Death Anniversary Thread

[Hell 1,334]

Bill Haley died on this day 43 years ago, aged 55. He was an American rock and roll musician. At the age of four, he had a operation on his inner-ear, which cut and optic nerve, making him blind is his left eye. He is credited by many with first popularizing this form of music in the early 1950s with his group Bill Haley & His Comets and million-selling hits such as "Rock Around the Clock", "See You Later, Alligator", "Shake, Rattle and Roll", "Rocket 88", "Skinny Minnie", and "Razzle Dazzle". Haley has sold over 60 million records worldwide. In 1987, he was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He died of a heart attack caused by alcoholism. 
 

[lilham 752]

11 hours ago, Drewsky1211 said:

Princess Margaret died on this day 22 years ago, aged 71.

- Margaret was known for being a chronic smoker, and had part of her left lung removed in 1985. She suffered a stroke in 1998, and had several more over the coming years. Her last public appearance was at her aunt Alice's 100th birthday celebration in December of 2001, and she would die of yet another stroke just over a month later. She died just seven weeks before her mother did.

- Margaret would appear on the DeathList only once, in 2001 (at spot #26).

 

So she was a DL miss?

[msc 18,436]

11 minutes ago, lilham said:

 

So she was a DL miss?

Yeah, though apparently controversially. Allegedly it was decided to have her on the 2002 DL only after that decision several drinks were drunk and they forgot to add her to the list. At least that was the gist of a Cmme argument on here years ago. 

[lilham 752]

2 minutes ago, msc said:

Yeah, though apparently controversially. Allegedly it was decided to have her on the 2002 DL only after that decision several drinks were drunk and they forgot to add her to the list. At least that was the gist of a Cmme argument on here years ago. 

Interesting. I do remember she and her mom being on death watch over in American media at the time, so forgot to amend the list makes more sense than thinking she had longevity.

[chel 376]

40 years ago, General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee Yuri Andropov died in Moscow

 

Yuri Andropov, permanent head of the KGB for 15 years, became general secretary in November 1982. He delighted Western politicians, who remembered Khrushchev's hysterics and Brezhnev's infirmities, with his knowledge, efficiency and sarcastic humor. The appearance of such a politician in the USSR at the height of Reagan's exacerbation of the Cold War seemed encouraging to the West. But all this did not last long. Andropov had long been tormented by kidney failure, which was the cause of death.

[Drewsky1211 4,731]

Alex Haley died on this day 32 years ago, aged 70.

- Haley served in the Coast Guard during World War II, later remarking on how boring it was. He retired from service in 1959 to become a journalist.

- In 1962, Haley wrote the first interview for Playboy magazine, interviewing jazz musician Miles Davis and discussing topics such as racism. Other interviewees of note included Sammy Davis Jr., Quincy Jones, Muhammad Ali, and (most historically impactful) Martin Luther King Jr.

- Haley was the ghostwriter of Malcolm X's autobiography, published in 1965. He had conducted dozens of interviews with him, but got frustrated when Malcolm would go on tangents about the life of Elijah Muhammad.

- Haley published the book Roots: The Saga of an American Family in 1976, telling a continuous story regarding his ancestors and the hardships of enslaved Africans and African-Americans that were subjected to racism. This would be adapted into a popular miniseries the following year, in which Haley would appear at the end of each episode encouraging the viewer to research their genealogy (popularizing the subject):

The book has however been criticized for plagiarism (specifically passages from Harold Courlander's The African).

- At the time of his death from a heart attack, he was working on another novel focusing on a different branch of his family tree; the novel (Queen: The Story of an American Family) would be published the following year with ghostwriter David Stevens completing it.

[Hell 1,334]

Roy Scheider died on this day 16 years ago, aged 75. He was an American actor and amateur boxer. Described by AllMovie as "one of the most unique and distinguished of all Hollywood actors", he gained fame for his leading and supporting roles in celebrated films from the 1970s through to the early to mid-1980s. He was nominated for two Academy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and a BAFTA Award. His best-known roles include Chief Martin Brody in Jaws (1975) and its sequel Jaws 2 (1978); NYPD Detective "Cloudy" Russo in The French Connection (1971); NYPD Detective "Buddy" in The Seven-Ups (1973); Doc Levy in Marathon Man (1976); Jackie Scanlon / Juan Dominguez in Sorcerer (1977); choreographer and film director Joe Gideon in All That Jazz (1979); Officer Frank Murphy in Blue Thunder (1983); and Dr. Heywood R. Floyd in the 1984 film 2010: The Year We Make Contact, the sequel to 2001: A Space Odyssey. He was also known for playing Captain Nathan Bridger in the science-fiction television series seaQuest DSV (1993–1996).

 

[Drewsky1211 4,731]

Pope Paschal I died on this day 1200 years ago, aged 49.

- Born around the year 775, Paschal was part of the ancient Massimo family (reportedly descendants of the Roman Maximus family), and his parents' names were Bonosus and Theodora.

- During the reign of Pope Leo III, Leo would entrust Paschal with caring for pilgrims visiting the Vatican. Leo would also anoint him as a cardinal.

- Paschal would be elected pope in 817 after the death of Pope Stephen IV, and his election took just one day- without the approval of Louis the Pious (the Holy Roman Emperor). Paschal himself apologized for the hasty election.

- Paschal's reign is best known for the restoration of several basilicas in Rome, and mosaics of Paschal would be made in these buildings. He would also help construct additions to other places of worship.

- Paschal would also suppress a revolt against papal authority in northern Italy, in which two of its leaders were killed. Emperor Lothair I ordered an investigation into the matter, which Paschal refused to cooperate in, and Lothair's father and co-emperor (the aforementioned Louis) soon dropped it.

- Paschal died after a seven-year papacy. His successor was Pope Eugene II.

[Sir Creep 7,070]

Catherine of Saxony died exactly 500 years ago. (55)

She led a terrible boring life, with the greatest excitement when she became the second wife of Sigismund, Archduke of Austriaand Regent of Tyrol.

SC

[Hell 1,334]

Whitney Houston died on this day 12 years ago, aged 48. She was an American singer and actress. She was one of the first black women to appear on the cover of Seventeen after becoming a teen model in 1981. With the guidance of Arista Records chairman Clive Davis, Houston signed to the label at the age of 19. Her first two studio albums, Whitney Houston (1985) and Whitney (1987), both peaked at number one on the Billboard 200 and are among the best-selling albums of all time. Hit singles from the albums, including “How Will I Know”, “Greatest Love of All” and “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)”, established her as a catalyst in the acceptance of black female artists on MTV. Her third studio album, I’m Your Baby Tonight (1990), yielded two Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles, the title track and “All the Man That I Need”. Houston’s rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” at Super Bowl XXV in 1991 received widespread media coverage. Houston made her acting debut with the romantic thriller film The Bodyguard (1992), which despite its mixed reviews became the tenth highest-grossing film to that date. Its soundtrack won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year and remains the bestselling soundtrack album of all time. It generated multiple hit singles, including “I Have Nothing”, “I’m Every Woman” and “I Will Always Love You”; the latter won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year, spent a then-record 14 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 and became the best-selling single by a woman in music history.

 

[Drewsky1211 4,731]

Oliver (the singer) died on this day 24 years ago, aged 54.

- Oliver's birth name was William Swofford, but he went by his middle name as a mononym during his professional career. He was also known as "Bill Swofford" while as a member of bands such as The Virginians and The Good Earth.

- Oliver's breakout song was 1969's "Good Morning Starshine", included in the musical Hair:

It reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100, and it is primarily remembered for its nonsensical chorus- and as a Johnny Depp Willy Wonka quote:

 

- The same year, Oliver had another hit song with "Jean", the theme to the movie The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, reaching #2 on the chart (kept off the top by The Archies' "Sugar, Sugar"):

- Oliver's stardom would soon wane, with his last charting single being a cover of Gordon Lightfoot's "Early Morning Rain" in 1971, peaking at #124 on the Bubbling Under chart. He would retire from making music in 1984.

- Oliver was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in the mid-1990s, and died after it metastasized- unfortunately his death was overshadowed by that of Tom Landry the same day. In 2010, he was posthumously inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame (he was born and raised in the state).

[Hell 1,334]

Sid Caesar died on this day 10 years ago, aged 91. He was an American actor, comedian and writer. He was best known for two pioneering 1950s live television series: Your Show of Shows (1950–1954), which was a 90-minute weekly show watched by 60 million people, and its successor, Caesar's Hour (1954–1957), both of which influenced later generations of comedians. Your Show of Showsand its cast received seven Emmy nominations between the years 1953 and 1954 and tallied two wins. He also acted in films; he played Coach Calhoun in Grease (1978) and its sequel Grease 2 (1982) and appeared in the films It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963), Silent Movie (1976), History of the World, Part I (1981), Cannonball Run II (1984), and Vegas Vacation (1997).

 

[Drewsky1211 4,731]

Bela II of Hungary died on this day 883 years ago, aged ~31.

- At a young age, Bela was ordered blinded by his uncle, King Coloman, due to his father Almos attempting to oust him (Almos was blinded as well). Coloman also ordered Bela to be castrated, but the man tasked with the job allegedly refused to do it in order to keep Hungary's line of succession stable, and therefore neutered a dog (and presented its testes to the king).

- His cousin Stephen II would make him his heir, and arranged a marriage to Helena, the daughter of the Grand Prince of Serbia. Bela and Helena had six children together (all thanks to the reluctant guard).

- Bela became king after Stephen's death in 1131, and needed a regency due to his blindness. His wife and brother in-law (Belos) would assist him in royal matters.

- After Boleslaus III of Poland militarily supported a pretender to the Hungarian throne, Bela would launch an invasion of Poland in 1132, which lasted until 1135. He would also invade Bosnia, annexing some of its territory.

- In his later years, Bela became addicted to wine, and was often manipulated to do favors for members of his court when drunk. Bela died on the Ides of February in 1141, after a ten-year reign. Bela would be succeeded by his eldest son Geza II.

[Hell 1,334]

Waylon Jennings died on this day 22 years ago, aged 64. He was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. He is considered one of the pioneers of the outlaw movement in country music. In 1958, Buddy Holly arranged Jennings’ first recording session, a cover of Jole Blon, and hired him to play bass. Jennings gave up his seat on the ill-fated flight in 1959 that crashed and killed Holly, the Big Booper, and Ritchie Valens. He recorded for independent label Trend Records and A&M Records, but did not achieve success until moving to RCA Victor in 1965. In 1972, he acquired Neil Reshen as his manager, who negotiated significantly better touring and recording contracts. After he gained creative control from RCA Records, he released the critically acclaimed albums Lonesome, On’ry and Mean and Honky Tonk Heroes, followed by the hit albums Dreaming My Dreams and Are You Ready for the Country. With Willie Nelson, Tompall Glaser, and Jessi Colter he recorded country music’s first platinum album, Wanted! The Outlaws. He appeared in films and television series, including Sesame Street, and a stint as the balladeer for The Dukes of Hazzard, composing and singing the show’s theme song and providing narration for the show. Jennings struggled wirh cocaine addiction, which he overcame in 1984. Later, he joined the country supergroup the Highwaymen with Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, and Johnny Cash, which released three albums between 1985 and 1995. 
 

[Sir Creep 7,070]

The name is Bond.  James Bond.  And he died 35 years ago (89).
He was the preeminent expert, author/ornithologist of birds of the Caribbean.

 

 

[Drewsky1211 4,731]

Richard II of England died on this day 624 years ago, aged 33.

- Upon his birth in 1367, Richard was third in line to the English throne. His elder brother Edward died in 1370, and his father Edward the Black Prince died six years after that.

- Richard became king when he was 10 years old upon his grandfather Edward III's death. In order to prevent his uncle John of Gaunt from seizing power from him, the English government would hold councils to teach Richard how to rule. These ended when he was 13, largely due to taxpayer dissent.

- Taxes were indeed a focal point of his reign, as it led to the Peasants' Revolt of 1381. Richard led negotiations with rebel leader Wat Tyler. He also dealt with Scotland invading a border town in 1388.

- After Richard's wife Anne of Bohemia died in 1394, he remarried in 1396 to Isabella of Valois- Richard was 29 and Isabella was only 6 years old (insert Chris Hansen here).

-  Richard's cousin Henry Bolingbroke led a coup against him in 1399, successfully forcing him to abdicate. The now-Henry IV's forces would then imprison him in Pontefract Castle, where he starved to death (albeit the date and cause of death have been debated).

[Hell 1,334]

Bob Paisley died on this day 28 years ago, aged 77. He was an English professional football manager and player who played as a wing-half. Paisley came from a small County Durham mining community and, in his youth, played for Bishop Auckland before he signed for Liverpool in 1939. During the Second World War he served in the British Army, and could not make his Liverpool debut until 1946. In the 1946–47 season he was a member of the Liverpool team that won the First Division title for the first time in 24 years. He was made club captain in 1951, and remained with Liverpool until he retired from playing in 1954. He stayed with the club, and took on the two roles of reserve team coach and club physiotherapist. By this time Liverpool had been relegated to the Second Division and its facilities were in decline. Shankly was appointed Liverpool manager in December 1959, and he promoted Paisley to work alongside him as his assistant in a management/coaching team that included Joe Fagan and Reuben Bennett. Under their leadership, the fortunes of Liverpool turned around dramatically and, in the 1961–62 season, the team gained promotion back to the First Division. Paisley filled an important role as tactician under Shankly's leadership, and the team won numerous honours during the next twelve seasons. He spent almost 50 years with Liverpool and is regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time. Reluctantly taking the job in 1974, he built on the foundations laid by his predecessor Bill Shankly. Paisley is the first of four managers to have won the European Cup three times. He is also one of five managers to have won the English top-flight championship as both a player and manager at the same club. 
 

[Drewsky1211 4,731]

Raquel Welch died on this day a year ago, aged 82.

- Welch was born as Jo Tejada, and went by her middle name. Her father was born in Bolivia, and she was the cousin of Bolivian president Lidia Gueiler. Welch was of primarily English ancestry on her mother's side.

- Welch began entering beauty contests when she was 14, and began her acting career after graduating high school. Early roles included appearances on shows like McHale's Navy and Bewitched.

- Welch's first leading role was in 1965's A Swingin' Summer, followed by more prominent roles in Fantastic Voyage and One Million Years BC. The latter's promotional photo is above, which has cemented itself in popular culture following its use in The Shawshank Redemption:

- Among Welch's other career highlights include Bedazzled, Bandolero, 100 Rifles, and Myra Breckinridge.

- As Welch aged, she turned more to guest star roles on TV and cameos in movies- examples include Naked Gun 33 1/3, The Muppet Show, and Seinfeld:

Welch's final role was as Rosa in the 2017 sitcom Date My Dad.

[Hell 1,334]

Nat King Cole died on this day 59 years ago, aged 45. He was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole started his career as a jazz pianist in the late 1930s, where he formed The King Cole Trio which became the top-selling group (and the only black act) on Capitol Records in the 1940s. His trio was the model for small jazz ensembles that followed. Starting in 1950 he transitioned to become a solo singer billed as Nat King Cole. Despite achieving mainstream success, during his career he faced intense racial discrimination. While not a major vocal public figure in the civil rights movement, Cole was a member of his local NAACP branch and participated in the 1963 March on Washington. He regularly performed for civil rights organizations. From 1956 to 1957, he hosted the NBC variety series The Nat King Cole Show, which became the first nationally broadcast television show hosted by an African American. Some of his most notable singles include "Unforgettable", "Smile", "L-O-V-E", "When I Fall in Love", "Let There Be Love", "Mona Lisa", "Autumn Leaves", "Stardust", "Straighten Up and Fly Right", "The Very Thought of You", "For Sentimental Reasons", "Embraceable You" and "Almost Like Being in Love". His 1960 Christmas album The Magic of Christmas (also known as The Christmas Song), is the best-selling Christmas album released in the 1960s; and was ranked as one of the 40 essential Christmas albums (2019) by Rolling Stone.
 

[John "요한" Sulu 419]

On this day 1 year ago, American Nobel Prize-winning biochemist Paul Berg passed away at the age of 96.

[John "요한" Sulu 419]

On this day 1 year ago, American businessman David Oreck, who founded the Oreck vacuum cleaner company, passed away at the age of 99.

[Drewsky1211 4,731]

Boutros Boutros-Ghali died on this day 8 years ago, aged 93.

- Boutros-Ghali was the grandson of Boutros Ghali Pasha, who was Prime Minister of Egypt from 1908 to 1910.

- Boutros-Ghali majored in international law, and received a PhD in the subject. He joined the Arab Socialist Union Party, quickly rising through its ranks to where Anwar Sadat made him Egypt's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs in 1977. He would help broker the peace deal between Egypt and Israel, but approved a secret weapons to Rwanda in 1990- just before the Rwandan Genocide began.

- Boutros-Ghali was elected as the UN Secretary General in 1991, succeeding (fellow DeathList alumnus) Javier Perez de Cuellar. During his term, Boutros-Ghali was often at odds with the US government, to the point where he was blamed for an attack on an American helicopter during the Somali Civil War in 1993. Boutros-Ghali was also seen as an ineffective peacekeeper during the Rwandan Genocide and Bosnian War.

- Outside of diplomatic issues, Boutros-Ghali was also known for an interview where he had to explain that Disneyland is not a UN member:

- The US would veto Boutros-Ghali's reelection bid in 1996, leading to a deadlock until Boutros-Ghali suspended his campaign. Kofi Annan would be his successor as the UN Secretary General.

- Boutros-Ghali debuted on the DeathList in 2016, and was the year's second hit (and only debuter to die that year).

[John "요한" Sulu 419]

On this day 1 year ago, American actress Raquel Welch passed away at the age of 82.

[Hell 1,334]

Lesley Gore died on this day 9 years ago, aged 68. She was an American singer and songwriter. At the age of 16, she recorded her first hit song "It's My Party", a US number one in 1963. She followed it up with ten further US Billboard top 40 hits including "Judy's Turn to Cry" and "You Don't Own Me". Gore said herself she considered "You Don't Own Me" as her signature song. Gore later worked as an actress and television personality. She composed songs with her brother Michael Gore for the 1980 film Fame, and received an Academy Award nomination for "Out Here On My Own". She hosted several editions of the LGBT-oriented public television show In the Life on American TV in the 2000s.

 

[Drewsky1211 4,731]

Albert I of Belgium died on this day 90 years ago, aged 58.

- Albert had five names- his full name was "Albert Leopold Clement Marie Meinrad". He would become the heir apparent after the deaths of his Baudouin in 1891 and father Philippe in 1905 respectively.

- In 1909, Albert became king following the death of his (evil) uncle Leopold II- one of the key aspects of his reign were reforms to protect the native people of the Belgian Congo, as well as industrializing the colony. He was the first Belgian king to issue the accession oath in Dutch, and was known for wearing less-than-extravagant clothing in order to relate to the average Belgian citizen.

- Belgium would be invaded by Germany in World War I, and Albert himself conscripted himself into battle. He was a leader of the Fifth Battle of Ypres, and for his service earned the nickname "The Soldier King".

- After the war, he took up mountain climbing as a hobby. This turned out deadly- he was killed in a climbing accident (there were rumors that he was murdered, though unsubstantiated). Albert would be succeeded by his son Leopold III.