Dead Pool 28th December 2025

Let’s dole out the points!! With just three days to go this year, I can award Martin 76 points for correctly guessing that Chris Rea would not be driving home for Christmas this year. I can also dish out 59 points to Shân for predicting that Bridget Bardot would uncreate in 2025. Well done both of you! 

Currently we have Abi in the lead with 538 points, with Ian K in second place with 459 points, Neil in third place with 417 points, closely followed by Martin on 397 points. I think it’s safe to say that Abi might have it in the bag this year, unless Joe Biden decides to kick the bucket then Martin could just sneak by as he has Biden as his Cert. Everyone else would probably need a couple of deaths to catch up. 

Keep working on those lists for 2026!

Look Who You Could Have Had:

• Sumiko Mori, 113, Japanese supercentenarian. 
• Mick Abrahams, 82, English guitarist and singer (Jethro Tull, Blodwyn Pig).
• James Ransone, 46, American actor (The Wire, It Chapter Two, The Black Phone), suicide by hanging. 
• Vince Zampella, 55, American video game developer (Call of Duty, Titanfall, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order), traffic collision. 
• Adam the Woo, 51, American YouTuber. 
• Pat Finn, 60, American actor (The Middle, Murphy Brown, Dude, Where’s My Car?), bladder cancer. 
• Chris Rea, 74, English singer-songwriter (“Fool (If You Think It’s Over)“, “Driving Home for Christmas“, “The Road to Hell“). 
• Howard Tucker, 103, American neurologist, world’s oldest practicing doctor. 
• Perry Bamonte, 65, English rock musician (The Cure). 
• John Robertson, 72, Scottish footballer (Nottingham Forest, national team). 
• Hugh Morris, 62, Welsh cricketer (Glamorgan, England national team).
• Brigitte Bardot, 91, French actress (And God Created Woman, Contempt, La Vérité) and animal rights activist.

In Other News

Copacabana singer Barry Manilow has revealed he has lung cancer and is set to undergo surgery. The 82-year-old shared his diagnosis in a statement on Instagram, as he said it was “found early”. “As many of you know I recently went through six weeks of bronchitis followed by a relapse of another five weeks,” he wrote on Instagram. “Even though I was over the bronchitis and back on stage at the Westgate Las Vegas, my wonderful doctor ordered an MRI just to make sure that everything was OK. The MRI discovered a cancerous spot on my left lung that needs to be removed. It’s pure luck (and a great doctor) that is was found so early. That’s the good news.” However, the singer added he will have surgery to have the spot removed. He said: “The doctors do not believe it has spread and I’m taking tests to confirm their diagnosis. So, that’s it. No chemo. No radiation. Just chicken soup and I Love Lucy reruns.” Revealing his rescheduled tour dates, he said: “The only follow-up is a month to recover and that means we have to reschedule the January arena concerts. The new schedule is listed below. I’m very sorry that you have to change your plans. Just like you, we were all looking forward to the January shows and hate having to move everything around.” He said he is “counting the days” until his return in Las Vegas for Valentine’s weekend concerts. He added: “Something tells me that February weekend is going to be one big party!” He finished his five-page statement by saying: “I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year. And remember, if you have even the slightest symptom… get tested! I’ll see you at the Westgate Las Vegas for Valentine’s!” 

And here it is, what you have been competing for this year, the coveted Angel of Death Trophy 2025! A thing of such dreadful beauty that also includes some lovely bubble wrap and a free year of Flying Monkey protection* from the Grim Reaper himself. *terms & conditions apply, no guarantee you’ll not die next year. A guaranteed talking piece for your mantelpiece or a curio for your cupboard, you can decide to keep it or smash this objet d’art which is guaranteed to be priceless in years to come! On a serious not though, the costs of running the Pool and website have gone up by a nearly 45% this year, and since we rely on donations, it could mean that 2026 might be the last year we run things as they are, unless we can find efficiencies or some other cash injection. I have looked at ad revenue for the site, but because most of it is not original *cough plagiarised* and the content is slightly dubious, none of the usual ad offering companies would allow me to register. Besides, we don’t have the footfall to generate enough anyhow. Perhaps self hosting on personal servers is the way to go, but the Dead Pool Master has not mastered the skills required to make this happen. If any of you have any ideas or skillz, please let me know.

On This Day

• 1879 – Tay Bridge disaster: The central part of the Tay Rail Bridge in Dundee, Scotland, United Kingdom collapses as a train passes over it, killing 75.
• 1895 – Wilhelm Röntgen publishes a paper detailing his discovery of a new type of radiation, which later will be known as x-rays. 
• 1918 – Constance Markievicz, while detained in Holloway prison, becomes the first woman to be elected Member of Parliament to the British House of Commons.

Deaths

• 1734 – Rob Roy MacGregor, Scottish outlaw (born 1671). 
• 1984 – Sam Peckinpah, American director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1925). 
• 2015 – Lemmy, English musician, singer, and songwriter (born 1945). 
• 2016 – Debbie Reynolds, American actress, singer and dancer (born 1932). 

Last Week’s Birthdays

Denzel Washington (71), Noomi Rapace (46), Sienna Miller (44), Joe Manganiello (49), Timothée Chalamet (30), Olivia Cooke (32), Gérard Depardieu (77), Kit Harington (39), Jared Leto (54), Sissy Spacek (76), Ghislaine Maxwell (64), Justin Trudeau (54), Annie Lennox (71), Finn Wolfhard (23), Harry Shearer (82), Ralph Fiennes (63), Vanessa Paradis (53).