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, first tenure), The Man in Black (2010-17), Spade Cooley (2018-19), msc (2020-21), Grim Up North (2020-22), Reptile (2020-23), and DI (2022 – 2025). Now the Committee of Banana (2023), time (2024), the returning Octopus of Odstock (2026) and the deadpooling equivalent of a gap year temp Marlfox (2026) oversee the biggest deadpool going...
I’LL BE AGROUND Last surviving original Spinner (that’s Detroit Spinners, not the folkies) Henry Fambrough has died aged 85. The group formed in the late 50s and tried their hand at doo-wop and Motown, but didn’t truly hit their stride until refashioning themselves as a Philadelphia soul act in the 70s. The classic “I’ll Be […]
GRAVEYARD FOR THE VALEYARD Respected actor Michael Jayston has died aged 88. He gained early repute for Shakespearean theatre and TV roles, as well as Tsar Nicholas II in Nicholas and Alexandra. A regular face on TV, he was Alec Guinness’s right-hand man in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, the Doctor’s dark doppelganger the Valeyard in […]
OUT OF HER MISSOURI Could the funniest US senatorial election be Missouri’s 2000 race? Though I also have a soft spot for the paedo Republican losing Alabama of all places. Anyway, Missouri 2K was a squaring off of two incumbents in what was then a key swing state – Republican Senator John Ashcroft was defending […]
FADE TO GRAY It’s not bandied about nearly as often as pancreatic cancer or glioblastoma, but cholangiocarcinoma (the fancy word for bile duct cancer) is another regular deadpooling ally. One such victim was Stuart Gray, who hailed from a footballing family that included Leeds great Eddie Gray as his father. The younger Gray continued the […]
COUNCIL ADJOURNED Newcastle councillor Jason Smith undoubtedly seemed a nice chap, and didn’t deserve the pancreatic cancer diagnosis that led to his death aged 50. But beyond that there’s little to say about his life. His death was slightly more interesting – local obits were published on the 24th, but none from the BBC, making […]
WHEN YOU’RE A CORPSE YOU’RE A CORPSE ALL THE WAY Broadway actress Chita Rivera has died aged 91. A trailblazer for Latino artists, her first major role as the original Anita in West Side Story remains her best known. She also originated Velma Kelly in Chicago, and won Tonys for The Rink and Kiss of […]
BUS STOP, BUS GOES, SHE STAYS, DON GOES Actor Don Murray has died aged 94. He was perhaps best known for his breakout role in Bus Stop, where he acted opposite Marilyn Monroe and was nominated for an Oscar. In recent years he was cajoled out of retirement to join the Twin Peaks revival. Despite […]
GRIM SHOT THE RASTA Last of the original Wailers, Aston Barrett, has died aged 77. The bassist for the group was seen as an instrumental pioneer in reggae, helping shape the sound of Marley hits like “No Woman, No Cry”, “I Shot the Sheriff”, and “Jamming”. He was nicknamed “Family Man” for seeing his bands […]
SIRIUS ILLNESS US radio host and civil rights activist Joe Madison has died aged 74. “The Black Eagle” was long active in the NAACP before deciding to take his civil rights message to radio. He deftly cultivated a multiracial following while using his air waves pulpit to speak out against apartheid and for voting rights. […]
DONLON DUSTED US Medal of Honor recipient Roger Donlon has died aged 89. He was the first to receive the Medal of Honor for actions in the Vietnam War after saving the lives of many of his unit during a surprise ambush. In his later years he suffered from a Parkinson’s disease connected to Agent […]
