Rolling Obituary Thread: 2019

Shocked to learn that Okwui Enwezor died on March 1. He one among the preeminent art curators in the 21st century, and his projects and writings are responsible for vastly expanding discourses on post-colonial and global politics in art: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/18/obituaries/okwui-enwezor-dead.html

actor seymour cassel

RIP. I used to have a gigantic poster from Faces on my wall for years.

"Guitarist Slash (real name Saul Hudson), who was childhood friends with Cassel's son, credited Cassel with giving him his nickname, because he was always zipping from one place to another and never sitting still.[5]"

shit, seymour cassel, a classic "that guy"

^^^literally said this aloud when i saw the news

really thought he was gone already

I used to think he'd died after shooting Rushmore, but then I saw him on a Boston Public ep in 2000 or so playing a teacher who'd faked his death, which was a funny way to be set straight on the matter.

https://variety.com/2019/film/news/seymour-cassel-dead-dies-rushmore-1203183354/amp/

A cool, neat footnote in Cassell's career is his appearance--alongside Alex Rocco--as a henchman in the Batman/Green Hornet episodes.

Had one of these as a kid:

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0758/8457/products/029_0387e290-aebe-4786-88cc-951def1ca03f_large.JPG?v=1463100113

He’s the guy who sets up Ben Gazzara in Killing of a Chinese Bookie right?

RIP Seymour. Thought he was long dead tho.

Richard Cole - last surviving Doolittle Raider
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/09/obituaries/richard-cole-dead.html

Sandy Ratcliff, actress, best known for Eastenders but best remembered for "Family Life" and "The Final Programme".

https://www.standard.co.uk/showbiz/celebrity-news/sandy-ratcliff-dies-aged-70-eastenders-fans-pay-tribute-as-soap-airs-following-actresss-death-a4113726.html

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-X_WqXOJbJf8/XKzy6RueTVI/AAAAAAAAzXE/QpsCqImE-ywVx9Zq858404LdmCohwMTvgCLcBGAs/s640/sandy-ratcliff-schaut-ernst-und-raucht.jpg

You can add "mother of the guy who runs Iron Fist magazine" to the résumé.

"Twenty-One" stooge Charles Van Doren

Hurt yourself a little so your enemies won't hurt you a lot. See also the Comics Code Authority.

Bonus spoonful of "write rules that say your competitors shouldn't be allowed to compete" on the last one.

Earl Thomas Conley

https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2019/04/10/country-singer-earl-thomas-conley-dies/3425157002/

https://variety.com/2019/film/news/seymour-cassel-dead-dies-rushmore-1203183354/amp🕸/

Ian Cognito, probably one of Britain's most challenging comedians and peer with Sadowitz, died onstage (literally) in Bicester last night. Won awards in the late 90s but seemed happy to just be a comedian's comedian.

https://www.beyondthejoke.co.uk/content/7036/news-ian-cognito-dies

The video down the bottom doesn't suggest he'll be missed!

(Does Jimmy Carr have 'risky brutal humour'? What does he do with it?)

other comics who died onstage: Dick Shawn and Parkyakarkus (Albert Brooks' father)

tommy cooper, too

Blimey, used to see him back in my "Comedy Gig-Going" days - he was really good!

I dunno, what can you do? The price of staying alive, I guess.

tommy cooper, too

Appropriately enough Jerry Sadowitz had a routine about this - and some horse that died running the Derby.

(american) football player and coach (bengals, packers) forrest gregg

Tommy Smith, Liverpool FC

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/47913937

virulently racist piece of shit who leaves the world a richer place for his having left it

I did not know about that. But yes, checks out :(

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/oct/03/howard-gayle-being-liverpool-first-black-player-was-difficult

google his interview with Dave Hill, warning it's exceedingly unpleasant

Gary Stewart, Veteran of Rhino Records and Apple Music, Dies at 62

https://variety.com/2019/music/news/gary-stewart-rhino-records-apple-music-dies-1203188602/?fbclid=IwAR1oDF_TelOhb0J6ODMkyHXtFzONQQthWpLj-fJ4Dv-_29pTJowHlfTeNmc

Avant-guitarist and Curlew member Davey Williams, 67:

https://guardiansofguitar.com/2019/04/08/davey-williams-1952-2019/

Bibi Andersson

Oh no.

aw man RIP

We named our cats Harriet and Bibi. Our Bibi also went first :(

RIP :(

Scottish newspaper cartoonist Malky McCormick, best known for his Billy Connolly Big Yin strip in the Sunday Mail (which also featured him as Wee Man) and then the following lightly satirical stuff (when Billy had fallen out with the Record about something and refused his likeness).

Paul Raymond from UFO

SF/fantasy writer Gene Wolfe

Scottish newspaper cartoonist Malky McCormick, best known for his Billy Connolly Big Yin strip in the Sunday Mail (which also featured him as Wee Man) and then the following lightly satirical stuff (when Billy had fallen out with the Record about something and refused his likeness).

People you thought were dead. RIP Malky.

https://i2-prod.dailyrecord.co.uk/incoming/article14330233.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/0_THE-BIG-YIN-CARTOON.jpg

I thought you'd be the one guy who definitely knew who he was.

You might even say I was Lucan out for you. *

*niche joke

i remember his drawings from the record, though the specific big yin strip must be from before my time

You might even say I was Lucan out for you. *

I almost did.

david brion davis, historian of slavery

SF/fantasy writer Gene Wolfe

No! Fuck, this one hurts. RIP.

Les Reed, songwriter, composer of "Delilah", "It's Not Unusual", "There's a Kind of Hush" et al.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-47948530

Kazuhiko Katou aka Monkey Punch, most famous for writing and drawing the Lupin III manga