# Who is the most famous person killed by covid-19 so far? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Tags:** covid-quarantine\ **Created:** [March 22, 2020, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-killed-by-covid-19-so-far/849987 "2020-03-22T00:02:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2020, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-killed-by-covid-19-so-far/849987/101 "2020-04-16T00:34:32Z")
> [@KarlGauss](#): > > If wikipedia page views in the days after someone’s death are a measure of their fame, [Prine is more famous than Conway](https://tools.wmflabs.org/pageviews/?project=en.wikipedia.org&platform=all-access&agent=user&redirects=0&range=latest-20&pages=John_Horton_Conway%7CJohn_Prine) (but not by as much as I would have expected) But do more people check Wikipedia because they _don’t_ know who somebody is, or because they _do_? ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2020, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-killed-by-covid-19-so-far/849987/102 "2020-04-16T00:50:07Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > And he isn’t fudging it–that’s the actual way that configuration plays out. He’s using some variant of the rules then. Notice that the top center cell, with 4 neighbors, doesn’t die in the first generation. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2020, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-killed-by-covid-19-so-far/849987/103 "2020-04-16T01:42:45Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > He’s using some variant of the rules then. Notice that the top center cell, with 4 neighbors, doesn’t die in the first generation. I plugged it into [this](https://apkpure.com/conway-s-game-of-life/com.baiels.gameoflife) and got the exact same thing Monroe did. I wasn’t _guessing_ when I said he got it right. (That app, BTW, has hundreds of stored configurations, none of which–as far as I could find–are the waving man.) ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2020, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-killed-by-covid-19-so-far/849987/104 "2020-04-16T01:57:11Z")
Or try this, with the stick figure already loaded. > **[Play John Conway’s Game of Life](https://playgameoflife.com/)** > > Play the Game of Life online, a single player game invented in 1970 by Cambridge mathematician John Conway. (see note at the bottom of the grid. It’s taken from XKCD, not vice-versa) ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2020, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-killed-by-covid-19-so-far/849987/105 "2020-04-16T03:53:50Z")
> [@KarlGauss](#): > > If wikipedia page views in the days after someone’s death are a measure of their fame… Is it though? I looked up Prine on wikipedia because I didn’t know who he was. I didn’t need to look up John Conway. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2020, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-killed-by-covid-19-so-far/849987/106 "2020-04-16T04:47:33Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > Is it though? I looked up Prine on wikipedia because I didn’t know who he was. I didn’t need to look up John Conway. Yes, I’m sure it is. Most people wouldn’t be interested enough in who Conway was to look him up. You’re very much an outlier. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2020, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-killed-by-covid-19-so-far/849987/107 "2020-04-16T08:55:49Z")
> [@KarlGauss](#): > > If wikipedia page views in the days after someone’s death are a measure of their fame, [Prine is more famous than Conway](https://tools.wmflabs.org/pageviews/?project=en.wikipedia.org&platform=all-access&agent=user&redirects=0&range=latest-20&pages=John_Horton_Conway%7CJohn_Prine) (but not by as much as I would have expected) Interesting graph. It’s about 8 to 1, which is a fairly big difference. I mean, Prine was on late night network shows like Colbert’s a number of times (not to mention all those Grammy nominations, and three wins), and both Colbert and _60 MInutes_’s John Dickerson were huge devotees. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2020, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-killed-by-covid-19-so-far/849987/108 "2020-04-16T09:20:52Z")
Lee Konitz, jazz saxophonist with 75-year career, dies of coronavirus aged 92: The Chicago-born alto saxophonist played with Miles Davis on Birth of the Cool, and was heralded for his bold improvisatory style > **[Lee Konitz, jazz saxophonist with 75-year career, dies of coronavirus aged 92](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/apr/16/lee-konitz-jazz-saxophonist-with-75-year-career-dies-of-coronavirus-aged-92)** > > The Chicago-born alto saxophonist played with Miles Davis on Birth of the Cool, and was heralded for his bold improvisatory style ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2020, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-killed-by-covid-19-so-far/849987/109 "2020-04-16T12:21:06Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > The cause of death is ambiguous, but given the timing and where he lived, covid seems likely. > > [Mendel Mendlowits, founder of Adorama, has passed away: Digital Photography Review](https://www.dpreview.com/news/1140248282/mendel-mendlowits-founder-of-adorama-has-passed-away) > > I doubt many people know his name, but his photo shop was huge and influential, so I feel like he belongs in this thread. > [@Colibri](#): > > **Moderating** > > I would request that posters name the person they are talking about, and why they are known, rather than requiring them to click on a link to figure out who you are talking about. > > Colibri > Quarantine Zone Moderator > [@puzzlegal](#): > > Sorry, it’s in the link’s name if you hover over it, no need to click. It’s the founder of Adorama Cameras. Sheesh, **puzzlegal** , why can’t you just come right out and state the person’s name??? Why be so… so… puzzling about it? The man’s name is Mendel Mendlowits. He was 76. > [@dropzone](#): > > Who? Who, indeed. But apparently he was locally influential. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2020, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-killed-by-covid-19-so-far/849987/110 "2020-04-16T14:56:55Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > Just to note that this doesn’t occur for all. (Could be the browser or the forum-style, but to see what a link says I have to paste to a word-processor–hover doesn’t work, here, for me.) oh, sorry, i didn’t realize. It works on all the browsers i use. > [@Bullitt](#): > > Sheesh, **puzzlegal** , why can’t you just come right out and state the person’s name??? Why be so… so… puzzling about it? The man’s name is Mendel Mendlowits. He was 76.Who, indeed. But apparently he was locally influential. Because it’s extra work? I’d have had to meticulously select the name from the link, and then paste it. And reading it in the name of the link is easy for me, and I didn’t realize it wasn’t easy for everyone. And also, I honestly doubt anyone would recognize the name, so it didn’t seem very interesting. I wasn’t intending to be puzzling or obscure. Honestly, I thought the first post, with the conveniently named link, had all the info anyone would want unless they actually wanted to read the linked obit. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2020, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-killed-by-covid-19-so-far/849987/111 "2020-04-16T17:01:34Z")
Also, on any other chat site I frequent, I would have included it, because I would have copied the first paragraph or three from the linked article. But this site has a much lower tolerance for copypasta than most (related to the much higher concern for copyright) so instead of copying part of the article, I thought about what I wanted to include from it, and realized that pretty much everything I wanted to say was in the URL. So I just added a comment, since the URL had all the important information. {shrug} I always look at the URL when I have any interest in what might be at the other end. It never occured to me I was being cryptic. ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2020, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-killed-by-covid-19-so-far/849987/112 "2020-04-16T17:22:51Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > oh, sorry, i didn’t realize. It works on all the browsers i use. Did you try device browsers too? Mouseover on my Win10 laptop revealed the article title with name and subject, but I can’t mouseover on my Android tablet or phone. I skip unknown links - it’s only prudent. There be monsters… ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2020, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-killed-by-covid-19-so-far/849987/113 "2020-04-16T17:37:58Z")
It’s just kinda weird. You came back to tell us that it was the founder of Adorama Cameras rather than say his name. I was starting to wonder “Is his name Adolf Shithead or something?” ---
**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2020, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-killed-by-covid-19-so-far/849987/114 "2020-04-16T20:56:37Z")
John Prine wasn’t THAT famous. He was more of a guy other famous people were fans of and looked up to and had a cult following. He never had a “hit” and his commercial peak was his debut album and Best New Artist nomination almost 50 years ago. Had a long career and influence for sure, but not that much celebrity. That said, for this topic he was probably the most famous. I’m sure millions more people saw Crocodile Dundee and could pick “Richard” out of a lineup than identify John Prine, but character actors who are pretty much “That Guys” don’t have much fame. Perhaps the same for Adam from Fountains of Wayne, since most people have heard one of their songs and/or “That Thing You Do” and he had some level of celebrity in his own right but not that wide. ---
**Author:** ![Wilson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/96bed5/32.png) [@Wilson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wilson)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2020, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-killed-by-covid-19-so-far/849987/115 "2020-04-16T21:47:30Z")
I’m a John Prine fan, but he was probably most famous for being not as famous as he should be, if that makes sense… ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2020, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-killed-by-covid-19-so-far/849987/116 "2020-04-16T22:40:58Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > I plugged it into [this](https://apkpure.com/conway-s-game-of-life/com.baiels.gameoflife) and got the exact same thing Monroe did. I wasn’t _guessing_ when I said he got it right. > (That app, BTW, has hundreds of stored configurations, none of which–as far as I could find–are the waving man.) That’s ok. It’s not _Conway’s_ game of life if it uses a Von Neumann neighborhood, but I agree that it’s a fitting tribute. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2020, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-killed-by-covid-19-so-far/849987/117 "2020-04-16T23:03:35Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > It’s just kinda weird. You came back to tell us that it was the founder of Adorama Cameras rather than say his name. I was starting to wonder “Is his name Adolf Shithead or something?” I know how to spell all those words. And I bet a LOT more people have heard of Adorama Camera than know the guy’s name. (which I don’t, for instance.) ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2020, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-killed-by-covid-19-so-far/849987/118 "2020-04-16T23:11:20Z")
FWIW I had never heard of John Prine or his music, but am very familiar with Joe Diffie. ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2020, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-killed-by-covid-19-so-far/849987/119 "2020-04-16T23:11:59Z")
So this is an “Is he or isn’t he?” situation: [Nicaragua’s president Daniel Ortega hasn’t been seen in a month](https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/13/world/nicaragua-president-ortega-intl/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2020, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-killed-by-covid-19-so-far/849987/120 "2020-04-17T00:44:27Z")
I’d say he’s famous. Next question? 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-killed-by-covid-19-so-far/849987.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-person-killed-by-covid-19-so-far/849987.md?page=7)