Celebrity Death Thread

[Panoptes]

We love driving over the Vincent Thomas bridge. We drive it quite often to visit San Pedro's fine dining options on the water near the bridge and my BIL's fire station (#1) is located near it as well. It is a large (falling apart at the seams) bridge.

If you have never seen it, well here you go:

http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;_ylt=A2KJkCKIkzJQkFoAco6JzbkF?p=Vincent+Thomas+bridge&fr=yfp-t-521&ei=utf-8&n=30&x=wrt

Its height will certainly do the trick for you if a death jump is your purpose.

RIP Mr. Scott.

[FVD]

Very nice bridge, I bet it looks great lit up at night

[Topweasel]

I never knew Ridley Scott even had a brother in the business, much less one who directed a bunch of good high profile movies.



Wow. Tarantino wrote "True Romance"? That explains everything.

A friend told me that Ridley Scott's brother killed himself. My first question was "It wasn't Tony was it?", in the minuscule hope that they had another brother I didn't know about.

[Niffla]

This is a tough one to swallow for me. Tony was always one of my favorite directors...if not THE favorite. Maybe his films weren't Oscar material (although that was never his intention anyway -- his intention was entertainment), but he sure knew how to deliver the goods.

- Top Gun
- Beverly Hills Cop 2
- Crimson Tide
- Man on Fire
- True Romance
- Days of Thunder
- Enemy of the State
- Deja Vu

among others

The guy was a directing powerhouse. RIP, Tony. You'll be missed.

[Marko69]

It's not big news over here. Did the guy leave a note explaining why he done it? There is always a reason why rich and famous people end it suddenly without warning,....., 1, their wife is going to leave them, 2, they've just found out they've only got a few months to live, 3, Blackmail, he's been up to something horrific and someone is going to expose him. 4, suddenly realising after many years just how shit Days of Thunder was.......,

That last one was a joke, don't home in on it, just trying to cheer myself up this morning after Drews news, ......, but has there been any note?

[Niffla]

There were rumors that he had inoperable brain cancer -- although reportedly those rumors have been shot down. It had to be something drastic, whatever it was (well obviously). He still had a number of projects in the works, including a joint project (Killing Lincoln) in which he was supposed to be filming with his brother Ridley.

And yeah, he did apparently leave a note behind for his family -- but what was on the note hasn't been made public.

[ghandi]

Saw something on Yahoo yesterday saying he had cancer...Didnt have time to read the article and get more info though.

[*JD*]

I recall that for the last few years it was rumored that he was going to direct a remake of "The Warriors".

Kind of glad that that might not happen but, obviously, not at the expense of him not being around anymore.

[Islair]

Hall of Fame running back Steve Van Buren dies


PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Steve Van Buren, the square-jawed Hall of Fame running back who led the Philadelphia Eagles to NFL titles in 1948 and 1949, has died. He was 91.

The Eagles said Van Buren died Thursday in Lancaster, Pa., of pneumonia.
The former LSU star, nicknamed ''Wham-Bam'' for his quick and punishing running style, joined the Eagles in 1944 as a first-round pick. He led the NFL in rushing four times and finished his eight-year career with 5,860 yards rushing and 77 TDs.

The five-time All-Pro player was selected to the NFL's 75th Anniversary Team in 1994, and was the first Eagles player elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
''I've seen them all - Jim Thorpe, Red Grange, Bronko Nagurski,'' Greasy Neale, Van Buren's coach with the Eagles, told the Philadelphia Daily News in 1957, ''but he's the greatest.''

The 6-foot-1, 200-pound back sustained a leg injury in training camp before the 1952 season and retired as the NFL's career rushing leader. The Eagles later retired his No. 15.
''On the field and off, as a player, a leader and a man, Steve Van Buren embodied the finest characteristics of our city and our sport,'' said Jeffrey Lurie, the Eagles' chairman and CEO. ''He was a friend and an inspiration to generations of fans, and the model of what an Eagle should be.''

Van Buren set the Eagles' single-game rushing record with 205 yards against Pittsburgh in 1949, and is second in team history with his 77 touchdowns. He also holds the club record for most consecutive games with a rushing touchdown with eight in 1947.

''Watch those old films and you know that Steve Van Buren was something special,'' Eagles coach Andy Reid said. ''He was special in person, too, humble about his own accomplishments and encouraging to others. His memory will be with Eagles fans for as long as this team takes the field.''
One of his most memorable plays came in the 1948 NFL championship game, played in a driving snowstorm at Shibe Park. He scored the only touchdown of the game on a 5-yard run in the fourth quarter and the Eagles beat the Chicago Cardinals 7-0 for the franchise's first title.

Nearly a year to the day later, this time in mud and torrential rain in Los Angeles, Van Buren ran for 196 yards and the Eagles beat the Rams 14-0 to become the first - and only - team to shut out opponents in consecutive championships.

Van Buren was born in La Ceiba, Honduras. His parents died when he was 10, and he moved to New Orleans to live with his grandparents. He failed to make his high school football team as a sophomore, but played well enough as a senior to earn a scholarship at LSU.

With the Tigers, Van Buren was used primarily as a blocking back until his senior season, when he led the nation in scoring with 98 points and rushed for 847 yards.

Van Buren is survived by three daughters.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/hall-fame-running-back-steve-031054650--nfl.html

[Kansas]

91? Wasn't he supposed to commit suicide 50 years ago?

[Malto Marko]

91? Wasn't he supposed to commit suicide 50 years ago?

Naw.

The concussions meant dinner would always be at the same time every day.

Enhancement drugs during his lifetime was unlimited Broads. (Exception being the night before the game but the week afterward, oooooooh baby!)

He continued to show up for dinner.

Didn't have to worry about chemical enhancing problems.

[DanO]

RIP Neil Armstrong. http://www.tmz.com/2012/08/25/neil-armstrong-dead/

[Tony G]

not a good week to be named armstrong

[Kansas]

Just saw that on twitter. Hero

[LionsFanInJapan]

RIP Mr. Armstrong.