Celebrity Death Thread 2012

J

Jon

Well-Known Member
Dec 16, 2008
15,259
5,279
168
Well it's already looking like it's going to be another rough year to be a celebrity.
(We'll adjust as necessary.)

The list of those that will be missed from 2012:


JANUARY
Rep. Ed Jenkins (D-Ga), Long Illness,
Jim Huber, Sportscaster, Acute Lukemeia,
Bob Anderson, Darth Vader's Swordfighting Double, Unknown causes,
Gene Bartow, Former Collegiate Basketball Head Coach, Stomach Cancer,
Fred Milano, Dion and the Belmonts, Lung Cancer,
Bob Weston, Former Fleetwood Mac Guitarist, Unknown,
William Duell, Actor, Respiratory failure,
Lowell Randall, Rocket Scientist, Natural Causes,
Tom Ardolino, Drummer – NRBQ, Unknown
Tony Blankley, Columnist, Former Gingrich Press Secretary, Stomach Cancer
R.W. Scambach, Evangelist/Gospel Singer, Heart Failure
Jimmy Castor, Saxophonist, Heart Failure
Sarah Burke, Canadian Freestyle Skier, Injuries from a crash
Johnny Otis, Musician, Unknown Causes
Etta James, Singer, Leukemia complications
Joe Paterno, Penn State Head Coach, Lung Cancer
James Farentino, Actor, Heart Failure
Joe Mattioli, Pocono Raceway Owner, Unknown
Robert Hegyes, Actor (Welcome Back Kotter), Heart Attack
Dick Tufield, Actor (Lost in Space), Congestive Heart Failure
Ian Abercrombie, Actor (Seinfeld), Unknown
Dimitria Arliss, Actress (The Sting), complications from stroke

FEBRUARY
Don Cornelius, Soul Train Creator, Suicide
Angelo Dundee, Boxing Trainer (Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard), Blood Clot in Lungs,
Zalman King, Director/Producer (Red Shoe Diaries, 9 ½ weeks), Cancer
Ben Gazzara, Actor (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof), Pancreatic Cancer
Whitney Houston, Singer/Actress, Overdose
Jeffrey Zaslow, Author (The Last Lecture), Injuries due to Car Accident
Peter Breck, Actor (Big Valley), Complications from Dementia
Freddie Solomon, NFL WR (Dolphins, 49ers), Cancer
Gary Carter, MLB Catcher (Mets, Expos), Brain Tumor
Michael Davis, Bassist (MC5), Liver Failure
Billy Strange, Songwriter (These Boots are made for Walkin'), Unknown
Jan Berenstain, Children's Book (Berenstain Bears), complications from Stroke
Davy Jones, Singer/Musician (The Monkees), Heart Attack

MARCH
Andrew Breitbart, Conservative Journalist, Natural Causes
Ronnie Montrose, Guitarist (Montrose), Prostate Cancer
Alex Webster, Former NFL RB(New York Giants), Unknown
Ralph McQuarrie, Conceptual Artist (Star Wars), Unknown
Steve Bridges, Comic/Impersonator, Natural Causes
Robert Sherman, Disney Songwriter, Natural Causes
Sheldon Moldoff, Comic Book Artist(Batman), Kidney Failure
James Ellis, Vocalist-The Trammps (Disco Inferno), Alzheimer's Disease
Ravi Shankar Sharma, Hindi Musician, Prolonged Illness
Moebius, Comic Book Artist, Unknown
Nik Zoricic, World Cup Skier, Injuries from Crash
Herb Carnegie, Hockey Pioneer, Natural Causes
Michael Hossack, Doobie Brothers Drummer, Cancer
Murray Lender, Lender's Bagels creator, Natural Causes
Bert Sugar, Boxing Writer, Cardiac Arrest
Earl Scruggs, Bluegrass Musician, Natural Causes

April
Jim Marshall, Founder of Marshall Amps, Cancer
Chief Jay Strongbow, Wrestler, Complications from a fall
Joe Avezzano, Former Cowboys coach, Heart Attack
Alexander Porsche, Porsche 911 designer, Natural Causes
Barney McKenna, Musician (Dubliners), Natural Causes
Thomas Kinkade, Artist, Natural Causes
Mike Wallace, CBS Journalist (60 Minutes), Natural Causes
Blair Kiel, Former Notre Dame QB, Possible Heart Attack
Jack Tramiel, Commodore 64 founder, Natural Causes
Mark Lenzi, Olympic Diving Gold Medalist, Natural Causes
Dwayne Schintzius, Former NBA player, Respiratory Failure
Dick Clark, Producer/Announcer, Heart Attack
Levon Helm, Musician (The Band), Throat Cancer
Greg Hamm, Musician (Men At Work), Unknown
Jonathan Frid, Actor (Dark Shadows), Natural Causes
Charles Colson, Watergate Figure, Complications from Brain Surgery
Chris Etheridge, Musician (Flying Burrito Brothers), Pancreatic Cancer
Pete Fornatele, Disc Jockey, Complications from Stroke
Tommy Marth, Saxophonist (The Killers), Suicide

MAY
Junior Seau - Former NFL Player (Chargers, Patriots), Suicide
Adam Yauch (MCA), Rapper (Beastie Boys), Cancer
Bob Stewart, Television Game Show Producer, Natural Causes
George Lindsey, Actor (Goober Pyle, Andy Griffith Show), Illness
Maurice Sendak, Children’s Author (Where the Wild Things Are), Natural Causes
Vidal Sassoon, Hairstylist, Natural Causes
Carl Beane, Fenway Park Announcer, Car Accident
Carroll Shelby, Car Designer, Chili Master, Pneumonia Complications
Horst Faas, AP Combat Photographer, Natural Causes
Donald ‘Duck’ Dunn, Bassist (Booker T and the MGs), Natural Causes
Donna Summer, Singer (Last Dance, She Works Hard for the Money), Cancer
Mitchell Guist, Reality TV Star (Swamp People), Natural Causes
Mary Richardson Kennedy (Wife of RFK, Jr.), asphyxiation due to hanging
Peter Jones, Drummer (Crowded House), Cancer
Robin Gibb, Singer (Bee Gees), Cancer
Bob Boozer Former NBA Player (Milwaukee Bucks), Brain aneurysm
Eugene Polley, Inventor (Wireless Remote Control), Natural Causes
Lee Rich, Former MGM Chairman, Natural Causes
Robert Finkel, TV Director-Producer, Natural Causes
Johnny Tapia, Boxer, Natural Causes
Doc Watson, Bluegrass Musician, Natural Causes
Orlando Woolridge, Former NBA Player, Chronic Heart Condition

JUNE
Dick Beals, Voice of Gumby, Natural Causes
Kathryn Joosten, Actress (Desperate Housewives), Lung Cancer
Richard Dawson, Game Show Host (Family Feud), Cancer
Pedro Borbon, Cincinnati Reds Relief Pitcher, Cancer
Vladimir Krutov, Soviet Ice Hockey Player, Unknown Cause
Ray Bradbury, Author (Martian Chronicles, Fahrenheit 451), Natural Causes
Cotton Owens, NASCAR Driver, Natural Causes
Bob Welch, Musician (Fleetwood Mac), Suicide
Frank Cady, Actor (Green Acres), Natural Causes
Henry Hill, Mobster/Goodfellas Inspiration, Undisclosed Illness
Ann Rutherford, Actress (Andy Hardy, Gone with the Wind), Natural Causes
Yvette Wilson, Actress (Moesha), Cervical Cancer
Rodney King, Face of the L.A. Riots, Drowning
Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz, Saudi Crown Prince, Complications from Heart Bypass Surgery
Victor Spinetti, Actor (A Hard Days Night), Natural Causes
Susan Tyrell, Actress (Cry-Baby), Natural Causes
Richard Lynch, Actor (Halloween, Battlestar Galactica), Natural Causes
LeRoy Neiman, Painter/Artist, Natural Causes
Caroline John, Actress (Doctor Who), Natural Causes
Richard Adler, Composer, Lyricist, Natural Causes
Nora Ephron, Writer (When Harry Met Sally), Leukemia
Don Grady, Actor (My Three Sons), Cancer
Doris Singleton, Actress (I Love Lucy), Natural Causes
Yitzhak Shamir, Former Israeli Prime Minister, Natural Causes

JULY
Andy Griffith, Actor, Natural Causes
Alan Poindexter, NASA Astronaut, Injuries from Crash
Ernest Borgnine, Actor, Renal Failure
Anthony Sedlak, Celebrity Chef, Undisclosed Medical Condition
Richard D. Zanuck, Oscar-Winning Producer (Driving Miss Daisy), Heart Attack
Celeste Holm, Actress, Heart Ailment
Steven Covey, Author (7 Habits of Highly Effective People), Injuries from Bicycle Accident
Jon Lord, Musician (Deep Purple), Pancreatic Cancer
Kitty Wells, Country Musician, Natural Causes
Donald Sobol, Author (Encyclopedia Brown), Natural Causes
Bob Babbitt, Bassist (Funk Brothers), Inoperable Brain Tumor
Tom Davis, SNL Writer, Metastatic Tonsil Cancer
Sally Ride, NASA Astronaut, First Woman in Space, Pancreatic Cancer
Sherman Hemsley, Actor (The Jeffersons), Natural Causes
Chad Everett, Actor (Medical Center), Lung Cancer
Lupe Ontiveros, Actress (Selena, Goonies, As Good as it Gets), Liver Cancer
Gore Vidal, Author/Playwright/Commentator, Pneumonia

AUGUST
Marvin Hamlisch, Composer (The Sting), Illness
Judith Crist, Film Critic, Natural Causes
Stuart Swanlund, Guitarist (Marshall Tucker Band), Natural Causes
Helen Gurley Brown, Cosmo Editor/Feminist, Natural Causes
Ron Palillo, Actor (Horshack - Welcome Back Kotter), Heart Attack
Bill Tillman, Musician (Blood Sweat and Tears), Complications from fall
Bob Brich, Bass Player (Elton John), Suicide
Tony Scott, Director (Top Gun), Suicide
Harry Harrison, Writer (Soylent Green), Natural Causes
Phyllis Diller, Comedian, Natural Causes
William Windom, Actor, Natural Causes
Scott McKenzie, Singer (San Francisco), Nervous System Disorder
Jerry Nelson, Puppeteer (Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock), Unknown
Neil Armstrong, First Man to Walk On the Moon, Natural Causes
Malcolm W. Browne, Reporter, Parkinson’s Disease
Steve Franken, Actor (Dobie Gillis, Bewitched), Cancer

SEPTEMBER
Hal David, Songwriter (Raindrops keep fallin’ on my Head), Complications from Stroke
Rev. Sun Myung Moon, Religious Leader, Pneumonia
Michael Clarke Duncan, Actor (The Green Mile), Respiratory failure
Mark Abrahamian, Guitarist (Starship), Heart Attack
Art Modell, NFL Owner, Natural Causes
Joe South, Singer-Songwriter, Heart Failure
John Ingle, Actor (General Hospital), Natural Causes
Steve Sabol, NFL Films Founder, Brain Cancer
Andy Williams, Singer, Bladder Cancer
Herbert Lom, Actor (Pink Panther), Natural Causes
Johnny Lewis, Actor (Sons of Anarchy), Murder-Suicide
Chris Economaki, Racing Journalist, Natural Causes
Michael O’Hare, Actor (Babylon 5), Heart Attack
Lebbeus Woods, Architect, Unknown

OCTOBER
Alex Karras, NFL Player/Actor, Kidney Failure
Beano Cook, Sports Announcer, Natural Causes
Gary Collins, Actor/TV Host, Natural Causes
Arlen Specter, Former Senator, Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma
Sylvia Kristel, Porn Star, Cancer
George McGovern, Former Senator, Natural Causes
Russell Means, Actor (Dances with Wolves, The Last of the Mohicans)/Activist, Cancer
Paul Kurtz, Philosopher/Skeptic, Natural Causes

NOVEMBER
Pascual Perez, All-Star MLB Pitcher, Murder-Home Invasion
Mitch Lucker, Musician (Suicide Silence), Injuries from Motorcycle Accident
Brad Armstrong, WWE Wrestler, Undisclosed
Jim Durham, ESPN Radio NBA Announcer, Unknown
Darrell Royal, Football Coach, Alzheimer’s Disease
Major Harris, Musician (Philadelphia Sound, Delfonics), Congestive Heart Failure
Frank Pepplatt, Co-Creator of ‘Hee Haw’, Bladder Cancer
Lucille Bliss, Voice of ‘Smurfette’, Natural Causes
Cleve Duncan, Singer (Earth Angel), Natural Causes
Billy Scott, R&B Singer, Cancer
Art Ginsburg, ‘Mr. Food’, Pancreatic Cancer
Larry Hagman, Actor (Dallas, I Dream of Jeannie), Cancer
Hector ‘Macho’ Camacho, Boxer, Shooting Death
Marvin Miller, Former MLB Union Head, Liver Cancer
Zig Ziglar, Motivational Speaker/Author, Natural Causes
Earl “Speedo” Carroll, Singer (The Coasters), Diabetes/Stroke

DECEMBER
Rick Majerus, College Basketball Coach, Unknown
Jovan Belcher, Kansas City Chiefs Linebacker, Murder/Suicide
Mickey Baker, Musician (Mickey & Sylvia), Natural Causes
Dave Brubeck, Jazz Musician, Natural Causes
Jack Brooks, Congressman, Natural Causes
Reinhold Weege, creator of ‘Night Court’ TV show, Unknown Cause
Ravi Shankar, Indian Classical Musician/Beatles Influence, Natural Causes
Daniel Inouye, Hawaii Senator, Natural Causes
Robert Bork, Reagan Supreme Court Nominee, Natural Causes
Lee Dorman, Bassist (Iron Butterfly), Heart Problems
Ryan Freel, MLB Utility Man, Suicide
Mike Scaccia, Guitarist (Ministry, Rigor Mortis), Heart Attack
Jack Klugman, Actor (The Odd Couple, Quincy M.E.), Cancer
Charles Durning, Actor (The Sting, The Muppet Movie, O Brother where Art Thou), Natural Causes
Gerry Anderson, ‘Thunderbirds’ creator, Alzheimer’s Disease
Fontella Bass, Singer (Rescue Me), Heart Attack
Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf (US Army –Retired)





These are the rules.
The celebrity in question must be deceased.
They must have been a celebrity prior to their death.
If there is a question that they are a celebrity, their status must get a second vote by another DRC member.






The new thread starts here since we have our first death of the year.

Feel free to add to the list as people pass on.

Big thanks to Jon for updating the master list!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • Like
Reactions: HecticArt
J

Jon

Well-Known Member
Dec 16, 2008
15,259
5,279
168
I figured being a politician would mean he was famous by default.
 
blyons200

blyons200

These pretzels are making me thirsty.
Oct 12, 2008
8,448
1,548
113
The BBQ Capital
Jon said:
I figured being a politician would mean he was famous by default.
Click to expand...

Only ones on the national stage. I imagine most folks outside of Geogia never heard of him. I had no idea who he was.

Sarah Palin, Mitt Romney, Obama= famous politicians
 
Last edited:
HecticArt

HecticArt

Administrator
Oct 19, 2008
49,956
17,545
168
Toledo, Ohio
Thanks for kicking us off Jon. :hatsoff:
We'll give it a shot having a non-moderator host this year.
You'll lose editing privileges on the OP pretty soon, but we should be able to work around it.
After all, Wolf PM'ed me several of the monthly updates last year so I'm sure we'll figure it out.
 
J

Jon

Well-Known Member
Dec 16, 2008
15,259
5,279
168
Atlanta (CNN) -- Veteran sports broadcaster Jim Huber, a former CNN journalist, died Monday at the age of 67. He was recently diagnosed with acute leukemia.
Huber, who spent more than 27 years with Turner Broadcasting, most recently worked for Turner Sports' TNT network, covering golf and the NBA.
"We are saddened by the passing of our colleague and friend Jim Huber," said David Levy, president of sales, distribution and sports for Turner Broadcasting.
Before his move to Turner Sports, Huber was an anchor for CNN/Sports Illustrated, a 24-hour sports news network.
Huber started at CNN in 1984 but began his career in print journalism, covering the NFL at the Miami News, followed by The Atlanta Journal, where he covered the city's professional football and basketball teams.

Longtime Turner sportscaster Jim Huber dies - CNN.com
 
Wolf

Wolf

Well-Known Member
Oct 11, 2008
33,309
10,059
168
Phoenix
Casual Fan said:
"He died with his hands locked around WolfViper's throat."
Click to expand...

Oh so like this?
art-1.jpg
 
Aaron

Aaron

Moderator
Oct 10, 2008
15,649
10,648
168
South Louisiana
Jon said:
Atlanta (CNN) -- Veteran sports broadcaster Jim Huber, a former CNN journalist, died Monday at the age of 67. He was recently diagnosed with acute leukemia.
Huber, who spent more than 27 years with Turner Broadcasting, most recently worked for Turner Sports' TNT network, covering golf and the NBA.
"We are saddened by the passing of our colleague and friend Jim Huber," said David Levy, president of sales, distribution and sports for Turner Broadcasting.
Before his move to Turner Sports, Huber was an anchor for CNN/Sports Illustrated, a 24-hour sports news network.
Huber started at CNN in 1984 but began his career in print journalism, covering the NFL at the Miami News, followed by The Atlanta Journal, where he covered the city's professional football and basketball teams.

Longtime Turner sportscaster Jim Huber dies - CNN.com
Click to expand...

I will provide a vote to second this one.
 
J

Jon

Well-Known Member
Dec 16, 2008
15,259
5,279
168
Gene Bartow, known as "The Father of UAB Athletics," died Tuesday evening at the age of 81 after a two-year battle with stomach cancer.
The Browning, Mo., native spent 34 years as a college basketball head coach and was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in November 2009. He was the head coach at six universities, compiling a 647-353 record. He directed Memphis State to the 1973 national championship game and went 52-9 in two seasons at UCLA, including another Final Four appearance, after the retirement of the legendary John Wooden.
For all of his success on the court, though, it was the way Bartow handled life away from the court that stood out most to Memphis head basketball coach Josh Pastner.

Gene Bartow, father of UAB athletics, dies at 81 | al.com
 
KTMCDO

KTMCDO

Member
Oct 15, 2008
582
16
18
ALBUQUERQUE NM
Fred Milano, one of the original members of Dion and the Belmonts, who wove his backup tenor tones into the musically seamless harmonies of 1950s and ’60s hits like “A Teenager in Love” and “Where or When,” died on Sunday at a hospital on Long Island. He was 72 and lived in Massapequa, N.Y.

The cause was complications of lung cancer, his brother-in-law Mark Alter said.

Freddy Milano, as he was known, along with Angelo D’Aleo and Carlo Mastrangelo, were teenage buddies from the largely Italian neighborhood bordering Arthur Avenue in the Bronx when they began blending their doo-wop sounds on street corners and apartment stoops. Originally calling themselves the Belmonts (after the avenue on which Mr. Milano lived), they became Dion and the Belmonts in 1957 when Dion DiMucci joined as lead tenor.

As “The Billboard Book of American Singing Groups” (1992) has stated, they went on to become “one of the best of the late ’50s early ’60s vocal groups.”

Among more than a dozen singles released by the group, five made it into the Top 30 of the Billboard charts. Their first hit, “I Wonder Why,” rose to No. 22 in 1958 and propelled them to appearances on Dick Clark’s “American Bandstand.” They hit No. 5 in 1959 with “A Teenager in Love,” and No. 3 later that year with “Where or When.” A year after Mr. DiMucci left the group for a solo career in 1960, the Belmonts reached No. 18 on the charts with “Tell Me Why” and No. 28 in 1962 with “Come On Little Angel.”

“Freddy’s harmony kept everything together, made it very tight,” Warren Gradus, who joined the Belmonts in 1963, said in an interview on Tuesday.

For one night in 1972, Dion and the Belmonts reunited, in a sold-out concert at Madison Square Garden that was recorded for an album by Warner Brothers. Billy Vera, a rock ’n’ roll historian (and the leader of the accompanying band that night), recalled, “When they announced, ‘For the first time in years, Dion and the Belmonts!’ the place went wild and you could feel the building shake.”

Born in the Bronx on Aug. 26, 1939, Mr. Milano was one of three children of Betty and Rocco Milano. He is survived by his wife of 43 years, the former Lynn Heitzner; a daughter, Tara Lesak; a son, Cal; and 10 grandchildren.

Although Mr. Milano went on to become a paralegal and in recent years was a legal coordinator working with inmates at the Rikers Island jail in New York, he and other members of the Belmonts continued to perform at casinos and concert halls.

He couldn’t resist going back to his street-corner roots. After a show at the Beacon Theater in New York in the 1970s, Mr. Gradus recalled, “I went out to get the car, and as I pull up at the stage door, Freddy’s out there singing with four guys — strangers he met at the door.”

http://http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/04/arts/music/fred-milano-of-dion-and-the-belmonts-dies-at-72.html?pagewanted=print
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom