The 2012 Off Topic Celebrity Dead Pool

[Grandpa Troll]

(CNN) -- Saudi Crown Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz, a hard-ine conservative who is credited with pushing back al Qaeda, has died, Saudi state TV said on Saturday.

Nayef, who had been named crown prince in October by his brother the king, was heir to the Saudi throne. State TV is broadcasting Quran readings as an expression of mourning for the prince, who died in Geneva, Switzerland.

"It is a shock. We are knew his health was frail but his death is a shock," Saudi Foreign Ministry spokesman Osama Nogali told CNN. "We still don't know the reason behind his death."

The Saudi Press Agency published a statement from the Royal Court, saying it "condoles the Saudi people on the deceased prince pray to God to bless his soul and to reward him for his services to his religion and homeland."



Biden meets Prince Nayef bin Abdelaziz

Saudi Arabia pumping out too much oil?

Saudi Arabia: Paving the way for change Nayef's body will arrive in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Sunday and will be buried after afternoon prayer in Mecca, Nogali said.

After the funeral, a period of mourning -- most likely for three days -- will be announced, a Saudi official told CNN. The official asked not to be named because he is not authorized to speak to the media.

It is expected that authorities selected by the king to choose a successor will meet as soon as the mourning period is over, the official said. A new crown prince could be named with next three to four days, the source said.

Nayef served as Saudi interior minister since 1975, having overseen the kingdom's counterterrorism efforts.

He also served as deputy premier.

A classified U.S. Embassy cable leaked by the website WikiLeaks described Nayef as a hard-line conservative who was lukewarm to King Abdullah's reform initiatives.

Nayef led the crack down against hard-ine Islamists who took control of Mecca in 1979, and also oversaw the smashing of Saudi-based al Qaeda cells in the mid-2000s.

In recent years, his son, Prince Mohammed bin Nayef has led the Kingdom's fight against al Qaeda as the elder Nayef seemed to have taken more of back seat.

On Saturday, the Bahrain state-run news agency announced three days of mourning in that country and ordered flags to be lowered to half-staff there and at its embassies abroad.

Years after 9/11, Saudi Arabia slowly modernizing

[SlowwHand]

"Andy Hardy" was cool.

[Grandpa Troll]

I'm suprised you missed this Grandpa Troll:

Teófilo Stevenson, Cuban Boxing Great, Dies at 60

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/13/sports/teofilo-stevenson-cuban-boxing-great-dead-at-60.html

ACK!

Thanks, had to do a few things, I really enjoyed his style!

[Tuberski]

I'm suprised you missed this Grandpa Troll:

Teófilo Stevenson, Cuban Boxing Great, Dies at 60

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/13/sports/teofilo-stevenson-cuban-boxing-great-dead-at-60.html

ACK!

[Grandpa Troll]

Frank Cady, an actor who portrayed the General Store owner Sam Drucker on 'Green Acres' and 'Petticoat Junction,' has died at age 96.

The actor passed away at his home in Wilsonville, Oregon, his daughter told the Los Angeles Times. A cause of death was not released.

Cady was best known for his role as General Store owner Sam Drucker on 'Green Acres,' a show which followed a Manhattan couple who left the city to live in a rundown farm, which ran from 1965 until 1971. Cady reprised the character in 'Petticoat Junction' and 'The Beverly Hillbillies.'

Cady had a recurring role as Doc Williams on 'The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet' and also appeared in films like 'Rear Window,' 'The Bad Seed' and 'The Million Dollar Duck.'

He and his wife Shirley moved to Oregon in the 1990's. The pair married in 1940 and had two children - daughter Catherine Turk and son Steven. Shirley Cady died in 2008, at age 91.

[Grandpa Troll]

Ann Rutherford, an actress who played Scarlett O'Hara's youngest sister in the legendary 'Gone With the Wind' died at age 94 on June 11, according to the Associated Press.

Rutherford died at her home in Beverly Hills and reportedly suffered from heart problems and was in declining health.

The actress also starred in several films in the Andy Hardy series, a long-running string of film which starred Lewis Stone as a small-town judge and Mickey Rooney as his teenage son. Rutherford played Rooney's love interest, Polly Benedict.

Her first marriage, to David May in 1942, ended in divorce; they had two children. In 1953, she married producer William Dozier, a union that lasted until his death in 1991. He was best known as the producer of the 'Batman' TV series.

[Grandpa Troll]

Another obscure celebrity.....

Richard "Dick" Beals (March 16, 1927 - May 29, 2012) was an American voice actor. He performed many voices in his career, which spanned the period from the early 1950s into the 21st century. He specialized primarily in doing the voices of young boys.

Perhaps his most recognizable characterization was the voice of the stop-motion animation figure called "Speedy Alka-Seltzer", featured in television commercials for more than 50 years.

His high voice and boyish appearance were due to a glandular problem; he did not go through puberty. Beals was 4 foot 7 inches (just under 140 cm) tall and weighed just under 70 pounds (about 31 kg).

During the late 1980s, Beals provided the voices for various characters on Garfield and Friends with the most major character he voiced being Jon's cruel nephew Rosco.

Dick Beals cause of Death
Dick Bealspassed away on May 29, 2012, at the age of 85

[Grandpa Troll]

Not sure if this was posted...

Kathryn Joosten (December 20, 1939 – June 1, 2012) was an American television actress best known for her regular role as Karen McCluskey in Desperate Housewives, for which she won two Emmy Awards, and for her recurring role in The West Wing as Dolores Landingham.

In 2005 and 2008, Joosten won an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress - Comedy Series for her portrayal of Karen McCluskey in Desperate Housewives.

In 2001, she quit her 45 year smoking habit when she was diagnosed with lung cancer. In September 2009, Joosten was diagnosed with lung cancer for a second time. She subsequently underwent surgery and four rounds of chemotherapy, and was officially declared cancer-free in January 2010.

Kathryn Joosten cause of death
Joosten subsequently died of lung cancer on June 1, 2012. Her death followed, by a few weeks, the on-screen death of her character Karen McCluskey on the final episode of Desperate Housewives.

[Grandpa Troll]

Actress and comedian Yvette Wilson has lost her fight against cervical cancer at the age of 48, CNN's confirmed. A friend of Wilson, Jeffrey Pittle, tells us that she passed away on Thursday around 7 p.m.

Wilson was perhaps best known for portraying Andell Wilkerson on the '90s sitcom "Moesha," on which she starred alongside singer Brandy in the titular role. She also played Andell on the "Moesha" spin-off "The Parkers," which also starred Oscar winner Mo'Nique and aired from 1999 to 2004.

Wilson's "Moesha" co-star Shar Jackson, who's also appeared on reality shows "Ex Wives Club" and "Celebrity Fit Club," mourned the loss of Wilson on Twitter Thursday.

"Oh God. My heart is soooo unbelievably broken," she posted. "I wanna thank all my tweeties for their prayers but God has chosen to take my sister Yvette home."

"Moesha" star Brandy and her brother Ray J, who also appeared on the series, also shared their condolences.

"Yvette Wilson was one of the most genuine and funny people I've ever met," Ray J said in a statement. "The advice she gave me as a young actor to work hard and to believe in myself was very instrumental. She will truly be missed."

Added Brandy via her Twitter account, "So saddened by the loss of Yvette Wilson. She was such a beautiful spirit. May she rest in peace."

[Grandpa Troll]

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) -- Jesse Powell, a linebacker for the unbeaten 1972 Miami Dolphins, has died at a hospital in West Texas.

A spokesman for University Medical Center in Lubbock says Powell died Thursday. He was 65. No cause of death was provided Friday by UMC.

Powell was born in the Texas Panhandle town of Matador. He starred at West Texas State, now West Texas A&M, before the Dolphins chose him in the ninth round of the 1969 draft.

Powell spent his five-year NFL career with Miami, including a perfect 17-0 season leading to a Super Bowl victory over Washington.

Powell, who quit the NFL following knee surgery, was an insurance agent in Lubbock until his recent retirement. A memorial service has been scheduled for Tuesday at Monterey Church of Christ in Lubbock.



Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/201...#ixzz1xur5xZVw

[Tuberski]

Henry Hill, mobster, informant, dead at 69.

http://news.yahoo.com/goodfellas-mobster-turned-fbi-informant-henry-hill-dead-061916460--abc-news-topstories.html

ACK!

[embalmer42]

A connection nobody will make.

The perfect crime!

I'm not that creative.

......so says the paralegal. Go pull the other one

[Grandpa Troll]

Another semi-obscure musical legend has died...



RIP, and thanks for helping integrate music.

He toured the Northeast in less than major venues, I bounced and worked the floor at 3 or 4 concerts when I was a Federal Officer in late 70's. I actually got to speak with him, first concerning his acceptable zone of control (how close he wanted his fans) and then about him as an individual. Very approachable, unlike some stars who want money, want to perform and want to get out of town. One of his last trips in Maine we had a roadblock checking licenes and such when his tour bus came through, I had met the driver the night before and Herb actually spoke to me when I mounted the bus, very cordial and we allowed him passage. It allways stood out because I am a Platters fan....kinda cool to meet and engage him

R.I.P. and thanks for all the fond memories.......................

[-Jrabbit]

Another semi-obscure musical legend has died...

Herb Reed, Last of the Original Platters, Dies at 83
By PAUL VITELLO
Published: June 5, 2012

Herb Reed, the last surviving member of the Platters, one of the first pop groups to break the color barrier in the 1950s with crossover hits like “Only You,” “The Great Pretender” and a soaring street-corner version of “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes,” died on Monday in Boston. He was 83.

Mr. Reed was credited with naming the group in 1953 (“platters” was disc jockey lingo for vinyl records) when he and a group of friends in Los Angeles began singing a cappella in amateur contests.

RIP, and thanks for helping integrate music.

[SlowwHand]

Peter Green, with Mick Fleetwood and John McVie, were the original and was Blues. Welch took over Green's spot when he left. Buckingham-Nicks made the 3rd edition.