Culture Icons... R.I.P

Honor Blackman dead at 94

While she wasn't Emma Peel, she was Cathy Gale--the first great Avenger ('cuz Steed and that other guy suck).

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RIP
 
John Prine died a couple days ago.
He caught the virus - his vulnerability, from age and long battles with cancer, was well known to his many life-long fans; his death surprised no one.
It did sadden many.
Including, probably, this C&W performer:
This is the song that belatedly introduced me to the man, his gentle sophistication:
 
John Conway died recently, age 82.

One of the living proofs that egomania can be managed by its victim so as to avoid making themself generally disliked, is no longer living.

At his death he had been presenting symptoms of Covid-19. I do not know if he was ever diagnosed.

His Erdös Number (the "o" should have two acute accent marks, not two dots) was "1".
He was proudest of his creation/discovery of the surreal numbers.
As far as I know most saddened people remember him for either the elucidation of the Monster, or the invention of the game of Life.
I touch base with him on his memorization, in middle age, of the names and locations of the most easily visible 2000 named stars.
 
Christo has passed away. He was known for wrapping things up - like the great barrier reef, an island and the Louvre etc.
 
Lyle Mays , keyboards (and composition) with the Pat Metheny Group, passed on February 10, 2020 (aged66)

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Here is a taste of this modern master.
The Awakening
 
David Lynch.
Died today. :(

Not a particular fan of his work, other than Dune and Twin Peaks, but he was undeniably influential, and will be considered a great.
 
Sarkus said:
Gene Hackman, and wife Betsy Arakawa, found dead at their home today...
www.bbc.co.uk

Gene Hackman: Death of actor and wife 'suspicious enough' for investigation, police say

Authorities say there was no sign the couple had sustained any injuries, but no cause of death has been given.
www.bbc.co.uk www.bbc.co.uk

Whatever the cause, he did well. 95.
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The piece I read stated that Hackman and his wife were found dead, and then it detailed some of Hackman's work. It closed by stating that, "Hackman is survived by his wife, Betsy Arakawa..." What the hell? And, no, it was not written by AI--an actual person wrote that!
 
parmalee said:
The piece I read stated that Hackman and his wife were found dead, and then it detailed some of Hackman's work. It closed by stating that, "Hackman is survived by his wife, Betsy Arakawa..." What the hell? And, no, it was not written by AI--an actual person wrote that!
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Ah, the classic pre-prepared obituary....

"Hey, Bob, ol' Gene Hackman has died... do we have his obituary on file?"
"Yeah, Greg. I'll get it from archive and we'll upload it in 5."
"Nothing noteworthy to add since it was written 5 years ago?"
"Nah, Greg. He's been retired."
"Great. Run it!"

In the UK there's this quirky legal thing relating to instances when it's not possible to tell whether the husband or wife died first (e.g. if an air-crash), in that for inheritance purposes the husband is deemed to have died first, so his will is enacted first, and then the wife's.
 
Trying to imagine scenarios where man, woman, and dog all die together at home and "no foul play" - they either involve serious failure of a CO/CH4 alarm or a suicide pact (in such, dogs are usually euthanized when the owners feel it is too old to adapt to another home). The pact scenario seems unusual when the spouse is 32 years younger than the other. Also odd is that there was no notification - suicide pacts often involve a letter sent to an attorney or other official, so that the remains are not found in an advanced stage of decomp (as seems to be the case here - the AP report said they were "dead for some time.") No telling what happened yet, though I could speculate Arakawa found Hackman dead and had intense grief leading to some kind of mental break, spiraled down into suicide. This must be horrible for their families.
 
Sarkus said:
Sad day for Buffy fans...
www.bbc.co.uk

Michelle Trachtenberg: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Gossip Girl star dies at 39

Trachtenberg, 39, found fame in television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and later Gossip Girl.
www.bbc.co.uk www.bbc.co.uk
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A liver transplant at 39 is heavy duty. A famous liver transplant from drug and alcohol abuse was David Crosby, he also had hep C, a liver cancer risk. He had that in 1994 when he was in his 50's and went on to his 80s, as an example.
The family refusing an autopsy makes this a little mysterious too.
 
TheVat said:
Trying to imagine scenarios where man, woman, and dog all die together at home and "no foul play" - they either involve serious failure of a CO/CH4 alarm or a suicide pact (in such, dogs are usually euthanized when the owners feel it is too old to adapt to another home). The pact scenario seems unusual when the spouse is 32 years younger than the other. Also odd is that there was no notification - suicide pacts often involve a letter sent to an attorney or other official, so that the remains are not found in an advanced stage of decomp (as seems to be the case here - the AP report said they were "dead for some time.") No telling what happened yet, though I could speculate Arakawa found Hackman dead and had intense grief leading to some kind of mental break, spiraled down into suicide. This must be horrible for their families.
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Any theories ?The spilled tablets seem interesting but I don't think they were suicide tablets.

The carbon monoxide theory is not ruled out even if no detectable traces remain in the bodies as this is not unexpected after 9 or ten days.

When did the dog die ?At the same time as them or of hunger later?
 
geordief said:
Any theories ?The spilled tablets seem interesting but I don't think they were suicide tablets.

The carbon monoxide theory is not ruled out even if no detectable traces remain in the bodies as this is not unexpected after 9 or ten days.

When did the dog die ?At the same time as them or of hunger later?
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The front door was open and the other two dogs were running around outside, so I wonder if the third dog was older and dependent more on care (and medicine, possibly). It was interesting how the pacemaker allowed them to pinpoint Hackman's time of death. Regarding the pills, I hear the toxicology report could be a month or more away. At this point, it's all quite a mystery.

Latest report is that monoxide has been ruled out, btw.

We watched Runaway Jury recently, with Hackman in one of his last roles. He retired and stayed retired for two decades - unusual in show biz. It's a flawed but good movie so far as the acting goes, though some plot points struck me as preposterous.
 
Sarkus said:
Richard Chamberlain - 90 yrs old
www.bbc.co.uk

Richard Chamberlain, Dr Kildare and Shogun, dies aged 90

Chamberlain earned the title "king of the mini-series" for his leading roles in Shogun and The Thorn Birds.
www.bbc.co.uk www.bbc.co.uk
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The contractor and cowardly villain in the "Towering inferno" is the role I will remember.
A fantastic villain.
Mum took me to the pictures to watch it when it was released.
That film scared the hell out of me.

RIP Richard Chamberlain.
 
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