# The Celebrity Death Pool 2007 **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** death-pool\ **Created:** [December 2, 2006, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620 "2006-12-02T22:07:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 15
**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:** [December 28, 2006, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620/281 "2006-12-28T15:46:29Z")
After my first year with 2 picks, I submit: 1. Ariel Sharon 2. Ray Rhodes 3. Albert Hofmann 4. Claude Levi-Strauss 5. Abe Vigoda 6. Kirk Douglas 7. Micky Rooney 8. Lady Bird Johnson 9. Zsa Zsa Gabor 10. Evil Knievel 11. Roger Ebert 12. Henry Kissinger 13. Betty Ford ---
**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 28, 2006, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620/282 "2006-12-28T21:37:19Z")
Well, I have to replace Ford on my list; and while I’m doing that, I’m also going to bypass my list of alternates and go with Tammy Faye Bakker Mesner as my replacement for the pres., so my new list looks like this: 1. Tammy Faye Bakker Mesner, former televangelist 2. Betty Ford, former first lady 3. Walter Cronkite, former news anchor 4. Billy Graham, evangelist 5. Leona Helmsley, famous ex-con 6. Eunice Kennedy Shriver 7. Charlie Watts, drummer 8. William Lucy, Secretary-Treasurer of labor union AFSCME 9. Natasha Lyonne, actress 10. Lindsay Lohan, actress 11. Dwyane Wade, basketball player 12. Fidel Castro, Cuban leader 13. Nicole Richie, socialite Alts: 1. Les Paul 2. Michael J. Fox 3. Aaron Carter ---
**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 28, 2006, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620/283 "2006-12-28T22:01:30Z")
[QUOTE=Loach] Last year I waited till New Years Eve to put in my list. That way no one would copy me :rolleyes: . 0-13. Why would anyone want to copy my list? Might as well get it in now so I don’t forget. \*Warning: Only read this list if you want a list of those who will live through 2007. \* I picked Ariel Sharon last year and look what happened! Heres to a third year of Death Pool virginity. A mix of new and old from last year. 1. Ariel Sharon (had to keep him on, everyone get on the bandwagon) 2. Axl Rose 3. Steve Jobs 4. Scott Hamilton 5. Elizabeth Taylor 6. Paul Prudhomme 7. Muqtada al-Sadr 8. Roderick Toombs (Roddy Piper) 9. Stephen Glover (Steve-O) 10. Pat Summerall 11. Dan Fogelberg 12. Robert Anton Wilson 13. Laura Ingram Alternates: 1. Peter O’Toole 2. Colin Farrell 3. Courtney Love [/QUOTE] I promised myself that I wouldn’t change the list after I submitted it. Looks like I lies to myself again. The new revised list. Complete and final unless someone kicks before monday. 1. Ariel Sharon (had to keep him on, everyone get on the bandwagon) 2. Axl Rose 3. Steve Jobs 4. Scott Hamilton 5. Bobby Murcer 6. Paul Prudhomme 7. Muqtada al-Sadr 8. Roderick Toombs (Roddy Piper) 9. Stephen Glover (Steve-O) 10. Pat Summerall 11. Dan Fogelberg 12. Robert Anton Wilson 13. Chuck Berry Alternates: 1. Peter O’Toole 2. Colin Farrell 3. Courtney Love ---
**Author:** ![Alive\_At\_Both\_Ends](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Alive\_At\_Both\_Ends](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alive_At_Both_Ends)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2006, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620/284 "2006-12-28T23:13:54Z")
Here goes for my first crack at this: 1. Margaret Thatcher, former UK prime minister 2. Ariel Sharon, former Israeli prime minister 3. Dick Cheney, VP of the USA 4. Elizabeth Taylor, actress 5. Stephen Hawking, physicist 6. Ronnie Biggs, train robber 7. Deanna Durbin, actress 8. Kirk Douglas, actor 9. Nancy Reagan, former First Lady of the USA 10. Muhammad Ali, boxer 11. Ian Brady, serial murderer 12. Fernando Alonso, racing driver 13. Zsa Zsa Gabor, actress Alternates: 14. Shirley Temple, actress 15. Muammar Gaddafi, Libyan leader 16. Lindsay Lohan, actress ---
**Author:** ![Charger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df788c/32.png) [@Charger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charger)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2006, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620/285 "2006-12-29T16:02:52Z")
1. George Barris (car “kustomizer” and shameless self-promoter) 2. John Madden 3. Billy Graham 4. Kanye West 5. Keith Richards 6. Hugh Hefner 7. Robert Prosky 8. Dick Cheney 9. Betty White 10. Ted Kennedy 11. Kris Kristofferson 12. Stan Lee 13. O.J. Simpson Alternates: 1. Ernest Borgnine 2. Charlton Heston ---
**Author:** ![BJMoose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5fc32e/32.png) [@BJMoose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BJMoose)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2006, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620/286 "2006-12-29T17:35:22Z")
My guiding principal this year was to pick folks who became well-known in the 40s and 50s. Course, this results in a bunch of old codgers, but the actuarial odds are attractive (and I might win the “Quantity” award). In an hour I had thirty-five names. I could eliminate a few for not meeting the criterion. Then I listed the others chronologically and picked the oldest. To wit: 1] Studs Terkel (16 May 1912) 2] Harry Morgan (10 Apr 1915) 3] Daniel Schorr (31 Aug 1916) 4] Walter Cronkite (4 Nov 1916) 5] Kirk Douglas (9 Dec 1916) 6] Phyllis Diller (17 Jul 1917) 7] June Foray (18 Sep 1917) [apologies to **mobo85** for stealing a pick but, given my _nom de plumage_, I could hardly pass her up!] 8] Oral Roberts (24 Jan 1918) 9] Mike Wallace (9 May 1918) 10] Billy Graham (7 Nov 1918) 11] Andy Rooney (14 Jan 1919) 12] Mickey Rooney (23 Sep 1920) 13] Hugh Downs (14 Feb 1921) Spares: a] Carl Reiner (20 Mar 1922) b] Sid Caesar (8 Sep 1922) c] Don Hewitt (14 Dec 1922) I’ll hang onto the full list and see how they do. ---
**Author:** ![zoog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7ea924/32.png) [@zoog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoog)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2006, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620/287 "2006-12-29T18:24:56Z")
I’m not trying so hard for the “unique stiff” thing this year. I’ve gone that way the last couple of years, and the only dead celebs I’ve had have been people that were widely selected anyway. But I still have a couple that aren’t all that common. **Porn stars, pro wrestlers, what’s the diff?** 1 - Lou Albano 2 - Ron Jeremy **I’m riding these horses until they meet their inevitable early demise.** 3 - Mike Tyson 4 - Suge Knight **Picking the low-hanging fruit:** 5 - Fidel Castro 6 - Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman **Picks that will really bum me out if I’m right:** 7 - Phil Lesh 8 - Bill Walsh **Can’t believe these guys survived 2006 (so far).** 9 - Don Ho 10 - Evel Knievel **Random old guys:** 11 - Ed Asner 12 - Wink Martindale 13 - James Watt ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2006, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620/288 "2006-12-29T19:49:29Z")
**I’ve changed the list a bit, but it’s more or less the same as last year(only Gerald Ford died on my list).** 1. [Paul Willson](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Willson) He’s quite overweight, so it’s quite possible. 2. [Billy Graham](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_graham) - Sad to seem him go, but he’s 87 already. 3. [Harry Morgan](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Morgan) - I love Col. Potter and will really feel bad about this one. 4. [江泽民](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiang_Zemin) Unlikely, but it could happen and is worth 20-21 points. 5. [Luciano Pavarotti](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luciano_Pavarotti) - He’s fat. End of story. 6. [Paul Wight](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Show) - Big Man = Big Points. 7. [Eli Wallach](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eli_Wallach) - Had him 3 years ago. I figure he’s got to go. 8. [Peter Falk](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Falk) - He smokes like a fish. Whatever that means. 9. [Lady Bird Johnson](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Bird_Johnson) - She’s still alive? 10. [Les Paul](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Paul) - Time to switch to electric harp, Les. 11. [C. Everett Koop](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._Everett_Koop) Hey, had you smoked, you would not have made it this far. 12. [Glen Benton](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glen_Benton) I thought you were going to off yourself at age 33? And finally, my annual pick that I go with every single year for big points. 1. [Michelle Trachtenberg](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelle_Trachtenberg) - I don’t want her dead. I just like the idea of getting big points off a random pick ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2006, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620/289 "2006-12-29T19:56:53Z")
[QUOTE=Mahaloth] [ 4. [江泽民](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiang_Zemin) Unlikely, but it could happen and is worth 20-21 points. [/QUOTE] In English… :rolleyes: Smartass. ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2006, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620/290 "2006-12-29T20:02:03Z")
[QUOTE=VunderBob] Delete my first submission because itwas a feint. My real 2K7 picks: Sen. Craig Thomas - WY Fidel Castro Kim Jong-Il Jerry Falwell Muqtada al-Sadr Louis Farrakhan Kylie Minogue Suzanne Pleshette Farah Fawcett Oma Abdel-Rahman Muhammed Ali Tammie Faye Bakker Messner Luciano Pavarotti [/QUOTE] A correction:\*\* Oma_r_ Abdel-Rahman\*\* ---
**Author:** ![Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2006, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620/291 "2006-12-29T20:39:47Z")
I got 4 of 13 last year, not too bad for my first try. For 2007: 1. Muhammed Ali 2. Fidel Castro 3. John Madden 4. Stephen Hawking 5. Ariel Sharon 6. Wilford Brimley 7. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh 8. John Goodman 9. Tammy Faye Bakker Messner 10. Margaret Thatcher 11. Art Buchwald 12. Arthur C. Clarke 13. Billy Graham Alternates: Elizabeth Taylor, Larry King ---
**Author:** ![Lathe\_of\_Heaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Lathe\_of\_Heaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lathe_of_Heaven)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2006, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620/292 "2006-12-29T22:36:29Z")
Still packin’ the 06 cherry, but willing to try again… (sigh) 1. Pete Seeger (I think he’s immortal, actually…) 2. Don Ho 3. Tammy Faye Bakker Messner 4. The really really old guy on NPR who isn’t Carl Kassel _looks it up_ Daniel Schorr 5. Ray Bradbury 6. Pete Doherty 7. Phred Phelps, hater extraordinaire 8. Stan Lee 9. Nelson Mandela 10. Queen Elizabeth II 11. Fidel Castro 12. Doris Day 13. 50 Cent Alternates: 1. Barbara Bush the elder (anyone else think she looks sort of mummified?) 2. Peter Falk 3. Angela Lansbury ---
**Author:** ![SandyHook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dec6dc/32.png) [@SandyHook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SandyHook)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2006, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620/293 "2006-12-29T23:18:02Z")
Estelle Getty Farrah Fawcett Stephen Hawking (b. 1942) Muhammed Ali Osama Bin Laden (b. 1957), bad person Sid Caeser Don Ho August 13, 1930 Tammy Faye Bakker Messner (March 7, 1942) Elizabeth Taylor - born February 27 1932 Mary Travers, from Peter Paul & Mary Margaret Thatcher - born October 13 1925 Jerry Lewis Fidel Castro-Die already Alt: Annette Funicello Nancy Reagan ---
**Author:** ![Key\_Lime\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/48db29/32.png) [@Key\_Lime\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Key_Lime_Guy)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2006, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620/294 "2006-12-29T23:37:55Z")
Since African-American men are statistically likely to die younger, and out of a desire to have different choices, I submit: 1. Hubert “Geese” Ausby (fmr Harlem Globetrotter) 2. Marion Barry (fmr mayor) 3. Ron Dellums (fmr US Rep) 4. Jermaine Dupri (rap producer) 5. Mike Espy (fmr Secy of Agriculture) 6. Dennis Haysbert (actor) 7. Robert L. Johnson (mogul) 8. Walter Mosley (author) 9. Tavis Smiley (radio host) 10. George Wallace (comedian) 11. Andre Watts (pianist) 12. Cornel West (scholar) 13. Richard Williams (father of Venus & Serena) ---
**Author:** ![swampbear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampbear/32/467_2.png) [@swampbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampbear)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2006, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620/295 "2006-12-30T01:02:47Z")
[QUOTE=swampbear] RIP Gerald Ford. Here’s my updated list for 2007. First alternate Dick Clark has been substituted for former President Ford. 1. Dick Clark 2. Dick VanDyke 3. Estelle Getty 4. Oral Roberts 5. Lady Bird Johnson 6. Elizabeth Taylor 7. Courtney Love (She’s gotta go sometime and soon, ya just know it!) 8. Jerry Lewis 9. Charles Manson 10. Yoko Ono 11. Walter Cronkite 12. Mercury Morris 13. Billy Graham Alternates: Eddie Van Halen Bob Newhart [/QUOTE] Because I can, I wanna jump on the Fidel Castro bandwagon, so, I’m substituting ol’ Fidel for Dick Clark on my 2007 list. 1. Fidel Castro 2. Dick VanDyke 3. Estelle Getty 4. Oral Roberts 5. Lady Bird Johnson 6. Elizabeth Taylor 7. Courtney Love (She’s gotta go sometime and soon, ya just know it!) 8. Jerry Lewis 9. Charles Manson 10. Yoko Ono 11. Walter Cronkite 12. Mercury Morris 13. Billy Graham Alternates: Dick Clark Eddie Van Halen Bob Newhart ---
**Author:** ![imthjckaz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/imthjckaz/32/3223_2.png) [@imthjckaz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/imthjckaz)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2006, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620/296 "2006-12-30T01:33:34Z")
Picks are the same as last year, replaced Ford and Rawls with Lewis and Richards. 1. Dick Clark -legendary TV and Music personality 2. John Wooden -legendary college basketball coach 3. Jesse Helms -legendary racist senator 4. Don Rickles -legendary comic 5. Willie Mays -legendary baseball legend 6. Mickey Rooney -legendary short actor 7. Walter Cronkite -legendary anchorman 8. Fidel Castro -legendary dictator 9. Keith Richards -legendary tree climber 10. Jerry Lewis -legendary King of Comedy 11. Muhammad Ali -legendary Greatest boxer of all-time 12. Andy Rooney -legendary commentator 13. Michael Jackson -legendary white woman Alternates: Monica Lewinski -legendry fluffer Paula Abdul -legendary dancer Dale Earnhadt Jr -legendary Wrangler spokesman ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2006, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620/297 "2006-12-30T01:41:52Z")
My '06 list is completely untouched, so I could re-use it in its entirety, but I’m gonna dump Steven Cojocaru and Courtney Love as looking way too healthy these days. (If the latter kicks, I’m gonna be _pissed_). Here we go, for '07: [ol] [li]Muhammad Ali[/li][li]Fidel Castro[/li][li]Roger Ebert[/li][li]Tippi Hedren[/li][li]Don Ho[/li][li]Tammy Faye Bakker Messner[/li][li]Prince Phillip[/li][li]Harold Pinter [/li][li]Nicole Richie[/li][li]Liz Taylor[/li][li]Margaret Thatcher[/li][li]Claus von Bulow[/li][li]Esther Williams[/li][/ol] ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2006, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620/298 "2006-12-30T01:45:27Z")
Oops – plus an alternate: Dick Clark. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2006, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620/299 "2006-12-30T02:10:36Z")
1 Fidel Castro 2 Ariel Sharon 3 Chuck Berry 4 Billy Graham 5 Ruth Graham 6 Mary Kate Olsen 7 Jalal Talabani, president of Iraq 8 Bob Newhart 9 Senator Ted Stevens 10 Senator Robert Byrd 11 Yegor Gaidar, former Russian prime minister 12 Indonesian dictator Suharto 13 Kirk Douglas Honorable mention – Gasper the whale (I know, no points for non-humans) ---
**Author:** ![bowler\_girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7993a0/32.png) [@bowler\_girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bowler_girl)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2006, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620/300 "2006-12-30T02:53:27Z")
Well, I had my personal best year in 2006, let’s see what I can do in 2007. 1. Fidel Castro 2. Ariel Sharon 3. Charlton Heston 4. Annette Funicello 5. Estelle Getty 6. Senator Tim Johnson 7. Benny Parsons 8. Tammy Faye Bakker-Messner 9. Terry Jones 10. Pete Doherty 11. Natasha Lyonne 12. Bobby Murcer 13. Nicole Richie Alternates: Dick Button Lindsay Lohan [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620.md?page=14) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620.md?page=16)