OFFICIAL 2016 APOLYTON CELEBRITY DEAD POOL

[-Jrabbit]

I'll get back to this one of these days. Patience, please.

[Ming]

Gene Wilder, ‘Willy Wonka’ Star and Comedic Icon, Dies at 83

Gene Wilder, who regularly stole the show in such comedic gems as “The Producers,” “Blazing Saddles,” “Young Frankenstein,” “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” and “Stir Crazy,” died Monday at his home in Stamford, Conn. His nephew Jordan Walker-Pearlman said he died of complications from Alzheimer’s disease. He was 83.

His nephew said in a statement, “We understand for all the emotional and physical challenges this situation presented we have been among the lucky ones — this illness-pirate, unlike in so many cases, never stole his ability to recognize those that were closest to him, nor took command of his central-gentle-life affirming core personality. The decision to wait until this time to disclose his condition wasn’t vanity, but more so that the countless young children that would smile or call out to him “there’s Willy Wonka,” would not have to be then exposed to an adult referencing illness or trouble and causing delight to travel to worry, disappointment or confusion. He simply couldn’t bear the idea of one less smile in the world.


RIP... you brought a lot of joy and laughs to many people.

[Uncle Sparky]

[Ming]

One of his classics

[Ming]

What a shocker... Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez...

MIAMI — A boat carrying Jose Fernandez was traveling at a significant speed when it struck rocks as it approached a channel near the port of Miami, resulting in the death of the Miami Marlins pitcher and two close friends early Sunday morning, officials in Florida said.

Fernandez was killed as a result of the impact of the crash, and did not drown, Lorenzo Veloz, an official with the Florida Wildlife Commission, confirmed to USA TODAY Sports.

Fernandez, 24, was not driving the boat when it struck a jetty near Government Cut, a channel that provides boats direct ocean access from Miami Beach. Veloz said the three victims were between 24 and 27 years old. They were not identified pending notification of family members.

Veloz said alcohol is not believed to be a factor in the crash and no illicit drugs were found at the scene. Toxicology results will not be available until autopsies are performed

Veloz said Fernandez and his friends made frequent trips on the boat, and that he saw other Marlins players on the boat on occasions he stopped it for safety checks.

“Jose was never known to drive it,” Veloz said.

He said the 32-foot Sea Vee Center Console fishing vessel was owned by one of the other men killed in the crash. Those boats can reach speeds between 55 and 65 mph depending on the size of the engine, according to the SeaVee Boats web site.

Their boat was traveling southbound toward Government Cut when it struck the north end of the jetty at, Veloz said, “what appeared to be full speed.” The boat suffered severe damage on the bottom.

“The vessel hit the rocks and capsized,” Veloz said. “It does appear speed was involved due to the impact and severity of it.”

Debris from the boat was spotted and reported to the Coast Guard shortly after 3 a.m., said Megan Dean, a Coast Guard commander in Miami. Eight divers from Miami Fire and Rescue were deployed shortly before 4 a.m. and soon recovered three bodies. Veloz said they are certain there are no other victims.

It is unclear at what time the crash occurred, though the Marlins' game against the Atlanta Braves on Saturday night did not end until 10:30 p.m.

Veloz said none of the men were wearing life jackets, although it appears that might not have aided in their rescue.

[Ming]

And the King of Golf...

Arnold Palmer, 'The King' of golf, dies at 87

Palmer, who died Sunday in Pittsburgh at age 87, was the accessible common man who would become the King and lead his own army. Along the way he became one of the sport's best players and a successful businessman, philanthropist, trailblazing advertising spokesman, talented golf course designer and experienced aviator.

Alastair Johnson, CEO of Arnold Palmer Enterprises, confirmed that Palmer died Sunday afternoon of complications from heart problems. Johnson said Palmer was admitted to the hospital Thursday for some cardiovascular work and weakened over the last few days.

"We are deeply saddened by the death of Arnold Palmer, golf's greatest ambassador, at age 87," the U.S. Golf Association said in a statement. "Arnold Palmer will always be a champion, in every sense of the word. He inspired generations to love golf by sharing his competitive spirit, displaying sportsmanship, caring for golfers and golf fans, and serving as a lifelong ambassador for the sport. Our stories of him not only fill the pages of golf’s history books and the walls of the museum, but also our own personal golf memories. The game is indeed better because of him, and in so many ways, will never be the same."

While his approach on the course was not a model of aesthetics — the whirlybird followthrough, the pigeon-toed putting stance — it worked for him. With thick forearms and a thin waist, Palmer had an aggressive risk-reward approach to golf that made for compelling theater. He hit the ball with authority and for distance and ushered in an aggressive, hitch-up-your-trousers, go-for-broke, in-your-face power game rarely seen in the often stoic and staid sport.

Palmer, part of the alluring "Big Three," with Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player, won 62 titles on the PGA Tour, his last coming in the 1973 Bob Hope Desert Classic. Among those victories were four at the Masters, two at the British Open and one at the U.S. Open. He finished second in the U.S. Open four times, was runner-up three times in the PGA Championship, the only major that eluded him, and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974.

Palmer became one of the best known sports figures and, at 5-10, 175, a telegenic golfer who burst out of black-and-white television sets across the country in the late 1950s and into the 1960s and took the game to the masses.

"Arnold meant everything to golf. Are you kidding me?" Tiger Woods said . "I mean, without his charisma, without his personality in conjunction with TV — it was just the perfect symbiotic growth. You finally had someone who had this charisma, and they're capturing it on TV for the very first time.

"Everyone got hooked to the game of golf via TV because of Arnold."

RIP

[-Jrabbit]

RIP Former Israeli President Shimon Peres, 93.

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

Hits for myself, Ming and Sloww, with the death of Thailand's King Bhumibol.

[Ming]

RIP King Bhumibol...

He's been on my list for years.

[Uncle Sparky]

Bobby Vee, teen idol, is dead at 73
http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-37756170
Bobby Vee, from Fargo, ND, got his big break the day the music died...

Pete Burns, Dead or Alive singer, Dead at 57
http://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment...urns-1.3819193
You spin me round and round...

[Dinner]

The surest patg to immortality is to be on my dead pool list.

[SlowwHand]

And yet, Zha Zha lives on.

[Uncle Sparky]

Leonard Cohen is dead. Killed by Donald Trump's death squad.

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/ne...-at-82-w449792

[Lorizael]

Did anyone have hope or sanity on their list?

[Ming]

Hey Jr... any hope for an update before the end of the year