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

Rachel Robinson, widow of baseball star Jackie (1919-1972), turned 100 yesterday.

Peter Bonerz from The Bob Newhart Show is in the Marcel The Shell movie.

For some reason Nicholas van Hoogstraten popped into my mind. He's an infamous British landlord who styled himself as a cartoonish imitation of Peter Rachman (he legally changed his name to Nicholas Adolf von Hessen for no reason other than to have "Adolf" in his name). He emigrated to Zimbabwe several years ago and is apparently still alive. 77 isn't all that old, but he seems to have been around forever on account of the fact he became infamous at an early age.

He presents himself as a sinister crime boss with establishment connections, but as with e.g. Kenneth Noye he didn't seem particularly good at it, although he presumably lives a decent life in Zimbabwe.

Clu Gulager, 92.

― Wouldn't disgrace a Michael Jackson (Tom D.), Saturday, July 31, 2021 6:51 AM (eleven months ago)

... also 93, Clu Gulager.

― Tom D: I was in the army (Tom D.), Saturday, July 16, 2022 5:21 AM (five days ago)

looking forward to this one next July

Miiko Taka, the American actress who played the Japanese woman Marlon Brando wants to marry in the film Sayonara (1957), her first film role in a career that lasted into the 1980s. Will turn 97 on Sunday.

(xp) LOL in July I turn to thoughts of Clu Gulager.

militant's one-time guru peter taaffe still active at 80: no longergeneral secretary of militant's successor party the socialist party (spiffy name) he remains its political secretary :) 👍🏽

Morton Subotnick, 89

Just caught the end of "To Catch a Thief" and Brigitte Auber, who has a pretty significant role in it, is still alive at 97.

About once a month I suddenly think “hey! It’s so great that Burt Bacharach is still alive.” He is 94

Not surprised as such but Shatner on shit TV last night surprised me

Are you a Bacharach fan, fgti?

Yeah, huge fan. I’ve met him a couple of times! Lovely, lovely man

He was friends with Stravinsky if you can believe it

lol amazing

A "lovely, lovely man"... also handsome, talented, married to Angie Dickinson. Not bad really.

Wrote a few good tunes too, not too bad a life.

Watching Jeremy Isaacs interviewing Diana Rigg on BBC4, surprised to see that Isaacs is still around.

Dennis Lotis, popular big band singer in the UK in the 1950s, 97.

Norman Lear

― it me, Thursday, August 6, 2015 10:21 AM (six years ago) bookmarkflaglink

https://www.vulture.com/article/norman-lear-stories-memories.html

100 today.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/27/opinion/archie-bunker-donald-trump-norman-lear.html?referringSource=articleShare

And one from the man himself!

Ruth Buzzi, 86. Although she just had a series of strokes.

Sad to hear about the strokes. She's been an enjoyable twitter follow.

My friends! Between Frankie Avalon, Chubby Checker and Gary U.S. Bonds and the rest of the gang, we are going to have an unforgettable BLAST!!! See you there!

Use promo code DIONFAN & book now at https://t.co/AbBuqaE5SO pic.twitter.com/U47BSS5F4m

— DION (@thewandererdion) August 1, 2022

.

Several thread mainstays on one cruise

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11076635/Spoon-bender-Uri-Geller-says-use-Mind-Power-prevent-Russian-nuclear-attack.html

Uri Geller. Although I assume shoddily built weapons and poorly trained troops will be the true risk to Russia.

I learn from the internet that Chubby Checker married Catharina Lodders - Miss World 1962 - in 1964, and they've remained together ever since. Awww:
https://media.gettyimages.com/photos/american-singer-chubby-checker-pictured-with-his-fiancee-model-and-picture-id543479227?s=612x612

Part of me thinks "that's so sweet" and another part of me thinks "why should they be happy".

Maybe the Checkers are locked in a twisted game of one-upsmanship.

Danielle Steel (clued in by this article)

looking forward to this one next July

pic.twitter.com/6tXVY6f4ab

— New Beverly Cinema (@newbeverly) August 8, 2022

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/aug/15/italian-actor-gina-lollobrigida-95-says-she-will-run-in-general-elections

Barbara Eden, 91.

Rosey Grier, 90.

Gary Busey, 163

Jerry Allison, drummer for the Crickets, turns 83 in a few weeks.

Artist Frank Stella, 86. And he's selling NFTs (learned this thanks to KM).

María Elena Holly, Buddy Holly's widow: she'll turn 90 in December.

Not a lot of middle ground with that crew!

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

― Halfway there but for you, Friday, March 4, 2022 5:15 PM (five months ago) bookmarkflaglink

Died a month after I posted this. The Holl(e)y Curse strikes again!

Seeing reports from people who would know on FB that Jerry Allison of Buddy Holly & the Crickets has passed on.

― an icon of a worried-looking, long-haired, bespectacled man (C. Grisso/McCain), Monday, August 22, 2022 7:48 PM (two minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

AND AGAIN

Well hell!

Hope Holiday, the woman who picks up Jack Lemmon in the bar on Christmas Eve in "The Apartment", 91.

abdullah ibrahim

thankfully

Sure this has been discussed before, but what's the oldest band whose members are all still with us? Asking because it just occurred to me that all of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young are alive.

The five original members of Manfred Mann, formed 1962, are all still alive.

The Seekers were another band formed in 1962 in Australia, whose original members were alive, until a few weeks ago.

Tempted to say the Shadows - the Marvin/Welch/Bennett lineup from 1961 onwards is still alive and was together through all the various reunions. No real settled bass player after Jet Harris (who died about 10 years ago) and certainly nobody who did TV spots etc.

John Rostill was their bass player - and an especially good one - from 1963 till they first split up in 1969. He died in 1973 though.