Dead Pool 16th March 2025

A couple of unexpected deaths last week, sadly, no points to be awarded either.

Look Who You Could Have Had:

Eileen Bennett, 105, British actress (Thursday’s Child, Much Too Shy, Trunk Crime).
Simon Fisher-Becker, 63, British actor (Puppy Love, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Doctor Who).
Carl Lundström, 64, Swedish businessman and political activist, plane crash.
Stedman Pearson, 60, British singer (Five Star), complications from diabetes.
Dave Mallow, 76, American voice actor (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Digimon, World of Warcraft).

In Other News

Britain’s oldest drag queen and a beloved Brighton entertainer has died. David Raven, better known by the stage name Maisie Trollette, has died aged 91 in the early hours of the morning (Wednesday, March 12th) in Brighton. David had been performing for more than five decades and had been a fixture of Brighton Pride since 1973 when the event was first held in the city. David was revered within the LGBTQI+ community as drag royalty. He was known for his generosity, razor sharp wit, dynamic singing voice and lovable, cantankerous personality. Tributes to David and Maisie have been flooding in, with people from near and far sharing their fond memories of David’s performances over the last fifty years. Drag queens, both locally and internationally, have paid tribute to Maisie. David’s alter ego Maisie started out as one half of the legendary “Trollettes” drag duo with fellow performer Jimmy Court. The Trollettes performed at historic LGBTQ+ London venues like The Black Cap and The Vauxhall Tavern David regularly starred in pantomimes with many A-list celebrities, whom he was proud to call his close friends. In 2023 David celebrated his 90th birthday with a special birthday gala event – David at 90 – at the Brighton Dome. The show featured music from all nine decades of David’s life and was his last public performance. David had chosen for all the funds to be donated to the Brighton Rainbow Fund, a charity which which distributes funds to Brighton and Hove LGBTQ+ and HIV organisations. The LGBT+ trailblazer worked tirelessly to support good causes and raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for Aids charities. In 2022 Maisie became the subject of the award-winning documentary Maisie: Britain’s Oldest Performing Drag Artiste. The documentary covers important themes within David’s life. David opened up about his experiences being a gay man before it became ‘legal’ in the UK. Within the film, he also talks about performing at Brighton Pride the day after the death of his beloved life partner Don whom he dedicated many of his songs to.

Popular YouTuber and potential Maverick Alysha Burney has died while vacationing in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, a day before her 25th birthday. She died after suffering an asthma attack while she was asleep, according to her brother, Charles Burney. Following online speculation about how she died, he told the Flying Monkeys that she did ‘not do drugs’ and was a ‘self-loving and happy individual who cherished her life and was looking forward to the upcoming year’s plans.’ ‘She was in Mexico to celebrate her birthday. She was a very classy young woman,’ he said. ‘There’s a spread of misinformation online, stating different things based on speculation. These sources lack credibility and should not be believed. My sister did not engage in environments that would lead to such situations.’ Charles also praised his sister for never being ‘selfish with her knowledge’ and living life as a ‘very open book.’ ‘Alysha was very goal-oriented, creative, and passionate about giving back. She graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science in Digital Media Production and was working towards her graduate degree,’ he noted.

Frank Beard, the longtime drummer for the legendary rock group ZZ top, has stepped away from the current tour due to a “health issue,” according to reports. No further details were provided about what that issue might be. The band released the following statement on social media. “Shelter Music Group, ZZ Top’s management, has announced the band’s drummer, Mr. Frank Beard, has temporarily stepped away from the current tour to attend to a health issue requiring his focus in the near term. Beard, along with ZZ Top members Billy F. Gibbons and Elwood Francis, presently on the Elevation tour since March 5th, have engaged fellow Texan and longtime tech member, percussionist and drummer, John Douglas, for the interim. Mr. Douglas has maintained a close relationship with Beard and the bandmates, having served with the group in the past.” Beard, 75, has been a member of ZZ Top for more than 55 years and has played on all of the band’s albums. The band noted in its statement that Beard is “looking forward to a speedy recovery.”

On This Day

1872 – The Wanderers F.C. win the first FA Cup, the oldest football competition in the world, beating Royal Engineers A.F.C. 1–0 at The Oval in Kennington, London. 1
1988 – The Kurdish town of Halabja in Iraq is attacked with a mix of poison gas and nerve agents on the orders of Saddam Hussein, killing 5,000 people and injuring about 10,000 people.
1988 – The Troubles: Ulster loyalist militant Michael Stone attacks a Provisional IRA funeral in Belfast with pistols and grenades. Three persons, one of them a member of PIRA are killed, and more than 60 others are wounded.

Deaths