Milestone Moments: All The Celebrity Vitals

[BetterButter]

Joe Flaherty, ‘SCTV’ and ‘Freaks and Geeks’ Star, Dies at 82

[MissAlmond]

Actor/Producer Lynn Loring who portrayed Patti Barron on the soap opera Search for Tomorrow and Edwina "Eddie" Kegel on the TV series The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis and later produced such TV shows as The Return of the Mod Squad and The Best Little Girl in the World and the 1983 film Mr. Mom has died, age 80.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/lynn-loring-dead-search-for-tomorrow-tv-executive-1235864577/

Edited April 2 by MissAlmond

[BetterButter]

Original ‘Phantasm’ Actor Bill Cone Has Passed Away

[ABay]

2 hours ago, BetterButter said:

Joe Flaherty, ‘SCTV’ and ‘Freaks and Geeks’ Star, Dies at 82

Guy Caballero and Count Floyd will live always in my heart.

[SoMuchTV]

7 hours ago, BetterButter said:

Joe Flaherty, ‘SCTV’ and ‘Freaks and Geeks’ Star, Dies at 82

I’m tempted to make some kind of “…and he died!” joke, but I’m sure it would sound horribly disrespectful to anyone who isn’t a Freaks and Geeks fan. 

[giovannif7]

6 hours ago, SoMuchTV said:

I’m tempted to make some kind of “…and he died!” joke, but I’m sure it would sound horribly disrespectful to anyone who isn’t a Freaks and Geeks fan. 

I was gonna go with "He blowed up REAL good!", but that would have non-SCTV fans shaking their heads. I weep that neither Big Jim McBob (Flaherty) nor Billy Sol Hurok (John Candy) are still with us. This one's for you, guys! 💣

 

Edited April 3 by giovannif7

[BetterButter]

Adrian Schiller, Victoria and The Last Kingdom Actor, Dead at 60

[meep.meep]

Oof!  I've got tickets to see him in the Lehman Trilogy.

Farewell Aethelheim!

[BetterButter]

Cole Brings Plenty, ‘1923’ Actor, Found Dead at 27

[BetterButter]

R.I.P. Lynne Reid Banks, author of The Indian In The Cupboard

[Constant Viewer]

On 4/6/2024 at 2:41 PM, BetterButter said:

R.I.P. Lynne Reid Banks, author of The Indian In The Cupboard

No! I loved the series and her other books like One More River, Broken Bridge, and Melusine.

[SoMuchTV]

On 4/6/2024 at 3:41 PM, BetterButter said:

R.I.P. Lynne Reid Banks, author of The Indian In The Cupboard

Oh, wow, another author I read when I was young, and did not realize she was still with us. Sort of like Beverly Cleary - I was reading her new stuff in the 60s, and my kids were reading her new stuff in the 90s/00s. 

[AstridM]

On 4/2/2024 at 11:12 AM, BetterButter said:

Joe Flaherty, ‘SCTV’ and ‘Freaks and Geeks’ Star, Dies at 82

Awww! 😪 that’s one of my favorite shows of all time. I was just rewatching it last week. 

[dalek]

Comic book artist and historian Trina Robbins has died.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/robsalkowitz/2024/04/10/trailblazing-comics-icon-trina-robbins-dies-at-age-85/?sh=78863a912a66

I've got a complete run of Wimmen's Comix and a numb er of other underground comics she worked on.  And a piece of original art from her brief run on wonder Woman in 1986 (she was the first woman to draw Wonder Woman for DC. In 1986!)

 

[mariah23]

OJ Simpson is dead.  

Edited April 11 by mariah23

[GHScorpiosRule]

3 minutes ago, mariah23 said:

OJ Simpson is dead.  

Link: Simpson, Dead at 76

[Spartan Girl]

Bette Davis. That’s all I’ll say.

[Browncoat]

10 minutes ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

Link: Simpson, Dead at 76

I can't quite muster sadness about this.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

3 hours ago, mariah23 said:

OJ Simpson is dead.  

I am not your strongest soldier, Lord.

[WritinMan]

[Ohiopirate02]

Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman welcoming OJ into heaven--

 

 

[CountryGirl]

 I know we're supposed to speak only good of the dead.

So, fine.

The murderer Orenthal James Simpson is dead?

Good.

Edited April 11 by CountryGirl

[Shannon L.]

[roamyn]

Prayers for his family.  THEY deserve our condolences for having to deal with the knowledge of their kin's actions all their lives and the ensuing notoriety. 

[Spartan Girl]

 

[WritinMan]

I'm gonna have to delete this. As much as I didn't like him, there's no need to push it with sarcastic comments.

Edited April 11 by WritinMan

[AgathaC]

I’m sorry for Ron’s and Nicole’s loved ones, as this is likely to stir up a lot of negative feelings and emotions.

I’m sorry for OJ’s kids. Whatever relationships with him or feelings for him were like, it’s not easy to lose a parent.

I’m sorry his life wasn’t what it could have been. He could have been productive or found ways to make positive change. Instead, he left damage behind.

For him? I don’t give a damn.

[Wiendish Fitch]

Rest in peace... Ron and Nicole. It took a while, but now you finally can. 

[MadyGirl1987]

I feel bad for his family.

As for the murders, he so obviously did it, and it's a prime example of a rich famous person using money and fame to get them out of trouble, but, knowing what we know now I wonder how much brain injury from football played into his violent and erratic behavior. I am assuming if the murders and trial happened now, that would be a big part of the defense.

[CountryGirl]

Norm MacDonald, roasting OJ as only he could:

 

[Spartan Girl]

1 hour ago, MadyGirl1987 said:

I wonder how much brain injury from football played into his violent and erratic behavior. I am assuming if the murders and trial happened now, that would be a big part of the defense.

Things could have been a lot different if they used that defense instead of starting a bullshit conspiracy theory that divided the country and turned that whole trial into a circus.

I know it’s cold comfort to Fred Goldman and his family, but if he couldn’t bleed OJ dry financially or see him in prison for life, at least he was able to outlive him.

Edited April 11 by Spartan Girl

[Mindthinkr]

3 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

Bette Davis. That’s all I’ll say.

I don’t get that. Care to explain? By DM please if you don’t want to post it here. 

[Bastet]

34 minutes ago, Mindthinkr said:

I don’t get that.

While I've never seen anyone actually cite a source*, it has always been claimed that when Joan Crawford died, Bette Davis said, "You should never say bad things about the dead, only good ... Joan Crawford is dead.  Good."

*Quote Investigator could only find a review of a 1979 performance by a comedian who was impersonating Davis, in which he as Davis said “I think we should speak good of the dead. She’s dead. Good.” 

Edited April 11 by Bastet

[MadyGirl1987]

42 minutes ago, Spartan Girl said:

Things could have been a lot different if they used that defense instead of starting a bullshit conspiracy theory that divided the country and turned that whole trial into a circus.

Did we even know about TBI and the consequences to football players back then? I feel like that understanding has come around fairly recently.

[Jaded]

1 hour ago, Spartan Girl said:

I know it’s cold comfort to Fred Goldman and his family, but if he couldn’t bleed OJ dry financially or see him in prison for life, at least he was able to outlive him.

That was also my first thought in regards to Fred Goldman outliving him. 

[Cobalt Stargazer]

4 hours ago, MadyGirl1987 said:

Did we even know about TBI and the consequences to football players back then? I feel like that understanding has come around fairly recently.

A quick Google search tells me that traumatic brain injuries were known about and recorded since at least 1650 BC, that the Egyptians and the Mesopotamians wrote about head injuries and their aftereffects based on presentation and tractability. So yes, the condition has been around for quite some time and has been documented extensively.

I don't believe, however, that it was commonly known that TBIs can occur during sporting events, at least not at the time Simpson was on trial, which I endured most of back in the day. Because @Spartan Girl is correct, Johnnie Cochran and O.J.'s other lawyers did their best to convince the jury that someone else did it, turning it into a non-existent conspiracy that ended in an acquittal. The only thing I can say is that Fred Goldman should be able to find some peace now, even if its years after the fact.

[shapeshifter]

3 hours ago, MadyGirl1987 said:

I wonder how much brain injury from football played into his violent and erratic behavior. I am assuming if the murders and trial happened now, that would be a big part of the defense.

Excellent point!

2 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

Things could have been a lot different if they used that defense instead of starting a bullshit conspiracy theory that divided the country and turned that whole trial into a circus.

And yet, at the time, there seemed to be at least a lot of self-questioning and even some positive reckoning regarding race and handling of evidence by police as a result of that circus, which might have not come out if the focus was on TBI — even if TBI was more to the point.
I don't think we can definitively know if TBI was a factor unless arrangements were made to test his brain for TBI after death. 
I hope such arrangements were made, but I doubt it.

My now-elderly cousin was on TV in LA reporting about the trial. She hasn't posted about his death on FB as of yet, but I'll be interested in what she has to say — if anything.

 

[Anela]

4 hours ago, MadyGirl1987 said:

I feel bad for his family.

As for the murders, he so obviously did it, and it's a prime example of a rich famous person using money and fame to get them out of trouble

There was a woman on the news, who sounded like she was in love with him, talking about “what he went through in California.” What he went through? I don’t understand it. 
 

I remember the evening he took off in the bronco. We couldn’t watch the whole trial, because I think it was on cable, and we only had the basic channels. We didn’t have the internet, either, so we caught the highlights they shared.  

Edited April 11 by Anela

[MadyGirl1987]

3 minutes ago, Anela said:

There was a woman on the news, who sounded like she was in love with him, talking about “what he went through in California.” What he went through? I don’t understand it. 

Wow! Thoughtless words even if he was innocent. Going through a trial is nothing compared to what the victims or their families went through.

Nicole and Ron really got lost in all the hoopla didn’t they?

[Notabug]

52 minutes ago, Cobalt Stargazer said:

A quick Google search tells me that traumatic brain injuries were known about and recorded since at least 1650 BC, that the Egyptians and the Mesopotamians wrote about head injuries and their aftereffects based on presentation and tractability. So yes, the condition has been around for quite some time and has been documented extensively.

 

Even if TBI due to football was a thing back then; it probably would not have gotten him acquitted.  After all, it would mean admitting OJ committed the murders.  And, even with TBI as a mitigating circumstance, it wouldn't preclude a conviction for the admitted killer.  OJ wanted to be acquitted so he could try to continue his Hollywood lifestyle/celebrity.  If he had TBI so severe that it led him to brutally murder 2 people, it would've meant he needed to be placed in some sort of setting where he wouldn't have an opportunity to violently attack anyone; he wouldn't be out in public.

There was a huge amount of DNA evidence back in the day when DNA evidence was a fairly new thing that was hard to explain well to a jury and could therefore let defense attorneys plant seeds of doubt as to its accuracy.  Nowadays, jurors have all watched CSI, Dateline and Forensic Files and they know how accurate it us and would never have bought what Johnnie Cochran, et al were selling.  Jurors today expect DNA evidence and are far more likely to acquit the accused if it isn't available.

The prosecution made multiple huge errors in the trial from venue to jury selection to dumping so much evidence/experts on the jury that their heads were spinning.  Johnnie Cochran and the team saw that and exploited it all; winning the acquittal.

Edited April 11 by Notabug

[Mabinogia]

I honestly forgot OJ was still alive. I do feel for his family as I feel for any family who loses a loved one but I personally can't muster up any feeling at all on this one. 

[Yogisbooboo64]

I wish I could say I give a bluedilly fuck but since I don’t, let me just say….(rhymes with) turn in bell, murderer!!

[AgathaC]

23 minutes ago, Anela said:

There was a woman on the news, who sounded like she was in love with him, talking about “what he went through in California.” What he went through? I don’t understand it. 
 

I remember the evening he took off in the bronco. We couldn’t watch the whole trial, because I think it was on cable, and we only had the basic channels. We didn’t have the internet, either, so we caught the highlights they shared.  

There was something I was watching where they showed Oprah’s audience reacting to the verdict. The reaction of some people really stunned me.

But the trial ended up shining a light on a LOT of issues — police misconduct, race relations, domestic violence. It’s a shame, though, that two innocent people who were horrifically, brutally murdered got lost in it all.

[Calvada]

But who will look for the real killer(s) now?  (Just in case anyone has doubts, yes, I'm being sarcastic.)

There was so much that angered me - the incompetence of the LA Police Department and the District Attorney's Office, a judge who was overly consumed with being on TV, and especially the number of people, both in the entertainment industry and sports television, who knew of Simpson's history of domestic violence and dismissed it.  

 

[Zella]

1 hour ago, Cobalt Stargazer said:

I don't believe, however, that it was commonly known that TBIs can occur during sporting events, at least not at the time Simpson was on trial,

Yes I think you're right. The first time I heard of it was in 2003 when Reader's Digest published an article about former Steelers center Mike Webster. He had died the previous year and was the first NFL player officially diagnosed with CTE postmortem. 

[DearEvette]

Welp, bye OJ.

Hope you have the afterlife you deserve.

1 hour ago, Notabug said:

The prosecution made multiple huge errors in the trial from venue to jury selection to dumping so much evidence/experts on the jury that their heads were spinning.  Johnnie Cochran and the team saw that and exploited it all; winning the acquittal.

Not just that,  they royally effed up putting  Mark Furhman on the stand. His hatred of blacks and pleading the fifth on the question of whether or not he ever planted evidence -- added to the already questionable chain of evidence with some of the evidence from the scene.  Remember this happened only a few years after Rodney King.  There was already mistrust of the LAPD and their treatment of black folks.  All you need to acquit is reasonable doubt.  And he handed it to the jury on a silver platter. They could have been able to read DNA sequences like a Dr. Suess book and it would not have mattered because of Furhman.

1 hour ago, AgathaC said:

But the trial ended up shining a light on a LOT of issues — police misconduct, race relations, domestic violence. It’s a shame, though, that two innocent people who were horrifically, brutally murdered got lost in it all.

It shone a light on a lot of issues to a lot of white people.  Everything about race relations, police brutality, the justice system , and especially the public consciousness when it comes to protecting white women from black men, was something Black people were intimately aware. Nothing was surprising or new.  Honestly the only thing that was surprising was that he was acquitted.

[Bastet]

I haven't had this much fun reading the celebrity deaths thread since back when Rush Limbaugh died.  Thanks for the great quotes and memes.

Edited April 12 by Bastet

[Blergh]

There's not much to add about the horrific crime and Mr. Simpson's time here afterward.

 

I will say though that it wouldn't come as a surprise if his younger children revealed that they had NOT slept through 'anything' as their late mother Nicole Brown Simpson would claim but learned  early to pretend to do so as a means to survive- figuratively and perhaps even literally.

[Anduin]

My favourite headline came from car site Jalopnik. Ford Bronco Sport, OJ Simpson Recalled On Same Day. They apparently have cracked fuel injectors. And this day of all days, the recall notice came. Don't you love it?

[Notabug]

2 hours ago, DearEvette said:

Welp, bye OJ.

Hope you have the afterlife you deserve.

Not just that,  they royally effed up putting  Mark Furhman on the stand. His hatred of blacks and pleading the fifth on the question of whether or not he ever planted evidence -- added to the already questionable chain of evidence with some of the evidence from the scene.  Remember this happened only a few years after Rodney King.  There was already mistrust of the LAPD and their treatment of black folks.  All you need to acquit is reasonable doubt.  And he handed it to the jury on a silver platter. They could have been able to read DNA sequences like a Dr. Suess book and it would not have mattered because of Furhman.

It shone a light on a lot of issues to a lot of white people.  Everything about race relations, police brutality, the justice system , and especially the public consciousness when it comes to protecting white women from black men, was something Black people were intimately aware. Nothing was surprising or new.  Honestly the only thing that was surprising was that he was acquitted.

Mark Fuhrman was one of the biggest mistakes that the prosecution made.  It seemed like no one had vetted him before putting him on the stand which allowed the defense to collapse his testimony like a a cheap lawn chair.  Surely, LAPD had another detective or two on the case who didn't have the background and history of Fuhrman who would've been able to testify honestly.

I agree that the defense used the trial to highlight the unfairness that men of color, in particular have faced when dealing with the justice system in the US; but, I think OJ was really the wrong guy to serve as the example of racial injustice in the courts.  He was a celebrity who was well loved by many people including most whites.  He had wealth and fame and all the trappings.  I think that made it harder for white people to accept the assertion that he was unjustly prosecuted.  The mountain of evidence that was produced against him didn't help either. It may have opened the eyes of white America to racial injustice but it certainly didn't change the general opinion in the white community anyway, that OJ was guilty as sin and got away with murder. 

Edited April 12 by Notabug