The RIP Famous Person Thread

[harrybarracuda]

A few tears on Broadway this evening I fancy.

[malmomike77]

Sir Frank Williams: Formula 1 team founder dies aged 79

Sir Frank Williams, founder and former team principal of the Williams Racing Formula 1 team, has died aged 79.

He built the team named after him into one of the most successful in the sport.

During his time with Williams, the team won nine constructors' championships and seven drivers' titles, and dominated much of the 1980s and 1990s.

He and daughter Claire moved away from the sport in September 2020 after selling Williams to US investors.

In a statement, the Williams team said: "It is with great sadness that on behalf of the Williams family, the team can confirm the death of Sir Frank Williams CBE, founder and former team principal of Williams Racing, at the age of 79.

"After being admitted into hospital on Friday, Sir Frank passed away peacefully this morning surrounded by his family.

"Today we pay tribute to our much loved and inspirational figurehead. Frank will be sorely missed. We request that all friends and colleagues respect the Williams family's wishes for privacy at this time."

Obituary: 'An F1 icon and one of the greatest team owners'
Williams was a wheelchair user after suffering a spinal cord injury in a car crash in France in 1986.

F1 president and chief executive Stefano Domenicali paid tribute to Williams, whom he described as "a true giant of our sport".

Domenicali added: "He overcame the most difficult of challenges in life and battled every day to win on and off the track. We have lost a much loved and respected member of the F1 family and he will be hugely missed.

"His incredible achievements and personality will be etched on our sport forever. My thoughts are with all the Williams family and friends at this sad time."

The Williams team enjoyed their first F1 race win at the 1979 British Grand Prix at Silverstone with Swiss driver Clay Regazzoni at the wheel, and the following year Australian Alan Jones steered the team to the drivers' and constructors' titles for the first time.

In 1994, Williams, along with technical director Patrick Head and chief designer Adrian Newey, was charged with manslaughter in Italy following the death of driver Ayrton Senna in a crash at Imola but he was acquitted several years later.

The team have not won a title since Canadian Jacques Villeneuve's 1997 drivers' triumph, and there was an eight-year gap between Juan Pablo Montoya's victory in a Williams-BMW at the 2004 Brazilian Grand Prix and the shock win for Pastor Maldonado in Spain in 2012 - the last time a Williams took the chequered flag.

Sir Frank Williams: Formula 1 team founder dies aged 79 - BBC Sport

[harrybarracuda]

I see C u n t Mod has been at it again.

Anyway...

Iconic Australian Actor David Dalaithngu Dies Aged 68



Famous Australian Indigenous actor, dancer, and artist David Dalaithngu has died of lung cancer at his home in Murray Bridge, South Australia aged 68.
The legendary actor, who appeared in films such as “Walkabout,” “Storm Boy,” “Crocodile Dundee,” and “Rabbit-Proof Fence” succumbed to the illness on Monday after being diagnosed in 2017.
Born in 1953 in Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Dalaithngu had a traditional upbringing, and after his coming of age, was initiated into the Mandipingu tribal group of the Yolngu people.
According to a website honouring the actor, he became a skilled tribal dancer and caught the eye of British film maker Nicolas Roeg, who cast the then sixteen-year-old in a leading role in his motion picture “Walkabout,” which first screened in 1970.
Dalaithgnu became an instant celebrity due to his on-screen charisma, and went on to have a successful film career spanning 50 years.
He played a lead role in the critically acclaimed film “Storm Boy” in 1976, and stole the screen in the 1977 film “The Last Wave” with his performance as a tribal Aboriginal man.
In the 1986 film “Crocodile Dundee,” which was the second highest grossing film in the United States that year, Dalaithgnu played Mick Dundee’s comical Aboriginal friend. In one scene, reporter Sue Charlton (Linda Kozlowski) asked if she can take his photo, to which he says no. She says, “I’m sorry, you believe it will take your spirit way,” to which he replies, “Nah, you got lens cap on.”
In 2002, he played the role of the tracker in “Rabbit-Proof Fence,” and in the same year played a starring role in the film “The Tracker.”
The film “Ten Canoes” (2006), which he initiated and narrated, won a Special Jury Prize at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival.
Then, in 2008, Dalaithngu joined Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman in Baz Luhrmann’s “Australia.”
After hearing of Dalaithngu’s passing, Jackman paid tribute to the legendary actor.
“I join all Australians, and the world over, in mourning the loss of David Gulpilil Ridjimiraril Dalaithngu,” he posted on Instagram. He added that one of his greatest privileges was his time spent working with David on the film “Australia.”
Aside from acting, Dalaithngu was one of the most renowned traditional dancers in his country, organising dance troupes and musicians, as well as performing at festivals all over Australia. This included the Darwin Australia Day Eisteddfod dance competition, which he won four times.
In addition, he was an acclaimed storyteller, writing two volumes of children’s stories based on Yolngu beliefs.
South Australian Premier Steven Marshall also paid tribute to Dalaithngu.
“It is with deep sadness that I share with the people of South Australia the passing of an iconic, once-in-a-generation artist who shaped the history of Australian film and Aboriginal representation on screen—David Dalaithngu AM,” he said in a social media post.
“He was a man who loved his land and his culture, and he was a man who took it to the world.”
Dalaithngu struggled to balance life between the two worlds he inhabited. He encountered racism and discrimination during his career, and battled with alcoholism and depression.
In an interview in 1979, Australian renowned film director Peter Weir said of Dalaithngu: “He has a foot in both cultures. It’s an enormous strain on the man.”
After spending a year in prison for aggravated assault in 2010, Dalaithngu directed his attention back to serving his own Indigenous community, focusing primarily on Aboriginal youth issues. He also put his weight behind the pursuit of tribal land claims for Indigenous people, and called for compensation for the Stolen Generations.
Dalaithngu was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 1987, and won numerous awards throughout his career, including the AACTA/FA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role twice, Best Actor award at the Cannes Film Festival, and the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2019 NAIDOC Awards.
Olympic champion Cathy Freeman farewelled the legend in an Instagram post.
“Thank you for the inspiration, David Gulpilil. Rest In Peace,” she said.
The actor’s family has given permission for his name and image to continue to be used, requesting he be referred to as David Dalaithngu.

https://www.theepochtimes.com/iconic...?welcomeuser=1

[harrybarracuda]

Prince Norodom Ranariddh, the second son of the late King Father Norodom Sihanouk and former First Prime Minister of Cambodia, has passed away in France at the age of 77.
“Samdech Krom Preah Norodom Ranariddh has passed away this morning in France just after 9am Paris-time,” confirmed Oum Daravuth, adviser to the secretariat of Queen Mother Norodom Monineath Sihanouk.
Born in 1944, Prince Ranariddh was the leader of the royalist FUNCINPEC party and served as the First Prime Minister from 1993 until 1997 following Cambodia’s first democratic elections organised by the UN Transitional Authority in Cambodia.
Prime Minister Hun Sen – who served as the Second Prime Minister during that four-year period in a two-party coalition government – wrote a letter of condolences to the Prince’s family, friends and supporters on November 28.
Prince Ranariddh then went on to serve as the president of the National Assembly from 1998 to 2006, following the 1998 elections when his party was runner-up in the vote to the Cambodian People’s Party.
In later years, the Prince had mostly retired from politics and his party’s political base was gradually eroded by the rise of other more active opposition groups. He also suffered injuries in a traffic accident in Preah Sihanouk province in 2018 in which his wife Ouk Phalla was killed.
In January of this year, Prince Ranariddh began an apparent political comeback as president of the FUNCINPEC party – though it proved to be short-lived – after returning from medical treatment in France to take over the reins from his eldest son Prince Norodom Chakravuth.

Prince Norodom Ranariddh passes away at 77 | Phnom Penh Post

[Norton]

Senate leader, presidential candidate Bob Dole dies at 98

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Bob Dole, who overcame disabling war wounds to become a sharp-tongued Senate leader from Kansas, a Republican presidential candidate and then a symbol and celebrant of his dwindling generation of World War II veterans, died Sunday. He was 98.

His wife, Elizabeth Dole, said in an announcement posted on social media that he died in his sleep.

Dole announced in February 2021 that he’d been diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. During his 36-year career on Capitol Hill, Dole became one of the most influential legislators and party leaders in the Senate, combining a talent for compromise with a caustic wit, which he often turned on himself but didn’t hesitate to turn on others, too.

He shaped tax policy, foreign policy, farm and nutrition programs and rights for the disabled, enshrining protections against discrimination in employment, education and public services in the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Today’s accessible government offices and national parks, sidewalk ramps and the sign-language interpreters at official local events are just some of the more visible hallmarks of his legacy and that of the fellow lawmakers he rounded up for that sweeping civil rights legislation 30 years ago.

Dole devoted his later years to the cause of wounded veterans, their fallen comrades at Arlington National Cemetery and remembrance of the fading generation of World War II vets.

Senate leader, presidential candidate Bob Dole dies at 98 | AP News

[Loy Toy]

Prince Norodom Ranariddh, the second son of the late King Father Norodom Sihanouk and former First Prime Minister of Cambodia, has passed away in France at the age of 77.
“Samdech Krom Preah Norodom Ranariddh has passed away this morning in France just after 9am Paris-time,” confirmed Oum Daravuth, adviser to the secretariat of Queen Mother Norodom Monineath Sihanouk.
Born in 1944, Prince Ranariddh was the leader of the royalist FUNCINPEC party and served as the First Prime Minister from 1993 until 1997 following Cambodia’s first democratic elections organised by the UN Transitional Authority in Cambodia.
Prime Minister Hun Sen – who served as the Second Prime Minister during that four-year period in a two-party coalition government – wrote a letter of condolences to the Prince’s family, friends and supporters on November 28.
Prince Ranariddh then went on to serve as the president of the National Assembly from 1998 to 2006, following the 1998 elections when his party was runner-up in the vote to the Cambodian People’s Party.
In later years, the Prince had mostly retired from politics and his party’s political base was gradually eroded by the rise of other more active opposition groups. He also suffered injuries in a traffic accident in Preah Sihanouk province in 2018 in which his wife Ouk Phalla was killed.
In January of this year, Prince Ranariddh began an apparent political comeback as president of the FUNCINPEC party – though it proved to be short-lived – after returning from medical treatment in France to take over the reins from his eldest son Prince Norodom Chakravuth.

Prince Norodom Ranariddh passes away at 77 | Phnom Penh Post

I met him 30 years ago and have a number of pictures with him with other important generals at the Rama Gardens Resort.

I was not privy to the negotiations going on as I was a hanger on but had a great meal at someone's expense.

RIP1

[Davis Knowlton]

In your sad little fantasy world, did he give you a medal?

[harrybarracuda]

You could hear the unique production style of Alan Parsons on this massive and quite long hit. They were frequent collaborators.

At the bottom is an amazing performance of "Music" at the 2012 "Night of the Proms".

John Miles, best known for his rock ballad Music, has died

<sup>Rock musician John Miles has died at the age of 72, his family have confirmed.

Born in Jarrow, north-east England, he was best known for the epic ballad Music, which reached number three in the UK charts in 1976.

Soon afterwards, Melody Maker magazine named him "the brightest, freshest force in British rock".

The star, who later played with Tina Turner, "passed away peacefully after a short illness," his family said.

"He was a loving husband, father and grandfather and we will all miss him more than any words could ever express," read a statement posted on Miles' official Facebook page.

"He will live on forever in our hearts and with the wonderful musical legacy he has left behind. You were our first love and will be our last."

The message echoed the words of Miles's biggest hit: "Music was my first love / And it will be my last / Music of the future / And music of the past."</sup>

John Miles, best known for his rock ballad Music, has died - BBC News

[helge]

In your sad little fantasy world, did he give you a medal?

Got a feeling that you have had more "heering salad" pinned on, than LT.

Been fucking grumpy for the last couple of years, haven't you ?

[Latindancer]

Perhaps even since that incident with the (alleged) monkey ?

But only on and off.

[harrybarracuda]

Been fucking grumpy for the last couple of years, haven't you ?

Not surprising having to listen to your turgid scandihooligan drivel.

[david44]

Not surprising having to listen to your turgid scandihooligan drivel.

To be fair if your native place was cold wet full of pigs and stuck between mashed swedes and sour krauts even a jolly fellow like you might be a tad grumpy during the long winter wanks?

Have you prepped your own headstone I'm taking no chances

HE CONKED HER
HE CAME
HE SORE

[helge]

turgid

Nope
Don't know that one

Is it an up-or down grade from 'retard' ?

scandihooligan

I'm a 'roligan', Harrietta.

A lover not a fighter

(btw: I saw that Bonecollector placed you on ignore and wished you " good luck with your life".

He obviously assumed that you have a life

Funny stuff

Made my day, that did )

To be fair if your native place was cold wet full of pigs and stuck between mashed swedes and sour krauts even a jolly fellow like you might be a tad grumpy during the long winter wanks?

All a matter of dressing properly

( I hate cold rain)

Skål

[harrybarracuda]

Hopefully he'll fuck off and trash another thread now. Wanker.

[harrybarracuda]

More famous by association, but that sounds like a weird story....

Led Zeppelin's hellraising tour manager Richard Cole who 'escorted girls to hotel rooms' and 'kept the band nourished with drugs' dies of cancer aged 75: Jimmy Page pays tribute to 'a brother and friend to the end'

• Most notorious story is an alleged orgy involving Cole, drummer John 'Bonzo' Bonham and red snapper fish

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-10287743/Led-Zeppelins-hellraising-tour-manager-Richard-Cole-dies-cancer-aged-75.html

[reddog]

Mike Nesmith from the Monkees has died of heart failure.He was78. Wrote some good sons

[reddog]

Bloody phone,^good songs.

[Latindancer]

RIP, mate.

The Monkees had a unique sound in 1967.

[harrybarracuda]

Who knew?

“This is sad news,” tweeted musician Gary Numan in his own tribute. “When I was about nine or ten my friends and I formed a ‘band’ called The Monkee Juniors. We mimed to The Monkees records in people houses in our street for sweet money. I was the Mike Nesmith in the line-up. He was far more talented than given credit for.”

Nesmith's talents stretched beyond music. He was executive producer of the 1984 film Repo Man and won a Grammy Award for his hour-long music and comedy TV show Elephant Parts in 1981.
He also produced the videos for Michael Jackson's The Way You Make Me Feel and Lionel Richie's All Night Long.

(I thought Exec Producer just meant you put up some money? Hardly a 'talent'.)

Leaves only Mickey Dolenz to carry the flag.

[david44]

Repo Man

shirley that's Lulu?

[harrybarracuda]

Anne Rice, who did quite well from writing about vampires.



Anne Rice Dead: 'Interview with the Vampire' Writer Was 80 - Variety

[harrybarracuda]

Joe Simon, grammy winning R&B singer.




Grammy award-winning R&B singer Joe Simon dies aged 85 - Berkshire Live

[malmomike77]

For the Brits - Jethro is dead. Loved some of his stuff




Tributes have poured in for legendary Cornish comedian Jethro, who died after contracting coronavirus this week aged 73.


A post to Facebook confirmed the death of the comedian, real name Geoff Rowe, earlier this morning (December 15).


It stated: “It is with tremendous sadness that we announce the passing of the well known and popular Cornish comedian Jethro.


“Tragically Jethro passed away on 14th December 2021 after contracting COVID-19.


“Jethro leaves behind his life partner Jennie, sons Jesse and Lanyon, step daughter Sarah, daughter-in-law Stacey and of course his much loved grandchildren.


“We ask that you respect our privacy at this very sad time and give us all time to grieve.


“We will continue to support each other in the knowledge that our lives will never be the same without him.”


Get the best stories about the things you love most curated by us and delivered to your inbox every day. Choose what you love here


Thousands have already paid tribute to Jethro this morning, with commenters saying they are “heartbroken” at the news.


He was best known for his witty observations about Cornish life, including the now-infamous routine about how the train don’t stop Camborne Wednesdays.


Commenter Yvonne Petherbridge wrote: "I am heartbroken to hear this sad news. What a legend he was. Loved by so many.


"RIP you wonderful man. Condolences to his family. x"

[Mendip]

It's a bad week for the West country...

This could have gone in a number of threads, but I think this is most fitting...

John Morgan: Wurzels drummer dies after contracting Covid



The drummer of the British band The Wurzels has died in hospital after contracting Covid-19, a statement said.

Somerset musician John Morgan died at the age of 80 on Friday in Gloucester Royal Hospital.

The band's manager said he was their "oldest drummer in captivity" and had been performing with them since 1981 up until two weeks ago.

Band member Tommy Banner said: "We can't believe we shan't ever see you behind those drums again."

The band, which celebrates rural life in the West of England, rose to fame in the '70s with hits such as I Am A Cider Drinker and Combine Harvester.



In an online tribute and announcement, Mr Banner said he will be missed.

"We thought you were indestructible," he wrote.

"With your sharp, quirky Forest wit - oh, you were also a great drummer, just like your hero, Charlie Watts.

"We are all in shock, Morgy had the driest of humour and the kindest of hearts and all are [sic] thoughts are with his family."

He said the band intended to continue but that Mr Morgan would "always be remembered and loved".



But my personal favourite...

[Joe 90]

Sally Ann Howes, who starred in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and My Fair Lady, has died aged 91, her family has confirmed.

The Tony Award-nominated actress first appeared on screen aged 12, and enjoyed a career that spanned six decades.

She was best known for playing the role of Truly Scrumptious in the 1968 musical film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, opposite Dick Van Dyke.