# 2021 SDMB Celebrity Death Pool **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** death-pool\ **Created:** [December 1, 2020, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2021-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/926881 "2020-12-01T02:10:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 18
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2021, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2021-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/926881/345 "2021-01-26T20:45:58Z")
That mysterious radio transmission that was recently picked up from approximately 4 light years away? Cryptologists have recently decoded the message; “The Skipper and Gilligan are idiots.” So even aliens are aware of Dawn Wells. [https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/12/alien-hunters-detect-mysterious-radio-signal-from-nearby-star/](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/12/alien-hunters-detect-mysterious-radio-signal-from-nearby-star/) ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2021, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2021-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/926881/346 "2021-01-26T21:11:29Z")
For starters, I’d expect there to be a rather substantial drop-off between the percentage of Americans who know who you’re talking about if you mention Mary Ann from Gilligan’s Island, and the percentage who’d recognize the name of Dawn Wells. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2021, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2021-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/926881/347 "2021-01-27T01:13:34Z")
Astronaut William Thornton passed away on January 11th, at age 91. He was from my hometown; I have very vague memories of seeing him out jogging when I was a small child. > **[Astronaut William Thornton, who invented space shuttle treadmill, dies at 91...](https://www.space.com/astronaut-william-thornton-obituary)** > > Former NASA astronaut William "Bill" Thornton, who used his own inventions to measure and combat the ill-effects of microgravity while on board two space shuttle missions, has died at the age of 91. He logged a total of 13 days in orbit. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2021, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2021-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/926881/348 "2021-01-27T02:13:30Z")
You might be right. Apologies if so. But I would still hold that Dawn Wells is more well known with the general public than Phil Specter. ---
**Author:** ![FastDan1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fastdan1/32/427_2.png) [@FastDan1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FastDan1)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2021, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2021-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/926881/349 "2021-01-27T02:41:40Z")
I was aware of both of them. My wife was aware of neither. So by my calculations, they were equally popular. 😜 ---
**Author:** ![Hoopy\_Frood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hoopy_frood/32/8452_2.png) [@Hoopy\_Frood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hoopy_Frood)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2021, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2021-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/926881/350 "2021-01-27T05:16:47Z")
[Mark Wilson](https://www.honoraryunsubscribe.com/mark-wilson/), creator of the first live-magic television series. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2021, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2021-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/926881/351 "2021-01-27T05:27:53Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > But I would still hold that Dawn Wells is more well known with the general public than Phil Specter. More people may know Mary Ann than Phil, though in the under 35 set probably not. More people know Phil Spector by name than Dawn Wells by name. This isn’t particularly close either, his murder trial was recent and in all the news. Phil Spector is up there in the realm of the most recognizable names due to his infamy if not for his career. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2021, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2021-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/926881/352 "2021-01-27T06:07:49Z")
I dont agree. Spector hadnt put out any music in 40 years. His trial was well publicized but most didnt know who he was. Wells was active in public life almost to the end. She was on Chopped, she hosted the GI marathon on sundays on ME and she did lots of interviews like this one. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/wQM2OQydsbo/maxresdefault.jpg "KTLA was with Gilligan's Island star Dawn Wells for her 82nd Birthday") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQM2OQydsbo) ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2021, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2021-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/926881/353 "2021-01-27T06:38:38Z")
I think you dramatically underestimate the power and reach of tabloid news and the broad appeal and fascination with true crime. This plus the intersection of pop music fans who know his work will be simply enormous and global. Also, recency bias. ME averaged just 700k viewers and people watching GI marathons and interviews talking about GI select from the group who already knew who she was. She’s niche…and her notoriety peaked 55 years ago. I watched Gilligan reruns as a child of the 80s and I couldn’t name a single actor on the show besides Bob Denver and half the time I confuse him with Don Knotts. I had no idea who Phil Spector was up until the murder. Also, Phil Spector looked like this… [![](https://i.pinimg.com/564x/f9/b1/1f/f9b11f9106ab6244bd6c96d120f2f503.jpg) ](https://i.pinimg.com/564x/f9/b1/1f/f9b11f9106ab6244bd6c96d120f2f503.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2021, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2021-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/926881/354 "2021-01-27T08:19:14Z")
I’d say that anyone who’s interested in pop music has heard of Phil Spector, and anyone who’s checked out “classic” pop knows who he is. The Wall of Sound is like basic musical vocabulary. And this applies worldwide, very much unlike the cast of GI. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2021, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2021-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/926881/355 "2021-01-27T13:13:50Z")
While I appreciate that this is important to you guys, can you take the “popularity contest” to another thread, please? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2021, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2021-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/926881/356 "2021-01-27T16:23:15Z")
As **DeathMistress** I heartily agree with Rebo. This has gone on long enough. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2021, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2021-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/926881/357 "2021-01-27T18:05:25Z")
NBA reporter [Sekou Smith](https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nba/turner-sports-nba-reporter-dies-of-covid-19-complications/ar-BB1d969Q?ocid=msedgntp), 48, dies from COVID ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2021, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2021-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/926881/358 "2021-01-27T18:24:03Z")
Character Actor Bruce Kirby dead at 95. > **[Bruce Kirby, Veteran Character Actor and ‘Columbo’ Cop, Dies at 95](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/bruce-kirby-dead-columbo-cop-904097/)** > > The father of the late Bruno Kirby, he also portrayed District Attorney Bruce Rogoff on ‘L.A. Law.’ ---
**Author:** ![Reeses\_Monkey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reeses_monkey/32/2885_2.png) [@Reeses\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeses_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2021, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2021-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/926881/359 "2021-01-27T21:57:23Z")
Auf wiedersehen Frau Blucher. She was an alternate of mine. ([Cloris Leachman Dead at 94](https://www.tmz.com/2021/01/27/cloris-leachman-dead-dies-94/?fbclid=IwAR0LFeXwLAz3vvPcEt1K2Ur-tkLxwmYixuIGYg1lEl5NhyQVe6YRVS86bwU)) ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2021, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2021-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/926881/360 "2021-01-27T22:13:05Z")
I always thought she’d see 100. She looked like she was made of tough stuff, and was still working in recent years. 94 is a fair effort 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2021, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2021-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/926881/361 "2021-01-27T22:22:48Z")
What a comedy genius she was. RIP I thought Cloris was on my list, but I guess not. Maybe I removed her at some point. After they reach 90 I tend to figure the points are too low to worry about. I hope the articles will concentrate on her bigger roles and not on _The Facts Of Life_. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2021, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2021-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/926881/362 "2021-01-27T22:52:20Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > …I hope the articles will concentrate on her bigger roles and not on _The Facts Of Life_ . TIL Cloris Leachman was on Facts of Life. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2021, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2021-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/926881/363 "2021-01-27T22:54:32Z")
**xizor** and **commasense** get on the board with Frau Blucher, _whinny!_ | 1 | Team Dirt | 85 | 3 | 0 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2 | GIGObuster | 44 | 1 | 1 | | 3 | jeezums | 42 | 1 | 0 | | 3 | RTFirefly | 42 | 1 | 0 | | 3 | Superdude | 42 | 1 | 0 | | 6 | RobotDevilDog | 30 | 1 | 0 | | 7 | Paul in Saudi | 27 | 2 | 0 | | 8 | Hal Briston | 26 | 2 | 1 | | 9 | Happy Lendervedder | 22 | 1 | 0 | | 9 | phungi | 22 | 1 | 0 | | 11 | ZeroOO | 20 | 2 | 0 | | 12 | Greater Zamboni | 14 | 1 | 0 | | 12 | Slow Moving Vehicle | 14 | 1 | 0 | | 14 | Guano Lad | 13 | 1 | 0 | | 14 | J-P L | 13 | 1 | 0 | | 14 | lel | 13 | 1 | 0 | | 17 | Old Wench | 8 | 1 | 1 | | 18 | imthjckaz | 7 | 1 | 0 | | 18 | madsircool | 7 | 1 | 0 | | 18 | Mahaloth | 7 | 1 | 0 | | 21 | xizor | 6 | 1 | 0 | | 21 | commasense | 6 | 1 | 0 | ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2021, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2021-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/926881/364 "2021-01-27T22:55:57Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > TIL Cloris Leachman was on Facts of Life. LMIL she was a princess or queen in a beauty pageant in the '50s. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2021-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/926881.md?page=17) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2021-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/926881.md?page=19)