# The Celebrity Death Pool 2005 **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** death-pool\ **Created:** [December 1, 2004, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2005/277574 "2004-12-01T21:22:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2004, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2005/277574/141 "2004-12-07T17:35:12Z")
In case I need an alternate in the next few weeks, I pick **Viktor Yushchenko** (sp?) of the Ukraine. ---
**Author:** ![edwino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@edwino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/edwino)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2004, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2005/277574/142 "2004-12-07T18:21:09Z")
Try something a little different: 1. Iyad Allawi 2. Ghazi al-Yawer (President of Iraq Interim Government) 3. Ibrahim al-Jafari (Vice President of Iraq) 4. Rowsch Shaways (another Vice President of Iraq) 5. Moqtada al-Sadr 6. Grand Ayatollah al-Sistani 7. King Fahd of Saudi Arabia 8. Prince Abdallah of Saudi Arabia 9. Viktor Yushchenko of Ukraine 10. Viktor Yanukovych of Ukraine 11. Mahmoud Abbas of Palestine 12. Pope John Paul II 13. Jerry Orbach ---
**Author:** ![edwino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@edwino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/edwino)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2004, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2005/277574/143 "2004-12-07T18:23:56Z")
BTW, has anyone seen that crazy-ass Batman crap going on with Yuschchenko? That man’s a goner, he should be on everyone’s list: > **[The Times & The Sunday Times](https://www.thetimes.co.uk/)** > > News and opinion from The Times & The Sunday Times [http://www.nature.com/news/2004/041122/full/041122-8.html](http://www.nature.com/news/2004/041122/full/041122-8.html) > **[Bizarre article du jour: Yushchenko poisoned?](https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2004/11/24/76022/-)** > > \[Promoted from the diaries by DHinMI\] > > I just got this in e-mail from an Australian friend.  It's in the Australian press, and it's just so... well, check this out.  Talk about paranoia. > Leader'... ---
**Author:** ![edwino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@edwino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/edwino)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2004, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2005/277574/144 "2004-12-07T18:25:38Z")
Two alternates: 1. Robert Byrd 2. Horatio Sanz (large SNL alumni don’t fare well) ---
**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:** [December 7, 2004, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2005/277574/145 "2004-12-07T18:33:17Z")
> [@edwino](#): > > BTW, has anyone seen that crazy-ass Batman crap going on with Yuschchenko? That man’s a goner, he should be on everyone’s list: > > [The Times & The Sunday Times](http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-1373064,00.html) > [Yushchenko's acne points to dioxin poisoning | Nature](http://www.nature.com/news/2004/041122/full/041122-8.html) > [http://www.dailykos.com/story/2004/11/24/18550/237](http://www.dailykos.com/story/2004/11/24/18550/237) But if he’s on everyones list then the points are meaningless. You have to take some chances and go for the win. No Pope for me either. ---
**Author:** ![Mullinator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@Mullinator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mullinator)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2004, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2005/277574/146 "2004-12-07T19:23:01Z")
In 2003, I focused on the NBA and got zilch. In 2004, I focused on major league baseball, shot out of the gate well with Tug McGraw, but then stalled. This year, I’ll exapnd the horizons a bit. 1. Bowie Kuhn - former commish of baseball 2. Fay Vincent - former commish of baseball 3. Darryl Strawberry - former underachieving slugger 4. Dwight Gooden - former underachieving pitching phenom 5. Red Auerbach - Celtics head honcho 6. Scott Hamilton - the ice skater 7. Shane Drury - professional bull rider 8. Pat Burns - Hockey coach 9. Ron Santo - former 3rd baseman on a drastic weight loss plan 10. Mary-Kate Olsen 11. Chris Burke - the “Life Goes On” Downs syndrome dude 12. Ervin “Magic” Johnson 13. Hubie Brown - former NBA coach ---
**Author:** ![Walkabout](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/46a35a/32.png) [@Walkabout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walkabout)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2004, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2005/277574/147 "2004-12-07T20:16:22Z")
OK, I have to get in on this. My picks: 1. Margaret Thatcher 2. 50 Cent (Curtis Jackson) 3. John Goodman 4. Pope John Paul II 5. Gerald Ford 6. William Rehnquist 7. Tony Blair 8. MaCaulay Culkin 9. Stephen Hawking 10. Fidel Castro 11. Doris Day 12. Jack Nicholson 13. Zsa Zsa Gabor ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2004, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2005/277574/148 "2004-12-07T22:06:14Z")
mmkay. Here’s my list for the upcoming year: **Political Figures** 1. Pope John Paul II 2. William Rehnquist 3. Hamid Karzai (newly-elected prez of Afghanistan) 4. Louis Farrakhan **Entertainers** 5. Annette Funicello 6. Kirk Douglas 7. David Newell (Mr. McFeely of “Mr. Rogers Neighborhood”) 8. Dick Clark **Athletes** 9. Magic Johnson 10. Jack Lalanne 11. Jake LaMotta **Publisher** 12. Hugh Hefner **Long Shot** 13. Oprah Winfrey **Alternates** Rosa Parks Sean Connery ---
**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:** [December 7, 2004, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2005/277574/149 "2004-12-07T22:53:00Z")
Ok - I didn’t even look at my old list so I wouldn’t get jinxed. I got no points in 2004 - so far! Anyway: Lady Bird Johnson Muhammed Ali Annette Funicello Mary Tyler Moore Pope John Paul II Michael J. Fox Larry Storch Brent Spiner Kirk Douglas Wilford Brimley Anson Williams (of Happy Days) Barbara Eden Arnold Palmer Alternates: Walter Cronkite Jerry Lewis Michael Jackson ---
**Author:** ![Andrew\_21](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bcef8e/32.png) [@Andrew\_21](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andrew_21)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2004, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2005/277574/150 "2004-12-08T11:08:21Z")
[ol] [li]Milton Friedman- July 31, 1912[/li][li]Gerald Ford- July 14, 1913[/li][li]Mikhail Kalashnikov- November 10, 1919[/li][li]Pope John Paul II- May 18, 1920[/li][li]Boris Yeltsin- February 1, 1931[/li][li]Floyd Patterson- January 4, 1935[/li][li]Pervez Musharraf- August 11, 1943[/li][li]David Bowie- January 8, 1947[/li][li]Paul Banke- March 1, 1964[/li][li]Courtney Love- July 9, 1964[/li][li]Mike Tyson- June 30, 1966[/li][li]Johnny Tapia- February 13, 1967[/li][li]Scott Weiland- October 27, 1967[/li] Alternates: [li]Daryl Gates- August 30, 1926[/li][li]Henry Kissinger- May 27, 1923[/li][li]Nancy Reagan- July 6, 1921[/li][/ol] ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2004, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2005/277574/151 "2004-12-08T14:45:54Z")
OK, after much deliberation, here goes: 1. Professor Steven Hawkings 2. Mister Michael Jackson 3. Mister Elton John 4. His Excellency, President Nelson Mandela 5. Mister Jerry Lewis 6. Mayor Marion Barry 7. His Excellency Mr. Chief Justice William Rehnquist 8. His Excellency, Fidel Castro, President of Cuba 9. Haji Osama Bin Laden 10. His Highness, Prince Philip, Prince Consort of Great Britain 11. His Highness, King Fahad, Protector of the Two Holy Mosques 12. His Excellency Dick Cheney, Vice-President of the United States. 13. His Holiness Pope John-Paul II Good luck to all the entrants. ---
**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:** [December 8, 2004, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2005/277574/152 "2004-12-08T15:02:46Z")
> [@Paul in Saudi](#): > > 1. Mister Elton John Isn’t it _Sir_ Elton John? I don’t know, I don’t keep up on this stuff but it looks like you were trying to be accurate with the honorifics. ---
**Author:** ![katie1341](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/91b2a8/32.png) [@katie1341](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/katie1341)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2004, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2005/277574/153 "2004-12-08T15:42:44Z")
If the past two years are any indication, the following people are guaranteed to stay alive for another year: 1. Charels van Doren 2. Peter O’Toole 3. Alan Alda 4. William Rehnquist 5. Courtney Love 6. Richard Pryor 7. Don Knotts 8. Paul Newman 9. B. B. King 10. Uri Geller 11. Ozzy Osborne 12. Hery Kissinger 13. Van Morrison ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2004, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2005/277574/154 "2004-12-08T15:46:25Z")
Of course you are right, Sir Elton, OBE. (If Uri G claimed to be dead, would anyone believe him?) ---
**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 8, 2004, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2005/277574/155 "2004-12-08T20:28:02Z")
If Uri Gellar died in the woods alone of a massive cardiac arrest and fell down, would any one care? 🙂 AhEm: Elton should be **His Royal Majesty The Queen Elton John** ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Dirx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b77776/32.png) [@Sir\_Dirx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Dirx)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2004, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2005/277574/156 "2004-12-08T20:36:19Z")
Alright, I’ll give it a shot this year. It’s just so morbidly compelling! Completely random guesses as follows: 1. Abe Vigoda 2. Betty White 3. James Garner 4. Wilford Brimley 5. Gary Busey 6. Bill Cosby 7. James Doohan 8. Andy Dick 9. Jack Black 10. Phanom Yeerum (aka Tony Ja) 11. Eddie Albert 12. Phil Brown (from Star Wars) 13. Don Herbert (Mr. Wizard) ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2004, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2005/277574/157 "2004-12-08T22:44:15Z")
Whoa. In the future, I promise to use my powers only for good. I don’t know if this is compelling enough for any of y’all to change your picks, but: [Dick Clark Hospitalized For Stroke](http://www.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/TV/12/08/people.clark.reut/index.html). ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2004, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2005/277574/158 "2004-12-09T02:24:59Z")
> [@VunderBob](#): > > Here we go! > > My picks are: > 6. Elizabeth Taylor My first substitution. Please scratch Liz and add Dick Clark. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2004, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2005/277574/159 "2004-12-09T03:22:06Z")
> [@Paul in Saudi](#): > > OK, after much deliberation, here goes: > > 1. Professor Steven Hawkings > 2. Mister Michael Jackson > 3. Mister Elton John > 4. His Excellency, President Nelson Mandela > 5. Mister Jerry Lewis > 6. Mayor Marion Barry > 7. His Excellency Mr. Chief Justice William Rehnquist > 8. His Excellency, Fidel Castro, President of Cuba > 9. Haji Osama Bin Laden > 10. His Highness, Prince Philip, Prince Consort of Great Britain > 11. His Highness, King Fahad, Protector of the Two Holy Mosques > 12. His Excellency Dick Cheney, Vice-President of the United States. > 13. His Holiness Pope John-Paul II > > Good luck to all the entrants. Don’t know about all those you listed, but according to Debretts #10 is HRH the Duke of Edinburgh. #12 is “The Honorable”, not “His Excellency” Yes, I am anal, why do you ask? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![partlycloudy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/partlycloudy/32/3114_2.png) [@partlycloudy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/partlycloudy)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2004, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2005/277574/160 "2004-12-09T04:18:41Z")
My picks: 1. Angela Lansbury 2. Queen Elizabeth II 3. Jerry Lewis 4. John Goodman 5. Ozzy Osbourne 6. Dick Clark 7. Jack Palance 8. Peter O’Toole 9. Bob Dylan (forgive me) 10. Charlton Heston 11. Tony Bennett 12. BB King 13. Don Knotts [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2005/277574.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2005/277574.md?page=9)