The RIP Famous Person Thread

[Gerbil]

[harrybarracuda]

ITV REPORT 4 August 2015 at 6:52am

Last Dambusters pilot Les Munro dies aged 96



The last surviving Dambusters pilot, Les Munro, has died at the age of 96, the New Zealand Bomber Command Association has said.
Sqd Ldr Munro died in hospital in his native New Zealand on Monday following heart problems, the association said.
The legendary World War Two Dambusters operation flew from RAF Scampton, near Lincoln, in 1943 and successfully used "bouncing bombs" to attack German dams.
Out of 133 crew, only 77 returned. Sqd Ldr Munro's aircraft was hit by flak.
He made it home after the hit had destroyed communications in his Lancaster bomber over the Netherlands.
Dave Homewood, of the association, described Sqd Ldr Munro as a "down to earth man" who was "very modest about what he did during the war".

"I think he was pretty proud to have been part of the Dambusters, although he was disappointed he never got to drop his weapon.
"He went on to be a flight commander and did a lot of very important operations after the dam raid, although these are often forgotten because the Dambusters were world renowned."
Sqd Ldr Munro, who was patron of the NZ Bomber Command, was still flying at the age of 95 and co-piloted an Avro Anson plane in January, Mr Homewood added.
'Remarkable life'
New Zealand Prime Minister John Key paid tribute, writing on Twitter: "Really sad to hear of Les Munro's death, New Zealand has lost a remarkable man who led a remarkable life."
In a interview with the BBC on the 70th anniversary of the Dambusters raid, the veteran said he had not worried about the dangers of the mission.
"I approached most operations with a thought 'If I'm going to cop it, so be it'," Sqd Ldr Munro said.
Earlier this year, he put his medals up for auction to help pay for the upkeep of the Bomber Command Memorial in London.
A day before the auction, they were bought by British peer Lord Ashcroft for £75,000, who donated them to the Museum of Transport and Technology in Auckland.

- The Dambusters Mission

On the night of 16 May 1943, 19 bombers left RAF Scampton near Lincoln in three waves

The first headed to the Mohne and the Eder Dams, the second and third to the Sorpe dam

Out of the 133 crew that set off, only 77 returned, including Sqd Ldr Munro, who made it home after flak destroyed the internal and external communications in his Lancaster bomber over the Netherlands

He had been briefed to attack the Sorpe Dam by flying parallel to its wall and releasing the bomb from the lowest possible height, whilst flying at 180 mph (290 km/h)

Last Dambusters pilot Les Munro dies aged 96 - ITV News

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Play this at full volume and remind your neighbours why they live free from tyranny!

Oh, hang on......

[Davis Knowlton]

^Tough guys, great pilots! Good movie, too. RIP.

[Sumbitch]

Louise Suggs, LPGA founder and Hall of Famer, dies



Louise Suggs, an LPGA founder and among the best women to ever play with 61 wins and 11 majors, died Friday. She was 91.

The LPGA Tour said she died in a hospice in Sarasota, Florida, of natural causes.

Suggs was perhaps the most influential player in LPGA history. Along with being one of the 13 founders in 1950, she served as LPGA president three times and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame and the LPGA Teach and Professional Hall of Fame.

"I feel like the LPGA lost a parent," Commissioner Mike Whan said. "But I'm extremely confident that her vision, her competitiveness, and most importantly her spirit, will be with this organization forever."

The LPGA Tour rookie of the year award is named after Suggs. She won every season of her professional career and was the first player to capture the career Grand Slam at the 1957 LPGA Championship.

She finished her career with $190,251 in earnings.

A steady presence at LPGA's biggest events, her support of women's golf never wavered and Suggs never lost her sharp tongue. She was at the LPGA awards dinner in 2007 where Angela Park won the Louise Suggs Rookie of the Year award by earning $983,922.

"I wish like hell I could have played for this kind of money," Suggs said. "But if not for me, they wouldn't be playing for it, either."

Her efficient, powerful swing marked her for greatest as a teenager in Georgia. She began to get national acclaim when she won the 1947 U.S. Women's Amateur, the 1948 Women's British Amateur and the 1949 U.S. Women's Open, beating fierce rival Babe Zaharias by 14 shots.

Ben Hogan once said after watching Suggs swing that her swing "combines all the desirable elements of efficiency, timing and coordination."

"It appears to be completely effortless," Hogan said. "Yet despite her slight build, she is consistently as long off the tee and through the fairway as any of her feminine contemporaries in competitive golf."

Bob Hope once nicknamed her "Miss Sluggs" for how far she could hit the ball.

"Like a parent, she cared deeply for her LPGA family and took great pride in their successes," Whan said. "She always made time to hear my problems and challenges. Her personal guidance was priceless. Like a parent, I think she was even more proud of the LPGA players of today than she was of her own playing results".

Born in Atlanta on Sept. 7, 1923, she began playing golf on the Lithia Springs golf course that her father managed. She won the Georgia Women's Amateur twice, the North and South three times and the Women's Western Amateur twice.

She was a contemporary of the great Bobby Jones, her idol in Georgia. And long before Annika Sorenstam made headlines for playing on the PGA Tour, Suggs had her own famous competition against the men.

She took part in a 72-hole exhibition on what she once described as an executive course in West Palm Beach, Florida, in 1961. It was called the Royal Poinciana Invitational, featuring the likes of Suggs and Patty Berg, Sam Snead and Dow Finsterwald.

Playing 36 holes a day, and lacing her beloved 3-wood onto the greens, Suggs wound up winning. Recounting that event in a 2003 interview with The Associated Press, Suggs said Snead was irritated that he had finished behind a woman and was needling her.

"I finally said, 'I don't know what the hell you're bitching about. You weren't even second,'" Suggs said.

She said Snead stormed off to the parking lot and peeled out of the parking lot.

"It was the most perfect squelch I ever heard. He burned a quarter-inch of rubber," Suggs said.

That story captured the essence of Suggs. She had a drive to succeed and told it how she saw it. The title on her autobiography she published last year: "And That's That!"

The founders of the LPGA paved the way for today's game, often going to cities and doing promotions to attract attention. They had to set up the golf courses by themselves and cope with complaints and challenges.

Suggs retired in 1962 from competition, but not from the LPGA Tour.

"Golf is very much like a love affair," Suggs once said. "If you don't take it seriously, it's not fun. But if you do, it breaks your heart. Don't break your heart, but flirt with the possibility."

Suggs was the first women elected to the Georgia Athletic Hall of Fame in 1966, paving the way for women to become future inductees. The USGA honored her with its prestigious Bob Jones Award in 2007. And earlier this year, Suggs was selected to join the Royal & Ancient Golf Club when it finally invited women.

Louise Suggs, LPGA founder and Hall of Famer, dies - Business Insider

[kmart]

^I'm going to be humming that damnedly-catchy Dambusters theme tune all day now.. RIP.

-I just hope nobody from "Ghostbusters" dies soon.

[Smug Farang Bore]

George Cole dead...

[palexxxx]

^ That's sad, and I only just started downloading the entire Minder series last night.

Minder (TV Series 1979?1994) - IMDb

[Chittychangchang]

RIP

[Little Chuchok]

RIP

Very , very clever Actor.

[harrybarracuda]

George Cole, British TV and Film Icon, Dies at 90
by Alex Ritman 8/6/2015 8:51am PDT




He was last surviving cast member of Laurence Olivier's 'Henry V' and appeared in titles including 'Cleopatra' and 'Scrooge,' but will be best remembered for the long-running U.K. TV series 'Minder.'

George Cole, the British actor who became best known in the U.K. in the long-running TV show Minder but also starred in major films including Cleopatra and Scrooge (released in the U.S. as A Christmas Carol), has died. He was 90.

Cole died after a short illness on Wednesday in hospital, his agent announced.

Across a TV and film career that spanned seven decades, he became renowned for playing dodgy dealers and London wideboys. Standout roles included the loudly-dressed Flash Harry in the original St. Trinian’s films about a school of unruly girls, and the dubious, cigar-smoking car salesman Arthur ‘Arfur’ Daley from Minder.

Having been first cast aged 15 in 1941’s Cottage to Let, Cole was taken under the wing of his co-star Alastair Sim, appearing with him in 11 films. He also starred opposite Laurence Olivier in The Demi-Paradise and the stage icon’s film adaptation of Henry V, becoming the last surviving cast member.

After WWII, in which he served as a radio operator for the Royal Air Force, Cole returned to acting, playing again with Sim in 1951’s Scrooge as the young titular character. The 50s and 60s would see him become a familiar face on screens, most notably in four St. Trinian’s films alongside British comedy icons Terry Thomas and Sid James. In 1963 he also played Flavius, the deaf mute, in the big-budget Golden Era classic Cleopatra alongside Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.

“I’m so grateful to have been a friend of this wonderful man. We worked together for many years and my boast is that we laughed all day every day,” said Dennis Waterman, Cole co-star in Minder, which ran on ITV for 10 seasons from 1979 and 1994.

“He was an amazing man, a wonderful actor and besotted with his family. I had the privilege of spending Tuesday afternoon with him and Penny and although very frail his wit was as evident as ever. Farewell old friend.”

Other U.K. figures also expressed their sadness at Cole’s passing. Sherlock co-creator Mark Gatiss tweeted that he had been “Immculate as the young Scrooge, joyous as Flash Harry, unforgettable as Arthur Daley.” Former Bond Roger Moore said that he was “sad to hear George Cole has gone to that great cutting room in the sky. A lovely actor. A gentleman.”

Cole leaves behind his wife of 48 years, Penny, and four children.

[Chittychangchang]

[billy the kid]

Watched him las night on a series called Heartbeat doing a cameo part
playing the villain.
Looked like e was about to pop his clogs.
Was adopted when a baby.
Ta for the memories.

[chassamui]

He brought great comic timing to the role of Arthur. He also gave the quality script a real characterisation that made him such a lovable rogue.
Still enjoy the Minder repeats and the old black and white St Trinians films.

[Bobcock]

"Go On....'It 'im Terry"

[panama hat]

I remember watching hi on the Beeb when I was working in Holland.

Arfa' . . .

[VocalNeal]

Cole died after a short illness on Wednesday in hospital, his agent announced.

In the Winchester Club on Minder.

Police Sergeant "Hey Arfa. I know how you are gong to die."

Arthur Daley "How's that Mr. Chisolm?"

Police Sergeant "You're going to fall off the back of a lorry"



RIP George. They were good times.

[pompeysbroke]

RIP George, much loved!

Commiserations to 'er indoors'

[harrybarracuda]

She deserves to be remembered.


Frances Kelsey, doctor who kept thalidomide out of US, dies aged 101

Canadian doctor refused to bow to pressure from makers of drug when she worked for the US Food and Drug Administration in the early 1960s



Frances Kelsey, a Canadian doctor known for her tenacity in keeping the drug thalidomide off the US market, has died aged 101.

Kelsey died on Friday morning, less than 24 hours after receiving the Order of Canada in a private ceremony at her daughter’s home in London, Ontario.

Kelsey was a medical officer for the US Food and Drug Administration in the early 1960s when she raised concerns about thalidomide, a drug that was being used in other countries to treat morning sickness and insomnia in pregnant women.

After the sedative was prescribed beginning in 1950, thousands of children whose mothers took the drug were born with abnormally short limbs and in some cases without any arms, legs or hips. The birth defects were reported in Europe, Australia, Canada and Japan.

Despite pressure from the makers of thalidomide to approve the drug in the US, Kelsey refused.

On Thursday Kelsey received the insignia of Member of the Order of Canada.

Kelsey’s daughter, Christine Kelsey, said the ceremony had originally been scheduled for September but was held earlier because her mother’s health was deteriorating.

Thalidomide lawsuits have been filed across the world over the years.

In 2010 the British government officially apologised to people hurt by the drug, after earlier agreeing to pay £20m (US$31m) to thalidomide’s victims. In 2013 a class action suit by Australian and New Zealand victims of thalidomide against the drug’s British distributor Diageo Scotland Ltd was settled for A$89m.

Some victims have won compensation cases against drug producer Grünenthal Group’s distributors but the German company has long refused to agree to settlements. It officially apologised to victims in 2012.

The drug has since been researched as a possible cancer treatment.

[panama hat]

I was expecting to see a photo of the Australian Cricket team here . . .

[Boon Mee]

RIP FRANK GIFFORD, last surviving member of the legendary ABC Monday Night Football troika alongside Howard Cosell and Don Meredith. Gifford was 84.



Frank Gifford, the former New York Giants star who successfully transitioned to a long career as a sportscaster on TV and radio, died Sunday of natural causes at his home in Connecticut. He was 84.

NBC News confirmed Gifford’s death in a statement. Gifford was the husband of “Today” anchor Kathie Lee Gifford.

“It is with the deepest sadness that we announce the sudden passing of our beloved husband, father and friend, Frank Gifford. Frank died suddenly this beautiful Sunday morning of natural causes at his Connecticut home. We rejoice in the extraordinary life he was privileged to live, and we feel grateful and blessed to have been loved by such an amazing human being. We ask that our privacy be respected at this difficult time and we thank you for your prayers.”

Gifford’s name was practically synonymous with ESPN’s popular “Monday Night Football” telecast, for which he served up commentary from the early ’70s on. His first-hand experience on the field as a halfback and his measured, congenial analyses, made him a popular figure on the long-running, high-rated program. In later years Gifford became a constant source of latenight talkshow host ribbing as the result of a tabloid-friendly report of an extramarital dalliance.

Gifford was the husband of former morning talkshow personality Kathie Lee Gifford.

Gifford joined Howard Cossell and Don Meredith on “Monday Night Football” in 1971 and remained with the show through several transitions, winning an Emmy for his commentaries. He was enormously popular with audiences for his easy-going analyses and obvious love of the game.

The network also utilized him on “Wide World of Sports,” where he became closely associated with the Special Olympics. He became a champion of the games as well as of the Multiple Sclerosis Society.

While playing in the NFL, Gifford spent the offseason during the 1950s appearing in small roles in feature films such as “That’s My Boy,” “The All American” (1953), “Darby’s Rangers” and “Up Periscope” (1959), taking acting classes along the way with, among others, Jeff Corey. He also worked as a commercial model and product endorser on television, in addition to writing a sports column and hosting a sports show on a local Bakersfield, Calif., station and for CBS Radio. In 1961, he became a sports reporter for WCBS in New York.

He maintained his sports reporting position at WCBS during an NFL comeback and later worked a color commentator for CBS Sports, doing NFL games as well as golf and college basketball. In 1971, Gifford moved to ABC and began his run on “Monday Night Football” that lasted until 1997.

Gifford appeared as himself in the film “Jerry Maguire” and on the ABC sitcoms “Coach” and “Spin City.”

Francis Newton Gifford was born in Santa Monica, Calif., and his family moved around a great deal during the Great Depression until they finally settled in Bakersfield. It was at Bakersfield High School that Gifford first began to develop his abilities as a football player, which led to a sports scholarship to USC. Coach Jess Hill helped bring out Gifford’s offensive and defensive skills, and he was named by Collier’s magazine running back of its All-America team in his senior year. Gifford departed USC 12 units shy of a degree when the New York Giants picked him as their No. 1 draft choice in 1952. He later made up the credits in night school, receiving his degree in 1956.

His first two seasons with the Giants were arduous, and the pay was terrible, Gifford recalled. He was almost ready to pack it in when, in 1954, the Giants’ new head coach, Jim Lee Howell, and offensive coordinator Vince Lombardi came aboard. It was Lombardi who installed him as a permanent left halfback. In 1955 the Giants took the NFL championship, and Gifford was voted the league’s MVP. The Giants won several championships through the end of the decade, when Gifford suffered a serious concussion and announced his retirement.

In 1962, he returned to the field as a flanker and made a celebrated comeback. By the time he permanently retired in 1964, Gifford had amassed several Giants records, including touchdowns scored, points and yards gained receiving. He made All-Pro a total of eight times.

Gifford’s autobiography, “The Whole Ten Yards,” was published in 1993, and he wrote several other sports-related books, including “Gifford on Courage” in 1976 and “The Glory Game: How the 1958 NFL Championship Changed Football Forever” in 2008.

He was inducted into the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame in 1975 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1977.

In the 2000s he guested a few times on “Jimmy Kimmel” and “Today,” showed up on “Regis and Kelly” in 2009, appeared in documentaries including “Beatles Stories” and “Lombardi” and recurred as an interviewee on “ESPN SportsCentury.”

Gifford was married three times. In 1982, he met Kathie Lee Johnson during a brief fill-in stint on “Good Morning America.” They were married in 1986. When Kathie Lee Gifford became a household name via the “Regis and Kathie Lee” show, she frequently discussed her family life on television. In the mid-’90s, when a tabloid report of an extramarital dalliance was revealed, the couple became a frequent butt of jokes, though they remained together through it all.

In addition to third wife Kathie Lee, survivors include their son and daughter and two sons and a daughter from Gifford’s first marriage."

Frank Gifford Dead: NFL Legend, ?Monday Night Football? Host Dies | Variety

Monday Night Football was never the same IMO after they shit-canned Hank Williams Jr. and His Roudy Friends...

[thaimeme]

RIP FRANK GIFFORD, last surviving member of the legendary ABC Monday Night Football troika alongside Howard Cosell and Don Meredith. Gifford was 84.



Frank Gifford, the former New York Giants star who successfully transitioned to a long career as a sportscaster on TV and radio, died Sunday of natural causes at his home in Connecticut. He was 84.

NBC News confirmed Gifford’s death in a statement. Gifford was the husband of “Today” anchor Kathie Lee Gifford.

“It is with the deepest sadness that we announce the sudden passing of our beloved husband, father and friend, Frank Gifford. Frank died suddenly this beautiful Sunday morning of natural causes at his Connecticut home. We rejoice in the extraordinary life he was privileged to live, and we feel grateful and blessed to have been loved by such an amazing human being. We ask that our privacy be respected at this difficult time and we thank you for your prayers.”

Gifford’s name was practically synonymous with ESPN’s popular “Monday Night Football” telecast, for which he served up commentary from the early ’70s on. His first-hand experience on the field as a halfback and his measured, congenial analyses, made him a popular figure on the long-running, high-rated program. In later years Gifford became a constant source of latenight talkshow host ribbing as the result of a tabloid-friendly report of an extramarital dalliance.

Gifford was the husband of former morning talkshow personality Kathie Lee Gifford.

Gifford joined Howard Cossell and Don Meredith on “Monday Night Football” in 1971 and remained with the show through several transitions, winning an Emmy for his commentaries. He was enormously popular with audiences for his easy-going analyses and obvious love of the game.

The network also utilized him on “Wide World of Sports,” where he became closely associated with the Special Olympics. He became a champion of the games as well as of the Multiple Sclerosis Society.

While playing in the NFL, Gifford spent the offseason during the 1950s appearing in small roles in feature films such as “That’s My Boy,” “The All American” (1953), “Darby’s Rangers” and “Up Periscope” (1959), taking acting classes along the way with, among others, Jeff Corey. He also worked as a commercial model and product endorser on television, in addition to writing a sports column and hosting a sports show on a local Bakersfield, Calif., station and for CBS Radio. In 1961, he became a sports reporter for WCBS in New York.

He maintained his sports reporting position at WCBS during an NFL comeback and later worked a color commentator for CBS Sports, doing NFL games as well as golf and college basketball. In 1971, Gifford moved to ABC and began his run on “Monday Night Football” that lasted until 1997.

Gifford appeared as himself in the film “Jerry Maguire” and on the ABC sitcoms “Coach” and “Spin City.”

Francis Newton Gifford was born in Santa Monica, Calif., and his family moved around a great deal during the Great Depression until they finally settled in Bakersfield. It was at Bakersfield High School that Gifford first began to develop his abilities as a football player, which led to a sports scholarship to USC. Coach Jess Hill helped bring out Gifford’s offensive and defensive skills, and he was named by Collier’s magazine running back of its All-America team in his senior year. Gifford departed USC 12 units shy of a degree when the New York Giants picked him as their No. 1 draft choice in 1952. He later made up the credits in night school, receiving his degree in 1956.

His first two seasons with the Giants were arduous, and the pay was terrible, Gifford recalled. He was almost ready to pack it in when, in 1954, the Giants’ new head coach, Jim Lee Howell, and offensive coordinator Vince Lombardi came aboard. It was Lombardi who installed him as a permanent left halfback. In 1955 the Giants took the NFL championship, and Gifford was voted the league’s MVP. The Giants won several championships through the end of the decade, when Gifford suffered a serious concussion and announced his retirement.

In 1962, he returned to the field as a flanker and made a celebrated comeback. By the time he permanently retired in 1964, Gifford had amassed several Giants records, including touchdowns scored, points and yards gained receiving. He made All-Pro a total of eight times.

Gifford’s autobiography, “The Whole Ten Yards,” was published in 1993, and he wrote several other sports-related books, including “Gifford on Courage” in 1976 and “The Glory Game: How the 1958 NFL Championship Changed Football Forever” in 2008.

He was inducted into the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame in 1975 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1977.

In the 2000s he guested a few times on “Jimmy Kimmel” and “Today,” showed up on “Regis and Kelly” in 2009, appeared in documentaries including “Beatles Stories” and “Lombardi” and recurred as an interviewee on “ESPN SportsCentury.”

Gifford was married three times. In 1982, he met Kathie Lee Johnson during a brief fill-in stint on “Good Morning America.” They were married in 1986. When Kathie Lee Gifford became a household name via the “Regis and Kathie Lee” show, she frequently discussed her family life on television. In the mid-’90s, when a tabloid report of an extramarital dalliance was revealed, the couple became a frequent butt of jokes, though they remained together through it all.

In addition to third wife Kathie Lee, survivors include their son and daughter and two sons and a daughter from Gifford’s first marriage."

Frank Gifford Dead: NFL Legend, ?Monday Night Football? Host Dies | Variety

Monday Night Football was never the same IMO after they shit-canned Hank Williams Jr. and His Roudy Friends...

Even Disney found to extend PC after his political/social public rantings.....

[Storekeeper]

RIP FRANK GIFFORD, last surviving member of the legendary ABC Monday Night Football troika alongside Howard Cosell and Don Meredith. Gifford was 84.

We're getting old Boon and that drives the point him. Hope I get to 84.

Makes me wonder now how old John Madden is.

RIP Mr. Gifford.

[Humbert]

Even Disney found to extend PC after his political/social public rantings.....

Translation please.

[misskit]

When I hear his name, what I remember is "This is Frank Gifford for Westinghouse." Heard it for years on tv and radio.

[Bobcock]

Frank Gifford also hosted the NFL shows on TV in the UK for a while, I think Nicky Horne was first and then Gifford came along with former Patriots kicker John Smith to host for 2-3 years.