People die every day. Some of them are famous, some important, many newsworthy. This thread is for announcements of deaths in the news, discussions of the legacy of those recently deceased people, and memorials of same.
Please observe the usual rules about posting ettiquette and note that this is in On-Topic Conversations.
To start with, the last of the original Von Trapp Singers has died, Maria Von Trapp, 99, in Vermont. (This is the daughter of Captain Von Trapp, not her stepmother who was also named Maria. In the musical, they called her Louisa.)
http://news.yahoo.com/maria-von-trapp-99-dies-vermont-005546425.html
2023 mod note:
In line with the general forum rules, 'gravedancing' is prohibited here. If you're celebrating someone's death, your post will get thumped. This rule applies regardless of what the person you're discussing has said or done.
This doesn't mean that you can't discuss their life or legacy, or express an opinion as to whether they escaped justice for their actions. But if that starts to become a longer conversation, there are other OTC threads that may be more appropriate.
Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:28:19 AM
What a man. Decades of charitable work and work for peace. A massive loss — truly one of the greatest ex-Presidents. RIP
Works That Require Cleanup of Complaining | Troper WallI'd like to share Mr. Carter's message that he sent on the Voyager probe fifty years ago. A message of optimism that is rare to come across these days.
We cast this message into the cosmos. It is likely to survive a billion years into our future, when our civilization is profoundly altered and the surface of the Earth may be vastly changed. Of the 200 billion stars in the Milky Way galaxy, some — perhaps many — may have inhabited planet and spacefaring civilizations. If one such civilization intercepts Voyager and can understand these recorded contents, here is our message:
“This is a present from a small distant world, a token of our sounds, our science, our images, our music, our thoughts and our feelings. We are attempting to survive our time so we may live into yours. We hope someday, having solved the problem we face, to join a community of galactic civilizations. This record represents our hope and our determination, and our good will in a vast and awesome universe.”
— Jimmy Carter, President of the United States of America, the White House, June 16, 1977
RIP, Mr. President. May your message ring true and triumphant in the future, even though you'll never get to see it.
Charles Dolan, HBO and Cablevision founder, 98:
Linda Lavin, Tony-winning actress and star of Alice, 87:
Michael Burkard, poet, died over a week ago at age 77
.
Helmut Schlesinger, German economist and president of the Bundesbank, died over a week ago at age 100
.
M. T. Vasudevan Nair, Indian author, died last week at age 91
.
Paul Abine Ayah, Cameroonian politician, died last week at age 74
.
Lenny Randle, "The Most Interesting Man in Baseball", died on Sunday at 75.
Things that happened in his professional baseball career that earned him that moniker by Rolling Stone magazine:
- Was on the bench at the Washington Senators' final game in 1971 when fans who were angry at the team's impending move to Texas stormed the field and rioted, causing the game to be forfeited to the New York Yankees.
- Intentionally bunted towards Cleveland Indians pitcher Milt Wilcox in a 1974 game in order to run him over in retaliation for Wilcox throwing a pitch behind him earlier in the game, sparking a brawl and contributing to the Ten Cent Beer Night fan riot a few days later.
- Punched his manager Frank Lucchesi three times in the face during a spring training game in 1977 after he was benched in favor of a rookie draftee at second base; he was fined and traded to the New York Mets.
- Was at-bat for the Mets during a game at Shea Stadium when the New York City Blackout of 1977 happened.
- During a game in 1981 playing for the Seattle Mariners, the Kansas City Royals' Amos Otis hit a slow roller just fair down the third-base line; Randle got down on his hands and knees and blew the ball over the line to make it go foul. Randle claimed he was yelling at the ball to go foul; the umpire was having none of it and called it a fair ball.
- After retiring from MLB, he became the first US-born player to play professionally in Italy.
Jocelyn Wildstein, socialite dubbed as "Catwoman", 84:
https://people.com/jocelyn-wildenstein-dead-catwoman-socialite-plastic-surgery-8767989
Wayne Osmond, member of the singing Osmond family, 73:
https://people.com/the-osmonds-singer-wayne-osmond-dead-73-8768539
rollin' on dubs
Tank Nut Dave - Owner of a youtube channel link
=TankNutDave.com & fightingvehicles.com has passed away.
Aleksey Bugaev
, Russian association football/soccer player, 43, KIA in Ukraine.
Britt Allcroft
, creator of Thomas & Friends, Age 81. Passed away December 27, 2024.

Well, it had to happen sooner or later. What a run, though.
Self-serious autistic trans gal who loves rock/metal and animation with all her heart. (she/her)