# Have any Dopers died? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 26, 2001, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-any-dopers-died/70222 "2001-06-26T17:55:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2001, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-any-dopers-died/70222/21 "2001-06-27T04:28:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ad Noctum \* > I must say that I’ve told my sister that if I were to ever die that you guys would be nearly the first to be notified. > > you guys are like my family to me. Welcome to the club, Adam. I feel sure that my mother, though she does not always have every wit about her, would post of my demise were that to happen while she were alive. And I’m on AIM with enough regularity that people I chat with regularly would wonder if I disappeared for a few days or so. ---
**Author:** ![Esprix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprix/32/7899_2.png) [@Esprix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprix)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2001, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-any-dopers-died/70222/22 "2001-06-27T05:48:42Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by **Spritle** _ > > We have among our members… people having unprotected sex with multiple partners… Who? I’ll kick their asses! I, too, am only aware of dear **Wally** and **Doc Watson**. My housemates, fortunately, know very well that they’d have to post here should the worst happen to me. They don’t post here, but they know everything that goes on because I talk about it so much. 😃 Esprix ---
**Author:** ![bdgr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@bdgr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bdgr)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2001, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-any-dopers-died/70222/23 "2001-06-27T15:07:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Smeghead \* > \*\*I spent a year dead for tax reasons. \*\* A ruttles referance perhaps? ---
**Author:** ![lurkernomore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@lurkernomore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lurkernomore)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2001, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-any-dopers-died/70222/24 "2001-06-27T18:10:57Z")
No, Bdgr - That’s Hitchhiker’s Guide series(Restaurant, IIRC?) ---
**Author:** ![bdgr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@bdgr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bdgr)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2001, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-any-dopers-died/70222/25 "2001-06-27T20:10:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lurkernomore \* > \*\*No, Bdgr - That’s Hitchhiker’s Guide series(Restaurant, IIRC?) \*\* It’s in both places actually. ---
**Author:** ![Spritle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Spritle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spritle)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2001, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-any-dopers-died/70222/26 "2001-06-27T20:41:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Scarlett67 \* > I saw a reference to this not too long ago and thought that the REAL Doc Watson, banjo player, had died. Sorry to be this way, but… [nitpick] Doc Watson is a guitar player, in the flatpicking style. His son Merle, who **is** dead was also a flatpicker, but did play the banjo also. [/nitpick] ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2001, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-any-dopers-died/70222/27 "2001-06-27T21:39:01Z")
I stand corrected. Mr. S would have known that – he’s the Doc Watson fan, and how I even ever heard of the guy! I made the mistake 😃 of buying Mr. S a new banjo a few weeks ago, so I’ve got banjo on the brain. Thanks, **Spritle.** ---
**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:** [June 28, 2001, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-any-dopers-died/70222/28 "2001-06-28T14:38:07Z")
If I recall correctly, there were two posters with similar usernames: one was Doc Watson and the other may have been Dr Watson. Neither was a very frequent poster on this board. Doc Watson was an architect from Connecticut and a frequent poster on the F3 board. I met him when he was visiting Rochester last year. A few months later, he died in a car accident while on vacation in Africa. When the news of his death was posted (by me among others) there was some confusion between him and the other poster. I believe there were some people who said that the other poster, Dr Watson, was also dead. I don’t know if this was confusion over two rarely seen posters with similar usernames or if, in fact, two different posters with similar usernames had both died. ---
**Author:** ![Astroboy14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/df705f/32.png) [@Astroboy14](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astroboy14)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2001, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-any-dopers-died/70222/29 "2001-06-28T14:55:33Z")
I’ve had a really long day, and I’m dead!😃 But if I did happen to expire in some heroic fashion, I’m not sure how you guys would ever find out about it… unless my co-worker, **MrO** , happened to mention it… or **Astrogirl** thought to come in here, register, and post about it (she knows how much time I spend here, so it might occur to her to do so… but probably not…). Hmm… I might mention this to **MrO** and **Astrogirl** … ---
**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2001, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-any-dopers-died/70222/30 "2001-06-30T00:17:35Z")
Well, my sister already has strict instructions to inform this board and my mailing list upon my demise. That got discussed after **Wally** accident. And I’ll be informing her MUD if anything happens to her. ---
**Author:** ![White\_Lightning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@White\_Lightning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/White_Lightning)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2001, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-any-dopers-died/70222/31 "2001-06-30T04:49:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Eutychus55 \* > \*\*“I die every night.” \*\* “And every day I am reborn…” Is that a Fight Club reference I’m catching? ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Creant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b487fb/32.png) [@Miss\_Creant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Creant)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2001, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-any-dopers-died/70222/32 "2001-06-30T06:02:34Z")
Well, I’m working on it, but the dogs seem to be perfectly healthy. Can’t really go anywhere while they’re still around. However, when it becomes feasible, I will be sure to post an annoucement first. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2001, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-any-dopers-died/70222/33 "2001-06-30T12:30:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Little Nemo \* > \*\*If I recall correctly, there were two posters with similar usernames: one was Doc Watson and the other may have been Dr Watson. Neither was a very frequent poster on this board. > > Doc Watson was an architect from Connecticut and a frequent poster on the F3 board. I met him when he was visiting Rochester last year. A few months later, he died in a car accident while on vacation in Africa. > > When the news of his death was posted (by me among others) there was some confusion between him and the other poster. I believe there were some people who said that the other poster, Dr Watson, was also dead. I don’t know if this was confusion over two rarely seen posters with similar usernames or if, in fact, two different posters with similar usernames had both died. \*\* Let’s try to clarify: ‘Doc Watson’ was the colloquial reference for the poster whose username at Fathom was **Dr.Watson**. He had originally posted here under the handle **CrickandWatson** (IIRC; you can’t go back and search to be sure, these days :(), and then I believe he shortened it to Dr.Watson here, even before he began posting at Fathom. A [sample](http://fff.fathom.org/ubb/Forum3/HTML/000404.html) of his Fathom posting style. There has been some controversy about his death. No one has been able to find an obit in the _Hartford Courant_ that matches what we knew, or believed we knew, about him. According to his postings, he lived in the Hartford area, where he ran a business, had a family, and all that. When people with links to the community die, your obit, death notice, whatever, appears in the paper. I looked for several days afterwards, and couldn’t find anyone remotely matching him. **Melin** , who knew him best, says there’s no question that he’s dead. How she knows this, she hasn’t said, at least not in a forum that I had access to. I have no interest in raising the subject with her; I think very highly of Melin, and Doc was someone we had radically different views about. Right around the beginning of the year, he got pissed at all of us at Fathom (apparently because we weren’t won over by his brand of illogic, when he applied it in the debate forum) and, after an emphatic goodbye post, ceased posting. His death, whether for real or for online consumption, came just a little over two months later. When I see an obit of someone whose decription roughly matches with what we knew of him online, I’ll believe he’s genuinely dead. Until then, I’ll continue to have my doubts. [Edited by TubaDiva on 06-30-2001 at 08:15 AM] ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2001, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-any-dopers-died/70222/34 "2001-06-30T12:31:55Z")
My apologies. I’ve gotten spoiled by the ‘edit’ function at Fathom. If a mod happens by and feels like fixing my bolding, I’d have no objections. ---
**Author:** ![Weirddave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Weirddave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weirddave)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2001, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-any-dopers-died/70222/35 "2001-06-30T13:02:42Z")
I died a while back. But I was only mostly dead. And I know enough of you IRL, that I am quite positive that my shuffleing off this mortal coil would be duly noted here. Not sure if it would be with laughter or tears ;), but hey, I’ll be dead, why would I care? ---
**Author:** ![Eutychus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Eutychus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eutychus)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2001, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-any-dopers-died/70222/36 "2001-06-30T13:11:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by White Lightning \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by Eutychus55 \* > > \*\*“I die every night.” \*\* > > “And every day I am reborn…” Is that a Fight Club reference I’m catching? \*\* Firesign Theatre. ---
**Author:** ![White\_Lightning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@White\_Lightning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/White_Lightning)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2001, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-any-dopers-died/70222/37 "2001-06-30T14:07:55Z")
Dag. Knew I was jumping the gun on that one. Man, I should get out my Firesign Theatre records out and listen to 'em sometime, it’s been a while. Oh yeah, I don’t have a record player. _sigh_ ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Cynical](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ee59a6/32.png) [@Mr.Cynical](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Cynical)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2001, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-any-dopers-died/70222/38 "2001-06-30T14:55:43Z")
I know one who wishes. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2001, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-any-dopers-died/70222/39 "2001-07-01T10:01:18Z")
[hijack] > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by White Lightning \* > Knew I was jumping the gun on that one. Man, I should get out my Firesign Theatre records out and listen to 'em sometime, it’s been a while. “White Lightning, White Lightning, this is Ground Beef Control. Do you read me? Over.” We’ve been known to have the occasional Firesign thread around here. You’ll have to come play with us next time! [/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2001, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-any-dopers-died/70222/40 "2001-07-01T18:07:44Z")
[**Dr.Watson**](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?action=getinfo&userid=4736) departed this board in April of 2000; he’d posted as **Watson&Crick** before that. IIRC, that first username was shared with some acquaintance of his. I don’t recall a username of Doc Watson on this board. There _was_ another [**Dr. Watson**](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?action=getinfo&userid=8987) (note the space after “Dr.”) who passed briefly through GD almost a year ago. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-any-dopers-died/70222.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-any-dopers-died/70222.md?page=3)