The RIP Famous Person Thread

[misskit]

^^ I met him many years ago. A John Huston movie, Wise Blood, in which Harry Dean Stanton starred, was being filmed in a friend of mine's house down the street. I'd walk over there sometimes to watch and talk to those guys.

[cyrille]

^^Now go get your fukn shoe shine box!

[Davis Knowlton]

^^ I met him many years ago. A John Huston movie, Wise Blood, in which Harry Dean Stanton starred, was being filmed in a friend of mine's house down the street. I'd walk over there sometimes to watch and talk to those guys.

That's very cool.

[harrybarracuda]

Man I didn't realise he was so old. Good innings!

A remarkable actor.

RIP.

[harrybarracuda]

Soviet officer who averted cold war nuclear disaster dies aged 77
‘Gut instinct’ told Lt Col Stanislav Petrov that apparent launch of US missiles was actually early warning system malfunction





Marc Bennetts in Moscow
Monday 18 September 2017 16.24 BST Last modified on Monday 18 September 2017 16.25 BST


A Soviet officer whose cool head and quick thinking saved the world from nuclear war has died aged 77.


Stanislav Petrov was on duty in a secret command centre outside Moscow on 26 September, 1983, when a radar screen showed that five Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missiles had been launched by the United States toward the Soviet Union.


Red Army protocol would have been to order a retaliatory strike, but Petrov – then a 44-year-old lieutenant colonel – ignored the warning, relying on a “gut instinct” that told him it was a false alert.


“The siren howled, but I just sat there for a few seconds, staring at the big, back-lit, red screen with the word ‘launch’ on it,” he told the BBC’s Russian Service in 2013. “All I had to do was to reach for the phone; to raise the direct line to our top commanders.”


Instead of triggering a third world war, Petrov called in a malfunction in the early warning system. But even as he did so, he later admitted, he wasn’t entirely sure he was doing the right thing.


“Twenty-three minutes later I realised that nothing had happened. If there had been a real strike, then I would already know about it. It was such a relief,” he said.


It later emerged that the false alarm was the result of the a satellite mistaking the reflection of the sun’s rays off the tops of clouds for a missile launch.


“We are wiser than the computers,” Petrov said in a 2010 interview with the German magazine Der Spiegel. “We created them.”


The incident occurred at the height of the cold war, just three weeks after the Soviet army had shot down a Korean passenger jet, killing all 269 people on board.


Ronald Reagan had recently called the Soviet Union the “evil empire,” and Yuri Andropov, the ailing Soviet leader, was convinced the Americans were plotting a surprise nuclear attack.


Petrov was never honoured by the Soviet authorities for his role in saving the world from thermonuclear conflict. He was, however, reprimanded by his authorities for failing to describe the incident correctly in the logbook that night.


His story did not become widely known until 1998, when Gen Yury Votintsev, the retired commander of Soviet missile defence, published his memoirs. In the following years, Petrov achieved worldwide recognition for his actions.


He was honoured by the Association of World Citizens at the UN headquarters in 2006 as “the man who averted a nuclear war”. In 2013, he was awarded the prestigious Dresden peace prize.


He was also the subject of a 2013 documentary film entitled The Man who Saved the World.


The son of a second world war fighter pilot, Petrov was born in Vladivostok on 9 September 1939. He later studied at a Soviet air force college in Kiev.


He died on 19 May in Fryazino, a Moscow suburb, where he lived alone on a state pension, but his death was only reported on Monday. No cause of death has been announced. He is survived by a son and a daughter.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...-aged-77#img-1

[Looper]

Jake LaMotta: Legendary Raging Bull boxer dies at 95

"I just want people to know, he was a great, sweet, sensitive, strong, compelling man with a great sense of humour, with eyes that danced," Mrs LaMotta said.
Image copyright Getty Images
Image caption He often wore a hooded leopard-print robe into the ring
Image caption His rough style made him one of the most famous fighters in boxing during the 1940s and 1950s



Born on 10 July 1922 to Italian parents in the Bronx area of New York City, he took up boxing after being rejected by the US military due to a medical condition.

Sports commentators praised his willingness to take a severe beating in order to get close enough to land the best punches on his opponent.

His stamina in the ring, which he honed during a prison sentence, earned him the nickname "The Bronx Bull".

One writer for the Associated Press described how he fought with "blows bouncing off him like ball bearings off a battleship".

Born on 10 July 1922 to Italian parents in the Bronx area of New York City, he took up boxing after being rejected by the US military due to a medical condition.

Sports commentators praised his willingness to take a severe beating in order to get close enough to land the best punches on his opponent.

His stamina in the ring, which he honed during a prison sentence, earned him the nickname "The Bronx Bull".

One writer for the Associated Press described how he fought with "blows bouncing off him like ball bearings off a battleship".
Skip Twitter post by @JohnnyWBoxing
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LaMotta first won national recognition two years after landing on the professional boxing circuit, when he handed Sugar Ray Robinson his first ever defeat in 1943.

His rough style, and strong chin, made him one of the most famous fighters in boxing during the 1940s and 1950s at a time when boxing was one of the nation's most popular sports.

After resisting Mafia efforts to control him, he later admitted to intentionally losing a fight at the behest of mobsters in 1947, causing him to suffer a suspension from the sport.

According to the International Boxing Hall of Fame, his career record was 83 wins, 19 losses, 4 draws, and 30 knockouts.

After retiring from the ring in 1954, he went on to act in several films, also touring as a stand-up comedian.

"The truth of the matter?" he told the Chicago Sun-Times in 1996. "The punches never hurt me.

"My nose was broken six times, my hands six times, a few fractured ribs. Fifty stitches over my eyes. But the only place I got hurt was out of the ring."
Image copyright Getty Images
Image caption In 1949 LaMotta defeated Robert Villemain after a 12-round bout in Madison Square Garden, New York City.

In the lead up to the filming for Raging Bull, LaMotta spent nearly a year personally training De Niro to box in a New York City gym, according to ESPN.

The film's stark style may have originated in LaMotta's own autobiography, in which he wrote: "Sometimes, at night, when I think back, I feel like I'm looking at an old black-and-white movie of myself.

"Not a good movie, either, jerky, with gaps in it, a string of poorly lit sequences, some of them with no beginning and some with no end. No musical score..."

After the film debuted, he expressed puzzlement as to why he had allowed his life to be depicted, and even worked on set as a consultant.

"When I saw the film I was upset. I kind of look bad in it," he told a reviewer.

"Then I realised it was true. That's the way it was... It's not the way I am now, but the way I was then."


Jake LaMotta: Legendary Raging Bull boxer dies at 95 - BBC News

[harrybarracuda]

And I thought he was just a game show front man....



Eggheads and The Chase stars pay tribute as Fifteen To One host William G Stewart dies aged 84
Sarah Deen for Metro.co.ukFriday 22 Sep 2017 12:35 am




Tributes have been coming in for Fifteen To One presenter William G Stewart.


Stewart died aged 84 after a brief illness, his agent confirmed on Thursday.


He fronted the tough Channel 4 game show from 1988 to 2003, and produced and directed sitcoms such as Bless This House and Love Thy Neighbour.


Fifteen To One was rebooted in 2013 for a celebrity special presented by The Last Leg host Adam Hills, and returned the following year with Sandi Toksvig at the helm.


William G Stewart dead: Quiz stars pay tribute to Fifteen To One host | Metro News

[harrybarracuda]

Comic & actor Bobby Knutt dies aged 71

Monday 25th September 2017, 3:21pm




Actor and comedian Bobby Knutt has died.
He has been recently best known for his role as grandfather Eddie Dawson in ITV sitcom Benidorm (pictured).
Knutt died suddenly this morning whilst on holiday in the south of France.
Born Robert Andrew Wass in Sheffield, he rose to stardom as a comic in the hit entertainment series The Comedians in the 1970s, having turned professional at the age of 20. He was a keen musician and had also enjoyed success on the variety/cabaret circuit, until a medically-sustained injury stopped him playing guitar in 2012.
Knutt was last seen on screen in the ninth series of Benidorm, broadcast earlier this year. A tenth series has already completed filming, and is expected to be on screens early in 2018.
A staple of the northern club circuit, his TV work also included The Wheeltappers And Shunters Social Club, Marti, and the Frankie Howerd childrens' sitcom All Change. Outside of comedy he had appeared in Emmerdale and Coronation Street, and was a pantomime regular in his home city, appearing in at least 14 productions between Sheffield's Lyceum and Crucible theatres.
Benidorm creator and writer Derren Litten broke the news on Twitter this afternoon, saying: "Very sad Benidorm news guys. The wonderful Bobby Knutt has passed away suddenly aged 71. Sending our Beni love to his family."

https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/news/2788/bobby_knutt_rip/

[harrybarracuda]

Brit Hat Trick.

Liverpool actor Tony Booth dies at the age of 85

Booth was famous as the 'Scouse git' and father-in-law of PM Tony Blair






Liverpool actor Tony Booth - famous as the “Scouse git” in TV sitcom Till Death Us Do Part - has died at the age of 85.
Booth, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2004 and had also suffered heart problems, died on Monday night.
A statement released on behalf of his wife Steph Booth said: “It is with sadness we announce the death of Antony Booth, actor and political campaigner.
“Tony passed away late last night with close family members in attendance.
“The family ask for their privacy to be respected at this time.”
Fr many, their abiding memory of Tony Booth will be his role as “Scouse git” Mike. With his socialist views - which reflected his own beliefs - and broad Scouse accent, he regularly goaded his bigoted father-in-law Alf Garnett in the 1960s sitcom Till Death Us Do Part.
Tony actually filmed a special episode in Anfield during a game as he sat in the then Kemlyn Road stand, where he got to meet Bob Paisley too.
As well as being an actor, Tony was a political campaigner and also had a colourful private life, having married four times.
He was the dad of Cherie Booth, who went on to marry future PM and Labour leader Tony Blair.
Among Tony Booth’s four marriages, his most famous was his second, to Coronation Street star Pat Phoenix, who played Elsie Tanner in the long-running soap.
The pair met and had a brief relationship in the 1950s while doing a play together, but Tony was already married to Gale, the mother of his daughters, Lyndsey and Cherie.
Twenty-five years later, fate brought Pat and Tony together again after Tony suffered an accident in 1979. Trying to climb into his flat, he fell into a drum of paraffin and suffered 42% burns to his lower body.

They rekindled their relationship and they famously, and heartbreakingly, married in Pat’s hospital room just six days before her death from lung cancer in 1986.
Speaking about their love affair in 2007, Tony said: “Pat was absolutely the most fantastic, vibrant woman I’d ever met in my life
“Fate brought us together. Pat helped turn my life around.”
Tony’s four marriages and many other relationships produced eight daughters.
When his son-in-law Tony Blair became prime minister in 1997, his political views proved to be an occasional thorn in the PM’s side. However he was a staunch defender of his eldest, Cherie, who inherited her political leanings from her proud father.

Liverpool actor Tony Booth dies at the age of 85 - Liverpool Echo

[harrybarracuda]

Bloody hell, who had the Yankee?

Liz Dawn, Coronation Street's Vera Duckworth, dies aged 77
Actor, who starred in long-running ITV soap for 34 years, has died at home, her family announces
Tuesday 26 September 2017 12.07 BST First published on Tuesday 26 September 2017 11.15 BST



Liz Dawn, who played Vera Duckworth in Coronation Street for 34 years, has died aged 77.


A statement from her family said the actor had died peacefully on Monday night. “We are devastated and heartbroken at the passing of our much-loved wife, mother, sister, grandmother and great-grandmother, the incredible Liz Dawn,” said the family.


“She has been the love, light and inspiration in our lives and we are bereft at her passing.”


Dawn, whose real name was Sylvia Butterfield, was born in Leeds and first appeared on Coronation Street in 1974. She remained on the ITV soap until 2008, when health problems meant she could no longer be on the show and her character Vera Duckworth died in her sleep.


She returned briefly in 2010 when she famously appeared as a ghost just as her husband Jack died in the same chair as her, and the pair had a final dance.


The statement read: “We have been blessed to have Liz in our lives, as she was such a kind, considerate and caring friend and colleague. As Coronation Street’s Vera Duckworth for 34 years, Liz brought so much joy and happiness to so many. She was a wonderful actress who will forever be a true Coronation Street legend.”


On behalf of ITV and the programme, Coronation Street’s executive producer, Kieran Roberts, said: “Liz Dawn was a true Coronation Street legend, a brilliant actor and a wonderful person. Everyone lucky enough to have worked with Liz during her 34 years playing Corrie icon Vera Duckworth will remember her with huge affection.”


Dawn had suffered from the incurable lung disease emphysema since 2004 and in 2013 she revealed her health had deteriorated further after she had a heart attack. She said: “I have only got a third of my lungs now … and I do get so breathless. I can’t walk for more than a few steps without needing my chair so I just go everywhere in it now.”


Dawn married her first husband, Walter Bradley, in Leeds in 1957, and the pair had a son before separating less than two years later. She then married the electrician Donald Ibbertson in 1965 and had three daughters with him. Her first major role came in the 1974 drama Leeds United, which appeared in the BBC’s Play for Today slot, and she was then given a small role in Coronation Street. It wasn’t until her character Vera married Jack Duckworth in 1979 that she became a core character in the soap and the pair’s turbulent but loving relationship proved fruitful for drama.


Tracey Brabin, an MP who used to be on Coronation Street, paid tribute to Dawn, saying: “So sad ... the amazing warm hearted, generous and hilarious Liz Dawn has died. Working with Liz and Bill was highlight of my time at Corrie.”


Antony Cotton, who plays Sean Tully in the soap, tweeted: “Liz was a wonderful actress, a fascinating storyteller, a hilarious comedian and most importantly a brilliant friend.”


Kym Marsh, who plays Michelle Connor, wrote: “I’m so sad. What a wonderful lady. She will be so missed.”


https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-r...h-dies-aged-77

[harrybarracuda]

A tip of that hat to Freddy Shepherd, the former Newcastle owner who created much mirth, who passed away on Monday.

In March 1998, Shepherd and Douglas Hall were the target of a News of the World exposé, led by the "Fake Sheikh" Mazher Mahmood. The pair, believing Mahmood to be a wealthy Arab prince trying to set up a business deal, were caught mocking the club's own supporters for spending extortionate amounts of money on merchandise, calling female supporters "dogs", and mocking star striker Alan Shearer by calling him the "Mary Poppins of football", all while frequenting a brothel.
Amidst heavy media coverage, the Newcastle Independent Supporters Association and the then Minister for Sport, Tony Banks, called for the resignation of the pair. Although reports from sources close to Shepherd initially indicated he was contractually unable to resign, he and Hall had both left their posts within two weeks of the scandal breaking.
His general approach to running the club, as well as the ongoing fallout from the News of the World story, earned Shepherd a number of unflattering nicknames such as "Fatty Shepherd", the "Fat Controller" and "Baron Greenback".

[bobo746]

Hugh Hefner Dead at 91


Sex sells and Hugh Hefner found a way to sell it perhaps better than anybody in the 20th century.
The founder of Playboy and the publishing house built up around the pioneering men's magazine, which combined sex and intellectual stimulation, has died. He was 91.
"Hugh M. Hefner, the American icon who in 1953 introduced the world to Playboy magazine and built the company into one of the most recognizable American global brands in history, peacefully passed away today from natural causes at his home, The Playboy Mansion, surrounded by loved ones," Playboy confirmed in a statement to E! News. "He was 91 years old."



Interesting life.
Hugh Hefner Dead at 91; Playboy Founder and Publishing Legend Stoked the Sexual Revolution With Iconic Magazine | E! News Australia

[Looper]

surrounded by loved ones

They will need a couple of guys sitting on the lid to nail the coffin shut then

[bobo746]

I don't think even the blue pills can help at 91.

[Davis Knowlton]

Thanks for years of teenage wanks, Hugh. RIP.

[harrybarracuda]

Now that's a guy who lived life to the full.

A little creepy seeing all those gold diggers pretending they were attracted to the wrinkled old fart though.

[Storekeeper]

Thanks for years of teenage wanks, Hugh. RIP.

We lost one of our brothers today. Hugh Hefner passed away at 91. Playboy founder Hugh Hefner joined the Army as an infantry clerk after graduating from high school in 1944. While there, he contributed cartoons for Army newspapers. He was honorably discharged in 1946.

[Storekeeper]

https://army.togetherweserved.com/ar...rson&ID=350061



"Hugh Marston Hefner, born on April 9, 1926, in Chicago, Illinois, was the elder of two sons born to Grace and Glenn Hefner, strict Methodists with deep Midwestern roots. Hefner went to Sayre Elementary School and then to Steinmetz High School on the west side of Chicago where, reportedly, his IQ was 152. His teachers, however, described him as "unenthusiastic." While in high school, Hefner founded a school newspaper—an early sign of his journalistic talents.

Hefner served two years in the U.S. Army toward the end of World War II, and was discharged in 1946. He studied at the Chicago Art Institute for two years before enrolling at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he majored in psychology. In 1949, while in college, he met his first wife, Mildred Williams. Hefner earned his bachelor's degree in 1950.

In the early 1950s, Hefner was leading a life typical of many of his peers. He was fresh out of college, young and ambitious, and in an entry-level job with a major corporation at the Chicago office of Esquire magazine. Esquire was a racy publication for men that had transformed itself into a refined periodical, featuring articles on everything from men's fashion to literary works by such writers as Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald. It also featured illustrations from pinup artists such as George Petty and Alberto Vargas. Hefner worked for Esquire as a promotional copywriter until 1953, when he left the magazine because he was denied a $5 raise.

Starting a Magazine

Out on his own Hefner was determined to start his own publication, one that was similar to Esquire but better. He raised $8,000 from 45 investors—including $1,000 from his mother—to launch Playboy magazine. Hefner had planned to name the magazine "Stag Party" but was forced to change the name to avoid a trademark infringement with the existing Stag magazine. A friend suggested the name "Playboy," after a defunct automobile company in Chicago. Hefner liked the name, as he thought it reflected high living and sophistication.

Hefner produced the first edition of Playboy out of his Hyde Park, Chicago, kitchen. It hit newsstands in December 1953, but did not carry a date because Hefner was unsure as to whether or not a second issue would be produced. To help ensure its success, Hefner had purchased a color photograph of actress Marilyn Monroe in the nude—which had been taken before her movie star career—and placed it in the centerfold of the magazine. The first issue quickly sold 50,000 copies, and became an instant sensation".

[aging one]

RIP Hef, you changed a lot for the good.

[AntRobertson]

Genuinely fascinating guy that one. He will of course be remembered mostly for Playboy but he was a pretty complex character.

[Luigi]

Viagra will need to cut their factory output by 50%

[harrybarracuda]

There may be some wailing and gnashing of teeth going on. The bloke next door bought the mansion for $100m last June on the proviso that Hefner could live there until his death.

So one assumes all the staff and accompanying freeloaders will be soon out on their arses.

[bobo746]

First Cover

[BaitongBoy]

Went to the Playboy Club in Chicago many years ago...Hef wasn't there at the time...

[Thai3]

How did anyone find those awful bunny girl outfits attractive? horrible.