OBITUARY - REST IN PEACE

[Blackpool Rock]

Alan Lancaster, original bass guitar player with Status Quo. R.I.P

I remember when Rick Parfitt died the rumour was as they were lowering his coffin down into the ground that a Status Quo song was played "Down Down" deeper and down   

[sparkus]

Alan Lancaster, original bass guitar player with Status Quo. R.I.P

In 2021 

[mr.bluesky]

In 2021 

He died in Australia, news has only just reached me 
( it was the 5th aniversary of his death)

[bigden40]

In 2021 

Thank you.  When I saw the post I was sure he had died some time ago.

Worth revisiting Quo - End of the Road 84 though, with Lancaster and at their best.

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[ulstersubbie]

The author Peter May has died aged 74. Best known for his Lewis series of crime novels.

[mr.bluesky]

Thank you.  When I saw the post I was sure he had died some time ago.

Worth revisiting Quo - End of the Road 84 though, with Lancaster and at their best.

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Used to like a bit of Quo back in the day ( still wear the denim  ) Francis Rossi is doing a uk tour playing past, present  Quo songs. He's appearing at the Warwick university Arts centre on Saturday 7th November 

[Bertiebeenthere]

Esther Rantzen, aged 86

[RandomGuy99]

Esther Rantzen, aged 86

BBC News - External Link/Members Only
Dame Esther Rantzen dies aged 86 - BBC News

[Spike1]

BBC News - External Link/Members Only
Dame Esther Rantzen dies aged 86 - BBC News

After being diagnosed with stage four lung cancer in January 2023, Rantzen went on to become a prominent campaigner in support of assisted dying.

[timsussex]

BBC News - External Link/Members Only
Dame Esther Rantzen dies aged 86 - BBC News

Must admit in her early days  I couldnt stand her but later she did some good work for some great causes

[PilotMan]

Must admit in her early days  I couldnt stand her but later she did some good work for some great causes

I feel the same, I just didn't warm to her, but I cannot take away from what she contributed to society during her lifetime.

She was a living legend, and still one now.

[Thephoenix]

After being diagnosed with stage four lung cancer in January 2023, Rantzen went on to become a prominent campaigner in support of assisted dying.

Such a shame that she didn't live long enough to see the 'End of Life's bill passed, after being obstructed by a small group of peers, despite multiple major opinion polls showing that roughly two thirds to three quarters of the British public support the legalisation of assisted dying.
 

[mh]

Such a shame that she didn't live long enough to see the 'End of Life's bill passed, after being obstructed by a small group of peers, despite multiple major opinion polls showing that roughly two thirds to three quarters of the British public support the legalisation of assisted dying.

Yes a real shame she didn't live long enough to be able to choose to die early. 

I am actually in agreement with you, I just couldn't resist.

[myothernameis]

Esther Rantzen, aged 86

Sausages 

[mh]

Sausages 

"And, Cyril..."

[scutty brown]

Sausages 

for those too young to understand
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[Jerboa]

I feel the same, I just didn't warm to her, but I cannot take away from what she contributed to society during her lifetime.

She was a living legend, and still one now.

She certainly did good in her life, however during covid she stated that the unvaccinated were selfish and should not receive medical treatment from hospital if they won’t take the experimental injection like everyone else. Then she banged on about her body autonomy over euthanasia, hypocrisy.

[Spike1]

Author and former politician Jeffrey Archer dies aged 86

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[timsussex]

Author and former politician Jeffrey Archer dies aged 86

...

wonder if any member will cease to post

[sparkus]

wonder if any member will cease to post

 

[timsussex]

Literally a self made man  !

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[Malvolio]

He wrote prison diaries, so perhaps there will be punting diaries issued posthumously.

[fredhiggins]

Ringo Starr famously remarked that a young Jeffrey Archer "is the kind of bloke who would bottle your piss and sell it" after Archer arranged for The Beatles to support a charity fundraiser in Oxford in 1963

[sparkus]

Ringo Starr famously remarked that a young Jeffrey Archer "is the kind of bloke who would bottle your piss and sell it" after Archer arranged for The Beatles to support a charity fundraiser in Oxford in 1963

Aint that the Simple Truth.

[advent2016]

Loved his books, disliked the man.

His plots were so believable because you knew a lot of them were true especially the ones about his characters infidelity

[sparkus]

Loved his books, disliked the man.

His plots were so believable because you knew a lot of them were true especially the ones about his characters infidelity

Not least as he employed ghost writers.

My favourite reported indiscretion of his was when a journalist turned up at his riverside flat to do an interview and he got her confused with who else was supposed to be coming that morning, so said to her "In there, take your ckothes off, I'll be in shortly." 

[Mr Garmin]

Literally a self made man  !

Nice of him to take the blame.

[Blackpool Rock]

Literally a self made man  !

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Not exactly a glowing eulogy though is it, thought they say you should never say anything bad about the dead but even in the headline there is one point of praise about him being a successful novelist but 2 bad points about him being a disgraced politician (I mean exactly how bad do you have to be especially back in the 70's & 80's  ) and a convicted liar

His books did indeed sell well however there are also big question marks regarding how well written they were, as for the rest of the article it basically lays out how his dad was a con man and he seems to have picked the batton up grifting his way through based on lying and cheating, basically a Bullshitter.

Can't really say any more as it's not the politics thread   

Edit - I still had the article open from yesterday, the content appears to still be the same but the headline has changed from -

Jeffrey Archer: successful novelist, disgraced politician and convicted liar

to

Jeffrey Archer: bestselling novelist whose political career ended in scandal

[Stevelondon]

So basically an ordinary enough bloke 🤷🏼😂

[sparkus]

There was an amusing Spitting Image sketch of him at the time on Mastermind answering questions on himself.  Obviously the answers were all lies.

An interesting product of another era when you genuinely could fake it into the upper echelons of society by having the right accent and airs and graces and no one could reliably disprove your claims about family history etc.  Impossible now.

There was of course his "fragrant" wife too.

I suppose Monica Coughlan is forgotten in all this.

[DastardlyDick]

I suppose Monica Coughlan is forgotten in all this.

She was killed in a car crash before Archers perjury trial after getting work as a bingo caller, buying a house and raising her son, who only found out about her sex work at the age of 15 via the press.

[Blackpool Rock]

She was killed in a car crash before Archers perjury trial after getting work as a bingo caller, buying a house and raising her son, who only found out about her sex work at the age of 15 via the press.

The screws of the world   

[sparkus]

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We might see various things bubble up to the service, sorry, surface now.

[Mr Garmin]

Many, many, many years ago I knew JA's gardener, she had some tales to tell.

[Stevelondon]

Many, many, many years ago I knew JA's gardener, she had some tales to tell.

“He has Astro turf you know” 

[ulstersubbie]

Eva Marie Saint has died aged 102. She'll mostly be remembered for her performances in On the Waterfront and North by Northwest, a glamorous ash blonde who epitomised those cool, sophisticated leading ladies of the 40/50s, the modern Hollywood actresses really are a pale imitation of those women.

[mh]

Literally a self made man  !

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Self made-up man. Invented his whole backstory and persona from young.

[mh]

thought they say you should never say anything bad about the dead

Only said about people for whom there is a lot of bad to say. I am a firm believer in not whitewashing someone's misdeeds and Camilla, Badenoch and all the others who have come out to cheer him should be thoroughly ashamed (but obviously won't be).

Look, he did some bad, illegal things and was sent to prison. But at the end of the day he was a thoroughly unpleasant person to anyone he didn't think could further his ambitions.

[scutty brown]

She was killed in a car crash before Archers perjury trial after getting work as a bingo caller, buying a house and raising her son, who only found out about her sex work at the age of 15 via the press.

on rereading the reports of that car crash they seem a bit contrived....I do wonder if she was targeted

[DastardlyDick]

on rereading the reports of that car crash they seem a bit contrived....I do wonder if she was targeted

I think if that were the case, they'd have picked someone better than a pissed up junkie. She wasn't due to give evidence against Archer in his perjury trial, so it would have been pointless. No, sadly just a case of wrong time, wrong place for her. and her family.

[WARSZAWA16]

Normandy veteran Henry Rice dies aged 100.
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R.I.P. Sir.

[finn5555]

Kray Twins' enforcer and 'Godfather of Crime' Freddie Foreman dies aged 94

He was acquitted of murder four times but still racked up 16 years in jail

[john122350]

Breaking Bad star RJ Mitte has passed away at the age of 34.

Mitte was best known for playing Walter White Jr. in the hit AMC series, appearing in 56 episodes across the show's five seasons. Beyond acting, he was also a passionate disability rights advocate who worked to improve representation in Hollywood.

[sparkus]

Kray Twins' enforcer and 'Godfather of Crime' Freddie Foreman dies aged 94

He was acquitted of murder four times but still racked up 16 years in jail

Father of Jamie, well known actor in Enders and the like.