Any Way You Cut It, Roger Ebert's Surgery Rolling

Who Maimed Roger Ebert? We know he's not well. But all he seems to do nowadays is go in for and come out of surgery. He's in. He's out. He's in. He's out.

Roger Ebert is recovering at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago after surgery to repair a minor hip injury. He tripped and fell at the Pritikin Center in Florida, where he had gone to continue physical therapy in preparation for his film festival.

"The show must go on!" Ebert says. "I am doing fine and if the doctors clear me, I will be there." The Roger Ebert Film Festival (Ebertfest) is sponsored by the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign April 23-27.

Had doctors not liked the end result, perhaps Ebert would have been bedpanned.

[ABC7Chicago.com]

Hot Rod (Not the Bad Andy Samberg Movie)

I don't particularly care for fish, but it strike me as odd to eat as fish that is poisonous.

Roddy Piper's friend Ric Flair probably knows much more about this, being that he is the "Nature Boy and all.

Yesterday was somebody's Birthday! Whose Birthday? Former Professional Wrestler "Rowdy" Roddy Piper's Birthday. How Old Is He? 1,2,3,4... 54! And Never been Kissed By... Death

Roddy Piper's name appears on "BestDeathPoolRosterEver.BlogSpot.Com's" roster

• On July 27, 2007, Piper was set to team up with Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake in a tag team match against Greg "The Hammer" Valentine and Chris "The Crippler" Costello at Clash at the Cove 9, Costello's promotion IAW's yearly event at Coveleski Stadium in South Bend, Indiana. However, allegedly, due to a family emergency, Piper had to leave the stadium early to tend to his family. The match was then made a triple threat and Costello won by a countout in under ten minutes.

I don't know what kind of family emergency would possibly be more important that a reunion with Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake. Some one has some explaining to do.

... And Many More!

Danny Federici's Hungry Heart Stops Playing

Scoring Update! The points change, death remains the same...

Danny Federici, the longtime keyboard player for Bruce Springsteen whose stylish work helped define the E Street Band's sound on hits from "Hungry Heart" through "The Rising," died Thursday. He was 58. Federici, who had battled melanoma for three years, died at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.

Federici had taken a leave of absence during the band's tour in November 2007 to pursue treatment for melanoma, and was temporarily replaced by veteran musician Charles Giordano. At the time, Springsteen described Federici as "one of the pillars of our sound and has played beside me as a great friend for more than 40 years. We all eagerly await his healthy and speedy return."

Congratulations and 24 points awarded to Daddy to Be Dead Mates. The Rosters and Standings have been updated.

[Yahoo! News]

Chaos Theory Puts Edward Lorenz in a Deadly State

Scoring Update! The points change, death remains the same...

Edward Lorenz, the father of chaos theory, died at his home in Cambridge, Mass., Wednesday. He was 90.

"Of all the geniuses of that era, he was the quietest and most humble and the most kind," said Jerry Mahlman, a longtime friend.

Congratulations and 24 points awarded to Angelos or Bust. The Rosters and Standings have been updated.

[AP]

Pope on a Rope

Not to brag or anything, but I've been to many Mets games, and I haven't had much trouble using the escalators.

It seems as though the Pope does have some sort of direct link to God. How else can you explain him holding mass at Nationals Park and Yankee Stadium, but not at Shea Stadium?

Today is somebody's Birthday! Whose Birthday? Pope Benedict XVI's Birthday. How Old Is He? 1,2,3,4... 81! And Never been Kissed By... Death

Pope Benedict XVI's name appears on "Daddy to Be Dead Mates'" roster

• Pope Benedict XVI's interests include classical music and cats. He owns a specially engraved white Apple iPod and enjoys listening to music on it.
  

One of the many perks of being the Pope. All of those are of course offset by the fact he can't have sex. But at least he can listen to Mozart all he wants.

... And Many More!

Arlen Specter Can't Fund A Clean Bill of Health

A little while ago, we told you about Sen. Arlen Specter's book about how he overcame Hodgkin's disease in 2005. Turns out, though, he wasn't completely out of the woods.

Sen. Arlen Specter's Hodgkin's disease, which he battled in 2005, has recurred, but doctors said that its return was detected early and that Specter has an "excellent chance" of once again achieving remission, according to a statement issued Tuesday by the senator's office.

Specter, 78, will continue to perform his Senate duties and conduct his campaign for re-election to a sixth term but will undergo 12 weeks of chemotherapy, the written statement said. The recurrence was found during a routine scan, which flagged small lymph nodes in Specter's chest and abdomen. A follow-up biopsy of one of the chest lymph nodes was positive for recurrence, but a bone marrow biopsy was negative.

Doctors cite the early diagnosis as the explanation for the optimism they have this go around. The senator says that he's beaten a lot of political opponents during his career and he is ready to win this second bout with Hodgkin's disease. We can't help but wonder when the next book in the miniseries is due out.

[CNN]

Marvin J. Miller Will You Please Go Now!

First squirrels, now horses? I think I'm going to sign up for my local chapter of the speciesism movement. We have to get rid of these monsters post haste.

You know who else liked to get rid of monsters? Marvin Miller. Of course that's only if by monsters you mean low salaries for baseball players.

Yesterday was somebody's Birthday! Whose Birthday? Former Executive Director of the Major League Baseball Players' Association Marvin Miller's Birthday. How Old Is He? 1,2,3,4... 91! And Never been Kissed By... Death

Marvin Miller's name appears on "CraigsDeathList.org's" roster

• In 1992, the Hall of Fame broadcaster Red Barber said, "Marvin Miller, along with Babe Ruth and Jackie Robinson, is one of the two or three most important men in baseball history."
  

Today is the 61st Anniversary of Robinson breaking the color barrier.

... And Many More!

Beverly Cleary, Age 92

I always knew there was reason for me to be afraid of squirrels.

This is probably the reason why Beverly Cleary wrote about mice. No one's afraid of a mouse on a motorcycle. A squirrel on a farm is, sadly, another story.

Saturday was somebody's Birthday! Whose Birthday? Children's Author Beverly Cleary's Birthday. How Old Is She? 1,2,3,4... 92! And Never been Kissed By... Death

Beverly Cleary's name appears on "The South Shall Rise (from the Grave) Again's" and "Grateful(ly) Dead's" rosters

• Cleary's first full-time job was as a librarian in Yakima, Washington, where she met many children who were searching for the same books that she had always hoped to find as a child herself. In response, she wrote her first book, Henry Huggins, which was published in 1950.
  

If I were her, this would have made me write a lot of coloring books and connect the dots book. Maybe I'd throw in a word find as well.

... And Many More!

Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Constipation

Today is the 143rd anniversary of Abraham Lincoln being shot at Ford's Theatre. He died a day later, on Tax Day. Every grade schooler knows that it was John Wilkes Booth who killed the 16th President. What you may not know, however, is that may not be true. At least according to Palo Alto physician and amateur historian John Sotos, who says that President Abraham Lincoln was suffering from a lethal genetic cancer syndrome when he was shot.

"Lincoln was a rare man with a rare disease," said Sotos. He has self-published a 300-page book and 400-page database to support his conclusion, based on an exhaustive analysis of Lincoln photographs and historical eyewitness descriptions of the president's health. "This solves a puzzle."

Lincoln's health has fascinated medical sleuths. In 1962, it was suggested that his great height and long limbs were linked to a genetic disorder called Marfan syndrome. Others have proposed alternate ailments - Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, perhaps, or Stickler syndrome. Some say he suffered from depression or exhaustion.
The late president's health had long puzzled Sotos.

Not yet done, Sotos and others speculate about illnesses that other U.S. Presidents suffered from at the time of their deaths.

George Washington may have suffered dementia during his last years in office; James Madison suffered seizures; Calvin Coolidge grew depressed after the death of his son; after a lifetime of heavy drinking, Franklin Pierce died of cirrhosis of the liver...He diagnosed severe sleep apnea in William Taft and graphed the president's weight gains and losses.

After reading an article about thyroid cancer last year, Sotos pieced his theory together. It explained President Lincoln's lanky build, chronic constipation, hooded eyes, asymmetric jaw and the lumps on his lips, he said. Lincoln's health was already weakening at the time of his assassination.

We fear that maybe Sotos is just trying to cover up for President Lincoln's bad looks and chronic constipation. While President Lincoln's ass may have been his primary concern, it was inevitably Lincoln's assassination that brought him down twice as hard.

[San Jose Mercury News]

Elizabeth Taylor Gives Another Breath-Taking Performance

We can only assume at this point that Elizabeth Taylor doesn't think her health problems are as scary as others think they are. Or else maybe she's doing her best to act like she doesn't.

Elizabeth Taylor was reportedly rushed to hospital after mixing alcohol and prescription drugs. According to the National Enquirer magazine, the 76-year-old actress woke her assistant at 4am on April 6 after she started vomiting and had trouble breathing.

She was rushed to Los Angeles' Cedars-Sinai Medical Center where she was treated before returning home later that afternoon. A friend of the legendary star said: "Liz was panicking. She really thought she was going to die."

Dating back to the 1980s, Taylor's had two stays at the Betty Ford Clinic.

'Cleopatra' actress Elizabeth was previously treated at the Betty Ford Clinic in 1983 for chemical dependency and in 1988 for problems with painkillers. We sense that this star's light has been teetering out for so long it's hardly even worth worrying about it anymore.

[Monsters and Critics]

Pauline Phillips' Holding onto 'Dear' Life

Dear Abby,

I want to spend more time with my sick mother. She barely recognizes me, though. What's the solution? - J.P.

Dear J.P.,

Sounds like you should take over her syndicated newspaper column and then speak glowingly about your mother at any chance you get. It'll draw you two closer, even if she has trouble expressing it.

Jeanne Phillips had been co-writing Dear Abby for more than a decade before she publicly took over in 2002, when it became known that her mother was suffering from Alzheimer's disease. While some readers may have expected the quality to suffer, the younger Phillips brought her own style to the column, and it's as popular as ever - receiving more than 10,000 e-mails and letters per week.

"For a long time, as she became progressively sicker, I was writing it, and she was editing me when she could. And she was a very fine editor, so perhaps that smoothed the transition," says Jeanne Phillips.

Now that Jeanne has a steady hold on the column's reins - daily readership around the world is at roughly 110 million people - you may be wondering about her mother, Pauline.

"I miss my mother. We were very close," Phillips says. "She has Alzheimer's, and she's here, but she's not here. That's rough."

It sounds to us like a case where when the bonding gets rough, the tough get writing.

[San Francisco Chronicle]

John Wheeler's Death Leaves Black Hole Behind

Scoring Update! The points change, death remains the same...

John A. Wheeler, a visionary physicist and teacher who helped invent the theory of nuclear fission, gave black holes their name and argued about the nature of reality with Albert Einstein and Niels Bohr, died Sunday morning at his home in Hightstown, N.J. He was 96. The cause was pneumonia, said his daughter Alison Wheeler Lahnston.

Max Tegmark, a cosmologist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said of Dr. Wheeler, “For me, he was the last Titan, the only physics superhero still standing.”

Congratulations and 18 points each awarded to CraigsDeathList.org and Last Call. The Rosters and Standings have been updated.

[New York Times]

Take out the Trash Day

I don't even know what to say about this story. There are so many questions. How was this guy picked up by a garbage truck? Why didn't the garbage men realize they just picked up a man and not trash? I've posted some bizarre stories in my day, but this is certainly up there.

However, this is mighty apropos for our birthday today because as Governor of New York, Hugh Carey advocated using trash as an alternative fuel. You have to think the more people in the trash the better the fuel.

Today is somebody's Birthday! Whose Birthday? Former Governor of New York Hugh L. Carey's Birthday. How Old Is He? 1,2,3,4... 89! And Never been Kissed By... Death

Hugh L. Carey's name appears on "The Quit Parade's" roster

• In April 2006, a few days after his 87th birthday, Carey endorsed then-Attorney General Eliot Spitzer as a candidate for Governor; Spitzer went on to win the election by a large margin, and was sworn in as the 54th Governor of the State of New York on January 1, 2007.
  

Insert cliche'd Eliot Spitzer prostitute joke here.

... And Many More!

Weekend at Harry's?

It seems as though every month or so we get another one of these stories. To be honest, I just don't get them. Doesn't the phrase "the smell of death" tell you all you need to know about dead bodies? I guess there are just more crazy people in this world than I had ever imagined.

I don't know if our birthday boy is crazy, but looking at some recent pictures, it certainly possible that he is just a dead corpse being kept alive for some crazy reason.

Today is somebody else's Birthday! Whose Birthday? Emmy Winning Actor Harry Morgan's Birthday. How Old Is He? 1,2,3,4... 93! And Never been Kissed By... Death

Harry Morgan's name appears on 8 DP 2008 rosters

• In the episode "The Days Dwindle Down" of "Murder, She Wrote," Morgan played LAPD Detective Webb. In 1967, he starred as a member of the LAPD in "Dragnet 1967" which was created by and co-starred Jack Webb.
  

He was also scheduled to voice Charlotte in "Charlotte's Web" but talks fell through.

... And Many More!

Cemetary Towns in N.Y. Hold Some of the Famous

We told you recently about a hobby that some people have to visit the graves of famous celebrities. While some travel around looking for these graves, others have made their searches more local.

Chuck D’Imperio of Oneonta, New York, is the author of "Great Graves of Upstate New York." He believes that the state of New York has enough buried there for people take up an interest in their local cemetaries.

“They’re repositories of history, family history, New York history,” he said. “There are representatives of every war. There are fascinating sculptures. You never know who’s going to turn up in a cemetery in Central New York.”

So who has D’Imperio found? The book contains a list of 70 people – including criminals, politicians, movie stars, artists – who are buried in Upstate New York.

“The list of these 70 people is fascinating,” said D’Imperio. “It includes four U.S. presidents. It includes very, very famous names like James Fenimore Cooper and Lucille Ball.” D’Imperio became interested in famous graves after the death of his grandfather. He is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in Elmira. So is Mark Twain.

“There’s politicians here,” he said. “There’s folk heroes here; there’s a horse here. There’s a one-legged tap dancer here.”

You may now be wondering where some famous horses are buried. Mr. Ed? Unknown. Secretariat? Kentucky (a champion horse...of course, of course). Marvin The Tap-Dancing Horse? Reruns.

[Utica Observer-Dispatch]

A Byrd in the Bed is Worth Poo vs. the Bush

Avid Best Death Pool Ever readers (me? Live Like You Were Dying?) will of course remember the case of Senator Robert Byrd who has not been quite free as a…bird, after falling and hurting his hip in his home nest.

Well, Byrd also happens to be the chairman of the Senate’s appropriations committee, which is working on a crucial supplemental spending bill related to the war in Iraq.

Which makes us wonder: Hmm…How can you be reading documents when the documents are in your briefcase? (NSFW-ish) Said otherwise: How can you be leading a committee when the committee is in the Senate?

Now, reports are surfacing that Democratic Party leaders are also pondering this same question and are meeting to discuss the future of the endangered Byrd:

Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., told The Hill newspaper that Democrats have concerns that Byrd won't be able to move the committee through spending bills quickly enough. "The concern is that we've got a lot to do, and we've got to move quickly," Lincoln told the newspaper. She added that Byrd's recent illness has held up the committee's progress.

To us, this seems like an overdue lesson in the Byrds and the bees, as in Byrd shouldn’t be chairman anymore.

[Charleston Daily Mall]

Stanley Kamel Was a Working Animal

Stanley Kamel, well known for playing Dr. Charles Kroger on the hit series “Monk,” has died, Access Hollywood has learned. Kamel was found dead in his Hollywood Hills home on Tuesday. He was 65. The actor died of a heart attack, Access Hollywood reports.

A rep for the USA network, which airs the Emmy-winning “Monk,” released the following statement to Access Hollywood:

“USA is deeply saddened by the news of Stanley Kamel's passing. Stanley was an amazingly talented and extremely kind man, and an important member of the USA family. He will be sorely missed.”

He is credited with over 100 roles. You may recognize Kamel from his television role on “The West Wing,” “Six Feet Under,” “Melrose Place,” or "Beverly Hills, 90210." Somewhere Dylan McKay cradles Kamel's head in the rain.

[MSNBC]

The Demon Stabber of Waukegan

I know 6 year olds can sometimes be a handful, but to call one a demon and then murder her? That just seems like a bit much to me.

Some would call our two birthday boys demons. I would agree on the second, but certainly not on the first. And I'm pretty sure I wouldn't stab either one.

Today is somebody's Birthday! Whose Birthday? Founder of "Playboy" Magazine Hugh Hefner's Birthday. How Old Is He? 1,2,3,4... 82! And Never been Kissed By... Death (but has been given a lap dance by Pamela Anderson)

Hugh Hefner name appears on "The Quit Parade's" and "Extended Weekend at Bernie's'" rosters

• After serving in the subscription department and as a copywriter for "Esquire," he left in January 1952 after being denied a $5 raise. He worked at Children's Activities, then took his biggest gamble in 1953 by lending his furniture for $600 and raising $8,000 from 45 investors -- including $1,000 from his mother -- to launch Playboy.

I think I speak for males everywhere in thanking the management of "Esquire" for being such tightwads.

Today is somebody else's Birthday! Whose Birthday? Founder of White Aryan Resistance Tom Metzger's Birthday. How Old Is He? 1,2,3,4... 70! And Never been Kissed By... Death

Tom Metzger's name appears on "Genesis 6:7's" roster

• In 1980, Metzger won the Democratic Party nomination for the U.S. House of Representatives with over 40,000 votes in a San Diego-area district. He had changed his party registration from Republican to Democrat earlier in the year. The Democrats disavowed his candidacy, instead endorsing incumbent four-term Republican Clair Burgener. Metzger lost by over 200,000 votes in November to a several-term incumbent in a heavily Republican district.
  

Republicans and Democrats may disagree on many issues but it seems as though they agree that Nazis are bad. That stance must have polled through the roof.

... And Many More!

Randy Pausch Spices Up His Life

More successful, albeit mentally disturbed looking women than I once remarked:

Smiling, dancing, everything is free
All you need is positivity

And positivity is something Randy Pausch is sure of. If you remember, we are now 7 months removed from Randy Pausch’s virtual death sentence from his pancreatic cancer diagnosis. And Pausch is still smiling. Since that time Pausch has given a “last lecture” viewed by more than 10 million people, has wrote a book that is coincidentally titled “The Last Lecture,” testified before congress about the dearth of funding for pancreatic cancer research, and he will be the subject of a one hour ABC special hosted by Diane Sawyer, tonight.

Whatever. We’ve been blogging, and thanks to the New York Times, we know that’s just as dangerous as cancer.

But, apparently, there are other blogs on the internet, and some bloggers have been writing on them. And, in further development, a certain newspaper has been reporting on those blogs:

Because Pausch has outlived his initial prognosis, a few bloggers have begun to speculate that he is not really dying. Doctors at the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and the University of Pittsburgh have confirmed Pausch's diagnosis and treatment.
"There's nothing to be cynical about in how he's choosing to approach these last months of his life," said Robbee Kosak, vice president for university advancement at Carnegie Mellon. "He's always been very passionate. He's always very pragmatic. He knows exactly what his priorities are. People like Randy are so rare. We should all be really happy that so many of us have had a chance now to see that it's possible to live your life with passion and energy and candor."

We are not a cynical bunch, so we are with Randy on this one. That said, if he is using this just to kiss some popular female singer…I think we can get to the bottom of it.

Here’s to Pausch. Keep inspiring, Randy. We’ll do your laundry for you for a week.

[International Herald Tribune]

How Long Can Millvina Dean's Titanic Heart Go On?

A chest infection resulting in the loss of her voice has forced Millvina Dean, the last living survivor of the Titanic, to cancel a public appearance she was due to make on Friday. This event wasn't just any speaking engagement. It was part of a series of Titanic commemorations being staged this weekend.

Millvina, who lives at Woodlands, near Ashurst, said: "I am truly sorry that I won't be able to do the talk on Friday as I was so looking forward to it and I hope people won't be too disappointed." Now the sole survivor of the disaster that claimed the lives of more than 1,500 people, Millvina was just a baby when she, her mother and brother were saved in one of Titanic's lifeboats, after the White Star liner foundered during her maiden voyage from Southampton.

The festivities honoring the 96th anniversary of the Titanic crash will go on as planned without Dean's presence. A broken hip knocked Dean out of the 95th anniversary last year.

Ninety nine red bruises go by...

[thisishampshire.net]

Betty is Built Ford Tough

How's this for an April story? A Snowball fight!

Today is somebody's Birthday! Whose Birthday? First Lady Betty Ford's Birthday. How Old Is She? 1,2,3,4... 90! And Never been Kissed By... Death

Betty Ford's name appears on the Rosters of "M"h By You Buddy," "Up The Arsenal!," "They Are Now As Cold As Ice," "Whoaa-ooah, Dying on the Edge," and "Tomb Raiders Redux (This Time with Candy)"

• On May 3rd, Betty Ford will be the first Non-Brit to be granted the "People's Princess" humanitarian award by the Princess Diana Foundation.

To be clear, this is not the same as the "People's Champion." For example: Betty Ford will still not be able to make use of the "People's Elbow." I just hope she has a finishing move ready if she ever needs to take on Triple H in the ring.

... And Many More!

Looks Like Someone's Got a Case of the Monday...Birthdays

Does 2 make a case of birthdays? Galaxy Zone Misting Fountains come in cases of 2, so I'm going to say yes...

Here is an unbelievably absurd story for you: A New Jersey man's family is suing a hospital for causing his death when they gave him a lung transplant...of a smoker's cancerous lungs. Hmm...Why do we suspect that the surgery was performed by Eric Cartman?

Monday was somebody's Birthday! Whose Birthday? ex-Boston Red Sox Second Baseman Bobby Doerr's Birthday. How Old Is He? 1,2,3,4... 90! And Never been Kissed By... Death

Bobby Doerr's name appears on "Angelos or Bust" and "Tomb Raider Redux (This Time with Candy)'s Rosters

• The Boston Red Sox held "Bobby Doerr Day" last season at Fenway Park where he drove along the warning track in a car, threw out the first pitch, and gave a speech.

Doerr needed to be cajoled into tossing out the first pitch. He had first threatened that "the ball was in my yard" and "I'm keeping it now." He eventually tossed the ball, but left quickly, complaining of "a draft in here."

Monday was somebody else's Birthday! Whose Birthday? World Famous Indian Musician Ravi Shankar's Birthday. How Old Is He? 1,2,3,4... 88! And Never been Kissed By... Death

Ravi Shankar name appears on "Up the Arsenal!'s" Roster

• Ravi Shankar has won all of the following awards: 3 Grammy awards, 14 honorary doctorates, and the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honor. He was also nominated for an Academy Award.

That's all incredibly true, and yet...one title still eludes him: That's right- World's Best Boss.

... And Many More!

It's a Birthday Bonanza Coming at You

Today will see some belated birthday wishes. We are going to fly through these like non grounded Southwest or United planes...

We are probably the last blog to mention this New York Times story, but you have to wish that we were somehow featured. Seriously, Death by blogging about death... Alanis Morissette could write a song about that one...

Sunday was somebody's Birthday! Whose Birthday? Scientist and Nobel Prize Winner James Watson's Birthday. How Old Is He? 1,2,3,4... 80! And Never been Kissed By... DeathJames Watson's name appears on "the Garden of eden's" roster

• Watson cemented his place in news this year when he was quoted as saying he was "inherently gloomy about the prospect of Africa." Why? "All our social policies are based on the fact that their intelligence is the same as ours — whereas all the testing says not really...People who have to deal with black employees find (the concept that everyone is equal) not true...Our wanting to reserve equal powers of reason as some universal heritage of humanity will not be enough to make it so."
  

Five days later, Watson humbly and embarrassedly retired, explaining: Dude, some of my best friends are genetically inferior black guys.

... And Many More!

Standing Pat, Burns Returns to the Bench

Pat Burns was forced to step aside from hockey four years ago when he began a new kind of fight: Against colon cancer. Now that Burns is So healthy again, Coach Ken Hitchcock has selected him as one of three assistants on the Canadian staff for next month's IIHF World Hockey Championship.

He's gone through his share of ups and downs since being diagnosed with cancer but is not the type of guy to feel sorry for himself.

"Definitely, I went through some tough times," said Burns. "You know, people do get sick sometimes. Nobody can say that they're immune (from getting sick).

"I feel fine now. I've had some great treatments. I've had some great doctors that were following me."

If it turns out that Burns was rushed back and isn't really 100 percent just yet, it'll just be the latest reason for us to blame Canada.

[Canadien Press]

Ben Hogan Remains a Hero to Golf Fans

As we look ahead to the Masters golf tournament beginning this week, we can't help but remember Ben Hogan, the golfer who gave the sport some fame a half century before Tiger Woods began his prowl. Now, Woods is poised to pass Hogan for third all-time on the PGA Tour for overall tournament victories.

Hogan achieved his golf superiority and legend status despite a World War II stint and being hospitalized for 59 days after a car crash. Golf became Hogan's life.

"He didn't have a lot of time for anything else," Miller said. "He was a pretty single-minded guy. It's like he built a house with one room because he didn't want any guests. Golf was it. He was a tough guy who came up the hard way. He only respected guys who worked hard and got in the dirt."

Those who remember Hogan say he was bad with names. The name Hogan is of Irish and Gaelic origin and means "youth." Alzheimer's disease took Hogan's life in 1997 but to golf followers Hogan remains forever young.

[Orlando Sentinel]

Georgia on Larry Munson's Mind, Not Blood Clot

Brain surgery is tough, we hear. Larry Munson must be a champion then.

The legendary voice of the Georgia Bulldogs underwent brain surgery Friday but is expected to make a full recovery and still plans on calling football games this fall.

Munson, 85, was admitted to St. Mary's Hospital for tests on Thursday and a CT scan revealed a subdural hematoma -- or blood clots -- on his brain. Surgery to correct the problem was performed on Friday and Munson was recovering and resting comfortably Saturday, according to people who have visited him.

"I saw him after the [G-Day] game and [he] was happy to hear that Caleb King did as well as he did," said Neil "Hondo" Williamson, who is WSB radio's director of sports marketing and works with Munson on the Bulldogs' broadcasts. "He smiled real big when he saw that."

Munson's been doing this gig for the Georgia Bulldogs since 1966. When he started, people still listened to the radio.

[Atlanta Journal-Constitution]

Charlton Heston's Epic Ends With a Bang

Scoring Update! The points change, death remains the same...

Charlton Heston, who won the 1959 best actor Oscar as the chariot-racing "Ben-Hur" and portrayed Moses, Michelangelo, El Cid and other heroic figures in movie epics of the '50s and '60s, has died. He was 84.

"Charlton Heston was seen by the world as larger than life. He was known for his chiseled jaw, broad shoulders and resonating voice, and, of course, for the roles he played," Heston's family said in a statement. "No one could ask for a fuller life than his. No man could have given more to his family, to his profession, and to his country."

Congratulations and 6 points each awarded to the Garden of eden, A Time to Kill, Deep Sleepers, 6 Feet Under, The South Shall Rise (from the Grave) Again, and Whoaa-ooah, Dying on the Edge. The Rosters and Standings have been updated.

[AP]

Five on Five Escapades

A friend of mine once said "If it exists, someone has a fetish for it." I always thought that was crazy, until I decided to read about the man who liked to put on gas masks and suffocate himself.

This just makes me depressed. You know what makes me undepressed? Many peoples having birthdays on the same day and being selected for DP 2008. Yay!!!!!

Today is somebody's Birthday! Whose Birthday? Pulitzer Prize Winning Author Maya Angelou's Birthday. How Old Is She? 1,2,3,4... 80! And Never been Kissed By... Death

John Demjanjuk's name appears on "6 Feet Under's"and "Do Not Resuscitate's" rosters

• In 2002, Angelou lent her name and writings to a line of products from the Hallmark Greeting Card Company.

Seems as though she couldn't take all the bad writing she had to read on April 4th anymore.

Today is somebody else's Birthday! Whose Birthday? Founding Leader of the Kurdistan Wrokers Party Abdullah Öcalan's Birthday. How Old Is He? 1,2,3,4... 60! And Never been Kissed By... Death

Abdullah Öcalan's name appears on "Daddy to Be Dead Mates'" roster

• Since his capture Öcalan has been held under solitary confinement as the only prisoner on the İmralı Island in the Turkish Sea of Marmara. Despite the fact that all other prisoners formerly at İmralı were transferred to other prisons, there are still over 1000 Turkish military personnel stationed there guarding him.

Öcalan is one of the few people who we actually get to know the answer of "What book would you take on a deserted island?" for.

Today is somebody else's else's Birthday! Whose Birthday? Former NHL Head Coach Pat Burns' Birthday. How Old Is He? 1,2,3,4... 56! And Never been Kissed By... Death

Pat Burns' name appears on "Last Calls" roster

• Before his career in hockey, he was a police officer in Hull, Quebec.

Am I the only one who is shocked that his story hasn't been made into a movie yet? Maybe they are waiting for him to beat cancer to really put the icing on that film's cake.

Today is somebody else's else's else's Birthday! Whose Birthday? Former NFL Wide Receiver and Olympic Gold Medalist John Wesley Jones' Birthday. How Old Is He? 1,2,3,4... 50! And Never been Kissed By... Death

John Wesley Jones' name appears on "Dead Place's" and "They Are Now As Cold As Ice's" rosters

• Jones took some extraordinary photos of the UT Tower after the National Championship game in January 2006. The University Co-op is selling these in Austin. All proceeds go back to Lam who is using the money to pay for his medications.

Another case of the NFL's sterling care of retired players. At least he's got that gold medal to melt down.

Today is somebody else's else's else's else's (yes, if you are still reading, that's a lot of birthdays. In fact, it's second only to July 4th which has 6 birthdays) Birthday! Whose Birthday? Magician and Endurance Artist David Blaine's Birthday. How Old Is He? 1,2,3,4... 35! And Never been Kissed By... Death

David Blaine's name appears on "The Quit Parade's" roster

• In the News section of his official website, Blaine announced on August 20, 2007 that he is currently preparing for a new stunt slated to air live in May 2008. Regarding the stunt, Blaine stated, "If you thought my previous stunts were intense, this new one will leave you speechless. I can’t reveal any details (yet) but I’ve started preparing and training for the most dangerous and death-defying challenge of my career."

Looks like "The Quit Parade" knew what they were doing when they picked this guy.

... And Many More!

Little Rascal Darla Gone from Our Gang

Former child actress Mollie Mae Gottschalck Barron, who appeared in a number of "Little Rascals" films, has died at a Pascagoula, Miss. hospital at the age of 87.

Barron, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y., who died Wednesday, was one of the girls who portrayed the character "Darla" in "Little Rascals" movies, according to her obituary. The daughter of two vaudeville performers, she landed the role in "Little Rascals," which was also known as "Our Gang," after another child actress became ill. Barron made two "Rascals" films, including "The Haunting Ghost," and several short films during the mid-1920s.

Barron later became ill with chicken pox, lost her hearing and suffered a broken heart courtesy of Alfalfa.

[Al.com]

Circumstances of Bono's Death Not So Sonny

We were pretty certain that Sonny Bono's cause of death was conclusive. He steered into a tree.

But new reports have surfaced that Bono did not die while skiing, rather he was clubbed to death by hitmen on the orders of drug and weapons dealers who feared he was going to expose them.

"It's nonsense for anyone to now try to suggest that Bono died after crashing into a tree. There's zero evidence in this autopsy report...to show such an accident happened. Instead, there's powerful proof he was assassinated.

"This was an evil plot that was carried out to almost perfection by ruthless assassins," Ted Gunderson, now a private investigator, has told the US Globe.

The tree collision, says Gunderson, was staged. He called for authorities to dig up Bono's remains and open a homicide investigation. His claims have reportedly been backed by top forensics experts who fear Nevada authorities were too quick to call the death a skiing accident.

We think that if Dickie Goodman were still alive, he would produce a song about the alleged hit (record). It would go something along the lines of this:

"What did the hitmen think when they saw Bono skiing toward them?"
"I Got You Babe."
"What happened when Bono tried to fight back?"
"And The Beat Goes On."

[Australian]

Breakdancer Wayne Frost Bites the Dust

Wayne "Frosty Freeze" Frost, a hip-hop pioneer whose acrobatic performance with the legendary Rock Steady Crew in the 1983 movie "Flashdance" helped set off a worldwide breakdancing craze, has died. He was 44. Frost died Thursday at Mount Sinai Medical Center after a long illness, said Jorge "Fabel" Pabon, a senior vice president of the crew where Frost and other so-called b-boys (for beat or break boys) made their name performing complicated and daring dance routines.

"He was one of most charismatic b-boys that ever lived," said Benson Lee, director of the new documentary film "Planet B-Boy."

Frost's appearance with Rock Steady Crew in "Flashdance" spread the breakdance phenomenon globally, said Joseph Schloss, a visiting scholar in the music department at New York University. "He was one of the first B-boys that most people ever saw," Schloss said.

One of Frost's patented moves was dubbed the "Suicide." It is a finishing move, though reportedly not the one Frost employed here.

[Yahoo! News]

Remembering the Assassination of Martin Luther King for a Day

Four decades after the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. fell to an assassin's bullet, colleagues and biographers offer many answers to the question: What if he had lived?

Instead, history moves on, remaking the world in myriad ways. The nation has grappled with issues of race and inequity without the benefit of King's evolving wisdom. A generation has come of age celebrating him in a national holiday, like other figures of the frozen past.

But given the trajectory of his life — from his appearance on the national scene during the Montgomery, Ala., bus boycott of 1955 to his death on a second-floor balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn., on April 4, 1968 — some of those closest to him have a good idea what King might be doing now, and where we might be as a country.

The conjecture is that if King was aroudn today, he'd be speaking out against the Iraq War, says King biographer David J. Garrow. Garrow and others believe that King would not have sought elective office.

He felt, they say, that he could make more of a difference outside the political arena. Yet some question whether King would have continued to have much influence at all beyond the 1960s, believing instead that King's time in the National spotlight had already come and passed.

"The painful truth is that in his last two months or so before he was killed, King was so exhausted — emotionally, spiritually, physically — that a lot of the people closest ... to him were really worried about his survival, his survival in the sense of would he have some sort of breakdown," Garrow says. "It would be expecting something truly superhuman, literally superhuman, for King to have continued the pace of life he had lived over those 12 years for another 12 years, never mind for another 20 or 40 years."

So while King's life was definitely cut short, there's room to wonder if his Civil Rights career was upended too. or if it had run its course. What's evident though is that one man, James Earl Ray thought King had to be stopped, for whatever reason. A CNN investigative report tackled these issues.

Ray's brother believes in his innocence; so, more startlingly, does the King family. We see footage of King's son Dexter visiting Ray in prison in 1997 and pledging solidarity. Ray died in jail in the next year, but we hear from lawyers who took up his cause and from those who opposed it. Your opinions when watching are likely to bounce about: convinced first that he was guilty, then that he was framed, then that he was involved but was part of a conspiracy (involving, it's alleged, the FBI, the Memphis police and the U.S. military).

The hotel switchboard operator who found King's dead body in his hotel room suffered a fatal heart attack fromt he shock of it. We can't help but wonder what he would have amounted to had he lived.

[AP]
[National Post]

Tyrone Jones, A Few Yards Closer to the End Zone

It seems like only one week ago, when someone on BestDeathPoolEver was causally observing about Tyrone Jones:

“I don't see how this could be worse.”

Well then, someone on BestDeathPoolEver, I think you have poor predictive powers. No. Allow me to restate: I think you have very poor predictive powers. You are like Miss Cleo and Tyrone Jones is Missouri. Why?

Because it’s worse.

Jones has been sleeping in his hospital bed round the clock while the tumor in his brain is spreading its toxic infection:

"He's on heavy morphine," said Darla Gerbrandt, the Winnipeg cancer survivor who befriended Jones during his last visit to the city where he played eight seasons with the CFL Blue Bombers. "I spoke to his sister and he's just resting. He's been non-responsive to them."

Jones remains in the Sunbridge Care and Rehabilitation Center, proving the old adage: “The only thing worse than living in Canada is dying in Canada.”

[Globe and Mail]

Jailhouse Crack

Maybe this guy just saw the "Shawshank Redemption" and really really really didn't want to meet the sisters. Maybe, like George Michael Bluth, he watched "Oz" by accident as a child thinking it was "The Wizard of Oz." All I can tell you is that this mean really didn't want to go to jail. That's the only way to explain swallowing a plastic bag full of crack cocaine.

Speaking of places you may not want to visit, we present you today's first birthday...

Today is somebody's Birthday! Whose Birthday? Accused War Criminal John Demjanjuk's Birthday. How Old Is He? 1,2,3,4... 88! And Never been Kissed By... Death

John Demjanjuk's name appears on "BestDeathPoolRosterEver.BlogSpot.Com's"and "Genesis 6:7's" rosters

• Demjanjuk's American citizenship has been revoked. He is appealing. If Demjanjuk loses all appeals, he would remain in the United States if no other country is willing to accept him. This is a likely outcome, according to his attorneys, since European countries are reluctant to accept the aged and infamous. In that case, Demjanjuk would become a stateless alien and would lose all Social Security benefits.

Well I'm going to lose all my Social Security too and I didn't even commit any war crimes.

Today is somebody else's Birthday! Whose Birthday? Actress Doris Day's Birthday. How Old Is She? 1,2,3,4... 84! And Never been Kissed By... Death

Doris Day's name appears on "Remains to Be Seen's" and "Do Not Resuscitate's" rosters

• Day is known for her interest in animal welfare. For many decades she has stopped her car on Los Angeles freeways when she saw an abandoned, stray, or hit animal.

LA doesn't have enough traffic as is. Thank you Doris Day for creating more. A dead squirrel is well worth it.

Today is somebody else's else's Birthday! Whose Birthday? Singer and Entertainer Wayne Newton's Birthday. How Old Is He? 1,2,3,4... 66! And Never been Kissed By... Death

Wayne Newton's name appears on "Extended Weekend at Bernie's" roster

• Newton was featured on the 2007 fall season of "Dancing with the Stars" partnered with Two Time Champion Cheryl Burke. He became the third contestant to be eliminated from the contest. He also received the all-time worst score in the Tango.

In his case, I guess it takes more than two to tango.

... And Many More!

UCLA Seals Leak in Farrah Fawcett File

Oops...they did it again.

Months after word came out that UCLA Medical Center staff has been snooping through Britney Spears' medical files, we now find out that this was not an isolated incident geared at the pop star's file. It turns out that Farrah Fawcett's medical charts had been improperly perused. This breach may have led to information being leat or sold to tabloids.

Shortly after UCLA doctors told Fawcett that her cancer had returned -- and before she had told her son and closest friends -- the National Enquirer posted the news on its website. Indeed, alarming headlines regularly cropped up in the Enquirer and its sister publication, the Globe, within days of Fawcett's treatments at UCLA.

UCLA terminated the employee who inappropriately reviewed Fawcett's records, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity. This was the second time that Fawcett's privacy had been breached at UCLA. In a 2006 letter, one of her physicians, Gary Gitnick, informed Fawcett that a former hospital contractor had listed her name on his blog, "suggesting you are a patient and/or charitable donor of mine and UCLA."

This worker who was not involved in Fawcett's care had been discovered to be reading about her treatment. However, the hospital claims that it found no evidence that indictaed the worker has told the tabloids about Fawcett's stay at the hospital. Fawcett remains wary.

"She's been invaded -- and these are the people who she entrusted her life to," said Craig J. Nevius, who is producing the upcoming documentary "A Wing and a Prayer," which chronicles Fawcett's battle with anal cancer and her efforts to protect her privacy.

One of Fawcett's lawyers, Kim Swartz, said his client was reluctant to sue over the leaked information, but added, "This is such an ugly situation...This has been very hard for her," Swartz said. "Not knowing who has her personal information has taken an incredible toll on her."

Might we suggest a new slogan for UCLA Medical Center? Scaring sex symbols away so you can enjoy your stay.

[Los Angeles Times]

Big McElwaine Chomped by Cancer

Guy McElwaine, who was intermittently a Hollywood agent and a studio executive during his illustrious career, has died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 71.

As an agent, he represented Frank Sinatra, Warren Beatty, Steven Spielberg, and The Mamas and The Papas, amongst others. In his role as studio head, he stood behind a large variety of movies, ranging from the epic (“Ghandi”) to the inane (“Georgia Rule,” “Two for the Money”), through the dramatic (“Dog Day Afternoon,” “The Good Shepherd,” “All the President’s Men”), and the best movies ever made (“Ghostbusters,” “The Karate Kid”).

"He had a great eye for talent," ICM chairman Jeff Berg told Variety. "He was able to successfully traverse being an agent and being a studio executive. He was a wonderful colleague."

The man who brought us Daniel-san has finally been waxed off. Pancreatic Cancer, like Johnny, listened to Kreese when he told it to sweep the leg. In true Cobra Kai fashion, pancreatic cancer shows NO MERCY!

[Yahoo! News]

Miss Great Britton Reaches (for) the Stars

Sherry Britton, a brainy, sexy stripper who was the queen of Broadway burlesque in her 20s, was barred from the World's Fair in her 40s and graduated from college in her 60s, has died. Britton, dubbed Great Britton and once made an honorary brigadier general by President Roosevelt for her work entertaining World War II troops, died Tuesday in Beth Israel Hospital of natural causes. She was 89.

"She had an IQ of 165, lived on Gramercy Park and aged gracefully," said a cousin, Karen Britton.

The irrepressible Britton was singled out in a recent HBO documentary as "among the most stunning of yesterday's burlesque stars..."She had 'jet black hair and an hourglass figure to die for.'"

When the sand ran out inside this hourglass figure, it was time to die.

[New York Daily News]

No Sleep Till Brooklyn...Cemetery

Is it time for us to re-reconsider The Anna Nicole Smith Corollary? The ANS (Anna Nicole Smith) Corollary states that when a star's life is spiraling out of control, s/he is often as safe a pick as an elderly selection.

The question to further examine is “why does this happen?” Off the cuff – we would have assumed it was due to public pressures, drugs usage, partying, Paris Hilton, etc. But one LA Times contributor, Gayle Greene, suggests that it may stem from something much more basic: Insomnia. Is it possible that these celebrities are drugging themselves to death in an eternal battle against the Sand Man?

Let’s start with the founder of The ANS Corollary, Anna Nicole Smith. Greene suggests that she may have been X’d in a search for Z’s:

Anna Nicole Smith? Chloral hydrate, again. She told friends she'd built up a tolerance to it; she would have needed more to get the same effect. She was obviously mixing it with other medications -- there were four benzodiazepines in her bloodstream: Valium, Serax, Ativan and Klonopin, in addition to an antihistamine and a GABA agonist -- all of which can be taken for sleep. (emphasis ours)

Other potential sleep victims, suggested by Greene:

• Heath Ledger
• Elvis Presley
• Judy Garland
• Marilyn Monroe (the grandmother of The ANS Corollary-?)

If Greene is right, and her theory is at least interesting enough to keep us awake, may we suggest a few other candidates to watch out for:

• KISS – they want to rock and roll all night. Insomnia?
• Tyler Durden- Need I remind you?
• New York City – The city that never sleeps. Never???
• And of course…
  

Jessie Spano. Maybe this is all a case of celebrities getting so excited, that they get so scared.

[LA Times]

Cleopatra and the Scary Snake Mystery

Being that it's April Fools' Day, it seems only fitting to debunk some myths about the way some famous people died. Mama Cass by way of a sandwich? Hardly. How about Cleopatra? That thing about the snake...is it true?

Popular lore holds that in Cleopatra's last moments, the distraught queen -- who had just lost her kingdom and learned of her lover's demise -- smuggled a poisonous snake into her locked chamber and died, along with two ladies-in-waiting, of a self-inflicted snake bite.

Such a scenario is next to impossible, according to Egyptologist Joyce Tyldesley, who shatters the "snakebite suicide" myth in her new book, Cleopatra: Last Queen of Egypt, just published in Europe and slated for an upcoming U.S. release. "It seems to me that the snake theory is just too difficult to sustain, as it leaves too many loopholes," Tyldesley said.

Tyldesley acknowledges that portion sof the story are likely to be true, but there are other ways that Cleopatra could have committed suicide if that was her intention. The myth probably got started because Cleopatra died without a prior illness.

So how did Cleopatra really die? There are other theories. Some say it was self-administered poison; others believe that she was murdered by Octavian.

Popular legend also states that in 31 BC when she saw that Mark Antony's poorly equipped and manned ships were losing to the Romans' superior vessels, Cleopatra took flight and that Antony followed her. We can't help but wonder if this flight led to this contemporary retelling of the historic event

[Phoenix New Times]
[Discovery News]

Music Plays on for Hank Williams' Family

Hank Williams was just 29 when he passed away in 1953. The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville is now opening a special exhibit to honor Williams' legacy. The Family Tradition: The Williams Family Legacy features personal items from the life of Williams and his family. It will remain open until the end of next year.

Especially noteworthy is the reproduction of the note that was found in Hank's right hand when he died. No one knows whether it was actually a note or scribbled song lyrics. It reads, "We met, we lived, and dear we loved, then comes that fatal day, the love that felt so dear fades far away. Tonight love hathe [sic] one alone and lonesome, all that I could sing, I you you [sic] still and always will, but that's the poison we have to pay."

We aren't sure either what exactly these words are supposed to be. But Williams was known to mix the serious with the humorous, as evidenced by his number one hit, "I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive," sung here by his grandson, Hank III. And the beat goes on...

[CMT.com]

A Hobby that Involves the Pursuit of Grave-ness

Stew Thornley has an interesting hobby. He's a "graveyard hunter." His own death is even a source for material, as he and his wife have posed in front of his future grave for their holiday cards. He got started with his hobby after visiting some famous graves a decade ago.

Thornley, a 52-year-old Roseville resident, has nurtured a preoccupation with "grave hunting" or "grave surfing" since 1997, when he and a friend visited the graves of President Benjamin Harrison and gangster John Dillinger in Indianapolis.

Since then, he has photographed hundreds of graves, including those of every buried U.S. president, vice president, Minnesota governor and practically all of the 200-plus Baseball Hall-of-Famers. He's also visited the sites of a slew of Civil War generals, movie stars and other celebrities - even victims of Charles Manson.

Thornley published a book dedicated to the graves of Minnesota's most famous' graves and is considering putting together another one on the resting places of well-known ex-baseball players. You might expect that someone who has spent so much time visiting these graves of the famous fallen would have some sort of emotional or philosophical connection to the deceased. You'd be wrong.

When visiting the grave of a celebrity, he said, "I've never really felt I'm connecting with greatness. It doesn't stir any emotions. It's just empty remains."

He views his own plot with no great reflection, either. He just admires gravestones the way one admires architecture, and he talks about good graveyards the way one describes fine parks.

As long as Thornley sticks to admiring the gravestones' architecture and not the texture of those buried underneath, we think this hobby toes the better side of the line between fascinating and creepy.

Look here for more celebrity grave locations.

[Dickinson Press]

Dith Pancreatic Canther Really Thuckth

Dith Pran, the Cambodian-born journalist whose harrowing tale of enslavement and eventual escape from that country's murderous Khmer Rouge revolutionaries in 1979 became the subject of the award-winning film "The Killing Fields," died Sunday. He was 65.

Dith died at a New Jersey hospital Sunday morning of pancreatic cancer, according to Sydney Schanberg, his former colleague at The New York Times. Dith had been diagnosed almost three months ago.

Dith was working as an interpreter and assistant for Schanberg in Phnom Penh, the Cambodian capital, when the Vietnam War reached its chaotic end in April 1975 and both countries were taken over by Communist forces... It was Dith himself who coined the term "killing fields" for the horrifying clusters of corpses and skeletal remains of victims he encountered on his desperate journey to freedom.

Regarding the Death of Dith (too easy? Should that have been the headline?), New York Times executive editor called him "a journalist and hero," adding, "that last word is not one I use lightly."

[IHT]

Roger Ebert 2: Return to the Silent Battle

To review: Roger Ebert had surgery earlier this year. His hope was always to return to the movies. Now he's letting his readers know when to expect him back in the grandstand.

I am at last returning to the movie beat. After my current stay at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, I’m looking forward to opening night of my annual film festival at the University of Illinois on April 23, and I will resume writing movie reviews shortly thereafter.

Are you as bored with my health as I am? I underwent a third surgery in January, this one in Houston, and once again there were complications. I am sorry to say that my ability to speak was not restored. That would require another surgery.

So we'll see a return to the era of silent film reviews.

[Chicago Sun-Times]

Dickinson's Bill Passes With Some Resistance

A longtime aide to former U.S. Rep. Bill Dickinson says the retired congressman has died after an extended illness. Walter Bamberg told WSFA that Dickinson passed away at his home in Montgomery. He was 83. Dickinson, a former judge in the city, juvenile and circuit courts in Opelika, was elected to Congress in 1964. He retired in 1992 after 13 consecutive terms in office.

Dickinson helped shape the national defense policies during the 1970s and 80s. Once he reached his eighties, however, Dickinson's line of defense against illness proved to be a bit weaker.

[Al.com]