Whom the gods wish to destroy, they first call “promising”.
partly recovered
Former husband of pop diva Madonna.
See, there’s this thing we like to call the “OP,” or “original post.” Such a post usually comes at the very beginning of a thread, and is the one that starts the whole thing off… 
More to the list (with full acknowledgment that I could be writing down something I just read in this thread, but completely forgot that I just read; I do that sometimes - and worse, sometimes I think in that moment of forgetfulness/self-delusion that I just made it up, and boy is it a good idea):
“intense manhunt”
“former Presidential candidate” (because really, if that’s the most memorable thing about you, how often does that turn out well?)
“much maligned”
“as dramatized in the made for TV movie…” (or worse, “several TV movies”)
Can you please explain this for the non-Aussie Dopers?
“Usual suspect”
“Unsuspecting xxx”
“A warning to others”
“Sheep f****r” Hi Hal!
“Phenotype”
“partially consumed”
“subject of the controversial pardon”
“consumed in the fireball”
If we’re allowing physical descriptions, you have to admit that this, as well as the following phrases, are definitely less desirable than somehting like “died peacefully in her/his sleep”:
“Decapitated”
“In a hail of bullets”
“Explosively decompressed”
“Gnawed on by his dogs”
Three-time loser (U.S. usage; in some states a thrice-convicted felon gets an automatic life sentence).
“Search teams fanned out across the countryside” (the terms “necrosearch” and “body-sniffing dogs” are ones you don’t want to appear in stories about your disappearance).
“Full rigor” is not so good either.
. . . cautionary tale
partially clad . . .
strangely enough still recognisable and **unrecognisable **are both words I would not like to have near my name
and I don’t want to be know as “of uncertain gender”
thank you very much!
I don’t have anything to contribute, but just want to say that this is one of the most morbid yet funny threads I’ve read!
Can I use that as a sig?
Or, similarly, “cooperating fully with police.”
Including the “Originally Posted by willthekittensurvive?”
cool!
Some musician friends of mine got a record deal in the nineties, and were in the middle of recording an album when they saw an headline in the local newspaper that was so memorable they decided to use it as the album titile:
Mutilation Makes Identification Difficult
“Following her [number]th DUI/drug possession charge…”
In the same vein as what pravnik suggested, I think “Once beloved” isn’t something to aspire to, either. The “once” makes it clear that you’ve screwed up along the way, and everyone knows it.
“Jackson, 68, was preceded in death by his wife, Emily; their six chidren; all seventeen of their grandchildren; and all four of their great-grandchildren.”
You have my permission, so long as I can count on your vote in the next mayoral election.
HRH pravnik I
Emperor of Texas and Protector of Mexico
Be happy to. Do you have Rick Perry hair?
Robin