Rolling Obituary Thread: 2021

Yeah that's just floored me, terrible news

Only 33. Good God, that is awful.

so, so sad :-(

We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of former World Champion Andy Fordham at the age of 59.

Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this difficult time. pic.twitter.com/WHyqqYafL5

— Live Darts (@livedarts) July 15, 2021

Andy Fordham, 59

Fuck, only 59! I mean, I'm surprised he was only 59 not that he died at 59, that seems very plausible. RIP Andy.

Andy Fordham's forearms were a miracle of biology. RIP big man.

RIP Peter R. de Vries - I hope the Dutch government finally really does something about these mob guys.

The Dutch king, Willem-Alexander, and his wife, Máxima, last week expressed their deep shock at the attack. “Journalists must be able to do their important work freely and without being threatened,” the royal palace’s statement said.

Biz Markie at 57. Diabetes related.

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/biz-markie-dead-1191772/

RIP Biz :(

oh god

Wow. RIP.

Tom O'Connor, British stand-up probably more famous for presenting what felt like every ITV quiz show.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-57879765

Certainly not famous for making anyone laugh.

idk the sardine joke was quality

Remember him this way:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqb-j1cNPhQ

He was Denise Lewis’s father-in-law!

Who, Roy Walker?

Big fan of the official websites of retired or faded TV celebrities.

Please enjoy your foray into the world of Tom O'Connor

Aside from the Stewart Lee routine I mainly know him as the host of that crossword based game show and also when I was a kid I had a joke book called “Tom O’Connor’s Book of Jokes” to which he contributed a foreword where he explained the theory of humour thusly:

a good opening joke is to come out and say “I was driving down a one way street and a policeman stopped me and said ‘didn’t you see the arrows?’ and I said ‘no, I didn’t even see the indians!’”

(Have just learned this is a Tommy Cooper joke)

A better opening joke is to come out and say “I was driving down a one way street and a policeman stopped me and said ‘didn’t you see the Indians?’ and I said ‘no, I didn’t even see the arrows!’”

And the best opening joke is to do the switched-around version then wait a few seconds and say to someone offscreen “I don’t think they’ve noticed”

For some reason that has stuck in my head and that is why I am so funny to this day

Who, Roy Walker?

Ah, shit, so it was!

Wait, that wasn’t deliberate?

I also mixed them up when I saw the news this morning.

It's Roy Walker, so it is.

Tom O’Connor: blander, skinnier, Scouser

Used to be a maths teacher iirc.

Such a pity Morbz isn't still around, he'd love this little divertissement.

John Bishop kind of looks like he might grow into Tom O'Connor/Roy Walker 'successful elder senior executive/consultant' hair look in due course.

xp he would have been torn because he hated obituary notices for uk celebrities but loved hack humourists nobody has heard of

we could have admonished him with "never a cross word" :(

E were brilliant tho

Juini Booth, Jazz Bassist and Sun Ra Arkestra Member, Dies at 73

https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/juini-booth-jazz-bassist-and-sun-ra-arkestra-member-dies-at-73/ar-AAMcQvN

For Canadian eyes only: Dolores Claman, who wrote the Hockey Night in Canada theme.

https://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/dolores-claman-death-hnic-theme-song-1.6107048

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6WE3z_--HU

I don't even know if it's still in use, but more definitively Canadian than almost anything.

Kurt Westergaard, artist of famous newspaper cartoons of Mohammed, looks like ISIS probably weren't responsible unless they have adopted much more subtle methods

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jul/19/kurt-westergaard-danish-cartoonist-muhammad-cartoon-dies-aged-86

Author, screenwriter, Logan's Run co-creator William F Nolan:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_F._Nolan

Robby Steinhardt, Violinist and Co-Lead Vocalist of Kansas, Dead at 71

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/robby-steinhardt-kansas-obit-dead-1198999/

Laid his weary head to rest.

Pyotr Mamonov of the Russian band Zvuki Mu due to coronavirus

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/jul/20/a-folkloric-hallucination-zvuki-mu-soviet-russias-most-glorious-band

Reading of the death of Joan Le Mesurier aged 90, led me to the Wikipedia entry for her husband and wow that’s quite a personal life

Oh yes i remember looking into it before.

Zvuki Mu, possibly the most unusual, unexpected band to get an album produced by Brian Eno.

Looks like Chuck E Weiss has passed.

"Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. My friend since childhood, musician, club owner, all around big deal in the Los Angeles music scene, and the protagonist of Rickie Lee Jones’ world hit, CHUCK Es IN LOVE, Chuck E Weiss passed away last night."

https://newdeaths.com/2021/07/21/chuck-e-weiss-obituary-death-american-songwriter-chuck-e-weiss-has-died/

Jazz drummer and member of the Vince Guaraldi Trio, Jerry Granelli. That's him playing the drums on Charlie Brown Christmas.

"Granelli "pretty much played with everybody" as a session musician, Reilly said, and performed with the likes of the Grateful Dead, Lou Rawls, Mose Allison, Sly Stone and, of course, Vince Guaraldi."

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/jerry-granelli-jazz-musician-dies-at-80-1.6110699

Peter Rehberg

Peter Rehberg (1968-2021) pic.twitter.com/rqZP3wDTAw

— INA grm (@Ina_GRM) July 23, 2021

Dammmm

:(

RIP

Charles Radcliffe: early Peace Movement activist, and member of the English Situationists (credited as 'political advisor' to the Jefferson Airplane on their Volunteers album).

I read his autobiography a few years ago, which is an exhaustive 900 page 'cultural document' containing accounts of the early London Blues scene (Eric Clapton was a flatmate), and the visits by US Blues artists to London in '63 and '64, among many other entertaining diversions.

Jackie Mason, who definitely fell into my ‘people you didn’t realize etc’ category.

Here’s a finger for Jackie. Rip