# 2023 SDMB Celebrity Death Pool **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** death-pool\ **Created:** [December 1, 2022, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/975831 "2022-12-01T04:02:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 98
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2023, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/975831/1941 "2023-11-20T17:37:28Z")
The top four picks this year were Shannon Doherty. Andy Taylor, Donald Trump, and Vladimir Putin. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2023, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/975831/1942 "2023-11-20T19:48:39Z")
I was thinking of the top picks who checked out right before the year began. People like former Pope Benedict, Jeremiah Green, Pelé, and Barbara Walters, each picked for their 2023 lists by at least 10 players, but who all died in the last three days of 2022. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2023, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/975831/1943 "2023-11-20T19:53:24Z")
Okay, I see what you mean. But you have to admit, if the orange one checks out in the near future, we wouldn’t mind having the next year’s list messed up. ---
**Author:** ![ThatCanadianGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f8ce5/32.png) [@ThatCanadianGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThatCanadianGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2023, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/975831/1944 "2023-11-20T22:24:43Z")
Of the 12 people who walked on the moon, how many are still alive? Anyone got a list? ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2023, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/975831/1945 "2023-11-20T22:31:00Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > > [@Mahaloth](#): > > > > Will Jimmy Carter live until 2024? I be he is on a lot of lists if so. > > He’d probably die in the last days of December just to screw up everyone’s list… Yeah, he’s selfish that way. mmm ---
**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:** [November 20, 2023, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/975831/1946 "2023-11-20T22:42:08Z")
> [@ThatCanadianGuy](#): > > Of the 12 people who walked on the moon, how many are still alive? Anyone got a list? Four people who have been on the moon are alive. > **[Who Has Walked on the Moon? - NASA Science](https://science.nasa.gov/moon/who-has-walked-on-the-moon/)** > > American astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin were the first of 12 people to walk on the Moon. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2023, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/975831/1947 "2023-11-20T22:42:50Z")
> [@ThatCanadianGuy](#): > > Of the 12 people who walked on the moon, how many are still alive? Four are still living: Buzz Aldrin (2nd person to walk on the moon, born 1930) David R. Scott (7th person, born 1932) Charles Duke (10th person, born 1935) Harrison H. Schmitt (11th person, born 1935) ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2023, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/975831/1948 "2023-11-21T20:28:25Z")
Guillermo “Willie” Hernandez, Detroit Tigers closer and 1984 AL MVP, has exited the game at 69. > **[Willie Hernández](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willie_Hern%C3%A1ndez)** > > Guillermo Hernández Villanueva (November 14, 1954 – November 20, 2023) was a Puerto Rican baseball relief pitcher. He won both the American League Cy Young Award and the American League Most Valuable Player Award in 1984 after leading the Detroit Tigers to the World Series championship. > Hernández was born and raised in Aguada, Puerto Rico. He signed with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1973 and played in their minor-league system as a starting pitcher from 1974 to 1976. He was acquired by the Chi... ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2023, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/975831/1949 "2023-11-21T22:15:01Z")
> [@Catamount](#): > > Author A.S. Byatt has died at 87 > [AS Byatt, author and critic, dies aged 87 | AS Byatt | The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/nov/17/as-byatt-author-and-critic-dies-aged-87) Oh, damn, I hadn’t seen this before. Another of my literary giants gone. Her Booker Prize winner _Possession_ is my desert island novel, and I periodically re-read her luminous short stories. ---
**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:** [November 22, 2023, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/975831/1950 "2023-11-22T00:38:54Z")
NOT dead, but Tom Baker was just photographed for the 60th Anniversary of Doctor Who. He looks very thin. [![](https://i.redd.it/xhueytv99s1c1.jpeg) ](https://i.redd.it/xhueytv99s1c1.jpeg) ---
**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:** [November 22, 2023, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/975831/1951 "2023-11-22T01:08:13Z")
I hope he has a good, uh, _nevermind_ ---
**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:** [November 23, 2023, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/975831/1952 "2023-11-23T03:04:53Z")
> **[Carlton Pearson, influential Oklahoma megachurch founder who rejected hell,...](https://apnews.com/article/carlton-pearson-dies-pastor-universalism-god-b900d86fad8c2c2fd636975b51905465)** > > The founder of a former megachurch in Oklahoma known for rejecting the idea of hell and supporting gay rights has died. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2023, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/975831/1953 "2023-11-23T03:38:49Z")
I first heard about him on _[This American Life](https://www.thisamericanlife.org/304/transcript)._ As an atheist who was brought up in the Unitarian Universalist church (we pray, “To whom it may concern”), I thought that the notion of hell was not merely preposterous and silly, but actually quite monstrous. How could a supposedly benevolent god subject people to horrific punishment for _eternity_ for even the most heinous crimes or sins committed on earth? It’s unbelievably disproportionate. So I wasn’t surprised that a thoughtful person would conclude there was no hell. What shocked me was how absolutely essential the notion of hell was to almost everyone else in his community, both clergy and lay, and how few people were swayed by his arguments. I had naively thought that many, if not most, Christians didn’t truly believe that hell was literally real. Of course, I know that many liberal Christians don’t, but I thought that Pearson might have had more success, given his stature, persuading people with what were, to me, quite sensible positions. So I was gratified to learn that he ultimately found a place in the United Church of Christ. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2023, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/975831/1954 "2023-11-23T14:19:57Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > How could a supposedly benevolent god subject people to horrific punishment for _eternity_ for even the most heinous crimes or sins committed on earth? It’s unbelievably disproportionate. I’m a born-again Christian, and I don’t believe in hell for exactly that reason. Infinite punishment for finite sins is simply wrong, and you’d have to destroy any normal meaning of ‘love’ to have such an afterlife be consistent with the notion of a loving God. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2023, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/975831/1955 "2023-11-23T16:24:45Z")
Almost deserves a thread in Great Debates, but here is how I look at it. One does not go to Hell for committing sins. Hey, we are all sinners. One is in Hell for rejecting belief in God, or that there is no God. God desires that we all reach Heaven. The worst sinner can end up in Heaven if they repent their sins and believe in God’s mercy. That doesn’t mean they will escape earthly punishment, but eternity is waiting. Those two guys who were crucified alongside Jesus? The one ended up in Paradise, although he knew that his sins had condemned him. Not sure about the other one, we may not have the whole story on him. And I don’t think Hell is the lake of fire, or demons tormenting you, it’s a place of despair, knowing you are not with God. You know, a forever dreary place. Now, I need to get back in the handbasket I have created for myself by herding this thread. Is anyone getting ready for 2024? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2023, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/975831/1956 "2023-11-23T18:10:16Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > One does not go to Hell for committing sins. Hey, we are all sinners. One is in Hell for rejecting belief in God, or that there is no God. That seems less in keeping with the idea of a loving God. A loving merciful all-powerful God would forgive a human being for failing to worship him. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2023, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/975831/1957 "2023-11-23T18:58:17Z")
The two thieves bracketing Jesus were Gestus and Saint Dismas (feast day March 25, but you don’t need to shoplift the food to celebrate it). Viewed one way, Dismas, by sticking up for Jesus when he was being mocked by Gesus manifested the divine mercy that we can too by championing the bullied. Divinity = God, so that’s where your soul fits after death. Alternatively, Gestus was just making a joke, and Jesus reacted by saying “very funny asshole. Enjoy Hell on me.” ---
**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:** [November 23, 2023, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/975831/1958 "2023-11-23T20:22:34Z")
I tried to read C.S. Lewis’ _The Great Divorce_, which presented a dismal view of limbo but seemed to suggest that individuals who were not fully evil still had a path to heaven simply by enduring the fields of Asphodel long enough for their fundamental merit to be recognized. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2023, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/975831/1959 "2023-11-23T20:42:40Z")
Would somebody be so friendly and fight my ignorance about that handbasket that has been mentioned so often in this thread? It is cultural reference I don’t know where to grasp. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2023, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/975831/1960 "2023-11-23T20:48:33Z")
You really don’t know? Okay, it’s from a saying about how one is “going to hell in a handbasket” . [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/975831.md?page=97) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/975831.md?page=99)