Dead Pool 18th December 2016

Welcome all, another edition hits the stands. Congratulations to Millie, the only one to guess that Henry Heimlich would pass away this year. Luckily she listed him as a Cert, thus garnering a total of 154 points! Woo!

Now, we only have two weeks left to go, I hope you are all working hard on your lists. Also, remind your friends and get them in on the game as well. The rules are here, if you want to link them and also point them towards the donations page 😉

Onto email Klaxxons, I’d like to know what you think of them. Some people love them, others despise them. I have had a few people drop out of the email list because of them, but some of you, perhaps like me, do rather enjoy having the interaction within our group and a reminder of who’s died. Sometimes it seems the email arrives before the media get hold of the news!! Depending on your reaction, Klaxxons may be consigned to The Hole™

Look Who You Could Have Had:

• Ian McCaskill, 78, British meteorologist and weatherman.
• Michael Nicholson, 79, British journalist and war correspondent.
• E. R. Braithwaite, 104, Guyanese novelist (To Sir, With Love) and diplomat.
• Jim Prior, Baron Prior, 89, British politician, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1981–1984) and Employment (1979–1981).
• Alan Thicke, 69, Canadian actor (Growing Pains, Not Quite Human), talk show host (The Alan Thicke Show), and songwriter, heart attack.
• Bernard Fox, 89, Welsh-American actor (Bewitched, Titanic, The Mummy), heart failure.
• Henry Heimlich, 96, American physician and inventor of the Heimlich maneuver, complications from a heart attack.

In Other News

Bruce Springsteen’s wife helps him pull “back into his life” when he is gripped by depression. The 67-year-old musician revealed earlier this year he was “crushed” by the disease in his early 60s, and says his spouse Patti Scialfa helps him see how “blessed” his life is when he is experiencing one of his dark periods. He said: “Patti’s very helpful, and sometimes just time. Or sometimes the correct medication, you need the right drugs. That can really help also. “These are all things that can pull you back into your life and certainly in my case how blessed my life has been. “I have developed some skills that help me deal with it but still, it is a powerful, powerful thing, it really comes up and there are things that still remain unexplainable to me.” Let’s hope that she goes on a long vacation…

Larry Lamb finds ageing “frightening at times”. The 69-year-old actor says everything changed for him when he turned 65 and admits it was then he realised that the “clock had started ticking”. He said: “You suddenly realise that you’re not immortal anymore. One minute you’re mortal and then you suddenly realise that you’re not. The clock starts ticking, you get your pension and you know you’re heading towards the end. “You never used to know where you were heading in life and then it all changes, You begin to feel like an old man and it’s frightening at times.”

Tony Bennett has decided he’ll never retire from making music because “it’s too late” to give up. The 90-year-old music legend has decided it would be pointless to end his career despite being only 10 years off 100 as there is still so much more he wants to achieve. Talking about reaching the ripe age of 90, he previously said: “I turn 90 tomorrow and feel like I’m just getting started and look forward to each day.” So do we Tony, so do we.

Lionel Blair has “always” lied about his age for many years, but has finally revealed he is three years older than he had previously let on. The British actor has admitted he has been pretending to be three years younger than he actually is for his entire life, but has finally decided to come clean about how old he is whilst celebrating his 88th birthday this week. However, the veteran performer has revealed despite telling a little white lie about his age, his hair is real and all his own. Lionel has revealed he would like nothing more than to follow in the footsteps of fellow actor Kirk Douglas, who hit a major milestone of 100 years old last week. And the star has hinted his hectic lifestyle and heavy work schedule is the secret to keeping him feeling young and, although he he hasn’t been offered many acting roles lately, he believes he will be inundated with work commitments in the New Year.

On This Day

• 1777 – The United States celebrates its first Thanksgiving, marking the recent victory by the American rebels over British General John Burgoyne at Saratoga in October.
• 1898 – Gaston de Chasseloup-Laubat sets the first officially recognised land speed record of 39.245 mph (63.159 km/h) in a Jeantaud electric car.
• 1981 – First flight of the Russian heavy strategic bomber Tu-160, the world’s largest combat aircraft, largest supersonic aircraft and largest variable-sweep wing aircraft built.

Deaths

• 1932 – Eduard Bernstein, German theorist and politician (b. 1850)
• 1993 – Sam Wanamaker, American-English actor, director, and producer (b. 1919)
• 1997 – Chris Farley, American comedian and actor (b. 1964)
• 2000 – Kirsty MacColl, British singer-songwriter (b. 1959)
• 2006 – Joseph Barbera, American animator, director, co-founded Hanna-Barbera (b. 1911)
• 2008 – Majel Barrett, American actress and producer (b. 1932)

Last Week’s Birthdays

Taylor Swift (27), Jamie Foxx (49), Eugene Levy (70), John Kerry (73), Christopher Plummer (87), Steve Buscemi (59), Dick Van Dyke (91), Vanessa Hudgens (28), Don Johnson (67), Jennifer Connelly (46), Bill Pullman (63), Milla Jovovich (41), Pope Francis (80), Ernie Hudson (71), Billy Gibbons (67), Dionne Warwick (76) and Laurie Holden (47).

Next week peeps!