnozzola".

- Durante retired in 1972 following a stroke that left him in a wheelchair, and largely retired from public life after 1974. He died following a bout of pneumonia less than two weeks before he would've turned 87 years old.

[Summer in Transylvania 1,709]

5th Mayor of Mississauga Hazel McCallion succumbed to Pancreatic Cancer on this day 1 year ago, aged 101.

 

[Hell 1,329]

Alan Ladd died on this day 60 years ago, aged 50. He was an American actor and film producer. Ladd found success in film in the 1940s and early 1950s, particularly in films noir and Westerns. He was often paired with Veronica Lake in films noir, such as This Gun for Hire (1942), The Glass Key (1942), and The Blue Dahlia (1946). Whispering Smith (1948) was his first Western and color film, and Shane (1953) was noted for its contributions to the genre. Ladd also appeared in ten films with William Bendix. His other notable credits include Two Years Before the Mast (1946) and The Great Gatsby (1949). His popularity diminished in the mid-1950s, though he continued to appear in numerous films, including his first supporting role since This Gun for Hire in the smash hit The Carpetbaggers released in 1964. He died of an accidental combination of alcohol, a barbiturate, and two tranquilizers in January 1964.

 

[The Ashes Urn 1,333]

American actor and stunt performer Nick Cravat died on this day 30 years ago, aged 82.

 

[Clorox Bleachman 2,136]

Scottish producer SOPHIE died 3 years ago, aged 34.

 

 

Sophie was a private figure, understandably sadly as a trans woman, so her life outwith music is a mystery. It's debated whether she was from Glasgow, Northampton, or somewhere else. You know which one I hope it is. She signed with Glasgow label Numbers and burst onto the scene in 2013 with "BIPP", a song that sounded like nothing else; abrasive, girly, weirdly minimalistic, with loud whooshes and pops at unexpected intervals.

 

Her best-known work is perhaps "Bitch I'm Madonna". I like that song, but if you're only to go off of its quality, you're not getting the full picture of Sophie's genius. She was closely associated with the PC Music label and helped Charli XCX go out of left field with her Vroom Vroom EP. She even released a sample pack with 250 of her sounds for $8, but really no one could recreate her production style.

 

There were 2 solo SOPHIE albums: Product (2015) and Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides (2018). They are her defining works, but there being just 2 albums is a tragedy.

 

Sophie fell 3 storeys from the rooftop terrace of her apartment on Kolwnou in Athens. She died in hospital 4 hours later. It was reported that she had been watching the full moon when she slipped.

 

The genre of Hyperpop was hailed as the future of music, but lost direction after Sophie's death. PC Music was never the same and stopped releasing new music last year. Also last year, Kim Petras dedicated her Grammy to Sophie, and Caroline Polachek wrote the song "I Believe" in her memory.

"It's ultimately about immortality, the idea of someone's legacy and all the beauty they've created in the world being protected, cherished and living on as a form of them."

 

 

[Drewsky1211 4,255]

Emperor Komei died on this day 157 years ago, aged 35.

- Komei was the son of Emperor Ninko, and his birth name was Osahito. He had three older brothers- but they all died while they were babies.

- Komei became the emperor of Japan after the death of his father in 1846. His reign is best known for the Perry Expedition to Japan in 1853, which forced him open the country to trade with the US, the UK, and Russia.

- In the middle of his reign, Komei would begin to wrestle power away from the Tokugawa clan, who were effectively the rulers of Japan since 1603. The Japanese monarchy would soon regain its power

- In 1863, Komei issued an order to expel Western merchants, labeling them 'barbarians'. This led to naval battles where the Western powers seized Japan's seaways and bombard their ports:

- Komei died at such a young age after contracting smallpox; some theorized at the time that he was assassinated by political enemies, but there was no evidence for this. His son Meiji would accede to the throne afterwards.

[Hell 1,329]

Mahatma Gandhi died on this day 76 years ago, aged 78. He was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist and political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful campaign for India's independence from British rule. He inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world. Assuming leadership of the Indian National Congress in 1921, Gandhi led nationwide campaigns for easing poverty, expanding women’s rights, building religious and ethnic amity, ending untouchability, and, above all, achieving swaraj or self-rule. He began to live in a self-sufficient residential community, to eat simple food, and undertake long fasts as a means of both introspection and political protest. Bringing anti-colonial nationalism to the common Indians, Gandhi led them in challenging the British-imposed salt tax with the 400 km Dandi Salt March in 1930 and in calling for the British to quit India in 1942. He was imprisoned many times and for many years in both South Africa and India.Gandhi's vision of an independent India based on religious pluralism was challenged in the early 1940s by a Muslim nationalism which demanded a separate homeland for Muslims within British India. In August 1947, Britain granted independence, but the British Indian Empire was partitioned into two dominions, a Hindu-majority India and a Muslim-majority Pakistan. As many displaced Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs made their way to their new lands, religious violence broke out, especially in the Punjab and Bengal. Abstaining from the official celebration of independence, Gandhi visited the affected areas, attempting to alleviate distress. Gandhi’s birthday, 2 October, is commemorated in India as Gandhi Jayanti, a national holiday, and worldwide as the International Day of Nonviolence.

 

[The Ashes Urn 1,333]

American composer and music educator Ruth Shaw Wylie died on this day 35 years ago, aged 72.

 

[Drewsky1211 4,255]

Guy Fawkes died on this day 418 years ago, aged 35.

- Fawkes' Catholic recuse mother, Edith remarried to another Catholic named Denis Bainbridge (Fawke's Anglican father Edward died in 1579).

- In 1591, Fawkes became a mercenary, fighting for Spain in the Eighty Years' War against the Netherlands. By 1603, he was recommended to become a captain in the Spanish army.

- By that time, Fawkes' religious beliefs became more extreme, and he labeled the newly-throned King James I/VI a heretic. He began calling himself by the Italian version of his name (Guido) to show his support for the pope, and went to Spain trying to get an audience with King Philip III to encourage a Catholic rebellion in England.

- Fawkes joined the Gunpowder Plot conspirators in 1604; while the most famous of the group, he was not the mastermind- that would be Robert Catesby. One of the pseudonyms he used during this time was "John Johnson" (probably one of the most generic fake names one could use).

- Fawkes was executed the same day as three of his co-conspirators (Ambrose Rookwood, Robert Keyes, and Thomas Wintour- feel free to tell their stories below this post if you want). He opted to jump from the gallows in order to break his neck to avoid being quartered alive:

- The night of the discovery of the Gunpowder Plot has since become known as "Guy Fawkes Night". In addition, his face became the symbol for vigilantism due to the 2006 movie V for Vendetta, and online activism due to members of the hacker group Anonymous prominently featuring/wearing masks of his face:

[Hell 1,329]

A. A. Milne died on this day 68 years ago, aged 74. He was an English writer best known for his books about the teddy bear Winnie-the-Pooh, as well as for children's poetry. Milne was primarily a playwright before the huge success of Winnie-the-Pooh overshadowed all his previous work. Milne served in both World Wars, as a lieutenant in the Royal Warwickshire Regiment in the First World War and as a captain in the Home Guard in the Second World War. Milne was the father of bookseller Christopher Robin Milne, upon whom the character Christopher Robin is based. It was during a visit to London Zoo, where Christopher became enamoured with the tame and amiable bear Winnipeg, that Milne was inspired to write the story of Winnie-the-Pooh for his son. Milne bequeathed the original manuscripts of the Winnie-the-Pooh stories to the Wren Library at Trinity College, Cambridge, his alma mater.
 

[The Ashes Urn 1,333]

Polish-born American film producer Samuel Goldwyn died on this day 50 years ago, aged 91.

 

[Drewsky1211 4,255]

Augustus II of Poland died on this day 291 years ago, aged 62.

- Augustus was German, and the son of the elector of Saxony. He succeeded his older brother John George IV in that position, as Frederick Augustus I, in 1694.

- In 1697, Augustus became the king of Poland following the death of John III- he was elected into the monarchy, and had to convert to Catholicism (as he was a Lutheran). He waged war on Sweden (ruled by his cousin Charles XII), only for them to invade Saxony in 1706 and oust him from the throne, replacing him with king Stanislaw I.

- Sweden's king would be exiled after being defeated by the Russians in battle in 1709, and Peter the Great would help restore Augustus to the throne. Poland effectively became a client state to Russia during this time, with Peter making demands that made the Polish nobility favor him, and threatened Augustus with military invasion if the goals he set for him were not met.

- In his spare time, Augustus was a patron of the arts, particularly of statues and ornate architecture. He also had an affinity for porcelain items, whether it be plates, vases, or figurines.

- Augustus' epithet is "the Strong", obviously due to his strength. He was reportedly able to break horseshoes with his bare hands, and held and participated a competition where live animals were slingshot into the air- over 600 foxes and 500 rabbits were killed that day.

- Augustus also sired many illegitimate children- reportedly almost 400. He had only one legitimate child- his son and successor Augustus III.

- Augustus lost his strength in later years, as he developed and died from type 2 diabetes.

[The Ashes Urn 1,333]

American electric blues slide guitarist John Littlejohn died on this day 30 years ago, aged 62.

 

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Buster Keaton died on this day 58 years ago, aged 70. He was an American actor, comedian and director. He is best known for his silent film work, in which his trademark was physical comedy accompanied by a stoic, deadpan expression that earned him the nickname "The Great Stone Face". Working with independent producer Joseph M. Schenck and filmmaker Edward F. Cline, Keaton made a series of successful two-reel comedies in the early 1920s, including One Week(1920), The Playhouse (1921), Cops (1922), and The Electric House (1922). He then moved to feature-length films; several of them, such as Sherlock Jr. (1924), The General (1926), Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928), and The Cameraman (1928), remain highly regarded. The General is viewed as his masterpiece: Orson Welles considered it "the greatest comedy ever made...and perhaps the greatest film ever made". In 2018, Peter Bogdanovich released The Great Buster: A Celebration, a tribute to Keaton featuring Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, Werner Herzog and Quentin Tarantino, among others. Keaton's art has inspired full academic study.

 

[Drewsky1211 4,255]

Philip Seymour Hoffman died on this day 10 years ago, aged 46.

- Hoffman made his acting debut in a 1991 episode of Law and Order. The following year, he appeared in Scent of a Woman, and in 1996 had a role in Hard Eight.

- Hoffman's breakout role was as Dusty the storm chaser in 1996's Twister. Other memorable roles of his from this time were as Brandt in The Big Lebowski (1998) and Freddie in The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999).

- Hoffman would be nominated for a Tony Award in 2003 for Long Day's Journey Into Night, and in 2005, he won the Oscar for Best Actor for starring as Truman Capote in the biopic Capote.

- Hoffman would star opposite Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible 3 as the main villain, Owen Davian, in 2006. He would be nominated for a second Oscar in 2008 for his role as Gust Avrakotos in Charlie Wilson's War.

- Towards the tail end of the 2000s decade, Hoffman began to voice act- most notably, he was the titular Max in the 2009 Australian indie film Mary and Max:

 

He also guest starred in the PBS Kids show Arthur as an expy of himself.

- Hoffman was nominated for a total of four BAFTA Awards during his career, and his final role was as Plutarch Heavensbee in both parts of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay.

- Hoffman struggled from drug abuse throughout his life, which was what caused his somewhat young demise.

[Hell 1,329]

Fred Perry died on this day 29 years ago, aged 85. He was a British tennis and table tennis player and former world No. 1 from England who won 10 Majors including eight Grand Slam tournaments and two Pro Slams single titles, as well as six Major doubles titles. Perry won three consecutive Wimbledon Championships from 1934 to 1936 and was World Amateur number one tennis player during those three years. Prior to Andy Murray in 2013, Perry was the last British player to win the men's Wimbledon championship, in 1936, and the last British player to win a men's singles Grand Slam title, until Andy Murray won the 2012 US Open. Perry was the first player to win a "Career Grand Slam", winning all four singles titles, which he completed at the age of 26 at the 1935 French Championships. He remains the only British player ever to achieve this. Perry's first love was table tennis and he was World Champion in 1929. He began playing tennis aged 14 and his tennis career at 21, when in 1930 an LTA committee chose him to join a four-man team to tour the United States.

 

[The Ashes Urn 1,333]

American jazz trumpeter, arranger and music educator Zilner Randolph died on this day 30 years ago, aged 95.