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In Memoriam: Entertainment Industry Celebrity Deaths


Message added by Mr. Sparkle,

Reminder:

This thread is for deaths of celebrities in the entertainment business only. No notices about politicians, please. 

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(edited)
10 minutes ago, BW Manilowe said:

Here’s an obit for Tim Conway from People magazine. It says something interesting: 

Although it says he didn't have Alzheimer's or dementia; the article does mention that he had a legal conservatorship and was placed in a care facility because he was almost completely unresponsive.  His wife was appointed conservator after his daughter from a prior marriage went to court because he was being moved from a rehab facility into a different facility for those needing long term care for whom rehab wasn't possible.  It appeared the judge agreed with his wife, that he didn't need the facility with more nurses or intensive physical therapy.  Sad thing all around.

Tim, born Tom Conway, was a native of the Cleveland area, Chagrin Falls, and got his start at WJW, Channel 8 in Cleveland where he originally worked off-camera for the Ghoulardi show starring Ernie Anderson.  It was a Friday night show with comedic sketches during the breaks of a bad horror movie.  Conway played bit parts in some of the skits before heading to Hollywood and making it big in McHale's Navy.  He later convinced his pal, Ernie Anderson, to come out West and Anderson became famous in the '70's for his announcing skills, particularly as the voice of ABC ('the Loooooooove Boat!").  Anderson's son, Paul Thomas, has done all right for himself too.

Edited by doodlebug
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(edited)
4 hours ago, MissT said:

Tim Conway dies at 85.  Wow... this is not a good week.

I have to say, given the stories there have been about his health in recent years (which included legal issues, too), in a weird way I'm more relieved than sad.

For all the talk about the celebrities that have died recently, there have been quite a few who have at least died after living long lives (Doris Day being a perfect example of this), which is definitely "better" (for lack of a better word) than having their lives tragically cut short. I'm still sad, of course, but knowing how long they were with us makes it sting a bit less for me. 

Edited by UYI
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12 minutes ago, UYI said:

I have to say, given the allegations of elder abuse that were made public these last few years, in a weird way I'm more relieved than sad.

In Conway's case, there was never an allegation of abuse.  His wife and daughter disagreed about his potential for rehabilitation and recovery and therefore disagreed about what sort of facility he needed.   Quite often, family members have a hard time accepting that their loved one is not going to recover and that putting them through physical therapy and other difficulty treatments is not in their best interest.  That's what happened here.  Conway's daughter took longer to accept his condition, but eventually, the judge ruled in his wife's favor, that he was not a candidate for further rehab and should remain in a less intensive setting.  At no time was anyone alleging that his basic needs weren't being met.

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Just now, doodlebug said:

In Conway's case, there was never an allegation of abuse.  His wife and daughter disagreed about his potential for rehabilitation and recovery and therefore disagreed about what sort of facility he needed.   Quite often, family members have a hard time accepting that their loved one is not going to recover and that putting them through physical therapy and other difficulty treatments is not in their best interest.  That's what happened here.  Conway's daughter took longer to accept his condition, but eventually, the judge ruled in his wife's favor, that he was not a candidate for further rehab and should remain in a less intensive setting.  At no time was anyone alleging that his basic needs weren't being met.

My mistake. Thanks, @doodlebug.

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1 hour ago, doodlebug said:

In Conway's case, there was never an allegation of abuse.  His wife and daughter disagreed about his potential for rehabilitation and recovery and therefore disagreed about what sort of facility he needed.   Quite often, family members have a hard time accepting that their loved one is not going to recover and that putting them through physical therapy and other difficulty treatments is not in their best interest.  That's what happened here.  Conway's daughter took longer to accept his condition, but eventually, the judge ruled in his wife's favor, that he was not a candidate for further rehab and should remain in a less intensive setting.  At no time was anyone alleging that his basic needs weren't being met.

1 hour ago, Vixenstud said:

Now he can make Harvey laugh in heaven.....rest well, Mr. Conway.

Unfortunately it does appear to be true in Stan Lee's case:

https://twitter.com/Reuters/status/1128298781152370690

(edited)

A few months ago, I watched an episode of Major Crimes in syndication, and noted that while it's still one of my favorites (and one of the funny ones), it's a little sad to watch now, because out of the outstanding guest cast of Doris Roberts, Ron Glass, Tim Conway, Marion Ross, and Paul Dooley, Roberts and Glass are dead and Conway is in such bad shape he'd be better off that way.  So I'm relieved for him (although I'm not sure how aware of his condition he was).  But also sympathetic to his loved ones, especially because in a situation like this relief is often one of the many things they are feeling, too, and that sense of relief can make you feel guilty, giving you another aspect of grief to deal with.  Especially given the family battle that made it to court over how to best care for him, I hope this isn't an ugly time.

3 hours ago, Moose135 said:

That elephant story may be one of the funniest things I've ever seen, and Vicki Lawrence's comment "You sure that little asshole's through?" at the end just kills!

Yes!  I have that on my computer, and pull it up whenever I have a day that really needs a laugh break.

Edited by Bastet
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(edited)

This guts me.  As a native Clevelander (tho he was an East Sider I didn’t hold it against him. Snorkel) I was so proud.  You better not touch Martin Mull or Joe Walsh anytime soon, Mr. Death.😡

I was able to speak to him briefly via conference call when he was doing an interview with a fellow Clevelander who was broadcasting in Chicago (we lived in Schaumburg at the time).  He  was a delight!  Still funny & quick.

Dorf was probably my favorite character of his.  

I’m glad he’s at peace and I’m glad for You Tube, but damn, it’s still hard to face a world without Tim Conway.

Edited by roamyn
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5 hours ago, UYI said:

For all the talk about the celebrities that have died recently, there have been quite a few who have at least died after living long lives (Doris Day being a perfect example of this), which is definitely "better" (for lack of a better word) than having their lives tragically cut short. I'm still sad, of course, but knowing how long they were with us makes it sting a bit less for me. 

This is true, and a good way to look at things.

I completely forgot about the Dorf character. I remember seeing commercials for that all the time when I was a kid. 

4 hours ago, Vixenstud said:

Now he can make Harvey laugh in heaven.....rest well, Mr. Conway.

Awwwww. I love this sentiment :).

Rest in peace, Tim Conway. Thanks for all the joy and laughter. 

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3 minutes ago, mariah23 said:

Author Herman Wouk has passed away at the age of 103.

103?! Amazing but I wonder how he felt about how this New Millenial world compared to the WWII era when he served in the Pacific Theater! Well, his books weren't always literary masterpieces but they definitely got the readers to think - even if they had some soapy fluff within. RIP, Mr. Wouk! 

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(edited)

Having fond memories of Doris Day and Tim Conway.  

I just read that Jodie Foster's mother and long time manager, until the 1990's, passed away at age 90 from complications of dementia.  Brandy Foster. 

https://pagesix.com/2019/05/17/jodie-fosters-mother-and-former-manager-brandy-dead-at-90/

Edited by SunnyBeBe
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5 hours ago, Lugal said:

I had a vet tell me that that's the age when if they are prone to kidney problems that it can start to be a problem.  I lost a cat years ago around that age to that problem.

Grumpy Cat (aka Tardar Sauce) also had feline dwarfism, which had something to do with her(?) facial expression, how she(?) got the perpetually grumpy expression on her face (if I remember right from what I read about the passing), & it also had something to do with the movement of her(?) back legs when she(?) walked.

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19 minutes ago, BW Manilowe said:

Grumpy Cat (aka Tardar Sauce) also had feline dwarfism, which had something to do with her(?) facial expression, how she(?) got the perpetually grumpy expression on her face (if I remember right from what I read about the passing), & it also had something to do with the movement of her(?) back legs when she(?) walked.

Yes, and it's why I never believed their "No, really, 'Tard' came from our misspelling of tartar sauce" explanation for the cat's name.  The cat looked and moved funny, so they offensively named her Tard (as in the slur "retard") and then when she became famous as Grumpy Cat, they came up with the Tardar Sauce cover story.

With that grumble expressed for the last time, I feel sorry for anyone who loses a pet, especially one only about halfway through her usual lifespan; it's hard enough to lose them "on schedule," but when you have a pet die young, that's extra tough.  They must have been floored when something seemingly simple to treat wound up having fatal complications.  Poor family.  And poor Grumpy Cat.

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Message added by Mr. Sparkle,

Reminder:

This thread is for deaths of celebrities in the entertainment business only. No notices about politicians, please. 

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