Ian Holm

FELLOWSHIP OF THE REAPER Much respected film actor Ian Holm has died aged 88, which is a bit of a surprise for those who expected the cast of Alien to continue dying in the order they died on screen. (Somewhere Tom Skerrit breaths a sigh of relief…) His career started in the early 1950s after […]

Dame Vera Lynn

WE’LL (NOT) MEET AGAIN The Forces Sweetheart, Dame Vera Lynn, has died at the age of 103. When Vera was two years old, she was seriously ill with diphtheria but lived. Rumours the Reaper said “you have this century, but wait for the next one” cannot be confirmed. She began singing in her childhood and […]

Michael Falzon

FALZON’S EPILOGUE Australian stage actor Michael Falzon has died aged 48 after a battle with cancer. His career stretched two decades and multiple continents with lead roles in Sydney and London. He played Judas in a tour of Jesus Christ Superstar, and had a world tour with Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of The War of […]

Sergei Khrushchev

DICTATORS SON DONE Sergei, son of Nikita, has died on the verge of his 85th birthday. After his fathers death he emigrated to the USA, and became a regular on the academic circuits talking of his experiences of the Cold War. He had designed cruise missiles and moon vehicles, but presumably not for the same […]

Jean Kennedy Smith

END OF THE LINE The last of the Kennedy clan siblings who tried to change the world, Jean Kennedy Smith, has died aged 92. The second youngest of Joseph and Rose Kennedy’s nine children, Jean’s siblings included 3 of the most famous American politicians of the 20th Century and the founder of the Special Olympics. […]

Willie Thorne

THORNE ON HIS SIDE Snooker player Willie Thorne has died from cancer after complications with sepsis. Thorne won The Classic in 1985, and was one of the more memorable players of his generation. He might have won the 1985 UK Championship, but for the most infamous shot of his career, missing a straight blue to […]

Nanci Ryder

DEAD EASY RYDER Nanci Ryder was once best known for being the fierce publicist of stars such as Courtney Cox and Michael J Fox, and a mother figure to younger actresses such as Reese Witherspoon, who thanked her personally during her Oscar winning speech. In recent years, however, Ryder has been known among deadpoolers for […]

Ian Taylor

NO VITOL SIGNS Ian Taylor, the CEO of energy giants Vitol, has died after a battle with cancer. Among the trustees of the Royal Opera House, Taylor bankrolled the Better Together campaign in the Scottish Independence Referendum, and the Remain campaign in the Brexit Referendum. He turned down a knighthood from David Cameron, and with […]

Pete Rademacher

  HE GOT KNOCKED DOWN, BUT HE GOT UP AGAIN, THE REAPERS GONNA KEEP HIM DOWN Boxer Pete Rademacher has died. He won the 1956 Olympic boxing heavyweight gold, and swiftly became a challenger for Floyd Patterson’s world title. This was the first time a professional boxer made their professional debut in a world title […]

Steve Priest

BLOCKBUSTED Steve Priest has died after a period of ill health. He was best known as the bassist in The Sweet, the glam rock band behind 70s hits such as Blockbuster. Steve Priest had a flamboyant on stage personality full of make up and deliberate campness, a 180 turn from his preference for a quiet […]