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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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amaranta

amaranta

(edited)
On 9/19/2017 at 0:17 AM, BetterButter said:

Stanislav Petrov, 'The Man Who Saved The World,' Dies At 77

A special shout out to Mr. Petrov.  Yes, he lived most of his life in relative obscurity but without him it is quite possible the world as we know it would not exist.  It takes a special kind of bravery to show restraint under pressure and he had that kind of courage.  RIP and thank you.

Edited by amaranta
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Annber03

Annber03

4 hours ago, amaranta said:

A special shout out to Mr. Petrov.  Yes, he lived most of his life in relative obscurity but without him it is quite possible the world as we know it would not exist.  It takes a special kind of bravery to show restraint under pressure and he had that kind of courage.  RIP and thank you.

I felt a little breathless just reading that story about Petrov's actions that night. That happened a mere year before I was born. Wow. 

Scary to think of how one computer malfunction could've changed everything. Bless him indeed for keeping a cool, rational head.

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spiderpig

spiderpig

11 minutes ago, ratgirlagogo said:

So it turns out Jerry Lewis disinherited all his children from his first marriage:

https://www.avclub.com/jerry-lewis-actual-kids-excluded-from-his-will-1818664266

 

Sorry, folks, that's a  dick move.                                                                          

Wow.  Even as a kid I knew he had a wife named Patti and six boys he didn't fail to exploit when he was at the height of his fame.

Just like I felt he exploited "Jerry's Kids" later on to keep himself relevant.

What a jerk.  Did he had any estate left to fight over?

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Willowsmom

Willowsmom

1 hour ago, ratgirlagogo said:

So it turns out Jerry Lewis disinherited all his children from his first marriage:

https://www.avclub.com/jerry-lewis-actual-kids-excluded-from-his-will-1818664266

 

Sorry, folks, that's a  dick move.                                                                          

I  kind of get it. The boys are adults in their 50's and 60's. They are well into their careers and lives. Leaving them money may not be necessary but you would think there would be things he would want them to have.

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HunterHunted

HunterHunted

18 minutes ago, Willowsmom said:

I  kind of get it. The boys are adults in their 50's and 60's. They are well into their careers and lives. Leaving them money may not be necessary but you would think there would be things he would want them to have.

I get that, but he also disinherited any issue coming from his sons--their kids and grandkids. He never knew any of his grandchildren because he cut off contact with his sons when he and his second wife adopted their daughter 25 years ago. They were youngish men when he did that. That's just really ugly behavior.

However, he apparently had an illegitimate daughter from an affair during his first marriage. He's never acknowledged her, but he's never denied that she was his either. This woman took a DNA test that proved that she was related to one of his sons. I think it came back that there was 90% chance that they had the same father. I think she had also written an autobiography.  Her name is Suzanne Klienman (also known as Suzan Lewis), but it doesn't look like Lewis thought to specifically disinherit Klienman in his will. He was contacted by news organizations about her when he was alive. He could have excluded her, but he didn't. I would love it if his sons fund their half sister to challenge the will and have herself added as Lewis' issue; while Klienman creates a trust for herself, her issue, her brothers, and their issue so that Lewis' "hated" sons, and their families get his money, when she inherits.

How Jerry spoke about his children who he abandoned was terrible.

http://www.insideedition.com/entertainment/167-son-of-jerry-lewis-dies-from-drug-overdose

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spiderpig

spiderpig

@HunterHunted, it was strange how hilarious I found Jerry Lewis when I was a kid, and how creepy he was as an adult.  Lewis served as a temporary host between Jack Paar and Johnny Carson back in the 60s, and I thought he was a riot.  But I was a kid - what did I know?  (Yes, my parents let me stay up late)

He's come across as a nasty, bitter old man for decades

Whatever happened to his first wife Patti, anyway?

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BW Manilowe

BW Manilowe

2 hours ago, spiderpig said:

@HunterHunted, it was strange how hilarious I found Jerry Lewis when I was a kid, and how creepy he was as an adult.  Lewis served as a temporary host between Jack Paar and Johnny Carson back in the 60s, and I thought he was a riot.  But I was a kid - what did I know?  (Yes, my parents let me stay up late)

He's come across as a nasty, bitter old man for decades

Whatever happened to his first wife Patti, anyway?

As near as I can tell, Patti Lewis is still alive. I Googled, but nothing significant came up. She did help form LADIES (Life After Divorce Is Eventually Sane), a support group, of sorts, for celebrity ex-wives after her divorce from Jerry (though it's unclear if this was involved in Jerry's later estrangement from her; in my opinion it could've contributed--Jerry became estranged from his youngest son, Joseph, after he believed Joseph gave an interview to a tabloid claiming Jerry had beaten him up while he was growing up because Jerry wanted a daughter when he was born & not a sixth son).

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spiderpig

spiderpig

25 minutes ago, Silver Raven said:

Apparently nobody knows.  She disappeared after the divorce.

A video of her singing when she was young:

 

That song is as creepy as hell, by the way.

 

1 minute ago, BW Manilowe said:

As near as I can tell, Patti Lewis is still alive. I Googled, but nothing significant came up. She did help form LADIES (Life After Divorce Is Eventually Sane), a support group, of sorts, for celebrity ex-wives after her divorce from Jerry (though it's unclear if this was involved in Jerry's later estrangement from her; in my opinion it could've contributed--Jerry became estranged from his youngest son, Joseph, after he believed Joseph gave an interview to a tabloid claiming Jerry had beaten him up while he was growing up because Jerry wanted a daughter when he was born & not a sixth son).

Wow!  Stuff we never knew back in the day.  Good work, guys.

Wasn't Michael Landon's ex, along with Leonard Nimoy's, part of another Hollywood ex-wives club?

Jerry sounds like a complete ass.  (Not Spock, though.  A flight attendant friend encountered him and Sandi on a flight and said she was a complete beeyotch, but he was a lovely man.  She repeated it - "a lovely man".)

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Bastet

Bastet

14 minutes ago, spiderpig said:

Jerry sounds like a complete ass.

I have literally never heard anyone (whom I know personally, professionally, or via a "friend of a friend" connection) say a good word about him, but have heard plenty of "god, this guy's a dick" commentary from them. 

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BW Manilowe

BW Manilowe

31 minutes ago, spiderpig said:

 

Wow!  Stuff we never knew back in the day.  Good work, guys.

Wasn't Michael Landon's ex, along with Leonard Nimoy's, part of another Hollywood ex-wives club?

Jerry sounds like a complete ass.  (Not Spock, though.  A flight attendant friend encountered him and Sandi on a flight and said she was a complete beeyotch, but he was a lovely man.  She repeated it - "a lovely man".)

Michael Landon's 2nd ex wife (mother of 5 of his 9 kids) & Leonard Nimoy's ex-wife are part of LADIES & are mentioned in the article I linked to about the group.

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spiderpig

spiderpig

8 minutes ago, BW Manilowe said:

Michael Landon's 2nd ex wife (mother of 5 of his 9 kids) & Leonard Nimoy's ex-wife are part of LADIES & are mentioned in the article I linked to about the group.

Thanks, BWM...I will have to link before I type from now on!

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spiderpig

spiderpig

5 hours ago, Silver Raven said:

Apparently nobody knows.  She disappeared after the divorce.

A video of her singing when she was young:

That song is as creepy as hell, by the way.

You are so right, Silver.  The ick factor is off the charts.

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Blergh

Blergh

Re Jerry Lewis disinheriting his 6 sons and even the grandkids he never even met: consider the source.

 

I mean, it would have been one thing had he been a doting father and a fair-minded grandfather but to the best of my knowledge, he never was that so it would be best if all the above just consider　themselves lucky to have survived him (those who did) and make the best of their lives not having to ever deal with him again!

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BW Manilowe

BW Manilowe

16 hours ago, ratgirlagogo said:

So it turns out Jerry Lewis disinherited all his children from his first marriage:

https://www.avclub.com/jerry-lewis-actual-kids-excluded-from-his-will-1818664266

 

Sorry, folks, that's a  dick move.                                                                          

OK, I'm gonna bring this up--even though @ratgirlagogo wasn't the 1 who used the term in the post--because something similar was brought up when I recently referred to Dakota, the youngest daughter of comedienne/actress Rosie O'Donnell & Rosie's ex-wife, Michelle Rounds, who apparently committed suicide earlier this week, as "adopted" (which is how she joined Rosie's family & I don't think there's anything wrong with using the term... unless you're like Marie Osmond & you don't care to distinguish that some of your kids were adopted while others are biologically yours).

Anyway because what I said earlier this week, about Dakota O'Donnell, got some flak I took some notice that the linked article says (in referring to Jerry & first wife Patti Lewis's 6 sons) that "Jerry Lewis' actual kids were excluded from his will". This distinction apparently being made because Jerry's daughter from his second marriage, Danielle, was adopted & remained in Jerry's will along with her mother SanDee (aka Sam). This also implying that being adopted makes someone different--usually in a negative way from his or her siblings who are biologically related to their parents. Though it seems, in this case, being Jerry (& Sam) Lewis' adopted daughter is a positive thing since she's the only 1 of Jerry's 7 children who was in her father's will (along with her mother/Jerry's widow) upon his death.

And another thing... If the "actual kids" phrase was meant to be a (negative) distinction between his biological & adoptive children in the same family, then AV Club still managed to get it wrong. According to multiple sources Ronald Steven ("Ronnie") Lewis, Jerry's second son with his first wife Patti, was also adopted (just like Jerry & Sam's daughter Danielle). So (in my opinion) he apparently shouldn't be 1 of Jerry's "actual" kids either, if his father's also adopted daughter isn't considered 1 of Jerry's "actual" kids.

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Quof

Quof

BW Manilowe, I was the one who called you out for pointing out, twice, that Dakota O'Donnell is adopted, and I stand behind what I said. When trying to be mindful of biases, even subconscious ones, I find it best to ask "Do I need to use this adjective to tell the story?   Is the subject's race/gender/family status/body type/other descriptor relevant to the tale?"  

In most cases, the answer is "no." 

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Bastet

Bastet

(edited)
4 hours ago, BW Manilowe said:

And another thing... If the "actual kids" phrase was meant to be a (negative) distinction between his biological & adoptive children in the same family,

It's not; they're just making a play on "Jerry's Kids" (the kids with muscular dystrophy for whom his telethons were held) -- that he may have done good things for those kids, but when it came to his own children, he sucked.  Second paragraph of the article:

Quote

Despite the long-running “Jerry’s kids” sobriquet applied to children helped by the comedian’s charity work with the Muscular Dystrophy Association, his own children—now grown-ass adults, to be fair—will be receiving far less charity from their father than others did, even from beyond the grave.

Edited by Bastet
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Blergh

Blergh

11 hours ago, BW Manilowe said:

And from "the other side of the pond"...

From USA Today: Liz Dawn, Former Coronation Street Actress, Dead at 77

and...

From The Hollywood Reporter: Tony Booth, English Actor and Father of Cherie Blair, the Wife of Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Dead at 85 from Alzheimer's Disease

Mr. Booth's most notable role was playing 'Mike' in "Till Death Do Us Part" which Norman Lear himself would cite as one of the　the inspirations for "All in the Family".  However,  his Mike was somewhat less sympathetic than Rob Reiner's would be in that he was a layabout who openly and cheerfully was willing to live off the government doles as opposed to the Stateside character only living with his in-laws due to being in college. In any case, Mr.Booth had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's for 13 years before his death and that had to have been a nightmare for all concerned.RIP, 'Randy Scouse Git'!

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TVFan17

TVFan17

(edited)

And also, no matter what anyone thinks of Hef's personal life and business, he is/was most certainly an icon... who created a trailblazing, iconic brand -- an empire, really -- with an iconic logo that everyone knows.   Not only that, but he and the Mansion represented a whole lifestyle that is the stuff of legend to this day.   Who hasn't heard of or seen photos of the infamous Mansion parties?   Who hasn't heard of The Grotto?  

Hef was right in the middle of everything in the '70s, '80s and '90s, especially.   People clamored and begged to be invited to those parties, and only pre-selected/pre-approved guests could attend.  There was a certain mystique and allure surrounding the Playboy parties and the Playboy centerfolds.  He is responsible for all of that and more.

He certainly lived life to the fullest, in every possible way.  I doubt he had too many regrets when he took his final breath.

Edited by TVFan17
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AgentRXS

AgentRXS

12 minutes ago, TVFan17 said:

And also, no matter what anyone thinks of Hef's personal life and business, he is/was most certainly an icon... who created a trailblazing, iconic brand -- an empire, really -- with an iconic logo that everyone knows.   Not only that, but he and the Mansion represented a whole lifestyle that is the stuff of legend to this day.   Who hasn't heard of or seen photos of the infamous Mansion parties?   Who hasn't heard of The Grotto?  

Hef was right in the middle of everything in the '70s, '80s and '90s, especially.   People clamored and begged to be invited to those parties, and only pre-selected/pre-approved guests could attend.  There was a certain mystique and allure surrounding the Playboy parties and the Playboy centerfolds.  He is responsible for all of that and more.

He certainly lived life to the fullest, in every possible way.  I doubt he had too many regrets when he took his final breath.

Its definitely an end of an era.  I agree....Playboy might have had its critics but the Playboy Mansion was the IT place to be for 3 decades and many female celebrities considered it an honor to be chosen to pose in Playboy. If nothing else,  Mr. Hefner was a once-in-a-lifetime business/branding genius. The bunny logo will forever be iconic and he somehow kept Playboy's reputation as "classier" than magazines like Hustler and Penthouse. He was able to create the world he wanted to live in and I'm sure he enjoyed every minute of it.

RIP and rest well, Mr. Hefner.

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Mindthinkr

Mindthinkr

RIP Mr Hefner. 

Sad to say this but...the neighbor who bought his home (with the caveat that HH could live in it until his death) now has his property. I wonder what's going to become of al the exotic animals HH kept. It should have become a museum of sorts but I understand that kind of upscale neighborhood would never have passed a zoning variance for that. 

End of a Dynasty 

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biakbiak

biakbiak

16 minutes ago, Mindthinkr said:

Sad to say this but...the neighbor who bought his home(with the caveat that HH could live in it until his death) now has his property.

He owns Hostess and has the money to do his stated goal which is to restore the entire estate to its original 1920s glory. Hefner sold off the 5 acres that Dino now lives on from the original estate in the 90s. So the current owners plans don't seem something to be sad about. Unless his stated plans have changed.

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UYI

UYI

8 minutes ago, MargeGunderson said:

Makes sense; Hef bought a nude picture of Marilyn (from her unknown days) for the first issue of Playboy. 

Oh, I knew that; I just know it might seem...a bit too hero-worshippy, for some.

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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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