The DeathList 2006

13 / 50 dead

So here is Deathlist for 2006. A quick summary of the idea behind DeathList: The DeathList committee draws up the list at the end of each year with the objective of selecting the celebrities most likely to die in the next calendar year. The list comprises 50 celebrities, with no more than 25 who appeared on the previous year's list. Candidates are not eligible if their only claim to fame is that they are likely to die shortly. Candidates must also pass the famousness test - which is basically that their death will be covered by the UK media. DeathList 2005 finished with 12 successes, the same total achieved in 2004. The record performance remains the mighty haul of 14 deaths in 2003. Whether this can ever be beaten remains to be seen.

The 2006 List

Rank	Prev Year	Appear	Name	Age	Description
1		1	Lou Rawls	71	Soul Singer
2		1	Alfredo di Stefano	80	Soccer Legend
3	2	6	Ronnie Biggs	77	Ambassador
4	6	2	Brooke Astor	104	Philanthropist
5		1	Charles Lane	101	Actor
6		1	Stanley Kunitz	101	US Poet Laureate
7	8	5	Albert Hofmann	100	Creator of LSD
8	9	3	Oscar Niemeyer	99	Architect
9	12	4	Claude Levi-Strauss	98	Scientist
10		1	Harold Pinter	76	Playwright
11		3	Suharto	85	Ex President of Indonesia
12	15	5	Ernest Gallo	97	Wine maker
13	17	2	Al Lewis	96	Grandpa Munster
14	5	5	Patrick Moore	83	Astronomer
15	20	5	Joseph Barbera	95	Cartoonist (Hanna-Barbera)
16		1	Lady Bird Johnson	94	Former first lady
17	27	3	Milton Friedman	94	Economist
18	24	4	Byron Nelson	94	Golfer
19	33	6	Gerald Ford	93	ex US President
20	35	7	Michael Foot	93	Tramp
21	37	2	Jane Wyman	92	Actress
22	39	4	Eli Wallach	91	Actor
23		1	John Profumo	91	Politician
24	16	4	Norman Wisdom	91	Comedian
25		4	Kirk Douglas	90	Actor
26	43	6	PW Botha	90	Dictator (deposed)
27		2	Dom Mintoff	90	Ex Malta PM
28		1	Caspar Weinberger	89	Politician
29		1	Vera Lynn	89	Singer
30		1	Abdelaziz Bouteflika	69	Algerian President
31	47	10	Kurt Waldheim	88	Nazi
32	21	5	Alexander Solzhenitsyn	88	Author
33		1	Billy Graham	88	Evangelist
34		1	Muhammad Ali	64	Butterfly / Bee
35		1	Ingmar Bergman	88	Film Director
36		1	Margaret Thatcher	81	Milk Snatcher
37		1	Dino de Laurentiis	88	Film Producer
38		1	JD Salinger	87	Author
39	23	2	Claire Rayner	76	Agony Aunt
40	34	2	Jake LaMotta	85	Boxer
41		6	Mickey Rooney	86	Actor
42		1	Charlton Heston	82	Actor
43	40	10	General Pinochet	91	Dictator
44		3	Tony Curtis	81	Actor
45		3	Nelson Mandela	88	Politician
46		3	Charles Haughey	81	ex Irish PM
47		2	George Melly	80	Jazz Man
48		1	Aaron Spelling	83	TV Producer
49	19	2	Elizabeth Taylor	74	Wife
50		10	Clive Dunn	86	DeathList Favourite

Latest News

27th December 2006

Ford Fiesta!

Former US president, Gerald Ford, has passed away, giving DeathList 2006 its 13th success. 93 year old Ford is the only president not to have been elected to office, however, he was elected by the DeathList committee on six occasions, this year finding the number 19 slot. Ford’s death contributes further to DeathList 2006’s strong finish, with five deaths in the final quarter of the year…so far…

6 appearances: 2006 (19), 2005 (33), 2004 (29), 2003 (27), 2001 (44), 1997 (42)

13th Death
Age: 93, ex US President, Cause of death: Old Age
18th December 2006

Yabba Dabba Doo!

The remaining half of legendary cartoon team Hanna-Barbera, Joseph Barbera, has died aged 95, giving DeathList 2006 its twelfth success of the year. The prolific partnership produced a huge proportion of the popular TV cartoons of the twentieth century including Tom and Jerry, The Flintstones, Wacky Races, Scooby Doo, Hong Kong Phooey and Top Cat to name just a few. This was Barbera’s fifth appearance on DeathList, this year achieving his highest ever placing of number 15 and providing a welcome “Yabba Dabba Doo!” as the end of the year closes in.

5 appearances: 2006 (15), 2005 (20), 2004 (23), 2003 (20), 2002 (23)

12th Death
Age: 95, Cartoonist (Hanna-Barbera), Cause of death: Old Age
10th December 2006

Chilean Out

General Augusto Pinochet, infamous former dictator of Chile, has passed away aged 91 to give DeathList 2006 its eleventh success. The ruler of Chile from 1973 until 1990 was famously arrested in the UK in 1998 following charges of human rights abuses brought in Spain. Although he was eventually not extradited and was allowed to return to Chile, the Chilean authorities pursued charges against him, eventually placing him under house arrest just days before he managed to slip through their fingers by dying. 2006 was Pinochet’s tenth appearance on DeathList, this year receiving the number 43 position. News reports have suggested that there have been mass street celebrations in Santiago to mark DeathList 2006's eleventh success.

10 appearances: 2006 (43), 2005 (40), 2004 (37), 2000 (15), 1999 (39), 1997 (9), 1996 (30), 1995 (36), 1994 (42), 1992 (24)

11th Death
Age: 91, Dictator, Cause of death: Heart Attack
16th November 2006

Economic History

Veteran US Economist, Milton Friedman, has finally gone to analyse the great free market in the sky and, in doing so, has given DeathList 2006 its tenth success of the year. Friedman was 94 years old and was selected in the number 17 slot in what was his third appearance on the DeathList. So it’s into double figures at last for DeathList 2006 but the year is fast running out.

3 appearances: 2006 (17), 2005 (27), 1999 (42)

10th Death
Age: 94, Economist, Cause of death: Heart Failure
31st October 2006

A lot less Botha...

PW Botha, former premier of South Africa, has given DeathList 2006 a trick-or-treat special and its ninth success, by passing away, aged 90. Botha ruled South Africa for an 11-year period in which he managed to uphold the apartheid regime against massive international pressure. 2006 marked Botha’s sixth appearance on DeathList, this year finding the number 26 slot. Many DeathList successes bring with them some sadness, so it’s all the more pleasing when we have a success with a candidate who is generally accepted as evil.

6 appearances: 2006 (26), 2005 (43), 2004 (40), 2003 (36), 1994 (19), 1992 (25)

9th Death
Age: 90, Dictator (deposed), Cause of death: Old Age
25th September 2006

Nelson holes out!

Byron Nelson, legendary american golfer, has played his last round at the age of 94. Nelson first appeared on the DeathList in 2001 and slowly crept up the leaderboard in four subsequent appearances to this year’s number 24 spot. The pummelling taken by the USA team in the Ryder Cup must have been a disappointment to him, however his contribution to DeathList 2006 won’t be overlooked as he scores the 8th success of the year.

4 appearances: 2006 (18), 2005 (24), 2004 (26), 2001 (41)

8th Death
Age: 94, Golfer, Cause of death: Old Age
23rd June 2006

No Spelling Mistake

Aaron Spelling, infamous creator of such TV trash as Beverly Hills 90210, Dynasty and Melrose Place, has joined the great soap opera in the sky following a “minor” stroke. 83-year-old Spelling received the ultimate axe in his first appearance on DeathList, sneaking into this year’s number 48 slot. Whether this all happens to be an elaborate dream sequence which will be undone in the next season remains to be seen, but his death marks the seventh success for DeathList 2006 and starts to beg the question as to whether a record 15 successes is a possibility.

1 appearance: 2006 (48)

7th Death
Age: 83, TV Producer, Cause of death: Stroke
12th June 2006

Haughey’s health Fianna-ly Fails

Charles Haughey, the former Irish Prime Minister, has died aged 80 to give DeathList 2006 its sixth success of the year. Haughey had been ill for some years following a diagnosis of prostate cancer and had appeared on DeathList on two previous occasions. This year he was awarded the number 46 slot. He was dogged by financial scandal towards the end of his career, but there can be no complaints with his solid DeathList performance.

3 appearances: 2006 (46), 2004 (27), 2002 (26)

6th Death
Age: 81, ex Irish PM, Cause of death: Prostate Cancer
14th May 2006

Dead Poets Society?

Stanley Kunitz, former US poet laureate and Pulitzer Prize winner, has died to give DeathList 2006 its fifth success of the year. The 100 year old Kunitz was appearing for the first time on DeathList, but jumped straight into the No. 6 slot. He becomes the first of the four centenarians on this year’s list to go, proving that they are not as easy targets as one might think.

1 appearance: 2006 (6)

5th Death
Age: 101, US Poet Laureate, Cause of death: Old Age
27th March 2006

Caspar the Ghost

American politician, Caspar Weinberger, has died, aged 88, to give DeathList 2006 its fourth success. Weinberger was Secretary of Defence under President Ronald Reagan, getting wrapped up in the Iran-Contra affair as well as being a big supporter of Ronnie’s “Star Wars” project. Weinberger was the number 28 selection on the 2006 list, which was also his first appearance on DeathList. With four successes in the first quarter, DeathList 2006 is setting a strong early pace.

1 appearance: 2006 (28)

4th Death
Age: 89, Politician, Cause of death: Old Age
10th March 2006

Profumo keels over

John Profumo, the subject of a major British political scandal in the 1963, has died at the age of 91 to give DeathList 2006 its third success. Profumo’s started an affair with good time girl Christine Keeler, only for it to be discovered that she was also close to a high-ranking Russian naval attaché. Profumo was forced to resign and the conservative government subsequently lost the next election, however the event did spawn a successful movie in 1989. Profumo was the number 23 selection on this year’s list in his first ever appearance.

1 appearance: 2006 (23)

3rd Death
Age: 91, Politician, Cause of death: Old Age
4th February 2006

Al'lelujah

Al Lewis, most famous as Grandpa Munster, has passed away aged 95, giving DeathList 2006 its second success. Apart from the Munsters, Lewis appeared in several other TV shows and movies, ran a restaurant, was a basketball talent scout and even stood as a political candidate after his 90th birthday. This was Al’s second appearance on the DeathList, with disputes about his real age possibly preventing him from a greater number of appearances. However, he found the number 13 spot this year and answered his selection in style.

2 appearances: 2006 (13), 2005 (17)

2nd Death
Age: 96, Grandpa Munster, Cause of death: Old Age
6th January 2006

Lou Rules!

Grammy award winning soul singer, Lou Rawls, has given DeathList 2006 its first success with January barely even underway. Rawls gave dead-poolers around the world just the sort of tip they were looking for announcing, in mid-December, that he had lung and brain cancer, never a positive sign for longevity. Rawls was 72 years old and the number 1 selection on this year’s list.

1 appearance: 2006 (1)

1st Death
Age: 71, Soul Singer, Cause of death: Lung and Brain Cancer
1st January 2006

2006 is off and running

The 2006 DeathList is up and running...