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

Joss Ackland, 95.

All six listed cast members of One Foot In The Grave, a show about old people which started 33 years ago.

I mean it isn't that surprising that Angus Deayton is still around, but Doreen Mantle who played Mrs Warboys is now 96.

No feet in the grave

Terry Carter, 94, who played Pvt. Sugarman in the Phil Silvers Show and was possibly the first black actor in a regular role on US network TV. Also in Foxy Brown!

science! documentarian james burke, 86

Oh no!

... oops, I thought this was the obituary thread! Keep going, James!

never tire of watching this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WoDQBhJCVQ

Kevin Brownlow - 85 today! I didn't realise how young he was when he made It Happened Here.

Hadn't thought about it but I think his main career is restoration so the lack of films he's made seemed normal

I think I did know he was v young when It Happened Here um, happened

IHE and Went the Day Well? seems like a natural double bill

Definitely. Made me realise i'm due a rewatch of Winstanley as well.

Mitzi Gaynor is still going at 91.

Was just watching the MGM musical Les Girls (1957) and one of Mitzi’s two fellow “girls,” Taina Elg, is also still around at 93!

James Burton

Ursula Andress, 87.

John Nott, "here today, gone tomorrow politician", still here today at 91.

Asha Bhosle, 89.

Long, pointless story, but please trust that it is relevant to the thread: My son has a series of questions he asks about people: first, whether the person is dead. Then it becomes a flowchart.

If the person is alive, he asks how old they are, and whether they live nearby. Sometimes he asks whether they are in Washington D.C. If they don't live nearby, he asks how far away it is.

If the person is dead, he asks when they died. And then whether I am sad about it.

So this morning he was playing with the car radio and found "Take on Me."

Sam: Dad. Who mote dis HAAA? (Who wrote this song?)

Me: A-Ha. The singer is Morten Harket.

Sam: He dead?

Me: No.

Sam: How old is he?

Me: Uh, I guess he's about 65? (I really have no idea.)

Sam: In Wah DC?

Me: No, I guess he's probably in Norway. (I really have no idea.)

Sam: Is far?

Me: No, it's thousands of miles.

Next song: "I Will Survive."

Sam: Who is dat?

Me: Gloria Gaynor.

Sam: He dead?

Me: No, she's still alive.

What I am not saying: BECAUSE DUH, SHE IS LITERALLY TELLING YOU IN THE SONG THAT SHE WILL SURVIVE

THREAD RELEVANCE ALERT: Gloria Gaynor is 79 and turns 80 in September. I looked it up.

EPILOGUE

For some perverse reason the next song to come on the radio is "Eye of the Tiger" by... wait for it... Survivor. I am sensing a theme. Same questions but we will skip them for now. Because the next song we heard was by Michael Jackson.

Sam: He dead?

Me: Yes.

Sam: When he dead?

Me: Uh, about 15 years ago? (Guessing)

Sam: Is Dad sad of him?

Me: Uh, it's complicated.

Ed Meese! 91 years young

John Craven, 82

obviously not a big Countryfile viewer then!

Not even slightly! I just assume everyone from the 70s died in the 10s.

Mitzi Gaynor, 91

Happy 99th birthday to Eva Marie Saint!

Recent surprises for me (for one reason or another):

Joey Heatherton, 78
Kris Kristofferson, 87
June Lockhart, 98

Kevin Brownlow’s archives were very recently acquired by the AMPAS

Mark Rydell, 94.

Matthew Katz, arsehole ex-manager of Moby Grape, Jefferson Airplane and It's A Beautiful Day, 94.

Oh yeah, that guy. Had no use, RIP anyway etc.

Erich von Daniken, 88

Richard Lester, 91

Richard Garwin, 95.

Vera Miles, 93.

Matthew Katz, arsehole ex-manager of Moby Grape, Jefferson Airplane and It's A Beautiful Day, 94.

― Body Odour Ultra Low Emission Zone (Tom D.), Thursday, July 13, 2023 2:41 PM (three days ago) bookmarkflaglink

Oh yeah, that guy. Had no use, RIP anyway etc.

― The Lunatics (Have Taken Over the Elektra) (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, July 13, 2023 3:39 PM (three days ago) bookmarkflaglink

Seriously, fuck this fucking guy. He started out seemingly wanting to leverage his position for some big payday, but 50+ years on, his still clinging to it seemingly out of pure spite...unless he thinks the big Moby Grape payday is juuuust around the corner, and he can enjoy his late 90s as a multimillionaire.

Barry Diller, 81

^^I suspect the WGA/SAG strikes will inspire more of these old executive ghouls to show their heads on news shows.

Anita Bryant is still alive and only 83, wtf? I must have misjudged her age when I was in elementary school, back in her prime gaybaiting days.

Counting the days till she joins Phyllis Schlafly and Nancy Reagan on the other side.

xxp I used to work for an indie label wholesaler in the early 90s. Far and away, the biggest asshole we had to work with was Matthew Katz. The Mannheim Steamroller guys were bad, but they didn't hold a candle to Katz.

The Mannheim Steamroller guys were bad

^^New Borad Description?

A favorite bit of Katz dickery is when Sony UK actually managed finagle a twofer reissue of the first two It's A Beautiful Day lps, but he denied them use of the artwork, so they had to go out with a generic black cover with the credits and explanation of what happened.

Wasn't his ownership of the Grape covers what torpedoed their re-release?

That sounds absolutely consistent with the Matthew Katz I knew and loathed.

Yes, the first two.5 albums.

(My story, upthread)

I don't see any mention of Matthew Katz, in your posts or otherwise, upthread until five days ago?

Sorry, forgot I'm not on the Moby Grape thread

Ella Jenkins, children's folk singer, 98

Oh wow she soundtracked my late 70s/early 80s childhood. I say this all the time by now, but I didn’t think she was still alive, until now of course.

My best friend and her husband got to see 8 1/2 in rep earlier this week, and while discussing it, I looked it up on IMDb only to discover most of the main female leads are still alive!

Anouk Aimee, 91
Claudia Cardinale, 85
Sandra Milo, 90
Barbara Steele, 86

Rhoda Scott - 85 and still killing it on the Hammond