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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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17 minutes ago, Notabug said:

96, almost 97 is a pretty good run, though.

Yeah, living nearly 97 years - being able to spend most of them doing creatively fulfilling work which one is paid very well - and dying in your sleep is pretty much the best anyone could ask for.

I recently tried re-watching Murder, She Wrote on a streaming service, and even with entertaining myself with the longstanding theory Jessica Fletcher is actually a serial killer framing others for her crimes (the per capita murder rate in tiny Cabot Cove being what it is, and someone known to someone she knows being murdered every time she goes to visit them), it was quickly unwatchable in how formulaic it was, but it's still cool to see a show centered around a vibrant woman in her 60s, and was really something then.

And, of course, all those terrific film and stage performances.  I know almost nothing of her personally - I recall she said something stupid about sexual harassment several years ago, but in context it wasn't as bad as that one statement alone - but she had a fantastic career, and worked into her 90s.

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No. No. No. No.

I do not acknowledge that this has happened.

Murder She Wrote was one of my absolute favorite shows as a little girl (which distinguished me as a bit of an oddball in second grade) and, as an adult, it’s now one of my go-to “comfort food” shows. I remember fantasizing about being one of Jessica Fletcher’s many, many nieces and getting to help her solve crimes.

Of course, as I’ve aged, I’ve come to appreciate her for her long, varied career, her talent, her stature and staying power in a fickle industry.

But, as I said, I refuse to acknowledge this. I may need some mental health processing time.

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Awww.  RIP Ms. Lansbury.

Like most people my generation, my intro to her was "Murder, She Wrote"  but I remember watching the 1945 movie, The Picture of Dorian Gray and seeing young Angela and how good she was in that dramatic/slightly horror role.  Also she was so very pretty.

One of my favorite Angela adjacent things, is in the tv show 'Playing House' Keegan-Michael Key's character, Mark's favorite show was Murder, She wrote. So much so that when the opening credit music came on he had to stop and just listen because "that was his jam."

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Check out her Osacar nominated supporting roles in Gaslight and The Manchurian Candiate (the original), both great films. She also was nominated for The Picture of Dorian Grey as well.

Rest in Peace, Dame Angela.

Edited by Hiyo
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My Mom and I watched Murder She Wrote every Sunday night. A few years ago, she started rewatching it on COZI. She would call me and say "Don't bother me, this one's in Cabot Cove"...

My mom passed last month and she'd be the one person I could talk to about this. 

I did love her in Beaity and the Beast....Say hi to Jerry for us....we'll miss ya...

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23 minutes ago, DearEvette said:

One of my favorite Angela adjacent things, is in the tv show 'Playing House' Keegan-Michael Key's character, Mark's favorite show was Murder, She wrote. So much so that when the opening credit music came on he had to stop and just listen because "that was his jam."

I, too, fondly remember that.  I loved Mark in general (which is not usually the case for me and boyfriend characters on TV), and his "This is my jam!" is one of the many reasons why. (And then the characters had a conversation about Cabot Cove:  "Nothing bad ever happens there."  "Nothing BUT bad things happen there!")  I miss that show.

4 minutes ago, Hiyo said:

Check out her Osacar nominated supporting roles in Gaslight

That was such a fantastic performance for her first film role!  In addition to the others that have been listed thus far, I also loved her in State of the Union (one of the lesser-known Katharine Hepburn/Spencer Tracy films, directed by Frank Capra).

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Gawd, this year is just sucking.  Betty White, Her Majesty, and now Angela Lansbury.  Ugh. 

CBC's radio show/podcast Q did an interview with her a few months ago (maybe longer), which was great.  Not sure if it's still available online, but the host played her a clip of a reggae song called "Murder She Wrote" and she seemed pleasantly surprised by the fact that knowledge of her show was so widespread.

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2 hours ago, BetterButter said:

Her version of B&tB has always brought a tear to my eye.  There's just something so lovely and warm and magical in her voice when she sings it that no other performer has ever captured.  No one else even comes close.

I can list a dozen things I've seen her in, and I adore her in Murder, She Wrote.  But her performance of this song is perfection to me.

I'm heartbroken right now.

Edited by ElleryAnne
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So very sad to hear about Angela Lansbury. Add me to the list of those who first became familiar with her via "Murder She Wrote" - I haven't seen a lot of that show myself, but I remember my grandma watching it all the time when I was a little kid, and so I just always connected her with my grandma because of that. My mom always loved to tell a story about how my grandma, when watching the show, would always be like, "You think she won't possibly be able to solve this case, but she always does!" And my mom would be like, "...yeah, I think that's kind of the point...." :p). 

And then of course, there's Beauty and the Beast. Plus, as a kid, I just always liked seeing a famous person out there who shared my first name :p (same with Angela Bassett). 

A true legend, indeed. May she rest in peace.

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There's a wonderful movie of Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd:

It sounded like a long, well-lived life, so when she passed away I don't exactly feel sadness. More like a sense of respect that she achieved so much and that her work will live on.

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I vaguely remember my grandmother watching Murder, She Wrote but I never got to see much of it myself because I was so young when the show was on and when it ended. I may have to find a way to watch it though, if part for my grandmother’s memory and to actually see it now that I’m an adult. 

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When I read the news about Angela today, I pinged back to when Al Hirschfeld died: he was six months away from 100, yet I couldn’t get my head around the fact that he was gone; it felt…too soon! 

Same feeling.

I first knew her as Miss Price in Bedknobs and Broomsticks.  Later when I was knee-deep in classic film,  I was surprised to see her Bad Girl in Harvey Girls (but was pacified when she redeemed herself in the end — booting Judy Garland from the train, so Judy could run back to John Garfield).

Incredibly blessed to have seen her in Sweeney Todd’s first year.  We all stood to cheer her “A Little Priest” with Len Cariou.

And there was ever the promise, in whatever film or TV episode she graced, that even if the rest of it wasn’t very good, she’d give you a performance of charm and wisdom.

To echo @Popples: “If He Walked Into My Life” always gets me, but good.  Especially as my darling Nephew de Voiceover grows up and away from his fond auntie.  
 

“And there must have been a thousand things/that my heart forgot to say..”.  Dear Miss Lansbury, you’ll live on in the hearts of so many. 

Edited by voiceover
Ha! Autocorrect wrote her as “Angels”
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3 minutes ago, voiceover said:

And there was ever the promise, in whatever film or TV episode she graced, that even if the rest of it wasn’t very good, she’d give you a performance of charm and wisdom.

This is a beautiful sentiment. And so true :). Well put. 

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13 minutes ago, voiceover said:

Incredibly blessed to have seen her in Sweeney Todd’s first year.  We all stood to cheer her “A Little Priest” with Len Cariou.

I am jealous!  She will always be Mrs. Lovett to me -- her role in Murder, She Wrote was just a cover for her secret pie business.

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I remember watching AFI’s 100 Years…Heroes and Villains series and Angela Lansbury started talking about a role she played on screen and I realized that it was time for a villain to be revealed and I was saying out loud “no not Angela Lansbury!!! She would never play a villain!”

And that’s how I discovered The Manchurian Candidate.

Edited to add:  OMG!! Angela Lansbury makes a cameo in the new Knives Out movie!!!!

Edited by mariah23
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Well, Miss Lansbury sure lived a full life and what can you say about a movie career in which her very first role was in the thriller called Gaslight (1944) which spawned the term for deceiving others via getting them to question their own sanity! 

Of course, she was able to defy the odds and re-invent her own career many times, I somehow thought there'd be yet another comeback in the next few years. Regardless, what a legacy she's left a good number of generations. RIP, Miss Lansbury!

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2 hours ago, AgathaC said:

Murder She Wrote was one of my absolute favorite shows as a little girl (which distinguished me as a bit of an oddball in second grade) and, as an adult, it’s now one of my go-to “comfort food” shows. I remember fantasizing about being one of Jessica Fletcher’s many, many nieces and getting to help her solve crimes.

my gran was the spitting image of Jessica Fletcher so she's always had a special place in my heart. I, too, was that weird kid who loved Murder She Wrote. She totally was a serial killer, but the good kind. lol 

I saw that this thread was "on fire" and popped in to see what big name had passed. I wasn't expecting it to be Angela Landsbury. NOOOOOOOOOO (fingers in ears) I can't hear you, this didn't happen! Between her, Betty White and The Queen I have now lost all my pretend grannies. :(

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2 hours ago, Bastet said:

I recently tried re-watching Murder, She Wrote on a streaming service, and even with entertaining myself with the longstanding theory Jessica Fletcher is actually a serial killer framing others for her crimes

Oh, the crime passionnel, the primitive instinct to kill, so closely allied to the sex instinct. Angela Lansbury as Salome Otterbourne Death on the Nile

R.I.P. dear lady.  

                                                                              

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1 hour ago, Cloud9Shopper said:

I vaguely remember my grandmother watching Murder, She Wrote but I never got to see much of it myself because I was so young when the show was on and when it ended. I may have to find a way to watch it though, if part for my grandmother’s memory and to actually see it now that I’m an adult. 

I was a big fan of Murder She Wrote in the day.  I recently started watching it again on Freevee.  It’s free if you have Prime.  

Edited by SunnyBeBe
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45 minutes ago, Mabinogia said:

my gran was the spitting image of Jessica Fletcher so she's always had a special place in my heart. I, too, was that weird kid who loved Murder She Wrote. She totally was a serial killer, but the good kind. lol 

I saw that this thread was "on fire" and popped in to see what big name had passed. I wasn't expecting it to be Angela Landsbury. NOOOOOOOOOO (fingers in ears) I can't hear you, this didn't happen! Between her, Betty White and The Queen I have now lost all my pretend grannies. :(

Yes! She actually looked like my grandmother, as well. (A grandmother who had an entire wall of bookcases full of mystery novels — hence my name.) I’m fortunate enough to still have my grandmother with me, but she’s in her 90s as well, so I’m all too aware my time with her is limited.

There was something so comforting and cozy about Angela Lansbury in that part. And so inspiring. Her Jessica Fletcher was a role model - successful, smart, kind. Starting a second career, traveling the world, etc., all at an age when so much of society says women should just fade away.

I still want to be JB when I grow up.

Then to see the video of her as Mrs. Lovett… talk about range.

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She was nominated for the Primetime Emmy award 12 times in a row for Murder, She Wrote, without winning. Both are records (most nomination in general, and most nominations without a win). She also has the record for the most Golden Globe nominations (10 overall) and wins (4) for Best Actress in a television drama series. Pretty impressive.

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42 minutes ago, MissAlmond said:

Actor Michael Callan who appeared in such films as Cat Ballou and Gidget Goes Hawaiian and the original Riff on Broadway in West Side Story has died, age 86.

He was a cutie!  I never knew he played Riff on Broadway.  Very versatile actor.

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Just hearing about Angela Lansbury, I was shocked and saddened. But, as others have mentioned, 96 is a great run. She was so talented and I loved almost everything she was in, including The Long Hot Summer opposite Orson Welles. 

My mom and I are currently doing a re-watch of Murder She Wrote on Peacock and we both love how well Jessica dresses. Her clothes were timeless and she never looked like an "old lady".

Now I also have another reason to look forward to the next Knives Out movie.

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I first became aware of Angela Lansbury when HBO ran The Pirates of Penzance incessantly for a while. She played Ruth who accidently signs her young charge to a contract as a pirate instead of a pilot. The film finally became available on DVD after 35 years, also starring Linda Ronstadt, Kevin Klein and Rex Smith. Along with the wonderful but now forgotten Tony Azito who sadly would die of AIDS at only 46. 

Edited by Vermicious Knid
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It's taken me a day to come to terms with the death of Angela Lansbury.  I was a young teen when Murder, She Wrote premiered and I watched it then and have watched the reruns faithfully from 1999 clear through today.  It is, as someone else upthread mentioned, my jam.  She could never know the comfort she (and by extension the cast of MSW) have given me through the years.  It really sucks that she's gone.

On 10/11/2022 at 3:03 PM, Popples said:

Here's one of my favorite numbers she did back in the MGM Golden Years.

She sang this song in an episode of MSW as Emma, Jessica Fletcher's British cousin!  It's been so interesting watching all the tributes because I'm learning more about her and her career and how she called back to other parts of her life in entertainment as the character of Jessica.

I've been watching reruns today on Cozi TV with sadness but also a new appreciation for this remarkable woman.

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18 minutes ago, Kitty Redstone said:

I've been watching reruns today on Cozi TV with sadness but also a new appreciation for this remarkable woman.

Oh Good! It’s still airing on COZI. I tried watching on Freevee (formerly IMDBtv) and had to turn it off because it cut toa Commercial while Jessica was speaking!

I hate Bezos.

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35 minutes ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

Oh Good! It’s still airing on COZI. I tried watching on Freevee (formerly IMDBtv) and had to turn it off because it cut toa Commercial while Jessica was speaking!

Usually it's on COZI very early in the morning (too early for me; I watch late night on HMM when they're not airing Christmas movies for months at a time), but for the next few days COZI is running morning through afternoon marathons. 

I'm hoping Peacock has the original episode cuts because HMM and COZI have both made edits.

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On 10/11/2022 at 3:33 PM, Domestic Assassin said:

RIP Angela Lansbury 

Sad to hear, but I'm sure the murder rate in Cabot Cove will go down now. I'm convinced Jessica Fletcher was a serial killer, and used her knowledge and friendship with the sheriff to frame all those poor saps... 😄

Edited by Moose135
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Oh no!  Whether one loves or hates the books and/or movies there's something about the way Robbie uttered "yer a wizard Harry" that sets the tone for the entire series.  The man didn't just play Hagrid, he was Hagrid.

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