Death happens. Why not make it interesting?
The online competition to guess which famous people won't make it to the end of the current year. If they're elderly, ill, or just live a high-risk lifestyle, stick 'em in your team, and for each one whose death you correctly predict, you'll score points. DDP was dreamt up in Derby, England (hence the name...) by Big Iain back in 1996. Other hosts: Siegfried Baboon and Rude Kid (2003-7), Octopus of Odstock (2008-9), The Man in Black (2010-17), Spade Cooley (2018-19), msc (2020-21), Grim Up North (2020-22), and Reptile (2020-23). Now the Committee of DI (2022), time (2024), and Banana (2023) oversee the biggest deadpool going...
BRITISH FILM OUT-OF-COMMISSIONER Inaugural British Film Commissioner Sydney Samuelson has had his last cut aged 97. The son of a silent film veteran, Samuelson had been active in the industry since the late 30s and throughout the 50s he filmed the Queen’s coronation and established a reputed film equipment rental company. He was a pillar […]
GIRL SCOUT COOKIE CRUMBLES The Girl Scouts of the USA was founded in 1912. Its former CEO Frances Hesselbein was born a mere three years later. She stewarded the cookie-proffering youth organisation for thirteen years, receiving 22 honorary doctorate degrees and the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her efforts. In her centennial year, she was […]
ALLEY OOPS The bar has closed for actress Kirstie Alley, aged 71. Her first role of note was as Spock’s protégé in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, and she followed suit with a number of smaller films and box office smash romcom Look Who’s Talking. Any other Travolta leading ladies might wish to […]
DEAD-END STREET After the death of Emilio Delgado (Luis) earlier in the year, another bedrock of the Sesame Street human cast has been swept away with the clouds. Bob McGrath started out as a singer with Mitch Miller’s troupe and became an unlikely teen idol in Japan of all places, nicknamed “Bobu Magurasu” by his […]
BYE-DE-BYE! Goodbye campers! Actress Ruth Madoc has died aged 79. She was best known as chief Yellowcoat Gladys Pugh in Hi-de-Hi!, where her xylophone tinkling and unrequited passion for Jeffrey made her a memorable presence. Outside the holiday camp, Madoc was a respected stage veteran with the occasional film role (such as a supporting bit […]
NO MORE JET BLACK Longtime Stranglers drummer Jet Black has died aged 84. An owner of a liquor store and several ice cream vans before taking up the sticks, his established businessman credentials seemed at odds with the youthful rebellion of punk. Instead his store became the initial headquarters for The Stranglers and his ice […]
DAMN, BUSTED Last surviving Dambuster George “Johnny” Johnson has bounced off into the great beyond aged 101. He was one of 133 to participate in the famed mission that destroyed several Nazi German dams via the use of “bouncing bombs” which bypassed the dams’ protections. Johnson targeted the Sorpe dam, which ended up relatively unscathed […]
SLUDGE MILLS LANE Pugnacious boxing figure Mills Lane is out for the count aged 85. Though initially a boxer himself with moderate success, it was as a referee where he shone most, officiating north of one hundred championship fights with his “Let’s get it on!” catchphrase. This included the infamous ear-munching spar for which Lane […]
THE BEAT NO LONGER GOES ON No turning back time for Cher’s mum Georgia Holt, aged 96. She declared “I Got You Babe” in 1946 when giving birth to her iconic daughter. Holt herself navigated through the Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves world of entertainment, recording music and appearing on TV shows before her daughter was […]
LAST DANCE Pioneering ballerina Beryl Grey has died aged 95. Professionally performing since her teens, she was already doing Swan Lake aged 15 and was both the first British ballerina to dance in Russia and the first western ballerina to do so in Beijing. She was picked by BROWN BANANAS and There is nothing like […]
