Updated 10-18-97  2:30 AM CST

October 16, 1997 - Come and knock on our door... We've been waiting for you... The theme song to "Three's Company." A tune that usually sends shivers up my spine. One of the worst sitcoms of all time (I know cause I've seen every episode! Twice!) Now Mrs. Rope is gone. Audra Lindley, who played Mrs. Roper from 1977 to 1979, passed away at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in LA. Leukemia claimed her at the age of 79. (Added 10-18-1997)

 October 16, 1997 - When he was 88, James Michener told reporters he was getting tired of the constant pain associated with his kidney dialysis. Earlier this week he removed the machine and died, the way he would have written it. The great author and Pulitzer Prize winner was 90 and lived in Austin, Texas. His words from his novel, "Tales of the South Pacific" inspired the great music and lyrics of Rodgers and Hammerstein and the award winning musical "South Pacific." And his other 40 books inspired millions more to travel this great world of ours and to take a few minutes to enjoy the beauty we see around us. After all, other people might travel many miles to see the beauty that is right in front of us. He wanted to be remembered as a storyteller-- in fact he was one of this century's best! --guest obit by Delf (Added 10-18-1997) 

October 15, 1997 - Lights out for the man who came up with the track lighting system. I guess his folks knew he would work in lighting because they named him Edison Avery Price. Mr. Price died on October 15 in Brooklyn, of heart failure. He was 79. His fixture designs and glare-free recessed lights have become so much a part of modern day America, it is hard to remember when we didn't have them... oh yeah, the dark ages. --guest obit by Delf (Added 10-18-1997) 

October 15, 1997 - The words comes out of Rome of the death of Richard Mason, the author of "The World of Suzie Wong." The book traced the fictional prostitute, who encapsulated the allure and exoticism of the 1950s. Mason died from throat cancer on October 15; he was 78. When his famous book became a movie it starred Nancy Kwan and William Holden. --guest obit by Delf (Added 10-17-1997) 

October 15, 1997 - Actor/Director Hy Averback died on October 15 from cardiac arrest while in recuperation following heart surgery at Cedars-Sinai in L.A. at the age of 72. He served in the Navy with Jack Paar, Jackie Cooper and Larry Gelbart-- all three he would later direct on TV or in the movies. He also played Mr. Romero on the "Our Miss Brooks" TV show. --guest obit by Delf (Added 10-17-1997) 

October 14, 1997 - La-Z-Boy's chairman turns out to be anything but lazy. Charles T. Knabusch was chairman, chief executive officer and president of La-Z-Boy Inc. for the last 12 years (he was also the son of the founder). He died on October 14 of a heart attack at the age of 57. I guess all work and no La-Z times made Charlie one Stres-T boy.--guest obit by Delf (Added 10-17-1997) 

October 14, 1997 - Steamy, sexy and dark are three words often used to describe the books Harold Robbins penned. His books sold millions but gained even wider audiences when they were turned into Hollywood movies. Perhaps his best known stories are "The Carpetbaggers," "Never Love a Stranger," and "A Stone for Danny Fisher" (which was the basis for the 1958 movie, "King Creole"). Robbins, who was wheelchair-bound for the last few years because of hip ailments, entered a Palm Springs hospital three weeks ago, and died on October 14 of respiratory failure. The ol' carpetbagger was 81. --guest obit by Delf (Added 10-16-1997) 

October 13, 1997 - Satchel Paige's catcher in the early days (late 1930's), Frazier Robinson, died on October 13 in Kings Mountain, North Carolina of cancer. The Negro League's All-Star in 1939 remained an impressive player until retirement in 1951. Frazier was 87. --guest obit by Delf (Added 10-16-1997) 

October 13, 1997 - Unless you are quite the silent film buff it is unlikely you've heard of Joyce Compton, but for a time she acted and hung out with the coolest of the Hollywood cool. She began her career when she was just 14 and performed in over 200 films. Many of her roles were "walk-ons," but she met and became friends with Mary Pickford, Clara Bow and Lillian Gish (along with many others). Joyce Compton died October 13 after an extended illness. She was 90. When asked about her impact on films she replied, "I made some movies, but lucky for me, I made even better friends." --guest obit by Delf (Added 10-16-1997) 

October 12, 1997 - 

"Lady, are you crying? Do the tears belong to me? Did you think our time together was all gone...?"

 October 08, 1997 - Brown Meggs was one smart (and later rich) fella. He was the chief operating officer at Capitol Records when he signed the Beatles. We could go on about the awards and other performers he helped, but isn't signing the Beatles enough? Mr. Megg died on October 8 in San Francisco of a brain hemorrhage at the age of 66. --guest obit by Delf (Added 10-17-1997) 

October 06, 1997 - No one but left-hander Johnny Vander Meer has ever pitched consecutive no-hitters in baseball's major leagues. He did it while playing with Cincinnati in 1938-- the first no-no was against the Boston Braves, on June 11, final score, 3 - 0. Four days later he no-hit the Brooklyn Dodgers 6 - 0, in the first night game played at old Ebbets Field. John Samuel Vander Meer died at home in Tampa on Monday, of an abdominal aneurysm. He was 82. (Added 10-08-1997)

 October 05, 1997 - Fans of the golden years of radio may recall the name Arthur Tracy. His familiar voice was heard around the country with inspiring messages in a time of sorrow and despair, the Great Depression. His romantic voice crooned many of the most popular hits of the 1930s and '40s. Tracy used the tag line "The Street Singer" and rivaled the success of Rudy Vallee and Bing Crosby in the early days of his career. For me, and many others, Tracy is known for one song, one very inspiring song, "Pennies From Heaven." As the song goes, "Everytime it rains it rains, pennies from heaven. Don't you know each cloud contains, pennies from heaven. You'll see your fortune falling all over town, be sure that your umbrella is upside down!" Arthur Tracy died on October 5 at the age of 98 at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, bringing to a close the chapter of the original American crooners. --guest obit by Delf (Added 10-4-1997) 

October 05, 1997 - Another professional wrestler has died. Flyin' Brian Pillman passed away in a suburban motel in Minneapolis at the age of 35. Born May 22, 1962, in Walton, Ky., Brian was also a linebacker with the Cincinnati Bengals. He was a football star at Miami University of Ohio. He was signed as a free agent by the Bengals and played one year in 1984. Cause of death is under investigation at this writing. (Added 10-05-1997)

 October 02, 1997 - Jack Kulle was one of Ingmar Bergman's favorite actors and appeared in the Academy Award winning movie Fanny and Alexander. He also played in some of the daring films of the 1960s that helped give Sweden a reputation as a haven for free sex (now you need a Gold Card). Jack had been sick for some time (of what or whom it is not known at this writing). He passed away at his home in Bergshamra, 30 miles north of Stockholm, Sweden. He was 70. (Added 10-05-1997)

 October 02, 1997 - And what about Jerome Lemelson-- he held more patents than any American since Thomas Edison! His son said he held 500 U.S. patents, on stuff like the bar code scanner, cordless phones, fax machines, video recorders, and even stuff like a talking thermometer for the blind. Needless to say the man was RICH! Luckily for us, he was also generous, giving grants to young investors and money to the poor. Lemelson died on October 2 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in L.A., of liver cancer; he was 74 years old. Next time you go through the scanned check out lines at the supermarket, think of Jerome Lemelson. --guest obit by Delf (Added 10-4-1997) 

October 02, 1997 - The world's shortest man, who had suffered from chronic obstructions of the airways for many years died on October 2. Gul Mohammed was 40 years old. Mohammed, who died in New Delhi, was listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the world's shortest man, standing 22 inches. Apparently he was very poor and often robbed for food and money... but before you feel too sorry for him... most of the money he "acquired" went to buy cigarettes, a lifelong habit. Is it me, or should people with chronic obstructions of the airways be smoking? Might say he was cut down in the prime of his life. --guest obit by Delf (Added 10-4-1997) 

October 01, 1997 - Another familiar face has left us. Mary Munday, the prolific character actress of TV and films died on October 1 in West Hollywood, of cancer. She was 71. She graced a ton of movies (The Golden Hawk, Pressure Point, The Hawaiians, Norma Rae, and True Confessions) but made her greatest impact on TV. Munday appeared on nearly every show you can think of, from The Rockford Files to Perry Mason. I remember her role as Hildy, the disillusioned sister of Bunny Blake, in the "Ring-a-ding Girl" episode of the Twilight Zone (1963). "Oh, my Bunny, it just doesn't seem right!" --guest obit by Delf (Added 10-4-1997) 

October 01, 1997 - Growing up in San Francisco, I was very familiar with Al "Jazzbeaux" Collins' work. However, hearing his smoky Beatnik-style over the radio did not prepare me for meeting him. The king of the Purple Grotto's (his make-believe radio setting) smooth and cool voice turned out to be that of a 70-year-old white guy with nasty sideburns and a big pot belly. But he was also very kind and a wealth of jazz knowledge. He began his DJ career in New York and by the 1950s generated such an audience of hep-cats that he recorded an album of children's stories told in the beatnik style, it was called "Be Bop's Fables" (oof!). By the time he moved to California he was a broadcast legend. Jazzbeaux died on October 1 in his Mill Valley home after a lengthy fight with prostate cancer. He was 78 years old and the heppest cat in the Grotto! --guest obit by Delf (Added 10-4-1997) 

The You're Outta Here Archives:

• September 1997, chronologically (Updated 10-16-1997).

 

• August 1997, chronologically (Updated 9-01-1997).

 

• July 1997, chronologically (Updated 8-03-1997).

 

• June 1997, chronologically (Updated 7-04-1997).

 

• May 1997, chronologically (Updated 6-02-1997).

 

• April 1997, chronologically (Updated 5-07-1997).

 

• March 1997, chronologically (Updated 4-01-1997).

 

• February 1997, chronologically (Updated 3-02-1997).

 

• January 1997, chronologically (Updated 2-05-1997).

 

• 1997, alphabetically. Choose a letter:

• 1996, now arranged alphabetically and chronologically.

 

• OBITS ONLINE IS UNDER MAJOR RE-CONSTRUCTION! We're sorry for any inconvenience ... well, not really. 

Stoopid Death of the Month!

September 28, 1997:

 I spent a lot of my childhood visiting relatives in a part of my town called "Little Russia." It's a neighborhood cut off from the rest of the world by train tracks. I once saw a dog that had been killed by a train, and I was very, very careful around the tracks from then on. But it seemed that Raymond Votaw and Michael Grady of Corona, CA weren't worried as they jogged on the railroad tracks early one Sunday morning. After all, the Metro doesn't run on Sundays... or does it? That Sunday, 22 trains were carrying 14,000 racing fans to and from the track (and two off the track). The six-car train was travelling at 60mph. The engineer blew the horn and threw an emergency brake but it takes a third of a mile to stop at that speed. Both joggers were killed instantly. Metrolink felt there was no need for an apology. I quite agree! (Added 10-05-1997)

 September 22, 1997:

 There's got to be a better way to make a living. Mohammed Mansoor Faroos was trying to "pass" through customs in a Columbo, Sri Lanka, with 150 condoms of heroin in his intestines. Officials arrested him on a tip when he arrived from Pakistan. He had spent 12 hours swallowing 159 heroin-filled condoms and was doing fine until one burst in his stomach. 

Surgeon General's warning: One out of 150 condoms is defective. (Added 10-05-1997)

 September 03, 1997:

 If you're ever in the area of the Batticaloa district, about 130 miles east of Colombo, Sri Lanka, don't drink the water. Hell, don't drink anything! Someone made a batch of arrack, a brew made from molasses, and then tainted it with methyl alcohol before it was distributed to pubs, eating houses and liquor stores. At least 50 people have died from drinking this concoction and some 225 more are hospitalized in critical condition. Illicit distilleries sometimes add methyl alcohol and other highly dangerous chemicals to enhance the intoxicating effects of their brews. I thought mixing Sprite and Pepsi together was a suicide drink! (Added 9-03-1997)

 September 02, 1997:

 One of the most enduring things I remember about my father is that he would let me sit on his lap in our huge '64 Buick and let me steer the car for a couple of blocks before we hit the traffic. I was around 10 or so at the time. But Robert Cuskaden and Julie A. Baghdadi were 18. It seems the four teenagers were coming back from a weekend in Orlando to their home in Fellsmere, FL when the driver, Shannan Thompson, asked Cuskaden to take the wheel while she fixed her hair. The car veered several times into the grassy median and flipped, throwing three of the four teen-agers out. Now, not only are two of her friends dead, but her hair is really a mess! (Added 9-03-1997)

 August 29, 1997:

 What if Joan Fontaine's character in "Suspicion" did what Chan Wing-hong did to his girlfriend. Cary Grant called Fonatine "Monkey Face". In Hong Kong, Chan Wing-hong's girlfriend called him a dwarf. Chan spent all his money during the five-week relationship with the prostitute because she was his "first girlfriend." Seems the 4 foot 6, 38-year-old little guy didn't like being called short. He took a knife and cut Chow Mei-hing down to size... his size. (Added 9-03-1997)

For more Stoopid Deaths, click here! 

 Other Links!

• The Dead Canadians Page

 

• Find A Grave

 

• The Ghoul Pool

 

• GoodBye!, the Journal of the Newly-Dead

 

• The Inaugural WELL Popcult Dead Pool!!!

 

• The Los Angeles Grim Society

 

• The Political Graveyard

 

• The Obituary Page

 

• The Page Of The Dead

 


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