So farewell then...

[OwlsFan]

Sean Sheehy, league winner with both Dundalk and Bohs https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_Sheehy

[OwlsFan]

1980s actress Loni Anderson https://apnews.com/article/loni-anderson-actor-died-obituary-3614dc44dbad987f74fc4cd64bd3e7fc

[pineapple stu]

Jim Lovell, Apollo 13 commander and Apollo 8 crew member, aged 97

https://www.rte.ie/news/us/2025/0808/1527609-jim-lovell/

[OwlsFan]

Just noticed that today is the 20th anniversary of me starting this thread. Thankfully I haven't been listed in this thread (yet!) but a lot of friends and relations have moved on, including two of our football group of 10.

[D24Saint]

Jerry Adler who played Hesh in the sopranos has gone to the world to come. Only 96 just a kid.

[OwlsFan]

Baywatch' and 'The Hangover actor Floyd Levine https://www.msn.com/en-ie/entertainment/news/baywatch-and-the-hangover-actor-floyd-levine-dies/ss-AA1LpfJo?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=HCTS&cvid=68b156a8a4ae46eba20f31885b861b0e&ei=15

[the 12 th man]

High profile in his day Boxer Joe Bugner.

[the 12 th man]

Graham Greene has sadly passed away at the age of 73. Red Indian descent and often played one like in Dances With Wolves ,"Kicking Bird"

[the 12 th man]

Georgio Armani the fashion guy.

[Eminence Grise]

One I missed over the summer...

Tom Lehrer, 96, satirical songwriter with a too-short career in the fifties and sixties but hours of gems from it all the same. Best known for The Elements, but Poisoning Pigeons in the Park (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhuMLpdnOjY&list=RDyhuMLpdnOjY&start_radio=1) is genius and We Will All Go Together When We Go (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frAEmhqdLFs&list=RDyhuMLpdnOjY&index=3) doesn't seem to have aged at all, given the times we're in...

After his short career, he went back to lecturing maths in university. And lecturing in musical theatre. As you do if you're one of a kind...

[John83]

Oh wow. I'd thought him long gone. His Werner von Braun (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEJ9HrZq7Ro) is savage.

But some think our attitude
Should be one of gratitude
Like the widows and cripples in old London town
Who owe their large pensions to Wernher von Braun

[D24Saint]

Ricky Hitman Hatton dead at 46.

[OwlsFan]

Actress Claudia Cardinale https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/italian-actress-and-star-of-the-leopard-claudia-cardinale-dies-aged-87/ar-AA1NaLlO?ocid=BingNewsSerp

[John83]

Jane Goodall. https://abcnews.go.com/International/jane-goodall-famed-primatologist-anthropologist-conservationist-dead-91/story?id=109868347
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/b6/b8/b9/b6b8b9121055f1e4ce28f056e9386161.jpg

[pineapple stu]

Manchán Magan, travel journalist. His last series on RTÉ last year (on Interrailing across Europe) was interrupted half-way through as he had to return home to get a bad cancer diagnosis. But we went back out and finished the documentary anyway.

Also Patricia Routledge, Hyacinth Bucket, who no doubt will be looking down her nose at Heaven around about now.

[CraftyToePoke]

Milan Mandarić, 87. Serial football club purchaser & the man who bought Leicester when its stock was low & sold Leicester to the people who did the impossible with it in 2016.

[CraftyToePoke]

Mika Immonen
Finnish pool player & multiple Mosconi Cup winner. Gone at 52.

[OwlsFan]

Writer Jilly Cooper

[Eminence Grise]

Riding off into the sunset in a literary if not literal sense...

[SkStu]

did she write 50 Shades of Hay?

[Eminence Grise]

Neigh. 50 Sheds of Greys, maybe.

[OwlsFan]

A couple of days old: actor John Woodvine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Woodvine

[CraftyToePoke]

Ian Watkins, killed in prison.

[nigel-harps1954]

Ace Frehely, founder member and original lead guitarist from Kiss.

Bit of a guilty pleasure of mine, listening to Kiss, even if they're massive ar$eholes.

[pineapple stu]

Daniel Naroditsky, 29, hugely influential chess streamer ranked 150th in the world

Initial suggestions are he may have taken an accidental drug overdose after an extended period of - to all intents and purposes - online bullying from former world champion and general all-round ***** Vladimir Kramnik

[John83]

Maybe not drugs, necessarily, or at least not opoids or whatever people assume in these situations. He was apparently depressed and badly insomniac. I've seen clips from his last stream, and he seemed aggitated and very glum. The friend who found him said he initially thought he was just asleep.

150th in the world probably underestimates him too. He'd essentially retired from slow-play chess for some years, and while he was mostly a streamer and commentator now he was clearly talented at fast time controls. At the world blitz championship around the turn of the year, he placed =1st-10th, 9th on tie-break and just missing out on the quarters. It vindicated his repudiation of Kramnik's accusations, which were probably based largely on the gap between his online performances and his all-but-fossilised slow-play rating.

The chess-focussed bits of internet are full today of people talking about how much he taught them. His videos certainly played a big role in my renewed interest in the game over the pandemic and since. He was a very gifted instructor, and a witty and lively commentator. I'd like to believe there's a special place in hell for Kramnik. Another of his victims, a grandmaster called David Navarra, wrote of contemplating suicide after more apparently baseless accusations from Kramnik in an open letter calling for him to be sanctioned earlier this year.

Anyway, if anyone reading is having a hard time, go talk to someone please.

[pineapple stu]

I suppose by drugs, I should probably express that better as meds. But it's not confirmed, and maybe won't be for a while. Still a very sad story - and you'd imagine the social media part of it probably exaggerated it; it allows any looney who agrees with Kramnik to jump on the bandwagon.

His last stream two days ago ends with him talking about the Kramnik accusations and how it undermines his success - people think it's just him cheating. Navara's reaction - he's not a social media streamer so far as I'm aware - seems a bit extreme, though these accusations have the potential to destroy your name and your career. (Though strangely, Hans Niemann seems to be doing fine!)

Very sad story overall though.

[OwlsFan]

Former Middlesbrough and Newcastle footballer, Stuart Boam https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuart_Boam

[SkStu]

Mani - Stone Roses and Primal Scream legend. Loved him as a musician and all round funny f*cker. RIP

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c04g4x0kkdpo

[Razors left peg]

Mani - Stone Roses and Primal Scream legend. Loved him as a musician and all round funny f*cker. RIP

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c04g4x0kkdpo

Also a Galway United fan. Sad day

https://www.galwaybeo.ie/news/galway-news/mani-stone-roses-irish-connection-10658195

[joey B]

Director Rob Reiner and his wife,apparently murdered by their son.
Responsible for films such as,Stand by Me,Misery,When Harry met Sally and A Few Good Men ….

[pineapple stu]

Chris Rea, who won't be driving home for Christmas this year

[Eminence Grise]

Only 74, which seems too young these days. But the music will live on - you'd be a fool if you think it's over.

[the 12 th man]

Chris Rea, who won't be driving home for Christmas this year

Picked up a guitar for the first time at 28 but mastered it to become a great player.

[OwlsFan]

Michael Hyland, former President of the FAI https://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2025/1230/1550950-former-fai-president-hyland-passes-away/

[pineapple stu]

Brigit Bardot too, who I thought was long dead.

[SkStu]

Scott Adams - Dilbert cartoonist.

[pineapple stu]

Hmmm. I really liked Dilbert, and he was getting good mileage out of some of the more inane D&I stuff for a while - and then the daily email just stopped coming overnight. Took me a little while to spot it had stopped actually. A real pity his last two years or so ruined his reputation (or I suppose more accurately that he ruined his reputation in his last two years or so)

[OwlsFan]

A few days old but Eddie McCreadie, 85, Scottish football player (Chelsea and Scotland) and manager (Chelsea).

[Kingdom]

Gerry Clarke, a totem of the Irish Tennis landscape, and a very fine vintage.
Condolences Peter.

[CraftyToePoke]

John Virgo. RIP

Many an afternoon passed away to his commentary & countless cups of tea when I should have been at work.

[Kingdom]

John Virgo. RIP

Many an afternoon passed away to his commentary & countless cups of tea when I should have been at work.

One hundred and eighty!

Always loved him on Blankety Blank with Les Dennis.

[SkStu]

John Virgo. RIP

Many an afternoon passed away to his commentary & countless cups of tea when I should have been at work.

"Ooh...now where is that cue ball goingggggg...."

[pineapple stu]

Cue ball was Willie Thorne surely? :D

Only did the Masters commentary two weeks ago and all. Dunno did he have Parkinson's or something - looked like he had the shakes for a couple of years. But he could still predict shots as good as ever

[SkStu]

Cue ball was Willie Thorne surely? :D

No way! John Virgo 100%! His greatest meme!

[pineapple stu]

I know that! I'm making a baldy joke.

JV was "Where's the cue ball going?!" (as well as "Good night JV"), but Cue Ball was Willie Thorne cos of the big baldy head on him.

[Nesta99]

It was Jimmy White that the baldy jokes used to hit home. He was so conscious of the cameras focused down on his growing bald patch that he reckoned that it cost him a world title. It came in to his head during one of the finals and he fell apart. Had a hair transplant but at that stage new kids on the bock like Hendry were clearing up. I really do hate when 'voices' pass on. One that you totally associate with a sport - Murray Walker, Bob McClaren, Michael, Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh, Jimmy Magee (who youd often ee in Dundalk as a Cooley native), now John Virgo not long after Clive. Even retirement like George Hamilton though I think Darragh Maloney is a good replacement, the only oe really. Nugent ok for the rugby. On the other hand the retirement of 'Dundork' was absolutely fine.

[CraftyToePoke]

Andrew Ranken, Pogues drummer. 72
Had the pleasure of meeting him a few times, even had a few pints with him once.
RIP

Pogues men are scarce now.

[Eminence Grise]

Funeral not in Berlin... novellist and cookery strip columnist (!) Len Deighton (https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/mar/17/len-deighton-obituary), 97.

[SkStu]

Dolores Keane passed away yesterday too.