Bring Out Your Dead! The celebrity death thread....

In the 80s, Cokie's older sister, Barbara, was pretty well-known in NJ politics. She lost a bid for the Senate and was elected Princeton's mayor. She lost an eye to cancer and would appear at events with an eye patch, once with a campaign sticker on it. She died in her early 50s.

annielou said:

Eddie Money 70

 We just saw him a few (7!) summers ago at the QuickChek Balloon Festival.  After that, he did one of those tongue-in-cheek Geico commercials as a travel agent offering "Two Tickets to Paradise."

Suzanne Whang, who viewers came to love as the voice and face of "House Hunters" for nearly a decade, died Tuesday after a long battle with cancer, according to her agent.

She was 56.
https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/20/entertainment/suzanne-whang-obit/index.html

Jacques Chirac. (Aged only 86years, I thought he'd be older)

Robert Hunter, writer for the Grateful Dead, age 78.

Lately it occurs to me what a long, strange trip it's been.

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/robert-hunter-grateful-dead-dead-889788/

mjc said:

Robert Hunter, writer for the Grateful Dead, age 78.

Lately it occurs to me what a long, strange trip it's been.

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/robert-hunter-grateful-dead-dead-889788/

 No! I only just read earlier this evening  that he was so unwell.

Diahann Carroll, 84

Gosh.

Kind of speechless at this news, not sure why. 

ETA: some lovely obits have been written, this one is really nice

https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-49936867

Ginger Baker- Gone at 80

Woke up to some sad news this morning

https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/06/entertainment/ginger-baker-obituary-intl-gbr/index.html

Is it wrong that my first impulse is to come here, to verify news like this???

Seriously, Ginger Baker too?  

Toss some confetti in memory of comedian Rip Taylor, dead at 84.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/06/entertainment/rip-taylor-death/index.html

Cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, the first person to walk in space, has died. 

I can't imagine the courage it must have taken to have complete trust that that 5metre rope would hold secure and he would complete his mission with no untoward incident. Awe-inspiring. 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-10-12/alexei-leonov-first-human-to-walk-in-space-dies-aged-85/11596192

Actor Robert Forster, 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-10-12/el-camino-actor-robert-forster-dead-at-78/11596992

He gave a great performance in El Camino. Loved his scenes very much.

Elijah Cummings. May he Rest In Power!

Elijah Cummings will be missed by so many of us. Anyone who ever watched him lead Oversight Committee hearings saw both the just leadership and the humanity of the man.

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2019/nov/17/photographer-of-swinging-60s-terry-oneill-dies-aged-81

Terry O'Neill's photos of so many 'names' would form the collage memory-pictures of my life if you were to make a movie sequence of those decades. 

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2019/nov/17/terry-o-neill-obituary

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-50452568 

Michael J. Pollard -

Bonnie and Clyde

Star Trek 

Formerlyjerseyjack said:

Michael J. Pollard -

Bonnie and Clyde

Star Trek 

 When Michael Andrew Fox joined Sag/Aftra, there was already a Michael Fox on the list, so he added the J as a tribute to Michael J Pollard.

One of my favor cartoonists...https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/23/us/cartoonist-gahan-wilson-dies-trnd/index.html

librarylady said:

One of my favor cartoonists...https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/23/us/cartoonist-gahan-wilson-dies-trnd/index.html

 OH, that's so sad.  I loved his cartoons.

Awww man, I just heard about Jonathan Miller. He was a national bloody treasure.

https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-50574472

What? No! 
their formal obit:

https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-21144364

Also

https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2019/nov/27/jonathan-miller-writer-and-director-dies-aged-85

The Kogarah kid - writer, broadcaster and TV critic Clive James.  

https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2019/nov/27/clive-james-writer-broadcaster-and-tv-critic-dies-aged-80

And

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-11-28/clive-james-dies-aged-80/5751522

The historian in me is fascinated by the timing of these two deaths, and also that of a noted European spy

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-50580937
certainly, we’re such a changing of eras as technology, manners, communication and even public standards seem to change from one generation to the next.

(Edited to remove typos: migraine obv coming on)

A shock to us all:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-03/mental-as-anything-andrew-greedy-smith-founder-dies/11759998

We had the pleasure of a brilliant concert up here a couple of weeks ago, felt like we were all 30 again , never would have suspected any of the Mentals popping off before Christmas ... 

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/dec/04/greedy-smith-the-cheerful-embodiment-of-mental-as-anythings-upbeat-hits

Another shock! I just to sit here and cry No!!!

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/dec/09/rene-auberjonois-actor-who-starred-in-mash-star-trek-and-benson-dies-aged-79

Thank you, Carol Spinney. we enjoyed many wonderful years with Big Bird and grouchy Oscar, and they’ll always live in our hearts. 
Rest well. 
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/dec/08/carroll-spinney-dies-big-bird-sesame-street

And you will have heard before I did that Marie Fredriksson, the beautiful voice of Roxette, has left us, at only 61. 

https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-50730052

By no means a youngster, David Bellamy’s style was relaxed and enthusiastic in ways that Oxbridge academics aren’t meant to be. 
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-50752089

The rapid changes we’re witnessing, and that we’re still decoding from past records fascinated and saddened him. Sad to say goodbye to such a colourful and knowledgeable character.