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

Wow, excellent scores. So were you recently watching Lola?

I was about to but decided to not to.

Have you seen it before?

She's dead now, but if you'd told me a week ago that the wife of Anthony Eden was still alive I'd have found that pretty surprising

(xp) Yes. It was just too late to start watching a two hour film.

Kim Novak!

Marina Nikolayevna Oswald Porter, widow of Lee Harvey Oswald - just 80 years old

Actress Neile Adams, who was married to Steve McQueen from the 1950s to early '70s. Enrique Iglesias is her great-nephew. 89 years old.

Frank Serpico, 85 and active on Twitter

Frederic Raphael, 90.

He’s someone who I have a personal interest in and I wonder how his death will be reported, whether it will be just on the obituaries page a few days later or as news reports on the day.

Not sure he's that well known anymore.

shouldn't have crossed kubrick, been totally eyes wide shat

I think he is now best known for co-writing Eyes Wide Shut; this piece he wrote for the film's 20th anniversary a couple of years ago reads like parody ("How come Eyes Wide Shut seems, as the cant says, ‘more relevant’ after 20 years?")

https://www2.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/sight-sound-magazine/features/frederic-raphael-reflects-writing-eyes-wide-shut-with-stanley-kubrick

and for always appearing in Private Eye's yearly literary review round-up, claiming the prize for the most obscure/high-toned/expensive book review of the year.

I would be surprised if his death made the television news. Perhaps there should be a remake of 'Glittering Prizes'...

Oh, it looks like that was Freddy in conversation - a bracing experience, I would imagine.

Perhaps there should be a remake of 'Glittering Prizes'...

They could at least air it again on BBC Four or iPlayer. And maybe ITV could do the same for his follow-up After the War (fat chance).

it's true that only a cant would think EWS is relevant, it sucks and is dumb (sorry morbs)

Andrew Loog Oldham (in fact he's only 77 but somehow I'd assumed all those uppers and downers would have taken their toll already)

After the War is on the youtube :)

Needs more promotion!

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0924916/

Actress Jacqueline White (best known for The Narrow Margin (1952)), 99.

Ooh, that's a good one.

Retired for 70 years! Love it. Although... five kids

Narrow Margin? With Marie Windsor?

H. Rap Brown (78)

Johnny Ball, 83. It'd somehow completely escaped my attention that he's Zoe Ball's dad! Wonder if he's still a climate change denier?

Detroit bop pianist Barry Harris, still teaching workshops, will be 92 in a couple of weeks.

every time I realise Tom Lehrer is still with us, I wonder if we will truly all go together when we go...

William Klein, 93.

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Aaron_Boulogne

#OneThread

Ursula Andress, 85

Sidney Poitier, 94

Just behind Ursula Andress (85) are Bond girls Shirley Eaton and Luciana Paluzzi (both 84)

I expect them to die.

Lol

Mel Brooks. Publishing an autobiography at the age of 95.

I’m figuring he’ll live until um….let’s see…

Ed Meese???

John Madden

Caril Ann Fugate, convicted accomplice to 1950s spree killer Charles Starkweather.

That one's amazing--and she was young enough then that she's not yet 80.

I hope she knows Badlands won the ILX road-film poll.

just saw it for the first time last night, which was what put me on this case!

Hermeto Pascoal

Not exactly surprised, but every now and again it's nice to remember Burt Bacharach is still alive (93).

Irene Papas, 95.

(I'm listening to one of the albums she did with Vangelis right now).

Jerry Lee Lewis, 85 or so

Irene has been suffering from Alzheimer's for many years though, unfortunately. Did the fabled 20 minute version of "∞" ever appear btw?

Ah, that's a shame, she was something special!

Clive Davis, 89.