Dead Pool 15th September 2024

A sad week indeed as the voice of Darth Vader dies. However we will not lose him forever, as prior to his death Jones sold the rights to his voice to an AI company, so that future Star Wars films and series can include his iconic voice. 

Look Who You Could Have Had:

• Zoot Money, 82, English singer and keyboardist (The Animals, Zoot Money’s Big Roll Band). 
• Peter Renaday, 89, American voice actor (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Transformers, Assassin’s Creed). 
• Ben Thapa, 42, English opera singer (G4). 
• James Earl Jones, 93, American actor (Star Wars, Fences, The Lion King). 
• Kenneth Cope, 93, English actor (Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased), Coronation Street, The Damned). 
• Chad McQueen, 63, American actor (The Karate Kid, Martial Law, Red Line) and racing driver, organ failure.  
• Tommy Cash, 84, American country musician (“Six White Horses“). 

In Other News

The disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein was rushed from prison to a New York City hospital for emergency heart surgery after he experienced chest pains, his representatives told the Flying Monkeys. “Mr Weinstein was rushed to Bellevue Hospital last night due to several medical conditions,” Weinstein representatives Craig Rothfeld and Juda Engelmayer said in a statement. “We can confirm that Mr Weinstein had a procedure and surgery on his heart today, however we cannot comment any further than that. As we have extensively stated before, Mr Weinstein suffers a plethora of significant health issues that need ongoing treatment.” Weinstein was out of surgery as of Monday afternoon and is in recovery, they said. Weinstein, 72, was transferred to Bellevue from New York’s Rikers Island jail complex, where he is awaiting retrial on rape and sexual assault charges. It is the second time in two months he had been taken to hospital. Weinstein’s lawyer, Arthur Aidala, said they requested jail officials immediately move Weinstein to Bellevue “based on his complaints to us regarding chest pains”. In one email, Aidala said, he told them: “This guy is going to die on your watch if you don’t do something.” He was admitted in July for treatment for a variety of health problems including Covid-19 and pneumonia in both lungs. Representatives at the time said the former director and producer also suffered from diabetes, high blood pressure, spinal stenosis and fluid on his heart and lungs.  

The Cure’s Roger O’Donnell has revealed a “devastating” Lymphoma diagnosis. The keyboardist revealed his diagnosis in a post for Blood Cancer Awareness Month on Sunday after he was diagnosed with the “very rare and aggressive” cancer in September 2023 and subsequently underwent treatment. “September is Blood Cancer Awareness Month so it’s a good opportunity to have a dialogue about these diseases,” O’Donnell started in a series of posts on Twitter. “In September last year I was diagnosed with a very rare and aggressive form of lymphoma. I had ignored the symptoms for a few months but finally went and after surgery the result of the biopsy was devastating.” He explained that he’s now “fine” and has an “amazing” prognosis after undergoing several rounds of treatment over the past year. “I’ve now completed 11 months of treatment under some of the finest specialists in the world and with second opinions and advice from the teams that had developed the drugs I was being given. I had the benefit of the latest sci-fi immunotherapy and some drugs that were first used 100 years ago. The last phase of treatment was radiotherapy which also was one of the first treatments developed against cancer. I’m fine and the prognosis is amazing,” added O’Donnell. O’Donnell went on to urge others to get tested for cancer so they can catch and better treat it early. “The mad axe murderer knocked on the door and we didn’t answer,” he wrote. “Cancer CAN be beaten but if you are diagnosed early enough you stand a way better chance, so all I have to say is go GET TESTED, if you have the faintest thought you may have symptoms go and get checked out. If you know someone who is ill or suffering talk to them, every single word helps, believe me I know. I would also like to thank my Drs, rockstars everyone of them, all the nurses and technicians, my friends, family and Mimi, sometimes its harder to be on the other side of this…” added O’Donnell.  

A teenager who appeared in Freddie Flintoff’s BBC documentary has tragically died in a horrific double death crash after the high performance car he was driving smashed into trees. Umar Mahmood, 18, died in hospital last week after being seriously injured while at the wheel of an Audi A3 Sport which veered off the road in Preston, Lancashire on Tuesday. Back seat passenger 16-year-old Adam Bodi also suffered fatal injuries while a 17-year-old who was also in the car remains in hospital, with police investigating the cause of the double tragedy. Umar had been filmed being coached by the England cricket legend in ‘Freddie Flintoff’s Field of Dreams’. He had been a pupil at Penwortham Priory Academy, finishing his studies two years ago, as was Adam who left after his GCSEs this summer. The show saw England all-rounder turned TV presenter Flintoff recruit teenagers from under privileged parts of Lancashire in a bid to change people’s perspective of the sport. Umar’s school paid tribute to the ‘bright’ and ‘studious’ youngster. Principal Matt Eastham said: ‘We are again saddened as a school to hear the news that Umar, who was in the same accident as Adam, and who left Priory two years ago, has also passed away. Umar was a bright, studious and well-loved member of our school community. He had a passion for geography as well as his cricket, playing for Priory’s school team and appearing in the BBC One documentary Freddie Flintoff’s Field of Dreams. It was a privilege for us here at Priory to know Umar. He was a young man who was always considerate to those around him and who showed ambition and kindness in all that he did. It is of course with great sadness that we hear this news. We give our sincere condolences to all of Umar’s family and friends on behalf of the school, at what will be a very difficult time. They too, are in our thoughts and prayers today.’

On This Day

• 1830 – The Liverpool to Manchester railway line opens; British MP William Huskisson becomes the first widely reported railway passenger fatality when he is struck and killed by the locomotive Rocket.
• 1916 – World War I: Tanks are used for the first time in battle, at the Battle of the Somme.
• 1954 – Marilyn Monroe’s iconic skirt scene is shot during filming for The Seven Year Itch.

Deaths

• 1859 – Isambard Kingdom Brunel, English architect and engineer (b. 1806).
• 2004 – Johnny Ramone, American guitarist and songwriter (b. 1948).
• 2007 – Colin McRae, Scottish race car driver (b. 1968).
• 2017 – Harry Dean Stanton, American actor (b. 1926).

Our Final Thoughts?

The first ever recording of the very moment someone dies has revealed what our final thoughts could be.

Probably since the beginning of time, what happens to us after we die is the question we have always wanted to know the answer to.

Even though we will probably have to wait until we’re dead to know for sure, scientists reckon they’ve been able to look into our last ever thoughts before we pass away.

This comes after researchers in Vancouver, Canada, took a look at the brain of a 87-year-old patient suffering from epilepsy, but he unexpectedly died of a heart attack while they were observing him. 

By using the results from an electroencephalogram (EEG) test, they were able to determine what was happening in his brain during his last moments – specifically the 30 seconds before and after his heart stopped beating.

And that age old idea that one’s life ‘flashes before their eyes’ might just be a real thing after an increase in ‘gamma oscillations’ was detected.

‘Gamma oscillations’ are linked to the retrieval of memories and dreaming, which might suggest the patient was reliving past experiences before he died.

Lead author of the study – published in the journal Frontiers in Ageing Neuroscience – Dr Ajmal Zemmar said: “Through generating oscillations involved in memory retrieval, the brain may be playing a last recall of important life events just before we die, similar to the ones reported in near-death experiences.

“These findings challenge our understanding of when exactly life ends and generate important subsequent questions, such as those related to the timing of organ donation.” 

The study showed similar changes in brainwaves between rats at the time of death – but it’s the first time it was detected in humans.

However, as with most studies, the team say that further research is needed in order to provide more conclusive results.

It’s also important to note that the data focuses on just a single case study and the patient’s brain had already been damaged from epilepsy.

Therefore, professionals aren’t able to truly say if the same thing would happened with a different person, near the time of their death.

“Something we may learn from this research is: although our loved ones have their eyes closed and are ready to leave us to rest, their brains may be replaying some of the nicest moments they experienced in their lives,” Dr. Zemmar added.

Last Week’s Birthdays

Tom Hardy (47), Tommy Lee Jones (78), Ben Schwartz (43), John Bradley (36), Brendan O’Carroll (69), Jimmy Carr (52), Sam Neill (77), Andrew Lincoln (51), Lolly Adefope (34), Walter Koenig (88), Amanda Barrie (89), Alfie Allen (38), Linda Gray (84), Virginia Madsen (63), Tyler Hoechlin (37), Roxann Dawson (66), Johnny Vegas (53), Guy Ritchie (56), Colin Firth (64), Adam Sandler (58), Hugh Grant (64), Jeffrey Combs (70), Eric Stonestreet (53), and Julia Sawalha (56).