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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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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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Blergh

Blergh

1 hour ago, Petunia13 said:

It's Heath Ledger's birthday today. He would have been 38 today. So talented. What a fucking loss ?

I know and I've never shaken the feeling that had he not ditched Michelle Williams for an Olsen Twin (excuse me, an Olsen Sister), he might still be with us! 

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HoboClayton

HoboClayton

I think they are referring to Mary-Kate. When the masseuse found Heath dead, she called Mary-Kate before anyone, who then called her people to deal with it before anything else. Right? Something like that. 

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Spartan Girl

Spartan Girl

23 minutes ago, riley702 said:

OK, got it. I thought he and Williams were still together. Maybe MK was his dealer?

He and Williams split before then. I heard he was taking more pills because he missed his daughter. 

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Princess Sparkle

Princess Sparkle

16 hours ago, HoboClayton said:

I think they are referring to Mary-Kate. When the masseuse found Heath dead, she called Mary-Kate before anyone, who then called her people to deal with it before anything else. Right? Something like that. 

That's right, and then before MK would speak with the police, her lawyers demanded she have immunity for whatever she told them. 

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amaranta

amaranta

RIP Mr. Rickles. 

I saw him interviewed (don't remember which show) a few months ago and Don mentioned he was on Twitter.  So when I read the news I thought I'd look, expecting to find some acerbic wisecracking.  Instead, I saw his last tweet.  Then I got something in my eye.

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vibeology

vibeology

In terms of comedy routines, Don Rickles wasn't really my thing, but I grew up on Toy Story! Who didn't love Mr. Potato Head? He lived a pretty amazing life and spanned generations. RIP.

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roamyn

roamyn

(edited)

Are Carol, Tim & Bob Newhart the last remaining great comics of their generation?

RIP Mr. Tickles, you deserve it.  I hope Johnny & George & Jonathan & Jackie & Lenny greated you with a smartass remark!

Edited by roamyn
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Ohwell

Ohwell

(edited)
25 minutes ago, roamyn said:

Are Carol, Tim & Bob Newhart the last remaining great comics of their generation?

RIP Mr. Tickles, you deserve it.  I hope Johnny & George & Jonathan & Jackie & Lenny greated you with a smartass remark!

And Rodney Dangerfield, who's finally getting some respect.  

RIP to all.

Edited by Ohwell
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Calvada

Calvada

I absolutely loved Don Rickles.  I think it was a combination of wishing I could get away with some of the things he said (who hasn't wanted to call someone a hockey puck at some point?) with the realization that underneath it he was a big softy.  Look at all the tributes calling him the sweetest, kindest man, and the comments from the younger generation of comedians who clearly adored him.  My heart breaks a bit for Bob Newhart.  I hope the memories of all their great times together is a comfort to him.  I may have to pull out my Dick Van Dyke Show DVDs over the weekend and watch the two-parter with Mr. Rickles. 

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Silver Raven

Silver Raven

I could never stand Don Rickles.  I don't find attacking people funny.  I don't like TV shows like "Buffalo Bill", where the main character is an asshole, funny, and I don't like "comedy" that consists of making people feel bad about themselves.

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Lola16

Lola16

7 hours ago, Ohwell said:

I loved Don Rickles.  Hope he and Johnny Carson are having some laughs somewhere which is not necessarily Heaven. : )

Antenna TV is running Rickles & Carson episodes over the next few days.

I loved Rickles. And loved hearing that he and Newhart were real life friends. As a kid I remember watching those boozy Dean Martin roasts. Watched a bunch on youtube last week and cracked up so many times.

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legaleagle53

legaleagle53

51 minutes ago, Lola16 said:

Antenna TV is running Rickles & Carson episodes over the next few days.

I loved Rickles. And loved hearing that he and Newhart were real life friends. As a kid I remember watching those boozy Dean Martin roasts. Watched a bunch on youtube last week and cracked up so many times.

And, from all accounts, his caustic insult humor act was just that -- an act.  The truth is that offstage, he was one of the nicest guys you'd ever want to meet, and he himself never got why people would pay money to have him insult them as if it were a badge of honor.

He was also a great guy to follow on Twitter.  He was always humble and down-to-earth, and I'm positive that he appreciated and adored his fans as much as they appreciated and adored him.

Ninety years is a great run, Mr. Rickles, so RIP.  You've more than earned it.  Thanks for being such a big part of my growing up years and for never failing to make me laugh.

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VCRTracking

VCRTracking

(edited)

Here's just the part of the Carson clip where Sinatra tells that great story of Don asking him for a favor in a restaurant:

 

Jimmy Kimmel's tribute to Rickles was very emotional and moving and funny. He tells a great Sinatra and Rickles story told to him by Don's close friend Bob Newhart:

Edited by VCRTracking
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Blergh

Blergh

What's especially ironic is not only do Mr. Rickles's insults seem quite tame and harmless these days but also that he was underneath it all a softie and evidently a devoted family man (who had to cope with the death of his only son). Oh, and I also liked that he became famous without changing his name (which many performers of his background and generation did). RIP, Mr. Rickles.

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legaleagle53

legaleagle53

11 minutes ago, Blergh said:

What's especially ironic is not only do Mr. Rickles's insults seem quite tame and harmless these days but also that he was underneath it all a softie and evidently a devoted family man (who had to cope with the death of his only son). Oh, and I also liked that he became famous without changing his name (which many performers of his background and generation did). RIP, Mr. Rickles.

I think that's why his brand of "insult" comedy was so popular.  People who watched him and went to his shows knew it was all in fun, so they never took it seriously and kind of winked at him just as he winked at them while saying stuff that would get most people a punch in the nose at the very least and getting away with it.  Can you imagine how someone like Donald Trump would react to him, especially today?

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ari333

ari333

22 hours ago, amaranta said:

RIP Mr. Rickles. 

I saw him interviewed (don't remember which show) a few months ago and Don mentioned he was on Twitter.  So when I read the news I thought I'd look, expecting to find some acerbic wisecracking.  Instead, I saw his last tweet.  Then I got something in my eye.

What a beautiful last tweet. I have stuff in my eyes. We'll miss your amazing  humor, Hockey Puck. Bob Newhart must be crying as well as many others who love him.

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Petunia13

Petunia13

On 4/5/2017 at 2:10 PM, HoboClayton said:

I think they are referring to Mary-Kate. When the masseuse found Heath dead, she called Mary-Kate before anyone, who then called her people to deal with it before anything else. Right? Something like that. 

It is so sad to me his passing. He was so completely natural in Brokeback Mountain and heartbreaking - like that film was quietly devastating and it was mostly due to him.  Then he threw himself into and owned the shit out of his role as the Joker in the Dark Knight which was nothing to sneeze at as a heartthrob taking over after Nicholson - yet he utterly scared the shit out of me, while transfixing me even after re-watching. He also was very charming and winsome like in 10 Things I Hate About You and A Knights Tale ... like this was a guy who had tremendous range in his performances. He was so talented and young and was very interested in directing- what a loss artistically. I really believe had he lived he would have developed career wise like Denzel. And then to think he had a baby girl ? His talent and potential was something special in my book. 

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DollEyes

DollEyes

(edited)
On 4/6/2017 at 10:37 PM, Silver Raven said:

I could never stand Don Rickles.  I don't find attacking people funny.  I don't like TV shows like "Buffalo Bill", where the main character is an asshole, funny, and I don't like "comedy" that consists of making people feel bad about themselves.

I respectfully disagree. Despite his comedic persona, I've always believed that Don Rickles was a sweetheart deep down and all the tributes to him, especially the tearful one from Jimmy Kimmel, prove it. That Rickles managed to stay happily married to the same woman for over 50 years speaks volumes about him as a person. Rickles' targets not only never took his jokes personally, they loved him even more because of them. Besides comedy, Rickles was also a talented character actor who had supporting roles in, among other things, the Toy Story movies,  Kelly's Heroes, Casino and Innocent Blood, the 1992 John Landis vampire movie, in which Rickles newly-turned character has, to say the least, a negative reaction to sunlight:

"Mr. Warmth" Can't Take the Heat

RIP, Mr. Rickles, you lovable, old hockey puck. 

Edited by DollEyes
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ari333

ari333

29 minutes ago, DollEyes said:

I respectfully disagree. Despite his comedic persona, I've always believed that Don Rickles was a sweetheart deep down and all the tributes to him, especially the tearful one from Jimmy Kimmel, prove it. That Rickles managed to stay happily married to the same woman for over 50 years speaks volumes about him as a person. Rickles' targets not only never took his jokes personally, they loved him even more because of them. Besides comedy, Rickles was also a talented character actor who had supporting roles in, among other things, the Toy Story movies,  Kelly's Heroes, Casino and Innocent Blood, the 1992 John Landis vampire movie, in which Rickles newly-turned character has, to say the least, a negative reaction to sunlight:

"Mr. Warmth" Can't Take the Heat

RIP, Mr. Rickles, you lovable, old hockey puck. 

I agree.

I was listening to some old interviews with him and the interviewer said, "please give me one insult, so I can feel special." It was all in jest. He was a softie, imo.

Fifty years married to the same woman.... Forty ish years best friends with Newhart. That tells me good things.  He had a great run in a long career that he clearly loved.

R.I.P

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cpcathy

cpcathy

At first I thought "Don Rickles, oh he was so mean." But then I remembered, that yes, that was his act. I ended up watching some bits on Carson, and what struck me was that Rickles seemed to have the same level of "on" as Robin Williams, just improv, improv, improv, go, go, joke, joke. Funny man loved by many.

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GreekGeek

GreekGeek

I have mixed feelings about Don Rickles' style of comedy. It's one thing to take big shots down a peg; I loved his comment to Frank Sinatra: "Frank, make yourself at home. Hit somebody!" But I wouldn't enjoy seeing him ridicule non-celebrities. One guy reminisced about how he and his wife in Las Vegas were unexpectedly upgraded to a stage-side table at one of Rickles' shows, and got insulted non-stop. He said they both laughed really hard, so obviously some people have thicker skins than I do. Rickles did some good comedy acting, too. There was a 70's show called CPO Sharkey, where the insult humor was part of the character. It was good until it started recycling Gomer Pyle plotlines. He also did a guest shot on F Troop as "Chief Bald Eagle." 

On the more serious side, I was sad to read about Tim Pigott-Smith's death. I remembered him from The Jewel in the Crown on Masterpiece Theater in the 80's. His Ronald Merrick was despicable but also tragic and sympathetic in many ways. And last year I very much enjoyed seeing him in King Charles III. 

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ratgirlagogo

ratgirlagogo

(edited)
On 4/8/2017 at 2:23 PM, DollEyes said:

Besides comedy, Rickles was also a talented character actor who had supporting roles in, among other things:

Muscle Beach Party, Bikini Beach, Pajama Party, and Beach Blanket Bingo!

Edited by ratgirlagogo
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legaleagle53

legaleagle53

2 minutes ago, ratgirlagogo said:

Muscle Beach Party, Bikini Beach, Pajama Party, and Beach Blanket Bingo!

He obviously had a thing for the teen romantic comedies of the 50s and 60s.  And he played a rather memorable kidnapper on Gilligan's Island.

Truthfully, I think now that he was underrated as an actor.  And I'd love to have seen him tackle a dramatic role the way his best friend Bob Newhart has on occasion.  I'll bet he'd have been a revelation as a dramatic actor!

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Bastet

Bastet

(edited)

The (Angel is a) Centerfold guy was 71?  That doesn't even seem possible; time really flies.

I just heard Love Stinks last night for the first time in recent memory.

Edited by Bastet
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ratgirlagogo

ratgirlagogo

34 minutes ago, AimingforYoko said:

 

I had been a fan for several years before I figured out that who I thought was J. Geils was actually Peter Wolf.

 

Now that is funny.  Yes, Peter Wolf was the real star of that band.

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Bastet

Bastet

(edited)

It reminds me of Roseanne, when Roseanne and Jackie were arguing about a band I'm blanking on; Jackie couldn't believe Roseanne's insistence the guy it was named after was the guitarist, not the lead singer, and asked why the band wasn't named after the lead singer.  An exasperated Roseanne said, "Because [guitarist]'s mom let them practice in her garage!"

Edited by Bastet
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Jaded

Jaded

12 minutes ago, BW Manilowe said:

Dorothy Letterman, mother of David Letterman, died today at age 95.

https://twitter.com/rontimes/status/851957797222838273

I had been wondering how she was doing these past few years especially when she quit appearing on Late Nigh with her pies and such. The way she always said "David" no matter what he did or said was adorable. I loved it when Dave sent her over to Lillehamer to cover the 94' Olympics. You could tell he loved and admired her a lot.

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