Milestone Moments: All The Celebrity Vitals

[shapeshifter]

7 hours ago, Vermicious Knid said:

It does seem Betsy Arakawa was her husband's sole caregiver. In such an advanced stage of Alzheimer's he should have had a whole team but they really stuck to their privacy

What happened to Gene Hackman was tragic and unexpected given his devoted, much-younger and capable wife caring for him.
Sadly, I suppose such tragic endings are not rare among non-celebrities, but are not publicized, or, if they are, not in much detail, and not so widely.

Perhaps a family member of Gene Hackman will make a contribution to a foundation that provides care for the elderly who don’t have such resources.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

6 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Perhaps a family member of Gene Hackman will make a contribution to a foundation that provides care for the elderly who don’t have such resources.

I think this is what's drawing so much attention for those who are on the outside looking in. None of us are privy to what happened or didn't happen, why Ms. Arakawa didn't seek medical help for herself or perhaps didn't realize how ill she was until it was too late. This is likely alarming to those who have elderly relatives but not those resources.

[Dimity]

In looking at info on Hackman's family it seems his three children are all roughly the same age as his late wife.  I don't know if that caused tension in the past, I'd say probably, but who knows really.  

I will say that given the closeness in age to their step mother it's not at all surprising that they seemed to take a back seat with regard to their father's care.  Had circumstances been different and he were living with one of his children I'd assume the other children would have handled things the same way - expecting to be notified if there were issues and not being concerned about whether the relatively young sibling were going to die of an obscure fast moving illness.

[andromeda331]

It's just so sad. If someone had checked in maybe it would have been avoided or at least they would have been found sooner. I'm not blaming anyone. It's so tragic to think Gene was in his house for a week with his wife who was dead. Given he had severe Alzhemiers who knows what he thought was going on. 

[Makai]

On 3/9/2025 at 8:16 AM, Dimity said:

In looking at info on Hackman's family it seems his three children are all roughly the same age as his late wife.  I don't know if that caused tension in the past, I'd say probably, but who knows really.  

I will say that given the closeness in age to their step mother it's not at all surprising that they seemed to take a back seat with regard to their father's care.  Had circumstances been different and he were living with one of his children I'd assume the other children would have handled things the same way - expecting to be notified if there were issues and not being concerned about whether the relatively young sibling were going to die of an obscure fast moving illness.

This is a really good point. 

The Guardian article on the deaths also brought up that the couple had became more isolated after COVID and that Arakawa was vigilant to keep him from catching anything which probably really limited the likelihood that anyone was going to just stop by. 

Edited March 10 by Makai

[tearknee]

7 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

What happened to Gene Hackman was tragic and unexpected given his devoted, much-younger and capable wife caring for him.
Sadly, I suppose such tragic endings are not rare among non-celebrities, but are not publicized, or, if they are, not in much detail, and not so widely.

Perhaps a family member of Gene Hackman will make a contribution to a foundation that provides care for the elderly who don’t have such resources.

Look up Joyce Vincent :'(

[roamyn]

7 minutes ago, tearknee said:

Look up Joyce Vincent :'(

I just did.  I'd heard of cases like this from centuries past.  When it was much easier to lose track of someone.  How terribly sad that Ms. Vincent slipped through the cracks like that. Her family must be feeling terrible as they tried to contact her, not knowing she moved.

And could her family still request a refund on some of those bills that were automatically paid?  A mess the whole way round.

Edited March 9 by roamyn

[tearknee]

1 minute ago, roamyn said:

I just did.  I'd heard of cases like this from centuries past.  When it was much easier to lose track of someone.  How terribly sad that Ms. Vincent slipped through the cracks like that. Her family must be feeling terrible as they tried to contact her, not knowing she moved.

And could her family still request a refund on some of those bills that were automatically paid?  A mess the whole way round.

As noted elsewhere about this horrible case. the people in the building wouldn't be familiar with the difference in smell between rotting garbage and that of decomp and the building was noisy so no one cared about the TV constantly on or thought it odd.

[praeceptrix]

South African playwright Athol Fugard has died.

[Vermicious Knid]

Quote

 

Why on earth would anyone besides his inner circle know what "state" he was in? 

This discussion over the last few days has made me realize I have a much higher regard for privacy than most posters.  

 

It was a statement, not a judgement. 

[EtheltoTillie]

I follow Ellen Barkin on Twitter.  I like her as an actress, and, well, she went to my junior high--same graduating year.   She's also been posting some political stuff I agree with.  Still . . .

She posted something yesterday about how it's a disgrace that the public is poking their noses into the highly personal affairs of the Hackman/Arakawa deaths, etc., but come on, Ellen.  You're a celebrity.  We know you hated people poking into your divorce from Ron Perelman.  You went all Alec Baldwin on the paparazzi--but what did you expect from that made-for-the-tabloids marriage?  Regular people are interested in celebrity gossip, and you have to live with it. 

 

 

 

Edited March 10 by EtheltoTillie

[BetterButter]

Gene Winfield Dies: Custom Car Designer For ‘Blade Runner’, ‘Star Trek’ & More Was 97

Digimon & Power Rangers Actor Dave Mallow Dies at 76

[praeceptrix]

Composer Sofia Gubaidulina, 93, has died.

I had not heard of her, nor sung anything by her. The obituary makes me want to ask our conductor about doing some of her music on a future program. 

[BetterButter]

Courage the Cowardly Dog Head Writer David Steven Cohen Reportedly Dies at 58

[BetterButter]

Jesse Colin Young Dies: Youngbloods Frontman Who Sang ‘Get Together’ Was 83

[giovannif7]

#RIP Jesse 😢😢😢

 

[andromeda331]

I loved that song.

[tearknee]

i love that song still

ditto the flowers in your hair song about Frisco.

[andidante]

One of my favorite songs! 

[Dimity]

9 hours ago, andromeda331 said:

I loved that song.

I have it on several of my playlists. 

[BetterButter]

West Side Story Actress Carole D'Andrea Dies at 87

[BetterButter]

Marty Callner, Director of Iconic Music Videos, Concert Specials and Stand-Up Shows, Dies at 78

[MissAlmond]

Actor Mark Dobies who played Dr. Noah Chase on The Guiding Light and Daniel Colson on One Life to Live has died, age 65.

https://www.soapoperadigest.com/content/mark-dobies-former-oltl-and-gl-star-dead-at-65/

https://tvline.com/news/mark-dobies-dead-guiding-light-one-life-to-live-obituary-1235420622/

https://soaps.sheknows.com/soaps/news/774306/mark-dobies-dead-obituary/

https://daytimeconfidential.com/2025/03/20/soap-vet-mark-dobies-dead-at-65

Edited March 20 by MissAlmond

[BetterButter]

R.I.P. Wings Hauser: prolific character actor has passed away at 77

[Bastet]

5 hours ago, BetterButter said:

R.I.P. Wings Hauser: prolific character actor has passed away at 77

I really liked his time as the Conners' neighbor on Roseanne.  He played a single dad to two teenage daughters, a guy who had no idea what he was doing with them, but he did not come off as a buffoon or deadbeat.  I attribute that to his performance.

[Yogisbooboo64]

6 hours ago, BetterButter said:

R.I.P. Wings Hauser: prolific character actor has passed away at 77

NOOOOOOOOOOO!!

Just this past Tuesday, I was watching his son Cole in one of my fave movies, School Ties, and was wondering about him. 

From a racist officer in A Soldier’s Story to a dirty cop in Tales from The Hood to my all-time favorite role of his, the psychotic pimp Ramrod in Vice Squad, Wings took viewers for a wild ride…and he was foine to boot!

My condolences to Cole and the Hauser family; rest well, sir!!

Edited March 20 by Yogisbooboo64

[Yogisbooboo64]

On 3/19/2025 at 4:13 PM, BetterButter said:

West Side Story Actress Carole D'Andrea Dies at 87

Loved her as Velma....'No thank you, ooh-ooble-ooh!'

[MissAlmond]

On 3/20/2025 at 10:16 AM, BetterButter said:

R.I.P. Wings Hauser: prolific character actor has passed away at 77

I will always think of him as Greg Foster from The Young and the Restless. When the credits rolled, it was the first time I had ever seen ‘Wings’ used as a first name. 

R.I.P. Mr. Hauser

 

Edited Friday at 08:46 PM by MissAlmond

[MissAlmond]

Producer Philip Rogers whose credits include the 1966 ABC television series Love on a Rooftop and 1988 Sidney Poitier film Shoot to Kill has died, age 90. 

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/philip-rogers-dead-love-on-rooftop-shoot-to-kill-1236167503/

Edited Friday at 03:38 PM by MissAlmond

[BetterButter]

Heavyweight champion, proud Houstonian George Foreman dead at 76 years old

[tearknee]

On 3/21/2025 at 9:58 PM, BetterButter said:

Heavyweight champion, proud Houstonian George Foreman dead at 76 years old

https://deadpresidents.tumblr.com/post/707203056525328384/january-22-1973-triumph-and-tragedy

At the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, a young man from Texas won a gold medal in heavyweight boxing while an old man from Texas proudly watched from the White House in Washington, D.C.

As a teenager growing up in Houston’s rough Fifth Ward, George Foreman was spending his days and nights fighting in the streets and committing petty crimes.  Foreman had little education, few role models, no direction and found the crippling poverty that he lived in to be unbearable.  Then, in 1965, he heard of the Job Corps.

One of the foundations of Lyndon B. Johnson’s War On Poverty, the Job Corps was created in 1964 to provide vocational training and technical education, free of charge, to students aged 16 through 24.  

[...]

To this day, Foreman credits the Job Corps for saving his life.  Later, he would proudly declare that “Job Corps took me from the mean streets and out of a nightmare lifestyle into a mode where the most incredible dreams came true.”

The Fighting Corpsman was a heavy underdog on January 22, 1973 as he challenged Joe Frazier for the world heavyweight championship in Kingston, Jamaica.  Most boxing reporters and students of the game thought that the match wouldn’t last very long and they were correct.  Foreman dominated Frazier, knocking him down six times in two rounds before the referee finally stepped in and stopped the beating.  

[...] 

 In 1983, George Foreman donated the championship belt that he won on the day of LBJ’s death to the LBJ Library in Austin, Texas where it is on display today – a memento from a coincidental day over 52 years ago when two Texans were united by accomplishment and cemented in history. 

[Blergh]

Does anyone else recall when Mr. Foreman regained a good bit of fame in the 1990's via somehow attaching his name to a an electric burger indoor table grill that was supposed to get rid of all the meats' fats via how it drained away in channels? Also, he named ALL of his sons after himself as in 'George, Jr.,George III,etc.'! I wonder how their mother/s felt about that?

Anyway, he definitely was memorable. RIP, Mr. Foreman!

Edited Saturday at 03:06 AM by Blergh

[Is Everyone Gone]

Aww I'm sad. I loved George Foreman. But it seems like he lived a very full life, and that's always to be celebrated.

One thing I liked about George Foreman was he said he endorsed the famous grill bc he wanted poor people to be able to make food easily. He grew up very poor. 

[Browncoat]

8 hours ago, Blergh said:

Does anyone else recall when Mr. Foreman regained a good bit of fame in the 1990's via somehow attaching his name to a an electric burger indoor table grill that was supposed to get rid of all the meats' fats via how it drained away in channels? Also, he named ALL of his sons after himself as in 'George, Jr.,George III,etc.'! I wonder how their mother/s felt about that?

Anyway, he definitely was memorable. RIP, Mr. Foreman!

I still have my George Foreman Grill!  Perhaps I'll use it tonight in his honor.

RIP Mr. Foreman.

[Fool to cry]

22 hours ago, Blergh said:

Does anyone else recall when Mr. Foreman regained a good bit of fame in the 1990's via somehow attaching his name to a an electric burger indoor table grill that was supposed to get rid of all the meats' fats via how it drained away in channels? Also, he named ALL of his sons after himself as in 'George, Jr.,George III,etc.'! I wonder how their mother/s felt about that?

Anyway, he definitely was memorable. RIP, Mr. Foreman!

 

14 hours ago, Browncoat said:

I still have my George Foreman Grill!  Perhaps I'll use it tonight in his honor.

RIP Mr. Foreman.

 

Immortalized by this episode of The Office where Michael Scott burns his foot on a George Foreman grill:

 

[Notabug]

3 hours ago, Fool to cry said:

 

 

Immortalized by this episode of The Office where Michael Scott burns his foot on a George Foreman grill:

 

My favorite episode, I watched it today in George's honor.

"Pam, please come and rub butter on my foot."

[Blergh]

1 hour ago, Notabug said:

My favorite episode, I watched it today in George's honor.

"Pam, please come and rub butter on my foot."

I hope no one watching (including possiblyMr. Foreman himself) took that as a safe medical treatment for a burn. Butter should NEVER be put on a burn due to the fats within causing it to hold the heat in and damaging the skin worse.

If one doesn't have Neosporin or other burn ointments at hand, sliced or mashed raw potatoes (changed about every fifteen minutes)  will work in a pinch due to the starch absorbing some of the heat beneath the skin's surface. Or if one has neither medical ointments or food starches at hand, then soaking the burn in ice-cold clean water  can help [NEVER ice which can lead to frostbite of the already compromised skin].

[Notabug]

12 hours ago, Blergh said:

I hope no one watching (including possiblyMr. Foreman himself) took that as a safe medical treatment for a burn. Butter should NEVER be put on a burn due to the fats within causing it to hold the heat in and damaging the skin worse.

If one doesn't have Neosporin or other burn ointments at hand, sliced or mashed raw potatoes (changed about every fifteen minutes)  will work in a pinch due to the starch absorbing some of the heat beneath the skin's surface. Or if one has neither medical ointments or food starches at hand, then soaking the burn in ice-cold clean water  can help [NEVER ice which can lead to frostbite of the already compromised skin].

Considering it was Michael Scott, the village idiot on the show, who wanted the butter; I don't think the viewers took it as being good medical advice.  Pam didn't either, and flatly refused.

[meep.meep]

George Forman Grills are very popular among college students.  There are culinary competitions featuring best use of the grills.  It's a device with an impact well beyond what would be expected.

George himself seemed a little eccentric but I never heard anything bad about him.

[meep.meep]

On the radio this morning, I heard that he apparently got 40% of sales of the grill in the beginning.  What an agent!  He eventually sold the rights for $128M years later.  Old George had a lot of money.

[Shrek]

2 hours ago, meep.meep said:

On the radio this morning, I heard that he apparently got 40% of sales of the grill in the beginning.  What an agent!  He eventually sold the rights for $128M years later.  Old George had a lot of money.

And a lot of children, 12 in total I believe.

I remember having one of the grills & thought it was great, especially when I was single.

[Ohiopirate02]

55 minutes ago, Shrek said:

And a lot of children, 12 in total I believe.

I remember having one of the grills & thought it was great, especially when I was single.

His obituary has the ability to be a hoot. "George is survived by his sons: George Jr., George III, George IV, George V, and George VI, and his daughters: 1-6 who's names I am not listing, and Georgette."

 

I liked the concept of the grill, but it was a pain to clean properly.

[Affogato]

2 hours ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

His obituary has the ability to be a hoot. "George is survived by his sons: George Jr., George III, George IV, George V, and George VI, and his daughters: 1-6 who's names I am not listing, and Georgette."

 

I liked the concept of the grill, but it was a pain to clean properly.

And nonstick, of course. 

[chitowngirl]

2 hours ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

I liked the concept of the grill, but it was a pain to clean properly.

I got one with removable parts that I can soak and clean in the sink.

[Browncoat]

20 minutes ago, chitowngirl said:

I got one with removable parts that I can soak and clean in the sink.

I'd probably use mine more if I'd gotten one of those.  Mine really is a pain in the ass to clean.

[chitowngirl]

33 minutes ago, Browncoat said:

I'd probably use mine more if I'd gotten one of those.  Mine really is a pain in the ass to clean.

My first one was like that. That’s why I acquired the other one! 

[BetterButter]

Lisa Jane Smith, author behind hit TV show The Vampire Diaries, dies aged 66

[MissAlmond]

Singer Johnny Mathis will retire from performing live due to age and memory issues. Mr. Mathis final concert is scheduled for May 18. 

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/music-news/johnny-mathis-retire-stage-performances-concerts-1236173693/

https://variety.com/2025/music/news/johnny-mathis-retires-from-concerts-1236349364/

https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/johnny-mathis-retiring-from-live-shows-1235932256/

Edited 8 hours ago by MissAlmond

[Blergh]

And in other sad news, as per People magazine. Bobby Sherman's wife Brigitte Poublon has announced on Facebook that the 81-year-old performer now has Stage Four cancer (which is evidently why he hasn't been doing reunion tours or conventions of late).  Mr. Sherman had been singing and acting idol in his  20's before acting upon his calling to become a paramedic after having inspired via a guest role on Emergency! and would become a medical training officer in the LA Police Academy staying a reserve officer as late as 2017.  In addition to Ms. Poublon, he has two sons by his first marriage.