Celebrity Death Thread

[CGVT]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKRma7PDW10&feature=fvwrel"]Mongo only pawn in game of life - YouTube[/ame]

[Desert Lion]

I posted the story in the Lions News thread. Just thought it was as appropriate there as here.

[Islair]

Alex Karras, former NFL lineman, actor, dies at 77

By LARRY LAGE (AP Sports Writer) | The Associated Press ? 23 minutes ago

DETROIT (AP) -- Alex Karras, the rugged lineman who anchored the Detroit Lions' defense in the 1960s, then went on to an acting career in which he starred in the sitcom ''Webster'' and famously punched a horse in the 1974 comedy ''Blazing Saddles,'' died Wednesday. He was 77.
Karras, who had recently suffered kidney failure, died at home in Los Angeles surrounded by family members, said Craig Mitnick, Karras' attorney.

Diagnosed with dementia, Karras in April joined the more than 3,500 former NFL players suing the league for not protecting them better from head injuries, immediately becoming one of the best-known names in the legal fight.
Detroit drafted Karras with the 10th overall pick in 1958 out of Iowa and he was a four-time All-Pro defensive tackle over 12 seasons with the franchise.
He was a terror on the field, using a variety of moves to push around opposing linemen and get into the backfield. His Lions handed the powerful 1962 Green Bay Packers their only defeat that season, a 26-14 upset on Thanksgiving during which they harassed quarterback Bart Starr constantly.
Packers guard Jerry Kramer wrote in his diary of the 1967 season about his trepidation over having to play Karras.

''I'm thinking about him every minute,'' Kramer wrote.

For all his prowess on the field, Karras may have gained more fame when he turned to acting in the movies and on television.

Playing a not-so-bright bruiser in Mel Brooks' ''Blazing Saddles,'' he not only slugged a horse but also delivered the classic line: ''Mongo only pawn in game of life.''

Several years before that, Karras had already become a bit of a celebrity through George Plimpton's behind-the-scenes book about what it was like to be an NFL player in the Motor City, ''Paper Lion: Confessions of a Second-string Quarterback.''
That led to Karras playing himself in the successful movie adaption, and it opened doors for Karras to be an analyst alongside Howard Cosell and Frank Gifford on ''Monday Night Football.''

In the 1980s, he played a sheriff in the comedy ''Porky's'' and became a hit on the small screen as Emmanuel Lewis' adoptive father, George Papadapolis, in the sitcom ''Webster.''

''Perhaps no player in Lions history attained as much success and notoriety for what he did after his playing days as did Alex,'' Lions president Tom Lewand said.

Recently, his wife said Karras' quality of life has deteriorated because of head injuries sustained during his playing career.

Susan Clark said earlier this year that her husband couldn't drive after loving to get behind the wheel and couldn't remember recipes for some of the favorite Italian and Greek dishes he used to cook.

''This physical beating that he took as a football player has impacted his life, and therefore it has impacted his family life,'' Clark told The Associated Press earlier this year. ''He is interested in making the game of football safer and hoping that other families of retired players will have a healthier and happier retirement.''

Clark, who also played the wife of Karras' loveable character on ''Webster,'' has said he was formally diagnosed with dementia several years ago and has had symptoms for more than a dozen years. He joined hundreds of other former players suing the league.

''It's the same thing as back in the gladiator days when the gladiators fought to death,'' Mitnick, who represents Karras and hundreds of others in the suit, has said. ''Fans care about these guys when they're playing and they are heroes. But as soon as you're not a hero and not playing the fan doesn't really care what happens to them.''

The NFL has said it did not intentionally seek to mislead players and has taken action to better protect players and to advance the science of concussion management and treatment.

Karras played his entire NFL career with the Lions before retiring in 1970 at age 35. He was a first-team All-Pro in 1960, 1961 and 1965, and he made the Pro Bowl four times. He missed the 1963 season when he was suspended by NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle in a gambling probe. Karras was recognized by the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a defensive tackle on the All-Decade Team of the 1960s.

He was born and raised in Gary, Ind., and was inducted into the Indiana Football Hall of Fame in 1976.

''We know Alex first and foremost as one of the cornerstones to our Fearsome Foursome defensive line of the 1960s and also as one of the greatest defensive linemen to ever play in the NFL,'' Lewand said. ''Many others across the country came to know Alex as an accomplished actor and as an announcer during the early years of 'Monday Night Football.'''

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/alex-karras-former-nfl-defensive-143833176--nfl.html

[Malto Marko]

RIP to a founding Fearsome Foursome member.

[Tony G]

so long Alex. Rest well

[FVD]

RIP to an all time Lion great. Heard that the Lions practice facility is flying flags at half mast in his honor.

[ghandi]

From what I saw and heard of him he was a truly talented and funny man.....He will be missed.

[Panoptes]

RIP ALEX KARRAS

[Kansas]

RIP Alex. Horses everywhere breathe a sigh of relief.

/Mongo'd

[Coop]

touche' kansaw. a bit of humor helps when needed most...

[Dr. Emmett.L.Brown]

Rest in peace Alex Karras & Budd Lynch

Legendary Detroit Red Wings public announcer Budd Lynch died on October 9th at the age of 95.


Lynch was no less than an institution within the Red Wings organization, having held the position of public address announcer at Joe Louis Arena from 1985 to 2012. He began his career in 1949 as the team’s play-by-play announcer. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1985 as a media honoree and winner of the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award for his outstanding contributions as a hockey broadcaster.



[DanO]

Rip Alex Karras.

RIP Budd Lynch.

[LionsFanInJapan]

RIP gentlemen.

[Chuck Cunningham]

Sad day for Detroit sports fans indeed, but its always encouraging to hear someone lived to a ripe old age like 95!

[CGVT]

When I was a kid in the 60s I lived in the thumb. At night we could get the hockey games on WWJ (I think it was WWJ) radio out of Detroit. In the winter I used to go to sleep listening Budd Lynch call the Red Wings games. His voice was as recognizable as Ernie's to me.

RIP