Let’s begin by awarding some points!!! With the passing of Bob Dole, Julia and Dave get 52  points each, well done! Things are quite tight at the top of the league table, one death could upset the whole lot. Let me remind you that you are not allowed to murder anyone to win the game. 

I’ve already received a list for 2022, so if any of you would like to send in yours, I’m ready! Either email your list to mail@thedeadpool.rip or fill in the 2022 Webform. If for some reason you have forgotten the same rules we have been following for the last thirty years, you can find them here. Mention it to your weird friends and followers, the more the merrier. 

Look Who You Could Have Had:

• Martha De Laurentiis, 67, American film producer (Breakdown, Hannibal, U-571), cancer.  
• Bob Dole, 98, American politician, member of the U.S. House of Representatives (1961–1969) and Senate (1969–1996), lung cancer.  
• John Miles, 72, British singer-songwriter and musician (“Music“). 
• Jacques Tits, 91, Belgian-born French mathematician (Tits alternative, Tits group, Tits metric). 
• Chris Achilleos, 74, Cypriot-born British illustrator.  
• Robbie Shakespeare, 68, Jamaican bassist (Sly and Robbie, Black Uhuru) and record producer, complications from kidney surgery. 
• Ralph Tavares, 79, American singer (Tavares).  
• Steve Bronski, 61, Scottish keyboardist (Bronski Beat).  
• Slim 400, 33, American rapper, shot. 
• Al Unser, 82, American Hall of Fame racing driver, four-time Indianapolis 500 winner, IndyCar champion (1983, 1985), liver cancer.  
• Michael Nesmith, 78, American musician (The Monkees) and songwriter. 
• Anne Rice, 80, American author (The Vampire Chronicles), complications from a stroke.  

In Other News 

A coffin-shaped capsule that allows occupants to kill themselves has passed legal review in Switzerland, according to its creators. The Sarco machine can be operated from the inside –conceivably just by blinking if the person suffers from locked-in syndrome – and works by reducing the oxygen level in the pod to below a critical level. The process takes less than a minute and death occurs through hypoxia and hypocapnia, which is intended to allow a person to die relatively peacefully and painlessly. Assisted suicide is legal in Switzerland and roughly 1,300 people used the services of euthanasia organisations Dignitas and Exit last year. Both firms use ingestible liquid barbiturate drug to induce a deep coma within two to five minutes, followed by death. The suicide pod is the creation of Dr Philip Nitschke, dubbed ‘Dr Death’, who serves as the director of the non-profit organisation Exit International. The Sarco – short for sarcophagus – is designed to be towed to a location of the users’ preference, such as an idyllic outdoor setting, and then the biodegradable capsule can detach from the base in order to serve as a coffin. Dr Nitschke has faced opposition from opponents of euthanasia, in part due to the method used. “Gas may never be an acceptable method for assisted suicide in Europe due to the negative connotations of the Holocaust, some have even said that it’s just a glorified gas chamber.” It has also drawn criticism due to its futuristic design, which some say glamorises suicide, as well as a corresponding virtual reality app that allows people to “experience their own virtual death”. This VR experience was displayed in Westerkerk church in Amsterdam at the 2018 Funeral Expo, prompting worries from the church’s board. “Westerkerk will never support people by offering equipment as promoted by Dr Nitschke and we seriously wonder whether this contributes to a thorough and careful discussion around the issue,” Jeroen Kramer, president of the Westerkerk church board, said at the time. “We will not and cannot support any suggestion of using such equipment.” Only two Sarco prototypes currently exist, but Exit International is 3D printing a third machine that it hopes to be ready for operation in Switzerland next year. Dr Nitschke told local media last week that “there are no legal issues at all” and that discussions are ongoing with various groups in Switzerland with a view to provide the capsule for assisted suicide. “Barring any unforeseen difficulties, we hope to be ready to make Sarco available for use in Switzerland next year,” he said. “It’s been a very expensive  project so far but we think we’re pretty close to implementation now.”  

Former GB News Chairman Andrew Neil shared an update on his beloved dog, Molly, who he says is “seriously ill”. The renowned journalist promised his 1.1 million followers that he would keep them updated on Molly’s condition as fans sent in messages of support. Andrew, 72, broke his “bad news” to his followers, who seemed heartbroken to hear that Molly was ill. The news legend shared a sweet picture of Molly curled up on a chair with her eyes closed and her head resting on a cuddly, owl-shaped cushion. He wrote: “Bad news. Ms Molly the Dog, the one and only star of BBC 1’s much missed This Week is seriously ill. “She is, of course, getting the best possible care and we hope she’ll pull through. “We will keep her many fans posted,” he confirmed. The star then retweeted the picture with the caption: “We take her back to the vet tomorrow. “Tonight she’s decided to forego her several comfortable beds and lie on the floor. “So my wife has placed a pillow on the floor and is now lying beside her. “Whatever Molly’s problems she will not lack for love,” an emotional Andrew concluded. Andrew and his wife were then inundated with support during their difficult time. Andrew announced he was stepping down as Chairman of GB News on 13th September 2021 despite masterminding the launch of the channel and has since referred to  his time there as “the single biggest mistake” of his career.  

Mark Wright has had a huge 12cm tumour removed from his armpit following a terrifying cancer scare. The former TOWIE star, 34, took to Instagram to share his story in the hope that speaking out could help save lives. Mark opened up after undergoing surgery to remove the lump, which was clearly visible on his body before the procedure. And he’s still waiting on results to find out whether or not the lump was cancerous. Sharing a topless picture of himself that showed the lump in his armpit, he penned: “Ok, it’s been a tough call whether or not to speak about this. “One part of me wants to keep something like this private and the other part is thinking, if I can help/potentially save 1 person, well…. this is the right thing to do. So here goes. I discovered a lump in my breast/armpit area. Not very big, but enough to cause concern and to be cautious enough to get it checked. I saw a doctor who passed it on as “a fatty lump that doesn’t need any treatment” so I just left it. After some time the lump grew and began to bother me. I am someone that when it comes to life in general, I leave no stone unturned. When it involves health, this idiom quadruples.” Mark, who went under the knife and also shared a graphic image of the lump, added: “I saw another specialist who happens to be a breast consultant for a second opinion. He was certain after seeing an ultrasound scan that it was a Lipoma (a benign soft tissue tumour) however with it being rather large, he had a tiny  bit of concern that it has/could turn in to a Sarcoma (a cancerous malignant tumour) However he was not 100% either way so to be more sure I had an MRI. From the result of the MRI, still this consultant did not want to rule out the worst because of the speed and the size of the growth. At this stage I moved on to a Sarcoma specialist. This specialist saw the scans around 10 days ago and today I was in theatre having this little git removed.” Mark continued: “His fast and incredible turn around was due to the fact he did not want to leave it any longer and wanted it out to prevent the rare risk of a Lipoma turning into a sarcoma overtime. He also could not 100% confirm by the MRI that this was definitely a benign tumour and not something more sinister. The tumour will be sent off for further testing just to be 110% sure but this top doctor is certain from his incredible experience that we have done the job and there is nothing sinister to worry about. So I’m all good! Moral of the story: If you notice anything that doesn’t look or feel quite right. Don’t leave it. Nothing in life is more important than your health and well-being. Get checked, check yourself and make sure you take good care of yourself.”

On This Day

• 1866 – Oaks explosion: The worst mining disaster in England kills 361 miners and rescuers.
• 1988 – The Clapham Junction rail crash kills thirty-five and injures hundreds after two collisions of three commuter trains—one of the worst train crashes in the United Kingdom.
• Turns out this day in history has next to nothing to show for 2000 years of humanity.

Deaths

• 1921 – Henrietta Swan Leavitt, American astronomer and academic (b. 1868).
• 1939 – Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., American actor, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1883).
• 2006 – Peter Boyle, American actor (b. 1935).
• 2007 – Ike Turner, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1931).
• 2019 – Danny Aiello, American actor (b. 1933).
• 2020 – John le Carré, English author (b. 1931).

The Real Black Widow

For more than a century, Mary Ann Cotton was the most prolific serial killer in UK history, until Harold Shipman surpassed her victim count in 2000. She was described as beautiful, charming and ultimately deadly. Gaining her the nickname Black Widow. 

It has been suggested that Cotton killed at least 21 people, many of these were her own children or husbands. Records show that she had at least 13 children during her life, only 2 of these outlived her. Similar to Mary Ann Bateman, a serial killer 100 years before, her weapon of choice was arsenic poisoning. Her main motive for the murders was to collect the insurance money that each death provided her with.

Cotton was born into a mining community, in Sunderland. Her father Michael Robson was a collier sinker. She had two siblings, but only her younger brother survived. When Cotton was eight the family moved to County Durham. Like many families of the time, they travelled where the work was. She was a good student and a friendly girl. Her Sunday school superintendent would describe her as: a most exemplary and regular attender, a girl of innocent disposition and average intelligence.

In 1842, Cotton’s father was killed, he fell down a 150ft mine shaft. Times were very harsh and his body was delivered to the family in a sack, with the news that they’d need to vacate the mining property they were living in. This situation did not last long as Cotton’s mother went on to remarry in 1843, to another miner. At sixteen, Cotton left her home to become the nursemaid to the manager of Murton Colliery, she cared for his children. When the children grew up she returned to her step-fathers home for a short period, whilst she trained to be a dressmaker. It would not be long before she would start working her way through her husbands. 

Cotton married her first husband, William Mowbray, when she was 20. Like her father, he was a colliery labourer. During her time with Mowbray she would go on to mother many children, estimations suggested nine, of these children only one survived. No records exist, even though registration was compulsory at the time. It is hard to establish what they died of or the exact numbers. In Jan 1865, Mowbray died of what was noted as intestinal problems. Cotton collected £35 on his death, which was the equivalent of six months wages.

Cotton went on to start working in a local infirmary after Mowbray’s death. It was during this time that she met husband number two. George Ward was an engineer and patient at the time. Entranced by his nurse, he married her in August 1865. His health was poor at the time and was about to become worse. Cotton, who did not want a child living with them, sent her daughter to live with her mother. It is unclear why she chose this course of action, rather than killing her. Ward would die in October 1866 of intestinal problems, leaving Cotton to collect the insurance money.

The next man on Cotton’s radar was James Robinson who was a Shipwright. He hired Cotton as a housekeeper shortly after his wife died. When his son died one month later of gastric fever, he turned to his housekeeper for comfort. Whilst helping Robinson deal with his grief, Cotton fell pregnant.

At this point in her life, Cotton received notification that her mother was ill, so she went to look after her. Her mother made good progress and started recovering, only to fall ill of stomach pains. She died nine days after Cotton arrived at the age of 54. Cotton returned to Robinson, with her daughter who had been staying with her mother. Shortly after returning to Robinson her daughter became ill with a stomach complaint and died. Two of Robinson’s children suffered the same fate. Cotton went on to collect the insurance money.

After these events, and with a child on the way, Robinson married Cotton, and the happy couple went on to have two children. Only one of these children would survive. Cotton was eager after these unfortunate events to get her husband insured. It is this insistence that raised the suspicion of Robinson. Whilst checking his bank, he found that Cotton has run up a huge debt in his name and had pawned many of the families valuables. He threw her out, keeping custody of their son.

After this, Cotton was forced to live on the streets. When her friend Margaret Cotton introduced her to her brother, a pitman and recent widower, Cotton was only too happy to help. Margaret had been acting as a surrogate mother to her brother’s children. When Margaret died in March 1870 from stomach problems, Cotton was there to comfort Fredrick Cotton. Shortly after this, she found out that she was pregnant, with her twelfth child.

The marriage to Cotton was not to be a faithful one. Cotton heard that a previous lover Joseph Nattrass was living close by and rekindled her romance with him. In December the same year, Fredrick died from gastric fever and Cotton collected still more insurance money. After the death of Fredrick, both his sons also died of gastric fever and then Cotton’s son would suffer the same fate. The last person to die of gastric problems was Nattrass.

After these latest deaths, Cotton went to work for Thomas Riley a parish official. She complained to him about her son being a problem and asked if she could have him committed to the workhouse. When Riley informed her this would only be possible if she accompanied him she replied: I won’t be troubled long. He’ll go like the rest of the Cottons.

Five days later, Charles Edward died and Riley went straight to the police. The boy was examined and showed clear evidence of arsenic poisoning. The decision was then made to exhume both Nattrass and some of Cotton’s children. They all showed signs of arsenic poisoning. 

The papers latched onto the story of the Black Widow. During their research, they discovered how much Cotton moved around the country. They also noted the number of people she had lost to stomach fever. Dr William Byers Kilburn, who was Charles’ doctor, had kept samples from his patient. When these were tested it showed arsenic poisoning.

Cotton stood trial on 5th March 1873, the trial having to be delayed so that she could give birth to her final child. After deliberating for 90 minutes, the jury found her guilty on all charges. Out of the 13 children she was believed to have had, only two went on to survive. The son that Robinson claimed custody of and the daughter, Margaret Edith, born in jail.

Cotton was hanged in Durham jail on 24th March 1873, in a strange twist she didn’t die of a broken neck, but rather strangulation. The executioner had rigged the rope too short, so a broken neck did not occur. Whether this was on purpose or not was never established.

In the 1990s Durham jail was modernised and Cotton’s remains were removed amongst others. Her bones were found with a pair of her shoes, they were later cremated and laid to rest in an undisclosed location.

Last Week’s Birthdays

Jennifer Connelly (51), Mädchen Amick (51), Mayim Bialik (46), Bill Nighy (72), Sarah Douglas (69), Kenneth Cranham (77), Dionne Warwick (81), Ben Browder (59), Kenneth Branagh (61), Judi Dench (87), John Malkovich (68), Michael Dorn (69), Beau Bridges (80), Donny Osmond (64), Kim Basinger (68), Teri Hatcher (57), Dominic Monaghan (45), Nicki Minaj (39), David Harewood (56), Nicholas Hoult (32), Jennifer Carpenter (42), C. Thomas Howell (55), Jeffrey Wright (56), Ellen Burstyn (89), Kristofer Hivju (43), Tom Hulce (68), Colin Salmon (59), Noel Clarke (46), and Nick Park (63).

Welcome to all three of you  who read the newsletter, in which this week we dispense 40 points to Paul C. for correctly listing Eileen Ash; which brings his total deaths score to 8 out of 13, quite a feat! 

Look Who You Could Have Had:

• Sir Frank Williams, 79, British motor racing team owner and constructor (Williams Racing).  
• Doyle Hamm, 64, American convicted murderer and botched execution survivor, cancer. 
• Arlene Dahl, 96, American actress (Journey to the Center of the Earth, Reign of Terror).  
• David Gulpilil, 68, Australian actor (Walkabout, Crocodile Dundee), lung cancer.  
• Tommy Lane, 83, American actor (Live and Let Die, Shaft), COPD.  
• Dave Draper, 79, American bodybuilder, actor (Lord Love a Duck, Don’t Make Waves).
• Ray Kennedy, 70, English footballer (Liverpool, Arsenal, national team), complications from Parkinson’s disease. 
• Sir Antony Sher, 72, South African-born British actor (Stanley, Shakespeare in Love, The Wolfman), cancer. 
• Eileen Ash, 110, English cricketer (Middlesex, national team). 
• Fortune FitzRoy, Duchess of Grafton, 101, British courtier, Mistress of the Robes (since 1967). 
• Stonewall Jackson, 89, American country singer (“Waterloo“, “B.J. the D.J.“, “I Washed My Hands in Muddy Water“), vascular dementia. 
• Siobhan Cattigan, 26, Scottish rugby union player (Stirling County, national team).

In Other News

Sheridan Smith is “lucky to be alive” after being involved in an car crash, it’s been reported. It’s being claimed that the actor and singer was driving her Range Rover in Little Sampford, Essex on Saturday (27th November) and swerved into a tree due to icy weather conditions. Photos appearing to show what is believed to be Sheridan’s vehicle with the front caved in have since surfaced online. A source who claims to be a neighbour of Smith’s told the evil monkeys that the entertainer was left with “cuts and bruises”, adding: “Sheridan is so lucky to be alive. It could have been so much worse. Her car was stuck in the tree, it was a really bad crash.” They continued: “But thank goodness there were land-owners to cut up the tree blocking the road or police would never have got through. It doesn’t bear thinking about what might have happened.” A nearby dog walker said he feared “someone must be dead in there” after spotting the accident, adding that the car was “totally trashed”. Smith was taken back to her house by a friend after the car veered off the road. An Essex Police spokesperson confirmed: “We attended a collision in that area. However, no offences were identified, no-one was arrested or seriously injured, and it didn’t impact on any of our major roads so, in line with our policy on such incidents, we won’t be providing anything further.” Smith’s alleged car crash reportedly came less than two hours after her appearance on The Jonathan Ross Show, which was mired in controversy following earlier reports that she became “upset” after recording the interview. A spokesperson for the series confirmed that Smith “appeared to become upset” after her time on the show despite  seemingly having “a great time” during filming.

A chef has avoided being jailed after serving up a shepherds pie which killed a 92-year-old diner and poisoned more than 30 others. John Croucher dished up the contaminated meal to a harvest-supper party at the Crewe Arms in the Northamptonshire village of Hinton-in-the-Hedges. Church-goer Elizabeth Neuman could not stop vomiting after eating the pie and died of gastrointestinal haemorrhage, while 31 of her fellow worshippers became “unpleasantly ill”. Only three of the congregation escaped food poisoning – because they were vegetarians. But representing himself in court, Croucher – who has been a cook more than 20 years – claimed that the tragedy had made him “a better chef”. He said: “Remorse is an understatement. This is something I will never forget. Because of it, I am a better chef and it is just a shame the cost of it had to be what it was.” The 40-year-old was given a four-month jail sentence, suspended for 12 months, at Reading Crown Court on Thursday after previously admitting a charge of contravening food regulations. Pub landlord Neil Billingham, of Northampton, was fined £9,000 and ordered to pay £1,000 costs after admitting three charges of contravening food regulations. The court heard that Ms Neuman was rushed to hospital soon after eating at the Crewe Arms on 8 October 2018 – but but that she died before doctors could properly treat her. Sentencing, Judge Sarah Campbell said: “No sentence I pass can reflect the loss caused to the family. “Croucher was the chef that night. The mince was not cooked properly and was placed into a pan with iced water. Croucher needed to leave, so put the mince in cling film and put it in the fridge overnight. Having left it, he cooked it again and added warm mashed potato. He did not take the temperature when it was served.” The incident came after hygiene inspectors had already ordered the pub to improve after finding no food safety management systems in place. The court was told that members of the Holy Trinity church congregation which had suffered did not want “retribution” against the pub, Billingham or Croucher, who no longer works there and now lives in Ely, Cambridgeshire. Christopher Hopkins, for Billingham and his company, the Bobcat Pub Co, said: “You will see that Billingham went to local residents who were affected shortly after, apologising for the incident. He also asks me to express his condolences to the Neuman family on his behalf.”    

Marcus Lamb, founder and CEO of conservative Christian  broadcaster Daystar Television Network and a vocal anti-vaxxer, has died at the age of 64, weeks after he tested positive for Covid-19. In a statement on Twitter, the network did not specify his cause of death but said: “It’s with a heavy heart we announce that Marcus Lamb, president and founder of Daystar Television Network, went home to be with the Lord this morning. The family asks that their privacy be respected as they grieve this difficult loss. Please continue to lift them up in prayer.” Lamb’s son Jonathan had earlier described his father’s infection as “a spiritual attack from the enemy” to take him down, in a broadcast on the network last week. “As much as my parents have gone on here to kind of inform everyone about everything going on to the pandemic and some of the ways to treat Covid — there’s no doubt that the enemy is not happy about that,” Mr Lamb said. “And he’s doing everything he can to take down my Dad,” he added. Mr Lamb’s mother Joni had also earlier thanked viewers for their prayers in a telephone call from her husband’s hospital bed. Describing her husband’s illness, Ms Lamb had said: “It’s like, you’ll just be up and everything’s great, and then you have a little lull, and then you come down low and then you come back up, but from everybody that I talk to — I think that’s the pattern.” The network which has over 70 stations across the country was launched by the Texas televangelist in 1997. It has also expanded outside the country and is broadcast in 74 countries across the world. The network became a platform for misinformation and conspiracy theories during the Covid-19 pandemic. It hosted conspiracy theorists like America’s Frontline Doctors who had claimed in a viral video that Covid-19 could be cured not through mask mandates and shutdowns but through the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine. The network also brought in Robert F Kennedy Jr, the nephew of the former US president John F Kennedy, who is a prominent anti-vaxxer. Last month, the Daystar Television network along with a Mississippi based Christian fundamentalist organisation, American Family Association, moved court against the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate at workplaces. The two companies said in their filing in a Texas court that the vaccine mandate is “sin against God’s Holy Word” and put their employees in a position to potentially sin as well, reported Deseret News. Recently other known anti-vaxxers such as conservative radio hosts Dick Farrell, Phil Valentine, and Marc Bernier also died due to Covid-19, so the virus isn’t all that bad…

Thought of the day: Touching an AM radio broadcast tower will kill you, and not only will it kill you, but it will hurt the entire time you’re dying. Firstly, the voltage is so high that your hands would instantly clamp to whatever charged part of the tower you touched, then because it’s oscillating at a frequency your cells can’t feel you wouldn’t be able to feel yourself being electrocuted until it starts to heat your body from the current, and you’d also be able to hear your body acting as a “speaker” where you’d literally be able to hear whatever was on that particular station as you die.

On This Day

• 1952 – Beginning of the Great Smog in London. A cold fog combines with air pollution and brings the city to a standstill for four days. Later, a Ministry of Health report estimates 4,000 fatalities as a result of it.
• 1958 – The Preston By-pass, the UK’s first stretch of motorway, opens to traffic for the first time. (It is now part of the M6 and M55 motorways.)
• 2004 – The Civil Partnership Act comes into effect in the United Kingdom, and the first civil partnership is registered there.

Deaths

• 1791 – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Austrian composer and musician (b. 1756).
• 1870 – Alexandre Dumas, French novelist and playwright (b. 1802).
• 1926 – Claude Monet, French painter (b. 1840).
• 1951 – Shoeless Joe Jackson, American baseball player and manager (b. 1887).
• 2013 – Nelson Mandela, South African lawyer and politician, 1st President of South Africa (b. 1918).

A Most Excellent Death

Gaius Petronius Arbiter was a Roman courtier during the reign of Nero. He is generally believed to be the author of the Satyricon, a satirical novel believed to have been written during the Neronian era (54–68 AD). 

Tacitus, Plutarch and Pliny the Elder describe Petronius as the elegantiae arbiter, “judge of elegance”, in the court of the emperor Nero. He served as suffect consul in 62. Later, he became a member of the senatorial class who devoted himself to a life of pleasure. His relationship to Nero was apparently akin to that of a fashion advisor. Tacitus gives this account of Petronius in his historical work the Annals (XVI.18): He spent his days in sleep, his nights in attending to his official duties or in amusement, that by his dissolute life he had become as famous as other men by a life of energy, and that he was regarded as no ordinary profligate, but as an accomplished voluptuary. His reckless freedom of speech, being regarded as frankness, procured him popularity. Yet during his provincial government, and later when he held the office of consul, he had shown vigour and capacity for affairs. Afterwards returning to his life of vicious indulgence, he became one of the chosen circle of Nero’s intimates, and was looked upon as an absolute authority on questions of taste in connection with the science of luxurious living. 

Petronius’ high position soon made him the object of envy for those around him. Having attracted the jealousy of Tigellinus, the commander of the emperor’s guard, he was accused of treason. He was arrested at Cumae in 65 AD but did not wait for a sentence. Instead, he chose to take his own life. Tacitus again records his elegant suicide in the sixteenth book of the Annals: Yet he did not fling away life with precipitate haste, but having made an incision in his veins and then, according to his humour, bound them up, he again opened them, while he conversed with his friends, not in a serious strain or on topics that might win for him the glory of courage. And he listened to them as they repeated, not thoughts on the immortality of the soul or on the theories of philosophers, but light poetry and playful verses. To some of his slaves he gave liberal presents, a flogging to others. He dined, indulged himself in sleep, that death, though forced on him, might have a natural appearance. Even in his will he did not, as did many in their last moments, flatter Nero or Tigellinus or any other of the men in power. On the contrary, he described fully the prince’s shameful excesses, with the names of his male and female companions and their novelties in debauchery, and sent the account under seal to Nero. Then he broke his signet-ring, that it might not be subsequently available for imperilling others. 

According to Pliny the Elder: “Petronius, a consular, knowing he was going to die through Nero’s jealousy and envy, broke his fluorspar wine-dipper so that the emperor’s table would not inherit it. It had cost 300,000 sesterces”.

Last Week’s Birthdays

Catherine Tate (52), Frankie Muniz (36), Marisa Tomei (57), Jeff Bridges (72), Tony Todd (67), Pamela Stephenson (72), Tyra Banks (48), Jay-Z (52), Brendan Fraser (53), Amanda Seyfried (36), Julianne Moore (61), Daryl Hannah (61), Jean-Luc Godard (91), Ozzy Osbourne (73), Lucy Liu (53), Britney Spears (40), Connie Booth (81), Nelly Furtado (43), Woody Allen (86), Sarah Silverman (51), Riz Ahmed (39), Bette Midler (76), Ridley Scott (84), Kaley Cuoco (36), Ben Stiller (56), Mandy Patinkin (69), John Bishop (55), Billy Idol (66), Gemma Chan (39), Diane Ladd (86), Don Cheadle (57), and Gena Lee Nolin (50).

With little over a month to go, I thought I’d clean house by going through the lists for missed deaths. Well, I missed three this year, so I’ve updated the league table accordingly. Congratulations go to the following: Abi scored 66 points for the death of Abdelaziz Bouteflika back in September. Also Paul C scores with the passing of Renée-Jeanne Simonot back in July, 40 points. Julie also correctly guessed that Walter Bernstein would die, way back in January, 49 points. Shall we have a brief conversation about Peppa Pig? Brum brrrrrummm, um, no…. Maybe we should all list that useless lump of lard next year, he’s obviously got something wrong with him! 

Look Who You Could Have Had:

• Lou Cutell, 91, American actor (Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids).  
• Joey Morgan, 28, American actor (Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse, Critters: A New Binge). 
• Bernard Holley, 81, British actor (Z-Cars, Doctor Who).  
• Mary Collinson, 69, Maltese-British model (Playboy) and actress (Twins of Evil).  
• Stephen Sondheim, 91, American composer and lyricist (West Side Story, Company, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street), nine-time Tony winner.

In Other News

BBC Radio 1 presenter Adele Roberts says she is “buzzing to be back” as she returned to the Weekend Breakfast show on Saturday after cancer surgery. Roberts, 42, who was diagnosed with bowel cancer in early October, was back on the show a month after surgery. She said: “The good news is, they found the tumour… they’ve taken it away. My body is on the mend and I am here. It’s a huge testament to the skill and knowledge and level of care at the NHS. They’re amazing. I owe them my life. I can’t thank them enough.” Roberts, who took a month off to recuperate, spoke candidly about her diagnosis and recovery as she opened the radio show on Saturday. “I can’t believe it – it’s a month since I had my surgery and I’ve got goosebumps. A month on, it’s incredible what the body is capable of. I feel amazing. I’m lucky, I’m happy, and I’m buzzing to be back.” The former Big Brother star, from Southport, Merseyside, sought medical advice in October after struggling with her digestion “for a while”. On Saturday’s show, she urged listeners to her show not to “suffer in silence” but to seek help if they had any health concerns. “Go and see your GP, that’s what I did and I think that’s why I am here today. And I am just so grateful.” The DJ, who appeared on TV reality show I’m a Celebrity in 2019, has chronicled her convalescence on Instagram, including a selfie of her stoma post surgery, admitting the “rollercoaster” prognosis and subsequent treatment had been “overwhelming at times”. “Never underestimate the power of positivity and well-wishes, it makes a difference, I promise you,” she told listeners on Saturday.     

Richard Madeley has revealed all on the medical emergency which caused him to be taken to hospital and have to leave I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here. The Good Morning Britain presenter, 65, appeared on Friday’s show, which was pre-recorded due to Storm Arwen battering Wales, to discuss his sudden exit from camp. He told hosts Ant and Dec: ‘I feel as fit as a fiddle and I am fit as a fiddle. And you know if it wasn’t for Covid I’d be back there eating rice and beans. I had to leave… it’s a Covid situation. It’s still biting our bums isn’t it? What happened was, I had just a funny little turn quite sort of late in the morning. ITV are so good with duty of care. They were adamant. They said “No, we have to make sure that you’re OK.” I said, “But I am OK.” They said, “We have to make sure.” So I went to the local hospital – I was only in there for about an hour and a half – I was given really thorough checks and I was given a completely clean bill of health, I’m absolutely fine. No matter what you might have read, I’m absolutely fine.’ Due to being in hospital, Richard broke the Covid ‘bubble’ the celebrities had been in and was not allowed to return despite telling his followers he was ‘fine’ after the incident. Making the most of being allowed out of camp, Richard admitted: ‘I did hang on after I was discharged for about 20 minutes because I went to the canteen, seriously, and had a bacon butty. That was my first port of call for a bacon butty. And a huge cup of tea, it was amazing. I ate hospital food, exactly.’ He added: ‘I’m absolutely fine. As I say, if it wasn’t for Covid, I’d still be in the game. I’m gutted. I’m gutted, I really am.’ Earlier in the show, the moment the campmates were told he was not coming back was revealed, leaving them in tears as he sent them a video message to let them know. Richard also revealed that sleeping was the hardest thing about I’m A Celebrity, explaining: ‘It was genuinely cold. ‘Night time, sleeping, because we had very thin mattresses, much thinner than in the top camp and not very warm sleeping bags. Really cheap, frankly, sleeping bags. And covered in straw, on the floor, very thin, it was freezing in there. We were always cold. We had to get all of our clothes out of our bag and put them over us to keep us warm at night.’   

US X-Factor contestant Thomas Wells has died following a workplace accident, the evil monkeys report. He was 46. Wells, a singer who competed on the US version of X Factor in 2011 and has also appeared on shows like The Voice, America’s Got Talent, and the short-lived competition series The Winner Is, was working at his job at a tire manufacturing plant when he suffered an accident with the conveyor belt earlier this month. He reportedly was caught inside the machine, which was unable to be stopped in time to avoid injury. The nature of his injuries have not been revealed. Wells was moved from a hospital in Oklahoma to a bigger hospital in Texas, however, he passed away in the Texas facility on Nov. 13th. Wells, who was married to his wife Jessica for 17 years, told us that her husband “always had a smile on his face and tried to make people laugh,” and that he “sometimes bust out singing and didn’t mind the spotlight.” The performer has more than two dozen videos on his YouTube channel, which features him singing as well as playing instruments. In addition to performing covers from artists like Rascal Flatts, Wells posted original songs, such as his piano ballad “Somebody’s Child.”

On This Day

• 1814 – The Times of London becomes the first newspaper to be produced on a steam-powered printing press, built by the German team of Koenig & Bauer.
• 1919 – Lady Astor is elected as a Member of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. She is the first woman to sit in the House of Commons.
• 1942 – In Boston, Massachusetts, a fire in the Cocoanut Grove nightclub kills 492 people.
• 1972 – Last executions in Paris: Claude Buffet and Roger Bontems are guillotined at La Santé Prison.
• 1990 – British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher resigns as leader of the Conservative Party and, therefore, as Prime Minister. She is succeeded in both positions by John Major.

Deaths

• 1170 – Owain Gwynedd, Welsh king (b. 1080).
• 1968 – Enid Blyton, English author and poet (b. 1897).
• 1993 – Kenneth Connor, English actor (b. 1918).
• 1994 – Jeffrey Dahmer, American serial killer (b. 1960).
• 2010 – Leslie Nielsen, Canadian-American actor and producer (b. 1926).
• 2020 – David Prowse, English actor (b. 1935).

French Argue Death Penalty Anew as Two Are Guillotined

An article from the New York Times Archives 

PARIS, Nov. 28—Claude Buffet and Roger Bontems were guillotined in the cold, dark blanket of early morning Paris today, the first men executed in France in more than three and a half years. Their deaths at Santé Prison have stirred new debate over capital punishment. “A principle cannot be divided,” wrote Pierre Vians son‐Ponté, editor of Le Monde. “One cannot be against the death penalty, except for certain circumstances, except for certain particularly heinous crimes. “Either one holds blindly to the law of men or one considers that things are not so simple, and that no one has the power or the right to deliberately break the thread of a life.”

Deaths 7 Minutes Apart

The first of the two men beheaded was Roger Bontems, the 36‐year old son of peasants from the Vosges Region of eastern France, a man who had actually never taken an other life.

“His execution is incomprehensible,” said his defense lawyer, Philippe Lemaire, “since the President of the Republic has pardoned even those who have committed double murders.” Seven minutes after Bonterns died, Claude Buffet, a 38‐year‐old former French Legionnaire, was put between the posts of the “machine,” as the device of the 18th century Dr. Guillotin is known. The men, who were condemned in the slaying of two hostages in a prison riot, died with dignity, their defense lawyers said. Buffet, who had been reading Simone Weill and Albert Camus in the death house, said he hoped he would be the last man executed in France.

At 5:45, with dawn still two hours away and a half moon shining over frosty streets, a hearse drove from the prison to the cemetery in the eastern suburb of Thiais. A policeman posted on the prison wall the official bulletin announcing the executions. 

Killings During Revolt

During a revolt at Clairvaux Prison in eastern France last year Buffet cut the throats of two hostages —Nicole Compte, a 35‐year‐ old nurse, and Guy Girardot, a 27‐year‐old guard. Bontems was a fellow prisoner and friend of Buffet. He did not kill. But neither did he move to prevent the killings. “The Buffet problem—there is no problem here, but there is with Bontems,” his defense lawyer, Robert Badinter, said at the trial last June. “The prosecution,” he went on to say, “demands his head. It is the barbarous cry of retribution: ‘An eye for an eye.’ President Pompidou could have pardoned one or both. He has not allowed anyone to be executed in France since he came to office in June, 1969, and has meditated publicly over the “anguish” he feels about his power of life or death over the condemned.

The President did commute the death sentence of a third man, an Algerian named Mohamed Libdirl, who was convicted of murdering a cab driver in the south of France. Mr. Pompidou gave no reasons for his action. But the sympathy for the families of the murdered hostages, strong pleas for the death penalty for both Bontems and Buffet by prison workers and polls that show well over half of the people in favour of capital punishment probably weighed in the decision. “The executions will not give me back my husband,” said Dominique Girardot, the widow of the prison guard. “However—and I say it with out hatred—it is normal that justice he done.”

Buffet Had Life Term

Buffet, who was originally convicted of the murder of the wife of a Paris gynaecologist, was given a life sentence by a Paris court in October, 1970, but cried out that he wanted the death penalty “for reasons that only my conscience knows.” Less than a year later he was at the prison hospital at Clairvaux with Bontems, who had drawn a 20‐year‐sentence for severely injuring a taxi driver in a holdup, had escaped once and was back in prison.

The last man to be executed was a child murderer named Jean Olivier on March 11, 1969. No woman has been guillotined since April 21, 1949. Until 1939 executions were public. There were 11 executions between 1956 and 1961, six between 1962 and 1967 and one between 1968 and 1972. The chief executioner is a 73‐year‐old former mechanic, André Obrecht, who lives in Paris and earns $5,200 a year. When Mr. Obrecht is asked whether he knows the name of his successor, he usually shakes his head and replies, “No, I don’t. But believe me, there will be one.”

Last Week’s Birthdays

Karen Gillan (34), Aimee Garcia (43), Ed Harris (71), Judd Nelson (62), Ellie Taylor (38), Martin Clunes (60), Jon Stewart (59), Armando Iannucci (58), Lashana Lynch (43), Fisher Stevens (58), Sharlto Copley (48), Robin Givens (58), Steve Bannon (68), Bill Nye (66), Kristin Bauer van Straten (55), Rita Ora (31), Mark Margolis (82), Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson (33), Tina Turner (82), Christina Applegate (50), John Larroquette (74), Sarah Hyland (31), Stephen Merchant (47), Colin Hanks (44), Billy Connolly (79), Denise Crosby (64), Conleth Hill (57), Kayvan Novak (43), Michelle Gomez (55), Miley Cyrus (29), Ricky Whittle (40), Kelly Brook (42), Scarlett Johansson (37), Mads Mikkelsen (56), Jamie Lee Curtis (63), and Terry Gilliam (81).

In the week that saw the death of Clive Jones of the Black Abbots, hands up who’s heard of  him, we’ve also seen the demise of the following celebrities…. 

Look Who You Could Have Had:

• Grigori Galitsin, 64, Russian erotic photographer.  
• Clarissa Eden, Countess of Avon, 101, British memoirist, spouse of the prime minister (1955–1957).  
• Young Dolph, 36, American rapper, shot.
• Peter Buck, 90, American restaurateur, co-founder of Subway.  
• Peter Aykroyd, 66, Canadian comedian & actor (Coneheads, Nothing but Trouble).  
• Joe Laidlaw, 71, English footballer (Middlesbrough, Carlisle United, Doncaster Rovers).
• Philip Margo, 79, American musician (The Tokens).
• David Longdon, 56, British singer and musician (Big Big Train).

In Other News

President Joe Biden underwent his annual physical Friday morning at Walter Reed Medical Center, his first such appointment since he was inaugurated as the oldest first-term president in US history. Afterward, his physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor wrote in a memo Biden “remains fit for duty, and fully executes all of his responsibilities without any exemptions or accommodations.” The doctor, who has been with the President since he served as vice president, singled out two areas of “observation” he set aside for detailed investigation: an “increasing frequency and severity of ‘throat clearing’ and coughing during speaking engagements” and the President’s ambulatory gait, or walking abnormality, which O’Connor said was “perceptibly stiffer and less fluid than it was a year or so ago.” Both have been noticeable elements of Biden’s public appearances since taking office. In a detailed, six-page summary of Biden’s health, O’Connor said X-rays showed Biden has arthritis of his spine and normal wear and tear damage for someone of his age. The doctor characterised that damage as ‘moderate to severe’, but said it was not severe enough to warrant any specific treatment. He wrote it would help account for some of Biden’s recent stiffness and clumsy gait. An “extremely detailed neurologic exam” was “reassuring,” O’Connor wrote, and showed no evidence of a stroke, multiple sclerosis or Parkinson’s. Biden also has a condition known as hiatal hernia, which causes him to have reflux – something O’Connor said could account for his more frequent throat clearing. The document contained a detailed accounting of the physical exam, including his height of 5 feet 11.65 inches; his weight of 184 pounds; and his blood pressure of 120/70. Biden does not drink or use tobacco and works out five times a week, according to the report. “President Biden remains a healthy, vigorous, 78-year-old male, who is fit to successfully execute the duties of the president, to include those as Chief Executive, Head of State and Commander in Chief,” O’Connor wrote in his summary. Biden received a routine colonoscopy Friday while at Walter Reed. The process, which required anaesthesia, meant that he temporarily transferred power to Vice President Kamala Harris, who became the first woman to assume presidential power for 85 minutes Friday morning. As he left Walter Reed, Biden said he “had a great physical and a great House of Representatives vote,” alluding to the House passing his Build Back Better bill on Friday morning. The last extensive update on Biden’s medical state came in December 2019, when the doctor he eventually recruited to serve as White House physician described him as “a healthy, vigorous, 77-year-old male, who is fit to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency.” Biden, who turned 79 on Saturday, hasn’t released a full report on his health since. Biden is not behind in releasing medical information compared to his recent predecessors, who waited a full year before undergoing a physical and authorising details to be released publicly. The latest update on Biden’s health came after he, then-president-elect, fractured his foot in November while playing with his dog. In February, Biden’s physician said the foot fractures “are completely healed.” Presidents are not required to publicly disclose results of their annual check-ups but have done so to be transparent and assure the American people in the face of questions about their state of health. Presidents, however, have also hidden their illnesses, the severity of their illness, or medical treatments. Dr. Kevin O’Connor, Biden’s primary care doctor since 2009 and the White House physician, wrote the three-page medical summary Biden’s presidential campaign released nearly two years ago. The 2019 summary showed Biden was being treated for non-valvular atrial fibrillation, or AFib – an irregular heartbeat that O’Connor said Biden experiences no symptoms of. He was taking Crestor to lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels, as well as Eliquis to prevent blood clots, Nexium for acid reflux, and Allegra and a nasal spray for seasonal allergies. The most significant medical event in Biden’s history, O’Connor wrote, was when Biden suffered a brain aneurysm in 1988. He was serving in the Senate at the time. During surgery, doctors found a second aneurysm that had not bled, which they also treated. While in the hospital after that surgery, Biden suffered deep vein thrombosis and a pulmonary embolism. Doctors at the time inserted an “inferior vena cava filter,” which would prevent future blood clots from reaching the heart and lungs and treated him with an oral anti-coagulant for several months. Biden also had his gallbladder removed in 2003, and according to O’Connor he has had multiple surgeries and physical treatments for orthopaedic injuries and sports medicine. Biden also has had several non-melanoma skin cancer lesions surgically removed. 

Scottish comedian Janey Godley, 60, has shared an update from her hospital bed as she discussed her diagnosis with cancer. The star is known for her Nicola  Sturgeon spoof videos as well as her career as a stand-up comedian. Posting earlier this week, Janey shared an image of herself in her hospital bed. The comedian opened up for the first time about battling ovarian cancer. She wrote to her 233,000 followers: “Sorry but my last weekend of the tour can’t go ahead in Edinburgh and Musselburgh as I am in hospital with ovarian cancer. She then posted a video message to her fans letting them know what had happened. In this, the star shared how she had done “nothing but cry” following her diagnosis. Although, she also explained how she’s ready for the time ahead, where she will rely on “science and technology”. Janey said: “I’m going to try and cope with this next step on my journey.” She began her video by apologising to fans for having to cut her tour short. Janey explained: “Unfortunately, I was doing the tour when I unbeknownst to me had ovarian cancer. “I just got checked out yesterday and that’s what I’m now in this very beautiful but very stormy corner room hospital in Glasgow. But I want to thank everybody for their support and their help in coming out and sharing so much love with me.”  

The Oklahoma’s governor has halted the execution of prisoner Julius Jones hours before he was due to be put to death. Kevin Stitt said he was commuting the sentence to life imprisonment without parole. Hundreds of students earlier walked out of school demanding clemency for Jones. Jones was sentenced to death in 2002 for killing Paul Howell during a carjacking three years earlier. He maintains his innocence. His case has attracted the support of celebrities including reality TV star Kim Kardashian and anti-death penalty activists. Jones’ execution by lethal injection was scheduled for 16:00 local time at the state penitentiary in McAlester. But Gov Stitt, a Republican, said he intervened “after prayerful consideration and reviewing materials presented by all sides of this case”. The state’s Pardon and Parole Board earlier recommended in a 3-1 majority vote that Jones’ sentence be commuted to life in prison with the possibility of parole. The case has attracted widespread attention in recent years, partly due to the 2018 ABC documentary series “The Last Defence”. More than six million people have signed a Justice for Julius petition which states he was put on death row because of “fundamental breakdowns in the system tasked with deciding”. Jones was found guilty of fatally shooting Mr Howell, an insurance executive, during a 1999 carjacking on his driveway. In October, he was among five people who won stays of execution from a three-judge panel of the 10th Circuit US Court of Appeal. “I did not kill Mr Howell,” he wrote in a letter to the parole board in April, after exhausting his appeals. “I did not participate in any way in his murder; and the first time I saw him was on television when his death was reported.” But Mr Howell’s relatives have said Jones’ calls for clemency have victimised them further.

On This Day

• 1877 – Thomas Edison announces his invention of the phonograph, a machine that can record and play sound.
• 1953 – The Natural History Museum, London announces that the “Piltdown Man” skull, initially believed to be one of the most important fossilised hominid skulls ever found, is a hoax.
• 1969 – The first permanent ARPANET link is established between UCLA and SRI.
• 1974 – The Birmingham pub bombings kill 21 people. The Birmingham Six are sentenced to life in prison for the crime but subsequently acquitted.
• 1980 – A deadly fire breaks out at the MGM Grand Hotel in Paradise, Nevada. Eighty-seven people are killed and more than 650 are injured in the worst disaster in Nevada history.
• 1998 – Finnish Satanist Jarno Elg kills a 23-year-old man and performs a ritual-like cutting and eating of body parts in Hyvinkää, Finland.

Deaths

• 1993 – Bill Bixby, American actor (b. 1934).
• 1999 – Quentin Crisp, English actor, author, and illustrator (b. 1908).
• 2011 – Anne McCaffrey, American science fiction and fantasy author (b. 1926).
• 2017 – David Cassidy, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1950).

The Tale of a Spooky Stump

If you think serial killers are a modern phenomena, think again! Peter Stumpp was allegedly a German serial killer and farmer, accused of werewolfery, witchcraft and cannibalism. He was known as ‘the Werewolf of Bedburg’.

As the local church registers were destroyed during the Thirty Years’ War (1618–1648), Peter Stumpp’s date and place of birth is unknown, examining sources likely puts it near Bedburg, Germany around 1530.  The name “Stump” or “Stumpf” may have been given him as a reference to the fact that his left hand had been cut off, leaving only a stump, in German “Stumpf”. It was alleged that as the “werewolf” had its left forepaw cut off, then the same injury proved the guilt of the man. He was a wealthy farmer of his rural community. During the 1580s, he seems to have been a widower with two children; a girl called Beele (Sybil), who seems to have been older than 15 years old, and a son of an unknown age.

During 1589, Stumpp had one of the most lurid and famous werewolf trials in history. After being stretched on a rack, and before further torture commenced, he confessed to having practiced black magic since he was 12 years old. He claimed that the Devil had given him a magical belt or girdle, which enabled him to metamorphose into “the likeness of a greedy, devouring wolf, strong and mighty, with eyes great and large, which in the night sparkled like fire, a mouth great and wide, with most sharp and cruel teeth, a huge body, and mighty paws.” Removing the belt, he said, made him transform back to his human form. Unsurprisingly, no such belt was ever found after his arrest.

For 25 years, Stumpp had allegedly been an “insatiable bloodsucker” who gorged on the flesh of goats, lambs, and sheep, as well as men, women, and children. Being threatened with torture, he confessed to killing and eating 14 children, 2 pregnant women, whose fetuses he ripped from their wombs and “ate their hearts panting hot and raw,” which he later described as “dainty morsels.” One of the 14 children was his own son, whose brain he was reported to have devoured.

Not only was Stumpp accused of being a serial murderer and cannibal, but also of having an incestuous relationship with his daughter, who was sentenced to die with him, and that he had coupled with a distant relative, which was also considered to be incestuous according to the law. In addition to this, he confessed to having had intercourse with a succubus sent to him by the Devil.

The execution of Stumpp, on 31st October 1589, alongside his daughter Sybil and mistress, Katherine, is one of the most brutal on record: he was put to a wheel, where “flesh was torn from his body”, in ten places, with red-hot pincers, followed by his arms and legs. Then his limbs were broken with the blunt side of an axehead to prevent him from returning from the grave, before he was beheaded and his body burned on a pyre. His daughter and mistress had already been flayed and strangled, and were burned along with Stumpp’s body. As a warning against similar behaviour, local authorities erected a pole with the torture wheel and the figure of a wolf on it, and at the very top they placed Peter Stumpp’s severed head.

Although there probably is a perfectly rational explanation for the events, like psychosis and hysteria in witch trials, it’s interesting to see how early societies dealt with the unknown. Maybe Peter was an innocent man who was caught up in a weird coincidence of wolf attacks, or maybe he was just a crazed serial killer. Or who knows? Maybe he was a werewolf that ate children in the night.

Last Week’s Birthdays

Goldie Hawn (76), Alexander Siddig (57), Björk (56), Liza Tarbuck (57), Sean Young (62), Ming-Na Wen (58), Bo Derek (65), Joe Biden (79), Adam Driver (38), Terry Farrell (58), Meg Ryan (60), Jodie Foster (59), Kathleen Quinlan (67), Robert Beltran (68), Delroy Lindo (69), Owen Wilson (53), Linda Evans (79), Alan Moore (68), Rachel McAdams (43), Martin Scorsese (79), Tom Ellis (43), Danny DeVito (77), Sophie Marceau (55), Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio (63), RuPaul (61), Pete Davidson (28), Missi Pyle (49), Maggie Gyllenhaal (44), Martha Plimpton (51), Gigi Edgley (44), Jonny Lee Miller (49), Beverly D’Angelo (70), and Anni-Frid Lyngstad (76).

In the week that has every anti-vaxxer boycotting Tesco as they made an advert about Santa being double jabbed, at least we now know which supermarket is the safest to shop in, I suppose we should be more worried about COP26 failing like we all knew it would, we’re all gonna die! Anyhow, as someone said on the Telegram Group, they’ve been dropping like flies this week! Which is good news for Trish, who correctly guessed that Dean Stockwell would pass away this year, 65 points! Well done! 

Look Who You Could Have Had:

• Andy Barker, 53, British musician (808 State).  
• Maureen Cleave, 87, British journalist, conducted John Lennon’s “more popular than Jesus” interview.  
• Shawn Rhoden, 46, Jamaican-American professional bodybuilder, Mr. Olympia winner (2018), heart attack.  
• Dean Stockwell, 85, American actor (Quantum Leap, Married to the Mob, Paris, Texas).  
• Gwyneth Guthrie, 84, Scottish actress (Take the High Road).  
• Roy Holder, 75, English actor (Sorry!, Pride & Prejudice, Robin Hood).   
• F. W. de Klerk, 85, South African politician, state president (1989–1994), deputy president (1994–1996) and Nobel Peace Prize laureate (1993), mesothelioma.  
• Glen de Vries, 49, American businessman and space tourist (Blue Origin NS-18), plane crash.  
• Graeme Edge, 80, English drummer (The Moody Blues), songwriter and poet, cancer.  
• Ron Flowers, 87, English footballer (Wolverhampton Wanderers, Northampton Town, national team), world champion (1966).  
• Henry Woolf, 91, British actor (The Bed Sitting Room, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Gorky Park).  
• Wilbur Smith, 88, Zambian-born South African novelist (When the Lion Feeds, The Courtney Novels, The Ballantyne Novels). 
• Gavan O’Herlihy, 70, Irish-born American actor (Never Say Never Again, Willow, Happy Days).

In Other News 

The Queen has sprained her back and will not attend the Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph in London, Buckingham Palace said, adding she is “disappointed” to miss the event. The central London service was due to be the Queen’s first public appearance in two weeks since a hospital stay last month, after which she was advised by doctors to rest. Buckingham Palace said that “The Queen, having sprained her back, has decided this morning with great regret that she will not be able to attend today’s Remembrance Sunday Service at the Cenotaph. “Her Majesty is disappointed that she will miss the service. As in previous years, a wreath will be laid on Her Majesty’s behalf by the Prince of Wales.” The palace previously said it was the Queen’s “firm intention” to attend the annual Remembrance service to honour the country’s war dead. The Queen, who regards the service as one of the most significant engagements of the year, was due to watch the service at the war memorial in central London from the balcony of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office building.  

Engelbert Humperdinck has announced the last-minute cancellation of his UK tour due to illness. The 85-year-old was due to return to the city to perform at De Montfort Hall this month as part of the long-awaited tour across 14 cities. But in a sad announcement to fans, the star revealed he had come down with a “viral bronchial infection” and was unable to perform. He said in a statement: “I am so upset in having to relate to you that we have to cancel our UK tour. I have come down with a viral bronchial infection & am being treated for it now. This has never happened before and I so much wanted to see all of you in the 14 cities. We are going to reschedule the shows for early next year. Stay well and remember……I love you.” The tour cancellation will come as a disappointment to many fans who adore the singer not only for his voice but for his personality. Engelbert has continued to stay in touch with his fans across the world through his YouTube channel and social media. Engelbert received an MBE for his services to music earlier this year. He dedicated this honour to his late wife Patricia, who died in February after contracting Covid-19. She had been suffering Alzheimer’s disease for more than a decade. Born Arnold George Dorsey, he is known globally for his chart-topping love songs and as well as his striking stage name. Over a career spanning seven decades, he has crooned his way around the world, attracting a devoted army of fans with ballads including Release Me and The Last Waltz.   

Coronation Street cast member Victoria Ekanoye, 39, has been diagnosed with breast cancer, just months after giving birth to her  “miracle” son. Ekanoye opened up about her shocking diagnosis, revealing that she first discovered a lump when breastfeeding her 11-month-year-old son Theo. The Coronation Street star was told she had DCIS, which is Ductal carcinoma in situ, on October 13th. Victoria described how, in spite of her breast cancer news, she actually feels “lucky” that the doctors had “caught it early”. The actress experienced a traumatic ordeal in January when she gave birth to Theo, who she calls a “miracle” baby.  At the time, Victoria feared her son would die during her three-day labour, due to complications with her sickle cell anaemia. “Back in July I was feeding Theo and I noticed there was a small lump protruding at the top of my left breast. My mum had breast cancer at 41, and her sister at 39 – so many people in my family, in fact. So I don’t really leave any time before I check these things…” she continued “We’re being really optimistic, and positive, and really lucky that we’ve caught it as early as we have. I don’t know if lucky is the right word, but that’s how I feel.”

On This Day

• 1851 – Moby-Dick, a novel by Herman Melville, is published in the USA.
• 1889 – Pioneering female journalist Nellie Bly (aka Elizabeth Cochrane) begins a successful attempt to travel around the world in less than 80 days. She completes the trip in 72 days.
• 1922 – The British Broadcasting Company begins radio service in the United Kingdom.
• 1967 – American physicist Theodore Maiman is given a patent for his ruby laser systems, the world’s first laser.

Deaths

• 1687 – Nell Gwyn, English mistress of Charles II of England (b. 1650).
• 2001 – Charlotte Coleman, English actress (b. 1968).
• 2003 – Gene Anthony Ray, American actor, singer, dancer, and choreographer (b. 1962).
• 2014 – Glen A. Larson, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1937).
• 2015 – Warren Mitchell, English actor and screenwriter (b. 1926).
• 2020 – Des O’Connor, English comedian, singer and television presenter. (b.1932). 

Last rites rights of condemned around the world

Death row inmate John Ramirez does not want to die alone; he wants to be comforted as he passes, by the hands of his pastor.

But that request was denied by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and now his final moments lie in very different hands – the US Supreme Court.

The 37-year-old former Marine, sentenced to death for robbing and fatally wounding a shop worker in 2004, said “prayer, song and human touch” at the point of death was an essential part of his Christian faith.

He felt having his last rites given to him by his Baptist pastor was his right, but Texas officials didn’t buy his claims. They believed he was merely stalling his execution and manipulating the process with a “game of ecclesiastical whack-a-mole”. 

He sued them, claiming a violation of his First Amendment religious freedoms, and justices agreed to take up his objection, postponing Ramirez’s scheduled execution date of 8th September until after Tuesday’s hearing.

Ramirez’s is the third execution halted in three years by the Supreme Court over how, if at all, religious advisers are allowed to attend to condemned prisoners as they die.

In 2019 there was public criticism after a Muslim inmate’s plea to have his imam with him was rejected but a similar request from a Buddhist prisoner just a month later was allowed.

But the battle over religious – and other rights – at the point of death is not exclusive to the US.

Across the world, in countries where the death penalty is allowed, delicate negotiations have taken place over what is considered acceptable – and authorities don’t always get it right.

In Japan, two death row inmates last week took legal action after being told they face same-day executions.

There, prisoners are notified only hours before they are put to death by hanging, but now rights groups are saying the short notice is “extremely inhumane” and materially affects mental health.

The men filed a suit in the district court in the city of Osaka last Thursday, in what is believed to be a first, arguing the rapid turnaround does not give them time to mentally prepare and contemplate the end of their lives.

It is secret executions that are causing international blowback against Iran.

In Iranian murder cases, where the defendant is sentenced to qisas (executions), family members of the victim are encouraged to carry out the actual execution themselves.

They can also grant a reprieve to an offender on death row – and it is this, that led to the extraordinary story of a grieving mother who, when faced with the man who killed her son standing before her with a noose around his neck, decided to forgive him and removed the rope.

The woman and the murderer’s mother then hugged in front of the crowds who had gathered to witness an execution.

According to Iranian law, a defendant’s legal representative must be informed 48 hours before any execution, but campaigners say this is not always happening, especially in political and security-related cases. 

Further, it is claimed by Iran Human Rights, a non-profit campaign group, that standard practice throughout the country is to take prisoners to solitary confinement several days before death and leave them with hands permanently cuffed.

Meanwhile, in Singapore concerns are being raised about the execution of a man with an IQ of 69, a level widely recognised as indicating an intellectual disability.

Nagaenthran Dharmalingam was arrested in 2009 for bringing 42.7g (1.5 ounces) of heroin into Singapore and was due to be hanged on Wednesday morning, but his case has sparked rare disquiet in the island nation where support remains high for the death penalty.

Dharmalingam’s lawyers and rights groups fighting to save him say Singapore is violating international law by executing a person with a mental impairment. They have exhausted all other legal appeals and a petition to the president for clemency was unsuccessful.

But the Singapore government remains steadfast, saying the 33-year-old “clearly understood the nature of his acts and did not lose his sense of judgment of the rightness or wrongness of what he was doing”.

Anger is also brewing over Egyptian capital punishment procedures.

Although the country’s Child Law provides that all children under the age of 18 who have infringed the Penal Code shall not be “sentenced to death, life imprisonment, or forced labour”, a report by Reprieve (a global campaign group led by international lawyers) says that at least 17 children have received death sentences there since 2011.

Prosecutors, say Reprieve, are using a loophole to put children before adult courts for trial, as the law allows for those over 15 where a co-defendant is an adult, to be tried jointly.

When the US Supreme Court this week rules on the case of Ramirez, it will be asked to focus on how to execute someone in a way that doesn’t violate religious rights. But the tension between the principle of human dignity and the practice of capital punishment is inextricably entangled with that – and is one that applies throughout the world.

It is sure to turn into a larger debate around the rights of all men and women who face execution.

Last Week’s Birthdays

Olga Kurylenko (42), Russell Tovey (40), Paul McGann (62), Sandahl Bergman (70), Gerard Butler (52), Rahul Kohli (36), Whoopi Goldberg (66), John de Lancie (73), Anne Hathaway (39), Ryan Gosling (41), Wallace Shawn (78), Max Grodénchik (69), Neil Young (76), Leonardo DiCaprio (47), Stanley Tucci (61), Demi Moore (59), Calista Flockhart (57), Taron Egerton (32), Hugh Bonneville (58), Tracy Morgan (53), Neil Gaiman (61), Robert Duncan McNeill (57), Lou Ferrigno (79), Parker Posey (53), Tara Reid (46), Gretchen Mol (49), Alfre Woodard (69), Matthew Rhys (47), Richard Curtis (65), Gordon Ramsay (55), and Jack Osbourne (36).