Rolling Obituary Thread: 2020

Robert Conrad

Wonder if anybody ever did knock that battery off Robert Conrad's shoulder.

I recall ABC and NBC drawing to a tie in the inaugural Battle of the Network Stars, and it was decided that the contest would be decided by a 220-yard dash between the two captains, Gabe "Welcome Back Kotter" Kaplan and Robert Conrad. I think Conrad smoked him.

Conrad played G Gordon Liddy in a TV film of GGL's autobiography... and Liddy as a boy was played by Danny Lloyd of The Shining, in his second and last turn before the cameras.

Conrad became a surreptitious gay icon for his "Wild Wild West" look, I think.

sorry henry

Conrad's ego and toughness also were on display during the Battle of the Network Stars specials, where he more often than not captained the NBC squad to victory. (He did lose one memorable race to Welcome Back Kotter's Gabe Kaplan, getting caught down in the stretch.)

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/robert-conrad-dead-wild-wild-west-action-star-was-84-1119262

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUSnEmgNvNM

How did I misremember that?! I guess I so bought into that tough guy persona that I revised my own memory. Sheesh.

Dancer and Actress Paula Kelly Dead at 76

https://extratv.com/2020/02/08/dancer-and-actress-paula-kelly-dead-at-77/?fbclid=IwAR3gZnaLVANrHxD33abdl2qDoXTfy2KHdd_VrTeEqCmzxrR-2_wRB_F0gLw

How did I misremember that?!

The result. I have this image of Gabe Kaplan running out of gas down the stretch.

The great Mirella Freni:

https://slippedisc.com/2020/02/just-in-mirella-freni-is-dead/

Saw that on Piotr Beczała's feed. RIP.

Conrad got an early lead so maybe that's what you're remembering

https://youtu.be/cqWU9huMMco?t=477

Stage, TV and film actor Kevin Conway

https://www.broadway.com/buzz/198376/kevin-conway-broadway-star-of-the-elephant-man-of-mice-and-men-dies-at-77/

French cartoonist Claire Bretécher.

"Her creations include… the unimpressed teenager Agrippine" (i have a book of her cartoons somewhere in my flat, the idea of it feels very 80s in my mind somehow)

lol

https://www.bedetheque.com/media/Couvertures/Couv_346775.jpg

RIP. Her best work was done in the 70s really, tho the English translations may not have appeared until the 80s.

RIP also to Pat Metheny keyboardist Lyle Mays:
https://www.musicradar.com/news/jazz-pianist-lyle-mays-co-founder-of-the-pat-metheny-group-dies-at-66

Wow, yes, I noticed that earlier today.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-51458177

Joseph Shabalala, founder and director of choral group Ladysmith Black Mambazo band.

RIP

Saw them on the Graceland tour, and once after

I'm sure I'll see my BFF mentioning Shabalala's death on social media; she's originally from South Africa and thought very highly of Ladysmith Black Mambazo.

RIP we named our cat Shabalala after the great man.

Conrad got an early lead so maybe that's what you're remembering

Yeah, that's probably what did it. Kaplan looks like a pretty strong runner! Cool to see some of his sweat hogs congratulating him at the end. But what's up w/ Conrad? He botches the concession speech - "the best coach, the best team won...CBS...I mean, NBC"...it was ABC! Probably was a bit loopy after going all out for whatever that distance was.

Fassdbinder regular Volker Spengler:

https://www.sueddeutsche.de/kultur/fassbinder-schauspieler-und-theaterstar-volker-spengler-ist-gestorben-1.4790232
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volker_Spengler

I got a dance lesson from Joseph shabalala as a kid, remember him as being a beacon of living kindness. RIP

But what's up w/ Conrad?

If you watch the clip from the beginning you'll see Conrad's upset about the results, make some off color jokes and throws a fit till they agree to a rematch.

Watching this whole thing set me down a rabbit hole of watching other battles of the network stars and which revealed that Kaplan was also good as the qb in 3 on 3 football and the kayak relay.

don't sleep on SCTV's Battle of the PBS Stars

Aw man RIP Volker Spengler

His performance as Elvira in RWF's In a Year with 13 Moons is a tour de force

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzIbKfkqOlg

RIP Volker, he's great in all his RWF roles - whcih are varied to say the least!

Paul English, Willie Nelson's long-time (and I mean LOOOOOOOOONG-time) drummer. It is amazing how long Willie kept that band together.

Yeah, just astounding. Almost fifty-five years as the drummer, a couple of years aside! Crazy.

....for dyin?

Hell of a read from a few years ago

https://www.oxfordamerican.org/magazine/item/463-watching-willie-s-back

Oh no! Of "Me And Paul" fame??

The Same!

Christophe Desjardins, French violist – one of the all-time greats. He was only 57. RIP.

Christie Blatchford:

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/amp/entry/christie-blatchford-dead_ca_5e441a56c5b6d0ea3811ad5e/

I personally couldn't stand her--she was Canada's version of a Hannity or Kellyanne Conway--although being one of the first female sports journalists in the early '70s was an achievement. The Sun had far and away the best baseball coverage in the pre-internet '80s and early '90s, so I read her compulsively and said nasty things about her in year-end music ballots and letters to the editor, published and unpublished.

We snarked a bit about her over on the Worst National Post Columnist thread, but this was a far more reasoned and appropriate acknowledgement of her passing that still manages to convey that she was, in fact, terrible.

the other koch brother, 86

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/13/business/frederick-koch-dead.html

good good good

oh shit it was the not evil one

bad bad bad

Lila Garrett had the typical for Pacifica horrible for radio voice but i never knew her tv background. RIP

― buzza, Monday, February 3, 2020 3:50 AM (one week ago) bookmarkflaglink

Lila Garrett's daughter is actress Eliza Roberts (fka Eliza Simons) who is married to actor Eric Roberts and the two Robertses are on Gilbert Gottfried's podcast this week with lotsa great anecdotes about Lila Garrett (recorded prior to her death)

good koch bad koch

Yes, the other bad Koch, Charles, still lives.

I'm not sure about the fourth of the Kochs, Bill. I think he's average Koch.

amazing poster artist Bonnie MacLean

Saw Bill in a Netflix doc about wine-collector swindles (he bought wine that was said to belong to Thomas Jefferson for half a mil).

lol wot a rube

Composer, conductor, pianist Reinbert de Leeuw.

RIP.

Oh no. Fuck, that one stings. Such an incredible artist – he will be dearly missed.

RIP