RIP 2023

[DELTAprime]

A wrestler most people won't know of because he never worked for WWE or AEW passed away yesterday. Jay Briscoe was a full time chicken farmer and part time pro wrestler and was beloved by his colleages, friends, family and fans. He was killed in a fatal car crash that also could have easily claimed his kids in the back. He and his brother Mark are regarded as one of, if not the absolute best tag team of all time.

Rest in Piece good man.

[griffin]

We seemed to be having a quiet year so far, in regards to famous people dying... and since I have just been a bit busy in the last couple of weeks, I hadn't really had the time to get around to starting up a new RIP topic.

Some of the ones so far this year that I recognised, or was significantly interesting to me:
Lisa Marie Presley - daughter of Elvis Presley
Fred White - drummer from the band Earth, Wind & Fire.
Robby Knievel - son of Evel Knievel (both were stunt bike riders)
David Crosby - American singer
Earl Boen - mostly 1980s actor (also voiced a role in the 1987 GIJoe movie) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earl_Boen
Lucile Randon - was the current oldest person in the world since April 2022, dying at 118 years - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_verified_oldest_people
Cardinal George Pell
Renee Geyer - Australian singer, had one hit in the 1980s.
(coincidentally, both of those last two people were Australians who died from complications during hip surgery, about a week apart, in different countries)

The new wiki page that I will use for reference... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deaths_in_2023

[DELTAprime]

I should have mentioned, Ken Block. I suggest checking out his amazing story, from a kid in Southern California to a cult icon of rally driving and the innovator of Gymkhana.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHTNJguVlMA

[Handsprime]

I should have mentioned, Ken Block. I suggest checking out his amazing story, from a kid in Southern California to a cult icon of rally driving and the innovator of Gymkhana.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHTNJguVlMA

Ken Blocks death really shocked him. I always loved his videos and usually drive Hoonigan cars in the Forza games. Apparently the March series in Forza Horizon 5 will be dedicated to him.

[G1Optimal]

Rest in peace ken block :(

[Tha_Phantom]

RIP Raquel Welch

[Tranceblade]

Local TF artist Andrew Sorohan seems to have passed overnight
https://twitter.com/damnyouwillis/status/1626654026514239586

[Paulbot]

This is terrible news. While he's not been active here for several years, he's been part of the online fandom longer than most of us and my sympathy to who know him well.

[Tha_Phantom]

I met Andrew in person when he was in Sydney for Supanova. Very knowledgeable bloke to say the least and this news is sad to hear. Rest in peace.

[GoktimusPrime]

VALE ANDREW SOROHAN
https://i.ibb.co/9gP0GZ0/temp.jpg
I had a better tribute written up, but this board is glitching and won't let me post it.

[DELTAprime]

The creator of Mad Max, George Miller has died.

I just read a little of his bio on Wikipedia. His parents immigrated to Australia from the same little Greek island Kythira my father's parents were from.

[Handsprime]

The creator of Mad Max, George Miller has died.

I just read a little of his bio on Wikipedia. His parents immigrated to Australia from the same little Greek island Kythira my father's parents were from.

Wrong George Miller, it was actually George T. Miller (who directed The Man from Snowy River) who passed away.

[XMan]

RIP Richard Belzer 😔

[DELTAprime]

Wrong George Miller, it was actually George T. Miller (who directed The Man from Snowy River) who passed away.

Really? There are two of them? Well hopefully, the Mad Max guy has a long life ahead of him.

Also, I guess the article I read didn't do that research. It listed Mad Max Fury Road as one of the movies he was famous for.

[GoktimusPrime]

Legendary Japanese manga author Matsumoto Leiji has passed away a week ago, aged 85
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-02-20/leiji-matsumoto-manga-creator-of-epic-space-sagas-dies-aged-85/102000658

Matsumoto specialised in the space opera genre, and some of his best known works include:
* Space Battleship Yamato (a.k.a. Star Blazers)
* Captain Harlock
* Galaxy Express 999

He also mentored Magami Ban, who was the writer/artist for the G1 manga as well as the animation model designer for Toei's Transformers from The Headmasters onwards (i.e. when Toei decided to split from Sunbow and artistically move away from Floro Dery's designs).

[Cat]

RIP Richard Belzer 😔

He made my teenage years. So many SVU episodes watched.

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

Legendary Japanese manga author Matsumoto Leiji has passed away a week ago, aged 85
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-02-20/leiji-matsumoto-manga-creator-of-epic-space-sagas-dies-aged-85/102000658

Matsumoto specialised in the space opera genre, and some of his best known works include:
* Space Battleship Yamato (a.k.a. Star Blazers)
* Captain Harlock
* Galaxy Express 999

He also mentored Magami Ban, who was the writer/artist for the G1 manga as well as the animation model designer for Toei's Transformers from The Headmasters onwards (i.e. when Toei decided to split from Sunbow and artistically move away from Floro Dery's designs).

This was very sad news for me, I think Star Blazers had a profound effect on me when I was young the theme was fantastic! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rz263xIQmvo) and the Hadoho cannon (I can't recall the English name of it right now) was one of the coolest weapons ever. Also recently saw Galaxy Express 999, and while it was long, and repeated itself quite often, I found it rather enjoyable, with some very deep themes. I was always fascinated by the nature of Maetel, she picks up Tetsuro and you assume she is a good person, but in the advetures, she causes the destruction of at least two planets. I was surprised, that even though Tetsuro managed to help a fair few people on his journey, Maetel had no qualms about blowing up celestial bodies. Much like Rodimus Prime. :P

[GoktimusPrime]

the Hadoho cannon (I can't recall the English name of it right now) was one of the coolest weapons ever.
Hadouhou = Wave Motion Cannon
That's what they called it in the Star Blazers dub, so it's an accurate translation. :)

It's not often that Japanese can translate so directly into English like this, but it works.
Ha/nami = wave (thus "tsunami"; tidal wave)
Dou/ugo(ku) = motion, movement
Hou = cannon

Guh... awkward trying to explain this in Romaji (but alas, this board doesn't allow for Japanese script)

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

Vale Jerry Springer. :(

[Tha_Phantom]

Vale Jerry Springer. :(

Yeah, that was a sad one. :(

[Omega Metro]

Yeah, that was a sad one. :(

Can’t say I ever saw any of his shows. Though he died of Pancreatic cancer which my dad died of so know what that’s like. Barry Humphries was the sad one for me. RIP Dame Edna.:(

[Tha_Phantom]

Can’t say I ever saw any of his shows. Though he died of Pancreatic cancer which my dad died of so know what that’s like. Barry Humphries was the sad one for me. RIP Dame Edna.:(

Sorry to hear that about your dad. My condolences.

I grew up watching Jerry Springer so I'm sad for both him and Barry.

[griffin]

That death of Jerry Springer was a surprise to me too, as his "Judge Jerry" show had only just started playing on the new 7bravo tv channel, and I don't think it was too old, and he didn't look too bad, so if it was a type of cancer, it must have been quick.


Also, the sudden death of that Masterchef judge on Monday was so unexpected that Channel 10 were still playing commercials of the show (for its launch that night) during every ad-break, at the time Channel 7 was announcing the news of his death during their morning news program (before channel 10 had decided to suspend airing of the new show by a week).

It was really bad timing too, less than 9 hours before the first episode was to screen, and people were suggesting that the airing of the entire season be cancelled because it was too soon. Considering the amount of money Channel 10 pours into it, I couldn't see that happening.

The news reports said that it wasn't a suspicious death (as in, it wasn't a murder), and there was no mention of it being of natural causes... so there is the implication that it was self-inflicted. Later news reports had noted a past history of drug usage, and some mental issues (probably damage caused by the really hard drugs he had admitted to using when younger), so maybe all of the constant attention and the exhausting media blitzing of promoting the new season, while he was away from his family, was just too much... giving just the "right" combination of factors coming together at the one time, to lead to the wrong decision.

[dirge]

Also, the sudden death of that Masterchef judge on Monday was so unexpected that Channel 10 were still playing commercials of the show (for its launch that night) during every ad-break, at the time Channel 7 was announcing the news of his death during their morning news program (before channel 10 had decided to suspend airing of the new show by a week).

It was really bad timing too, less than 9 hours before the first episode was to screen, and people were suggesting that the airing of the entire season be cancelled because it was too soon. Considering the amount of money Channel 10 pours into it, I couldn't see that happening.

The news reports said that it wasn't a suspicious death (as in, it wasn't a murder), and there was no mention of it being of natural causes... so there is the implication that it was self-inflicted. Later news reports had noted a past history of drug usage, and some mental issues (probably damage caused by the really hard drugs he had admitted to using when younger), so maybe all of the constant attention and the exhausting media blitzing of promoting the new season, while he was away from his family, was just too much... giving just the "right" combination of factors coming together at the one time, to lead to the wrong decision.

Usually if it's suicide, the news stories will have a blurb about Beyond Blue, etc. None of the stories carried that. So I suspect it was a heart attack or something similar.

[Tha_Phantom]

Worth noting that he was also secretly fighting bowel cancer, although this was not listed as the cause of death.

https://www.perthnow.com.au/entertainment/jock-zonfrillo-late-masterchef-judge-battled-bowel-cancer-twice-before-untimely-death-c-10519087?fbclid=IwAR3elsxkbl3p50gSv6XXE-poaOMux8zcVLDypNM22fV_pPX8ZPNgtftugg8

[griffin]

A couple of people who used to be big entertainers are now gone... Tina Turner and Rolf Harris. Both were about 90.

[Cat]

We also lost Ray Stevenson early in the week. He played Titus Pullo in Rome, The Punisher in Punisher War Zone, Volstsagg in the Thor films, and was in Dexter and Star Wars, along many other roles. He was a fantastic actor. May he rest in peace, and may his family and friends find the love and support they need during this difficult time.

[Handsprime]

Also lost Andy Rourke from The Smiths as well. His bass playing was very essential to some of my favourite songs by them.

[Bartrim]

https://youtu.be/iuowcRmc6oo

In honour of the passing of the great Tony Bennett. One of my favourite SNL sketches.

[griffin]

Singer Sinead O'Connor died yesterday... said to be by suicide, 18 months after losing one of her children to suicide, which she took very hard.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sin%C3%A9ad_O'Connor

[griffin]

I was watching the movie Flight of the Navigator the other day (one of my favourite 80s movies from when I was a kid), and remembered that the person who voiced the alien spaceship, was Paul Reubens, who died in July, which made it a bit sad to watch.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flight_of_the_Navigator

[Handsprime]

Eariler this month we lost Steve Harwell (lead singer of Smash Mouth). Unfortunately he had some serious health problems due to his struggles with alcoholism and something called Wet Brain (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wernicke_encephalopathy).
I know the meme of All Star, but honestly Walkin' On The Sun (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQj--Kjn0z8) is a serious banger of a tune.

[Tha_Phantom]

Sir Michael Gambon's family have confirmed that he passed away from pneumonia at the age of 82.
Thank you for your contribution to cinema and may you rest in peace.

[griffin]

For those unfamiliar, he was probably best known most recently for playing Dumbledore in most of the Harry Potter movies.

[DELTAprime]

For those unfamiliar, he was probably best known most recently for playing Dumbledore in most of the Harry Potter movies.

For those like me who have zero interest in Harry Potter, you might know him as the namesake of Gambon Corner on the Top Gear Test Track. In an early episode of the Clarkson, Hammond and May version of Top Gear, Micheal Gambon took part in the Star in a Reasonably Priced Car segment. The end of the lap around the Test Track was so wild that is why they named the corner after him. Here is his segment on Top Gear's YouTube channel.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3W7pLkFkVjg

[Autocon]

Cal Wilson died. She was the NZ comedian and host of aussie bake off.

[griffin]

I saw that today, and she didn't look that old (53)... which still isn't too old for someone who seemed quite active and healthy, so it must have been a quite serious illness.

[kovert]

Astronaut Frank Borman, commander of the Apollo 8 mission, passed away at the age of 95. In December 1968, the crew of Apollo 8 were the first humans to orbit the Moon.

[Jetfire in the sky]

I was watching the movie Flight of the Navigator the other day (one of my favourite 80s movies from when I was a kid), and remembered that the person who voiced the alien spaceship, was Paul Reubens, who died in July, which made it a bit sad to watch.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flight_of_the_Navigator

Was there an MISB Insecticon in this film?

[kovert]

Was there an MISB Insecticon in this film?

Shrapnel.

[Handsprime]

RIP Peter Spellos, aka Sky-Byte. Sadly passed away after fighting a battle with pancreatic cancer.
https://tfwiki.net/mediawiki/images2/0/05/SkyByteAnime.jpg
Who's the baddest shark around? Who's the smartest shark in town?
Sky-Byte, that's me!