the last famous person you were surprised to discover was actually still alive

Ken Bates, 90.

Billy Bingham, 90 and Michael Barratt, 94.

I think Billy would keep us up. If not available, go with Michael.

Berry Gordy Jr, 92.

Al Jaffee, famous for the MAD fold-outs, is celebrating his 101st birthday today. This is photo of Jaffee & Will Elder, also a key MAD, in the lunchroom at the High School for Music and Arts in New York City, 1936. Two kids who found their calling in life. pic.twitter.com/nr9Jwqq39u

— Jeet Heer (@HeerJeet) March 13, 2022

Dabney Coleman

― Dokken played here for a Ribfest and people were total assholes (Sparkle Motion), Tuesday, January 6, 2015 12:26 PM (seven years ago)

Still kickin at 90. Hadn't seen a visage of him since his early 80s heyday so a bit jarring to see recent pics.

Desmond 'The Naked Ape' Morris, 94. He's just published a new book on lives of the British surrealists.

Happy 92nd birthday to John Astin (the original Gomez Addams). Apologies for thinking you were dead.

Yeah, I just learned this recently as well. He's head of the theatre department at Johns Hopkins!

I think maybe Raul Julia being dead convinced me he was as well?

Barry Humphries on the telly this morning i could've sworn he was gone

Was coming here to post the same.

Just told probably the filthiest joke ever told at lunchtime on bbc1.

He's probably already been mentioned here but Tom Lehrer - last studio album 1959, last concert 1972

Ralph Bakshi

Roger Corman (b.April 5, 1926) Happy Birthday, Roger!

Keep thinking Tony Bennett is dead.

Love For Sale, his recent album with Lady Gaga, is airport lounge vroom, and got me through Thanksgiving.

Clive Davis turned ninety yesterday.

Relative of famous person Buddy Holly - his older brother Larry Holley, 96.

Also Buddy’s wife, María Elena, 89.

Keeping with the Buddy Holly theme:

Jerry Allison, 82, and Sonny West, co-writer of "Rave On" and "Oh, Boy!", 84. Heck, let's mention Buddy's friend and tour-mate Dion DiMucci, 82. I watched an enjoyable interview with Dion on Youtube recently where he remembered introducing Buddy to Parmesan cheese.

Basically anyone who knew Buddy Holly is a legend in my book and I'm glad so many of them are still around.

Rona Barrett! Aged 85

xpost Sam I share your passion for all things Holly, which just seems to deepen over time

He was 22 when he died, just insane the amount of quality material he produced

In an interview included with the Criterion edition of the Naked City, Jules Dassin mentions a couple times how much he loved working with fellow blacklistee Marsha Hunt. She's 104 now, with her last credit in 2008, and the oldest member of the Academy.

Roy Thinnes, 84

Bob Cousy, 93

Terry Gibbs, 97.

Not to be confused with the much younger Gerry Gibbs.

Or Michael Gibbs.

Or Barry Gibbs.

Or country singer Terri Gibbs

James Lovelock

― Michael Jones, Saturday, 22 February 2020 11:48 (two years ago) bookmarkflaglink

blimey i interviewed lovelock when he was a spry and youthful 70

― mark s, Saturday, 22 February 2020 11:58 (two years ago) bookmarkflaglink

still with us at 102-and-a-half

reminded bcz i just came across my notes for my article abt gaia for arena magazine back in like 1991? (the one they left my byline off ffs)

doubly reminded when i read a scribble at the top of the interview with him which says his dad was born in 1873 lol

Schlocky B-movie horror director/special effects man, Bert I. Gordon, 99 (100 in September).

Also 99 (100 in November), René Schérer, philosopher and younger brother of Éric Rohmer.

Carol Burnett (a mere 88)

Leslie Phillips, 98, what the fuck why doesn't everyone go on all the time about how Leslie Phillips is still alive, this is genuinely shocking to me, I wish I'd never posted on this thread before (no I haven't done a Ctrl-F).

I have now Ctrl-Fed. Only four mentions, t'cha.

you jinxed javier pérez de cuéllar imo

Ding dong, the secretary general is dead.

he's gone back to his aliens

marina oswald and her teeth (now 80)

Experimental animator José Antonio Sistiaga, about to turn 90 next month.

Julie Andrews

― flappy bird, Wednesday, October 16, 2019 8:11 PM (one year ago) bookmarkflaglink

Holy shit!

Herb Alpert: trumpeter, Tijuana Brass impresario, cofounder of A&M Records, and last person to perform the Super Bowl rendition of the national anthem as an instrumental. Still around at 86 - just one of those people who I pictured as already being middle-aged in the mid-60s.

― Bobo Honk, real name, no gimmicks (Doctor Casino), Saturday, 10 July 2021 01:44 (nine months ago) bookmarkflaglink

87 now: i interviewed him in 1991 (abt north on south street, his hiphop LP lol) and just happened on the tape while sorting thru some stuff -- good to hear he is powering thru

Cool. I heard him and wife Lani Hall
interviewed a few years ago before some small tour they were doing. You probably know her voice from Sérgio Mendes and & Brasil ‘66 records.

And & and & and &

"And" six times in a row

.. finally!

Thomas Pynchon.

Running out of time for that career-spanning Oprah interview

well past time for another of his LONG books, the last two were mere slander pamphlets

Ooh, who was he slagging off?

Glenda Jackson. I knew nothing of her political career until today, either.

The former mayor of Mississauga, Ontario, Hazel McCallion, retired at 94 and is still around at 101.