Rolling Obituary Thread 2023

João Donato, 88 :(

xpost There is a great anecdote I read once, maybe in the New Yorker. The gist of the essay was that if you are an icon, obviously you can't cite yourself in everyday speech. Like, Scorsese can't describe a movie as capturing the spirit of a young Scorsese, say, or, I don't know, Jeff Goldblum can't describe someone as a Jeff Goldblum type. That sort of thing. Anyway, the piece worked up to a chance encounter with Frank Sinatra, which gave the author the opportunity to ask him, essentially, who is your Frank Sinatra? And without missing a beat, Sinatra answered Tony Benedetto.

Of course. And Tony repaid that by naming a high school after Frank.

RIP Derek Malcolm btw - I wish you'd stayed at the Guardian longer

― Alba, Sunday, 16 July 2023 bookmarkflaglink

Had some upbringing.

https://www.bfi.org.uk/news/derek-malcolm-obituary-renowned-british-film-critic-lff-director

Bennett's wartime experiences were a hell of a thing -- not new news, but worth remembering. (Gift link.)

https://wapo.st/3Y3CXHb

Remembered most of that, forgot about liberating the camps.

Actress Josephine Chaplin

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/jul/21/josephine-chaplin-dies-actor-daughter-charlie-chaplin

UK singer Vince Hill dies at the age of 86. Didn't realise he was still alive, I must confess.

Sadly we have to share news none of us want to hear
We're very sorry to have to tell you Vince has left us
He passed peacefully at home
Vince created a musical legacy...
His tunes will remain forever in our hearts
Here's to you V... you bloody legend xxx
#VinceHill #Legend pic.twitter.com/f4kHr93taB

— Vince Hill (@SingerVinceHill) July 22, 2023

I remember Marcello constantly calling him one of those showbiz Tory Scousers which was odd as he wasn't a Scouser... almost certainly a Tory though.

Vince Hill opening up his spot with a pop at "Your Mother Should Know" which is less Edwardian than the Beatles version.

― The buttermilk of Beelzebub (Tom D.), Friday, 24 November 2017 20:13 (five years ago) bookmarkflaglink

George Alagiah, broadcaster.

Did anyone ever get to the bottom of why Morrissey's beef with George Alagiah?

Too brown.

Trevor Francis, the one million pound footballer

:-O

jesus

what, again?

If he was that heavy, no wonder he died a couple times.

CaAL was making a Jesus joke

I can confirm that I was, yes.
Different understandings of the word "pound" are also a rich seam of humour though.

he relegated my club once when he was Brum manager. It goes with the job I guess but because of his coldly indifferent nay almost sadistic post-match comments, after what was a very unlucky series of results that took us down. I hope all million pounds of that bastard is getting toasted!

I kick soccer ball

Richard Barancik, 98, last member of the Allied Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives Section tasked with recovering looted art back from the Nazis at the end of WWII.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/22/world/europe/richard-barancik-dead.html

Doris Monteiro, actress & MPB singer, as reported on her Instagram account.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lZ-EwwhhaE

Sinead O'Connor?!

https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/2023/07/26/sinead-oconnor-acclaimed-dublin-singer-dies-aged-56/

Yes. Fuck this.

Damn way too early

Oh fuck, how horrible.

AWFUL

Oh no

Heartbreaking. She had such a tough life, and the last several years in particular ...

this is an extremely bullshit thing to happen imo!

So sad. Emblematic in so many ways.

Fuck OFF

feels like I had some friends see her live, on tour, not all that long ago

this is terrible news, I feel like the world owed her a lot more joy

Just heard this on the news, my heart sank even though I wasn't especially a fan of her music.

Ditto.

Personal selfish note: Glad I am not going out for acoustic music tonight because I REALLY don't want to hear middle-aged white guys with acoustic guitars sing "Nothing Compares."

In contrast, I had a gig on my birthday on the day Tina Turner died; we got the entire bar to sing "What's Love Got to Do With It" and "Proud Mary."

oh god that's horrible news

man, so sad

I'm just reading now about her son also. :(

wtf, was not ready for this

Documentary was amazing. She put up with a LOT of shit. Total hero and ahead of her time. Was hated by practically the entire world. Except Kris Kristopherson. The story of them at Bob Dylan's bday party is amazing.

nononono

fuck this completely

On Channel 4 News just now, Matt Frei is such a dick.

Shit, this is terrible news. And fuck people who should have known better (yes including you, Melody Maker) for mocking her back in the day.

I was already a fan of I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got (too young to have heard the debut), but the disgusting fallout from the SNL incident in '92--does anyone remember Joe Pesci eliciting applause on the show the following week by threatening to punch her out?--put me forever in her corner. RIP.

Having been a Catholic kid at the time I don't recall any effort in the media to contextualize it or take it seriously as a protest against child abuse in the church. To superstitious Catholics she was perceived totally as a bald, Satanic bitch and the media was more than happy to take their lead, as she had already been outspoken on numerous things before that.

rip
xp
yeah ch4 news was a disgrace, first question put to dave fanning was " do we know how she died?"

Joe Pesci, what a little poisonous reactionery gimp he turned out to be.

RIP