# The Celebrity Death Pool 2008 **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** death-pool\ **Created:** [December 1, 2007, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2008/428439 "2007-12-01T11:46:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 30
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2008, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2008/428439/581 "2008-02-16T15:44:44Z")
[QUOTE=BJMoose] Well, fine and good, but others (myself included) would be inclined to vote for 2008 when he was _officially declared_ dead. While we dodged the bullet this time,\* I think it would be wise to adopt a Steve Fossett Rule whereby someone widely presumed to have died but not declared dead cannot be listed in subsequent years. Alas, that doesn’t address the situation we (potentially) were in in 2007. Someone needs to decide whether or not a celeb has to be _declared_ dead in order to be sufficiently dead for our purposes. … [/QUOTE] They should be _mostly_ dead. But then we’d need to add a Miracle Max disclaimer. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2008, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2008/428439/582 "2008-02-16T16:17:17Z")
Yes, but is he morally ethically, spiritually physically, positively absolutely, undeniably and reliably dead? ---
**Author:** ![Rico](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rico/32/3582_2.png) [@Rico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rico)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2008, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2008/428439/583 "2008-02-16T16:48:52Z")
No. He’s only resting. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2008, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2008/428439/584 "2008-02-16T19:24:31Z")
[QUOTE=Fear Itself] Yes, but is he morally ethically, spiritually physically, positively absolutely, undeniably and reliably dead? [/QUOTE] Not quite > **[Meinhardt Raabe](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meinhardt_Raabe)** > > Meinhardt Frank Raabe (/ˈmaɪnˌhɑːrt ˈrɑːbi/; September 2, 1915 – April 9, 2010) was an American actor. He was one of the last surviving Munchkin actors in The Wizard of Oz, and was also the last surviving cast member with any dialogue in the film. He portrayed the coroner who certified the death of the Wicked Witch of the East. > Raabe was born in Watertown, Wisconsin, as a son of Henry H. Raabe and Eleonora Mina (née Rummler) Raabe. He attended and graduated from Johnson Creek High School in ... ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2008, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2008/428439/585 "2008-02-16T20:51:46Z")
Maybe he drowned in a fjord. ---
**Author:** ![BJMoose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5fc32e/32.png) [@BJMoose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BJMoose)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2008, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2008/428439/586 "2008-02-17T23:02:38Z")
Glad to see y’all take death so seriously. . . . Just see if _I_ ever try to be the voice of reason again. Who put this “kick me” sign on my back? ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2008, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2008/428439/587 "2008-02-18T03:17:52Z")
_whistles innocently_ ---
**Author:** ![IrreverentTone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@IrreverentTone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IrreverentTone)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2008, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2008/428439/588 "2008-02-18T04:20:51Z")
[QUOTE=Fear Itself] Yes, but is he morally ethically, spiritually physically, positively absolutely, undeniably and reliably dead? [/QUOTE] Geez, I’d settle for most sincerely. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2008, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2008/428439/589 "2008-02-18T06:27:11Z")
Nancy Reagan was rushed to the hospital tonight. News reports said she fell. At 86, any fall could be fatal, or the start of a downward slide. ---
**Author:** ![BJMoose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5fc32e/32.png) [@BJMoose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BJMoose)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2008, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2008/428439/590 "2008-02-18T17:06:40Z")
Think I heard this morning that she had been released. Presumably _not_ to the undertaker. ---
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2008, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2008/428439/591 "2008-02-19T12:23:04Z")
Castro’s stepping down as Cuban dictator today. Perhaps because he feels the icy grip of Death? ---
**Author:** ![MadTheSwine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MadTheSwine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadTheSwine)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2008, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2008/428439/592 "2008-02-19T14:44:41Z")
> **[Lydia Shum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lydia_Shum)** > > Lydia Shum Din-ha or Lydia Tin Ha Sum (Chinese: 沈殿霞; 21 July 1945 – 19 February 2008) was a Hong Kong comedian, MC, actress and singer. Known for her portly figure, signature dark rimmed glasses and bouffant hairstyle, she was affectionately known to peers and fans as Fei-fei (Chinese: 肥肥, lit. "Fat Fat" or "Fatty") or Fei Jie (Chinese: 肥姐 lit. "Fat Sister"). > Shum was born on 21 July 1945 in Shanghai to Shum Yin Gee (Chinese: 沈賢祺; 1913–1978, with his ancestral home in Shanpei, Ningbo) and Shum... Points fer me. Oink ---
**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:** [February 19, 2008, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2008/428439/593 "2008-02-19T21:34:42Z")
[QUOTE=SpazCat] Castro’s stepping down as Cuban dictator today. Perhaps because he feels the icy grip of Death? [/QUOTE] If he’s resigning today, there’s a decent chance he died a month ago. ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2008, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2008/428439/594 "2008-02-21T19:41:33Z")
[Bob Howsam,](http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gGvXPwkeyyO4PrisFJQ3eXCDR7cQD8UTLS680) who helped found the American Football League and its Denver Broncos franchise, has died at the age of 89. Howsam also served as general manager of baseball’s St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds, helping to build the latter’s “Big Red Machine” which won the World Series in both 1975 and '76 to highlight its dominance of the National League’s West Division during the 1970’s. ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2008, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2008/428439/595 "2008-02-21T23:34:14Z")
[QUOTE=MadTheSwine] > **[Lydia Shum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lydia_Shum)** > > Lydia Shum Din-ha or Lydia Sum Tin-ha (Chinese: 沈殿霞; 21 July 1945 – 19 February 2008) was a Hong Kong comedian, emcee, actress and singer. Known for her portly figure, signature dark-rimmed glasses and bouffant hairstyle, she was affectionately known to peers and fans as Fei-fei (肥肥, lit. "Fat Fat" or "Fatty") or Fei Jie (肥姐 lit. "Fat Sister"). > Shum was born on 21 July 1945 in Baoshan, Shanghai to Shum Yin-gee (沈賢祺; 1913–1978, with her ancestral home in Shanpei, Ningbo) and Shum Yao Tam-suh (沈... Points fer me. Oink [/QUOTE] And for **Captain Lance Murdoch** , vaulting him into second place. ---
**Author:** ![MadTheSwine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MadTheSwine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadTheSwine)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2008, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2008/428439/596 "2008-02-22T01:06:46Z")
[QUOTE=amarone] And for **Captain Lance Murdoch** , vaulting him into second place. [/QUOTE] Where do i vault? ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2008, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2008/428439/597 "2008-02-22T01:32:29Z")
> [@MadTheSwine](#): > > Where do i vault? Into the pool. Careful, it’s a little nasty in there. ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2008, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2008/428439/598 "2008-02-22T01:42:02Z")
[QUOTE=MadTheSwine] Where do i vault? [/QUOTE] Into 5th. ---
**Author:** ![Santos\_L\_Halper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/santos_l_halper/32/1_2.png) [@Santos\_L\_Halper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santos_L_Halper)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2008, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2008/428439/599 "2008-02-23T01:35:16Z")
Actor [Ben Chapman](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0152304/) who played the title role in _the Creature from the Black Lagoon_ has [died](http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080222/OBITS01/802220360/1187/OBITS01) at 79. ---
**Author:** ![Governor\_Quinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2008, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2008/428439/600 "2008-02-23T01:43:54Z")
[Evan Mecham, whose term as Governor of Arizona ended due to impeachment and conviction in 1988, is dead at 83](http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0222mecham-obit0222-ON.html) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2008/428439.md?page=29) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2008/428439.md?page=31)