# What elderly celebrity will you miss most when he or she dies? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 9, 2016, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-elderly-celebrity-will-you-miss-most-when-he-or-she-dies/751694 "2016-04-09T19:57:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-elderly-celebrity-will-you-miss-most-when-he-or-she-dies/751694/61 "2016-04-11T01:18:06Z")
George R. R. Martin is only 67, but if he dies before he finishes writing ASoIaF, I will really be pissed. It’s not so much that I’ll miss _him_, but rather the novels that he he needs to write. ---
**Author:** ![ThisSpaceForRent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thisspaceforrent/32/345_2.png) [@ThisSpaceForRent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisSpaceForRent)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-elderly-celebrity-will-you-miss-most-when-he-or-she-dies/751694/62 "2016-04-11T03:36:35Z")
> [@zoog](#): > > Phil Lesh will hit me pretty hard when his time comes. Jerry hit me quite hard…The day he passed i got mail order tickets to 6 nights of the closing of Boston Gardens. ☹ Bobby will hit me much worse than Phil cause, sadly, with Phil it is a matter of time and his seems to be running out. ---
**Author:** ![Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellis_Aponte_Jr)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-elderly-celebrity-will-you-miss-most-when-he-or-she-dies/751694/63 "2016-04-11T03:53:52Z")
Noam Chomsky. Whether you agree with him or not there’s no one on the scene who has the same kind of uncorrupted political intellect. He really is the last of a kind, and an entire perspective will go with him. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-elderly-celebrity-will-you-miss-most-when-he-or-she-dies/751694/64 "2016-04-11T04:03:56Z")
[Norman Lloyd](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Lloyd). Actor, producer, and director. 101 years old. He got his start in show business in 1932 and has been working ever since. His _career_ is older than many of these other people mentioned so far. As of 2016, he is the oldest actor who is currently working. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-elderly-celebrity-will-you-miss-most-when-he-or-she-dies/751694/65 "2016-04-11T06:35:15Z")
> [@Pai325](#): > > There are a lot, but maybe Queen Elizabeth. So much will change with her death. Yes, Queen Elizabeth. Especially since I remember watching her coronation on tv in 1953. But really, not much will change with her death, except the money and stamps. Come to think of it . . . Charles’ profile on the coinage? :eek: Keep his mum alive until after HE dies! ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-elderly-celebrity-will-you-miss-most-when-he-or-she-dies/751694/66 "2016-04-11T07:12:25Z")
Oh, and I forgot a few: Mary Tyler Moore, who’s 79. Barbra Streisand, who’ll be 74 this month. Bob Newhart, who’s 86. ---
**Author:** ![standingwave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@standingwave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/standingwave)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-elderly-celebrity-will-you-miss-most-when-he-or-she-dies/751694/67 "2016-04-11T07:15:09Z")
Mary Tyler Moore (79), Tommy Chong (77), Don Rickles (89). They made me laugh. And Stephen Hawking (74). He’s a celebrity, right? He made me wonder. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-elderly-celebrity-will-you-miss-most-when-he-or-she-dies/751694/68 "2016-04-11T07:39:31Z")
June Lockhart, 90. She starred in three series, _Lassie, Lost in Space_, and _Petticoat Junction_, and guest starred in many other TV shows. My favorite guest shot was in the _Drew Carey Show_ when she played Lewis’s mother, Misty Kiniski. Misty is watching TV with Drew’s mom, Beulah, played by Marion Ross. Beulah: Oh, look. That show with the collie is on! Misty: I think the mother is definitely the star of that show. Beulah: Oh, no. It’s the dog. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-elderly-celebrity-will-you-miss-most-when-he-or-she-dies/751694/69 "2016-04-11T09:17:32Z")
John Astin, 86. As far as I’m concerned, the one and only Gomez Addams. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 9:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-elderly-celebrity-will-you-miss-most-when-he-or-she-dies/751694/70 "2016-04-11T09:47:55Z")
Abe Vigoda. mmm ---
**Author:** ![velomont](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8491ac/32.png) [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-elderly-celebrity-will-you-miss-most-when-he-or-she-dies/751694/71 "2016-04-11T12:23:02Z")
> [@faithfool](#): > > Well, Alice (Cooper) is 68 and I’m already planning on going into mourning. There’s just no way he can die on me anytime soon. I feel the same way about Tony Iommi. I’ve been a lover of Ozzy and Ronnie fronted Black Sabbath since I was 11 or 12 (40 some years ago) and Tony’s stage presence just reeks of class to me - no cool guitar hero poses, histrionics or theatrics (not that there’s anything wrong with that), just sheer professionalism onstage. I absolutely love watching him perform. I remember reading a review that described him as “elegant”. I also feel the same way about Geezer Butler as well. I also agree with others upthread about the Queen Elizabeth. I’m more or less agnostic about the monarchy but she was the queen since before my birth and I was in the Canadian Forces for 32 years of my working life so that will be hard to believe at first. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-elderly-celebrity-will-you-miss-most-when-he-or-she-dies/751694/72 "2016-04-11T15:46:46Z")
**Ennio Morricone** , he composed some of the greatest film music (hell, some of the greatest any music) of the last century. Still working at age 87. I had a ticket to see him in New York a couple years ago, conducting a 140-piece orchestra, but it was cancelled for health reasons. Damn, I’m sorry to have missed that; imagine it would have been something like [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-rHdSWZLpQ) > [@panache45](#): > > Yes, Queen Elizabeth. Especially since I remember watching her coronation on tv in 1953. But really, not much will change with her death, except the money and stamps. Come to think of it . . . Charles’ profile on the coinage? :eek: Keep his mum alive until after HE dies! Not much will change? C’mon, the lyrics to the national anthem will change. Habits can be tough to break, though; when someone sings “God save the queen” in front of King Charles, it’s gonna be an issue. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-elderly-celebrity-will-you-miss-most-when-he-or-she-dies/751694/73 "2016-04-11T16:13:37Z")
> [@bibliophage](#): > > George R. R. Martin is only 67, but if he dies before he finishes writing ASoIaF, I will really be pissed. It’s not so much that I’ll miss _him_, but rather the novels that he he needs to write. According to “[Z Nation](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4851412/?ref_=ttep_ep8),” he doesn’t die and will be doing autograph signings well into the zombie apocalypse. ---
**Author:** ![stillownedbysetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@stillownedbysetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stillownedbysetters)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-elderly-celebrity-will-you-miss-most-when-he-or-she-dies/751694/74 "2016-04-11T16:15:16Z")
I have to agree about Queen Elizabeth. She is as close to ‘forever’ as anything has been in my life. She was on the throne when I was born, and at the rate she’s going, may still be when I die. I have long thought she realizes how unfit her son is for the role and that observation has steeled her will to survive and thrive to her grand old age. And what about her husband, Prince Phillip? He’s clearly stayed strong for her as well. I don’t think we tend to view Liz and Phil as a love story, but clearly they are. I believe that once one of them passes, the other will follow shortly thereafter. Way to go, your Majesty. Doing the same job (even though a well-compensated one) for 60+ years is really quite impressive. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-elderly-celebrity-will-you-miss-most-when-he-or-she-dies/751694/75 "2016-04-11T16:25:26Z")
> [@standingwave](#): > > And Stephen Hawking (74). He’s a celebrity, right? He made me wonder. He’s a medical anomaly. How can someone with that dreadful disease survive into his seventies? ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-elderly-celebrity-will-you-miss-most-when-he-or-she-dies/751694/76 "2016-04-11T19:22:10Z")
No mention of Tom Baker, the fourth Doctor, the definite article you might say? He’s 82, and I’m surprised he’s made it this far, frankly. Pleased, but surprised. ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-elderly-celebrity-will-you-miss-most-when-he-or-she-dies/751694/77 "2016-04-11T19:47:20Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > Abe Vigoda. > mmm Is this a whoosh or did you not know he died in January? ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-elderly-celebrity-will-you-miss-most-when-he-or-she-dies/751694/78 "2016-04-11T20:00:30Z")
Jack Nicholson, Keith Richards. Helen Mirren. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-elderly-celebrity-will-you-miss-most-when-he-or-she-dies/751694/79 "2016-04-11T20:08:25Z")
> [@xizor](#): > > Is this a whoosh or did you not know he died in January? I’m sure you were whooshed. People Magazine mistakenly printed Vigoda’s obituary in the 80s and it’s been a running joke ever since. There’s even a website called “Is Abe Vigoda Dead?” Yes. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-elderly-celebrity-will-you-miss-most-when-he-or-she-dies/751694/80 "2016-04-11T21:17:50Z")
I was watching an old _Route 66_ episode on my DVR when I recognized Ed Asner, who is now 86. He appeared in a great many early TV episodes before appearing in his signature role as Lou Grant in two different TV series. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-elderly-celebrity-will-you-miss-most-when-he-or-she-dies/751694.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-elderly-celebrity-will-you-miss-most-when-he-or-she-dies/751694.md?page=5)