We’re just one month into the new year and while we’re yet to see any score in the pool, we’ve already seen some serious mortality.
The year started on a tragic note, with the announcement on the 2nd that Jett Travolta, the son of sometime actor and noted Scientologist John, had died at the tender age of 16.
On the 6th John Scott Martin, the world’s longest-serving Dalek operator (rolling around in one of those things from 1965 to 1988) passed away at the age of 83.
Also on the 6th, Apple boss Steve Jobs declined to deliver the Macworld keynote address, throwing the rumour mill into overdrive and prompting this very tasteless (albeit very funny) cartoon on xkcd.
(And that mill continues to turn, with the announcement on the 15th that Mr. Jobs will be taking extended sick leave until June. Hmmm.)
The 13th and 14th saw an unfortunate classic actor double-bill, with the respective deaths of The Prisoner Patrick McGoohan at age 80, and Fantasy Island (and occasional Star Trek) star Ricardo Montalbán at age 88.
On the 16th we farewelled Sir John Mortimer, creator of the modern legal drama with his classic grumpy barrister Rumpole of the Bailey.
On the 25th Kim Manners, director of many, many episodes of modern classic The X-Files and modern classic wannabe Supernatural, passed away at 58.
Finally, on the 27th we farewelled American author John Updike, a man who tragically lived to see his classic novel The Witches of Eastwick go from a great book to a passable film to a dodgy stage musical.
And that wraps it up for January. Stay tuned for further updates.
