Dead Pool 20th April 2025

Not much to report this week, no points to award either. But we do think that we should ring-fence Warwick Davis after two of his cast-mates from Willow have passed away so very close to each other, after all, these things come in threes…

Look Who You Could Have Had:

Jean Marsh, 90, English actress (Upstairs, Downstairs, Doctor Who, Willow) and television writer, Emmy winner, complications from dementia.
Wink Martindale, 91, American disc jockey, game show host (Gambit, Tic-Tac-Dough) and singer (“Deck of Cards“), lymphoma.
Colin Berry, 79, British radio disc jockey, presenter and newsreader (BBC Radio 2).
Clodagh Rodgers, 78, Northern Irish singer (“Come Back and Shake Me“, “Jack in the Box“).

In Other News

Pope Francis made a brief appearance on Easter Sunday to bless the thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square as he continues his recovery from a near-fatal bout of double pneumonia. “Brothers and sisters, Happy Easter!” Francis said, his voice sounding stronger than it has since his hospitalisation. “Viva il Papa!” (Long live the pope), the crowd responded. Francis looped through the square in his open-topped popemobile and then up and down the main avenue leading to it. He stopped occasionally to bless babies brought up to him, a scene that was common in the past but unthinkable just a few weeks ago as the 88-year-old Francis fought for his life. Since his release from the hospital nearly a month ago, Francis has been slowly returning to work and has made several Sunday appearances at St. Peter’s Square, much to the relief and adoration of the crowd that gathers every weekend. He skipped the solemn services of Good Friday and Holy Saturday leading up to Easter, but he had been expected to appear on Sunday. Unlike in years past, the 88-year-old pontiff did not celebrate the Easter Mass in the piazza, delegating it to Cardinal Angelo Comastri, the retired archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica. But after the Mass ended, Francis appeared on the loggia balcony over the basilica entrance for more than 20 minutes. The thousands of people below erupted in cheers as a military band kicked off rounds of the Holy See and Italian anthems. Francis waved from the balcony and then asked a Vatican archbishop to read his speech, a global appeal for peace in the world’s hotspots that is the hallmark of the Vatican’s Easter celebrations. Afterward, he imparted the apostolic blessing in Latin.

Michelle Trachtenberg died as a result of complications from diabetes, New York City’s medical examiner has said. The 39-year-old, who was also known for Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Harriet the Spy, was found dead at her home in New York City after officers responded to a 911 call on 26th February. According to the Flying Monkeys, she had recently received a liver transplant. At the time of her death, officials said no foul play was suspected, and the medical examiner’s office had listed her death as “undetermined”. Trachtenberg’s family had objected to a post-mortem, which the medical examiner’s office honoured because there was no evidence of criminality. But the medical examiner’s office said in a statement on Thursday it amended the cause and manner of death for the actress following a review of laboratory test results. Trachtenberg was best known for her role as Dawn Summers in Buffy, the younger sister of the title character played by Sarah Michelle Gellar between 2000 and 2003.

Officials have revealed the worrying internet searches Betsy Arakawa made in the days before her death. The pianist, 65, and her husband, Gene Hackman, were both found dead in their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on 26th February. Investigations later found that she had died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome around 12th February, roughly a week before the actor. Suffering from Alzheimer’s disease – a contributing factor in his death – it is said Hackman, 95, possibly did not know his wife had died before he passed as a result of cardiovascular disease. Authorities released a lengthy investigation, detailing some of the final internet searches, emails and phone calls made by Arakawa. rakawa appeared to be looking into information on flu-like symptoms and breathing techniques, the Associated Press reports. A review of her computer found she was actively searching up medical conditions related to Covid-19 and flu-like symptoms between 8 February and the morning of 12th February. This including asking questions about if Covid could cause dizziness or nosebleeds. On 11th February, Arakawa emailed her masseuse to say Hackman had woken up with flu or cold-like symptoms but had tested negative for Covid. ‘Out of an abundance of caution’, she asked if she could reschedule her appointment for the following day. Then the next morning, she had searched for a local concierge medical service which she had a call with that lasted less than two minutes. There was then a missed return call later that afternoon. Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, which a post-mortem determined as Arakawa’s cause of death, is a rare disease typically spread to humans through infected urine, droppings or saliva of certain species of mice and rats. Dr Heather Jarrell, chief medical examiner for New Mexico, previously told press that the mortality of the hantavirus strain in the south west of the United States is about 38 percent to 50 percent. The rodent-borne disease can lead to a range of symptoms including flu-like illness, headaches, dizziness and severe respiratory distress. Therefore, it could often be mistaken at first for a flu or Covid due to the similarities in signs. It was also reported by the New Mexico medical investigator’s office that there were signs of a rodent infestation at Hackman and Arakawa’s estate. A live rodent, a dead rodent and a nest were found in the three detached garages on the property with droppings and live traps also discovered.

On This Day

1918 – Manfred von Richthofen, a.k.a. The Red Baron, shoots down his 79th and 80th victims, his final victories before his death the following day.
1968 – English politician Enoch Powell makes his controversial “Rivers of Blood” speech.
1999 – Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold kill 14 people and injure 23 others before committing suicide at Columbine High School.
2010 – The Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explodes in the Gulf of Mexico, killing eleven workers and beginning an oil spill that would last six months.
2023 – SpaceX’s Starship rocket, the largest and most powerful rocket ever built, launches for the first time. It explodes 4 minutes into flight.

Deaths

1912 – Bram Stoker, Anglo-Irish novelist and critic, created Count Dracula (b. 1847).
1992 – Benny Hill, English comedian, actor, and screenwriter (b. 1924).
2016 – Victoria Wood, British comedian, actress and writer (b. 1953).
2018 – Avicii, Swedish DJ and musician (b. 1989).

Last Week’s Birthdays

Andy Serkis (61), Clint Howard (66), Veronica Cartwright (76), Jessica Lange (76), Carmen Electra (53), George Takei (88), Nicholas Lyndhurst (64), Kate Hudson (46), Ashley Judd (57), James Franco (47), Hayden Christensen (44), Tim Curry (79), Simu Liu (36), Rick Moranis (72), James Woods (78), Conan O’Brien (62), David Tennant (54), Hayley Mills (79), Sean Bean (66), Jennifer Garner (53), David Bradley (83), Anya Taylor-Joy (29), Sadie Sink (53), Ellen Barkin (71), Claire Foy (41), Gina Carano (43), Martin Lawrence (60), Seth Rogen (43), Emma Watson (35), Emma Thompson (66), Maisie Williams (28), Luke Evans (46), Anthony Michael Hall (57), Adrien Brody (52), Sarah Michelle Gellar (48), Rob McElhenney (48), Robert Carlyle (64), and Peter Capaldi (67).