The RIP Famous Person Thread

[david44]

UPDATE AND A ANOTHER CHANCE TO HEAR

Fleetwood Mac star Christine McVie’s cause of death disclosed | The Independent

DREAMS ON A LOOP AS USED IN THE CAFE

[harrybarracuda]

Margaret Thatcher’s Former Chancellor Nigel Lawson Dies at 91



Former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s Chancellor, Lord Nigel Lawson, has died at the age of 91.

The former Conservative MP—whose political career lasted almost five decades—passed away on Monday.

Leading the many tributes to the Tory “giant” was Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who said he hung a picture of Lawson on his wall during his own time as chancellor of the Exchequer.

“He was a transformational chancellor and an inspiration to me and many others,” Sunak wrote on Twitter on Tuesday.
“My thoughts are with his family and friends at this time.”

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson also paid tribute, describing Lawson as “a fearless and original flame of free market Conservatism.”

“He was a tax-cutter and simplifier who helped transform the economic landscape and helped millions of British people achieve their dreams,” Johnson said on Tuesday.

“He was a prophet of Brexit and a lover of continental Europe.

“He was a giant. My thoughts and prayers are with his family.”

Lawson represented the constituency of Blaby from 1974 to 1992, and served in Margaret Thatcher’s Cabinet from 1981 to 1989.

Best known for his role as chancellor, he retired from the House of Lords in December, ending a parliamentary career that spanned 50 years.

‘Lawson Boom’

Prior to taking up politics, Lawson was a financial journalist.

According to his parliamentary profile, he worked for various publications including the Financial Times, The Sunday Telegraph and The Spectator, where he served as editor from 1966 to 1970.

Lawson also acted as special assistant to Prime Minister Sir Alec Douglas-Horne from 1963 to 1964, and became a special policy adviser for the Conservative Party in 1973.

He would go on to be one of most renowned members of Thatcher’s cabinets.

The controversial Tory prime minister, who died in 2013, put Lawson in charge of the Treasury in 1983, where he was responsible for slashing income tax, boosting share ownership, and paying off growing government debt.

He was credited for modernising London’s financial markets, overseeing the UK finance sector’s “Big Bang” in 1986, when the UK stock market was deregulated.

The radical move revitalized the London Stock Exchange making it a private limited company, allowing external corporations to enter its member firms, and an automated price quotation was established.

Lawson’s tax-cutting moves helped turn a budget deficit into a surplus, halved unemployment, and curbed inflation, leading to his stewardship era being coined the “Lawson Boom.”

His work on the economy was credited for winning Thatcher a third term in office.

However, harder times followed for Britain, with soaring inflation and sky-rocketing interest rates which rose from 7 to 15 percent in just 16 months.

Lawson’s resignation in 1989, sparked by rows over Europe and economic policy, marked the early stages of Thatcher’s downfall a year later.

The Tory politician chaired the Vote Leave campaign ahead of the 2016 EU referendum but faced allegations of hypocrisy after applying for a French residency card.

He also faced criticism for not believing in man-made climate change.

Margaret Thatcher’s Former Chancellor Nigel Lawson Dies at 91

[dirk diggler]

Paul Cattermole dies weeks after S Club 7 reveals reunion plans

S Club 7 have announced that band member Paul Cattermole has been found dead at home aged 46 with no suspicious circumstances
Paul Cattermole has died just weeks after S Club 7 revealed their plans for a reunion tour.


The pop legend has been found dead at his home in Dorset aged 46 and there are thought to be “no suspicious circumstances” around his death.

His bandmate Hannah Spearritt is said to have "broke down" when she was given the shocking news and his bandmates have been left in "horror and disbelief".
The singer had been looking forward to joining them for the reunion scheduled for later this year.
A statement from the band reads: "We are truly devastated by the passing of our brother Paul. There are no words to describe the deep sadness and loss we all feel. We were so lucky to have had him in our lives and are thankful for the amazing memories we have.


S Club 7 are in 'disbelief' after the shock death of bandmate Paul Cattermole (left) ( Image:
Dave J. Hogan/Getty Images For X)
"He will be so deeply missed by each and every one of us. We ask that you respect the privacy of his family and of the band at this time."
A statement from his family reads: "It is with great sadness that we announce the unexpected passing of our beloved son and brother Paul Cattermole.
"Paul was found yesterday, 6th April 2023 at his home in Dorset and was pronounced dead later that afternoon.

"While the cause of death is currently unknown, Dorset Police has confirmed that there were no suspicious circumstances. Paul’s family, friends and fellow members of S Club request privacy at this time."
Paul was one of the original members of S Club 7 but broke hearts across the nation when he quit the band in 2002.
"It had got to the point where things were being handled so badly, I had to go," Paul told The Guardian.
Paul reunited with some old school friends to form nu metal group Skua, but they split in 2003 after failing to sign a record deal.
Five years after S Club broke up, Paul started performing at nightclub, universities and holiday camps across the UK with Jo and Bradley as S Club 3.
But Paul struggled adjusting to life after the band and was declared bankrupt.
By 2018, Paul became desperate and even tried to flog his Brit Awards on eBay.



Paul at the S Club 7 reunion in February this year



Paul quit the band in 2002 ( Image:
Getty Images)
Paul admitted he had already tried to sign up to shows like I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! but he had been turned down because he was not "famous enough".
While he also struggled to find work an accident during work on The Rocky Horror Picture Show left him with a permanent back injury.
The penniless singer opened up about his serious money troubles on Loose Women in 2018 and didn't even have enough money to pay for a shirt for the interview.
When Jane asked whether any family members had helped him out with his money troubles, he insisted that his "mum has helped in a big way this year".
He also said that he was very keen to dip his toe into reality TV, citing Dancing On Ice and I'm A Celeb as examples, but quipped: "For some reason they don't want me".
Paul had a relationship with bandmate Hannah which they kept secret for six months before going public in 2001.
They carried on seeing each other when Paul left the group but split in 2006.
The pair got back together in June 2015 and were seen snogging on the tube, but they broke up again in November that year.
Paul was looking for love on First Dates Hotel, where he admitted his past life had made it tough to get in a real relationship and he wanted to get out of the public eye.
He also claimed he was forced to date Hannah for their Hollywood 7 TV shows as it was "written into their TV contracts".
"There was nothing natural about it. It wasn't how people actually hook up and get together," he said in 2019.
"Lovely person but not at any point did it hint this would actually lead to...I think because of the lifestyle of work.
"If you are being controlled to the point your girlfriend's being chosen for you you’re going to quit it. So I did."
Paul went on to make a shock career change and left the music industry to become a tarot card reader.

The singer-turned-card-reader detailed his skills on the website Ask The Answer, where he wrote: "I have an abundance of experience and knowledge to share with you from my days in pop band S Club 7 to my present role as a spiritual psychic where my reputation over the years has earned me the title of Psychic Detective.
"I have a keen interest in getting to the root and cause of any problem as an Intuitive Paranormal Investigator."
He also claimed to be a psychic, clairvoyant and spirit coach, as well as a tarot card reader.

He also claimed to be a psychic, clairvoyant and spirit coach, as well as a tarot card reader.

I wonder if he saw it coming.

[david44]

I wonder if he saw it coming.

could be if using his foresight

[harrybarracuda]

Ben Ferencz, last living prosecutor of Nazis in Nuremberg trials, dies aged 103





AP — Benjamin Ferencz, the last living prosecutor from the Nuremberg trials, who tried Nazis for genocidal war crimes and was among the first outside witnesses to document the atrocities of Nazi labor and concentration camps, has died. He had just turned 103 in March.

Ferencz, who had lived in the United States, died Friday evening in Boynton Beach, Florida, according to St. John’s University law professor John Barrett, who runs a blog about the Nuremberg trials. The death also was confirmed by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington.
“Today the world lost a leader in the quest for justice for victims of genocide and related crimes,” the museum tweeted.

Born in Transylvania in 1920, Ferencz immigrated as a very young boy with his parents to New York to escape rampant antisemitism. After graduating from Harvard Law School, Ferencz joined the US Army in time to take part in the Normandy invasion during World War II. Using his legal background, he became an investigator of Nazi war crimes against US soldiers as part of a new War Crimes Section of the Judge Advocate’s Office.

When US intelligence reports described soldiers encountering large groups of starving people in Nazi camps watched over by SS guards, Ferencz followed up with visits, first at the Ohrdruf labor camp in Germany and then at the notorious Buchenwald concentration camp. At those camps and later at others, he found bodies “piled up like cordwood” and “helpless skeletons with diarrhea, dysentery, typhus, TB, pneumonia, and other ailments, retching in their louse ridden bunks or on the ground with only their pathetic eyes pleading for help,” Ferencz wrote in an account of his life.

“The Buchenwald concentration camp was a charnel house of indescribable horrors,” Ferencz wrote. “There is no doubt that I was indelibly traumatized by my experiences as a war crimes investigator of Nazi extermination centers. I still try not to talk or think about the details.”

At one point toward the end of the war, Ferencz was sent to Adolf Hitler’s mountain retreat in the Bavarian Alps to search for incriminating documents but came back empty-handed.

After the war, Ferencz was honorably discharged from the US Army and returned to New York to begin practicing law.

But that was short-lived. Because of his experiences as a war crimes investigator, he was recruited to help prosecute Nazi war criminals at the Nuremberg trials, which had begun under the leadership of US Supreme Court Justice Robert Jackson. Before leaving for Germany, he married his childhood sweetheart, Gertrude.

At the age of 27, with no previous trial experience, Ferencz became chief prosecutor for a 1947 case in which 22 former commanders were charged with murdering over 1 million Jews, Romani and other targets of the Third Reich in Eastern Europe. Rather than depending on witnesses, Ferencz mostly relied on official German documents to make his case. All the defendants were convicted, and more than a dozen were sentenced to death by hanging even though Ferencz hadn’t asked for the death penalty.

“At the beginning of April 1948, when the long legal judgment was read, I felt vindicated,” he wrote. “Our pleas to protect humanity by the rule of law had been upheld.”

With the war crimes trials winding down, Ferencz went to work for a consortium of Jewish charitable groups to help Holocaust survivors regain properties, homes, businesses, artworks, Torah scrolls and other Jewish religious items that had been confiscated from them by the Nazis. He also later assisted in negotiations that would lead to compensation to the Nazi victims.

In later decades, Ferencz championed the creation of an international court that could prosecute any government’s leaders for war crimes. Those dreams were realized in 2002 with the establishment of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, though its effectiveness has been limited by the failure of countries like the United States to participate.

Ferencz is survived by a son and three daughters. His wife died in 2019.

Ben Ferencz, last living prosecutor of Nazis in Nuremberg trials, dies aged 103 | The Times of Israel

[harrybarracuda]

Michael Lerner, ‘Barton Fink’ Actor, Dies at 81



Michael Lerner, an actor who featured in films such as “Elf,” “Godzilla” and “X-Men: Days of Future Past” and who received an Oscar nomination in best supporting actor for his performance in Joel and Ethan Coen’s 1991 psychological comedy “Barton Fink,” died Saturday evening. He was 81 years old.

Lerner’s death was confirmed by his nephew, “The Goldbergs” actor Sam Lerner, who paid tribute to his uncle through a post on Instagram Sunday afternoon. No further details regarding Lerner’s death are available at this time.

“We lost a legend last night. It’s hard to put into words how brilliant my uncle Michael was, and how influential he was to me,” Lerner wrote. “His stories always inspired me and made me fall in love with acting. He was the coolest, most confident, talented guy, and the fact that he was my blood will always make me feel special. Everyone that knows him knows how insane he was— in the best way.”

“I’m so lucky I got to spend so much time with him, and we’re all lucky we can continue to watch his work for the rest of time,” Lerner continued. “RIP Michael, enjoy your unlimited Cuban cigars, comfy chairs and endless movie marathon.”

After putting together steady work as an actor through the 1970’s and ’80s, Lerner achieved a higher profile after landing an Oscar nomination in 1992 for his turn in the Coen brothers’ period thriller “Barton Fink.” In the film, Lerner portrayed the movie mogul Jack Lipnick, the pushy boss to John Turturro’s eponymous screenwriter and a bellwether for the film’s sometimes-cutthroat, sometimes-uproarious tone. An imposing office-bound studio exec, Lerner’s performance is often considered a cornerstone turn among Coen enthusiasts. The actor would later reunite with the directors for a brief role in their 2009 existential comedy “A Serious Man.”

With an Academy Award nod under his belt, Lerner became a familiar face for moviegoers through the ’90s, with notable credits including “Newsies,” “Blank Check,” “No Escape” and “Celebrity.” In Roland Emmerich’s 1998 “Godzilla,” he played the overwhelmed, pompous New York leader deemed Mayor Ebert, a flagrant lampoon of premier film critic Roger Ebert. Lerner was styled to resemble the “At the Movies” co-host in the disaster blockbuster. (Ebert ended up panning the film with a 1.5 star review, though he praised Lerner for a “gamely played” performance.)

Lerner continued regular work after the turn of the century. He played the severe boss to James Caan’s grumpy publishing company exec in the 2003 holiday comedy “Elf,” as well as a mutant-weary U.S. Senator in the 2014 blockbuster “X-Men: Days of Future Past.” His last feature credit came in 2015 with the comedy-drama “Ashby.”

Born June 22, 1941 in Brooklyn, Lerner began to pursue acting with work at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco in the late ’60s. The Romanian-Jewish American actor found supporting roles on titles such as “M*A*S*H,” “The Rockford Files,” “Starsky & Hutch and” “Hill Street Blues,” among dozens more series. Other notable film credits include “The Candidate,” “The Postman Always Rings Twice,” “Eight Men Out” and “Harlem Nights.”
Lerner is survived by his brother, Ken, and his nephew, Sam.

Michael Lerner Dead: 'Barton Fink,' 'Elf' Actor Was 81 - Variety

[misskit]

Legendary ‘Mad’ Magazine Artist Al Jaffee Dead at 102

Al Jaffee, the legendary Mad magazine cartoonist, has died of organ failure at the age of 102, according to the The New York Times. Jaffee, who worked freelance for the satirical publication until he was 99, was responsible for features including “Spy vs. Spy,” the Vietnam-era “Hawks and Doves,” and the “fold-in,” the cartoon on the inside of the back cover that could be folded to create an entirely new image. After beginning his career working for Stan Lee of future Marvel fame, Jaffee started cartooning for Mad in 1955.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/legend...t-102?ref=home

[harrybarracuda]

Lasse Wellander, guitarist for Swedish pop icons ABBA, dies at 70



Lasse Wellander, stage and studio guitarist for legendary Swedish pop combo ABBA, has died at the age of 70, the group confirmed.
Wellander passed away(opens in new tab) last Friday (April 7), after a short battle with cancer.
“Lasse was a dear friend, a fun guy and a superb guitarist," ABBA wrote in a statement posted to their social media pages today(opens in new tab) (April 10). "The importance of his creative input in the recording studio as well as his rock solid guitar work on stage was immense.
“We mourn his tragic and premature death and remember the kind words, the sense of humor, the smiling face, the musical brilliance of the man who played such an integral role in the ABBA story. He will be deeply missed and never forgotten.”
Though never an official member of the band per se, Wellander was a key part of ABBA's sonic equation from shortly after their inception through to their breakup in 1982. He later reunited with the band in the studio to play on their 2021 comeback album, Voyage.


From then on, Wellander became an integral part of the "core" of studio aces who played on ABBA's remarkable string of hit singles from the mid-'70s through to the early '80s.
Though he used a ’57 Les Paul Goldtop on some of ABBA's early hits, Wellander later moved to a ’62 Strat and, occasionally, a Gibson ES-175.
He was also able to bring a surprising amount of his tougher-edged rock side to ABBA's live performances, making the group's laboratory-like, ever-radio-friendly hits just a tad looser live.
“If you listen to the Live At Wembley Arena album, for example, it was much looser than on the records," Wellander explained to Guitar World. "Of course, we played the things that belonged to the song, but there were parts where it was much looser. It sounded rockier live than on the record, and there were some solos.”
Eagle, Wellander told Guitar World, was his favorite ABBA song to play live.
"I liked Eagle because I had a long guitar solo in that song," he said. "I enjoyed it all, actually, but I looked forward a bit more to that number. It was amazing being out on the road. We played six days at Wembley Arena, full house."

https://www.guitarworld.com/news/las...guitarist-dies

[Bob Mason]

Mary Quant


Dame Mary Quant: Fashion designer dies aged 93 - BBC News

[harrybarracuda]

Craig Breedlove, land-speed icon and first to top 600 mph, dies at 86



Craig Breedlove, who set land-speed records by topping 400, 500 and 600 mph in jet-powered cars nicknamed Spirit of America, has died. He was 86.
Breedlove died at his home in Rio Vista, California, on April 4. His wife, Yadira Breedlove, said the cause of death was cancer.
Breedlove battled Tom Green and Art Arfons on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah to set and then break each other's speed records during the freewheeling 1960s, a golden era of American motorsports. Breedlove's final speed record was 600.6 mph (966.5 km/h) in 1965.
The mark has been topped since, with the current record sitting at 760.3 mph (1,223.6 km/h) -- faster than the speed of sound -- but Breedlove helped make the land-speed mark a cultural phenomenon beginning in 1963.
He was an American hero to some and was even immortalized in the Beach Boys' song "Spirit of America," which refers to him as a "daring young man" playing a "dangerous game."
Born March 23, 1937, Breedlove was a firefighter whose childhood love of cars inspired him to race. He also worked at Douglas Aircraft in Santa Monica, California, as a technician in structural engineering, a background that helped fuel his work with jet-powered cars.
His early designs included a missile-shaped vehicle with three wheels, a jet engine and a rear fin; it was more fighter plane than passenger car.
In Spirit of America, Breedlove clocked 407 mph at Bonneville to set a new land-speed record on Aug. 5, 1963. The record changed hands eight times in the next two-plus years, culminating with Breedlove's final mark set on Nov. 15, 1965.
During one of Breedlove's record-breaking runs, he lost his brakes and his parachutes. Unable to stop for more than a mile, his car slammed into telephone poles before landing in a salt pond. Breedlove escaped unscathed.
Breedlove planned to try to break the land-speed record of 633 mph in 1996, but he crashed and had to abandon the endeavor.
Breedlove was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1993, the Dry Lakes Racing Hall of Fame in 1995, International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2000 and the Automotive Hall of Fame in 2009.
He was married six times, with his final one lasting 20 years. In addition to his wife, he is survived by two children from his first marriage, a half-sister, five grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

Craig Breedlove, land-speed icon and first to top 600 mph, dies at 86

[prawnograph]

'Dame Edna Everage’ star Barry Humphries dies in hospital aged 89



Australian comedy legend Barry Humphries has died at the age of 89 in a Sydney hospital.

He was in hospital for treatment following a recent health battle that left him in “agony” and in and out of care.

Humphries was famous for his character Dame Edna Everage which he performed dressed as a woman. The entertainer died surrounded by family following recent health issues caused by a broken hip.

[david44]

Saw his live show at Bristol Hippodrome even ruder and funnier in theatre, one of the best nights ever, audience in tears

[harrybarracuda]

You have to wonder about the idiot millennial allowed to publish this headline, presumably by an equally idiot editor.

Barry Humphries, Finding Nemo and The Hobbit Voice Actor, Dies at 89

[cyrille]

Seppos.

[panama hat]

^ Good grief . . .


RiP and Glitter, Possum.

[Loy Toy]

Far and away one of the most talented comedians ever.

Good night and sweet eternal dreams Dame Edna.

[harrybarracuda]

Seppos.

No sybille.

Millennials.

[Bob Mason]

Seven !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ex-Strictly head judge Len Goodman dies at 78 - BBC News

[harrybarracuda]

Singer, actor and civil rights activist Harry Belafonte dies at 96



Harry Belafonte, the singer and actor who became a civil rights activist, has died at 96.
The Grammy, Emmy and Tony winning star died of congestive heart failure at his New York home on Tuesday, with his wife by his side, according to a spokesperson.

Reluctantly nicknamed "The King of Calypso", he was largely responsible for bringing Caribbean music to an international audience in the 1950s, and the first singer - in any genre -to sell a million records in a year.

His song Jump In The Line (Shake, Senora) had a recent resurgence, going viral on TikTok in 2020, and featuring in the 1988 film Beetlejuice, as did his signature song Banana Boat (Day-O).

One of the first black performers to gain a wide following on film, he starred in movies including Carmen Jones, Island in the Sun and Odds Against Tomorrow.

Just last year, he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, becoming the oldest person ever to receive the honour.
Alongside his sparkling Hollywood career, he was a committed activist, working closely with Martin Luther King Jr during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s.

More recently, he reached out to younger black celebrities, scolding Jay Z and Beyonce for failing to meet their "social responsibilities," and mentoring stars including singer Usher, rapper Common and actor Danny Glover.

Fittingly, Belafonte made an apt cameo appearance in Spike Lee's Oscar winning 2018 film BlacKkKlansman, playing an elder statesman schooling young activists about America's past.

Paying tribute to Belafonte on Instagram, Lee wrote: "May God Have My Dear Friend Harry Belafonte At A Peaceful Rest. We Are Losing Our Giants Left And Right. We Have To Celebrate Our Elders While They Are With Us."

Born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr on 1 March, 1927, in Harlem, New York, he was sent to live with a grandmother in Jamaica aged five, where he stayed until he was bought home aged 13, at the start of World War II.

Joining the Navy after attending High School in New York, he served for almost two years as a munitions loader before being honourably discharged.

On his return to New York, he worked as a caretaker, and after being gifted a theatre ticket in return for some repairs, fell in love with the theatre.

He went on to train as an actor with the Dramatic Workshop of the New School of Social Research, with classmates including Marlon Brando, Walter Matthau, Bea Arthur, Rod Steiger and Tony Curtis.

Sidney Poitier, the first black actor to win an Oscar for best actor, went on to become a good friend, and his work in both showbiz and politics would lead to friendships with friendships with people including Frank Sinatra, Eleanor Roosevelt and Fidel Castro.

Also a lover of jazz, he performed at clubs including the Blue Note and the Vanguard, and was backed for one performance by Charlie Parker and Max Roach.

Belafonte's first Broadway appearance in 1954 won him a Tony Award for his starring role in John Murray Anderson's Almanac.

Five years later, he became the first black performer to win an Emmy for his TV special Tonight with Harry Belafonte.
Appointed by President John F Kennedy, he served for five years in the Peace Corps, and decades later went on to become a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF.

Although he later became disillusioned with acting, he won numerous awards during his career, including the motion picture academy's Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, a National Medal of Arts, and a Grammy for lifetime achievement.

He wrote later, in his 2011 memoir My Song, that winning a New York Film Critics Award in 1996 for his work as a gangster in Robert Altman's Kansas City was one of his proudest achievements.

Married three times, Belafonte had four children, with three of them - Shari, David and Gina - all becoming actors.

He leaves behind his wife, photographer Pamela Frank; his children Adrienne Belafonte Biesemeyer, Shari Belafonte, Gina Belafonte and David Belafonte; two stepchildren, Sarah Frank and Lindsey Frank; and eight grandchildren.

Singer, actor and civil rights activist Harry Belafonte dies at 96 | Ents & Arts News | Sky News

[Bob Mason]

Jerry Springer

TV host Jerry Springer dies aged 79 - BBC News

[harrybarracuda]

Jerry Springer

TV host Jerry Springer dies aged 79 - BBC News

I never did find the ones with the strippers that *didn't* have bits blurred out.

[cyrille]

You have to wonder about the idiot millennial allowed to publish this headline, presumably by an equally idiot editor.

Seppos.

No sybille.

Millennials.

The Hollywood Reporter. wtf does one website prove?



You fucking idiot, harriet.

[harrybarracuda]

The Hollywood Reporter. wtf does one website prove?



You fucking idiot, harriet.

Am I supposed to post all of them to show you're a fucking moron sybille?

Barry Humphries, Comedian Who Created Dame Edna Everage, Dies at 89 - The New York Times

[harrybarracuda]

Tim Bachman, founding member of BTO, dies at 71



And the tune that will be stick in your head today is....

[beachbound]

Gordon Lightfoot, dead at 84.

Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot dies at 84 | CNN


One of the greatest singer/songwriters of all time.