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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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Inquisitionist

Inquisitionist

15 hours ago, biakbiak said:

Sad day for Mets fans, Tom Seaver passes away. He had COVID in addition to Lyme disease and dementia.

As someone who started following the Cubs in 1969, I did not always have the warmest feelings towards Tom Seaver, but he was always a classy person and one hell of a pitcher.  BTW, his dementia was apparently due to Lewy body syndrome, the same thing that afflicted Robin Williams. 😢

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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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BW Manilowe

BW Manilowe

(edited)

There’ll be a BET/ET joint venture special on the life & legacy of Chadwick Boseman, hosted by ET’s Kevin Frazier, on BET this Sunday, September 6, at 9PM Eastern/Pacific. It will be preceded by the movie Marshall, in which Chadwick portrayed Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, on BET at 6PM Eastern/Pacific. The article regarding this special programming is in the Celebrity News thread.

Edited by BW Manilowe
To correct a thread name.
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stonehaven

stonehaven

A cool story about Tom Seaver....actually his parents and his sister. At one point, Dave Guard of the Kingston Trio was dating Tom's sister Katie. One night, he met her parents and they told him they had a song that they got from an unnamed piano player in 1939ish or so on their honeymoon. Dave liked it so much he took it to his bandmates. They put it on their first album and "Scotch and Soda" became the #1 jukebox tune for the decade. The KT split the royalties with the Seaver family and the parents used the money to send both kids to college...So, that song is responsible for the legacy that Tom leaves...

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Blergh

Blergh

Would it be too much of a supposition to ponder that perhaps the late Mr. Boseman was driven to play as many heroic characters as possible in his last years to give the audience as many chances as possible to draw courage and inspiration from positive portrayals of African-Americans onscreen- and it seems to have been a virtual calling that he was willing to literally give his life for. Although, it's also possible his drive to put as much life into his characters may actually have extended his life despite the terminal diagnosis and very taxing treatments! 

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AgentRXS

AgentRXS

On 9/6/2020 at 11:56 AM, Blergh said:

Would it be too much of a supposition to ponder that perhaps the late Mr. Boseman was driven to play as many heroic characters as possible in his last years to give the audience as many chances as possible to draw courage and inspiration from positive portrayals of African-Americans onscreen- and it seems to have been a virtual calling that he was willing to literally give his life for. Although, it's also possible his drive to put as much life into his characters may actually have extended his life despite the terminal diagnosis and very taxing treatments! 

Chadwick was purposefully selective in how his characters were portrayed on screen.  Chadwick was originally cast in Michael B. Jordan's role on All My Children, but left when he found out the character was going to fall into some stereotypical tropes (drug dealer/user, I think). He refused to play into that and left, and from then on refused to take on roles that would portray AAs in a negative/stereotypical light. That's how he and Michael B. Jordan got to know each other, long before Black Panther.

He was definitely an actor that put his all into his performances. Even though he didn't resemble James Brown at all, he sold me completely in Get On Up. He hadn't quite reached must-see status for me yet, but he was one of those actors that if you knew he was involved in the movie, chances were the movie was going to be pretty good.

 

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doodlebug

doodlebug

(edited)
1 hour ago, AgentRXS said:

Chadwick was purposefully selective in how is characters were portrayed on screen.  Chadwick was originally cast in Michael B. Jordan's role on All My Children, but left when he found out the character was going to fall into some stereotypical tropes (drug dealer/user, I think). He refused to play into that and left, and from then on refused to take on roles that would portray AAs in a negative/stereotypical light. That's how he and Michael B. Jordan got to know each other, long before Black Panther.

He was definitely an actor that put his all into his performances. Even though he didn't resemble James Brown at all, he sold me completely in Get On Up. He hadn't quite reached must-see status for me yet, but he was one of those actors that if you knew he was involved in the movie, chances were the movie was going to be pretty good.

 

Chadwick was purposefully selective, I think, but he was also talented enough and the cards fell in just the right way in order for him to do so.  Presumably, Michael B Jordan didn't take the job on AMC because he wanted to play a black drug dealer; but because he needed the steady work and he needed the opportunities that could follow.  Chadwick was a man of integrity who took his work seriously and strove to play important characters; but, except at the very top, actors don't get to choose their roles,. There are a lot more jobs out there playing drug dealers and addicts than playing iconic athletes or judges or superheroes.  More actors end up broke and unemployed that in almost any other profession.  Boseman 's integrity is rightfully celebrated; but there are plenty of former actors out there who could not have risked turning the job down and who also would have given their eyeteeth to play those meaningful roles. They have integrity, too, but they've also got bills to pay.

I have a friend who sister is now a very well known, award winning actress.  His family still jokes about her tampon commercials, the bad TV shows, the lousy plays she did in order to keep a roof over her head in the early days.  Sure, she had big dreams and doing Tampax ads were not her idea of great art; but they kept her afloat until she got her break.  Now, she's got enough name recognition (and money), to launch her own projects and never take another job that doesn't mean something to her; but she doesn't forget the days when she had no choice.

Edited by doodlebug
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AgentRXS

AgentRXS

1 minute ago, doodlebug said:

Chadwick was purposefully selective, I think, but he was also talented enough and the cards fell in just the right way in order for him to do so.  Presumably, Michael B Jordan didn't take the job on AMC because he wanted to play a black drug dealer; but because he needed the steady work and he needed the opportunities that could follow.  Chadwick was a man of integrity who took his work seriously and strove to do important work; but, except at the very top, they don't get to choose their roles,.  More actors end up broke and unemployed that in almost any other profession.  Boseman 's integrity is rightfully celebrated; but there are plenty of former actors out there who could not have risked turning the job down.

Oh, for sure. Praising Chadwick for his decision doesn't mean I judge MBJ or any other actor who takes the work they get. Chadwick, for whatever reason, was able to be purposefully selective. I agree, not many actors get that lucky or have the financial means to do so.

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MissAlmond

MissAlmond

3 hours ago, doodlebug said:

Presumably, Michael B Jordan didn't take the job on AMC because he wanted to play a black drug dealer; but because he needed the steady work and he needed the opportunities that could follow

Michael B Jordan was also just 16 when he was cast.  Chadwick was 26.  

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AgentRXS

AgentRXS

32 minutes ago, kariyaki said:

And Michael B. Jordan’s All My Children character wasn’t a drug dealer.

Admittedly, I know nothing of that character and was only going by interviews I watched with the both of them. I thought Chad mentioned drugs when describing the character, but my memory isn't all that great. Whatever it was, it was a negative stereotype he wasn't comfortable playing.

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Bort

Bort

9 minutes ago, AgentRXS said:

Admittedly, I know nothing of that character and was only going by interviews I watched on the both of them. I though Chad mentioned drugs when describing the character, but my memory isn't all that great. Whatever it was, it was negative stereotype he wasn't comfortable playing.

Maybe it was an original conception of the character when Chadwick was auditioning and they reconfigured it once a teenager was cast instead of a grown man.

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Guest

Guest

Michael B. Jordan Landed ‘All My Children’ After Chadwick Boseman Got Fired for Refusing to Play Racial Stereotype

Quote

Boseman had some issues with the way Reggie Porter was written using racial stereotypes. In the “All My Children” storyline, Reggie was a young gang member who was adopted by Erica Kane (Susan Lucci) and her husband, Jackson Montgomery (Walt Willey). Boseman did not agree with how the writers wanted to portray Reggie on the program, and he wrestled with speaking up or not, a major decision considering “All My Children” was his first acting credit.

“I remember going home and thinking, ‘Do I say something to them about this? Do I just do it?’ And I couldn’t just do it,” Boseman said. “I had to voice my opinions and put my stamp on it. And the good thing about it was, it changed it a little bit for [Jordan]. They said, ‘You are too much trouble,’ but they took my suggestions, or some of them. And for me, honestly, that’s what this is about.”

Jordan replaced Boseman as Reggie and ended up staying with “All My Children” for nearly three years. The “Creed” actor said he was hearing about Boseman’s firing for the first time during The Wrap interview and he acknowledged he had no idea at the time that Boseman’s decision to stand up for the character would affect the kind of role being offered to him.

 

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angora

angora

Boseman talked about what I’m assuming is the All My Children role in the commencement address he gave at Howard University. He said that the role was written as a pretty negative stereotype, and he spoke with the producers about making changes to give the character more nuance. They thanked him for his insight, offered to let him talk to the writers, and fired him the next day. He also mentioned that when the show aired with the new actor, he saw that they actually HAD incorporated some of the suggestions he’d made, even though they’d fired him after he made them.

It’s so effed up. A lot of actors take “survival roles” when they’re starting out, crappy roles to pay the bills until something better comes along, but for a lot of POC actors, who have a smaller pool of roles they’ll be considered for to start out with, I’m sure a good number of those survival roles are racist stereotypes. Do you do the song and dance the production expects of you (and maybe get roasted by your community for perpetuating stereotypes,) do you try to improve the role to where it’s something you can stomach doing (and maybe get fired for your trouble,) or do you turn down the role (and maybe not get any more?) I feel for any actor who gets put in that position.

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Bastet

Bastet

18 minutes ago, ClassicShowsFan said:

Kevin Dobson, who was known for his roles on Kojak and Knots Landing, died yesterday at the age of 77 from a heart attack:

Aw, Mack; I saw him on stage in L.A. a few times over the years, but he'll always be Mack to me (Knots Landing).

 

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BW Manilowe

BW Manilowe

1 hour ago, ClassicShowsFan said:

Kevin Dobson, who was known for his roles on Kojak and Knots Landing, died yesterday at the age of 77 from a heart attack:

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/kevin-dobson-actor-on-kojak-and-knots-landing-dies-at-77

https://soaps.sheknows.com/soaps/news/577376/kevin-dobson-knots-landing-days-of-our-lives-dead/

The obit from The Hollywood Reporter makes no mention of his cause of death being a heart attack, as the soap opera news-related story does. THR says he was struggling with an autoimmune disorder (which was unnamed in the obit). 

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ClassicShowsFan

ClassicShowsFan

1 minute ago, BW Manilowe said:

The obit from The Hollywood Reporter makes no mention of his cause of death being a heart attack, as the soap opera news-related story does. THR says he was struggling with an autoimmune disorder (which was unnamed in the obit). 

Other sources such as Forbes and The Wrap did say that he died from a heart attack.

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Pearson80

Pearson80

4 hours ago, kariyaki said:

Maybe it was an original conception of the character when Chadwick was auditioning and they reconfigured it once a teenager was cast instead of a grown man.

Chadwick did not look his age at the time, good black don't crack.  I remember him being on All My Children, he was really good.

9 hours ago, AgentRXS said:

Oh, for sure. Praising Chadwick for his decision doesn't mean I judge MBJ or any other actor who takes the work they get. Chadwick, for whatever reason, was able to be purposefully selective. I agree, not many actors get that lucky or have the financial means to do so.

Actually Chadwick paid dearly for taking a stand for his beliefs, not only did he get fired, his savings eventually dried up and for a while he lived off of oatmeal and water.  He actually thought about quitting acting until a friend invited him to come to LA and the rest is history..

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Inquisitionist

Inquisitionist

On 9/6/2020 at 11:37 AM, BW Manilowe said:

From Extra: Chadwick Boseman’s Inner Circle: Why He Kept His Cancer Battle Private

What I don't understand is how Boseman managed to get insurance coverage while making films over the past few years.  I don't mean his own personal insurance, but rather filming insurance.  I thought most major films required their stars to pass a physical.  For example, Spencer Tracy was very ill while filming Guess Who's Coming To Dinner? "which caused all sorts of problems with financing and insurance, and indeed he died only 17 days after filming his last scene." (From here, among other sources.)

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rainsmom

rainsmom

3 hours ago, Inquisitionist said:

What I don't understand is how Boseman managed to get insurance coverage while making films over the past few years.  I don't mean his own personal insurance, but rather filming insurance.  I thought most major films required their stars to pass a physical.  For example, Spencer Tracy was very ill while filming Guess Who's Coming To Dinner? "which caused all sorts of problems with financing and insurance, and indeed he died only 17 days after filming his last scene." (From here, among other sources.)

I wondered that too! The only thing I can think is that he signed a waiver. So many people would have to be in on that, though, which makes it all that more amazing that his secret never slipped.

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VCRTracking

VCRTracking

*Telly Savalas voice* : "Crocker!"

 

Just started watching Kojak reruns on METV a few years ago. My mom also loved Knots Landing. I also saw him in the 1996 syndicated series based on the movie F/X in the Brian Dennehy part.

RIP Mr. Dobson.

 

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Bort

Bort

14 hours ago, Pearson80 said:

Chadwick did not look his age at the time, good black don't crack.  I remember him being on All My Children, he was really good.

I remember Chadwick on AMC too, he was good, yes, but I also wasn’t really buying that he was supposed to be a teenager. 

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BW Manilowe

BW Manilowe

2 hours ago, stonehaven said:

Chadwick did play a drug dealer/murderer with a glass eye on Law and Order...Season 14, I believe.

I know which episode you’re talking about; I’ve seen it multiple times but I don’t know what season it’s from.

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GHScorpiosRule

GHScorpiosRule

2 hours ago, stonehaven said:

Chadwick did play a drug dealer/murderer with a glass eye on Law and Order...Season 14, I believe.

 

26 minutes ago, BW Manilowe said:

I know which episode you’re talking about; I’ve seen it multiple times but I don’t know what season it’s from.

Season 14, Episode 16: “ Can I Get A Witness?”

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lurkerbee

lurkerbee

(edited)
12 hours ago, rainsmom said:

I wondered that too! The only thing I can think is that he signed a waiver. So many people would have to be in on that, though, which makes it all that more amazing that his secret never slipped.

According to this Hollywood Reporter article about how the studio will handle his passing, he and the other Avengers most likely didn't have to be insured.

Quote

...film finance attorney Schuyler Moore says a Marvel star wouldn’t likely require a medical examination for insurance purposes.

“Big studios don’t often [get] completion bonds,” says Moore. “They are more prevalent in the indie filmmaking world. Sometimes, the big studios will look to insure for a particular actor, but they usually have a particular reason for doing so. Otherwise, studios will just shoulder the risk [of sickness or death].”

 

Edited by lurkerbee
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SunnyBeBe

SunnyBeBe

(edited)

Tragic death of noted writer, Shanna Hogan, due to accidental pool drowning.  Her young son was not hurt though present. She had been in the pool alone with young son. 
 

https://people.com/human-interest/author-shanna-hogan-dies-after-pool-accident-with-son/

This is such a sad story.  Growing up, I was always taught that you never swim alone. Is that not taught any longer? Her son could have easily died too. 

Edited by SunnyBeBe
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Bastet

Bastet

2 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

This is such a sad story.  Growing up, I was always taught that you never swim alone. Is that not taught any longer? Her son could have easily died too. 

He was in a vest, and was outside the pool when her husband found them shortly after; I'm not sure whether a 14-month old made his way out, or whether they were both already out and she fell in after injuring herself - the tragic accident happened because she slipped and hit her head, which is of course possible to do from within a pool, but more common outside the water. 

When I was growing up, I don't remember hearing anything against swimming alone in a pool (in a lake or ocean, yes, if there was no lifeguard) other than about kids who needed adult supervision.  We didn't have a pool, so as a teenager most of the time I was with a friend when swimming because I was at their house, but sometimes I was using my neighbor's pool (with their permission; their kids were grown by then, and they didn't use it, so they invited me to let myself into the yard and use it whenever I wanted), and I was alone then - if they were home, they might briefly stick their head out the sliding door and say hello, but mostly they gave me privacy.

Anyway, yes, terribly sad; she was so young, and her son won't even remember her.  But this is lovely:

Quote

Her family decided to donate her organs, which Mayer says have already gone to save the lives of four people with possibly more in the future.

 

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Blergh

Blergh

It seems Miss Hogan and her husband Matt LaRussa had been married nearly  20 years but did not have their son Zander (their only child) until 14 months ago.  Well, I hope Mr. LaRussa and others are able to keep her memory alive for this child who, I imagine, likely had to have been a long awaited and WANTED child! RIP, Miss Hogan!

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SunnyBeBe

SunnyBeBe

14 hours ago, Bastet said:

He was in a vest, and was outside the pool when her husband found them shortly after; I'm not sure whether a 14-month old made his way out, or whether they were both already out and she fell in after injuring herself - the tragic accident happened because she slipped and hit her head, which is of course possible to do from within a pool, but more common outside the water. 

When I was growing up, I don't remember hearing anything against swimming alone in a pool (in a lake or ocean, yes, if there was no lifeguard) other than about kids who needed adult supervision.  We didn't have a pool, so as a teenager most of the time I was with a friend when swimming because I was at their house, but sometimes I was using my neighbor's pool (with their permission; their kids were grown by then, and they didn't use it, so they invited me to let myself into the yard and use it whenever I wanted), and I was alone then - if they were home, they might briefly stick their head out the sliding door and say hello, but mostly they gave me privacy.

Anyway, yes, terribly sad; she was so young, and her son won't even remember her.  But this is lovely:

 

The donation is good.  Much sympathy to her family of course.  

I am shocked though, about not being taught to never swim alone.  Maybe, it's because I grew up near a large lake and in a coastal state, NC, but, never swimming alone, whether pool or otherwise was a huge safety precaution we were taught from a very young age.  But, as you say, perhaps, she was walking near the edge of the pool when she slipped and fell in.  

Here's a link that has some good tips.  They might help someone to stay safe. 

https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/types-of-emergencies/water-safety/swim-safety.html

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Bastet

Bastet

36 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

I am shocked though, about not being taught to never swim alone. 

For teens/adults in pools, no.  Kids in pools, yes.  Anyone out in the lake or ocean if there's no lifeguard, yes. 

I know two colleagues swim in their pools every morning (well, most mornings; even in L.A. sometimes the weather interferes) as their exercise, and they both live alone, so I highly doubt they're hiring someone to come watch them every morning on the off chance they trip, hit their head, and become incapacitated.  So I don't think this poor author or her husband did anything wrong.

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