RIP 2022

[griffin]

Just seeing if this works... having a topic for anyone that may not be famous enough to deserve their own topic, but significant enough to some of us to be mentioned and remembered.

A wiki file here has a list of 2022 deaths (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deaths_in_2022), noting some of the causes (quite a few Covid deaths listed).

[griffin]

A couple of actors from the last week - Sidney Poitier (I remember him best from the film Sneakers, which is a really funny film) & Bob Saget (he's fairly well known in America for a number of programs not shown here, but for me he was the narrator/voice-over in How I Met Your Mother).

[Autocon]

But its only January! :O

[griffin]

Actor Louie Anderson (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louie_Anderson) died on the 21st. He wasn't well known here, but was host of a number of popular American TV game shows over the last 25 years (including Family Feud), so a lot of Americans would know him.
I just remember him best from Coming to America (with Eddie Murphy), as one of the employees at McDowells restaurant. (he didn't do a lot of Movie roles though)

And on the 20th, we lost Mr Meat Loaf (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meat_Loaf). Probably best known for music, he also had a big resume of acting roles, on TV and on stage... including the one I remember most, being in the movie Fight Club).

[1AZRAEL1]

Do like the idea of a yearly thread rather than individual posts

Loaf was also turned into roast meat in Rocky Horror where I most knew him from acting. And most people prefers the first Bat album, whilst I always preferred Bat 2

[1AZRAEL1]

And Gespard Ulliel, who is playing a villain in the upcoming Moon Knight show, also played Hannibal in Hannibal Rising, died in a skiing accident on 19th

[griffin]

Last Saturday (12th FEB), the director of the original 1994 Ghostbusters, Ivan Reitman died (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivan_Reitman). His son Jason directed this year's Ghostbusters Afterlife, so it was good to see that he was around long enough to see the next chapter done within the family.

Ivan didn't direct a lot of movies for someone of his age, but most of the ones he did during the 80s and 90s were iconic or well-known.

[Autocon]

Shane Warne dead at 52 suspected heart attack in Thailand

[griffin]

Just days after another cricket legend too (Rod Marsh).
Last night I was watching this week's gogglebox episode that featured a Warne doco about his life, so it was a bit ominous for the doco to be done and then he dies.
A heart attack at only 52 (he was a self confessed heavy smoker for the first half of his life)... but not much older than many of us who were first into TFs from the very beginning.

[Tha_Phantom]

A heart attack at only 52 (he was a self confessed heavy smoker for the first half of his life)... but not much older than many of us who were first into TFs from the very beginning.

Apparently he was on some liquid diet in the week leading up to his death. Obviously smoking has played a factor, but it sounds like the stress put on his body from that diet was the final thing that did it.
Losing/gaining a lot of weight quickly is not good for you.

Anyway, regardless of how it happened RIP to one of the greatest cricketers that Australia produced.

[DELTAprime]

R.I.P. Scott Hall. One of the most stand-up guys ever in old school wrestling.

[Seraphim Prime]

William Hurt (of many movies fame, but more recently Thaddeus Ross in the Marvel films) passed away earlier this week.

[Handsprime]

Taylor Hawkins (drummer for Foo Fighters) sadly just passed away. It was very sudden since he was in Australia just a couple of weeks ago.

[Fungal Infection]

As a diehard Foo Fighters fan, this is the worst possible news this year (so far).

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

Vale Gilbert Gottfried. Most famous as the voice of the parrot in Disney's Aladdin, but absolutely hilarious on the various Celebrity reality TV shows.

Celebrity Apprentice, slightly NSFW - language (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAxrBrkOE8E).

[griffin]

Vale Gilbert Gottfried. Most famous as the voice of the parrot in Disney's Aladdin, but absolutely hilarious on the various Celebrity reality TV shows.

Celebrity Apprentice, slightly NSFW - language (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAxrBrkOE8E).

I didn't recognise the name, but immediately recognised the face.

I remember him most from Beverly Hills Cop 2 (with Eddie Murphy), as the accountant that they convince has outstanding parking tickets, and he goes nuts.

[griffin]

I just found out this morning that Estelle Harris (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estelle_Harris) died last week of natural causes - she was best known as George's mother in Seinfeld. For Toy Story fans, she was the voice of Mrs Potato Head.
She was 93.

[Paulbot]

Liz Sheridan who played Jerry’s mother on Seinfeld has also passed away. Although for us kids of the 80s she’ll always be Mrs Ochmonek from ALF first in our memories.

https://amp.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/apr/16/liz-sheridan-seinfeld-mother-dies-at-93

[griffin]

Another Australian cricketer dying young suddenly - Andrew Symonds died in a single vehicle car crash, at just 46.

[griffin]

Actor Ray Liotta died in his sleep (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Liotta) at (just) 67... which is pretty young these days to just die in your sleep if you aren't known to have any underlying conditions.

[snaketales]

Depeche Mode founding member/keyboardist Andy Fletcher died Friday aged 60 apparently of natural causes.

[griffin]

Tommy Dysart died earlier this month (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Dysart).
Not a familiar name, but I think everyone in Australia over the age of at least 30 would know the commercials - "G O G G O"... for yellow pages (and Shannons insurance), and "Is Don, Is Good", for Don's Smallgoods.

[Paulbot]

He was in an early 80s Childrens TV drama series called "Come Midnight Monday" which was a childhood favourite of mine. I still have some of it recorded on a Beta tape!

[griffin]

An obscure death last week - Monty Norman (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monty_Norman), who composed the iconic James Bond theme.

And not so obscure - Shinzo Abe (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinzo_Abe), who was I think the longest serving Prime Minister in Japan, so he was well known globally. He had to resign two years ago due to health reasons, and was helping someone campaign last weekend, when someone shot him twice with a home-made gun (guns are extremely rare in Japan, unless you are military or a crime gang).
It was a real shame too, because it all had to do with a cult/church that the killer's mother had given all of the family's money and assets to, and he felt that Abe was part of the problem, as he had sometimes been a speaker at their functions (as were some of his relatives). And he was only killed because he was an easier target, after the killer gave up trying to kill the head of the church/cult in Japan.

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

David Warner (https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/jul/25/veteran-british-actor-david-warner-star-of-the-omen-and-tron-dies-aged-80) has passed on too.
British actor, did a couple of film roles, but was really impressive as a voice actor. If anyone remembers the old Baldur's Gate 2 game, the voice of Irenicus is dead.

[Paulbot]

"A couple of film roles" is a bit of an understatement... he's like in everything. I think the first thing I saw him in was TMNT2 and that's probably way down on his resume.

[griffin]

David Warner (https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/jul/25/veteran-british-actor-david-warner-star-of-the-omen-and-tron-dies-aged-80) has passed on too.
British actor, did a couple of film roles, but was really impressive as a voice actor. If anyone remembers the old Baldur's Gate 2 game, the voice of Irenicus is dead.

For a second there, I thought it was another cricket dying in a short space of time...

I didn't immediately recall the name, but when I read a few of his roles (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Warner_(actor)), I knew exactly who it was... and I think the roles I remember most include Tron (the main villain), Time Bandits, Star Trek (multiple roles, but Chancellor Gorkon in ST6 was one that stood out for me), one of the original TMNT movies, Titanic (the one who locked up Leonardo's character hoping he would go down with the ship), and had quite a few roles in Doctor Who as well (most being voice roles).
But Tron will be the one I remember him best from... the perfect villain.

[GoktimusPrime]

Bernard Cribbins (https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-62330478) passed away 3 days ago :(

[griffin]

Bernard Cribbins (https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-62330478) passed away 3 days ago :(

Ah, another name I didn't recognise, but the face I certainly do - Donna Noble's grandfather in Doctor Who.

[GoktimusPrime]

RIP Nichelle Nichols, most famous for playing Lt. Nyota Uhura in the original Star Trek series and movies. :(

[griffin]

For the oldies out there... Judith Durham died this week. She was the singer for the Australian group "The Seekers"... who were around for almost 60 years (since the 60s), and had their first "farewell tour" in the 90s, but just kept on performing.

[Tha_Phantom]

I have fond memories of listening to the Seekers during long car trips to the Southern Highlands as a kid. Rest in peace, Judith.

[griffin]

Olivia Newton-John earlier in the week was a big loss for those of us who grew up in the 80s and lived through a lot of her work (songs and Grease repeats on TV).
She had been battling cancer for the third time, and I guess it was just too much this time.

And for the football fans, Paul Green was a premiership winning coach (and former player), and died the other day a few months short of 50. Details seem to be scarce, but since most news programs are putting up contact numbers for those considering suicide, that's what I'm guessing it was... which is strange if true, as he had a lot going for him, with a long history in football, and it looked like he was going to be on the coaching staff at the new QLD NRL team next year.
I guess sometimes you never really know until it is too late.

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

Big one this time - Queen Elizabeth is dead. I'm not sure what the cause of death was besides '96 years old with myriad health issues'. Charles is King.

[GoktimusPrime]

As someone who's old enough to remember singing God Save the Queen as our national anthem, I'm glad that we don't have to sing God Save the King. Although I can still sing God Save the Queen (and thus also God Save the King) thanks to that song being drilled into my head when I was knee high to a grasshopper.

For our younger members who may not know, Advance Australia Fair became our national anthem from 1974-75. In 1977 a plebiscite was held to choose Australia's new anthem, and Advance Australia Fair won the vote. However, it would not be reinstated as our anthem until 1984; so until then, we had to sing God Save the Queen at school assemblies. And even when it was reinstated, there was a brief period where we sang both anthems. Yeah, Advance Australia Fair has been our anthem for as long as the Transformers brand has been around. :)

[Tha_Phantom]

Wake me up when we become a Republic.

[GoktimusPrime]

RIP John Hamblin. He was my favourite Play School host when I was a kid. :(


Wake me up when we become a Republic.
I'm proud to say that I voted "YES" on the Republic Referendum back in '99. Unfortunately the majority of the population voted "NO." :(

[Tha_Phantom]

I'm proud to say that I voted "YES" on the Republic Referendum back in '99. Unfortunately the majority of the population voted "NO." :(

It's a shame to see a rise in public support for the monarchy with Liz's passing, but hopefully it is only a temporary boost.

[Paulbot]

Sorry to see the passing of acting legend Angela Lansbury

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

Sorry to see the passing of acting legend Angela Lansbury

Me too. As a kid I rather enjoyed watchiing Murder, She Wrote. with my Mum

[griffin]

Actor Robbie Coltrane died yesterday (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robbie_Coltrane)... probably best known by our demographic for his role as Hagrid on the Harry Potter films.

[High_Q]

Voice actor Kevin Conroy (https://www.theage.com.au/culture/tv-and-radio/he-will-always-be-my-batman-actor-kevin-conroy-dies-at-66-20221112-p5bxoi.html) has died from cancer at 66yo. Batman: the Animated Series was my favourite Batman series, both the stories and the animation style. RIP.

[VERT]

RIP Kevin you were the greatest Batman ever and a real nice guy.

[G1Optimal]

Jason David Frank best known for his roles as the original green and white ranger on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

[Tha_Phantom]

RIP JDF! Such a shame that reports indicate it was a suicide too. :(

[griffin]

I was rather shocked to hear about it today too...
He was one of the more prominent characters in the Power Rangers franchise (US version), as he was around for a fair bit... but his intro story was one of my favourites from that first series, and his character got quite a bit of development over the next year or so.

I don't know yet if it was confirmed that it was suicide, but I saw on his wiki page that his wife of almost 10 years (and I think mother of two of his four kids) had filed for divorce in August, so that could have been the cause. But I find it hard to believe that someone as extroverted and with a strong personality like his, being so social and athletic... and having four kids to live for... I just can't believe he would throw it all away.


As for being Transformers related - the surprising thing for me was reading on tfw that JDF voiced a character in the Titans Return cartoon, as the Emissary (https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Emissary_(TR)). Since I still haven't seen the WFC cartoons, I did not know this (it might have been in a news posting at the time, but I might have taken more notice of it if I had seen it and took note of the cast).

[Tha_Phantom]

Yeah, his wife filed for divorce and was looking to take more than half of their assets. She had also accused him of cheating on her. Whether those accusations are right or not, I can understand him feeling in a very dark place about it being out in the open along with the prospect of losing a lot of income he worked hard to generate. It's a shame he didn't feel he could seek help for what he was feeling, but I also know from my own experience with depression and others who have dealt with it that being open about it is not easy.
As sad as this situation is, I do hope that we can have a more open discussion about mental health going forward. I've noticed that many media outlets haven't been afraid to say the word suicide where usually they'd keep it vague and post a bunch of phone numbers at the end of the article.

[Bartrim]

Christine McVie from one of my favourite bands Fleetwood Mac passed away at the age of 79.
I had the chance to see them last time they toured here and passed on the opportunity.

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

Kinda Transformers related this one, famous for singing a billion anime and action kids shows theme singer guy Ichiro Mizuki passed away on December 6. He was the singer of the theme for Transformers Zone. As well as Mazinger Z and many, many other Japanese TV shows.
If You've heard the theme for Zone, you'll know there general gist of the way he sings. Very powerful voice and pumping themes aplenty. Zone was always one of My faves.

A generally great guy, very charismatic. He would often show up to nerdy things and sing songs for folks, in fact, I believe the guy was involved in a live concert just last month, while fighting lung cancer.
TF Wiki Page:
https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Ichir%C5%8D_Mizuki

Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ichirou_Mizuki

Official Site:
https://mizuki-spirits.com/

[griffin]

Some final deaths of 2022...

Footballer Pele from Brazil - probably the most famous footballer in the world.

Barbara Walters - a pioneer journalist in America, working in the field for over 50 years.

Anita Pointer - one of the Pointer Sisters.

Pope Palpatine... I mean Benedict XVI... who stepped down as Pope in 2013 due to health concerns.

[Handsprime]

Also Jeremiah Green (drummer for Modest Mouse) sadly passed away on the last day of 2022