1993

DIZZY GILLESPIE - January 6

Musician.
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RUDOLF NUREYEV - January 6

(Same day as Dizzy Gillespie.)
Dancer.
[C.O.D.: AIDS.]
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AUDREY HEPBURN - January 20

Actress.
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THURGOOD MARSHALL - January 24

Judge.
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ARTHUR ASHE - February 6

Pro tennis player.
[C.O.D.: AIDS.]
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LILLIAN GISH - February 27

Actress.
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RUBY KEELER - February 28

(Must have heard about Lillian Gish the day before.)
Dancer.
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HELEN HAYES - March 17

Happy St. Patrick's Day - you're dead!
Actress married to playwright Charles MacArthur,
and was the mother of '60s Hawaii Five-O actor James MacArthur.
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BRANDON LEE - March 31

Actor of The Crow, shot by a gun that was supposed to have been
cleaned out by a stage hand, but it hadn't completely been. Oops!
Bet that stagehand felt mighty embarrassed. Where he is today?
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PINKY LEE - April 3

King of the kiddie TV show hosts.
(Not a good week to have the last name of Lee.)
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MARIAN ANDERSON - April 8

Superb singer who held a famous concert at the Lincoln Memorial
in 1939 after the Daughters of the American Revolution refused to
let her perform at Constitution Hall because she was black.
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LESLIE CHARTERIS - April 15

Created The Saint.
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JULIO GALLO - May 2

Started making wine with his brother Ernest
became the biggest winemaker in the U. S.
(Not the best, but the biggest.)
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CONWAY TWITTY - June 5

Country singer Twitty's bank account wasn't bitty -
so starting tonight, his relatives will fight!
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ALEXIS SMITH - June 9

Actress.
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RAY SHARKEY - June 11

Actor.
[C.O.D.: AIDS.]
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JOHN CONNALLY - June 15

Former Texas Governor wounded by the firing squad that killed JFK.
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PAT NIXON - June 22

Politician's wife.
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GEORGE "SPANKY" MCFARLAND - June 30

Acted in the Our Gang comedies.
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FRED GWYNNE - July 10

Star of Car 54 Where Are You?, and The Munsters.
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JOE "CURLY JOE" DERITA - July 3

The "last" official "third" stooge replacement member of
the classic slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges.
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STEWART GRANGER - August 16

Star of King Solomon's Mines, and co-star with
his then-wife Jean Simmons in Young Bess.
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RICHARD JORDAN - August 30

Played a southern general in Gettysburg.
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HERVE VILLECHAIZE - September 4

Tattoo from Fantasy Island.
[COD: Suicide by gun.]
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HELEN O'CONNELL - September 9

Great band singer of the 1940s and '50s, and second wife
of musician/composer Frank De Vol of America Tonight.
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RAYMOND BURR - September 12

Star of classic lawyer TV series Perry Mason. Later also starred on Ironside.
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JIMMY DOOLITTLE - September 27

Did a little flying.
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JAMES LEO HERLIHY - October 20

Author of Midnight Cowboy.
[C.O.D.: Suicide.]
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VINCENT PRICE - October 25

Actor in House On Haunted Hill and many others.
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FEDERICO FELLINI - October 31

Greatest Italian movie director ever.
Happy Halloween - you're dead!
________________________________________

RIVER PHOENIX - October 31

(Same day as Federico Fellini.)
Actor and brother of J. Phoenix.
[C.O.D.: Drug overdose.]
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FRITZ FELD - November 18

Played snooty cafe and hotel manager types in over
100 movies, and was married for more than 50 years
to Christina Christine of Mrs. Olson Folger's coffee
TV commercial fame. (Shown above.)
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BILL BIXBY - November 21

Actor who co-starred in My Favorite Martian, and starred in The Magician, and The Incredible Hulk.
He later also directed many TV shows, including Blossom.
[C.O.D.: Prostate cancer.]
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ANTHONY BURGESS - November 25

Writer of the classic futuristic novel A Clockwork Orange.
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GARRY MOORE - November 28

Star of The Garry Moore Show, which unleashed Carol Burnett upon a delighted world..
________________________________________

FRANK ZAPPA - December 4

This genius rock musician, who helmed The Mothers Of Invention,
was also the father of the fabulous Moon Zappa, Dweezel Zappa,
and Ahmed Zappa.
[C.O.D.: Prostate cancer.]
(Wow, that whole celebs dying of "prostate cancer"
phenomenon really got out of hand this year!)
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DON AMECHE - December 6

Classic movie star who much later made a comeback in Cocoon.
Also did several other films, including Things Change, and Trading Places.
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MYRNA LOY - December 14

William Powell's co-star in the popular Thin Man movie series.
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SAM WANAMAKER - December 18

The driving force behind rebuilding the replica of the Globe Theater in London, England.
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DON DEFORE - December 22

Starred as George Baxter in the popular Hazel TV series. (Shirley Booth played Hazel the maid.)
Geez, Don - if only you'd waited just three more days,
I could've given you our famous holiday sendoff of
Merry Christmas - you're dead! Oh, well - close enough.
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= WELL, THAT'S ALL FOR THIS YEAR, FOLKS! BUT STAY TUNED - YOU KNOW THE GRIM REAPER AIN'T DONE WITH THOSE CELEBS YET! MEANWHILE, ON THE UPPER RIGHT YOU CAN ALWAYS CHECK OUT THE LIST OF LATE LAMENTED LAYABOUTS FROM OTHER YEARS! ENJOY! =