DEATHS ; Notable Passings; The Thread to Pay Last Respects

And in Judge Dredd, he was already 66!

Such an impressive actor!!

 

Max Von Sydow was one of the greatest. He could play the most sober roles or take on the goofiest parts with equal passion. Examples of goofy would be Ming the Merciless in Flash Gordon (a very fun movie) and as the evil brewer in Strange Brew (another fun movie). R.I.P.

 

I had forgotten about Max in Strange Brew! For a guy who turned down Dr. No, to take on Bob and Doug McKenzie in a hoser flock was quite a leap! Glad he had a good innings...

 

Man, I was beginning to think he'd won that chess game after all.

My Mother, a fan of all things Scandivian, loved Von Sydow (and Bergman). I guess I'm glad he outlived her so she didn't have to see one of her icons pass from the world before she did.


R.I.P. Max Von Sydow

THE END (?)

 

I'll go you one better King Osric The Usurper in "Conan the Barbarian".

"Steal my daughter back for me thieves...
There comes a time in a king's life when the throne room becomes a prison. A time when jewels cease to sparkle, when gold loses its luster... and the only thing that matters is the smile on the face of his daughter."

No verbatim but the best my musty memory can do.

Worf

 

Heard about that this morning while keeping busy at work. RIP. Like many, I'll always remember Sydow as the titular priest in "The Exorcist." It's amazing to think he looked old even back in '73, and he was only 47 at the time! He was always one of those people that seemed to be ageless in my eyes, like Patrick Stewart or Betty White.

 

Let's just say Linda Blair wasn't the only actor wearing specialized makeup in that movie.

 

French Americain film director & screenwriter, Tonie Marshall, has died after a long illness. She was 68.

 

British actor, comedian, radio host, author, presenter, renowned authority on the history of music hall & reconteur extraordinaire, Roy Hudd, died yesterday (the 15th) after a short illness aged 83.

 

Actor Lyle Waggoner, known from Carol Burnett Show and Wonder Woman, has died, aged 84.

http://www.msn.com/en-ca/entertainm...yle-waggoner/ar-BB11mrDv?li=AAggNb9&ocid=iehp

My mum was a huge fan of Carol Burnett, and we watched her show in the 70s. I still remember when guest star Gloria Swanson came on stage with Waggoner, praising Carol. Something along the lines of "you know, I am often given special gifts when I appear, but Carol, you've really outdone yourself"! Carol of course spoofed Sunset Blvd., doing a Norma Desmond spoof, Nora Desmond.

 

Appollo 15 astronaut and once the most isolated man in (away from?) the world, Al Worden, has died, aged 88:

http://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/world...ed-human-being-has-died/ar-BB11qtgD?ocid=iehp

He was the commander of the module on that mission, and circled the moon while his colleagues roamed on the surface.

 

Thanks for droppin' in Kenny...

https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/kenny-rogers-obit-1.5505515

 

Albert Uderzo, one of the two fathers of Asterix.
https://www.lemonde.fr/disparitions...es-peres-d-asterix-est-mort_6034210_3382.html

 

A first for these pages, world jazz saxophonist & singer, Manu Dibango, has died in Paris from complications of COVID-19. He was 86.

 

Playwright & screenwriter, Terrence McNally, already suffering from C.O.P.D. has died following complications from COVID-19 in Florida, aged 81.

 

Popular athlete/entertainer Fred “Curly” Neal, legendary performer with the Harlem Globetrotters has died at the age of 77. Neal’s infectious smile and basketball skill entertained millions for over two decades.

https://us.yahoo.com/sports/harlem-...urly-neal-dies-at-77-years-old-191923277.html

 

Actor, Mark Blum, has died from complications of COVID-19 aggravated by underlying health issues. He was 69.

 

Ellis Marsalis, 85, patriarch of New Orleans jazz and father to numerous musicians (his own kids and those he taught), from pneumonia likely brought on by COVID-19. RIP Jazz Man.

https://www.nola.com/entertainment_life/music/article_bbdaf4c4-7481-11ea-92ae-1758b23c65c8.html

 

It's been a bad time for musicians besides Marsalis:

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/02/arts/music/bucky-pizzarelli-dead-coronavirus.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/01/arts/music/adam-schlesinger-dead-coronavirus.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/31/arts/music/wallace-roney-dead-coronavirus.html

Alas, I fear this is just the beginning.

 

WTF, the great actor Pete Postlethwaite died in 2011!!!!!