Celebrity Death Thread

[WingsFan]

Cool, that is something that I didn't know for some unknown reason. Have a good time out there!

[Tony G]

Well it's a mid july wedding and they made the dress formal so I get to snag a tux. It doesn't got in LA in July does it??

[WingsFan]

Its not the heat Tony, its the humidity :-) Just make sure the air works in the car your driving during the long traffic jams.

[*JD*]

If the wedding is right on the coast, it shoudn't be too bad. As far inland as West Hollywood is, it will probably be about 15 degrees warmer.

On the celebrity hotel tip, I once stayed at the Chelsea Hotel when I was visiting my sister sometime in the late 80's-early 90's. That place was made infamous by Sid & Nancy.

[Sharkbait]

Doors didn't have a Bass Player, Ray did it all on the keyboard.

[Tony G]

One of the winningest quarterbacks in college football history was found dead in the woods of northern Michigan Tuesday night, days after disappearing while out fishing near his family's cottage.
Cullen Finnerty, 30, who led Grand Valley State to three Division II national titles and more than 50 wins during his four years as a starter last decade, went missing Sunday. His body was found about 8 p.m. in woods within a mile of where he disappeared, said Lake County Undersheriff Dennis Robinson.
The cause of death wasn't immediately clear, but Robinson said foul play wasn't suspected. He said the body was not in the water and was found in a wooded area in Webber Township, near the family's cottage. An autopsy would be needed to determine how Finnerty died, the undersheriff said.
The search drew scores of police and volunteers, including staff and players from Grand Valley State.
Finnerty last spoke to a family member that night in a phone call in which he said "he was nervous about something," Sheriff Robert Hilts said earlier Tuesday. Based on that call, the family suspected "he might be having some kind of a mental episode — that he was either afraid or something and ran off into the woods," Hilts said.
The sheriff said authorities had been tracking Finnerty's cellphone "until it went dead." The terrain made the search for the 6-foot-3, 230-pound ex-athlete difficult, Hilts said.
Searchers from the sheriff's office, state police and area fire departments fanned out Tuesday across a square-mile area of Webber Township, which is about 65 miles north of Grand Rapids.
In addition, dozens of current and former Grand Valley State players, coaches and staff hopped on a bus and headed north to Lake County to lend a hand in the search effort.
Grand Valley coach Matt Mitchell, who was a defensive assistant when Finnerty led the Lakers to national titles in 2005 and 2006, as well as former Grand Valley coach and current Notre Dame offensive coordinator Chuck Martin were among those helping out.
Finnerty, who starred at Brighton High School, originally accepted an offer to play at Toledo but transferred to Grand Valley after redshirting in 2001.
The dual-threat QB played for Grand Valley teams that won Division II titles in 2003, 2005 and 2006. He briefly was a member of the Baltimore Ravens and later the Denver Broncos.
Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly was Grand Valley's coach during the 2003 national championship season.
"It's very chilling," Kelly said Tuesday, before Finnerty's body was found. "My heart goes out to the family and to his beautiful wife."


From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2...#ixzz2Ug6YNVk9

[Tony G]

"Gee our old Lasalle ran great...."

Actress Jean Stapleton, known as Edith Bunker on 'All in the Family,' dies

By Greg Botelho, CNN
updated 8:21 PM EDT, Sat June 1, 2013

Actress Jean Stapleton, who played alongside Carroll O'Connor in the groundbreaking 1970s TV sitcom "All in the Family," died at age 90 on Saturday, June 1.






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STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• NEW: "Working with her was one of the greatest experiences of my life," Rob Reiner says
• Jean Stapleton won 3 Emmy awards for her role as Edith Bunker
• She died "peacefully" at her New York City home, her family says
• Stapleton was a stage actress who went on to star in television

(CNN) -- Actress Jean Stapleton, best known for her role as Archie Bunker's wife in the groundbreaking 1970s sitcom "All in the Family," has died, her son said Saturday.
She was 90 years old.
Her son John Putch told CNN about her passing and, along with his sister Pamela Putch, wrote an obituary saying that she "passed away peacefully of natural causes" on Friday at her New York City home "surrounded by friends and her immediate family."
"No one gave more profound 'how to be a human being' lessons than Jean Stapleton," said Norman Lear, who produced and directed "All in the Family." "Goodbye Edith, darling."
The daughter of an opera singer and businessman, Stapleton grew up on Long Island and in New York City. It was there during the early 1940s, while working as a typist for the British War Ministry Office, that she began her career in theater.
1994: Stapleton talks to Larry King
Photos: People we lost in 2013


Stapleton made it to Broadway in the production "In the Summer House" in 1953, the same year of her television debut on the daytime drama "Woman With a Past." Other big stage roles followed, including in "Bells Are Ringing" and "Damn Yankees."
She also did more and more television,including appearances on shows such as "Philco TV Playhouse" and "Dr. Kildare."
Her breakout role was as Edith Bunker, the conscience of "All in the Family" as the kindhearted foil to husband Archie, played by the late Carroll O'Connor.
"All in the Family" was one of television's most popular shows as it broke ground while tackling a host of social issues such as racism, sexuality, life and death. Edith Bunker, played by Stapleton, for instance revealed that she had breast cancer on the show, a rare occurrence at the time.
"I just loved doing it from the very beginning," Stapleton told CNN in 2001, shortly after O'Connor's death.
She won three Emmy awards -- in 1971, 1972 and 1978, in addition to five other nominations in which he she fell short -- for her performance in that Lear-helmed show.
"Jean was a brilliant comedienne with exquisite timing," said Rob Reiner, who played the Bunkers' son-in-law referred to as "Meathead" on the show. "Working with her was one of the greatest experiences of my life."
Stapleton kept busy after the show went off in the air in 1979 and kept on racking up more accomplishments. Those include Emmy nominations in 1982 for playing Eleanor Roosevelt in the CBS miniseries "Eleanor, First Lady of the World" and in 1995 as Aunt Vivian in a guest spot on the ABC comedy "Grace Under Fire."
"RIP Jean Stapleton," tweeted fellow TV comedy veteran Roseanne Barr, "a great actor whose range was unbelievable, deep and majestic."
In 2002 she was chosen for the Television Academy Hall of Fame, joining the likes of Tim Conway and Bob Mackie in that organization's 15th induction class.
Her most recent on-screen credits, according to the IMDB website, are from 2001 when she appeared in the film "Pursuit of Happiness" and the TV movie "Like Mother Like Son: The Strange Story of Sante and Kenny Klimes" along with Mary Tyler Moore.
And after "All in the Family," she continued working in theater, including a nationwide tour as Roosevelt in her one-woman show "Eleanor: Her Secret Journey," the Broadway revival of "Arsenic and Lace" and Obie Award performances in Harold Pinter's "Mountain Language" and "The Birthday Party." Her final stage appearance was in "The Carpetbagger's Children" a few blocks from her home in New York, to which she returned permanently in 2002.
Calling her "our collective Mother, with a capital M," John and Pamela Putch -- Stapleton's two children with her husband William Putch, whom she married in 1957 and who died in 1983 -- said "her devotion to her craft and her family taught us all great lessons."
"In her own words, she was an 'actress,' not a celebrity," they wrote in her obituary. "The play always came first."

[DanO]

RIP Jean.........those were the days.

[Islair]

Discovery Saddened by the Loss of Storm Chasers Tim and Carl
By: Jason Robey
06/02/2013



We are deeply saddened by the loss of Tim Samaras, his son Paul and their colleague Carl Young who died Friday, May 31st doing what they love: chasing storms.

Chasing storms had been a part of Tim Samaras's life for over 25 years. Ten years ago, Tim developed his own tornado probes to record meteorological data inside of tornadoes.

Inspired by a two-month adventure chasing storms across the Great Plains, Carl Young left a career in Hollywood to study tornado dynamics and ultimately earn a masters degree in atmospheric science from the University of Nevada, Reno.

While attending a meteorological conference, Carl met Tim, who encouraged him to collect meteorological data from inside tornadoes as the principal focus of his thesis research.

Every spring since 2003, the two headed out together and tracked down over 125 tornadoes. Their mission was to help understand why tornadoes form in order to increase warning times in Tornado Alley.

Tim and Carl's work was the subject of Discovery Channel's Storm Chasers series, which premiered on October 17, 2007 and ran for five seasons.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Tim and Carl's friends and families.

Tonight's Mile Wide Tornado: Oklahoma Disaster, at 10|9C, will be dedicated to their memory.

http://blogs.discovery.com/show-news/2013/06/discovery-saddened-by-the-loss-of-storm-chasers-tim-and-carl.html#mkcpgn=fbdsc22

[YT]

RIP Ms. Stapleton

[YT]

RIP gentlemen

[FVD]

The National Football League has lost one of its legends as Hall of Fame defensive end Deacon Jones has died at the age of 74.

Washington Redskins general manager Bruce Allen relayed the news via the team’s official website. He died of natural causes at his home in Southern California.

“Deacon Jones was one of the greatest players in NFL history. Off the field, he was a true giant. His passion and spirit will continue to inspire those who knew him” said Allen. “He was cherished member of the Allen family and I will always consider him my big brother.”

Jones was one of the most dominant players of his era. He was a two-time NFL defensive player of the year and five-time first-team All-Pro selection. He was named to eight Pro Bowls during his 14-year NFL career. He was also named to the NFL’s 75th Anniversary team. Jones spent his first 11 seasons with the Los Angeles Rams before playing two years for the San Diego Chargers and his final season with the Washington Redskins in 1974.

Bruce Allen’s father, George, was Jones’ head coach for five season with the Rams and again during his final season with the Redskins.

Jones was a member of the “Fearsome Foursome” with the Rams that consisted of Larry Lundy, Rosey Grier and Merlin Olsen. It was among the most imposing defensive lines ever constructed. Jones was named to the Hall of Fame in 1980 during his first year eligible to be elected.

[Malto Marko]

I watched him play almost his entire career.

He was a force to be reckoned with.

He might have a problem with todays rules, however.

RIP Deac.

You, Bart Starr, Johnny Unitas, Alex Karras, Joe Schmidt, Fran Tarkenton, and Gale Sayers were just some of the players that hooked me on the NFL as a tadpole.

[Tony G]

Don't forget Dick Butkis.

I liked when Deacon chimed in on Suh's stomp (see my tagline)

[DanO]

RIP Deac. You were truly one of the greats.