# The Celebrity Death Pool 2003 **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** death-pool\ **Created:** [December 1, 2002, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2003/139798 "2002-12-01T18:51:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2002, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2003/139798/1 "2002-12-01T18:51:25Z")
It’s time once again for the sickest thread on the board – the Celebrity Death Pool 2003! **The Rules:** You pick 13 celebrities whom you predict will die within the calendar year 2003. If any of your celebrities dies, you score 100 points minus their age at death. Whoever has the most points at the end of the year wins the undying admiration of the SDMB. 😃 **New rule: All picks must be date-stamped no later than 12-31-2002.** (_Please_ don’t wait until the very last minute to post your submissions.) I will post an alphabetical master list soon after the New Year and keep a hard copy for reference. If we have another board failure…well, we’ll take a vote on what to do. I mean, it couldn’t happen _twice_, could it? Ha ha ha ha! _sigh_ To be valid, picks must not be a) already dead; b) fictional characters; c) non-human; d) under age 18 at death; e) a registered member of the SDMB. Your picks must specify a name: listing “any of the guys in N\*Sync” as a pick will be ignored. Persons under sentence of death will be valid for scoring points only if they die by means other than official execution. Any poster who kills or otherwise contributes to the death of any celebrity mentioned in this thread will be disqualified. It’s just a game, people. The only exceptions to this rule would be deaths caused by those posters serving as members of the police or armed forces of any country, in the line of duty. So, yes, people like Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden would be valid picks in that context. **Editing your choices: be careful!** You can make changes to your list before the end of the year, but it has to be clear which names are your final choices. If any of your picks dies before the end of the year, you may submit another pick by 12-31-2002. If you do not submit another name, I will submit the rest. You can have no more than 13 picks. If you pick more than 13 (or if any of your picks is otherwise invalid); I may ask for clarification; otherwise I will submit the first 13 names on your list. Since “celebrity” is loosely defined, when in dispute, the posters of the SDMB will rule on celebrity status by a date to be determined soon after the pick’s death. My guess is that if major news media outlets report your death, you’re a celebrity for our purposes. Remember, it’s easy to come up with a list of really old celebrities, but you could pick a lot of low-scoring older people and still not win. Many posters prefer to pick people who are known to be ill, self-destructive, or just really unlucky. 😃 Additional awards: The “Quantity Not Quality” Award: to be awarded to the poster or posters who pick the greatest number of celebrities who died, regardless of their actual point value. The “Inside Track With the Grim Reaper” Award: to be awarded to the poster or posters who pick a celebrity that no one else picked. The “Opening Kickoff” Award: to be awarded to the poster or posters who pick the first listed celebrity to die in 2003. The “Final Hours” Award: to be awarded to the poster or posters who pick the last listed celebrity to die in 2003. My thanks to **Little Nemo** who created this perennial thread and its rules, which I am essentially copying. ---
**Author:** ![samarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4da419/32.png) [@samarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samarm)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2002, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2003/139798/2 "2002-12-01T19:22:11Z")
OK, I’m in. Sign me up for the following, please (in no particular order): Zsa Zsa Gabor The Pope Christopher Lee Ronald Reagan Nancy Reagan Osama Bin Laden Marlon Brando Elizabeth Taylor General Pinochet David Blaine Juan Pablo Montoya Roger Moore Richard Kiel I was going to add Bob Hope until I realised I’d score zero points for it… ☹ If you need clarification on who any of the above are, then let me know. ---
**Author:** ![Rodd\_Hill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3ab097/32.png) [@Rodd\_Hill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodd_Hill)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2002, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2003/139798/3 "2002-12-01T21:16:05Z")
Props to **a35362** to picking up the torch (or scythe, I suppose); and shout-out to **Little Nemo** for shouldering the thankless task for the last 2 years. I’ll have to go some to beat my 2002 score (70 to date; all from the unfortunate “Left Eye” Lopes); here goes: 1. Gordon Lightfoot 2. Farley Mowat 3. Pope JP 2 4. Augusto Pinochet 5. Fidel Castro 6. Gerald Ford 7. Idi Amin 8. Carol Channing 9. Dennis Hopper 10. Maureen O’Hara 11. Mollie Sugden 12. Dick Cheney 13. Olivia De Havilland ---
**Author:** ![Agrippina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Agrippina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agrippina)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2002, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2003/139798/4 "2002-12-01T21:45:24Z")
1. Marlon Brando, actor 2. Queen Elizabeth, Queen 3. Robert Stack, actor 4. Muhammed Ali, sports figure 5. Katherine Hepburn, actress 6. Robert Downey Jr., actor 7. Ray Bradbury, author 8. Dick Clark, ageless wonder (what DOES he do, anyway??) 9. Michael Jackson, singer and general curiosity 10. Dick Cheney, Vice President 11. Maggie Smith, actress 12. Winona Ryder, actress 13. Elizabeth Taylor, actress ---
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2002, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2003/139798/5 "2002-12-01T22:52:01Z")
Oh, [bleep]. It occurs to me, FWIW, that my new rule regarding the submission deadline of a date stamp is meaningless as stated because of time zones. D’oh! We have members all over the planet, from Australia to Hawaii, and I would have no way of knowing whether your submissions were actually submitted during 2002 or 2003 if you wait until 12-31 (or 31-12, for you furriners). I just want a solid cutoff point for submissions. So here’s the deal: you have to have your picks submitted no later than 12-31-2002 **Chicago time**. Since the “Straight Dope” column originated in the Chicago _Reader_, and since I’m also here in the U.S. Central Time zone, I’m calling it for Chicago. Chicago is six hours behind Greenwich, so when Big Ben is tolling midnight on New Year’s Eve, it’s 6 p.m. in the Windy City. Of course, if you don’t wait until then, it’s a non-issue. ---
**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2002, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2003/139798/6 "2002-12-02T00:00:58Z")
Here is a little list that I like to call “The 13 People Who Will Live Through The End of 2003, Just Because They Ended Up on My List”: 1. Ronald Reagan 2. Steve Irwin 3. Joe Piscopo 4. Arnold Schwarzenegger 5. John Larroquette 6. Loretta Swit 7. Jack Palance 8. James Garner 9. Al Pacino 10. Leonardo DiCaprio 11. Candace Cameron 12. Johnny Cash 13. George Jones ---
**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:** [December 2, 2002, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2003/139798/7 "2002-12-02T00:17:58Z")
Isn’t there a rule about not picking people that are already known to be terminally ill? ---
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2002, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2003/139798/8 "2002-12-02T00:27:58Z")
Where’s the fun in that? ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2002, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2003/139798/9 "2002-12-02T03:00:31Z")
Yeah! My favorite part of the year…give the gift of life! \*\*a35362 \*\* Thanks for picking up the heavy mantle of Grim Reaperness. I thought about doing it, but …feh…well…there you were sitting so purty. I thank you profusely. \*\*Little Nemo \*\* as a token of our - meaning mine - appreciation, I would like to offer you an all expenses paid trip on Braniff Airlines to Cuba…what? you mean they are out of business…and no American’s are allowed into Fidel-land? .Nuts. Eh, how about a pat on the back? 😃 (Seriously, you rock!) That said, I would like to make a suggestion to those who are submitting to put in the Date of Birth ( DOB) of the \*\*SDMBDP2003 \*\* candidate, that way, it will be easier for not only us - the dementors-in-waiting -but for our new GAME SHOW HOST to calculate points. As a bonus round, no points will be offered, but it could be a tie breaker, to put down a cause of death (COD). What Fun! ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2002, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2003/139798/10 "2002-12-02T03:04:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Rodd Hill \* > \*\*Props to **a35362** to picking up the torch (or scythe, I suppose); and shout-out to **Little Nemo** for shouldering the thankless task for the last 2 years. > > I’ll have to go some to beat my 2002 score (70 to date; all from the unfortunate “Left Eye” Lopes); here goes: > > Who the heck is this? \*\* > #3 Farley Mowat > 11. Mollie Sugden \*\* \*\* Hi. I live under a rock. Who are these people? Just curious ---
**Author:** ![evilbeth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/evilbeth/32/2268_2.png) [@evilbeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/evilbeth)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2002, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2003/139798/11 "2002-12-02T03:19:27Z")
Farley Mowat wrote _Woman in the Mists_–about Diane Fossey (_Gorillas in the Mist_). ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2002, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2003/139798/12 "2002-12-02T03:36:49Z")
1. Eminem, singer 2. Ozzy Osbourne, singer 3. Ian MacKellan, actor 4. the Pope 5. Ronald Reagan, former President 6. Katherine Hepburn, actress 7. Marlon Brando, actor 8. James Doohan, actor 9. Paul Newman, actor 10. Charlton Heston, actor 11. Billy Bob Thornton, actor 12. Michael Jackson, singer 13. Mickey O’Rourke, actor ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2002, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2003/139798/13 "2002-12-02T03:38:26Z")
D’OH!! Make that last one **Rourke**. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Cholo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58f4c7/32.png) [@Cholo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cholo)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2002, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2003/139798/14 "2002-12-02T03:56:33Z")
Ok…here goes. 1. Ronald Reagen 2. The Pope 3. Howard Stern 4. Johnny Cash 5. Don Rickles 6. Charlie Watts 7. Johnny Carson 8. Charles Manson 9. Yassir Arafat 10. Bob Dylan 11. Richard Pryor 12. Michael J. Fox 13. B.B. King ---
**Author:** ![Milossarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Milossarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Milossarian)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2002, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2003/139798/15 "2002-12-02T04:07:33Z")
It bothers me that some people seem to simply copy others. So I’ll be posting my brilliant picks way late. (Actually, until this year, being on my list was as close to immortality as a person could get.) ---
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2002, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2003/139798/16 "2002-12-02T04:15:47Z")
Farley Mowat wrote _Never Cry Wolf_, which was made into a movie with Charles Martin Smith as a wolf researcher. He’s written lots of books about life in the Arctic. Mollie Sugden is the actress who played Mrs. Slocombe on _Are You Being Served?_. I’m not worried about getting DOB on the submissions, 'cause a lot of Internet sources are contradictory and I figure that stuff is reported when the celeb dies anyway. I’m more concerned that someone will name someone I’ve never heard of and they’ll turn out to be already dead, or something. ---
**Author:** ![JavaMaven1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/cab0a1/32.png) [@JavaMaven1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JavaMaven1)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2002, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2003/139798/17 "2002-12-02T05:56:38Z")
1. Tony Bennett 2. Hugh Hefner 3. Julia Child 4. Rip Torn 5. Johnny Cash 6. Johnny Carson 7. Bobby Brown 8. Umberto Eco 9. Fred Phelps 10. Bill Cosby 11. Neil Young 12. Don King 13. Liza Minelli ---
**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:** [December 2, 2002, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2003/139798/18 "2002-12-02T06:31:01Z")
1. Sharon Osbourne, wife 2. Jimmy Carter, ex-president 3. Prince Charles, heir to British throne 4. Ariel Sharon, Israeli PM 5. Rudy Giuliani, former NYC mayor 6. Larry Flynt, publisher 7. Richard Pryor, comedian 8. Mariah Carey, singer 9. Kevin Spacey, actor 10. Andy Dick, actor/comedian 11. Jimmy Connors, tennis player 12. Tommy Morrison, boxer 13. Tarik Aziz, Iraqi deputy PM I was going to include Strom Thurmond, but, alas, he turns 100 on Thursday. Happy ---
**Author:** ![Lok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e8c25b/32.png) [@Lok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lok)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2002, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2003/139798/19 "2002-12-02T06:39:12Z")
Time for some silly guesses again. 1. Michael Jackson (Not sure anymore 😕 ) 2. Clint Eastwood (Actor) 3. Don Williams (Country singer) 4. Margaret Thatcher (Former UK PM) 5. Larry King (TV Show host) 6. Bob Barker (Game Show host) 7. Robin Williams (Comedian/Actor) 8. Dick Francis (Writer) 9. Queen Elizabeth II (Royalty) 10. Ronald Reagan (Actor/Politician) 11. Billy Graham (Actor/Evangelist) 12. George Jones (Country Singer) 13. Dan Rather (News Anchor) ---
**Author:** ![honkytonkwillie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@honkytonkwillie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/honkytonkwillie)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2002, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2003/139798/20 "2002-12-02T07:52:38Z")
Warren Zevon Sharon Osbourne Keith Richards Dennis Rodman Bob Newhart George Michael (the singer) Paul Rubens Willie Nelson Dick Chaney Hulk Hogan Sinead O’Connor Jerry Lewis (but only _after_ Labor Day!) Senator Edward Kennedy. (It’s about time for another Kennedy, eh?) Marilyn Manson is my backup pick, in case any of the above can’t linger around another 29 days. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2003/139798.md?page=2)