Dead Pool 26th July 2026

Not much to talk about this week, the news has been a little thin on the ground.

Look Who You Could Have Had:

Edward Stourton, 68, British broadcaster and presenter (Sunday, Today), prostate cancer.
Kevin Keegan, 75, English football player (Liverpool, national team) and manager (Newcastle United), stomach cancer.
Zale Parry, 93, American scuba diver and actress (Kingdom of the Sea, Sea Hunt).
Charles Gaines, 84, American writer (Pumping Iron), co-inventor of paintball.
Kaylee Hottle, 18, American actress (Godzilla vs. Kong, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire), traffic collision.
Chuck Russell, 74, American film director (The Mask, The Blob, Eraser), producer and screenwriter.
Lou Koller, 59, American punk rock singer (Sick of It All), oesophageal cancer.

In Other News

William Shatner has revealed that he was dealing with cancer at the same time as his daughter, Melanie Shatner Gretsch. The 95-year-old Canadian actor told the Flying Monkeys that Gretsch, 61, was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer in 2022 after finding a lump in her breast. Shatner revealed that about a year later, in June 2023, he was diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma, a serious form of skin cancer, that had spread to his lungs and brain. “I remember vividly thinking, ‘I don’t have the strength to take care of myself and lose my father at the same time,’” Gretsch, the youngest daughter of Shatner and first wife Gloria Rand. The father-daughter duo were both declared cancer-free by late 2024. Shatner said: “We got the perfect doctors for her cancer and my cancer.” In the year and a half after her diagnosis, Gretsch said she underwent multiple rounds of chemotherapy, a double mastectomy and 30 radiation therapy treatments. Gretsch said her father offered to help her financially during her treatment, saying: “I do not want you to worry. Just send me the bills.” “Then you made me laugh so hard when I was still going to the doctor a year later,” she said to the Star Trek actor. “You said, ‘You’ve got to get well. We’re going to be in the poorhouse!’” However, when she was nearly done with her treatments, her father found a lump in his cheek that turned out to be a tumour. He had surgery to remove it and underwent two years of immunotherapy to fight the cancer. Shatner opened up about the fear he felt when he was diagnosed. He recalled: “I said, ‘Stage 4?’ And someone in the room said, ‘Sorry.’ I said, ‘What are you sorry about?’ It was like, ‘Better pack your things.’ That person who said ‘sorry,’ that was very sad, like you are going to die. And I was. They said if this treatment they used did not work, I had about 5 months.”

Singer Nivea offered an important update on her health after being diagnosed with blood cancer. “I was diagnosed with leukaemia earlier this year, ” the “Don’t Mess With My Man” singer, 44, revealed “I am so grateful to God. I am going through treatment.” Nivea confirmed that she started treatment for the blood cancer several months ago. Despite her diagnosis, Nivea assured the Flying Monkeys that she was maintaining a positive outlook due to her deep spirituality. “Everything is going great so far and I expect it to continue,” she said. “Amen. Amen. Amen! I’m very grateful for life. It’s so cliche to say, ‘You don’t know the time nor the hour,’ but it’s true. It just helped me put a lot of things into perspective.” The musician added, “I live in gratitude religiously. I’m just grateful for everything.” Nivea told us that she was keeping busy and even pursuing a music technology degree despite her illness. “I’m doing things I want to do,” she declared. “I’m definitely back into my music. I’m going to school for audio engineering.” The singer went on, “I’ve always wanted to learn how to engineer, how to mix and engineer, in particular. In general, I’m just doing all the things, honey! I’m loving all my children and just being grateful. I’m taking every opportunity that comes my way!” Nivea is perhaps best known for her 2003 breakthrough single “Don’t Mess with My Man,” which featured brothers Brian and Brandon Casey from R&B group Jagged Edge. The track received a Best R&B Performance Award nomination at the 2003 Grammys and ultimately reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart.

On This Day

1945 – The Labour Party wins the United Kingdom general election of July 5 by a landslide, removing Winston Churchill from power.
1971 – Apollo program: Launch of Apollo 15 on the first Apollo “J-Mission, and first use of a Lunar Roving Vehicle.
2005 – Mumbai, India receives 99.5cm of rain within 24 hours, resulting in floods killing over 5,000 people.

Deaths

1952 – Eva Perón, Argentinian politician, 25th First Lady of Argentina (born 1919).
1984 – Ed Gein, American serial killer (born 1906).
2020 – Olivia de Havilland, American actress (born 1916).
2023 – Sinéad O’Connor, Irish singer and musician (born 1966).
2025 – Tom Lehrer, American singer, comedian and mathematician (born 1928).