The DeathList 2009

12 / 50 dead

Another year, another DeathList. The DeathList committee has been in session and drawn up a its list of 50 celebrities chosen for their likelihood to die in 2009. A quick recap of the unwritten rules: Candidates must have be famous in their own right such that their death is expected to be reported by the UK media, however candidates cannot be famous purely for the fact they are likely to die soon. A maximum of 25 candidates on the previous year’s list can reappear on the next year’s list. A fine performance from Deathlist 2008, with a record-equalling 14 deaths, makes expectations high for the 2009 list. The ongoing battle with medical science continues as it slowly but surely makes the challenge greater each year, but hopefully this is offset by the endless research of the forum members in combing the news sources of the world for nuggets of information on those who ready to claim a DeathList success as their final contribution to society.

The 2009 List

Rank	Prev Year	Appear	Name	Age	Description
1	4	9	Ronnie Biggs	80	Ambassador
2		1	Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi	57	Lockerbie Bomber
3	5	6	Oscar Niemeyer	102	Architect
4		1	João Havelange	93	Ex Fifa president
5	6	7	Claude Levi-Strauss	101	Scientist
6	46	3	Bobby Robson	76	Football Manager
7	8	10	Michael Foot	96	Tramp
8	10	3	Chapman Pincher	95	Journalist / Investigator
9	11	7	Karl Malden	97	Actor
10	12	7	Eli Wallach	94	Actor
11	9	7	Fidel Castro	83	Dictator
12		1	Patrick Swayze	57	Actor
13	7	6	Norman Wisdom	94	Comedian
14		1	Seve Ballesteros	52	Golfer
15	13	6	Yitzhak Shamir	94	Ex PM Israel
16	16	7	Kirk Douglas	93	Actor
17		1	Susan Atkins	61	Manson Family
18		1	Kim Jong-il	68	N Korean Ruler
19		1	Wendy Richard	66	Eastender
20		1	George Steinbrenner	79	NY Yankees Owner
21		4	Walter Cronkite	93	Journalist
22	19	5	Herbert Lom	92	Actor
23		3	Vincent O'Brien	92	Horse Trainer
24	33	7	John Demjanjuk	89	Nazi Collaborator
25	25	4	Dino de Laurentiis	91	Film Producer
26	22	4	Betty Ford	91	Clinic owner
27		1	Edward Kennedy	77	Politician
28	24	4	Billy Graham	91	Evangelist
29		4	Nelson Mandela	91	Politician
30		1	Ludovic Kennedy	90	Interviewer
31		1	Ravi Shankar	89	Musician
32	31	5	Jake LaMotta	88	Boxer
33		2	Harry Morgan	94	MASH
34		7	Mickey Rooney	89	Actor
35	48	2	Captain Beefheart	68	Musician
36		1	Nancy Reagan	88	Actress
37		2	John Forsythe	91	Blake Carrington
38	36	2	Blake Edwards	87	Movie director
39		1	Christopher Lee	87	Actor
40	38	2	Jack Klugman	87	Quincy
41		1	Pierre Cardin	87	Fashion Designer
42	40	8	Patrick Moore	86	Astronomer
43		1	B B King	84	Bluesman
44		1	Robert Novak	78	Journalist
45		2	Margaret Thatcher	84	Milk Snatcher
46	45	4	Elizabeth Taylor	77	Wife
47		4	Vaclav Havel	73	Czech PM
48	50	13	Clive Dunn	89	DeathList Favourite
49		1	Dai Llewellyn	63	Socialite
50	23	3	Ariel Sharon	81	Ex-Israeli Prime Minister

Latest News

3rd November 2009

Frayed Levis

Claude Levi-Strauss’s run of six consecutive appearances on DeathList has finally come to an end with the passing of the 100 year old French anthropologist. While the DeathList Committee was naturally very impressed with Levi-Strauss’s work on the theories of structuralism, it was probably his age and the fact that he shared his name with a brand of jeans that led to his initial selection DeathList in 2002. In 2009, he was selected in fifth place and rewarded the committee’s perseverance. His death brings this year’s total to a respectable 12.

7 appearances: 2009 (5), 2008 (6), 2007 (14), 2006 (9), 2005 (12), 2004 (16), 2002 (35)

12th Death
Age: 101, Scientist, Cause of death: Old age
18th October 2009

Game Over for Ludo

British journalist and broadcaster, Sir Ludovic Kennedy has passed away of pneumonia to provide DeathList 2009 with another hit. Kennedy had a varied career as a newsreader, presenter of BBC’s Panorama and Did You See…? and author of several books focussing on miscarriages of justice. He was also a campaigner for the abolition of the death penalty and ultimately a successful nomination on DeathList. 2009 saw his first appearance on DeathList, receiving the number 30 slot. With a score of 11 so far, DeathList continues its strong showing in the later part of the year.

1 appearance: 2009 (30)

11th Death
Age: 90, Interviewer, Cause of death: Pneumonia
24th September 2009

The Atkins Die-ette

Susan Atkins, member of Charles Manson’s “Manson Family”, has died to give DeathList 2009 another success. Atkins was sentenced to death for her part in eight murders with Manson in 1969. Her sentence was subsequently commuted to life imprisonment, during which she had 18 appeals for parole denied. In 2008 it was reported she had brain cancer, resulting in her first appearance on DeathList in position 17. Atkin’s death brings this year’s score to 10.

1 appearance: 2009 (17)

10th Death
Age: 61, Manson Family, Cause of death: Brain cancer
13th September 2009

He had the time of his life. We had the time of his death.

US actor, Patrick Swayze has passed away after a battle with pancreatic cancer to add to the total for DeathList 2009. 57 year old Swayze was making his first appearance on DeathList, selected at number 12, after being diagnosed with his illness in 2008. His famous movies included Dirty Dancing, Road House, Ghost and Point Break, which perhaps fittingly ends with his character achieving his life’s ambition by surfing to his demise during a legendary storm. Swayze is death number 9 for 2009.

1 appearance: 2009 (12)

9th Death
Age: 57, Actor, Cause of death: Pancreatic cancer
25th August 2009

Dead Kennedy

Senator Edward Kennedy has passed away aged 77, continuing DeathList 2009's impressive start to the second half of the year. Kennedy was making his first appearance on DeathList, securing the number 27 position, after being diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2008. One of the few of the Kennedy clan not to be taken out by an assassin's bullet, Ted Kennedy was a well-respected Senator and member of the Democratic Party, however the Chappaquiddick incident of 1969, in which he managed to ditch his car in water killing his passenger, was a long-lasting shadow over his life. The fact that he wont be leaving the scene of any more fatal accidents brings DeathList 2009's success count to 8 so far, with a respectable score for the year now looking more likely.

1 appearance: 2009 (27)

8th Death
Age: 77, Politician, Cause of death: Brain tumour
17th August 2009

Novak meets the real Prince of Darkness

Robert Novak, US journalist who was associated with CNN in its early days, has died aged 78, to provide DeathList 2009 with another success. Novak was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2008 which caught the attention of the DeathList committee, such that he made his first appearance on the list in 2009 at the number 44 slot.

1 appearance: 2009 (44)

7th Death
Age: 78, Journalist, Cause of death: Brain tumour
30th July 2009

Full time for Bobby

Bobby Robson, former England football manager, has died after a long battle with cancer and finds himself on the scoresheet for DeathList 2009. Robson was a successful football player who went on to become even more successful as manager of Ipswich Town. As England manager, Robson led two assaults on the World Cup, being denied by Maradona's “hand of God” in 1986 and by the inability of Pearce and Waddle to hit the target in a semi-final penalty shootout against West Germany in 1990. Robson was selected number 6 on DeathList 2009.

3 appearances: 2009 (6), 2008 (46), 1989 (9)

6th Death
Age: 76, Football Manager, Cause of death: Cancer
16th July 2009

...And that's the way it was

Walter Cronkite, legendary US TV news anchorman, has died, aged 92, to give DeathList 2009 another success. Cronkite presented the CBS evening news for 19 years and became known as “the most trusted man in America”. In contrast, Cronkite appeared just four times on the DeathList but earned the trust of the committee being picked in the number 21 slot in 2009.

4 appearances: 2009 (21), 2005 (44), 2003 (37), 1992 (34)

5th Death
Age: 93, Journalist, Cause of death: Cerebral vascular disease
30th June 2009

Deceased of San Francisco

Karl Malden, who played Lt. Mike Stone in the legendary TV series “The Streets of San Francisco”, has died aged 97 to give DeathList 2009 another score. Malden had an early career in movies before landing his TV role in “Streets of San Francisco”, where he starred alongside Michael Douglas, before Douglas left the show to pursue younger women, ultimately leading to the show's cancellation.

7 appearances: 2009 (9), 2008 (11), 2007 (20), 2004 (33), 2003 (30), 2002 (24), 2000 (48)

4th Death
Age: 97, Actor, Cause of death: Old Age
31st May 2009

O'Brien withdrawn under orders

Legendary Irish race horse trainer, Vincent O’Brien, has passed away to give DeathList 2009 just its third success with the half way point approaching fast. O’Brien trained six Derby winners and was tipped by the DeathList committee this year to deliver another result The 93 year old was drawn number 23 this year in this his second appearance on Deathlist. Heavy going so far for DeathList 2009, but this isn’t a five furlong sprint…

3 appearances: 2009 (23), 2004 (43), 1992 (32)

3rd Death
Age: 92, Horse Trainer, Cause of death: Unknown
26th February 2009

Deadender!

Wendy Richard, British actress most famous for her role as Pauline Fowler in Eastenders, has died to give DeathList 2009 its second success. Richard, aged 65, had had several run-ins with cancer, but her third instance, revealed in 2008, secured her selection at number 19 on this year’s list. She first gained fame as Miss Brahms in the 1970s British sitcom, Are You Being Served?. She appeared in more than 1,400 episodes of Eastenders but just one appearance on DeathList was all that was needed for her to go on to that select list of successful celebrities.

1 appearance: 2009 (19)

2nd Death
Age: 66, Eastender, Cause of death: Cancer
14th January 2009

First to Dai!

Welsh socialite, Dai Llewellyn, has got DeathList 2009 quickly onto the score sheet with the crowd barely settled in their seats. 62 year old Llewellyn, who sneaked on to this year’s list in 49th place, passed away after suffering from bone cancer. Llewellyn was probably famous for almost no reason (other than his brother Roddy has a relationship with Princess Margaret) although, in this day and age, that doesn’t prevent celebrity status. There was some doubt as to whether he passed the famousness test but plenty of publicity on his demise ratified his eligibility. A good start then for DeathList 2009, but with Tony Hart slipping through DeathList’s fingers shortly afterwards there’s plenty of work to be done.

1 appearance: 2009 (49)

1st Death
Age: 63, Socialite, Cause of death: Bone Cancer
1st January 2009

The bell rings for the start of DeathList 2009

Now the wait for the first sucess of the year.