Dead Pool 16th November 2025

Sadly no points this week, we all missed Spain’s oldest person too, although at 112 she wouldn’t have scored you much. Again we have a Death Row inmate listed, perhaps Trump’s policies are of use to us at least! 

Look Who You Could Have Had:

• Richard Darbyshire, 65, English singer (Living in a Box) & songwriter (“Room in Your Heart“). 
• Betty Harford, 98, American actress (Dynasty, The Paper Chase, Inside Daisy Clover).
• Jeanna Fine, 61, American pornographic actress. 
• Angelina Torres Vallbona, 112, Spanish supercentenarian, country’s oldest woman. 
• Sally Kirkland, 84, American actress (Anna, Days of Our Lives, Coming Apart). 
• Stephen Corey Bryant, 44, American convicted spree killer, execution by firing squad. 
• Dan McGrath, 61, U.S. television writer (The Simpsons, King of the Hill, SNL), stroke. 
• Hilly Michaels, 77, American musician (Sparks). 

In Other News

James Pickens Jr, the 73-year-old actor best known for his role as Dr. Richard Webber on Grey’s Anatomy, has been diagnosed with a “rare variant” of prostate cancer. The star, who has appeared in all 22 seasons of the hit medical drama, was diagnosed earlier this year and chose to have a prostatectomy, a surgical procedure to remove the prostate gland. Speaking to the Flying Monkeys, he said: “I started getting my annual physical 34 years ago, and I started my PSA testing when I was 41. I’m 73 now. My urologist said, ‘Because you were so diligent in that piece of your health, it was to your advantage. We were able to catch it so early because you were being tested.’” He added: “We caught it really early, and so they thought surgery would be the best route to take. I do have a rare variant that you don’t see very often. They wanted to err on the side of caution and keep an eye on it. It was rare enough that they wanted to make sure that they were crossing all the T’s and dotting all their I’s, but they hadn’t seen one that was detected as early as mine.” James admitted that the diagnosis wasn’t a huge surprise given his family history with the disease. He explained: “It’s not the kind of news anyone wants to hear, but to be honest, prostate cancer has run through my family. My father had it. He had a lot of brothers; several of them had it. I would have been surprised if I hadn’t gotten it. I’ve got a 90 year old first cousin, who’s still alive, actually, and he had it. His son has it, a couple of his brothers had it. No one, as far as I know, has succumbed to it.”  

James Van Der Beek is auctioning off some of his treasured TV memorabilia to help raise money for his cancer treatment. The 48-year-old, who has six children with wife Kimberly, revealed he had been diagnosed with stage three colorectal (bowel) cancer last year. In a bid to pay for his expensive treatment, the actor – who is most famous for starring in the beloved teen drama from 1998 to 2003 – has teamed up with Propstore to sell off some of the cherished items from his personal collection. Dawson’s Creek fans will have the chance to own the outfit he wore in the very first episode, which is expected to sell for up to £3,000. They can also get their hands on the necklace Dawson gave on-screen girlfriend Joey (played by Katie Holmes) for prom, which could raise as much as £40,000. Other items up for sale include the shoes and West Caana Coyotes Hat that James wore when he starred in the hit 1999 teen comedy Varsity Blues. Fans will get chance to bid on the items at the Winter Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction, which will be held in London. James told the Flying Monkeys: “I’ve been storing these treasures for years, waiting for the right time to do something with them. With all of the recent unexpected twists and turns life has presented recently, it’s clear that the time is now.” He added: “While I have some nostalgia tugging at me as I part with these items, it feels good to be able to offer them through Propstore’s auction to share with those who have supported my work over the years.” Just over a year ago, the actor shared the devastating news he had been diagnosed with cancer. Though he received his diagnosis in 2023, he didn’t share the news straight away, instead preferring to deal with it privately. At the time he shared: “I have colorectal cancer. I’ve been privately dealing with this diagnosis and have been taking steps to resolve it, with the support of my incredible family.” Sharing his upbeat approach to his health, he added: “There’s reason for optimism, and I’m feeling good.” In March this year, James reflected on how it had been “the hardest year of my life”. In a heartfelt post on Instagram, he expressed his confrontation with mortality as he said: “I had to come nose to nose with death. And all those definitions that I cared so deeply about were stripped from me.”  

Jackie Chan is alive and well – amid a death hoax circulating about him online. The Hong Kong-born film star, 71, was at the centre of online speculation Monday evening as posts on Facebook and other platforms falsely indicated he had passed away. A computer generated AI image of an ailing Chan in a hospital bed was circulating alongside opposed designated birth and death years. The fake AI post read: ‘Today, the most beloved person in the world cinema, all of our hearts, has passed away, especially our generation, a worthy actor, a great Kung Fu player, the man with a funny laugh, Jackie Chan, has passed away.’ Hoax-fueled searches such as ‘did jackie chan die;’ ‘jackie chan death’ were among the most searched phrases on Google Trends Monday evening. Ironically, the AI application Grok provided clarity to social media users seeking more information on the fraudulent death announcement. An answer to a user asking if the Rush Hour star had actually died read, ‘No, it’s a hoax Jackie Chan is alive and well as of November 11, 2025.’ Chan was at the centre of a separate false rumour about his mortality this past August.  The phoney death notice in that case falsely claimed that his spouse Joan Lin had confirmed the death. An accompanying image showed ‘the hallmarks of artificially created visuals,’ the outlet reported, and later ‘was confirmed to be AI-generated.’ 

On This Day

• 1938 – LSD is first synthesised by Albert Hofmann. 
• 1965 – The Soviet Union launches the Venera 3 space probe toward Venus, which will be the first spacecraft to reach the surface of another planet.
• 1990 – Pop group Milli Vanilli are stripped of their Grammy Award because the duo did not sing at all on the Girl You Know It’s True album. Session musicians had provided all the vocals.

Deaths

• 1960 – Clark Gable, American actor (born 1901).
• 2008 – Reg Varney, English actor and screenwriter (born 1916).
• 2009 – Edward Woodward, English actor (born 1930).

Last Meals

Stephen Corey Bryant was an American spree killer convicted of the 2004 fatal shootings of three people in Sumter County, South Carolina. Throughout an eight-day period in October 2004, Bryant shot each of his victims in four separate incidents, killing three of them and leaving a fourth seriously injured. 

Beginning on October 8th 2004, a then 23 year old Bryant conducted a burglary where Bryant stole a .40 caliber Smith & Wesson handgun. Later on that day, Bryant shot a man in the back who was fishing near a local river, but the man, 56-year-old Clinton Brown, survived his injuries. Brown was reportedly able to drive himself to a hospital to seek treatment.

On October 9th, Bryant went out with his friend and colleague, 36-year-old Clifton Gainey, to buy beer. According to sources, Bryant shared a close friendship with Gainey, and they often went out for fishing trips together and spent time with each other’s families. On that day, Bryant used the gun to shoot Gainey in the head, killing him, and left his body behind on a rural road. After the shooting, Bryant headed to Gainey’s rented trailer and stole electronics and an aquarium, also setting fire to the trailer. At the time of his death, Gainey was survived by his two sons, mother and brother.

On October 11th, Bryant entered the home of 62-year-old Willard Tietjen, who was shot nine times by Bryant. After Tietjen, a retired U.S. Air Force sergeant, died from the shooting, Bryant stole a ring by taking it off the finger of Tietjen, and also used a cigarette to burn the victim’s face and eyes. Bryant additionally burglarised the house, stealing valuables and power tools. While Bryant was ransacking the house, Tietjen’s wife and daughter called the victim, and Bryant picked up the phone to inform them separately that Tietjen was dead. Before he fled the house, Bryant used the victim’s blood to write a message, “Victem 4 in 2 weeks. Catch me if u can”. 

On October 13th, two days after murdering Tietjen, 35-year-old Christopher Burgess encountered Bryant outside a local convenience store. After the pair left the store, Bryant shot Burgess twice, once in the head and another in the chest. Less than two hours after the murder, a hunter discovered Burgess’s corpse lying on a road bed in a rural area. 

By October 13th, Bryant was finally arrested at his girlfriend’s home for the murders. Bryant was charged with three counts of murder, two counts of burglary, two counts of weapons possession, and one count each of armed robbery and arson. 

The spree murders committed by Bryant shocked the whole community, and according to Bryant’s landlord and workplace supervisor, they described him as a nice person and were shocked to hear he was arrested for the murders. 

On August 8th 2008, Bryant pled guilty to all three counts of murder and nine other lesser charges. Sumter County Prosecutor Kelly Jackson stated that there was no plea deal reached with the defence, and he would seek the death penalty for Bryant pertaining to the robbery-murder of Willard Tietjen. 

During the sentencing phase, the defence submitted that Bryant should not face the death penalty, given that he himself was a victim of sexual abuse in his childhood, and that he struggled with drug addiction, which contributed to brain damage in his case. The lawyers also stated that in the months before the killings, Bryant turned to drugs to forget about the lingering trauma he suffered from his past childhood sexual assaults. However, the prosecution argued that the killings were premeditated and Bryant had mercilessly killed the victims, which were factors they relied on in seeking the death sentence for Bryant. 

However, Circuit Judge Thomas Russo sentenced 27-year-old Stephen Bryant to death for the murder of Willard Tietjen, in addition to two life sentences for the murders of Clifton Gainey and Christopher Burgess.  

On October 17th 2025, the South Carolina Supreme Court signed a death warrant for Stephen Bryant, setting his execution date for November 14th 2025. Under South Carolina state law, prisoners facing execution were allowed to choose their preferred execution method: execution by firing squad, lethal injection or the electric chair. Should the prisoner in question fail to choose a method by their given deadline, he or she by default would be executed in the electric chair. Bryant was issued a deadline of October 31st 2025. 

Bryant chose to be put to death by firing squad. He became the third inmate in South Carolina to choose this method since the state resumed executions in 2024, following the executions of convicted murderers Brad Sigmon and Mikal Mahdi. 

Bryant was executed by firing squad at the Broad River Correctional Institution. The execution process began at 18.02, with a doctor announcing his death at 18.05. 

Prior to his execution, Bryant was granted a last meal of spicy mixed seafood stir-fry, fried fish over rice, egg rolls, stuffed shrimp, two candy bars, German chocolate cake, and two Pepsi. 

Last Week’s Birthdays

Maggie Gyllenhaal (48), Martha Plimpton (55), Pete Davidson (32), Missi Pyle (53), Lisa Bonet (58), Gigi Edgley (48), Gwynyth Walsh (69), Jonny Lee Miller (53), Beverly D’Angelo (74), Olga Kurylenko (46), Russell Tovey (44), Paul McGann (66), Sandahl Bergman (74), Gerard Butler (56), Jimmy Kimmel (58), Whoopi Goldberg (70), Ryan Gosling (45), Anne Hathaway (43), Wallace Shawn (82), Max Grodénchik (73), Neil Young (80), Walton Goggins (54), Taron Egerton (36), Hugh Bonneville (62), Ellen Pompeo (56), Clare Higgins (70), and Neil Gaiman (65).