The RIP Famous Person Thread

[kmart]

RIP Rik. Was a big fan of a lot of his stuff through the 80's and 90's. The Young Ones was great at the time, hasn't aged well, but I still can remember just about every line of every episode.

[bobo746]

Cricketer Gary 'Gus' Gilmour dead, aged 62

Australian swing-bowling allrounder Gary Gilmour has died, aged 62.
Gilmour died on Tuesday at Sydney's Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.
The left-armer played 15 Tests and was renowned for snaring figures of 6-14 against England in the 1975 World Cup semi-final.
In 2002, Wisden ranked it cricket's best one-day international bowling performance.
The then 23-year-old also claimed 5-48 in the final of the inaugural World Cup, which Australia lost to the West Indies.
'Gus' Gilmour underwent a liver transplant in 2005, when his former captain Ian Chappell led a band of former teammates in raising money for the procedure.

https://au.sports.yahoo.com/cricket/news/article/-/24204659/cricketer-gary-gus-gilmour-dead-aged-62/

[Chittychangchang]

[xanax]

well done Chitty, a timely reminder to do make our wills out, RIP peoples poet

[billy the kid]

shock ,horror, so young.
RIP Rik.

[harrybarracuda]

Spot the Dog creator Eric Hill dies aged 86
Author of multimillion-selling books for pre-school children said of his puppy hero, 'I love the character, he's my buddy'
Alison Flood
theguardian.com, Tuesday 10 June 2014 07.52 EDT






Eric Hill, the children's author who topped bestseller charts with his brightly-coloured picture books about the mischievous yellow puppy Spot, has died at the age of 86 at his home in California after a short illness.

Hill's publisher, Puffin, has confirmed the news, describing him as "a master of simple design. He created one of the world's most loveable children's book characters – Spot, the charming, naughty, playful puppy, loved and appreciated across the world".

Hill's family said: "Although this time of loss is a great hardship for us, we can honestly say that we take some solace in the joy he brought to so many children and families through his work. We know Spot, and therefore Eric, has had a beloved presence in so many homes and bedtime readings. And we know we share our grief with many."

Hill, who received an OBE for services to children's literature in the 2008 honours list, was encouraged to draw cartoons in his spare time when he worked as a messenger in an art studio as a teenager, going on to draw comic strips, and work as a designer, before he came up with his stories about a puppy for his young son.

Where's Spot?, which incorporated the innovative lift-the-flap concept – something devised by Hill after he noticed a flap design on an advertising flyer – was published in 1980, and topped the UK's bestseller lists within weeks. Hill went on to introduce further books in the Spot series, and to develop the adventures of the character's friends and family in titles including Spot's Birthday Party, Spot Goes to the Farm and Spot Loves His Friends.

"When I first drew Spot I realised that when I came to draw the spot on his body and the tip of his tail I was copying the markings on an aircraft. I grew up drawing aircraft – that is how I learned to draw," Hill said. "I am quite convinced now, as I look back, that the actual training of drawing cartoons – which is, of course, my style – led to my producing Spot. Cartoons must be very simple and have as few words as possible and so must the Spot books. I designed Spot out of my previous background as a designer and illustrator. It was quite unconscious but I can see now that I have created a ready-made trademark of its kind, with the essential spot on the body and a bit on the tail."

He first introduced Spot's friends in Spot Goes To School. "I thought about the friends – should they all be different breeds of dogs? Too boring. I provided friends in the shape of other animals such as a hippo (Helen), a crocodile (Tom), a monkey (Steve) and so on," the author said, in an interview on his official Spot website.

Hill wanted, he said, to acknowledge with his books "that children have far more intelligence and style than many adults credit them with", and he wanted them "to experience, through my drawings, ideas which were just outside their experience yet were basic enough to be understood. In Where's Spot? I thought it would be fun to draw a chair - in a period style rather than a straightforward type. A grand piano instead of an upright – pink rather than brown. Tables with cabriole legs and other decorative details. All to broaden the visual scope that a book can bring to a young mind," said the author.

Their appeal, he has said, stems from their "sense of fun". "When he shows excitement on Christmas Day and cries 'Yippee', that's me in there. I love the character, he's my buddy and I'm at ease with him. Subconsciously I see things from the dog's point of view, so Spot is within me."

Hill's publisher described Spot as "the world's favourite puppy", and said he was "one of the best-loved pre-school characters of all time". Book sales top 60m around the world, there is an animated series, and the stories are now translated into 60 languages, with Spot known variously as Dribbel (in Holland), Tippens (in Sweden), Bolinha (in Portugal) and Tassen (in Norway).

[harrybarracuda]

Martha Hyer, the Old Hollywood actress best known for her Oscar-nominated performance opposite Frank Sinatra in 1958's "Some Came Running," has died at age 89, according to the Santa Fe New Mexican.

A striking blond glamor girl, Hyer was born in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1924 and studied at Northwestern University. She was first spotted by a Hollywood talent agent at the Pasadena Playhouse and went on to appear in westerns as well as the sci-fi farce "Abbott and Costello Go to Mars," the B-adventure "Yukon Gold" and the African safari film "The Scarlet Spear."

Hyer got her big break playing William Holden's fiancee in Billy Wilder's 1954 romantic comedy "Sabrina," which co-starred Audrey Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart.

She would go on to star in "Battle Hymn" with Rock Hudson, "My Man Godfrey" with David Niven, "Houseboat" with Cary Grant, "The Best of Everything" with Joan Crawford and "The Sons of Katie Elder" with John Wayne.

Hyer's brief first marriage, to "Scarlet Spear" director C. Ray Stahl, ended in divorce. Hyer was also married to producer Hal B. Wallis ("Casablanca," "The Maltese Falcon") from 1966 until his death in 1986.

Her autobiography, "Finding My Way: A Hollywood Memoir," was published in 1990.

[harrybarracuda]

(Reuters) - Legendary stage and screen actress Ruby Dee, who won acclaim in theater, film and television and became a notable figure in the U.S. civil rights movement, died peacefully at home, a friend of the family said on Thursday.

The actress, who was 91 years old, died on Wednesday night in New Rochelle, New York, surrounded by her family.

"She died of natural causes," said Arminda Thomas, who works for Dee's family. "She was blessed with old age."

The petite actress won an Oscar nomination in 2008 for her role in "American Gangster." After being nominated for six Emmys, she nabbed the award in 1991 for her role in the TV movie "Decoration Day."

Dee was married to actor Ossie Davis for 56 years until his death in 2005. The couple, who had three children, formed a productive and enduring artistic and activist partnership. They performed together in plays and films and appeared together at some of the seminal events of the turbulent civil rights era.

The actress broke free from the racially stereotypical roles often given to black actresses when she began her career in the 1940s and continued to act into her 90s.

"Ruby Dee inspired so many people both on stage and off. At the Tony Awards last Sunday, both Audra McDonald and Kenny Leon paid tribute to Ruby Dee during their acceptance speeches,” said Charlotte St. Martin, executive director of the Broadway League, which represents producers and theater owners.

Broadway theaters will dim their marquees on Friday in Dee's memory.

President Barack Obama recalled Dee's performance in the 1989 Spike Lee film, "Do the Right Thing" - which the president and his wife, Michelle, saw on their first date.

"Through her remarkable performances, Ruby paved the way for generations of black actors and actresses, and inspired African-American women across our country," Obama said in a statement.

Friends and fans also turned to Twitter to express their sadness.

"Words cannot express how much Ruby Dee inspired me to be who I am today. I will miss her dearly ...," hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons tweeted.

Director Spike Lee said he was "crushed" and actress Angela Lansbury described Dee's death as "an irreplaceable loss."

Dee and Davis were equally famous for their political activism, even as they paid a price in terms of their careers. They denounced Senator Joseph McCarthy's anti-Communist crusades of the 1950s and were blacklisted for a time. They also were investigated by FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover's agents. They counted civil rights leader Martin Luther King and black activist Malcolm X among their friends and took part in marches for racial equality in the South. Dee and Davis were emcees of the landmark 1963 March on Washington where King gave his "I Have a Dream" speech. The couple were honored in 2004 at the Kennedy Center in Washington for their lifetime contributions to theater, TV and movies, as well as their advocacy for equality. The Kennedy Center recognized them as "two of the most prolific and fearless artists in American culture," stating: "With courage and tenacity they have thrown open many a door previously shut tight to African American artists and planted the seed for the flowering of America's multicultural humanity."

Dee was born as Ruby Ann Wallace in Cleveland, the daughter of a train porter and a schoolteacher, and was raised in the Harlem section of New York City.

She attended Hunter College in New York, then joined the American Negro Theater in 1941 before making her way to Broadway.

In 1946, she appeared on Broadway with Davis, who also became a director and playwright, in "Jeb," about a black soldier back from World War Two who confronts the white supremacist Ku Klux Klan.

Dee's films include "The Jackie Robinson Story" (1950) in which she co-starred with Robinson, portraying himself in the tale of major league baseball's first black player, as well as "A Raisin in the Sun" (1961) with Sidney Poitier.

[harrybarracuda]

Another Aussie rocker I've never heard of.



The lead singer of The Masters Apprentices had fought a long battle with cancer, and died in hospital this morning. He was 67.

The long-haired rocker, best known for hits such as Turn Up Your Radio, Living In A Child's Dream, Elevator Driver, 5-10 Man and It's Because I Love You, had been admitted to hospital earlier this month with pneumonia.

A spokeswoman said that Keays had died at 10.30am this morning following complications arising from multiple myeloma.

He has been fighting the disease, a bone marrow cancer which affects plasma cells and weakens the immune system, for seven years.

As quoted on the Sky News Australia website, bandmate and friend Glenn Wheatley paid tribute to Keays.

"“I had the pleasure of sharing some of the best years of my life with Jim Keays, it really was like Spinal Tap,” he said.

Keays is survived by his partner and three children.

[Mr Lick]

Count Suckle - obituary

Count Suckle was a banana boat stowaway and club owner who helped introduce ska to Britain




Count Suckle, who has died aged 82, was a Jamaica-born sound engineer who stowed away on a banana boat to Britain and was credited as one of the pioneers of the ska reggae scene in London in the 1950s.


One of 13 children, Suckle (real name Wilbert Augustus Campbell) was born in Kingston, Jamaica, on August 12 1931, and stowed away with two friends, Lenny Fry and Vincent Forbes (alias “Duke Vin” or “The Tickler”), in 1954. By the time the captain discovered their hideout, the ship was too far along its course to turn back.

They arrived in England to find a land of freezing weather, racial prejudice and no loud music.




Count Suckle at the Cue Club

They moved into slums in Notting Hill where, unable to find a place to go for a dance, Suckle and Duke Vin built their own sound systems (mobile discotheques which blast out pre-recorded music on vast speakers), which they played at private parties within the British Afro-Caribbean community — frequently to the annoyance of neighbours and to the chagrin of the police. At first they played blues and soul records, often speeded up to make them easier to dance to. The first Jamaican records did not arrive until the late 1950s, but when they did, the 4/4 rhythms and distinctive heavy brass of ska became hugely popular.

Related Article Soon the pair were taking part in deafening sound system “clashes” — competitions in which they vied to woo audiences with the rarity and originality of their tunes. Famously, Duke Vin won an event over Count Suckle in 1956 at Lambeth Town Hall. Although Vin claimed never to have lost a clash, Count Suckle was thought to have developed a commercial edge over his friend because of his outgoing personality.



Suckle soon won a booking at the Flamingo Club in Wardour Street to play his sound system after the main acts. On his first night the queue of people waiting to get in caused a major traffic snarl-up. An early British convert to the new Jamaican sound was Georgie Fame, who recalled: “Suckle had a fantastic record collection.

He used to get direct imports from Memphis and the Caribbean ... all the old bluebeat stuff was being played in the clubs where we played.”

In the early 1960s Count Suckle became resident DJ at The Roaring Twenties, a Carnaby Street nightspot which, in addition to Afro-Caribbeans, attracted the cream of the white Sixties counter-culture and became an epicentre of “Swinging London”. In the early 1960s The Rolling Stones, The Animals and The Who would often come to listen and learn, and Suckle recalled that the 17-year-old Mick Jagger would borrow the records that he (Suckle) had ordered by post from a shop in Tennessee — though he noted, disapprovingly, that the Stones always looked “scruffy”. The club also attracted politicians: “Profumo would come, always at about 5am, with Christine Keeler and Mandy Rice-Davies.”

Later in the decade Count Suckle opened his own club, the Cue (later Q) club on Praed Street, Paddington, where his sound system - blasting out ska, reggae, soul and funk - alternated with live performances by leading Jamaican and American artists of the day. The club eventually closed in the 1980s, but in its heyday it was not unknown for Stevie Wonder, the Four Tops and the Commodores to be among the paying public.


Pedro and his 'posse': Cue Club regulars in 1966 (HULTON/GETTY)
“We lead the field because we’ve always moved with the times at the Q Club,”

Suckle explained. “When we opened, ska music was the thing, Prince Buster, Don Drummond, Reco, Tommy McCook, Roland Alphonso, Baba Brooks, y’know. They all played here when they toured London. We played all the latest things and the new dances caught on quick ... A few years ago soul was the thing so we used to play more soul ... You just got to stay with the times. If they wanna hear reggae we’ll play reggae, if they want rock and roll we’ll play it.”



Civil rights activist Stokely Carmichael (centre) at Count Suckle's Cue Club in 1967 (HULTON/GETTY)

In 2008 Suckle contributed to a documentary film, Duke Vin, Count Suckle and the Birth of Ska, directed by Gus Berger.

Suckle is survived by two sons and a daughter. Duke Vin died in 2012.

[FloridaBorn]

Never a Steelers fan due in great part to this guy who was dominating the NFL at the time my team (the Dolphins) was also in top form but always seemed to just fall short of the Steelers in the same division.

Hall of Fame coach Chuck Noll dead at 82



PITTSBURGH (AP) — Chuck Noll, the Hall of Fame coach who won a record four Super Bowl titles with the Pittsburgh Steelers, died Friday night at his home. He was 82.

The Allegheny County Medical Examiner said Noll died of natural causes.

Noll transformed the Steelers from a long-standing joke into one of the NFL's pre-eminent powers, becoming the only coach to win four Super Bowls. He was a demanding figure who did not make close friends with his players, yet was a successful and motivating leader.

Y! SPORTS

[reddog]

i won't mind turning up my radio to hear jim keays sing,had some good songs.

[harrybarracuda]

Shit for a minute there I thought it was Chuck Norris.

[harrybarracuda]

Silent film actress Carla Laemmle, niece of Universal Studios founder Carl Laemmle, has died. She was 104.

Laemmle, who was considered one of the last surviving performers from Hollywood's silent film years, died of natural causes, reported Variety.

She appeared in at least 17 films, starting in 1925 in the silent horror classic 'The Phantom of the Opera', in which she played a ballerina. She was the last surviving cast member of the film, which starred Lon Chaney Sr.

During her later years, she appeared in several documentaries recounting Hollywood's earliest years and the production of classic movies.

Almost nine decades after she began acting, Laemmle was still appearing on camera. Her last role was in "Mansion of Blood" currently in post-production.

[bobo746]

Another Aussie rocker I've never heard of.

hear you go ,i even wore their green tshirt

[BaitongBoy]

Silent film actress Carla Laemmle, niece of Universal Studios founder Carl Laemmle, has died. She was 104.

She had a good run, then...

Should be an inspiration to other women...Keep quiet and live longer...

Heh...

[FloridaBorn]

Shit for a minute there I thought it was Chuck Norris.

He kicked ass like THAT Chuck though..

[can123]

Sam Kelly has died.

BBC News - Allo Allo star Sam Kelly dies at 70

[david44]

[toslti]

[harrybarracuda]

Voice of Captain Scarlet Francis Matthews dies aged 86
Jun 15, 2014 15:05 By Mikey Smith
The veteran actor, who also starred in Hammer Horror classics such as Dracula: Prince of Darkness and Revenge of Frankenstein has died

Francis Matthews, the veteran stage and screen actor who was most famous as the voice of Captain Scarlet, has died aged 86.

He starred in the classic 1960s sci-fi puppet show, produced by Thunderbirds creator Gerry Anderson, about a virtually indestructible secret agent, pitted against the vengeful Mysterons of Mars.

As well as providing the voice of the smooth talking Spectrum agent, Matthews appeared in several acclaimed Hammer Horror films, including Dracula: Prince of Darkness and The Revenge of Frankenstein.

He also starred as a mystery solving crime novelist in 1969 TV series Paul Temple.

Among Matthews' many talents was his ability to mimic Hollywood icon Cary Grant, upon whom aspects of Captain Scarlet were based.

So impressive was Matthews' impression, he was called upon to provide the voice of Grant in Cary Comes Home, a 2004 film about the actor's life and career.

A statement from Anderson Entertainment, who manage the estate of Captain Scarlet's creator, read: "We are very sorry to report that Francis Matthews, best known to Gerry Anderson fans as the voice of the indestuctible puppet hero Captain Scarlet, has died aged 86.

Having previously had a policy of using American accents in their shows to aid sales to America, Gerry and [wife] Sylvia relaxed their casting requirements for Captain Scarlet as it was felt that British accents were now more acceptable Stateside than had previously been the case.

"After hearing Matthews’ uncanny impression of Cary Grant, a voice that would have been familiar to all on both sides of the Atlantic, he was cast in 1966."

Matthews played Captain Scarlet in all 35 episodes of its original run, and returned to voice the character in a 2000 CGI short film, entitled Captain Scarlet and the Return of the Mysterons.

He also regularly appeared with Morecambe and Wise, both as a guest on their TV shows and starring opposite them in their movies The Intelligence Men and That Riviera Touch.

Matthews was born in York in 1927 and was married to TV actress Angela Browne, whom he met on the set of 1962 spy series The Dark Island. Browne died in 2001, aged 63.

[S Landreth]

Casey Kasem Dead: Legendary Broadcaster Dies At 82

Casey Kasem died Sunday morning at St. Anthony's Hospital in Gig Harbor Wash. on June 15. The original voice of the "American Top 40" countdown and voice of Shaggy on "Scooby Doo" was taken off life support at age 82.

Kasem suffered from a progressive form of dementia known as Lewy Body Disease.

On June 11 a Los Angeles judge ruled that Kasem's daughter could resume end of life proceedings, withholding food, fluids and medication, on the understanding that he was mentally incapacitated and life support would only prolong his pain.

The news was initially announced by Kasem's daughter, Kerri who addressed her father's death on Facebook.

[FloridaBorn]

Will miss that distinctive voice and personality, RIP his last weeks and days did not give him a lot of peace but it seemed he wasn't at peace and ready to go until he was finally with his children.

Casey Kasem, radio pioneer, dies at 82

Casey Kasem, the radio personality who rose to fame with the music countdown shows "American Top 40" and "Casey's Top 40," has died, family spokesman Danny Deraney confirmed to CBS News. He was 82.

Shortly before his death a judge ruled that his daughter Kerri Kasem could begin end-of-life measures, giving her the authority to withhold medication, food and fluids from her ailing father, who suffered from a form of Lewy body dementia.

Casey Kasem, radio pioneer, dies at 82 - CBS News

A true radio legend gone..

[harrybarracuda]

Didn't the wife/stepmother snatch him? Horrible to have the family fighting each other for his fortune.

Also not many people know that he was also the voice of Shaggy in Scooby Doo!

RIP, a legend in the music industry.

[FloridaBorn]

She did but he was found and brought back and placed in his daughters care, she put him in the hospital and just a couple of days ago they took him off life support and stopped feeding him and it's good to see he didn't hang on suffering too long.. Relatively speaking he didn't have much fortune the house they lived in was a really average house and there wasn't much to get in the end his will's already made out so this wasn't going to change that, I feel it was more about his care and him not suffering in his daughters case. The wife is a nutter, when they went to pick him up she through a chunk of frozen meat at them outside the home..