The Celebrity Death Thread - Minor, Major, Famous, Infamous

[makkuwata]

Coolio dead at 59. Looks like a heart attack.

 

I’m not a music guy, but I’ve probably seen every episode of Kenan and Kel. 

[JohnC]

Sacheen Littlefeather, the Native American who declined Brando's 1973 Oscar on his behalf.

 

https://deadline.com/2022/10/sacheen-littlefeather-dead-native-american-actress-declined-marlon-brando-oscar-1235133295/

 

She got blacklisted for it and only recently got an apology from the Academy.

[Nick R]

3 hours ago, JohnC said:

Sacheen Littlefeather, the Native American who declined Brando's 1973 Oscar on his behalf.

 

Her death has prompted people to retell the "John Wayne was so angry he tried to attack her on stage and had to be restrained by six security guards" story. I read this blog post about that a couple of months ago:

https://selfstyledsiren.substack.com/p/john-wayne-and-the-six-security-men

 

That blogger went through a lot of articles to see when the story about him having to be held back started appearing in the press, and when it started being told by Littlefeather herself, and concluded that it was exaggerated over the years and is probably not true.

[PaB]

Jim Redmond, father of Derek Redmond, who was responsible for one of the most iconic moments in Olympic history has died. Proper father feels. RIP
 

 

 

[Festoon]

Angela Lansbury, a few days short of her 97th birthday.

 

 

[JohnC]

Nawwww

[Popo]

On 03/10/2022 at 09:50, Nick R said:

 

Her death has prompted people to retell the "John Wayne was so angry he tried to attack her on stage and had to be restrained by six security guards" story. I read this blog post about that a couple of months ago:

https://selfstyledsiren.substack.com/p/john-wayne-and-the-six-security-men

 

That blogger went through a lot of articles to see when the story about him having to be held back started appearing in the press, and when it started being told by Littlefeather herself, and concluded that it was exaggerated over the years and is probably not true.

That is an astonishing amount of research for a Substack. Absolutely cracking read, too. 

[Sabreman]

Austin Stoker, astonishingly 92. He was a damn good looking 46 in Precinct 13.

[Hamus]

[makkuwata]

Do we get another 2 weeks of national mourning? 

[Graham S]

1 hour ago, Sabreman said:

Austin Stoker, astonishingly 92. He was a damn good looking 46 in Precinct 13.

By chance I’m watching this again tonight. It turns out it’s set in Precinct 9, Division 13 

 

Leigh is offering him coffee. “Black?”

”For more than thirty years”.

[MarkN]

7 hours ago, Festoon said:

Angela Lansbury, a few days short of her 97th birthday.

 

 

Genuinely saddened by this. I have a cheeky watch of MSW on Saturday lunchtimes occasionally since it's on 5 USA all day Saturdays. 96 is a good knock though.

[Nick R]

She'll always be remembered for co-starring in the greatest scene in cinema history.

 

 

 

[Festoon]

Eh?

 

 

[Plissken]

MSW was a primetime show, successful enough to go into syndication and then has lived forever, so it has a huge audience.

 

I knew Lansbury was a socialist (her grandfather was a leader of the Labour Party).  One of the things that she did was get older actors onto the show (e.g. bloke from Knight Rider, Commandant Lassard).  Because of the wide success of the show, it got them more union points, which gave them more healthcare and pension.

 

She was the cousin of Oliver Postgate. who created Bagpuss, the Clangers etc.

 

Remarkable lady.

[ryodi]

Robbie Coltrane has died,

 

https://deadline.com/2022/10/robbie-coltrane-dies-harry-potter-james-bond-cracker-star-was-72-1235145166/
 

Quote

 

Beloved Scottish actor Robbie Coltrane has passed away aged 72, his agent has confirmed to Deadline.

The Harry Potter, James Bond and Cracker star passed away in hospital near his home in Larbert, Scotland. The award-winning actor had been in ill health for the past two years.

Coltrane, the larger than life comic star, memorably played Hogwarts gamekeeper Rubeus Hagrid in the Harry Potter series. He enjoyed huge popularity off the back of the role as half giant-half wizard. 

Coltrane memorably conquered TV screens as forensic psychologist Dr Edward ‘Fitz’ Coltrane in TV murder drama Cracker, for which he won three consecutive BAFTA best actor prizes, an honour only equalled by one other actor, Michael Gambon.

 

 

[Tempy]

😢 

[Ry]

Damn. Met him once, he was a really lovely guy. 

[Nick R]

Oh, that's sad news!

 

I watched most of Cracker when one of the ITV channels repeated it all about 10 years ago. It had a lot of very good episodes, but the storyline that everyone always picks out (the Hillsborough one "To Be a Somebody" with Robert Carlyle) really was a particularly great piece of TV.

[Harrisown]

Robbie in Cracker was sensational. That entire series was one of the best TV shows ever made.

Absolutely brilliant.

[teddymeow]

That's sad news.

 

I was only watching GoldenEye on Tuesday night with him doing his best Russian gangster-with-Minnie-Driver-as-his-mistress schtick.

 

"Strangling a cat".

[Nick R]

Quote

Dr. Samuel Johnson: Here it is, sir. The very cornerstone of English scholarship. This book, sir, contains every word in our beloved language.

 

Blackadder: Every single one, sir?

 

Dr. Samuel Johnson: Every single word, sir!

 

Blackadder: Oh, well, in that case, sir, I hope you will not object if I also offer the Doctor my most enthusiastic contrafibularities.

 

Dr. Samuel Johnson: What?

 

Blackadder: "Contrafibularities", sir? It is a common word down our way.

 

Dr. Samuel Johnson: Damn!

 

[writes in the book] 

 

Blackadder: Oh, I'm sorry, sir. I'm anaspeptic, phrasmotic, even compunctuous to have caused you such pericombobulation.

 

[DarhkFox]

There was a sweet moment in the Harry Potter reunion with Robbie Coltrane, saying how HP will be around long after he is gone and he got a little emotional. I wonder if he knew he was ill at that point.

[Ork1927]

35 minutes ago, Nick R said:

Oh, that's sad news!

 

I watched most of Cracker when one of the ITV channels repeated it all about 10 years ago. It had a lot of very good episodes, but the storyline that everyone always picks out (the Hillsborough one "To Be a Somebody" with Robert Carlyle) really was a particularly great piece of TV.

 

I'd put those 2 episodes up against any back to back episodes of any other drama and go with Cracker probably every time. Phenomenal TV and his performance as Fitz in general is one of the greatest lead roles in anything as well.

 

And, ignoring its creator, his place at the center of the Harry Potter films was and is extremely important.

 

[Stoppy2000]

I'm not sure why I do this but any celebrity these days that dies I try and recall if they've ever been in any videogames - Robbie Coltrane was in Goldeneye and presumably the Harry Potter ones? Any other oddities? Was his character in the Krull game? 

[Roomservice]

Robbie's most badass moment.

 

 

[davadvice1]

1 hour ago, Ry said:

Damn. Met him once, he was a really lovely guy. 

This is my memory of him, Tooty Fruity was filmed at the end of my street and we spent some time pestering them and he was always very kind a generous. 

 

 

Cracker was an excellent programme and I always thought he was wonderful as haggrid 

[Naysonymous]

 

RIP big man. 

[Harrisown]

 

[englishbob]

Cracker was phenomenal TV - it ended up giving me a phobia of knives though. Series 2 ended on such an amazing edge, Series 3 by contrast I always felt was a bit pointless

 

Still, RIP Robbie - someone who's done everything - sausage?! SAUSAGE!!!! 😀