Rolling Obituary Thread: 2020

You're basically married to Catherine Zeta-Jones

Kirk Douglas awaits the postman in his front garden. pic.twitter.com/GhYmoTesbi

— Nostalgic Things (@Nostalgic_Thing) February 6, 2020

(xp) It's murder, I'm telling you.

Film Historian FX Feeney

https://www.thewrap.com/fx-feeney-la-weekly-film-critic-and-historian-dies-at-66/

Saw that, RIP. I love his Michael Mann coffee table book.

xxxp that's numberwang

Pierre Guyotat, French writer, 80. RIP.

Ah man, RIP.

Roger Kahn

https://www.mlb.com/news/roger-kahn-the-boys-of-summer-author-dies

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/orson-bean-longtime-actor-comedian-hit-killed-car-los-angeles/

Actor Orson Bean, 91

RIP

RIP, classic for Bilbo and Malkovich

Interesting to note in the Guardian's obit for Bean that his father cofounded the ACLU and his daughter married Breitbart, quite a generational shift!

Many in my age cohort saw Bean on game shows on a weekly basis.

He also wrote a book called Me and the Orgone… very into Reichian therapy. I saw him in the off-B'way musical I'm Getting My Act Together in college and there was a discussion with the student audience after; he seemed like a genial free spirit.

Many in my age cohort saw Bean on game shows on a weekly basis.
*raises hand*

(but you no doubt already knew that)

"One night in a club in Boston, I tried the name Roger Duck. No laughs. The next night, I tried Orson Bean, putting together a pompous first name and a silly second name. I got laughs, so I decided to keep it," he said.

"Orson Welles himself came into the Blue Angel one night, summoned me to his table. I sat down. He looked at me for a moment and then said, 'You stole my name!' And he meant it. Then he dismissed me with a wave of his hand."

In 1964, Bean, actor Chuck McCann and others founded The Sons of the Desert, a group devoted to "the loving study of the persons and films" of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy.In 1964, Bean, actor Chuck McCann and others founded The Sons of the Desert, a group devoted to "the loving study of the persons and films" of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/orson-bean-dead-dr-quinn-actor-was-91-1000269

Many in my age cohort saw Bean on game shows on a weekly basis.

A daily basis!

Robert Conrad

Wonder if anybody ever did knock that battery off Robert Conrad's shoulder.

I recall ABC and NBC drawing to a tie in the inaugural Battle of the Network Stars, and it was decided that the contest would be decided by a 220-yard dash between the two captains, Gabe "Welcome Back Kotter" Kaplan and Robert Conrad. I think Conrad smoked him.

Conrad played G Gordon Liddy in a TV film of GGL's autobiography... and Liddy as a boy was played by Danny Lloyd of The Shining, in his second and last turn before the cameras.

Conrad became a surreptitious gay icon for his "Wild Wild West" look, I think.

sorry henry

Conrad's ego and toughness also were on display during the Battle of the Network Stars specials, where he more often than not captained the NBC squad to victory. (He did lose one memorable race to Welcome Back Kotter's Gabe Kaplan, getting caught down in the stretch.)

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/robert-conrad-dead-wild-wild-west-action-star-was-84-1119262

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUSnEmgNvNM

How did I misremember that?! I guess I so bought into that tough guy persona that I revised my own memory. Sheesh.

Dancer and Actress Paula Kelly Dead at 76

https://extratv.com/2020/02/08/dancer-and-actress-paula-kelly-dead-at-77/?fbclid=IwAR3gZnaLVANrHxD33abdl2qDoXTfy2KHdd_VrTeEqCmzxrR-2_wRB_F0gLw

How did I misremember that?!

The result. I have this image of Gabe Kaplan running out of gas down the stretch.

The great Mirella Freni:

https://slippedisc.com/2020/02/just-in-mirella-freni-is-dead/

Saw that on Piotr Beczała's feed. RIP.

Conrad got an early lead so maybe that's what you're remembering

https://youtu.be/cqWU9huMMco?t=477

Stage, TV and film actor Kevin Conway

https://www.broadway.com/buzz/198376/kevin-conway-broadway-star-of-the-elephant-man-of-mice-and-men-dies-at-77/

French cartoonist Claire Bretécher.

"Her creations include… the unimpressed teenager Agrippine" (i have a book of her cartoons somewhere in my flat, the idea of it feels very 80s in my mind somehow)

lol

https://www.bedetheque.com/media/Couvertures/Couv_346775.jpg

RIP. Her best work was done in the 70s really, tho the English translations may not have appeared until the 80s.

RIP also to Pat Metheny keyboardist Lyle Mays:
https://www.musicradar.com/news/jazz-pianist-lyle-mays-co-founder-of-the-pat-metheny-group-dies-at-66

Wow, yes, I noticed that earlier today.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-51458177

Joseph Shabalala, founder and director of choral group Ladysmith Black Mambazo band.

RIP

Saw them on the Graceland tour, and once after

I'm sure I'll see my BFF mentioning Shabalala's death on social media; she's originally from South Africa and thought very highly of Ladysmith Black Mambazo.

RIP we named our cat Shabalala after the great man.

Conrad got an early lead so maybe that's what you're remembering

Yeah, that's probably what did it. Kaplan looks like a pretty strong runner! Cool to see some of his sweat hogs congratulating him at the end. But what's up w/ Conrad? He botches the concession speech - "the best coach, the best team won...CBS...I mean, NBC"...it was ABC! Probably was a bit loopy after going all out for whatever that distance was.

Fassdbinder regular Volker Spengler:

https://www.sueddeutsche.de/kultur/fassbinder-schauspieler-und-theaterstar-volker-spengler-ist-gestorben-1.4790232
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volker_Spengler

I got a dance lesson from Joseph shabalala as a kid, remember him as being a beacon of living kindness. RIP

But what's up w/ Conrad?

If you watch the clip from the beginning you'll see Conrad's upset about the results, make some off color jokes and throws a fit till they agree to a rematch.

Watching this whole thing set me down a rabbit hole of watching other battles of the network stars and which revealed that Kaplan was also good as the qb in 3 on 3 football and the kayak relay.

don't sleep on SCTV's Battle of the PBS Stars

Aw man RIP Volker Spengler

His performance as Elvira in RWF's In a Year with 13 Moons is a tour de force

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzIbKfkqOlg

RIP Volker, he's great in all his RWF roles - whcih are varied to say the least!

Paul English, Willie Nelson's long-time (and I mean LOOOOOOOOONG-time) drummer. It is amazing how long Willie kept that band together.

Yeah, just astounding. Almost fifty-five years as the drummer, a couple of years aside! Crazy.

....for dyin?