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In Memoriam: Entertainment Industry Celebrity Deaths


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

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OMG ... 2016 is turning out HORRIBLE ... not Glenn Frey!

I guess they made the right decision not accepting that Kennedy Center medal this year.  By next December at least they'll have time to put together a proper tribute.

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I guess they made the right decision not accepting that Kennedy Center medal this year.  By next December at least they'll have time to put together a proper tribute.

 

Historically, the Kennedy Center has honored only living recipients.  It would be unusual for them to inject a "memoriam" aspect to its honor of the Eagles next year. For example, the only special acknowledgement of John Bonham in the Led Zeppelin tribute a few years ago was his son's appearance in the band backing Ann and Nancy Wilson on Stairway to Heaven, with the band members and chorus all wearing bowler hats.

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Historically, the Kennedy Center has honored only living recipients.  It would be unusual for them to inject a "memoriam" aspect to its honor of the Eagles next year. For example, the only special acknowledgement of John Bonham in the Led Zeppelin tribute a few years ago was his son's appearance in the band backing Ann and Nancy Wilson on Stairway to Heaven, with the band members and chorus all wearing bowler hats.

This is not a usual circumstance. Frey and his illness was specifically mentioned in this year's ceremony, with a "we'll do it with him next year" statement added in. So this isn't the same as honoring someone from the band's history--it would be a direct response to how they reacted this year.  It wouldn't be an "extra" memoriam, I'm sure, just an aspect to the presentation that specially acknowledges his passing and reiterates what happened in 2015, I think.

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My heart goes out to Celine Dion. Between losing her husband and her brother to cancer in the same week, Celine must not only be devastated (to put it mildly), if she wanted to postpone her Vegas shows for a few months, I wouldn't blame her.

 

  Just when it seems like 2016 couldn't possibly get any worse (celebrity death-wise, anyway), Glenn Frey, aka yet another piece of my childhood, dies. Like David Bowie, Glenn Frey and the Eagles changed music for the better. "Hotel California" is one of the greatest songs/albums of all time. "The Heat Is On," "The One You Love," "Smuggler's Blues" & "You Belong To the City" are my favorite Frey solo songs. I'll never be able to listen to "Desperado" without crying again.

 

R.I.P., Mr. Frey. Hope you feel that "Peaceful, Easy Feeling" now.

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My heart goes out to Celine Dion. Between losing her husband and her brother to cancer in the same week, Celine must not only be devastated (to put it mildly), if she wanted to postpone her Vegas shows for a few months, I wouldn't blame her.

 

Indeed.  I'm sure her fans would understand as well.  On the other hand, she may feel that working and connecting with her fans may be the best way to deal with the grieving process because it will give her some semblance of normal routine.  That's important, especially in the early stages of grief, which affects everyone in different ways.

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Just when it seems like 2016 couldn't possibly get any worse (celebrity death-wise, anyway), Glenn Frey, aka yet another piece of my childhood, dies. Like David Bowie, Glenn Frey and the Eagles changed music for the better. "Hotel California" is one of the greatest songs/albums of all time. "The Heat Is On," "The One You Love," "Smuggler's Blues" & "You Belong To the City" are my favorite Frey solo songs. I'll never be able to listen to "Desperado" without crying again.

R.I.P., Mr. Frey. Hope you feel that "Peaceful, Easy Feeling" now.

Unfortunately it's not going to abate, and we're going to lose more & more of our heroes & icons of our growing up years, because let's face it.... we're getting older, and as we do, those we revered in our youth will be older still.

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Unfortunately it's not going to abate, and we're going to lose more & more of our heroes & icons of our growing up years, because let's face it.... we're getting older, and as we do, those we revered in our youth will be older still.

 

Except Betty White.  I think that lady will outlive us all!  :-)

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Except Betty White.  I think that lady will outlive us all!  :-)

Oh dear, I hadn't thought of her. Quick, touch wood...

 

For those of you who are or were fans of Italian cinema from the 70s and beyond, Ettore Schola passed away two days ago, he was 84.

 

When I was very young, back in the mid-late 70s, my mom used to drag me to see art house movies that were totally inappropriate for my young age but that fostered in me a taste for a certain cinematography. In addition to the French Nouvelle Vague, I discovered Italian neorealism, fell in love with Vittorio Gassman, and was forever haunted (in a good way) by a handful of movies. So the news, while not as shocking as some of the others this month, is making me feel blue - it does indeed feel like the end of an era.   

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I can't imagine trying to sing My Heart Will Go On right now without completely breaking down. But you're right, everyone is different and whatever helps her or works for her, she should do.

The day after CD's husband died, my 14-year-old son was humming a bit from the chorus of MHWGO (probably had heard it under a news story about Rene's death), but didn't know the whole thing.  I pulled up a video of CD singing it in concert, and, just before pressing play, I explained that she just lost her husband, and this song is sung to someone who has died.  I could not get through the whole video without tears. 

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That's Celine, never wanting to disappoint her fans, no matter how much they would understand her taking time off, especially now.

 

Kathy Griffin said something once in her act about Celine that has always stayed with me. Two of her friends once bought a bunch of Celine stuff at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, knowing Kathy was doing a meet and greet with her and a fan, and despite the fact that there was a ridiculous amount of stuff--complete with Post-Its, saying what they wanted on there!--and being right before one of her shows, Celine sat there and signed all of it for them. I've never forgotten that.

 

Here's the clip (the story above starts at about 9:30):

 

Edited by UYI
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I agree, but the article did say he had suffered a traumatic brain injury during his comeback attempt and later a stroke, and was living in a care facility.

I read the article so I know what happened to him, but my point was it was a relatively young age to die, regardless of how he died.  

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It's sad of course, but in an odd was also epic. Abe being fake reported Dead, then popping up to complain that he's still alive has been a mainstay of the Internet since well... it became a real mass-used thing.

So far the only headline I've seen that actually refers to decades of his false death reports is of all places, The NY Daily News.

Abe Vigoda, ‘Barney Miller’ and ‘The Godfather’ star who was often subject of death hoaxes, dies at 94

The Abe Vigoda Status website, meanwhile, is being slammed. Can't even reach it. 

 

www.abevigoda.com

 

Nope. Nada. The site is dead right alongside Abe. Difference is... it will be back.

 

EDIT - Strike that. I got through. Here is a screenshot.

 

VCbthHX.jpg

 

I know Previously.tv is kind of scattered in what it covers, but I hope they write a nice piece about Abe.

 

Awe dammit.   We jinxed him.

The opposite. People have been saying he's dead since he was in his 60s. I think that somehow mysteriously extended his life! Edited by Kromm
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It had to happen sometime, and of course it was going to be January 2016, the Month of Celebrity Deaths.

 

At least it wasn't cancer.

The opposite. People have been saying he's dead since he was in his 60s. I think that somehow mysteriously extended his life!

 

That must be why Betty White is still with us, and she just turned 94 herself. She was also the subject of a premature death report a few years ago when she had dyed her hair and everyone thought it was a misspelling for "died."

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I'd also recommend watching Conan's show (probably this week). There's no way he won't mention this after the number of times he had Abe on his show (including how he continued Letterman's previous tradition of doing "Abe Vigoda is still alive" bits, but also used Vigoda for a hundred other things too).

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Abe Vigoda, Actor of ‘Godfather’ Fame, Dies at 94

Mr. Vigoda was reported dead 34 years ago — erroneously — a story that stuck with him and helped make him a cult figure.

 

This is the headline and subheading for the NYT's twitter feed.  The false death report goes all the way back to 1982; I didn't realize it was that long ago!  The article mentions the reporting mistake in the body of the piece.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/27/arts/television/abe-vigoda-actor-of-godfather-fame-dies-at-94.html?partner=IFTTT

 

RIP Mr. Vigoda.

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This is the headline and subheading for the NYT's twitter feed.  The false death report goes all the way back to 1982; I didn't realize it was that long ago!  The article mentions the reporting mistake in the body of the piece.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/27/arts/television/abe-vigoda-actor-of-godfather-fame-dies-at-94.html?partner=IFTTT

 

RIP Mr. Vigoda.

It happened more than once. I think there were two major false reports of his death, and also a constant confusion about if he was alive or not (at least from people who didn't watch either Letterman or Conan's shows, where Viogoda appeared every few months).
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RIP Mr. Vigoda.

 

I believe the Abe Vigoda is dead rumors began when Barney Miller ended its long run and a publication erroneously referred to "the late Abe Vigoda". 

People Magazine, in 1982. 

 

Then a few years later in 1988, a TV reporter falsely reported his death, and Vigoda basically went on a publicity tour after that to tell people he WASN'T dead.

 

And there was a lot of general confusion at other points too--which David Letterman and Conan O'Brian both capitalized on in skits many times.

 

BTW: while I'm personally not into Condolence Tweets/Facebook messages, if you are someone who is, Abe is survived by a daughter Carol, some nieces and nephews, and several grandkids.  The following are Carol's Facebook (where she seems active) and her Twitter (where she doesn't). There are a number of media articles with pictures of her next to Abe (for example this one), so you can see it's definitely the same woman:

 

https://www.facebook.com/carol.vigodafuchs

https://twitter.com/carolvigoda

Oh, if anyone out there assumes TV stars and their descendants are all automatically rich, the same search that found those links for Carol also found this: https://www.gofundme.com/j8ye6g She's had to crowdfund surgery for her son, so I'd say that if any fans want to honor Abe rather than waste money on flowers, I'd instead donate to there to help Abe's grandson.

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A beloved by some, and hated by others, local celeb has passed in Providence, RI.  Buddy Cianci, long-time mayor who later enjoyed a TV and radio career, died this morning.  Always fun and often controversial, Buddy loved the City of Providence like no other.  I'm in the camp that loved him.  The City thrived under his direction and won't be the same without his smiling face visiting the restaurants, entertainment venues, and businesses he encouraged.  RIP Buddy.

 

http://turnto10.com/news/local/vincent-buddy-cianci-passes-away-at-74

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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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