Dead Pool 30th April 2017

A few more deaths to add to the never-ending list, however no points scored. We’re a third of the way through the year and Laura, last year’s angel of death, is still the woman to beat.

Look Who You Could Have Had:

• Leo Baxendale, 86, British comics artist, creator of The Bash Street Kids, Minnie the Minx and Little Plum.
• William Hjortsberg, 76, American novelist and screenwriter (Legend, Falling Angel), pancreatic cancer.
• Jack Harold Jones, 52, American convicted murderer, execution by lethal injection.
• Marcel Williams, 46, American convicted murderer, execution by lethal injection.
• Jonathan Demme, 73, American film director (The Silence of the Lambs, Philadelphia, Rachel Getting Married), Oscar winner (1992), complications from oesophageal cancer. 
• Ueli Steck, 40, Swiss rock climber and mountaineer.

In Other News

Sir Elton John suffered a “potentially deadly” bacterial infection during a tour, forcing him to spend two nights in intensive care and cancel concerts in the US, his management says. The singer became violently ill at the end of a tour of South America last week, requiring him to return to the UK for urgent treatment. Nine concerts that were due to be staged in Las Vegas and California over the next two weeks have been cancelled. Sir Elton is now resting at home. A statement by his management said infections of the kind suffered by the star were “rare and potentially deadly”. It gave no other details. “Thankfully, Elton’s medical team identified this quickly and treated it successfully. He is expected to make a full and complete recovery,” it added. Sir Elton is due to resume his schedule of live performances in the UK on 3rd June. “I am so fortunate to have the most incredible and loyal fans and apologise for disappointing them. I am extremely grateful to the medical team for their excellence in looking after me so well,” the star said. It is not the first time Sir Elton has battled a serious bout of ill-health. While performing his show The Million Dollar Piano at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada in May 2012, Sir Elton became ill with a serious respiratory infection. Following his doctor’s recommendation, he cancelled the show’s last four concerts. In July 2013, he had to cancel a concert in London’s Hyde Park when he was diagnosed with appendicitis, which required urgent surgery. The 70-year-old singer has sold more than 200 million records, making him one of the most successful artists of all time.

Actor Tom Hardy helped to apprehend a man who had allegedly stolen a motorbike in London in a potentially deadly situation, police have said. The Hollywood star, famed for making female gussets moist, stepped in after two teenagers on the bike crashed into a car in Richmond, south-west London, on Sunday afternoon. They ran off before one was grabbed by the Mad Max and Taboo star and the other was arrested by a police officer. Two 16-year-olds have been arrested on suspicion of theft of a motor vehicle, police said. Witness Arun Pullen told The Scum newspaper: “Tom must have been walking down the road. He went off like a shot in pursuit and looked furious.” A Richmond Police spokesman said: “We can confirm that there were two people on a stolen moped that went through a red light and crashed into another vehicle. “The males ran off and one was detained by Tom Hardy. “Both suspects were initially taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.” A spokeswoman for the 39-year-old actor, who has also starred in films including The Dark Knight Rises, The Revenant, Inception and Legend, declined to comment.

Caprice Bourret has revealed her sudden departure from Channel 4 reality show The Jump in February was due to her being diagnosed with a brain tumour. The model and businesswoman, 45, has undergone surgery for the tumour, which she discovered while competing in the winter sports show. A representative said at the time that she had withdrawn from the competitive skiing show due to illness. She told the media: “I was diagnosed with a brain tumour. I found out while I was competing in the show and boy, was it more horrific than any of the challenges.” The mother of two has praised The Jump with saving her life as it was at their insistence she went to consult a doctor. She said: “I had headaches that were not going away and my vision was beginning to act up so the show’s production insisted I see their doctor.” A growth the size of a thumb was detected. She said: “My first thought was for my two little boys. I’m their rock and keep my family together. It was the scariest moment I’d ever experienced.” She said of her op, which took place last month: ‘I had a seven-and-a-half hour operation… Anyway, the nurse came in and she sat down and she said, “Don’t be alarmed but you have a brain tumour. Obviously, I started to break down and cry hysterically. I just said, “Am I going to die?” That’s the first thing you think about.” Caprice then decided to return to the UK in order to have her operation to remove the tumour and can’t thank bosses of the Channel 4 show enough for being so understanding.

On This Day

• 1517 – Evil May Day xenophobic riots in London begin
• 1789 – On the balcony of Federal Hall on Wall Street in New York City, George Washington takes the oath of office to become the first elected President of the United States.
• 1863 – A 65-man French Foreign Legion infantry patrol fights a force of nearly 2,000 Mexican soldiers to nearly the last man in Hacienda Camarón, Mexico.
• 1945 – World War II: Führerbunker: Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun commit suicide after being married for less than 40 hours. Soviet soldiers raise the Victory Banner over the Reichstag building.
• 1980 – The Iranian Embassy siege begins in London.
• 1993 – CERN announces World Wide Web protocols will be free.

Deaths

• 1883 – Édouard Manet, French painter (b. 1832)
• 1983 – Muddy Waters, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and bandleader (b. 1913)
• 1989 – Sergio Leone, Italian director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1929)
• 1994 – Roland Ratzenberger, Austrian race car driver (b. 1960)

Last Week’s Birthdays

Daniel Day-Lewis (60), Michelle Pfeiffer (59), Uma Thurman (47), Kate Mulgrew (62), Jerry Seinfeld (63), Jessica Alba (36), Ann-Margret (75), Penélope Cruz (43), Jay Leno (67), Channing Tatum (37), Giancarlo Esposito (59), Kevin James (52), Jet Li (54), Melania Trump (47), Joan Chen (56), Renée Zellweger (48), Hank Azaria (53), Al Pacino (77), Talia Shire (71), Barbra Streisand (75), Djimon Hounsou (53), Aidan Gillen (49), Shirley MacLaine (83), Richard Donner (87), Dev Patel (27), John Hannah (55), John Oliver (40) and Lee Majors (78).