The Graffe's Celebrity Death Pool

[Delores Mulva]

Robert Hardy, who played Cornelius Fudge in Harry Potter, age 91:

http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-40818839

[Laedria]

If you think their Stairway is good, you should listen to their fantastic Battle of Evermore:

Wow.

[Merkus]

Country singer Glen Campbell is in late stage dementia so he will soon be added to the list.

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Called this one. RIP Wichita Lineman.

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[Delores Mulva]

Obit:

http://www.cnn.com/2017/08/08/entert...ies/index.html

[Ackar]

The Man Who First Played Godzilla Has Died

Haruo Nakajima, the suit actor who played Godzilla from 1954's Godzilla to 1972's Godzilla vs. Gigan, has died. He was 88.

Nakajima started his career playing small bit roles, but his big break was bringing Godzilla to life in its seminal debut. He would go on to play the character for the 12 consecutive films that followed over the next 18 years.

As Kotaku previously reported, Nakajima said he prepared for the role by studying how elephants walked. “At that time, there was an elephant from India there called Indira and I observed how it walked,” he said in 2014. “So Godzilla’s style of walking came from an elephant.”

While the gig paid well, Nakajima said he didn’t initially get the respect he deserved donning the 100 kilogram Godzilla suit. “Back then, people didn’t speak positively of suit actors,” says Nakajima. “There’d be whispers going around that working inside (a suit) is not an acting job.” The character he played is one of the most famous in movie history.

According to Sponichi Annex, Nakajima died yesterday afternoon after contracting pneumonia. May he rest in peace.

[Khieran]

The Man Who First Played Godzilla Has Died

I remember when I was a kid, there was a local station that showed monster movies late every Friday night - Frankenstein, Mummy, Wolfman, Dracula... all the classics, along with the great 50s sci-fi flicks. I watched it religiously every week... the first time I saw the original Godzilla it scared the crap out of me. Raymond Burr was perfect in that movie, and yeah, Godzilla was a guy in a suit, but that guy did a great job in that suit

[PPatty]

Now in the on-deck circle:

Wooooooo! Give 'em hell, naitch!

[FilanFyretracker]

I remember when I was a kid, there was a local station that showed monster movies late every Friday night - Frankenstein, Mummy, Wolfman, Dracula... all the classics, along with the great 50s sci-fi flicks. I watched it religiously every week... the first time I saw the original Godzilla it scared the crap out of me. Raymond Burr was perfect in that movie, and yeah, Godzilla was a guy in a suit, but that guy did a great job in that suit

I am guessing it was a UHF station, That is how lots of the movies like this got their roots in the US. Late night movies on UHF stations because the stations had shoestring budgets and monster movies were cheap to license.

Interesting enough this was also the origins of MST3K using old cheesy movies, Its not just they are a lot of fun to riff but the UHF station the show started on had a huge collection of B movies they had license to use. Natural fit.

[Khieran]

I am guessing it was a UHF station

It was a channel out of Tulsa... one of the 9 channels we got on cable back then LOL - The Mazeppa Pompazoidi Film Festival. I had to look up how to spell the name... and ran across this article about it:

http://www.mazeppa.com/Mazeppa1.html

[Merkus]

Jerry Lewis R.I.P.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Lewis

[Delores Mulva]

CNN obit, very long as befits a long life: http://www.cnn.com/2017/08/20/entert...ies/index.html

His entrance and exit in "Cinderfella":



If he looks on the verge of collapse at the end when he runs out, it's because he did collapse right after the take with a cardiac event and spent four days in an oxygen tent recovering.

[Logan Lightfoot]

Dick Gregory - Comedian and civil rights activist

http://www.cnn.com/2017/08/19/entert...bit/index.html

[Merkus]

R.I.P. Walter Becker (Steely Dan Co-founder)

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_59...b0354e440af6c4

Steely Dan is one of my all-time favorite bands.

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[Dawlin]

[Khieran]

R.I.P. Walter Becker (Steely Dan Co-founder)

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_59...b0354e440af6c4

Steely Dan is one of my all-time favorite bands.

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Damn, they made some awesome music. I have always been a Steely Dan fan.

[FilanFyretracker]

Troy Gentry of Montgomery Gentry, Helicopter crash
http://6abc.com/troy-gentry-killed-i...crash/2392074/

[Ackar]

Science Fiction author Jerry Pournelle has died

[PPatty]

I guess that means no more Mote books. At least not by anyone who counts.

[Delores Mulva]

A celebrity only to those who love hockey, Pierre Pilote, three time Norris winner (best D-man of the year) and Hall of Fame member, 85:

http://www.tsn.ca/hall-of-famer-pilo...at-85-1.852353

[Ninetoes]

A celebrity only to those who love hockey, Pierre Pilote, three time Norris winner (best D-man of the year) and Hall of Fame member, 85:

http://www.tsn.ca/hall-of-famer-pilo...at-85-1.852353