Obituaries for 2021

[Kamaji]

Bob Dole has passed away....

For better or worse:  RIP.  He was almost 100.

[dfwgator]

Bob Dole has passed away....

RIP, sir. And thank you for a lifetime of service.    Proud to have voted for you in 1996.

[Lando Lincoln]

Bob Dole has passed away....

He was a patriot.  Rest in Peace.

[mountaineer]

Much respect for his military service. 

[libertybele]

Longtime politician Bob Dole, who was severely wounded in World War II by German gunfire, was honorably promoted to colonel  in a private ceremony at the WWII Memorial.

Dole, 95, served as a captain in the 10th Mountain Division before pursuing a political career that included nearly 30 years as a U.S. senator for Kansas and the Republican presidential nominee in 1996.

Surrounded by the memorial's pillars and arches, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Milley promoted Dole in front of a crowd of Dole's friends and family and other Army leaders.

In its 244-year history, Milley noted, the Army has only honorably promoted three former officers. First, George Washington was promoted to general of the Armies, and then Lt. William Clark of the Lewis and Clark Expedition was promoted to captain.

Dole was the only living recipient of such an Army promotion.

https://www.army.mil/article/221973/former_sen_dole_a_decorated_wwii_veteran_promoted_to_colonel

[DCPatriot]

Rest in Peace, Sir!

A life well done!      

[Right_in_Virginia]

Bob Dole has passed away....

Is there a reason the death of Senator Dole isn't national news?

[libertybele]

Biden on Bob Dole: 'among the greatest of the Greatest Generation



President Biden honored the life and legacy of former Sen. Bob Dole (R-Kan.) on Sunday, calling him “among the greatest of the Greatest Generation.”

Dole died in his sleep early Sunday morning at the age of 98, the Elizabeth Dole Foundation announced in a statement on Twitter. The former senator disclosed in February that he had been diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer and would be undergoing treatment.

Biden on Sunday said Dole, with whom he served in the Senate for more than 20 years, was a “friend” and “an American statesman like few in our history.”

“A war hero and among the greatest of the Greatest Generation. And to me, he was also a friend whom I could look to for trusted guidance, or a humorous line at just the right moment to settle frayed nerves,” Biden added.

“I will miss my friend. But I am grateful for the times we shared, and for the friendship Jill and I and our family have built with Liddy and the entire Dole family,” he added. ............

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/584411-biden-on-bob-dole-the-greatest-of-the-greatest-generation

[mountaineer]

Is there a reason the death of Senator Dole isn't national news?

Probably because he expressed appreciation for Trump.

[jmyrlefuller]

Is there a reason the death of Senator Dole isn't national news?

He's a Republican, and though he wasn't exactly Mr. Right Winger, he was further to the right of McCain... and it's a Sunday afternoon.

[Wingnut]

Much respect for his military service. 

 

[Smokin Joe]

Much respect for his military service. 

This!

[verga]

Much respect for his military service. 

Amen RIP sir

[mountaineer]

A Few Funny Things About Bob Dole Since Bob Dole Passed Away, by Andrew Donaldson:

... Humor seems to be another complex part of this long and varied legacy. “I slept like a baby,” he quipped about election night in 1996 when he fell short against President Bill Clinton, “Woke up crying every two hours.”

 He once told a meeting that his wife and then-Transportation Secretary Elizabeth Dole should fill potholes with her biscuit recipe.

Typical of his dry but usually well-timed humor, the passing of Norm MacDonald was marked by the former US Senator with a pitch perfect “Bob Dole will miss Norm MacDonald”.

A man crippled and left for dead early in life with every right to not accomplish anything met his end after a near century run that started in a one-room house in Kansas and apexed at the highest reaches of American power. Such a man would need some humor, along with a lot of guts and determination, to do that.  ...

So, the first thing I thought of when I heard that Bob Dole had shuffled off his mortal coil was to think of that tweet proclaiming “Bob Dole would miss Norm MacDonald” when the comedian passed. I thought of him doing so knowing his own end was coming — having been diagnosed with lung cancer back in February — yet Bob Dole once again using humor with natural timing. Life is more than politics, even when your life has been politics, as Bob Dole well knew from nearly dying before he got a chance to do either. Some things in life, like in politics, are so serious you just have to laugh about them. Including death.

Life is just funny like that. Somewhere on Sunday morning, I like to think, Bob Dole met with Norm MacDonald, they pointed at each other, and simultaneously exclaimed that “Bob Dole has missed Bob Dole” and the two masters of dry wit had a good long laugh about it. Then the laughter trails off, as they both realize Bob Dole is pointing at Norm using Bob Dole’s right arm, and they laugh once again, even harder.

It works just fine now.

[Bigun]

Much respect for his military service. 

  Ditto! I will never forget him requiring his aide to stand him up so that he could salute GHW Bush in the capital rotunda.

[jmyrlefuller]

Medina Spirit, winner of the 2021 Kentucky Derby who fell under controversy for a banned substance, dies unexpectedly at age 3
https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/2021-12-06/2021-kentucky-derby-winner-medina-spirit-dies

[berdie]

That's too bad. As much as I love horseracing...it has gotten to where I feel guilty watching it.

Years ago the horses were raced so much they were more in shape. Of course, I'm not so naive to believe there wasn't drugging going on....on both the horses and the jocks.

[Fishrrman]

Gary Scruggs, one of Earl's boys, who made his own mark on the music:
https://www.springhillfh.com/obituaries/Gary-Scruggs-2/?fbclid=IwAR09kFzVx2U9ZblkI0IBTOasgSxP6M6sRtioUjQX9Li-w_ebXkxehJnVi3E#!/Obituary

[andy58-in-nh]

Medina Spirit, winner of the 2021 Kentucky Derby who fell under controversy for a banned substance, dies unexpectedly at age 3
https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/2021-12-06/2021-kentucky-derby-winner-medina-spirit-dies

Sad. The hardest part was getting him out of Dean Wormer's office.

[sneakypete]

For better or :  RIP.  He was almost 100.

@Kamaji

I was no fan of his weasel politics,but always had sympathy for the daily pain he endured for decades.

He was truly a tough man to live that long through all of that.

[sneakypete]

Longtime politician Bob Dole, who was severely wounded in World War II by German gunfire, was honorably promoted to colonel  in a private ceremony at the WWII Memorial.

Dole, 95, served as a captain in the 10th Mountain Division before pursuing a political career that included nearly 30 years as a U.S. senator for Kansas and the Republican presidential nominee in 1996.

Surrounded by the memorial's pillars and arches, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Milley promoted Dole in front of a crowd of Dole's friends and family and other Army leaders.


In its 244-year history, Milley noted, the Army has only honorably promoted three former officers. First, George Washington was promoted to general of the Armies, and then Lt. William Clark of the Lewis and Clark Expedition was promoted to captain.

Dole was the only living recipient of such an Army promotion.

https://www.army.mil/article/221973/former_sen_dole_a_decorated_wwii_veteran_promoted_to_colonel

@libertybele

That REALLY pisses me off! Miss Miley,the traitor,should have never been allowed to get within a mile of someone like Dole. It was a freaking insult to his sacrifices.

[sneakypete]

Is there a reason the death of Senator Dole isn't national news?

@Right_in_Virginia

It is,AFAIK. I saw it mentioned on several tv stations yesterday/last night.

[sneakypete]

A Few Funny Things About Bob Dole Since Bob Dole Passed Away, by Andrew Donaldson:

@mountaineer

"Typical of his dry but usually well-timed humor, the passing of Norm MacDonald was marked by the former US Senator with a pitch perfect “Bob Dole will miss Norm MacDonald”."

THAT was hilarious,I don't care who you are.

It was also a VERY clever and subtle way to pay tribute to Norm's humor.

[Cyber Liberty]

Sad. The hardest part was getting him out of Dean Wormer's office.

There is nothing a chainsaw can't do.

[deb]

Medina Spirit, winner of the 2021 Kentucky Derby who fell under controversy for a banned substance, dies unexpectedly at age 3
https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/2021-12-06/2021-kentucky-derby-winner-medina-spirit-dies

Ugh. Stop drugging horses!

[rustynail]

Melvin Parker, the iconic drummer for James Brown's band, passed away on December 3rd, 2021

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melvin_Parker

[rustynail]

Michael Nesmith, Monkees Singer-Songwriter, Dead at 78

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/monkees-michael-nesmith-dead-1270079/?fbclid=IwAR0U6hJ37MggnaClBP6A5SeVzhFXuHUM5PLCZ0aiySvsgH2l4W4RtkvSf28

[Cyber Liberty]

Michael Nesmith, Monkees Singer-Songwriter, Dead at 78

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/monkees-michael-nesmith-dead-1270079/?fbclid=IwAR0U6hJ37MggnaClBP6A5SeVzhFXuHUM5PLCZ0aiySvsgH2l4W4RtkvSf28

 

[mrclose]

Michael Nesmith of The Monkees, Dies at 78

Michael Nesmith, Singer, Songwriter and Guitarist of The Monkees, Dies at 78

Michael Nesmith, the guitar-playing singer-songwriter with the wool hat who along with Davy Jones, Peter Tork and Micky Dolenz became a TV star and 1960s pop sensation as a member of The Monkees, has died. He was 78.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/music-news/michael-nesmith-dead-monkees-1235060806/

A great tune by Nesmith.
(Solo)

I chose his doing the song live, at an older age .. just because! Lol

Joanne

http://youtu.be/9ZiHjmE-5BI



The Studio Original

http://youtu.be/MxALH_3qadg

[corbe]

   I didn't know Nesmith wrote this song.

Michael Nesmith - Different Drum


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jA5scf8RpCI

[sneakypete]

Melvin Parker, the iconic drummer for James Brown's band, passed away on December 3rd, 2021

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melvin_Parker

@rustynail

That was a man that lived an interesting and fun life. I hope his death was quick and painless because he helped bring a LOT of joy to the world in his life,while also having a HELL of a lot of fun.

I would have paid cash money to hear some of his stories.

[sneakypete]

Michael Nesmith, Monkees Singer-Songwriter, Dead at 78

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/monkees-michael-nesmith-dead-1270079/?fbclid=IwAR0U6hJ37MggnaClBP6A5SeVzhFXuHUM5PLCZ0aiySvsgH2l4W4RtkvSf28

@rustynail

Ok,that does it. I am officially a geezer.

[Cyber Liberty]

@rustynail

Ok,that does it. I am officially a geezer.

Same here.  I liked Infinite Rider on the Big Dogma.  Great album.

[GtHawk]

Michael Nesmith, Monkees Singer-Songwriter, Dead at 78

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/monkees-michael-nesmith-dead-1270079/?fbclid=IwAR0U6hJ37MggnaClBP6A5SeVzhFXuHUM5PLCZ0aiySvsgH2l4W4RtkvSf28

And then there was one. RIP Mr. Nesmith.

[Elderberry]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvqeSJlgaNk


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gv2MLlZKarM

[Slide Rule]

Is there a reason the death of Senator Dole isn't national news?

BOB DOLE GETS THE LAST LAUGH
Yesterday Bob Dole’s funeral was held at the National Cathedral in Washington. His daughter Robin delivered a eulogy in which she read Dole’s farewell letter to the American people:

Daughter Robin Dole read a quip from her father’s farewell letter to America about vote integrity.


“As I make the final walk on my life’s journey, I do so without fear. Because I know that I will, again, not be walking alone. I know that God will be walking with me,” wrote the 1996 Republican presidential nominee, who died Sunday at age 98.

“I also confess that I’m a bit curious to learn if I am correct in thinking that heaven will look a lot like Kansas and to see, like others who have gone before me, if I will still be able to vote in Chicago.”

More at:https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2021/12/bob-dole-gets-the-last-laugh.php

[Cyber Liberty]

“I also confess that I’m a bit curious to learn if I am correct in thinking that heaven will look a lot like Kansas and to see, like others who have gone before me, if I will still be able to vote in Chicago.”

More at:https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2021/12/bob-dole-gets-the-last-laugh.php

[Kamaji]

The author Anne Rice passed away on Dec. 11.

[mountaineer]

The author Anne Rice passed away on Dec. 11.

Anne Rice, who breathed new life into vampires, dies at 80
By JAKE COYLE
49 minutes ago

NEW YORK (AP) — Anne Rice, the novelist whose lush, best-selling gothic tales, including “Interview With a Vampire,” reinvented the blood-drinking immortals as tragic antiheroes, has died. She was 80.

Rice died late Saturday due to complications from a stroke, her son Christopher Rice announced on her Facebook page and his Twitter page.

“As a writer, she taught me to defy genre boundaries and surrender to my obsessive passions,” Christopher Rice, also an author, wrote. “In her final hours, I sat beside her hospital bed in awe of her accomplishments and her courage.”

Rice’s 1976 novel “Interview With the Vampire” was later adapted, with a script by Rice, into the 1994 movie directed by Neil Jordan and starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt. It’s also set to be adapted again in an upcoming TV series on AMC and AMC+ set to premiere next year.

“Interview With the Vampire,” in which reporter Daniel Molloy interviews Louis de Pointe du Lac, was Rice’s first novel but over the next five decades, she would write more than 30 books and sell more than 150 million copies worldwide.  ... Associated Press

[Kamaji]

Anne Rice, who breathed new life into vampires, dies at 80
By JAKE COYLE
49 minutes ago

NEW YORK (AP) — Anne Rice, the novelist whose lush, best-selling gothic tales, including “Interview With a Vampire,” reinvented the blood-drinking immortals as tragic antiheroes, has died. She was 80.

Rice died late Saturday due to complications from a stroke, her son Christopher Rice announced on her Facebook page and his Twitter page.

“As a writer, she taught me to defy genre boundaries and surrender to my obsessive passions,” Christopher Rice, also an author, wrote. “In her final hours, I sat beside her hospital bed in awe of her accomplishments and her courage.”

Rice’s 1976 novel “Interview With the Vampire” was later adapted, with a script by Rice, into the 1994 movie directed by Neil Jordan and starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt. It’s also set to be adapted again in an upcoming TV series on AMC and AMC+ set to premiere next year.

“Interview With the Vampire,” in which reporter Daniel Molloy interviews Louis de Pointe du Lac, was Rice’s first novel but over the next five decades, she would write more than 30 books and sell more than 150 million copies worldwide.  ... Associated Press

@mountaineer

Thanks!

[DCPatriot]

https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/4304681/il-divo-star-carlos-marin-dies-covid-aged-53-coma/

Il Divo star Carlos Marín dies from Covid aged 53 in Manchester hospital after being put into an induced coma



[snip...]

Marín - who was reportedly vaccinated against coronavirus - was known to be in a serious condition when admitted to the Manchester Royal Hospital on December 8, but his organs were said to be stable, according to El Espanol.

He last posted on Instagram on December 6, in a snap alongside bandmates David Miller, Sébastien Izambard and Urs Bühler.

The foursome had been due to a show in Lisbon and another in La Coruña Spain, which has been postponed until July 15, 2022.

Just days later, they announced a delay to all performances until 2022 down to band "illness" but gave no further details.

In a statement, they said: "Unfortunately, due to illness, the remaining dates for Il Divo’s December 2021 UK tour have been postponed until December 2022.

"Il Divo are deeply sorry to their fans, but look forward to returning to the road in the new year and seeing you all in the run up to next Christmas."

Marín, who lived between Madrid and Mexico, had also been due to perform with his ex-wife Geraldine Larrosa on New Year’s Eve on Spanish state television channel TVE1.

The star and the French-born singer recorded a cover of Bohemian Rhapsody to be aired during a special on Spanish TV.

[jmyrlefuller]

Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-GA) dies at 76, less than a year after retiring due to Parkinson's disease.



https://www.ajc.com/news/johnny-isakson-xxagexx-georgia-politician-respected-by-both-sides/2PTT7C4LVFDU7EBJQ44577B3SA/

[mountaineer]

South Africa's Archbishop Desmond Tutu dies at 90
Issued on: 26/12/2021 - 08:09

 South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who died Sunday at the age of 90, was the moral compass of his beloved "Rainbow Nation", never afraid to speak truth to power, whatever its creed or colour.
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A tireless activist, he won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for combatting white minority rule in his country.

"The passing of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu is another chapter of bereavement in our nation's farewell to a generation of outstanding South Africans who have bequeathed us a liberated South Africa," President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a statement.

Famously outspoken, even after the fall of the racist apartheid regime, Tutu never shied away from confronting South Africa's shortcomings or injustices. ...

Tutu believed firmly in the reconciliation of black and white South Africans.

"I am walking on clouds. It is an incredible feeling, like falling in love. We South Africans are going to be the Rainbow People of the world," he said in 1994.

But post-apartheid South Africa increasingly became a source of his despair, as the high hopes of the early days of democracy gave way to disillusionment over violence, inequality and graft.

Never a member of the ANC, Tutu said in 2013 that he would no longer vote for the party, though President Cyril Ramaphosa -- an old friend -- re-built bridges after coming to power in 2018.

Tutu made a rare public appearance in May 2021 to receive his vaccine for Covid-19. He appeared outside of hospital in a wheelchair, and waved but did not speak. ...

More at France24

Ali Velshi
@AliVelshi
Worth noting, as we mark the passing Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, that he was a vocal proponent of divestment - against the apartheid regime, against the illegal occupation of Palestine, and against the fossil fuel industry - as a tool to end injustice.
7:17 AM · Dec 26, 2021

Did his opposition to the fossil fuel industry extend to not using cars or airplanes? Not sure about that. 

[catfish1957]

Did his opposition to the fossil fuel industry extend to not using cars or airplanes? Not sure about that. 

And the fact he and Mandela's African National Congress had ties and backing by communist parties.

I'll chalk this one to "speak no ill of the dead".  Next

[jmyrlefuller]

And the fact he and Mandela's African National Congress had ties and backing by communist parties.

I'll chalk this one to "speak no ill of the dead".  Next

That's the dirty little secret about African politics as a whole. The current head of the WHO is an open member of a similar Communist front party in Ethiopia, which should explain everything about the past couple of years.

Communists found fertile ground in Africa because they're poor, and could convince those poor people that there were rich people elsewhere in the world that they could exploit and they'd be rich. It hasn't really worked out.

[rangerrebew]

Desmond Tutu, an icon who helped end apartheid in South Africa, dies at 90

December 26, 20217:30 AM ET
Heard on Weekend Edition Sunday

Ofeibea Quist-Arcton
 
 

Nobel Peace laureate Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, a towering figure who helped bring an end to apartheid in South Africa, has died in Cape Town. He was 90.

His death was announced by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who called Tutu "a patriot without equal; a leader of principle and pragmatism who gave meaning to the biblical insight that faith without works is dead." Tutu had been hospitalized several times in recent years.

The passionate advocate for freedom headed the country's Truth and Reconciliation Commission in the 1990s, a grueling inquiry that investigated crimes during the apartheid era. It was widely seen as a crucial healing step during South Africa's transition from apartheid to democracy. The TRC became a model for similar commissions in other parts of the continent.

https://www.npr.org/2021/12/26/494373491/desmond-tutu-dies

[rangerrebew]

Ta ta, Tutu.

[Ghost Bear]

South Africa's Archbishop Desmond Tutu dies at 90
Issued on: 26/12/2021 - 08:09

 South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who died Sunday at the age of 90,

Somewhat ironically I had a moment of "Mandela Effect" when my wife told me this morning that the Archbishop had died. My immediate response to her was, "I thought he died years ago!". But after searching my memory a bit more, I realized that I simply hadn't heard him spoken about in many years, and just assumed he must have died at some point.

[verga]

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fus.macmillan.com%2Fauthor%2Frichardmarcinko&psig=AOvVaw1QRXvvtjY_rluDGFSnlCjV&ust=1640688185917000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=2ahUKEwjlt6v15YP1AhWZEVkFHYHxCmUQjRx6BAgAEAk
On Christmas Eve, 12/24/2021, we lost a true Legend and Hero in the Special Operations Community….
Commander Richard ‘Demo Dick’ Marcinko was a legendary Navy SEAL during the Vietnam War who went on to lead SEAL Team 2.  Following Operation Eagle Claw, the failed attempt to rescue American hostages held in Iran in 1979, he was tasked to create a Navy counterterrorism capability, which he named SEAL Team Six, and he was the unit’s first commander.  He later ran a naval base defense program, unofficially called Red Cell. 
RIP Commander Richard Marcinko….
Fair Winds and Following Seas….

A personal hero of mine.

[Kamaji]

Somewhat ironically I had a moment of "Mandela Effect" when my wife told me this morning that the Archbishop had died. My immediate response to her was, "I thought he died years ago!". But after searching my memory a bit more, I realized that I simply hadn't heard him spoken about in many years, and just assumed he must have died at some point.

Same here; I had exactly the same response when I first read about it elsewhere.