Rolling Obituary Thread: 2021

I adore this passage from @poetclare's Fierce Bad Rabbits - Eric Carle fought for his caterpillar's right to be merely hungry, and not to be punished for it. pic.twitter.com/YzpzLou7OI

— Katherine May (@_katherine_may_) May 27, 2021

Sad news being reported by Thames TV Archive that Freddy Marks of children’s musical trio, Rod, Jane & Freddy has died at the age of 71. 😕 pic.twitter.com/XMIbFQTX8B

— Put The Telly On 📺 (@putthetellyon) May 27, 2021

he'll be back in my dreams

Real Milli Vanilli Singer John Davis Dead at 66 from COVID https://t.co/krXrl65N6I

— TMZ (@TMZ) May 28, 2021

Quite a saga with Eric Carle. The Paris Review has now added a j/k note to the top of the 2015 item

Okay, here we go. This is boring but I guess I'm doing it.

This story of Eric Carle and his publisher "fighting bitterly over the stomachache scene" in The Very Hungry Caterpillar is fake. Eric Carle never said this, the interview is a parody, it was an April Fools joke. 1/? pic.twitter.com/DkblgICXtJ

— Avi Naftali (@AviTheNaftali) May 27, 2021

Kevin Clark, from School of Rock, 32: https://www.avclub.com/r-i-p-school-of-rock-star-kevin-clark-1846977423

Wow. I've posted this a million times, but I'll do so once more.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTxqH0tukqQ

so sad. he was great!! love that movie so much

I played his character in a local staged reading of the movie. RIP

Gavin MacLeod 'Love Boat,' 'MTM Show', at 90.

https://www.tmz.com/2021/05/29/love-boat-star-gavin-macleod-dead-dies-mary-tyler-moore-show/

People You Thought Were... Dept.

RIP Capt. Steubing (sp) !

https://frinkiac.com/video/S05E02/2nm-3uCyTqAIgNzb2i8vDK7qgng=.gif

*crow t robot voice* MacLeod

*doug Mackenzie voice*
Captain Steubing you’re blinding me with your head

RIP Captain! My Captain!

And BJ Thomas, ‘Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head’ Singer, Dead at 78

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-country/b-j-thomas-dead-1149246/

hey

woncha play

another

somebody done somebody wrong song

;_;

also growing pains theme song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHYMM3zjffo

I just missed the MTM Show at the time (though I'm sure I saw a random repeat or two), so Gavin was always the good captain to me as a kid. Something I was all 'whuh' about when I did some digging one time, but I can't find it again now -- while there was recasting done across the three original pilots until they locked down the cast, at some point the whole idea was that a good number of the crew knew each other while serving in Vietnam? Which, what the heck! Anyway I've discovered the series, minus those pilots, is available on Paramount+ if you want to indulge.

I just missed the MTM Show at the time (though I'm sure I saw a random repeat or two)

They showed reruns at midday on one of our local channels before they started doing a noon newscast, so I watched them because my mom watched them. The past couple years of me revisiting the show as an adult have been a real joy, but I hate that Valerie Harper, Georgia Engel, Cloris Leachman, and now Gavin MacLeod have all died as I progress through the series. I think the only people left are Ed Asner, John Amos and Betty White, all of whom are probably pressing their luck with extended living. :(

MacLeod was also amazing in two episodes of the original Hawaii Five-O as an extremely oily drug pusher named Big Chicken. If you only think of him as Murray or the Love Boat Captain, this will be a shock to see.

Well goddamn.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CUm8ZNSfBM

Glad to hear John Amos is still alive--Gordo was one of my favourite characters, even though he was gone within a season or two. Betty White is clearly going to outlive them all (and me, and you).

IIRC, MacLeod appeared on Dick Van Dyke as Mel's cousin who sold the gang some grey-market jewelry.

Also here's a clip of him talking about that Big Chicken role

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRpR8rZ9R0w

protect Ed Asner at all costs

Betty White is clearly going to outlive them all (and me, and you).

Not to assume anything, but her public appearances have significantly slowed down in the last few years. I mean, she was already 88 when she hosted that SNL episode, and that was 11 years ago. Hope she at least makes it to 100.

RIP BJ Thomas. Good singer, one handsome dude too. Original and best version of this song...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V191TowR_XQ

best voice

BJ Thomas will go down in history, preparing society for such acts as 69 Boyz.

That whole Five-O scene is kill

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EM3khJ6LbD4

Really wonderful interview with MacLeod from a few years back. Dude had stories!

https://www.pilotonline.com/entertainment/article_739df54f-13b6-5c0d-b50a-51f19d227511.html

Big Chicken !!!

I also recommend MacLeod's deliciously repulsive shower scene in his 2nd Big Chicken appearance in the H5O ep "The Box"

#RIP Buddy Van Horn, 92; he directed Clint Eastwood in three films after serving as his stunt double in lots of movies. "I've tried to talk him out of [doing his own stunts] sometimes, but not very successfully most of the time," he once said. https://t.co/VgYqI4RTDQ

— Mike Barnes (@MikeBarnes4) May 31, 2021

You'll know her face, if not her name, and probably have assumed she was dead already.

RIP that gloriously eccentric character player Damaris Hayman, not far off her 92nd birthday - she helped Doctor Who battle The Daemons, walked the halls of St Trinian's, saw the Pink Panther Strike Again and was the essence of genteel English wit opposite many great comics. pic.twitter.com/83sLbMoq51

— Toby Hadoke (@TobyHadoke) June 3, 2021

F. Lee Bailey dead at 87

https://www.tmz.com/2021/06/03/famed-lawyer-f-lee-bailey-dead-at-87/

I thought he died like 20 years ago, when I also thought he was 87.

f. murray abraham still lives

That is weird about F. Lee Bailey's age. So he was only 61 at the time of the Simpson trial. Younger than Morrissey or Kyle MacLachlan are today, to pick two random beloved celebrities.

In the 1980s I used to watch F. Lee Bailey's outrageous TV show Lie Detector where public figures would come on and tell some disputed story in their own words and then Bailey would hook them up to a lie detector to see if they were lying about it.

Curiously I don't see that show in Bailey's imdb credits.

The best Lie Detector episode was when Jackie Rogers Jr. went on to disprove he intended to make the Shriners riot at his free concert.

I think that was in the Gimme Jackie documentary but it was Melvin Belli iirc

xp I just watched Gimme Jackie again and you were right, that was Bailey!

...and Jackie sings lyrics to the Lie Detector theme song!

Ahem, Josefa

Guess I posted that after you, but before reading that part of this thread.

This conversation is kind of meta, bc we're discussing/alluding to a real documentary, a parody documentary, a real TV show, a parody of a real TV show within a parody documentary, two real lawyers, and one parody of a real lawyer played by Eugene Levy.

But yeah, Bailey/Belli, I totally get that one.

I know that one was in both Star Trek: TOS and Gimme Shelter, not sure of the others film and television credits.

Can't say I knew about her but sounds like a great person - https://cstrecords.com/pages/joni-sadler