The "(Fill in the Blank) Has Died" Thread

[Bespin 8,527]

Jean-Pierre Ferland, the celebrated Quebecois singer-songwriter, passed away at the age of 89. He was a prominent figure in Canadian music, known for his influential contributions to the francophone music scene. One of his most notable albums, "Jaune," (Yellow) was released in 1970 and achieved widespread acclaim for its poetic lyrics and emotive melodies. The album's title track, "Le petit roi," (The Little King) remains a standout piece in Ferland's discography, resonating with audiences for its introspective themes and musical craftsmanship. Ferland's impact extended beyond Quebec, earning him recognition among English-speaking audiences for his artistic talent and cultural significance.

 

 

[Bespin 8,527]

Jean Musy, conductor for France and Belgium has passed away April 26th. He is best known for his many film scores and his final work Edmund the Legend of a King, a collaboration with 1973 winner Anne-Marie David.

 

He recorded more than a thousand singles and 150 albums, composed nearly 200 soundtracks for movies and TV series, as well as numerous songs. In addition to his work with Charles Aznavour, he collaborated with renowned artists such as the group Il était une fois (for "J'ai encore rêvé d'elle"), Barbara (for "Amours incestueuses"), Michel Jonasz (for "Je voulais te dire que je t'attends"), Yves Duteil (for "Prendre un enfant", "La langue de chez nous"), Nicole Rieu (for "Si les oiseaux pouvaient parler", "Homme"), Nicole Croisille (for "Une femme avec toi", "Parlez-moi de lui"), Dick Annegarn (for "Bruxelles"), and Nicolas Peyrac (for "So far away from L.A.").

[Barnald 382]

Reports on twitter that Bernard Hill has died. Very sad news. He was an absolutely wonderful actor.

[Chen G. 4,090]

Nothing official about it as of yet.

 

Could it be that Hill's partner died? "the event saw Bernard Hill unable to attend due to his partner being ill." https://www.itv.com/news/granada/2024-05-05/orlando-bloom-and-lord-of-the-rings-stars-culinary-tour-of-liverpool

[Glóin the Dark 1,238]

[Typed before the Bernard Hill comments appeared.]

 

I'm not sure whether this is a problem with the information ecosystem these days or just my interaction with it, but I seem to find myself learning about the deaths of public figures several weeks late by seeing a YouTube video whose thumbnail contains an image of the person along with their life dates.

 

Yesterday I found out that Andrew Davis, the former chief conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, died on the 20th of April this year.

 

The day before, I discovered in the same way that the philosopher Daniel Dennett died on the 19th of April.

[Barnald 382]

I believe this is the source:

 

 

Presuming this is the real Barbara (seems it is), she's known Bernard for almost 50 years.

[Demodex 557]

2 minutes ago, Glóin the Dark said:

Yesterday I found out that Andrew Davis, the former chief conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, died on the 20th of April this year.

 

The day before, I discovered in the same way that the philosopher Daniel Dennett died on the 19th of April

 

I don't think either of them would be big news.  The general public aren't going to care much.

[Glóin the Dark 1,238]

Just now, Demodex said:

I don't think either of them would be big news.  The general public aren't going to care much.

 

I don't mean I was expecting to see them lead the six o'clock news or anything like that, but they're both significant enough figures that I would expect to have seen reports of their deaths and obituaries in online news websites. More recently, those are the kinds of reports I would have been first alerted to by Twitter (at least before Musk came along and fixed it).

 

There are indeed articles about both Davis and Dennett in The Guardian, which I found using the search function, but saw neither at the time. I don't know if this is a deterioration in my own attentiveness or in the prominence given to such reports...

[Demodex 557]

Probably the latter.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,817]

1 minute ago, Glóin the Dark said:

I don't know if this is a deterioration in my own attentiveness or in the prominence given to such reports...

 

The media is too busy reporting on the latest Taylor Swift record, or some malfunctioning entertainment venue, or some feud between rappers (rappers, for fuck's sake!), to bother itself with real culture.

[Marian Schedenig 8,333]

11 minutes ago, Glóin the Dark said:

20 minutes ago, Demodex said:

I don't think either of them would be big news.  The general public aren't going to care much.

 

I don't mean I was expecting to see them lead the six o'clock news or anything like that, but they're both significant enough figures that I would expect to have seen reports of their deaths and obituaries in online news websites. More recently, those are the kinds of reports I would have been first alerted to by Twitter (at least before Musk came along and fixed it).

 

I read about Andrew Davis the other week (but was abroad, so didn't come here to comment about it). I think it was even in the local news.

 

Davis made what I think was at least at the time a widely observed and highly regarded performance of RVW's Tallis Fantasia in its original setup - three string ensembles positioned apart at Gloucester Cathedral:

 

His BBC Symphony cycle of the RVW symphonies is I believe regarded as not the best, but a very solid package at a good price. And it also includes a very fine recording of the Tallis Fantasia.

[Barnald 382]

BBC now reporting the Bernard Hill news: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-68962192

[Naïve Old Fart 9,817]

R.I.P., Yosser Hughes.

[Marian Schedenig 8,333]

Sad. I haven't seen Hill in much (though I want to). First in TTT (and the ROTK), where he managed to give Theoden as much depth as was possible in the relatively short time he gets as a character. I've later seen him in Titanic (a couple of striking moments, but otherwise underused) and The Ghost and the Darkness (I only remember that he was in it, and good). And apparently he was in I, Claudius and Valkyrie, though I don't recall him there.

[Nick1Ø66 4,968]

[Mr. Hooper 2,070]

15 minutes ago, Marian Schedenig said:

I've later seen him in Titanic (a couple of striking moments, but otherwise underused)

I'll always remember him saying the line "Women and children first," and in his final moment, going down with the ship.

[Nick1Ø66 4,968]

Not many actors get as many memorable death scenes. RIP Bernard Hill, Captain and King. 

 

 

[Chen G. 4,090]

Casting trivia feels a bit...well, trivial, at this time but Bernard Hill was one of those members of the cast that have long been a fan of the book, and filmed his own audition tape and sent it to Jackson. He fancied Gandalf - a role he'd surely been fantastic in - but due to the time requirement of the role, he withdrew and then accepted Jackson's invitation to play Theoden.

 

Beside his storied career - Jackson cited his appearance in Boys from Blackstuff as his main selling point, and he's also in Gandhi and much else beside - I'm sure New Line were much ameliorated to have the captain of the Titanic onboard... A small but memorable role. And when you have a "small but memorable role" in a film of the calibre of Titanic, its enough to headline a resume for most actors.

[Nick1Ø66 4,968]

6 minutes ago, Chen G. said:

and he's also in Gandhi

 

 

One of my favourite movies and I had no idea!

[Chen G. 4,090]

It was also nice to catch a glimpse of him at the tail-end of that Zoom reunion.

[Marian Schedenig 8,333]

30 minutes ago, Chen G. said:

And when you have a "small but memorable role" in a film of the calibre of Titanic, its enough to headline a resume for most actors.

 

Hill was the only actor (so far) to star in  two films that received 11 Oscars.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,817]

He's also the bigoted husband, in SHIRLEY VALENTINE, the coroner, in DROWNING BY NUMBERS, and in THE BOUNTY, and a marvelous little film, THE CHAIN.

 

 

 

 

59 minutes ago, Marian Schedenig said:

... apparently he was in ... Valkyrie, though I don't recall him there.

 

No "apparently" about it.

He was in the first scene, set in the North African desert.

VALKYRIE is a darn good movie.

[Glóin the Dark 1,238]

He also had a prominent role in the second greatest of all TV series, the BBC’s Wolf Hall.

Timothy Spall is supposedly playing his role in the (currently in production) concluding series.

[Chen G. 4,090]

2 hours ago, Marian Schedenig said:

Hill was the only actor (so far) to star in  two films that received 11 Oscars.

 

Okay, De Mortuis nihil nisi bonum and all of that, but... this bit of trivia being bandied around (I've seen it a lot) would be a helluva lot more impressive if Hill was nominated in either of those productions...

 

Of course, I'd argue he deserved a nomination for The Return of the King. But the fact of the matter is he did not land one.

[Marian Schedenig 8,333]

16 minutes ago, Chen G. said:

Okay, De Mortuis nihil nisi bonum and all of that, but... this bit of trivia being bandied around (I've seen it a lot) would be a helluva lot more impressive if Hill was nominated in either of those productions...

 

That bit of trivia is mis-quoted, mis-researched, and mis-calculated all over the internet. I've everything from "Titanic won an Oscar and the Lord of the Rings films won a total of 11 Oscars" to "throughout his career, Hill won a total of 11 Oscars".

 

Still, in the spirit of your original comment, having acted in both of the only 11 Oscar winning films of our lifetime is a nice entry in any portfolio.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,817]

I heard that Hill played a kid, in BEN-HUR.

[Chen G. 4,090]

7 minutes ago, Marian Schedenig said:

Still, in the spirit of your original comment, having acted in both of the only 11 Oscar winning films of our lifetime is a nice entry in any portfolio.

 

Oh, for sure. And both roles - even if the Titanic one is really a cameo - are very nice turns from Hill. So are many, many other roles of his.

[Marian Schedenig 8,333]

11 minutes ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

I heard that Hill played a kid, in BEN-HUR.

 

Ben-Ben-Hur?

[Nick1Ø66 4,968]

21 hours ago, Chen G. said:

even if the Titanic one is really a cameo

To give credit to Hill, I think that role is much more than a cameo. It's a small, but important (and quite memorable) role in the film. And in any event, I'm not sure Hill was well known enough for it really be considered a "cameo" anyway.

[Mr. Hooper 2,070]

12 minutes ago, Nick1Ø66 said:

To give credit to Hill, I think that role is much more than a cameo. It's a small, but important role in the film. And I'm not sure Hill was known well enough for it really be considered a "cameo" anyway.

A cameo would be the hilariously brilliant casting of Eric Braeden—"Victor Newman" himself—as one of the "old money" tycoons aboard.

 

As someone who was raised watching 'The Young and the Restless' by my mom, it always tickles me to see him.

 

 

[Naïve Old Fart 9,817]

Hey! It's Dr. Otto Hasslein.

[Andy 4,315]

Susan Backlinie who played Chrissie in Jaws, gone at 77.

 

 

I met her at a convention and she was sweet as can be. 
 

 

[Mr. Hooper 2,070]

Very sad to hear it... Had the chance to meet her on Martha's Vineyard in 2005.

 

So much of the Jaws family is now gone. But then you're reminded that the film was made 50 years ago...

 

Hang in there, Mr. Hooper.

 

(Richard Dreyfuss, I mean.)

[Frank Vincent 237]

Roger Corman, pioneering independent Producer and King of B Movies, dies at 98

[Chen G. 4,090]

Sad to hear. Corman did not make great movies, but a lot of the great filmmakers - namely, Coppola - cut their teeth on his productions. It could be argued that the Corman "model" - thrills, scares or sex every five minutes - was a template to early blockbusters in the guise of Jaws and Star Wars.

[Tallguy 3,588]

Arguably the most influential filmmaker of the last 60 or 70 years. RIP.

[Jurassic Shark 12,292]

B movies? Was he involved in Star Wars?

[Andy 4,315]

Contrary to popular belief, Corman did make great movies!  His Poe adaptations as director were terrific juicy gothic potboilers.  Although low budget, it’s all there on the screen, in lurid colorful macabre beauty.  Crimson Peak wishes it were so pure. 
 

Asa producer, yeah that’s where his reputation stems from. But the notion that he was incapable or a hack is a fallacy. 
 

He also had one of the most robust, soothing voices and was more articulate than his reputation would suggest.  I could meditate to his audio commentaries. 
 

He also gave us B Movie actress Candice Rialson. Meowww. 
 

Rest in Peace to one cool cat. 
 

[Thor 7,763]

Yes, great 'facilitator' for future stars. People like James Horner, James Cameron or Jack Nicholson wouldn't have had the career trajectory they did if it wasn't for Corman. Sad news, but 98.....those are some amazing innings.

[Thor 7,763]

And now David Sanborn, sadly:

 

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/05/13/entertainment/david-sanborn-death/index.html

 

I'm mostly familiar with his Kamen work (LETHAL WEAPON, sax concerto), but should check out more.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,817]

I was never much of a Sanborn fan. He was a bit too shrill for my tastes, although some tracks on VOYEUR are quite nice.

Still, he was one of the greats.

 

[Thor 7,763]

I have this DVD, which is really good:

 

[Naïve Old Fart 9,817]

Ray Cooper! 

[IheartMelissaBenoist 46]

On 13/05/2024 at 2:10 PM, Thor said:

And now David Sanborn, sadly:

 

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/05/13/entertainment/david-sanborn-death/index.html

 

I'm mostly familiar with his Kamen work (LETHAL WEAPON, sax concerto), but should check out more.

 

I always liked seeing him pop up on Letterman, usually on Fridays, I think. Never dug the Lethal Weapon scores, really. 

[mrbellamy 6,379]

Dabney Coleman

 

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/dabney-coleman-dead-9-to-5-mary-hartman-tootsie-1235902521/

[Andy 4,315]

Aw man!  Jack Flack can’t die!

[Tallguy 3,588]

I've been meaning to rewatch Wargames for a while now.

[bruce marshall 1,320]

Great in BOARDWALK EMPIRE!!

 

RIP D.C.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,817]

I've followed Dabney Coleman's career, ever since I saw him in THE TOWERING INFERNO.

R.I.P.

[Thor 7,763]

https://kultura.gazeta.pl/kultura/7,114526,30990825,jan-a-p-kaczmarek-nie-zyje.html

 

Jan A.P. Kaczmarek has died. Just a couple of weeks ago, I asked about his current condition on FSM, and here we are.

I know he's been in hospice care for a while, so I was expecting the news. Still, very sad, of course. Such a formidable talent who is largely underappreciated. And he founded that Transatlantyk(?) film music festival, which was also an important feat. He's written some fine scores, like QUO VADIS, FINDING NEVERLAND, BLISS and UNFAITHFUL, but I've been meaning to explore more of his work. I will do so now.

Condolences to friends and family.