Celebrity Death Thread

[Marko69]

Just heard this on the radio, Dean. Must admit, I felt a lump in the throat. Arguably one of the funniest guys ever. He will most definitely be missed.

RIP Rik, our teenage years were awesome with you on TV. God rest your soul.

[Craven]

RIP People's Poet.

[Tony G]

Former pitcher Bob Welch dies at 57
ESPN.com news services

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Bob Welch, the 1990 AL Cy Young Award winner of the Oakland Athletics and the last major leaguer to win at least 25 games in a season, has died. He was 57.
Welch died Monday night at his home in Seal Beach, California, the team said Tuesday. Police said officers responded to a call for medical aid and found Welch dead in the bathroom area when they arrived. An autopsy was conducted and the cause of death is pending.

Bob Welch, who helped Oakland win the World Series in 1989 and won 27 games en route to the Cy Young Award the following season, had served as a special instructor for the A's in recent years. Welch also spent 10 seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers, who said in a statement Tuesday that the former pitcher suffered a heart attack. Police still have not officially confirmed the cause of death.
Welch was an admitted alcoholic early in his career and spent time in rehabilitation. He later co-authored a book in 1981 with George Vecsey about his addiction titled "Five O'Clock Comes Early: A Ballplayer's Battle With Alcoholism."
"The fact is, I'm crazy when I'm drunk," Welch said in the book. "There's every chance I would have been dead by now if I was drinking."
Welch played on five teams that reached the World Series (1978, 1981, 1988, 1989 and 1990) and won two titles, one in 1981 with the Dodgers and another 1989 with the A's.
Welch will be remembered most in Oakland, where he was a prominent member of the A's teams that won three straight AL championships from 1988-90, including the club that swept the San Francisco Giants in the earthquake-interrupted World Series.
"He was a legendary pitcher who enjoyed many of his best seasons with the Oakland A's," A's President Michael Crowley said in a statement. "He will always be a significant part of our franchise's history."

[Sharkbait]

Wow ...!

[fontes91]

Very good pitcher. Far too young. RIP.........

[Malto Marko]

RIP People's Poet.

Ditto.

[The Cat]

These deaths always seem to come in bunches don't they?.......Next!

[Malto Marko]

Not me!

[Tony G]

Friday, June 13, 2014
Updated: June 14, 7:11 PM ET
Hall of Famer Chuck Noll dies at 82
By Scott Brown
ESPN.com

PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh Steelers icon Chuck Noll, the only coach to win four Super Bowls, died at his Pittsburgh-area home Friday night. He was 82.
The Allegheny County Medical Examiner said Noll died of natural causes at 9:45 p.m. ET.
Noll went 209-156-1, including the postseason, while coaching the Steelers from 1969-91. The hiring of Noll, a one-time assistant coach to Sid Gillman and Don Shula, set the Steelers on a path to greatness.
He led the team to four Super Bowl titles from 1975-80 and became every bit as revered in Pittsburgh as stalwarts from those teams such as "Mean" Joe Greene and Franco Harris.
"Chuck Noll is the best thing to happen to the Rooneys since they got on the boat in Ireland," Art Rooney Jr., the oldest son of Steelers founder Art Rooney Sr., said, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
Noll was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993, less than two years after he retired.
"Coach Noll's quiet leadership produced extraordinary results that deeply inspired players, coaches and fans," NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said Saturday in a statement. "He always put the team, his players, and the game first. His legacy of excellence will forever be an important part of the history of the Steelers and the NFL."
Noll had battled health problems in recent years while splitting time between Sewickley, which is in suburban Pittsburgh, and Florida. The Steelers still listed him prominently in their staff directory as an administration adviser even when he was in ill health and not working for the team.
"He was not a pizzazz guy," Rooney Jr. said, according to the Tribune-Review. "He knew where he was, where he was going and where he wanted to go and how to do it. He had a very, very strong moral compass. ... My dad respected that."

Chuck Noll was 209-156-1 as head coach of the Steelers, guiding them to four Super Bowl titles. Noll receded from the public eye following his retirement in 1991. His name still resonates in the Pittsburgh area and far beyond the hills of Western Pennsylvania.
The football field at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, where the Steelers have held training camp since 1966, is named after Noll.
A street near Heinz Field, which opened a decade after Noll called it a career, is also named after the coach, who Steelers chairman Dan Rooney once said deserved to be mentioned in the same breath as the likes of George Halas, Curley Lambeau and Tom Landry.
"I think he ranks with Halas and Lombardi. There are many other good coaches over the history of the NFL, but I think Chuck Noll ranks up there with those other two guys right at the top," Dan Rooney said Saturday in a statement. "No other coach won four Super Bowls, and the way he did it was with dignity. His players were always his concern, both in treating them well and giving them what they needed to succeed on the field."

[Tony G]

Tony Dungy ✔ @TonyDungy Follow So sorry to hear about the passing of Coach Noll. He had such a great impact on me, as well as many others. A tremendous teacher & friend.
[ame="https://twitter.com/TonyDungy/statuses/477770523720822784"]7:12 AM - 14 Jun 2014[/ame]

Bill Cowher ✔ @CowherCBS Follow RIP Chuck. You had such a positive impact on many people's lives. It was an Honor and a Blessing to follow in your footsteps. Thanks Coach!
[ame="https://twitter.com/CowherCBS/statuses/477783294600572929"]8:03 AM - 14 Jun 2014[/ame]

[Tony G]

Saturday, June 14, 2014
Chuck Noll: More than football coach
By John Clayton

Editor's note: ESPN.com senior writer John Clayton covered Chuck Noll and the Steelers for Pittsburgh-area media from 1972-86.
Chuck Noll loved collecting and drinking fine wines, a tip to the remarkable persona of one of the best coaches of all time. He was complex, sophisticated and classy, and like a fine wine, Noll aged one of the NFL's greatest football dynasties in the 1970s.
On Fridays during an NFL season, Noll was gracious enough to take 15 to 20 minutes of his time to give me a one-on-one interview in advance of a game. When asked questions about the team or injuries, Noll measured his words. If you brought up a football subject in which he could educate you, he would be expansive, but some of the best conversations I had with him didn't involve football.

Noll, who died in his sleep Friday in suburban Pittsburgh, would discuss weather patterns at length. I learned about the "lake effect"' around the Pittsburgh area from Noll and how Lake Erie created less snow for Pittsburgh and more for areas closer to Buffalo. I learned about thunderstorms. I learned about wines. Often, Noll would discuss subjects he had heard driving into work on the local National Public Radio station. He wasn't trying to steer the interview away from football, he was just being himself.
Above all, Noll was a teacher. He was well-educated, communicated well and studied everything. It was one of the reasons he was a Hall of Fame coach. The Pittsburgh Steelers were perhaps the best-prepared team in their era because of Noll's knowledge and style. At the time, some coaches were beginning to use computers, and some delegated complex game plans to assistants or interns. Noll didn't do that. He would work his weekly preparation by hand.

What the players appreciated most was his consistency. He was clear about what he wanted from them. Rarely did he raise his voice in team meetings. He presented game plans that players could execute in practice and perform flawlessly in games. That consistency created a great work environment. Some coaches are control freaks, but that wasn't Noll. He gave the players freedom to speak their minds. If the words got too out of control, he would mention it to them. Because of Noll, the Steelers rarely said disrespectful things about opponents. The result was a classy team.
One of the most amazing things about Noll was his efficiency. He drove to work in Pittsburgh through the Fort Pitt Tunnel around 8 a.m. and left for home at the dinner hour. Noll stressed to his assistants that they should finish their work around the same time so they could spend time with their families. As he would drive home listening to NPR, his mind was clear. His team was prepared. His coaches were ready. By Sunday, the most talented team in football was ready to dominate.
RELATED COVERAGE


Chuck Noll, the only head coach to win four Super Bowls, died Friday. Story ?
Also see:
? Clayton: More than a football coach
? Noll career retrospective gallery
? Noll on greatest coaches list: No. 5
? List of Noll's coaching disciples
? Noll on Sid Gillman's coaching tree


I'll never forget a training camp interview in which Noll revealed that he might be allergic to wine. Reporters were stunned because they knew his love for wines. Noll lamented that he might have to give his prime wines to his son. Fortunately, a few weeks later, he found out he didn't have a wine allergy, and all was right with the world.

Noll always treated reporters with respect, but he did try to keep a distance from them. Success breeds intense reporting. The Steelers were one of the hot franchises during their Super Bowl run, and everyone wanted to know everything about them. Practices were open, assistants were allowed to talk and players were always available. We all had a laugh when Noll's son told him he wanted to be newspaper reporter. That created an allergic reaction. He laughed at how poorly that thought went over in the Noll household. Chuck liked reporters, but he was relieved when his son chose another occupation.

One subject that was taboo was his mentor, Paul Brown. Noll came from great stock. Brown coached him. He worked on a great Sid Gilman staff. He was Don Shula's defensive coordinator. But if you broached a Brown question, he would get a little upset. Brown coached the Cincinnati Bengals around the time Noll was transforming the Steelers into a power. Those games were fascinating. For a few years, Bengals quarterback Ken Anderson used Bill Walsh's play calling to challenge the Steelers physically and mentally. After games, the Steelers would say how mentally fatigued they were from the mind games the Bengals played. But Noll guided the franchise through almost every challenge. He will be missed.

[Malto Marko]

RIP Chuck. I was saddened when I heard this yesterday. I have great respect for him and the job he did.

[Dr. Emmett.L.Brown]

Legendary radio personality Casey Kasem dies at 82
By Todd Leopold, CNN
Sun June 15, 2014


Casey Kasem had a progressive dementia, had been hospitalized for weeks
He began "American Top 40" in 1970, was known for his friendly baritone voice
He was born Kemal Amin Kasem and became a DJ while in the Army
'We are heartbroken," Kasem's daughter says in announcing his death Sunday

Legendary radio personality Casey Kasem has passed away. Share your tributes, memories and stories with CNN iReport.
(CNN) -- Casey Kasem, who entertained radio listeners for almost four decades as the host of countdown shows such as "American Top 40" and "Casey's Top 40," died early Sunday, according to a Facebook post from his daughter Kerri Kasem.
The news was confirmed by Casey's Kasem's agent, Don Pitts, who added that a memorial service will be held Friday.
Casey Kasem was 82 and had been hospitalized in Washington state for two weeks.
"Early this Father's Day morning, our dad Casey Kasem passed away surrounded by family and friends," Kasem's children -- Kerri, Mike and Julie -- wrote in a statement released by Kasem's representative, Danny Deraney.

"Even though we know he is in a better place and no longer suffering, we are heartbroken ... The world will miss Casey Kasem, an incredible talent and humanitarian; we will miss our Dad."
Kasem's longtime friend, Gonzalo Venecia, and his younger brother, Mouner Kasem, were also with him when he died at St. Anthony's Hospital in Gig Harbor, Washington, at 3:25 a.m. Sunday, a family member said.
Casey Kasem had been suffering from Lewy body disease, the most common type of progressive dementia after Alzheimer's.
He had recently been the subject of a bitter court battle involving three of his children by a previous marriage and his wife, Jean.
His oldest children, who challenged their stepmother for control of Kasem's medical decisions in his last months, are not fighting his wife for possession of his remains, a family member told CNN Sunday.
Daughter Julie Kasem will host a memorial celebration at her Northridge, Caifornia, home n Saturday, June 21, the family member said. No other funeral arrangements were yet known.
No autopsy is expected since Kasem died under a doctor's care in a hospital. The immediate cause of death was from sepsis caused by an ulcerated bedsore, the family member said.
Casey Kasem's family feud
In May, a California judge awarded Kerri Kasem temporary power of attorney after Jean Kasem took her husband out of a nursing home and moved him to Washington amid family feuding.
A Washington judge later allowed Kerri to visit her father in that state.
Casey Kasem was hospitalized after an argument between Jean and Kerri in which his wife threw meat at her stepdaughter.
Last week, a Los Angeles County judge gave daughter Kerri Kasem the authority to have doctors end his infusions of water, food and medicine.
Kasem was already a popular disc jockey in Los Angeles when he became the host of "American Top 40" in 1970. The syndicated show, which counted down the 40 most popular songs in the United States based on Billboard magazine's Hot 100 music chart, began on just seven radio stations but quickly became a mainstay of thousands, all around the world.
"When we first went on the air, I thought we would be around for at least 20 years. I knew the formula worked. I knew people tuned in to find out what the No. 1 record was," he told Variety in 1989.
Kasem's first No. 1, concluding the "AT40" premiere show of July 4, 1970, was Three Dog Night's "Mama Told Me (Not to Come)." His last on successor show "American Top 20," almost exactly 39 years later, was "Second Chance" by Shinedown.
But the show wasn't just about finding out who was No. 1.
Its features, included biographical details on performs, flashbacks, album cuts and Kasem's "long-distance dedication" for listeners who wrote to dedicate songs to friends and loved ones far away.
Kasem, whose baritone was always friendly and upbeat, delivered these in his most sympathetic voice, warm enough to melt butter. "Dear Casey," he began, and would read an emotional letter from a listener who wanted to connect with an old flame, express regret to a new love or send wishes to a far-flung family member.
The first one, for example, was from a male listener who wanted to dedicate Neil Diamond's "Desiree" to a sweetheart named Desiree who was moving to Germany.
The show, originally three hours, expanded to four in the late '70s.
Tributes: 'Keep reaching for the stars'
In many ways, even as Top 40 radio moved from the AM to the FM dial and took on the name "Contemporary Hit Radio," "American Top 40" remained a throwback to the way the format was in the 1960s, with frequent number jingles ("Number 29!") and a fast-moving mix, though Kasem, in temperament, practically defined the laid-back hosts of the Me Decade. (The exception to the laid-back rule was a much-copied outtake, now readily available on the Internet, of Kasem exploding in anger over a long-distance dedication that succeeded an up-tempo record.)
The show inspired several imitators, including a television version, "America's Top 10," hosted by Kasem himself.
Kasem left "American Top 40" in 1988 over a contract dispute with ABC Radio Networks and signed with competitor Westwood One, for whom he started a show called "Casey's Top 40" in 1989. The new show used a different publication's chart, but it was the same old Casey: smooth, cheerful, full of information.
"The magic of Casey is that he is the ultimate professional in whatever he does. ... He enlightens, he explores, he suggests, he provokes and he informs," fellow DJ Gary Owens told Billboard in 1997.
Kasem acquired the name "American Top 40" and in 1998 resumed hosting the program with a new syndicator. (The ABC show, with Shadoe Stevens replacing Kasem, had been canceled in 1995.) He handed off to Ryan Seacrest in 2004, though he continued with two other shows, "American Top 20" and "American Top 10," until signing off in 2009 -- as always with his trademark line, "Keep your feet on the ground, and keep reaching for the stars."
Kemal Amin Kasem was born in Detroit in 1932. He first tried radio while in high school but found he had a talent for it while serving in Korea with the Army. He was a DJ on the Armed Forces Radio Network.
Kasem's global reach: Long-distance dedications
After stops in several cities, including Flint, Michigan; Buffalo, New York; and San Francisco, he joined KRLA in Los Angeles in 1963, partly in hopes of an acting career. He did earn roles in a number of low-budget movies -- the most famous of which was probably "The Incredible 2-Headed Transplant" (1971) -- but his voice was always his ticket to fame, whether appearing on a Dick Clark-produced TV show, "Shebang," or voicing the character of Shaggy on the cartoon "Scooby-Doo," which premiered in 1969. (He also was the voice of Robin on "Super Friends.")
That voice became ubiquitous. He was NBC's promotional announcer in the late '70s and early '80s, and heard on dozens of commercials.
But "American Top 40" remains his legacy.
"Kasem started the show in 1970, a curious time to start a show about Top 40 mainstream pop, because the format had just been pronounced dead and progressive album-oriented radio was on the rise," wrote Susan Orlean in a 1990 New York Times Magazine profile. "He infused the show with corny reverence for conventional American values exactly when cynicism had become the more fashionable posture."
Kasem attributed his success to that everyday voice.
"It's not a clear-toned announcer's voice," he told the Times. "It's more like the voice of the guy next door.''
Kasem is survived by his second wife, Jean, whom he married in 1985; and four children.

[DanO]

RIP Chuck and Casey.

[Drew]

Gentlemen, RIP.