A quick look at the famous and interesting that shuffled off this mortal coil recently:
June Pointer (52) - cancer
Whoever had "cancer" in the cause-of-death pool for Ms. Pointer, please come claim your prize. Sorry we laughed at you. Pointer was one of the Pointer Sisters, and won a Grammy in 1974. However, in the 80s June was often "So Excited" - by which I mean hopped up on the candy cane - she was unable to perform and her sisters performed several concerts without June ever taking the stage.
Jimmy Outlaw (93) - old
Outlaw played 3rd base and outfield in all or parts of 10 major league seasons with the Detroit Tigers, Cincinnati Reds, and the Boston Bees (that's right, the BEES...). He was 5'8", 168 lbs and probably wouldn't be given a second look as a bat boy on most major league clubs today (except the Devil Rays, if you want to consider them a REAL major league club). He was considered a "contact hitter", which basically means if he actually made contact he was considered successful. He was a career .268 hitter with six home runs and 57 RBI. He is noted, however, as having one of the coolest names in baseball history. Seriously, how many jerseys would this guy sell today? I really want a Boston Bees Jimmy Outlaw jersey now.
Charles Doe (79) - cancer
I don't really have any information on this guy, other than he founded the Ninety Nine Restaurant & Pub. Jeff may not know a lot about Charles Doe, but he knows A LOT about Gold Fever Wings.
DeShaun (Proof) Holton (32) - shot
Here's a story you don't read everyday. Holton, a member of the rap group D-12 and also rapper Eminem's publicity assistant, died after taking a gunshot to the head at a club in Detroit. This was allegedly after Holton shot another guy in the head several times over an altercation over a game of pool. Holton's murder was a retaliatory act by the other victim's cousin. Afterwards, Ashton Kutcher reportedly ran out from a back room yelling, "Dude, you got SO punk'd!"
Lord Eliot (40) - found dead in his bath
The free-spirited son of the 10th Earl of St Germans was born into English high-society, but preferred to spend most of his time surfing and bodyboarding. According to the UK's News.Telegraph, Eliot will be remembered most for his "gift of friendship and magic tricks". The cause of his death is officially "unknown", but it is not being treated as suspicious. I will note again that this 40-year-old athletic man was found in his bathtub - dead - and nobody thinks it is at all suspicious. I also have yet to find anything officially or unofficially labeling it as a suicide. I don't really understand how... never mind. Let's move on.
Scott Crossfield (84) - plane crash
In putting this series together, I like to look for interesting stories. This is one of them. Crossfield was an X-15 test pilot back in the 50's. In 1953, he became the first man to fly at twice the speed of sound. He was even one of the characters portrayed in the 1983 movie The Right Stuff. He retired from professional aviation as a very decorated pilot in 1993. On April 16th, Crossfield's personal Cesna crashed during a storm as he flew back to Virginia from giving a talk in Alabama, 13 years after ending his dangerous career.
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Comments: 10
Thanks for cross-linking in this post. I totally appreciate it.
You wrote:
<< June Pointer (52) - cancer . . . Whoever had "cancer" in the cause-of-death pool for Ms. Pointer, please come claim your prize. Sorry we laughed at you.
Are you sure it wasn't a typo? Cancer starts with a "c," you know. . .
>>Jimmy Outlaw (93) - old . . .He was considered a "contact hitter". . . career .268 hitter with six home runs and 57 RBI.
That's not too shabby. I propose a new rule: Every team should come equipped with a contact hitter. S'pose Bud'll go for it?
>>Lord Eliot (40) - found dead in his bath . . it is not being treated as suspicious.
C'mon, Jeff. These are the same Englishmen who stood by Tony Blair while - - - oh, wait, you're right.
Very fun read. thanks!
Ann