# The Celebrity Death Pool 2012 **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** death-pool\ **Created:** [December 1, 2011, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2012/604679 "2011-12-01T06:00:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 114
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2012/604679/2262 "2012-08-14T18:38:03Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > So is Marcia Strassman, despite the reports of the last couple of years that she is terminally ill. (pencils Marcia Strassman down for my 2013 list) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2012/604679/2263 "2012-08-14T19:44:32Z")
One weird thing I hadn’t noticed about _Welcome Back, Kotter_ was the lack of age difference on the show. Of course a lot of high school shows have actors who are way too old to be students but Gabe Kaplan, who played the teacher, was only four years older than Ron Palillo, who played a student\*. Marcia Strassman, who played Kaplan’s wife, is three years younger than Kaplan. Which means she could have been cast to play one of his students as easily as she played his wife. \*Palillo was 26 when the show started. Robert Heyges was 24, Lawrence-Hilton Jacobs was 22, and John Travolta was 21. And they were all still playing high school students four years later when the series ended. ---
**Author:** ![critter42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ba0ec/32.png) [@critter42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/critter42)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2012/604679/2264 "2012-08-14T20:42:38Z")
Didn’t see this mentioned, and nobody had him that I could see, but legendary comic artist Joe Kubert [passed away at age 15 points](http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/14/arts/design/joe-kubert-giant-of-comic-book-art-dies-at-85.html) ---
**Author:** ![Kitten\_Mitten](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b782af/32.png) [@Kitten\_Mitten](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kitten_Mitten)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2012/604679/2265 "2012-08-14T23:14:36Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > Ha! I’ll bet you thought I wasn’t going to look in here! As it turns out I retired to my secret lair in the Holiday Inn Express in Fairfield, Ohio, and THEY have a computer for use! > > _sniff?_ Who peed in the pool? LOCHTE, how’d you make it to Ohio that quickly? ---
**Author:** ![Lok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e8c25b/32.png) [@Lok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lok)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2012/604679/2266 "2012-08-14T23:18:29Z")
> [@Lok](#): > > Geez, all this attention to someone that is still alive, but no mention of [the death of Joe Kuber](http://www.nj.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2012/08/joe_kubert_dead_dies_85_nj.html)t? **Dead** Pool people, not live pool! > [@critter42](#): > > Didn’t see this mentioned, and nobody had him that I could see, but legendary comic artist Joe Kubert [passed away at age 15 points](http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/14/arts/design/joe-kubert-giant-of-comic-book-art-dies-at-85.html) Of course it was mentioned, and even had a couple of follow ups. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![critter42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ba0ec/32.png) [@critter42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/critter42)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2012, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2012/604679/2267 "2012-08-15T12:19:34Z")
> [@Lok](#): > > Of course it was mentioned, and even had a couple of follow ups. 😉 Oops, all that talk about Billy Graham and I skipped right over that. Welllll…has anyone mentioned that SF author Harry Harrison [is no more](http://www.harryharrison.com/)? ---
**Author:** ![critter42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ba0ec/32.png) [@critter42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/critter42)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2012, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2012/604679/2268 "2012-08-15T12:30:37Z")
> [@critter42](#): > > Oops, all that talk about Billy Graham and I skipped right over that. Welllll…has anyone mentioned that SF author Harry Harrison [is no more](http://www.harryharrison.com/)? Dang..meant to say that Harry Harrison is Soylent Green, but missed the edit window 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2012, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2012/604679/2269 "2012-08-15T16:13:39Z")
Prince Phillip is back in the hospital. (sorry, no link. they are a pain when posting from my phone.) ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2012, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2012/604679/2270 "2012-08-15T22:59:07Z")
[Bob Birch Dead](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/15/bob-birch-dead-elton-john-suicide-_n_1784056.html?1345060465&icid=maing-grid7%7Cmaing6%7Cdl1%7Csec1_lnk2%26pLid%3D192916) Chops himself Down? Age 56 ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2012, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2012/604679/2271 "2012-08-15T23:05:04Z")
Sorry Missed edit window. Bob Birch was a Bassist who worked for Elton John. ---
**Author:** ![Invisible\_Chimp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f05b48/32.png) [@Invisible\_Chimp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Invisible_Chimp)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2012/604679/2272 "2012-08-16T02:24:48Z")
[Rev. Sun Myung Moon](http://mobile.bloomberg.com/news/2012-08-16/unification-church-says-leader-moon-is-gravely-ill-.html) has been hospitalized. ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2012/604679/2273 "2012-08-16T02:27:24Z")
[Jean Merrill](http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/12/books/jean-merrill-childrens-book-writer-dies-at-89.html), who wrote such children’s books as _The Pushcart War_ and _The Toothpaste Millionaire_, has died at the age of 89. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2012/604679/2274 "2012-08-16T20:27:25Z")
**[Joan Roberts dies at 95; female lead in original ‘Oklahoma!’](http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-joan-roberts-20120816,0,2799770.story)** Joan Roberts played the high-spirited young farm girl Laurey in the 1943 production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s long-running musical. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2012/604679/2275 "2012-08-16T20:34:54Z")
Holy shit! I (like I’ll bet a lot of others) read, “\*\*\*John \*\*\*Roberts dies …” Can you imagine the circus we’d have on our hands if the conservative Supreme Court Chief Justice snuffed it three month before the presidential election? ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2012/604679/2276 "2012-08-16T20:36:21Z")
> [@Invisible\_Chimp](#): > > [Rev. Sun Myung Moon](http://mobile.bloomberg.com/news/2012-08-16/unification-church-says-leader-moon-is-gravely-ill-.html) has been hospitalized. Is it horrble that I shot my arms in the air with excitement? ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2012/604679/2277 "2012-08-16T23:40:58Z")
Blood Sweat and Tears Sax player[Bill Tillman](http://ultimateclassicrock.com/blood-sweat-tears-bill-tillman-dead-at-65/)dead at 65. There’ll be one child born to carry on. To carry on. (Know he wasn’t there for that one). ---
**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:** [August 16, 2012, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2012/604679/2278 "2012-08-16T23:48:41Z")
> [@Cicero](#): > > Blood Sweat and Tears Sax player[Bill Tillman](http://ultimateclassicrock.com/blood-sweat-tears-bill-tillman-dead-at-65/)dead at 65. > > There’ll be one child born to carry on. To carry on. (Know he wasn’t there for that one). Did he go down gamblin’? I hope he got a piece of the sky. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2012/604679/2279 "2012-08-16T23:55:13Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > Holy shit! I (like I’ll bet a lot of others) read, “\*\*\*John \*\*\*Roberts dies …” > > Can you imagine the circus we’d have on our hands if the conservative Supreme Court Chief Justice snuffed it three month before the presidential election? I can’t imagine the scramble to choose another justice before the election. Odds are though that nobody could get confirmed in such a short time. Do you suppose the White House keeps a list _just in case_ such an event occurs? ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2012, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2012/604679/2280 "2012-08-18T02:43:08Z")
> [@Sternvogel](#): > > [Jean Merrill](http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/12/books/jean-merrill-childrens-book-writer-dies-at-89.html), who wrote such children’s books as _The Pushcart War_ and _The Toothpaste Millionaire_, has died at the age of 89. Awwww. ☹ \*The Pushcart War \*is one of my favourite books. ---
**Author:** ![anyrose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/54ee81/32.png) [@anyrose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anyrose)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2012, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2012/604679/2281 "2012-08-18T11:43:43Z")
I remember my 2nd Grade teacher reading that to us - one chapter each Friday. I still think of it when I see a Semi next to a Sports Car [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2012/604679.md?page=113) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2012/604679.md?page=115)