As it is the last day of 2008, I thought it would be nice to take a few minutes to remember those who, as of this year are no longer with us. They include: Natasha Collins - British television presenter/model Barry Morse - Actor (Space: 1999) John Alvin - Movie poster artist (Star Wars, Blade Runner, E.T.) Roy Scheider - Actor (The French Connection, Jaws) Steve Gerber - Comic book writer (Ed the Duck) Perry Lopez - Actor (Chinatown, Star Trek) Catalina Garcia Julianna Gehant Ryanne Mace Gayle Dubowski Daniel Parmenter - Victims of the Northern Illinois University shooting Steven Kazmierczak - Gunman of the above Robin Moore - Author (The French Connection) Tsuneyo Toyonaga - Then oldest living Japanese person at 113! Norman Smith - Sound engineer/producer (nearly 100 Beatles songs) Gary Gygax - Co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons Carol Barnes - British news presenter (ITN) Varvara Semennikova - Claimed to be the World's oldest person at 117! Chuck Day - Blues Guitarist (Secret Agent Man) Anthony Minghella - Director (The English Patient) Paul Scofield - Actor (A Man For All Seasons, King Lear) Sir Arthur C. Clarke - Author (2001: A Space Odyssey) Klaus Dinger - Drummer (Kraftwerk, Neu!) Raymond Leblanc - Publisher (The Adventures of Tintin) Cachao López - Bassist (credited with creating mambo) Arbella Ewing - Was the 3rd oldest verified person in the World at 114 Chase Tatum - WCW wrestler & road manager for Outkast Neil Aspinall - Road manager for The Beatles Richard Widmark - Actor (Kiss of Death, Judgment at Nuremberg) Herb Peterson - Inventor of the Egg McMuffin Jim Mooney - Comic book artist (main artist Supergirl, inker Spider-Man) Richard Lloyd - Racing driver David Leslie - Racing driver Taotao - China's oldest captive panda at 36 Johnny Byrne - Scriptwriter (Doctor Who, Space: 1999) Charlton Heston - Actor (Ben Hur, The Ten Commandments) Gloria Taylor - Activist & mother of murdered schoolboy Damilola Taylor Mark Speight - British television presenter (SMart) Jack Hanraham - scriptwriter (Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, Inspector Gadget) Ling Ling - Japan's oldest captive panda at 22 David Mitton - Producer/director/SFX (Thomas the Tank Engine, Thunderbirds) Harry Lange - Production designer (2001: A Space Odyssey, Star Wars) Robert Knox - Actor (Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince) Sydney Pollack - Director (Tootsie, Out of Africa) Yves Saint Laurent - Fashion designer Bo Diddley - Musician David Carniner - Computer pioneer (Lyons) Elizabeth Spriggs - Actress (Simon and the Witch, Harry Potter) Gary Mooney - Animator (Lady and the Tramp, Jurassic Park) Jack Kamen - Comic book artist (Tales From the Crypt, The Vault of Horror) Isaac Hayes - Musician/actor (Shaft, South Park) Sir Bill Cotton - BBC Television executive (Monty Python's Flying Circus) Geoffrey Perkins - Comedy producer (Spitting Image, Father Ted) Bill Meléndez - Animator (Peanuts) Richard Wright - Musician (Pink Floyd) Norman Whitfield - Motown songwriter (I Heard it Through the Grapevine) Paul Newman - Actor (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Sting) Ian Collier - Actor (Doctor Who) Mohamed Moumou - Al-Quaida second-in-command Guillaume Depardieu - Actor (son of Gérard Depardieu) Darnell Donerson - Jennifer Hudson's Mother. murdered Jason Hudson - Jennifer Hudson's Brother. murdered Julian King - Jennifer Hudson's Nephew. murdered John Daly - Producer (Tommy, Platoon, The Last Emperor) Michael Crichton - Author (Jurassic Park, The Andromeda Strain) Mitch Mitchell - Drummer (The Jimi Hendrix Experience) Irving Gertz - Composer (Land of the Giants) Reg Varney - Actor (On the Buses) Debby - Oldest living polar bear at 42 Irving Brecher - Scriptwriter (The Wizard of Oz, Bye Bye Birdie) Bill Finnegan - Producer (Hawaii Five-O, The Fabulous Baker Boys) Robert Wade - Former chess champion Bob Spiers - Comedy director (Fawlty Towers, Absolutely Fabulous) Oliver Postgate - Animator (Bagpuss, The Clangers, Ivor the Engine) Bettie Page - Model Majel Barrett - Actress/producer (Star Trek, Andromeda) Harold Pinter - Playwright Eartha Kitt - Singer/actress (Santa Baby, Batman) Of course, that's just a partial list of some of the more famous people, and some I felt should be included for various reasons. I tried to keep this to people who may be well known Worldwide, although I did put in a couple of British people who probably wouldn't be - although in some cases their work probably is. I tried to leave out sports personalities as they are often only known in their country. Apologies if you feel I have left of someone important. You will notice a few people who perhaps you might think shouldn't be commemorated. Still, the atrocities of their actions should be remembered and hopefully not repeated. I hope you will join me in taking a few minutes to remember and honour these people, and everyone else who lost their lives in 2008. If you lost someone close to you this year, you have my deepest sympathy - please feel free to mention them so we can remember them too if you wish. If you believe in an afterlife of some sorts, then they will be with all those mentioned above :nod: If you wish to see a more complete list, one can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recent_deaths Please also remember the soldiers in Iraq (and elsewhere) who have given their lives serving their country: http://www.usnewslink.com/uscasualties.htm http://www.iraqbodycount.org/
I looked through the list twice, no Heath Ledger? And Bernie Mac, didn't he go? Yet Al-Qeada number 2 is listed...tsk tsk lol. Man, it surprises me every year who we lose. Heston, Ledger, Wright (Pink Floyd) Newman, Hayes....wow sad.
What no Bobby Fisher (US Chess player who probably was the best chess player that lived), Humphrey Lyttelton (Jazz legend and chairman of the popular long running BBC Radio 4 comedy show "Sorry I haven't a clue"), Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (Indian guru who introduced the beatles to meditation), Jeremy Beadle (TV prankster and charity fund raiser which he was adwarded an MBE) or Kathy Staff (played Nora Batty on the longest running TV sitcom in the world "Last of the Summer Wine") I mean who cares that the Al Qeada number 2 is dead this year? Or that the guy who invented the egg mcmuffin died?
WTF?!?! I could've sworn I put Heath Ledger in!! And Bernie Mac. Ahh well, I was rather sleep deprived at the time! The Egg McMuffin one was put in as a jovial thing, and the Al Qaeda guy, as I pointed out, was to remind you that perhaps you won't be sad about some of them. Thought I'd put in Bobby Fisher and Humphrey Lyttelton. Jeremy Beadle made a load of cheap, unfunny TV and played cruel pranks on people - in my book not really worthy of a mention but I guess it was a surprise and he could still be. Kathy Staff, I'll give you. As I mentioned in my original post, sorry if you feel I've left some people out. I was working at this for over two hours - the longest I've EVER spent posting. I was tired about half way through and wanted to stop, but carried on because I thought it would be nice to pay tribute to these people.
Well add them to your list, including beadle as although he was a bit of a prat he did do a lot of work for charities which is why he was awarded an MBE (and not to services to television).
About 200.000 people die each day. So well... it's just a shame there are so many among them (the 200k) who could still have used their creativity to bring forward or entertain the living.
Holy crap! Michael Crichton died? I knew work was busy gearing up for the holidays, but I must have been swamped to miss that!
Too right. You've got to add Jeremy Beadle in there. His charity work was huge for who he was. Yakumo
True, he did do a lot for charity. That's something to be remembered by, not dodgy presenting and cheap crappy DVDs sold in your name! lol. I'll add them when I return and am sober - off to a party now!
