Latest News

• 22nd December 2019

  Britton Votes Leave

  

  British actor, Tony Britton, has passed away at the grand old age of 95 to mark another success for DeathList 2019. Britton was most famous for his roles in British TV sitcoms, Robin’s Nest, which ran from 1977 to 1981, and Don’t Wait Up, which ran from 1983 to 1990. Prior to his TV sitcom career, he appeared in a numerous movie including the original The Day of the Jackal and There’s a Girl in my Soup. Britton died while making his inaugural appearance on DeathList, claiming 41st spot.
  1 appearance: 2019 (41)
  

  13th Death

  Age: 95, Actor, Cause of death: TBC

• 27th November 2019

  Clive no longer alive

  

  Broadcaster, Clive James, has finally succumbed to cancer to provide DeathList 2019 with its twelfth hit. James moved to the UK in his early 20s and, in due course, became the TV reviewer for The Observer newspaper. In the early 1980s, his dry humour earned him a series of successful TV shows which made him a household name in Britain. Throughout his career, James also wrote a number of novels and also a 3-volume autobiography. James was diagnosed with leukaemia in 2010 which lead to many related health complications. In an interview in 2012 he admitted that he was close to death, however over the next seven years he wrote further books, poetry, a newspaper column for the Guardian and also continually updated his website which even gave journalists advice on writing his obituary, maintaining his good humour to the end. James died aged 80 while at number 43 on the list, his 6th appearance.
  6 appearances: 2019 (43), 2018 (44), 2016 (19), 2015 (16), 2014 (12), 2013 (4)
  

  12th Death

  Age: 80, TV presenter, Cause of death: Cancer

• 16th October 2019

  Death Knell for Bracknell

  

  Leah Bracknell, star of UK TV Soap Emmerdale, has finally succumbed to lung cancer to provide DeathList 2019 with a much-anticipated score. In a very rare move, Bracknell’s death was announced on 16 October although she was said to have passed in September – causing mayhem for death pool administrators everywhere. Bracknell starred in Emmerdale from 1989 to 2005 playing Zoe Tate, who was the first prominent lesbian character in a British soap. Bracknell was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2016 making her an automatic DeathList selection from 2017 onwards. She battled the disease for three years before passing aged 55 while at number 5 on the list.
  3 appearances: 2019 (5), 2018 (2), 2017 (14)
  

  11th Death

  Age: 55, Actress, Cause of death: Lung Cancer

• 6th October 2019

  No More Beats for Baker

  

  Legendary 60s rock drummer, Ginger Baker, has passed on to the big concert hall in the sky to score another hit for DeathList 2019. As a youngster Baker was a keen cyclist Baker, but after smashing up his bike he found a profession where the prospects for a career based on a prolonged heavy drug intake was equal – rock drumming. He was a founding member of the band, Cream, a hugely successful supergroup formed with Eric Clapton and Jack Bruce in 1966. Baker gained a reputation for being difficult to work which resulted in Cream breaking up in 1968. Baker formed and joined many bands through the next few drug fuelled decades with varying degrees of success, even joining Public Image Ltd for one album in 1986. Baker was making his first appearance on DeathList this year after rumours of his deteriorating health. He passed away aged 80, while at number 49 on the list.
  1 appearance: 2019 (49)
  

  10th Death

  Age: 80, Drummer, Cause of death: TBC

• 26th September 2019

  Chirac’s French Toast

  

  French politician, Jacques Chirac, has been elected to join the DeathList 2019 scoreboard. Chirac had two spells as French Prime Minister between 1974 to 1976 and 1986 to 1988. During this time, he was also Mayor of Paris until 1995 when he won the presidential election and remained president until 2007. After his presidency ended, historic corruption charges were brought against him of which he was found ultimately guilty and escaped with a suspended sentence. Chirac died aged 86 while making his second appearance on DeathList. He was selected in 25th place this year.
  2 appearances: 2019 (25), 2016 (46)
  

  9th Death

  Age: 87, Ex French President/PM, Cause of death: TBA

• 6th September 2019

  Mugabe’s had his last Harare

  

  Popular Zimbabwean dictator, Robert Mugabe, has finally been elected to the big house in the sky to provide DeathList 2019 with its eighth success. Mugabe was a key figure in the transition of Rhodesia from an African country ruled by a minority white population to the modern-day Zimbabwe. He was imprisoned for a period in the 1960s for statements he made about the existing Rhodesian government. After a guerrilla war lasting several years, Mugabe became Prime Minister of Rhodesia in 1980, immediately changing the country’s name to Zimbabwe and promising to seek racial reconciliation between the warring factions. He became president in 1987. Mugabe’s reputation gradually deteriorated from this point to such that he is now considered to be corrupt, racist, bigoted and guilty of a multitude of human rights crimes – pretty much all the qualifications for a world leader in this day and age. He was removed as president in 2017. Mugabe was making his sixth appearance on DeathList at the age of 95. – his death being one of the more popular successes in recent years.
  6 appearances: 2019 (7), 2018 (24), 2017 (18), 2015 (41), 2012 (40), 2004 (49)
  

  8th Death

  Age: 95, Dictator, Cause of death: TBC

• 30th August 2019

  End of the Rhoda for Harper

  

  US Actress, Valerie Harper, has finally delivered a long-anticipated score for DeathList. Harper was the star on 1970’s TV Sitcom, Rhoda. She played Rhoda Morgenstern in the hit show that ran from 1974 to 1978, having previously played the character for the previous four years in The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Harper appeared regularly on TV and in movies following the demise of the Rhoda show although never again repeated the success of her big hit. Harper was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2009 with a grim prognosis but battled on for 10 years before she succumbed shortly after her 80th birthday. Harper was selected in 37th place this year, making her 5th appearance on the list.
  5 appearances: 2019 (37), 2018 (43), 2017 (46), 2015 (18), 2014 (11)
  

  7th Death

  Age: 80, Rhoda, Cause of death: Cancer

• 16th July 2019

  Clegg Bye for South Africa

  

  Johnny Clegg, South African music icon, has succumbed to cancer, providing DeathList 2019 with another score. Clegg's first career was as a professor of anthropology, lecturing at the University of Natal, however, his musical career started to develop in Apartheid-era South Africa, where his band, Juluka was notable for being multi-racial. He became known as Le Zoulou Blanc (The White Zulu) as a result of his his of Zulu and English lyrics. He started to tour internationally in the 1980s and formed another multi-racial band, Savuka in 1986. In the later part of his career he was best known as a solo artist. Clegg was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2015 and passed, aged 66, while holding position number 50 on this year's list.
  1 appearance: 2019 (50)
  

  6th Death

  Age: 66, Musician, Cause of death: Pancreatic Cancer

• 5th July 2019

  McCririck's Race Is Run

  

  Flamboyant British horse racing personality, John McCririck, has cantered past the finishing post to provide DeathList 2019 with another winner. McCririck shot to fame when Channel 4 took over televised horse racing in the UK in the 1980s with him presenting live from the betting ring and educating audiences about the “tic-tac” communication method used by bookmakers UK race tracks. His fame gradually became more mainstream, particularly when he appeared on Celebrity Big Brother in the UK in 2005. In later years, his persona started to land him in hot water as the political correctness of the times shifted, ultimately leading him to be dropped by Channel 4 racing in 2012. His health started to fail in 2018 resulting in him being selected at number 42 on the 2019 list. He was 79 when he passed.
  1 appearance: 2019 (42)
  

  5th Death

  Age: 79, Horse Racing Pundit, Cause of death: TBA

• 17th May 2019

  Finally a wake for Wouk

  

  Author and screenwriter, Herman Wouk, has finally passed to provide DeathList 2019 with another hit. Wouk was a Jewish New Yorker who wrote more than 20 books, his most famous being The Caine Mutiny in 1951 which became a famous movie and also won him the Pulitzer Prize. He also wrote The Winds of War in 1971, which became a TV miniseries. Wouk died in his sleep aged 103. Wouk had been a regular on DeathList in recent years, this year taking the number 2 slot.
  8 appearances: 2019 (2), 2018 (3), 2017 (11), 2016 (7), 2015 (4), 2012 (19), 2010 (14), 2001 (49)
  

  4th Death

  Age: 104, Author, Cause of death: Natural Causes

• 15th May 2019

  Hawke joins the great majority

  

  Former Australian Prime Minister, Bob Hawke, has thrown his last shrimp on the barbie to provide DeathList 2019 with another success. After a long rise through the ranks, Hawke became leader of the Australian Labor party in February 1983 and then became Prime Minister a month later. He stayed in power until 1991. In the 1950s he studied at Oxford University and helped cement it as an elite academic institution by setting the world record for drinking a yard of ale at 11 seconds. Although his record has since been demolished, Hawke would occasionally still carry out his party trick well into his 80s. Hawke died aged 90 while at number 23 on the list.
  1 appearance: 2019 (23)
  

  3rd Death

  Age: 90, Ex Australian PM, Cause of death: Old Age

• 13th May 2019

  No more Days for Doris

  

  Legendary actress and singer, Doris Day, has ended the DeathList drought by passing at the ripe old age of 97. Day made some 39 movies between 1948 and 1968 and released more than 25 albums in her career. One of her biggest movies came in 195 with Calamity Jane. In 1956 she starred in Hitchcock’s The Man Who Knew Too Much which included the song Que Sera, Sera becoming her signature song. Later in life, Day became an animal welfare activist. Day was making her fourth appearance on DeathList, collecting ninth position this year.
  4 appearances: 2019 (9), 2018 (16), 2015 (29), 2013 (40)
  

  2nd Death

  Age: 97, Actress, Cause of death: Pneumonia

• 12th February 2019

  Another Banks Bailout

  

  Legendary England goalkeeper, Gordon Banks, has taken his place between the goalposts in the sky. Banks was England's keeper when they won their only World Cup in 1966. However, it was in the next World Cup in 1970 against Brazil where he made, what some consider to be, the greatest save history, pushing a bouncing header from Pele over the bar when it appeared it was a certain goal. Sadly, Banks' football career was effectively ended in 1972 when he had a car crash leaving him blind in one eye. After retirement Banks remained a popular and well-liked character. He died aged 81 after suffering from kidney cancer for some time. He was making his second appearance on DeathList, this year at number 19. Appropriately he becomes the No.1 success for this year's list.
  2 appearances: 2019 (19), 2016 (44)
  

  1st Death

  Age: 82, Goalkeeper, Cause of death: Cancer