Dead Pool 31st August 2025

A very quiet week for celebrity deaths, we will have to release the flying monkeys!

Floyd Levine, 93, American actor (Bloodbrothers, Melrose Place, Airplane II: The Sequel).
Purple Aki, 64, British convicted criminal.
Angela Mortimer, 93, British Hall of Fame tennis player.

In Other News

Gordon Ramsay has revealed he has undergone surgery to remove basal cell carcinoma, a type of non-melanoma skin cancer. The 58-year-old TV chef shared pictures of a stitched-up area below his ear on Instagram on Saturday, telling his followers he was “grateful and so appreciative” of his medical team for their “fast reactive work”. He wrote: “Grateful and so appreciative for the incredible team at The Skin Associates and their fast reactive work on removing this Basal Cell Carcinoma thank you!” The chef reminded fans: “Please don’t forget your sunscreen this weekend,” adding that the stitches were not from any cosmetic procedures. “I promise you it’s not a face lift! I’d need a refund,” he quipped. Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common type of skin cancer that starts in the top layer of skin, and can often be easily treated. According to the NHS, the main cause is ultraviolet light, which comes from the sun and is used in sun-beds. Risk can be increased by age, having pale skin and having had a history of skin cancer in the past. Basal cell carcinomas can occur anywhere on the body, but most commonly grow in areas that are exposed to the sun, including the face, head, neck, and ears. It can be removed surgically before a biopsy is performed for the results to be examined.

Four-time Tour de France champion Chris Froome has undergone “successful” surgery after a serious training accident in France that left him with a fractured vertebrae, collapsed lung and five broken ribs. Froome, 40, crashed while on a training ride on Wednesday and was airlifted to hospital in Toulon, around 100 miles from his home in Monaco. A statement from his Israel Premier-Tech team said: “We can confirm that Chris has successfully undergone surgery following his recent injuries. The procedures went as planned, and Chris is currently recovering in hospital under the care of his medical team. “He is in good spirits and grateful for the excellent medical support he has received. Chris and his family would like to thank fans, friends, and the cycling community for their concern and kind messages during this time.” Froome’s injuries will end his season and could therefore mean the end of one of the most successful Grand Tour careers in cycling’s history, with Froome in the final months of the five-year contract he signed when he left the Ineos Grenadiers to join Israel Premier-Tech ahead of the 2021 campaign. Froome won the Tour de France in 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2017, also winning the Giro d’Italia in 2018 and the Vuelta a Espana in both 2011 and 2017 – all with Team Sky. However, Froome has never recovered the form he enjoyed before a serious crash he suffered during the 2019 Criterium du Dauphine, which left him in intensive care with a fractured femur, elbow, ribs and pelvis.

Madness star Chris Foreman has revealed he has incurable cancer in a heartbreaking post to fans. The ’80s pop legend wrote about his shock diagnosis on the Madness Facebook page. The 69-year-old guitarist and backing vocalist said his first symptom was “severe pain” across his upper back and shoulders that became “unbearable”. He went for checks in June and was told he had myeloma, an incurable blood cancer that occurs in the bone marrow. Known to Madness fans as Chrissy Boy, explained they found a tumour on his spine, writing: “Earlier this year I had severe pain in my upper back and shoulders. On the 28th of June we played a show in France and it had become unbearable. I had an MRI scan at the end of June and they found a tumour on my spine. On the 4th of July I went to the Royal Sussex and had all sorts of stuff done to me. I had radiotherapy which blasted it and stopped the pain. I actually had a Spinal Tap too – rock n roll! I wasn’t in good shape, to say the least. My kidneys were only at 14% function, which has greatly improved since then.” Despite the diagnosis, he ended on a positive note, telling fans: “What I’ve got is a form of cancer called myeloma. It’s treatable but not curable. When I get it into remission (I will!) I should be able to get back to normal life.” He’s hoping to be well enough to perform again next year, and thanked his tour crew and family for their unwavering support. He’s also adopted a healthier lifestyle – ditching booze in favour of non alcoholic Margaritas. He added: “Some people have had this for 20 years or more. I have a long way to go before I get back onstage but I aim to be back next year. The band, my family, my road crew family and my management team have all been very loving and supportive. One of the worst side effects is that I can’t drink alcohol but I’ve mastered a non alcoholic Margarita and those Zero alcohol beers ain’t too bad these days.”

On This Day

1888 – Mary Ann Nichols is murdered. She is the first of Jack the Ripper’s confirmed victims.
1997 – Diana, Princess of Wales, her partner, Dodi Fayed, and driver Henri Paul die in a car crash in Paris.
2006 – Edvard Munch’s famous painting, The Scream, stolen on August 22nd 2004, is recovered in a raid by Norwegian police.

Deaths

1422 – Henry V of England (born 1386).
1869 – Mary Ward, Irish astronomer and entomologist (born 1827).
1969 – Rocky Marciano, American boxer (born 1923).
1973 – John Ford, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1894).
1997 – Diana, Princess of Wales (born 1961).
1997 – Dodi Fayed, Egyptian film producer (born 1955).
2012 – Max Bygraves, English actor (born 1922).
2013 – David Frost, English journalist and game show host (born 1939).