# Celebrity Death Pool 2018 **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** death-pool\ **Created:** [December 2, 2017, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2018/803331 "2017-12-02T13:44:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 27
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2018, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2018/803331/521 "2018-03-04T14:42:58Z")
Roger Bannister, the first person to run a sub-4-minute mile, [dies at 88](http://www.espn.com.au/athletics/story/_/id/22642120/sir-roger-bannister-first-break-4-minute-mile-barrier-dies-aged-88) ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2018, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2018/803331/522 "2018-03-05T12:58:14Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Roger Bannister, the first person to run a sub-4-minute mile, [dies at 88](http://www.espn.com.au/athletics/story/_/id/22642120/sir-roger-bannister-first-break-4-minute-mile-barrier-dies-aged-88) Being the first to break the 4-minute mile was a celebrated milestone, back then (1954). Bannister’s record lasted less than two months. Bannister retired from competitive running and became a neurologist. ---
**Author:** ![1b3bz18c9ed269201](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/58956e/32.png) [@1b3bz18c9ed269201](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/1b3bz18c9ed269201)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2018, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2018/803331/523 "2018-03-06T14:21:44Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > Being the first to break the 4-minute mile was a celebrated milestone, back then (1954). Bannister’s record lasted less than two months. Bannister retired from competitive running and became a neurologist. Was he the subject of the movie “Chariots of Fire” ? It was so long ago that I don’t really remember the movie just that it was about British runners. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2018, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2018/803331/524 "2018-03-06T14:45:50Z")
> [@1b3bz18c9ed269201](#): > > Was he the subject of the movie “Chariots of Fire” ? It was so long ago that I don’t really remember the movie just that it was about British runners. > > Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk No, it was about Harold Abrahams. ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2018, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2018/803331/525 "2018-03-06T15:14:30Z")
[Russell Solomon, founder of Tower Records, at 8 points.](https://www.google.com/amp/s/mobile.nytimes.com/2018/03/05/obituaries/russell-solomon-founder-of-tower-records-dies-at-92.amp.html) ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2018, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2018/803331/526 "2018-03-06T16:15:09Z")
> [@Kron](#): > > [Russell Solomon, founder of Tower Records, at 8 points.](https://www.google.com/amp/s/mobile.nytimes.com/2018/03/05/obituaries/russell-solomon-founder-of-tower-records-dies-at-92.amp.html) The Tower Records in San Diego was my second home while I was in the Navy back in the late 70’s. I hauled home over 200 albums when I got out in 1979. The sales staff would have no problem opening a record so I could listen to it before I decided to buy it. It was across the street from the Sport Arena and was a popular place to gather after concerts. Got to hang with Elvin Bishop for a couple hours after he opened a show for the Allman Brothers. Good times… ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2018, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2018/803331/527 "2018-03-06T16:25:42Z")
> [@racer72](#): > > The Tower Records in San Diego was my second home while I was in the Navy back in the late 70’s. I hauled home over 200 albums when I got out in 1979. The sales staff would have no problem opening a record so I could listen to it before I decided to buy it. It was across the street from the Sport Arena and was a popular place to gather after concerts. Got to hang with Elvin Bishop for a couple hours after he opened a show for the Allman Brothers. Good times… I remember going to the Capitol Records Tower midnight swap meet back in the 70’s. Records, tapes, bootlegs, promo posters, stand-ups and other assorted items. I and my girlfriend would grab a dog from the local foodstand and go up and down the aisles until dawn. ---
**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:** [March 7, 2018, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2018/803331/528 "2018-03-07T04:09:17Z")
[Benjamin Melniker](https://www.honoraryunsubscribe.com/benjamin-melniker/), Hollywood producer who bought the film rights to Batman and was largely responsible for the darker turn the movies would take. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2018, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2018/803331/529 "2018-03-07T05:35:02Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > I remember going to the Capitol Records Tower midnight swap meet back in the 70’s. Records, tapes, bootlegs, promo posters, stand-ups and other assorted items. I and my girlfriend would grab a dog from the local foodstand and go up and down the aisles until dawn. Tower Records in San Francisco, at Columbus Ave’s north end, was a landmark for many years: [If You’re Too Young to Remember the Magic of Tower Records, Here’s What You Missed | Collectors Weekly](https://www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/the-magic-of-tower-records/). ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2018, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2018/803331/530 "2018-03-07T05:38:44Z")
> [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](#): > > No, it was about Harold Abrahams. Harold Abrahams and Roger Bannister were a generation apart. Abrahams was 30 years older than Bannister. ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2018, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2018/803331/531 "2018-03-07T10:55:36Z")
Although interestingly, Harold Abrahams was the chief timekeeper when Bannister broke 4 minutes. I didn’t know this until another poster in the Bannister thread mentioned it. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2018, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2018/803331/532 "2018-03-07T16:59:41Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > Tower Records in San Francisco, at Columbus Ave’s north end, was a landmark for many years: [If You’re Too Young to Remember the Magic of Tower Records, Here’s What You Missed | Collectors Weekly](https://www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/the-magic-of-tower-records/). First record store I ever went to, sometime around 1970. I think its actual address was on Jones Street, but I always remember it being on Columbus & Bay. There is at least one still open; it’s in Dublin, located somewhere near the Berkeley Library. “But Dublin and Berkeley aren’t near each other” They are when it’s Dublin, Ireland, and the Berkeley Library is at Trinity College (and both the library and the California city are named for the same person, one of the Earls of Berkeley). ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2018, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2018/803331/533 "2018-03-09T14:06:07Z")
> [@Dead\_Cat](#): > > Although interestingly, Harold Abrahams was the chief timekeeper when Bannister broke 4 minutes. I didn’t know this until another poster in the Bannister thread mentioned it. Very cool! > [@That\_Don\_Guy](#): > > First record store I ever went to, sometime around 1970. I think its actual address was on Jones Street, but I always remember it being on Columbus & Bay. > > There is at least one still open; it’s in Dublin, located somewhere near the Berkeley Library. > “But Dublin and Berkeley aren’t near each other” > They are when it’s Dublin, Ireland, and the Berkeley Library is at Trinity College (and both the library and the California city are named for the same person, one of the Earls of Berkeley). I was 18 when I moved to San Francisco in 1979. That Tower Records store was music heaven. It opened in 1968, a perfect time. > [@](#): > > “You couldn’t have opened a record store at a better time,” Solomon says [store owner Russ Solomon]. “You had the Summer of Love, the Fillmore-Avalon action, the Haight-Ashbury just starting to explode. Everybody came into San Francisco, and they were just mad about music. It was a mysterious, wonderful miracle.” [https://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/For-S-F-rockers-Tower-Records-was-where-it-was-2549696.php](https://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/For-S-F-rockers-Tower-Records-was-where-it-was-2549696.php) It was there for 27 more years until it was torn down in 2006. 12 years later now, and still that corner of Columbus and Bay just doesn’t look right to me. ---
**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:** [March 12, 2018, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2018/803331/534 "2018-03-12T02:42:53Z")
British comedian [Ken Dodd has died aged 90](http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-43367267). I wasn’t too familiar with him except by osmosis. Apparently his signature style was feather dusters and a funny expressive face, though I am sure there was more to him than that. He was still working right up to very recently. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Shine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr_shine/32/464_2.png) [@Mr\_Shine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Shine)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2018, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2018/803331/535 "2018-03-12T05:30:52Z")
> [@""](#): > > British comedian [Ken Dodd died](http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-43367267) “Did he?” “No, _Doddy_” ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2018, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2018/803331/536 "2018-03-12T14:20:16Z")
Famed fashion designer [Hubert de Givenchy](https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/whats-hot/little-black-dress-designer-givenchy-dies-aged-91/ar-BBK7WqF?li=BBnbfcL), the man behind “the little black dress”, dead at age 91. ---
**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:** [March 12, 2018, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2018/803331/537 "2018-03-12T16:48:32Z")
No takers for Dodd or de Givenchy ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2018, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2018/803331/538 "2018-03-12T17:27:51Z")
Hugo award winning author [Kate Wilhelm](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kate_Wilhelm), dead at age 89. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2018, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2018/803331/539 "2018-03-13T17:24:17Z")
Rapper [Craig Mack](http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/craig-mack-new-york-rapper-diddy-bad-boy-label-dead-46-article-1.3871459) dies at 46. ---
**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:** [March 14, 2018, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2018/803331/540 "2018-03-14T03:58:17Z")
Who has Stephen Hawking? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2018/803331.md?page=26) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2018/803331.md?page=28)