I’m still mourning the loss of the Dunkin Donuts guy.
Fare thee well, Incredible Mr. Limpet.
Darren McGavin, the father in A Christmas Story, died today. He was 84. Bad week to be old.
Actually, McGavin was 83 at the time of his death. I had no idea he was older than Knotts though.
R.I.P.
Here are some more recent photos of McGavin. They were taken at the 20th Anniversary Celebration/Screening of A Christmas Story in November 2003 in Newport Beach, CA.
There are more photos of various cast members here.
He hadn’t been working regularly since 1999, though he made an uncredited cameo appearance as a reporter in the pilot episode of ABC’s now-cancelled series remake of The Night Stalker.
I loved Don Knotts’s work and am sad to hear he’s gone. But, damn, I’m in shock about Darren McGavin. The Night Stalker knocked me on my ass when I was a kid, and really just because of him, his performance as Kolchak. It was like Bogart’s less cool younger brother, more prone to take chances, not as lucky but who naturally stumbles on more truths. There was nothing like Kolchak before and nothing like it since, despite the obvious homages.
I met him once and was blown away. He was so humble and laughed when I told him how The Night Stalker affected me, how great it was. Like a lot of actors, his more serious work was more memorable to him than a short-lived TV show. Anyway, he was an incredible actor, great in everything he was in. His passing leaves a gaping hole in the movie industry. He will be missed. RIP.
My grandpa died today. He’s not famous, but he’s going up there in good company.
What YT wrote expresses my sentiments about McGavin and his portrayal of Kolchak.
Electrichead: Sorry to hear about your Grandpa.
Quote:
| While he’s not as well-known as the prolific Joe Raposo, Bruce Hart, who passed away last Tuesday of lung cancer, also left his musical mark on Sesame Street. Hart and his wife were one of the first writers hired for the children’s program when it debuted in 1969. Bruce, along with writer Jon Stone, wrote the lyrics to the theme song. Folks who are around my age and older, however, might remember another contribution of Hart’s. He penned the lyrics for the popular album and TV special “Free To Be You And Me” which featured celebrities such as Mel Brooks, Shel Silverstein, Marlo Thomas, Alan Alda, and many others. My sister and I listened to that album all the time when we were kids. We used an antiquated device called a “record player.” |
Source: http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/02/27/se...st-dead-at-68/
Looks like that truck finally got him.
Quote:
| LOS ANGELES, California (AP) – Dennis Weaver, the slow-witted deputy Chester Goode in the TV classic western “Gunsmoke” and the New Mexico deputy solving New York crime in “McCloud,” has died. The actor was 81. Weaver died of complications from cancer Friday at his home in Ridgway, in southwestern Colorado, his publicist Julian Myers said. |
How random is it that a man known for writing songs for Sesame Street dies over the weekend in addition to the deaths of 3 superb character actors who all have first names starting with the letter '“D”?
You know, I posted in the Darren McGavin RIP thread, because I completely forgot about this one…
I throw myself onto the mercy of the court.
Quote:
| Originally Posted by Richard Dickson Looks like that truck finally got him. |
Dennis Weaver, now being chased by the big rusty truck in the sky…
sorry about your grandad Electric.
Artful Dodger unable to dodge death:
Quote:
| Jack Wild, the actor who played the Artful Dodger in the 1968 film Oliver!, has died.The 53-year-old lost his battle with cancer last night. |
And of course, he’ll forever be Jimmy, the magical-flute-toting boy on H.R. Puffnstuff.
Jack Wild…
Wow…that’s really depressing. Between him and Don Knotts, that’s a lot of childhood memories now tinged with sadness.
Jackson 5 drummer Johnny Jackson was found stabbed to death in his home Wednesday.
One of the most likeable athletes ever, and who knows how much longer he could have played if it wasn’t for the eye problems he developed.
This depresses the hell out of me.
Quote:
| Originally Posted by Richard Dickson Kirby Puckett One of the most likeable athletes ever, and who knows how much longer he could have played if it wasn’t for the eye problems he developed. This depresses the hell out of me. |
Well, wasn’t there all that awful PR stuff that emerged after his retirement? He didn’t seem that squeaky clean and likeable by the time he got into the Hall of Fame.
Dana Reeve, wife of late actor Christopher Reeve
Quote:
| A lifelong nonsmoker, Dana Reeve revealed she had the disease in August, less than a year after her husband’s death. She died Monday night. “We are all just so sad,” foundation President Kathy Lewis said. Lewis said that she had visited Reeve on Friday and that she was “strong and gracious and courageous.” (Watch how Dana Reeve’s work inspired admiration – 1:52) Reeve was the chairwoman of the foundation, which funds research for new treatments for spinal cord injuries and works to improve the quality of life for people suffering from paralysis. Her husband died in October 2004 at age 52 after falling into a coma. He had been paralyzed since a horseback riding accident in 1995. Reeve was admired for the support and love she showed for her husband and for her assistance in his care. She also was an actress and singer. In January, she sang at the retirement ceremony for Mark Messier’s New York Rangers jersey at Madison Square Garden. “She sang beautifully. She looked lovely,” said Kathie Lee Gifford, who interviewed Reeve at the event. “She was wearing a wig, of course. She had been through chemo and radiation. She was very thin, which you would expect for somebody going through what she was going through.” Gifford said she was surprised by the news because Reeve had seemed so healthy that night. (Watch how nonsmoking women face a lung cancer risk – 3:34) “I was absolutely stunned because she told me that day that the tumor was shrinking and she was the picture of optimism that night,” Gifford said. Kate Michelman, a member of the foundation’s board, remembered Reeve as “a great spirit.” “The country suffers because Dana, on a personal level, was one of the most remarkable people I’ve ever known,” Michelman said. She said Reeve’s health had seemed to improve, giving friends and loved ones hope that she might recover from the cancer. “She was improving. You know her own spirit and her own determination to overcome this plague made us feel she could do it,” Michelman said. “She just recently learned that she was failing and right up [till] the end, I have to tell you, Dana was convinced she was going to overcome this.” Michelman said Reeve’s death is “a dreadful loss” but that the foundation will “move forward with Christopher and Dana’s vision.” Dana and Christopher Reeve married in 1992 after a five-year relationship. The actor was famous for his role as Superman in a trilogy of movies in the late 1970s and 1980s. He continued to act and direct films after his accident. Christopher Reeve became a crusader to help find therapies and treatments for paralysis and was an outspoken supporter of stem-cell research. Dana Reeve was credited with carrying on his work through the foundation. “After Christopher’s death, Dana was determined to preserve the important work and the legacy of hope that became his life’s mission,” Lewis said in a statement. "Even in our grief, the foundation must pick up and continue to go forward with this mission. “At the same time, we commit ourselves to ensuring that the light of grace, courage and hopefulness that Dana embodied continues to shine bright – bringing comfort and hope to people living with paralysis and their families and caregivers.” She is survived by the couple’s son, Will, 13; her father; two sisters; and two stepchildren, according to the foundation’s statement. |
Damn! I cannot imagine what it’s like to lose both of your parents in less than 2 years, much less having to grow up with a father who is physically immobile.
My thoughts go out to the Reeve family, and most especially, young Will Reeve.