NO LONGER IN THE CONVERSATION, KILL SOFTLY ALL YE FAITHFULL
There’s no Pope (yet) but it’s still been a bumper month for celeb deaths, with one of the most striking in both fame and circumstance being Gene Hackman. The popular everyman made his film debut in his 30s and was relegated to bit parts until capturing wider attention as outlaw Buck Barrow in Bonnie and Clyde. Oscar-nominated for the role, he’d win his first Golden Boy as roughshod detective Popeye Doyle in The French Connection. Among numerous other roles of note were Lex Luthor in three Superman films, the reverend leading the escape in The Poseidon Adventure, and a second Oscar win as a corrupt sheriff in Unforgiven. He was found dead alongside his wife and dog in circumstances initially ripe for unnatural points potential, ultimately turning out to be his wife dying of hantavirus and Hackman succumbing to heart disease compounded by Alzheimer’s shortly afterward.
The child of aristocrats bound for an academic life, Marianne Faithfull was wooed to music after meeting the Stones. She brought to life the first Jagger-Richards composition, the moving classic “As Tears Go By”, and her popularity was such that she had a side film career such as in The Girl on a Motorcycle. Her highly-publicised relationship with Mick Jagger collapsed in 1970, and she struggled with homelessness and heroin addiction throughout the decade. But she came roaring back with her New Wave album Broken English, and she justly enjoyed acclaim for the rest of her life. Lucky to survive a COVID bout during the peak of the pandemic, it had been clear she was in the evening of the day and she sit and watched the DDPers play throughout the decade – 12 of them this time.
Another singing legend to go was soulstress Roberta Flack. Her classical training seemed unlikely to build a pop charts sensation, but the reserved excellence displayed on “Killing Me Softly with His Song” and “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” won Grammys and topped the US charts. She was also noted for her duets with Donny Hathway up to the latter’s suicide in 1979, and enjoyed a resurgence in the 90s with the Fugees cover of “Killing Me Softly”. The first time ever we saw her ALS diagnosis, she beelined straight for the Drop 40, but still managed an impressive 2.5 years with the disease despite being in her late 80s.
The Iceman goeth with Jerry Butler, who had a sturdy soul career both with the Impressions and as a soloist with hits including “For Your Precious Love”, “He Will Break Your Heart”, and “Only the Strong Survive”. Gene Barge was a reliable backup saxophonist and the “Daddy G” referenced in Gary U.S. Bonds’ “Quarter to Three”. Onto punk, Rick Buckler’s drumming helped define the Jam’s sound, the Damned guitarist Brian James wrote the first UK punk single “New Rose”, and across the pond New York Dolls frontman David Johansen catalysed the burgeoning punk movement in NYC. Johansen was the last surviving Doll, and continuing the trend of band clean sweeps, Joey Molland kept the Badfinger flame alive no matter what happened to the other members.
Brian Murphy was a Britcom stalwart, most noted as slacker landlord George Roper in Man About the House and spinoff George and Mildred whose personality clashed with ambitious wife Mildred, played by Yootha Joyce. He was also part of the final trio in Last of the Summer Wine and played the shopkeeper in children’s programme Wizardora. James Martin was a recurring fixture on sitcom Still Game, one of the few actors whose age matched that of his OAP character. P.H. Moriarty featured in The Long Good Friday and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Nike Arrighi was a Hammer horror regular and a trademark Gooseberry unique, Horst Janson was often the German captain in war films of the 70s and was a regular on the German Sesame Street, and Genevieve Page was a star of French stage and cinema.
The Reaper knew the Aga Khan, longtime imam of Isma’ilism and horseracing businessman. Also in the sports business was Virginia Halas McCaskey, owner of NFL’s da Bearrrrrs, and Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa of Portuguese footy team Porto. Though Shia-Ka Chun has been a dud thus far for The Love Boat, a prompt QO for cricketer Nick Gandon proves he’s never one to write off. The day after several ice skaters died in a plane crash that, apparently, was caused by minorities existing, another giant from the field fell in Dick Button, who introduced the flying camel spin to the sport and enjoyed a second wind as a popular commentator. Other athletic deaths were Newcastle striker John Tudor, snooker player Wael Talaat, and Iris Cummings, the last survivor of the 1936 Olympics.
Another Drop 40 faller was Nigel McCrery, the creator of Silent Witness who announced an unspecified terminal illness late last year. Politically, Namibian founding father Sam Nujoma went gone with the Windhoek, while Thanin Kraivichien pipped Chavalit Yongchaiyudh in the decrepit Thai PM sweepstakes. The Sick-Bed of Cuchulainn managed two unique hits hours apart in author Jennifer Johnston and Going for Gold host Henry Kelly. Clint Hill was the Secret Service guard who attempted to shield JFK from the assassin’s bullet, and we also lost The Singing Butler painter Jack Vettriano, wine merchant Peter Sichel, and novelists Antonine Maillet and Tom Robbins.
The latest scoreboard has perennial dark horse Heading Nowhere on top, aided by the McCrery and Flack hits.