The 4th Crowdsource Deathlist (2019 edition)

[Joey Russ 7,228]

So we’re a quarter of the way through the year, and so far we have no hits on this list (though two near misses did occur). Do you think it’s the calm before the storm or is this not going to be a great list?

[The Mad Hatter 1,092]

9 minutes ago, Joey Russ said:

So we’re a quarter of the way through the year, and so far we have no hits on this list (though two near misses did occur). Do you think it’s the calm before the storm or is this not going to be a great list?

This years a fucking snooze fest thats why. 

[Toast 16,141]

The wrong people are dying.  Mark Hollis.  Keith Flint.  Ranking Roger.

[CaptainChorizo 1,983]

CS and DL voter's didn't notice The Honorable Prince Leonard of Hutt River was ripe for the picking in 2019

[Joey Russ 7,228]

So there’s finally a hit for the crowdsource list, which I’ll write up later...

[Joey Russ 7,228]

FOR AULD ANH'S SYNE

1/50

 

 

22nd April 2019

 

Many have wondered if the Crowdsource list was heading to a grand total of 0 for the year. Indeed, many people seem to think that we are in a massive drought for celebrities this year. However, the Grim Reaper has finally answered that question with the death of former Vietnamese president Le Duc Anh, who finally brings a score to the Crowdsource list. He began his career by joining the military in 1945, where he sided with the forces in the communist North Vietnam. Slowly but surely he began to rise higher up the ranks in the military, and he eventually led the Vietnam forces in the People's Republic of Kampuchea throughout the 1980s. He later entered politics, first holding the position of Minister of Defense and then becoming Vietnam's 4th president in 1992. Though the position was mostly symbolic, that position did become more important during his tenure. He was considered the most conservative of the three leaders during his tenure. After a major stroke in 1996 (which he surprisingly lasted), he stepped down the following year. In recent years, he became a favorite of drol, who is largely responsible for his high debut appearance on the crowdsource list. And despite gaining the title of immortal, Duc ended up beating out the Duke by dying at the ripe old age of 98, once again proving that immortals don't exist in the post Clive Dunn world. Many will wonder if we'll have to wait another four months for the next hit, however, news on a few picks suggest that we won't have to wait that long...

[Joey Russ 7,228]

THE GRAND DEATH

2/50

 

 

23rd April 2019

 

Former Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg has died aged 98 to quickly give the Crowdsource list a follow up success. He and the rest of his royal family went into exile in the United States during World War 2 because the Nazis were occupying Luxembourg at the time. You would think this would lead into more exciting adventures, but it didn't turn out to be the case for him. After the Grand Duchess Charlotte abdicated in 1964, he became the Grand Duke for almost 36 years before stepping down in 2000, being succeeded by his son Henri. The one good note is that Luxembourg was in one of it's most prosperous periods largely thanks to him and his wife's influence. He was quickly forgotten by most people due to the dullness of almost his entire life, but the Crowdsource voters did remember to put him on the list. This is his second appearance on the list, dropping down to the 43rd spot. 

[Joey Russ 7,228]

END OF A SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY

3/50

 

 

13th May 2019

 

One of Hollywood's most iconic figures Doris Day has sadly died at the age of 97 to give the Crowdsource list another success. She began her career as a big band singer in 1939, and her popularity increased after recording "Sentimental Journey" with Les Brown & His Band of Renown. She later embarked on a solo career, recording over 650 songs from 1947 to 1967, and later became one of the most popular and acclaimed singers of the 20th century. Her career in film was arguably bigger than her singing career. She played the titular role in Calamity Jane, and she starred in Alfred Hitchcock's The Man Who Knew Too Much alongside Jimmy Stewart. She worked with many other leading men in her film career including Cary Grant, Rock Hudson, and James Garner, and as such she became the biggest female star of the early 1960's. She reluctantly starred in The Doris Day Show from 1968 to 1973 after her late husband Martin Melcher committed her to a television series without telling her beforehand. Her career slowed down after that, but her impact on the entertainment industry is undeniable. She survived a nasty accident in 1937, but somehow she was able to live on another 81 years after the accident (and very healthily too) until pneumonia finally caught up to her this year. This was her first appearance on the list, taking her up to the 36th spot. 

 

[Spade_Cooley 9,533]

Goddamn, ya can't stop us now. 20 hits by August.

[Joey Russ 7,228]

DORF ON THE STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN

4/50

 

 

14th May 2019

 

Legendary comedian and actor Tim Conway has died to give the Crowdsource list it's second back to back success. Tim Conway first rose to prominence for his role as Ensign Parker in the 1960's sitcom McHale's Navy, where he worked alongside the likes of Joe Flynn and Ernest Borgnine, the latter of which he became really good friends with. After a massive misstep with the counterculture sketch comedy Turn On, Conway perhaps had his most famous success on The Carol Burnett Show, where he went from a frequent guest on the show to a full on cast member starting with the 1975 - 1976 season. Among his most memorable roles on the show was The Oldest Man and Mr Tudball. In more recent years, he portrayed Dorf in multiple films starting with the 1987 film Dorf on Golf, and he was brought to a new generation of people where, alongside Ernest Borgnine, he portrayed Barnacle Boy in SpongeBob SquarePants. Sadly, he had dealt with dementia the past few years, and family bickering alongside with his failing health made him an obvious choice for the Crowdsource list. He debuted to the 14th spot on the list, and his death at 85 finally puts the Crowdsource list on track for a respectable score. 

[Joey Russ 7,228]

PEI IN THE SKY

5/50

 

 

16th May 2019 

 

After missing out on Bob Hawke due to how late in the year he correctly predicted his own death, the crowdsource list gets another success in the form of Chinese American architect I. M. Pei. A modernist with significant cubist themes, he first gained recognition with his work on the National Center of Atmospheric Research in Colorado, which was completed in 1967. Afterwards, he completed many other important places in the US including the John F. Kennedy Library in Massachusetts, the Dallas City Hall, and the east building of the National Gallery of Art. In China, he designed the Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong. His most famous work, however, was a glass-and-steel pyramid designed for the Louvre museum in Paris, which has now become a landmark of the city of Paris. He continued to work on projects throughout his life. He lived a pretty long life, with him dying at the ripe old age of 102. This is his first appearance on the list, sneaking in on the 45th spot, and I think those people complaining of a drought can be safely shut up now.

[Joey Russ 7,228]

THE WINDS OF DEATH

6/50

 

 

17th May 2019 

 

When will the deluge end? American author Herman Wouk has died to give the Crowdsource list another success. He first started with joining the US navy during World War 2, and he participated in a number of invasions and won multiple battle stars. During his time in the Navy, he wrote his first novel Aurora Dawn, which was released in 1947. His breakthrough and biggest success happened to be his 1951 novel The Caine Mutinity, which was based on his wartime experiences. It won him a Pulitzer Prize and it became a best selling novel. He later had two more monumental novels released during the 1970's: The Winds of War and War and Remembrance, the latter of which Wouk said it was "the main tale I have to tell." In his final years, he seemed to be having a good time impersonating Albus Dumbledore as his health was failing. He becomes the first bedblocker to fall this year, dying at the ripe old age of 103. This was his first appearance in the top ten, jumping all the way to the 3rd spot. 

[Gooseberry Crumble 5,346]

And of course Franco Zeffirelli is now a hit for the crowdsourced shadowlist.

[Joey Russ 7,228]

Apologies for not putting Zeffirelli’s obit up quickly. I do not have access to a computer at this point and time, and it is difficult to write one on a mobile device for me. I will try to get it up (and any other deaths that might arise very soon) ASAP.  

[Book 3,557]

This is the Crowdsourced 50-List I sent to Joey for this year's competition.

I wished this was my Shadow List

 

01.

02. Sylvia Miles 09.09.1924 – 12.06.2019

03. Carol Channing 31.01.1921 – 15.01.2019

04.

05.

06.

07.

08.

09.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16. Gloria Vanderbilt 20.02.1924 – 17.06.2019

17.

18.

19.

20.

21.

22.

23.

24. Diana Athill 21.12.1917 – 23.01.2019

25.

26.

27.

28. Lorraine Warren 31.01.1927 – 18.04.2019

29.

30.

31. Rosamunde Pilcher 22.09.1924 – 06.02.2019

32.

33.

34. Katherine Helmond 05.07.1929 – 23.02.2019

35.

36.

37.

38.

39.

40.

41. Judith Kerr 14.06.1923 – 22.05.2019

42. Muriel Pavlow 27.06.1921 – 19.01.2019

43.

44.

45.

46.

47. Doris Day 03.04.1922 – 13.05.2019

48.

49.

50.

[Toast 16,141]

On 23/12/2018 at 16:41, Joey Russ said:

Sometimes I am shocked by how the voters vote, either by the extent of someone’s popularity or by even being viable candidates for the list. Case in point, there’s a Sinead O’Connor type figure that is currently in the top 50, and they’re doing about 30 points better than the big A-Lister I mentioned that are struggling a couple of times. At the end of the day, it is the Crowdsource list, and if the Sinead O’Connor figure makes it but not the big A-Lister, there’s nothing I can do to stop that...

 

@Joey Russ  So who were they then?

[Spade_Cooley 9,533]

Gonna guess 6ix9ine?

[Joey Russ 7,228]

I have a lot going on IRL right now, but I forgot about the teaser thing (thanks for reminding me), so let’s see if I can remember it now. 

On 22/11/2018 at 07:15, Joey Russ said:

A bit of a teaser for how the top 3 looks like right now. First place is definitely one of the most famous, if not the most famous, dead pooling furniture out there. Second place has something that I can’t seem to remember what it’s called, maybe Peter Falk can help me there. As for third place, I’d say that they’re becoming more and more of a well known dead pooling pick. Still very famous in their own right, but nonetheless, looks good on making their debut at this point...

First one was Bush Sr, second was Jill Gascoine, third was Stirling Moss

 

On 22/11/2018 at 19:16, Joey Russ said:

Some post first day analysis:

As of right now, there’s only one person who has appeared on every single list. Knowing about certain trends as described by the former host, I know that they won’t appear on every single list that is submitted, but for now, kudos to them on getting unanimous support so far.

The name is also currently leading the pack on the Crowdsource list, and by a considerable margin too, as the distance between them and the current runner up is a whopping 74 points apart, and that’s very early in the game.   They’re also the first name (and so far only name) who has broken past the point score that was necessary to break into the top 50 last year, so barring death, they will almost certainly make the Crowdsource list next year. 

There seems to be a bit of a trend for early voting right now, as it is the usual suspects who are the front runners at this point and time, and the big dead pooling names are starting at a bit of a disadvantage. A few of them are making traction, but overall they are behind those who are likely to be bedblockers till they drop. Part of it is probably on who has sent in a list so far, and so some of them will probably gain more traction later. 

Additionally, I am beginning to pick out a few names that may turn out to be this year’s cult pick on the Crowdsource list this year, kind of like Montserrat Caballe or Dilip Kumar was last year. One of them are already making headway among the front runners, a few others seem to be gathered by fewer points right now, but they definitely seem like cult names in the making.

 I won’t be doing analysis like this everyday, as I only think I’ll get a few more lists this month, but I do think it’s interesting on what the list looks like at this point and time...

First one again was Bush Sr.

I cant remember the exact bedblockers list but I believe Kirk Douglas, Olivia de Havilland and Vera were all part of that group. 

As for cult names, I definitely remember Violet Chamorro as part of the batch, I think JLT was there too. And I believe Le Duc Anh was the one making way alongside the front runners. I forgot about any others that might’ve been part of that group, and I apologize for that

On 23/11/2018 at 20:22, Joey Russ said:

So I did a full ranking for the top 50 candidates for the first time, and it looks to be extremely competitive for those who have appeared on the 2018 list, as right now 20 of the top 30 spots are filled with folk who made the 2018 list and a name did have to be disqualified from the list due to the no more than 25 carry over rule. The bigger excitement, however, is that someone unexpectedly is in the top 50 at this point and time. It’s a name that I have pushed for to make this list in the past.  

First one was Diana Athill I believe. Second one was definitely Ozzy

 

On 30/11/2018 at 17:03, Joey Russ said:

So I did a second “if the top 50 was taken today”, and I noticed that on the list 44 out of 50 names reappeared on the list again. Meaning there’s definitely some picks that people like. Interestingly, one of the 6 that dropped off the top 50 is someone extremely well known to the casual players, and while they will certainly qualify on New Years barring death imo, the fact that they’re at risk now is quite interesting. Oh, and two names very well known to the forums are making a bit of a comeback entering the top ten this time when they were out of the top 20 this time...

The certain to qualify name was Jimmy Carter (he’s the same name that was at risk of not qualifying in later allusions). The two well known names were ONJ and Brackers.

 

On 07/12/2018 at 10:09, Joey Russ said:

This is the dead period for the Crowdsource list submissions, so therefore only one person has submitted a list since the death of George HW Bush. You think that with only one list only minor changes would happen to the list, but that simply isn’t the case, as two names made it up 12 places higher just because of one list. I’m also amazed on how much traction a few names have gotten. This is starting to get interesting...

Research reveals them to be Robert Mugabe and Kathleen Blanco

 

On 17/12/2018 at 10:48, Joey Russ said:

16 lists in, and the results are quite interesting. Number one is the popular forum name who held onto the top spot since the death of George H W Bush. They lead by nearly 100 points, with the person in second place being a very popular bedblocker. As for third and 4th place, I can guarantee that if I gave everyone a guess, they would be incorrect, and both names I never would’ve guessed to do as well as they’re doing right now...

Jean Louis Trintignant was first, followed by Kirk Douglas. Third and fourth at the time I think were Le Duc Anh and Violet Chamorro (that document seem to be lost in the mist of time I’m afraid).

 

On 20/12/2018 at 14:01, Joey Russ said:

Also, that A Lister that I mentioned was struggling to make the list, is still struggling to make the list (as in switching to barely on and barely off). Will be stunned if he doesn’t make it next year, but at this point in the game, him not making the list won’t surprise me. Which is not something I would’ve said in November! 

Like I said, Jimmy Carter.

On 20/12/2018 at 22:25, Joey Russ said:

So as I was entering somebody's list today, I had noticed that apparently I put the name of a similarly named fictional character instead of someone actually who is actually famous (and never realized how similarly those two names are). That certainly would've been mocked had I not noticed that before January 1st. 

Jean Luc Godard was confused as Jean Luc Picard

On 23/12/2018 at 10:41, Joey Russ said:

Sometimes I am shocked by how the voters vote, either by the extent of someone’s popularity or by even being viable candidates for the list. Case in point, there’s a Sinead O’Connor type figure that is currently in the top 50, and they’re doing about 30 points better than the big A-Lister I mentioned that are struggling a couple of times. At the end of the day, it is the Crowdsource list, and if the Sinead O’Connor figure makes it but not the big A-Lister, there’s nothing I can do to stop that...

6ix9ine (probably could’ve been guessed by the list of those missing out being revealed though).

 

On 26/12/2018 at 14:39, Joey Russ said:

So first, Sister Wendy Beckett was at 85 points when she died, and as such points have been scattered among the surviving entries. The list count is now at 28, and there are sine pretty notable comebacks and shifts happening as of right now. I am only going to talk about 2 of them though. First, remember when I said a certain A lister name was struggling behind the Sinead O'Connor typer name? Well, since that post he has acquired over 200 points, making his chances of making the list again very likely. The second, and perhaps more important one, is that the person who held onto the lead since the death of George H W Bush has been dethroned. I was so convinced that they would hold on to the lead in the end that the change in leader kind of surprises me, but then the person who is leading right now is a well known bedblocker...

Jimmy Carter finally got into contention, whereas Jean Louis Trintignant was dethroned by either Kirk or Leah (its one of those two for sure, memory says former but it might’ve been the latter).

 

I think that’s all the references I made. Let me know if missed one I made on this thread...

[Toast 16,141]

7 minutes ago, Joey Russ said:

6ix9ine (probably could’ve been guessed by the list of those missing out being revealed though).

 

Ah!  I thought it was a typo 

[Joey Russ 7,228]

So, two things: 

1. Hopefully I will finally get a laptop soon so I can catch up on the 4 deaths (possibly more between now and when I actually get a laptop). I know I haven’t been able to write obits for months, but even without the laptop issue I’ve been pretty busy recently IRL that prevented me from writing obits anyways. However...

2. I can confirm that I do plan on hosting this for another year. Honestly, writing is one of my passions in life, and I really liked writing about all the fascinating lives that I’ve read about, so giving this up after a year doesn’t feel right to me. Plus, I shouldn’t be as busy in the coming months, so hopefully next year’s nomination process will go smoothly again. 

 

Anyways, hopefully the obits are up really soon!  

[Joey Russ 7,228]

BROTHER LIFE, SISTER DEATH

7/50

 

 

15th June 2019 

 

One of the most acclaimed directors and opera producers of the 20th century, Franco Zeffirelli, has finally given his final encore to give the Crowdsource List another success. He began his career as an opera director in the 1950s, and he worked on many major productions such as La traviata in 1958 at Dallas alongside Maria Callas. His most acclaimed work in opera has to be Tosca at the Royal Opera house alongside Maria Callas and Tito Gibbi. However, he may be more well known for his work in film, where he created well acclaimed films of Shakespeare works such as The Taming of The Shrew and Romeo and Juliet, the latter of which one him an Oscar nomination for best director. He also directed the miniseries of Jesus of Nazareth, which is often shown around Christmas and Easter to this day. He had been a part of some controversies in recent years. For example, he backed the catholic church's position on homosexuality despite being gay himself, he served in Italy's centre-right party in the senate for 2 years, and last year he was implicated in some me too stuff. However, one thing that wasn't controversial was his support from the voters for this list. He's making his second appearance on the list, but he dropped down all the way to the 39th slot.

 

(Side note: I am at a computer lab when I wrote this obit, so the other three who still need a write up will come at a later date).

 

[Joey Russ 7,228]

MCCRRICK'S FINAL FURLONG

8/50

 

 

5th July 2019

 

One of the UK's most well known horse racing pundits and journalists has went down his final stretch in order to give the crowdsource list's next success. He first tried to get into some diplomatic service, but after that failed, he went through some other jobs such as being a tic tac man before he eventually became a journalist for The Sporting Life. He began his horse pundit on ITV Sport's horse racing coverage in 1981.His role was eventually expanded after the horse racing channel was switched from ITV to Channel 4 in 1985, where he eventually got his flamboyant attire such as his famous hat and sideburns that many people remember today, such. However, it may be his wild life away from horse racing where he is best remembered for such as his appearance in Celebrity Big Brother. Indeed, he was dropped from their coverage team in 2013 because he was considered offensive and disgusting. Whether you liked him or not, there was no doubt that he was a very influential figure on the news scene. People noticed that he looked very poorly last October. and while some like myself thought we might be falling for a booby trap, in the end he turned out to be a dead cert and was quite pathetically easy to catch, dying from lung cancer at 79. He was making his first appearance on the list, jumping all the way to the 24th spot.

[Joey Russ 7,228]

SCATTERING OF JOHNNY'S ASHES IN AFRICA

9/50

 

 

16th July 2019

 

South African superstar Johnny Clegg has succumbed to pancreatic cancer in order to bring another score to the crowdsource list. In his early days, Clegg pursued an academic career in anthropology at the University of Witwatersrand and the University of Natal. However, it was his music career that he will be most remembered for. He formed Juluka after meeting Sipho Mchunu, a Zulu migrant worker, which it was named after Mchunu's bull. Eventually Juluka was a multiracial band which grew to 6 members, 3 black and 3 white people in the band. Their style included a mix of European and African influences. By the release of their first album Universal Men in 1979, they were already facing threats of harassment and censorship in South Africa. Clegg later recalled that it was impossible to perform in public in South Africa. However, he was really popular elsewhere. In 1986, he formed his second group Savuka which further pushed them into stardom, with their song "Scatterlings of Africa" included in the film Rain Man. In the end, Clegg was arguably influential in ending apartheid in South Africa due to his two multi racial bands. Clegg was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2015, which eventually killed him 4 years later. Many of the voters noticed a downturn for him late last year, which secured him the 38th spot on his first time on the list. 

[Joey Russ 7,228]

Let me remind all of you to please not send any crowdsource list entries to me at this time, as it’s still about 4 months away before the starting line. I will let you know when I will start accepting entries. Yes, I think I just got a list for the crowdsource list...

[Joey Russ 7,228]

DYING ON SUNSHINE

10/50

 

 

18th August 2019

 

Former Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco has died in order to bring the crowdsource list score to double digits. Her early political career includes serving in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1984 to 1989 and becoming the Lieutenant Governor in 1996. She eventually ran for governor in 2003, defeating future embarrassing presidential candidate Bobby Jindal by a 52 to 48 margin, and as such became the first female governor in Louisiana. Her tenure looked like a normal governor tenure at first. However, she was faced with dreadful Hurricane Katrina, one of the most costly and deadly hurricanes to date. Although George W Bush is largely to blame for a lot of the damage done by Katrina, Blanco is not completely innocent either. For example, she decided that it was a bright idea to send 300 troops who just came back from Iraq to the streets of New Orleans to stop looters. Yeah, that kept things fairly safe. She eventually decided to not seek re-election, where she was succeeded by, you guessed it, Bobby fucking Jindal. She had cancer since 2017, and some loud voices, including the former crowdsource host, helped secure her spot on the list, debuting in 32nd spot. It's weird though that for a little bit it seemed like she'd be the first hit, yet 9 others went before she finally died...