# Who were the most famous people when you were growing up who have completely disappeared? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 22, 2016, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761 "2016-11-22T19:33:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/221 "2016-12-05T20:52:15Z")
Susie **Chapstick**! 🆒 [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/X3hS6e9pCBE/hqdefault.jpg "Suzy Chaffee 1978 Chapstick Commercial") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3hS6e9pCBE) ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/222 "2016-12-05T21:07:14Z")
> [@alanthemanofchicago](#): > > 1. S. Epatha Merkerson (sp?) - all I ever see her in since Law and Order is those cold pill commercials. Merkerson (that is in fact the correct spelling) has a regular role on _Chicago Med_, part of Dick Wolf’s newer Chicago-based franchise. I’m surprised that you, as a man of Chicago, didn’t know that! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2016, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/223 "2016-12-06T21:39:24Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > Captain and Tennille? > > John Denver? Chuck Mangione! Carole King! As to the latter, the film _Grace of My Heart_ came out in 1996, and the reviewers mentioned how it was inspired in part by Carole King, and already then I was thinking Wow, how long ago was the last time I heard Carole’s name mentioned? \*Tapestry \*was the US #1 best seller album for what, 1971? My 7th–8th grade _Scholastic Weekly Reader_ was giving her lots of press. My 8th-grade classmate made a short film with “You’ve Got a Friend” as the soundtrack. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2016, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/224 "2016-12-06T21:46:17Z")
> [@GargoyleWB](#): > > [Avery Schreiber](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avery_Schreiber) was ubiquitous in the 70s/80s. Game shows, variety shows, movies, commercials. Dying is of course the reason he isn’t around, but I’ve constantly been surprised how few people have any recollection of him in comparison to how commonplace he was in media. I remember him. He was a notable “That Guy.” For a while in the mid-to-late '70s he was the king of the “That Guys.” ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2016, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/225 "2016-12-06T23:10:08Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > Chuck Mangione! > > Carole King! > > As to the latter, the film _Grace of My Heart_ came out in 1996, and the reviewers mentioned how it was inspired in part by Carole King, and already then I was thinking Wow, how long ago was the last time I heard Carole’s name mentioned? \*Tapestry \*was the US #1 best seller album for what, 1971? My 7th–8th grade _Scholastic Weekly Reader_ was giving her lots of press. My 8th-grade classmate made a short film with “You’ve Got a Friend” as the soundtrack. The Broadway musical “Beautiful” (a King jukebox bio) was a recent hit, and she was one of the Kennedy Center honorees a few years ago. The video of her completely losing her composure when Aretha Franklin came out and sang “Natural Woman” was viral for a while. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/226 "2016-12-07T00:41:30Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > And Donny Wahlberg. And Marky Mark Wahlberg for that matter. He was in NKOTB with Donny Don before hooking up with the Funky Bunch ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/227 "2016-12-07T01:40:40Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > And Donny Wahlberg. And Lance Bass. But he had to come out of the closet to get relevant again. ---
**Author:** ![alanthemanofchicago](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/45deac/32.png) [@alanthemanofchicago](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alanthemanofchicago)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/228 "2016-12-07T02:01:50Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > Merkerson (that is in fact the correct spelling) has a regular role on _Chicago Med_, part of Dick Wolf’s newer Chicago-based franchise. > > I’m surprised that you, as a man of Chicago, didn’t know that! 🙂 Hmm - I love Chicago PD / Chicago Fire, but Med always seemed too soap-opera like for me to get into it. And while she wasn’t directly involved Beautiful is highly recommended ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/229 "2016-12-07T03:33:33Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > The Broadway musical “Beautiful” (a King jukebox bio) was a recent hit, and she was one of the Kennedy Center honorees a few years ago. The video of her completely losing her composure when Aretha Franklin came out and sang “Natural Woman” was viral for a while. Also, she reprised her role as Sophie (one of the Star’s Hollow townies) in the very recent “Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life”. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/230 "2016-12-07T03:41:12Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > And Marky Mark Wahlberg for that matter. He was in NKOTB with Donny Don before hooking up with the Funky Bunch Mark Wahlberg appears regularly in movies, he hasn’t gone anywhere. ---
**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:** [December 7, 2016, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/231 "2016-12-07T04:07:09Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > Mark Wahlberg appears regularly in movies, he hasn’t gone anywhere. Right. He was being used as an example of someone from a 90s boy band who _hasn’t_ disappeared, along with his brother Donnie and Justin Timberlake. > [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](#): > > Everyone that was in a 90s boy band except Justin Timberlake. > [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > And Donny Wahlberg. > [@TBG](#): > > And Marky Mark Wahlberg for that matter. He was in NKOTB with Donny Don before hooking up with the Funky Bunch ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/232 "2016-12-07T04:42:13Z")
> [@5\_time\_champ](#): > > Doc Sevrenisen [sic] appeared in our homes almost every night as leader of NBC Orchestra on the Tonight Show for 25 years… Every once in a while he’ll play for a month or so in San Miguel De Allende, Mexico. There’s a little theater there where you can catch him and a smokin’ jazz band. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2016, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/233 "2016-12-09T20:17:21Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > Right. He was being used as an example of someone from a 90s boy band who _hasn’t_ disappeared, along with his brother Donnie and Justin Timberlake. Exactly. I know nested quotes were causing some issues and done away with for it, but the lack of them certainly made my post unnecessarily confusing. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2016, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/234 "2016-12-09T23:29:11Z")
For a recent example, how about Cillian Murphy? He was the star of **28 Days Later** , as well as playing the Scarecrow in **Batman Begins** , as well as **Red Eye** , and **Inception**. But nothing in – what? – five years? What happened to him? ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2016, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/235 "2016-12-10T00:01:47Z")
> [@Don\_Draper](#): > > For a recent example, how about Cillian Murphy? He was the star of **28 Days Later** , as well as playing the Scarecrow in **Batman Begins** , as well as **Red Eye** , and **Inception**. But nothing in – what? – five years? What happened to him? He was working on a British series (Peaky Blinders) between 2013 and 2016. Also made a few movies since then (including the Johnny Depp human-into-computer movie Transcendence). ---
**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:** [December 10, 2016, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/236 "2016-12-10T05:02:20Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > When I was young, my mom used to love old movies, but I couldn’t see the attraction. It turns out I like them (well, I do now), I just don’t like the same ones my mom did. I go a little weak in the knees for Carole Lombard in _My Man Godfrey_. Don’t we all. It’s no wonder Gable hot-rodded the hottest Deusenburg to woo her. > [@Jim\_s\_Son](#): > > Various Vice Presidents and candidates pretty much disappear after they lose an election or their term of office expires. In the mid 1970s one of them, William Miller (Republican nominee in 1964), even did an American Express commercial saying “Do you know me? With the American Express card, I can use it everywhere”. Yeah, I know him. He fathered the unattainable girl of my dreams. ---
**Author:** ![eunoia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eunoia/32/97_2.png) [@eunoia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eunoia)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2016, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/237 "2016-12-10T09:01:22Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > **Sarah Holcombe** is worth a mention as well. She appeared in four movies, two of them (_Animal House_ and _Caddyshack_) were huge successes. Since _Caddyshack_, nothing. Chalk me up among those who’d never realized Sarah Holcomb was the same actress that was in both _Animal House_ and _Caddyshack_. Both beloved movies so that says something about her acting abilities. Immediate guess was drugs, because of the times, but I found some hint of explanation here: [http://bobbyderailed.blogspot.ca/2007/01/sarah-smiles.html](http://bobbyderailed.blogspot.ca/2007/01/sarah-smiles.html) Respecting her privacy, but my guess is that there are still many, many people who remember her fondly and wish her well. ---
**Author:** ![DKW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dkw/32/3118_2.png) [@DKW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DKW)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2016, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/238 "2016-12-16T04:53:02Z")
Lots of examples I could dredge up if I cared enough, but for now: Mike Judge had an extremely improbable cult hit with Beavis and Butthead, an overall-not-bad mainstream hit with King of The Hill…and that’s pretty much it. Arnold Schwarzenegger still gets minor roles, but his A-list and even B-list days appear to be long over. I actually haven’t heard much of anything about him since his term as governor of California ended. Frank Miller. If Holy Terror was as horrendous as I heard it was, that’s no surprise. Mike Tyson. When you have your own video game _and_ get fantasy booked against Tony Mandarich and Royce Gracie, you _know_ you’re huge. Death spiral hit hard; now quietly teaches boxing to kids completely out of the spotlight, and that’s apparently just how he likes it. On the local level, Frank Delima was the Weird Al Yankovic of Hawaii, by far the most popular and best known comedian we’ve ever had (and he had some _dead on_ song parodies!). Haven’t heard anything about him for ages; the last thing I ever saw him in was a Wisteria commercial. And while it was past my “growing up” time, I have to give a special mention to Bristol Palin. She used to be all over the damn place, and the right wing couldn’t get enough of her. She almost won Dancing With The Stars, for crying out loud! ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2016, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/239 "2016-12-16T23:01:36Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > Well, these aren’t musical artists, but I believe they’re been mentioned already. Pam Dawber married Mark Harmon and retired from acting to raise a family. And when Rick Moranis’s wife died, he quit acting to take care of their kids. Bridget Fonda was in a car wreck in 2003, breaking a vertebrae in her back. She then married Danny Elfman, and essentially retired from acting to raise their son Oliver. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2016, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/240 "2016-12-17T01:17:34Z")
> [@DKW](#): > > Mike Judge had an extremely improbable cult hit with Beavis and Butthead, an overall-not-bad mainstream hit with King of The Hill…and that’s pretty much it. He’s been doing more live action. Office Space? Idiocracy? Silicon Valley? All Mike Judge creations. > [@](#): > > Arnold Schwarzenegger still gets minor roles, but his A-list and even B-list days appear to be long over. I actually haven’t heard much of anything about him since his term as governor of California ended. I don’t it wasn’t a success, but you never heard of Terminator Genisys? The Expendables 2-3 (after just a cameo in 1)? Or that he’s taking over the Apprentice hosting gig while the other guy’s busy the next 4-8 (knock wood) years? He’s even working on another Conan movie. He’s not the money in the bank he used to be, but wow, “haven’t heard much of anything”? Guy’s still hella busy, you just aren’t looking hard at all. Which is fine in general but not if you’re going to put him in this sort of thread. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761.md?page=11) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761.md?page=13)