Here we go again, yet more deathly news. Surprisingly, still no scoring even though the world is currently experiencing an apocalypse of sorts. Maybe we’ll see more deaths when the toilet roll runs out. 

Look Who You Could Have Had:

• Andrew Jack, 76, British dialect coach (The Lord of the Rings, Sherlock Holmes) and actor (Star Wars), COVID-19.  
• Bill Withers, 81, American Hall of Fame singer-songwriter (“Lean on Me“, “Ain’t No Sunshine“, “Lovely Day“), heart disease.  
• Julie Bennett, 88, American actress (What’s Up, Tiger Lily?, The Yogi Bear Show, Sole Survivor), COVID-19. 
• Logan Williams, 16, Canadian actor (The Flash, When Calls the Heart).  
• Eddie Large, 78, British comedian (Little and Large), COVID-19.

In Other News

Celebrities have been criticised for “fanning the flames” of conspiracy theories linking 5G technology to coronavirus after several videos claiming to show 5G towers on fire emerged on social media. A Facebook page, which was created on Thursday, encouraged people to set fire to the towers due to baseless claims about the health risks posed by 5G technology, before the social media company took down the page on Friday morning. Amanda Holden, reality TV star Calum Best, Actor Woody Harrelson, Blue singer Lee Ryan and former Dancing on Ice judge Jason Gardiner were among the celebrities who shared theories connecting 5G to the Covid-19 pandemic. Perhaps it’s at times like these we should take the opportunity to thin the herd and relive us of the stupid to decrease the surplus population, or perhaps just remove the ‘Do not drink’ label on bottles of bleach and see what happens.  

Comedian Eddie Large, best known for being part of double act Little and Large, has died with a very dubious case of the coronavirus. The star, 78, was a well known face on TV in the 1970s and 80s and was famous for his partnership with Syd Little. His family confirmed the news “with great sadness” on Facebook, saying he had been suffering with heart failure and then contracted the virus in hospital. Little said he was “devastated” by the news. “He had been ill for a while but when it happens, it hits you,” he said. His death leaves us with the question, what finally killed off Eddie Large? The fact that his heart was fucked for a long time or catching the lurgy whilst in hospital? I doubt he was in hospital if he was able to do cartwheels down the corridors, so to publicise his death, they stuck the C-19 label on him. Large stepped away from the limelight when the Little & Large Show ended in 1991, after doctors told Large his heart couldn’t stand the rigours of the live show. “That phone call to Syd was the most painful I’ve ever had to make,” he told the Mirror in 2017. “I was crying my eyes out because I knew I was putting him out of work. He had bills to pay. “I felt horrible. We weren’t just a double act. We were mates, right from the start.” Large had a heart transplant in 2003, and became a spokesman for the British Heart Foundation. Little said he had remained in almost daily contact with his stage partner, and spoke to him on Wednesday night, shortly before he died. “He was in pain, bless him, but he even asked me how we were,” he said. “He was so thoughtful to everybody.”

The Newly Infected

• Dominic Cummings: is self-isolating at home after showing symptoms Downing Street has confirmed.    
• Dynamo: has revealed he has tested positive after experiencing “severe” symptoms. 
• Ali Wentworth: said on April 1st that she’s “never been sicker” after testing positive. “High fever. Horrific body aches. Heavy chest. I’m quarantined from my family,” she said on Instagram. “This is pure misery.” 
• Debi Mazar: took to Instagram to reveal that she tested positive for the disease. “I have just tested positive for Covid-19. I AM OK!” 
• Indira Varma: appeared to confirm that she tested positive for coronavirus. The “Game of Thrones” and “Carnival Row” star said I’m in bed with it and it’s not nice. Stay safe and healthy and be kind to your fellow people.”  
• Pink: announced she tested positive for coronavirus, in an Instagram post that criticised the US government’s handling of the crisis. 
• Greta Thunberg: the teenage climate change activist, has revealed that she has self-isolated after showing coronavirus symptoms. 
• Lee Mack: the comedian said on March 26th that he was self-isolating at home after developing symptoms. 
• Paul Chuckle: is currently recovering from having contracted Covid-19. 
• Robbie Williams: he believes he had coronavirus while he was self-isolating away from his family for three weeks.  
• Marianne Faithfull: the singer, who also has pneumonia, is “stable and responding to treatment”, according to her agent.

On This Day

• 1722 – The Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen discovers Easter Island.  
• 1951 – Cold War: Ethel and Julius Rosenberg are sentenced to death for spying for the Soviet Union.  
• 1998 – In Japan, the Akashi Kaikyō Bridge opens to traffic, becoming the longest bridge span in the world.

Deaths

• 1923 – George Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon, English archaeologist and businessman (b. 1866)  
• 1964 – Douglas MacArthur, American general (b. 1880)  
• 1976 – Howard Hughes, American pilot, engineer, and director (b. 1905)  
• 1994 – Kurt Cobain, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1967)  
• 2006 – Gene Pitney, American singer-songwriter (b. 1941)  
• 2008 – Charlton Heston, American actor, director, and political activist (b. 1923)  
• 2012 – Jim Marshall, English businessman, founded Marshall Amplification (b. 1923)

Last Meals

Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were American citizens who were convicted of spying on behalf of the Soviet Union. The couple were accused of providing top-secret information about radar, sonar, jet propulsion engines, and valuable nuclear weapon designs; at that time the United States was the only country in the world with nuclear weapons. Convicted of espionage in 1951, they were executed by the federal government of the United States in 1953 in the Sing Sing correctional facility in Ossining, New York. 

The trial of the Rosenbergs on federal espionage charges began on March 6th, 1951. The prosecution’s primary witness, David Greenglass, said that he turned over to Julius Rosenberg a sketch of the cross-section of an implosion-type atom bomb. This was the “Fat Man” bomb dropped on Nagasaki, Japan, as opposed to a bomb with the “gun method” triggering device used in the “Little Boy” bomb dropped on Hiroshima. The Rosenbergs both remained defiant as the trial progressed. During testimony, they asserted their right under the US Constitution’s Fifth Amendment not to incriminate themselves when asked about their involvement in the Communist Party or their activities with its members. On March 29th, 1951, the Rosenbergs were convicted of espionage. They were sentenced to death on April 5th under Section 2 of the Espionage Act of 1917, which provides that anyone convicted of transmitting or attempting to transmit to a foreign government “information relating to the national defence” may be imprisoned for life or put to death. They were transferred to New York State’s Sing Sing Correctional Facility in Ossining, New York, for execution. The execution was delayed from the originally scheduled date of June 18th, because Supreme Court Associate Justice William O. Douglas had granted a stay of execution on the previous day. The execution was scheduled for 11 p.m. that evening, during the Jewish Sabbath, which begins and ends around sunset. Their attorney asked for more time, filing a complaint that execution on the Sabbath offended the  defendants’ Jewish heritage. Rhoda Laks, another attorney on the Rosenbergs’ defence team, also made this argument before the Judge. The defence’s strategy backfired. The Judge, who also stated his concerns about executing the Rosenbergs on the Jewish Sabbath, rescheduled the execution for 8 p.m. before sunset and the Jewish Sabbath and before 11 p.m., the regular time for executions at Sing Sing, thus not allowing for the Rosenbergs time to have a last meal. 

Julius died after the first electric shock. Ethel’s execution did not go smoothly. After she was given the normal course of three electric shocks, attendants removed the strapping and other equipment only to have doctors determine that Ethel’s heart was still beating. Two more electric shocks were applied, and at the conclusion, eyewitnesses reported that smoke rose from her head. The Rosenbergs were the only two American civilians to be executed for espionage-related activity during the Cold War.

Last Week’s Birthdays

Lily James (30), Mitch Pileggi (67), Jane Asher (73), Agnetha Fältskog (69), Pharrell Williams (46), Robert Downey Jr. (54), Hugo Weaving (59), Natasha Lyonne (40), Cherie Lunghi (67), Xenia Seeberg (51), Amanda Bynes (34), Eddie Murphy (59), Alec Baldwin (62), Paris Jackson (22), Pedro Pascal (45), Michael Fassbender (43), Clark Gregg (58), Penelope Keith (80), Mackenzie Davis (33), Ali MacGraw (81), Michael Praed (60), Ewan McGregor (49), Christopher Walken (77), Rhea Perlman (72), Daniel Mays (42), Richard Chamberlain (86), Robbie Coltrane (70), Warren Beatty (83), Eric Clapton (75), and Céline Dion (52).

As the ongoing viral infection is taking over the news, I’d hoped not to have to mention it here, but alas that’s nigh on impossible. All news that isn’t Coronavirus related has been binned and anything and everything is now associated with said infection. This is the first week that I have noticed a rise in notable deaths from the virus, mainly celebrities in Spain and Italy and a few in America, however, since Trump is mishandling the situation more than Boris is, I suspect a few of us will be scoring quite soon. 

Look Who You Could Have Had:

• Eric Weissberg, 80, American folk musician (“Dueling Banjos“, The Tarriers), complications from Alzheimer’s disease.  
• David Collings, 79, British actor (Scrooge, The Thirty Nine Steps, The Invisible Woman).  
• John Campbell-Jones, 90, British Formula One driver.  
• Albert Uderzo, 92, French comic book artist (Asterix, Oumpah-pah), heart attack.  
• Mark Blum, 69, American actor (Crocodile Dundee, Mozart in the Jungle, Desperately Seeking Susan), COVID-19.  
• Bob Andy, 75, Jamaican reggae singer (The Paragons, Bob and Marcia), songwriter and actor (The Mighty Quinn).  
• John Callahan, 66, American actor (All My Children, Falcon Crest, Days of Our Lives), stroke.  
• Matthew Faber, 47, American actor (Welcome to the Dollhouse, The Pallbearer, Natural Born Killers).

In Other News

First the coronavirus outbreak shuttered entertainment venues and events around the world. And now it is starting to claim the lives of artists, entertainers and other celebrated figures. First to succumb is actor Mark Blum, known for roles in “‘Crocodile’ Dundee” and “Desperately Seeking Susan,” who died on March 25th from complications of COVID-19. He was 69. Terrence McNally, a four-time Tony Award-winning playwright, died on March 24th at the age of 81 of complications from the coronavirus. His works included “Master Class,” “Love! Valour! Compassion!” and “Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune,” which later became a film with Michelle Pfeiffer and Al Pacino. Italian actress Lucia Bosè, who starred in such films as Michelangelo Antonioni’s “Story of a Love Affair” (1950) and Juan Antonio Bardem’s “Death of a Cyclist” (1955), died on March 23rd of pneumonia after contracting COVID-19. She was 89. Chef Floyd Cardoz, winner of “Top Chef Masters” Season 3, died at the age of 59 of coronavirus complications on March 25th. I suspect this section of The Dead Pool to take over the newsletter, if I’m still here to write it… 

The Newly Infected

• Boris Johnson: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he tested positive for coronavirus. In a video posted to Twitter Friday, the conservative leader said he was tested after showing mild symptoms, including a cough.
• Harvey Weinstein: The 68-year-old former film producer tested positive for the coronavirus at a state prison in New York while serving a 23-year sentence for rape and sexual assault, the head of the state correctional officers union said March 23rd. 
• Prince Charles: the Prince of Wales and heir to the British throne tested positive for the coronavirus on March 25th. The 71-year-old is displaying mild symptoms “but otherwise remains in good health”. 
• Rand Paul: The Republican of Kentucky is first United States senator to test positive for coronavirus. 
• Matthew Hancock: Britain’s Health Secretary Matthew Hancock announced on March 27th he tested positive for the coronavirus. 
• Alister Jack: Scottish Secretary and member of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Cabinet has developed symptoms of COVID-19.
• Placido Domingo: On March 22nd, the Spanish opera singer said he had tested positive for coronavirus and had gone into self-isolation with his family.   
• David Bryan: The Bon Jovi keyboardist announced that he tested positive for COVID-19 after feeling sick for a week.

On This Day

• 845 – Paris is sacked by Viking raiders, probably under Ragnar Lodbrok, who collects a huge ransom in exchange for leaving.
• 1886 – John Pemberton brews the first batch of Coca-Cola in a backyard in Atlanta.
• 1974 – Terracotta Army was discovered in Shaanxi province, China.
• 2014 – The first same-sex marriages in England and Wales are performed.

Deaths

• 1891 – Georges Seurat, French painter (b. 1859)
• 1972 – J. Arthur Rank, English businessman, founded Rank Organisation (b. 1888)
• 1982 – Carl Orff, German composer and educator (b. 1895)

Last Meals

John Spenkelink was a convicted American murderer. He was executed in 1979, the first convicted criminal to be executed in Florida after capital punishment was reinstated in 1976. Spenkelink was a drifter who was convicted in California for armed robbery and had been sentenced to five years-to-life. He had just escaped from the Slack Canyon Conservation Camp when he shot and killed a small-time criminal named Joseph Szymankiewicz in Tallahassee, Florida, in 1973. He claimed that he acted in self-defence —that Szymankiewicz had stolen his money, forced him to play Russian roulette, and sexually assaulted him. However, evidence and witness testimony from a co-defendant indicated that Spenkelink left their shared motel room, returned with a gun, and shot Szymankiewicz in the back. He turned down a plea bargain to second-degree murder that would have resulted in a life sentence. In 1976 he was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death. 

Spenkelink’s case became a national cause célèbre, encompassing both the broader debate over the morality of the death penalty and the narrower question of whether the  punishment fitted Spenkelink’s crime. His cause was taken up by former Florida Governor LeRoy Collins, actor Alan Alda, and singer Joan Baez, among many others. Also at issue was the assertion that capital punishment discriminated against the poor and underprivileged — Spenkelink often signed his prison correspondence with the epigram, “capital punishment means those without capital get the punishment.” 

Prior to his execution Spenkelink split a flask of Jack Daniel’s whiskey with his prison superintendent. The execution was carried out on May 25th, 1979, on “Old Sparky”, the Florida State Prison electric chair. That morning, Doug Tracht, a popular Jacksonville disc jockey, aired a recording of sizzling bacon on his radio program and dedicated it to Spenkelink.

Last Week’s Birthdays

Ed Skrein (36), Marina Sirtis (64), Lucy Lawless (51), Brendan Gleeson (64), Christopher Lambert (62), Elle Macpherson (55), Eric Idle (76), Julia Stiles (38), Vince Vaughn (49), Orla Brady (51), Nick Frost (47), Lady Gaga (33), Dianne Wiest (71), Chris Barrie (59), Quentin Tarantino (56), Nathan Fillion (48), Julian Glover (84), Fergie (44), Mariah Carey (49), Jessie J (31), Keira Knightley (35), Jennifer Grey (60), James Caan (80), Martin Short (70), Diana Ross (76), Steven Tyler (72), Lee Pace (41), Sarah Jessica Parker (55), Elton John (73), Paul Michael Glaser (77), Richard O’Brien (78), Jessica Chastain (43), Alyson Hannigan (46), Lara Flynn Boyle (50), Jim Parsons (47), Kelly LeBrock (60), Mary Berry (85), Amanda Plummer (63), and Joanna Page (42).

As the whole world is dying around us, or so we are led to believe, I still have no points to award you. However, to lighten things up a bit, Doug came up with an idea that I rather liked, so we’re going to go with it. If any of your listed die of COVID-19, you will get an extra 19 points! I don’t expect to be handing out many 19 point bundles, but who knows, this could be the end of times! Although, if this was the case Tom Hanks would have pegged it already? Perhaps it calls for a flight of evil monkeys?

Look Who You Could Have Had:

• Roy Hudd, 83, English actor (The Blood Beast Terror, Up the Chastity Belt, Coronation Street) and comedian. 
• Stuart Whitman, 92, American actor (The Mark, The Comancheros, Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines), skin cancer. 
• Roger Mayweather, 58, American boxer and boxing trainer, WBA super featherweight and WBC super lightweight champion.  
• Alfred Worden, 88, American astronaut (Apollo 15), stroke.  
• Peter Whittingham, 35, English footballer (Cardiff City, Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers), complications of traumatic brain injury.  
• Kenny Rogers, 81, American singer (“The Gambler“, “Just Dropped In (To See What Condition  My Condition Was In)“, “Islands in the Stream“), songwriter and actor.

In Other News

Mike Tyson has said that he is looking forward to his own death because “living might be more complicated than dying to me”. Tyson, 53, is regarded as one of the greatest heavyweights in the history of boxing. He became the first heavyweight to hold the WBA, WBC and IBF belts and later became the lineal champion. However, he has a controversial past and in 1992, he was convicted of rape and sentenced to six years in prison. He was eventually released on parole after serving three years. Since his retirement from boxing he has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and, reflecting on both his career and his life in an interview with The Sportsman, Tyson said that he does not fear death. “From my experience, from what I believe, the more I know about not existing, the more willing I am to die,” he said. “Yeah [I look forward to it], I don’t fear it. Living might be more complicated than dying to me… because living takes a lot of courage. “Without the courage, you can’t handle living. Living is a journey; living is a struggle. People have everything and they still can’t do it, they struggle. “We take ourselves too seriously; we think we’re somebody. Who the fuck, we’re nothing! We come from shit; we think we’re special [but] fame is shit. “You find out you’re not [special]. You’re capable of going to jail, you’re capable of dying, you’re capable of being mistreated. “I don’t really expect bad things to happen to me, but when they do happen to me, I understand it and I’m able to handle it. I’ve handled bad stuff before, that’s been my life. I don’t trip over bad things, I know shit happens. When bad things happen, I will be still striving to do something. I won’t be discouraged.” Good old Mike! 

The Notably Newly Infected

Prince Albert II of Monaco: The 62-year-old reigning monarch confirmed he had tested positive for the virus on Thursday. 

Michel Barnier: The European Union’s chief negotiator for its future relationship with Britain after Brexit. 

Idris Elba: The British actor confirmed he had contracted COVID-19 on Twitter on Tuesday 17th March. 

Mikel Arteta: Arsenal’s head coach tested positive for the coronavirus and self-isolated in line with government guidelines.  

Kristofer Hivju: Games of Thrones star Hivju, who played the wildling warrior Tormund Giantsbane, self-isolated with his family after contracting the illness. 

Linda Lusardi: The actress and former model said she had “never felt this ill” after contracting the virus. 

Fiona Phillips: The former GMTV host said she had symptoms including a sore throat and dry cough but was “fine” and “not suffering”.

On This Day

• 1906 – The first England vs France rugby union match is played at Parc des Princes in Paris. 
• 1972 – In Eisenstadt v. Baird, the United States Supreme Court decides that unmarried persons have the right to possess contraceptives.  
• 1978 – Karl Wallenda of The Flying Wallendas dies after falling off a tight-rope suspended between two hotels in San Juan, Puerto Rico.  
• 1995 – Cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov returns to earth after setting a record of 438 days in space.

Deaths

• 1772 – John Canton, English physicist and academic (b. 1718)
• 2001 – William Hanna, American animator, director, producer, and voice actor, co-founded Hanna-Barbera (b. 1910) 
• 2003 – Terry Lloyd, English journalist (b. 1952)

Last Meals

Oba Chandler was an American Serial Killer who was convicted and executed for the June 1989 murders of Joan Rogers and her two daughters, whose bodies were found floating in Tampa Bay, Florida, with their hands and feet bound. Autopsies showed the victims had been thrown into the water while still alive, with ropes tied to a concrete block around their necks. The case became high-profile in 1992 when local police posted billboards bearing enlarged images of the suspect’s handwriting recovered from a pamphlet in the victims’ car. Chandler was identified as the killer when his neighbour recognised the handwriting. This was the first use of billboards by law enforcement in the US. Billboards then became useful tools in searches for missing people. Against the advice of his attorneys, he testified in his own defence, saying he had met the Ohio women and had given them directions. Chandler said he never saw them again, except in newspaper coverage and on the billboards set up by authorities. Police originally theorised that two men were involved in the murders, but this was discounted once Chandler was arrested. Chandler was found guilty of the murders and was sentenced to death on November 4, 1994. He maintained his innocence and continued to pursue legal appeals while on Florida’s death row. During his seventeen years of incarceration until his execution, he was notable for not having a single visitor. On November 15, prior to his execution, Chandler requested two salami sandwiches on white bread with mustard, peanut butter and grape jelly sandwich on white bread, iced tea and coffee as his last meal. He was executed at 4:08 pm but declined to make a last statement before being injected but left a written statement with prison officials stating: “You are killing a innocent man today.” On February 25, 2014, investigators revealed that DNA evidence identified Chandler as the murderer of Ivelisse Berrios-Beguerisse, who was raped and strangled in Coral Springs, Florida, on November 27, 1990. Chandler was living two miles from her workplace and abandoned his apartment two days after murdering her, leaving everything including his furniture behind. So not so innocent after all… 

Last Week’s Birthdays

Lena Olin (64), Reese Witherspoon (43), William Shatner (88), Andrew Lloyd Webber (71), Gary Oldman (62), Rhys Darby (46), Matthew Broderick (58), Timothy Dalton (74), Sonequa Martin-Green (35), Jaye Davidson (52), Ruby Rose (34), Holly Hunter (62), Freema Agyeman (41), David Thewlis (57), William Hurt (70), Spike Lee (63), Carl Reiner (98), Harvey Weinstein (68), Bruce Willis (65), Ursula Andress (84), Glenn Close (73), Brad Dourif (70), Irene Cara (61), Rob Lowe (56), Kurt Russell (69), Gary Sinise (65), John Boyega (28), Alexandra Daddario (34), Alan Tudyk (49), Victor Garber (71), Jerome Flynn (57), Erik Estrada (71), and Jimmy Nail (66).

Ironically, even with all the scaremongering from the media, we are struggling to find dead people to list on the Dead Pool this week, and those who have died have died from other issues. Maybe next week eh? 

Look Who You Could Have Had:

• Max von Sydow, 90, Swedish-born French actor (The Seventh Seal, The Exorcist, Pelle the Conqueror).  
• Pete Mitchell, 61, English radio DJ and presenter (BBC Radio 2, Virgin Radio). 
• Michel Roux, 78, French-born British chef and restaurateur (Le Gavroche, The Waterside Inn), idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.  
• Genesis P-Orridge, 70, English musician (Throbbing Gristle, Psychic TV) and performance artist (COUM Transmissions), leukaemia.

In Other News

Tom Hanks has urged fans to take care of themselves and each other in his latest Instagram post, after testing positive for Coronavirus this week. The actor and his wife Rita Wilson, both 63, are currently recovering from the disease in hospital isolation after falling ill while filming in Australia. The couple, who have been married for more than 30 years, had been Down Under filming for an upcoming Elvis Presley biopic Tom is starring in. On Sunday, Tom shared an update with fans as he and Rita remain in isolation. The Oscar winner shared a picture of his Vegemite on toast breakfast and a glass of water, hinting that he’s over the worst. He also included a little toy kangaroo and a cute koala bear in the picture in homage to those who have helped take care of him. Alongside the snap, he wrote: “Thanks to the Helpers. Let’s take care of ourselves and each other. Hanx” Fans responded to wish him and Rita well while others joked about the generous helping of spread on his toast. Earlier in the week, Tom and his wife Rita posed for a smiling selfie as they remained in isolation. Tom wrote: “Rita Wilson and I want to thank everyone here Down Under who are taking such good care of us. We have Covid-19 and are in isolation so we do not spread it to anyone else. “Remember, despite all the current events, there is no crying in baseball. Hanx” Hanks announced that the pair had contracted the virus in a statement, as they became the highest profile celebrities to have fallen ill with the virus. He wrote: “Hello, folks. Rita and I are down here in Australia. We felt a bit tired, like we had colds, and some body aches. Rita had some chills that came and went. Slight fevers too. “To play things right, as is needed in the world right now, we were tested for Coronavirus, and were found to be positive. “We Hanks’ will be tested, observed, and isolated for as long as public health and safety requires. Not much more to it than a one-day-at-a-time approach, no?” But what about Wilson??? 

Other celebrities who have contracted the Coronavirus? Well, let’s make a list…

• We obviously know of Tom Hanks and his wife as they were the first to go public. 
• Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, wife of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. 
• Quite a few NBA players that I won’t bother listing as barely any of us would know who they are.

And Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi tested positive. “I had the virus for the last couple of days, which I’ve recovered from,” Hudson-Odoi said in a video posted on social media. “I’m following the health guidelines and self-isolating myself from everybody for the week. I hope to see everybody soon and hopefully be back on the pitch very soon. Take care.”  And that’s about it so far, they all seem to be fairly healthy and will survive, shame that…  

Floyd Mayweather’s ex-girlfriend and the mother of his three children, Josie Harris, has been found dead in her car by police in California. She was 40 years old. Harris was found outside her home in Valencia, Los Angeles County, on Tuesday night. Authorities do not suspect foul play and are treating the case like a death investigation. Mayweather and Harris had a tumultuous relationship when they dated between 1995 and 2010. The boxing icon served two months in prison when he was convicted in 2010 of domestic violence against her. The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department said in a statement on Wednesday: ‘Homicide investigators have responded to the death of a woman. ‘The incident was reported Tuesday, March 10, 2020, at approximately, 10pm, on the 25,700 block of Oak Meadow Drive, Valencia. ‘The woman was pronounced dead at the scene. There is no additional information available at this time.’ Harris claimed that she was abused by Mayweather on six different occasions and was in the process of writing a book about domestic violence survivors when she died.     

On This Day

• 44 BC – The assassination of Julius Caesar.
• 1917 – Tsar Nicholas II of Russia abdicates the Russian throne ending the 304-year Romanov dynasty.
• 1990 – Mikhail Gorbachev is elected as the first President of the Soviet Union.

Deaths

• 44 BC – Julius Caesar, Roman general and statesman (b. 100 BC)
• 1891 – Joseph Bazalgette, English engineer and academic (b. 1819)
• 1937 – H. P. Lovecraft, American short story writer, editor, and novelist (b. 1890)
• 1998 – Benjamin Spock, American paediatrician and author (b. 1903)
• 2003 – Thora Hird, English actress (b. 1911)
• 2014 – Clarissa Dickson Wright, English chef, author, and television personality (b. 1947)

Last Meals

A convicted killer sentenced to death for slaying three police officers took only one bite of his last meal before being executed by lethal injection. There was some hope death row inmate Nathaniel Woods’ execution may have been called off after the US Supreme Court granted a last minute stay, but this was lifted hours later. The 44-year-old dad had requested sweet potatoes, spinach, chicken patty and leg quarter, cooked apples, fries, two oranges and an orange-flavoured drink. However, he only had a bite of the chicken before leaving the rest of the meal untouched, according to a statement from Alabama Department of Corrections. Woods had made calls to his father, sister, daughter and mother, as well as friends, in the hours before his execution on Thursday evening at William C. Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore.

Woods was convicted for his part in what became known as the ‘deadliest day’ in the history of Alabama’s Birmingham Police Department in 2004. Officers Carlos Owen, Harley A. Chisholm III and Charles R. Bennett were shot dead by Kerry Spencer at an apartment in Birmingham where Woods was also present but didn’t pull the trigger. Prosecutors, however, said Woods had lured the three  law enforcers into the home where they were killed – but supporters claim the evidence against him doesn’t stack up. During his trial – in a practice abandoned by every other US state except Alabama – the jury could not even come to a unanimous decision on his sentencing, with two opposed to the death penalty. The decision to press on with the execution came after Alabama Governor Kay Ivey reviewed a letter from Woods’ legal team requesting a reprieve from the death sentence, but said she would allow the execution to proceed. In a lengthy statement, the governor said: “There is no evidence, and no argument has been made, that Nathaniel Woods tried to stop the gunman from committing these heinous crimes. “In fact, he later bragged about his participation in these horrific murders.” Alabama State Attorney General Steve Marshall agreed in a statement on Wednesday that Woods was “correctly found guilty and sentenced to death by a jury of his peers”. Woods became the first person executed in Alabama in 2020 and the 67th since the state reinstated the death penalty in 1976.

Last Week’s Birthdays

David Cronenberg (76), Will.i.am (44), Jamie Bell (33), Jaimie Alexander (35), Michael Caine (86), Billy Crystal (71), Quincy Jones (86), Annabeth Gish (48), William H. Macy (69), Aaron Eckhart (51), Liza Minnelli (73), Thora Birch (37), John Barrowman (52), Johnny Knoxville (48), Nancy Kovack (84), Olivia Wilde (36), Sharon Stone (62), Jon Hamm (49), Chuck Norris (80), Robert Llewellyn (64), Juliette Binoche (56), Freddie Prinze Jr. (44), and Aidan Quinn (61).

Nil points to award this week, just goes to show that the coronavirus isn’t that bad. Although, just to put the willies up some people, three politicians in Iran have died of Corvid-19, at least we can all agree that if it targets politicians, we will welcome the virus with open arms… 

Look Who You Could Have Had:

• Stefan Lindqvist, 52, Swedish footballer (Halmstad, IFK Göteborg, national team), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.  
• James Lipton, 93, American television host (Inside the Actors Studio), actor (Arrested Development) and writer (Guiding Light), bladder cancer.  
• CC, 18, American tabby cat, first cloned pet, kidney failure.  
• Barbara Martin, 76, American singer (The Supremes).  
• Alexey Sorokin, 97, Russian military officer and politician, Admiral of the Fleet (1988–1992) and Deputy (1989–1991).  
• David Paul, 62, American actor, producer, television personality and bodybuilder (The Barbarians, Double Trouble, Twin Sitters). 
• David Rainford, 51, British quiz contestant (Eggheads).  
• Matthew Watkins, 41, Welsh rugby union player (Newport, Scarlets, national team), pelvic cancer.

In Other News

A Ukrainian chess grandmaster once ranked eighth in the world and his teenage girlfriend, who also played professionally, have died. Investigators claimed the pair may have choked to death after inhaling nitrous oxide. Stanislav Bogdanovich, 27, and 19-year-old Alexandra Vernigora, both from the Odessa region, were found dead in their adoptive home of Moscow, according to industry publication chess-news.ru. The couple, who had been together for a year, were initially claimed to have been found alongside balloons used to inhale the gas, which is legally available in the country. However Russian broadcaster Ren TV, citing Russian investigators, later said the couple had been found with bags over their heads. The supply of  nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas, was outlawed for recreational purposes in the UK in 2016 – however, the death rate associated with its use is relatively low. Between 2010 and 2016, 25 people were confirmed to have died as a result of inhaling the gas in Britain. Investigators reportedly said there was no evidence of foul play.   

Jared Leto has revealed he “nearly died” while rock climbing in Nevada. Leto shared photos and videos of the incident on Instagram, which occurred while he was climbing with Alex Honnold, who is famous for his free solo ascents. Leto and Honnold were climbing at the Red Rock canyon in Nevada when the actor “took a pretty good fall”. “Not to sound dramatic, but this is the day I nearly died,” wrote Leto in the Instagram caption. “Took a pretty good fall climbing with @alexhonnold at Red Rock. Looked up and within seconds the rope was being cut by the rock while I dangled some 600 ft in the air. “I remember looking down at the ground below. It was a strange moment – less fear, more matter of fact, and slightly melancholy. The adrenaline came after, when I got back on the wall. But we made it through and lived to see another day. “Overall it was actually quite fun. we continued climbing into the night…”    

Post Malone has spoken out to reassure fans that he is not taking drugs, after many expressed concerns for his health following bizarre live shows. The rapper, who is currently out on the second leg of his Runaway tour, was filmed stumbling across the stage, slurring his words and rolling his eyes back while performing. After fans took to social media to say they were worried he might be taking drugs, Malone used his concert in Memphis, Tennessee to deny these claims. “I’m not on drugs,” he told the crowd. “I feel the best I’ve ever fucking felt in my life. And that’s why I can bust my ass for these shows and fucking fall on the floor and do all that fun shit.” He added: “But for anyone that’s concerned here, I appreciate the love and the support, but I feel fucking fantastic and I’m not doing drugs.” 

On This Day

• 1618 – Johannes Kepler discovers the third law of planetary motion.
• 1979 – Philips demonstrates the compact disc publicly for the first time.
• 2014 – Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, carrying a total of 239 people, disappears en-route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

Deaths

• 1723 – Christopher Wren, English architect, designed St. Paul’s Cathedral (b. 1632)
• 1930 – William Howard Taft, American lawyer, 27th President of the U.S. (b. 1857)
• 1971 – Harold Lloyd, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1893)
• 2003 – Adam Faith, English singer (b. 1940)
• 2007 – John Inman, English actor (b. 1935)

Last Week’s Birthdays

Cynthia Rothrock (62), Micky Dolenz (74), Rachel Weisz (49), Bryan Cranston (63), Shaquille O’Neal (47), Tom Arnold (60), Alan Davies (53), Jolene Blalock (44), Eva Mendes (45), Dean Stockwell (83), Jake Lloyd (30), Matt Lucas (45), Paul Blackthorne (50), Fred Williamson (81), Aasif Mandvi (53), Penn Jillette (64), Murray Head (73), Catherine O’Hara (66), Patsy Kensit (52), Jessica Biel (38), Julie Bowen (50), Miranda Richardson (62), Charlie Brooker (49), Brian Cox (52), Bryce Dallas Howard (39), Daniel Craig (52), Rebel Wilson (40), Nathalie Emmanuel (31), Gates McFadden (71), Jon Bon Jovi (58), Chris Martin (43), and Alexander Armstrong (50).