A quiet week for us, no ‘mega stars’ pegged it, but a few familiar faces to mourn over, or maybe not for one of our notable deaths. Looks like prison is a dangerous place to be right now… 

Look Who You Could Have Had:

• Tommy DeCarlo, 60, American singer (Boston), brain cancer. 
• Jennifer Runyon, 65, American actress (Another World, Ghostbusters, Charles in Charge), cancer. 
• Jane Lapotaire, 81, English actress (Piaf, Love Hurts, Rebecca).
• Wendy Playfair, 99, Australian actress (Prisoner). 
• Phil Campbell, 64, Welsh guitarist (Motörhead). 
• Judy Pace, 83, American actress (Peyton Place, The Young Lawyers, Cotton Comes to Harlem). 
• John Alford, 54, British actor (Grange Hill, London’s Burning) and convicted sex offender. 

In Other News

Married At First Sight star and dating coach Mel Schilling has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. The TV star was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2023 and has now been told at the age of 54 that there is nothing more doctors can do. Mel quit MAFS Australia recently and has now revealed to fans that doctors had told her cancer had spread to the left side of her brain, which was causing her headaches and numbness – and that they couldn’t do anymore. She wrote in a lengthy and emotional post to her fans and friends: “In December 2023 I was diagnosed with colon cancer after a tumour the size of a lemon was discovered during a scan. “Terry,” as I called him, was successfully removed and I was initially given the all clear – that much many of you already know. Unfortunately, in late February 2024 during a routine scan, small nodules were discovered in my lungs. The cancer had metastasised and my world changed again in an instant. Over the past two years, while filming MAFS, I underwent 16 rounds of chemotherapy and was later told I was eligible for a ground-breaking clinical trial specific to my gene type, due to start in March 2026. Once again, my optimism soared that I might beat this thing.” Mel then tragically revealed she had been given more bad news and said she wasn’t sure how long she had left. She explained: “Over Christmas, however, I began experiencing blinding headaches and numbness down my right side. After many tests I was told the cancer had spread to the left side of my brain and, despite subsequent radiotherapy sessions, my oncology team have now told me there is nothing further they can do. Hearing those words changes everything. So that’s where I am now. My light is starting to fade — and quickly. But I am still here, still fighting, and surrounded by the most incredible love.” She added: “Simple tasks have become incredibly difficult and I am relying on my beautiful family to look after me. I honestly don’t know how long I have left, but I do know I will fight to my last breath and will be surrounded by the love and support of my people. At the outset of this journey, so many of you sent the most wonderful messages of support. They have meant more than I can ever properly express and have helped shape the mindset I’ve needed to keep fighting.” She concluded her post: “Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. If I could leave you with one thing, it would simply be this: if something doesn’t feel right, please get it checked out. It might just save your life. These two beside me are my everything.”  

A longtime TV host revealed on air that she was diagnosed with stage 2 lung cancer, despite having never smoked before. Mel McLaughlin, a 46-year-old sports broadcaster from Australia, tearfully made the health admission during a segment on Channel 7 with her colleagues, sharing the reason for her recent absence from work. “I was diagnosed with lung cancer in December. So that led to surgery. I had half my lung cut out,” she said. “It’s just very traumatic. It’s very triggering. It’s a lot of emotions.” McLaughlin said it was even more difficult coming to terms with her diagnosis and breaking the news to her family because her older sister Tara died in 2015 at age 39 from the same disease. Neither of them were smokers. “You don’t want to worry anyone,” she said. “In our family lung cancer meant death. We had one example and we lost her.” McLaughlin underwent surgery in January at Sydney’s North Shore Private Hospital to remove the tumour and half of her lung. She admitted that it was daunting being treated in the same hospital and ICU where she witnessed her sister suffer from the disease. “I cried and then I laughed because it’s like, is this a joke?” she said. It’s been weeks since her surgery and McLaughlin said her recovery has been “slow but good.” She recognised that she’s lucky because her disease was caught early, unlike her sister’s.  “I think that was my big sister. Maybe I got lucky. I don’t know. I definitely think  she’s with me,” she said. “That’s what they do, big sisters.” 

The best-selling author Jane Fallon, the longtime partner of comedian Ricky Gervais, shared that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer, though the disease was caught in a “very early stage thankfully” and “the prognosis is excellent. I had a routine mammogram a week before Christmas,” Jane wrote on Instagram. “I had no symptoms but the brilliant radiographer spotted something iffy & sent me for further tests & eventually a biopsy.” According to the 65-year-old, she’s since had “more mammograms, more biopsies and an MRI so they can pinpoint the problem area precisely.” “It’s been a lot, I’m not going to lie,” the TV producer said, “But, my surgery is scheduled for the week after next and I just want to get it over with now.” Jane assured fans she was receiving “incredible care” and that “all will be fine.” However, she did admit that she wasn’t interested in “engaging with much beyond audiobooks & jigsaws.” Giving her beloved cat Pickle a shoutout, she jokingly added, “Nurse Pickle wondering when lunch is.” Ricky hasn’t spoken publicly about Jane’s diagnosis, the couple have been together since 1982 after meeting at the University College London.

On This Day

• 44 BC – The assassination of Julius Caesar, the dictator of the Roman Republic, by a group of senators takes place on the Ides of March. 
• 1626 – A dam failure causes the sudden flooding of the mining city of Potosí in present-day Bolivia leading to the death of thousands and the massive release of toxic mercury into the environment.
• 1877 – First ever official cricket test match is played: Australia vs England at the MCG Stadium, in Melbourne, Australia.

Deaths

• 44 BC – Julius Caesar, Roman general and statesman (born 100 BC). 
• 1937 – H. P. Lovecraft, American short story writer, editor, and novelist (born 1890).
• 1998 – Dr Benjamin Spock, American paediatrician and author (born 1903). 
• 2003 – Thora Hird, English actress (born 1911).
• 2012 – Mervyn Davies, Welsh rugby player (born 1946). 
• 2014 – Clarissa Dickson Wright, English chef, author, & television personality (born 1947).
• 2025 – Wings Hauser, American actor (born 1947).

Last Week’s Birthdays

David Cronenberg (83), Eva Longoria (51), Judd Hirsch (91), Michael Caine (93), Jamie Bell (40), Billy Crystal (78), Harry Melling (37), William H. Macy (76), Aaron Eckhart (58), Lesley Manville (70), Jaimie Alexander (42), Liza Minnelli (80), Titus Welliver (64), Jodie Comer (33), Johnny Knoxville (55), Alex Kingston (63), John Barrowman (59), Bad Bunny (32), Jon Hamm (55), Olivia Wilde (42), Sharon Stone (68), Chuck Norris (86), Oscar Isaac (47), and Juliette Binoche (62). 

As the whole world rejoices at the brutal death of Ian Huntley, only one of us saw fit to include him on our lists. Congratulations to Trish, who listed Huntley as a Cert, she cores 198 points! Sometimes wishful thinking works 😀  

Look Who You Could Have Had:

• Stephen Hibbert, 65, American actor (Pulp Fiction) and television writer (Late Night with David Letterman), heart attack. 
• Paul Conroy, 61, British photojournalist, heart attack
• Annabel Schofield, 62, Welsh-born American model and actress (Dallas), cancer
• Pockets Warhol, 33, Canadian capuchin monkey artist. 
• Mike Vernon, 81, English record producer (“Albatross“, “Hocus Pocus“). 
• Billy Leon Kearse, 53, American convicted murderer, execution by lethal injection. 
• Ian Huntley, 52, British murderer (Soham Murders), head trauma from an attack. 
• Jamie Dunn, 75, Australian puppeteer (Agro), voice actor and radio host.  

In Other News

Evil Dead star Bruce Campbell has shared a “shock” health update. The American actor and filmmaker posted the statement on his social media on Tuesday, revealing he has been diagnosed with a type of cancer that is “treatable” but not “curable”. “The good news is, I’m not gonna go into any more details,” Campbell wrote. “I’m posting this, because professionally, a few things will have to change — appearances and cons and work in general need to take a back seat to treatment.” The 67-year-old actor explained his priority is to get as well as possible so he can join the tour for his upcoming road-trip comedy Ernie & Emma about a widowed pear salesman’s journey to scatter his wife’s ashes. “There are several cons this year summer that I have to cancel,” Campbell confirmed. “Big regrets on my part. Treatment needs and professional obligations don’t always go hand-in-hand.” He emphasised the statement was not meant to elicit sympathy or advice but simply to set the record straight regarding his health. Despite the diagnosis, Campbell said he is determined to fight the cancer. “Fear not, I am a tough son-of-a-bitch and I have great support, so I expect to be around a while,” he said. “As always, you’re the greatest fans in the world and I hope to see you soon!”  

BBC star Finnian Garbutt has issued a heartfelt appeal to raise funds to support his wife and child after his death. The 28-year-old actor, best known for his role as PC Ryan Power in the Irish BBC drama Hope Street, was diagnosed with Stage 3 skin cancer, which has since spread to his neck. Just days after revealing he is now in the “last stages” of the disease, he has launched a GoFundMe campaign. At the time of writing, it had raised a whopping £27,500 so far. Finnian, who has also featured in Casualty, spoke candidly to Belfast Live about his diagnosis and confessed that his world had been “crashing down”. Disclosing that doctors warned him he might not survive, he revealed: “It was almost as if they accidentally had diagnosed me with cancer and were treating me by mistake. I was told I could die; my plastic surgeons had warned me about how ill I could be following surgery. “It kept being communicated to me that I was really sick, that I was one step away from being a terminal patient. I was just waiting to hear that I had tumours elsewhere throughout my body. I had already come to terms with the fact that I was going to die young. My defence mechanism was to expect the worst. I thought it was only going to be a matter of time.” Four years ago, Finnian discovered a lump behind his ear, initially believing it to be an ingrown hair. However, when his barber informed him that the lump had grown significantly, he received his devastating diagnosis. He subsequently underwent a gruelling 12-hour surgery to remove 75 lymph nodes from his face and neck. He concluded: “Unfortunately, the scans have shown that the cancer has progressed rapidly in my body and I am now entering the last stages of life. I’m putting this out there as it is really difficult to tell people individually and I hope now that it’s in the open I can enjoy the time with my amazing family and friends.”  

Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi shared she was diagnosed with Stage I adenocarcinoma, a type of cervical cancer. A star of the MTV reality show Jersey Shore, which launched in 2009 and ran for six seasons, Snooki told her story through a TikTok video posted February 20th. She has updated fans about her health journey, including during doctors’ visits, in subsequent posts, using her platform to emphasise the importance of routine cancer screening. “I’m 38 years old, and I’ve been struggling with abnormal Pap smears for three or four years now, and now look at me,” Snooki said when announcing her diagnosis. “Instead of putting it off because I didn’t want to go because I was hurt and scared, I just went and did it. And it was there, cancer is in there. But it’s Stage I, and it’s curable. A lot of women go through it silently without anyone to talk to and they’re scared by themselves. And that was me until I decided to upload the video about what was happening with me,” Snooki said. 

On This Day

• 1910 – French aviator Raymonde de Laroche becomes the first woman to receive a pilot’s license.
• 1950 – The iconic Volkswagen Type 2 “Bus” begins production.
• 1979 – Philips demonstrates the compact disc publicly for the first time.
• 2014 – In one of aviation’s greatest mysteries, Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, carrying a total of 239 people, disappears en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. The fate of the flight remains unknown.

Deaths

• 1723 – Christopher Wren, English architect, designed St. Paul’s Cathedral (born 1632).
• 1930 – William Howard Taft, 27th President of the United States (born 1857).
• 1996 – Jack Churchill, British colonel (born 1906). 
• 2003 – Adam Faith, English singer (born 1940). 
• 2007 – John Inman, English actor (born 1935). 
• 2020 – Max von Sydow, Swedish actor (born 1929).

Last Week’s Birthdays

Cynthia Rothrock (69), Micky Dolenz (81), Bryan Cranston (70), Rachel Weisz (56), Alan Davies (60), Shaquille O’Neal (54), Eva Mendes (52), Matt Lucas (52), Fred Williamson (88), Paul Blackthorne (57), Penn Jillette (71), Patsy Kensit (58), Brooklyn (Nepo) Beckham (27), Jessica Biel (44), Julie Bowen (56), Miranda Richardson (68), Charlie Brooker (55), Daniel Craig (58), Bryce Dallas Howard (45), Nathalie Emmanuel (37), Rebel Wilson (46), Ethan Peck (40), Gates McFadden (77), Jon Bon Jovi (64), and Chris Martin (49).

Unbelievably, nobody scored this week. Surely one of us should have listed Ali Khamenei!!! With the dementia addled ginger nut in charge, this was surely on the cards! Anyhow, a missed opportunity for us, and the beginning of WWIII perhaps? Maybe this year could be the best scoring year ever! 

Look Who You Could Have Had:

• Maxi Shield, 51, Australian drag queen (RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under), throat cancer. 
• Dan Simmons, 77, American science fiction and horror writer (Hyperion, The Fall of Hyperion, Song of Kali), complications from a stroke.  
• Robert Carradine, 71, American actor (Revenge of the Nerds, The Big Red One, Lizzie McGuire), suicide by hanging.  
• Sondra Lee, 97, American actress (Hello, Dolly!, Peter Pan, Sunday in New York) and singer.
• Oliver “Power” Grant, 52, American executive producer (Wu-Tang Clan). 
• Jeff Galloway, 80, American Olympic runner, stroke. 
• Rob Grant, 70, English comedy writer and television producer (Red Dwarf). 
• Neil Sedaka, 86, American singer (“Breaking Up Is Hard to Do“, “Laughter in the Rain“) and songwriter (“Love Will Keep Us Together“). 
• Lorraine Bayly, 89, Australian actress (The Sullivans, Neighbours, Carson’s Law).  
• Ali Khamenei, 86, ayatollah, supreme leader (since 1989). Assassination by missile strike.

In Other News

A silverback western lowland gorilla has died days after he was moved to a new home. Jock, 42, who spent the majority of his life at Bristol Zoo Project’s Clifton site, had a number of known conditions, but his health deteriorated 10 days after his relocation to a site near Cribbs Causeway. Sarah Gedman, curator of mammals at Bristol Zoo Project, said the “difficult decision” to peacefully euthanise Jock is a “testament to the deep bonds between him and the people who cared for him”. He was one of the oldest silverbacks in the UK and was part of a troop of eight at the zoo. “Jock’s legacy at Bristol Zoo, as a leader, father, and ambassador for his species, will live on through the gorillas he helped raise and the countless people he inspired,” she added. “His life was a reminder of both the beauty and fragility of wildlife, and the importance of conservation efforts everywhere.” Jock arrived at Clifton’s Bristol Zoo Gardens in 2003 and was a central figure in the zoo’s troop throughout his time there. He fathered several infants both at the zoo and through the European co-ordinated breeding programme for Critically Endangered western lowland gorillas. The gorillas had been looked after by keepers at the Clifton site since its closure in 2022. Just under two weeks ago, they moved into a new purpose-built African rainforest enclosure at the site near Cribbs Causeway. Vets and zookeepers have continued to monitor the gorillas since the move, but say a full review is needed to determine the cause of Jock’s illness. “The remaining members of our gorilla troop are safe and in good health, and our dedicated veterinary and animal care teams are closely monitoring their welfare, as the troop adjusts to Jock’s absence. Our entire team of colleagues and volunteers are devastated by this news,” Gedman added. Jock’s species typically lives between 35 and 40 years in the wild and is classified as critically endangered, largely due to threats such as poaching and habitat loss.  

Soham killer Ian Huntley remains in a serious condition in hospital, two days after he was attacked with a metal bar by another inmate at a maximum security prison. Durham Constabulary confirmed on Saturday morning that his condition had not changed overnight. A spokesperson stated: “The 52-year-old man remains in hospital in a serious condition, there have been no changes overnight.” The assault took place in the jail’s workshop. According to reports, triple killer Anthony Russell allegedly shouted “I’ve done it, I’ve done it” after Huntley, 52, was repeatedly smashed over the head at HMP Frankland, Durham, on Thursday morning. The force declined to identify the suspect but said on Thursday that a man in his mid-40s had been detained in the prison, but had not yet been arrested. Former caretaker Huntley killed 10-year-olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman after they left a family barbecue to buy sweets in Soham, Cambridgeshire, on August 4 2002, then dumped their bodies in a ditch. Russell was sentenced to a whole life tariff in 2021 for the murders of Julie Williams, 58, and her son David Williams, 32, at separate flats in Coventry, and pregnant 31-year-old Nicole McGregor, who was found in woodland near Leamington Spa three days later. Russell also raped Ms McGregor. Thursday’s assault was the latest attempt on Huntley’s life and he was thought to have been kept under close observation to prevent similar attacks. In 2010, robber Damien Fowkes slashed him with a home-made weapon, causing a “severe, gaping cut to the left side of his neck” with a 7in (18cm) wound which required 21 stitches. Fowkes asked a prison officer: “Is he dead? I hope so.” He described Huntley as a “notorious child killer, both inside prison and in society in general”. Huntley is serving a life sentence with a recommendation that he serves at least 40 years for the Soham murders. 

Bhad Bhabie, real name Danielle Bregoli, has given a concerning update on her cancer as she told fans her doctor hadn’t given her good news. The rapper, 22,  announced in 2024 she’d been diagnosed with cancer after people started speculating about her weight loss and she wanted to head off the ‘worst narratives’ that were being whipped up around her. Now she’s posted an update on social media saying: “Bad news from my doctor yesterday, god has the last say so not my cancer.” She didn’t provide any further details on her condition. Back in November 2024 when she confirmed she had been diagnosed with cancer she had faced speculation over whether she had changed her eating habits or started taking weight loss drugs. However, Bregoli instead explained that her weight loss was as a result of treatment for cancer. “I’m sorry my cancer medicine made me lose weight,” she wrote on her Instagram story, before telling her millions of followers she was ‘slowly gaining it back’. Her mum Barbara also took aim at trolls who had suggested Danielle had been faking cancer, going on Instagram to tell them what was what. She wrote: “I pray to God one of your children never get cancer. I’ve had it twice. How dare you say my daughter’s faking this.” The mum also shared images of her own experience with cancer as she told people to ‘stop with your assumptions’. “For all those individuals commenting on cancer and cancer meds just bloating you this was me one year after my 1st diagnosis,” she had said as she shared a past image of herself. Bhad Bhabie first became famous at the age of 13 when she went on the talk show Dr Phil and became known as the girl who said ‘cash me outside’. She and her mum appeared on the episode titled ‘I Want to Give Up My Car-Stealing, Knife-Wielding, Twerking 13-Year-Old Daughter Who Tried to Frame Me for a Crime’. That’s quite a mouthful. Anyhow, Danielle said she hadn’t realised she’d become a meme as she was sent to a camp for troubled teens after her appearance on Dr Phil and was not thrilled to discover she was all over the internet. Speaking on the HighLowWithEmRata podcast, she said: “Imagine you get home from being in this fucking fucked up place for fucking six months and then you open your phone and go on Facebook and all you see is yourself, and you’re 13.”

On This Day

• 1692 – Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne, and Tituba are brought before local magistrates in Salem Village, Massachusetts, beginning what would become known as the Salem witch trials. 
• 1910 – The deadliest avalanche in United States history buries a Great Northern Railway train in northeastern King County, Washington, killing 96 people.
• 1953 – Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin suffers a stroke and collapses; he dies four days later.
• 1966 – Venera 3 Soviet space probe crashes on Venus becoming the first spacecraft to land on another planet’s surface. 
• 1998 – Titanic became the first film to gross over $1 billion worldwide.

Deaths

• 1244 – Gruffydd ap Llywelyn Fawr, Welsh noble, son of Llywelyn the Great (born 1200).
• 2006 – Jack Wild, English actor (born 1952).
• 2024 – Iris Apfel,  American businesswoman, interior designer (born 1921).

Last Week’s Birthdays

Javier Bardem (57), Jensen Ackles (48), Ron Howard (72), Lupita Nyong’o (43), Dirk Benedict (81), Justin Bieber (32), John Turturro (69), Rae Dawn Chong (65), Kate Mara (43), Timothy Spall (69), Adam Baldwin (64), Bill Duke (83), Sean Astin (55), Anson Mount (53), Lee Evans (62), Edward James Olmos (79), Dakota Fanning (32), Emily Blunt (43), Josh Gad (45), Aziz Ansari (43), and Kelly Macdonald (50).

Quite a few notable deaths last week, however only Eric Dane was a point worthy passing. I can award Laura U, Lee U, Mark K, and Ian K 97 points each. Well done all of you!

Look Who You Could Have Had:

• Tom Noonan, 74, American actor (Manhunter, Synecdoche, New York, Damages). 
• Robert Duvall, 95, American actor (The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, Tender Mercies). 
• Jane Baer, 91, American animator (Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Black Cauldron). 
• Jesse Jackson, 84, American civil rights activist and politician. 
• Eric Dane, 53, American actor (Grey’s Anatomy, The Last Ship, Euphoria), complications from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.  

In Other News

Following multi-millionaire Eric Dane‘s death on Thursday, his friends and fans are weirdly donating their hard earned cash to his family as they grieve. Friends of Dane and wife Rebecca Gayheart’s family have launched a GoFundMe page to raise funds to help support their two teen daughters Billie and Georgie, after Eric died at age 53 following a recent ALS diagnosis. Seeking to crowdsource $250,000, the campaign has surpassed it as of today and is now heading toward $300k. “It is with profound sadness that we share the loss of Eric Dane after a hard-fought battle with ALS, leaving behind his devoted wife, Rebecca, and his two teenage daughters, Billie and Georgia, who were the centre of his world,” reads the statement in the GoFundMe page. They continued, “Any contribution, no matter the size, will help provide stability during this incredibly difficult time and in the future for Eric’s wonderful daughters. Thank you.” Dane and his family, allegedly worth around $7 million at the time of his death, really need your help, so if you feel like pissing on Eric Dane’s legacy by donating towards his family’s affluent lifestyle, please click on this link.  

Pulp Fiction actor Peter Greene, who was found lifeless in his Manhattan apartment on December 12th, died after accidentally shooting himself in the left armpit, The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in New York City has determined. The Medical Examiner’s office confirmed to the Flying Monkeys that Greene’s cause of death was a gunshot wound “of left axilla with injury of brachial artery.” The wound caused extensive bleeding; the manner of death was determined by the ME as accidental. 60-year-old Greene was discovered in his Lower East Side apartment after a neighbour phoned the landlord and the police to conduct wellness checks. Neighbour’s had reported hearing Christmas music coming from Greene’s apartment nonstop for several days. The actor, born in Montclair, New Jersey, was candid about his past struggles with addiction, though he reportedly had been sober for at least a couple years at the time of his death.  

Alcoholic and general arsehole Shia LaBeouf was arrested in New Orleans early Tuesday morning after starting a fight end losing during the city’s Mardi Gras celebration. LaBeouf is facing two counts of battery and is accused of repeatedly using homophobic slurs while hitting multiple people and is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday afternoon. The 39-year-old actor was reportedly involved in an incident shortly after midnight outside a bar in New Orleans’ French Quarter. In a video LaBeouf is shown receiving medical attention from paramedics. The New Orleans Police Department alleged that LaBeouf was causing a disturbance and becoming increasingly aggressive at a business on Royal Street. According to the police, a staff member attempted to remove LaBeouf from the business but said that the actor hit one man several times with closed fists. LaBeouf left but came back, allegedly becoming more aggressive. The police report said multiple people attempted to hold LaBeouf down but he was let up “in hopes that he would leave.” Police allege LaBeouf then resumed hitting the same man, then punched another person in the nose before he was held down until officers arrived. LaBeouf was taken to a hospital for unknown injuries and then arrested and charged. LaBeouf’s arrest comes after the actor went on an extended weekend bar crawl during Mardi Gras in New Orleans, employees of various establishments told the Flying Monkeys. “He is terrorising the city,” one bartender, who waited on LaBeouf last Thursday said. 

On This Day

• 1651 – St. Peter’s Flood: A storm surge floods the Frisian coast, drowning 15,000 people.
• 1797 – The last Invasion of Britain begins near Fishguard, Wales.
• 1974 – Samuel Byck attempts to hijack an aircraft at Baltimore/Washington International Airport with the intention of crashing it into the White House to assassinate Richard Nixon, but commits suicide after being wounded by police.
• 1997 – In Roslin, Midlothian, British scientists announce that an adult sheep named Dolly has been successfully cloned, all Welshmen rejoice!

Deaths

• 1987 – Andy Warhol, American painter and photographer (born 1928).
• 2002 – Chuck Jones, American animator, producer, and screenwriter (born 1912).
• 2012 – Frank Carson, Irish-English comedian and actor (born 1926).

Last Week’s Birthdays

Kyle MacLachlan (67), Drew Barrymore (51), Thomas Jane (57), Jeri Ryan (58), James Hong (97), Julie Walters (76), Nigel Planer (73), Sheila Hancock (93), Sophie Turner (30), Elliot Page (39), Kelsey Grammer (71), Tyne Daly (80), Charlotte Church (40), Miles Teller (39), Anthony Head (72), Rihanna (38), Cindy Crawford (60), Millie Bobby Brown (22), Benicio Del Toro (59), Jeff Daniels (71), Ray Winstone (69), Ophelia Lovibond (40), Leslie Ash (66), John Travolta (72), Molly Ringwald (58), Cybill Shepherd (76), Jeremy Allen White (35), Joseph Gordon-Levitt (45), Lou Diamond Phillips (64), Rory Kinnear (50), Rene Russo (72), Bonnie Wright (35), Paris Hilton (45), Dominic Purcell (56), Ed Sheeran (35), Elizabeth Olsen (37), Christopher Eccleston (62), LeVar Burton (69), Amanda Holden (55), The Weeknd (36), and John McEnroe (67).

Let’s kick off with some points! Congratulations to Abi, Dave and Lee, all three correctly predicted that Marie-Rose Tessier would die this year, 35 and 135 points awarded accordingly. We can also award 102 to Ian and Paula for the early demise of James Van Der Beek. Well done all! 

Look Who You Could Have Had:

• Shelly Desai, 90, American actor (Men of a Certain Age, Here Comes the Boom, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia). 
• Andrew Ranken, 72, English drummer (The Pogues).
• Marie-Rose Tessier, 115, French supercentenarian. 
• Bud Cort, 77, American actor (Harold and Maude, Brewster McCloud, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou), pneumonia. 
• James Van Der Beek, 48, American actor (Dawson’s Creek, Varsity Blues, The Rules of Attraction), colorectal cancer.  
• Palmerston, 11–12, British cat, chief mouser to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (2016–2020). 

In Other News

A royal decorator who painted the Prince and Princess of Wales’ bedroom was found hanged after ‘King Charles’ reportedly criticised one of his paint jobs, an inquest has heard. Self-employed Chris Eadie, 63, had worked at the Sandringham estate for more than 30 years and took great pride in carrying out projects for the late Queen and later King Charles, Norfolk Coroner’s Court heard. His brother Mark Eadie said he had been left upset after being tasked with painting a pagoda over a Buddha in the gardens of Sandringham  House in colours requested by the King. Mark said his highly skilled brother felt the colours were ‘a bit garish’, but painted it exactly as instructed. However, the King was said to be unhappy with how it looked and ordered it be repainted. Father-of-two Mr Eadie dutifully stripped the structure and prepared it ready for new colours chosen by the King, only for the final painting work to be handed to another contractor, he said. Mark added: ‘After all that detailed preparation, someone else was given the job. He was devastated.’ The court heard that around the same time, Mr Eadie had begun losing weight and suffering from a lack of appetite, becoming convinced he might have cancer. Phone conversations with his brother revealed his mental health was deteriorating as his worries mounted over both his health and the declining amount of work at Sandringham. Mark said that his brother’s ‘perfectionism’ meant he was frequently appointed for ‘the top jobs’ within the Royal household, including painting William and Kate’s bedroom.But in recent years, he was said to have become deeply affected as work from the estate became less frequent following management changes and the introduction of new contractors. Mark told the hearing that his brother was a ‘talented perfectionist’ who lived for his work, and was immensely proud about carrying out jobs discreetly for the Royal family. He said: ‘My brother was absolutely brilliant at his job. He had incredible attention to detail and wouldn’t let anything go unless it was perfect. ‘He was loyal and wouldn’t talk about what he did, but I know he painted William and Kate’s bedroom and even met their children once in the garden. He said they were lovely.’ Mr Eadie’s partner Joanna described him as a loving father to his two sons who took huge pride in his career and his long service to the royals. But she said the reduction in work from Sandringham after decades of loyalty deeply upset him with the pagoda incident becoming a particular source of angst. Six weeks before his death she found him sitting in the dark at home and later feared he had been considering harming himself. In the days before he died, she told the hearing that he became unusually affectionate, something she now believes was part of saying goodbye. She found him dead in the garden of his home on the Sandringham estate on October 10th last year. PC David Norris of Norfolk Police told the inquest that Mr Eadie was found hanging in a small garden space between sheds. Paramedics attempted to resuscitate him after cutting him down but were unable to save him. Officers found a bottle of open spirits and a handwritten note inside the house. Mr Eadie apologised to loved ones in the note, writing: ‘Tell everyone I love them so much. I am sorry.’ Toxicology tests later showed only a small amount of alcohol in his system, along with raised levels of paracetamol, though not enough to have caused death. A post-mortem examination concluded he died by hanging. 

A Strictly Come Dancing star who left a suicide note saying the BBC ‘destroyed me’ after he was dropped from the show was ‘vulnerable to rejection both emotionally and professionally’, an inquest jury has concluded. Robin Windsor, a professional Latin and ballroom dancer who featured in four series from 2010 and 2013, took an overdose while staying at The Hoxton Hotel in Shepherd’s Bush, west London, on February 19th 2024. Windsor’s body was discovered by a receptionist after he failed to check out of his room – with police later finding two suicide messages. The first, to a friend, said: ‘This all really started when I lost my job on Strictly. The way they treated me destroyed me. It started me on the road I’m still on. All I wanted from life was to be happy. I loved my job more than anyone else.’ He went on to say he was permanently in a ‘dark place’ and couldn’t go on ‘living like this any more’. Windsor’s second note, to his ex-partner actor Ollie Augustin, said: ‘I need you to understand that this is not your fault.’ After two hours of deliberations, jurors at West London Coroner’s Court recorded Windsor’s death as suicide on Thursday, adding he was ‘vulnerable to rejection both emotionally and professionally’. The inquest, overseen by Dr Anton van Dellen, concluded Windor’s medical cause of death as a combination of consuming alcohol and drug gamma-butyrolactone (GBH).

On This Day

• 1933 – In Miami, Giuseppe Zangara attempts to assassinate US President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt, but instead shoots Chicago mayor Anton J. Cermak, who dies of his wounds on March 6th.
• 1952 – King George VI of the United Kingdom is buried in St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.
• 1961 – Sabena Flight 548 crashes in Belgium, killing 73, including the entire United States figure skating team along with several of their coaches and family members.
• 1970 – Dominicana de Aviación Flight 603 crashes into the Caribbean Sea after takeoff from Las Américas International Airport, killing 102, including members of the Puerto Rico women’s national volleyball team and lightweight boxer Carlos Cruz.
• 1971 – The decimalisation of the currencies of the United Kingdom and Ireland is completed on Decimal Day.
• 1992 – Serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer is sentenced in Milwaukee to 15 terms of life in prison.
• 2001 – The first draft of the complete human genome is published in Nature.
• 2013 – A meteor explodes over Russia, injuring 1,500 people as a shock wave blows out windows and rocks buildings.

Deaths

• 1928 – H. H. Asquith, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (born 1852).
• 1965 – Nat King Cole, American singer and pianist (born 1919). 
• 1988 – Richard Feynman, American physicist & academic (born 1918).
• 2020 – Caroline Flack, English actress and TV presenter (born 1979).
• 2023 – Raquel Welch, American actress and singer (born 1940).

Last Week’s Birthdays

Jane Seymour (75), Matt Groening (72), Freddie Highmore (34), Simon Pegg (56), Andrew Robinson (84), Meg Tilly (66), Neal McDonough (60), Mena Suvari (47), Stockard Channing (82), Kim Novak (93), Robbie Williams (52), Hugh Dennis (64), Taylor Dearden (33), Josh Brolin (58), Christina Ricci (46), Michael Ironside (76), Maud Adams (81), Annette Crosbie (92), Arsenio Hall (70), Damian Lewis (55), Jennifer Aniston (57), Natalie Dormer (44), Elizabeth Banks (52), Chloë Grace Moretz (29), Laura Dern (59), Keeley Hawes (50), Robert Wagner (96), Philip Glenister (63), Tom Hiddleston (45), Michael B. Jordan (39), Joe Pesci (83), Rose Leslie (39), Ciarán Hinds (73), and Mia Farrow (81).