In Memoriam: Entertainment Industry Celebrity Deaths

[Black Knight]

I'm so sad about Joan Didion. There was no other writer like her. Her essay The White Album, which I have read innumerable times, is one of the greatest nonfiction essays of all time. Her writing was incisive and distinct in its cadence, and she constantly concerned herself with questions of why this narrative, why that general consensus, what questions need to be asked, what assumptions are being made...she was not easily taken in. More than one of the obituaries of her today have pointed out her prescient questioning of the convictions in the Central Park Five case.

It was announced last year that she had a new book coming out, and I was so excited - had she written about the pandemic and other recent occurrences? What observations had she made, and how did she express them? I was a little deflated when I learned it was simply a new collection of some of her old essays. I still got the book, of course, but I so wish she could have weighed in, in her inimitable fashion, on current events. The time we're in would have been perfect for Didion's writing. I suppose the Parkinson's made that impossible. Her voice is an incalculable loss.

[SusanM]

8 hours ago, Rootbeer said:

American author, Joan Didion, died of complications of Parkinson's disease at 87.  She was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for 'The Year of Magical Thinking' about the sudden death of her husband. 

Oh I loved that book.  So sad to hear she had Parkinson's.  RIP Ms Didion.

[Vermicious Knid]

NPR has collated links to all their Joan Didion interviews through the years.

[MissAlmond]

Singer Wanda Young of musical group The Marvelettes has died, age 78.

https://deadline.com/2021/12/wanda-young-dead-singer-for-the-marvelettes-on-please-mr-postman-was-78-1234901855/

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/wanda-young-the-marvelettes-singer-dead-obit-1273256/

https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/wanda-young-the-marvelettes-dead-1235012545/

[roamyn]

Bishop Desmond Tutu has passed away at age 90.  A long life well lived.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/26/africa/desmond-tutu-death-intl-hnk/index.html

[magicdog]

53 minutes ago, roamyn said:

Bishop Desmond Tutu has passed away at age 90.  A long life well lived.

Funny, I could have sworn I heard he died years ago.

[Crashcourse]

6 hours ago, MissAlmond said:

Singer Wanda Young of musical group The Marvelettes has died, age 78.

https://deadline.com/2021/12/wanda-young-dead-singer-for-the-marvelettes-on-please-mr-postman-was-78-1234901855/

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/wanda-young-the-marvelettes-singer-dead-obit-1273256/

https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/wanda-young-the-marvelettes-dead-1235012545/

While I liked the Supremes, I loved the Marvelettes!

R.I.P., Ms. Young

[BetterButter]

Harvey Evans, Actor in Original Broadway Shows ‘West Side Story,’ ‘Hello Dolly!’ and More, Dies at 80

[BetterButter]

Jean-Marc Vallée Has Died; Director Of ‘Dallas Buyers Club,’ ‘Big Little Lies’ & ‘Sharp Objects’ Was 58

[MissAlmond]

Painter Wayne Thiebaud has died, age 101.

https://www.npr.org/2021/12/26/1068131242/artist-wayne-thiebaud-dies-at-age-101

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/26/obituaries/wayne-thiebaud-dead.html

https://www.cnn.com/style/article/wayne-thiebaud-death/index.html

https://deadline.com/2021/12/wayne-thiebaud-deadpainter-disney-animator-obituary-1234901953/

 

Edited December 27, 2021 by MissAlmond

[MissAlmond]

19 hours ago, roamyn said:

Bishop Desmond Tutu has passed away at age 90.  A long life well lived.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/26/africa/desmond-tutu-death-intl-hnk/index.html

Very sad news indeed, but I agree:  A life well lived.  R.I.P. Archbishop Tutu.  May the angels take you into paradise.  

Edited December 27, 2021 by MissAlmond

[shapeshifter]

58 minutes ago, MissAlmond said:

Painter Wayne Thiebaud has died, age 101.

https://www.npr.org/2021/12/26/1068131242/artist-wayne-thiebaud-dies-at-age-101

"...Even at 101 years old, he still spent most days in the studio, driven by, as he described with his characteristic humility, 'this almost neurotic fixation of trying to learn to paint."

58 minutes ago, MissAlmond said:

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/26/obituaries/wayne-thiebaud-dead.html

This NY Times article clearly and concisely covers a long and productive life. Probably the obit has been readied and edited many times since Thiebaud became old; likely he outlived several who worked on his obit, heh, and, unlike many of his age group, Thiebaud was still actually living life:

• "...During his last years, he continued to play an improbably deft and crafty game of tennis and to paint. At 100, he was still out on the court, occasionally calling friends, working on new themes...
  'It has never ceased to thrill and amaze me,' he said, 'the magic of what happens when you put one bit of paint next to another.
  'I wake up every morning and paint,' he added. 'I’ll be damned but I just can’t stop.'”

If we needed an inspiration to choose and develop our own life-long habits in the new year, Thiebaud's life is one.

Edited December 27, 2021 by shapeshifter

[Blergh]

I'm no fan for MMA but  I know that many are entertained  by it. Thus, for this reason, I am conveying the news that MMA fighter Dave Koenig (aged 26) who went missing in March, 2020 has had his remains found in the woods outside Branson, Missouri by a hunter who evidently was looking for deer antlers. At this time, the authorities have ruled out foul play. It's sad for his family, friends and fans but at least they no longer are unsure what had become of him. RIP, Mr. Koenig!

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/a-man-was-looking-for-deer-antlers-in-missouri-he-found-human-remains-of-a-missing-mma-fighter/ar-AASdjD2?ocid=mailsignout&li=BBnb7Kz

[wilsie]

45 minutes ago, Blergh said:

I'm no fan for MMA but  I know that many are entertained  by it. Thus, for this reason, I am conveying the news that MMA fighter Dave Koenig (aged 26) who went missing in March, 2020 has had his remains found in the woods outside Branson, Missouri by a hunter who evidently was looking for deer antlers. At this time, the authorities have ruled out foul play. It's sad for his family, friends and fans but at least they no longer are unsure what had become of him. RIP, Mr. Koenig!

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/a-man-was-looking-for-deer-antlers-in-missouri-he-found-human-remains-of-a-missing-mma-fighter/ar-AASdjD2?ocid=mailsignout&li=BBnb7Kz

I'm not a fan either but reading what his mom wrote is so very sad.  Only 26.  I hope his loved ones can find peace.

[bmasters9]

John Madden (famed Raiders coach, and even more so as an NFL color man on all networks, most of it alongside Pat Summerall) has passed on @ 85.

[roamyn]

14 minutes ago, bmasters9 said:

John Madden (famed Raiders coach, and even more so as an NFL color man on all networks, most of it alongside Pat Summerall) has passed on @ 85.

I just this and I’m ashamed to say that I thought he passed a long time ago.

[jennifer6973]

31 minutes ago, roamyn said:

I just this and I’m ashamed to say that I thought he passed a long time ago.

I thought that also.  Realized I was thinking it because he retired and you don't hear much about him. 

[stonehaven]

Madden's gift to me was making football understandable. I grew up not watching sports of any kind. My mom raised me and she had no interest. When I was in Bible College, my school in the heart of Downtown Minneapolis, happened to have hordes of Packers fans and every Sunday, my friends and roommates had to watch the game. So, I watched. Madden helped me understand the essentials, the reasons and the meanings behind the games. It gave me a sense of inclusion in a national pasttime.

I watch football to this day..although the commentators pale in comparison to Madden, it was Madden who really introduced me to the game. I am sure I am not the only one.

 

[Crashcourse]

I looked forward to the John Madden Turkey Leg Award for every Thanksgiving game.

[bmasters9]

7 hours ago, Crashcourse said:

I looked forward to the John Madden Turkey Leg Award for every Thanksgiving game.

 

Which is, I believe, where he coined "Turducken."

[Browncoat]

4 hours ago, bmasters9 said:

 

Which is, I believe, where he coined "Turducken."

He might have eaten and enjoyed turducken and very likely increased its popularity, but Chef Paul Prudhomme patented the recipe and the name in the 80s, long before it was introduced to Madden.

[Zella]

1 hour ago, Browncoat said:

He might have eaten and enjoyed turducken and very likely increased its popularity, but Chef Paul Prudhomme patented the recipe and the name in the 80s, long before it was introduced to Madden.

Yep he was a big fan, but he didn't invent it. 

[SuprSuprElevated]

14 hours ago, stonehaven said:

Madden's gift to me was making football understandable. I grew up not watching sports of any kind. My mom raised me and she had no interest. When I was in Bible College, my school in the heart of Downtown Minneapolis, happened to have hordes of Packers fans and every Sunday, my friends and roommates had to watch the game. So, I watched. Madden helped me understand the essentials, the reasons and the meanings behind the games. It gave me a sense of inclusion in a national pasttime.

I watch football to this day..although the commentators pale in comparison to Madden, it was Madden who really introduced me to the game. I am sure I am not the only one.

 

"Boom!"

[Crashcourse]

3 hours ago, SuprSuprElevated said:

"Boom!"

"Doink!"

[madmax]

I just found out today that one of my favorite writers, Andrew Vachss, passed away on December 27.

https://www.tellerreport.com/news/2021-12-29-obituary-for-andrew-vachss--a-life-for-the-abused.ByfuAef9sF.html

In addition to being a writer, he was first and foremost an advocate.

His books were not for the faint of heart, they always made me angry, but they also opened my eyes.

Godspeed, Mr. Vachss.

Edited December 31, 2021 by madmax

[Vermicious Knid]

Deadline has an exhaustively detailed photo gallery of Hollywood related deaths in 2021, with links to their obituaries. Lots of back-of-the-house people and executives who may not have gotten the headlines. It appears to be in chronological order.

[Jaded]

Tiffini Hale, Former Member of The Mickey Mouse Club, Dead at 46

[AgathaC]

11 hours ago, Jaded said:

Tiffini Hale, Former Member of The Mickey Mouse Club, Dead at 46

Oh man. I loved that show as a kid and I remember her being so talented. 

[Popples]

She got so damn close to 100, too.

 

[Annber03]

Oh, no :(. Aw.

99 is still a damn good run. Rest in peace, Betty. 

[AgentRXS]

It seems so cruel that she was so close but didn’t make it. RIP Betty.  We were all looking forward to your celebration.  I know she is happy to be reunited with Allen.

It’s weird cause I had a desire out of nowhere to watch Golden Girls about a half hour before I read this news.

I’m imagining them all reunited sitting around a table eating cheesecake with Estelle jokingly saying “Picture it. Heaven.2021”.

 

 

[Lady Whistleup]

Aww. She lived the fullest life possible though. What a lady and what a legend.

[wilsie]

She did live an amazing life.  And that she got to be so vibrant for so long.  She got to know how loved and admired she was.  What a sweet gift she was to this world.  

[Chaos Theory]

Damn I was hoping Betty White would make it to 100.  

[merylinkid]

DAMMIT DAMMIT DAMMIT.

2022 is gonna suck.

 

But how fitting she went out on New Year's Eve.

I hope St. Peter met you at the Pearly Gates with "Hi Betty, here's Allen."

[Spartan Girl]

FUCK YOU 2021!!!!

Look, I know it was probably her time and nobody really wants to live to 100 and outlive everyone from their younger days, but she was only two weeks away!!!!

Edited December 31, 2021 by Spartan Girl

[AimingforYoko]

Dammit, she should've gotten the full century. But, as noted, she had a rich, full life. R.I.P.

[Jane Tuesday]

Oh, no! I wonder if they'll go ahead with her 100th birthday celebration. I was going to take my mom to see it for HER birthday present.

What a legend. 

[WritinMan]

Well...and we thought 2021 couldn't get any shittier.

RIP, Betty. You were freakin' hilarious.

[scarynikki12]

12 minutes ago, merylinkid said:

I hope St. Peter met you at the Pearly Gates with "Hi Betty, here's Allen."

Yes. I’ve thought about that regularly since she said that on Inside The Actor’s Studio and I so hope it came true. If it did I expect all her friends were right behind him.

Fuck 2021 for going out this way.

[Dr.OO7]

Spoiler

 

So the last of the Golden Girls is gone. But like someone posted, I'm sure they're about to share a cheesecake.

NBC news did it's year-end "In Memoriam" segment last night and I'm always struck by how many notable figures we've lost. Even those I could have sworn died years ago. I liked how they used Bob Dole appearing next to Norm MacDonald on Saturday Night Live (which had better reair the episode Betty White hosted) to commemorate them both.

[kittykat]

Oh COME ON!  Of all the lovely people who deserved to hit the big 100!  Happy freaking New Year! 😥

[legaleagle53]

DAMMIT, 2021! We just talked about this yesterday. You just HAD to be the one to take her, didn't you?

RIP, Betty, and thank you. Have fun catching up with Allen and the rest of the casts of The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Golden Girls!

[DearEvette]

41 minutes ago, Popples said:

She got so damn close to 100, too.

 

Holy shit.  I mean, she is 99, but damn.  RIP Betty.

[Bastet]

As soon as I saw the "Hot" designation on this thread, I knew Betty White had died. 

She was a smart, kind, funny person.  And she was a pioneer, a woman producing her own TV show in the '50s - for which she hired a female director, and told southern stations to get stuffed when they wanted her to ditch Arthur Duncan (who is black) in order for them to air her show (she is reported to have said, "I'm sorry.  Live with it.").

Keep an eye on your PBS station, as they may re-air their Betty White documentary (Betty White: First Lady of Television).  Actually, it might be on Netflix, too.  It's a charming retrospective on her career. 

[Jan Spears]

It's been a tough year for fans of the Mary Tyler Moore Show. Ed Asner, Cloris Leachman, Gavin Macleod and Betty White all died in 2021.

[Macbeth]

6 minutes ago, Jan Spears said:

It's been a tough year for fans of the Mary Tyler Moore Show. Ed Asner, Cloris Leachman, Gavin Macleod and Betty White all died in 2021.

Will someone please pass the kleenex.

 

 

Edited December 31, 2021 by Macbeth

[Browncoat]

Noooooo!!!!  I was really hoping she'd make it to 100.  

RIP, Betty.  😭😭😭

[giovannif7]

😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭💔

 

[Irlandesa]

I was worried all the 100 years old celebration was going to be a jinx.

She was amazing.   And even though she lived a long life, she'll still be missed, especially since she was still making entertaining appearances up to a few years ago.