Dead Pool 23rd November 2026

Short and sweet this week, I’d never heard of any of the celebrities who died over the last few days, which probably makes it impossible to predict their passing.

A reminder that I’ll be opening the gates for 2026 submissions on 1st December, so get your thinking caps on!

Look Who You Could Have Had:

Rebecca Heineman, 62, American video game designer and programmer (The Bard’s Tale III: Thief of Fate, Dragon Wars), co-founder of Interplay Entertainment, adenocarcinoma.
Alice Kessler and Ellen Kessler, 89, German singer (Kessler Twins) and actress (Love and the Frenchwoman, Dead Woman from Beverly Hills), assisted suicide.
Spencer Lofranco, 33, Canadian actor (Gotti, Unbroken, Jamesy Boy).
Mani, 63, English rock bassist (The Stone Roses, Primal Scream).
Tommy Recco, 91, French convicted serial killer.
Carl Ciarfalio, 72, American actor & stuntman (The Fantastic Four, Casino, In the Line of Fire).

In Other News

A vulnerable British woman was found buried in a shallow grave after reportedly asking for ‘a violent death’ Sonia Exelby, 32, flew to Florida after arranging to meet ‘online individuals who would be willing to kill her violently’, according to a police affidavit. Dwain Hall, 53, was arrested on charges of first-degree murder and kidnapping after the victim’s remains were found in a shallow grave in Marion County, Florida. Fears for the well-being of Ms Exelby were heightened after she missed her flight home. Her body was discovered on Friday October 17th by officers. Despite declaring her wish to be killed, police fear she was being threatened and ‘controlled’ before being stabbed to death. According to police, she sent a message to a friend about Hall, seemingly having second thoughts. She wrote: ‘He made it clear there was no way out unless I shoot him. I was questioning it last night. I can’t kill anyone.’ The police affidavit said this message showed ‘Hall was controlling her, that she was afraid, and had made a mistake’ ‘The remains were determined to be those of the missing woman from England and further examination revealed that her death was ruled a homicide,’ the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) said. The affidavit said Exelby made contact with Americans in the hope of travelling to the US and being killed last year — but was prevented. Evidence allegedly left on her laptop showed she became suicidal again and wanted to travel ‘to be possibly sexually abused, tortured, and murdered by unknown individuals living in the United States.’ Police said Hall and Exelby met at an Airbnb property on October 10th and had sex. Hall then allegedly made a video of Ms Exelby in which she was covered in bruises and made to answer disclaimer questions about her wish to be killed. It was deleted but police managed to retrieve it. ‘Throughout the conversation Exelby is subdued, rarely looks up towards the camera where Hall would be positioned, becomes visibly upset with tears in her eyes, exhales deeply, swallows hard, and very hesitant to answer Hall’s questions,’ the affidavit says. The police affidavit said this message showed ‘Hall was controlling her, that she was afraid, and had made a mistake.’ Her boyfriend, Stevie Hunt, had shared a desperate plea for information last month, saying Sonia was ‘vulnerable’ and struggling with mental health. He believed she flew to Florida to meet someone, putting herself in an ‘extremely vulnerable situation.’ Hall was identified as a suspect after police traced him to a bank account that allegedly attempted to transfer money from Ms Exelby’s bank several times since her death. In a voluntary interview Hall claimed that an unknown woman was begging for help by the roadside when her cards were declined. He insisted he didn’t know Ms Exelby before admitting that he had sex with her several times and debated her desire to have someone kill her, according to the document. ‘Hall knew Exelby suffered from severe mental illness and was suicidal. He claimed that he wanted to help Exelby and did not want her to die but his actions show differently,’ the police affidavit said. ‘This type of violent crime and disregard for human life will not be tolerated in our state — those who commit such heinous crimes will be held fully accountable,’ FDLE Commissioner Mark Glass said in a statement.

A Miss Universe contestant is still in hospital days after suffering a fall during the pageant, with her family saying she “isn’t doing as well” as hoped. Miss Jamaica, Gabrielle Henry, had to be carried away in a stretcher after she fell off the stage on Wednesday during the preliminary evening gown round of the international major beauty pageant held in Thailand. In an update from the Miss Universe Jamaica Organisation released on her Instagram Story on Friday, it was explained that Henry’s sister, Dr Phylicia Henry-Samuels, is currently with Henry and their mother, Maureen Henry, at the hospital where she is being treated. According to Dr Henry Samuels, however, “Gabby isn’t doing as well as we would have hoped, but the hospital continues to treat her accordingly”. The pageant star will be remain in the intensive care unit for a minimum of seven days as “doctors continue their close monitoring and specialised care”, reads the statement. Elsewhere in the update, the organisation asked for “Jamaicans at home and across the diaspora to continue keeping Gabrielle in their prayers” during this “profoundly difficult time”. “We respectfully ask the public and social media users to avoid sharing negative comments, misinformation, or speculation that may cause further distress to the family,” the statement continued. “Our primary focus remains on Gabrielle’s recovery and the well-being of her loved ones. We kindly request continued compassion, sensitivity, and privacy as the family navigates this challenging period.” In footage of the incident circulated online, Henry could be seen posing at the front of the stage in an orange bejewelled gown and high heels when she abruptly falls to the ground. Hours later, the Miss Universe Jamaica Organisation issued a statement on Instagram informing fans that she had been rushed to Paolo Rangsit hospital near Bangkok where “medical professionals are attending to her care and have advised that she is not suffering from any life-threatening injuries”.

On This Day

1910 – Johan Alfred Ander becomes the last person to be executed in Sweden.
1921 – Warren G. Harding, 29th President of the United States, signs the Willis–Campbell Act into law, prohibiting doctors from prescribing beer or liquor for medicinal purposes.
1924 – Edwin Hubble’s discovery, that the Andromeda “nebula” is actually another galaxy far outside our own Milky Way.
1963 – The first episode of Doctor Who (An Unearthly Child) is broadcast by the BBC, which is now the world’s longest running science fiction drama.
1991 – Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury announces in a statement that he is HIV-positive. He dies the following day.