Rolling Obituary Thread: 2020

PBS Newsman Jim Lehrer

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/23/business/media/jim-lehrer-dead.html

the 'evenhandedness' of the NewsHour has a lot to answer for

including David Brooks

worse: William Safire

mny impression is that they were less "bothsides" in the '70s, but when wingnuts threatened PBS's budget they self-castrated accordingly

Honestly, I think News Hour handles this better than most TV news.

They do, but it’s a low bar.

John Karlen, of Dark Shadows, Cagney and Lacey, Daughters of Darkness fame

https://deadline.com/2020/01/john-karlen-dead-dark-shadows-cagney-lacey-emmy-award-obituary-1202839383/

"Mary-Bet'!"

Love John Karlen on Dark Shadows, he always brought a little Method style intensity to even the most mundane scene.

French Connection detective and film producer Sonny Grosso

https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/ny-french-connection-detective-sonny-grosso-dead-20200123-5sytwz5pzfanbglfiffhhrdcjq-story.html

I forget where I first heard about him — want to say he hosted a show at some point. Maybe Top Cops? He also produced a good Canadian TV cop drama, Night Heat, which is always catch late nights in syndication. As far as I can remember it didn’t mention the city where it took place (though it was filmed in Toronto) so it was a bit uncanny valley in that Canadian way.

Sean Reinert, drummer for the bands Death and Cynic.

man, he was such a good drummer.

what the fuck!!!!

He'd had a lot of health issues hadn't he? None fatal though, I didn't think.

oh no that is terrible. a powerhouse of a drummer, technical and witty and just great.

Ah shit. What a drummer.

Phew. Per TMZ, Kobe Bryant:

https://www.tmz.com/2020/01/26/kobe-bryant-killed-dead-helicopter-crash-in-calabasas/

Jesus

wtf

I know nothing about basketball and haven't the slightest interest in finding out anything about it and I'm still, like, wtf?

Yeah, me too

Wow

And an Oscar winner! Damn.

Spoke to a family member. They confirmed it. This is nuts.

— Marc Lamont Hill (@marclamonthill) January 26, 2020

he was almost in Uncut Gems before Kevin Garnett.. for a sec I was thinking was he that basketball player, not knowing anything about the sport.

I guess it goes without saying but it’s appalling that we’ve got people dying in helicopter crashes.

the Grammys are in LA at the STaples Center tonight. this is going to be a pretty somber awards ceremony.

fuuuucking hell

holy fuck

Holy heck

ESPN confirmed ex-laker Rick Fox also was on board. RIP.

— Twiter Rando (@Twiter_Rando) January 26, 2020

The rape accusation will come up soon, I suppose.

Rick Fox too? fuuuuuck

xpost

Good lord

"The rape accusation will come up soon, I suppose." I just asked someone when the 'kobe raping people in heaven' jokes will start.

rumors that at least a couple of Kobe's daughters were on board

awful shit all around

He's been such a household name for so long it's incredible to me that he was only 41.

hoping the daughters rumor is false. as far as I can see, it's an affiliate of ABC making that claim, but things are moving so fast i t's hard to keep up.

i think it might be a mistake, someone misspeaking, hoping that's the case.

Rick fox thing seems to be unconfirmed too?

Truly stunning. I was just watching an interview with LeBron James yesterday, who had passed Bryant on the all-time points list the night before.

man, rick fox

so apparently, now the daughters confirmed as not on board, and one of the surviving daughters indicated to press neither was Rick. Jesus.

at this point, I am ceasing to comment on any decedents other than Kobe until officially reported, because the rumor mill on Twitter has gotten disgusting and confusing.

TMZ reporting one daughter, Gigi (13), was on board.

ugh....awful

I thought this thread by a friend was very well said.

THREAD: All I can think about is this clip that went viral a few weeks ago of Kobe and his 13 year old daughter, Gianna, aka Gigi (now confirmed to have perished with him in the helicopter crash with him). He was dad-splaining basketball, and she was ribbing him for doing it. pic.twitter.com/qr3oRqCLOq

— Karen Tongson (@inlandemperor) January 26, 2020

I don't really see 'ribbing' there but that does look like a tender father-daughter moment

i guess this is a good time to tell my story. in one of my former jobs here in Los Angeles we had a subsidy company that was a limo company. anyways, Kobe left his camera in the back seat of one of the limos. they knew i lived in Orange County and told me they would give me a car for the night and my job was to go to his house in Newport Beach and take him his camera. fair enough, when i got to the security gate i had clearance and all that. so i went up to his door and knocked. i'm expecting like a maid or butler or someone else to answer the front door. nope, it was Kobe himself so he actually took some time and we talked for a few moments. it was sort of a surreal experience but not too unusual as i have met a lot of stars at that job and it became sort of normal for me. when you are meeting the members of Metallica, having Renée Zellweger calling me telling me that she just wrecked our BMW and giving me the location of that car or having Kim Gordon telling me to turn down Led Zeppelin (true story) as she was trying to talk to someone. then it became sort of normal for me.

RIP Kobe Bryant