Irish pop singer Stephen Gately has died at the age of 33.
As well as being greatly respected as a performer, Gately was considered a hero of gay rights. Unlike many closeted colleagues, he managed to be both a boy band star and openly gay.
And in typical UK tabloid fashion, this has apparently earned Gately the right to have the sordid elements of his story splashed far and wide.
However, his sad passing appears to be a tragically simple case of a tragically avoidable death.
Lucy Vodden, once upon a time Miss Lucy O’Donnell, has passed away at the age of 46.
Way back in 1967, the 4-year-old Lucy was the subject of a drawing by a 4-year-old Julian Lennon. The picture was to become the inspiration for the classic Beatles tune “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”.
It was revealed in 2007 that Vodden was the eponymous Lucy, and it was also revealed at the time that she was suffering from the autoimmune disease lupus.
Ms. Vodden passed away on September 22, after suffering a severe infection.
On the 14th, as the world stood stunned by the death of Patrick Swayze, another worthy yet less-celebrated celebrity also sadly shuffled off the mortal coil.
James Bateman, a.k.a. Henry Gibson, has passed away just one week before his 74th birthday.
Gaining popularity in the 70s on Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In and a cult following in the 80s as leader of the Illinois Nazis in The Blues Brothers, Gibson went on to create many memorable characters, most recently the eccentric Judge Clark Brown in Boston Legal.
Drama nerds may be inclined to wonder if Gibson’s chosen moniker was a reference to playwright Henrik Ibsen. And yes, it was.
And an entirely appropriate name it was, too. While mainly known for comedy, Gibson always managed to bring a dramatic gravity to even the lightest of roles, grounding the story and greatly improving everything he was in.
The world of television just got ever so slightly less interesting.
After a long battle with pancreatic cancer, Patrick Swayze has died at the age of 57.
Whether as a romantic lead, an action hero, a drag queen or a sleazy evangelist (remember Donnie Darko? He was ace in that) Swayze has always been a compelling presence onscreen. We and Hollywood are all the poorer for his passing.
It was first announced way back in March 2008 that Swayze had been diagnosed with cancer, and at that time the prognosis looked to be very short. The fact that he lasted another 18 months is a testament to his strength and the support of this family.
Of course it took about five seconds for tasteless jokes to start popping up on Twitter and, without trying to speak ill of the recently deceased, my favourites were these:
Ghost 2 is now in production ... and "nobody puts baby in a coffin."
Too soon, people. Too soon.
Mike Leyland, one half of the legendary Leyland brothers, has passed away at the age of 68.
From 1976 until 1984, Mike (right) and his brother Mal were co-hosts of the iconic travel documentary show Ask The Leyland Brothers. They would travel around Australia in response to viewer questions, and shot the whole thing on Super 8. You just don’t see TV like that anymore.
And who could forget that amazing theme? If by some miracle you have, please remind yourself here.
You’ll have it stuck in your head for days, I promise.
Farewell, Mike. It was a pleasure travelling with you.
Veteran Australian actor Ray Barrett has died at the age of 82.
Internationally known as “that guy who was in that movie … you know …”, Barrett was an inspiration to a generation of Australian actors.
And he appeared in Doctor Who, way back before it was cool.
Respect.
Once again I’m very late with the monthly update and once again I have no excuses. I throw myself upon the mercy of the internet.
On the 6th we bid a very fond farewell to cinema legend John Hughes. Passing away aged just 59, Hughes brought us the legendary Ferris Bueller and showed us just how pretty Molly Ringwald could look in pink (reasonably pretty, it turns out).
And of course Home Alone. But we forgive him for that last one.
On the 13th music technology pioneer Les Paul passed away at the very respectable age of 94. He leaves behind a huge legacy including multitrack recording, the famous Gibson guitar and well-earned 6 points for Debbie who had the foresight to tip him.
The 15th saw the death of nuclear physicist Louis Rosen, the “father” of the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center and one of pioneers of particle accelerator technology. That’s the second time I’ve used the word “pioneer”. Think I can go for three?
On the 21st we lost Edward Goldsmith, a professional hippy and founder of the British Green party. An environmentalist long before it was fashionable we have Goldsmith to thank for the idea of the self-sustaining biosphere and therefore (in a sense) the movie Biodome. But we choose not to hold that against him.
Also on the 21st Dean Turner, bass player of Geelong rock band Magic Dirt, died of a rare form of tissue cancer at the age of 37.
The 25th saw the death of Senator Edward ‘Ted’ Kennedy. Unlike his older brothers John and Robert, Ted managed to avoid assassination. Opinions are divided as to whether he achieved much else. Hmmm. Too soon?
Finally, on the 28th we farewelled Adam Goldstein, a.k.a DJ AM, at the age of 36. While the official cause of death was an overdose of pain medication, speculation is rife that it was suicide. We eagerly wait the numerous albums he apparently had in the can prior to his death à la 2Pac and Michael Jackson.
And that’s it for August. As mention, 6 points are awarded to Debbie for the prescient tip of the late, great Les Paul.
The scoreboard looks like this …
| Ty | 64 |
| Benn | 64 |
| Eliza | 50 |
| Rob | 50 |
| Russell | 50 |
| Debbie | 6 |
… and we’ll see you all next month!
My most humble apologies for the very tardy update.
I have no excuses to offer except for the fact that I’ve just had Foxtel installed (that’s cable TV for our American friends) and hence found other ways to spend my time.
But enough with the smug confessions and on with the dead pool update.
The month started with a tragic double act on the 1st, with the deaths of actors Mollie “Mrs Slocombe” Sugden and Karl “Lieutenant Mike Stone” Malden.
On the 3rd US author and journalist John Keel died at the age of 79. A noted UFOlogist and author of The Mothman Prophecies, Keel managed to turn an unfortunate case of clinical paranoia into a lucrative writing career.
The 17th saw the death of legendary newsreader Walter Cronkite. His mellifluous voice had him cited as the “most trusted man in America”, which makes me think John Howard might have been more trusted if he didn’t sound like such a whiny little shit. Or maybe not.
On the 18th Henry Allingham, just elevated to the position of world’s oldest man last month, passed away at the age of 113. I don’t want to jinx anyone but Walter Breuning, aged 112, takes his place. Good luck, Walter.
On the 19th famed Irish author Frank McCourt passed away at the age of 78. Author of Angela’s Ashes and 'Tis, McCourt turned his impoverished upbringing into a lucrative writing career. Take note, Keel.
The 21st saw the tragic death of actor Les Lye, best known for playing all the adult characters on classic Canadian kid’s show You Can’t Do That On Television.
On the 22nd cartoonist John Ryan, creator of the legendary Captain Pugwash passed away at the age of 88. Sadly those rumours about saucy double-entendres hidden in the character names (Master Bates, Seaman Staines and Roger the Cabin Boy) were nothing but urban legend. Dammit.
And finally on the 25th we farewelled Harry Patch, one of the last four surviving World War I veterans and the last to have actually fought in the trenches. Patch was 111.
And that wraps it up for July.
There’s been no further movement on the scoreboard so, as last month, it looks this:
| Ty | 64 |
| Benn | 64 |
| Eliza | 50 |
| Rob | 50 |
| Russell | 50 |
We’re halfway through the year and it’s been an absolutely bumper month. We’ve had celebrities and other notables tragically dropping off the perch left right and centre.
With no time to mess around let’s get straight into it, starting with one late-reported death from May.
On the 31st of that month we bid a final ta-ra to entertainer Danny La Rue, a pioneer of the drag scene and one of the men responsible for bringing the whole men-dressing-as-ladies thing out of the underground and into the mainstream.
On the 2nd of June fantasy author David Eddings passed away at the age of 77. I’d probably have something more interesting to say about him if I’d read any of his books. I haven’t. But I’m sure they’re tops.
On the 3rd we lost Australia’s last surviving veteran of World War I, John Campbell Ross at the very respectable age of 110.
Also on the 3rd we bid a fond farewell to actor, notorious bad-boy and all-round legend David Carradine at the age of 72. If you’re gonna go, there are worse ways than with some random hooker in a sleazy Thailand hotel room. Just sayin’. Rest in Peace, Grasshopper.
On the 12th we witnessed the spooky death of Johanna Ganthaler who, having just survived the ill-fated Air France Flight 447 on June 1 by missing the flight, was killed in a car crash in Austria.
Seriously, it’s a story worthy of a film. Oh wait. It’s been done.
The 15th saw the daylight assassination of Des ‘Tuppence’ Moran, patriarch and last surviving member of the Moran crime family.
On the 17th John Houghtaling, inventor of Magic Fingers Vibrating Bed, a fixture of mid-priced hotel rooms last refurbished in the 1960s, died a very wealthy man at the age of 92. There is no truth to the rumour that his fortune was all in quarters, nor that he vibrated for fifteen minutes after he died. It’s all scurrilous and very silly gossip.
On the 19th Tomoji Tanabe, up until his final moments the world’s oldest living man, died of heart failure at the age of 113. Henry Allingham of the UK, also 113, takes his place as the oldest living man in the world. But not the oldest living person. There’s like ten chicks ahead of him.
(I wonder if all these supercentenarians know each other? They should start a facebook group. If I were suddenly made the oldest man in the world by the death of the previous incumbent I know I’d want immediate notification).
The 21st saw the tragic death of actress Lorena Gale, best known for her role as the wise priestess Elosha on Battlestar Galactica. (<battlestargeekout> Although one might question the wisdom of plying the President of the Colonies with hallucinogens. </battlestargeekout> Still … Lorena Gale … awesome lady.)
On the 23rd American TV announcer Ed McMahon passed away at the age of 86. A fixture of Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show, Ed’s famous catchphrase “Here’s Johnny!” was usurped by an axe-wielding Jack Nicholson in 1980’s The Shining. That’s got nothing to do with his death. It’s just kind of interesting.
Finally, as previously mentioned (and covered by one or two other sources) the 25th saw the deaths of both Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett.
So it’s been a helluva month.
We’ve also seen some significant movement on the dead pool scoreboard, with no fewer than five people tipping the tragic passing of Michael Jackson.
As Mr. Jackson was 50 at the time of his death we award 50 points each to Benn, Eliza, Rob, Russell and Ty. Sadly Farrah Fawcett’s death does not result in any points, as she passed away from the illness she was suffering at the beginning of the year.
And with that, our scoreboard looks like this:
| Ty | 64 |
| Benn | 64 |
| Eliza | 50 |
| Rob | 50 |
| Russell | 50 |
Tune in again next month.
I hope for the sake of our remaining beloved celebrities that it’s a quiet one.
The King of Pop is dead. Long live . . . who?
Pop music lives on, but without an obvious successor to the Pop crown. That Timberlake fella’s just a bit too normal and balanced.
Jackson will be remembered for a few good albums, but mostly for the chimpanzee, the oxygen tent, “Wacko Jacko”, the bizarre behaviour, the accusations, aspersions and gossip.
It’s hard to feel anything but pity for this man who remained a boy in so many ways. And it’s very hard to shake the sense that he’d been dying before our eyes for the last two decades.
In a perfect world Jackson’s life would be a stark warning about the dangers of growing up in the celebrity spotlight.
Unfortunately, his lasting impression will probably be a vague whiff of salacious scandal and a dodgy telemovie starring Jaden Smith as Young Michael and Marilyn Manson as the adult.
Media coverage of Jackson is beyond comprehensive right now, far overshadowing the other tragic celebrity death of the moment, Farrah Fawcett.
Farrah’s battle with cancer (detailed in not one, but two recent documentaries) has been big news for years now, but she’s hardly getting a look in.
One is reminded of Jimmy Stewart’s death in 1997 which rendered the death of legendary actor Robert Mitchum all but forgotten.
We haven’t forgotten you, Farrah.
Then, just to throw a bit of bizarrity into the day someone somewhere took the idea that “things happen in threes” as an instruction, and announced that Jeff Goldblum had plummeted to his death from a cliff while filming in New Zealand.
This got as far as being officially announced on Australia’s Today show before being revealed as a hoax and denied by a bemused and very-much-alive Jeff Goldblum.
Richard Wilkins, you’re an idiot.
What a day. It won’t quite live in infamy, but we won’t see its like again for a while. Hopefully.
Welcome once again to the macabre world of Dead Pool 2009.
Mwahaha…ha…*cough*…ha…
Let’s kick off first with a late-reported death from April.
On April 30, amateur astronomer Venetia Phair passed away at the age of 90. Phair was brought to prominence in 1930 aged just 11, when she named the newly-discovered planet Pluto. Phair was remembered again recently when Pluto was demoted from a planet to a dwarf planet. Shame about that.
Still, Walt Disney pinched the name for Mickey's dog a few years later. And that’s still cool. Right?
On May 4 comedy legend Dom DeLuise died of kidney failure aged 76. Best known for his roles in just about all of Mel Brooks’ movies, I still remember him for the opening scene of The Muppet Movie, where he played the sleazy agent who convinces Kermit to go to Hollywood.
So we have Dom to thank for the Muppets. Well, why not? Let’s go with that.
On the 15th, as previously mentioned legendary Australian actor Charles ‘Bud’ Tingwell passed away at the age of 86.
On the 18th US rapper Roderick Anthony Burton II (aka “Dolla” … twice as good as 50 Cent etc etc) was shot and killed in Beverley Hills. Of course if the precedent set by 2Pac is anything to go by, this means a glowing career of successful albums, Grammy awards and unverified sightings in Hollywood nightclubs.
On the 21st we farewelled actress Joan Alexander, best known for her role as Lois Lane in the radio serial The Adventures of Superman in the 1940s. Tragically taken in her prime at the age of 94 this is clear evidence that the curse of Superman strikes again!
And finally, on the 31st the world lost Millvina Dean, the last survivor of the Titanic disaster in 1912.
Of course, it’ll be some years before we farewell the last survivor of the Titanic disaster of 1997.
The current score for this year’s pool still stands at a draw, with Benn and Ty sharing the lead on 14 points.
Stay tuned for further updates.
The great Australian actor Charles ‘Bud’ Tingwell has passed away at the age of 86.
One of Australia’s hardest working and most respected actors, Bud was loved by generations of Australians.
Bud brought a touch of class to everything he did, whether it was the Australian war movies of the 1940s, the Hammer horror films of the 1960s, or the ‘Charlie the Wonder Dog’ segment of the D-Generation’s The Late Show.
He will be sadly missed.
In the wake of Bud’s sad death we solemnly and respectfully award 14 points to Ty, who is now running equal first with Benn in this year’s competition.
Welcome back to the 2009 dead pool.
Our first score for the year has been realised, with the tragic passing of the legendary Bea Arthur scoring Benn an estimable 14 points.
In other celebrity mortality news, the 7th saw the death of game designer Dave Arneson. Along with Gary Gygax who sadly passed away just over a year ago, Arneson was the co-creator of Dungeons and Dragons.
On the 19th science fiction author J.G. Ballard passed away at the age of 78. Although best known for the film adaptations of his novels Crash and Empire of the Sun (neither of which can be reasonably labelled sci-fi) Ballard was hugely influential on the genre as he explored themes of ecological catastrophe, dystopian futures and the cult of celebrity.
Finally, on the 28th we farewelled Australian businessman and philanthropist Richard Pratt at the age of 74. Pratt made his fortune by illegally inflating prices in the Australian cardboard box industry as part of a cartel, but depending on who you ask he was either a criminal who should have been jailed or a great guy because he gave some of that money to charity. I’ll let my readers decided for themselves on that one.
And that wraps it up for April
Once again, congratulations to Benn who is now leading with a score of 14, and we’ll see you again next month.
The legendary comedienne and actress Bea Arthur has passed away at the age of 86.
Stealing our hearts as Maude in the 70s and acerbic Golden Girl Dorothy in the 80s, she will be sadly missed.
Let’s remember her with one of my favourites . . . a duet with Rock Hudson and a lovely ode to recreational drugs.
RIP Bea.
And Benn, 14 points for you.
