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In Memoriam: Entertainment Industry Celebrity Deaths

Kromm

By Kromm
in Everything Else TV

Mr. Sparkle
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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scarynikki12

scarynikki12

42 minutes ago, Spartan Girl said:

She immediately got annoyed and pointed out that he was old and also nobody I knew personally.

I think it makes sense. Big Bird and Oscar are a major and important part of millions of childhoods and Carol brought them to life. The puppets are still a part of Sesame Street but losing Carol makes so many of us feel like we're losing Big Bird and Oscar. Through Big Bird Carol helped so many children understand and process grief when Mr. Hooper died. Through Oscar Carol helped so many children understand that it's ok to be grumpy and to cherish things that matter to you even if they're just trash to everyone else (with a legendary song to drive it home). It's totally fine for people to hear the news, say "oh, well, rest in peace" and put it out of their minds. It's also totally fine for people to feel a loss even though many/most only know the man as Big Bird or Oscar.

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Bastet
Bastet

Piss up a rope, Val Kilmer.  If your physical illness got so bad that your life utterly sucked and no end to that suffering was in sight, so that suicide was or seemed to be the best of the available

wilsie
wilsie
BetterButter
BetterButter

Olivia Newton-John Has Died At 73

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Spartan Girl

Spartan Girl

Oh fuck, Rene Auberjonois was the voice of Chef Louis in The Little Mermaid. What a day indeed.

14 minutes ago, scarynikki12 said:

I think it makes sense. Big Bird and Oscar are a major and important part of millions of childhoods and Carol brought them to life. The puppets are still a part of Sesame Street but losing Carol makes so many of us feel like we're losing Big Bird and Oscar. Through Big Bird Carol helped so many children understand and process grief when Mr. Hooper died. Through Oscar Carol helped so many children understand that it's ok to be grumpy and to cherish things that matter to you even if they're just trash to everyone else (with a legendary song to drive it home). It's totally fine for people to hear the news, say "oh, well, rest in peace" and put it out of their minds. It's also totally fine for people to feel a loss even though many/most only know the man as Big Bird or Oscar.

Oh definitely. I don't think my mom meant to be so dismissive, I just tend to be more emotional than her.

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Annber03

Annber03

36 minutes ago, Spartan Girl said:

Oh fuck, Rene Auberjonois was the voice of Chef Louis in The Little Mermaid. What a day indeed.

Oh, I forgot about that :(.

I also remember him from a couple episodes of "Frasier". He played a mentor of Frasier's. 

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BooksRule

BooksRule

I was just coming here to post about Rene Auberjonois.  I think the first role I ever saw him in was as Father Kudos in 1976's disaster movie spoof 'The Big Bus'.  I've also never forgotten when the cast of 'Star Trek: DS9' was on Larry King and Rene instructed Larry on how to pronounce his name correctly.  It's funny the little things you remember. 

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kathyk2

kathyk2

2 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

Started sobbing when Mom showed me the news on Facebook. She immediately got annoyed and pointed out that he was old and also nobody I knew personally.

I don't care. I grew up with Big Bird. Even when the show paid attention to Elmo he was still the number one character to me. 

I know he lived a long life and part of me has dreading this ever since he retired. But why did it have to be NOW? Dammit.

Miss you, Bird. And a loving "scram" to you, dear Oscar.

I also grew up with Sesame Street and this is so sad even if it wasn't a big shock like Jim Henson. Oscar was important because he provided the lemon in the lemonade. His character kept Sesame Street from being too cutesy.

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ebk57

ebk57

2 hours ago, Silver Raven said:

My high school took us to San Francisco to see "Tartuffe" in 1967, where Rene Auberjonois and Michael Learned were starring at the American Conservatory Theater. It was my first live production.  I was entranced.

I'm so jealous!  I don't think I ever saw him onstage, but since I've seen tons of theatre, I'd have to look through my programs.

My first indelible impression of him was in Eyes of Laura Mars and I've continued to be a fan since then.  His death saddens me. 

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catlover79

catlover79

I really can't add anything else to what has already been said about Caroll Spinney. What a talent. In fact, the very first movie I saw in the theatre was Sesame Street: Follow That Bird. My beloved grandma took me to see it way back in 1985. As an adult, I read his excellent memoir. Everyone should read it.

As for Rene Auberjonois, he was the embodiment of a character actor. One of my favorite roles of his was that of a jewel thief who was also a master of disguises in an episode of Starsky & Hutch. May they both RIP. 😢❤

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willco

willco

I swear I am no psychic, but just a couple of days ago out of nowhere a thought hit me that went something like, "I bet we have a rash of celebs dying in December". Why I thought that, I have no idea-- maybe because it seems like it's been a while since anyone famous passed ( even though, if you look back, that's not really true.) Maybe it's because there always seems to be a celeb death close to Christmas, but geez, it's still 2 1/2 weeks away ! Although Rene wasn't Tom Hanks famous or anything, I remember him being in quite a lot in the 80's and 90's, probably because that last name is so unique.

Although I never watched Sesame Street very much, you just about had to have lived in a cave not to know Big Bird or Oscar ! Very sad for many people.

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spiderpig

spiderpig

If any of you are Audible subscribers, Rene Auberjonois IS Aloysius Pendergast.  I can't imagine anyone else reading the novels.

Jumping into the wayback machine, Mr. Auberjonois was Dago Red, the priest in the original and absolute best movie M*A*S*H.  My friends and I cut classes to see the movie 5 times because the audience was laughing so hard we missed most of the dialogue.

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cynicat

cynicat

(edited)
14 hours ago, ebk57 said:

'm a little (okay, a lot) too old for Sesame Street, but it occurred to me that today is the taping of the Kennedy Center Honors.  Sesame Street is an honoree, the first TV show to have that distinction.  I'm sure they will honor Mr. Spinney during the show

I saw this on the news:

"On red carpet at Kennedy Center Honors where Sesame Street cast are wearing yellow feathers in memory of ‘Big Bird’ Carroll Spinney."

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Edited by cynicat
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catlover79

catlover79

No one could have voiced Louis the sadistic French Chef in The Little Mermaid better than Rene. He was perfect in a song ("Les Poissons") that had absolutely nothing to do with the main plot. 30 (!!!) years later, it still makes me laugh. ❤

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Lugal

Lugal

Rene Auberjonois? this one hurts!  Odo was always one of my favorites on DS9.

Armin Shimerman put it best:

It is with great heartache and loss I share with you the passing of dear,dear Rene Auberjonois.His last message to me was entitled "Don't forget..." I know that I,Kitty,and all that knew him will never forget.The world seems noticeably emptier now. I loved him.

— Armin Shimerman (@ShimermanArmin)

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spiderpig

spiderpig

3 hours ago, Lugal said:

Rene Auberjonois? this one hurts!  Odo was always one of my favorites on DS9.

Armin Shimerman put it best:

It is with great heartache and loss I share with you the passing of dear,dear Rene Auberjonois.His last message to me was entitled "Don't forget..." I know that I,Kitty,and all that knew him will never forget.The world seems noticeably emptier now. I loved him.

— Armin Shimerman (@ShimermanArmin)

What a beautiful tribute.

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BW Manilowe

BW Manilowe

(edited)

From CNN: Pete Frates, One of the Men Who Popularized the Ice Bucket Challenge, Has Died

The cause, of course, was ALS—Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis—aka Lou Gehrig’s Disease. The Ice Bucket Challenge, where participants were challenged to dump a bucket of ice over their heads, or make a donation to ALS research, was meant to raise funds to fight the disease & to bring awareness to it. Pete Frates, a former baseball player at Boston College, was only 34 when he died.

Edited by BW Manilowe
To add some info.
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theredhead77

theredhead77

On 12/8/2019 at 5:51 PM, Bastet said:

For those who don't like to clink on links that aren't clear as to what the article is about, that's about the death of René Auberjonois, who died today at age 79 of metastatic lung cancer:
 

Sounds like he had the perfect attitude for a character actor.  I knew him from the MASH and Benson roles primarily, but had seen him in numerous other things as well -- 228 screen credits to his name!

On 12/8/2019 at 5:52 PM, MikaelaArsenault said:

I can post some more articles.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/ren-auberjonois-dead-star-trek-benson-actor-dies-at-79-1260677

https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/benson-star-trek-actor-rene-auberjonois-has-died-at-79/

Just a suggestion @MikaelaArsenault: instead of just posting a link or multiple links, include a sentence or two summarizing what the article is about. It's not always easy to tell by the link and a summary will help people who are browsing while on a break at work determine if the story is OK to read at work.

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meep.meep

meep.meep

On 12/8/2019 at 3:25 PM, Silver Raven said:

My high school took us to San Francisco to see "Tartuffe" in 1967, where Rene Auberjonois and Michael Learned were starring at the American Conservatory Theater. It was my first live production.  I was entranced.

I am pretty sure I saw him play Shylock, opposite Michael Learned, in The Merchant of Venice a year or two later.

But the weirdest thing was when twenty years later, I had a child, and a friend gave me a book of post-pregnancy exercises, and the illustrations were pictures of Mr. Auberjonois and his wife!

He was really talented.

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BW Manilowe

BW Manilowe

From 8 News Now, Las Vegas: Trent Carlini, Considered the World’s Best Elvis Tribute Artist, and a Longtime Las Vegas Performer with This Act, Dead at Age 57

He performed in both his own Elvis tribute act & as Elvis in the long-running Legends in Concert show, which included tribute artists dedicated to a number of other musicians, from different genres, & not just Elvis tribute artists.

He apparently died, this past Sunday, in a Las Vegas hospital. The cause of death has not been announced.

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Bastet

Bastet

4 hours ago, Hiyo said:

Marie Fredriksson, the lead singer of Roxette, died today.

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/dec/10/roxette-singer-marie-fredriksen-dies-aged-61

Oh man, I loved several of their songs.

This was a long, hard-fought battle:

Quote

In September 2002, Fredriksson had a seizure in her bathroom and suffered a cracked skull. A subsequent MRI scan revealed she had a brain tumour, and she was given a 25% chance of survival. She survived, but had health problems as a result of radiation therapy. She was able to perform until 2016, when she announced her retirement due to the effects of her illness.

This is lovely:

Quote

Roxette had a hiatus while Fredriksson was treated for and recovered from her brain tumour, but reformed in 2009 after she went to see Gessle perform a solo show in Holland, and made an impromptu guest appearance. “She had no self confidence, and said she couldn’t sing any more,” Gessle told the Guardian in 2012. “But she staggered up on stage anyway – and the audience just died … people were crying to the left and right. Afterwards she was like a changed person and two weeks later she called me asking if I’d want to write another Roxette album.” They ended up releasing three more, with their final album, Good Karma, released in June 2016.

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Drogo

Drogo

10 hours ago, BW Manilowe said:

From 8 News Now, Las Vegas: Trent Carlini, Considered the World’s Best Elvis Tribute Artist, and a Longtime Las Vegas Performer with This Act, Dead at Age 57

He performed in both his own Elvis tribute act & as Elvis in the long-running Legends in Concert show, which included tribute artists dedicated to a number of other musicians, from different genres, & not just Elvis tribute artists.

He apparently died, this past Sunday, in a Las Vegas hospital. The cause of death has not been announced.

I saw him at Legends in Concert in Vegas ~20 years ago, and he was phenomenal.  You could hear a pin drop in the theater.

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Blergh

Blergh

Mr. McKeon seemed to be awkward if not shy as he got past the preteens on Alice (and for that matter his sister Miss McKeon has always seemed a bit shy despite her playing a 'tough gal' on Facts of Life). Well, even if it wasn't the siblings' actual idea to go into performing, I hope they WERE able  both to find and make their  respective peaces and I hope Mr. McKeon's adulthood was satisfying to him even though he never married nor appears to have had any offspring. RIP, Mr. McKeon.

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Blergh

Blergh

1 minute ago, spiderpig said:

Just saw a newsflash on TV...Captain Kirk is back on the market.  He and wife #4 Elizabeth are divorcing.

The Shat is 88 years old.

At that age, while Mr. Shatner's passing would be more expected than Mr. McKeon's was at a much younger age, he's still with us even if his fourth union has bit the big one! 

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spiderpig

spiderpig

1 minute ago, Blergh said:

At that age, while Mr. Shatner's passing would be more expected than Mr. McKeon's was at a much younger age, he's still with us even if his fourth union has bit the big one! 

Sorry - I meant to post in misc celeb news so I moved the text over there.

Damned eyeglasses!!!

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Robert Lynch

Robert Lynch

2 hours ago, Blergh said:

Mr. McKeon seemed to be awkward if not shy as he got past the preteens on Alice (and for that matter his sister Miss McKeon has always seemed a bit shy despite her playing a 'tough gal' on Facts of Life). Well, even if it wasn't the siblings' actual idea to go into performing, I hope they WERE able  both to find and make their  respective peaces and I hope Mr. McKeon's adulthood was satisfying to him even though he never married nor appears to have had any offspring. RIP, Mr. McKeon.

He came around the same time as Scott Baio, Jimmy Baio, Jimmy McNichols, Kristy McNichols, Leif Garrett, and all the rest of the teen idols that got their start in the mid 70s. He was also a good team player in the $20,000 Pyramid. It might seemed stage in some of those episodes, but he seemed to want that contestant to succeed. RIP McKeon.

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GHScorpiosRule

GHScorpiosRule

31 minutes ago, Robert Lynch said:

He came around the same time as Scott Baio, Jimmy Baio, Jimmy McNichols, Kristy McNichols,

I remember when Alice and Facts of Life became a hit--one on teen magazine was a picture of both Phillip and Nancy, sitting back to back, wearing sweats and grinning. The caption read something like "Move over Jimmy and Kristy" to show that Jimmy and Kristy McNichols were no longer the sib teen stars, but Phillip and Nancy were.

I loved Tommy. I watched him grow up on Alice. He was just a few years older.

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Robert Lynch

Robert Lynch

40 minutes ago, ElleryAnne said:

14 years old... ?  His poor family.  I can't even imagine losing someone so young.

I hope it's not bullying because that crap needs to stop. Just because someone loves ballet doesn't mean that so-called person has to use derogatory names on-line. 14 is too young. I feel for his parents. What a sad loss.

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Bastet

Bastet

6 hours ago, Blergh said:

I hope Mr. McKeon's adulthood was satisfying to him even though he never married nor appears to have had any offspring.

Since neither of those things are required for a satisfying life, it's probable your wish came true.

2 hours ago, CarolinaPam said:

child actor Jack Burns dies at age 14

How horrible!

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