# 2025 SDMB Celebrity Death Pool **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** death-pool\ **Created:** [December 1, 2024, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/1011010 "2024-12-01T05:01:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 113
**Author:** ![jeezums](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/58f4c7/32.png) [@jeezums](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jeezums)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2026, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/1011010/2241 "2026-01-04T07:07:03Z")
Thanks for all the work you put into the game Baker!! Second place 2 years running so I’ll need to step up my game. ---
**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:** [January 4, 2026, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/1011010/2242 "2026-01-04T08:22:22Z")
> [@jeezums](#): > > I’ll need to step up my game. - There’s no pleasing some people! - That’s just what **[Jesus](https://youtu.be/aTJFwwJ7VF8?t=113)** said, Sir! ---
**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 4, 2026, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/1011010/2243 "2026-01-04T17:37:38Z")
20thplace is the best ive ever done! Thanks for all the hard work, @Baker . ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2026, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/1011010/2244 "2026-01-04T18:15:07Z")
Woo! In the top 82! ---
**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:** [January 4, 2026, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/1011010/2245 "2026-01-04T18:57:31Z")
On January 15, I was tied for 3rd with 35 points, with my bandwagon pick of Linda Nolan. At the end of the year, I was tied for 41st with 35 points. ---
**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:** [January 4, 2026, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/1011010/2246 "2026-01-04T20:39:47Z")
You and five others, it seems. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2026, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/1011010/2247 "2026-01-04T20:57:59Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I have updated my spreadsheet that has the history of the winners and so forth. Please feel free to let me know if you have any information I missed. > > [SDMB Celebrity Death Pool Winner History - Google Sheets](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZMOjZdqqlMkrtXCBaeNe1dGAwU9bsNi1iuZJspG4gPM/edit?usp=sharing) Nice to see my name up in lights. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2026, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/1011010/2248 "2026-01-04T21:35:49Z")
That brings back some memories! Winning in 2019 was particularly nice, but the one I remember most is 2015, where I finished second when Registered At Last edged me out by _four lousy points_, 300-296. What made it really hard to forget was that I took the lead with 296 points sometime in late May, IIRC, and then RAL got the death in mid-June that got her to an even 300. So I was thinking, no big deal, there are more deaths ahead for one or both of us, and that’s what’s really going to settle things. Boy, was I wrong! We stayed at 300 to 296 for _six and a half months_, right to the end of the game. The other interesting thing (for me, anyway) about that year was that 2015 was only the second year I’d played, and not only that, I’d gotten **zero** points in 2014, my first year. One of my alternates kicked the bucket that year, but that and a quarter will get you a shopping cart at Aldi. So I went straight from zero one year to dueling for the lead the next. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2026, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/1011010/2249 "2026-01-05T14:58:51Z")
RTFirely has pointed out to me yet another error I made in scoring. For I;ts Not Rocket Surgery I counted on pick twice, which reduces their score and puts RTF in third place. I truly apo;ogize for doing this to It’s Not Rocket Surgery. I also hope to get a thank you from RTF. ---
**Author:** ![Registered\_at\_Last](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bc79bd/32.png) [@Registered\_at\_Last](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Registered_at_Last)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2026, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/1011010/2250 "2026-01-05T15:59:21Z")
I remember that year. I also spent 6 months expecting to be booted out of top spot at any moment. Well fought! I managed to stay in the top 10 this year, but I did my classic of win one year and do OK, but not great the next. I see that I have tied the great **Rachm Qoch** with most wins. Of course mine are over a decade and a half while he won 4 consecutive before flaming out with what would have been a themed list if it had existed then. Thanks as always to our lovely Death Mistress for all the hard work she puts into this. Always grateful to have somewhere to indulge my morbid side. Congrats to **phungi** as I hand over my crown to the new reigning DP Champion! ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Greenjeans](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.greenjeans/32/551_2.png) [@Mr.Greenjeans](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Greenjeans)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2026, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/1011010/2251 "2026-01-05T16:52:11Z")
Big congrats to phungi! May my name never find its way onto your list. ---
**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:** [January 5, 2026, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/1011010/2252 "2026-01-05T17:17:12Z")
Don’t worry, see Rule 3.e ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2026, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/1011010/2253 "2026-01-05T20:48:30Z")
Stewart Cheifet, early computer journalist, died Dec 28 > **[Stewart Cheifet, PBS host who chronicled the PC revolution, dies at 87](https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/01/stewart-cheifet-pbs-host-who-chronicled-the-pc-revolution-dies-at-87/)** > > Cheifet produced more than 400 episodes of TV tracing the rise of personal computing. Brian ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2026, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/1011010/2254 "2026-01-05T22:37:28Z")
Another 2025 death. _Not_ the race car driver. > **[Michael Schumacher, author of Francis Ford Coppola and Eric Clapton...](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/05/michael-schumacher-dies-aged-75)** > > Daughter of the Wisconsin author confirmed her father died on 29 December and did not provide cause of death ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2026, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/1011010/2255 "2026-01-06T00:23:30Z")
Thank you, Baker, I do appreciate your having corrected this. And congrats to our Death Shroom for his win! ---
**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 6, 2026, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/1011010/2256 "2026-01-06T00:42:36Z")
We all really owe Baker a huge thank you in general. Been doing a great job for quite a few years now. Gosh, how many years have you been doing this @Baker? ---
**Author:** ![phungi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phungi/32/395_2.png) [@phungi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phungi)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2026, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/1011010/2257 "2026-01-06T19:49:52Z")
First off: Kudos to Baker for all the work behind the scenes! Second: Thanks to my parents for raising me with a dark sense of humor that lends to appreciating the banter and hilarious discourse that occurs throughout the year. Third: Thanks to the smart IT and Comp Sci and database folks that make searching Google and other resources (although my actual search terms will remain private). Fourth: While I consider myself an apathetic evangelical atheist (too lazy to spread the word “no god”), should they actually exist, I want to thank both God and Satan for doing, well…”the lord’s work”. Finally, given this has been the culmination of at least a decade of work, with significant soul searching, reflection, revision, and refining of my own behaviors, I recognize my own alter-ego, the Death Shroom… long may he thrive! ---
**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 7, 2026, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/1011010/2258 "2026-01-07T19:22:22Z")
Yes, thanks to Baker for toting the Handbasket to Hell for all these years. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2026, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/1011010/2259 "2026-01-08T11:19:13Z")
Thirding, or fourthing, or fifthing, or whatever. This is my best year so far (I won once on Fathom, but the best I’ve ever done here before, IIRC, was to place with a single pick the year Gerald Ford died)-- 27 points, 51st place, Final Hours and Inside Track awards! I’d also like to thank Brigitte Bardot, who was a first time pick for me, for her help; but **especially** to thank the last two Dionne Quints, the only two to die in the same year (the others died in 1954, 1970 & 2001, so much for identical), who have been on my list since I began playing, when they were worth a lot more. I hung with them, though, and they brought in a combined 18 points and 2 unique picks! Thanks, girls! RI (at long last) P ---
**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:** [January 24, 2026, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/1011010/2260 "2026-01-24T12:42:50Z")
She did not much restoration work, she painted mainly flowers, but she has made it to the Economist obituary: [https://www.economist.com/obituary/2026/01/22/cecilia-gimenez-only-meant-to-be-helpful?giftId=ODNjYzNiYWQtNmY1ZS00ZGNiLTkwNmItYjY2NTE1OWU4MTQ1&utm\_campaign=gifted\_article](https://www.economist.com/obituary/2026/01/22/cecilia-gimenez-only-meant-to-be-helpful?giftId=ODNjYzNiYWQtNmY1ZS00ZGNiLTkwNmItYjY2NTE1OWU4MTQ1&utm_campaign=gifted_article) The flower thing is from the article. And the there is this: > **[Cecilia Gimenez, botched fresco artist, sells painting on eBay for $1400 -...](https://www.upi.com/blog/2012/12/18/Cecilia-Gimenez-botched-fresco-artist-sells-painting-on-eBay-for-1400/4691355864697/)** > > The Spanish woman responsible for restoring the "Ecce Homo" fresco has sold some of her own work on eBay. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/1011010.md?page=112) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-sdmb-celebrity-death-pool/1011010.md?page=114)