Dead Pool 29th December 2024

So, some housekeeping before we come to the end of this years competition. I missed that Neil had Alwen Hughes listed as his Woman. As Rolf Harris’ wife she was a good bet, sadly for Neil, she didn’t get a Wiki listing when she died, so nil points I’m afraid! Other than that, I actually kept on top of things this year!

With only a couple more days to go, I’m still the points leader, at the moment… In the 33 years I have been running The Dead Pool I have never come close to winning and I promise that I didn’t send out the Flying Monkeys after the people I listed! Honest!

Look Who You Could Have Had:

Art Evans, 82, American actor (Die Hard 2, A Soldier’s Story, Fright Night), complications from diabetes.
Hudson Meek, 16, American actor (Baby Driver), traffic collision.
Geoffrey Deuel, 81, American actor (The Young and the Restless, The F.B.I., Chisum), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Maria Farrugia, 112, Maltese supercentenarian, oldest known person ever from Malta^.
Burt, c. 90, Australian saltwater crocodile (Crocodile Dundee).
Manmohan Singh, 92, Indian politician, prime minister (2004–2014), heart disease.
Dayle Haddon, 76, Canadian model and actress (North Dallas Forty, Cyborg), carbon monoxide poisoning.
Olivia Hussey, 73, British actress (Romeo and Juliet, Black Christmas, Jesus of Nazareth), breast cancer.
Charles Shyer, 83, American screenwriter and film director (Private Benjamin, Father of the Bride, The Parent Trap).

In Other News

Former US President Bill Clinton has been discharged from the hospital after being treated for the flu, a spokesperson said on Tuesday. “He and his family are deeply grateful for the exceptional care provided by the team at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital and are touched by the kind messages and well wishes he received,” Angel Ureña wrote on Twitter. Clinton was admitted to Georgetown University Medical Center on Monday evening for tests and observation after developing a fever. The 78-year-old was last admitted to the hospital for six days in 2021 in California after developing an infection that reached his blood. The 42nd US president, who served in the White House from 1993 to 2001, is also known to have suffered with heart issues in the past. In 2004, aged 58, he had a quadruple bypass surgery after doctors found signs of extensive heart disease and, ten years later, he had a clogged artery opened after complaining of chest pains. He has been active since leaving office, starting what later became known as the Clinton Foundation, which partnered with American Heart Association to form the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. Not long after his second surgery, the ex-president – known for his love of fatty foods – went vegan. He told Politico in 2016, “I might not be around if I hadn’t become a vegan. It’s great.”

One of the stars of Crocodile Dundee, who appeared alongside Paul Hogan in the 1986 blockbuster, has died at an estimated age of 90, the reptile’s caretakers have confirmed. Burt, the five-metre-long, 700kg saltwater crocodile, died in captivity at Crocosaurus Cove, a crocodile herpetarium and aquarium in Darwin, Australia, where he had been living since 2008. In a statement, the zoo said on Facebook: “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Burt, the iconic Saltwater crocodile and star of the Australian classic Crocodile Dundee. Burt passed away peacefully over the weekend, estimated to be over 90 years old, marking the end of an incredible era.” The average saltwater crocodile typically lives for about 70 years but some may live for up to 100 years. The species is the largest reptile on the planet and is capable of eating any animal that strays too close to it. Burt became one of the world’s most famous reptiles thanks to the worldwide success of the Peter Faiman-directed film Crocodile Dundee, which remains the highest-grossing Australian film of all time. Paying tribute to the titular crocodile, the zoo reflected on Burt’s inspiring story and rise to fame, when he was captured in the early 1980s before his big screen debut. “Captured in the 1980s in the Reynolds River, Burt became one of the most recognised crocodiles in the world, appearing in Crocodile Dundee and helping to shape Australia’s image as a land of rugged natural beauty and awe-inspiring wildlife.” The zoo remarked that Burt was a “confirmed bachelor” and was fiercely independent, judging by his lack of enthusiasm to meet a mate on the crocodile farm.

Homes Under the Hammer star Martin Roberts has revealed he does not know how long he has left to live. The 61-year-old, who has presented the popular BBC property auction series since 2017, has undergone a series of health complications in that period. In 2022, the TV host revealed doctors had told him he had just hours to live after he suffered a pericardial effusion, a condition caused by too much fluid build up around the heart, and was rushed into emergency life-saving surgery. At the time, he had thought the chest pains were the effects of long Covid. Following the operation, Roberts admitted he still has “twinges” in his chest, which cause him to worry. He admitted “I don’t know how much time I’ve got left”, as he went against advice to “slow down”. “The physical side of things took a lot longer than we thought to get around, I still get twinges and every single time I get a twinge in my chest, I panic. As anyone who has had any kind of problems with their heart would attest to it.” He explained that he was only told much later that he “probably had maybe two or three hours to live” when he underwent emergency surgery, according to a consultant. “That was two to three hours from dying and not being here and not seeing the kids anymore and not fulfilling all my ambitions and doing all the things I want to do,” he explained. “So that’s sort of the psychological side of that. It takes a lot longer to get over than the physical side.” However, Roberts said that despite medical advice to slow down, he has taken the opportunity to do more than ever. “I was told I need to slow down and take things easy and all that kind of stuff, and I’ve gone completely the other way,” he said. “I don’t know how much time I’ve got left, so I just want to do as much as I possibly can.” he said.

On This Day

1913 – Cecil B. DeMille starts filming Hollywood’s first feature film, The Squaw Man.
2006 – The UK settles its Anglo-American loan, post-WWII loan debt.
2013 – Seven-time Formula One champion Michael Schumacher suffers a massive head injury while skiing in the French Alps.

Deaths

1170 – Thomas Becket, English archbishop and saint (b. 1118).
1986 – Harold Macmillan, English politician, Prime Minister of the UK (b. 1894).
2003 – Bob Monkhouse, English comedian, actor, and game show host (b. 1928).
2020 – Pierre Cardin, Italian-French fashion designer (b. 1922).
2022 – Pelé, Brazilian footballer (b. 1940).
2022 – Vivienne Westwood, English fashion designer (b. 1941).