R.I.P. The thread of death....celebrity or otherwise

[Isgrimnur]

His Native American name was "Carries Pencil in Hand."

To cover an injury suffered as a lieutenant on the battlefield against the Germans in WWII.

[dbt1949]

I didn't like his politics but I did like the man. RIP

[Jeff V]

I liked Bob Dole. 98 is quite a run though.

[Kraken]

I didn't like his politics but I did like the man. RIP

+1. He had integrity and sincerely held beliefs. In a way, it's sad that he lived long enough to see what his party became.

[Exodor]

I didn't like his politics but I did like the man. RIP

+1. He had integrity and sincerely held beliefs. In a way, it's sad that he lived long enough to see what his party became.

Eh,

He was one of the few elders of the traditional Republican establishment to endorse Donald Trump in 2016 and the only former presidential nominee to attend the convention that nominated Trump.

"I'm a Trumper," Dole said

[Kraken]

Yeah, I read that in a NYT obit after I made my post. Sentiment withdrawn. During his political career he was a worthy adversary, even when defending Nixon, and he still gets a salute from me.

[Daehawk]

Didn't see this in the thread and Id missed it myself. Brad Allan died back in August.

Brad Allan Dies: Stunt Guru In Jackie Chan And ‘Kingsman’ Films, ‘Shang-Chi’ Was 48

One of Jackie Chan's most famous fight scenes was with him in the film Gorgeous. He was his protege. Just 48 years old and the first non Asian member of Jackie Chans team. A small guy but super fast. Just says he died of an illness.

Bradley James Allan, the influential Australian stuntman, stunt coordinator and actor who was a longtime member of Jackie Chan’s team and who most recently was the supervising stunt coordinator and second-unit director on Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, has died. He was 48.The Melbourne-born Allan got his start on Chan’s 1997 film Mr. Nice Guy, beginning a long collaboration with the martial arts star as both a stuntman and coordinator; he is credited as the first non-Asian member of Chan’s JC Stunt Team. His movies with Chan include Gorgeous, Shanghai Noon, The Tuxedo and the second and third Rush Hour films, among many others.

This is the famous fast fight. Shame about his death at a young age.

[Hyena]

He was also the stunt double for the rooftop fight scene with Ron Smoorenberg in "Who Am I?"

CRAZY legwork in that one, and apparently Smoorenberg couldn't keep pace with how Jackie wanted to film it, so they brought in Allen to supplement it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0FWMk79ELo

[dbt1949]

Were you ever the victim of an "airplane"? Where some guys lifts you up and spins in a circle holding you.
Once you get put down it is nye on impossible to stay on your feet. Very fun fight scene.

[Daehawk]

NES and SNES creator Masayuki Uemura has died at 78

Masayuki Uemura, the lead architect of the Nintendo Entertainment System and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, has died.

Ritsumeikan University - where Uemura helped co-found and acted as the first director of the Ritsumeikan Center for Game Studies, Japan's only academic institution dedicated to the study of video games - announced today that Uemura had passed away on December 6 at the age of 78
Uemura joined Nintendo in 1972, where he headed up the company's new R&D2 department. Under Uemura, and under the instruction of former Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi that team helped develop the first in-home Nintendo consoles, as well as the NES and its iconic light-gun, the Zapper, and the SNES. R&D2 also contributed to game development, helping create the first Donkey Kong game, alongside titles in the Super Mario, Kirby, and Legend of Zelda franchises throughout the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s. Uemura retired from Nintendo in 2004, after which he became a visiting professor at Ritsumeikan University.

[The Meal]

That's a big one. Thanks for all the hours of fun and directly influencing the path my life would take. RIP Masayuki-san.

[McNutt]

Was the NES the first console where they started to get the controller right? Everything else seemed so awkward.

[Daehawk]

Im in the other camp. I loved the Atari joystick and hated the NES controller. It really hurt my thumb. So square too.

[McNutt]

It wasn't perfect by any means. The layout for me was awesome though, even if the square nature needed an update. Just switching the movement D-Pad to the left thumb was a game changer.

[LordMortis]

https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/10/entertai ... index.html

Michael Nesmith, a singer and guitarist for the hit group the Monkees, died Friday.
He was 78.
Micky Dolenz, Nesmith's bandmate, confirmed the news to CNN.

"I've lost a dear friend and partner," Dolenz said. "I'm so grateful that we could spend the last couple of months together doing what we loved best -- singing, laughing, and doing shtick. I'll miss it all so much. Especially the shtick. Rest in peace, Nez."

[Smoove_B]

Ugh, that's a total bummer.

[Kraken]

Great. Now I have a Monkees earworm.

[Daehawk]

RIP. Sad. Micky is all alone as a Monkee now.

[hentzau]

Guess I should have went to that Monkees concert this summer when I had the chance.

He was always my favorite, and had some of my favorite songs.

And Time Rider was great, for its time.

[dbt1949]

He was my favorite Monkee. RIP

[xwraith]

Keiko Nobumoto, anime screenwriter passed on December 1



https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/ ... away-at-57

[Daehawk]

Can see a contributing factor there in her pic. RIP.

[A nonny mouse]

Interview with a Vampire Author Anne Rice passes away.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/12/entertai ... index.html

Friends were fans when it was released while in high school. I could never get into it. But She definitely had fans.

RIP

[A nonny mouse]

https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/10/entertai ... index.html

Michael Nesmith, a singer and guitarist for the hit group the Monkees, died Friday.
He was 78.
Micky Dolenz, Nesmith's bandmate, confirmed the news to CNN.

"I've lost a dear friend and partner," Dolenz said. "I'm so grateful that we could spend the last couple of months together doing what we loved best -- singing, laughing, and doing shtick. I'll miss it all so much. Especially the shtick. Rest in peace, Nez."

He was the only Monkee who could actually play his instrument pre-Monkees. Also, if Not for Michael Nesmith, there would have been no Repo Man(he was the executive producer) - still love that movie.

If you have not listened to it, his interview on Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast is great. https://www.gilbertpodcast.com/?s=micha ... _type=post

[hepcat]

Whoa, didn't see Anne Rice's death coming. I read the first of her vampire books, but that was it. At the time it was an interesting take on the lore, but it quickly became the ONLY version of a vampire you could find in books, tv or movies for decades. I didn't realize that it had been published back in 1976.

As for Nesmith, that also took me by surprise. I had just listened to the aforementioned Gottfried podcast with him a few months ago too. He came across as a pretty grounded and funny guy.

Also, I'm happy to find out someone else listens to the Gilbert Gottfried podcast.

[YellowKing]

Interview with a Vampire Author Anne Rice passes away.

I was a huge fan back in high school. Read the original Lestat books up through Memnoch the Devil. I think around that point the religious stuff just became too overbearing so I quit them. Never did get into the Mayfair Witches stuff.

I still consider The Vampire Lestat the best vampire novel I've ever read outside the original Dracula.

[Daehawk]

RIP Anne. We loved the movie.

I cannot think of Nesmith without thinking of Liquid Paper that his mom invented. He was rich from that alone.

[Jaymann]

Interview with a Vampire Author Anne Rice passes away.

Yo, Mandela, it's Interview with THE Vampire. There can only be one.

[Kraken]

Interview with a Vampire Author Anne Rice passes away.

I was a huge fan back in high school. Read the original Lestat books up through Memnoch the Devil. I think around that point the religious stuff just became too overbearing so I quit them. Never did get into the Mayfair Witches stuff.

I still consider The Vampire Lestat the best vampire novel I've ever read outside the original Dracula.

+1. It was among the first books to "humanize" vampires -- to portray them as characters with inner lives, rather than mere monsters. Or at least it was the first one I read with that take.

[Smoove_B]

I still consider The Vampire Lestat the best vampire novel I've ever read outside the original Dracula.

I was about to come in an say the same. I read Interview thought, ok that was good - I see why they made it into a film. But The Vampire Lestat? I couldn't believe how great it was - totally blown away. I didn't read any of the others, but it's absolutely a winner. I can't claim I'm a hardcore fan of hers by any means, but RIP.

[A nonny mouse]

Interview with a Vampire Author Anne Rice passes away.

Yo, Mandela, it's Interview with THE Vampire. There can only be one.

Well, "a" is singular. so one vampire Like I said, I was not that into it.

And I'm not so hip as to understand the "Yo, Mandela" sorry.

[Blackhawk]

But She definitely had fans.

Having graduated high school in '92, oh yeah she had fans. Her fans were their own social movement around here, and you could tell who they were at a glance.

[Smoove_B]

Having graduated high school in '92, oh yeah she had fans. Her fans were their own social movement around here, and you could tell who they were at a glance.

Every time I see it in the credits, I immediately think of Anne Rice. Her influence was likely larger than most realize.

[coopasonic]

I didn't read any of the others, but it's absolutely a winner. I can't claim I'm a hardcore fan of hers by any means, but RIP.

But were any of your fans of her hardcore? I didn't read much porn but when I did, it was hers.

Anyway, time to get some beauty sleep.

[Jaymann]

Interview with a Vampire Author Anne Rice passes away.

Yo, Mandela, it's Interview with THE Vampire. There can only be one.

Well, "a" is singular. so one vampire Like I said, I was not that into it.

And I'm not so hip as to understand the "Yo, Mandela" sorry.

I don't generally do jokesplainers, but here you go:

Spoiler:

Mandela Effect refers to a phenomenon where many people remember a different reality where certain details are different. Interview with A Vampire is an example of one. IMO "a" makes more sense than "the" because "a" implies he is one of many vampires, whereas "the" implies he is the only one.

[disarm]

I read all the Vampire Chronicles books up through 'Merrick' and really enjoyed them...Vampire Lestat was definitely a high point for the series. I also really enjoyed the Mayfair Witches series, and a few other stand-alone novels ('Cry to Heaven' and 'Servant of the Bones' are both great). I haven't read anything she released in the last 20 years, but I guess you could say I was an Anne Rice fan in high school/college.

[A nonny mouse]

But She definitely had fans.

Having graduated high school in '92, oh yeah she had fans. Her fans were their own social movement around here, and you could tell who they were at a glance.

I was being facetious. Should have included a smiley. I knew a lot of people in high school that discovered her book and loved it. LOL. I am not good at the multiple quote thing, but to disarm's comment I think it is a high school thing.

Yes, her fans were fairly rabid about the greatness of her. But like any "trend setter" there are ripple effects to her influence, as noted by Smoove.

I'm not knocking her at all. It just wasn't my thing.

[ImLawBoy]

I read the Vampire Chronicles up through The Vampire Armand, plus I read the Mayfair witch books and The Mummy. I eventually lost interest in her romanticism and religious stuff, so I just kind of stopped reading without making a conscious effort to do so.

I didn't read any of the others, but it's absolutely a winner. I can't claim I'm a hardcore fan of hers by any means, but RIP.

But were any of your fans of her hardcore? I didn't read much porn but when I did, it was hers.

Anyway, time to get some beauty sleep.

What you did there. I see it.

The public library I worked at in high school got a request for those books, so someone ordered them (although just the first 2, I think). I did read them, although I seem to recall I'd read for a bit with great interest before suddenly losing that interest for a time . . . .

[Daehawk]

‘He-Man’ artist and toy designer T. Mark Taylor dies at 80

T. Mark Taylor, artist and toy designer for the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe franchise as well as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, died Thursday at his Southern California home. He was 80.

The cause was congestive heart failure, Taylor's family said in an email to The Associated Press on Saturday.

Terrell Mark Taylor — who went by his middle name, Mark — was born on June 5, 1941, according to California voter registration records. He is survived by his wife of 50 years, designer Rebecca Salari-Taylor of Ranchos Palos Verdes.

“I felt him say goodbye to this world as I held him in my arms for one final loving kiss,” Salari-Taylor wrote in a Facebook post.

Taylor's family said his father-in-law, Tony Salari, told the artist, “If you can draw well, everything will be okay.”

Taylor took pinstriping commissions for “hot rod” cars as a teen in Redondo Beach in the early 1950s, his family said. He later attended the ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena.

[Alefroth]

Archbishop Desmond Tutu dies at 90 years old.

https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/so ... 021-12-26/

Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and veteran of South Africa's struggle against apartheid who was revered as his nation's conscience by both Black and white, died on Sunday aged 90.