Dead Pool 8th May 2016
Another week, a few more deaths. Alas we’re back to scraping the bottom of the barrel for names we barely recognise. However, plenty to read as these celebrities seem to be very fond of doing silly things.
Look Who You Could Have Had:
- Jonathan Cainer, 58, British astrologer (Daily Mail), heart failure.
- Kristian Ealey, 38, British actor (Brookside, Hollyoaks).
- Frank Levingston, 110, American supercentenarian, nation’s oldest World War II veteran.
- Matt Irwin, 36, British photographer.
- Margot Honecker, 89, East German politician, Minister of People’s Education (1963–1989), First Lady (1976–1989).
- Rickey Smith, 36, American singer and talent show contestant (American Idol), traffic collision.
In Other News
Little Richard has denied claims that he is “clinging to life”. According to his attorney, William Sobel, who has represented him for 30 years, reports of the singer’s poor health are untrue. “I just spoke to him today,” Sobel told Rolling Stone. “He said, ‘You know, I want you to talk to the press because I’m really annoyed this thing started on Facebook. Not only is my family not gathering around me because I’m ill, but I’m still singing. I don’t perform like I used to, but I have my singing voice, I walk around, I had hip surgery a while ago but I’m healthy.’” Rumours concerning the 83-year-old rock’n’roll legend’s health were reported by several sources earlier this week, following Bootsy Collins’ seemingly misinformed message on Facebook: “A friend, a legend & some say the true King of Rock & Roll,” he wrote. “Lil-Richard needs our love & understanding right now. He is not in the best of health so I ask all the Funkateers to lift him up.” Although Little Richard continues to sing, he avoids the spotlight and hasn’t performed live in two years. “He had hip surgery,” Sobel told Rolling Stone. “He’s 83. I don’t know how many 83-year-olds still get up and rock it out every week, but in light of the rumours, I wanted to tell you that he’s vivacious and conversant about a ton of different things and he’s still very active in a daily routine. I used to represent Prince and he just engaged me in all kinds of Prince conversations, calling him a ‘creative genius’.”
Several weeks ago production on the third Maze Runner film, The Death Cure, was shut down when star Dylan O’Brien was injured on set. Now, a new report says his injuries were worse than originally thought and the film has been postponed indefinitely. “His injuries are very serious and he needs more time to recover,” O’Brien’s publicist Jennifer Allen told The Hollywood Reporter, who broke the story. Fox released the following statement as well: The resumption of principal photography on Maze Runner: The Death Cure has been further delayed to allow Dylan O’Brien more time to fully recover from his injuries. We wish Dylan a speedy recovery and look forward to restarting production as soon as possible. According to the report, on March 18 O’Brien suffered a “concussion, facial fracture and lacerations” when a stunt in which the actor was on top of a moving vehicle went wrong.
Janet Jackson is pregnant with her first child, according to reports in the US. The singer, who will turn 50 in May, put all tour plans on hold for the foreseeable future earlier this year in order to start a family. The singer embarked on her year-long Unbreakable World Tour – her first in four years – last August, but missed shows due to medical reasons since October. Jackson had to deny rumours that she had throat cancer after worrying fans with an update on Christmas Eve saying that she needed surgery. A video posted on her Twitter account last month explained that she was “planning a family” with husband Wissam Al Mana, who she married secretly in 2012.
The former child star of ’80s film Flight of the Navigator has been charged with bank robbery in Canada. Deleriyes Joe Cramer, who was known as Joey Cramer when he starred in the 1986 movie, was arrested in Gibsons, British Columbia. The robbery took place in nearby Sechelt on the Sunshine Coast. Royal Canadian Mounted Police issued a statement saying the 42-year-old had been charged with four offences relating to the bank robbery. Cramer, who lives in Gibsons, was in a number of films as a child actor, including Runaway with Tom Selleck and The Clan of Cave Bear with Darryl Hannah. His biggest film was the box office hit Flight of the Navigator, in which Cramer played the lead character David Freeman. He was nominated for the Young Artist Award by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films in 1987. Police say a disguise was used in the bank robbery. They have requested anyone with additional information, including information about a man purchasing or discarding a disguise involving a shoulder-length wig, bandana, and dark jacket with a reddish design on the back, to contact Sunshine Coast police. Cramer is facing charges including robbery, disguise with intent to commit an indictable offence, failure to stop for a police officer and dangerous operation of a motor vehicle.
Italian composer Ennio Morricone has cancelled concerts in Rome because of health concerns. The 87-year-old has shelved three performances due to two collapsed vertebrae, according to Rome’s Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia Orchestra. The Oscar winner was due to perform with Santa Cecilia and its chorus. Later European concerts will still go ahead, Morricone’s spokeswoman said. Morricone, who has 500 film credits to this name, won his first competitive Oscar this year for his work on Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight. He had previously received an honorary Oscar in 2007.
On This Day
- 1429 – Joan of Arc lift the Siege of Orleans turning the tides of the Hundred Years’ War.
- 1886 – Pharmacist John Pemberton first sells a carbonated beverage named “Coca-Cola” as a patent medicine.
- 1912 – Paramount Pictures is founded.
- 1945 – World War II: V-E Day, combat ends in Europe. German forces agree in Reims, France, to an unconditional surrender.
- 1980 – The World Health Organization confirms the eradication of smallpox.
Deaths
- 1903 – Paul Gauguin, French painter and sculptor (b. 1848)
- 1982 – Gilles Villeneuve, Canadian race car driver (b. 1950)
- 1988 – Robert A. Heinlein, American author and screenwriter (b. 1907)
- 1994 – George Peppard, American actor and producer (b. 1928)
- 1999 – Dirk Bogarde, English actor and screenwriter (b. 1921)
Last Week’s Birthdays
Wes Anderson (47), Dwayne “The Rock’ Johnson (44), David Beckham (41), Ellie Kemper (36), Lily Allen (31), Frankie Valli (82), Christina Hendricks (41), Will Arnett (46), Michael Palin (73), Richard E. Grant (59), Henry Cavill (33), Adele (28), George Clooney (55) and Traci Lords (48).
The Last Word
“Hey fellas! How about this for a headline for tomorrows paper? ‘French Fries!’” – James French, convicted murderer, as he was being strapped into the electric chair. d.1966
Next week peeps!
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