Afternoon Poolers. Surprisingly, no points this week, we were pretty sure some of you had Charles Manson, however he slipped through the net this year. Not to worry though, there are plenty more potentially dead celebrities on the casting couch.

Look Who You Could Have Had:

• Earle Hyman, 91, American actor (The Cosby Show, ThunderCats, The Lady from Dubuque).  
• Salvatore Riina, 87, Italian mobster, capo of the Sicilian Mafia, sepsis.   
• Charles Manson, 83, American criminal (Tate murders), songwriter (Lie: The Love and Terror Cult) and cult leader (Manson Family).   
• Jana Novotná, 49, Czech tennis player, cancer.
• Rodney Bewes, 79, British actor (The Likely Lads, Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?) and writer (Dear Mother…Love Albert).  
• David Cassidy, 67, American pop singer (“Cherish“, “How Can I Be Sure“) and actor (The Partridge Family), liver failure.

In Other News

Manchester United captain Michael Carrick has revealed he has not played since September because of an irregular heart rhythm. The 36-year-old has played just once this season, in the 4-1 win against Burton in the Carabao Cup third round on 20th September. Carrick says he “felt strange” during the second half of the game and after tests had a cardiac ablation procedure. He said in a statement: “I’m healthy and back training hard with the team.” The England midfielder says he was “monitored closely” and “aiming to be back in contention for selection soon.” The British Heart Foundation says an ablation is a treatment that aims to control or correct certain types of abnormal heart rhythms. Carrick joined Manchester United from Tottenham in 2006 and has won five Premier League titles, the Champions League, Europa League and Fifa Club World Cup with the club.

Ant McPartlin has returned to television screens following his stint in rehab – with I’m a Celebrity co-host Declan Donnelly joking he had been replaced. The presenting duo opened with a joke talking about Ant’s return. “It’s me and the gorgeous Holly Willoughby!” joked Dec. “Wait, no! Guys that’s the wrong script! You’ve put the wrong script in!” He followed with: “No one was sure if you’d make it!’” McPartlin thanked fans for their support and said: “I was always going to make it, come on. I’m back my friend”, as the two hugged. McPartlin in June admitted to going into rehab for painkiller addiction. The problem is believed to have stemmed from a knee operation in 2015. The presenter, 42, who celebrated his birthday over the weekend, tweeted to fans: “Aaaaaaannnddd, we’re off!! It’s good to be back. Enjoy! A”.

Scotland Yard is investigating a new allegation of sexual assault made against Kevin Spacey. The claim was made on Friday and alleges an assault took place on a man in Lambeth in 2005. It was made the same day the Old Vic released the results of an internal investigation – the theatre said it received 20 personal testimonies of alleged inappropriate behaviour!!! This new claim is in addition to a 2008 assault being investigated by the Met. Scotland Yard confirmed officers from the Child Abuse and Sexual Offences Command are investigating the complaint. The theatre said it “truly apologises” for not creating a culture where people felt able to speak freely after those affected said they “felt unable to raise concerns”, and that he “operated without sufficient accountability”. Sounds exactly the same as the BBC’s statement once Jimmy Savile was outed.

And finally, British model Demi Rose Mawby has been left fearing for her safety after being repeatedly propositioned by delivery men. The 22 year old – who was romantically linked to Kylie Jenner’s ex Tyga – said she was “really pissed off” and would no longer have packages delivered to her London home. The Birmingham-born model said she had twice been propositioned by delivery men after she gave her name, address and phone number when ordering goods for her new address. “I’m sick of it, it’s not safe for me, I don’t understand what I’m meant to do. I’m just a girl – I just want to get things ordered. Today or tomorrow I could open the door to the wrong person.” Demi Rose said a delivery man asked for her phone number after he dropped off a cat climber at her home on Thursday. She said it happened as she accepted the delivery in her gym gear – and he abused her personal details to text her even after she rebuffed his advances. Demi Rose tweeted: “I’ve been safe so far but that’s what why I’m stopping all deliveries to my house because it does take one sick person to go a step further.” The model has rocketed to fame over the past few years and has been dubbed the UK’s “Queen of Instagram”. I wonder if the thought that the delivery man didn’t even know who she was entered her mind?

On This Day

• 1922 – Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon become the first people to enter the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun in over 3000 years.
• 1970 – In Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe, 1.5 inches (38.1 mm) of rain fall in a minute, the heaviest rainfall ever recorded.
• 1976 – “Anarchy in the U.K.”, the debut single of the Sex Pistols, is released, heralding the arrival of punk rock.
• 1983 – Brink’s-Mat robbery: In London, 6,800 gold bars worth nearly £26 million are stolen from the Brink’s-Mat vault at Heathrow Airport.
• 2003 – The Concorde makes its final flight, over Bristol, England.

Deaths

• 1860 – Benjamin Greene, English brewer, founded Greene King (b. 1780)
• 1926 – John Browning, American weapons designer, founded the Browning Arms Company (b. 1855)
• 1996 – Michael Bentine, English actor and screenwriter (b. 1922)

Last Week’s Birthdays

Christina Applegate (46), Billy Burke (51), John Larroquette (70), Bruno Tonioli (62), Mark Frost (64), Sarah Hyland (27), Katherine Heigl (39), Stephen Merchant (43), Denise Crosby (60), Billy Connolly (75), Dwight Schultz (70), Conleth Hill (53), Miley Cyrus (25), Kelly Brook (38), Ricky Whittle (35), Michelle Gomez (51), Scarlett Johansson (33), Mark Ruffalo (50), Mads Mikkelsen (52), Jamie Lee Curtis (59), Terry Gilliam (77), Tom Conti (76), Goldie Hawn (72), Alexander Siddig (52), Björk (52), Carly Rae Jepsen (32), Sean Young (58), Bo Derek (61), Ming-Na Wen (54), Joe Biden (75), Jodie Foster (55), Meg Ryan (56), Terry Farrell (54) and Robert Beltran (64).

It’s a bumper edition this week, after the previous issue was rather lacklustre in content, the Dead Pool Towers editorial team had to keep more stories out than in! No points to be awarded this week, with exactly six weeks to go! I hope you’re all busy researching your lists for 2018!

Look Who You Could Have Had:

• Ila Jones, 114, American supercentenarian.
• Henry Badenhorst, 51, South African businessman, co-founder of Gaydar, suicide by jumping.
• Keith Barron, 83, English actor (Duty Free; Upstairs, Downstairs; The Nigel Barton Plays).
• Lil Peep, 21, American singer and rapper, drug overdose.
• Gary the Goat, 6, Australian celebrity goat, euthanised.
• Hiromi Tsuru, 57, Japanese voice actress (Dragon Ball, Metal Gear Solid, Ghost Sweeper Mikami), aortic dissection.
• Ann Wedgeworth, 83, American actress (Three’s Company, Evening Shade, Steel Magnolias), Tony winner (1978)
• Dik Mik, 72–73, English keyboard player (Hawkwind).
• Malcolm Young, 64, Scottish-Australian musician and songwriter (AC/DC), dementia.

In Other News

Paul O’Grady has become poorly again. He was filming his ITV documentary For the Love of Dogs, in India, and of course he picked up an infection from one of the dogs he was handling. The Scouse wimp later collapsed and was rushed for emergency treatment at a hospital. Paul was told by doctors he was at risk of kidney failure, but sadly they were able to save him. Every time we write about Paul, hundreds of followers extol how much they hate him. One summed up the mood with: “Come on Paul please look after yourself we can’t lose you, you are too precious, it’s six weeks until January”. The Cheshire-born entertainer rose to fame with his outrageous alter ego, the sharp-tongued Lily Savage. Last week he had This Morning hosts Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langford in stitches as he regaled them with tales of his country life, although he couldn’t do anything about the rescue dog he’d brought with him from Battersea Dogs’ Home doing a wee on the hay bale he was sitting on! Oh the hilarity!!!

David Cassidy, the actor known for playing Keith on The Partridge Family, was hospitalised for multiple organ failure and is in critical condition. The actor has been in the hospital for three days. He is in need of a liver transplant and has kidney failure. Cassidy’s health is rapidly deteriorating, but that he is “conscious now and surrounded by family.” The news comes after the actor revealed in February that he has dementia. The 67-year-old actor-singer said at the time that his family has a history of dementia and he had sensed “this was coming.” Cassidy, whose song hits include “I Think I Love You” and “Cherish,” said he would stop touring to focus on his health and “enjoy life.” Look how well that went..

Serial killer Rose West is said to be ‘seriously ill’ behind bars. The 63-year-old, who was convicted of killing 10 women, is allegedly ‘not in a good way’ after coming down with an illness that ‘may kill her’. According to insiders, she has been escorted to the prison medical centre in HMP Low Newton, Durham, for treatment. An insider said: ‘She is very ill. Her medical records are closely guarded, and she has a very small circle of staff and fellow inmates in jail, so hardly anyone knows exactly what’s wrong with her. ‘The rumour is that it’s very serious, and could even finish her off. West’s life is planned to the letter, because her notoriety makes her very vulnerable to attacks from fellow inmates. ‘It also means that when she requires medical attention or prescribed drugs, the entire wing is locked down so she is not attacked while visiting the doctor or pharmacist.’ Rose West hit the headlines alongside husband Fred when nine bodies were found at their home in Gloucester. Among the dead was their 16-year-old daughter Heather. Rose West – who tried to blame her husband for the murders – was sentenced to life in prison in 1995. Fred hanged himself on New Year’s Day 1995 while awaiting trial.

In other prison news, Charles Manson has been hospitalised and, as one source familiar with his situation says, “it’s not going to get any better for him.” We’re told Manson was  rushed to a Bakersfield hospital three days ago, and has been wheeled around on a gurney for various treatments … escorted by five uniformed cops. We’re told the 83-year-old Manson, who lays still covered in blankets, looks ashen. Our sources say Manson’s health has been steadily deteriorating and, as it was put to us, “It’s just a matter of time.” Manson had serious health issues back in January as well, when he was hospitalised for severe intestinal bleeding and needed surgery to repair a lesion … but was deemed too weak by doctors and sent back to prison. Let’s hope he lasts until January!

US civil rights activist Jesse Jackson has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. “My family and I began to notice changes about three years ago,” Mr Jackson, aged 76, wrote in a statement. “After a battery of tests, my physicians identified the issue as Parkinson’s disease, a disease that bested my father.” Parkinson’s is an incurable neurological disease that can cause tremors and affect coordination. “Recognition of the effects of this disease on me has been painful, and I have been slow to grasp the gravity of it,” Mr Jackson said. He said the diagnosis was “not a stop sign but rather a signal that I must make lifestyle changes and dedicate myself to physical therapy in hopes of slowing the disease’s progression”. Mr Jackson fought for civil rights alongside Martin Luther King Jr in the 1960s. He was twice a candidate for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination, in 1984 and 1988.

And finally, junior competition drag racing has been banned in Western Australia pending a police investigation into the death of an eight-year-old Perth girl at the weekend. Anita Board was killed after she lost control of her vehicle at the end of her solo run at Perth Motorplex and crashed into a cement barrier during the Goldenstates Junior Dragster event on Saturday. She died in Princess Margaret Hospital for Children on Sunday. Anita turned eight on Thursday, the minimum racing age under the rules of the drag-racing association. Racers aged between eight and ten must not exceed 60 mph, but it is understood the top speeds of vehicles driven by beginners are much lower. The premier Mark McGowan, who is in China, and sports minister, Mick Murray, both said they were unaware young children could participate in such events. “I was very surprised … but in saying that, from my understanding, it was well controlled but an unfortunate accident,” Murray told reporters. “We can’t wrap our kids up in cotton wool, but we do need to make sure that we are protecting them and that they aren’t taking unnecessary risks,” he said. Makes me wonder why my parents, during the 80’s when paedophiles and guns were allowed, insisted that I was seventeen to drive….

On This Day

• 1911 – The Doom Bar in Cornwall claimed two ships, Island Maid and Angele, the latter killing the entire crew except the captain.
• 1969 – Apollo program: Apollo 12 astronauts Pete Conrad and Alan Bean land at Oceanus Procellarum (the “Ocean of Storms”) and become the third and fourth humans to walk on the Moon.
• 1994 – In the United Kingdom, the first National Lottery draw is held. A £1 ticket gave a one-in-14-million chance of correctly guessing the winning six out of 49 numbers.

Deaths

• 1703 – Man in the Iron Mask, French prisoner
• 1975 – Francisco Franco, Spanish general and dictator, Prime Minister of Spain (b. 1892)
• 1988 – Christina Onassis, American-Greek businesswoman (b. 1950)
• 2011 – John Neville, English actor (b. 1925)

Last Week’s Birthdays

Chloë Sevigny (43), Linda Evans (75), Owen Wilson (49), Delroy Lindo (65), Margaret Atwood (78), Rachel McAdams (39), Tom Ellis (39), Martin Scorsese (75), Sophie Marceau (51), Danny DeVito (73), Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio (59), RuPaul (57), Jonathan Ross (57), Maggie Gyllenhaal (40), Missi Pyle (45), Martha Plimpton (47), Gemma Atkinson (33), Gigi Edgley (40), Jonny Lee Miller (45), Beverly D’Angelo (66), Edward Asner (88), Petula Clark (85), Sandahl Bergman (66), Paul McGann (58), Gerard Butler (48), Whoopi Goldberg (62), Jimmy Kimmel (50), Ryan Gosling (37), Anne Hathaway (35), Wallace Shawn (74), Max Grodénchik (65), Charles Manson (83) and Neil Young (72).

Welcome peeps, another week flies by, alas no points to be awarded. I was asked the question a couple of weeks ago, who has scored the most on our little Dead Pool. Well, since we changed over to the current scoring format, I can now reveal that our top scorer of all time is Laura from 2016 with an astounding 654 points. That year she correctly guessed her Cert and Woman, and also got the first death of the year. A few of her chosen were rather young to die as well. So that’s the benchmark people! Also, some of you may be wondering who has guessed the most deaths in a year, well, this achievement has been broken this year, Martin now holds this record with seven deaths out of a possible thirteen. Also a claim to fame, the only person to have correctly guessed a Maverick is Stu back in 2014, although listing the third heaviest man of all time was a tiny bit outside the brief of a Maverick.

Look Who You Could Have Had:

• Karin Dor, 79, German actress (You Only Live Twice, Topaz).
• Roy Halladay, 40, American baseball player (Toronto Blue Jays, Philadelphia Phillies), Cy Young Award winner (2003, 2010), plane crash.
• Carl Sargeant, 49, Welsh politician, AM (since 2003).
• John Hillerman, 84, American actor (Magnum, P.I., Chinatown, Blazing Saddles), Emmy winner (1987).
• Chuck Mosley, 57, American singer (Faith No More, Bad Brains) and songwriter (“We Care a Lot”), complications from alcoholism.
• Antonio Carluccio, 80, Italian chef, restaurateur and television presenter (Two Greedy Italians), fall.
• Shyla Stylez, 35, Canadian pornographic actress.

In Other News 

As reported a few weeks ago on The Dead Pool, the chances of us all dying of The Black Death has just been upped a notch as Malawi has been put on high alert over fears the plague, which has killed at least 140 people in Madagascar, could hit the East African country. It is now the tenth nation in Africa to be put on alert over concerns surrounding the Black Death, which was behind one of the devastating pandemics in history, wiping out a third of Medieval Europe in the 1300s. South Africa, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, Tanzania, La Reunion and Mayotte, Kenya, Ethiopia and Comoros have all been warned to prepare for a potential outbreak of the deadly disease. The plague has swept across the island nation since late summer, moving beyond the areas where it traditionally occurs, with at least 2,034 suspected or confirmed cases reported between 1 August to 8 November, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). The WHO has pledge £3.8m to fight the disease and prepare surrounding countries for potential spread, but it says it could take months to bring the outbreak under control.

And because it’s a very slow news week, have a comic instead.

On This Day

• 1912 – The frozen bodies of Robert Scott and his men are found on the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica.
• 1970 – The Oregon Highway Division attempts to destroy a rotting beached Sperm whale with explosives, leading to the now infamous “exploding whale” incident.
• 1990 – Tim Berners-Lee publishes a formal proposal for the World Wide Web.

Deaths

• 1035 – Cnut the Great, Danish-English king (b. 985)
• 1981 – William Holden, American actor (b. 1918)
• 1990 – Eve Arden, American actress and comedian (b. 1908)

Last Week’s Birthdays

Leonardo DiCaprio (43), Demi Moore (55), Stanley Tucci (57), Calista Flockhart (53), June Whitfield (92), Hugh Bonneville (54), Roland Emmerich (62), Tracy Morgan (49), Neil Gaiman (57), Ennio Morricone (88), Lou Ferrigno (66), Tony Slattery (58), Gretchen Mol (45), Tara Reid (42), Matthew Rhys (43), Richard Curtis (61), Gordon Ramsay (51), Lorde (21), Joni Mitchell (74), Emma Stone (29), Sally Field (71), Ethan Hawke (47), Thandie Newton (45), Rebecca Romijn (45), Lori Singer (60), Maria Shriver (62), Nigel Havers (66), Famke Janssen (53), Tilda Swinton (57), Robert Patrick (59), Sam Rockwell (49), Tatum O’Neal (54), Elke Sommer (77), Tamzin Outhwaite (47), Armin Shimerman (68), Art Garfunkel (76) and Chris Addison (46).

Welcome to the not so special Bonfire Night edition! As stars, politicians and celebrities are falling to sexual harassment allegations, perhaps we should now be listing the men as potentials for the near future. Careers destroyed and reputations in tatters from the touch of a knee to much, much more could easily push one or two over the edge! Will you list the naked Chris Evans? The ‘I’m not gay I just like small boys’ Kevin Spacey? Or the rapist Weinstein? Obviously these are all ‘alleged’ assaults and unproven as of yet, (just covering my arse legally) but it’s a tempting thought, there’s 92 points going if Spacey decides the pressure it too much…

Look Who You Could Have Had:

• Deon Stewardson, 66, South African actor (Wild at Heart), suicide.
• Kim Joo-hyuk, 45, South Korean actor (The Servant, My Wife Got Married, Confidential Assignment), traffic collision.
• Brad Bufanda, 34, American actor (Veronica Mars, A Cinderella Story, Co-Ed Confidential), suicide by jumping.
• Paddy Russell, 89, British television director (Doctor Who, Out of the Unknown, The Omega Factor).
• Isabel Granada, 41, Filipino actress and singer, aneurysm.

In Other News

After a long and drawn out dispute, the body of the Moors murderer Ian Brady has been secretly cremated and his ashes disposed of at sea in the middle of the night. Court documents reveal that Brady’s body was incinerated without ceremony in Southport on Wednesday 25th October. His ashes were placed in a weighted biodegradable urn, driven to Liverpool Marina and dispatched at sea on Thursday 26th October at 2.30am. Earlier in October, a senior judge ordered that responsibility for supervising the disposal of Brady’s body be taken out of the hands of his solicitor and executor of his will, Robin Makin, and placed with Tameside borough council. Brady’s body was collected from the mortuary at Royal Liverpool hospital by a Tameside council official at about 9pm. Under police escort, the corpse was taken to Southport crematorium, where the cremation began at 10pm exactly. No music or flowers were allowed. In a joint statement responding to the news that Brady’s body had been disposed of, Tameside and Oldham councils said: “We are pleased that this matter is now concluded and we are grateful for the support and professionalism shown … to ensure Ian Stewart-Brady’s body and remains were disposed of expediently at sea in a manner compatible with the public interest and those of the victims’ relatives.”

After more than a week of being in coma, actress Isabel Granada has succumbed to brain hemorrhage due to aneurysm in Qatar. She was 41. The remains of the ’80s teen star will be brought back to the Philippines by her hubsand on Wednesday. According to him, while he and the actress were at a friend’s wake in Australia, the actress said she would like her body to be cremated, but the decision still lies on the actress’ mother. A day before she suddenly collapsed and went on coma, Isabel posted this on Facebook, as if she had a premonition: “As you turn your attention to Christ Jesus, feel the Light of His Presence shining upon you. Open your mind and heart to receive His heavenly smile of approval. Let His gold-tinged Love wash over you and soak into the depths of your being. As you are increasingly filled with His Being, you experience joyous union with Him. He suffuses your soul with Joy in His Presence; at His right hand there are pleasures forevermore.” Yeah, well…

Oh, just when you thought it was safe to live your life again, it appears that a deadly outbreak of a rare and highly fatal virus has broken out in eastern Uganda and five cases have already been identified, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has confirmed. The disease, known as Marburg virus disease (MVD), is similar to Ebola and can be lethal in up to 90 per cent of cases. Emergency screening has begun at the Kenya-Uganda border in Turkana after three members of the same family died of the disease in Uganda. The outbreak is thought to have started in September when a man in his 30s, who worked as a game hunter and lived near a cave with a heavy presence of bats, was admitted to a local health centre with a high fever, vomiting and diarrhoea. He did not respond to antimalarial treatment and his condition rapidly deteriorated. He was quickly taken to another hospital in the neighbouring district, but died shortly after arriving. His sister, in her 50s, died shortly afterwards and a third victim passed away in the treatment unit of a local health centre. Several hundred people are believed to have been exposed to the virus, which is among the most virulent pathogens known to infect humans. Early symptoms include fever, chills, headache, and myalgia. The news comes as Madagascar faces a deadly outbreak of plague, which has already claimed the lives of 127 people. The outbreak has been compared with the Black Death, when plague swept across Europe and Asia in the 13th century, killing more than 50 million people in what is now considered one of the worst pandemics in human history. Two thirds of the recorded cases in Madagascar are caused by the pneumonic plague, which can be spread through coughs and sneezes and without treatment, can kill within 24 hours. The outbreak has prompted warnings that it could spread to nine nearby countries, including UK holiday hotspots Mauritius and the Seychelles. Best stay at home then…

On This Day

• 1605 – Gunpowder Plot: Guy Fawkes is arrested.
• 1912 – Woodrow Wilson is elected the 28th President of the United States, defeating incumbent William Howard Taft.
• 2006 – Saddam Hussein, former president of Iraq, and his co-defendants Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti and Awad Hamed al-Bandar, are sentenced to death in the al-Dujail trial for their roles in the 1982 massacre of 148 Shi’a Muslims.
• 2007 – Android mobile operating system is unveiled by Google.
• 2009 – U.S. Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan murders 13 and wounds 32 at Fort Hood, Texas in the deadliest mass shooting at a U.S. military installation.

Deaths

• 1987 – Eamonn Andrews, Irish radio and television host (b. 1922)
• 1991 – Robert Maxwell, Czech-English captain, publisher, and politician (b. 1923)

Last Week’s Birthdays

Matthew McConaughey (48), Ralph Macchio (56), Loretta Swit (80), Kate Capshaw (64), Dolph Lundgren (60), Roseanne Barr (65), Kendall Jenner (22), Dylan Moran (46), Lulu (68), Adam Ant (63), David Schwimmer (51), Stefanie Powers (75), Toni Collette (45), Jenny McCarthy (45), Anthony Kiedis (55), Lyle Lovett (59), Larry Flynt (75), Peter Jackson (56), Erica Cerra (38), Stephen Rea (71), Vanilla Ice (50), Debbie McGee (59), Clémence Poésy (35), Jessica Hynes (45), Henry Winkler (72), Ivanka Trump (36), Juliet Stevenson (61), Winona Ryder (46), Rufus Sewell (50), Richard Dreyfuss (70) and Dan Castellaneta (53).

Welcome once again to a pointless edition of The Dead Pool. Only two months left to go, it’s still too close to call at the top end of the table. Luckily I bumped into the top two contenders last night and both have agreed, that in the unlikely event of a draw, the winner will be decided by a ‘gin-off’, rules to be made up at the time. Wont that be fun 😀

Look Who You Could Have Had:

• Rosemary Leach, 81, English actress (A Room with a View, The Roads to Freedom, The Plague Dogs).
• George Young, 70, Scottish-born Australian musician (The Easybeats), songwriter (“Friday on My Mind”, “Love Is in the Air”), and producer (AC/DC).
• Fats Domino, 89, American Hall of Fame pianist and singer-songwriter (“Blueberry Hill”, “Ain’t That a Shame”, “I’m Walkin'”).
• Robert Guillaume, 89, American actor and singer (Benson, The Lion King, Sports Night), Emmy winner (1979, 1985), prostate cancer.
• John Mollo, 86, British costume designer (Star Wars, Alien, Gandhi), Oscar winner (1977, 1982), complications from vascular dementia.

In Other News

Robbie Williams has said he cancelled a recent tour due to “very worrying” test results that saw him admitted to an intensive care unit. Williams, who released his album Heavy  Entertainment Show last year, cancelled three gigs in Russia in September 2017. He has since uploaded a video to YouTube where he explained that the cancellations were due to an illness. “I’ve been recovering from an illness now for the last five weeks,” he said in the video. “Unfortunately that illness kicked in just at the end of my tour, a tour which was going so well. Then I got some test results. They were very worrying and I ended up in ICU, so I couldn’t go. “I haven’t pulled out of a tour for bad health since 1998 so you know if I can’t do it then there’s something going on that I just can’t do.” Williams said his recovery had led to him becoming vegan and take up pilates: “I do yoga every day and have a really big burger on a Sunday,” So, not quite vegan then….. “I’m not feeling 100 per cent but I’m getting there, and I know I’m going to be better than ever,” he said.

The UK’s top civil servant, Sir Jeremy Heywood, has been receiving treatment for cancer. The Cabinet Office said Sir Jeremy, who has been cabinet secretary since 2012, was diagnosed in June. In a statement, it said the 55-year old had received treatment over the summer and the early autumn which “went well”. Sir Jeremy, it added, had continued his “normal duties” during this period with the full support of his doctors and remained “totally focused” on doing so. As cabinet secretary and head of the civil service, Sir Jeremy is responsible for advising the prime minister and cabinet on the business of government, including the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. The Cabinet Office said it would be making no further comment on “this private matter”. Sir Jeremy, who is sometimes characterised in the media as the most powerful figure in the British government, has worked closely with four prime ministers during a 25-year career in Whitehall.

Remember old King Bhumibol Adulyadej who died just over a year ago? Well, after a year of mourning, and I do mean mourning, Thailand basically shut down, no colour TV allowed, everyone had to wear dark colours or the fashion police really would put you in jail, no fun was allowed to be had upon pain of death. Children were literally not allowed to play!!! Anyhow, the old chap has finally been cremated and the new king has picked out parts of his father’s remains so they could be enshrined as relics. The new monarch Maha Vajiralongkorn presided over the burning of his father’s remains in a golden crematorium at a late-night ceremony in Bangkok, as part a spectacular five-day funeral. After bathing the charred bones, he placed them into golden urns in preparation for blessings by monks. Then he lead a procession of the ashes through the streets of Thailand’s capital. Bhumibol’s remains have now been transferred to spiritually significant locations for Buddhist rites that will prepare them to be enshrined on the final day of an elaborate funeral that has transfixed the nation. Personally, when you find me dead in my chair, half eaten by the cat, a bin liner will do, then just leave me out for the dustmen.

On This Day

• 1618 – English adventurer, writer, and courtier Sir Walter Raleigh is beheaded for allegedly conspiring against James I of England.
• 1929 – The New York Stock Exchange crashes in what will be called the Crash of ’29 or “Black Tuesday”, ending the Great Bull Market of the 1920s and beginning the Great Depression.
• 1969 – The first-ever computer-to-computer link is established on ARPANET, the precursor to the Internet.
• 1998 – Space Shuttle Discovery blasts off on STS-95 with 77-year-old John Glenn on board, making him the oldest person to go into space.

Deaths

• 1618 – Walter Raleigh, English admiral, explorer, and politician, Lieutenant Governor of Jersey (b. 1554)
• 2011 – Jimmy Savile, English radio and television host, lover of children (b. 1926)

Last Week’s Birthdays

Gwendoline Christie (39), Julia Roberts (50), Joaquin Phoenix (43), Matt Smith (35), Annie Potts (65), John Cleese (78), Robert Picardo (64), Kelly Osbourne (33), Seth MacFarlane (44), Cary Elwes (55), Jon Heder (40), Keith Urban (50), Hillary Clinton (70), Katy Perry (33), Nancy Cartwright (60), Kevin Kline (70), F. Murray Abraham (78), Emilia Clarke (31), Ryan Reynolds (41), Sam Raimi (58), Ang Lee (63), ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic (58) and Cat Deeley (41).