Dead Pool 19th April 2026

Well, what do we have here?! Points!! With the passing of renowned zoologist Desmond Morris, I can award 52 points to myself, well done me!

Look Who You Could Have Had:

Valerie Lee Shepard, 94, American actress (The Wizard of Oz, Our Gang).
Moya Brennan, 73, Irish folk singer (Clannad).
Ian Watson, 82, British science fiction author (The Jonah Kit, Chekhov’s Journey, Queenmagic, Kingmagic).
Joy Harmon, 85, American actress (Cool Hand Luke, Village of the Giants, Angel in My Pocket), complications from pneumonia.
Alexander Morton, 81, Scottish actor (Monarch of the Glen, Take the High Road, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt).
Andy Kershaw, 66, English broadcaster and radio DJ (BBC Radio 1), cancer.
Don Schlitz, 73, American songwriter (“The Gambler“, “Forever and Ever, Amen“, “When You Say Nothing at All“).
Nathalie Baye, 77, French actress (Every Man for Himself, Strange Affair, Catch Me If You Can), complications from Lewy body dementia.
Finnian Garbutt, 28, British actor (Hope Street), skin cancer.
Desmond Morris, 98, English zoologist (The Naked Ape), ethnologist and surrealist painter.
Patrick Muldoon, 57, American actor (Starship Troopers, Melrose Place, Days of Our Lives) and film producer), heart attack.
Van Hammer, 66, American professional wrestler (WCW).

In Other News

With the death of Valerie Lee Shepard, see above, we are now left with one surviving Munchkin from The Wizard of Oz. Priscilla Montgomery Clark played a Munchkin child in The Wizard of Oz when she was nine years old. Now 96, she’s one of two surviving stars from the 1939 film. Along with Caren Marsh Doll — the oldest of the two at 107 years old (she just celebrated her birthday on April 6th, 2026). She served as Judy Garland’s stand-in and was notably the model for the iconic ruby slipper heel-clicking scene. Clark says by far she receives the most fan mail these days for her role as a Munchkin. For Oz, which experienced a deficit of female little people to portray Munchkins, Clark was one of a dozen talented young girls of typical height chosen from the Bud Murray Dance Studio in Los Angeles to fill out the cast of 124. The child actors worked on the set part of the day and were whisked away for their schooling the rest of the day. When the cameras rolled, some of the young girls were relegated to the background, however director Victor Fleming seemingly noticed Clark’s talent and infectious smile and placed her in key shots where she was clearly visible. “I never wanted to be an actress, I always loved dancing and that was a big part of my childhood,” says Clark. “I didn’t have an agent, but I was lucky to be cast in several films that miraculously have survived over time.” It’s not difficult to find her in the crowd, either: In the climax of the Munchkinland scene, when Glinda directs Dorothy to “follow the yellow brick road,” Clark can be seen next to the good witch briefly spiking the lens — a no-no in movie-making where the actor looks directly into the camera. “I never realised I did that until someone pointed it out many years later,” she admits. Today, Clark is a widow who struggles with a few health concerns but keeps a positive attitude and busy “surrounded by the love of my family.”

Zayn Malik’s release day for his new album Konnakol didn’t exactly go as planned. The singer, 33, revealed that he’s on the mend from a mystery illness by sharing a photo from a hospital bed to his Instagram Stories last Friday, the same day as his album release. “To my fans – Thank you to all of you for your love & support now & always – been a long week and am still unexpectedly recovering,” he wrote atop the photo. “Heartbroken that I can’t see you all this week, I wouldn’t be in the place I am today without you guys and am so thankful for your understanding.” The “Die for Me” singer went on to thank his “incredible” hospital staff, including doctors, nurses, cardiologists and more. “You are all legends! Big big love xx z,” he wrote. Malik did not reveal a diagnosis or reason for his hospitalisation, and it remains unclear just how long he’s been hospitalised. A rep for Malik did not immediately return the Flying Monkeys request for comment. Malik is set to embark on his first solo headline arena tour later this year, which he’ll bring to North America starting in June and running through November. In announcing his new record, Malik described the title as “the act of creating percussive sounds with one’s voice but what it means to me lies somewhere much deeper.” Sounds… amazing?

Social media influencer Clavicular has been rushed to hospital in Miami for a suspected overdose. No, none of the Flying Monkeys have heard of him either… The controversial streamer had been live-streaming on the site Kick on Tuesday when the broadcast suddenly ended. ‘Fans’ became concerned after video footage, appearing to show the influencer being carried into an ambulance by his security team, began circulating online. The ‘influencer’ confirmed on Wednesday that he had been released from hospital, writing on Twitter: “Just got home, that was brutal. All of the substances are just a cope trying to feel neurotypical while being in public, but obviously that isn’t a real solution. The worst part of tonight was my face descending from the life support mask.” He shared the statement alongside a photograph of himself with what appeared to be bloody marks on his face. During the livestream on Tuesday, Clavicular could be seen telling a woman: “Holy shit dude, I’m trying my best, but I’m fucking destroyed right now.” He then sat down in a bar with friends, with one asking him: “When did you last take blue?” as the influencer slumped over. The friend then asked if he wanted an “addy” – referring to the stimulant Adderall. The broadcast cut out shortly after that. Clavicular rose to fame within the manosphere circles as a so-called “looksmaxxer” – a viral trend where boys try to maximise their physical attractiveness. He’s become a popular figure among teenage boys, with Chloe Combi writing in The Independent that he has “a huge and growing Gen A boy following” thanks to his “belief that a young man’s highest priority is to be hot”. Personally I think he’s a cunt, and I will be listing him as a Maverick once James Corden turns 50!

On This Day

1927 – Mae West is sentenced to ten days in jail for obscenity for her play Sex.
1943 – Albert Hofmann deliberately doses himself with LSD for the first time, three days after having discovered its effects on April 16th an event commonly known and celebrated as Bicycle Day.
1987 – The Simpsons first appear as a series of shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show, first starting with “Good Night“.
1993 – The 51-day FBI siege of the Branch Davidian building in Waco, Texas, US, ends when a fire breaks out. Seventy-six Davidians, including 18 children under age 10, died in the fire.
2021 – The Ingenuity helicopter becomes the first aircraft to achieve flight on another planet.

Deaths

1824 – Lord Byron, English-Scottish poet and playwright (born 1788).
1881 – Benjamin Disraeli, English politician, Prime Minister of the U.K. (born 1804).
1882 – Charles Darwin, English biologist and theorist (born 1809).
1992 – Frankie Howerd, English actor and screenwriter (born 1917).
2004 – Norris McWhirter, English author co-founded the Guinness World Records (born 1925).